《Professional Stand-in, With an Hourly Salary of 100,000》 Chapter 1.1: Because You Like Me, No? (1) Ji Fanyin died, but she soon came back to life. When she finally regained consciousness, she found herself sitting by a remote riverside. Her hair and clothes were still dripping with water, and a chilling wind sent shivers through her body. As if her current condition wasn¡¯t confusing enough, the phone beside her annoyed her with its persistent vibration. Her mind was still a little dazed when she picked up the phone to take a look. When she saw the caller was labeled ¡®Father¡¯, she instinctively accepted it. The deep voice of a middle-aged man questioned from the other side of the phone, ¡°Where are you?¡± Confused, Ji Fanyin took another look at the screen of the phone. It was indeed ¡®Father¡¯. But this isn¡¯t my father¡¯s voice? ¡°Xinxin is traveling abroad today. All of our relatives and friends are at the hotel to send her off. As her older sister, how can you be absent for such an important occasion? Do you know that you¡¯re putting her on the spot?¡± The middle-aged man issued an order sternly, ¡°Come to the hotel right now! You know where it is!¡± With a ¡®boop boop¡¯ sound, the other party hung up the phone. The dazed Ji Fanyin continued holding onto the phone as she belatedly remembered a fact. Ah, my father had already died three years ago. ¡­ Is this some sort of new scam? With such thoughts in mind, she took a look at her darkened phone screen, only to see a foreign face staring back at her. That snapped her out of her daze right away. She quickly unlocked the phone and tapped into her camera. When she found herself looking at a face that clearly didn¡¯t belong to her, she immediately fell silent. Even for someone who had experienced many things throughout the course of her life, Ji Fanyin was still shocked by the realization that she had possessed another person¡¯s body. While she was still staring speechlessly at the ¡®her¡¯ inside the phone screen, a notification popped up on the phone. ¡¾Installation of the application ¡®Temptation of Home¡¯ has been completed.¡¿ ¡°¡­¡± Ji Fanyin. She backed out of the camera and tapped into the newly installed application. This application¡¯s function was so sloppily simple that it would have indubitably received negative reviews on the app store. All that could be seen were an empty progress bar and a long string of numbers beneath it. Ji Fanyin quickly counted the digits and found that it added up to 10 billion. She proceeded to tap on the question mark label at the top right, which provided her with an explanation of the application. ¡¾A sudden accident has put you into a coma, but congratulations, you have been granted a rare opportunity to revive! As long as you can earn 10 billion in your second life, you¡¯ll be able to return to your original body and come back to life~¡¿ As expected of an application named ¡®Temptation of Home¡¯. Its proposition was really moving, but the amount it was asking for was utterly screwed up. It was asking for 10 billion, not just 10 million. Most people in the world would live their life not even earning ten-thousandth of that amount. What was the concept of a billion dollars? Even if a person were to earn 5 million from the lottery every single day, he would have to save every single cent he earned for five years before he could amass that much money. But on second thought, if it was possible for her to swap into another body, the ridiculous proposition on the application might not necessarily be entirely gibberish. ¡¾You need not worry about the sum of 10 billion being too much. All of your fixed assets and current assets will automatically contribute to the progress bar, and any Emotion Points you receive will also be quantified and added accordingly.¡¿ ¡¾Emotion Points refers to the emotions that others have directed toward you. Regardless of whether they are positive or negative, as long as the emotion is directed toward you, it¡¯ll be automatically quantified and added to the progress bar.¡¿ Ji Fanyin squeezed the phone in her hand. I get it now. I must get a lot of people to either like me or hate me. ¡¾Initiating the transference of memories. Work hard and good luck~¡¿ Ji Fanyin exited the explanation tab and stared at the 10 billion progress bar speechlessly once more. A new set of memories was swiftly transmitted into Ji Fanyin¡¯s brain. As if watching a movie, the entire life of the original owner of this body was played right before her eyes. The original owner of this body shared the same name as her, Ji Fanyin, just that she had an additional twin sister named Ji Xinxin. They were identical twins and thus shared similar appearances, but their personalities were vastly different from one another. Ji Xinxin was the little princess of the Ji Family, a bubbly extrovert who was loved by everyone she met. On the other hand, her twin sister, ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯, was a gloomy individual who was often disregarded and treated as if she was transparent. Ji Xinxin was extremely skilled at playing the field, having reeled in many distinguished fishes under her skirt. She led an extremely exciting personal life, and to date, she hadn¡¯t crashed and burned yet. However, after she graduated from university, she decided to explore uncharted territories and venture into the foreign market¡­ Ah, the technical term should be ¡®studying abroad¡¯. When the fishes reared by Ji Xinxin suddenly lost their oasis and found themselves terribly thirsty, what would they do? Needless to say, they would look for the identical ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ to pass their time. Initially, ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ was still willing to be a substitute for them, for one of them happened to be a man she had a crush on for a very long time, Song Shiyu. However, when Song Shiyu proceeded to introduce her to other men, she swiftly found herself turning into a ¡®publicly used substitute¡¯ who wasn¡¯t even worthy of having her own name. Those men would only call her ¡®Ji Xinxin¡¯. She tried to kill herself numerous times, only to find that she wasn¡¯t even entitled to that. They shackled her up and robbed her of her freedom. It was only when Ji Xinxin finally returned to the country that those men finally dumped her, allowing her to throw herself into the river and end her life. She was only 26 years old when she met her demise. Chapter 1.2: Because You Like Me, No? (2) As someone who was known for her unruly character by her fans and critics alike, Ji Fanyin expressed her condolences to ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ for her meek and pitiful life. She coolly swept her hands through her dripping hair. I guess that explains why I¡¯m seated all wet by the riverside. Song Shiyu had privately been in contact with ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ over the past year. The two of them would meet each other from time to time, but there was no intimate contact such as kissing between them, let alone sleeping together. But just yesterday, Song Shiyu told her that he wanted to end their relationship. ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ was unable to accept it, so she leaped into the river to end her life. Ji Fanyin stretched her back a little before slowly sitting up. She grabbed her phone and started off by checking her account balance. It was fortunate that the Ji Family was still considered a reputable family. While they didn¡¯t harbor much love for ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯, they weren¡¯t too stingy with her pocket money either. The two bank cards under her name contained a total of 100,000 dollars. After checking on her account balance, she backed out of her bank application to check the ¡®Temptation of Home¡¯ application again. As expected, the progress bar had been updated to reflect -9,999,863,520.00. Well, a hundred thousand dollars was chump change against 10 billion, so there was hardly any movement in the progress bar. Still, any progress was good. Following that, Ji Fanyin checked her contact list and matched the unfamiliar yet familiar names to her memories one by one. After completing this task, she moved on to check on her messages and social media account. There was a message containing a location pin sent by Ji Xinxin several hours ago, saying: ¡¾Big sis, I¡¯m sending you this so that you won¡¯t lose your way. We¡¯re having lunch here today. I¡¯ll be heading there with dad and mum first. See you there~¡¿ It was followed up with a gif of an adorable cat rolling on the floor. Ji Fanyin tapped on the location pin to find the hotel¡¯s name. She knew that this was the place where Father Ji had urged her to head to through the call earlier, the place where Ji Xinxin¡¯s farewell party was being held. Ji Fanyin looked at her wet and slightly transparent clothes and wondered if there was a store nearby so she could purchase some spare clothes to change into. Then suddenly her phone rang once more. The caller was a person named ¡®Song Shiyu¡¯. Ji Fanyin pondered for a long while before it finally came to her. Ah, it¡¯s the man whom ¡®I¡¯ have a crush on. A smile curled on her lips as she accepted the call with a slide of her finger. ¡°Where are you?¡± Song Shiyu dove straight into the main point. ¡°Your younger sister is going abroad; aren¡¯t you going to at least send her off? She has been looking for you for some time now.¡± Despite his reproachful attitude, his voice still sounded refined and elegant, hinting at a good upbringing. He had the kind of voice that easily won goodwill from others. However, Ji Fanyin had seen far too many handsome men and beautiful women, to the point where it would take a whole lot more than just this to make her heart thump. Completely unfazed by Song Shiyu¡¯s interrogation, she replied with a lazy tone, ¡°Why should I send her off?¡± Song Shiyu fell silent for a brief moment before he replied, ¡°Ji Fanyin, our affair has nothing to do with Xinxin. You shouldn¡¯t hate your own little sister over this.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t head there even if I wanted to,¡± replied Ji Fanyin leisurely as she looked for the nearest shopping mall on the map. ¡°I just dirtied my clothes, and I don¡¯t have anything suitable to change into for the farewell party.¡± Song Shiyu paused for a moment before reminding impassively, ¡°Even if I purchase a gown for you, it won¡¯t change anything between us. There¡¯s no way I¡¯ll get together with you.¡± Ji Fanyin chuckled softly and asked, ¡°So, do you want me to send her off or not?¡± It was silent on the other side before the call was abruptly hung up. Ji Fanyin called for a taxi using her phone before she rose to her feet and walked calmly up the slope. Before the taxi arrived, she suddenly received a message¡ªSong Shiyu had transferred 100,000 dollars to her. Looking at the easily earned 100,000 dollars in her account, Ji Fanyin whistled in delight. She tapped into the ¡®Temptation of Home¡¯ application and saw that the amount had been revised to -9,999,753,520.00. It had reduced by an additional 110,000, and there was a ¡®More Information¡¯ button by the side. Ji Fanyin tapped in to take a look. It displayed a record that showed that the 100,000 was the amount transferred from Song Shiyu whereas the additional 10,000 came from Song Shiyu¡¯s ¡®emotion¡¯. Oh? I barely triggered him with my words, and it stirred 10,000 Emotion Points out of him? Ji Fanyin kept her phone away as a confident smile emerged on her face. She believed that there was no such thing as a path to wealth in the world; it¡¯s sharp-witted humans who pave a way out for themselves. Chapter 1.3: Because You Like Me, No? (3) Even though she had just received 100,000 dollars from Song Shiyu for free, Ji Fanyin had no intentions of squandering her money on branded goods. She took a taxi to the nearest shopping mall and entered a Uniqlo store. She casually grabbed a shirt, jeans, and high heels that were on discount and went straight to the cashier. All in all, the process took less than ten minutes, and she didn¡¯t even spend 300 dollars in total. Before leaving the store, she walked up to a mirror and pulled her fringe up so as to take a close look at her new face. An oval-shaped face, phoenix eyes, tall nose bridge, dense eyebrows, and fair complexion; Ji Fanyin was definitely not a bad-looking individual. However, one¡¯s disposition affected one¡¯s appearance. ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ was an introverted person who was extremely afraid of strangers, often appearing diffident in public. She was fond of covering her own face with her fringe, which formed a stark contrast against her younger sister, Ji Xinxin. Due to that, most people liked Ji Xinxin more than ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯. Ji Fanyin pulled her still slightly damp hair together and casually tied a ponytail. Following that, she headed to a department store and picked out a lipstick color that was currently in trend from one of the cosmetics booths. She casually walked up to one of the makeup mirrors in the area and started applying the lipstick. Her lips were initially a little pale from the frost, but after they were dyed the color of a cherry tomato, it brought some color back to her face. Staring at her seductive self in the mirror, her eyebrows arched a little. Playing a substitute? What for? Let¡¯s go make some money instead. ¡­ After arriving at the hotel, Ji Fanyin was in no rush to proceed in and look for the banquet hall booked by the Ji Family. Instead, she chose to dawdle outside and enjoy the scenery. This hotel was located in the midst of a serene mountain, surrounded by lush greenery. It was a place where the affluent could flaunt their good taste and class to others. Ji Fanyin stood by the roadside as she gazed down at the scenery beneath her with a brooding look on her face. On her way here, she tried looking her past self up on the internet, but there were no results at all. She also noticed that she couldn¡¯t recognize any of the landmarks she could see from the top of the mountain. The evidence was telling her that she had been brought into a parallel world. She couldn¡¯t determine if that mysterious application on her phone was a friend or foe, but it was the only straw of hope she had at the moment. She would have to clutch onto it tightly. Her family, friends, and everything she had worked hard to obtain were all in the other world. For the time being, it looked like she could only take a step at a time and figure out what was going on. At the very least, based on the earlier test, it didn¡¯t seem that difficult for her to earn 10 billion. With a casual shrug, Ji Fanyin was just about to enter the hotel and face that poor excuse of a family she had when she suddenly heard a young voice calling out for her from behind, ¡°Big sis! What are you doing out here?¡± Ji Fanyin turned around, only to be faced with a young man with a haughty look on his face. The young man was taken aback for a moment upon meeting her gaze before his face began warping in revulsion. ¡°It¡¯s you? I thought that you weren¡¯t coming.¡± Smelling the faint cigarette scent coming from the young man, Ji Fanyin stared at him contemplatively for a moment before realization struck her. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s you.¡± The young man had a rather peculiar name¡ªBai Zhou (Daytime). He was 19 years old and had just entered his second year in university, but in terms of background, he was definitely one of the most eligible ones amongst Ji Xinxin¡¯s suitors. He was the young master of Yandu¡¯s Bai Family, a typical second generation tycoon who had a throne awaiting his succession. Bai Zhou had met Ji Xinxin over his summer break during his high school years, and he went completely head over heels for her ever since then. He even went to the extent of enrolling into a university in this city, where the Ji Family resided, so as to get closer to her. But no matter what he did, it was all futile. Ji Xinxin would simply respond with a ¡®You¡¯re an important little brother to me¡¯. Bai Zhou was completely at a loss as to what to do, but he was unwilling to give up. Who could have known that Ji Xinxin would suddenly choose to study abroad for three years at this juncture? It left him so distressed that he nearly tried to tamper with Ji Xinxin¡¯s visa so as to foil her plans. The rules of this world dictated that anyone who was fond of Ji Xinxin had to abhor Ji Fanyin. This was an ironclad law. Bai Zhou viewed the good-for-nothing older sister of the Ji Family in scorn and disdain. It was like an explosion of firecrackers every time ¡®Ji Fanxin¡¯ met with him, raking up a huge ruckus. ¡°Just go in if you¡¯re already here. Do you expect someone to come out to fetch you when you¡¯re already several hours late? You should have some self-awareness! You aren¡¯t the star of the show today!¡± Bai Zhou snorted as he dug his hands into his pockets and walked past Ji Fanyin. Ji Fanyin casually began making her way forward too. For a moment there, it looked as if the two of them were traveling together, which immediately caused Bai Zhou¡¯s face to darken. ¡°Has my little sister never told you before?¡± asked Ji Fanyin with a light tone as she casually started spinning up lies. ¡°She absolutely hates the scent of smoke. It leaves her nauseated.¡± Bai Zhou was going to flare up when he heard those words and froze up. ¡°I guess not. She probably wouldn¡¯t dare to tell the esteemed young master of the Bai Family that even if she harbors such thoughts in mind,¡± remarked Ji Fanyin with a sigh, sending yet another dagger into Bai Zhou¡¯s heart. ¡°How pitiful.¡± Bai Zhou abruptly grabbed Ji Fanyin¡¯s arm and asked, ¡°Are you speaking the truth?¡± ¡°Have you forgotten that I grew up with her?¡± Ji Fanyin earnestly duped the young man. Bai Zhou coldly flung her arm off before rushing off in another direction. Barely a few steps later, he irritatedly took off the leather jacket he was wearing, hoping to fan off the smoke stench. Chapter 1.4: Because You Like Me, No? (4) Meanwhile, Ji Fanyin casually followed the signs in the hotel¡¯s lobby and headed to the banquet hall. By then, the banquet hall was already crowded with people. There were two large screens that played a photo montage of Ji Xinxin and her parents, be it on a holiday, playing around, dancing, parents¡¯ meeting¡­ They looked like a harmonious family of three. Where¡¯s the other daughter, you ask? Who cares. She¡¯s nowhere to be seen in those merry photos anyway. Ji Fanyin watched those pictures by the entrance as she clicked her tongue in wonderment. ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ sure led a tragic life. She didn¡¯t do anything wrong at all, yet she doesn¡¯t have any presence or standing in her family at all. As more and more doubtful gazes were directed toward her, Ji Fanyin finally began making her way toward the frontmost table in the banquet hall. She could hear the confused crowd in the surroundings gossiping about her identity, wondering why she looked so alike to Ji Xinxin. In fact, when Ji Fanyin stood before Father Ji and Mother Ji¡¯s eyes, the duo even looked stunned for a moment. ¡°My apologies, I was held up by something else,¡± explained Ji Fanyin before she calmly called a waiter over to bring a chair and prepare an additional set of tableware. They said that everyone was waiting for me, but there¡¯s no seat for me at all. What a load of bullshit. ¡°Yinyin?¡± Mother Ji was the first one to snap out of her daze. She coughed lightly out of awkwardness before saying, ¡°You¡¯re really late¡­ Come, have a seat.¡± Before she could finish those words, Ji Fanyin had already settled down on the chair brought over by a waiter. On the other hand, Father Ji had an awful look on his face, but he didn¡¯t want to cause a scene here. So, he shot a glare at Ji Fanyin and growled deeply, ¡°Just eat your meal and don¡¯t say a thing at all.¡± Ji Fanyin responded with a lackadaisical murmur as she picked up a piece of steamed pork belly with sugar paste with her chopsticks and placed it into her bowl. For someone who had just attempted suicide, she felt that she ought to console her soul with some sweet food. Her nonchalant attitude made it clear that she wasn¡¯t going to listen to any of her parents¡¯ preaching, and it enraged Father Ji greatly. However, before he could vent his wrath, one of his business partners suddenly walked over, leaving him with no choice but to quickly put on a smile and greet the other party. ¡°This must be Xinxin, right? She sure grew up fast. She looks even more beautiful in person than in the photos,¡± remarked the business partner with a smile as he directed his gaze toward Ji Fanyin. Father Ji awkwardly replied, ¡°This is my other daughter. She¡¯s a bit shy in front of strangers.¡± The business partner was stunned for a moment before the two of them burst into laughter in unison to dispel the awkwardness. Meanwhile, Ji Fanyin took a sip of her drink, unbothered by the curious gazes coming from the other tables. As someone who used to make a living in the entertainment industry, she was accustomed to being in the spotlight. Shortly after Father Ji sent off his business partner, Ji Xinxin, who had changed into another gown for the event, finally returned back to the table. She was surprised for a moment to see Ji Fanyin before quickly rushing forward to greet her, ¡°Big sis, you¡¯re here! I thought that you were too busy to attend my farewell banquet. This is wonderful!¡± Ji Xinxin had a slender but shapely figure. Her face and nose were slightly tinged in redness, giving off the tempting allure of youthfulness. Her innocent smile revealed a row of neat charming teeth. She had the stereotypical appearance of what most students¡¯ first crush looked like. Ji Fanyin put her chopsticks down and looked at Ji Xinxin, saying, ¡°May you have a smooth sailing journey.¡± Ji Xinxin looked a little downcast. She stepped forward to hug Ji Fanyin as she whispered softly into the latter¡¯s ears, ¡°Big sis, do you actually hate me?¡± ¡°No,¡± replied Ji Fanyin with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m thankful for your existence.¡± If you weren¡¯t rearing such a huge pond of fishes, how could I possibly find such an easy way to make money? Ji Xinxin¡¯s expression upon hearing those words was so subtly complicated that it deserved a full-blown review by movie critics. After a few rounds of wine, the atmosphere on the tables in the banquet hall grew more light-hearted and lively. It was during this period of time that Bai Zhou finally returned to the banquet hall with a nasty look on her face. He had changed into a new set of clothes, and his hair appeared to be a little damp. A while later, a dashing young man walked over to the main table. Ji Fanyin shot a glance at his face and swiftly recognized him. Oh? Isn¡¯t this Song Shiyu? Looks like he¡¯s here to propose. Chapter 1.5: Because You Like Me, No? (5) It was quite ironic actually, but ¡®King of the Seas¡¯ Ji Xinxin had never really dated in her whole life. Meaning to say, Song Shiyu, who was about to propose to Ji Xinxin, wasn¡¯t even her boyfriend. Ji Fanyin¡¯s lips curled up as she readied herself to watch a good show. A ¡®King of the Seas¡¯ was only best understood by another ¡®King of the Seas¡¯. Ji Fanyin knew very well that Ji Xinxin wouldn¡¯t accept Song Shiyu¡¯s proposal. When Song Shiyu walked up to Ji Xinxin with a bouquet of roses and got down on a knee, and the girls in the room began screaming in excitement, Ji Fanyin could almost hear the sound of Ji Xinxin¡¯s mental state collapsing. When the ¡®King of the Seas¡¯ reared fishes, the greatest flop that could occur was not the overexpansion of the fishery but a lack of partiality amongst the fishes. Rearing too many fishes at once wasn¡¯t a problem, but showing explicit bias to one would capsize one¡¯s boat. As a highly qualified ¡®King of the Seas¡¯, there was no way Ji Xinxin wouldn¡¯t understand this logic. So, Ji Xinxin had no choice but to reject Song Shiyu¡¯s rose bouquet with a mix of guilt and politeness on her face, apologizing nonstop to him throughout the entire process, as if it was a huge regret for her to turn him down. Song Shiyu was a gentleman, so he wouldn¡¯t make things difficult for the woman he loved even after a failed proposal. He simply turned around and left the banquet hall with a crestfallen look. After such an incident, it was hard for the banquet¡¯s atmosphere to revert back to its previous light-hearted mood. Not too long later, Ji Xinxin departed under the excuse of needing to change her clothes. Once again, she hugged Ji Fanyin and asked sweetly, ¡°Big sis have you finally decided to change your image? I¡¯m really happy for you!¡± ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re happy.¡± Ji Fanyin stroked the other party¡¯s round head and spoke with a trace of anticipation in her voice, ¡°As for you, there¡¯s no need for you to change at all. You¡¯re wonderful the way you currently are.¡± Continue rearing more fishes, alright? It¡¯ll become much easier for me to find superior breeds and harvest them out of your fishery. Ji Xinxin shot a deep look at Ji Fanxin before rising to her feet and leaving with Father Ji and Mother Ji. Having eaten her fill and watched her fair share of drama, Ji Fanyin waited for the family of three to depart before rising to her feet too. She remembered that she had a car that she needed to take with her, so she decided to drop by the Ji House to pack her luggage and prepare to move out. However, while she was making her way out of the banquet hall, her phone suddenly vibrated. A message had come in. She tapped on the message and took a look. It was from Song Shiyu, consisting of just four words: ¡¾Come to the carpark¡¿ Ji Fanyin¡¯s eyebrows arched upward. Instead of deleting the message, she replied: ¡¾Isn¡¯t it all over now? Did you think that I¡¯d still rush to your side at your summon?¡¿ Song Shiyu didn¡¯t reply. Ji Fanyin hailed a taxi and left the hotel. The Ji Family mansion was a four storey high bungalow. The security system still contained a record of Ji Fanyin¡¯s fingerprint and voiceprint, so she was able to enter it without a hitch to pack her luggage. It took her half an hour to put her stuff together and leave the house. None of the maids and gardeners bothered to spare her a glance at all, let alone ask her why she was dragging such a huge luggage bag with her. Thanks to that, Ji Fanyin was able to leave the Ji House without a fuss. She headed to a realtor to rent a studio apartment for a year, paying a deposit of 10,000 dollars in advance. The good thing was that she was able to move in with her luggage right away. She could have rented a better house with her current financial condition, but she didn''t think that there was a need to do so. Someone would soon be delivering one into her hands anyway. It was then that her phone suddenly rang. She grabbed her phone and saw that it was from Song Shiyu. ¡°I¡¯m outside your house.¡± His voice sounded deeper and more indistinct than it was in the day. ¡°Come out right now.¡± ¡°Has my little sister gotten on the plane yet?¡± asked Ji Fanyin with a smile. ¡°Ji Fanyin,¡± Song Shiyu spat out her name menacingly. ¡°Hadn¡¯t you made it clear yesterday? Whatever relationship we had comes to an end from today onward.¡± Ji Fanyin lay down on her sofa and wiggled her toes about. ¡°What reason do I have to meet you?¡± Song Shiyu calmly replied, ¡°Because you like me, no?¡± ¡°That sounds about right. What can I do about that?¡± replied Ji Fanyin. ¡°¡­ Just to ask though, Mr Song, do you happen to carry your credit card with you?¡± Chapter 2.1: You Aren’t Your Younger Sister (1) Song Shiyu leaned against the window of the driver¡¯s seat as he lit up a smoke, but he didn¡¯t puff on it. He simply watched silently as the crimson embers gradually extinguished under the dim lamppost. He had just sent Ji Xinxin off earlier in the afternoon. It was no big deal to him that Ji Xinxin had chosen to study abroad in Paris¡ªit was just a day¡¯s flight away¡ªbut farewells were always difficult to handle. As a result, he naturally thought of Ji Fanyin¡¯s existence. He knew that he would be going against his words, since he had already ended his stand-in relationship with Ji Fanyin yesterday, but he was well aware that Ji Fanyin wouldn¡¯t reject him. There was nothing she could do since she fancied him. He thought about Ji Fanyin, who had for once shown her facial features openly during the afternoon farewell party, and the notion slowly became more and more enticing to him. True to his instinct, after making a call to Ji Fanyin, he quickly drove away from the Ji Residence and over to the address she sent over. It was an apartment located at the borders of the first ring road. It was still fairly high-class, as evident from the branded cars scattered all around its underground car park. Moments after Song Shiyu parked his car and lit a smoke, a person walked out from the nearby elevator. He casually raised his head to take a look, only to be bewitched by what he saw. Too similar! It was only once the woman dressed in a white cold shoulder lace dress walked up to him smilingly that he finally snapped out of his daze. ¡°Ji Fanyin?¡± Ji Fanyin extended her hand toward him with her palm facing upward. Despite knowing that the person standing before him was not Ji Fanyin but Ji Xinxin, Song Shiyu¡¯s attitude still subconsciously mellowed down a little. ¡°What do you mean by this?¡± ¡°I¡¯m charging by the hour,¡± replied Ji Fanyin. There was a subtle change from her usual voice, but it somehow made her resemble Ji Xinxin even more. For this reason, Song Shiyu wasn¡¯t angered by Ji Fanyin¡¯s response. He even broke out in a smile as he asked out of curiosity, ¡°Are you that lacking in money?" ¡°Much more than you think,¡± replied Ji Fanyin with a nod, not embarrassed to admit it at all. ¡°Someone as rich as young master Song shouldn¡¯t be lacking in money, right?¡± ¡°I can give you money.¡± Song Shiyu stifled his cigarette on the car window, not worried about damaging its expensive glass at all. With a suggestive tone, he asked, ¡°But are you able to satisfy my needs?