Upon hearing this, Hao Yingman stepped forward and grasped Lu Raomei's hand again, saying, "I'm sorry, President Lu. I spoke too frankly just now and misspoke. I hope you won't take offense."
"No." Lu Raomei smiled, her tone teasing. "It's the first time someone has called me a black coal ball. It's quite original."
Hao Yingman “…”
Fang Bai: "..."
It is indeed a black lump of coal, but its heart is black.
Hao Yingman looked at Fang Bai for help, wondering how to respond to that question.
Fang Bai received her look, stepped forward to Hao Yingman's side, and said to Lu Raomei, "President Lu, why don't we sit down and talk? Our general manager is here, so I suppose you can ask her some questions."
Lu Raomei's gaze swept over Hao Yingman and Fang Bai, and after a few seconds she smiled charmingly, "Okay."
In the end, the three of them didn't finish their conversation because a few people in the distance saw Lu Raomei and Hao Yingman standing together, exchanged a knowing glance, and one of them walked to the window, interrupting their chat.
Lu Raomei was invited to go to the other side. After she had gone far away, Hao Yingman put her elbow on Fang Bai's shoulder and breathed a long sigh of relief, "Finally gone."
Hao Yingman touched Fang Bai's shoulder with her finger. "Well, you already had a conflict with her, and now I've given her a nickname. It seems like this collaboration is going to fall into someone else's hands."
Fang Bai said softly, "Won't we talk some more?"
"What are we talking about?" Hao Yingman looked towards the center of the hall, where a woman's swaying figure came into view. Then she quipped to herself, "The coal business?"
Fang Bai lowered his eyes and said, "I'm sorry."
Hao Yingman chuckled, "What does it have to do with you? You reminded me, I just didn't realize it."
Hao Yingman put her arm around Fang Bai's shoulder and said, "Come on, while I still have money, I'll take you out for a big meal."
The restaurant on the hotel's rooftop, which Hao Yingman said had a great view.
After ordering, Hao Yingman went to the restroom.
Fang Bai sat alone at the dining table, looking down at his phone.
She has a habit of deleting chat boxes, and she always goes back to the list to find people.
Fang Bai wanted to find Ji Yuning, but when she saw another person in the X list whose contact name was "Xiao Zhang", her finger stopped.
Ji Yuning's profile picture is Beibei.
Xiao Zhang's profile picture is also a cat.
Although their body sizes are very different, how...
Fang Bai opened the photo album and found several photos of Bei Bei's back that she had saved.
After comparing them, Fang Bai knew it wasn't her imagination, nor was it that the more she looked, the more similar they seemed; it was that this cat, which was as fat as a "pig," was indeed Bei Bei!
So, this Xiao Zhang…
Fang Bai clicked on Xiao Zhang's profile picture.
Fang Bai: [Xiao Ning.]
Fang Bai: [How come Auntie didn't know you changed your surname to Zhang?]
Author's Note:
Xiao Ji: Thank you so much, you black coal ball!
Chapter 90
After sending the message, Fang Bai did not receive a reply from Ji Yuning until he finished his meal and returned home.
Perhaps Ji Yuning doesn't use this account often, or perhaps she's busy and didn't see it. Fang Bai didn't send a message to the other account. She wasn't in a hurry for Ji Yuning to reply; she just wanted to see what Ji Yuning would say.
Everything makes sense now.
Why would someone from FJ ask for her contact information? Why is "employee Xiao Zhang" so talkative? How did Ji Yuning manage to find her?
Because while she was still in a state of knowing nothing, Ji Yuning already knew everything.
No matter what, she could never leave Ji Yuning's sight again.
Judging from this, it seems that the people from FJ who called to say that her plan was good were probably lying.
Fang Bai lowered his eyes, feeling somewhat guilty towards Hao Yingman. Rather than being directly rejected, the disappointment before rejection was the most painful. The thought of Hao Yingman standing up for her tonight only intensified this feeling.
While changing into her dress and removing her makeup, Fang Bai considered whether to send Hao Yingman a few messages, whether it was to comfort her or something else; that was all she could do.
There's a new message on WeChat.
Xiao Zhang: [Does Auntie know?]
While he was hesitating, Ji Yuning's appearance made Fang Bai's furrowed brows relax a bit, and his heart suddenly settled down.
Despite feeling relieved, Fang Bai still felt uneasy. She typed: "[Boss Ji, should I know or not?]"
Fang Bai wanted to retract the message as soon as she sent it; her slightly sarcastic question would only make her seem childish.
