The date that Li Xiaoxing and Ji Fanyin had meticulously chosen for their engagement ceremony wasn't perfect. It had started drizzling from the crack of dawn, and by noon, it had already become a massive downpour.
It was raining heavily when Ji Fanyin and Bai Zhou left the banquet hall.
Being too much in a hurry to leave, Bai Zhou had forgotten to grab his umbrella. The two of them had no choice but to make do with the eaves of the porch.
"You won't find the answer you're looking for from me." Seeing how Bai Zhou wasn't saying anything after a long moment of silence, Ji Fanyin decided to cut straight to the point.
"..." Bai Zhou didn't say a word.
"It's about time for us to end our business transactions," Ji Fanyin added.
"No way!" exclaimed Bai Zhou right away.
"Isn't what you seek…" He hurriedly lowered his voice before continuing on, "What you want is money, right? I can give you as much as you want. Don't even think about ending our transactions!"
"It has never been your prerogative to decide whether our transactions continue or not," replied Ji Fanyin calmly. "Let me put it this way. Our positions have never been equal. You wouldn't have been able to find another stand-in for Ji Xinxin if not for me. That's why I get to dictate the rules."
Besides, Bai Zhou is about to run out of money… or so Mrs. Bai says.
Bai Zhou took a moment to digest the situation before protesting weakly, "… What about me then?"
Ji Fanyin discernibly noticed a nasal hint to his voice, and she couldn't resist the curiosity to look over.
Bai Zhou's eyes were a little red. It would only take one last push for him to start tearing up.
"You haven't even graduated from university yet. There's much in the world for you to see and experience," replied Ji Fanyin amusedly, "Aren't you the successor to the Bai Family? There's so much for you to learn before you're ready to take over the family business."
"You know that's not what I want…" Bai Zhou mumbled as he turned away with a pout. He sniffled as softly as he could, thinking that Ji Fanyin wouldn't be able to hear it. "Does that mean that you've earned enough money?"
Ji Fanyin didn't deny it. "Enough for me to discontinue the stand-in business."
To be honest, Ji Fanyin was tired of managing the fishery. If not for her lack of choices and the fast money earned from this job, she would not have joined this industry.
Not to mention, she had stirred enough waves in the fishery to induce a tsunami. It would be too late if she failed to make a full retreat right now.
"… No wonder they say women turn bad with money," grumbled Bai Zhou.
"?" Ji Fanyin couldn't believe what she had just heard.
"What about the others then?" asked Bai Zhou annoyedly. "Were they expelled from your list of clients too?"
There was a slight rustle behind them at this moment. Ji Fanyin turned around and saw Secretary Fan pushing Li Xiaoxing in her direction. In particular, the man in the wheelchair had his eyes locked on her.
"I guess so," replied Ji Fanyin with raised brows. "It's about time to do some cleaning up."
Bai Zhou traced her line of sight and frowned at what he saw. "That dimwit couldn't even recognize his own benefactor even though you were right in front of him all this while."
"You aren't in a good position to be saying that of him." Ji Fanyin chuckled softly in response. She raised her hand to signal Li Xiaoxing to hold on for a moment.
Li Xiaoxing gritted his teeth in irritation, but he still gestured for Secretary Fan to stop the wheelchair.
Bai Zhou: "…"I am all too familiar with that.
Bai Zhou shot a glance at Li Xiaoxing before turning back to ask Ji Fanyin, "Did he treat you as a stand-in as well?"
Ji Fanyin didn't answer that question.
Bai Zhou clenched his jaws hard before finally asking the more important question weighing down his heart, "Everything you've told me during your time as a stand-in, were they all lies?"
"Everything you wanted to hear from me was a lie," replied Ji Fanyin.
"When I confessed…"
"The person you confessed to doesn't exist."
"… Do you hate me?"
"There's no reason for me to."
"What about our promise to watch the sunrise in Greece together every year?"
Ji Fanyin laughed. "That was a lie."
"…"
With that, Ji Fanyin finally turned away and began making her way toward Li Xiaoxing. A few steps later, she suddenly turned around as if she had just recalled something. "Right. I ought to tell you, my birthday isn't on the same day as Ji Xinxin's."
Those words stirred Bai Zhou's memories of their time in Greece, and his eyes slowly widened in horror.
…
Upon reaching Li Xiaoxing's side, Ji Fanyin couldn't resist the temptation to direct another glance toward Bai Zhou.
The little fool had crouched onto the ground and buried his face into his arms. His shoulders were trembling ever so slightly. It seemed like he was crying.
This should be a satisfactory outcome for Mrs. Bai.
Li Xiaoxing called out, "Ji Fanyin…"
"Give me a second. I have a phone call to make," said Ji Fanyin with an apologetic smile. She whipped out her phone and dialed Mrs. Bai's number.
Secretary Fan glanced at his boss' displeased expression and quickly interjected, "Miss Ji, would you mind us moving to a more private location while you make your call?"
Ji Fanyin nodded.
Secretary Fan began leading the way. He seemed to have already familiarized himself with the hotel's floor plan.
Not a single word was spoken between them along the way, but Ji Fanyin could sense Li Xiaoxing's intense gaze lingering on her.
Ji Fanyin simply ignored Li Xiaoxing and patiently waited for Mrs. Bai to pick up the call. When the call finally connected, she concisely reported the situation to her.
Overall, it was a job well done.
Bai Zhou first learned that his first love had impersonated someone else to marry another man before being dumped a moment later. The double blow he suffered today would teach him to be warier when dealing with women in the future.
This was exactly what Mrs. Bai asked for.
Mrs. Bai patiently listened to Ji Fanyin's report before replying with an ambiguous tone that made it hard to tell whether she was satisfied with the outcome. "Good job, but I'll have to ask you to continue your work for a while longer."
Ji Fanyin caught the drift right away and asked euphemistically, "Are things on your side not resolved yet?"
"Soon," replied Mrs. Bai ambiguously. "I'll be troubling you to take care of Bai Zhou for a while longer. I'll remunerate you accordingly."
Ji Fanyin took a moment to consider Mrs.Bai's proposal before replying, "Alright. I'll wait for your instructions."
Considering that it was a rare request from a generous client, she didn't mind taking on the additional trouble. It wasn't a big deal for her to continue taking care of Bai Zhou on Mrs. Bai's behalf anyway.
"One more thing." Mrs. Bai paused for a brief moment before continuing, "How is he now?"
"Depressed," Ji Fanyin answered honestly. "It's my first time seeing him cry."
There were two seconds of silence before Mrs. Bai remarked, "… Is that so?"
She hung up the phone right after.
That was all she could say whenever they approached a sensitive topic relating to Bai Zhou. It was as if she knew of no other way to express her feelings.
Ji Fanyin shook her head. As she put down her phone, she heard Li Xiaoxing's voice, "You seem to be busy."
