Fang Bai said in a deep voice, "No matter where you saw or heard this, I'm telling you now, I don't like Liao Li."
Ji Yuning did indeed see it among Lu Xia's belongings.
A few weeks ago, when she went for a medical check-up with Liao Li, Liao Li gave her a notebook, saying it was Lu Xia's keepsake. It was given to Liao Li by Lu Xia at the hospital before she passed away. Because it was password protected, Liao Li had never opened it and therefore did not know what was inside.
On her way from the hospital to the office building, Ji Yuning used her birthday to unlock the password book.
Inside is Lu Xia's diary.
These are some things that Ji Yuning started writing down intermittently when she was nine years old.
She didn't keep a diary very often; Ji Yuning only flipped through it for ten minutes before turning to the last page.
The top was densely covered with Lu Xiajuan's neat and beautiful handwriting:
—[I never expected Xiaobai to like Ali, but judging from Ali's demeanor, she doesn't seem to be a lesbian. Since Xiaobai won't say anything, I can only keep this secret for her and pretend I didn't hear anything.]
—【I haven't been feeling well lately. Ali said I should come to her place for a check-up on Sunday. I hope it's just something minor, since I promised Xiaoning I'd take her to the amusement park, and I don't want to miss it.】
—[The test results are in: It's cancer. Thankfully, I had three months to say goodbye to this world.]
—【…What should Xiao Ning do?】
—【Ali kept urging me to get chemotherapy, but I refused. I'd rather leave that money for Xiaoning.】
—【If he knew I was gone, would he bring Xiao Ning back to Beijing? Probably not. I was the one who said we should cut ties... Is this karma?】
—【Let's send Xiao Ning to live with Xiao Bai. That way, even if she can't get married, Xiao Ning will take care of her when she gets old. Besides, Xiao Ning likes Xiao Bai very much, so she should grow up happily under Xiao Bai's care. It's a pity I won't be able to see it (^_^)】
—[…]
—【I'll miss Xiao Ning.】
This concludes my diary entry.
Ji Yuning locked the diary again, took her home, and locked it in her drawer.
Ji Yuning never understood why Lu Xia would place her under Fang Bai's care, when Fang Bai was just a boy in his early twenties. After reading the last paragraph, Ji Yuning finally understood.
A few days after reading the diary, Ji Yuning had absolutely no desire to have any contact with Fang Bai, not even to make eye contact.
That feeling has lingered until today.
The faint fragrance emanating from Fang Bai had initially soothed her mind while she was chopping vegetables, but now Fang Bai's words had stirred something within her.
Ji Yuning said in a cool voice, "Why is Aunt Fang so agitated? I was just asking."
Fang Bai withdrew his gaze from Ji Yuning. "I knew Liao Li liked men when I first met her."
Fang Bai told a little lie.
There's nothing wrong with admitting it, but the key issue is that the time she traveled to this world coincided with the time Liao Li returned to China.
Fang Bai was afraid that Ji Yuning would think that the changes she made were for the sake of performing in front of Liao Li, rather than out of genuine affection for her.
Then all her previous efforts were in vain.
Fang Bai used serving chopsticks to put some of Ji Yuning's stir-fried dishes into her bowl, his expression indifferent, as if he had just heard a joke from Ji Yuning.
Fang Bai put his chopsticks away.
“And another thing,” the chopsticks clinked against the porcelain plate, and Fang Bai’s voice, devoid of any emotion, reached Ji Yuning’s ears, “what makes you think I’m gay?”
The air at the dining table froze for two seconds.
Finally, Fang Bai broke the silence. Her voice was as gentle as ever, "Don't talk nonsense about things you don't know. If you don't like me lecturing you, you can just say so. There's no need to attack me with hearsay."
Fang Bai ate a couple of bites of rice, but Ji Yuning didn't respond.
Fang Bai said softly, "I also made some soup. Go get yourself a bowl in a bit."
A sudden change of topic indicates a desire to move on from the previous topic.
Ji Yuning replied calmly, "Mm."
Everything returned to calm, as if nothing had happened.
Beibei, who had been sleeping on the sofa, got up and jumped off the sofa, walked under the table, and rubbed her head against Fang Bai and Ji Yuning's slippers.
It's like trying to mediate a fight.
Author's Note:
I've been forced to change the title of this post~ Please remember me~
Do you know who Xiao Ji inherited her love for writing diaries from? (Just kidding!)
Yesterday I was thinking about the Milky Way because of the legend of the Magpie Bridge (which is so romantic!), but after reading everyone's comments, I suddenly realized mine was so ordinary, haha!
Chapter 35
The meal ended quickly, and when Fang Bai got up to clear the dishes, a pair of hands were faster than her.
"I'll do it."
Fang Bai was momentarily dazed when Ji Yuning had already taken a bowl and gone into the kitchen.
Ten seconds later, Fang Bai glanced to the side.
Ji Yuning's hair was casually draped around her shoulders and neck. When she bent down to wash the dishes, a section of white hair was visible on the back of her neck. Her clothes were loose, making it impossible to tell how thin the person underneath was.
Her shoulders swayed slightly with the movements of her hands, but her back remained straight, as if no matter what, she would not be crushed, like grass growing in the cracks of rocks, never complaining about her growing environment, but growing tenaciously with the help of light and rain.
Ji Yuning took the initiative to wash the dishes, and Fang Bai was not idle either; she cleared away the plates on the table one by one.
