After listening to Fang Bai's brief explanation, Hao Yingman swirled her wine glass, clicked her tongue, and said, "So you came to Beijing just to work?"
The first thing Hao Yingman did upon arriving in Beijing today was to invite Fang Bai out for drinks.
It was a nice bar with a pleasant atmosphere. Surrounded by music, the two women sat at the bar, drinking and chatting.
Oh, Hao Yingman was the only one drinking alcohol; Fang Bai ordered juice.
Upon hearing Hao Yingman's words, Fang Bai removed her lips from the straw.
Before she could speak, Hao Yingman added, "Then you might as well come back to Nancheng with me. I can arrange this kind of position for you, and you can set the salary yourself."
"What difference does it make where I work?" Fang Bai said, resting his chin on his hand as he looked at Hao Yingman. "I'm not doing this for the money."
Hao Yingman took a sip of her drink, her eyebrows raised. "Then what was it for? Ji Yuning?"
Fang Bai did not deny it and nodded.
Hao Yingman had an expression that said, "I knew it."
From the moment Fang Bai and Ji Yuning left Nancheng, she had anticipated this day, or rather, even earlier, as early as when she learned that Fang Bai had such a person by his side.
With her legs crossed and toes pointed, Hao Yingman looked at Fang Bai with a knowing, ambiguous gaze. "You two are together?"
Hao Yingman originally thought she would get a positive answer, after all, Fang Bai looked too much like someone in love. She was about to congratulate him when she saw Fang Bai's expression darken indistinctly, and he picked up the straw to drink his juice.
"?"
Hao Yingman was stunned.
According to her reasoning, weren't Fang Bai and Ji Yuning mutually in love? Why aren't they together yet? And what's wrong with Fang Bai's melancholy appearance? Did he break up with his girlfriend?
That shouldn't be the case.
Hao Yingman tilted her head back and downed the rest of her drink in one gulp. As she called for a waiter to refill her glass, she leaned towards Fang Bai and asked, "What's going on?"
His tone was both concerned and curious.
Hao Yingman whispered again, "I heard from Black Coal Ball that you two are on much better terms? What happened? Did you have a fight?"
Fang Bai looked at Hao Yingman, his eyes full of questions.
Hao Yingman instantly understood her look and coughed to explain, "We didn't mean to talk about you. I was just curious, so I asked Lu Raomei."
Turning his gaze away, Fang Bai shook his head and said, "We didn't argue."
I just didn't know how to answer Hao Yingman's question.
That noon, before her mindset had fully shifted, Fang Bai realized she had already kissed Ji Yuning, and awkwardly returned to her bedroom. Ji Yuning also went back to her company shortly after.
Since that day, the two have been busy with their own things, and their only communication has been about work.
The way they interact now is more like before, when Fang Bai didn't know that Ji Yuning liked her.
How should I put it? We were said to be together, but we weren't really. We hugged and kissed, but neither of us talked about what happened that day, and we never clarified our relationship.
"Who are you kidding? You don't look like anything happened."
Fang Bai pursed his lips, his fingertips tracing the rim of the glass. "Do you think what I'm doing is appropriate?"
Hao Yingman raised an eyebrow: "What do you mean?"
When Fang Bai was no longer swayed by her emotions and calmed down on her own, she thought about many things, but no one could help her find the answers. Now that Hao Yingman had come, Fang Bai was very happy. Sometimes it is really important to have a friend who can help you relieve your worries.
Fang Bai voiced the question that had been on her mind the most: "Xiao Ning is still young, I—"
"You haven't answered me yet, are you two together?" Fang Bai was interrupted by Hao Yingman before he could finish speaking.
Fang Bai paused for a moment, then shook his head.
"Then why are you so anxious about your age?!" Hao Yingman, always straightforward, patted Fang Bai on the shoulder and said, "Take advantage of your youth and love bravely."
“…”
Hao Yingman withdrew her hand, picked up her wine glass and clinked it with Fang Bai's. "You're not even together with her yet, and you're already thinking about these things. What if you are together? Won't you be happy?"
Fang Bai glanced at Hao Yingman, "Even if we're not together, we'll still live together."
"If that's what you think, what if she doesn't like you? Don't tell me she's young, beautiful, and rich; she has plenty of suitors."
Hao Yingman looked at Fang Bai and laughed, "Don't you think you look like a bride-to-be right now? You're not even married yet, and you're already thinking about whether you'll get along and whether you're suitable for each other."
She feels melancholy because of the uncertain future, but she is also overjoyed because her partner is her.
Fang Bai blinked: "Is it that obvious?"
"I was just kidding, and you actually believed me?"
Fang Bai glanced at her phone. Ji Yuning had sent her a message. After replying, Fang Bai smiled and said to Hao Yingman, "I think you're quite right."