"Not as much as you." Ji Fanyin chuckled as she slipped her phone back into her coat. "Can we make this quick? I forgot to feed my tropical fish at home."
The trio walked into a small meeting room.
Secretary Fan took a bow before quietly leaving the room.
"You were that little girl." Li Xiaoxing positioned himself to face Ji Fanyin. "Were you aware of that all this time?"
"I only remembered it not too long ago, but I don't think it's important." Ji Fanyin calmly locked eyes with Li Xiaoxing with a relaxed body posture. "Is it important to you?"
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Li Xiaoxing stared intensely at Ji Fanyin as he subconsciously tightened his grip around the armrests. "Of course it's important. Why didn't you tell me if you've already found out about it?"
"Isn't that obvious?" Ji Fanyin cocked her head to one side and said, "I might have mistaken you for someone else too. It's quite a common occurrence, after all."
Li Xiaoxing choked on her sarcasm. He took a deep breath to calm himself before continuing on, "Do you know how much I wanted to see you?"
"Not much, I'd guess," Ji Fanyin nonchalantly shrugged. "You had everything you needed to conduct an investigation. If you'd really wanted to find that little girl, you could have easily done so with a snap of your finger."
If Li Xiaoxing was sincere about finding 'Ji Fanyin', all he really had to do was to drop a call to Evergreen Nursing Home. Yet, he only 'reunited' with Ji Xinxin five years ago. This spoke volumes about how much hetreasuredthat little girl he kept harping on about.
"This proves one thing though. The person whom you have fallen in love with is the Ji Xinxin you met after your 'reunion'." Ji Fanyin tucked her hands behind her back and looked at Li Xiaoxing questioningly, "Isn't that good news?"
"..."
"Could it be that your inner perfectionist felt that the relationship was sullied the moment you realized Ji Xinxin has been lying to you? So you don't feel obliged to sustain the relationship now that it's no longer pure," asked Ji Fanyin.
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A tinge of humiliation and anger seeped through Li Xiaoxing's poker face.
"Ah, I forgot to bring congratulatory money with me today," Ji Fanyin said brazenly as she casually tucked her hands into her pockets. "It's not every day that I get an opportunity to bring a loving couple together. I ought to offer you my sincere blessing."
"Ji Fanyin, I don't need your money."
"I know that Mr. Li has always been generous. Now that you have fulfilled your wish, I think it's about time for us to conclude our business dealings." Ji Fanyin raised her hand and slowly applauded. "Congratulations, Li Xiaoxing. You have finally graduated."
At her slow applause, Li Xiaoxing's face slowly darkened bit by bit. "Were you playing me all this time?"
"Wake up, Li Xiaoxing," sneered Ji Fanyin. "You were the one who got the wrong person. You were the one who knocked on my door to warn me. You were the one who accepted my lessons. You were the one who decided to propose to her. Have I ever forced you to do any of that? Touch your heart. Are you really unsatisfied now that you have Ji Xinxin in your hands?"
…
The string of accusations had Li Xiaoxing clench his jaws. He couldn't refute Ji Fanyin's claims.
Of course he was happy about attaining Ji Xinxin, but that was only till he realized that Ji Xinxin wasn't his angel!
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Now that he knew the truth, having Ji Xinxin alone wouldn't enough to shape out the angel he had so fervently pursued. If Ji Xinxin was the angel of his adulthood, Ji Fanyin would be the angel of his childhood.
He needed to piece these two together to create the perfection he sought.
That's right. I need to have both Ji Fanyin and Ji Xinxin in my clutches in order to fill up the empty void in my heart.
Li Xiaoxing took another breath to calm down.
Ji Fanyin is a cunning woman. I need to slowly plan things out.
"I know that you need money, Ji Fanyin," said Li Xiaoxing calmly. "Engagement isn't the end yet. There's still marriage, childbirth, and many more events where I might encounter problems with Ji Xinxin. I need your help to maintain my relationship with her. You have already helped me this far, so why not just go all the way?"
He was confident that he could snag Ji Fanyin in his net with sufficient time, similar to how he managed to win Ji Xinxin over within six months.
He raised his head to look at Ji Fanyin after finishing his piece, only to see her staring down at him. There was a condescending smile on her lips. Eventually, she burst out laughing.
Ji Fanyin didn't think that Li Xiaoxing would react in such a way.
Well, the thought did briefly cross my mind, but… how should I put it?
It's just too ludicrous, too absurd and too shameless.
Ji Fanyin was aware that Li Xiaoxing was a pathological perfectionist.
Back when he thought that he was unable to control Ji Xinxin, he chose to see her other fishes as nothing more than toys in her box. He would rather support her in her endeavors instead of confessing his love for her. He knew that he couldn't afford to reveal his hand to her.
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It was only with Ji Fanyin's step-by-step instructions that he was able to slowly reel Ji Xinxin toward him.
In other words, Li Xiaoxing had become conceited. He thought that he could use what he had learned from Ji Fanyin to control her.
In this world, where the average EQ appeared to be lower, Ji Fanyin couldn't help but wonder:Do these people ever think of doing anything good with their newfound skills? Are bad things all that's on their minds?
"The two of you are truly compatible," remarked Ji Fanyin. "It might just be an engagement at the moment, but I hope that the two of you will tie the knot soon. Your marriage will last for a long time."
Li Xiaoxing would never let Ji Xinxin go until he lost all interest in her. Similarly, Ji Xinxin would never let Li Xiaoxing go until she found herself another way out.
Ji Fanyin leaned in to admire Li Xiaoxing's flawless facial features. After a brief exchange of gazes, her eyes shifted toward his legs. "Is your disability the root of your obsessive personality and low self-esteem?"
Scorned and humiliated by that remark, anger flared in Li Xiaoxing's eyes. "Fully-abled people like you will never understand."
"Perhaps." Ji Fanyin placed a finger on his pants, using a force so light that it hardly registered as a touch. "You remember it, right? The younger 'me' might have been a little eccentric, but she was a very, very bright child."
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"What are you trying to say?"
"If it wasn't for Ji Xinxin, I might have already become a researcher, wearing a huge lab coat in some advanced laboratory." Ji Fanyin thought about it for a brief moment before continuing on. "'I' remember making a promise to you that 'I' would find a way to free you from your disability. I think that 'I' might have just been able to pull it off."
Li Xiaoxing clenched his fists tightly upon hearing those words. He stared deeply into Ji Fanyin's eyes and asked, "Really?"
"… It could have been done. If the old 'Ji Fanyin' still existed, that is." Ji Fanyin retracted her hand and took two steps back. "What a pity. It looks like you'll have to spend your entire life in that wheelchair now."
"..."
"It was with 'my' encouragement that you were able to partially recover from your full paralysis and regain control over your upper body. With 'my' help, there was a possibility that you could have been able to stand up on your own two feet and become a fully-abled person," said Ji Fanyin.
"And in the whole scheme of things, Ji Xinxin has only thwarted all your possibilities. I wonder how much you still love her now after hearing all of this. If it was a full ten points before, how many would it be now?"