Ji Yuning turned around and saw Fang Bai carefully wiping the table with a wet tissue.
Fang Bai saw Ji Yuning walking towards her and said, "I've already wiped the table, you can continue doing your homework here."
“No need,” Ji Yuning walked past Fang Bai, picked up her schoolbag from the chair, and said, “I’ll go upstairs to write.”
The play is over; there's no need for her to stay any longer.
Fang Bai responded.
After Ji Yuning went upstairs, Fang Bai turned to the kitchen and saw the neat and clean countertop. He felt relieved. Although it was very likely that Ji Yuning did this instinctively, not because of her, Fang Bai still felt that her efforts were not in vain.
If Fang Bai's previous kindness towards Ji Yuning was all for the sake of survival, today she approached Ji Yuning naturally, not with any ulterior motive or intentional motive.
After nearly two months of getting along, aside from the initial heartache for Ji Yuning, it's impossible to say that no other feelings had crept in. And those feelings that crept in, Fang Bai clearly knew, were the kind of care that only comes from close family.
She has already... raised Ji Yuning like a child.
So when Fang Bai brought his clothes to the laundry room and saw the school uniform in the laundry basket, he picked it up without thinking and prepared to put it in the washing machine.
The autumn uniforms at Huyi Middle School are the same color as the summer uniforms, blue and white, and Fang Bai's high school uniform is also this color. Every time he picks Ji Yuning up from school and sees students wearing autumn uniforms, his high school days occasionally flash through his mind.
Driven by his youthful memories, Fang Bai unconsciously opened his school uniform jacket.
Fang Bai prefers clothes that are relatively fitted and restrictive. Because he is very thin, he can even order his school uniform a size too small without any problem. As a result, Fang Bai's school uniform, unlike his classmates', has sleeves that can cover his hands, but instead, it neatly restricts his wrists.
When Fang Bai put on her school uniform, she looked down and saw that the clothes were loosely draped over her body, completely different from how she remembered them. However, the refreshing scent of laundry detergent on the clothes gave her a youthful vibe.
"Just reminiscing is enough," Fang Bai thought to himself as he tugged at his clothes.
Just as his clothes slipped off his shoulders and were about to be taken off, a hollow voice suddenly sounded from behind Fang Bai: "What are you doing?"
It wasn't a question, but a soft sigh.
Caught red-handed by the owner of the clothes, Fang Bai paused in his action of taking off the clothes, a hint of embarrassment flashing across his face.
However, after Fang Bai took off his clothes and turned to look at the person standing in front of the laundry room, he said without any embarrassment, "I'm washing your clothes."
Did I get some clothes on myself while washing them?
Ji Yuning stepped forward and took the school uniform from Fang Bai's hand. "I can wash it myself, so I won't trouble Aunt Fang."
"..." Fang Bai felt she needed to explain, otherwise Ji Yuning would easily think she was a pervert. "My high school uniform was also blue and white. When I saw your uniform, I thought of my high school, and then I subconsciously put it on."
Ji Yuning knew that Fang Bai attended Hu Yi High School.
But why did Fang Bai use "also"?
Fang Bai didn't notice the loophole in her words. To divert Ji Yuning's attention, she cleared her throat and said, "You just saw it, right? What do you think? Doesn't Auntie look like your classmate in her school uniform?"
Fang Bai was wearing his clothes with his back to the door, so Ji Yuning couldn't see his face.
Ji Yuning walked to the door of the laundry room and saw a person in a school uniform standing inside. Ji Yuning froze for a few seconds before realizing that it was Fang Bai.
Ji Yuning prefers to buy clothes a size larger. The loose fit gives Ji Yuning a sense of security. The school uniform is too big on Fang Bai, with the hem hanging down to his upper thighs, completely covering the shorts Fang Bai is wearing.
Her upper body was that of a model student who strictly followed school rules, but her lower body was left with only two fair and slender legs exposed to the air.
The scene was so impactful that Ji Yuning, who had arrived at the laundry room when Fang Bai was still wearing his school uniform, only spoke when Fang Bai was about to take it off.
Ji Yuning pursed her thin lips. "It doesn't seem like it."
Fang Bai hadn't expected Ji Yuning to say she looked like her; she was just casually bringing up a topic.
Ji Yuning wanted to wash her clothes by hand, but when she went to get a basin, Fang Bai took the clothes from her arms.
Fang Bai said, "I'll wash the clothes. You go do your homework."
Just as Ji Yuning was about to refuse, she saw Fang Bai stuff the clothes into the washing machine, and then put her own clothes in as well.
Ji Yuning couldn't express what she was feeling. She should have felt disgusted that her clothes were washed together with Fang Bai's, disgusted by such close contact with Fang Bai's things. But before that disgust could rise, Ji Yuning suddenly remembered that she and Fang Bai had been in contact with more than just clothes—Fang Bai had held her hand while cooking.
"..."
Seeing that Ji Yuning was standing still and not saying anything, Fang Bai asked, "What's wrong? Is there anything else you want to wash?"
Ji Yuning suppressed her emotions, said coldly "No," and turned to leave.
Fang Bai was puzzled by Ji Yuning's cold attitude, assuming that Ji Yuning was still bothered by him wearing her school uniform.
On the second day of the holiday, Fang Bai got up early.
After a quick wash, Fang Bai thought she would go to the second-floor side bedroom to check on Bei Bei. When she arrived at the door, she saw Ji Yuning sitting on the bed with Bei Bei in her arms and holding an extracurricular book in her hand.