¡± ¡°Since I¡¯m charging for my service, I¡¯ll satisfy any reasonable requests you pose,¡± replied Ji Fanyin unhurriedly. Were it not for the fact that Song Shiyu had known Ji Fanyin for many years and his knowledge that Ji Xinxin was currently already onboard a plane, he would have really wondered if the person before him was really Ji Fanyin or not. ¡°I want to hear you bark like a dog,¡± remarked Song Shiyu with a soft chuckle. He had the appearance of a refined gentleman and a scholarly air, such that even as he spoke the crude words, ¡®bark like a dog¡¯, his unhurried but pleasant voice still made it sound reasonable. Ji Fanyin looked at him in surprise. ¡°Is that the impression you have of my younger sister?¡± Song Shiyu laughed softly before responding disdainfully to Ji Fanyin¡¯s act of comparing herself to her sister, ¡°But you aren¡¯t your younger sister.¡± ¡°I refuse,¡± replied Ji Fanyin firmly. ¡°I only provide a single service, and that¡¯s to play Ji Xinxin¡¯s character. If you are unwilling to accept this condition, I¡¯ll just have to look for other customers.¡± She gently tucked her hair backward, revealing her fair ear. ¡°I believe that there would be someone else who is interested in this service.¡± Song Shiyu looked at the composed Ji Fanyin as he lit up his second smoke with a smile. This time, he took a puff off it before blowing it softly at Ji Fanyin¡¯s face. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll think of it as your compensation for the time you¡¯ve spent with me this far. How much do you charge?¡± Ji Fanyin took out the laptop she was carrying in her bag and spoke with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ve just started my business, so my price list may appear a little sloppy. Just make do with it, alright?¡± Song Shiyu lowered his head to take a casual look at the list. The list was indeed made quite sloppily, but it was detailed. ¡¾Working Hours: Monday to Sunday, 9A.M. to 12A.M. Reservations have to be made ahead of time, and only 1-to-1 service is provided. Last-minute calls will be rejected.¡¿ ¡¾Details of Service: Other than the standard stand-in service, the client is allowed to make requests during the reserved hours which will be accepted if viewed to be reasonable and appropriate to the context.¡¿ ¡¾The starting price will be 100,000/hour. Traveling time and miscellaneous delays will be calculated into the service time as well. Should the service duration not come to a full hour, the cost will be rounded-up to the nearest hour. All expenses incurred during the course of the service shall be borne by the client.¡¿ ¡¾In the case where a reservation can¡¯t be made ahead of time or a request is made for additional service outside of working hours, the client will be charged a premium that ranges from 2 to 10 times of the usual fee. The service will only begin upon the acknowledgment of the terms by both parties¡¿ ¡¾Payment has to be made in full ahead of time, and all transfer of fees should be labeled clearly.¡¿ Song Shiyu burst into laughter upon seeing the terms. ¡°100,000/hour? Ji Fanyin, do you know how much it costs for me to call a celebrity over to accompany me for a drink?¡± ¡°Oh? I¡¯ll have to give it a try myself to find out. Is the price for male celebrities the same as female ones?¡± asked Ji Fanyin with a smile. This was the first time Song Shiyu saw such an unyielding Ji Fanyin, fiercely guarding the final shreds of her dignity. He tapped on the laptop screen softly and asked mockingly, ¡°Ji Fanyin, is this your way of overcoming your heartbreak? Selling your own body?¡± Ji Fanyin looked at him with a ¡®What in the world are you talking about¡¯ expression as she replied, ¡°What I¡¯m selling here is my wit and energy. Do you know how tiring it is to act?¡± ¡°Very well, I shall play along with you in view of the face you share with your younger sister.¡± Song Shiyu tapped on the laptop and sneered deeply, ¡°Tomorrow, 11 to 2, I¡¯ll be reserving you for three hours. However, I want to see ¡®Ji Xinxin¡¯ and not ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯. Are you able to do that?¡± The smiling Ji Fanyin turned her laptop over and tabbed over to another application before turning it back toward Song Shiyu. ¡°In order to ensure the quality of service, I¡¯d need young master Song to finish up a questionnaire.¡± Song Shiyu: ¡°?¡± Chapter 2.2: You Aren’t Your Younger Sister (2) After receiving the questionnaire that Song Shiyu completed in a huff, and confirming the 300,000 dollars he had sent over, Ji Fanyin hummed a melodious tune as she made her way back into the elevator. When she turned her head around after entering the elevator, she noticed that Song Shiyu was still staring at her from around ten meters away, not moving a single step at all. The cigarette which he had only taken a puff from was burning with a crimson light. In a good mood from having secured her first job, Ji Fanyin pressed her floor button before waving Song Shiyu goodnight. The doors of the elevator closed up, sealing off Song Shiyu¡¯s face together with it. Ji Fanyin wasn¡¯t fazed by his nasty attitude earlier. As long as sufficient money was involved, the client¡¯s attitude problem could be wholly disregarded. After reaching her home, she lay down on her sofa and began going through Song Shiyu¡¯s questionnaire intently, making use of every second she had to spare. The questionnaire was rather short as she did it in a rush while Song Shiyu was driving over earlier. Its content was fairly simple too, basically inquiring about the client¡¯s perception of Ji Xinxin¡¯s habits, character, and so on. This was necessary for her to act out the ¡®Ji Xinxin¡¯ Song Shiyu knew. Other than that, it also included some of Song Shiyu¡¯s personal interests. All in all, it was basically just to ensure the service quality so as to convert new customers into loyal ones so that she could better rip them off. Song Shiyu might be an asshole, but at least he was rich. While going through the questionnaire, Ji Fanyin began giving some thought to the other fishes in Ji Xinxin¡¯s pond, wondering if there were any potential customers she could solicit from there. Bai Zhou? I guess he¡¯s pretty rich too. After she was finally done looking through the questionnaire, Ji Fanyin stood up and dragged her feet toward the toilet. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and began adjusting her state of mind. Too bad for the fishes in Ji Xinxin¡¯s pond¡ªor should I say that it¡¯s too good for their own good¡ªI happened to be an A-list actress before my death. It took Ji Fanyin twenty minutes in order to fully grasp Song Shiyu¡¯s ¡®Ji Xinxin¡¯. Maintaining a sweet cheerful smile on her face, she opened the ¡®Temptation of Home¡¯ application to take a look. Song Shiyu¡¯s generous provision of 300,000 dollars and some Emotion Points had pushed her slightly toward her goal. While this was a drop in the ocean of her ultimate goal of 10 billion, the fact that she was able to rake in 400,000 in a single day was still something worth celebrating. I already have half a million in my bank account now. ¡°As expected of me,¡± murmured Ji Fanyin proudly as she put down her phone. She headed towards her wardrobe and began carefully picking out the clothes she was going to be wearing for tomorrow¡¯s appointment. After that, she put on a mask and quietly lay down on her bed. Tomorrow is the day that I¡¯ll be imprinting myself deeply on that fish. I have to make sure that I rest up well today, so that I can better rip him off in the future. ¡­ Song Shiyu sat in a restaurant¡¯s compartment room as he chatted with Ji Xinxin over text. Ji Xinxin had just landed in Paris and was currently reporting her safety to her friends and family. Despite the awkwardness that occurred between Song Shiyu and her the day before, she didn¡¯t neglect him and sent a voice message over. ¡°I¡¯ve arrived in Paris~ It¡¯s such a beautiful place, and I¡¯m doing well¡­ What about you? How are you doing?¡± Song Shiyu sighed softly. All he could do was to put this message aside for a few hours without responding, but he was incapable of remaining angry at Ji Xinxin. He took some time to compose a warm and polite message that conformed to his image, but before he could send it out, a series of knocking suddenly sounded on the compartment¡¯s door. Song Shiyu looked at his watch. It was a minute off eleven. Ji Fanyin sure is punctual. ¡°Come in,¡± he said nonchalantly. The moment the door was pushed open, a voice that was identical to the one he had just heard from his phone was delivered into his ears. ¡°You¡¯re early. Have you been waiting long?¡± Song Shiyu glanced at the doorway in surprise. He subconsciously rose to his feet as he replied, ¡°I just arrived too.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief. I was worried that you would be bored out of your mind waiting by yourself. Let¡¯s order something. I¡¯m starving.¡± Ji Xinxin walked up to Song Shiyu and directed him a sweet smile. ¡°You said that you¡¯ll be treating me today.¡± Song Shiyu could even smell the usual perfume that Ji Xinxin used on her, and it made him instinctively nod in response. ¡°Of course, there¡¯s no way I would make you pay. Come, sit down and have a look at the menu, Xin¡­¡± He was just about to speak that name when he suddenly bit down on the final syllabus. An overwhelming outpour of irrepressible shock and anger suddenly crashed down on him. He actually mistook Ji Fanyin for Ji Xinxin for a moment there! He remembered how Ji Fanyin would reveal that detestable hurt expression whenever he mentioned Ji Xinxin in front of her, which made her look extremely un-Ji Xinxin-like. Ji Xinxin was more like¡­ ¡°Shiyu, aren¡¯t you going to take a seat too?¡± asked Ji Fanyin doubtfully. She had already picked up the menu and started looking through it. Song Shiyu stared at her for a brief moment before he finally snapped out of his daze. His lips curled up, but his expression remained incredibly cold. ¡°Ji Fanyin, who taught you this move?¡± Did you think that you can covet what Ji Xinxin has just because you can imitate her? Ji Fanyin blinked her eyes. She unlocked her phone and shook it before Song Shiyu, displaying a timer counting down from 2 hours and 57 minutes. With a ¡®Ji Xinxin¡¯ smile on her face, she answered his question with Ji Xinxin¡¯s voice, ¡°Probably my bank account.¡± Chapter 2.1: You Arent Your Younger Sister (1) Song Shiyu leaned against the window of the driver¡¯s seat as he lit up a smoke, but he didn¡¯t puff on it. He simply watched silently as the crimson embers gradually extinguished under the dim lamppost. He had just sent Ji Xinxin off earlier in the afternoon. It was no big deal to him that Ji Xinxin had chosen to study abroad in Paris¡ªit was just a day¡¯s flight away¡ªbut farewells were always difficult to handle. As a result, he naturally thought of Ji Fanyin¡¯s existence. He knew that he would be going against his words, since he had already ended his stand-in relationship with Ji Fanyin yesterday, but he was well aware that Ji Fanyin wouldn¡¯t reject him. There was nothing she could do since she fancied him. He thought about Ji Fanyin, who had for once shown her facial features openly during the afternoon farewell party, and the notion slowly became more and more enticing to him. True to his instinct, after making a call to Ji Fanyin, he quickly drove away from the Ji Residence and over to the address she sent over. It was an apartment located at the borders of the first ring road. It was still fairly high-class, as evident from the branded cars scattered all around its underground car park. Moments after Song Shiyu parked his car and lit a smoke, a person walked out from the nearby elevator. He casually raised his head to take a look, only to be bewitched by what he saw. Too similar! It was only once the woman dressed in a white cold shoulder lace dress walked up to him smilingly that he finally snapped out of his daze. ¡°Ji Fanyin?¡± Ji Fanyin extended her hand toward him with her palm facing upward. Despite knowing that the person standing before him was not Ji Fanyin but Ji Xinxin, Song Shiyu¡¯s attitude still subconsciously mellowed down a little. ¡°What do you mean by this?¡± ¡°I¡¯m charging by the hour,¡± replied Ji Fanyin. There was a subtle change from her usual voice, but it somehow made her resemble Ji Xinxin even more. For this reason, Song Shiyu wasn¡¯t angered by Ji Fanyin¡¯s response. He even broke out in a smile as he asked out of curiosity, ¡°Are you that lacking in money?" ¡°Much more than you think,¡± replied Ji Fanyin with a nod, not embarrassed to admit it at all. ¡°Someone as rich as young master Song shouldn¡¯t be lacking in money, right?¡± ¡°I can give you money.¡± Song Shiyu stifled his cigarette on the car window, not worried about damaging its expensive glass at all. With a suggestive tone, he asked, ¡°But are you able to satisfy my needs?¡± ¡°Since I¡¯m charging for my service, I¡¯ll satisfy any reasonable requests you pose,¡± replied Ji Fanyin unhurriedly. Were it not for the fact that Song Shiyu had known Ji Fanyin for many years and his knowledge that Ji Xinxin was currently already onboard a plane, he would have really wondered if the person before him was really Ji Fanyin or not. ¡°I want to hear you bark like a dog,¡± remarked Song Shiyu with a soft chuckle. He had the appearance of a refined gentleman and a scholarly air, such that even as he spoke the crude words, ¡®bark like a dog¡¯, his unhurried but pleasant voice still made it sound reasonable. Ji Fanyin looked at him in surprise. ¡°Is that the impression you have of my younger sister?¡± Song Shiyu laughed softly before responding disdainfully to Ji Fanyin¡¯s act of comparing herself to her sister, ¡°But you aren¡¯t your younger sister.¡± ¡°I refuse,¡± replied Ji Fanyin firmly. ¡°I only provide a single service, and that¡¯s to play Ji Xinxin¡¯s character. If you are unwilling to accept this condition, I¡¯ll just have to look for other customers.¡± She gently tucked her hair backward, revealing her fair ear. ¡°I believe that there would be someone else who is interested in this service.¡± Song Shiyu looked at the composed Ji Fanyin as he lit up his second smoke with a smile. This time, he took a puff off it before blowing it softly at Ji Fanyin¡¯s face. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll think of it as your compensation for the time you¡¯ve spent with me this far. How much do you charge?¡± Ji Fanyin took out the laptop she was carrying in her bag and spoke with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ve just started my business, so my price list may appear a little sloppy. Just make do with it, alright?¡± Song Shiyu lowered his head to take a casual look at the list. The list was indeed made quite sloppily, but it was detailed. ¡¾Working Hours: Monday to Sunday, 9A.M. to 12A.M. Reservations have to be made ahead of time, and only 1-to-1 service is provided. Last-minute calls will be rejected.¡¿ ¡¾Details of Service: Other than the standard stand-in service, the client is allowed to make requests during the reserved hours which will be accepted if viewed to be reasonable and appropriate to the context.¡¿ ¡¾The starting price will be 100,000/hour. Traveling time and miscellaneous delays will be calculated into the service time as well. Should the service duration not come to a full hour, the cost will be rounded-up to the nearest hour. All expenses incurred during the course of the service shall be borne by the client.¡¿ ¡¾In the case where a reservation can¡¯t be made ahead of time or a request is made for additional service outside of working hours, the client will be charged a premium that ranges from 2 to 10 times of the usual fee. The service will only begin upon the acknowledgment of the terms by both parties¡¿ ¡¾Payment has to be made in full ahead of time, and all transfer of fees should be labeled clearly.¡¿ Song Shiyu burst into laughter upon seeing the terms. ¡°100,000/hour? Ji Fanyin, do you know how much it costs for me to call a celebrity over to accompany me for a drink?¡± ¡°Oh? I¡¯ll have to give it a try myself to find out. Is the price for male celebrities the same as female ones?¡± asked Ji Fanyin with a smile. This was the first time Song Shiyu saw such an unyielding Ji Fanyin, fiercely guarding the final shreds of her dignity. He tapped on the laptop screen softly and asked mockingly, ¡°Ji Fanyin, is this your way of overcoming your heartbreak? Selling your own body?¡± Ji Fanyin looked at him with a ¡®What in the world are you talking about¡¯ expression as she replied, ¡°What I¡¯m selling here is my wit and energy. Do you know how tiring it is to act?¡± ¡°Very well, I shall play along with you in view of the face you share with your younger sister.¡± Song Shiyu tapped on the laptop and sneered deeply, ¡°Tomorrow, 11 to 2, I¡¯ll be reserving you for three hours. However, I want to see ¡®Ji Xinxin¡¯ and not ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯. Are you able to do that?¡± The smiling Ji Fanyin turned her laptop over and tabbed over to another application before turning it back toward Song Shiyu. ¡°In order to ensure the quality of service, I¡¯d need young master Song to finish up a questionnaire.¡± Song Shiyu: ¡°?¡± Chapter 2.2: You Arent Your Younger Sister (2) After receiving the questionnaire that Song Shiyu completed in a huff, and confirming the 300,000 dollars he had sent over, Ji Fanyin hummed a melodious tune as she made her way back into the elevator. When she turned her head around after entering the elevator, she noticed that Song Shiyu was still staring at her from around ten meters away, not moving a single step at all. The cigarette which he had only taken a puff from was burning with a crimson light. In a good mood from having secured her first job, Ji Fanyin pressed her floor button before waving Song Shiyu goodnight. The doors of the elevator closed up, sealing off Song Shiyu¡¯s face together with it. Ji Fanyin wasn¡¯t fazed by his nasty attitude earlier. As long as sufficient money was involved, the client¡¯s attitude problem could be wholly disregarded. After reaching her home, she lay down on her sofa and began going through Song Shiyu¡¯s questionnaire intently, making use of every second she had to spare. The questionnaire was rather short as she did it in a rush while Song Shiyu was driving over earlier. Its content was fairly simple too, basically inquiring about the client¡¯s perception of Ji Xinxin¡¯s habits, character, and so on. This was necessary for her to act out the ¡®Ji Xinxin¡¯ Song Shiyu knew. Other than that, it also included some of Song Shiyu¡¯s personal interests. All in all, it was basically just to ensure the service quality so as to convert new customers into loyal ones so that she could better rip them off. Song Shiyu might be an asshole, but at least he was rich. While going through the questionnaire, Ji Fanyin began giving some thought to the other fishes in Ji Xinxin¡¯s pond, wondering if there were any potential customers she could solicit from there. Bai Zhou? I guess he¡¯s pretty rich too. After she was finally done looking through the questionnaire, Ji Fanyin stood up and dragged her feet toward the toilet. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and began adjusting her state of mind. Too bad for the fishes in Ji Xinxin¡¯s pond¡ªor should I say that it¡¯s too good for their own good¡ªI happened to be an A-list actress before my death. It took Ji Fanyin twenty minutes in order to fully grasp Song Shiyu¡¯s ¡®Ji Xinxin¡¯. Maintaining a sweet cheerful smile on her face, she opened the ¡®Temptation of Home¡¯ application to take a look. Song Shiyu¡¯s generous provision of 300,000 dollars and some Emotion Points had pushed her slightly toward her goal. While this was a drop in the ocean of her ultimate goal of 10 billion, the fact that she was able to rake in 400,000 in a single day was still something worth celebrating. I already have half a million in my bank account now. ¡°As expected of me,¡± murmured Ji Fanyin proudly as she put down her phone. She headed towards her wardrobe and began carefully picking out the clothes she was going to be wearing for tomorrow¡¯s appointment. After that, she put on a mask and quietly lay down on her bed. Tomorrow is the day that I¡¯ll be imprinting myself deeply on that fish. I have to make sure that I rest up well today, so that I can better rip him off in the future. ¡­ Song Shiyu sat in a restaurant¡¯s compartment room as he chatted with Ji Xinxin over text. Ji Xinxin had just landed in Paris and was currently reporting her safety to her friends and family. Despite the awkwardness that occurred between Song Shiyu and her the day before, she didn¡¯t neglect him and sent a voice message over. ¡°I¡¯ve arrived in Paris~ It¡¯s such a beautiful place, and I¡¯m doing well¡­ What about you? How are you doing?¡± Song Shiyu sighed softly. All he could do was to put this message aside for a few hours without responding, but he was incapable of remaining angry at Ji Xinxin. He took some time to compose a warm and polite message that conformed to his image, but before he could send it out, a series of knocking suddenly sounded on the compartment¡¯s door. Song Shiyu looked at his watch. It was a minute off eleven. Ji Fanyin sure is punctual. ¡°Come in,¡± he said nonchalantly. The moment the door was pushed open, a voice that was identical to the one he had just heard from his phone was delivered into his ears. ¡°You¡¯re early. Have you been waiting long?¡± Song Shiyu glanced at the doorway in surprise. He subconsciously rose to his feet as he replied, ¡°I just arrived too.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief. I was worried that you would be bored out of your mind waiting by yourself. Let¡¯s order something. I¡¯m starving.¡± Ji Xinxin walked up to Song Shiyu and directed him a sweet smile. ¡°You said that you¡¯ll be treating me today.¡± Song Shiyu could even smell the usual perfume that Ji Xinxin used on her, and it made him instinctively nod in response. ¡°Of course, there¡¯s no way I would make you pay. Come, sit down and have a look at the menu, Xin¡­¡± He was just about to speak that name when he suddenly bit down on the final syllabus. An overwhelming outpour of irrepressible shock and anger suddenly crashed down on him. He actually mistook Ji Fanyin for Ji Xinxin for a moment there! He remembered how Ji Fanyin would reveal that detestable hurt expression whenever he mentioned Ji Xinxin in front of her, which made her look extremely un-Ji Xinxin-like. Ji Xinxin was more like¡­ ¡°Shiyu, aren¡¯t you going to take a seat too?¡± asked Ji Fanyin doubtfully. She had already picked up the menu and started looking through it. Song Shiyu stared at her for a brief moment before he finally snapped out of his daze. His lips curled up, but his expression remained incredibly cold. ¡°Ji Fanyin, who taught you this move?¡± Did you think that you can covet what Ji Xinxin has just because you can imitate her? Ji Fanyin blinked her eyes. She unlocked her phone and shook it before Song Shiyu, displaying a timer counting down from 2 hours and 57 minutes. With a ¡®Ji Xinxin¡¯ smile on her face, she answered his question with Ji Xinxin¡¯s voice, ¡°Probably my bank account.¡± Chapter 3.1: Unworthy of Love (1) Ji Fanyin flipped through the menu. Regardless of what Song Shiyu was thinking at the moment, the restaurant he chose was still pretty classy. Or at least that¡¯s what the prices on the menu are saying. Ji Fanyin also took special care to confirm with him earlier that all expenses incurred on today¡¯s ¡®date¡¯ would be borne by him. The only bad thing about this was that she could only order the dishes Ji Xinxin liked. I¡¯ll tolerate it since it¡¯s a free meal. Hm¡­ Let¡¯s go with a Mushroom Soup en Cro?te, Basil Prawn Balls, and a Slow-cooked Ribeye Steak. As for the beverage, I guess I can go with Ji Xinxin¡¯s taste and try out the Lychee Cherry Soda. After deciding on the dishes to order, Ji Fanyin finally raised her head to look at the conflicted man sitting opposite her and asked worriedly, ¡°Are you alright? You look a little unwell. There¡¯s no need to force it if you¡¯re feeling ill. Shall we head back instead?¡± Of course, you won¡¯t be getting a refund for ending the service in advance. Song Shiyu¡¯s face remained clouded. He stared at Ji Fanyin deeply, as if trying to peer through the mask she was wearing. ¡°When did you start preparing¡­ Forget it, this isn¡¯t important.¡± ¡°Of course it isn¡¯t.¡± Ji Fanyin fiddled with the menu in her hand as she smiled at Song Shiyu. ¡°The terms of our exchange are simple, so you need not overthink it. You just have to think of me as another person during this period of time. Weren¡¯t you dissatisfied that I don¡¯t resemble her in the past? It should be much better now, no?¡± Song Shiyu¡¯s eyes narrowed sharply. ¡°What I¡¯m proposing here is a straightforward exchange with no strings attached,¡± Ji Fanyin rested her chin leisurely on her arm as she spoke. ¡°I have no intention of revealing this matter to my younger sister and cause you any trouble, so there¡¯s no need for you to get so apprehensive.¡± Song Shiyu snorted mockingly in response. ¡°Besides, don¡¯t you wonder about it from time to time?¡± ¡°¡­ Wonder about what?¡± ¡°¡®If she learns of my true personality, will she hate me?¡¯¡± replied Ji Fanyin. ¡°¡­ Ji Fanyin.¡± Song Shiyu¡¯s body straightened up as he warned her sharply. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be nervous. Like I¡¯ve said, I have no intention of telling her,¡± said Ji Fanyin with a casual wave of her hand. ¡°I can fulfill your fantasies. You¡¯ll be able to do what you dare not do with her. If that doesn¡¯t work for you, we can end things here.¡± Song Shiyu was what one would call a two-faced man. He carried himself with grace and tact in social settings, so hardly anyone was aware of just how scummy he was. Someone who masks his true self deep down isn¡¯t worth befriending, though I guess I can at least maintain an amicable relationship with him for the sake of his equally deep pockets. Song Shiyu listened quietly to Ji Fanyin¡¯s words for a while before his lips suddenly crept upward, as if he had suddenly thought things through. His expression visibly relaxed as he said, ¡°Ji Fanyin, you¡¯re the one who proposed this deal. Don¡¯t regret it in the future.¡± Ji Fanyin replied with a smile, ¡°Rest assured, I won¡¯t.¡± Song Shiyu turned his gaze away before pressing down on the bell on the table to call the waiter over. He seemed to have tossed away the baggage that was weighing down on his mind, allowing him to act more naturally. He tenderly asked Ji Fanyin what she wanted and placed their orders. Following that, they began sharing their daily life as if they were old friends who had known each other for many years. Ji Fanyin had spent the night trawling through Ji Xinxin¡¯s WeChat¡¯s Moments and Weibo pages, allowing her to smoothly answer any questions from Song Shiyu. But rather than the one talking, most of the time, she was the one listening instead. There could only be one reason behind that. A man¡¯s desire to flaunt before the lady he fancied was simply too great. Song Shiyu casually talked about his work and his life while Ji Fanyin cleanly pulled out the flesh of a mussel with her fork before delivering it onto his plate. Song Shiyu¡¯s words immediately trailed to a halt. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Ji Fanyin raised her head in surprise. ¡°I remember that you avoided mussels in restaurants because you found it troublesome to eat, so I took out its meat for you.¡± Song Shiyu stared at her with such an intense stare that it looked almost as if he was going to bore a hole through her. A few seconds later, he finally replied softly, ¡°No, I just didn¡¯t expect you to notice it¡­ Thanks.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for thanks. We¡¯re friends,¡± said Ji Fanyin as she extracted the meat from two more mussels and placed it on his plate before turning her attention back to her steak. ¡°¡­ So I¡¯m still a friend even though I asked for your hand in marriage yesterday?¡± Song Shiyu suddenly asked. Ji Fanyin paused for a moment here as she pondered over the intention behind Song Shiyu¡¯s words. The real Ji Xinxin would surely put on a conflicted expression and reluctantly turn down Song Shiyu once more, but here was where the problem lay. The character whom Ji Fanyin was playing right now was not the real Ji Xinxin but the one Song Shiyu desired. In other words, she wasn¡¯t certain if Song Shiyu wanted the wish fulfillment element to her stand-in service too. It was not beyond her to offer such a service. Chapter 3.2: Unworthy of Love (2) Ji Fanyin took two seconds to sort out her thoughts before raising her head to reveal a look of helplessness and embarrassment. ¡°Can we finish the meal first? We¡¯ll talk about this afterward.¡± Song Shiyu lowered his gaze and murmured, ¡°¡­ Alright.¡± Ji Fanyin fully enjoyed the thousand dollars Western cuisine she was having, and the knowledge that she didn¡¯t have to pay a dime made it even more delightful. When it was finally time to foot the bill, Song Shiyu received the receipt from the waiter and paid for the meal without any hesitation. Ji Fanyin kept her eyes on him throughout the entire process. She waited patiently for him to finally direct a questioning look at her before remarking with a twinkling smile, ¡°A man looks the most charming when he¡¯s footing the bill.¡± Song Shiyu¡¯s lips inconspicuously curled up a little. ¡°Shall we take a walk? There¡¯s a beautiful lake outside.¡± Ji Fanyin raised three fingers before Song Shiyu, and before his perplexed face, she put them down one by one. Three, two, one. The phone that had never moved throughout the course of the meal suddenly began ringing loudly. The gentle smile on Ji Fanyin¡¯s face vanished right away. She grabbed the vibrating phone on the table and showed the countdown timer to Song Shiyu, saying, ¡°Time¡¯s up.¡± Song Shiyu looked as if someone had just smacked a baseball bat on his head. Ji Fanyin switched off the alarm before directing a professional smile in Song Shiyu¡¯s direction. ¡°I¡¯ll be looking forward to your next reservation.