Ji Fanyin was truly curious to know the answer.
"What difference would telling you the answer make?" Li Xiaoxing showed no expression on his face. "How would that benefit you?"
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"What difference would reading a book to its final page make? It's just to provide some closure," replied Ji Fanyin.
"You can't abandon me now," said Li Xiaoxing in a suppressed voice."You have already chosen to help me. You should help me to the very end."
Looking at the man in the wheelchair, Ji Fanyin finally retracted her smile. She calmly poured a cup of water from a nearby water dispenser before throwing it into Li Xiaoxing's face.
It happened so fast that Li Xiaoxing didn't have a chance to avoid it. It splashed his entire face and then trickled down onto his tuxedo.
Ji Fanyin fiddled with the now empty cup with narrowed eyes. "Is that how you repay and apologize to me, Li Xiaoxing?"
Li Xiaoxing's pupils contracted as if someone had shone glaring light into them. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down. "… No, I apologize. That was rude of me. I am willing to compensate you accordingly. I am grateful for the support you have provided me back then."
" It's too late. I don't care for that," replied Ji Fanyin.
She waved his hand disdainfully and bid Li Xiaoxing farewell. "This should be our last meeting. Let's not contact each other from now onward. Goodbye, Mr. Li. On a positive note, you're at least a generous client."
Ji Fanyin took her leave without waiting for Li Xiaoxing's response. Secretary Fan hesitated for a brief moment upon seeing her, but he decided against stopping her.
Most of the exciting shows had already played out, so there was no longer any reason for her to remain here. Thus, she decided to leave the premises.
If Li Xiaoxing knows what's good for him, he should transfer me a fitting sum to compensate me for the emotional distress I have suffered.
But before she left the hotel, she tapped into the 'Temptation of Home' app to view her progress. The progress bar was already nearing the halfway mark, reflecting the figure '-5,912,219,633.88'.
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"..."Did I just earn one billion today?
Ji Fanyin gasped at the sheer wealth she had earned from today's hard work.
Rounding up the Emotion Points she had gained, it would appear that almost all of the guests had undergone an emotional tsunami.
… I pray that there'll be more of such events in the future.
Ji Fanyin began wondering what kind of situations it would take to trigger another round of emotional tsunami of such scale.
Song Shiyu's marriage? Doesn't seem too plausible.
What about Li Xiaoxing's marriage and a divorce afterward? That'll probably take quite a bit of time…
She was deep in thought when a shocked feminine voice pierced across the air, "… What did you say?!"
Ji Fanyin recognized that voice to be Li Mingyue's.
The Li Family has faced enough ordeals for today.
Ji Fanyin was planning to feign ignorance and walk away, but an even louder voice echoed right afterward, "That's why I told you that you wouldn't believe what I have to say!"
It was Cheng Lin.
It just so happened that from where Ji Fanyin was currently standing, she could see Bai Zhou squatting at the other side of the hotel's glass wall.
Thus, she halted her footsteps and stopped to consider her options.
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I have a strong feeling that if I leave right now, a stray cat might just latch onto me.
But at the same time, it's obvious Li Mingyue and Cheng Lin are talking about something related to me, or to be more exact, 'Ji Fanyin'.
"…"
I guess I'll choose the latter after all.
Ji Fanyin made her way toward the designated smoking area, where Li Mingyue and Cheng Lin's voices had echoed from. She first fanned away the smoke lingering in the area before addressing the two of them, "Aren't you being a little too loud for a secret conversation? I could hear you from a distance away."
Her sudden interjection made Li Mingyue and Cheng Lin turn their heads around in shock.
This scene was oddly reminiscent of how Li Mingyue interrupted her conversation with Cheng Lin earlier in the day. This similarity induced a chuckle from her. She waved at them and said, "What a coincidence."
Li Mingyue looked at her with an inconspicuous frown. "Ji Fanyin."
"Yes?"
Li Mingyue turned her gaze back to Cheng Lin.
"It's just your speculations so far. Wouldn't it be better for you to confirm it with the person in question?" asked Li Mingyue. "She seems to be a candid person. I believe she'll answer your questions."
Ji Fanyin looked at the two of them with a smile, waiting for them to continue on.
Cheng Lin awkwardly cleared her throat.
Ji Fanyin turned to look at her. "Yes?"
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"…" Cheng Lin took a deep breath before finally asking with a resigned look on her face. "Are you really Ji Fanyin?"
Ah." An amused gleam flickered across Ji Fanyin's eyes. "Answer my question first. Are you asking this question in your capacity as Ji Fanyin's friend?"
"We aren't friends." Cheng Lin snorted. She stubbed her cigarette forcefully against the ashtray located at the top of the rubbish can. "I absolutely despise her and her weak personality. She's always letting others trample all over her and exploit her. She deserves everything that happened to her!"
Li Mingyue let out a soft sigh, but she didn't stop Cheng Lin's angry outburst.
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"… That's why I know that you aren't the Ji Fanyin I knew. She would have never been able to handle the situation the way you did." Cheng Lin pressed the cigarette butt even harder against the rubbish can, refusing to look at Ji Fanyin. "If she had even half of your temper, she would have never been bullied by me or Ji Xinxin!"
"But I am Ji Fanyin too," replied Ji Fanyin.
Li Mingyue widened her eyes whereas Cheng Lin froze in astonishment.
"… Split personality?" mumbled Li Mingyue.
"No, we just happen to share the same name." Ji Fanyin stepped forward and threw away the cigarette that Cheng Lin had cruelly tortured throughout the conversation. "You're the first one to have noticed the switch… Ah, I mean the second one."
Ji Xinxin could be counted too.
The designated smoking area plunged into silence.
It was a long time later that Cheng Lin finally broke the silence with a weak murmur, "What about her?"
Ji Fanyin hesitated for two seconds before replying, "She's not around anymore."
The moment Cheng Lin heard the answer, she covered her face as though she had already anticipated the answer. After several seconds of stifling silence, a sob escaped through her hands.
Ji Fanyin stared at Cheng Lin.
Having looked through 'Ji Fanyin's' memories, she knew that Cheng Lin had been a domineering person from a young age. The Cheng Family believed that girls needed to have a strong character so as to not be taken advantage of by others.
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That was why Cheng Lin couldn't stand the sight of 'Ji Fanyin's' weakness, similar to the situation with Bai Zhou.
It was just that their approaches were a little different.
Cheng Lin preferred to actively confront 'Ji Fanyin' to see how cowardly she was, but ironically, the one who got frustrated at the end of the confrontation was always her.
One day, Cheng Lin stumbled upon 'Ji Fanyin' writing in her diary. It reminded her of the rumors circulating around the cohort about how 'Ji Fanyin' had a crush on the then graduated Senior Song, so she decided to steal a peek.
What she saw shocked her.
