100,000 Hour Professional Stand-in or Professional Stand-in, With an Chapter 4: 31 to 40, a manhua/chinese comics/漫画 fanfic

After sending the fee structure to Cen Xiangyang, Ji Fanyin stretched lazily on her newly-bought ergonomic chair.

It won't do for me to just wait for Song Shiyu to introduce new clients to me. I've to think of a way to expand my client base myself.

Song Shiyu wasn't working as hard as she expected him to. So far, he had only introduced Bai Zhou to her.

He should have already introduced the fourth one to me by now according to the 'future'. Haaa, men really can't be counted on.

While shaking her head, Ji Fanyin shut the laptop and settled down on the comfortable sofa to enjoy another movie. She penned down her review and posted it online before heading off to sleep.

The money she had earned thus far was already enough for her not to worry about her income anymore.

While raking in more money would indeed contribute to the progress of the 'Temptation of Home' app, over the past few weeks, she noticed that the key earner was still Emotion Points.

Be it strangers or acquaintances, anyone who felt a sliver of emotion toward Ji Fanyin would be taken into account by the app.

She had built up a fair presence in the social media thus far, resulting in a constant stream of Emotion Points coming in from places she knew not of.

Other than that, she also occasionally received Emotion Points from her clients even outside of service hours. They were simply too self-conscious about their relationship to not have her on their minds.

Ji Fanyin tapped into the 'Temptation of Home' app's logs and scrolled down. It didn't take her too long to spot Cen Xiangyang's name.

There was a fair sum of Emotion Points coming in from him, though it was still nowhere on par with Song Shiyu.

Just looking at the logs relating to Song Shiyu was enough for her to imagine the intense melodrama going on in his mind. To be honest, she didn't expect that he would be so shaken by her clearly expressing her lack of feelings toward him.

She was even kind enough to make it a gradual process for him.

Ji Fanyin looked through her day's income before checking the progress bar.

So far, she had accumulated 200 million of the ten billion goal. It was already possible to see a slight bit of green on the long progress bar, a representation of hope.

My efforts are paying off. It looks like ten billion isn't that far away anymore.

Ji Fanyin put down her phone, intending to head off to sleep, but she suddenly received a call from Ji Xinxin.

To be frank, Ji Fanyin was having difficulties trying to understand Ji Xinxin's insistence on calling her once every three days. It was almost as if Ji Xinxin had jotted it down on her calendar schedule. She had never forgotten about it, not even once.

There were times when Ji Fanyin didn't pick up, and Ji Xinxin didn't show any particular reaction to it either. The latter would simply send a couple of messages instead and call her again three days later.

This novel is available on /3Tfs4P4.

Just what could her motive be?

Ji Fanyin accepted the call with a slide of her finger. "Yes?"

"Big sis." Ji Xinxin's voice sounded from the other side. "I'm standing on top of the Eiffel Tower. The scenery here is gorgeous! I want to show it to you too!"

Ji Fanyin let out a yawn and said, "Post it on your Moments page. I'll check it when I wake up tomorrow morning and give you a like."

"How have you been doing?" Ji Xinxin dropped her usual question. "I heard from mum that you have gotten a job. What kind of job is it?"

"Relationship counselor."

Ji Xinxin was stunned by the unexpected answer. "Ah… Is it something you're interested in?"

"So-so. The clients are hard to deal with, but that's just how work is like. At least I don't have to deal with them outside of working hours."

Ji Fanyin honestly didn't think that it was anything much.

She didn't think that she would be stuck with her clients for too long. Who knows? Perhaps she might be able to wring them dry soon.

Ji Xinxin continued asking a few casual questions while sharing what she had been up to the last few days, reminiscent of old friends catching up with one another. At some point, she casually asked, "Big sis, did you meet Shiyu recently? I feel like he hasn't been in a good mood recently, but after all that has happened… I don't think that it'll be appropriate for me to ask him directly either."

Her voice sounded a little awkward.

"Yeah, I met him," replied Ji Fanyin leisurely. "Isn't it normal for someone of his age to have his own secrets?"

"I'm worried about him…" Ji Xinxin sighed softly. "It's just that I'm too far away at the moment. That's why I wanted to ask you to see if you know anything."

Ji Fanyin let out an "Ah" as she wondered if she should let Ji Xinxin in about her 'severance of feelings' for Song Shiyu.

Lest she keep talking about Song Shiyu before me. It's annoying.

Every single wage slave shared a common dream: Please don't let me hear anything related to work outside of working hours.

And to Ji Fanyin, 'Song Shiyu' was work.

"I'm no longer interested in Song Shiyu," said Ji Fanyin. "I have no idea how he's doing."

Ji Xinxin was quiet for a very long while. The whistling of wind and French mumbles could be heard from her side.

"You're no longer interested in him?" Ji Xinxin finally spoke up. "Is it because of me? Is it because Song Shiyu confessed to me, that's why you feel that…"

"You're wrong." Ji Fanyin sharply interjected to refute her deduction. "Feelings of attraction come and go at a whim. I liked Song Shiyu before, but that doesn't mean that my feelings for him will remain forever."

"… Then," asked Ji Xinxin, "who are you interested in now?"

"Right now, I just want to focus on my work and earn money." Ji Fanyin couldn't be bothered to analyze Ji Xinxin's words to figure out her intention. It was too troublesome. "I'll think about it after my career kicks off."

I should at least fulfill my little goal of ten billion before thinking about dating anyone. After that… I guess I'll see how I can return to my original world before making further plans.

"I see," remarked Ji Xinxin with a chuckle. "I'm relieved to hear that you aren't upset about it. Did you make new friends recently? I'm curious to know what you've been doing."

"It's not as if I've fallen out of love, so why would I need the comfort of friends?" Ji Fanyin took a glance at the time. "I need to sleep soon."

"Alright. Goodnight, big sis." There was a slight pause before Ji Xinxin continued on, "I'll be coming back in two months' time. My term break starts around Christmas, and I'll be staying for a fortnight over the New Years. Is there anything you want? I'll lug it back for you."

"Nah, there isn't anything much I want now. Just make sure you have fun in France." And if possible, add a few new fishes to your fishery too. Who knows? I might just need them.

"… Alright!"

Before hanging up, Ji Xinxin remarked, "I feel like you have changed a lot ever since I left the country. I really want to come back as soon as possible to catch up with you."

Ji Fanyin replied with a perfunctory "Mm" before hanging up. She placed her phone on the wireless charger on her bedside table, put on her steam eye mask, and drifted off into a sweet sleep.

Meanwhile, on the other end of the world, Ji Xinxin fiddled with her phone with a contemplative look on her face.

She was feeling a little flustered. Ji Fanyin had suddenly changed so much that her leading words didn't seem to work on her anymore.

On top of that, ever since she left for France, she felt that she was gradually losing control over many things.

The number of contacts she had had increased by twofold within a short period of time. The effort required to keep up with so many connections was really no joke. Even a skilled time manager like her was having trouble coping.

When you're just trying to make great content at /37k7u89t.

Not to mention, problems kept cropping up one after another.

For one, Bai Zhou was suddenly unwilling to play games with her anymore.

Ji Xinxin wondered if his change of attitude came from him discovering that she had been bringing a spare tyre with her on their 'online dates'. There was no doubt that she was making a risky maneuver here, but she had been careful to ensure that she wouldn't be exposed.

Her explanation to her French spare tyre was that Bai Zhou was her younger brother, and that she wanted to play together with him.

She would be seated alongside the French spare tyre whenever they played, so there was no need for the latter to use the voice chat. On top of that, she had changed her voice chat settings to 'Push-to-talk' so that Bai Zhou wouldn't hear her conversation with the French spare tyre.

It just so happened that the very day Bai Zhou's attitude toward her changed, Ji Xinxin received a message from Cen Xiangyang informing her of a scandal relating to the Bai Family. This led her to deduce that Bai Zhou's anomalous behavior was caused by a conflict he had with his family.

So, she had been devoting great effort to console Bai Zhou over the last few days lest she lost one of the biggest fishes in her fishery due to a moment of carelessness.

Putting all things aside, she was actually quite fond of Bai Zhou.

Bai Zhou's appearance checked off her boxes, though she thought that it would be wonderful if she could swap his personality with Song Shiyu's.

… Ah, of course she was referring to Song Shiyu's superficial personality.

And speaking of Song Shiyu, he was the one who had changed the most during this period of time.

She rejected Song Shiyu shortly before going abroad, so it was understandable that he would be down in the dumps. Ji Xinxin also consciously gave him the cold shoulders for a prolonged period of time in case he attempted anything extreme.

But as she dragged things out, she couldn't help noticing that Song Shiyu's attention was moving on from her to something else. His mind seemed to be all around the place during their recent voice calls, such that he wasn't able to respond to her as quickly as before.

Yet, whenever she tried to sound him out, he would always shrug off the question and change the topic.

It was not as if Ji Xinxin was a fool. She immediately realized that something had happened, just that Song Shiyu adamantly refused to tell her what it was.

Last of all was Ji Fanyin's abrupt and massive change in personality.

It wasn't just once or twice that Mother Ji called Ji Xinxin to grumble about Ji Fanyin's rebellious descent into depravity. While consoling Mother Ji that everything was fine, she also agreed that this was completely unlike the meek and cowardly Ji Fanyin she knew of.

Ji Xinxin's insistence on calling Ji Fanyin once every three days was a habit she had inculcated over the years, but at the same time, it served the purpose of keeping tabs on the latter.

The unexpected changes in these three people convinced Ji Xinxin to make a trip back to the country as soon as possible.

She was concerned about what had happened, and she knew that she had to see what was going on with her own eyes in order to come up with a countermeasure.

"I pray that it's not the worst-case scenario," murmured Ji Xinxin as she booked her plane ticket and marked the day of her departure on her calendar.

She took a look at the time and decided to send a message to Song Shiyu: 【Shiyu, are you asleep? The brand you like has recently announced the release of a new accessory, and it'll be hitting its flagship store in France first. Shall I get it for you and send it over?】

…

Song Shiyu was lying on his bed, struggling to fall asleep when he suddenly heard his ringtone.

He subconsciously grabbed his phone to take a look. It was a notification that he had received a message from Ji Xinxin.

He exhaled deeply, surprised at his own lack of enthusiasm.

He tapped into the notification to check the message before falling silent. He didn't respond right away like he usually would.

The brand that Ji Xinxin mentioned was indeed one which he deeply fancied. He would receive a message from their marketing staff whenever they released anything new.

… The damaged bracelet that had vanished from his cupboard also came from the same brand.

Due to that, whenever he heard the brand name, he would be immediately reminded of the words Ji Fanyin said that day—"Anyone I like? Hmm… No one at the moment."—and inexplicable anger and frustration would gush out from his heart.

Ji Xinxin: 【This newly-released bracelet has a casual business look. I think it'll look good on your wrist, and it's not expensive either. Why don't I buy one for you? Think of it as my apology gift to you】

Song Shiyu sat up from his bed. With a hand clutching his forehead in frustration, he typed out a message and edited it over and over again before finally sending it: 【Don't bother. I'm not into any wrist accessories other than watches at the moment.】

For the first time, he turned down Ji Xinxin's suggestion.

Cen Xiangyang's luck was horrible.

Just when he decided to drop Ji Fanyin a call, the latter happened to be accompanying Bai Zhou on his gaming session.

Ji Fanyin realized while she was gaming with Bai Zhou that her pre-service questionnaire wasn't sufficiently comprehensive. She had neglected to ask Bai Zhou about his perception of Ji Xinxin's gaming skills.

She led the two of them to a beautiful chicken dinner using Bai Zhou's smurf account, only for Bai Zhou to fall silent at their victory.

"That's not how big sis plays," he said.

It was only then that realization struck Ji Fanyin.

Knowing how to let a fish show off his skills in a game is equally important as well. Otherwise, where is he going to get his sense of satisfaction from?

Ji Fanyin realized that she had made a fatal error here, so she decided to compensate him by charging him half the usual price… For the duration of just this single round, of course.

Recently, Bai Zhou had receded from an outgoing youth to a shut-in gamer. Their meetings were now all at his house, playing games, preparing meals, and eating together.

The previous few appointments had Bai Zhou playing games and Ji Fanyin preparing the meal; this was the first time the two of them were playing together.

Ji Fanyin felt like she had become an e-girl companion playing the role of a damsel in distress who needed her client's protection. Yes, an e-girl who offered additional cooking service.

In any case, everything was fine as long as the client paid up.

After yet another round of "Zhouzhou, someone is shooting me!", "Where are you?", "I also don't know where I am!" kind of gaming experience, Ji Fanyin was just about to take out the trash and leave when Bai Zhou suddenly stopped her.

He had made the next appointment right after service hours ended the last few times, so Ji Fanyin thought that it was the same this time too. She replied, "Yes?"

"… I want to go on a trip. The day after tomorrow," said Bai Zhou.

Ji Fanyin responded with a questioning tilt of her head. She gathered two possible meanings from his words.

He was either telling her that he wouldn't be contacting her for a period of time or that it was time for her to go on a business trip.

A business trip… That sounds so troublesome.

Ji Fanyin was tempted to turn down the reservation.

"Accompany me. It'll be a week." Bai Zhou paused for a moment before strongly emphasizing, "We'll be staying in separate rooms."

"I can't. I need to feed my pet fish every day," Ji Fanyin found a random excuse to reject him.

Bai Zhou: "…"

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He stared at Ji Fanyin for a moment before saying, "5,000,000 per day. You won't have to fork out even a single cent."

It was a tempting offer, but Ji Fanyin had to seriously consider whether she would get eyed by Bai Zhou's family members if she accepted his offer.

Bai Zhou had been squandering a frightening amount of money in recent days that the word 'extravagant' was starting to feel insufficient when describing him.

"They think that money is the most important thing in the world anyway," remarked Bai Zhou with a shrug. "Since money is the only thing they can give me, why can't I spend it as I like? They wouldn't care about this bit of money anyway."

