Morning light streamed through the window into the room, casting triangular orange-yellow warm glows on the walls, adding a touch of warmth to the otherwise cool-toned decor. In addition, the person and cat on the bed looked incredibly cozy.
Fang Bai stepped into the room, his footsteps startling the snoring Bei Bei. Ji Yuning glanced at Fang Bai with half an eyelid, then lowered her eyes, covering Bei Bei's head with her hand, silently soothing her.
But Beibei was no longer sleepy. It stood up from Ji Yuning's arms, shook itself, jumped off the bed, and squatted down next to Fang Bai.
Fang Bai bent down and picked up Bei Bei, stroking Bei Bei's fur while glancing at the litter box. "You've already cleaned it?"
"Um."
There were still some leftover cat food in the cat bowl in the distance, so it seemed to have been fed.
...They seem to know how to take good care of cats.
Beibei has had her breakfast, but the others haven't.
Fang Bai asked, "What would you like to eat for breakfast?"
Ji Yuning closed the book, got up, and walked out.
Fang Bai followed behind Ji Yuning, holding the cat.
Ji Yuning noticed Fang Bai's behavior and lowered her gaze slightly: "Whatever."
“Then let’s make porridge,” Fang Bai said as the two of them left the side bedroom one after the other. “We’ll use the leftovers from last night.”
After breakfast, Ji Yuning washed the dishes first.
Fang Bai was afraid of triggering unpleasant memories for Ji Yuning, so he initially wanted her to use the dishwasher. But then he thought, how could Ji Yuning forget? Her initiative might be a good thing.
Fang Bai was thinking about how to take Ji Yuning out for a while during such a nice holiday. Just as she was figuring out how to talk to Ji Yuning, Ji Yuning came downstairs with her backpack on, seemingly ignoring Fang Bai on the sofa, and headed straight for the entrance.
"Xiao Ning," Fang Bai called out.
Ji Yuning paused, turning to look at Fang Bai.
She thought the woman would ignore her.
Fang Bai asked knowingly, "Are you going out?"
Ji Yuning: "Mm."
Fang Bai continued, "Going to study? Or coming back tonight?"
Ji Yuning nodded.
"And what about me?"
"?"
Fang Bai realized how easily his words could cause misunderstandings, so he paused and said, "...I meant that if you go to study, I'll be all alone at home."
She had already decided where to take Ji Yuning.
Ji Yuning wanted to ask what it had to do with her, but before she could finish, she said, "And Beibei too."
Do you really think of Beibei as a person?
Fang Bai put down the pillow he was holding. "Where are you going? I'll take you."
Before Ji Yuning could refuse, Fang Bai said, "We haven't found the person behind this yet, so it's safer for me to take you."
The person was indeed not found, but how could Fang Bai not know who did it?
The day after the incident, Fang Bai anonymously sent an email to that person, briefly recounting a few shady things that person had done.
Compared to Ji Yuning, the anonymous email sender was far more important to that person. That person was busy figuring out who sent the email and had no time to pay attention to Ji Yuning, who, in his eyes, posed no immediate threat.
Ji Yuning didn't refuse again, because Fang Bai added, "If you don't want me to deliver it, then you can keep video chatting with me until we reach our destination, then hang up."
Ji Yuning: "..."
Fang Bai changed his clothes and walked ahead of Ji Yuning into the garage.
The damaged car had already been returned by Fang Maozhou's people, and the original car was used when picking up Ji Yuning from the station yesterday.
After getting in the car, Fang Bai asked Ji Yuning about their destination. After Ji Yuning replied, neither of them spoke again.
The journey was quiet.
Thirty-five minutes later, the car stopped in front of the city library.
Fang Bai saw Mu Xuerou standing by the roadside from afar and asked softly, "Did you make an appointment with Mu Xuerou?"
Ji Yuning looked towards the roadside and saw Mu Xuerou as well. "Hmm."
A cryptic smile flickered in Fang Bai's eyes. "Next time, you can invite Mu to your house to study."
Ji Yuning didn't reply, but said as she unbuckled her seatbelt, "I'm getting off the car."
Fang Bai raised an eyebrow: "Okay, goodbye~"
As soon as Ji Yuning closed the car door, a soft laugh suddenly rang out in the cramped car.
That little brat actually hired someone to lie to her.
Carrying a schoolbag, but does studying really mean this kind of studying?
Fang Bai smiled and withdrew his gaze from Ji Yuning's retreating figure.
Upon seeing Ji Yuning, Mu Xuerou waved to her, only lowering her hand when Ji Yuning was almost in front of her.
Mu Xuerou looked at the car behind Ji Yuning, "Yuning, did Aunt Fang... Aunt Fang bring you here?"
Mu Xuerou initially wanted to call Fang Bai, but then changed her mind and called her Aunt Fang instead.
Ji Yuning nodded: "Mm."
"Your relationship with Aunt Fang is much better now," Mu Xuerou said, noticing Ji Yuning frowning.