The pages were filled with esoteric Mathematical formulae that appeared to have been dug out from some advanced textbook. So, she snatched the diary away to take a closer look, though it didn't make a difference at all. In the end, she turned to Ji Fanyin and questioned, "What is this?!"
"I-it's nothing!"
"Who are you trying to scam? Are you going to tell me that it's a ghost talisman next!" Cheng Lin quickly flipped through the pages of the diary.
"… Fourier transform…"
"Four… what?!"
Just like that, Cheng Lin confiscated 'Ji Fanyin's' diary.
She did some investigation on the internet, and to her shock, the spineless coward she had been bullying all this while was in fact a prodigy! That overturned Cheng Lin's world.
"I was so mean and cruel to her! I berated her and forced her to fight back, but she told me that she didn't dare to. She said that she only wanted to be normal!" Cheng Lin cried hoarsely through her sobs, "I was a fool. I never stopped to wonder why she didn't dare fight back. I thought that everyone should be as reckless and brainless as me… The last time we spoke was the day our university application results came out. It was yet another one-sided quarrel."
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Ji Fanyin remembered the event that transpired. "She applied for the same course as you."
Both of them majored in English at Lakeside University.
Li Mingyue calmly interjected from the side, "At least the diary proves that my brother was blind to have gotten the wrong person."
Cheng Lin glared at Li Mingyue with a tear-stained face.
Ji Fanyin patted Cheng Lin's hair and pulled her into her embrace. "Don't cry. I know, I know."
"What the fuck do you know! You aren't her!" bellowed Cheng Lin.
Cheng Lin only lost control of her emotions for a brief moment before pushing Ji Fanyin away. She rushed off to the washroom to freshen herself up.
"I should get going now." Ji Fanyin bade Li Mingyue farewell.
"Let's exchange contacts." Li Mingyue whipped out her phone. "I have a feeling that we'll be seeing each other in the future."
The uncanny scenario of parents reporting a game developer over their child secretly spending money on the game surfaced in Ji Fanyin's mind, but she still chose to exchange contacts with Li Mingyue.
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Just as she was about to leave, she glanced at the hotel entrance and saw that Bai Zhou was no longer there.
"What are you looking for?" asked Li Mingyue.
"A stray cat," replied Ji Fanyin.
Li Mingyue took a glance at the hotel entrance too, but her following words were completely irrelevant. "My brother went out to look for you earlier. I suppose that the two of you have already thrashed things out, so I'll cut to the chase. Does he know about what you just admitted to?"
"Even if I told him, under the current circumstances, he wouldn't have believed me."
"That's true." Li Mingyue gave the matter some thought before waving her phone at Ji Fanyin. "I have other matters to attend to, so I'll bid you farewell here."
Ji Fanyin smiled in response. "Every family has its own set of troubles."
"Indeed." Li Mingyue agreed with a nod.
…
Li Mingyue watched as Ji Fanyin coolly walked out of the hotel before returning to the room where Ji Xinxin was being held captive. She walked at a leisurely pace, looking as calm as ever, but the earlier conversation had left a huge impact on her.
She finally understood why Cheng Lin talked about web novels and the sort when she expressed her concerns regarding privacy when reading the diary.
She thought that Cheng Lin's deduction was ridiculous as it was, but Ji Fanyin actually admitted to it afterward. Of course, her rational mind interpreted it as a case of dissociative identity disorder, but that was still rather shocking.
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In any case, if what they had said was true, her brother's engagement with Ji Xinxin was bound to bring about a great deal of trouble.
Li Mingyue halted right in front of the meeting room and let out a sigh. "Where is my brother?" Li Mingyue asked her assistant.
"Mr. Li isn't back yet."
Shortly after the assistant answered the question, Li Mingyue spotted Secretary Fan pushing Li Xiaoxing over.
Li Xiaoxing had changed into another set of clothes, but his hair was noticeably damp.
"Brother." Li Mingyue assessed Li Xiaoxing's expression and calmly asked, "Do you intend to proceed with the ceremony?"
"… Yes, we'll proceed as planned."
Li Xiaoxing pushed the door open and called out, "Xinxin."
Ji Xinxin looked up from her curled-up position on the chair with hope clearly written all over her face.
"Come here." Li Xiaoxing reached his hand out to her. "We should resume the ceremony now."
Tears of joy shimmered in Ji Xinxin's eyes as she leaped into Li Xiaoxing's arms. The engagement ring she wore on her finger was shining brighter than ever under the room's lighting.
"You didn't abandon me… You didn't abandon me…" She murmured again and again as if she had lost her mind.
The dependency and desire Ji Xinxin carried for him satisfied Li Xiaoxing, but this satisfaction dissipated the moment the name 'Ji Fanyin' surfaced in his mind.
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There has to be a way… Ji Fanyin isn't omniscient.
With such thoughts in mind, Li Xiaoxing combed his damp hair back and softly patted Ji Xinxin's back. "Let's have your makeup tidied up. You won't look good on the stage like this."
"Mm!" Ji Xinxin nodded enthusiastically, looking exceptionally obedient.
Ji Xinxin's obedient persona persisted throughout the day.
The plan was for them to start their cohabitation after their engagement, so the two of them headed to Li Xiaoxing's house once the engagement ceremony ended.
As soon as Secretary Fan closed the door and left the premises, Ji Xinxin immediately began making her move. Partly fuelled by the alcohol content in her, she pressed herself intimately against Li Xiaoxing and started to undress him as they slowly made their way towards the bedroom.
Despite Li Xiaoxing's disability, she was able to get him into bed easily with the help of the handicap installations around the house.
It was in a state of despair and desperation that Ji Xinxin gave herself up to Li Xiaoxing that night, but she had been the only passionate one of the two.
Li Xiaoxing was distracted the entire time. Even as he gently stroked the hair of the heavily panting Ji Xinxin after the deed, the only person on his mind was another woman.
The words of Ji Fanyin rang in his head.
"Is your disability the root of your obsessive personality and low self-esteem?"
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"I wonder how much you still love her now after hearing all of this. If it was a full ten points before, how many would it be now?"
… Ji Fanyin knew him too well.
She seemed to have already seen through him from their first meeting after returning from Greece.
As Li Xiaoxing's thoughts wandered, he subconsciously ran the tip of his tongue along his upper jaw to relieve an itch.
"Xinxin." Li Xiaoxing called out to the woman in his arms tenderly. "Do you love me?"
"I love you," Ji Xinxin answered without hesitation.
Li Xiaoxing combed his fingers through her hair and gently massaged her nape. "I love you too."
But I'm also in love with someone else.
The night of the engagement ceremony, Li Xiaoxing had a dream.
He couldn't remember the details of the dreams too, but the feelings of shock, anger, and frustration continued to linger even after he woke up. On top of that, there was something that felt much more tangible than just the feelings of agitation.
… An intense pain in his legs.
That was what had jolted him awake from his dreams. He had never experienced such intense pain in his legs, even on the day of the accident, more than a decade ago.