¡± She was certain that Song Shiyu would come back for more. He had already lost himself in the illusion she had created within less than an hour¡¯s time. How could a man who indulged himself in substitutes possibly be worthy of love? Ji Fanyin picked up her bag and began heading out of the compartment room. She was just about to walk through the door when she suddenly halted her footstep. ¡°I nearly forgot. There are two questions I would like to ask you in order to improve the service quality, but if you don¡¯t intend to meet me anymore, I won¡¯t bother asking them. What are your thoughts?¡± Song Shiyu stared at Ji Fanyin silently, not speaking a word at all. Ji Fanyin¡¯s eyebrows arched upward. ¡°It looks like there¡¯s no need for that. Shall we blacklist one another to officially terminate this relationship?¡± Word by word, Song Shiyu squeezed out the answer that Ji Fanyin expected to hear. ¡°I can at least afford that bit of money.¡± ¡°Very well. Question 1, is it more convenient for you to keep this relationship underground?¡± Ji Fanyin got straight to the point. ¡°It might not look good for you if my younger sister hears that you¡¯re often meeting up with me while she¡¯s overseas.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± replied Song Shiyu right away. He irritably fiddled with the pen he had used to sign the receipt, twisting it from his thumb to his pinky before doing the same backward. ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll take note of that when you extend invitations to me to public places, and answer accordingly.¡± Ji Fanyin paid no heed to Song Shiyu¡¯s expression as she continued asking her questions, ¡°Question 2, do you wish for me to play as your lover or just remain friends?¡± Song Shiyu burst into laughter. ¡°Ji Fanyin, are you trying to use her identity to become my lover?¡± ¡°Let me put it in another way then.¡± Ji Fanyin didn¡¯t lose her temper despite Song Shiyu¡¯s ridicule. She maintained her professional smile and continued on, ¡°Do you wish for my service to reflect reality or follow your desires? Take the question you asked earlier for example, do you want ¡®Ji Xinxin¡¯ to accept your confession and become your lover? If so, she¡¯ll be your girlfriend from this day onward. Going out on dates, having long calls at night, exchanging words of affection¡­ All of these can be realized if you want them to.¡± Ji Fanyin¡¯s calm depiction of the possibilities left Song Shiyu in a daze. The pen he was fiddling with slipped through his fingers and fell loudly onto the ground, jolting him out of his thoughts. He clicked his tongue and sneered, ¡°Don¡¯t even bother with your schemes, Ji Fanyin. I¡¯ll never go out with you.¡± ¡°Got it. The next time such a situation happens, I¡¯ll stick to reality and reject you accordingly.¡± Ji Fanyin bent down to pick the pen up. For some reason, Song Shiyu found himself reaching out to take the pen from her, but Ji Fanyin placed the pen on the table instead, making Song Shiyu¡¯s outstretched hand look awkward. She made a phone gesture with her hands and said, ¡°See you. Remember to make a reservation in advance.¡± ¡°Who else would bother playing along with your games other than me?¡± scoffed Song Shiyu. ¡°That¡¯s hard to say,¡± replied Ji Fanyin earnestly. ¡°That being said, it¡¯s none of your business whether I expand my list of clients or not.¡± Song Shiyu¡¯s face immediately darkened. However, Ji Fanyin waved her hand nonchalantly and left the compartment room all by herself. The waiter by the doorway shot a perplexed glance at her, wondering why the two of them weren¡¯t leaving together. Had Song Shiyu not been too engrossed with his flaunting, Ji Fanyin could have accompanied him out of the restaurant. Unfortunately, despite the initial hesitation, he ended up getting too absorbed into the act that he didn''t even notice the passing of time. If not for¡­ Ji Fanyin was suddenly trailed to a halt and took out her phone. She subconsciously tapped into the ¡®Temptation of Home¡¯ application to take a look, and she noticed that there were significant changes in the number. Taking a look at the details, she realized that Song Shiyu had contributed an entire 90,000 Emotion Points to her. She couldn¡¯t tell just what kind of intense emotional turmoil Song Shiyu had gone through in the past three hours, but¡­ Golden fish, get¡Ì With affectionate eyes, she created a new group for her contacts labeled ¡®Client¡¯ before dragging Song Shiyu into the group. The settings allowed for the contacts under the ¡®Client¡¯ group to contact her even while her phone was in the ¡®Do Not Disturb¡¯ mode. She hummed a melody as she made her way to the closest WcDonalds¡¯ dessert stand to buy a vanilla cone. At the same time, she wondered when Song Shiyu would succumb and call her to make the second reservation. It should be pretty soon. After all, his birthday is coming right up, and there¡¯s no way Ji Xinxin would specially return from Paris to celebrate his birthday. Chapter 4.1: One Last Time (1) The following night after meeting with Song Shiyu, Ji Fanyin put on her glasses and began working out the details of her money making plan. Song Shiyu hadn¡¯t called for the entire day, but Ji Fanyin wasn¡¯t too worried about the fish on her hook getting away. She had marked out Song Shiyu¡¯s birthday on her calendar and sorted out all of the information she had on him. In other words, she was creating a profile for her client. It¡¯ll be Song Shiyu¡¯s birthday three days from now, which means that I¡¯ll be receiving the call latest by the day after tomorrow? After clearing up her work, Ji Fanyin took a glance at her phone and saw that it was already nearing ten. So, she took off her blue light glasses and stretched her back lazily. She was intending to put on a mask and head off to sleep when she suddenly received a video call request on her laptop. It was from Ji Xinxin. Had it been a few seconds later, Ji Fanyin would have already closed her laptop. It was worth noting that, unlike their parents and friends, Ji Xinxin didn¡¯t give Ji Fanyin the cold shoulder. On the contrary, she maintained a close relationship with her. In fact, Ji Fanyin was one of the first few to receive Ji Xinxin¡¯s call when she landed in Paris. Out of consideration of the fact that Ji Xinxin was crucial to her money making plan, she returned to her seat and accepted the video call. Once the connection was established, Ji Xinxin¡¯s face popped out on the screen. She was seated by the window, basked in warm sunlight. Even the gloomy grey shirt she wore seemed to brighten up when it was on her. ¡°Sis, are you already heading off to sleep?¡± said Ji Xinxin with a smile as she adjusted her white earpiece. ¡°I would already be lying on my bed if you were half a minute late.¡± Ji Fanyin took a sip of water. ¡°The weather in Paris looks fine.¡± ¡°It is.¡± Ji Xinxin rested her chin on her arm as she pouted her lips slightly. ¡°But I¡¯m already starting to miss the sunshine back at home.¡± ¡°Three years is a long time,¡± remarked Ji Fanyin lazily. Perhaps it was due to her overly calm voice, Ji Xinxin appeared to be surprised for a moment before she asked, ¡°Sis, you seem to be in a good mood today. Did something good happen?¡± Ji Fanyin responded with a vague answer, ¡°I finally thought some things through.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Ji Xinxin lowered her eyes contemplatively for a few seconds. ¡°Sis, there¡¯s something I¡¯d like to ask you. You mustn¡¯t get angry, alright?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°I spoke to Shiyu over the phone yesterday, and he told me something about you.¡± There was a glimmer in Ji Xinxin¡¯s eyes as she pushed the conversation forward carefully. ¡°Actually, that¡¯s also the reason why I¡¯m calling you today¡­ I want to apologize to you. I¡­ wasn¡¯t aware that you were fond of Shiyu. If only I knew, I should have¡­¡± She paused at this point with a deeply conflicted look on her face, as if unsure of what phrase she ought to use here. ¡°¡­ But in any case, I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°There isn¡¯t a conflict between me liking him and him liking you,¡± said Ji Fanyin with composure as she leaned back on the chair. ¡°Why are you apologizing to me?¡± Putting aside ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯s¡¯ own weak character and inability to reject others, the main culprits that brought about her tragedy were those despicable men. It was not to say that her unfeeling family who turned a blind eye to her plight were innocent, but they were at least further down on the guilt ladder. Ji Fanyin couldn¡¯t be bothered to figure out the reason why Ji Xinxin was suddenly making this video call to apologize. She wasn¡¯t interested in getting involved in this complex web of relationships as long as none of them interfered with her money making plan. Ji Xinxin patted her chest and exhaled deeply before a smile finally returned to her face. ¡°It¡¯s a relief that you aren¡¯t bothered by that. I¡¯ll make sure to keep my distance with Shiyu in the future. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll never get together with him.¡± Ji Fanyin responded with a nod, but in her head, she was thinking ¡®How pitiful, Song Shiyu¡¯. ¡°Sis, do you still like him?¡± asked Ji Xinxin. Her tone was so innocent that it sounded no more than a casual question. It was hard to tell whether there was a more duplicitous intent behind it. So, Ji Fanyin also replied with equal casualness too, ¡°There¡¯s no way feelings can be forgotten that easily.¡± ¡°¡­ So you still do like him,¡± Ji Xinxin repeated contemplatively. ¡°Got it.¡± It would appear that she had really called for this matter. After settling this issue, she quickly bade Ji Fanyin goodnight and ended the call. Ji Fanyin shut her laptop before taking off her bluelight glasses once more. She tossed the earlier conversation to the back of her mind, not bothering to think about it at all. ------ Social media links:Discord: https://discord.gg/ATHVehx Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/StarveNovels/ Chapter 4.2: One Last Time (2) It was only when she checked on the log of the ¡®Temptation of Home¡¯ application on the third day that she noticed that something was amiss. That night, at 10 o¡¯clock, which was around the time that the video call came to an end, Ji Xinxin contributed a gaping 160,000 Emotion Points to her. After that, she also made a few more minor contributions. And just yesterday, Song Shiyu and Ji Xinxin contributed two waves of Emotion Points. This suggested that the two of them had talked about her during their usual conversation. It surprised her how she could actually use the logs for detective work. She settled down on her chair and pondered for a moment. I¡¯ve no idea what was going on in Ji Xinxin¡¯s mind during that short video call, but it looks like everyone is quite excitable. It¡¯s no wonder why that darned app has a separate explanation for Emotion Points. Oh well, I guess everyone tends to act all dramatized in such melodramas. What¡¯s melodrama without over-the-top emotions? Such substitution lover plotlines usually make the most dog-blooded melodramas of all. Ji Fanyin stared at Ji Xinxin¡¯s 160,000 Emotion Points for quite a while before finally tapping into her planning document to make some modifications. Mm, it would be good if I could stir some emotions from time to time. Halfway through her edits, her phone suddenly rang, and she stopped typing right away. Her phone was currently in ¡®Do Not Disturb¡¯ mode, meaning that there was only one group in her list of contacts that could reach her. And in that group, there was only a single contact at the moment. Ji Fanyin flipped over her upside down phone, swiped the accept button, and brought it to her ear. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Tomorrow, I¡¯ll reserve you for the entire day.¡± Song Shiyu¡¯s voice sounded a little strained. ¡°Very well. My working hours are 9A.M. to 12A.M.,¡± said Ji Fanyin as she finished up the final edits on her planning document with her other free hand before opening up an internet scheduler. ¡°Are you certain that you wish to make a reservation for 15 hours?¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m certain,¡± replied Song Shiyu deeply. ¡°I¡¯ll send you my requests later on. That¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Remember to pay the reservation fee in advance,¡± reminded Ji Fanyin calmly. Song Shiyu hung up without saying anything. A minute later, Ji Fanyin received a notification informing her of a bank transaction from Song Shiyu. For a moment, she thought that she could hear a loud plop from 1,500,000 dollars falling into the water. She liked it when her client was decisive with their money. Thanks to Song Shiyu¡¯s generosity, she now had 2,000,000 dollars in her bank account. While the ¡®Temptation of Home¡¯ app was still reflecting a frightening -9,997,637,851,000, at least she was off to a good start. Ji Fanyin chuckled softly to herself before she turned off ¡®Temptation of Home¡¯ and tapped into her conversation window with Song Shiyu in preparation for receiving his requests. It was clear that Song Shiyu was figuring things out on the spot as his request came one by one, sometimes having a long interval in between even. Ji Fanyin waited patiently till Song Shiyu finally stopped talking for an entire five minutes before responding: ¡¾Is that all?¡¿ The messaging application reflected ¡®Song Shiyu is currently typing¡­¡¯ for a long while, but all that came out was just a simple ¡¾That¡¯s all¡¿. Ji Fanyin replied with a ¡®Thanks boss¡¯ gif before proceeding to save this conversation into Song Shiyu¡¯s client profile. After that, she began making preparations for tomorrow. All in all, Song Shiyu¡¯s requests weren¡¯t too troublesome. In fact, he even sent the dress, shoes, and accessories he had coordinated the very night to her address such that there was no need for her to fuss over what to wear. When Ji Fanyin heard a knock on her door, she thought that it was a food delivery, but when she saw a female store attendant dressed in a suit standing at her doorstep with a branded box, she immediately figured out what was going on. She didn¡¯t try out the clothes right away after receiving the box. Instead, she took out her phone and checked the ¡®Temptation of Home¡¯ app. It turned out that Song Shiyu¡¯s gift was worth 80,000 dollars. As expected, all assets, regardless of whether it was current or fixed, were all taken into account here. Ji Fanyin casually tossed the expensive dress on her bed and smiled gleefully. It looks like ten billion isn¡¯t that unreachable after all. It just depends on how much I can harvest out of the fish farm. Chapter 4.3: One Last Time (3) ¡­ Song Shiyu deleted all of the harsh words he had typed out before finally responding with a simple ¡®That¡¯s all¡¯ with a deep frown. He tossed his phone aside afterward, as if trying to keep it out of his line of sight. Something had gone wrong with him ever since his last meeting with Ji Fanyin. In the past, he only liked Ji Fanyin for her face, thinking how good it was that Ji Xinxin had a twin sister in the world. However, as soon as Ji Fanyin started moving or talking, the difference would be immediately made apparent. He knew logically that Ji Fanyin wasn¡¯t Ji Xinxin, but the three hours he spent together with Ji Fanyin¡­ it was as if Ji Xinxin was right beside him. After Ji Fanyin walked away that day, he felt so frustrated that he nearly smashed the restaurant¡¯s cup. The following day, he found himself inexplicably reaching for his phone and dialing Ji Xinxin¡¯s number. It took two tries before she finally picked up. Her voice was as cheerful and relaxing as ever. ¡°Shiyu, you were looking for me?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± There was a momentary pause from Song Shiyu before he continued on, ¡°There¡¯s something I have been hiding from you all this while. Your big sister likes me. She confessed to me once before.¡± ¡°How could that¡ª¡± exclaimed Ji Xinxin in horror. A moment later, she murmured in self-reproach, ¡°You confessed to me that day before I left for Paris¡­ My big sister must be devastated! If only I knew, I would have¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to do anything. She knows that I like you, and she has accepted what I was going to do that day,¡± Song Shiyu consoled his kind crush. ¡°You don¡¯t have to feel guilt-ridden. I just thought that you should know about this after some thought.¡± Ji Xinxin was silent for a while before heaving a long sigh. ¡°So my older sister likes you,¡± she muttered softly. ¡°But you¡¯re the only one I like,¡± replied Song Shiyu. The moment he said those words, he felt the heaviness that had been weighing down his heart all this while leaving him, as if he had been freed of his burdens. Indeed, the only one I like is Ji Xinxin. Two days later, Song Shiyu received a call from Ji Xinxin. With a choked-up voice, she cried, ¡°I spoke to my big sister. She said that she still likes you¡­ Shiyu, can you stop liking me? I don¡¯t want my big sister to be unhappy.¡± Song Shiyu was at a loss for words for a long time. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Xinxin. I can fulfill any other requests that you have, but I can¡¯t do that for you.¡± When he finally hung up the call, he felt like he could almost taste a faint metallic smell at the back of his throat, as if someone had pounded his chest with a sledgehammer. I can¡¯t contact Ji Fanyin anymore. Ji Xinxin will get mad if she finds out about it. With such thoughts in mind, Song Shiyu endured for a day. Yes, just one day. ¡­ Just one day, for one last time. I¡¯ll really break things off with her after that. It was with such thoughts in mind that he finally dialled Ji Fanyin¡¯s number and said, ¡°¡­ Tomorrow, I¡¯ll reserve you for the entire day.¡± Chapter 5.1: Hes Just Deceiving Himself (1) The following day was Song Shiyu¡¯s birthday. Ji Fanyin woke up early, did a full routine of skincare, followed by her make-up and hairdo before finally putting on the dress Song Shiyu had sent over last night. Before leaving home, she took a look at herself in a full-body mirror and smiled at the sweet-looking woman staring back at her. It sure is ironic that my impersonation is as fake as Ji Xinxin is. The two of us are putting on an act to dupe the same person. It¡¯s so ridiculous that it¡¯s actually interesting. She got on a cab heading to the location she had agreed on with Song Shiyu and began carefully looking through the list of requests once more. His requests weren¡¯t exactly hard, but they weren¡¯t easy either. To put it simply, Song Shiyu and Ji Xinxin had an argument. How amusing. A ¡®King of the Seas¡¯ like Ji Xinxin shouldn¡¯t have made such a minor mistake. In other words, she was intentionally upsetting Song Shiyu. However, this wasn¡¯t a bad thing for Ji Fanyin. Whenever Song Shiyu was unhappy, his first instinct was to squander his money to lift his mood. The cab finally came to a halt. Ji Fanyin got out of the car and glanced at her phone. There were still ten more minutes until 9 A.M. So, she leisurely made her way to the closest Starbucks to buy two cups of coffee, and one of them was selected based on Song Shiyu¡¯s taste. She was just about to head out of the store when she caught a glimpse of Bai Zhou through the caf¨¦¡¯s glass. The impatiently frowning young man was surrounded by his peers, but his distinctive facial features and tall stature naturally made him the center of attention. It had barely been a few days since Ji Xinxin had left, so her suitors were all in the worst possible moods now. Bai Zhou was still studying at the moment, so there was no way he could follow Ji Xinxin to Paris. According to what she remembered, his parents were opposed to him getting in a relationship with Ji Xinxin, so they confiscated his passport. Ji Fanyin took a sip from the warm cup of latte as she turned her eyes away from Bai Zhou and began heading toward the caf¨¦¡¯s back entrance with light footsteps. A mere second after she walked out, Bai Zhou and his companions entered the caf¨¦ through the front entrance. While his companions were chattering away, Bai Zhou swept at his surroundings, and within less than a second, he noticed a departing silhouette which immediately made him narrow his eyes. There was no way he would ever mistake Ji Xinxin¡¯s profile! He immediately chased after the silhouette, pushing his way through the store¡¯s crowd without a moment¡¯s hesitation. Is she back? Isn¡¯t she supposed to be in Paris? His long legs allowed him to run as fast as the wind, and his height granted him an overview of his surroundings. It didn''t take him long to find the familiar silhouette amidst the crowd. As he approached her, he subconsciously slowed his footsteps and asked hesitantly, ¡°Big sis?¡± The other party halted her footsteps, turned around, and smiled at him. ¡°This is the second time you have recognized the wrong person. Are you unable to differentiate between the person you like and the person you hate?¡± The tender expression that was on Bai Zhou¡¯s face immediately vanished without a trace. His face began scrunching tightly together as he spat out the other party¡¯s name hatefully, ¡°Ji Fanyin.¡± ¡°Young master Bai,¡± replied Ji Fanyin with a nod of acknowledgment. ¡°Are you imitating her style?¡± Bai Zhou stared down at her from above. ¡°Do you think doing this would make Song Shiyu fall in love with you?¡± Toward that snide remark, Ji Fanyin asked curiously, ¡°How did you know that I was interested in Song Shiyu?¡± ¡°Song Shiyu has already told everyone about it a long time ago. The only one he hid it from was big sis. He was afraid that she would get upset because of you,¡± sneered Bai Zhou as he slipped his hands into the pockets of his jackets. ¡°It¡¯s no secret that you¡¯re fond of Song Shiyu. In everyone¡¯s eyes, you¡¯re no more than a toad desperately trying to climb its way up.¡± He thought that Ji Fanyin would cry out of embarrassment at his words, but the latter only nodded contemplatively before raising her head to say, ¡°I have to rush to my work now. See you.¡± Bai Zhou: ¡°?¡± It was then that he noticed the two cups of coffee in Ji Fanyin¡¯s hands, and a load of vulgarities suddenly flashed across his mind. But for some reason, criticizing Ji Fanyin felt almost as if he was criticizing Ji Xinxin as well, so he quickly erased them from his mind. He watched as Ji Fanyin¡¯s silhouette faded into the distance. Her profile looked beautiful and confident, a vast difference from the diffident woman he knew of. Ji Fanyin has a job? Hasn¡¯t she been unemployed ever since graduating from university? Chapter 5.2: Hes Just Deceiving Himself (2) Ji Fanyin walked away without any hesitation, not worried that Bai Zhou would pursue this matter at all. She knew very well just what kind of person Bai Zhou was. It would be generosity from his part to even remember a person¡¯s name¡ªit was not even a concern that he would get curious about her. Of course, Bai Zhou would also be a good fish to hook onto, but it would take a bit more trouble to reel him in. Ji Fanyin leisurely waited at the agreed location for Song Shiyu before a humble-looking black sedan stopped before her. The passenger door automatically opened for her. Ji Fanyin passed a cup of latte toward Song Shiyu, who was seated in the driver¡¯s seat, and exclaimed with a smile, ¡°Happy birthday! Have you had your breakfast? Here, I got you a cup of coffee.¡± Song Shiyu looked at her, but it seemed like he hadn¡¯t adjusted his state of mind over yet. He quietly took the cup and placed it in the cup holder between their seats. Ji Fanyin lifted her skirt and got into the car. While putting on her safety belt, she asked, ¡°You bought a new car? This is the first time I¡¯m seeing you drive this one.¡± Song Shiyu stepped on the accelerator as he replied distractedly, ¡°Mm, I bought it yesterday.¡± Ji Fanyin understood the meaning behind that right away. It¡¯s a clandestine date, so it wouldn¡¯t be good for him to drive his usual cars. It would be bad if someone recognizes him. ¡°Ah, I saw Bai Zhou earlier. He was hanging out with his friends,¡± commented Ji Fanyin with a gleam in her eyes. ¡°He even greeted me earlier.¡± ¡°Bai Zhou greeted you?¡± Song Shiyu¡¯s body immediately stiffened up. ¡°¡­ Did he mistake you for Ji Xinxin as well?¡± Ji Fanyin picked up her cup of coffee and emphasized with a mischievous smile, ¡°What do you mean by mistake? I¡¯m Ji Xinxin.¡± Song Shiyu frowned. ¡°Did you say anything unnecessary to him?¡± ¡°Why would I?¡± Ji Fanyin ended his apprehensions right away. ¡°I¡¯m here to meet you, not him. How could he compare to you?¡± Song Shiyu: ¡°¡­¡± He didn¡¯t say a word at all, but Ji Fanyin had a feeling that the car had sped up by a bit. While passing by the caf¨¦ she was in earlier, Ji Fanyin took a peek and saw Bai Zhou standing by the entrance. He was in his usual hands-in-pocket position, and there were three words written on his tightly scrunched face. Don¡¯t disturb me. One of his companions patted his shoulder and made a joking remark, but he shrugged his hand impatiently and turned his head away. ¡°You¡¯re smiling,¡± said Song Shiyu. ¡°Is there something interesting outside?¡± Just another fish for me to reel in, thought Ji Fanyin. She turned to him calmly and replied, ¡°I saw your reflection in the window. Now that I think about it, it has always been your chauffeur driving you around. This is the first time I¡¯m sitting beside you on the passenger seat.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my birthday today. I want to spend it with just you,¡± murmured Song Shiyu. He seemed to be finally getting into the right state of mind as his tone and attitude became much more natural than before. ¡°Sure!¡± Ji Fanyin had already long entered her role by now. ¡°Where are we going?¡± Song Shiyu smiled gently, ¡°The chocolate factory.¡± Chapter 5.3: Hes Just Deceiving Himself (3) Ji Fanyin never thought that Song Shiyu would bring her to a place like a chocolate factory. How should I put it? It just doesn¡¯t seem to be in-line with the kind of person he is both on the inside and outside. However, it was not like she couldn¡¯t understand where he was coming from. The pitiful man simply wanted a chocolate with a special meaning behind it from Ji Xinxin. For that, he was willing to spend 1,500,000 dollars, buy a new car, and even book the entire factory for the whole morning. ¡°I¡¯ve never made chocolate before,¡± said Ji Fanyin with a troubled tone. ¡°What if I fail? It might end up tasting awful.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, there¡¯s nothing you can make that I wouldn¡¯t like,¡± assured Song Shiyu gently. ¡°That goes without saying! You¡¯re going to be the first person to receive my handmade chocolate. How embarrassing would it be for me if you rejected my chocolate?¡± said Ji Fanyin indignantly. Those words conveyed a single meaning. You, Song Shiyu, are the first person to receive handmade chocolates from Ji Xinxin. It went without saying that the client was overjoyed to hear that. Ji Fanyin picked up the manual passed to her by a staff member and began reading through it earnestly. It didn¡¯t look too difficult. So, she told Song Shiyu to stand to the side before heading toward the stove, which already had a pot of simmering hot water. She threw a bar of chocolate into a little bowl and placed it into the pot. While the chocolate gradually melted under the heat, she slowly stirred it so as to prevent it from getting burnt. ¡°What shape should I go with?¡± Ji Fanyin looked through the various molds while keenly assessing Song Shiyu¡¯s reaction. Song Shiyu¡¯s eyes swept across the molds before finally stopping on the heart mold. Too predictable, thought Ji Fanyin. ¡°Which one do you like?¡± she asked. Song Shiyu coughed softly, ¡°I¡¯m fine with anything.¡± So, Ji Fanyin unhesitatingly reached out for the rather exquisitely-made heart mold and said, ¡°I like this one. Let¡¯s go with this.¡± Song Shiyu responded with a deep ¡°Mm¡±. You¡¯re too easy to read. Ji Fanyin was really tempted to give him an anti-fishing lesson, but on second thoughts, it would be better for her client to remain gullible. She cast the idea out of her head and carefully poured the melted chocolate into the mold, following the instructions carefully as she waited for the chocolate to harden up. While waiting, Song Shiyu suddenly began talking about the past. ¡°I know that my confession that day during the farewell party might have seemed abrupt to you, but it really wasn¡¯t. I¡¯ve liked you for a very long time now.¡± Ji Fanyin blinked his eyes as she thought about the requests Song Shiyu had raised the day before. He wanted to hear Ji Xinxin apologize for the things she said two days ago. While she wasn¡¯t sure what they were, there was no need for her to probe too deeply into it either. Song Shiyu was just projecting whatever he couldn¡¯t get from Ji Xinxin onto a substitute to console his own heart. It was nothing more than self-deception. And Ji Fanyin was receiving money in order to fulfill his wishes. ¡°Counting from our university days, we¡¯ve known each other for four years now. During this period of time, I¡¯ve always liked you,¡± Song Shiyu lowered his head and spoke slowly. ¡°I chose to confess to you on that day because I knew that your world would grow much bigger in France. You¡¯d meet a lot of new people, some whom you might even fall in love with¡­ I hate that.¡± Ji Fanyin chose to listen to him quietly, not interrupting at all. ¡°I was fine with you rejecting me.¡± Song Shiyu paused for a brief moment at this point before continuing on, ¡°But that day, you told me over the phone that you want me to end my feelings for you¡­ My feelings are not something I can control!¡± Ji Fanyin finally understood what the two had argued about that day. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said softly. Her voice was so sweet and melodious that it sounded like the singing of the Sirens. ¡°I failed to consider your feelings. It was disrespectful of me to say those words to you, and I apologize for that. It¡¯s your birthday today, and I don¡¯t want you to be unhappy. I¡¯ll take back those words, so please don¡¯t be mad at me anymore, alright?