Ji Fanyin: "…"

She began mentally calculating the price before haggling, "8,000,000."

"Deal." Bai Zhou accepted the offer without any hesitation. "However, this trip must be kept confidential. No one should know that you're going to the same place as me."

"No problem." Ji Fanyin gave him an 'okay' gesture. She was just about to head out when she looked through the doorway and realized that it had started raining.

It was fortunate that the rain wasn't too heavy. She wouldn't have to walk too far in the rain in order to get into a cab anyway.

So, she picked up the trash and started heading out. Bai Zhou looked out of the doorway and remarked, "Hey! It's raining."

Ji Fanyin suddenly remembered that there was indeed one thing she had forgotten, so she turned around and reminded him, "Right, the windows of the study room are still open. Remember to close them."

"… I'll send you home," said Bai Zhou as he took an umbrella from the stand beside the doorway.

"There's no need for that," Ji Fanyin refused the offer coolly with a wave of her hand. She pressed the button for the lift. "I'm not heading home yet."

Bai Zhou froze up. "Where are you heading to?"

Ji Fanyin glanced at her phone as she replied, "Rushing to my next appointment."

An hour should be enough for me to rush to the meeting location with Song Shiyu.

It didn't take long for the lift to arrive.

Ji Fanyin walked in and casually waved Bai Zhou goodbye. Without waiting for his response, she had already lowered her head to hail a cab on her phone.

She reckoned that there weren't too many residents living in this apartment. Most of the buyers probably bought the property for investment purposes, or else the lift wouldn't arrive so quickly every single time.

The apartment caretaker, whose desk was located on the bottom floor, was already familiar with Ji Fanyin by this point. Upon seeing her walking out of the elevator, she quickly walked over with an umbrella in hand. "Heading back?"

"Mm." Ji Fanyin stowed her phone into her pocket and thanked her. "It's alright. The cab will be driving in."

"Aren't you going to toss your trash away?" The caretaker pointed to the bags Ji Fanyin was carrying as she asked with a smile. "I'll walk you over. It's just a short distance away anyway."

The caretaker's black umbrella was large enough to shelter the two of them from the rain. Ji Fanyin's shoulders didn't get drenched in the least.

By the time she returned, her cab was already waiting by the entrance.

The caretaker escorted Ji Fanyin to the car and bowed slightly. "Bye bye."

"Bye bye." Ji Fanyin figured that the caretaker's salary must have been quite substantial.

Before she closed the car doors, she sensed a gaze on her and glanced upward at the apartment, but she couldn't spot anyone at all.

The cab drove out of the condominium. Ji Fanyin relaxedly leaned back on the leather seat and started checking her phone notifications.

Ever since their trip to Disneyland, Bai Zhou's first reaction upon meeting Ji Fanyin was to power off her phone. His expression looked a little gleeful whenever he did it.

It was just a single call, and Bai Zhou continues holding a grudge toward Song Shiyu to this day.

There was a recommendation from her bank's finance manager, a reminder from her video streaming app that a new movie was about to hit the theaters, a call from a telemarketer… as well as a call from Cen Xiangyang.

Ji Fanyin raised her eyebrows as she returned the call. "Director Cen."

"Busy?" Cen Xiangyang's voice sounded a little amorous. A woman's chuckle could vaguely be heard in the background.

"Quite," replied Ji Fanyin candidly. "I would appreciate it if you could get straight to the point."

"I've looked through what you sent me," said Cen Xiangyang. "It's not like I can't afford your prices, but what's more important is whether you're worth the price or not. I have something on tomorrow, so what do you think about meeting the day after tomorrow?"

"I'm not free the day after tomorrow."

"Friday?"

"Friday too."

"… Sunday?"

"Sunday is also not convenient for me." Ji Fanyin decided to get straight to the point. "I won't be free for the whole of next week. Why don't you make a reservation after I come back?"

Cen Xiangyang laughed with a deep voice and asked, "Do you still want to do this business or not, Ji Fanyin?"

He spoke her name with slurred pronunciation, seemingly not wanting his company to hear it. Ji Fanyin wouldn't have understood it if not for the fact that it was her own name.

Ji Fanyin looked at the receding scenery outside the car windows as she returned the question to him, "Cen Xiangyang, the real question here is whether you still want to do this business or not."

"Fine." Cen Xiangyang didn't sound too angered by Ji Fanyin's response. "I'll transfer the money to your account as an advance reservation. Call me once you're done with your work. This should be fine, right?"

"I'll send you the questionnaire shortly later.'

"… Questionnaire?"

"Yes. It's very important in ensuring service quality, so make sure that you answer it carefully."

Ji Fanyin felt that Cen Xiangyang wasn't a good customer. She had to repeat every instruction twice for him.

Forget it, it'll be more troublesome if I receive a complaint. While I reserve the right of final interpretation, it'll still be a hassle to deal with it.

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Cen Xiangyang was still in a state of disbelief. "You have a questionnaire?"

"I do. It's extremely important. You'll understand once you see it."

It would be far more efficient to show him it instead of trying to explain it to him over the phone, so she hung up the call and sent the questionnaire to his email.

Cen Xiangyang quickly checked on it before sending her an ellipsis: 【…】

Ji Fanyin replied to his expression of speechlessness: 【Make sure you answer the questions earnestly】

She proceeded to pull Cen Xiangyang into her 'Client' contact group. Then, she glanced at the GPS and saw that she was 28 minutes away from her destination.

So, she leaned back on the leather seat once more and tried to gather everything she knew about Cen Xiangyang.

Despite Cen Xiangyang's questionable personality, his talent was unquestionable.

He had produced quite a few award-winning short films during his university years, and his first major work after graduation was an astounding success. It was showcased in an overseas film festival and received the Best Newcomer Award.

Cen Xiangyang's family was actually strongly opposed to him studying filmmaking. They even went to the extent of cutting off financial support so as to pressure him.

However, Cen Xiangyang refused to give in. Through his effort, he managed to make a place for himself in the filmmaking scene as a director. He was currently in the midst of preparing for his first commercial film, and many investors bore great expectations for him.

If possible, Ji Fanyin would want to invest in Cen Xiangyang's movie too.

She did know which of his movies were a big hit, after all.

The only problem was that he was so hot at the moment that it was unlikely that he would suffer from a lack of funds.

This novel is available on /3Tfs4P4.

As for Cen Xiangyang's character, Ji Fanyin did try to analyze it before.

If Bai Zhou and Song Shiyu's personalities were the results of their upbringing, Cen Xiangyang was the direct opposite. He was born with his twisted nature.

Even his love was twisted and incomprehensible.

To make an analogy, when an average person saw a beautiful blooming flower on the streetside, he might snap a photo to remember it or water it. But Cen Xiangyang would uproot the entire flower and plant it in his own home. If the flower were to accidentally die due to his violent treatment of it, he would simply shrug it off and look for a new one.

I really wonder what Ji Xinxin was thinking when she decided to date this psychopath. Taming wild beasts might be an exciting challenge, but it's not something that just anyone can take on.

Ji Fanyin was quite curious about the answers in Cen Xiangyang's questionnaire.

Most of the questions there were about the client's impressions and expectations of Ji Xinxin so that Ji Fanyin could tailor her acting to suit the client's needs.

Through Cen Xiangyang's questionnaire, Ji Fanyin would be able to get an insight into the kind of mask that Ji Xinxin wore before him.

While Ji Fanyin's mind was still occupied with all sorts of miscellaneous thoughts, the vibration from her phone's GPS reminded her that she was already in the vicinity of her destination. She snapped out of her thoughts and opened her eyes.

Song Shiyu had made his reservation at a bar located on the first floor of an upscale shopping mall. The bar had classy decor with music playing off a turntable. It had dim yellowish lighting that only allowed one to see the faces of those sharing a table, granting its customers a high level of confidentiality.

No wonder Song Shiyu would choose this place.

After reporting the table number, the waiter led Ji Fanyin to a table, where Song Shiyu had already started drinking.

A woman dressed in a black bareback dress was currently chatting him up with a wine glass in hand. They were so close that it looked like their silhouettes were stuck together.

"… I'm sorry, but I'm waiting for someone," Song Shiyu politely turned down the woman's advancement. He happened to catch sight of the approaching Ji Fanyin, and his expression immediately loosened up. He raised his hand to gesture her over. "Over here."

Ji Fanyin walked over. She smiled at the woman, who was visibly leaning toward Song Shiyu, and said, "There are a lot of men here, so why don't you pick another one? There's already someone living in the heart of this man."

The woman replied with a smile, "Pardon me, I thought he was single… I won't interrupt the two of you any longer."

She picked up her own wine glass and strutted away. Her eyes brushed across Ji Fanyin with a meaningful gleam in her eyes, carrying a hint of intoxication and provocative seduction.

Her intent was not lost on Ji Fanyin, but the latter held it in due to her professionalism.

"You're here," Song Shiyu subconsciously glanced at his watch before slightly frowning. "… What were you busy with earlier?"

"Some minor stuff. The traffic wasn't too good either. Have you been waiting long for me?" Ji Fanyin skillfully dodged his question.

Song Shiyu had only reserved two hours this time around, but every cent counts. When she realized that she could make it for this appointment, she thought that she might as well go for it since she was already outside, so she agreed to it.

She thought that Song Shiyu had something to say to her, but the two hours ended up passing them by amidst casual chatter and light sips of wine.

It was only when Song Shiyu got the bill and Ji Fanyin rose to her feet that she finally heard a question that he seemed to have been building up for a very long time. "When did you start liking me?"

The countdown timer hadn't rung yet.

Ji Fanyin pondered for a moment before answering skillfully, "Maybe it's because you have been by my side all along. It was at some point in time that I suddenly realized that my feelings for you are different, just that I didn't think that it was love back then."

Song Shiyu picked up his coat and quietly looked at Ji Fanyin, not saying a word at all.

After a ten seconds exchange of gazes, the countdown timer finally rang.

Ji Fanyin reined in her sweet business smile as she raised her phone to switch off the timer.

Song Shiyu posed the same question for the second time, "Ji Fanyin, when did you start liking me? Why did you like me?"

Ji Fanyin swiped her finger across the screen to silence the timer before glancing at Song Shiyu. "You seem very concerned about it?"

She started chuckling without waiting for Song Shiyu's response.

"But is there any meaning in knowing the answer? My feelings for you are already a thing of the past."

"… Ji Fanyin, we need to talk." Song Shiyu grabbed his forehead and exhaled deeply. "Let's thrash out everything between us."

Ji Fanyin looked at him with a tilted head and chuckled mockingly. "Song Shiyu, you still don't get it. The 'Ji Fanyin' you want to talk to is already dead."

She really is. The current Ji Fanyin has never felt even the slightest ounce of attraction toward Song Shiyu.

"What do you want to talk about? Why I liked you? When I liked you? How I liked you?" Ji Fanyin shook her head before continuing on, "That's no more than a whimsical turn of fate. What comes on a whim goes on a whim. Is it that surprising that my feelings for you have moved on?"

Those words were spoken so lightly, yet they viciously plunged into Song Shiyu's chest like razor-sharp blades.

"… You're trying to tell me that you have moved on to Bai Zhou or that basketball brat?" asked Song Shiyu with a deep voice. "Your feelings sure are cheap."

Unfazed by Song Shiyu's evaluation, she laughed softly and replied, "They sure are. That's just how heartless women are at times."

With a casual wave of goodbye, she turned around and was just about to take her leave when she was reminded of another issue. So, she turned back to Song Shiyu and said, "Oh right, there's one more thing."

Song Shiyu looked at her with eyes that looked even deeper than the abyss, quietly waiting for her to continue.

"You should inform me in advance if you're going to get a fiancée," reminded Ji Fanyin. "Otherwise, it might result in your loss."

She wouldn't want to continue this business transaction if the blind date between Song Shiyu and Chen Yunshan went well and the two of them moved on to talks of marriage. There was a vast difference between Chen Yunshan and Ji Xinxin here.

After hearing Ji Fanyin's words, Song Shiyu suddenly burst into laughter and said, "It looks like it's just the jealousy speaking in the end."

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Ji Fanyin: "…"

Men can be more delusional than women at times.

Song Shiyu's mood visibly lifted within moments. He draped his coat on his arm and began making his way out of the bar. "Let's go. I'll send you home."

"Don't bother. I'll grab a cab," Ji Fanyin rejected him without any hesitation.

She could tell from Song Shiyu's smile that he was intending to say something more, so she decided to shut him up with a change of topic. "My little sister is coming back around Christmas."

As expected, the smile on Song Shiyu's face immediately froze up.

Ji Fanyin perfunctorily waved her hand at him and said, "Rather than wasting your time on meaningless questions like whether I like you or not, why don't you put more thought into dealing with your love rivals?"

You do know that there'll be more rivals for you to deal with after her expansion project in France, right? She might even bring someone back with her.

On her way home, Ji Fanyin rested her chin on her arm and pondered over this issue. On second thought, she thought that the likelihood of that happening was low.

In her memories of the 'future', Ji Xinxin had only returned to the country twice while she was studying abroad, and those were during the long summer break. She shouldn't have returned for this winter break.

But again, considering the massive changes that had occurred in 'Ji Fanyin', it was only normal for the future to be changed too. After all, Ji Fanyin had no intention of being imprisoned and dying because of some non-recyclable trash.

…

Song Shiyu thought that Ji Fanyin was just putting on a strong front.

But somehow, he didn't think that her strong front was off putting. On the contrary, it gave him a gratifying sense of superiority.

Ji Fanyin had become more charming, confident, and competent than before, but she was still concerned about how his blind date with someone else went.

He took a puff of smoke as he watched Ji Fanyin getting into a cab. Her slender silhouette and powerful disposition made her stand out right away in a crowd, reminiscent of a swan among ducks.

Song Shiyu put out the cigarette before dropping a call to his chauffeur, who was already waiting on standby in the vicinity.

Upon getting into the car, the chauffeur asked him if he was returning straight to his apartment. Song Shiyu shook his head and replied, "Drive me to Cartier first."