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He was already drenched in cold sweat when he woke up. He tried his nudge Ji XInxin awake while trying to get the A.I. digital assistant to call Secretary Fan.
"What's wrong? Where are you feeling unwell?" Ji Xinxin immediately got up and asked concernedly.
"Legs…" Li Xiaoxing moaned in pain, "My legs…"
Ji Xinxin turned to look at his legs in bewilderment. Other than being thinner and fairer than an average man's legs due to the lack of exercise, nothing looked out of the ordinary. She carefully applied some light pressure on Li Xiaoxing's leg in a bid to find out more about his pain. "Where does it hurt?"
All she could really feel was his cold skin.
But Li Xiaoxing let out a muffled scream as if Ji Xinxin had just plunged a knife into his flesh.
His extreme reaction made Ji Xinxin leap back in shock.
It was fortunate that the call with Secretary Fan connected just then. Ji Xinxin hurriedly explained the situation and Li Xiaoxing's symptoms to him.
Li Xiaoxing's medical team immediately rushed to the house, and a series of comprehensive tests were carried out to determine the cause of his pain.
The problem was that the results showed that everything was normal. In fact, Li Xiaoxing hadn't even regained sensory functions in his legs, which made it even more baffling how he could be feeling pain.
"Mr. Li might be in excruciating pain at the moment, but it might be a good thing if the pain stimulates his legs. It suggests that he might be slowly regaining sensory function in his lower body," explained the principal doctor to Ji Xinxin and Secretary Fan. "However, the test results show that Mr. Li's legs do not respond to external stimuli, which leads us to believe that the pain he's feeling is psychological."
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"Is it similar to the phantom pain experienced by amputees?" Ji Xinxin asked.
"It's too early to make any conclusions. We'll need Mr. Li to follow us to the hospital so we can conduct further tests," said the doctor.
"Can you prescribe him some painkillers or tranquilizers first?" asked Secretary Fan.
Ji Xinxin nervously looked in the direction of the master bedroom.
Despite being more than ten meters apart, she could still hear Li Xiaoxing's unceasing moans as he battled with the pain.
"Normal painkillers won't be effective since the pain is psychological," said the doctor. "We can try giving him a placebo and see if it can trick his brain into relieving the pain."
"Thank you," Secretary Fan thanked the doctor.
"… There's one more thing I have to ask about." The doctor hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Mr. Li's condition had been stable for many years now. For something like this to happen all of a sudden, it is likely that he encountered something that brought him great mental distress. I recommend you bring in a professional counselor to help Mr. Li cope with his stress. It would also be good if you could find out what triggered today's episode."
Secretary Fan and Ji Xinxin subconsciously looked at each other as the same thought arose in their minds.
It was barely dawn when Ji Fanyin was rudely awoken by an incoming call. That instantly put her in a bad mood.
I should have cleaned out my client group yesterday when I got back home. That way, I wouldn't have to worry about anyone bypassing my 'Do Not Disturb' mode.
She fumbled around for the phone and checked the caller ID. She then closed her eyes and grumbled in annoyance, "Secretary Fan, this call better be about you transferring money to me."
"I'll get it done," replied Secretary Fan politely. "I would like you to make a trip here. You'll be paid based on your overtime rates."
What a workaholic.
Ji Fanyin cracked her eyes open to check the current time—6.20 AM.
In a more sober tone, she asked, "What happened?"
"Mr. Li is in a bad state…" Secretary Fan quickly filled Ji Fanyin in on the details before ending off with an earnest plea, "The doctor prescribed him some placebos and painkillers but nothing seems to work. Could you make a trip here right now?"
Ji Fanyin lazily rolled over and laid on her side as she asked teasingly, "What about Ji Xinxin? Isn't she there? You can get her to comfort Li Xiaoxing."
"… Please don't tease me. I didn't hear the conversation between Mr. Li and you yesterday, but I can guess what happened from the contents of the diary divulged by Miss Cheng. You're the only one who can help Mr. Li now," replied Secretary Fan.
Ji Fanyin naturally knew the reason behind Li Xiaoxing's pain.
He found out that there was actually hope for his legs being cured, only to have the hope crushed right after. The notion of that gnawed in his mind, stifling his heart. The emotional anguish must have projected itself on his body, leading to the current situation.
Ji Fanyin sat upward and laid against the headrest. "I'm sure you are familiar with my business rules."
"I'll transfer the fees to you right now as long as you're willing to cooperate."
"I won't be going over. I have no desire to see Ji Xinxin." Ji Fanyin let out a lazy yawn. "Transfer the money first. We'll work for an hour. You can pass the phone over to Li Xiaoxing once you're done."
It took only two seconds of hesitation for Secretary Fan to accept the offer. "Please hold on."
Secretary Fan seems to be getting more and more adept at transferring money. He's always able to get it done efficiently. I wonder if it's because Li Xiaoxing is a VIP of the bank or something?
An SMS from the bank soon arrived, notifying Ji Fanyin that she had just received a deposit of ten million dollars. Following that, Secretary Fan passed the phone over to Li Xiaoxing.
"… It's a call from Ji Fanyin." Secretary Fan could be heard saying on the other end of the call.
"I'll have to ask the others to leave the room first to grant Mr. Li some privacy," said Secretary Fan.
That statement was intended for Ji Fanyin to hear. He knew that Ji Fanyin was unwilling to interact with Ji Xinxin even through the phone.
That made Ji Fanyin chuckle. Through the phone, she heard the sound of shuffling feet, followed by the closing of a door. When all was quiet, she called out, "Mr.Li."
What answered her was the sound of Li Xiaoxing's rapid, shallow breathing.
"Are you listening?" asked Ji Fanyin. "I shan't waste my saliva talking if you aren't."
There was another series of wheezing before Li Xiaoxing croaked laboriously, "I'm listening."
"What do you want to hear from me?" asked Ji Fanyin.
Her casual attitude was the polar opposite of Li Xiaoxing's, as if she was having a regular chat with a friend she coincidentally met on the street.
"… The past." Li Xiaoxing wheezed out word by word, "I want you to talk about the past."
"The past?" Ji Fanyin gave it some thought and clarified, "Do you mean before we met or after?"
There was no reply from Li Xiaoxing.
"I'll hang up the phone if you don't want to answer me," coerced Ji Fanyin.
"… Both."
Ji Fanyin laughed. "Sure. I'll tell you the story of 'Ji Fanyin'."
There was a little girl named Ji Fanyin," said Ji Fanyin calmly. "She was a precocious child, sensitive and fragile, desperate for familial love. It was just that those qualities were a double-edged sword to her…"
Ji Fanyin chose to selectively share details of 'Ji Fanyin's' past. Her goal was not to convince Li Xiaoxing about supernatural happenings but to make him realize how and where he had erred.
Being able to judge a person's character accurately was an important skill to a 'King of the Seas'.