¡± I¡¯ll be counting on you to forgive Ji Xinxin. Please continue being a slave under her skirt. Chapter 6.1: Men. Tsk tsk. (1) Song Shiyu¡¯s eyes lit up a little as he subconsciously reached for the hand Ji Fanyin had placed on the table. However, Ji Fanyin raised her hand even faster than him and patted his hair, saying, ¡°You¡¯re an important person to me, Shiyu. I don¡¯t wish to lose you.¡± Song Shiyu obediently lowered his head and replied, ¡°¡­ That won¡¯t happen.¡± Ji Fanyin maintained her sweet smile as she tousled his hair a little. Her movements were so light that it was almost as if she was touching a cloud. Her hand had already retracted before even touching his scalp. However, Song Shiyu didn¡¯t notice anything amiss with her movements at all. Instead, he lifted his head to look at her with shimmering eyes, clearly in a good mood. From that, Ji Fanyin could tell that she had accomplished her client¡¯s request for the day. Given the satisfactory service she had provided, it shouldn¡¯t be long before the client made his next appointment. After all, a person who had been living in an illusion for too long might never be able to return back to reality. Once the chocolate hardened, Ji Fanyin wrapped it up in a gift box before tying a ribbon around it. Then, before Song Shiyu¡¯s expectant eyes, she handed this wish fulfillment chocolate into his hands. ¡°Happy birthday,¡± she said earnestly. ¡°I hope that you¡¯ll be as happy every birthday you have from now on.¡± I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯ll be able to earn enough to return home by next year. I guess I can consider converting him into a long-term client. ¡°Thanks.¡± Song Shiyu took the delicate little box. After a moment of thought, he added, ¡°I also hope that I¡¯ll be able to spend every birthday from now on with you.¡± Ji Fanyin placed her hands behind her back and grinned at him. ¡°As long as you¡¯re willing, your wish can be realized.¡± Song Shiyu broke into a smile too. He carefully stowed away the box as if it was a precious treasure before asking, ¡°Are you hungry? Let¡¯s grab some lunch.¡± ¡­ They had lunch at a restaurant Song Shiyu fancied, and Ji Fanyin gently ordered some of the dishes he liked in his stead. After that, they headed to a quiet library to do a bit of reading and chat. In those few hours, Ji Fanyin was able to keep him in an euphoric mood. Dinner was at a different restaurant, where they shared a candlelight dinner to a violin accompaniment. Last but not least, they headed to a famous musical which was known for its hard-to-obtain tickets. They were the best seats at that. Ji Fanyin: ¡°¡­¡± Wow, what an ¡®affluent¡¯ day I just spent. Thanks for the treat. Fifteen hours passed in a flash, and Song Shiyu took Ji Fanyin back to the Ji Residence. Ji Fanyin noticed that the clock in the car read 11:20P.M., which suggested that Song Shiyu was intending to end this date thirty minutes in advance. He must have gotten deeply traumatized by the alarm clock the previous appointment. It was probably no different from stopping a man at the peak of his climax. The car stopped at the entrance of the Ji Residence. Song Shiyu alighted from the car and glanced at his watch. ¡°Thanks for sending me home,¡± said Ji Fanyin with a smile. ¡°Was your birthday enjoyable?¡± ¡°¡­ It was. Thanks to you,¡± replied Song Shiyu quietly. His long eyelashes seemed to droop a little, covering his eyes. It felt like sorrow was looming over his face. ¡°It would have been even better if you could like me.¡± Ji Fanyin blinked her eyes. Isn¡¯t that the service you personally rejected? Of course, it would be unprofessional of her to point that out to her client right now since she was still at work. So, she beat around the bush and said, ¡°Actually, I prepared another birthday present for you.¡± Song Shiyu immediately raised his head to look at her. ¡°Really?¡± Ji Fanyin took out an accessory box from her bag that was even smaller than her hand. ¡°Yup, I bought it a few days ago.¡± Of course not. I only got it yesterday. Song Shiyu pursed his lips slightly as he carefully received the present. There was a few seconds of hesitation before he finally opened it. What he saw made his pupils dilate, and he gasped, ¡°Is this¡­¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a matching pair of bracelets.¡± Ji Fanyin raised her hand and waved it in front of Song Shiyu. She was currently wearing the bracelet Song Shiyu had given her yesterday, and the one she had just given him was the male version in the same series. In other words, it was a set of couple accessories. It was a little expensive, but Song Shiyu did pay her quite a bit. I¡¯ll just consider it a 1% customer rebate. With a shaky voice brimming with nervousness, she asked, ¡°I bought it because I thought you might like it¡­ Do you?¡± Song Shiyu¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple bobbed up and down before he finally answered, ¡°I do¡­ Xinxin, could you put it on for me?¡± Ji Fanyin was the type to carry things out to the end, so she took the bracelet out from the box and put it on Song Shiyu¡¯s wrist. ¡°So¡­ I¡¯ll be leaving then?¡± she asked with a smile. ¡°¡­ Goodnight.¡± As soon as Ji Fanyin stepped out of the car, Song Shiyu drove away without a shred of hesitation. She watched as his car sped away, as if there was a ghost chasing him. By the time his car finally disappeared, Ji Fanyin finally put away her work smile and took out her phone. There was only three minutes left before the timer rang. Men. Tsk tsk. Despite knowing that it¡¯s nothing more than a dream, he still foolishly immerses himself in it. Chapter 6.2: Men. Tsk tsk. (2) Even though the Ji Residence was right behind her, there was no way Ji Fanyin was going to head in. She tapped into a ride-hailing app to catch a ride back to her apartment when she suddenly heard a horn blaring behind her. She turned around and saw Bai Zhou sitting on top of a motorcycle that stood by the side of the road. It was clear that he had seen everything from the start to the end. ¡°You¡¯re at the wrong place if you¡¯re looking for my younger sister,¡± Ji Fanyin reminded him out of goodwill. However, Bai Zhou wasn¡¯t about to let her change the topic here. There was a deep frown on his face as he probed, ¡°Are you impersonating her and doing stuff that would soil her reputation?¡± Oh? That¡¯s an imaginative mind he has. Ji Fanyin calmly tucked her long hair behind her shoulders as she replied, ¡°What do you mean by soiling her reputation? Didn¡¯t I tell you earlier in the morning? I¡¯m working.¡± ¡°That person in the car was a man, right?¡± Bai Zhou began walking toward Ji Fanyin with large strides. ¡°I¡¯m asking you if you¡¯re using Ji Xinxin¡¯s name to go around duping other men! You have never dressed up like that or shown your face in public, but as soon as she¡¯s gone, you suddenly start imitating her style! Isn¡¯t it obvious that you¡¯re trying to impersonate her to deceive others? Do you intend to humiliate her with the atrocities you commit using her identity once she¡¯s back?¡± Ji Fanyin took a while to ruminate over his words before asking curiously, ¡°What kind of shows have you been watching recently?¡± Normal people wouldn¡¯t have come to such a dramatic conclusion. ¡°Are you trying to change the subject?¡± Bai Zhou stood imposingly before Ji Fanyin, looking like an enraged little lion. ¡°Do you dare tell me who the person in that car was?¡± ¡°It''s confidential business information,¡± rejected Ji Fanyin. ¡°Does selling yourself count as a business too?¡± sneered Bai Zhou. Ji Fanyin couldn¡¯t be bothered to get angry with this hot-headed child, so she sighed softly and asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you in love with my younger sister?¡± ¡°So what?¡± Bai Zhou narrowed his eyes. ¡°Just because I like her doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯ll be forgiving toward you. Besides, you¡¯re going around trying to ruin her reputa¡ª¡± ¡°Do you think that the person you love is someone whom I can easily pass off as?¡± asked Ji Fanyin. ¡°¡­¡± Bai Zhou was stumped by the question. His face reddened in agitation as he exclaimed, ¡°W-who knows what you¡¯re up to! Your face is identical to hers after all!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s put it this way,¡± Ji Fanyin began to coax him. ¡°Even if I¡¯m impersonating her, shouldn¡¯t someone who loves her¡ªone such as yourself¡ªbe able to see through it right away?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± roared Bai Zhou. ¡°You can copy her all you want, but you¡¯ll never become her!¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t that solve everything then? No one will be duped by me, so I¡¯m nothing more than a clown in everyone¡¯s eyes.¡± Ji Fanyin clapped her hands to conclude the argument. ¡°Those who are duped by me are just dimwits who don¡¯t love her enough. Don¡¯t you agree?¡± Bai Zhou: ¡°¡­¡± It looked like he was tempted to nod in agreement, but at the same time, he felt as if something was off here. In the end, he spat out a stern warning, ¡°I know that you¡¯re planning something. My eyes are on you! You¡¯d better not let me catch you in the act!¡± Ji Fanyin watched as Bai Zhou zoomed away on his motorcycle before proceeding on to hail a cab on her phone. Youngsters nowadays sure are energetic. You spoke so confidently, but your body still honestly accepted Song Shiyu¡¯s ¡®recommendation¡¯ in the end. Chapter 6.3: Men. Tsk tsk. (3) On the way back, Ji Fanyin opened the ¡®Temptation of Home¡¯ app to check on Song Shiyu¡¯s fluctuation of emotions. She was disciplined during working hours, making sure to keep away from her phone. Thus, this was the first time she was checking on the phone since meeting up with Song Shiyu early in the morning. The first thing she noticed was that Bai Zhou had just provided her with some pocket change. Glancing downward, Ji Fanyin was amazed by the roller coaster of emotions Song Shiyu had gone through over the course of the day. All in all, there were dozens of records. The two largest sums came from their time in the chocolate factory and the unexpected birthday present she had gifted him while parting ways. It was pretty much the same as what she had expected. However, after she washed up and lay down on her bed, she habitually took one last look through the logs, and noticed the addition of another transaction. ¡¾Song Shiyu: 100,000 Emotion Points¡¿ Ji Fanyin chuckled a little upon seeing this record. To have such intense emotional fluctuation at this hour, it looks like Song Shiyu has finally snapped out of it. Ji Fanyin switched her phone to ¡®Do Not Disturb¡¯ mode and placed it on her bedside table before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep. ¡­ While Song Shiyu was leaving the Ji Residence, he subconsciously stepped all the way down on the accelerator pedal, as if he was escaping from the countdown of the timer. It was almost as if he thought that this dream would never come to an end as long as that countdown never rang, and the woman, whose eyes were filled with nothing but him, would forever remain as Ji Xinxin. After driving a few hundred meters away, Song Shiyu finally slowed down a little and drove back home. The fifteen hours he had spent with her were sweet and satisfying, but the overwhelming feeling of emptiness when it all came to an end made those fond memories look incomparably ironic. After stopping in the garage, Song Shiyu didn¡¯t alight from the car right away. He remained in the driver¡¯s seat, staring at the bracelet on his wrist in a daze. This is the present that Xinxin bought for me, and she personally put it on me¡­ No, that person is Ji Fanyin! Song Shiyu¡¯s breathing suddenly stifled, and his heart began beating so furiously that it felt like something within him was going to explode. Anger filled his mind as he tore the bracelet away from his wrist, opened the car door, and proceeded to smash it onto the ground. There was a series of clanging sounds. Even after the echoes of those clanging sounds faded, Song Shiyu was still unable to calm his frantic breathing. He gritted his teeth in frustration and smashed his palm down onto the steering wheel. Then, he leaped out of the car and headed to the backseat to grab the chocolate gift box. He forcefully ripped the ribbon off and held the heart-shaped chocolate up high, prepared to smash it into the wall of the garage. But all of a sudden, his violent movements came to a halt. In the end, he didn¡¯t throw the chocolate out. Instead, he reached for his phone and tapped into his WeChat. He searched for Ji Fanyin¡¯s contact and removed her from his friend list without any heads up. It was only then that the suffocating sensation choking up his chest finally alleviated a little. He looked at the heart-shaped chocolate once more, and in the end, he took it out of the garage with him. Chapter 7.1: Expanding the List of Clients (1) After working for fifteen hours straight, Ji Fanyin decided to take the next day off. There was nothing much she could do anyway since Song Shiyu was bound to go offline for the time being. However, this wasn¡¯t of major concern since he would be back eventually. Ji Fanyin¡¯s bank account was currently loaded with money, such that she could make the down payment for a new house right away. It was just that she was in no rush to move out yet, so she leisurely holed herself up in her rented house and watched TV for the entire day. Over the course of the day, Ji Xinxin dropped her a call and talked about her daily life in France. ¡°Oh right!¡± Just as they were about to hang up, Ji Xinxin suddenly recalled something and asked, ¡°I heard from Cheng Lin and the others that they are intending to hold a gathering soon. I won¡¯t be able to make it there, but won¡¯t you consider joining them, sis?¡± Ji Fanyin racked her mind to recall who Cheng Lin was. ¡°Sis, have you already forgotten about Cheng Lin?¡± Ji Xinxin reminded her gently, ¡°She transferred into our high school during our second year. She was quite famous back then, having quite an illustrious background and a beautiful face. She was also in the same university as us, studying in the English Faculty.¡± Ji Fanyin had no impression of such a person at all, so she figured that the other party was just an unimportant character. However, this showed that the people heading to the gathering were acquainted with both Ji Xinxin and Ji Fanyin. Since they were in the same circle, it was likely that they were from notable backgrounds too¡­ If so, there were probably some of Ji Xinxin¡¯s fish there too. Perhaps I could expand my client list there. Ji Fanyin flipped through her calendar as she asked casually, ¡°When is the gathering?¡± ¡°The day after tomorrow. Sis, are you interested?¡± Ji Xinxin was surprised. ¡°I thought that¡­ Never mind. I¡¯ll pull you into the group then.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± replied Ji Fanyin. After the call was hung up, Ji Xinxin quickly added Ji Fanyin to a new group before bidding them goodnight, saying that it was getting late over on her side. Ji Fanyin took a look at the pinned messages and saw the date, time, and location of the gathering written neatly up there. She quickly copied the details down onto her calendar before scrolling through the list of members in the chat. None of the members in the group were in her friend¡¯s list. But again, Ji Fanyin¡¯s friend¡¯s list had always been limited to a few people. She disliked crowds and socializing, so she didn¡¯t have many friends. After that, she muted the group chat. ¡¾Yukki: @Ji Fanyin You are joining the gathering? No way! Did anyone even invite you? Why are you so thick-skinned?¡¿ ¡¾Lively Ducky: I flipped through the chat records. Xinxin invited her to the group. I¡¯m fine with it. Make sure to dress formally for the gathering @Ji Fanyin¡¿ ¡¾Dream: Are only those in our batch invited? Can I bring a senior along too?¡¿ ¡¾Lively Ducky: That would depend on which senior you¡¯re talking about¡¿ ¡¾Dream: Of course I¡¯m talking about Senior Song Shiyu! I¡¯m still meeting him from time to time, so I can invite him to the gathering too¡¿ ¡¾Yukki: *rolls eyes emoji* Ji Xinxin isn¡¯t even joining in this time around. Do you think that Senior Song will join us? I bet he¡¯ll run at the very sight of Ji Fanyin!¡¿ ¡¾Yukki: I shan¡¯t name names, but those who aren¡¯t invited should have some self-awareness¡¿ ¡¾Sneaky Little Li Bai: Invite him! I have some business-related matters that I wanna ask Senior Song about. It¡¯ll be amazing if he could join us @Dream¡¿ ¡¾Dream: Alright. He doesn¡¯t like to be added to groups though, so I shan¡¯t add him in. I¡¯ll just relay his answer to you later on¡¿ ¡¾Lively Ducky: Oh yeah! It¡¯s been so long since I saw my adonis. Hehehe, I wonder if he¡¯s still as handsome as before. Is he seeing anyone yet?¡¿ ¡¾Yukki: Gosh, why are you all so behind on the news? Haven¡¯t you heard that Senior Song gave Ji Xinxin a bouquet of roses and confessed to her during her farewell party? It was really romantic! It¡¯s such a pity that he was rejected¡¿ ¡¾Spectator: Awww¡¿ ¡¾Yukki: Ah, but that doesn¡¯t mean that a certain someone will stand a chance¡¿ ¡¾Yukki: ...¡¿ ¡¾Yukki: @Ji Fanyin Are you playing dead?¡¿ ¡¾Sneaky Little Li Bai: You should cut it out. Xinxin is in this group too. She¡¯ll see your message¡¿ ¡¾Yukki: Are you joking with me? Do I look like I¡¯d be afraid of Ji Xinxin? You speak as if Ji Xinxin has really stood up for Ji Fanyin before!¡¿ ¡¾Yukki: @Ji Fanyin Come out! Why join this group if you don¡¯t even dare show your face?¡¿ ¡¾Yukki: You aren¡¯t replying, huh? Very well. You¡¯d better not show up tomorrow!¡¿ ¡¾Dream: ¡­ I was going to ask if anyone could call Bai Zhou, but I guess there¡¯s no point. Who could possibly be able to invite that great young master to join our humble gathering?¡¿ Chapter 7.2: Expanding the List of Clients (2) The following day, Ji Fanyin unhurriedly made her way to the gathering location, arriving with impeccable timing as usual. She wore a simple black romper dress that exposed her shoulders and collar bone. The gathering was at an al fresco Western restaurant. The organizer had booked the entire place. As soon as the waiter noticed her, he quickly walked over and politely asked her if she was there for the gathering before ushering her in. In the garden they would be dining in, Ji Fanyin saw a few young women dressed in exquisite clothes, chatting with one another. Some were seated and some were standing, but all of them had their own circle to chat in. The few women standing near the entrance swiftly noticed Ji Fanyin ¡°Ji Xinxin?!¡± exclaimed one of them. ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to be in France?¡± Ji Fanyin shot the person a glance and replied, ¡°I am Ji Fanyin.¡± This simple self-introduction created a buzz through the garden. There were even some who gasped aloud and exclaimed, ¡°How could Ji Fanyin possibly look like that?!¡± ¡°What do you think that Ji Xinxin¡¯s identical twin sister ought to look like?¡± asked Ji Fanyin. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± The crowd widened their eyes in realization. Ji Fanyin was just about to walk past them and take a seat when she heard a waiter behind her saying ¡°This way please¡±. She turned around to take a look, curious to see who was the one who timed his arrival even more precisely than her. It was Song Shiyu. He was currently walking with another man who looked to be around his age, patiently listening to the latter with a gentle look on his face. He appeared to be a person of excellent upbringing no matter how one looked at him. Ah, Song Shiyu does have an excellent upbringing. It¡¯s just that his character got twisted along the way. Ji Fanyin was about to move her gaze away after taking a quick nonchalant glance when Song Shiyu coincidentally raised his head at the same time, resulting in the meeting of their eyes. There was a brief pause before Song Shiyu turned his head away. His action looked a little flustered, as if he was avoiding something. Ji Fanyin couldn¡¯t be bothered to pay him any heed. She settled down in her seat and ordered a cup of lemonade. Song Shiyu¡¯s entrance immediately placed him at the center of attention. The crowd warmly walked over to greet him. While playing a mobile game, Ji Fanyin could hear bits and pieces of their conversation that gave her a deeper understanding of the social standing of the attendees. If one were to view upper class society as a hierarchical pyramid, the ones who stood at the very top were Song Shiyu and his group whereas the other attendees were one level beneath him. That would explain their more-than-cordial attitudes. Ji Fanyin didn¡¯t join any of the conversations, but humans were slaves to their sense of vision. Good-looking people had an inherent advantage when it came to socializing. She sat lazily under a parasol and fiddled with her phone, not bothering to look at anyone. Yet, despite her perfunctory attitude, the crowd couldn¡¯t help but turn their eyes in her direction. The brilliant sun cast a small patch of light on her shoulder, looking almost like a gentle kiss of affection from the world. There was one person who couldn¡¯t resist the urge to start a conversation with her. ¡°Ji Fanyin? It has been such a long time! You look so different now. How do I put it¡­ You seem much more confident than before.¡± Ji Fanyin was in the midst of watching a video of a cute cat flopping over on its belly to demand a massage from its owner. Due to that, her expression was much gentler than usual when she raised her head. ¡°It¡¯s just a change in hairstyle. The male classmate: ¡°¡­¡± A change in hairstyle? More like a complete change in soul! ¡°Do you still remember me? We were in the same class in high school. I was the gym class representative back then.¡± Ji Fanyin smiled at him and replied, ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t remember it.¡± ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry about it! We didn¡¯t speak much back then,¡± the male classmate replied understandingly. He cleared his throat before introducing himself with a reddened face, ¡°I am Zhao Qi.¡± ¡°Pleased to meet you.¡± Ji Fanyin offered him her hand with a casual attitude. ¡°Shall we consider this our first meeting?¡± Zhao Qi looked almost flattered by her response. He quickly shook her outstretched hand with a smile. After this smooth greeting, Zhao Qi seemed to have gotten into the groove as his attitude became much more natural. He started talking about work-related matters. Ji Fanyin put her phone aside and rested her chin on her hand as she listened to his stories. Her posture was laid-back but not perfunctory, giving off an atmosphere where anyone could tell that she was listening attentively to her conversation partner. It was the kind of atmosphere that made it impossible for a third party to join the conversation. ¡­ ¡°¡­ Senior?¡± Song Shiyu finally snapped out of his daze and retracted his gaze from the parasol. He put on an apologetic smile and said, ¡°Pardon me. I was distracted for a moment.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± One of the classmates scratched his hair and remarked, ¡°I was also surprised when I first saw her. Ji Fanyin¡¯s hair had always been scattered untidily, covering her face. I feel like this is the first time I¡¯m properly seeing her face; she really does look identical to Ji Xinxin.¡± ¡°That¡¯s only limited to her face. Ji Fanyin isn¡¯t fond of smiling. Anyone can tell the difference between the two sisters with just a few looks. The one senior likes is Ji Xinxin, so there¡¯s no way he would mistake the two of them!¡± Song Shiyu: ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Is Ji Fanyin seeing anyone?¡± someone asked. ¡°Zhao Qi sure made a move quickly there. If only I knew, I would have also¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not too late to join them now,¡± one of the classmates egged him on. ¡°But I made fun of her during our school days. It feels wrong to head over now as if nothing has happened at all¡­¡± The young men nudged one another, urging each other to make a move. Song Shiyu interrupted them and asked, ¡°You mentioned that there was a chat group for such gatherings?¡± ¡°There is.¡± The classmate who was being egged on by his companions nodded. ¡°But I remembered that you aren¡¯t fond of being added into chat groups, so I didn¡¯t add you.¡± Song Shiyu: ¡°¡­¡± His silence left the other party confused about his intentions. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, senior? Did I recall wrongly?¡± Song Shiyu lowered his eyes and took a sip of his drink before replying, ¡°¡­ No, you¡¯re right. I don¡¯t like being added into chat groups.¡± The group quickly moved on to other topics. They continued chatting for a while longer before someone suddenly exclaimed with a suppressed voice, ¡°Quick, look over there!¡± Song Shiyu subconsciously glanced in the direction where Ji Fanyin was seated. Zhao Qi and Ji Fanyin had taken out their phones to scan each other¡¯s WeChat QR codes. It seemed like they had decided to exchange contacts after hitting it off well. ------ Social media links:Discord: https://discord.gg/ATHVehx Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/StarveNovels/ Chapter 8.1: My Apologies, You Are? (1) It went without saying that Ji Fanyin didn¡¯t intend to flirt with Zhao Qi. Romance would be an impediment to her money making plans since she had no idea which fastidious client would have qualms with her love life. After ensuring that Zhao Qi wasn¡¯t one of Ji Xinxin¡¯s carefully reared fishes and that it was unlikely for him to become a client, Ji Fanyin eventually classified him as a normal friend. Having more friends definitely opened up more opportunities. Zhao Qi was bound to know quite a few people, so he might just be able to introduce a few new clients to her. While adding each other to their friend¡¯s list, Zhao Qi happened to catch a glimpse of Ji Fanyin¡¯s phone and remarked curiously, ¡°You don¡¯t seem to have many chat groups. Most people¡¯s WeChat was filled with rows after rows of group chats, but Ji Fanyin¡¯s WeChat only had three. It was all empty beneath that. ¡°I¡¯m not too fond of chatting,¡± replied Ji Fanyin as she put away her phone. ¡°Is it not apparent?¡± Zhao Qi looked a bit nervous. ¡°Am I being too talkative?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll know if I¡¯m not interested in listening to you.¡± Ji Fanyin felt that Zhao Qi¡¯s frequent bouts of nervousness reminded her of a hamster. ¡°There are times where I¡¯m terrible at reading the room. If I ever get too naggy, feel free to cut me off whenever you wish,¡± said Zhao Qi earnestly. Amused by those words, Ji Fanyin chuckled softly. Her response caught Zhao Qi off guard, and his ears began turning red. ¡°I won¡¯t befriend someone I dislike,¡± replied Ji Fanyin with a smile. Zhao Qi¡¯s heart was finally put at ease. He took a look at his watch and exclaimed in surprise, ¡°Woah, we spoke for quite long! It¡¯s almost lunchtime now.¡± Right after he said those words, a woman walked over and informed everyone that they could head in to have their meal. Ji Fanyin lowered her head slightly as she rose from her seat, and when she finally straightened up her posture, she casually tucked her long hair behind her shoulders. Song Shiyu couldn¡¯t help staring at her¡ªit was almost as if he was seeing Ji Xinxin chatting with someone else. His gaze was so searing that it nearly burned a hole through her. But Ji Fanyin chose to feign ignorance. It was not as if Song Shiyu was paying her now, so she couldn¡¯t be bothered to put on an act for him. As the crowd entered the Western restaurant, Zhao Qi naturally walked alongside Ji Fanyin and continued engaging her in conversation, though he was the one talking most of the time while she simply listened. When Ji Fanyin finally stopped at a random seat along the long table, someone else made use of this opportunity to pull out the chair for her. She shot a glance over and noted that the other party wasn¡¯t a waiter. So, she gave him a slight nod along with a word of thanks before taking the seat. She was too used to receiving such gestures to pay it much heed. Zhao Qi, however, shot a disgruntled look at the man who pulled out the chair for Ji Fanyin. The latter disregarded him and nonchalantly settled down right beside Ji Fanyin. Ji Fanyin was gracefully digging into her smoked salmon salad when she noticed that she was starting to become the most eye-catching figure at the table. It wasn¡¯t just the men at the table. Even the women gathered in their small groups were gossipping about her in a way that they themselves probably thought looked discreet. Ji Fanyin brushed this abnormal atmosphere aside while chewing on her smoked salmon. This is probably Ji Xinxin¡¯s problem. There¡¯s no need for me to get involved. Chapter 8.2: My Apologies, You Are? (2) It was a full course meal where the next dish was served once the guests were roughly done with the previous one. The serving time was inevitably slow due to the large number of guests. Ji Fanyin took her time with the food, and soon, they were serving the dessert. It was a slice of passion fruit cheesecake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. She took a bite of it and felt satisfaction rippling from the tip of her tongue. Delicious. I should drop by here the next time I have a break. Ji Fanyin was about to have her second bite when the person on her right pushed over an untouched slice of cake. She glanced over, and the man, who hadn¡¯t spoken over the entire course of the meal, said, ¡°It¡¯s for you.¡± Ji Fanyin accepted the gift with a smile. ¡°Thank you.¡± Zhao Qi quickly learned from example. ¡°Is the cake to your liking? I¡¯m not too fond of sweet stuff, so¡­¡± ¡°No thanks. I¡¯ll feel cloyed if I have a third slice,¡± Ji Fanyin rejected his goodwill. Zhao Qi shot a sharp glare at the man sitting on Ji Fanyin¡¯s right, only to be ignored once more. It was then that the organizer of this gathering, Cheng Lin, turned to her sisters around her and laughed, ¡°How hilarious! Nowadays, all it takes is for a person to dress up a little to draw in men with bad eyes.