Ji Yuning slowed her pace and walked to the car. He Ziyan sat in the passenger seat and raised an eyebrow at her.
It means: Serves you right.
After everything was ready, Fang Bai saw that Ji Yuning was still outside the car and reminded her, "Xiao Ning, go to the back and sit with Xiao Mu."
Is this the consequence of making the other person angry?
Ji Yuning pursed her lips and said, "Mm."
Fang Bai wasn't angry; it was just the awareness that a superfluous person should have.
The restaurant is indeed not far from the school; it only takes ten minutes to drive there.
Mu Xuerou had booked a private room. After ordering, the meal was quiet except for the waiter bringing out a birthday cake and the group wishing Ji Yuning a happy birthday.
Mu Xuerou treated everyone to the meal, but Fang Bai paid the bill.
When dining with younger generations, you can't let them pay for your meal.
Not to mention... it was for Ji Yuning's birthday.
After dinner, as arranged by Mu Xuerou, the group was to go to a KTV a few hundred meters away from the restaurant.
Since it wasn't far, the four of them decided to walk there, and also take the opportunity to digest their food.
Chapter 69
The four of them started walking side by side, but because of the cars parked on the side of the road and the occasional passerby, they gradually started to pair up.
Mu Xuerou and He Ziyan, who were chatting, naturally walked together, while the other two, who had been quiet tonight, walked behind them.
At seven o'clock in the evening, it was completely dark. The shops along the road were brightly lit, and even the light seemed to carry a biting chill in this cold winter.
Fang Bai was wearing a beige wool coat, a loose, mid-length style that gave her a relaxed vibe. She had taken off her coat while eating and casually put it on after leaving the restaurant; now the coat was wide open, and the cold wind rushed into her embrace.
Thinking it was only a few hundred meters away, Fang Bai assumed they would soon be indoors, so he didn't care how much cold wind would blow into her arms over those few hundred meters.
Looking up slightly, the crescent moon was scattered among the desolate branches. Moving my gaze down, I saw He Ziyan and Mu Xuerou talking to each other three meters away, both children beaming with smiles.
Seeing this scene, Fang Bai couldn't help but smile. She wondered if spending so much time with these children had made her more childish.
Why bother arguing with Ji Yuning?
In this world, no one understands Ji Yuning better than her, except for Ji Yuning herself.
Fang Bai knew very well what kind of person Ji Yuning was.
Perhaps it wasn't about holding a grudge against Ji Yuning, but rather that Fang Bai couldn't face her failure. A year and a half ago, she was full of confidence, believing she could change her fate, but in the end, it was all in vain.
Although there was an element of acting involved at the beginning, it cannot be denied that she put in effort.
Did you gain anything?
Perhaps there are, for example, those moments when Ji Yuning and she acted together that gave her the illusion.
For example…now.
Fang Bai looked down at the arm blocking her way, stopped, and turned to ask the person who had stopped her, "What's wrong?"
The voice was soft and gentle, like the tail of a cloud unfurling.
The hand in front of him did not retract, but instead fell to his waist and grasped the belt hanging on his clothes.
"?"
While Fang Bai was puzzled, Ji Yuning moved to the opposite side of her and reached out to gather the two sides of her coat together.
Holding the belt, Ji Yuning slowly and deliberately tied the knot, her movements so gentle that it was as if she were decorating a work of art, afraid that her rough movements would disturb the other person.
Fang Bai watched Ji Yuning tie her knot. From her perspective, Ji Yuning's lowered head, downcast eyes, and silent demeanor seemed to have a hint of... ingratiation?
Is Ji Yuning trying to please her?
Fang Bai quickly regained her composure, realizing that she must have been confused by the wind, actually thinking that Ji Yuning was trying to please her.
After tucking the coat in, it protected against the wind that was about to blow in.
Fang Bai gradually felt the warmth.
Fang Bai's mind cleared considerably as a result. Just as he was about to take the belt back from Ji Yuning and tie it himself, before he could even raise his hand, a clear, cold voice rang out:
"I didn't want to go."
Fang Bai stopped moving.
Ji Yuning tied a perfect knot, her slender fingers slipping from the belt, and then said, "That's why I didn't tell you."
Fang Bai remained silent, not understanding why Ji Yuning would explain.
Ji Yuning pondered for a moment, then continued, "I told Teacher He before, and she agreed, saying she would discuss with the director to find another student to replace me."