Most high-end luxury brands provided private customization service, but it was usually limited to only their VIP customers. The average customer would only be able to purchase their standard products.

However, Song Shiyu had been frequently meeting with the designers of renowned brands thanks to his mother, so he had a deep understanding of the various brands. When he came of age and developed his own preferences, those brands would occasionally contact him and offer delivery-to-doorstep services.

In fact, even with the new line of upcoming accessories that Ji Xinxin told him about the other day, he had already received an internal catalogue on it quite some time ago. If he really wanted any of them, he would have already placed an order and had it delivered straight to his place.

"Mr Song."

It was already after store hours by the time Song Shiyu arrived, but the manager was still waiting outside for him as he had called in advance. "Actually, if you are in need of any of our products, you could just place an order with us and we'll deliver them to you early in the morning. It won't delay your schedule."

"My apologies for making you stay back overtime," said Song Shiyu with a gentle tone. He directed a nod at her before walking into the store. "I wanted to get a replacement for a bracelet I misplaced, as soon as possible."

"It might be difficult to find a replacement for a custom made or limited edition accessory right away," replied the store manager worriedly.

"Don't worry," replied Song Shiyu as he looked around for the bracelet display counter. "There was a woman's set that I bought from your store a while back that came with a bracelet, I believe?"

"Yes, I was the one who put together the set." The store manager heaved a sigh of relief. "Did the lady misplace the bracelet? Fortunately, we still have stock left. I'll bring it over now."

"I want the matching couple bracelet for that," said Song Shiyu.

Find the original at /3Tfs4P4.

The store manager was surprised to hear that. "I don't think you have made that purchase…"

"Someone else gave it to me," replied Song Shiyu with a smile. "It was a heartfelt gift, so it's a little embarrassing for me to have lost it."

The store manager nodded understandingly. "Please wait here. I'll retrieve it for you."

It didn't take her long to return with a felted accessory box containing a new bracelet that looked identical to the one Song Shiyu had smashed and lost.

It had an elegant and toned-down design that didn't look too out of place even on a man's wrist.

Song Shiyu had no plans of wearing it, but he still happily footed the bill for it.

The store manager placed the accessory box into a bag and handed it into Song Shiyu's hands with a smile. "It's a wonderful gift. She has definitely put a lot of thought into it."

Song Shiyu's movement jerked to a halt. "She did?"

"Isn't this a return gift from the woman who received your bracelet? She took the trouble to buy the matching couple bracelet for you," replied the store manager.

"…" Song Shiyu lowered his head and fell silent for a while. By the time he raised his head once more, there was already an impeccable smile on his face. "Yes, you're right. She has truly put a lot of thought into this gift."

…

Ji Fanyin was intending to give herself a day off to catch up on her movies and pack her luggage the day before the business trip.

My reservation with Cen Xiangyang has been postponed to a week later, Song Shiyu has just gotten his pride wounded, and there's no reason for Bai Zhou to make a reservation when we're going on a trip for an entire week soon…

Her thoughts were cut short by her ringtone.

Ji Fanyin: "…"

She picked up her phone to take a look. It was from Bai Zhou.

She picked up the call, and Bai Zhou immediately spoke up, "Give me your passport number."

Ji Fanyin thought that the trip would be within the country, so she was taken aback when he mentioned the word 'passport'. "Where are we going tomorrow?"

"Greece," replied Bai Zhou with a matter-of-factly tone.

Ji Fanyin: "…"

"I can handle the visa myself."

"You won't be able to make it in time. I can deal with it faster."

As a moderner who was no stranger to all sorts of fraud tactics, Ji Fanyin was extremely reluctant to entrust an important document to the hands of someone whom she couldn't trust.

She quickly got onto her laptop and looked up the information she needed to apply for a visa and the additional price required to hasten the process. "I'll call you back."

"Hey―"

Ji Fanyin hung up the phone. She quickly found a tourist agency online and called them up to request for a 24-hours quick processing service.

Luckily it's still early in the morning, so 24 hours should be more than enough.

After receiving a guarantee that she would receive her visa within 24 hours, Ji Fanyin heaved a sigh of relief and called Bai Zhou back. "I'll meet you there tomorrow with my visa.."

"Ah?" Bai Zhou was stunned for a moment before cursing out angrily. "What do you mean by that? You can't even trust me with your passport?"

"That's one reason." Ji Fanyin began thinking on the spot to weave up an excuse. "I don't want to show anyone my ugly passport photo. Besides, weren't you the one who doesn't want anyone to know that we're going abroad together?"

Bai Zhou thought that her excuse sounded reasonable. He snorted in irritation and said, "If you don't make it in time…"

"The liability will be on me. I'll refund you," replied Ji Fanyin with an anguished heart.

Bai Zhou sneered, "Do I look like I lack money?"

With that, the proud young master Bai hung up Ji Fanyin's call.

Glad to have this matter out of the way, Ji Fanyin was about to grab her passport and snap a photo of it when she suddenly received a message.

It was from Bai Zhou. He had sent a picture over.

Tapping into it, she was immediately confronted by a picture of Bai Zhou's passport.

"…"

He had snapped the picture rather casually, such that his finger could be seen at the very bottom. All of the crucial personal information on his passport was exposed in the photo.

It was quickly followed up with a message: 【The passport photo only looks ugly when the person is ugly】

To put it nicely, 'men retain their inner child till death', though Ji Fanyin thought that it would be more fitting to say that he had the EQ of a three-year-old.

It's a waste of life to argue with him over such things.

WIth a sigh, Ji Fanyin flipped open her passport to snap photos of it, only to notice something.

Oh? It looks like my birthday is three days from now.

Ji Fanyin often went overseas in her previous life. It was usually her assistant who helped her pack her luggage, but she did learn a thing or two from watching her. It didn't take her long to fill up her suitcase with a week's worth of luggage and a small pouch of necessities.

On top of the usual emergency medicine, she didn't forget to pack her pepper spray and self-protection tools.

The following morning, Ji Fanyin took a cab to the tourist agency to collect her visa. When she arrived at the airport, she thought that she would have to find her way around with her boarding pass, but to her surprise, Bai Zhou called her and told her to head to Gate 13.

She thought that there would be an assistant or butler there to guide her around, but after waiting there for several minutes and rejecting two kind-hearted people who offered to guide her, she found herself faced with an armored 'low-profile individual'.

When he first walked over, she thought that it was another person who had come to offer his help and was going to turn him down, but she quickly noticed that his eyes looked a little familiar.

His face was covered with a black baseball cap and a black mask. There was a black duffel bag slung over his shoulder. With his tall and proportionate stature, he looked like a celebrity who was sneaking off somewhere.

Who else could it be other than Bai Zhou?

Ji Fanyin calmly propped up her sunglasses and said, "I can get there myself."

Bai Zhou pretended like he couldn't hear her words. He gestured with his chin and said, "Follow me."

When you're just trying to make great content at /37k7u89t.

He started walking off, and the direction he was heading to didn't seem to be where the self check-in machines were.

Ji Fanyin followed him with her suitcase in hand, making sure to keep a distance of several meters between them so as to give off the impression that they were two strangers who happened to be heading in the same direction.

As they walked on and on, Bai Zhou suddenly stopped and turned around to look at her.

The distance between them was enough to stuff an average bus in.

Even from several meters away, Ji Fanyin could clearly hear Bai Zhou's annoyed tongue click.

However, he didn't say a single word. He maneuvered his way through the busy crowd in the airport and finally arrived at a remote entrance.

Ji Fanyin glanced at the signpost beside the entrance. It was the VIP gate that was reserved for a privileged few.

While Bai Zhou was walking through the gate, he gestured toward Ji Fanyin with his chin and told the air stewardess, "She's with me."

Ji Fanyin was starting to doubt her own memory, so she spent two seconds recalling the conversation she had two days back.

She was certain that Bai Zhou had told her that this trip was to be kept confidential, and no one should find out about it.

Given how 'secretive' he's being, I'm sure it wouldn't be long before the whole world finds out about it. I guess I should be relieved that there are no paparazzi keeping a constant eye on young master Bai's movements.

As Ji Fanyin walked through the VIP gate, she noticed that the air stewardess was staring intently at her, so she turned her head over quizzically. The air stewardess realized that she had been staring too hard, so she smiled in embarrassment and explained, "I'm sorry if I've made you feel uncomfortable. I'm just a little surprised since this is the first time that Mr. Bai is bringing someone onto his private jet."

Private jet.

Ji Fanyin knew that the Bai Family and Bai Zhou were extremely wealthy—it was clear from the branded motorcycles he rode and the exorbitant penthouse he lived in. However, she was only starting to get a grasp on just how rich they were.

Well, it's normal for the ultra wealthy to have a private jet or two, right?

This wasn't the first time Ji Fanyin was riding on a private jet, so she didn't make a fuss about it. Once she settled into her seat, she whipped out her phone and began scrolling through Weibo to pass time.

I can slack off a little since it isn't working hours yet.

Bai Zhou took off his mask and shot her an annoyed look. "Hand me your phone."

JI Fanyin glanced at the time and replied calmly, "It isn't twelve yet."

She was fastidious when it came to her working hours. Her work started from twelve noon today and ended at twelve noon seven days from now, not a minute more and not a minute less.

Bai Zhou shot a look at the digital clock on the private jet before harrumphing with a nasty look on his face.

Using the last few minutes she had before the start of work, Ji Fanyin decided to enquire about her client's service inclination. "Do you intend to celebrate her birthday?"

Bai Zhou settled down on the sofa and crossed his arms imposingly. "What about it?"

"I'm feeling a little conflicted," replied Ji Fanyin honestly.

"You're just a substitute here," sneered Bai Zhou. "What do you have to feel conflicted over?"

"Her birthday must be worth a lot of money. I should have auctioned it out." Ji Fanyin did some quick self-reflection on what she could have done better. "It's my own fault for not paying attention to the date when I accepted your reservation."

This novel is available on /3Tfs4P4.

Putting aside Cen Xiangyang, Song Shiyu would be extremely willing to wage a bidding war.

Ji Fanyin lamented at the profit she had lost due to her negligence.

Bai Zhou was rendered speechless. "Haven't I paid you enough?"

"'I'm sick of earning too much money,' said no one ever. Don't your already wealthy parents work hard to earn more too?" Ji Fanyin spoke without pulling any punches. "Besides, I'm in urgent need of money."

"For what?" Bai Zhou paused for a brief moment before asking with a frown, "Are you hooked on drugs?"

Ji Fanyin: "…"

She pondered for a moment before answering, "It's not drugs. It's to save a life."

Bai Zhou was confused at first before rolling his eyes. "There are things in this world one can never leave after dabbling in. Tread wisely."

"I'd say the same to you," said Ji Fanyin with a smile.

By the looks of Bai Zhou's muddled expression, he probably didn't understand what she was getting at.

But again, given how Bai Zhou had fallen for Ji Xinxin before, it only seemed normal for him to fall to her now.

Ji Fanyin was benefiting from the hard work of her predecessor. The fishes carefully picked by Ji Xinxin would, more or less, have some weaknesses. All she had to do was to learn from her predecessor's experience and exploit these weaknesses accordingly.

That was also the reason why Ji Fanyin remained magnanimous regardless of whatever Ji Xinxin was trying to pull.

There were still several minutes to go before twelve noon, so Ji Fanyin used this time to finish up and post the review she had started on last night.

Due to the recent huge increase in her Weibo followers, she received quite a few replies right away. It was almost as if they were camping on her page 24/7, waiting for updates.

Of course, it would take some time for one to finish up a thousand words movie review, so most of the initial comments were meaningless remarks like 'First', 'Sofa', and 'Big sis has posted a new movie review~', though there were also some regarding previous movie reviews.

She quickly looked through them.

Three-Four-Five: 【Who doesn't know that this is just a marketing account? Her reviews are no longer objective now that she's a lackey of He Shen's work studio.. We should all unfollow her】

Ji Fanyin was quite free at the moment since Bai Zhou was finally quiet now. So, she casually typed out a reply to that netizen: 【I won't hesitate to criticize He Shen's movie if he puts out bad movies too】

AnZhiZhiZhi: 【Typical example of accepting bribes to condemn a movie. Aren't you afraid of getting sued for accepting such dirty money? Just wait! Karma will get you one day!】

Unfazed by the comment, Ji Fanyin replied: 【Looking back, I've really criticized quite a lot of movies. Competitors, have some self-awareness and send me the money you owe】

Talented Someone: 【I'm a film student from Beijing Film Academy, and I can say with certainty that this blogger knows nothing about movies at all. All she does is write nonsense to rile up the crowd. She isn't worthy of being called a movie reviewer!】

Ji Fanyin replied: 【Which of your favorite films or actors did I criticize this time?】

She was just about to move on to the fourth comment when she received a notification informing her that she had received a comment. Her settings were set such that she would only receive notifications from accounts she followed, and there were only so many of them.

She tapped in to take a look—He Shen. Just as she had expected.

He had replied to Ji Fanyin's comment about 'I won't hesitate to criticize He Shen's movie…' with a frightened emoji.

By the time she tapped into the message, there were already fans who had rushed to the scene to welcome the film emperor while summoning their friends to join in the commotion. The post quickly grew so noisy that it felt like the New Year's.

Ji Fanyin chuckled softly as she gave a thumbs up to He Shen's comment, pinning it high up on her post.

"What are you laughing at?" asked Bai Zhou.

Before Ji Fanyin could reply, the young man had already snatched her phone to take a look himself. He harrumphed disdainfully. "Weibo? So you're the kind of person who talks to herself online?"

He tapped into Ji Fanyin's main page, only to fall silent upon seeing her nearly seven-figure followers.

"You could say that," replied Ji Fanyin with a mocking smile.

It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from /37k7u89t.

Bai Zhou fiddled with Ji Fanyin's phone for a while longer before he powered it off and tossed it back to her.

When Ji Fanyin received her phone back, it was already counting down to the shutdown. She noticed that there was an additional post on her Weibo page, saying: 【Going into seclusion. Do not disturb】

Her number of 'following' also appeared to have increased by one.