Ji Fanyin knew that possessive people like Li Xiaoxing tended to be easily controlled themselves, which was why she had conditioned him over the past few months.
Her primary goal was not to manipulate Li Xiaoxing; she was earnestly doing her job to fulfill Li Xiaoxing's wish of getting together with Ji Xinxin. She wasn't planning on using the conditioning under normal circumstances; it just served as a safety precaution, should things go awry.
And things did go awry.
As Ji Fanyin slowly shared the story, Li Xiaoxing's pained breathing gradually quietened down.
By the time Ji Fanyin stopped to take a sip of water at the end of the hour, Li Xiaoxing had already recovered enough to ask a question, "Is everything you have told me true?"
"It is true if you wish to believe in it."
"… What happened afterward? You haven't shared anything about your life after university."
"Aren't you already feeling better?" Ji Fanyin pointed out.
Time froze. It took a while before Li Xiaoxing managed to formulate a reply.
"... No, it still hurts badly. I feel like a truck is crushing my legs." Li Xiaoxing appeared to be in a state of panic but was trying his best to remain calm because he knew that he couldn't succumb to it. "I want to extend the session for another two… No, an hour will do."
"Hush." Ji Fanyin stopped him with a single word. "Time's up."
…
Ji Fanyin hung up the phone.
Li Xiaoxing tightened his grip around his phone as he watched the screen go dim. The unbearable pain reared its ugly head once more, starting from his knees before swiftly consuming his legs like a flood of flames.
He bit down hard on his lips in an attempt to suppress the mind-numbing pain and hurriedly dialed Li Mingyue's number. "You have Ji Fanyin's diary?"
Li Mingyue's voice sounded sober, seemingly having woken up early. "I just received it, but I haven't finished looking through it. Do you want a copy?"
"Send it to me." He further emphasized, "Directly."
"Got it." Li Mingyue hesitated for a moment before asking, "Brother, are you alright? Your voice sounds weak."
"I'm fine," Li Xiaoxing replied perfunctorily. "I need the diary as soon as possible."
He hung up the phone.
The excruciating pain continued to torture him, so he started murmuring Ji Fanyin's name over and over in his mind. He thought about every single word and action from her, allowing her to consume his mind.
It seemed to dull the pain in his legs, as if a pail of cooling water had been poured over the raging inferno. It wasn't as effective as hearing her voice directly, but he did feel better.
Perplexed, he tested his theory out a couple of times. It didn't take long for him to be soaked in cold sweat, but he managed to confirm a fact…
… Ji Fanyin was the only cure to his phantom pain.
More than an hour had passed since Ji Xinxin and the medical team had been told to leave Li Xiaoxing's room. The group waited patiently by the door.
Ji Xinxin anxiously searched through the internet in a bid to gather information. Secretary Fan simply sat still, neither saying a word nor doing a thing. The medical team gathered by the corner to have a hushed but intense discussion about Li Xiaoxing's condition.
The atmosphere felt exceptionally tense.
The landline phone beside Secretary Fan suddenly rang and immediately caught everyone's attention. Secretary Fan took a deep breath before picking up the receiver. "Hello?"
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He quietly listened in for a long while before his expression relaxed a little. At the very end, he replied with an "Alright" before hanging up the phone. He turned to the medical team and relayed the results, "Mr. Li is feeling better now. We'll have to trouble you to run some checks again."
The medical team immediately leaped to action. Ji Xinxin trailed at the back of the group, feeling nervous and disorientated. She knew that she was in a bad position, but she wasn't planning to sit around idly and allow everything slip through her fingers.
It hadn't even been that long since her engagement with Li Xiaoxing! She had great ambitions for the life ahead of her, so there was no way she would content herself with becoming a mere trophy fiancé for Li Xiaoxing.
That was why she was so passionate in bed with Li Xiaoxing last night. She had made the calculations beforehand to ensure that it was her fertile window. The process was cumbersome and riddled with troubles―it was the first time for both of them and Li Xiaoxing's constitution wasn't fit for such activities―but Ji Xinxin still pushed for two shots.
How could Li Xiaoxing suffer from such a weird ailment just hours after our engagement?!
But what infuriated her the most was how she was utterly incapable of soothing Li Xiaoxing's pain, but a mere call from Ji Fanyin was enough to placate him.
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This was greater humiliation to her than being thrown onto a busy street naked.
Ji Xinxin took a few deep breaths to compose herself before entering the room.
She rushed past the doctors to get to Li Xiaoxing's side first and worriedly grasped his hand. "Are you still in pain? Do you feel better? Was my big sis able to help with your pain? If so, that's truly a blessing…"
"Mm," Li Xiaoxing replied distractedly.
A few seconds later, he suddenly raised his head to look at Ji Xinxin. He first studied her features before staring deeply into her eyes.
Ji Xinxin returned his gaze with innocent eyes that were glimmering with tears.
Li Xiaoxing smiled at her.
Ji Xinxin should have felt affirmed by that smile, but she instinctively felt a shiver running down her spine instead. Her sharp intuition told her that Li Xiaoxing wasn't looking at her with the same gaze as earlier. He was seeing someone else through her.
The thought of it filled her with terror.
To conceal her emotions, she quietly positioned herself beside Li Xiaoxing and leaned on his shoulders, not allowing him to see her expression.
However, her mind had already flown into overdrive. She desperately racked her brains for a solution to resolve the current situation and make a comeback.
Meanwhile, the medical team performed yet another series of tests on Li Xiaoxing. The results eased their nervous faces.
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"Mr. Li's vitals are much better than before," announced the doctor-in-charge. "Still, I'd like to recommend Mr. Li to undergo psychiatric treatment. The occurrence of phantom pain is always linked to the patient's mental state. Other than that, I think that it's worth giving acupuncture a try too."
Secretary Fan nodded in acknowledgment. "I'll review the treatment plan with you later."
In the meantime, Ji Xinxin grabbed a wet towel and quietly wiped the cold sweat off of Li Xiaoxing's forehead as she gently asked, "You're soaked in sweat. Do you want to take a bath before resting? You might feel better that way."
Secretary Fan met eyes with Ji Xinxin. Catching her drift, he ushered the medical team out to have a private chat with them.
Ji Xinxin supported Li Xiaoxing into the ensuite bathroom.
It was then that the cruel realization finally struck Ji Xinxin.
It was one thing to become friends with a disabled person, but it was a whole different thing to become their full-time caretaker. It might seem doable at first glance, but the difficulty often far exceeded what one had in mind.
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By the time Ji Xinxin supported Li Xiaoxing back onto the freshly made bed, she was already exhausted and out of breath. Nevertheless, she tried her best to squeeze out a smile for Li Xiaoxing and said, "Have a nap first. I'll make us breakfast. It should be done by the time you're awake."
Ji Xinxin made her way to the kitchen counter before sprawling her head onto it. Her hands were aching from having to wipe Li Xiaoxing down, and her legs were trembling from overexertion. She was also feeling exhausted from hardly catching any sleep last night.
