Smelling the familiar, light fragrance, Ji Yuning felt calmed and answered Fang Bai's question, "...Mm."
Ji Yuning naturally pulled Fang Bai up with her hand.
"It'll be fine in a bit, everyone's familiar, relax." After comforting her, Fang Bai suddenly raised an eyebrow at Ji Yuning, his tone smiling, "Would you like to sing a song too? Maybe you'll feel better?"
Ji Yuning pursed her lips: "I don't know how."
She has no musical talent; her singing would only scare Fang Bai.
Fang Bai smiled and didn't insist. "What would you like to hear? Auntie will sing it for you."
Ji Yuning curled her fingers, “…the song from just now.”
Fang Bai wanted to say that the song had already been sung, but seeing that Ji Yuning didn't seem to be saying it casually, the words that were about to come out were: "Okay."
After Fang Bai finished speaking, he looked down at Ji Yuning holding her hand and chuckled softly.
Under Ji Yuning's slightly puzzled gaze, Fang Bai whispered in her ear, "Holding hands for comfort is childish behavior, isn't it? How can you say you're not a child after doing that?"
The hot air hit her ears, making the tips of Ji Yuning's ears feel hot.
But the hand holding Fang Bai suddenly tightened.
She was afraid that if she let go, Fang Bai would disappear.
-
the next day.
The school arranged for participating students to first gather at the school, and then be led by their teachers to the train station.
Fang Bai refused Uncle Li's offer to take them and drove Ji Yuning to school himself.
On the way there, apart from the lively music playing in the car, the two people in the front seats remained silent.
Only when the school came into view did Fang Bai ask, "How many days are you going?"
Two seconds after the question was asked, I received a response: "About a week."
Fang Bai looked at the road ahead and said, "Then send me a message when you come back, and I'll pick you up at the station."
Ji Yuning glanced at Fang Bai, the coldness and sternness that had been shrouding her brows since last night gradually fading away.
“Okay,” Ji Yuning replied.
"Although you don't want to participate in this competition, your aunt thinks that since you're going, you should do your best."
Upon arriving near the school, the car was parked on the side of the road.
Fang Bai looked at Ji Yuning, took a piece of candy from his pocket and handed it to her, "Get another first place for Auntie~"
Seeing Ji Yuning pause for a moment, Fang Bai said, "I know you don't like to eat it, so I gave it to you to play with."
Ji Yuning thought, "Lucky charm."
Ji Yuning took the candy and whispered, "Thank you."
The sudden politeness startled Fang Bai for a moment; it seemed like a long time since Ji Yuning had used those two words with her. After a moment's reaction, Fang Bai said, "You're welcome."
Ji Yuning nodded, said nothing more, and got out of the car after clutching the candy in her hand.
Then Ji Yuning turned and walked towards the school. The moment she stepped into the school gate, her heart suddenly skipped a beat, she stopped in her tracks, and turned to look back in the direction she had come from. The car was already gone.
-
After leaving school, Fang Bai didn't drive to the company as usual, but went to a coffee shop instead.
Pushing open the coffee shop door, Fang Bai nodded to the employee who was walking towards her, and then walked over to the person she had spotted from outside the shop.
It was a window seat, where a woman in a camel coat, with curly hair and heavy makeup, sat. Every casual gesture she made exuded charm.
Upon seeing Fang Bai arrive, Lu Raomei forced a smile and said, "You're here."
"Um."
They talked like old friends who hadn't seen each other in a long time.
It's just an illusion.
Fang Bai sat down opposite Lu Raomei. "President Lu, you've asked me out several times. Is there something you want to discuss?"
Starting five days ago, Fang Bai has been receiving text messages signed by Lu Raomei, and he has also received several friend requests from Lu Raomei on WeChat, but Fang Bai has deleted them along with the text messages.
Blocking her didn't work; Lu Raomei sent him text messages from different numbers each time.
When Fang Bai woke up in the morning, he received another text message from Lu Raomei. This time, the reason Lu Raomei asked Fang Bai to come to the appointment was that she mentioned Ji Yuning in the text message.
Lu Raomei, however, was not as eager as Fang Bai. She picked up her coffee, took a sip, and said with a smile, "You're so direct right away? I wanted to catch up with you."
The waiter came over, but Fang Bai had no intention of having a long chat with Lu Raomei and didn't order anything.
After the waiter left, Fang Bai calmly said, "I don't think I'm very familiar with President Lu."
"That hurts a little," Lu Raomei said, her voice tinged with sadness, but her smile remained. "My cooperation with Chairman Fang is all thanks to your kind words."
Fang Bai remained silent for a moment.
Lu Raomei was referring to the project she had discussed with Fang Maozhou in the office last time. As expected, Fang Maozhou ultimately announced Lu Raomei as the partner.
Fang Bai leaned back and said lazily, "President Lu is overthinking it. I recommended another company for cooperation."
