Fang Bai looked at Chang Suyao, wondering why the invitations needed to be delivered by Madam Fang herself.
Seemingly noticing Fang Bai's confusion, Chang Suyao smiled and gracefully took out a red invitation from her bag, saying, "It's not an important banquet, just a celebration party. Originally, your father thought you wouldn't go, so he didn't plan to send you an invitation. But then he felt that after your birthday, you'll be twenty-six years old, and it's time for you to take over the company's affairs, so he wanted you to go and meet those uncles and aunts first, to get acquainted with them."
Chang Su-yao said, "But I told him you probably wouldn't go, since you're used to being free and can't stand those restrictions."
As they were talking, Chang Suyao had already pushed the invitation in front of Fang Bai.
Looking at the few dark lines on the invitation, Fang Bai's lips curled into a smile.
From the first moment Fang Bai saw Chang Suyao, he felt that she was not simple. Every word she spoke was for her sake, but at the same time, she pushed her into a deep abyss. She seemed to care, but in reality, she wanted to tarnish her image in Fang Maozhou's mind.
And now, they're actually directly probing whether she has any intention of inheriting the company.
Fang Yimu is only seven years old, and her stepmother is already paving the way for him?
Fang Bai had no interest in Fang Maozhou's assets whatsoever. After all, according to her plans, she would likely disappear from public view in a year and would not be able to show her face to manage the company.
But for now, since I'm bored, I might as well find something to do.
"Thank you, Auntie. You're right. I'm twenty-six now, and I can't be idle like before."
Fang Bai picked up the invitation, opened it, and said, "I will attend the celebration banquet. Please tell my father."
Fang Bai kept referring to Chang Suyao as "my dad," which made the smile on her face freeze.
She thought Fang Bai would tear up the invitation and then laze around like usual, continuing to live a life of idleness and waiting for death. But the other party actually said that he wanted to take over the company.
This is not what she wanted to hear.
Chang Suyao's expression quickly returned to normal. Just as she was about to speak, she saw a person suddenly appear on the stairs. When the person looked at her coldly, Chang Suyao asked in surprise, "Is this Xiao Ji? You've changed so much."
Fang Bai turned his head and saw Ji Yuning carrying a water glass, coming down the stairs.
Perhaps because they see each other every day, Fang Bai didn't think Ji Yuning had changed much. Her hair was a little longer, she had grown a little taller, and her facial features were more defined. From a distance, she looked aloof and distant.
As she descended the last step, Ji Yuning noticed Fang Bai looking at her before turning her gaze to Chang Suyao and coldly calling out, "Madam Fang."
After calling out, Ji Yuning went to the kitchen.
Chang Suyao narrowed her eyes, took a sip of tea, and looked at Fang Bai, saying, "Your dad has been telling me he wants you to get married soon. In the past six months, several women have proposed to you, all of them with excellent conditions, but..."
Chang Suyao glanced in the direction of the kitchen, then smiled without saying a word.
Even if Chang Suyao didn't say it, Fang Bai could guess what was going to happen next.
—But after they found out you were raising a child, they never mentioned it again.
Fang Bai's eyes cooled down, realizing that it was the right thing for her to accept the invitation. Someone like Chang Suyao, even if it was given away for free, shouldn't be treated too easily.
"Auntie, you don't need to worry about my love life," Fang Bai said, crossing her legs. "After I get married and have children, I'll have the old man help me take care of the kids, so I can take over the company sooner."
Chang Suyao frowned: "How can a father take care of his child?"
What made her frown was not that sentence.
"Auntie, would you be willing? If you're willing to take care of me, that's no problem at all." Fang Baimei raised her eyebrows. "I just don't know who will take care of Yi Mu."
“…”
Chang Suyao arrived with a smile, but left with a stern face.
Fang Bai watched Chang Suyao leave, and after Wu Mei closed the door, her usually cold eyebrows curved slightly.
Fang Bai heard the sound of slippers scraping the ground behind him. He turned around and saw Ji Yuning walking out of the kitchen with a water glass in her hand.
The other person gave her a cold look.
"...Did you hear that?" For some reason, Fang Bai subconsciously said, "Auntie was just joking."
Chapter 57
A few seconds after she finished speaking, Fang Bai still didn't understand why she had to explain to Ji Yuning.
Fang Bai went abroad alone for two weeks. Although the two were only separated for two short weeks, when Fang Bai returned to China, Ji Yuning's appearance did not change, but her cold temperament became more and more unapproachable.
Perhaps it was because Ji Yuning's aloofness was too obvious that Fang Bai subconsciously spoke up to explain, afraid that Ji Yuning would misunderstand that she had reverted to the bad-tempered person she used to be, and afraid that the goodwill she had gained over the past year would diminish.
After thinking it through, Fang Bai smiled and said, "You should be able to tell."
Ji Yuning was wearing a gray short-sleeved shirt and matching pants. A faint emotion flickered between her brows. "Hmm, I can tell."
"That's good," Fang Bai replied, then rested his hand on the sofa, propped his chin on his hand, and asked, "Have you finished your homework? Want to go swimming? To relax?"
Ji Yuning was about to go upstairs when she heard Fang Bai's question. She stopped on the stairs and turned to ask, "Aren't you going to a banquet?"