She felt like her body was going to crumble at this rate.
Ji Xinxin took another deep breath to pull herself together before taking out her phone to take a look at the time. It wasn't even 8 AM yet.
She began scrolling through her contact list, browsing through row after row of names. She was hoping to find a person who could help her turn things around. Yet, she could barely find anyone reliable to fall back on.
While she was still hesitating over her choices, her phone suddenly rang loudly. It was a call from Cen Xiangyang. Horrified, she instinctively tapped on the 'Reject' button right away before nervously glancing in the direction of the master bedroom.
I don't hear anything. Li Xiaoxing must not have heard it.
Cen Xiangyang was aware of her secret, which gave him a handle over her yesterday when he approached her. But now that the truth was out, there was nothing he could do that frightened her anymore. At the very least, she could ignore his threats.
Anyone who mattered had already found out about her impersonation anyway.
Ji Xinxin coldly blacklisted Cen Xiangyang on all platforms, determined to cut all ties with him. Considering that Cen Xiangyang was still held back by the Cen Family and Ji Xinxin now had the Li Family backing her, she no longer had to worry about him.
Think. Think. Think! I can't be defeated this easily!
What's Ji Fanyin's source of strength? As long as I destroy that, I'll be able to turn the tables…
Ji Xinxin was so distracted by her thought that she accidentally nicked her finger while slicing a sausage. Blood immediately oozed out from the wound.
She impassively wiped off the blood before grabbing the first aid kit to disinfect it and slap on a band-aid.
Secretary Fan happened to return then. He still looked the same as ever, a young balding elite. Upon noticing Ji Xinxin, he acknowledged her presence with a nod, followed by a "Hello".
Ji Xinxin closed the first aid kit before. She forced a smile at Secretary Fan and said, "You must be aware of what has transpired among me, my big sister, and Xiaoxing by now, right?"
Secretary Fan looked at her calmly, neither admitting nor denying the matter.
"It looks like even the doctors aren't able to do much to help Xiaoxing. If my big sister can really allay his pain, I fully support getting her help." At this point, Ji Xinxin bit down on her lips. "About my big sister's fees… I'm aware of it too. I know that it's pricey, but I… I'll try to persuade my big sister with my parents."
"You know about it?" Surprise was written all over Secretary Fan's face. "I thought you were unaware of it."
"Mm… I found out by chance not long ago," replied Ji Xinxin with a sigh. "I thought that my big sister was strapped for cash, so I didn't probe any deeper."
"Strapped for cash?" Secretary Fan propped up his spectacles. "Given her rates, I can't imagine her being strapped for cash."
Ji Xinxin lowered her voice before continuing on, "Given her rate of 100,000 dollars per hour, it should take her quite some time to earn ten million dollars."
Secretary Fan looked hesitant, as if he was about to say something but uncertain about how to proceed.
"W-what's wrong?" Ji Xinxin was bewildered by his reaction.
Secretary Fan subtly informed her, "Her rates were updated six months ago."
Ji Xinxin widened her eyes. She was shocked at how quickly Ji Fanyin was increasing her rates, but she also didn't think that Ji Fanyin had been doing this for such a long period of time.
"Then her current rates are…"
Secretary Fan interjected halfway through her words with a wave of his hand. "My apologies, but I'm not authorized to disclose that information without Mr. Li's permission."
Ji Xinxin quietly gnashed her teeth.
She returned to making breakfast, but in the midst of it, she secretly called Song Shiyu. It took a while before the call connected.
Song Shiyu's warm and soothing voice sounded hoarse and fatigued, reminiscent of someone who hadn't slept at all. "What is it?"
Ji Xinxin had already revealed her true colors to Song Shiyu, so she didn't bother with the pleasantries and cut right to the chase, asking, "Everyone has been saying that Ji Fanyin is in dire need of money. Just how much did she earn from you as my stand-in?"
"..."
"Cen Xiangyang told me that her rates were 100,000 dollars per hour, but I heard that she increased her prices afterward." Ji Xinxin spoke in a forceful manner, determined to get to the bottom of the matter. "Tell me how much she charged you."
"Depends. Sometimes a few hundred thousand, sometimes a million. I'm willing to pay any price as long as she's willing to accept my money," replied Song Shiyu coldly. "You might as well ask Bai Zhou instead. I reckon he spent much more than me."
"… Bai Zhou?"
Song Shiyu sneered disdainfully, "He must have spent at least a few hundred million to keep Ji Fanyin with him."
Ji Xinxin was consumed by a sense of vertigo.
This bunch of people all claimed that they love me; they gave me branded goods and limited edition items, but not once were they this generous to me before!
Was this how much their love is worth?
Was their love all about spending money on another woman?!
Building a strong foundation is the key to success.
There was no better idiom to describe Ji Fanyin's current situation.
The first film produced by her studio had been scheduled to be released at the start of the next month. Judging from the positive reviews of the teasers and film preview, the film was likely to rake in big bucks for Ji Fanyin.
On top of that, she wasn't going to receive monetary rewards out of just the tickets. This film was her production, which meant that she could earn Emotion Points out of it, just like her movie reviews.
Other than that, she was still earning a flood of Emotion Points from the various key figures involved on Li Xiaoxing and Ji Xinxin's engagement day. While these Emotion Points were unlike cold, hard cash, the swiftly increasing figure in her 'Temptation of Home' app still felt incredibly satisfying.
She almost felt like she was watching the total sales figure of Alibaba Singles' Day Shopping Gala. All it took was a single toilet break for the number to leap to new heights.
At this rate, she might be able to reach her goal of ten billion before the end of the year.
Much credit must be given to Li Xiaoxing and Ji Xinxin for that. Those two would remain gold mines to her as long as they remained unsatisfied with their current situation.
Ahh, how refreshing it is to see money pouring in!
That was why Ji Fanyin had been in high spirits recently.
Even when she spotted Bai Zhou squatting outside the studio the other day like an abandoned kitten, all she did was raise an eyebrow. From afar, he was hugging his own knees, which made him look oddly innocent.
Had she been unaware of the profanities that could come out of his mouth, she might just have pitied him.
… He still looks pretty pitiful though. But it's none of my business.
The key problem right now was that the car park and the studio weren't connected, which meant that she still had to pass through the entrance after parking her car.
Knowing that it was impossible to hide from Bai Zhou, she decided to simply go ahead and pull into her usual parking spot. Sure enough, Bai Zhou casually glanced over the moment she opened her car door.
He immediately sprung to his feet and approached her.
"Yes?" asked Ji Fanyin as she opened her car trunk.
"…" Bai Zhou took a deep breath before speaking meekly, "I was wrong. I'm here to apologize to you."
It sounded like he had rehearsed this speech many times before.