Ji Fanyin: "…"

She made up her mind to unfollow Bai Zhou once she had time to herself later at night.

"What? Is there a problem?" Bai Zhou saw Ji Fanyin's expression and lashed out angrily, "I am your client! Can't I request anything from you?"

"You can make requests of me, but I have the right to reject them too," replied Ji Fanyin calmly. "I draw a clear line between my work and my personal life. I've told you that before, do you remember?"

Bai Zhou was stifled by her response. He shot a piercing glance at the clock.

However, Ji Fanyin was even faster than him. "Two more minutes. You don't need to remind me."

Bai Zhou was silent for a while before a gleeful smile formed on his lips, seemingly having found another angle to launch a counterattack. "Does that mean that you'll accept my request as long as it's work related?"

"You can say so," Ji Fanyin calmly replied with a nod. "I'll try to realize it as long as your request is reasonable and the two of us have mutual understanding on it."

Bai Zhou crossed his arms and said, "I want to see you cry."

Ji Fanyin lowered her head contemplatively for a moment before earnestly asking him, "Do you have sadistic inclinations?"

"Of course not!" Bai Zhou roared furiously in response. "I'm not a pervert!"

Ji Fanyin nodded in agreement. "Yes, you aren't the perverted one."

The perverted one is Cen Xiangyang.

"… You take on perverted clients too?" asked Bai Zhou incredulously. "First, Song Shiyu, and now a sadist. Ji Fanyin, don't you think that there's a huge problem with your choice of clients?"

Ji Fanyin looked at the completely self-unaware Client No.2 and remarked, "I do. You left out 'grump'."

Bai Zhou's face darkened. "Repeat that again."

The clock happened to strike twelve then.

Ji Fanyin's transformation was instantaneous. A gentle smile formed on her face as she said, "I said that our Zhouzhou is adorable."

Bai Zhou: "…"

He subconsciously glanced at the clock.

"There's no one more adorable than you. Adorable, but suave at the same time," Ji Fanyin flattered Bai Zhou without the slightest hint of awkwardness in her voice. "One of a kind. No one can compare with you."

"Even Song Shiyu?" Bai Zhou wanted to put her in a spot.

Ji Fanyin burst into laughter. "Song Shiyu is nothing more than a friend to me. He's nowhere close to being as important as you are to me, alright?"

Bai Zhou turned his head quietly. He slipped his hands into his pocket as if he was trying to hide his own emotions. He vexedly kicked the seat as he murmured under his breath.

"… Liar."

The sky was dim when they landed in Greece. Nevertheless, the weather was wonderful and the change of pace from being in a foreign land felt refreshing.

… if only I wasn't here for work.

They weren't staying in a hotel but a vacation villa of the Bai Family. There were housekeepers here that carefully maintained the villa while they were away so that they could visit it once in a blue moon to take a break.

It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from /37k7u89t.

This was extravagance at its finest, but to some, it was no more than their daily life.

Bai Zhou seemed to have forgotten about all of the unhappiness that had transpired in the plane the moment he set foot on Greek soil. As soon as they arrived at the villa, he tossed his luggage aside and exclaimed with an excited smile, "Big sis, follow me! I'll show you somewhere cool!"

Ji Fanyin took a look around the villa as she asked, "You didn't sleep a wink on the plane earlier. Don't you want to rest first?"

Considering how it was barely dawn when they landed, they ought to have a good sleep first to adjust to the jetlag.

"I'm not tired." Bai Zhou excitedly grabbed the bundle of keys atop the shoe rack and urged Ji Fanyin energetically, "Let's go. I'll show you why I love this place."

To be honest, Ji Fanyin was exhausted at the moment. She wasn't good with planes.

However, there was no other choice since her client was so energetic. She pushed her luggage into the villa and followed Bai Zhou outside with a helpless smile.

She was welcomed with a sea breeze the moment she walked out of the door. October's Santorini was usually around 20°C or so, the perfect temperature for her.

Bai Zhou's villa was located at the highest point of the island, granting them a good view of the city and the deep blue Aegean Sea. It was just a pity that the scenery was impeded by the mist lingering above the sea.

Bai Zhou did a quick search around the doorway before pulling out a bicycle that someone else had prepared beforehand. He patted the back seat and said, "I'll cycle you there."

Ji Fanyin: "…"

I think that it has been a decade since the last time I rode on the back of someone else's bike.

"Hurry up!" Bai Zhou got onto the front seat and hurried her. "We're going to be late."

Ji Fanyin lifted her skirt slightly and settled down on the bicycle's back seat. With a gentle but helpless tone, she reminded him, "Don't go too fast."

Santorini was not a place suited for large vehicles due to its rugged terrain and multitude of alleys. It was much easier to get around on a bicycle, though there was also a clear downside to it: bumpiness.

Bai Zhou stepped on the pedal as he said, "Big sis, if you're afraid, you can h-hold onto me tightly."

He dared not to turn around to look at her, and he even stuttered a little halfway through his words.

Ji Fanyin took this opportunity to tease him, "Oh? Is our Zhouzhou shy?"

Perhaps wanting to distract himself from the embarrassment of his little slip-up, he started pedalling hard, causing the bicycle to rocket forward.

It caught Ji Fanyin off guard. She had to grab the front seat tightly before she was barely able to catch her balance.

… You can be certain that I'll demand compensation if I fall off this bike.

Pavement in the winding alleys was uneven with small steps up and down along the way. Bai Zhou zealously charged straight ahead regardless of the obstacles that stood in his way, reminiscent of a hot-blooded protagonist.

On the back seat, Ji Fanyin felt like she was sitting in a 4D movie theater, experiencing a Hollywood action movie with her own body.

Two minutes was all it took for her stomach to start protesting against this act of violence.

Feeling queasy, Ji Fanyin couldn't help but ask, "How much longer before we arrive?"

Bai Zhou was too immersed in the liberating ride to hear her.

Ji Fanyin tugged on Bai Zhou's shirt and called out, "Zhouzhou."

Bai Zhou let out an "Ah?" as he turned around to look at her. The moment their eyes met, he suddenly pulled the brake tightly, causing the bike to screech to a halt.

The force of inertia caused Ji Fanyin to lurch forward and bump into Bai Zhou's back.

It was not a light bump at all. She grabbed her forehead as her eyes started to heat up and moisten due to the impact.

Bai Zhou: "…"

Ji Fanyin sniffled a little as she massaged her nose to alleviate the pain. "I was asking you how long it'd take for us to reach our destination. Why did you suddenly stop?"

Bai Zhou's eyes swam around the place, determined not to look at Ji Fanyin's face. He murmured meekly in response, "Soon."

"Can we go a little slower?" Ji Fanyin blinked off the tears welling up in her eyes as she asked softly. "I don't feel very well when we go too fast."

"A-alright, I'll cycle slower," replied Bai Zhou with a light cough.

They resumed their journey after this short interception, but this time around, Bai Zhou cycled so slowly that it felt like they were a pair of elders hiking up a mountain. It was common sense that it was harder to maintain one's balance on a bike when cycling too slowly.

The incredibly shaky ride left Ji Fanyin so vexed that she silently gave Driver Bai a 1-star review in her head.

Unless absolutely necessary, I'll never ride any vehicle from this driver ever again.

It was fortunate that Bai Zhou meant it when he said 'soon'. Within a few minutes, they arrived at a tall observation platform.

The observation platform was constructed near the sea, allowing one to immerse themselves in the expansive scenery of the open sea.

It wasn't hard for Ji Fanyin to figure out why Bai Zhou brought her here, considering the current time on her watch, but she still asked him about it anyway, "What is this place?"

"A place to watch the beginning of a new day." Bai Zhou casually parked his bicycle by the side. "I used to always come here to draw whenever I vacation in Santorini. There are many places where we can watch the sunrise from, but Santorini's sunrise is the dreamiest one I've ever seen."

"So, you anxiously pulled me here because you wanted to share the sunrise you love with me?" asked Ji Fanyin smilingly.

Bai Zhou looked at her for a moment before his eyes timidly drifted away. "… Mm. I hope that you'll like it too."

Ji Fanyin sat down on one of the benches on the observation platform and patted the empty space next to her. "Come here."

Bai Zhou hesitantly walked over and sat down next to her. His sitting posture was restrained, unlike his usual arrogant demeanor.

"There's no way I wouldn't like it," replied Ji Fanyin with a soft chuckle. "You shared your valuable treasure with me. I'll cherish it as dearly as you do."

She figured that Ji Xinxin would also say such words when put in the same position.

Bai Zhou's expression visibly relaxed upon hearing those words. He rested his back on the bench and said, "We were still a family of three when we came here for the first time, but in less than a day, the two of them had already started arguing. While they were shouting at each other, I snuck out and found this place. It happened to be sunrise then."

Ji Fanyin tilted her head toward him and earnestly listened to his story.

"… I prayed to the rising sun that they would have stopped fighting by the time I returned." Bai Zhou stared intently at the expansive sea before him as he spoke. "They really stopped fighting when I went back. They were anxiously looking for me, afraid that I'd gone missing. That was the only time I recall the two of them feeling like parents to me."

Ji Fanyin had never known about this, but she wasn't too surprised either.

How could he be so blind as to be fooled by a woman who didn't cherish him if he hadn't suffered any trauma in his childhood?

Bai Zhou should have been smart enough to see through Ji Xinxin's ploys, but Ji Xinxin was still able to blindside him.

The tricks used by pickup artists could hardly be called ingenious, and they could be easily used by anyone. Whether the tricks worked or not depended not on the pickup artists themselves but their targets.

A golden boundary had started forming at the distant sea horizon, a sign that the sun was about to emerge.

"… I don't need their love anyway," murmured Bai Zhou. "I don't need anyone else as long as big sis is around."

Ji Fanyin looked at Bai Zhou and said, "The wish you made with the rising sun the other day came true, right?"

"Mm," replied Bai Zhou with a self-deprecating smile. "But I know that it's just a coincidence. I'm no longer the child who believes in such things."

"But I believe in it." Ji Fanyin flicked Bai Zhou's cap lightly. "I also have a wish to make."

When the first crack of sunlight shone upon the surface of the sea, imprinting a beautiful shimmer on it, Ji Fanyin clasped her hands together and began earnestly making a wish.

Five billion in three years, ten billion in five years! I'll live a carefree life once I earn enough and return home whenever I want to!

Support us at /3Tfs4P4.

When she opened her eyes, she heard Bai Zhou grumbling beside her, "You should tell me your wish instead. I'll help you realize it. I should at least be more reliable than that central air-conditioning up there…"

Ji Fanyin turned her head over and asked with a smile, "You mean it?"

Bai Zhou was briefly stunned before he quickly nodded in response, "Of course! There's no way I'd lie to you, big sis."

"I'll tell you my wish." Ji Fanyin's eyes curled into tender crescents. "I asked the sun if he could bring the young Bai Zhou, who was overjoyed when he found that his wish had been realized, to me and have him smile at me."

Bai Zhou's eyes dilated.

With a chuckle, Ji Fanyin took off the cap that was covering half of Bai Zhou's face and ruffled his hair.

"Sometimes, I feel like I'm not doing enough for you. I can't even make you smile when you're right beside me," she said.

"That's not true!" Bai Zhou blurted out.

"Can my wish be realized then?"

Bai Zhou turned his head away out of awkwardness and embarrassment. There was a few seconds of silence before he cleared his throat and said, "The young Bai Zhou says 'Thank you, big sis'."

Ji Fanyin: "…"

Just this once, this doltish Bai Zhou actually feels doltishly cute.

"I hope that I'll be able to come here every year with big sis to watch the sunrise," Bai Zhou said out of the blue.

Ji Fanyin felt that his abrupt outburst reeked of a desperate attempt to change the topic, but a professional like her wouldn't be so tactless as to point it out.

Ji Xinxin was supposed to be a caring and considerate person.

"I'll accompany you here whenever you want."

If I have spare time on hand and you pay me enough.

It felt like a moment ago that they sat down next to one another on the bench, but the sun was already halfway up the sky.

Ji Fanyin was starting to regret not bringing her sunglasses out with her when Bai Zhou suddenly asked, "There's one thing that I'd like to ask big sis."

"What is it?"

"Big sis, you rejected Song Shiyu because you don't like him, right?" asked Bai Zhou.

"You were there that day too," replied Ji Fanyin with a helpless sigh. "Shiyu is just a friend to me."

Bai Zhou turned his head over and stared at her intently. "I want big sis to become my girlfriend."

Ji Fanyin turned her head over in astonishment, causing their eyes to meet one another. The rising sun cast a golden glow on Bai Zhou's cheek.

"I've made my wish to the rising sun… Is there any chance that my wish can be realized?

"But you're still a student." Ji Fanyin burst into laughter. "You live far away, and things will definitely change in the future. Are we going to decide on things in the distant future now?"

Doesn't Bai Zhou see me as a substitute for him to rehearse his script on before the real thing with Ji Xinxin? He's supposed to be the most obstinate one amongst my clients.

"I want an answer right now." Bai Zhou clenched his fists tightly. "I want to hear your true thoughts."

Of course, there's no way he's going to get a proper answer from Ji Fanyin, but if we're talking about Ji Xinxin…

Ji Fanyin lowered her eyes in deep thought. A while later, she raised her head and smiled. "I understand. There are many things that are still uncertain between us, but let's make a promise. If you still feel the same way for me on your 21st birthday, I'll answer your question, alright?"

Bai Zhou pursed his lips tightly in dissatisfaction.

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"Before then, I want to see Zhouzhou grow into a responsible and reliable man," said Ji Fanyin. "I know that you won't disappoint me."

She consoled Bai Zhou with a smile, not worried at all that Bai Zhou would get angry at her. There was no way he could when he was faced with the gentle and soft-spoken 'Ji Xinxin'.

As she had expected, Bai Zhou turned his head away and yawned into the rising sun. "I'm tired."