Hao Yingman was speechless. Fang Bai's smile completely swept away her gloom all night, and she couldn't see a trace of sadness at all.
She had figured it out. Fang Bai wasn't heartbroken; he was still in the throes of first love. Although it wasn't quite appropriate to use these words to describe Fang Bai, a man in his thirties, it was the first time he had ever fallen in love.
Seeing Fang Bai pick up his bag, Hao Yingman asked, "So what are you going to do now?"
"Going to see the bride, huh?" Fang Bai joked, getting up and saying to Hao Yingman, "The drinks are on me, drink as much as you like."
"No, you're really leaving? Aren't you going to have a drink with me?"
Fang Bai looked at the people walking in the distance, then glanced at Hao Yingman, "Someone is with you."
Fang Bai didn't not want to drink with Hao Yingman anymore, but a message from Ji Yuning forced her to leave first.
Ji Yuning: [My aunt came to pick me up.]
Fang Bai didn't go to the FJ gathering today because of Hao Yingman.
As the boss, Ji Yuning had no choice but to go, and presumably, she was drunk.
Because he didn't know the room number, Fang Bai asked Ji Yuning before coming. When he arrived at the restaurant where the dinner was to be held, Fang Bai took out his phone to see Ji Yuning's reply.
However, before Fang Bai could even turn on his phone, he saw Ji Yuning walking out of the restaurant alone.
Upon seeing this, Fang Bai unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car.
When Ji Yuning saw Fang Bai, she stopped in her tracks and stood still, waiting for him.
Because after Fang Bai asked for her room number, he also said, "[I'll be there soon, wait for me.]"
Fang Bai walked up to Ji Yuning, but before he could say anything, Ji Yuning hugged him tightly.
“I’ve been waiting for you,” Ji Yuning said.
Fang Bai didn't notice anything amiss. After hugging Ji Yuning, he put his arm around her waist and led her toward the car.
"How long have you been down here? Why didn't you wait for me to come up and get you?"
Ji Yuning leaned on Fang Bai's shoulder and grumbled, "You're too slow, like a snail."
Fang Bai: "Sorry, there was a traffic jam on the way."
Ji Yuning said calmly, "Yes, I forgive you."
After helping Ji Yuning into the passenger seat and returning to the car, Fang Bai's phone rang.
The message was sent by the intern.
The intern was a very outgoing and talkative person; she was usually the one doing all the talking every time they met, while Fang Bai listened.
The intern felt that she and Fang Bai were both newcomers, and Fang Bai always responded to her gently, so she would tell Fang Bai everything.
[Sister Bai!! Why didn't you come to the gathering today? You have no idea what you missed!]
Fang Bai glanced at Ji Yuning and saw that she was resting with her eyes closed, so he didn't rush to drive.
Reply: [Is there any good news?]
Intern: [Super explosive! I can't believe I've witnessed the biggest gossip of the century so soon after joining the company!]
Upon seeing the news, Fang Bai's first reaction was to wonder if this "gossip" would affect the company or Ji Yuning.
The next second, the intern sent a picture.
Fang Bai was stunned when he saw it.
It has nothing to do with the company, but it does have something to do with Ji Yuning and her.
The photo was taken from above and is a bit blurry, but you can tell who the main character is at a glance.
One was dressed in white, the other in a light pink cherry blossom polo dress. Beneath the dappled shadows of the trees, by the warm lights, amidst the bustling crowd, the two embraced.
The photo is obviously taken secretly, but the overall atmosphere is amazing, and it's surprisingly beautiful.
Fang Bai subconsciously clicked "save".
Intern: [Sister Bai, did you see that? The one in white is President Ji, and guess who's in the pink one?!]
"It's me," Fang Bai replied.
The photo was taken just now when she and Ji Yuning were hugging.
Fang Bai looked out the window to find the best angle to take a picture, but found that the view was blocked by trees and he couldn't see anything.
Relieved, Fang Bai asked, "Did you take the photo?"
Intern: [It wasn't me, I saved it in the group chat.]
Is it also in the group?
Fang Bai asked, puzzled: "[Why are you filming President Ji?]"
Intern: [Here comes the important part.]
Intern: [Director Ji drank tonight, and some colleagues wanted to take him home, but he refused. Guess why?]
"Because Ji Yuning asked her to pick me up," Fang Bai replied again.
The phone rang again, drawing Fang Bai's attention back.
Intern: [Director Ji said her girlfriend will come to pick her up!]
When Ji Yuning finished saying that her girlfriend was coming to pick her up, the previously noisy atmosphere suddenly fell silent.
Deathly silence.
Among them were many long-time employees who had followed Ji Yuning since the company's inception. Ji Yuning was busy with work, had a cold personality, and was young. They always thought that Ji Yuning was a career-oriented person, but then she quietly got a girlfriend.