The faint fragrance that lingers around the nose is Fang Bai's natural body scent.
He suddenly choked up and couldn't say anything more.
Just like the moment I saw Fang Bai after getting off the bus.
That moment when the feeling of loss was filled by the figure in front of the billboard.
Ji Yuning held her breath: "...Mmm."
It takes about fifteen minutes to walk from the bus stop to the villa area at a normal pace.
Fang Bai and Ji Yuning took nearly five minutes to walk less than 400 meters.
Two rows of streetlights illuminate the way home, and the white cypress trees in the tree pits guide the way. On the quiet asphalt road, the shadows of the trees are like a painting.
Fang Bai held the corn in both hands. The corn was at a moderate temperature, practically devoid of heat, so it didn't warm his hands.
Fang Bai suddenly remembered something, and she turned to ask Ji Yuning, "Have you not had dinner yet?"
Ji Yuning hugged the cat and said, "Mmm."
How pitiful.
Fang Bai thought to himself.
Fang Bai peeled off the plastic bag covering the corn and held it up in front of Ji Yuning. "Want to take a bite?"
“…”
Up close, Ji Yuning could already smell the sweetness of the corn, and she instinctively wanted to refuse it.
But when Ji Yuning looked away from the corn and saw Fang Bai's slightly flickering eyes, she nodded unconsciously.
Before Ji Yuning could even bend down to eat, Fang Bai had already placed the corn to her lips.
Ji Yuning had no choice but to take a small bite. After eating it, her mouth was instantly filled with the fresh aroma of corn. After chewing, the juice from the rice grains burst open in her mouth.
It's very sweet.
Ji Yuning frowned.
After feeding Ji Yuning, Fang Bai lowered her head and took a bite from the other end. She didn't see Ji Yuning's furrowed brows, but felt the sweetness fill her mouth, sweeping away the worries of the whole night.
Fang Baimei curved her eyebrows and looked at Ji Yuning, asking, "How is it?"
Ji Yuning's eyebrows relaxed. Looking at the smile on Fang Bai's face, her heart skipped a beat, but her expression remained calm as she said, "Sweet."
“I think so too, but you don’t like it,” Fang Bai said.
Fang Bai picked up the corn and carried it in his hand.
"Go home quickly, Auntie will cook for you."
As he spoke, Fang Bai took Bei Bei from Ji Yuning's arms, turned around, and teased Bei Bei as they walked forward.
The orange-yellow crescent moon hung high in the sky, with stars twinkling beside it, and Fang Bai's shadow was elongated by the lamplight.
The surroundings were quiet, and all I could hear was the pounding of my heart. Even without anything to warm my hands, I felt no coldness at all.
The mystery of the past few days seems to have found its answer.
Ji Yuning stood still for a few seconds before slowly following.
Chapter 52
The two returned home, and Wu Mei had already prepared everything, so Fang Bai didn't need to cook.
After telling Ji Yuning to eat slowly, Fang Bai carried Bei Bei upstairs.
After taking Beibei outside for half an hour, Fang Bai felt sorry for her and fed her some freeze-dried food as a reward. After playing with Beibei for a while, Fang Bai prepared to go back to her room.
As Fang Bai emerged from his side bedroom, he bumped into Ji Yuning, who was standing at the top of the stairs.
"Did you just finish eating?"
Fang Bai walked towards Ji Yuning as he spoke.
Ji Yuning, who had been standing at the stairwell for three minutes, said, "Hmm."
Fang Bai responded with an "oh," and said softly as usual, "Then get some rest."
After saying that, Fang Bai made a move to walk towards the bedroom, but was stopped by Ji Yuning: "Auntie."
Fang Bai turned to look at her, waiting for Ji Yuning to say what she was going to say next.
Ji Yuning opened her lips, and finally said, "...Thank you."
"?" Fang Bai asked, puzzled. She shifted her foot to face Ji Yuning. "Thank me for what?"
“…”
Fang Baixin's heart suddenly skipped a beat. An exciting idea slowly rose within her. She suppressed her racing heart and pretended to be calm, saying, "In the letter you wrote to me at the last parent-teacher conference, you also thanked me."
Ji Yuning was taken aback.
When He Wei said she was going to write a letter to her parents, Ji Yuning paused for only two seconds before deciding what to write.
Thank you, that's what she wanted to say to Fang Bai.