Before Ji Fanyin could suggest heading back to the villa to sleep, Bai Zhou suddenly fidgeted a little before placing his head on her lap.

"I'll nap for a while," Bai Zhou closed his eyes and spoke with a slightly nasal voice. "Wake me up in thirty minutes. We'll head back to rest afterward."

Ji Fanyin: "…"

If you intend to head back to the villa to rest right after, what's the point of napping thirty minutes here?

Regardless of whether Bai Zhou was planning to sleep or not, he had already pulled his hat down and closed his eyes, making clear his determination to lie there for thirty minutes.

Ji Fanyin glanced at her clock as she gathered her resolve to waste thirty minutes of her life here with Bai Zhou.

At least the scenery isn't too bad. Now that Bai Zhou isn't talking anymore, I guess I can just think of this as a holiday and cut myself loose a little.

Around ten minutes later, under the calming sounds of the distant waves, Bai Zhou's breathing grew deep and peaceful.

He actually managed to quickly fall asleep despite being Fanyin lowered her gaze to look at Bai Zhou's sleeping countenance. Half of his face was covered by his cap, but the other half was more than enough to showcase his attractive facial features that contained the sharpness of a hot-blooded youth.

Having such a man lying on her lap would have likely been a heart-throbbing event for any other woman, but Ji Fanyin only felt numbness gradually settling in her thighs.

While she was waiting for thirty minutes to end, she heard the sound of footsteps and rolling wheels behind the bench. Curious, she turned behind and saw two men.

One of them was sitting in the wheelchair whereas the other one was pushing it.

The man pushing the wheelchair had a typical East Asian face. He wore a neat suit that suggested that he was a secretary or a personal assistant.

As for the man sitting in the wheelchair, it was harder to identify his background as his appearance could have been either that of a multiracial or a foreigner with gentler facial features. His skin was unhealthily pale, and his eyes were slightly droopy. There was a lack of emotion on his face that made him seem like an exquisitely made but lifeless doll.

He's probably the offspring of some wealthy family who has fallen ill and is currently traveling around for a change of pace.

While Ji Fanyin was thinking, she happened to meet eyes with the secretary. She smiled at him before raising a finger to her lips, a gesture for them to keep quiet.

The secretary appeared astonished to see her. It took several seconds before he responded with a nod of acknowledgment.

Ji Fanyin retracted her gaze and turned her eyes back to the deep blue sea ahead. She could tell from the sound that the wheelchair had stopped on the spot for several seconds before moving forward once more.

It came to a halt beside her bench.

"… A beautiful sunrise," a deep masculine voice sounded.

Ji Fanyin turned her head sideward to look at the man in the wheelchair.

The man also turned his head over to look at Ji Fanyin's face with his amber eyes. The edges of his lips curled into a faint smile, making him look much more spirited than before. "It has been a while, Xinxin."

It was the same old pattern of being misrecognized, followed by an intimate greeting. Ji Fanyin had to dig through the dredges of her memories before it finally struck her.

So this is Fish No.4, Li Xiaoxing.

The wheelchair and the delicate facial features that looked as if they had been carefully sculpted were dead giveaways. It was just that Ji Fanyin didn't expect to meet him all the way in Greece, not to mention that their first meeting was supposed to be quite a while later, so her thoughts never went in that direction.

Li Xiaoxing's gaze hardened when he caught sight of Bai Zhou. "Who is he?"

He spoke with a mild tone, but Ji Fanyin knew that he wasn't as good-tempered and gracious as he appeared to be. To use an analogy, if his appearance was one of an angel, his heart would be that of a fallen angel.

"He's my treasured little brother," replied Ji Fanyin vaguely.

Who knows whether Bai Zhou is really asleep or not?

"Your little brother?" asked Li Xiaoxing doubtfully. "I don't recall you having a little brother."

His assistant bent down and whispered something into his ear. Li Xiaoxing turned to Ji Fanyin and asked, "He's from the Bai Family?"

Ji Fanyin gently tucked Bai Zhou's hair to the side as she replied, "His name is Bai Zhou."

"I met him a few years ago," said Li Xiaoxing with an elder's tone. "He looks like his mother… I thought that he's your boyfriend."

Ji Fanyin responded with a quiet smile.

But Bai Zhou, on the other hand, couldn't take it anymore and lurched upward. He glared at Li Xiaoxing and furiously spat, "It's only a matter of time!"

Li Xiaoxing took an assessing look at Bai Zhou and replied, "Leave those words for then."

His gaze and voice carried a natural air of loftiness that belonged to those in power. He didn't show much emotion even when he looked at Bai Zhou, as if the latter wasn't worthy of his time.

It was only when his gaze fell upon Ji Fanyin that he finally seemed more human.

Bai Zhou grabbed Ji Fanyin's hand and said, "Big sis, let's go."

Ji Fanyin directed a helpless smile at Li Xiaoxing and said, "We'll be taking our leave first. See you."

A hint of astonishment surfaced in Li Xiaoxing's deep eyes. He didn't think that Ji Fanyin would actually choose one of them so decisively.

Ji Fanyin knew that Ji Xinxin would have chosen to take a neutral stance and slowly placate both sides until there was a satisfactory conclusion for everyone. After all, she wouldn't want to lose any of her fishes, especially not such high-quality ones.

But the problem was that it was currently Bai Zhou's service hours, so it went without saying that she had to prioritize her client above all things.

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Bai Zhou was also surprised by Ji Fanyin's response, but he recovered faster than Li Xiaoxing. His lips curled up gleefully as he shot Li Xiaoxing a provocative look.

"…" Li Xiaoxing turned to Ji Fanyin and said, "Take care of yourself. I'll visit you soon."

Ji Fanyin was just about to nod in response when Bai Zhou suddenly cut in between the two of them. He harrumphed imposingly and said, "Let's go."

…

Bai Zhou had been extremely spirited ever since they left the observation platform and returned to the vacation villa. It was as if he had just achieved a huge victory.

Ji Fanyin was able to somewhat guess what was going through his mind.

Ji Xinxin was a skilled tightrope walker, capable of maintaining perfect balance regardless of the situation. She would never allow any of her fishes to feel particularly aggrieved or gleeful.

But this time, Bai Zhou was able to experience the pleasure of biased treatment. How could he possibly not relish at that?

There was no human who wouldn't want to receive preferential treatment, especially from the one they loved.

Thanks to his overly excited state, Ji Fanyin was able to easily coax Bai Zhou to sleep before heading to another bedroom.

She unpacked the items in her suitcase neatly before changing into a set of pajamas and diving into her bed.

The first thing she did afterward was to switch on her phone, tap into her Weibo, and remove Bai Zhou from her list of following.

She looked at the post Bai Zhou had sent on her behalf and pondered for a moment, but she eventually decided against deleting it.

So many people have already seen it. It won't make a difference even if I were to delete it now. Besides, I won't have much time to watch a movie and post a review this week anyway.

She quickly dealt with the various messages she had received before she set her alarm and began resting to adjust to the jetlag.

Afternoon, Ji Fanyin woke up.

She looked out of her bedroom door and saw that Bai Zhou wasn't awake yet. So, she quickly washed up before heading to the kitchen to prepare lunch.

Halfway through her preparations, she suddenly heard Bai Zhou's cracked voice behind her, "Big sis."

It was a voice that sounded as if he had partied hard at a music festival the night before. The astonished Ji Fanyin quickly turned around, only to see a pale-faced Bai Zhou leaning against the doorway with a pained frown on his forehead. His hand reached beneath his pajamas to clutch his stomach, revealing a hint of his slender waist.

He looked at Ji Fanyin like a pitiful little puppy and whimpered, "Big sis, I feel awful…"

Ji Fanyin quickly switched off the stove and rushed over to check on Bai Zhou's condition with a spatula still in her hand.

He was still fine a moment ago. It looks like he's suffering from gastric pain.

Ji Fanyin calmly poured him half a glass of warm water and instructed, "Finish this before I come back."

Gastric pain? This is nothing much for an actor.

"Orh." The 1.85 meters tall Bai Zhou continued leaning pitifully against the doorway as he murmured, "Big sis, where are you going?"

"I'm grabbing some medicine for you."

Ji Fanyin thought that it was a wise decision on her part to prepare a simple first aid kit. She had a bunch of over-the-counter medications in there, including those that dealt with gastric pains.

Bai Zhou: "Orh…"

Ji Fanyin walked toward her room while Bai Zhou waddled behind her like a chickling who had just emerged from his egg. He took a small sip of water every two steps, finishing it just as he reached the entrance of her room.

Ji Fanyin opened her first aid kit and took out a sachet of digestive medicine.

Despite looking like he was going to die from gastric pain, Bai Zhou stood there with an upright stature, looking at her with an empty glass in hand. His eyes reflected the obstinacy of youth.

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"This isn't the first time, is it?" asked Ji Fanyin.

"… Mm."

Ji Fanyin sighed softly. "You must have frequently skipped meals."

"… Mm."

"Why didn't you tell me about this?" Ji Fanyin walked over to Bai Zhou and shook the sachet of digestive medicine in front of him. "Let's try this one. If it still doesn't work, I'll have to take you to the hospital."

"Don't wanna," grumbled Bai Zhou with a pout.

" A responsible adult takes his medicine when he's supposed to." Ji Fanyin used the words he had spoken earlier in the morning to tease him.

Bai Zhou's frown deepened. "… Alright, I'll drink it."

Ji Fanyin closed the door to her room and headed downstairs with the digestive medicine in hand. She could hear Bai Zhou's slow but clingy footsteps behind her. She halted for a brief moment, turned around, and asked him half-jokingly, "Look at how ill you are. Do you still remember who I am? Am I Ji Xinxin or Ji Fanyin?"

Bai Zhou's eyes looked a little dazed when he first met her eyes, but a hint of rage swiftly surfaced. "I'm ill, not dumb."

Ji Fanyin chuckled softly and said, "That's right, 'I' am Ji Xinxin. Don't ever get it wrong."

Work was always much simpler when the client got ill.

Bai Zhou refused to return to his room after drinking the medicine. He insisted on having the sofa dragged to a spot close to the kitchen before nestling in it with a thick blanket. He lay there as he watched Ji Fanyin prepare a pot of porridge.

Ji Fanyin thought that porridge was truly all-purpose. Be it Song Shiyu's fever or Bai Zhou's gastric pain, all she had to do was to prepare a pot of porridge for them.

She added bits of egg into the porridge and seasoned it with a sprinkle of salt. While she was serving the porridge, she thought of a cold joke: Zhouzhou eating zhou (porridge).

Bai Zhou sat up with the blanket wrapped around his body. His hand crept out from the blanket to reach for the porridge, only to swiftly retreat into its dark recesses the next moment. He looked at Ji Fanyin and whimpered, "Big sis."

"Your hand hurts too?"

"It hurts," Bai Zhou lied without even batting an eyelid.

Left with no choice, Ji Fanyin placed the bowl by the side and said, "It's still too hot. Let it cool down a little before you dig in."

She wondered if Ji Xinxin would tolerate such behavior.

Find the original at /3Tfs4P4.

Hm… I guess she would.

Anyone who had played otome games would know that 'falling ill' was an extremely important event. Illness tended to weaken a person's body and heart, making it much easier to win affection points.

… Though Ji Fanyin wanted none of Bai Zhou's affection points.

"…" Bai Zhou silently stared at the bowl on the table for a few seconds before putting on a stern look and demanding, "Ji Fanyin, this is my request. You've accepted my money; you ought to fulfill my request."

Ji Fanyin replied helplessly, "It's still scalding hot. I'll feed you once it cools down a little, alright?"

Bai Zhou turned his head away.

A few minutes later, Ji Fanyin began feeding Bai Zhou spoon by spoon. Following that, she had to coax the little child, who threw a tantrum about not wanting to waste his vacation, into brushing his teeth and heading back to bed.

With that, she was finally done with her work. She made her way to the kitchen, heated up the lunch she was cooking earlier, and finished it up.

It's not as if Bai Zhou will be able to eat it anyway.

Ahh, yet another wonderful day of getting paid for free meals and free accommodation!

…

Despite Bai Zhou's towering and imposing stature, he turned into a clingy koala bear upon falling ill. Not only that, he was recovering very slowly too.

It was already the third day of his one-week vacation. His gastric pain had alleviated, but his appetite remained poor and he felt languid.

It was Ji Xinxin's birthday tomorrow.

Ji Fanyin happily did her job as an exorbitant caretaker during this period of time, doing nothing much other than attending to Bai Zhou's needs. Of course, she made sure to keep up with her act too.

While she was clearing up the table after feeding Bai Zhou his dinner—a usual routine after he had fallen ill—he suddenly remarked, "It's big sis' birthday tomorrow."

"You're right," replied Ji Fanyin as she stacked the bowls together. "That's why, you have to make sure to recover by tomorrow. Otherwise, there's no point in us coming here together."

"Big sis… can you give your tomorrow to me?"

"Of course." Ji Fanyin lightly flicked his fringe. "Aren't I already here with you on vacation?"

I just wonder if his plans will be ruined with a call from Ji Xinxin tomorrow.

"Now that I think about it, it's already my birthday considering the time difference," remarked Ji Fanyin contemplatively.

There was a six hours time difference between Greece and China. It was already evening time in Greece, which meant that it was after midnight in China.

Search /3Tfs4P4 for the original.

Bai Zhou was taken aback. He leaped to his feet and anxiously searched for his phone to check the current time in China. After confirming that it was indeed after midnight, he quickly ran up the stairs. He was in such a rush that he accidentally tripped on one of the steps, resulting in a loud 'bam!'.

Just listening to the sound was enough to make Ji Fanyin wince.

However, Bai Zhou bore with the pain and continued charging up the stairs. Everything fell silent once he got into his room.

Meanwhile, Ji Fanyin carried the bowls and cutleries toward the kitchen sink.

She was someone who was fond of cooking good food, but what was rare was that she enjoyed the preparation process and the cleaning up too. She would often be in a good mood whenever she was working in the kitchen.