¡± Ji Fanyin continued digging into her cake, not paying her any heed. Cheng Lin: ¡°¡­¡± She gritted her teeth and spoke in an even louder voice, ¡°It sure is nice to have a pretty face.¡± Her loud remark was met with a questioning look from Ji Fanyin, who seemed to be asking, ¡®Why are you speaking so loudly?¡¯ The expression on her face was so innocent that it looked as if she was truly intrigued by Cheng Lin¡¯s behavior. Cheng Lin couldn¡¯t take it any longer, so she stood up and confronted her, ¡°Ji Fanyin, do you really need me to spell out your name?¡± Ji Fanyin blinked her eyes and asked, ¡°My apologies, but you are¡­?¡± ¡°Drop the act!¡± Cheng Lin slammed her spoon on the table. ¡°You had the audacity to invite yourself to the gathering I proposed, but you don¡¯t even know who I am?¡± Ji Fanyin widened her eyes in realization. ¡°You¡¯re the organizer? You have done an excellent job choosing the location. This restaurant has excellent food.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± replied Cheng Lin subconsciously. It took a second before she finally snapped out of it and roared furiously, ¡°Why are you saying that? I¡¯m scolding you here!¡± Towards that, Ji Fanyin replied, ¡°Did you scold me? You said that I have a pretty face.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Ji Xinxin¡¯s face!¡± exclaimed Cheng Lin in displeasure. Ji Fanyin chuckled softly and said, ¡°Yes, I do get commonly misrecognized as her.¡± Song Shiyu: ¡°¡­¡± Is she talking about me here? ¡°I probably should mention that I¡¯m actually the older sister here,¡± Ji Fanyin shook her little dessert spoon as she said. ¡°I¡¯m a day older than Xinxin.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a day older?¡± asked Zhao Qi curiously. ¡°We happened to be born around midnight. There was half an hour of difference between our times of birth,¡± explained Ji Fanyin. The woman sitting opposite Ji Fanyin couldn¡¯t resist the urge to join the conversation, ¡°That sounds amazing. Doesn¡¯t that mean your family celebrates for two consecutive days during your birthdays?¡± All of a sudden, Cheng Lin seemed to lose her presence amidst this discussion. ¡°That¡¯s not it. We simply celebrate on her birthday,¡± replied Ji Fanyin. Zhao Qi: ¡°¡­¡± Cheng Lin: ¡°¡­¡± That single response plunged everyone sitting at the long table into a state of awkwardness. They immediately understood the meaning behind those words. Even Song Shiyu¡¯s eyebrows furrowed together a little. No matter how he looked at it, this was simply too pitiful¡­ Ji Fanyin finished up her first slice of cake with eyes curled in delight before reaching for the second plate. ¡°I¡¯m the older one here after all. It¡¯s only right for me to give in to my younger sister. ¡°¡­ I-is that how it is?¡± asked Zhao Qi hesitantly. Cheng Lin slammed the table and shot to her feet, exclaiming, ¡°¡­ Can¡¯t you learn to stand up for yourself?¡± With those words, she tossed her napkin aside and left the restaurant. Everyone looked at her in astonishment. Ji Fanyin watched her departing silhouette contemplatively. Looks like she doesn¡¯t bear any ill-will. She¡¯s just a candid person with a sharp mouth. This kind of people are often used as sacrificial pawns in imperial harem dramas. Cheng Lin¡¯s friends jumped to their feet and chased after her, leaving an awkward atmosphere lingering over the long table. Meanwhile, Ji Fanyin calmly finished her second slice of cake before heading to the cashier to foot the bill. Of course, she was only footing her portion. It was not easy to earn money after all. While spending money didn¡¯t affect the progress of the ¡®Temptation of Home¡¯ app, she wasn¡¯t intending to squander it off either. Chapter 8.3: My Apologies, You Are? (3) Zhao Qi offered to drive her home, but Ji Fanyin turned him down saying, ¡°I¡¯m not heading home yet.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Zhao Qi was a little disappointed. ¡°Where are you heading to? Can I come with you?¡± Ji Fanyin pondered for a moment before honestly advising him against it, ¡°The place where I¡¯m headed might not interest you.¡± While she was researching the Western restaurant, she noticed that there was a video retail shop. With the onset of the Digital Age, video retail shops were disappearing at a frightening rate. As an actress herself, Ji Fanyin had the unsurprising hobby of collecting physical copies of movies. While most people filled their shelves with books, she filled hers with DVDs and tapes that included antiques and exclusives. From a collector¡¯s point of view, what she had was worth quite a sum¡­ ¡­ but of course, that was all in her previous life. She had checked the internet and found that despite both worlds sharing some similarities, this world seemed to have plenty of outstanding films that didn¡¯t exist in her previous world. The realization that there was a treasure trove here waiting to be uncovered filled her with excitement. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, I have a broad range of interests!¡± declared Zhao Qi. ¡°It¡¯s hard to say whether I¡¯d like it or not without giving it a try.¡± Seeing that Zhao Qi was going to the extent of abandoning his car by the roadside, Ji Fanyin felt that there was no reason for her to insist on rejecting him. ¡°Alright.¡± The video retail shop wasn¡¯t too far away¡ªit was only an overhead bridge and traffic light away¡ªso she made her way there on foot. Just thinking about how she would soon be immersed in an ocean of new films made her footsteps much lighter. But just as she was waiting for the traffic lights to turn green, she received a call from Song Shiyu. Her eyebrows raised a little as she picked up the call. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like seeing you dating another man using her face,¡± said Song Shiyu over the phone. ¡°Meet me in half an hour¡¯s time.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid that¡¯s impossible,¡± Ji Fanyin rejected him right away. ¡°Today¡¯s my break day. You should make a reservation in advance if you wish to meet me.¡± ¡°Do you really think you¡¯re that popular?¡± mocked Song Shiyu. ¡°The one Zhao Qi fancies is Xinxin!¡± Ji Fanyin wasn¡¯t bothered by his remark. She shot a glance at Zhao Qi before remarking with a heavier tone, ¡°Do you think that he would be the same as you?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Song Shiyu fell silent, but Ji Fanyin was still able to hear his hastened breathing noises. Ji Fanyin chuckled softly. She reverted back to her original tone and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be putting my phone on silent mode after this call. Feel free to message me on WeChat if there¡¯s anything you need from me. I¡¯ll respond to you when I¡¯m free.¡± She politely waited for a few seconds in case Song Shiyu wanted to say anything before hanging up the phone. ¡°It¡¯s green now, let¡¯s go.¡± Zhao Qi seemed a little curious about the phone call. ¡°Is it a call from work?¡± Ji Fanyin switched the phone to silent mode before responding to Zhao Qi with a nod. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s from one of my wealthier clients.¡± Chapter 9.1: Who Is It? (1) What a wonderful movie!, Ji Fanyin thought. She had bought quite a few blu-ray movies in the video retail store the other day and spent the entire day going through them, even going to the extent of skipping meals and sleep. Other than occasional calls for delivery, she didn¡¯t contact anyone. After watching all of the movies she had on hand in a single shot, she took a nice long nap before finally checking her phone. Zhao Qi knew that she was watching movies at home, so he dropped a few messages now and then to check if she was done going through them. There was a missed call from Ji Xinxin, who, as usual, left a voice message behind to ask if she was busy and when it would be convenient to call again. Two missed calls from telemarketers too. Song Shiyu had called her on the day of the gathering, but he didn¡¯t follow up with that. Well, that was basically how big Ji Fanyin¡¯s social circle was. She responded to Zhao Qi and Ji Xinxin¡¯s messages before stretching her back lazily to begin a new day. She was a little curious about Song Shiyu¡¯s unexpected silence, so she decided to access the profile page she had made for him to conduct an in-depth analysis. Song Shiyu could be considered as a mild perfectionist. He preferred to and would habitually display his flawless side to others, which made those around him think that he was perfect too. The problem was that there was no such thing as a perfect person in the world. It was normal for adults to socialize with others with a mask on their face, but Song Shiyu¡¯s mask was exceptionally thick. He refused to take it off even before the woman he loved. It was likely that he was afraid of how others would perceive him once they learned of his imperfections, and this feeling was even stronger when it came to Ji Xinxin. However, Ji Fanyin had given him the opportunity to allay his fears and immerse himself in the dream scenario where ¡®Ji Xinxin likes you even if you aren¡¯t perfect¡¯. It should be impossible for Song Shiyu to resist such a temptation. Is he busy with work? Ji Fanyin took a look at her bank balance and decided that it was time for her to expand her sources of income. It just so happened that Zhao Qi responded to her message and began sharing his thoughts on the movies. Quite a few movies that Ji Fanyin bought were recommended by him. After chatting for a while, Zhao Qi told her that a new movie had just reached the silver screen and invited her out to watch it on IMAX. Zhao Qi:¡¾If you don¡¯t mind, it¡¯ll be with a few of my other friends who are film buffs too¡¿ Ji Fanyin accepted the offer since she didn¡¯t have any plans for the day. She didn¡¯t bother dolling herself up since it was just a trip to the cinema, putting on just a casual shirt and a pair of jeans before heading out. When she arrived at the cinema, she found that Zhao Qi was the only one there. Zhao Qi waved the four tickets in his hand with an awkward smile. ¡°The other two said that they won¡¯t be joining us due to some urgent matters. It looks like we¡¯re the only ones here.¡± Ji Fanyin¡¯s eyebrows lifted a little. She was used to such petty tricks. It didn¡¯t really matter to her whether Zhao Qi was staging an act or that his two friends were trying to pair them up. ¡°It would be a waste to miss the movie when we¡¯re already here,¡± said Ji Fanyin as she made her way toward the concession stand. ¡°I¡¯ll get the snacks since you¡¯ve already paid for the tickets. What drink do you want?¡± Zhao Qi offered to pay, but he was unable to outtalk Ji Fanyin. In the end, they got a two person combo set. The movie was not bad, and Zhao Qi was a decent film watching partner too. When the credits scene finally rolled, the two of them began making their way out of the theater while amicably chatting about the movie. It was then that Ji Fanyin got a feeling that someone was spying on her. Chapter 9.2: Who Is It? (2) After spending many years as an actress, she was particularly sensitive to cameras directed at her. She subconsciously swept a glance at her surroundings, but she wasn¡¯t able to find anything. Nevertheless, she was still able to fathom a guess about the culprit. There was one person who had declared that he would be ¡®keeping an eye on her¡¯ just a few days ago. Bai Zhou is the most likely suspect here. With his personality, it¡¯s not entirely impossible for him to pull off something like this. ¡°The restaurant I told you about is just below this cinema. Shall we grab a bite? ¡­ Ji Fanyin?¡± Zhao Qi called her. Ji Fanyin retracted her gaze and took a quick glance at her phone. Then, she replied, ¡°Let¡¯s go. I don¡¯t have work today anyway. Thanks for recommending this movie to me. I¡¯ll treat you for lunch.¡± Most self-aware suitors understood the meaning behind a woman outright saying words like ¡®I¡¯ll treat you¡¯ or ¡®Let¡¯s go dutch¡¯. Zhao Qi touched his nose and asked hopefully, ¡°Can I treat you the next time?¡± ¡°Sure, if an opportunity allows.¡± Ji Fanyin didn¡¯t slam the lid entirely. It was not as if she was intending to live as a loner here. It would be good if she could make some friends too. The restaurant Zhao Qi spoke about was a Thai hotpot shop that opened just a few months back. It was extremely popular with many returning customers. Its spicy tom yum goong soup base brought out a nice kick to the seafood. Over the course of the meal, Ji Fanyin was finally able to locate the secret paparazzi with her sharp instincts. It wasn¡¯t Bai Zhou but a middle-aged man who looked average from head to toe. This middle-aged man entered the store alone shortly after the two of them. It was already weird that someone was having hotpot all on their own, but he was barely eating at all. The biggest giveaway though was him discreetly directing his phone in their direction and snapping a few shots. He must be the kind of PI who tracks down adultery. After footing the bill, Ji Fanyin slurped up the last bit of her ice-blended coconut drink before contemplating over what she should do next. ¡°Shall I drive you home?¡± asked Zhao Qi. ¡°I drove here,¡± replied Ji Fanyin as she dangled her car keys before him. Zhao Qi looked at the logo on the car keys and frowned. ¡°It might be rude of me to say this, but I¡¯ve been thinking about this ever since you mentioned your birthday in the previous gathering¡­ I remember that Ji Xinxin drives a Porsche. Aren¡¯t your parents being a little too biased here?¡± ¡°Cars are just four-wheeled vehicles to me.¡± Ji Fanyin began rising from her seat. ¡°Anything is fine as long as I can drive it around.¡± As stingy as Ji Fanyin¡¯s parents were, they still bought her a BMW worth 300,000 dollars sling with insurance. It wasn¡¯t as bad as Zhao Qi was making it out to be. Zhao Qi walked Ji Fanyin over to her car and paid her parking fees before waving her goodbye. Ji Fanyin intentionally drove slowly, and soon enough, she spotted a rundown gray car tailing her from a distance away. It should be safe to assume Bai Zhou was already aware of her meeting with Zhao Qi today by this point. What should I do next? Chapter 9.3: Who Is It? (3) Ji Fanyin took some time to evaluate the plans she had in mind. In the end, she used her car¡¯s Bluetooth to call Song Shiyu. ¡°I¡¯m done with my work now. You called me a few days ago. Were you planning to make a reservation?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Song Shiyu¡¯s voice sounded deeper and less clearer than usual. ¡°What were you busy with? Flirting with other men?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that there¡¯s any need for me to explain my private affairs to you,¡± said Ji Fanyin as she reversed her car into an empty parking lot along the street. ¡°But lest you think too much into it, I¡¯ll answer your question. I have no interest in romance at the moment.¡± Song Shiyu fell silent. ¡°It¡¯s 9 o¡¯clock,¡± he said. ¡°Meet me at the bar right now.¡± Ji Fanyin gave the request some thought. Before she could use the same ¡®day off¡¯ excuse as she did the last time, Song Shiyu added, ¡°I¡¯ll pay you twofold.¡± He¡¯s offering a raise? Ji Fanyin took a look at the time and replied, ¡°Three hours.¡± ¡°What about after midnight?¡± Ji Fanyin earnestly contemplated this problem and replied, ¡°It¡¯ll be fivefold from 12 to 3 and tenfold from 3 to 9.¡± She needed ample rest, and working overtime ought to be compensated. How else would she find the motivation to work at such ungodly hours? Her extortionist prices convinced Song Shiyu not to extend the service duration. She grabbed her phone and said, ¡°Send me the address. I¡¯ll head over right now.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Song Shiyu fell silent for yet another brief moment before dropping her the name of a bar. ¡°Find your own way over.¡± Is it that difficult for you to drop me a location pin?, Ji Fanyin thought. That being said, she still patiently looked up whatever she heard from Song Shiyu¡¯s unclear voice. It took a few tries before she finally found the bar on her GPS. She placed her phone back onto the holder and drove out of her parking spot. While she was making her way over, a message popped up on her phone. She shot it a glance and saw that Song Shiyu had sent the money over. Her eyes then drifted to the rearview mirror. The PI¡¯s rundown gray car was still trailing not too far behind her. She chuckled softly as she wondered how things would develop after this. I¡¯m getting a little excited. Well, life would be boring without a bit of spice every now and then, right? ¡­ After parking his car, the PI immediately made a call to his client. ¡°Mr Bai, there¡¯s a change in the situation. I reported to you earlier that Miss Ji was driving back to her apartment after parting ways with that man, but she suddenly stopped by the roadside for a few minutes before abruptly changing her path. She¡¯s now heading into a bar. I¡¯ve already sent the images to your inbox.¡± On the other end of the call, Bai Zhou had just finished working out. He placed his energy drink on the table and quickly opened his laptop. He clicked into the latest email and browsed through the attached pictures before asking, ¡°She entered the bar alone?¡± ¡°Yes, but this bar is members exclusive. Based on our investigation, Miss Ji has never been there before. It¡¯s likely that she was invited by someone else.¡± Bai Zhou looked through the pictures once more, this time paying closer attention to the details aside from Ji Fanyin. Soon, his eyes fell upon one of the cars in the background of the parking lot, and he frowned. ¡°That black Audi car parked in the VIP lot. What¡¯s its license plate number?¡± The PI quickly recited the car¡¯s license plate number. Bai Zhou remembered it was the same license plate number as the car that drove Ji Fanyin back to the Ji Residence just a few days ago. He eyed Ji Fanyin¡¯s silhouette in the photo and sneered coldly, ¡°Find out who the owner of the car is.¡± He then hung up the call and headed off to take a shower. Of course, there were ways for Bai Zhou to figure out who the owner of the car was, but the PIs had their own channels too. While it would take a bit of money, it would be much more convenient for him if this investigation didn¡¯t alarm anyone around him. Soon, he received a return call from the PI. ¡°Mr Zhou, I¡¯ve managed to find the owner of the car.¡± Bai Zhou placed his phone on the table and switched it over to speaker mode before continuing to towel his damp hair. ¡°Who is it?¡± The PI sounded a little incredulous at what he had found too. ¡°Song Shiyu.¡± Bai Zhou¡¯s movements froze up. ¡°Someone with the same name?¡± ¡°¡­ No, it¡¯s the Mr Song you know of.¡± It took Bai Zhou two seconds before it finally dawned on him what was happening. He spat out a vulgarity before furiously tossing the towel on the table. ¡°I¡¯ll be heading over right now. Keep a close eye on them. Inform me right away if any of them leaves the bar.¡± Chapter 10.1: You Want Me to Reciprocate Your Feelings? (1) From the moment Bai Zhou saw Ji Fanyin alighting from another man¡¯s car the other day, he figured that she had found a man. Whatever Ji Fanyin was up to was none of his business, but it was clear from her attire that day that she was impersonating Ji Xinxin, which left Bai Zhou no choice but to suspect that she was going around cheating others using Ji Xinxin¡¯s name. Big sis¡¯ reputation is at stake here. So, he got a PI to look into it. It was one thing for Ji Fanyin to flirt with Ji Xinxin¡¯s university classmate, but to think that she would actually hook up with Song Shiyu too! This was the very Song Shiyu who had confessed his love to Ji Xinxin not too long ago! Bai Zhou was infuriated by the turn of affairs. Despite his still damp hair, he immediately climbed onto his motorcycle and sped his way toward the address sent to him by the PI. He looked almost like a cuckolded husband rushing to a hotel room to catch his adulterous wife in the act. At the entrance of the bar, a jacked bouncer stepped forward and stopped him. "We don''t allow minors in." Bai Zhou frowned. He snapped a shot of the bouncer''s work pass and made a call. "Hey, Hua Zi. Your family owns K+ Bar, right? Get one of your men to bring me in." It was not that Bai Zhou couldn''t use an even more forceful method to barge in, but that would have been too conspicuous. He didn''t want to risk having Song Shiyu and Ji Fanyin learn of his arrival and make an escape in advance. That would render his trip futile. So, he made a call to an acquaintance, a ''young master'' whom he remembered was affiliated with this bar, instead. Soon, a manager dressed in a suit walked out to bring him in. The manager welcomed Bai Zhou with a warm smile. "It''s an honor to have you here with us today, young master Bai. Would you like me to prepare a compartment room for you today?" "I''m here to find someone," said Bai Zhou coldly as he glanced at the intoxicated gents and ladies sitting inside the bar. "Where''s Song Shiyu?" The manager was a little taken aback by that question. He asked carefully, "You''re here to find Mr Song?" "That''s right. Did a beautiful lady enter this bar a moment ago to look for him?" sneered Bai Zhou. Realization struck the manager. Ah, he has been cuckolded and is here to catch the adulterous couple. Looks like money isn¡¯t enough to retain the heart of a woman. With such thoughts in mind, he said, "Mr Bai, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t divulge our customer¡¯s information to you. Why don¡¯t I get someone to¡­¡± Bai Zhou was in no mood to listen to his rambles. ¡°I¡¯m already being very patient here. Don¡¯t test me.¡± The manager was put on the spot. He hesitated for a moment before saying, ¡°Mr Song is someone whom we can¡¯t afford to offend. Why don¡¯t I bring you to the CCTV room to take a look instead? You can talk to Mr Song once they are done with their meeting. What do you think?¡± Bai Zhou was so anxious to see what shady stuff Song Shiyu and Ji Fanyin were up to that he agreed to the plan right away. The manager heaved a sigh of relief before bringing Bai Zhou over to the CCTV room. Humans tended to lose their rationality when drunk, so bars had to be filled with CCTV cameras as a security measure. There was no way a bar as well-known as K+ would slip up on this aspect. The CCTV room was much quieter than the outside. Bai Zhou walked up to the cluster of screens and began browsing through them to look for Song Shiyu and Ji Fanyin. The manager was much more experienced than him. It took him only a brief moment before he pointed to one of the screens and said, ¡°There.¡± Bai Zhou immediately turned his gaze over. The image was slightly blurry, but he could tell right away that the duo sitting side by side in the compartment room were none other than Ji Fanyin and Song Shiyu. They were really meeting up here! Bai Zhou¡¯s first instinct was to rush into the compartment room and beat them up, but he suddenly thought of something. Since Song Shiyu has demeaned his feelings for big sis by projecting it onto Ji Fanyin instead, that would make him unqualified to court her anymore. Even if he¡¯s just fooling around for the time being, it would still affect big sis¡¯ impression of him once she learns about this. I shouldn¡¯t interrupt them. Instead, I should let them meet up with one another more often and capture more evidence of their affair. Chapter 10.2: You Want Me to Reciprocate Your Feelings? (2) Bai Zhou took out his phone and began videotaping the CCTV footage of Song Shiyu and Ji Fanyin. There was no way Song Shiyu would be able to talk his way out of this with such concrete evidence. The manager stood quietly behind Bai Zhou, pretending as if he couldn¡¯t see anything at all. A while later, Bai Zhou started to feel a little exhausted. He pulled a chair over and took a seat, seemingly resolved to camp it out here. At the same time, he instructed the manager, ¡°Bring me something to drink.¡± The two of them are likely going to be in there for an hour at minimum. I can¡¯t miss even a single frame of them. The manager quickly brought a few bottles of beer over. Bai Zhou popped one open and began gulping it down while staring intently at the screen. As he looked at the footage, he started feeling a sense of incongruence. Why do Ji Fanyin¡¯s movements and gestures resemble big sis so much?! ¡­ ¡°You shouldn¡¯t drink so much. It¡¯s not good for your body,¡± Ji Fanyin advised. She could already tell that Song Shiyu was slightly intoxicated over the phone, and it didn¡¯t seem like he had stopped drinking while she was making her way over. Even under the dim lights of the compartment room, it was obvious that his face was reddened. Of course, she wouldn¡¯t mind if Song Shiyu were to knock himself out¡ªthat would be extremely convenient for her. It was just that ¡®Ji Xinxin¡¯ would try to stop him. Song Shiyu was currently drinking a bottle of Hennessy. There was a pail filled with ice on the table, but he hadn¡¯t even bothered to touch it at all. He poured the 40% brandy into his cup and downed it over and over again as if it was no more than iced red tea. He was just about to pour his next cup when Ji Fanyin suddenly moved the wine bottle away from him. She asked softly, ¡°If there¡¯s something on your mind, why don¡¯t you tell me about it? I might not be able to solve your problems, but it¡¯ll at least make you feel better.¡± When Song Shiyu¡¯s outreached hand failed to grab hold of the wine bottle, he raised his head to look at Ji Fanyin. He listened quietly to her words before suddenly asking a seemingly unrelated question, ¡°¡­ Why did you have to go to France?¡± Needless to say, it¡¯s because she¡¯d already had her fair share of fun rearing fishes here, so she decided to expand her fishery business overseas. Ji Fanyin smiled softly. While passing Song Shiyu a glass of water, she circumvented the question and replied, ¡°Aren¡¯t I here with you now?¡± Song Shiyu didn¡¯t accept the glass of water. He obstinately asked the same question again, ¡°Why did you go to France?¡± Realizing that he wouldn¡¯t let this matter rest until he received his answer, Ji Fanyin took some time to ponder before answering, ¡°There are too many incredible people around me. I wish to become as incredible as them¡­ as incredible as you. I don¡¯t want to be left in the dust. I don¡¯t want to just watch your backs from behind.¡± ¡°¡­ But all I can see now is your back.¡± Song Shiyu snatched the wine bottle over and silently poured himself half a cup. He raised his head and gulped it down. ¡°Aren¡¯t I already back now?¡± Ji Fanyin sighed softly. ¡°Are you unwilling to wait for me?¡± Song Shiyu raised his head and looked at her with sombreness in his eyes. ¡°Why should I wait for someone who doesn¡¯t even like me?¡± How would I know what you all are thinking of? Even elementary schoolers nowadays know that spare tyres are doomed to end in tragedy! ¡°If you have feelings for me too, I¡¯m more than willing to wait for you.¡± Song Shiyu stared at her intently. ¡°But only if you do.¡± Ji Fanyin met his eyes with an enigmatic smile sitting on her lips. ¡°You wish for me to reciprocate your feelings?¡± Song Shiyu twirled the wine cup on the table before finally making up his mind. He nodded affirmatively and said, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± He paused for a moment before adding, ¡°I want Ji Xinxin to like Song Shiyu.¡± Chapter 10.3: You Want Me to Reciprocate Your Feelings? (3) Ji Fanyin jotted down this service request in her mind before replying, ¡°Very well.¡± Song Shiyu continued staring at her anxiously, almost as if he was silently urging her to get on with it. Ji Fanyin immediately made adjustments to fulfill her client¡¯s request. ¡°I¡­¡± She lowered her gaze slightly, almost as if she was embarrassed by his intense stare. She bit her lips softly for a moment before she finally found the courage to reveal her feelings. ¡°¡­ I like you too. It¡¯s just that my studies are also important to me. I want to be able to stand alongside you as an equal. Can you forgive me for my selfishness?¡± Song Shiyu¡¯s slightly intoxicated eyes seemed to gleam even brighter than before. ¡°How could I possibly stay angry at you?¡± he said with a deep sigh. ¡°I feel like I¡¯d even forget my own name with just a smile from you.¡± Perhaps it was because his greatest woe had been temporarily resolved, Song Shiyu soon fell asleep on the sofa. It wasn¡¯t midnight yet, so Ji Fanyin poured herself a cup of water and waited patiently beside Song Shiyu for the strike of midnight. Most people would instinctively reach for their phones when they had nothing to do, but Ji Fanyin quietly swirled the glass of water in her hand, seemingly hatching a devious plan. During this period of time, Song Shiyu mumbled some sleep talk, but Ji Fanyin gently loosened the tight wrinkles on his forehead and whispered softly, ¡°Don¡¯t worry and sleep. I¡¯m right beside you.¡± The semi-conscious Song Shiyu tried to grab her hand, but she skillfully dodged it. Soon, the countdown alarm rang. Ji Fanyin quickly took out her phone and silenced the alarm. Thanks to her swift response, Song Shiyu wasn¡¯t jolted awake by the noise. Now that her working hours were finally over, her expression immediately loosened up. She leaned back on to the sofa leisurely and pressed the service button to settle the bill. As a special service for an important client, the least she could do for him was to pay on his behalf first and put it on his tab. Otherwise, she would have to go through the trouble of reaching into his pocket and grabbing his wallet. ¡°Are you leaving?¡± The waiter was at a loss for words upon realizing that Ji Fanyin was intending to abandon her companion and leave alone. ¡°What about Mr Song¡­¡± ¡°Call a valet for him. You can put it under his tab; he won¡¯t shirk payment,¡± said Ji Fanyin. ¡°Do you know where he lives? I can give you his address if you need it.