While Ji Fanyin understood the emotional turmoil Bai Zhou was going through, she was still intrigued by his apology. Anyone from Lakeside University to Yandu who knew Bai Zhou, was aware that the word, 'apologize', didn't exist in his dictionary.
"What are you apologizing for?" asked Ji Fanyin.
"… I'm apologizing for the terrible attitude I've had toward you ever since our first meeting. You changed afterward, but I demeaned you by saying that you betrayed yourself for money. In Greece, I mixed up your birthday. I knew that we were equals, but I always stood before you with an air of superiority…"
Bai Zhou was still struggling at the start, but he slowly got into the flow of things. It was hard to tell just how many times he had thought over these points and rehearsed them at home.
Ji Fanyin listened to his apology as she took out two boxes of cupcakes from her car trunk.
Bai Zhou immediately reached out to help her carry the boxes of cupcakes, but he continued with his speech in the process. "When I realized that I have been hurting you all along, my first thought was not to reflect on my own actions but to find excuses to absolve myself…"
"Stop." Ji Fanyin raised her hand to stop him as she closed the car trunk.
Bai Zhou obediently stopped at her interjection and nervously looked at her with the two boxes of cupcakes in hand.
"Did you search up some kind of online tutorial?" Ji Fanyin got straight to the point.
It took only two seconds for Bai Zhou's ears to flush bright red.
… How am I supposed to confess that I've spent the last few days searching 'Ways to apologize to the person I like' online?
Bai Zhou kept his mouth tightly shut, but his expression was enough for Ji Fanyin to figure that her guess was on the mark. She looked at Bai Zhou in amusement.
"I'll accept your apology for everything you mentioned except for the first one. What's next?"
She couldn't accept Bai Zhou's apology in 'Ji Fanyin's' stead.
"What's next…" Bai Zhou's eyes nervously swam around for a moment before he mustered his courage and adamantly pointed in the direction of the studio. "Isn't your studio hiring interns? I'm here to apply for the job!"
It just so happened that a tall man happened to walk over from the direction where Bai Zhou was pointing. The tall man placidly propped up his glasses before saying, "Okay, you're hired."
Ji Fanyin turned to look at her newly-recruited multi talented assistant, Shen Qi, but she didn't refute his arbitrary acceptance of Bai Zhou's application right away. Instead, she merely raised her eyebrows quizzically.
Shen Qi looked back at her with his standard stoic expression.
Bai Zhou threw Shen Qi a glance with knitted brows, asking, "Who are you?"
"He's my assistant, Shen Qi," replied Ji Fanyin on his behalf.
Bai Zhou shook Shen Qi's hand and greeted the latter, "Pleased to meet you."
While Bai Zhou wasn't fond of socializing, he had been through enough social events that allowed him to hold his ground in a professional environment if need be. It was just that he had trouble in shaking off his condescending 'young master' attitude.
Ji Fanyin pressed the lift button while the two of them greeted each other.
The lift soon arrived with Chen Yunsheng inside.
"I noticed your car pulling in from upstairs," the youth gleefully batted his eyelids at Ji Fanyin, seeming proud of himself, "so I snuck down here to carry your stuff."
If they were in a manga, Ji Fanyin was certain that there would have been little red flowers blooming behind Chen Yunsheng's.
"I already have someone to carry my things." Ji Fanyin pointed behind her and boarded the lift.
"Is it Assistant Shen?" asked Chen Yunsheng. He casually retracted his hand from the lift doors and selected a destination floor.
The lunch hour had just passed, so there was no one else using the lift with them. Within two seconds after Chen Yunsheng retracted his hands, the doors began to close.
Ji Fanyin could see through his little nifty intentions, and she replied with an amused chuckle, "Mm, Shen Qi is here."
But just as the lift doors were about to fully close, a laptop suddenly slipped through the cracks that jammed the doors, prompting them to open once more. Shen Qi and Bai Zhou appeared side by side before the lift doors, each of them holding a box of cupcakes.
"Assistant Shen," Chen Yunsheng greeted Shen Qi before letting his gaze linger on Bai Zhou.
Shen Qi stoically acknowledged him and entered the lift.
Bai Zhou followed closely behind with a hand in his pocket and the other holding the box of cupcakes. He returned Chen Yunsheng's intense stare.
With two additional men boarding the lift, Ji Fanyin found herself pushed to the back of the elevator. However, she didn't think much of it. She was already accustomed to such situations.
Had this been a cliché romance drama series, the next development would be the lift to breaking down and trapping the four of them inside. That would have been a convenient plot device to create drama.
Reality was a little different.
Deafening silence loomed inside the lift, only alleviated slightly by the whirring sound of the lift motor. No one was saying a word at all.
In the end, it was Ji Fanyin who broke the silence. She calmly said, "The two of you must already know each other, so I'll spare the introductions."
She learned about them during the time when Bai Zhou thought that she had gone to the movies together with Chen Yunsheng.
Now that I think about it, do they know that the person who went to the movies with me that day was actually their current boss, Zhang Ning?
"Yeah, we've met," Chen Yunsheng said with a smile. "Bai Zhou had paid me a visit once over a small misunderstanding."
Bai Zhou immediately fought back, "Are you sure it was just a misunderstanding?"
His thoughts were practically written all over this face:That douche is clearly up to something!
Ji Fanyin disregarded the confrontation between the two youths and instead called out to Shen Qi, asking, "What else is on my agenda today other than the meeting?"
"There are a couple of revised scripts that require your approval." Shen Qi began reporting Ji Fanyin's schedule for the day in an orderly manner.
Ji Fanyin thought that Zhang Ning had really struck gold this time around by bringing Shen Qi onboard. He was the kind of multitalented assistant who was capable of resolving problems in the absence of their boss, the dream of all bosses.
In a sense, he was pretty similar to Secretary Fan… just with hair.
On top of impeccably managing Ji Fanyin's schedule, he had also neatly organized all of her documents, such that she was freed of nearly all administrative work.
… I don't really have too much work to handle, but this Shen Qi really takes a load off my shoulders. It feels like he's really here to help me make a fortune.
There were many questionable details surrounding Shen Qi, but Ji Fanyin couldn't be bothered to probe into them unless Shen Qi took the initiative to explain.
When the lift finally came to a stop on her floor, Ji Fanyin stepped out and began making her way toward the General Manager's office. Barely after walking two steps, she suddenly turned around to look at the two youths behind her.
They were similar in terms of height and age, but there were vastly different expressions on their faces.
Ji Fanyin gestured her chin toward Shen Qi and instructed, "Find work for them."
She finally walked away after that.
The two youths were still staring at each other with sparks in their eyes. Shen Qi turned to Bai Zhou and asked, "Bai Zhou, what did you major in?"
"… Oil painting."
"I'll arrange for you to join the Art Department then." Shen Qi made the call on the spot. "Chen Yunsheng's Music Department is located right next to it, so I'll take the two of you there together."
The two youths simultaneously turned their heads to look at each other, as both their faces turned wintry cold.