Fang Bai lifted his eyelids and looked up to meet Ji Yuning's gaze.
Those dark eyes were clear and bright, like two stars in the night.
"Why not go?" Fang Bai asked. "Isn't there a chance for direct admission?"
Under Fang Bai's gaze, Ji Yuning slowly tucked the wind-blown hair from Fang Bai's face behind his ears.
When Fang Bai's face was no longer covered, Ji Yuning touched Fang Bai's soft earlobe and chuckled, "Do I need a guaranteed admission?"
A seemingly casual remark, yet its content is profoundly impactful.
It was clearly an arrogant and conceited statement, but Ji Yuning said it without any sense of incongruity.
It was like the occasional arrogance of a wolf.
Ji Yuning was meant to be like this: confident and proud.
She has her reasons, and she doesn't need to explain them to anyone.
Fang Bai felt a surge of inexplicable emotions, and his body involuntarily warmed up.
After a moment, Fang Bai's eyes softened, "Then why are you going again?"
Ji Yuning's smile vanished in an instant, and she returned to her usual demeanor, saying indifferently, "Annoying."
Fang Bai paused, then asked, "Hmm? Why am I annoyed?"
Ji Yuning kept her negative emotions buried deep in her heart, including the hurt caused by those dark days, and she never told anyone about them.
Ji Yuning is human and has her own worries. She doesn't act as indifferent as she does, but she has never vented her frustrations.
The well in my heart is covered with a heavy lid, perhaps made of cement, or perhaps of steel bars or heavy iron, which tightly presses down on the outlet, making it completely airtight.
And inside the well lies accumulated darkness.
At this moment, because of Fang Bai's question, Ji Yuning suddenly felt the urge to confide in him.
The heavy lid was lifted from the outside.
Light shone into the well.
Like guiding someone who has gone astray toward the right place.
Ji Yuning frowned and followed up on Fang Bai's question, saying, "The new person we found got sick a few days ago. Teacher He and the director wanted me to go, and then they took turns talking to me."
As Ji Yuning spoke, she hugged Fang Bai and murmured, "I wanted some peace and quiet, so I agreed."
Fang Bai hadn't expected things to develop this way. "Today too?"
Ji Yuning: "Yeah, I'm afraid I might change my mind at the last minute."
The list has already been submitted; she has no chance to back out now.
That's why Ji Yuning found it annoying.
Fang Bai placed his hand on Ji Yuning's head, gently patted it, and comforted her, "Teacher He is doing this for your own good, isn't he?"
A long-awaited rub of the head
Feeling the familiar yet unfamiliar rhythm above my head.
Ji Yuning's invisible ears twitched, and she unconsciously rubbed against Fang Bai's palm, whispering, "I know."
She knew that, so she agreed.
Ji Yuning: "I was planning to tell you this when I got back tonight, but I didn't expect you to find out first."
Fang Bai lowered his hand and smiled, "It's nothing, it's the same whether I knew sooner or later."
Fang Bai felt her little finger being hooked. The person's hand was warm, and her fingers, which had become stiff from the wind, felt a warmth because of the other person.
Ji Yuning naturally took Fang Bai's hand, and when she noticed that Fang Bai's hand was cold, she did not hesitate to pull Fang Bai's hand into her own cotton-padded coat pocket.
In the cramped space, their two hands were pressed tightly together.
Fang Bai was drawn half a step closer to Ji Yuning by this action.
From a distance, they looked like two people huddled together, warming each other in the cold wind.
In fact, Fang Bai and Ji Yuning were practically embracing, so close that their breaths were mingling.
Although Ji Yuning's pockets were warm, standing together like this in public, on a busy street, would only attract attention.
Fang Bai parted his lips slightly, exhaled, and advised, "Someone is watching."
Fang Bai believes that Ji Yuning also doesn't want to be watched.
But as soon as she finished speaking, she felt someone pinch her hand in her pocket.
Then Ji Yuning said, "Don't be angry."
Fang Bai wasn't the type to get angry easily. She had already calmed herself down during dinner. Besides, after thinking things through, Fang Bai no longer felt angry towards Ji Yuning, but rather relieved.
However, upon hearing Ji Yuning's words, Fang Bai softened and said gently, "Why would I be angry with a child like you?"
My hand was pinched again.
Ji Yuning frowned slightly. "I'm not."