¡± She spoke with such natural grace that the waiter went along with her without any hesitation, almost as if it was the most natural thing in the world. ¡°It¡¯s fine, we do have the addresses of our members in the system¡­¡± ¡°Good.¡± Ji Fanyin directed a nod toward the waiter. Before walking out of the compartment room, she shot a meaningful look at the CCTV camera. As soon as she walked out, Bai Zhou charged out of the CCTV room to chase after her. However, he¡¯d had too much to drink and found himself unable to walk straight. In the end, he only managed to stop her right after she got into her car. Ji Fanyin was in the midst of putting on the seatbelt when he knocked on her door. She lowered her car windows and asked calmly, ¡°Young master Bai, you came here for a drink too?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t put on that innocent act with me,¡± sneered Bai Zhou. He dangled his phone before her and said, ¡°I¡¯ve already recorded the little tryst you had with Song Shiyu earlier.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Ji Fanyin chuckled softly. ¡°What did you manage to get on camera?¡± Bai Zhou clicked his tongue disdainfully. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anyone as desperate as you to become a substitute. What can Song Shiyu give you? You should know better than anyone that the one he likes isn¡¯t you.¡± ¡°He can give me money.¡± Ji Fanyin was amused by the question from the young lad. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you the other day that I was working?¡± After saying her piece, Ji Fanyin lightly pushed off the arm Bai Zhou was resting on her lowered car window. The latter immediately retracted his arm upon her touch, almost as if he was disgusted by her. This allowed her to roll up her car window. With a smile, she bade him farewell with a wave of her hand, saying, ¡°It¡¯s a breach of my professionalism to compromise the privacy of my client. You should ask Song Shiyu if you¡¯re that curious.¡± Word-of-mouth advertising from a satisfied customer would be far more effective than a shameless self-promotion, right? Chapter 11.1: Who Else Bought You? (1) Bai Zhou was drunk and in no state to ride his motorbike, and it would take some time for him to call a valet. Left with no choice, he could only ignore the arrogant Ji Fanyin for the time being and settle the scores with Song Shiyu. Song Shiyu was still sleeping on the sofa when Bai Zhou mercilessly dumped a cup of cold water on his face. He opened his eyes right away, but he was still a little out of it due to the influence of alcohol. He wiped off the water on his face and slicked his wet hair backward before asking instinctively, ¡°Where¡¯s Xinxin?¡± ¡°It goes without saying that big sis is in Paris,¡± sneered Bai Zhou. Song Shiyu raised his gaze to stare at Bai Zhou, who looked as if he was about to beat him up at any moment, but he remained oddly composed. ¡°You still found out about it in the end. The rest of you should head out first. I¡¯ll have a private chat with him.¡± The latter half of his words were directed at the manager and waiter standing nervously by the doorway, as if worried that a fight would break out between the two of them. The manager quickly ushered the waiter out before closing the door behind them. With that, the only ones left in the compartment room were Song Shiyu and Bai Zhou. Song Shiyu began speaking with a slow cadence, ¡°Humans tend to raise pets when they feel lonely. Similarly, I¡¯m using Ji Fanyin to assuage my yearning for Xinxin while she¡¯s away. You have seen her face too. Identical twins tend to look different once they grow up, but the two of them still remain perfect copies of one another.¡± ¡°That¡¯s none of my business,¡± replied Bai Zhou coldly. ¡°I already have evidence in hand. If you know what¡¯s best for you, you¡¯d do well not to show up before big sis ever again!¡± Song Shiyu looked at Bai Zhou and chuckled. His attitude was reminiscent of a mature adult dealing with someone who had barely come of age. ¡°Ji Fanyin is a skilled actor. She¡¯s able to make me feel like Xinxin is right beside me. On top of that, she¡¯s also sharp-witted and knows what I want to hear. Could there possibly be a better pet than that in the world?¡± Song Shiyu ignored the look on Bai Zhou¡¯s face and gestured welcomingly toward him. ¡°I advise you to give it a try too. You¡¯ll enjoy it. I¡¯ll even keep the secret for you.¡± Bai Zhou looked at Song Shiyu as if he was unrecyclable trash. A few minutes later, the hot-headed youth spat on the ground and stomped out of the room. Song Shiyu didn¡¯t stop him. Instead, he slumped onto the sofa and lit a cigarette. He lifted his head upward and slowly breathed out a long trail of smoke. Since he found out about it, I can drag him down with me and turn him into an accomplice. Otherwise, he might really tell Xinxin about it. ¡­ Ji Fanyin felt no guilt whatsoever for abandoning Song Shiyu in the bar. It was not as if the bar would let anything happen to a valuable VIP of theirs, and Bai Zhou was there to ¡®keep him accompanied¡¯ too. Feeling that she had worked hard for the day, she quickly removed her makeup as soon as she reached home before sinking into her bed. The following day, Ji Fanyin realized that her phone had received several calls in its ¡®Do Not Disturb¡¯ mode. They were all from the same number. She ignored them and headed into the bathroom to wash up. Afterward, she moved into the kitchen to prepare some scrambled eggs for breakfast when she got a call from the same number again. It looked like the caller had no plans of giving it a rest until she finally picked up. While scrambling the eggs with a spatula in one hand, she used her other free hand to grab her phone and accept the call. With a casual voice, she said, ¡°Hello?¡± The person on the other end of the call hissed in hostility, ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± Ah, Bai Zhou. ¡°It seems like you have gotten the wrong number. Goodbye,¡± replied Ji Fanyin with an unbothered tone. ¡°Cut the act!¡± Bai Zhou wasn¡¯t fooled by her. ¡°I already know about your affair with Song Shiyu!¡± Those words were spoken like a menacing threat, but they seemed to fall short when it came to Ji Fanyin. ¡°Yes, what about it?¡± ¡°Does your family know what you¡¯re doing?¡± ¡°Their views mean nothing to me.¡± ¡°What about your younger sister?¡± ¡°Tell her if you wish to. I don¡¯t mind.¡± Bai Zhou fell silent after asking a few meaningless questions. It was a while later before he reluctantly asked the key question, ¡°¡­ How much did Song Shiyu pay you?¡± Chapter 11.2: Who Else Bought You? (2) Ji Fanyin¡¯s attitude immediately became much more amicable. ¡°It''s hard for me to explain over the phone. What¡¯s your email? I¡¯ll send the price list to you.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a price list?!¡± exclaimed Bai Zhou. ¡°Ji Fanyin, do you really think that you¡¯re running a business here?¡± ¡°Acting is a perfectly normal job,¡± Ji Fanyin earnestly corrected his views. ¡°I¡¯m only selling my skills here, not my body.¡± Bai Zhou couldn¡¯t be bothered with Ji Fanyin¡¯s explanation. There was a moment of silence before he said, ¡°I¡¯ve sent you my email.¡± Ji Fanyin switched off the stove and placed her spatula aside. She attached her newly updated price list and client questionnaire onto an email before sending it over to Bai Zhou. Bai Zhou didn¡¯t hang up the phone, so she could hear the notification sound of a newly arrived email coming from his laptop, followed by a click. A few minutes later, he lashed out furiously, ¡°100,000 dollars for an hour? Why don¡¯t you go rob a bank instead? Do you think that you¡¯re worthy of such a price?¡± Ji Fanyin pondered for a moment before offering additional benefits, ¡°I can give you a 10% discount for your first hour.¡± ¡°No discounts!¡± Bai Zhou was almost screaming at the top of his lungs. ¡°Aren¡¯t you lowering big sis¡¯ value over here?¡± Ji Fanyin¡¯s eyebrows shot up. ¡°Sure.¡± Bai Zhou hesitated for a moment before asking, ¡°Who else other than Song Shiyu has bought you?¡± ¡°That would be a breach of privacy for my other clients. I trust that you wouldn¡¯t want me to reveal any of your details to others either,¡± said Ji Fanyin. ¡°Do you wish to make a reservation for today?¡± Bai Zhou didn¡¯t respond for a long time. Ji Fanyin didn¡¯t rush him. She calmly placed the call on speakerphone and set it aside. She proceeded to finish cooking her scrambled eggs and plated it nicely. It was while she was carrying her breakfast platter and her phone to her dining room that Bai Zhou finally spoke up. ¡°Tonight,¡± he said quickly, ¡°5 to 8. I¡¯ll send you the location. Make sure no one sees you.¡± ¡°Payment has to be made beforehand in order to confirm the reservation,¡± reminded Ji Fanyin. Bai Zhou hung up the phone without saying a word. Ji Fanyin saved his number in her contacts and moved it into her ¡®Client¡¯ group. Soon, she received the address for tonight¡¯s reservation and a completed questionnaire. It was a good start to her morning, and she began digging into her breakfast. As expected of the young master of the Bai Family. He does have quite a bit of cash on him despite his young age. Bai Zhou¡¯s hot-headedness was also a huge advantage to her. Rather than money, it was likely that he would be a fountain of endless Emotion Points. As for the reservation later in the night, there was a good chance that Bai Zhou had ulterior motives. He probably wanted to either gather some evidence of her business or pick faults with her. But this was of no importance. The fish has swum over on his own accord to bite onto my hook; how could I possibly let him get away? After finishing up his breakfast, Ji Fanyin placed her plates in the dishwasher. Following that, she spent her remaining morning and half of her afternoon studying up on Bai Zhou. She needed to get a good grasp on her client in order to score a victory, not to mention that Bai Zhou was planning to crash her dojo here. Chapter 11.3: Who Else Bought You? (3) Five minutes to 5 o¡¯clock, Ji Fanyin arrived at the requested location. It was a restaurant located on a bridge that granted a good view over a scenic spot. It was quite expensive to dine here, but the restaurant did a good job with its privacy measures. Thanks to that, it attracted quite a few celebrities to dine here. Ji Fanyin informed the front reception of the reserved compartment room, and a waiter soon led her in. It was a six person compartment room, but Bai Zhou was the only one in there. He was holding his phone horizontally in his hands, playing a game with his earpiece on. His right leg was crossed over his left one as he shook it casually, making him appear like a delinquent. Even when he heard the sound of the door opening, all he did was to spare a nonchalant glance over. When he caught sight of the person standing by the doorway, he froze up for several seconds right away. The first thing he did upon snapping out of his daze was to put his leg down and call out hesitantly, ¡°Big sis?¡± His teammates were shouting at him over the earpiece, but his mind automatically filtered those out. The character he was controlling ended up getting hacked down by his enemies within a few seconds, but he was in no state of mind to bother with that. A split moment later, he threw his phone on the ground and cursed, ¡°You don¡¯t look like her at all!¡± The woman standing by the doorway looked at him doubtfully and asked, ¡°Look like who?¡± The truth was that Bai Zhou didn¡¯t believe what Song Shiyu said the previous night. He thought that the latter had simply lost his mind after Ji Xinxin left for Paris. Who doesn¡¯t know what kind of person Ji Fanyin is? There¡¯s no comparing her and my big sis, alright! Bai Zhou had made a reservation with Ji Fanyin with the intention to pick faults at her acting and humiliate her, but within a minute of their meeting, he realized that he wasn¡¯t able to find any faults with her at all. It was as if Ji Xinxin was standing right before him. It¡¯s no wonder why Song Shiyu would¡­ Damn. Bai Zhou suddenly felt a sense of crisis. Unwilling to let Ji Fanyin win, he betrayed his conscience and overthrew everything that he had said earlier. ¡°You don¡¯t look like her at all! Big sis wouldn¡¯t¡­ wouldn¡¯t¡­¡± He ended up getting stuck because there was simply nothing for him to pick at. Ji Fanyin walked up to Bai Zhou, bent down, and leaned in close to him. The latter was so nervous that he subconsciously held his breath and leaned back a little. ¡°Haven¡¯t I told you many times?¡± She lightly poked Bai Zhou¡¯s forehead with her finger and sighed softly. ¡°Look at the dark circles around your eyes. Did you stay up late to play games again? You need to sleep early, or else you¡¯ll never grow tall¡­¡± Bai Zhou subconsciously grumbled in retort, ¡°I¡¯m already a grown-up now! I¡¯m 1.83, an entire head taller than you¡­¡± But his words screeched to a halt halfway through. He closed his eyes tightly before bellowing with utmost frustration, ¡°Ji Fanyin!¡± Ji Fanyin didn¡¯t react at all despite having her name called out loud. Instead, she remarked in discontentment, ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy for us to have a meal together, but you¡¯re only going to talk about someone else to me?¡± There were countless vulgarities that Bai Zhou really wanted to utter at this very moment, but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to voice them aloud when he saw Ji Fanyin¡¯s face. It feels almost like I¡¯m insulting big sis here! ¡°I¡¯m not going to bother with you anymore if you throw another tantrum,¡± said Ji Fanyin sternly. ¡°Shall I leave right now and let you eat on your own?¡± Bai Zhou raised his head to look at her. It was utterly ridiculous. Be it her appearance, expressions, or even eyes, he couldn¡¯t find any incongruence at all. Had he not paid 300,000 dollars to reserve Ji Fanyin¡¯s time, he would have really thought that Ji Xinxin had specially flown back from Paris to meet him. Despite knowing that this was a show staged by Ji Fanyin¡­ Despite the sheer disgust he felt when he learned that Song Shiyu was seeking Ji Fanyin for comfort¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t go,¡± said Bai Zhou. ¡°Accompany. Me. For. Dinner.¡± As if he was throwing a tantrum at himself, he forcefully dragged the chair beside him out with a loud screeching sound and slammed the menu down on the table. Ji Fanyin finally took a seat and complimented him, ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡± Chapter 12.1: Im Getting Off Work Now (1) It went without saying that Ji Xinxin had different ways of dealing with Bai Zhou and Song Shiyu due to their personality differences. While Bai Zhou looked like a violent child who would dive into every fight that he could, he was exceptionally obedient before Ji Xinxin. No matter what Ji Xinxin was scheming, her attitude toward Bai Zhou¡ªat least on the surface¡ªwas made extremely clear: I view Bai Zhou as my younger brother. This made things convenient for Ji Fanyin. It meant that it was fine for her to berate him whenever he acted out of line since it was normal for an older sister to keep her unruly younger brother in line. Bai Zhou had also grown accustomed to this interaction too. In fact, he even thought that this was how she expressed her concern for him. Bai Zhou was unnaturally quiet throughout the dinner. Ji Fanyin had to bring up the conversation topics to avoid the air growing too awkward while he simply went along with the flow. It was clear that he hadn¡¯t gotten used to this service yet. Ji Fanyin kept piling up food in his bowl, specifically picking out the ones that Bai Zhou liked. He didn¡¯t say anything about it, but he still obediently ate everything that she put in his bowl. It was when he finally put down his chopsticks that he suddenly asked, ¡°Is this how you behave when you¡¯re with Song Shiyu too?¡± Despite the rude words, Bai Zhou¡¯s attitude was considered friendly compared to how he usually acted. ¡°Shiyu?¡± Ji Fanyin rested her chin on her hand leisurely as she poured a cup of tea for Bai Zhou and pushed it over to his side. ¡°Well¡­ the two of you are different.¡± ¡°¡­ In what ways?¡± Bai Zhou eyed the cup of tea sitting right before him. The water was clear with only three to four pieces of tea leaves floating around¡ªjust the way he liked it. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Ji Fanyin half-jokingly kept him in suspense as she murmured contemplatively. ¡°I wonder how the two of you are different.¡± ¡°Did Song Shiyu tell you to become his lover?¡± Ji Fanyin sighed softly, almost as if she was dealing with a kid throwing a tantrum here. ¡°You know that I¡¯ve already rejected him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I asked!¡± Bai Zhou glared at Ji Fanyin sharply. ¡°Is this how you act during your meetings with him too?¡± Ji Fanyin chose not to respond to the question. She leaned her head on her arm and looked right into Bai Zhou¡¯s eyes with a gentle smile sitting on her lips. After ten seconds of eye contact, Bai Zhou¡¯s ears began reddening, and his eyes started to swim around nervously. He clenched his jaws in frustration before jerking his head away. ¡°How did that idiot Song Shiyu get duped by your face? You don¡¯t even hold a candle to big sis at all!¡± Ji Fanyin responded to his remark by patting his head, but the latter smacked her hand away. ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking,¡± said Bai Zhou contemptuously. ¡°You like Song Shiyu. You wish to remain by his side even as a substitute. You put on this facade in order to convince him and yourself that it¡¯s all just business.¡± Ji Fanyin thought that Bai Zhou had a truly imaginative mind. ¡°But I¡¯m not like Song Shiyu. I know who¡¯s the one I love, and there are no substitutes for her,¡± declared Bai Zhou. ¡°However, I¡¯d more than welcome it if you can really steal Song Shiyu away from big sis. I¡¯d have one less rival to deal with.¡± That¡¯s true, Ji Fanyin thought, but that won¡¯t happen. She had no intention of getting together with Song Shiyu. If she really wanted to look for a life partner, she would very much rather go for a boyfriend with a pure heart who didn¡¯t have anyone he fancied yet. ¡°I don¡¯t need you to impersonate big sis and pretend to be her,¡± said Bai Zhou as he rose to his feet. He impatiently kicked away a chair blocking his way. ¡°If we ever meet under any setting, you better not try to approach me. You may only talk to me if I talk to you first, do you understand?¡± Ji Fanyin thought that it was much less troublesome that way. She would be spared from having to think up lines on the spot for him, and her pay would still be the same anyway. Nothing lost. So, she nodded with a smile and replied, ¡°Sounds good to me.¡± ¡°Get up.¡± There was finally a satisfied look on Bai Zhou¡¯s face. ¡°We still have time left. Follow me.¡± Chapter 12.2: Im Getting Off Work Now (2) Ji Fanyin had considered the places Bai Zhou would be interested to visit, but this completely caught her by surprise. Despite being a hot-blooded youth born with a golden spoon in his mouth, his choice of location ended up being a historic place where only middle schoolers would go to¡ªa neoprint booth. The moment Ji Fanyin found herself standing before a neoprint booth, she failed to keep her expression in check for a brief moment and ended up revealing her true emotions. Unfortunately, Bai Zhou happened to see it. ¡°Cut the crap and do what you¡¯re paid to,¡± he muttered angrily as he pushed Ji Fanyin into the booth. Ji Fanyin sat dignified on the chair inside and curiously pressed a few buttons. God knows how long it has been since I last touched a neoprint machine. The long-legged Bai Zhou squeezed in right after, but he ended up looking a little awkward as his tall stature left him with hardly any space to place his legs between the chair and the screen. Neoprint booths were known to be cramped, but despite two grown adults stuffing themselves in, they still somehow managed to create two fists worth of awkward space in between them. ¡°How do you want to take the picture?¡± Ji Fanyin courteously enquired about her client¡¯s request. Bai Zhou cleared his throat and said, ¡°Don¡¯t talk. Just listen to my instructions.¡± He first paid for the machine by scanning its QR code before smacking the buttons haphazardly. What eventually came out was a photo of the two of them sitting rigidly before the camera. The distance between the two of them was too conspicuous to ignore. Bai Zhou looked at the neoprint and frowned in extreme discontentment. ¡°Would you like my help?¡± Ji Fanyin kindly offered for the second time. She could tell that Bai Zhou was a newbie with neoprint booths. ¡°No need!¡± Bai Zhou snapped angrily. ¡°Sit closer to me!¡± Ji Fanyin inched over as he had told her to, but before she could get within a fist¡¯s distance of him, he had already started shifting away himself. It was just that there wasn¡¯t much space for him to retreat to. He ended up being awkwardly squeezed to the corner of the seat with a stiff look on his face. Ji Fanyin thought that his reddened face looked rather interesting, so she clicked on the ¡®Snap Photo¡¯ button. It was also at the same time that Bai Zhou couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and pushed Ji Fanyin away from him, whispering fiercely, ¡°Don¡¯t get so close to me!¡± So, Ji Fanyin backed away a bit and raised her hands in surrender. ¡°You don¡¯t want to get too close or stay too far. Why don¡¯t you tell me where I should sit instead?¡± Bai Zhou pointed to the camera and grumbled, ¡°Your hand gesture.¡± Ji Fanyin glanced at his posture and was immediately amused by the ¡®V¡¯ hand gesture he was putting up. She copied what he was doing, but it was starting to get hard for her to suppress her laughter anymore. Is this how middle schoolers date? ¡°Stop laughing!¡± roared Bai Zhou. So, Ji Fanyin finally reined in her laughter and looked at the camera. An actor had to be able to bring out different dispositions regardless of the facial features they were born with. Ji Fanyin was able to play Ji Xinxin¡¯s character, but her facial features were actually not the gentle type. Her sharp eyebrows and plump lips made her look cold and lofty whenever she wasn¡¯t smiling. Bai Zhou stared at the screen over and over again, but he simply couldn¡¯t help but feel like something was very wrong here. He was intending to use Ji Fanyin¡¯s face to take a photo of him and Ji Xinxin so that he could stash it away. The problem was that Ji Fanyin felt completely different from Ji Xinxin the moment she dropped her act. What¡¯s the use of taking this photo if the two of them don¡¯t feel like the same person?! Bai Zhou took in a deep breath and said, ¡°I¡¯ve changed my mind. Continue your act.¡± Ji Fanyin sighed softly before abruptly placing her arm on Bai Zhou¡¯s shoulder, saying, ¡°Look at me.¡± Bai Zhou¡¯s eyes swam around for a bit before finally looking at Ji Fanyin straight in the face. He stared at her intently, but at the same time, it looked like he was struggling with it too. Ji Fanyin smoothly raised her hand to brush Bai Zhou¡¯s hair to the side while quickly snapping a few consecutive shots. Before Bai Zhou could even process what was going on, everything had already ended. He was just about to blow his top when Ji Fanyin picked up the neoprints and showed it to him, asking, ¡°How is it?¡± Bai Zhou¡¯s was immediately drawn to the couple reflected in the neoprints. He stared at it for a long moment before abruptly snatching it over and stowing it into his pocket. ¡°So-so. Let¡¯s continue.¡± He seemed to have gotten completely addicted, paying again and again to take more photos. ------ Yoo hang out with us in our Discord~ Got a neat community there (well, admittedly they are all tyrant readers), but it would be nice to have more people around to chat about professional stand-in too! Chapter 12.3: Im Getting Off Work Now (3) It was only when an alarm sounded from Ji Fanyin¡¯s bag that he finally snapped out of his trance. Bai Zhou glanced at her bag and ordered, ¡°Silence it.¡± This time, Ji Fanyin didn¡¯t fulfill Bai Zhou¡¯s request patiently as she had all this while. She calmly showed him the time on her watch and said, ¡°Your reservation has to come to an end.¡± It was now 8 o¡¯clock. Even the most luxurious pumpkin carriage would have to disappear once her service came to an end. Bai Zhou: ¡°¡­¡± There was a nasty look on his face, reminiscent of a kid who got his gaming console confiscated before he could save his progress. Ji Fanyin took out her phone and killed the alarm before turning her body toward Bai Zhou. Her action caused their knees to inevitably knock together in the narrow neoprint booth. Bai Zhou immediately darted backward as if he had gotten something dirty on him, shouting, ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°I would appreciate it if you would let me pass,¡± said Ji Fanyin politely. ¡°I have a facial at eight-thirty. I don¡¯t like to be late for my appointments.¡± She gestured toward the doorway of the narrow neoprint booth with a glance. There was only one way out of this neoprint booth, and Bai Zhou was blocking it with his huge body. How was she supposed to leave if he didn¡¯t give way? ¡°Or do you not want me to go?¡± she casually teased. Those words were effective at provoking Bai Zhou. He shot a vicious glare at Ji Fanyin before rising to his feet and striding out. While walking off, he didn¡¯t forget to turn around and threaten her, ¡°Don¡¯t you dare utter a word about what happened today to anyone else. Otherwise, I¡¯ll let you know what regret is!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I am a professional.¡± Ji Fanyin was unfazed by Bai Zhou¡¯s threat. She tidied up her slightly messy hair a little before adding on, ¡°No one will know unless you tell others on your own accord like Song Shiyu.¡± Bai Zhou felt contempt for the false strong front she was putting on. ¡°You need not put on such an act. There¡¯s no one who doesn¡¯t know that you like Song Shiyu.¡± Ji Fanyin wasn¡¯t too bothered by the rumors, so she replied casually, ¡°Treat it as if I¡¯m defending the final shreds of my dignity then.¡± Bai Zhou harrumphed coldly. He wanted to scorn her, but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to voice out the insults lingering at the tip of his tongue. In the end, he turned around and strode off. With a whole stash of cute neoprints he had in his aviator jacket, that was. Ji Fanyin was about to call a cab to head to her facial appointment when she noticed that there was a missed call on her phone. It was from Song Shiyu. The call had only lasted a second, which explained why she didn¡¯t hear it during her appointment with Bai Zhou. When a call was hung up within a second, it could only mean that the caller regretted his decision right away. Ji Fanyin gave the matter some thought before sending him a message to ask him if he had business with her. However, a red exclamation mark appeared beside the message she sent on. Beneath it was a notification stating that they weren¡¯t friends yet and needed to add one another as contacts in order to chat. Ji Fanyin immediately understood why Song Shiyu hadn¡¯t contacted her through WeChat for a while now. She fiddled with her phone for a moment before nonchalantly closing her WeChat, choosing to feign ignorance about this. Since Song Shiyu wasn¡¯t saying anything about it, she couldn¡¯t be bothered to deal with it. Shortly after, a call from Bai Zhou came in. The moment Ji Fanyin picked up the call, the hot-headed youth immediately spoke with a commanding voice, ¡°I forgot to tell you. I want a day of your time tomorrow. I¡¯ll send the money to you later on.¡± He hung up right after saying what he wanted. His attitude was horrible, but Ji Fanyin was willing to overlook her client¡¯s awful temper in view of the 1,500,000 dollars that just arrived in her account. Interestingly, just a few seconds later, Song Shiyu¡¯s call came in as well. ¡°Did Bai Zhou look for you?¡± Song Shiyu got straight to the point. Ji Fanyin stepped onto the escalator as she returned the question with a smile, ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who told him about it?¡± Song Shiyu chose not to answer the question. ¡°Accompany me for dinner tomorrow.¡± ¡°My apologies. I have just received a reservation,¡± Ji Fanyin turned him down. Song Shiyu was silent for a few seconds before asking, ¡°Was it Bai Zhou?