Ji Yuning smiled, a smile that could hardly be called a smile. "Thank you."
Hearing the noise, the other two people who were playing with the cat all looked at Ji Yuning.
Seeing that Ji Yuning looked at Fang Bai first and then at her, He Ziyan raised an eyebrow, ignoring the gloom in Ji Yuning's eyes, and said, "Happy birthday."
Ji Yuning glanced down at He Ziyan's hand still resting on Beibei's head and replied calmly, "Thank you."
Her tone was the same as when she replied to Mu Xuerou, but He Ziyan could still come up with a subtle difference.
He Ziyan didn't pay attention. She hummed in agreement, then looked at Beibei again, rubbing Beibei's head while calling out to the person next to her, "Aunt Fang."
Fang Bai shifted his attention from Ji Yuning to He Ziyan, "What's wrong?"
He Ziyan giggled, "This cat looks just like you!"
Fang Bai felt that Bei Bei resembled Ji Yuning more, but she couldn't deny He Ziyan's words, so she just smiled faintly.
To outsiders, this smile appeared as an agreement with He Ziyan's words.
A voice devoid of emotion reached their ears: "Beibei."
As soon as the voice fell, the cat that Fang Bai was holding stood up, jumped to the ground, and completely ignored the several gazes falling on it. It walked gracefully and calmly to Ji Yuning's side.
Ji Yuning reached out and hugged Beibei, whispering, "Good girl."
Fang Bai: "..."
Someone just said Beibei looks like her, and you immediately praised it for being well-behaved?
He Ziyan withdrew her hand from mid-air, and her eyes held a newfound understanding as she looked at Ji Yuning.
Standing to the side, Mu Xuerou looked around from left to right, feeling as if she had overlooked something and been excluded.
But when Mu Xuerou saw a hint of confusion on Fang Bai's face, that feeling was suppressed.
Mu Xuerou glanced at the time, then said to Fang Bai, "Aunt Fang, today is Yu Ning's birthday. We've decided to go to the newly opened amusement park. Why don't you come with us?"
"You three kids can go," Fang Bai said softly.
Upon hearing this, Mu Xuerou looked at Ji Yuning. Her intuition told her that as long as Ji Yuning spoke up, Fang Bai would agree.
Ji Yuning didn't receive Mu Xuerou's pleading look, because when Mu Xuerou suggested that Fang Bai come with them, Ji Yuning's gaze fell on Fang Bai.
Upon hearing Fang Bai's refusal, Ji Yuning paused for a few seconds before saying, "Together."
Chapter 55
When Fang Bai heard Ji Yuning invite her to the amusement park, she thought Ji Yuning was genuinely inviting her and that she had mistaken Ji Yuning's avoidance of her that morning.
But once the car was on the road, Ji Yuning sat in the passenger seat, her gaze fixed on the scenery outside the window. At first, when Fang Bai spoke to her, Ji Yuning turned her head to respond, but then quickly looked away, her gaze lingering on Fang Bai for less than ten seconds.
Fang Bai: "..."
Fang Bai now has reason to suspect that Ji Yuning asked her to come along simply because she needed a driver.
Ji Yuning remained silent, so Fang Bai could only concentrate on driving.
A few minutes later, as the car rounded a corner, Fang Bai heard He Ziyan call out to her, "Aunt Fang."
Fang Bai glanced at He Ziyan in the rearview mirror. "Hmm, what's wrong?"
“We’re about to have winter break. Can I visit you during the holidays?” He Ziyan asked.
winter vacation?
"When do we get a holiday?"
Mu Xuerou was initially a little reserved because of the quiet atmosphere in the car, but she relaxed when she heard that there were finally people to chat with. She came down from the second floor, glanced at her phone calendar, and said, "About a month from now, around the 20th."
“Okay,” Fang Bai said, “you two can come whenever you want, but there’s nothing fun to do with me. I’m a very boring person.”
He Ziyan immediately said, "No, I think Aunt Fang is very interesting."
Fang Bai chuckled lightly: "Really? Could you tell me one specifically?"
“Of course, like now, you’ll come with us to the amusement park,” He Ziyan said, glancing at the passenger seat and looking at Ji Yuning’s profile. “Although it’s Yuning’s birthday today, it’s rare for elders to accompany younger generations and their classmates out to play.”
Fang Bai wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but He Ziyan seemed to emphasize the words "elder" and "junior" much more than the others.
It was as if she was reminding Ji Yuning that she was Ji Yuning's elder.
Fang Bai didn't see that He Ziyan was speaking to Ji Yuning, and automatically ignored the word "junior" at the end.
"You mean I'm old?" Fang Bai joked.
He Ziyan could tell that Fang Bai wasn't angry, but she didn't expect him to think that way. She hurriedly shook her head and said, "No, no, Aunt Fang, you're very young. If Yu Ning and I weren't classmates, I think I could call you 'sister'."
“It’s fine if you call me sister,” Fang Bai glanced at the cold-faced person and saw their expression freeze when she said those words. A hint of revenge rose in her heart. “But then Xiao Ning will have to call you aunt.”
Ji Yuning glanced sideways and took in the triumphant smile that Fang Bai hadn't had time to suppress on his face.
To Ji Yuning, that smile was bright and radiant, like light spilling through the clouds after the sun had been obscured.
Women rarely smile like that; it's only when their perverse sense of humor is satisfied, like last time. Her usual smile is soft, the joy not reaching her eyes, a natural protective layer she wears on the surface when interacting with others. Ji Yuning knew clearly that the other woman was far from being as approachable as she appeared. In fact, she was just as cold as she was, only she was better at disguising it, while she herself had long since lost track of the true feelings behind that facade.