She looked at the time and decided to bake a cake for the occasion. Bai Zhou was still upstairs, but she already knew what he was up to.

It's already time. He has to quickly call Ji Xinxin to wish her a happy birthday.

Her phone is going to be busy for the whole day.

…

The first thing Bai Zhou did was to tap into his WeChat to check on Ji Xinxin's Moments page. There were no pictures or messages relating to her birthday yet, but he couldn't eliminate the possibility that someone had already wished her a happy birthday.

The date had yet to change in Paris, but Bai Zhou was certain that there were people out there who had the same idea, biding their time for midnight to strike China to wish her happy birthday.

He had already decided on this a long time ago, and he kept reminding himself throughout the day too. He only stopped short of setting an alarm for it. Yet, he still missed the timing for it while having dinner with Ji Fanyin!

It was currently six plus in Greece. He reckoned that Ji Xinxin would pick up her phone if she wasn't busy at the moment.

Bai Zhou took a deep breath before making the call.

The worst-case scenario he imagined didn't occur. Ji Xinxin picked up the call within ten seconds, her voice sounding as cheery as usual. Just listening to her speak lifted his mood.

"Zhouzhou? You're early if you're calling to wish me a happy birthday. It's still afternoon."

Bai Zhou traced the edges of the table with his finger as he felt his nervousness leaving his body. "Mm I know, but it's already the 16th over here. Big sis, happy birthday."

"Our Zhouzhou is as thoughtful as always~" Ji Xinxin teased with a chuckle. "I thought that you would secretly sneak to Paris to give me a 'surprise'."

"…" Bai Zhou's lips twitched a little. "… I did prepare a surprise for you. Have you received my package yet?"

"My roommate told me that there were many packages for me today. I'm still on my way home to check it out," said Ji Xinxin excitedly. "I bet that they are presents from everyone. Don't worry, I'll make sure to unwrap yours first!"

"I hope that you'll like it." Bai Zhou pressed his lips together nervously. "You're living with a roommate?"

"Mm, I moved into a very big house. It's much livelier this way. I have five roommates, and they're all nice people. You don't have to worry about me," replied Ji Xinxin.

Bai Zhou still wanted to say something, but someone seemed to be calling for Ji Xinxin over on her side.

Ji Xinxin replied with an "Oui" before apologizing to Bai Zhou, "Sorry Zhouzhou, I still have some stuff I need to deal with here. Thanks for calling. You're the best!"

"… Mm, see you. I'll call you later."

The call ended there, and Bai Zhou breathed out deeply.

His previous intuition was right. Ji Xinxin had started drifting away from him ever since she went to Paris. It wasn't just physical distance but emotionally as well.

If not for the void from this emotional distance, I would have never fallen for Ji Fanyin's ludicrous acting. They don't even look that alike at all…

With such thoughts in mind, Bai Zhou walked out of his room and detected a whiff of sweetness in the air.

… Cake?

He made his way down the stairs and into the kitchen.

Ji Fanyin was busy preparing the ingredients next to the oven. Her fluid movements fully showcased her culinary skills.

Had it been Ji Xinxin, Bai Zhou would have been able to sit by the countertop and watch her for an entire day.

It was just that the earlier incident had pulled him a step back from the dangerous abyss, jolting his consciousness and reminding him that the person who had come with him to Greece was Ji Fanyin.

Why does Ji Fanyin have to look so much like Ji Xinxin? Why must she be so good at acting? … She should have just competed for an Oscar instead of doing this!

"What's wrong?" Ji Fanyin heard his footsteps and turned around.

Bai Zhou looked at her with a wintry face and sneered, "Ji Fanyin, don't even think that I would prepare a present for you too. I haven't stooped so low as to prepare one for an impostor."

"I don't mind going without a present," replied Ji Fanyin cheerily. "It's not as if I came all the way to Greece with you to demand a present. Alright~ I'm baking a cake now. What flavor do you want? Shall I add a bit of cocoa powder into it?"

It went without saying that she wasn't interested in Bai Zhou's gift. She would be freaked out by the inner wirings of his brain if he had really prepared a gift for her too.

"… You can just order a cake from the bakery." Bai Zhou still had a nasty look on his face.

Ji Fanyin whipped the egg as she looked at him and replied, "You don't want to eat my handmade cake?"

Bai Zhou looked at the kitchen where Ji Fanyin had whipped out delicious food from over the last few days. "… I'll eat it."

"Good boy." Ji Fanyin praised Bai Zhou with a smile. "Would you like to help out?"

"No thanks," Bai Zhou turned her down coldly. "A tool should just quietly do its own job. Also, big sis has never said 'good boy' before. You aren't allowed to say that in the future."

He coolly turned around after saying his piece, but Ji Fanyin suddenly called out, "Wait a moment."

Bai Zhou obstinately walked two steps away, but he eventually stopped, turned around, and looked at her with an impatient 'What do you want' expression.

"You knocked on the stairs while you were rushing up earlier, right?" asked Ji Fanyin as she washed her hands. "Let me have a look."

Bai Zhou subconsciously took two steps back. "I'm fine."

"I'll just take a look. What if you injured yourself?" Ji Fanyin didn't bother listening to him. She grabbed her first aid kit and cornered him. "Be good, Zhouzhou. Let me take a look so that I can rest at ease, alright?"

Bai Zhou felt so embarrassed that he thought that he would go up in smoke. Covering his furiously blushing face, he took off his slippers and allowed Ji Fanyin to take just a single look before quickly slipping them back on.

"It looks a little swollen… Does it really not hurt?" asked Ji Fanyin worriedly. "You must tell me if it hurts. You mustn't keep it to yourself, just like the gastric pain."

Bai Zhou turned his head away. "It really doesn't hurt… That's enough, Ji Fanyin!"

The last two words were practically shouted out loud.

Ji Fanyin sighed softly.

The prowess of Ji Xinxin's call was truly formidable. It was able to snap Bai Zhou out of this dream… though this was probably a good thing for him.

It was also a good thing for her too.

Her sigh sounded almost like a pardon decree to Bai Zhou. He hurriedly retreated two steps away from Ji Fanyin's area of influence before running up the stairs in a fluster.

However, he suddenly stopped halfway up the stairs. With a reluctant but fairly neutral attitude, he turned around and said, "Happy birthday to you too, Ji Fanyin."

Ji Fanyin was surprised for an instant before nodding with a smile, "I'll thank you on behalf of my older sister."

Not used to hearing words of thanks from others, Bai Zhou frowned. He turned around and rushed off.

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Meanwhile, Ji Fanyin continued looking at the stairway with an ambiguous smile on her lips.

Bai Zhou probably means well, but today is neither Ji Fanyin nor 'Ji Fanyin's' birthday.

Despite sharing the same name, 'Ji Fanyin' and Ji Fanyin's birthdays were two months apart. So, the birthdate on 'Ji Fanyin's' passport didn't mean a thing to her.

Even so, when she switched on her phone and saw that she had only received happy birthday wishes from her downloaded apps, she couldn't help but sigh deeply on 'Ji Fanyin's' behalf.

No matter how alike identical twins are, there are still some differences between them, such as their personality and wits.

Ji Fanyin felt regretful for the life 'Ji Fanyin' led after looking through her memories. She was actually an extremely precocious child, the kind who just had to browse through her textbooks once in order to ace all of her tests.

Even as a primary school student, she was already able to understand advanced mathematical concepts taught in university. The word 'prodigy' was created for people like her.

In contrast, Ji Xinxin possessed no such talent. She found herself unable to keep up with her older sister no matter how hard she worked, and in the end, she fell gravely ill.

Ji Fanyin was quite curious as to how a prodigy's mind worked, so she tried putting it to work. Unfortunately, while she had retained her acting skill, it would appear that she hadn't inherited 'Ji Fanyin's' intelligence.

If only 'Ji Fanyin' could be a little stronger, even if she had just filtered out all external disturbances and focused quietly on her studies… her ending would have been very different.

The world could be malicious at times, but one could also garner the courage to point a middle finger at it.

"Ji Fanyin, happy birthday," murmured Ji Fanyin as she swiped off the notifications coming from her banks and e-commerce apps.

Search /3Tfs4P4 for the original.

She tapped into her WeChat to take a look.

She found it interesting that the most sincere happy birthday wish she received was handcrafted, coming from the hands of a bank manager.

I'm a big client for him, after all.

There were a few other messages on her WeChat, and some of them were from Chen Yunsheng.

She was the type to clear away her favorite dishes first when eating, so naturally, she tapped into his conversation window first.

Chen Yunsheng had sent quite a few messages, and the earliest one was around ten hours ago: 【Is it big sis' birthday today? Happy birthday! Are you celebrating your birthday now? Or do you have work today too?】

The next one was fifteen minutes later. He first embarked on a lengthy explanation on how he had approached a senior to ask for her birthday before asking if she was offended by his behavior. It was a sincere fifty-word apology.

It looked like he had gotten nervous from her lack of response.

Several hours later, there was another message which he had deleted.

The last one was from an hour back: 【The day is already coming to an end. Big sis, are you in a bad mood? I hope that you had an enjoyable birthday. I won't switch off my phone, and you can call me whenever you feel like it. I'll be here】

Ji Fanyin fiddled with her phone contemplatively.

She wasn't in a bad mood, but this was the only friend she had that wished her a happy birthday today.

Father Ji and Mother Ji hadn't dropped her a call at all as if they had dropped dead. But again, considering how the Ji Family had been celebrating both their birthdays on Ji Xinxin's birthday over the years, their apathy didn't look too out of place.

Ji Fanyin replied to Chen Yunsheng's messages: 【I wasn't ignoring you. I was busy today. Thanks for your well wishes, goodnight】

Barely two seconds after she sent the message out, the conversation window suddenly showed 'Chen Yunsheng is currently typing…'.

Ji Fanyin did a quick mental calculation and noted that it was already 1 A.M. back in China.

She sprawled on her bed and leisurely watched as Chen Yunsheng typed for a very long time before finally squeezing out a line of words: 【Did you have fun today?】

【I didn't celebrate my birthday】Ji Fanyin replied honestly.【No time, and I didn't intend to celebrate it】

…

Upon seeing Ji Fanyin's response, Chen Yunsheng banged his head on his pillow three times. His roommate, who was prepared to burn the midnight oil and study till morning, turned around and stared at him in horror.

"Brother Sheng, I haven't even gone mad yet. Don't you go mad on me first!"

Chen Yunsheng ignored his roommate and sat upward on his bed. He grabbed his phone tightly and stared at it with a serious look on his face for a long time before he began typing carefully.

Big sis, can you come out right now? I'll buy a cake for you

… Backspace, backspace. She won't agree to it.

I wish to celebrate big sis' birthday. When are you free?

… No no, that won't work. She's already so busy with work. She'd surely prefer to catch some sleep at home than to go out and waste time.

If you meet with anything frustrating at work, you can treat me as a tree hollow. I'll responsibly forget all the secrets you entrust to me.

… Like a working person would share a common language with me!

Chen Yunsheng continued banging his head on the pillow and he desperately racked his brain to think up a feasible response. If he dragged out his response for too long, Ji Fanyin might just get busy with work once more, and her next response would be a long time later.

His horrified roommate tiptoed toward his bed with a blanket wrapped around him and poked Chen Yunsheng softly with his pen. "Brother Sheng, are you possessed? Say something!"

Chen Yunsheng finally released the pillow from its misery and reverted back to his usual cool image. "How did you invite your girlfriend out for your first date?"

"Ah, that. Didn't you already give your medal to her during your basketball match?" asked the roommate as he scratched his head with the pen. "She hasn't accepted your feelings yet, but it shows that she doesn't detest you. You can just directly ask her out."

Chen Yunsheng: "…"

With a nonchalant expression, he replied, "I'm scared to."

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The roommate was rendered speechless. "… You're. Scared. To? My Brother Sheng, I've shared the same room with you for three years now, and there's not a thing in the world that you don't dare to do! You even rejected our dean when she personally came down to persuade you into joining a competition back then!"

Chen Yunsheng glanced at the words he hadn't fully deleted in the conversation window as he murmured, "But what if I say something wrong? She'll hate me."

The roommate cleared his throat and assumed the persona of a wise strategist. "I got it! My girlfriend once told me that all women love flowers. Also, if you rationally think about it, is there a human in the world who doesn't love money? Why don't you give her flowers and money then? There's no way you can go wrong with that combination."

Chen Yunsheng thought about it for a while before proceeding to delete everything on the conversation window cleanly.

He tapped into the red packet function and realized that he could only send a maximum of 200 dollars at once. So, he switched to bank transfer and instinctively typed out '52—' when it suddenly struck him. He hurriedly backspaced and changed it to '8888'.

He stared at the numbers for a long time before asking his roommate for one last confirmation. "Will this really work?"

His roommate pointed to the sky and vowed, "There's no one in the world who doesn't like money."

He leaned in to take a look, only to be horrified by the number Chen Yunsheng typed. He hurriedly tapped on backspace once to remove an '8' before exclaiming, "Brother Sheng, I know that you're from a rich household, but you need to calm down a little! You'll scare her off like that!"

Chen Yunsheng quietly typed in his account pin and confirmed the bank transfer of 888 dollars.

Ji Fanyin slowly replied with a series of question marks.

Chen Yunsheng quickly typed out: 【Happy birthday】

His palms were sweating.

【Is it convenient for you to pick up a call now?】 asked Ji Fanyin.

Chen Yunsheng immediately leaped off his bed, slipped into his slippers, and ran out of the dormitory room.

It was 1 A.M., so the dormitory corridor was empty. There were a couple of rooms that were still lit, possibly filled with students who were making a last-ditch effort to pull their grades up.

It was unlikely that he would be disturbed here.

He rested his back against the wall and took in a deep breath to calm his furiously beating heart before replying with a 【Yeap】.

He waited with bated breath for around five seconds before Ji Fanyin's request for a voice call came in.

About Chen Yunsheng's bank transfer: He was intending to send 520 RMB, which sounds like 'wo ai ni (I love you)' in Chinese, but he realized that it would be a confession. So, he switched it over to a more auspicious 8888 RMB instead.