¡± Ji Fanyin didn¡¯t answer his question, but it didn¡¯t seem like Song Shiyu really needed an answer anyway. He hung up the phone a few seconds after asking that question. Meanwhile, Ji Fanyin slipped her phone back into her pocket as she began considering additions to her business model. If clashes in appointments occur more often in the future, should I consider introducing a bidding system? ------ Yoo hang out with us in our Discord~ Got a neat community there (well, admittedly they are all tyrant readers), but it would be nice to have more people around to chat about professional stand-in too! Chapter 13.1: I Dont Accept Refunds (1) It was only 8 o¡¯clock when Ji Fanyin parted ways with Bai Zhou. She made it for her facial appointment on time and returned home with a glowing complexion. Out of consideration of the work she had the following day, she didn¡¯t take up treatments that required a healing period, choosing to go with just a simple moisturizing treatment. She could afford to pamper herself a little since whatever she spent on beauty would only amount to a small proportion of her earnings. Before heading to sleep, she took a look at the progress of ¡®Temptation of Home¡¯. Ever since she got involved with Bai Zhou, the amounts that had been coming in became slightly more erratic. After a week of hard work, she managed to earn her first 10,000,000. Most of it came from Emotion Points, but she did manage to earn 4,000,000 dollars of hard cash. It was nothing much compared to the assets Ji Fanyin owned in the past, but considering the short period of time she took to accrue this money¡­ Yeap, it¡¯s still pretty acceptable. It was just that she had to make sure to tread carefully when expanding her client¡¯s list. While it was another person¡¯s pond she was harvesting from here, it would still look awful if she flopped. Earning ten billion in ¡®Temptation of Home¡¯ didn¡¯t seem to be an unreachable target for the time being, not to mention that there was no deadline here. She knew that this stand-in job was only temporary, and it would only last for so long. Nevertheless, as long as she proceeded carefully and lived for another few decades, it was only a matter of time before she raked in the required sum to return back to her original world. She switched her phone to ¡®Do Not Disturb¡¯ mode and lay down on her pillow. Within minutes, she was already asleep. However, two other people in the same city were turning in their beds, their minds refusing to rest. One of them was Bai Zhou, who thought that someone had cast a spell on him earlier in the day. The other one was Song Shiyu, who was smoking a cigarette in a daze. Nighttime tended to make one overthink things. Thinking about the happiness he felt in the day, Bai Zhou couldn¡¯t help thinking that he was a child being toyed by Ji Fanyin, but on second thoughts, it didn¡¯t seem like there was anything off with what she did. That was indeed how Ji Xinxin interacted with him. But somehow, despite Ji Fanyin¡¯s impeccable feeling, he couldn¡¯t help but feel that something was wrong here. It¡¯s as if¡­ as if¡­ Unable to find the words to explain his feeling, Bai Zhou spat out a curse as he shot up from his bed, switched on his laptop, and played five rounds of PUBG. Unfortunately, his luck wasn¡¯t good. He kept meeting with bad teammates, resulting in him eventually entering the final ring all alone before finally being wiped out. He didn¡¯t manage to get chicken dinner even once. He angrily tossed his mouse aside and stomped off to the kitchen to grab himself a cup of water, only to realize that a new day was upon him. Stunned, he quickly checked the time on the lower right corner of his laptop screen and saw that there was less than an hour to go for his 9 o¡¯clock appointment with Ji Fanyin. To make things worse, he was initially planning to bring her on a date to Disneyland. He had actually thought about it for a very long time now, but he wasn¡¯t able to find a chance to talk to Ji Xinxin about it in advance. So, he thought that it might be a good idea for him to bring Ji Fanyin over first for practice. However, it was already 8:20 now and he had made zero preparations so far. He had neither booked the plane tickets nor bought the amusement park passes. He could try to make last-minute arrangements here, but the chances were likely that he would screw up in a few places. While he knew that the one he was meeting was Ji Fanyin and there was no need to worry too much about how she felt, he still didn¡¯t want to appear like a child who was incapable of planning ahead before her. He hadn¡¯t paid Ji Fanyin just to get another older sister for himself! He berated his own lack of consideration before grabbing his phone to make a call to Ji Fanyin. She picked up the call pretty quickly. ¡°Morning, young master Bai.¡± ¡°I¡¯m cancelling today¡¯s reservation. Let¡¯s meet up another day,¡± said Bai Zhou. ¡°Tomorrow.¡± Ji Fanyin replied with an ¡®Ah¡¯ before informing him about the company policy with a sweet voice reminiscent of a customer service staff. ¡°I¡¯ll reserve tomorrow for you then. However, I have to regretfully inform you that you won¡¯t be refunded for the cancellation of today¡¯s appointment.¡± Bai Zhou: ¡°??? Say that again?¡± ¡°Your money won¡¯t be refunded,¡± repeated Ji Fanyin with the same professional tone. ¡°How about this? I¡¯ll give you a discount for tomorrow¡¯s reservation.¡± ¡°No discounts allowed!¡± roared Bai Zhou. He squeezed his forehead and said, ¡°Fine. No refunds, right? We¡¯ll proceed with today¡¯s reservation as previously agreed.¡± Ji Fanyin¡¯s voice remained as smooth as ever. ¡°Understood, young master Bai.¡± Bai Zhou hung up the phone in a huff. 1,500,000 dollars wasn¡¯t a huge sum to him, but he wasn¡¯t willing to just give it away to Ji Fanyin for free. ------ Yoo hang out with us in our Discord~ Got a neat community there (well, admittedly they are all tyrant readers), but it would be nice to have more people around to chat about professional stand-in too! Chapter 13.2: I Dont Accept Refunds (2) Ji Fanyin felt a little regretful. If Bai Zhou was willing to throw away his 1,500,000 dollars, she could have called Song Shiyu and asked him if he still wanted to have dinner tonight. That way, she would be able to earn double the sum. However, it turned out that Bai Zhou wasn¡¯t that generous. What a pity. Ji Fanyin put down her phone lamentably. She twisted open the tangerine lip gloss she had chosen earlier and carefully applied it onto her lips. She looked into the mirror and lightly puckered her lips before grabbing her bag. Judging from his voice, he probably spent the night up playing games. I guess he¡¯s going to be late. Nevertheless, she wouldn¡¯t allow herself to be late even if her client was. This was one of the principles she insisted on as a professional. As usual, she arrived at the destination several minutes in advance. Bai Zhou had set the meet-up location to be at a bus stop. She took a look at the time before whipping out her phone to play a puzzle video game she had stumbled upon on the internet by coincidence. Each stage of this puzzle video game had interesting twists to it, and she could stop whenever she wanted to. It was not a bad choice for idling some time away. It was already 9 by the time she cleared a stage. Just as she expected, Bai Zhou was still nowhere to be seen. Since the client was late, Ji Fanyin thought that it was fine for her to continue playing a little longer. So, she proceeded to the next stage, which quickly proved to be challenging. She leaned against the bus stop¡¯s notice board in a natural upright pose which she had been maintaining for a long time now. Unlike most people, her shoulders were naturally pulled backward. Even just by standing there, she looked like a beautiful scenery in itself. A group of young men who had just walked out from the adjacent subway station couldn¡¯t help but stare at her. Soon, they decided to walk over to engage her in a conversation. One of them noticed the game she was playing and nervously cleared his throat before asking, ¡°Are you stuck on the stage? Why don¡¯t I help you take a look?¡± Ji Fanyin looked up from her phone and saw a tall man who looked to be in his early twenties standing before her. She chuckled softly and teased, ¡°But what if you try to escape with my phone?¡± The man¡¯s face reddened at her smile. He fumbled out his phone from his pocket and offered it to her in a fluster, saying, ¡°Y-you can take my phone! It¡¯s the newest model! Ah wait, let me unlock it for you first¡­¡± ¡°Get lost,¡± a deep and hoarse musculine voice suddenly sounded. Ji Fanyin turned her head over and saw Bai Zhou sitting coolly on his motorcycle with a leg resting on the bus stop¡¯s platform. He impatiently snapped the helmet¡¯s eye protector up. ¡°She¡¯s with me.¡± Bai Zhou directed a deathly cold glare at the man talking to Ji Fanyin. ¡°Get lost.¡± Ji Fanyin poked his arm and criticized disapprovingly, ¡°Don¡¯t be rude.¡± ¡°Ah?!¡± Bai Zhou¡¯s rage intensified. He violently smacked away Ji Fanyin¡¯s arm and bellowed, ¡°Ji Fanyin, what right do you have to preach at me?¡± Ji Fanyin sighed softly. She turned to the man, who was stunned from being abruptly shouted at, and apologized, ¡°This child spent the entire night up, so his temper is a lot worse than usual. Don¡¯t hold it against him.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± the man replied. He glanced at Bai Zhou with a frown before turning his attention back to Ji Fanyin. ¡°Can we exchange¡­¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to get lost?¡± Bai Zhou grabbed Ji Fanyin¡¯s arm and tugged her over to his side. ¡°We¡¯re leaving!¡± One of the man¡¯s companions murmured in discontentment, ¡°What a fierce boyfriend you have. You should just dump him.¡± Bai Zhou turned over and directed a killer glare at that person. Ji Fanyin quickly tiptoed and pulled Bai Zhou¡¯s eye protector down before covering it with her hands, thereby stopping him from killing an innocent passerby with his glare. With a helpless tone, she said, ¡°Alright alright, let¡¯s go.¡± The young men walked away from the bus stop with irritated looks on their faces. Bai Zhou let out a threatening growl, ¡°Let go.¡± However, Ji Fanyin wasn¡¯t afraid of him at all. Bai Zhou wasn¡¯t usually a pushover, but there were times when he was a pushover through and through. One such occasion was when Ji Fanyin spoke to him with Ji Xinxin¡¯s tone. ¡°Where are we heading today?¡± Ji Fanyin asked as she casually put down her hands. Bai Zhou pointed in a direction and answered, ¡°Art studio.¡± After saying his piece, he revved up his motorcycle and drove away, leaving Ji Fanyin on the spot. ------ Yoo hang out with us in our Discord~ Got a neat community there (well, admittedly they are all tyrant readers), but it would be nice to have more people around to chat about professional stand-in too! Chapter 13.3: I Dont Accept Refunds (3) Ji Fanyin raised her head and saw an art studio named ¡®Hidden Bamboo Art Studio¡¯ in a nearby shopping mall that was known for its exorbitant rent. Just its name was more than enough to hint at its choice of clients. She slowly walked toward the shopping mall and headed to the art studio. There was an employee already waiting for her at the entrance. ¡°Miss Ji? Please come with me.¡± Bai Zhou was already waiting inside one of the rooms. He was currently moving his art supplies, though he suddenly stopped halfway and let out a yawn. Ji Fanyin thought that it was amusing how he was trying to force himself to stay awake despite being utterly exhausted. At the same time, she suddenly remembered that Bai Zhou, despite his violent personality, had started learning drawing from four years old, and he was fairly skilled at sketching and oil painting. His choice of dates are surprisingly innocent. ¡°Please enter.¡± The employee stopped at the entrance of the studio and gestured for Ji Fanyin to enter. ¡°There won¡¯t be anyone else using the room today, so you can be assured that there won¡¯t be any disturbances. If you require any assistance, feel free to ring the bell in the room and we¡¯ll be at your service.¡± Ji Fanyin thanked the employee before entering the room. Without lifting his head, Bai Zhou pointed to the seat in front and said, ¡°Sit there.¡± It would appear that this art room was not exclusive to Bai Zhou as there were quite a few old paintings hanging on the walls. Ji Fanyin curiously took a look at them while walking past Bai Zhou, and she noticed that they were all nude sketches. Bai Zhou impatiently raised his head and complained, ¡°What are you dilly-dallying¡­¡± He caught sight of the sketches hanging on the wall and immediately fell silent. His face began to redden. But before he could blow his top, Ji Fanyin took the pre-emptive strike. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything.¡± Bai Zhou clenched his teeth and pointed to the chair at the center of his room once more. ¡°Hurry up and get over there. It¡¯s time for you to put on that act of yours!¡± He paused for a moment before adding on to his command, ¡°Don¡¯t speak a word at all and stay still. You can do whatever you want; just don¡¯t disturb me!¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Ji Fanyin was fine with it since it spared her from the effort of having to engage him. She settled down on the chair and leaned back leisurely before assessing the interior decor of this room. Soon, she came to a conclusion. This is an art room prepared specifically for the rich. No wonder Bai Zhou appears to be a regular here. His gaze was constantly alternating between Ji Fanyin and the canvas. There was a slight knit between his eyebrows, and he looked highly focused. Ji Fanyin decided to just casually hold onto the book for posture sake and stare directly at him. Ji Xinxin had standards when it came to the fishes she reared. For one, they must be passable in terms of appearances and backgrounds. Without a doubt, Bai Zhou had a face that would have easily made it big in the entertainment industry¡­ Well, if not for his bad personality and extremely privileged background. ¡°Big sis, you aren¡¯t going to continue reading?¡± Bai Zhou suddenly asked. He was in the midst of switching pencils when he asked that question. His peaceful tone indicated that it was a casual remark he was making in passing. It seemed like he was slightly out of it after getting too engrossed in his sketching. Before Bai Zhou could snap out of his daze, Ji Fanyin had already responded to his remark with a smile, ¡°Our Zhouzhou looks much more pleasing than any book.¡± Bai Zhou: ¡°¡­¡± The pencil in his hand snapped into two. With an awful look on his face, he quickly grabbed another pencil and continued his drawing. It would appear like he was planning to cover up his earlier mistake by pretending that nothing had happened here. Ji Fanyin and Ji Xinxin are completely different from one another! But somehow, after this mistake, Bai Zhou felt like something was off no matter how he tried to sketch Ji Fanyin¡¯s portrait. Frustration began bottling up inside of him. It was at this moment that a ringtone sounded in the art room. Bai Zhou immediately leaped at this opportunity to vent his wrath, bellowing, ¡°Who¡¯s calling you? Are you asking for a dock in your pay?¡± There was a troubled frown on Ji Fanyin¡¯s face as she replied, ¡°It¡¯s probably Shiyu.¡± Like a wild beast who had its territory infringed, Bai Zhou charged forward and snatched Ji Fanyin¡¯s phone over. ------ Yoo hang out with us in our Discord~ Got a neat community there (well, admittedly they are all tyrant readers), but it would be nice to have more people around to chat about professional stand-in too! Chapter 14.1: Golden Fish Number Two (1) After a brief moment of contemplation, Ji Fanyin decided to allow Bai Zhou to do as he pleased. The latter took her phone and flipped it over. Obviously, the caller could only be Song Shiyu. Since Bai Zhou was right beside her, he was the only one left who could access her phone while it was still in ¡®Do Not Disturb¡¯ mode. Bai Zhou didn¡¯t hang up the phone. He stared at Ji Fanyin¡¯s phone screen for two seconds, and surprisingly, he actually picked it up. ¡°Song Shiyu, you¡¯re really getting addicted to this, huh?¡± Ji Fanyin couldn¡¯t hear what Song Shiyu said on the other end, but Bai Zhou¡¯s complexion swiftly darkened. A few seconds later, he quietly hung up the phone. Ji Fanyin raised her eyebrows a little. There were many comebacks one could make to Bai Zhou¡¯s remark. Just a simple ¡®Aren¡¯t you the same too?¡¯ was more than enough to silence him. She was just curious as to how Song Shiyu phrased it. However, what she was the most concerned with was whether Song Shiyu was intending to make another reservation with that call. So, she gently asked Bai Zhou, ¡°What did he say?¡± Bai Zhou tossed her phone into her bag with moderate force and replied, ¡°Nothing much. It¡¯s all nonsense¡­ You aren¡¯t allowed to look at me anymore. Read your book instead!¡± He stomped back to his seat and sat down. There was a brief pause before he suddenly sneered, ¡°You actually fell in love with a scum like him?¡± To maintain the character she was playing, Ji Fanyin chose not to respond to Bai Zhou¡¯s remark. Deep down, however, she was amazed by the latter¡¯s inability to see the irony of his own words. You¡¯re scorning him despite being in the same position as him? What a remarkable lack of self-awareness. After this small incident, she turned her attention back to the book in her hand. Despite knowing next to nothing about sketching, she still managed to finish it despite the professional jargons filling its pages. When she finally closed the book shut, she noticed that the only sound to be heard in the art room was the light whirring of the air conditioning. There weren''t any pencil scratching sounds to be heard. She raised her head and looked in Bai Zhou¡¯s direction, only to see him dozing off on a large comfortable chair. The pencil in his hand was already on the verge of falling to the ground. He might be young, but there¡¯s still a limit to his vitality. Ji Fanyin quietly rose to her feet and walked over to Bai Zhou¡¯s side. She tried tugging the pencil in his hand softly first, and it was only when he failed to respond did she finally pull it out entirely. Bai Zhou groggily opened her eyes. ¡°Mmmm¡­ Big sis?¡± ¡°You stayed up all night again?¡± Ji Fanyin patted his hair which was as unruly as his personality. ¡°Go on and take a nap. I¡¯ll wake you up when it¡¯s time to eat.¡± She spoke with a suppressed voice, such that Bai Zhou didn¡¯t suspect a thing at all. ¡°¡­ Don¡¯t go, big sis,¡± he murmured a few indistinct words. ¡°I won¡¯t go anywhere. I¡¯ll be right by your side,¡± said Ji Fanyin gently. Bai Zhou returned to sleep with an ease of mind. Ji Fanyin suddenly thought that it wasn¡¯t that bad for her client to have stayed up the previous night either. It sure was a load of burden off her back. Standing beside Bai Zhou, she turned her attention toward the half-done sketch that he had been working on so far. It was a portrait of her¡ªor from the artist¡¯s point of view, Ji Xinxin¡ªreading a book with a lowered head. It had a tranquil vibe that brought serenity to those looking at it. It¡¯s hard to believe that this was drawn by someone of Bai Zhou¡¯s personality. Bai Zhou subconsciously reached for Ji Fanyin¡¯s hand while the latter was still looking at his sketch, but the moment their fingers barely came into contact, she quickly pulled her hand away. In the end, he only managed to grab onto her coat, though he clutched onto it with surprising tenacity, refusing to let go at all. Ji Fanyin lowered her head to look at him and her eyebrows shot up a little. ------ Yoo hang out with us in our Discord~ Got a neat community there (well, admittedly they are all tyrant readers), but it would be nice to have more people around to chat about professional stand-in too! Chapter 14.2: Golden Fish Number Two (2) ¡­ It was a particularly peaceful sleep for Bai Zhou till he was woken up. The first thing he saw upon opening his eyes was the person he liked, and it brought a smile onto his face. He called out to her with a voice that was still a little nasal from having just woken up, ¡°Big sis.¡± ¡°You lazy bum.¡± The other party poked his forehead. ¡°It¡¯s already after lunchtime. Your tummy is going to start hurting if you don¡¯t wake up soon.¡± Bai Zhou closed his eyes groggily as he mumbled softly, ¡°I want to eat¡­ the food you make. You said that you would learn some of the local specialties in¡­ France¡­!¡± His words gradually slowed down, and the final word was literally spoken with a shout. He immediately sat upward as if he had been struck by lightning. Shit! Ji Xinxin is obviously in France! The person beside me in a fake! Bai Zhou glared at Ji Fanyin with a mixture of anger and fright, but the latter simply directed an unfazed smile at him and asked, ¡°Are you finally awake?¡± He wanted to burst out cursing, but at the next moment, he belatedly realized that he was holding onto her coat. He immediately flung it off as countless vulgarities flashed across his mind. ¡°Lunch? We¡¯ll get delivery!¡± He vigorously whipped out his phone and tapped into a delivery app. ¡°We¡¯ll be eating fried chicken!¡± Ji Fanyin sighed softly. ¡°You¡¯re still young. You shouldn¡¯t eat junk food all the time.¡± ¡°That¡¯s none of your business!¡± shouted Bai Zhou. He was like a volcano that was already on the verge of eruption. ¡°You aren¡¯t like big sis at all! Do you even know how to cook?!¡± ¡°I do,¡± replied Ji Fanyin with a smile. ¡°I know a bit of French cuisine. What would you like to eat?¡± Bai Zhou was in the midst of furiously adding spicy chicken into his shopping cart when his finger abruptly came to a halt. ¡°¡­ Really?¡± ¡°The preparation time might be a bit long though, and I don¡¯t have any ingredients at my place.¡± Ji Fanyin took a look at her watch. ¡°Why don¡¯t I grab some ingredients later on and cook dinner for you?¡± Bai Zhou stared at her intently as if he was trying to guard against a thief. But in the end, he still caved in and agreed to it. He even passed his phone to her and said, ¡°Order what you want for lunch.¡± Ji Fanyin scrolled through the menu of the unhealthy fried chicken fast food restaurant, and in the end, she opted for Ji Xinxin¡¯s usual choice of salad and corn. It¡¯s lucky that I ate more for breakfast, she thought. Probably thanks to having rested up well, Bai Zhou was much more effective in the afternoon. He managed to finish two sketches, which he carefully stowed away in a folder as if it was some sort of precious treasure. ¡°You can go to the supermarket on your own. I won¡¯t be tagging along,¡± said Bai Zhou as he walked out of the art room. ¡°It¡¯ll be troublesome if anyone catches the two of us together.¡± Ji Fanyin considered asking him for his bank card, but she decided against breaking her character here. I¡¯ll just report my expenses to him later on. It¡¯s unlikely that he would shirk payment anyway. Ji Fanyin headed to the Hema supermarket at the B1 floor in the shopping mall. She quickly drafted up an ingredient list in her mind and grabbed everything she needed before making payment. (Hema is a major China supermarket chain under Alibaba.) Once she was done, she made a call to Bai Zhou. His voice was as impatient as always. ¡°You¡¯re done? Send me your address. We¡¯ll head there separately.¡± Ji Fanyin blinked her eyes before replying, ¡°Let¡¯s head to your house instead. You have a larger kitchen. Besides¡­ I¡¯m worried that you haven¡¯t been taking care of yourself recently. I want to take a look around your apartment.¡± She had no intention of giving her address away to her client that easily. Even with Song Shiyu, she chose to meet him in a public parking lot in her neighborhood instead of directly giving him her address. She made a clear distinction between work and private life. Bai Zhou was silent for two seconds. Perhaps it was because he didn¡¯t want to waste his time arguing with Ji Fanyin over this, he soon replied, ¡°I¡¯ll send my address to you. You head there yourself.¡± He hung up his phone afterward. ------ Yoo hang out with us in our Discord~ Got a neat community there (well, admittedly they are all tyrant readers), but it would be nice to have more people around to chat about professional stand-in too! Chapter 14.3: Golden Fish Number Two (3) A while later, Ji Fanyin received the address from him and hailed a cab, lugging an entire box of ingredients with her all the way to Bai Zhou¡¯s apartment. Someone with a privileged background like Bai Zhou naturally lived in a high-class condominium. On top of having the penthouse apartment, he also had a butler who was on standby 24/7. The butler was already waiting at the entrance of the condominium when she arrived. He brought her to the penthouse and opened the door for her before leaving without asking any questions at all. His respect for his employer¡¯s privacy showed his professionalism. Ji Fanyin was unable to find any smaller slippers in the shoe rack, so she had to make do with an oversized one. She was quite passionate about cooking. She lay out her ingredients one by one in the open concept kitchen and began handling them accordingly. Cooking was quite enjoyable to her,such that she soon started humming a tune. Twenty minutes later, Bai Zhou arrived. There was a spirited look on his face when he opened the door. When he noticed an additional pair of slippers by the doorway, he quickly turned to the kitchen and held his finger to his mouth, gesturing for Ji Fanyin not to make a noise. Ji Fanyin quickly swallowed her greetings back in. ¡°Right now? Sure!¡± replied Bai Zhou over the phone. It was clear that he was in a good mood. ¡°¡­ Big sis, don¡¯t you have any lessons today?¡± Ji Fanyin immediately got the message. Ah, it¡¯s one of Ji Xinxin¡¯s routine checks. She took a paprika, placed it on the chopping board, and skillfully sliced it into half. She proceeded on to remove its seeds and membrane before cutting it into smaller pieces. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m free. I can play with you right now.¡± Bai Zhou casually placed his motorcycle keys on the table before speed walking to his laptop. ¡°Is it just the two of us? ¡­ Who else will be joining us?¡± Ji Fanyin elegantly sprinkled salt and pepper on the steaks and gently massaged them to rub the flavor in. ¡°Your friend is joining us too? ¡­ Is it a guy or a girl?¡± Bai Zhou¡¯s voice could be heard through the opened door of his study room. ¡°A girl? Ah okay. I¡¯m switching on my laptop now. I¡¯ll be there right away. Yeah, you should add me into your party.¡± Ji Fanyin stashed the steak and all of the other processed ingredients neatly into the plastic containers provided by the supermarket. Bai Zhou finally walked out from the study room with his phone still in his hand. He said, ¡°Ji Fanyin, you may leave now.¡± He placed his phone down on a table before heading into the bathroom to wash his face. Meanwhile, Ji Fanyin made use of the next few minutes to clean up the mess in the kitchen. When Bai Zhou walked into the living room with water dripping from his face and saw that Ji Fanyin was still around, he asked with a frown, ¡°Why are you still here? I don¡¯t need you around anymore. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t ask you for a refund since I¡¯m the one cancelling the reservation now. Make sure to take everything away with you. I don¡¯t need them anymore.¡± Ji Fanyin stacked the containers of freshly handled and marinated ingredients into a plastic bag before turning to Bai Zhou. ¡°Wait a moment, young master Bai.¡± ¡°What?¡± grumbled Bai Zhou impatiently. Ji Fanyin put on a professional smile and said, ¡°I¡¯ve left the receipt for the expenses I have incurred at the supermarket on your shoe rack. Please remember to reimburse me accordingly.¡± ¡°Just how poor are you?!¡± exclaimed Bai Zhou. He waved his hand impatiently and said, ¡°Hurry up and leave!¡± It¡¯s just some foie gras, steak, red wine, mussels, and stuff. This rich young master wouldn¡¯t be too bothered with just a measly 10,000 dollars. Out of gratitude, Ji Fanyin kindly took away the trash bag in the kitchen with her when she left the penthouse. With a huge bag of high-quality ingredients in hand, she hailed a cab and headed back home. It was only 3 o¡¯clock by the time she got home. I got to leave work nine hours early, and I even got a free Western dinner feast for myself. Yup, he definitely is a VIP client of mine. ------ Yoo hang out with us in our Discord~ Got a neat community there (well, admittedly they are all tyrant readers), but it would be nice to have more people around to chat about professional stand-in too! Chapter 15.1: Is There Anything Youd Like to Say? (1) Bai Zhou joined Ji Xinxin¡¯s squad in the game and found that there was someone else going by the name of ¡®Kitty¡¯, which hinted that it was a woman. That set his heart at ease, and he greeted Ji Xinxin through the voice chat. ¡°Your voice sounds hoarse. You must have spent the whole of last night playing games, right?¡± reproached Ji Xinxin. ¡°I really shouldn¡¯t have asked you to play.¡± Bai Zhou immediately justified himself, ¡°I already slept earlier in the afternoon. I feel more refreshed than ever.¡± Who else would you find to play games with you other than me? ¡°Really?¡± asked Ji Xinxin skeptically. ¡°If I hear you yawn even once, I¡¯ll have you get off your computer and rest right away.¡± Bai Zhou made a mental note to cover his mouth before yawning later on. The three of them quickly started a game. Bai Zhou gave the cue for them to leap off and parachute, but they were unlucky to bump into two other squads upon landing. Within two minutes, Ji Xinxin and Kitty suffered tragic deaths, leaving Bai Zhou to fight alone. Bai Zhou: ¡°¡­¡± He could continue playing this match for another twenty more minutes, and perhaps, he might even get a chicken dinner. However, Ji Xinxin would be left to watch his avatar in boredom, unable to enjoy the game herself. So, he decided to conduct a reckless charge and commit suicide so that they could start the next game quickly. At the same time, he consoled Ji Xinxin, ¡°Follow me next round. I¡¯ll protect you.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± replied Ji Xinxin. It turned out that bringing two newbies around was extremely exhausting. He slowly grew frustrated after suffering several consecutive defeats, so he chose to divert his attention elsewhere by chatting with Ji Xinxin. Kitty had remained quiet all this while, so Bai Zhou proceeded to ask Ji Xinxin about how she was faring in France. ¡°I¡¯ll pay you a visit in Paris once you settle down. Do you have any food cravings? I¡¯ll bring whatever you want over.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. There¡¯s a Chinatown not too far away from where I live. I can get most of the stuff I want there,¡± replied Ji Xinxin. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me. Rather, I¡¯m more worried about you. You always end up losing track of time whenever you start gaming.¡± Bai Zhou fiddled with his mouse as he searched for another conversation topic. ¡°Big sis, you have a twin sister, right?¡± ¡°¡­ Yeap. Did you meet her?¡± ¡°Mm. I saw her on the streets the other day,¡± said Bai Zhou. He paused for a moment before asking, ¡°Do you know what she¡¯s working as at the moment?¡± ¡°She¡¯s still unemployed. She was much better than me back in school, but now¡­¡± Ji Xinxin sighed softly. ¡°I know that you detest people with her personality, but at least on the account that she¡¯s my older sister, don¡¯t fight with her, alright?¡± ¡°¡­ Mm,¡± Bai Zhou grumbled out a response. ¡°Why is there such a vast difference in your personalities despite being twins?