Fang Bai's words startled the two people in the back seat. Then He Ziyan's eyes lit up. "Hmph, then I can only reluctantly accept it."
He Ziyan coughed lightly and said to Ji Yuning, "Go ahead and call me. What do you want to buy later? Your aunt will buy it for you."
Mu Xuerou, standing to the side, smiled and said, "Then, Aunt Fang, can I call you sister too? I also want to hear what it feels like for Yu Ning to call me aunt."
Ji Yuning glanced sideways at Mu Xuerou, her voice carrying a hint of admonition: "Don't go astray."
He Ziyan paused, wondering what it meant. Was he saying she was bad?
Before He Ziyan could ask Ji Yuning, the latter had already looked at her and said, "If I remember correctly, you are younger than me."
Looking at the person who turned seventeen today, He Ziyan raised her chin and said, "So what if I am? I am now of a higher generation than you."
Ji Yuning withdrew her gaze and silently looked at the culprit, who was staring straight ahead, looking innocent as if to say, "I was driving seriously, I didn't do anything, it's none of my business."
After being stared at by Ji Yuning for more than ten seconds, Fang Bai finally couldn't stand her gaze any longer and turned his head to look at her while the light was red.
Ji Yuning was still sitting close to the car window, quite a distance from Fang Bai, but even at that distance, it was only about the length of an outstretched arm. In the instant their eyes met, Fang Bai clearly saw her reflection in Ji Yuning's dark eyes.
Immediately following was Ji Yuning's hoarse voice: "Sister."
"——"
As Ji Yuning finished speaking, the car fell into a deathly silence.
All eyes were on Ji Yuning, unable to believe what they had just heard.
The person being stared at calmly glanced ahead and said indifferently, "The light is green."
Before even entering the amusement park, the four of them discussed which rides they wanted to play. Actually, it wasn't all four of them; it was mainly Mu Xuerou and He Ziyan who made the suggestions.
So once inside the amusement park, Mu Xuerou became a little tour guide again, telling He Ziyan where to go first.
Fang Bai was still reeling from Ji Yuning's calling him "sister".
Looking at the person separated from her by Mu Xuerou, Fang Bai thought that she should stop joking with Ji Yuning. Although her little scheme was satisfied and she had gotten revenge on Ji Yuning for avoiding her, she would still have to bear the consequences of teasing Ji Yuning alone. The other party would reflect her counterattack back at her, and the attack might even be more powerful.
As Mu Xuerou chatted with He Ziyan, she naturally walked over to He Ziyan's side. Once she left, Fang Bai and Ji Yuning were no longer obstructed.
Neither of them leaned towards the other; they simply followed behind the other two, maintaining a distance of about one meter between them.
The group then proceeded in order, playing whatever they wanted and skipping anything they weren't interested in.
After playing several rides, the four of them arrived at the haunted house.
Fang Bai turned to leave, but Mu Xuerou and He Ziyan said in unison, "Let's play this!"
In order not to spoil the two children's fun, Fang Bai could only follow behind them to join the queue.
Ji Yuning, noticing Fang Bai's intention to leave, blinked and silently followed behind him.
A dozen minutes later, the staff saw that there were four of them and told them that they needed to enter in pairs to make it easier to complete the task.
Upon hearing this, Fang Bai looked at Ji Yuning and Mu Xuerou, "Xiao Ning, you and—"
“With you.” Ji Yuning noticed that Fang Bai had looked at her and Mu Xuerou. Before Fang Bai could finish his instructions, she interrupted him.
The name "Xiao Mu" was stuck in her throat, but since Ji Yuning had already spoken, she could only look at the other two and ask, "Are you two okay?"
"I'm fine with anything." Mu Xuerou had no objections. After spending time together, she found that He Ziyan wasn't a bad person at heart, and since the other party had changed, she could be friends with her.
She no longer had any prejudice against He Ziyan, but she was still curious about why He Ziyan treated Ji Yuning that way.
He Ziyan crossed her arms, somewhat regretting not speaking up for Ji Yuning sooner. She paused, then said to Fang Bai, "Aunt Fang, if Ji Yuning is scared and cries, you must tell me when you come out."
She's going to laugh at her!
After saying that, He Ziyan took the task props given to her by the employee, and left with Mu Xuerou.
Scared to tears?
Fang Bai subconsciously looked at the person next to him. The other person was calm and did not react to He Ziyan's words. Fang Bai was secretly curious whether Ji Yuning would be scared to tears.
Meeting Fang Bai's gaze, Ji Yuning said calmly, "No."
Ji Yuning told her the answer.
Fang Bai raised an eyebrow. "Then you protect Auntie!"
When Fang Bai said this, his tone was relaxed. He didn't believe that Ji Yuning would be afraid, and he was completely unaware of what would happen next.
The earlier levels were very simple, probably to prevent people from returning to the entrance; the atmosphere of terror was not strong.
It was Fang Bai's first time in a haunted house. She thought it would just be a bit dark and that a person would occasionally pop up. But when Fang Bai and Ji Yuning exchanged the initial props for the final props and went to find a way out in the later part, she realized that she had oversimplified things.
The atmosphere around them changed instantly.
The air was slightly damp, and the path beneath my feet was soft and uneven. In bright sunlight, walking on it would feel like walking on clouds, but the surrounding environment was gloomy, and the clouds turned into waterlogged mud. My feet felt heavy and difficult to move.
Occasionally, screams would come from ahead, their shrill cries adding to the terrifying atmosphere.
In the dim, reddish light, Fang Bai changed from taking long strides to moving in small steps, and Ji Yuning followed behind him, slowing down her pace as well.
Fang Bai licked her lips; the environment was too oppressive, making her feel insecure.