Additional information about WeChat: You can send money in WeChat conversations using the red packet function, but you can only send 200 RMB at once. So, he switched to a bank transfer (another option supported by WeChat) which allows transfer of larger sums

"Were you staying up to wait for me, or do you usually sleep this late?"

Chen Yunsheng was still feeling incredibly nervous a moment ago, but somehow, hearing Ji Fanyin's voice calmed him down. "You didn't reply to me for the entire day, so I got a little worried and couldn't sleep."

Find the original at /3Tfs4P4.

"I'm a bit busy right now, so I might not be able to answer your messages quickly." Ji Fanyin paused for a brief moment before continuing on, "However, there are some things that are better relayed in person than through words. It'd be ideal if we could meet up for this, but I'm currently abroad."

Chen Yunsheng started to get nervous once more. He pressed his lips tightly together before asking, "Should I have not sent you a red packet?"

"That's your way of expressing your well wishes. I know that you don't have any ill intention at heart," reassured Ji Fanyin. "But I won't accept it. That's because our relationship… I don't want to complicate it with money."

Chen Yunsheng lowered his head to look at his wiggling toes. "… I was thinking of sending you flowers, but it's already late and you have been busy recently."

"Mm…" Ji Fanyin was quiet for a few seconds. "This is also the matter I wish to talk to you about. You have been very honest with me, and I think it's only right for me to accord you the same level of respect."

Chen Yunsheng immediately knew what Ji Fanyin was going to say. He cut right in before Ji Fanyin could continue on, "You aren't interested in dating right now―big sis, if that's what you want to say, I already know it."

He heard Ji Fanyin's chuckle right after.

"I'm sorry. It looks like I've been underestimating university students of your generation," she said. "However, I'm glad that my actions haven't caused any misunderstanding."

"… How could there be any misunderstanding," grumbled Chen Yunsheng grudgingly. "I know that you've been treating me like a kid ever since our first meeting. You're only two years older than me!"

Ji Fanyin chuckled once more, her voice carrying the tolerance and gentleness of an elder. Yet, that gentleness felt so distant, almost like the unreachable sun beyond the clouds.

"Thank you for liking me and constantly thinking of me. These are things that I currently lack." She continued with an equally calm but unwavering voice, "But I don't want to exploit you. I can't trample on a clean and earnest heart. That's something very precious in the world we live in."

"So what if it's precious? You don't want it anyway," Chen Yunsheng complained with a murmur.

"Something as precious as that shouldn't be given to a bad woman like me," replied Ji Fanyin in amusement. "Save it for someone more fitting."

"I don't want to." Chen Yunsheng tried his best to compose himself and speak like a mature adult. "Big sis, it's fine with me that you don't want to date now. I'm in no hurry. I'm still young. I'm willing to wait for you… I know how to keep my distance. I won't irritate you. I won't be too clingy and disturb you from your work. As long as you need me, I'll be there."

"I've seen many who chose to humble themselves in a relationship. They rarely end well, so I hope that you won't ever go there," said Ji Fanyin. "We've only met each other thrice. Why do you like me? Is it my appearance? My personality? Those are things that you'll find from others in the future."

Humble themselves for their feelings? Things I'll find from others in the future?

Chen Yunsheng put together everything Ji Fanyin had said thus far, and it suddenly struck him.

Big sis doesn't believe in love. She has been through a terrible relationship. Someone must have hurt her deeply in the past.

Chen Yunsheng took a deep breath and said, "I'm a grown up. I can bear the consequences of my own feelings. You can't just make decisions for me."

He blurted out those words in a single breath, only to be horrified when he thought back on them.

"No, wait! Forget what I've just said! It doesn't count. It's not a confession!"

The world's worst confession!

On the other end, Ji Fanyin burst into laughter upon hearing his words. "Yes, I can't make decisions for an adult like you, but…"

Her words suddenly trailed to a halt here. Chen Yunsheng heard a series of knocks from the other side, followed by the distant voice of a man.

He couldn't hear it clearly, but the clues were enough to tell him that a man was harassing Ji Fanyin at this ungodly hour.

"―It's work. I need to go," said Ji Fanyin. "Regarding your happy birthday wishes today… they mean a lot to me. Thank you."

The phone hung up there.

Chen Yunsheng grasped his phone tightly as he stared at the notification informing him about his failed bank transfer. He quickly pulled himself together and returned to his dormitory room.

"Done with your call?" His roommates turned to look at him, curious about how it went. "Judging from your expression, it seems like it didn't go well? Tell us about it. We can figure something out together."

"…" Chen Yunsheng sat down on his bed, but he didn't satisfy their curiosity. He simply let out a series of ambiguous words. "I think she used to be in a relationship with a scum."

The following day, Ji Xinxin called Ji Fanyin.

"Big sis, happy birthday!" said Ji Xinxin coyly. "I was so busy that I could only find time to call you now. Sorry about that! How are you doing? Are you celebrating your birthday with dad and mum today?"

Ji Fanyin was currently busy making breakfast. She stood lazily by the sunlit window as she replied, "Happy birthday to you too."

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She couldn't be bothered to answer Ji Xinxin's questions.

But Ji Xinxin didn't seem too bothered by her lack of response. She thanked her merrily before carrying on, "We've always exchanged presents for our birthdays. I've already sent my present for you back home, so make sure to claim it when you have time."

Ji Fanyin: "…"

She pondered deeply with a spatula in hand and realized that there was really such a tradition.

Ji Xinxin's present was the only one that Ji Fanyin would receive every birthday.

"Big sis, what did you get me? I received way too many packages this year! I've been unpacking them for many hours now but I'm still not done with them yet," said Ji Xinxin. "I'm eager to find out what you have gotten me this year."

"I didn't prepare anything," replied Ji Fanyin heartlessly. "You're overseas. I'll prepare one for you once you're back."

"Ah… is that so?" Ji Xinxin was quiet for a few seconds. "I'll look forward to it then."

"There's still two months before you return."

I might just forget about it… I guess I'll have to write a reminder for myself.

The chicken lays eggs, and the eggs hatch into chicks. I should show my due respect to the very first chicken who started laying eggs.

"Two months will pass in a flash," said Ji Xinxin. "Really, I haven't even been away for that long, but it feels like you have already changed a lot. If I wasn't your little sister, I would have thought that you're an impostor."

Ji Fanyin chuckled softly. "What if that's the case?"

Ji Xinxin also responded in a joking manner, "Then… I'll soon meet with the impostor impersonating my big sister."

Footsteps sounded from behind.

Ji Fanyin turned around to take a look. It was a yawning Bai Zhou walking down the stairs. She quickly ended the call, saying, "I've got something up. See you."

She had always been the one hanging up the calls between them, and Ji Xinxin was already used to it.

"Who were you chatting with?" Bai Zhou still looked a little languid.

"A friend. She was calling to wish me a happy birthday," Ji Fanyin dealt with Bai Zhou's question with a half-truth before stuffing his other questions back down by ushering him to breakfast.

"Did Li Xiaoxing drop by?" asked Bai Zhou.

"He didn't," replied Ji Fanyin.

Li Xiaoxing was different from the other non recyclable trash. He was indeed one of the eight people who had treated 'Ji Fanyin' as Ji Xinxin's substitute, but he was only a part of this organization in name. The times he had met 'Ji Fanyin' could be easily counted on one hand.

Due to that, Ji Fanyin didn't have much of an understanding of him, making him a troublesome target.

There were only two things she knew right now: Li Xiaoxing is extremely rich and Ji Xinxin is very fond of him.

… No, saying that she's fond of him is not accurate. To be more exact, she cherishes Li Xiaoxing a lot. In her mind, the only one whose standing is on par with Li Xiaoxing is Bai Zhou.

With such thoughts in mind, Ji Fanyin couldn't help but take a good look at the bad-tempered little dolt sitting in front of her.

"What?" Bai Zhou glared back at her sharply.

Ji Fanyin tried her best to hold back her laughter as she pointed to his lips and said, "Tomato ketchup."

Bai Zhou lurched in horror. He quickly wiped it off with the back of his hand. "… What are you staring at! We'll head to the beach later!"

…

The week in Greece finally came to an end. While they were leaving Santorini, Ji Fanyin felt that she would miss the beautiful beaches here.

As well as the money.

Shortly after boarding the plane, the alarm which Ji Fanyin had set in advance rang.

While munching on a fruit, Bai Zhou glanced at her and asked, "Who's calling you?"

Ji Fanyin whipped out her phone and flashed it to him before kindly explaining with a smile, "It's a reminder that service has ended. Don't forget about the time zone difference."

Bai Zhou: "…"

This was the first time Bai Zhou was sharing a common space with non-working Ji Fanyin for such a long period of time. He was rather astonished to find that Ji Fanyin was completely different once she was off work.

Despite having the same face, same clothes, and same hairdo, her expressions and gestures were completely different.

Bai Zhou had once carefully studied Ji Fanyin's facial features while she was in working mode back when he was painting her in the art studio. She gave off an elegant and serene atmosphere when she sat down quietly with a book in hand, be it her upright posture or the way her head was slightly tilted downward.

… Yet, the current Ji Fanyin gave off a domineering air as she flipped through a magazine on the sofa. From the way she leisurely rested her head on one of her hands to the casual movements of her fingers as she flipped the pages, she felt like a haughty queen whom no one could hope to put a rein on.

"You should join the film industry," Bai Zhou harrumphed. "It looks like everyone has been neglecting your true talent."

"I have neither the credentials nor the experience, so where am I going to find opportunities?" Ji Fanyin didn't even bother looking at him. "Besides, are you certain you want me to film a movie with this face, acting out kissing and bed scenes with other men?"

Bai Zhou's face darkened right away. "Of course not!"

"That settles it." Ji Fanyin ended the conversation snappily within just a few words.

Around ten minutes later, Ji Fanyin was done flipping through the gaming magazine and tossed it aside. She whipped out of her phone, connected to the plane's Wi-Fi, and began browsing through Weibo.

While she was scrolling through the posts, her message ringtone sounded. It was a message from WeChat.

She tapped into WeChat to reply to the message before turning her attention back to Weibo.

Half a minute later, her message ringtone sounded twice in quick succession.

The irritated Bai Zhou looked at Ji Fanyin and directed a displeased "Oi" at her.

During service hours, a mere glance or gesture from him could make her move right away, but the current Ji Fanyin couldn't be bothered to interpret what he wanted.

Bai Zhou watched as she tapped into WeChat once more to reply to her messages.

The other party proceeded to send a series of messages rapidly, causing Bai Zhou's rage-o-meter to skyrocket.

"Who are you chatting with?" asked Bai Zhou irritatedly. "Your other clients? Who else do you have?"

"A friend."

"A friend?" sneered Bai Zhou. "You, who have never made a single friend in the past ten years?"

Ji Fanyin ignored the childish provocation coming from the youth. She took her time responding to Chen Yunsheng's messages before finally turning her attention to Bai Zhou, whose face had turned nasty while waiting for her. She calmly replied, "Aren't you meddling too much? Do you see yourself as my friend?"

"Who wants to be your friend?" Bai Zhou slammed the cup in his hand on the table. "It's your own problem that you aren't able to make any friends! I heard from big sis that you used to do well academically, but due to your parents focusing their attention on her when she fell ill, you felt unloved and decided to give up on yourself…"

"It's not your place to criticize me," Ji Fanyin interrupted him. "Just like how it's not my place to criticize your family."

"!" Bai Zhou took a sharp inhalation of breath. His warped face showed just how hard he was trying to suppress his anger.

"Work is one thing, but I think it'll be best for us to steer clear of each other's private lives. What do you think?" Ji Fanyin rose to her feet and began heading to the back of the plane. "… I'll head to the back."

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Just as she was about to walk through the compartment door, her phone rang yet again.

Taking a quick look at the sender's name, Ji Fanyin turned around to look at Bai Zhou and said teasingly, "Now, this is from a client."

She walked through the compartment door before reading the message Cen Xiangyang had sent: 【Just a quick reminder, I've already submitted the questionnaire for quite a while now】

Despite the rubbish Cen Xiangyang often uttered, he was quite efficient when it came to paying for his first tryout.

The 200,000 dollars reservation fee had already been sitting in Ji Fanyin's bank account for quite a few days now, and it was time to make it hers.

She replied: 【Are you free tomorrow?】

After deciding on a meeting time with Cen Xiangyang, Ji Fanyin searched through her inbox for the questionnaire he had sent in.

This was an important quality assurance tool to ensure satisfactory service for her clients.

She swiftly browsed through his answers before falling deep in thought on the massage chair.

Find the original at /3Tfs4P4.

Ji Xinxin had chosen to go down a dangerous route when dealing with the deranged Cen Xiangyang. To summarize it in two words, 'acting innocent'.

Ji Fanyin touched her own face.

Oh well. What else can I do when Cen Xiangyang is one of the highest-quality fishes in the fishery?

It would be unwise to think of Cen Xiangyang as a mere newbie who had barely built a bit of credential for himself in the filming industry.

He came from an illustrious family of lawyers, which was why his family vehemently objected to his choice of career, hoping that he could instead follow their path. It was just that Cen Xiangyang stubbornly chose to devote himself to art.

His obstinacy did pay off, for he was going to win the most prestigious filmmaking prize in two years' time.

Ah, but in the year after that, he'll turn to the dark side due to an erroneous maneuver from Ji Xinxin, resulting in him kidnapping her. He ends up spending quite a few years in jail thanks to that.

… A short-term client he'll be, I reckon.

Oh well, I'll call the cops on him if he tries to pull anything.

With that, she had pretty much settled matters on Cen Xiangyang's side for the time being. It was just that a new problem had cropped up.

Chen Yunsheng.

Ji Fanyin had no qualms toying with a couple of non-recyclable trash, but she couldn't do the same when it came to Chen Yunsheng.

On top of being earnest and forthright, he was also a particularly smart and discerning young man. He was able to grasp what she was driving at before she finished her words.