Before Fang Bai could even long-press the message, a video call came in from the other end.
Looking at "Xiao Zhang's" profile picture, Fang Bai couldn't bear to refuse.
The video call connected, and before Fang Bai could even see Ji Yuning's face clearly, he heard a voice say, "I was wrong."
Ji Yuning admitted her mistake so quickly that Fang Bai was stunned for a few seconds before reacting.
She's already admitted her mistake, so what else can she say?
Fang Bai cleared his throat and said earnestly, "Auntie isn't blaming you, but you should have told me on your own initiative."
Ji Yuning only saw the message when she got home. At that moment, she took off her shoes and walked towards the sofa.
As she walked, Fang Bai said, "I didn't expect that Auntie wouldn't even recognize Bei Bei."
Fang Bai: "..."
Does that mean she never intended to disguise herself, and that she simply didn't recognize him?
How could she possibly associate the chubby boy with Beibei, given that he's as fat as two cats?
Fang Bai said softly, "It's too fat~"
Ji Yuning chuckled and said, "Auntie wasn't on guard at all."
It was easy to get the information out of him with simple, formulaic questions.
Fang Bai explained, "You think I couldn't tell? It's just that I was leaving the next day, and I was thinking about being with you..."
The conversation stopped.
Ji Yuning stared at the screen and saw the soft light in Fang Bai's eyes dim, and an unusual sense of despondency enveloped the area around him.
She rarely saw Fang Bai in such a low mood; in her memory, Fang Bai was always smiling, no matter what.
Was it because of his own words?
Ji Yuning panicked for a moment and hurriedly asked, "With what?"
Fang Bai hugged her legs and huddled in a corner of the sofa. When she heard Ji Yuning ask her question, she called out softly, "Xiao Ning."
Just two words, and Ji Yuning sensed something different. They sounded as fragile as a flower branch in a downpour, as if they would be destroyed at any moment.
Ji Yuning's heart skipped a beat. Afraid of startling the other person, she unconsciously lowered her voice and asked, "What's wrong?"
Fang Bai shifted her phone, and from an angle where Ji Yuning couldn't see, she bit her lip and said softly, "Am I a failure?"
Surprise welled up in Ji Yuning's eyes: "Why do you say that?"
Because she couldn't help either Hao Yingman or Ji Yuning in any way.
Knowing full well Lu Raomei's feelings, she was powerless to protect Ji Yuning. Although she knew Ji Yuning didn't need her protection, she just wanted to do what she could, but in the end, she found there was nothing she could do…
Perhaps it was the alcohol from the meal that was taking effect, but the thoughts in her mind made Fang Bai's eyelashes a little wet. She lowered her head, afraid that Ji Yuning would notice.
With her head directly facing the camera, Ji Yuning could only see a furry head.
After two breaths, Fang Bai raised his head, his expression had returned to normal, and there was no sign of anything amiss.
After a moment's pause, she asked Ji Yuning softly, "Have you looked at Hao's proposal?"
They must have seen it, otherwise they wouldn't know she was at the Hao family's.
When Fang Bai mentioned other companies, Ji Yuning's eyes flickered. So it was for someone else?
Ji Yuning pursed her lips: "Mm."
Fang Bai hesitated for a moment, but ultimately couldn't overcome his inner struggle and asked, "How... do you feel?"
The air was still for two seconds.
Ji Yuning leaned back on the sofa and asked, "Did Hao Yingman ask Auntie to ask?"
Hao Yingman?
Did Ji Yuning misunderstand that she came to gather information?
Fang Bai shook his head: "No, it's because Auntie wants to know."
Ji Yuning suppressed her jealousy and, after a brief moment of thought, said, "In terms of planning and development prospects, there are a few issues that would hinder cooperation, but..."
She paused deliberately to observe the other person's reaction, her round eyes glistening with moisture, as if she were anticipating what she was about to say.
Ji Yuning gave up and said softly, "However, there are a few details that are written very well. With just a little adjustment, those parts can be made up for."
Seeing that Fang Bai remained silent, Ji Yuning added, "Those details were written by Auntie."
This time, Fang Bai responded, "You know?"
“Yes,” Ji Yuning said, “I’ve contacted the others.”
Fang Bai licked his lips. "So, what was President Ji's evaluation of me?"
Ji Yuning smiled and said, "Very good."
Fang Baimei's gloomy mood, which had been low all night, began to fluctuate, and she smiled slightly: "Thank you, President Ji."