Fearing she might upset Ji Yuning, Mu Xuerou quickly changed the subject, "Why did you suddenly call me to the library? And why did you make me wait outside?"
While Mu Xuerou was doing her homework, she received a text message from Ji Yuning, saying that she needed her help and asked her to come to the city library.
Ji Yuning rarely chatted with Mu Xuerou. Apart from asking about homework, this was the first time she had asked Mu Xuerou for help, and Mu Xuerou agreed without hesitation.
“I have something to do, but I don’t want Fang Bai to know.” Ji Yuning glanced at the departing car out of the corner of her eye. “So I told Fang Bai that we arranged to study at the library.”
Mu Xuerou's gaze followed the departing car. Remembering Ji Yuning's previous injuries, she said anxiously, "Yuning, isn't it wrong to lie to your parents like this?"
If Fang Bai finds out that Ji Yuning lied to her, what will happen...?
Are you a parent?
Ji Yuning's eyes darkened.
Author's Note:
How could I possibly fool Aunt Fang? Hmph!
Chapter 36
The coffee shop, located a few hundred meters from the library, boasts an elegant interior. The street outside is lined with plane trees, creating a play of light and shadow. The window seats offer excellent views.
There are several office buildings around the coffee shop, and many white-collar workers come and go from there.
Fang Bai sat by the window, his gaze following a white-collar worker walking towards the office building, casually stirring the coffee on the table.
Fang Bai only stopped his leisurely demeanor when a person dressed completely differently from the office workers appeared in front of the office building in the distance.
That person was Ji Yuning, who should have been studying with Mu Xuerou in the library.
Fang Bai stopped stirring, his legs involuntarily crossed, and a brief smile appeared on his lips.
She guessed right.
The learning that Ji Yuning was referring to wasn't in the library, but at the company.
Learn how to manage a company, learn finance and other related topics, learn everything that those in positions of authority need to know.
The person who arranged for Ji Yuning to learn these things was someone far away in Beijing.
In a CEO romance novel, the CEO's background, besides being fraught with hardship, must be that of the most prestigious noble family in the story, a background that no one in the story can afford to offend.
And that's Ji Yuning's family background.
The Lu family in Beijing, which is Lu Xia's ancestral home, is the Lu Group, which is considered unapproachable in the story.
Lu Xia became pregnant out of wedlock, and until she gave birth to Ji Yuning, no relatives appeared by her side, not even Ji Yuning's father.
After the original owner and Liao Li met Lu Xia, they did ask Lu Xia about Ji Yuning's father, but Lu Xia always brushed them off.
The original owner and Liao Li assumed that Lu Xia had encountered a scumbag and had been cheated on by a man. But in reality, Ji Yan died in an accident not long after he got together with Lu Xia, and shortly after his death, Lu Xia discovered that she was pregnant.
Lu's father had never approved of Lu Xia and Ji Yan being together and had voiced his opposition, but he couldn't resist Lu Xia's persistent pleas. After Ji Yan passed away, Lu's father arranged blind dates for Lu Xia, seemingly to help her recover from her grief, but in reality, it was for the purpose of a political marriage.
When Lu Xia learned that she was pregnant with Ji Yan's child, Lu's father's first reaction was to make Lu Xia abort the child.
Wealthy families will not tolerate their daughters becoming pregnant out of wedlock, and the party to a marriage alliance will not raise someone else's child.
Lu Xia's pleas went unanswered, so she wanted to leave the Lu family. However, she was stopped by her father before she could escape. Her father gave her a choice: sever her relationship with him or abort the child in her womb.
Lu Xia chose the latter.
In Fang Bai's heart, Lu Xia was a respectable person. She admired Lu Xia for her courage and decisiveness. The time she took Ji Yuning to the cemetery, besides paying respects to Lu Xia, Fang Bai wanted to see Lu Xia more.
For thirteen years, Lu Xia never contacted the Lu family.
Perhaps this stubbornness was inherited from Lu's father. Lu's father never inquired about Lu Xia's whereabouts, nor did he allow anyone around him to inquire. However, there were always relatives who couldn't control their longing and secretly searched for news about Lu Xia. But it was as if there was an invisible net covering them, and no matter how they searched, they couldn't find a single thing about Lu Xia.
Sixteen years later, a person who was on good terms with the Lu family came to Hushi and met Ji Yuning at Hushi No. 1 Middle School.
After returning to Beijing, he told Lu's family about what he had learned about Lu Xia at school.
It was only then that the Lu family learned that Lu Xia had passed away.
Fang Bai didn't know if Ji Yuning was aware of this matter, but when the Lu family contacted Ji Yuning, who had suffered all kinds of bullying from the original owner in the book, her first reaction was that she could use the Lu family to leave the original owner. So she accepted Lu's father's arrangement and studied these things that were unrelated to high school.
And the person Lu's father sent to Ji Yuning...
Looking at the woman standing next to Ji Yuning, dressed smartly and meticulously, Fang Bai concluded that this must be Ji Yuning's "teacher," and also the secretary who had been loyal to her since Ji Yuning took over the Lu family.