Smart people had a habit of driving themselves to a corner.

It would be one thing if she was in her original world, but that wasn't the case here.

She sank her body into the massage chair and allowed the vibrations to do their work.

Forget it. I've already laid out the worst-case scenario for him, and he has made his decision as an adult. What rights do I have to refute his life decisions?

…

When the plane finally landed, Ji Fanyin retrieved her own luggage and began making her way out of the cabin.

Of course, there was no way young master Bai would have to do his own chores. Two air stewardesses stepped forward to help him carry his luggage, so his movements ended up being slightly slower than Ji Fanyin's.

It didn't seem that out of place for Bai Zhou to be accorded such special treatment given the kind of background he had.

While Ji Fanyin toiled her luggage past Bai Zhou, she turned to him and smiled. "I'll be looking forward to your next reservation."

Bai Zhou: "…"

He was silent for a moment before abruptly asking, "How do you intend to head back?"

"Technology is quite advanced nowadays." Ji Fanyin shook her phone in front of him to showcase the existence of ride-hailing apps.

She only flashed her phone screen to him for a brief moment, but in this short second, Bai Zhou's attention wasn't on the ride-hailing app but the WeChat notification that had popped up above.

He didn't manage to catch the person's name, but he did get a glimpse of the first few words of the message.

That person said: 【Big sis, I want to fetch you from the airport】

Bai Zhou's body moved faster than his mind. Before he could even make sense of what he was thinking, he had already stepped forward to grab her suitcase. He asked with a suppressed voice, "Who did you tell you're at the airport? Is it someone who knows big sis…"

Somehow, he felt a sense of awkwardness speaking up to this point.

The person messaging Ji Fanyin called her 'big sis', and he himself had also called Ji Fanyin 'big sis' too.

"… someone who knows Ji Xinxin too? Didn't I tell you that you can't reveal this matter to anyone?" Bai Zhou quickly changed his words before questioning on.

"Nothing has been exposed. He only knows that I've gone abroad." Ji Fanyin staggered backward a little due to Bai Zhou's sudden powerful tug on her suitcase. "You're my valuable client. I know better than to sabotage myself."

Bai Zhou refused to release his grip on her suitcase. "Why is he calling you big sis?"

Ji Fanyin earnestly looked into Bai Zhou's infuriated eyes and asked, "Why? Is it a unique address reserved specially for you and Ji Xinxin?"

Bai Zhou remained silent to her question, but he still refused to release his grip.

Ji Fanyin chuckled softly. "Or could it be that you're concerned that someone else other than you is addressing me in such a manner?"

Bai Zhou immediately released his grip on her luggage, almost as if her words had scalded him.

Feeling that the pressure on her suitcase had finally vanished, Ji Fanyin lifted her chin upward and said, "See you, young master Bai."

Ji Fanyin walked away with her suitcase in hand. She hitched a ride on one of the suitcase transportation vehicles passing by instead of taking the one specially reserved for Bai Zhou's usage.

Bai Zhou looked out of the window to stare at her departing silhouette until she disappeared into the darkness of the night.

Fetching from the airport… I don't even have anyone to fetch me, but Ji Fanyin's 'little bro' actually wanted to fetch her from the airport in the middle of the night?

…

Ji Fanyin hailed a cab to return home.

Of course, there was no way she would let Chen Yunsheng fetch her without any heads up. It was much more convenient for her to directly hail a cab, especially since she wanted to get home as soon as possible.

She needed to rest up well and adjust herself to the jetlag so that she could deal with Cen Xiangyang tomorrow night.

…

The following day.

While she had slept well for the night, she wasn't able to meet Cen Xiangyang the following day. Someone blocked her path the moment she walked out of her apartment.

It was a familiar face―Li Xiaoxing's secretary.

"Miss Ji, Mr Li wishes to meet you."

Li Xiaoxing's secretary was accompanied by a muscular person who appeared to be a bodyguard.

Ji Fanyin took a moment to consider her current situation.

Li Xiaoxing probably realized that the person he met in Greece was me and not Ji Xinxin, so he's here to settle the scores.

If so, there's just one last question I need to answer here: Should I meet him or not?

Ji Fanyin knew far too little about Li Xiaoxing, and it seemed too risky to meet him when she didn't even know what he had in mind.

However, it was unlikely that the duo standing before her was going to take no for an answer.

"Where's Mr Li?" asked Ji Fanyin.

"He's in the car downstairs."

If Li Xiaoxing came down here personally, it should be safe to assume that he isn't here to get rid of me.

With such thoughts in mind, Ji Fanyin said, "I have an appointment with someone else. May I make a call to inform the other party that I won't be able to make it?"

The secretary politely raised his hand to gesture for her to go ahead.

But just as Ji Fanyin had tapped into her list of contacts and was about to make the call, the secretary suddenly asked, "Is the appointment you're talking about the one with Cen Xiangyang?"

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Ji Fanyin halted. She smiled at the secretary and said, "It looks like Mr Li has conducted a thorough investigation."

"You need not waste your time. Someone will inform Cen Xiangyang on your behalf," the secretary said. "It also has to do with why Mr Li wishes to meet you."

Ji Fanyin's eyebrows shot up.

Given that Li Xiaoxing had seen her with Bai Zhou, it shouldn't be too hard for him to figure out what was going on.

The secretary stepped aside and ushered her forward. "Miss Ji, this way please."

Ji Fanyin decided to go along with them to meet Li Xiaoxing.

But on her way down, she openly sent a text message to one of her contacts: 【I'm going to meet Li Xiaoxing now. If you don't receive any response from me within three hours, I'll have to trouble you to call the police】

The person she chose was Zhang Ning.

One, Zhang Ning was a smart woman with means. Her background and capability meant that it was unlikely that she would get outright suppressed by Li Xiaoxing. Two, Ji Fanyin had conversed with her on several occasions, and she felt that the latter was a trustworthy person.

Of her entire contact list, there was no one more suitable than Zhang Ning.

Li Xiaoxing's secretary didn't stop her from sending out the message either.

The message was sent out right before the lift reached the first floor. Ji Fanyin slipped her phone into her pocket and soon noticed a black Lincoln stopped not too far away.

It was impossible to tell who was sitting within through its tinted windows, but the car did somewhat suit Li Xiaoxing's class.

The secretary opened the door to the back seat and invited Ji Fanyin in.

Li Xiaoxing was seated in there, looking through a document. It was the same exquisite doll-like appearance that was hard to describe in words.

Even with the sound of the car door opening, Li Xiaoxing didn't bother to take a look. He simply ordered nonchalantly, "Close the door."

The secretary gently closed the car door after Ji Fanyin.

Ji Fanyin felt like the current situation resembled the standard scene in triad movies where a boss of an underground society invited someone into his car for a talk.

Upon getting into the car, she placed her clutch bag in between the two of them before calmly fastening her seatbelt.

Even after the car started driving, Li Xiaoxing still wasn't speaking a word at all. He quietly flipped through his documents at a rapid speed.

Since Li Xiaoxing wasn't saying a word at all, Ji Fanyin couldn't be bothered to start a conversation. She took out her phone and started clearing stages on her mobile game, though she was considerate enough to silence her media volume.

Judging from how the other party didn't mind her using her phone, it should be safe to assume that he wasn't intending to do anything illegal today.

If so, she wouldn't have to worry about meeting with danger.

But I guess I should still keep my backup plan with Zhang Ning ready for the time being. It's not too late to report my safety to her once I reach home.

Ji Fanyin cleared two consecutive stages but got stuck on the third one. She had already challenged it twice thus far but failed miserably. Unwilling to give up, she was just about to embark on her third challenge when Li Xiaoxing suddenly closed his document folder.

She turned over to look at him.

He calmly placed the documents he had just looked through on his lap and said, "You were the one I met in Greece."

"I never said that I was Ji Xinxin," replied Ji Fanyin with raised eyebrows.

"You were… 'working'. I know," said Li Xiaoxing. "I'll get straight to the point. I don't permit it."

He gave out orders so naturally that it felt like he was a born ruler.

Ji Fanyin also chose not to beat around the bush. "I lack money. Give me another way out, and I'll stop what I'm doing."

In terms of family background, Li Xiaoxing and Bai Zhou were on par with one another, but there was still a huge difference between a domineering CEO and a soon-to-be domineering CEO.

Li Xiaoxing could do much more than Bai Zhou could.

"I'm not making a deal with you here." Li Xiaoxing glanced at Ji Fanyin.

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His eyes carried neither anger nor coldness, just placidness. Yet, this placidness was enough to evoke unease.

It was just that Ji Fanyin was no pushover either. "I'll get straight to the point too. I refuse."

"You don't have the right to refuse," replied Li XIaoxing. "What you're doing can't even be considered work. You're just selling yourself out and sullying your younger sister's reputation."

"I'm rather curious… how does Mr Li intend to stop me?" Ji Fanyin leaned leisurely against the leather seat. "You can tell my family members and my younger sister, but I honestly don't care about what they think. You can use your connections to blacklist me, but the income I'm earning is already fairly decent. Ah, are you intending to blacklist my clients instead so that they won't have the money to pay for my service?"

To be honest, the third option would be quite effective in curbing her.

That being said, the clients she had chosen were still fairly powerful and wealthy, so they wouldn't be taken down by Li Xiaoxing that easily. Not to mention, there were many fishes… clients out there. If she lost a client, she could easily find a replacement.

Was Li Xiaoxing really that powerful as to be willing to make so many enemies at once?

She was really curious about what Li Xiaoxing would do to coerce her to stop.

"There's no need to tell your family members. All I need to do is inform your younger sister about it." Li Xiaoxing shook his head. He gestured toward Ji Fanyin's phone and said, "Those clients of yours will have no choice but to rein themselves in to avoid getting exposed."

Ji Fanyin let out an "Ah" before nodding in realization. "Yes, you're right."

That was also why Song Shiyu had to drag Bai Zhou down with him.

"… Unless you become an accomplice too," remarked Ji Fanyin deeply.

Li Xiaoxing looked at her quietly for a brief moment. "Do you think that I would be entertained by your act too?"

"No." Ji Fanyin maintained a leisurely posture, but her eyes would drift naturally toward him every now and then to keep a close eye on his subtle facial expressions. "I know that you're different from them."

The two of them met eyes for several seconds before Ji Fanyin finally revealed a confident smile.

She was able to find a hint of wavering in the depths of Li Xiaoxing's eyes, and that would be the key to her victory. "Mr Li, who do you think is more pitiful—a person who's on the verge of drowning but is unable to get away, or someone who unknowingly drowns in a sweet dream?"

Li Xiaoxing's placid eyes finally started to turn cold.

"You're different from the rest of them. You're a smart man. You know that my younger sister is attempting to control you, but you can't let go of the illusions she's feeding you…"

The more Ji Fanyin thought about it, the more interesting she thought it was. She couldn't resist asking, "Wait a moment. Does my younger sister know about this?"

Li Xiaoxing didn't say a word, but his expression turned even colder.

Ji Fanyin was able to figure out the answer from his response. "It looks like she doesn't."

She stroked her lower jaw contemplatively, only to abruptly break out into laughter the next moment. "Sorry, sorry. This is far more interesting than I expected. Give me a moment to calm down."

The ball might have been in Li Xiaoxing's hand at the start, but over the course of the conversation, the balance of power was clearly tilting toward Ji Fanyin's side.

After laughing her fill, Ji Fanyin resumed the conversation, "Based on our exchange thus far, it's worth looking into your motive for approaching me today. You don't want me to continue this job because you wish to guard her interest. In other words, you don't mind maintaining the status quo and allowing her to continue deceiving you and the others."

As she spoke, she tapped on the back of the passenger seat and said, "Divider, thanks."

The secretary sitting on the passenger seat turned around to seek Li Xiaoxing's opinion.

Li Xiaoxing was silent for a while before responding with a slight nod. The divider between the front and the back seats slowly began rising from the ground.

"… It's not deception," said Li Xiaoxing. "She just needs love from many people."

"She lacks love; that's why she goes to great lengths to gather the affection and adulation from those around her. You're aware of it, but you…" Ji Fanyin took her time to select an appropriate word choice. "… choose to help her?"

Li Xiaoxing calmly replied, "I chose to make her happy. Song Shiyu, Bai Zhou, Cen Xiangyang… these people are her toys. They belong in her toy box."

He looked at Ji Fanyin before continuing on, "And you're taking away her toys."

"Strictly speaking, I'm only borrowing those toys while the owner is away. I fully intend to put them back into the box." Ji Fanyin raised a finger and defended herself. "I just want to ask: Have you really never thought of obtaining her full heart?"

"You're her older sister. Shouldn't you know better?" Li Xiaoxing replied with a question.

Ji Fanyin couldn't empathize with Ji Xinxin, but she was still somewhat able to understand her.

The size of Ji Xinxin's fishery corresponded to the void in her heart. She could only resort to this almost psychopathic behavior to temporarily satisfy her needs.

Over time, she might have already forgotten how to devote her feelings to a relationship and how it felt to truly like a person.

"Mr Li, you have to trust me when I say this, but even 'King of the Seas' have their own weaknesses too." Ji Fanyin smiled confidently. "Shall we make a deal? If you don't interfere in my work, I'll teach you how to become the most important person in Ji Xinxin's heart."

"…" Li Xiaoxing didn't respond to her offer. Perhaps it was because he was born with a face that lacked expressiveness, it was hard to find any cracks on his face.

However, Ji Fanyin wasn't worried. She unhurriedly continued, "I won't go so far as to say that you'll be the only one in her heart, but she'll become dependent on you. When a conflict occurs, she'll unhesitatingly cast others aside for you… If you become the most important person in her heart, that's no different from 'love'."

Yeap… One has to be flexible in the corporate world. Crisis management.

A quick look at /37k7u89t will leave you more fulfilled.

If I could garner Li Xiaoxing's support here, I'll get lots of conveniences in the future.

With such thoughts in mind, she offered a hand toward Li Xiaoxing and smiled amicably, "Deal?"