Lu Raomei certainly knew. Hearing what Fang Bai said, she looked at Fang Bai's face and slowly asked, "Then do you know who the boss behind that company is?"
Seeing that Fang Bai remained calm and showed no sign of doubt, Lu Raomei smiled and said, "It seems you already know."
Lu Raomei leaned forward, as if interrogating someone, "Fang Bai, I've always been curious, how did you find out about me back then?"
She had done everything perfectly; if that person hadn't been so clumsy and gotten caught, she wouldn't be wasting her time on Ji Yuning.
But Ji Yuning is not an obstacle she can easily eliminate.
The troubles the other party caused her after the last party were only dealt with recently; otherwise, they wouldn't have intentionally stood Fang Maozhou up, causing the project with the Fang family to be delayed until now.
It almost didn't get finished.
Fang Bai lowered his eyelids slightly: "Does it matter?"
Since it's already done, what does it matter how it was found?
Lu Raomei tapped her fingers on the table, raised an eyebrow, and said, "It's not important."
The air was still for a few seconds.
Looking at the person in front of her, Lu Raomei was more curious about him than the information she had found.
Not only did they know the relationship between the Lu family and Ji Yuning, they also knew about Ji Yuning's actions.
Fang Bai is far less stupid than the information suggests; in fact, he's unfathomable.
If this kind of person is not on her side, but on the opposing side, it will only make things difficult for her.
“Since you know everything, I won’t beat around the bush with you. Whether you’re nice to Ji Yuning to get money from the Lu family or have some other purpose, I advise you not to interfere in what’s between me and her,” Lu Raomei said. “Of course, it would be better if you stayed away from Ji Yuning.”
Fang Bai's lips curled into a faint, cold smile. "How I do things is none of President Lu's business, is it?"
“I meant well.” Lu Raomei stared into Fang Bai’s eyes and said, word by word, “Given what you did to Ji Yuning a few years ago, do you really think she genuinely called you ‘Auntie’? That she wouldn’t hate you?”
Although Fang Bai remained calm, Lu Raomei's words kept repeating in his mind.
If we're talking about people who understand Ji Yuning besides Fang Bai, then Lu Raomei is another one.
Every word the other person said confirmed Ji Yuning's thoughts.
Lu Raomei's gaze remained fixed on Fang Bai's face. Although she couldn't tell what Fang Bai was thinking, she continued, "Do you know the saying 'raising a tiger to your own detriment'? Fang Bai, it's fine if she doesn't hate you, but if she keeps remembering what you did, she might turn on you when she's powerful enough."
"Oh." Lu Raomei suddenly realized something. "She'll be eighteen tomorrow. I remember the old man said he'd give her a gift after she turns eighteen. Guess what it is?"
It's Lu's shares.
Fang Bai secretly passed through.
Lu Raomei scoffed and said, "It's five percent of the shares in the Lu Group."
She worked hard for more than ten years, but only achieved thirteen percent.
What makes Ji Yuning so special? Just because she's Lu Xia's daughter?
Taking a sip of coffee, the bitterness helped Lu Raomei regain her composure slightly.
The next second, she was back to her usual cheerful and talkative self.
“Perhaps I can tell you something else.” Compared to Fang Bai’s silence, Lu Raomei felt that she had taken the initiative. She said, “Yuan Yizhen will be going to Li’s today, and I think you know about the cooperation they are going to discuss.”
Fang Bai was startled. Of course she knew, but she didn't learn it from somewhere; it was written in a book.
The Li family and the Fang family have always been at odds. After Ji Yuning cooperated with the Li family, several of the Fang family's businesses suffered a severe blow. At that time, Fang Maozhou was also focused on his work and paid less attention to the original owner of the body.
It was around that time... that the original owner was killed off.
But all of this should have happened six months from now, how could it have happened so much earlier?
If the cooperation with the Li family is brought forward, does that mean the original owner's time to become cannon fodder will also be brought forward?
Fang Bai hadn't forgotten that there was still a menacing person sitting in front of him. He lowered his eyes, suppressing all his suspicions, and when he looked up at Lu Raomei again, Fang Bai asked indifferently, "Why is President Lu telling me all this?"
Lu Raomei crossed her legs and began to ponder Fang Bai's question.
A few minutes ago, she was thinking of sowing discord, but now she has a better idea.
Lu Raomei smiled charmingly: "Cooperate with me."
What kind of cooperation?
Lu Raomei's goal has always been the same: to get rid of Ji Yuning.
Fang Bai frowned, his tone unusually disliked and puzzled, "She's your cousin."
Lu Raomei smiled faintly and asked in return, "So what?"
The phone on the table vibrated.
Lu Raomei glanced at it, reached into her hand to examine it, then looked up at Fang Bai and said, "That's all for today. I have work to do, so I'll be leaving now. Call me anytime you're ready."
Finally, Lu Raomei added, "I'll send you the number in a bit."
Fang Bai looked at the person who had walked up to her, and at the same moment, the other person smiled and said, "Or you can apply through my friend request."