The "thank you" she just said wasn't what she wanted to say. She wanted to say something else, but when it came to her lips, she didn't know what to say. In the end, she could only say those two words, as if it were her way of thanking Fang Bai for waiting for her at the station and then accompanying her home.
Fang Bai thought about it more and more and felt that what she was thinking was very likely, so he cautiously asked in a low voice, "Is it... to reconcile with the past?"
Just when Fang Bai thought she had moved Ji Yuning and made her let go of her hatred, Ji Yuning said without a moment's pause, "It's just a thank you."
“…”
I knew she wouldn't be so easily swayed; she was overthinking it.
Fang Bai coughed lightly to cover his embarrassment, then quickly changed the subject, asking, "You haven't answered my question yet. Are you going to study at home?"
If it were just about studying, Ji Yuning could accept working from home, but considering what Yuan Yizhen said in the afternoon, working from home might not be possible.
Fang Bai had already figured out what Ji Yuning was thinking in the few seconds that she was silent.
Ji Yuning was about to refuse when Fang Bai said, "If you don't like video calls or anything like that, you can have Xiaomu come to our house. Uncle Li can take her home after school every day. Or you can have Uncle Li pick you up after school, including taking you to the library. If you need any textbooks, Auntie will try to get them for you."
Fang Bai's suggestion blocked all of Ji Yuning's options, leaving her no room to refuse.
Ji Yuning swallowed what she was about to say and nodded silently.
Fang Bai smiled and said, "You and Xiao Mu discuss it and give me an answer tomorrow."
"…Um."
Fang Bai stepped forward and slowly raised his hand under Ji Yuning's gaze.
Ever since Ji Yuning refused to let her and Wu Mei deliver milk, Fang Bai hadn't touched Ji Yuning's head for a long time. The familiar yet unfamiliar feel made Fang Bai unable to resist scratching it.
However, Fang Bai only grabbed it briefly before quickly withdrawing his hand. The moment his hand landed beside his leg, Fang Bai whispered, "Goodnight."
Looking into Fang Bai's clear eyes, Ji Yuning looked away and whispered, "Goodnight."
It seems that those were the two words she was about to say.
Fang Bai smiled slightly. "Go to sleep early."
Coffee shop.
Liao Li took a sip of coffee, savoring the sweetness within the bitterness, then put down the cup and looked at the person sitting opposite her.
After several busy months, Liao Li finally got three days off. After resting for two days, Liao Li asked Fang Bai out on the third day.
Liao Li originally wanted to invite someone else, but when she opened the contact list, she found that Fang Bai was the only friend she could call a friend.
Fang Baiyue readily accepted her invitation, but from the afternoon until now, the lady surnamed Fang has been distracted.
Liao Li crossed her legs, the crossed foot swinging slightly. "Fang Bai, if you have something to do, go back first. You don't need to stay with me."
When his name was called, Fang Bai's gaze, which had been on the table ornaments, shifted to Liao Li, and he shook his head, saying, "It's nothing."
“You’re still not done? You just said three sentences,” Liao Li leaned back in her chair, her voice provocative, “Repeat them.”
Fang Bai: "..."
Okay, can she change her story and say she has something to do?
Seeing Fang Bai remain silent, Liao Li forced a smile and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Fang Bai rested her chin on the back of her hand, lowered her head and cut a small piece of cake with the edge of a spoon. The sweetness of the cream made her eyebrows relax slightly after she ate it.
Staring at the cake, Fang Bai slowly said, "Xiao Ning's birthday is coming up."
My seventeenth birthday.
This means that Ji Yuning will turn eighteen in a year, and in another year and a half, the original owner will be gone.
Upon hearing this, Liao Li quickly opened her phone and counted how many days were left.
There's still time in three days.
"I've been so busy these past few days, I would have forgotten if you hadn't mentioned it. Luckily I called you out today. Let's go buy a birthday present together," Liao Li said, getting up.
Fang Bai didn't move: "I'm ready."
She had only taken two bites of the cake; she didn't want to leave yet.
Liao Li glanced at the cake, then sat back down in her chair. "So what are you thinking about?"
Since it's not about worrying about birthday gifts, what's wrong with Ji Yuning's birthday?
Fang Bai took another bite of cake and said quietly, "It's nothing."
Liao Li tapped her fingers on the table twice, prompting Fang Bai to look up at her. He then lowered his voice and asked, "How is Yu Ning's attitude towards you now?"
Excellent, Liao Li perfectly predicted the exam questions.
This is exactly the problem Fang Bai is thinking about.