"You came down at that time?" Fang Bai asked, assuming that Ji Yuning had happened to come downstairs after they finished talking.
Ji Yuning hummed in agreement: "I heard you."
"Oh," Fang Bai said casually, then thought about the date she saw and said, "It's tomorrow."
Fang Bai stood up and walked towards the stairs. "Shall we go?"
Ji Yuning pursed her lips. She had finished her homework a long time ago. She had been dealing with company matters. Before going downstairs, Yuan Yizhen sent her a new document, which she hadn't looked at yet.
Fang Bai didn't know what Ji Yuning was thinking, but judging from Ji Yuning's delayed response, she was probably going to reject her.
As Fang Bai slowly walked up the stairs to the second floor, he said, "If you're not going, then I won't go either. Let's wait a few days."
Ji Yuning was a step behind Fang Bai. She was holding a water glass and was about to utter a sound when she heard Fang Bai say with slight regret, "My new swimsuit will be old in a few more days in the closet."
Fang Bai then turned to Ji Yuning and said, "It's the one you helped me choose last time, do you remember?"
Remember.
It's a black one-piece triangle swimsuit with a cutout design on the back and crisscrossing lines, a sexy design.
"You chose it yourself," Ji Yuning said in a low voice.
Is there a difference?
Generally, people only hold this issue accountable when the other party feels they bought the wrong thing...
Fang Bai looked at Ji Yuning and said, "But I bought it because you said it looked good."
You said it looked good, so she didn't make a mistake buying it.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have bought it so decisively. After all, there are very few things that Ji Yuning would say are good-looking. Usually, she would just reply with an "um" or simply nod without saying anything.
Ji Yuning lowered her eyes, knowing that Fang Bai had misunderstood her meaning, but she didn't want to explain. After a few seconds, she said, "Half an hour."
The sudden change of topic puzzled Fang Bai. "Huh? What half an hour?"
The two went up to the second floor. Ji Yuning replied to Fang Bai with "Let's go swimming" before turning around and continuing to walk up.
Fang Bai paused for two seconds, then, with a slight smile, addressed Ji Yuning's changed response, softly saying to her retreating figure around the corner of the corridor, "Okay~"
Fang Bai turned and went back to her room after speaking, unaware that the person at the corner had stopped in their tracks after hearing her response.
Chang Suyao returned to the Fang family and told Fang Maozhou that Fang Bai would be attending the celebration banquet. The latter was very happy to hear this and immediately called Fang Bai, but no one answered.
Fang Maozhou assumed Fang Bai was busy, so he sent him a message.
After swimming a few laps, Fang Bai sat down on the shore to rest. He glanced at the figures swimming in the water in the distance, dried his hands, and picked up his phone that was lying to the side.
Old man: [I've booked a stylist to come to your house tomorrow, remember not to go out.]
Fang Bai looked at the message and didn't know how to reply.
What left her bewildered was not the content of the message, but the concern from Fang Maozhou.
After hesitating for a few seconds, Fang Bai typed a few words: [Understood, thank you, old man.]
Fang Maozhou seemed busy; the page remained blank for a long time without a reply. Just as Fang Bai returned to the list, Ji Yuning's voice came through the window, "Who is Auntie chatting with?"
His tone was casual, as if it were a casual inquiry.
Fang Bai turned off the screen, looked up at the person next to him, and said, "My dad."
Having emerged from the water, Ji Yuning was covered in water droplets, which slid down her body. One droplet slid past Fang Bai's sight, and Fang Bai asked, "Are you going to the banquet tomorrow?"
Ji Yuning wiped the water droplets from her face with a towel, stood next to Fang Bai, and looked down at him, "Does Auntie want me to go with you?"
What's the problem?
"If you don't go with me, who else will you go with?"
Ji Yuning lowered her eyes and said calmly, "Only with you."
"..." Fang Bai handed the towel he was using to dry his body to Ji Yuning and said softly, "Then you can just say you're going, right?"
Ji Yuning didn't answer; she said, "I still want to swim."
Then he added, "Go."
Fang Bai raised an eyebrow, thinking to herself that young people have great stamina. Ji Yuning had swum about three more laps than her, and now she was too tired to move, but the other girl was still going to swim.
"Are you planning to make up for all the swims you missed before?"
Six months ago, Fang Bai would never have imagined that the child who was afraid of water would say she wanted to swim again. In the past six months, she has overcome her fear and swims like a fish, as if there is nothing she cannot conquer.
Ji Yuning lowered her eyelids and remained silent.
A few seconds later, under Fang Bai's gaze, Ji Yuning squatted down beside her, then pressed the towel in her hand against her collarbone and said, "There's water here."
After Fang Bai took the towel, Ji Yuning casually remarked, "For me, this is a special thing."
Fang Bai didn't understand what was so special about swimming. He lifted his eyelids and met Ji Yuning's indifferent eyes, but didn't ask the question that was on the tip of his tongue.
Ji Yuning also got up and went into the water, continuing to swim.
The stylist arrived at 1 p.m. the next day.
When they arrived, Fang Bai was taking a nap, and Wu Mei had to wake her up.
Fang Bai was sensitive about strangers entering her room, so when asked to have her hair styled in the bedroom, she refused and had Wu Mei take the others to the side bedroom instead.
Beibei's room was occupied, and after licking its paws, it went up to the attic.