¡± Ji Xinxin was quiet for a moment before she replied, ¡°It¡¯s my fault. I fell gravely ill in my younger years and ended up spending a few years in the hospital. My parents devoted their attention to taking care of me, but this resulted in my older sister being neglected. By the time I recovered from my illness, her academic results had already fallen drastically¡­¡± Bai Zhou frowned in frustration, thinking that Ji Fanyin only had herself to blame for being so needy. He spat, ¡°It¡¯s her own responsibility to focus on her studies. Who can she blame for her lack of drive?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that.¡± Ji Xinxin ended the topic there, not wanting to delve deeper into it. ¡°¡ªSo, when do we jump?¡± Bai Zhou randomly selected a location and led Ji Xinxin and Kitty off the plane. Chapter 15.2: Is There Anything Youd Like to Say? (2) Upon returning home, Ji Fanyin spent an hour cooking those high-class French ingredients before laying out the dishes beautifully on the table. She lit a scented candle to accentuate the atmosphere before popping a 1996 Lafite. Of course, all of these were generously sponsored by Bai Zhou. After having her fill of food. Ji Fanyin switched on her phone but there wasn¡¯t any messages from her clients. Bai Zhou should still be gaming right now. As for Song Shiyu¡­ Ji Fanyin sent him a message, and the latter soon replied with an address. He was reserving her for lunch tomorrow. Ji Fanyin replied with an ¡®OK¡¯ emoji, and she soon received a text message indicating she had received the money. She then loaded the dishes into the dishwasher and stretched her back lazily. With this, I have a job secured for tomorrow too. Since I got off work early today, should I watch some films, play a game, or do my homework and head to sleep early? Ji Fanyin casually scrolled through her WeChat¡¯s Moments page as she pondered about her plans for the night. ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ had never posted anything about herself on social media, so her Moments¡¯ page was completely empty. However, she did have a few friends on WeChat who were rather active. One of them was Ji Xinxin. It was clear from browsing through her feed that she was an elegant young lady born with a silver spoon. Just half an hour ago, Ji Xinxin posted a screenshot of her gaming record accompanied with a crying emoji. Ji Fanyin tapped into screenshot and saw a column of ten consecutive losses, and in three of them they were pretty much instant KO-ed. It looks like even a Grandmaster would find it hard to carry two Bronze players Just thinking about how frustrated and hungry Bai Zhou must be right now brought a gloating smile to her lips. Ah, there¡¯s no saying that Bai Zhou might be enjoying this too. There are so many people in the world who want to game with Ji Fanyin that they could probably form a long queue down the streets. In the end, Ji Fanyin decided to pop in one of the Blu-ray movies she had recently bought and started enjoying her night off. ¡­ On the other side of the city, Song Shiyu placed his phone down after wiring the money to Ji Fanyin. ¡°Did you hear what I said?¡± asked Mrs Song with a deep sigh. ¡°I know that you already have someone in your heart, but there¡¯s no point forcing things if the two of you aren¡¯t meant to be. To be frank, that young miss from the Ji Family doesn¡¯t give me good vibes, and you aren¡¯t young anymore. You shouldn¡¯t waste your time on her.¡± ¡°Mum, I¡¯m still young,¡± replied Song Shiyu with a frown. ¡°And Xinxin isn¡¯t a bad person either. There are just too many jealous people out there who badmouth her.¡± Mrs Song was exasperated. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t bother saying anything if you¡¯d managed to woo her, but she¡¯s already rejected your confession. Listen to your mum, there are lots of outstanding women out there in the world who are interested in you. She isn¡¯t the only one for you. Why are you so fixated on one who doesn¡¯t like you back?¡± Song Shiyu looked downward with a steely expression on his face, choosing not to say a word. His attitude clearly showed his resistance. ¡°¡­ Alright alright, I¡¯ll stop nagging or else you¡¯re going to start arguing with me again.¡± The exhausted Mrs Song ended the conversation there. ¡°Are you eating at home tomorrow?¡± ¡°I have a lunch appointment with my colleagues,¡± replied Song Shiyu with a shake of his head. ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving early tomorrow morning.¡± ¡°Make sure you don¡¯t grab junk food just to save some time. Your complexion looks so much worse than before!¡± said Mrs Song worriedly. ¡°It¡¯s not junk food. I¡¯m visiting the restaurant which I brought you to last time,¡± reassured Song Shiyu. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m paying close attention to my health. You and dad shouldn¡¯t forget about your health checkup next month either.¡± Mrs Song responded with a nod before grabbing her phone to check on the restaurant Song Shiyu had mentioned. After confirming it, she secretly sent the address to someone else. Meanwhile, Song Shiyu finished up his dinner before handling his remaining work. Before heading to bed, he picked up his phone and scrolled through Ji Xinxin¡¯s Moments¡¯ page, where he saw the screenshot containing her tragic gaming record and Bai Zhou¡¯s very recognizable username. He had a feeling that Ji Xinxin¡¯s attitude toward him had turned cold ever since he confessed to her that day. She always said that she was new to Paris and had a lot of things to familiarize herself with¡­ but somehow she still managed to find time to play games with Bai Zhou. Song Shiyu stared at his phone with narrowed eyes before calling Ji Xinxin¡¯s number. She didn¡¯t pick up. Chapter 15.3: Is There Anything Youd Like to Say? (3) The following morning, Song Shiyu set off from his parents¡¯ house to his company to work. As the clock approached lunchtime, he quickly cleared up whatever he was handling before heading to the restaurant he had agreed on with Ji Fanyin. He arrived fifteen minutes ahead of time. While he was still looking through his email, he received a call from his mother. Thinking that he might have left something behind in his parents¡¯ house, he picked up the call. But before he could say anything, his mother got straight to the point and asked, ¡°Shiyu, it¡¯s going to be lunchtime soon. Have you arrived at the restaurant yet?¡± ¡°I am already there,¡± replied Song Shiyu as he glanced at his watch. Ten more minutes to go. ¡°Good, good,¡± replied Mrs Song happily. ¡°I¡¯ll have Miss Chen meet you there. She¡¯s a wonderful young lady. You can have lunch with her and your colleagues. Make sure not to make things too awkward for her, alright?¡± ¡°¡­ Mom, I¡¯m already eating with my colleagues,¡± protested Song Shiyu. ¡°Aren¡¯t they all your subordinates?¡± Mrs Song thought nothing about it. ¡°It¡¯s no big deal for you to bring a friend along with you for a social gathering. She should be arriving soon. Make sure to treat her well, you hear me?¡± Mrs Song hung up right away, not giving Song Shiyu any chance to turn down the meeting. Song Shiyu tried to call her back, but the line was busy. At this rate, that Miss Chen or something is going to bump into Ji Fanyin. Song Shiyu quickly rose to his feet and began making his way to the front reception. While walking, he took out his phone and swiftly browsed through his list of contacts to look for Ji Fanyin¡¯s phone number. But before he could press the ¡®Call¡¯ button, the front receptionist suddenly brought a demure young lady over. The lady seemed to recognize Song Shiyu as she directed a graceful smile toward him and said, ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Mr Song.¡± Song Shiyu¡¯s finger froze in place. He quickly put on his usual elegant smile and returned the greeting, ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you too. I¡¯ve just received an urgent call from my company, so I¡¯ll have to excuse myself for a moment. Do feel free to enter the compartment room first and wait for me there. I¡¯ll be right back.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± the lady replied with a slightly flushed face. ¡°Work should take precedence. Go ahead and do whatever you need to.¡± Song Shiyu tilted his body sideward so as to create some room for them to pass by him. After that, he continued heading out with his phone in hand. But just as he was about to call Ji Fanyin to inform her that she didn¡¯t have to come anymore, he suddenly spotted her at the end of the corridor. She was standing there with her hands behind her back and a gentle smile on her face. It was clear that she had witnessed everything that had happened earlier, but she still met his eyes clearly without any fluctuations in her emotions. Song Shiyu¡¯s footsteps froze for a brief moment before he continued striding toward her, until he was finally standing before her. ¡°Shiyu,¡± Ji Fanyin called out with her head tilted in confusion. ¡°You invited another woman to have lunch with us?¡± Song Shiyu couldn¡¯t see any anger or sorrow on her face. He was silent for a few seconds before asking, ¡°Ji Fanyin¡­ is there nothing else you want to say?¡± Isn¡¯t Ji Fanyin supposed to be in love with me? Why isn¡¯t she reacting at all? ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Ji Fanyin pondered for a moment before switching over to her professional smile. ¡°Does this mean a paid break for me?¡± Chapter 16.1: Quenching Your Thirst With Poison Will Bankrupt You (1) Song Shiyu stared at Ji Fanyin intently as if this was the first time he had truly gotten to know her, but he rationalized her ¡®abnormal response¡¯ with his own reasoning. Ji Fanyin was able to play Ji Xinxin impeccably, so surely she would be able to play a person who doesn¡¯t like me well too. Her nonchalance sure looks convincing. She must treasure her dignity a lot. Song Shiyu snorted at Ji Fanyin¡¯s pretense and said, ¡°It¡¯s my fault for not managing my schedule properly. You can head back now. I¡¯ll call you again.¡± ¡°There won¡¯t be any refunds,¡± reminded Ji Fanyin. Song Shiyu looked at her pitifully and said, ¡°It¡¯s just 200,000 dollars. I won¡¯t go to the extent of asking you to refund me.¡± One quality which Ji Fanyin demanded from her clients was generosity, and Song Shiyu and Bai Zhou at least qualified on that aspect. After receiving Song Shiyu¡¯s promise not to pursue a refund, Ji Fanyin¡¯s smile grew more sincere. ¡°Alright, I shan¡¯t get in your way anymore. See you, young master Song.¡± She turned her back on Song Shiyu and joyfully made her way home. What could be better than skipping work for two consecutive days without any repercussions? Ji Fanyin was planning on heading home to continue her movie marathon till nightfall, but while she was traveling down an escalator, she noticed a poster advertising a recently released film. It was a niche mystery thriller, and she noticed that the director was someone whose works she had watched over the last few days and had a favorable impression of. Today was the first day of the movie¡¯s screening. The moment she arrived at the end of the escalator, she turned around, headed back up, and rushed for the cinema. It was a weekday, so the cinema was unsurprisingly deserted. To her delight, the next screening happened to be ten minutes later, so she quickly bought her soda and popcorn before heading into the theater. She went in expecting to watch a simple mystery thriller, but to her surprise, the movie highlighted human altruism amidst a cesspool of evil. It was filmed in a way that emulated a phone recorded video, taking the angle of an innocent child. Be it the writing, directing, or acting, everything was on the dot. The film was overflowing with feelings, but at the same time, it spurred deeper contemplations about society too. It¡¯s a rare masterpiece. Ji Fanyin always entered movie theaters with a serious attitude. By the time she left with an empty popcorn tub in her hands, her eyes had already turned red. As she tossed the popcorn tub and the soda cup into the rubbish bin, she decided to buy herself some spicy food to drive off the heavy feeling in her heart. While she was queuing up for a bon bon chicken in the shopping mall¡¯s B1 Gourmet Street, she took out her phone and tapped into her Weibo. She logged onto an account she had recently created to post movie reviews and began penning down her impression of the mystery thriller. (Weibo is a microblog website/application that¡¯s one of the go-to social media platforms in China.) She was a professional in the film industry in her previous life, so writing reviews weren¡¯t a challenge to her. She was able to keenly pick out the key points of the movie and encapsulate them with in a concise and interesting way. Due to that, she was able to accrue over a thousand fans within less than a week. The movie she had just watched earlier in the day was newly released and in a niche genre, so there were hardly any professional reviews yet. It was precisely due to her passion in films that she was extremely careful whenever she wrote a paragraph in the review. She edited it again and again, and all that was left in the end were two key sentences. ¡°4237!¡± Hearing a call from the counter, Ji Fanyin took a look at her receipt before walking over to collect her food. To her surprise, there were familiar faces standing near the counter too¡ªBai Zhou and his little buddies. Bai Zhou noticed her too and frowned. Chapter 16.2: Quenching Your Thirst With Poison Will Bankrupt You (2) Since it was outside her working hours, Ji Fanyin couldn¡¯t be bothered to engage him in a conversation. Her gaze swept across Bai Zhou as if he was a mere stranger, and she walked away right after collecting her Chili Oil Bon Bon Chicken. But barely after taking a couple of steps, Bai Zhou suddenly caught up with her and asked with a suppressed voice, ¡°Are you going to meet Song Shiyu?¡± Ji Fanyin blinked her eyes. Her dress style was considerably different from Ji Xinxin, so it wasn¡¯t really surprising that Bai Zhou would deduce so. Bai Zhou shot a glance at Ji Fanyin¡¯s phone screen, which was still on the review she had meticulously edited, and saw a line of words: It has been long since I felt such deep sorrow over a single remark. It was immediately made apparent to him that she had suffered some grievances over at Song Shiyu¡¯s side, and he snorted in disdain. Under Bai Zhou¡¯s intent stare, Ji Fanyin calmly switched off her phone screen and slipped it into her pocket. ¡°Same as yesterday, I got off work in advance because my client has something up.¡± Bai Zhou slipped his hands into his pockets and sneered, ¡°So, you cried because Song Shiyu dumped you?¡± Ji Fanyin knew that he was having a major misunderstanding here, but she really couldn¡¯t really be bothered to clarify it¡ªprovided that he was willing to listen at all. ¡°Do you like him that much? If that¡¯s the case, why don¡¯t you find a way to snatch him over?¡± said Bai Zhou. Ji Fanyin understood right away that Bai Zhou was intending to use her to get rid of one of his love rivals. She gave it some thought before replying with a strained tone, ¡°He¡¯d have already fallen in love with me if that was possible.¡± Bai Zhou was exasperated by her lack of motivation. Ji Fanyin calmly took out the cheapest seaweed skewer and offered it to him. ¡°It¡¯s a coincidence that we met here. A special benefit for a returning customer, I¡¯ll share one with you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want it,¡± Bai Zhou rejected her offer coldly. Ji Fanyin couldn¡¯t be bothered to ask again out of politeness, so she retracted her hand and bade him farewell. ¡°Alright. See you then.¡± She walked away while chewing on the seaweed skewer. ¡°¨DBai Zhou, who is that? I didn¡¯t see her face, but she looks a little familiar¡­?¡± Bai Zhou turned around impatiently and replied perfunctorily, ¡°It¡¯s no one. I got the wrong person.¡± Ji Fanyin carefully finished her box of bon bon chicken, making sure not to splatter any chili oil on her clothes. After that, she headed for the bubble tea store to get herself a drink. While she was queuing up to make her order, she suddenly received a call from Song Shiyu. ¡°Did you return home safely?¡± asked Song Shiyu. Despite his words of concern, it sounded more like a meaningless conversation starter due to what he said afterward. ¡°Accompany me for dinner now.¡± Ji Fanyin was in the midst of tapping on the ordering machine when she heard those words and decisively chose to walk away. Why should I spend my own money when someone else is treating me? She began making her way back to the restaurant she had previously agreed to meet Song Shiyu at, but along the way, she just so happened to bump into Bai Zhou yet again. Ji Fanyin: ¡°¡­¡± What kind of fate is this? Is this a sign that I¡¯m going to get a reservation from him? Bai Zhou was standing in front of a popular restaurant that was trending on social media at the moment, though he wasn¡¯t accompanied with his buddies. He leaned against the wall with a hand in the pocket and the other one fiddling with his phone. Despite the sour look on his face, there were still many women who couldn¡¯t help but sneak peeks at him while passing by¡­ ¡­ though there was one who looked at him openly. Ji Fanyin thought about it for a moment, but she decided to prioritize her current reservation. So, she ignored Bai Zhou and walked past him. ¡°Hey.¡± Almost as if he had eyes on the top of his head, Bai Zhou called out to her while she was passing him by. ¡°Are you intentionally loitering around me?¡± Ji Fanyin stopped and turned to look at him. ¡°I have an appointment right now over at that direction. Young master Bai, do you want to make a reservation too?¡± Bai Zhou glanced at the direction Ji Fanyin was walking toward and asked, ¡°Song Shiyu called you over?¡± Ji Fanyin responded with a silent smile. Chapter 16.3: Quenching Your Thirst With Poison Will Bankrupt You (3) Bai Zhou took a good look at her and sneered contemptuously. His expression spoke louder than words: You¡¯re a bootlicker. Then, he lowered his head and turned his attention back to his mobile game. Ji Fanyin was just about to walk away when her phone rang¨Dit was Song Shiyu. She picked up the phone while walking, ¡°Mr Song. Yes¡­ I¡¯m currently heading in your direction. I should reach in ten minutes¡¯ time.¡± Bai Zhou heard those words loud and clear, and he raised his head to look at Ji Fanyin¡¯s silhouette. What¡¯s the use of her feigning composure before Song Shiyu? Everyone knows about her one-sided love for Song Shiyu even though he has never even spared a proper glance at her before. It was then that Bai Zhou¡¯s buddies finally emerged from the end of the long queue. Holding a cake shaped like a dog¡¯s head in his hand, he introduced it to Bai Zhou, saying, ¡°This is their newest product. It¡¯s called Bootlicker.¡± Bai Zhou scoffed in disdain, ¡°What lousy name is that?¡± His friend burst into laughter and remarked, ¡°Isn¡¯t it? Hahaha!¡± ¡­ Ji Fanyin¡¯s sense of time was spot-on. She arrived sharply in ten minutes¡¯ time, and by then, she had already gotten into work mode. The table Song Shiyu was sitting at had been cleaned, evidenced by the two fresh sets of cutleries sitting on it. Before Ji Fanyin could greet him, Song Shiyu asked without raising his head, ¡°Xinxin, you like me too, right?¡± Ji Fanyin hung her bag on the rack by the side as she replied in a natural tone, ¡°Are we going to start with a confession every single time we meet from now onward?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Song Shiyu didn¡¯t respond to her teasing. The atmosphere around him was so heavy that it was hard to bear. It was just a pity that the person before him was none other than Ji Fanyin. She had once played a psychopathic serial killer that scared all of the youngsters on the set to the point that they burst into tears. Someone of Song Shiyu¡¯s caliber couldn¡¯t possibly hope to intimidate her. She walked up to the table and bent forward to look him in the eye. With a particularly earnest look on her face, she professed her feelings to him, ¡°I like you too.¡± The two of them traded gazes for a while before Song Shiyu¡¯s body finally relaxed a little. He gestured her to take a seat. Ji Fanyin chuckled a little at his response. Instead of sitting down right away, she topped up his half-empty cup with more hot tea and pushed it to him. At the same time, she asked, ¡°You didn¡¯t eat much earlier, right? Let¡¯s order some food. You can tell me frankly if you aren¡¯t in a good mood. I¡¯ll listen to your complaints.¡± ¡°Are you willing to marry me?¡± Song Shiyu asked out of the blue. Realization struck Ji Fanyin. The lady he had met earlier was clearly someone from a wealthy household. Most likely, his family was trying to matchmake the two of them. In other words, Song Shiyu was currently being pressured by his family to get married. But there was no way Ji Fanyin could agree to Song Shiyu¡¯s proposal. She took some time to ponder over the question while walking around the table to get to her seat. After settling down, she directed a smile at Song Shiyu and said, ¡°We haven¡¯t even started dating yet. Are you going to talk that far ahead now?¡± ¡°¡­ Then when can we start talking about it?¡± asked Song Shiyu with a deep voice. ¡°Will that day even come?¡± Ji Fanyin shyly fiddled her hands resting on the table and replied, ¡°I-if everything goes well, of course we¡¯ll get m-married.¡± Her cheeks started to redden along with the change in the atmosphere, and her eyes began to swim around nervously. It was almost as if she was too embarrassed to look Song Shiyu in the eye. Song Shiyu sighed deeply and said, ¡°Xinxin, I like you.¡± ¡°I like you too,¡± replied Ji Fanyin with a timid voice. There was one concern floating in her mind while she was playing the role of a shy young lady. How can I give out empty cheques during service hours without stirring future conflicts? Hmm¡­ I guess it boils down to dragging things out and playing it vague. ¡°Shiyu, you know that I¡¯m still in school right now. We can sit down together and seriously discuss our future plans after I graduate. What do you think?¡± she proposed meekly. Three years would be more than enough for me to earn my keep anyway¡­ unless Ji Xinxin decides to further her studies and not return home. That would be a different story. At least from the current looks of it, it seems like this stand-in business of mine is going to close down within three years. Song Shiyu stared at her as his eyes slowly mellowed down tenderly. ¡°¡­ Alright. Let¡¯s continue dating until then.¡± The embarrassed Ji Fanyin raised the menu to cover her face before murmuring softly in response, ¡°Mm. Alright.¡± In her heart, she held a second of silence for Song Shiyu and his wallet. Quenching your thirst with poison will only bankrupt you. Chapter 17.1: Its Too Late to Apologize (1) A restaurant Song Shiyu chose to eat a second time was bound to be decent. Even with Ji Fanyin strictly going along with Ji Xinxin¡¯s food preference, she still had an enjoyable meal. She decided to visit this restaurant alone when she had time in the future. Over the course of the meal, she skillfully responded to Song Shiyu¡¯s remarks too. When Song Shiyu mentioned that he had returned home not too long ago, she went along with the flow and asked how his parents were faring, just like any girlfriend in a relationship would. When Song Shiyu said that the temperature was going to plummet over the next few days, she caringly reminded him to dress thicker and bring an umbrella around with him so that he wouldn¡¯t fall ill. So on and so forth. She wisely chose not to poke at any potential landmines either. For one, as long as Song Shiyu refused to talk about the woman he was being matchmaked with earlier, she wouldn¡¯t raise the topic on her own accord too. There was no point making the client uncomfortable during the service. The waiter soon served their final dish, Sea Cucumber Rice. While Ji Fanyin was pouring the rich soup into a smaller bowl for him, Song Shiyu asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to ask me about what you saw here earlier?¡±(It¡¯s a dish containing of a thick flavorful soup stock made out of sea cucumber, sea cucumber, and specially processed rice.) Ji Fanyin raised her head to look at Song Shiyu. She spent a second to ponder about his intent behind this question. Is he hoping for ¡®Ji Xinxin¡¯ to be jealous, or is he aiming for something else? She mixed the rich soup with rice and pushed it toward Song Shiyu before answering his question with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ll listen to your explanation whenever you¡¯re ready.¡± She chose to kick the ball back to Song Shiyu. Song Shiyu was silent for a moment before speaking up, ¡°¡­ It was something my mother did on her own accord. I was unaware of it. I¡¯ve already properly turned her down.¡± Ji Fanyin immediately got it upon hearing those words. Her gaze drooped slightly. She started mixing her own bowl of rice with the rich soup as she replied softly, ¡°While I knew that you wouldn¡¯t fall for another woman¡­ I was still very worried before your explanation.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I should have explained it to you earlier,¡± said Song Shiyu. ¡°It isn¡¯t your fault.¡± Ji Fanyin raised her head and revealed a relieved smile. ¡°Your willingness to explain it to me shows that my trust in you isn¡¯t unfounded.¡± On the other side of the table, Song Shiyu finally broke into a smile, ¡°Thank you for your trust.¡± You¡¯re welcome, though I trust your wallet a lot more, Ji Fanyin thought sardonically. Yeap, this Sea Cucumber Rice is delicious too. Sogn Shiyu footed the bill when they left the restaurant. Ji Fanyin glanced at the receipt and saw that the two meals actually cost 4000 dollars. As expected of a restaurant chosen by the rich. But still, it isn¡¯t as expensive as the meal sponsored by Bai Zhou¡­ Hm? Her train of thought reminded her of something important. I don¡¯t think that he has paid me back for those ingredients yet, right? That¡¯s more than ten thousand dollars!. I can¡¯t just shrug it off. I shan¡¯t allow him to make any reservations until he pays for it. ¡°What are you doing after this?¡± Song Shiyu stowed away his phone as he asked. ¡°I¡¯ll drive you.¡± Ji Fanyin snapped out of her thoughts and glanced at the clock on the wall. There were still a few minutes before the end of the service, so she went along with Song Shiyu¡¯s suggestion with a smile. The lift was located not too far away from the restaurant. The waiters respectfully walked them out of the store and even politely pressed the lift button for them. With a deep bow, they said, ¡°We¡¯ll be waiting forward to your next visit.¡± As someone working in the service industry as well, Ji Fanyin deeply sympathized with them. It sure is hard to earn money. They soon arrived at the car park, but Ji Fanyin didn¡¯t get into his car. They were walking their way over when her alarm clock suddenly started ringing loudly. Song Shiyu¡¯s movements jerked to a halt, and Ji Fanyin also calmly stopped as well. She waved her hand at him and said, ¡°Goodbye.¡± There was a smile still lingering on her lips, but her disposition was somehow vastly different from before. Even her wave felt a little perfunctory. Song Shiyu had probably built up an immunity after the last few experiences he had, so he didn¡¯t reveal a ¡®my dreams are all shattered¡¯ expression. He stared at Ji Fanyin for a few good seconds, as if trying to peer through her. Ji Fanyin tilted her head in response, choosing not to say a word either. Her expression was casual, conforming to the typical response a person would have upon being stared at someone else on the streets. She was currently pondering whether she should agree to it if Song Shiyu requested for an extension of service. ¡°Your eyes were red when you came in earlier. Did you cry?¡± asked Song Shiyu. Realization struck Ji Fanyin. She replied, ¡°I did.¡± Because of the movie. ¡°Why don¡¯t you look for another boyfriend?¡± asked Song Shiyu as he lit a smoke. ¡°The best way to forget about a past relationship is to start a new one.¡± Toward that, Ji Fanyin replied affirmatively, ¡°I will.¡± Once I earn enough money from this stand-in job. Her hands full dealing with two lovelorn men to date anyone else now. Song Shiyu stared at her with eyes so complicated that Movie Reviewer Ji Fanyin was almost tempted to attempt deciphering and interpreting his expression, just that she couldn¡¯t care less about what Song Shiyu was thinking after service hours. So, she gestured toward his car with her chin and asked, ¡°You aren¡¯t going to leave?¡± Song Shiyu was speechless for a second before getting into his driver¡¯s seat. Chapter 17.2: Its Too Late to Apologize (2) Ji Fanyin took out her phone and started typing out a message to Bai Zhou in order to politely remind him to pay his debt. It was then that she suddenly heard a nervous greeting coming from behind her. ¡°Erm¡­ Hello?¡± Wondering if she was standing in someone else¡¯s way, Ji Fanyin turned around to take a look, only to realize that the person who had approached her looked a little familiar. She jogged her memory a little and recalled the other party to be one of the young men she had met at the bus stop while waiting for Bai Zhou the other day. The other party had a laptop bag hanging off his right shoulder, typical of a usual university student. He clutched onto the straps of his laptop bag nervously as he spoke with a hint of surprise and anticipation in his voice, ¡°Big sis, do you still remember me?¡± Ji Fanyin chuckled in response. She quickly finished composing her message for Bai Zhou and sent it over as she replied, ¡°It happens that I haven¡¯t cleared that stage yet.¡± The young man¡¯s eyes lit up right away. ¡°I¡¯ll give it a try!¡± Right after saying those words, he quickly took out his own phone, unlocked it, and handed it to Ji Fanyin. ¡°Here, take my phone first¡­ and my laptop too! This way, you don¡¯t have to worry about me running away with your phone.¡± Just like that, the two of them began earnestly looking into how the stage could be cleared beside a pillar in the car park. The young man failed his first attempt, and he hurriedly explained, ¡°G-give me a bit more time! I think I get the tempo now. I should be able to clear it in the next try! I¡¯m really not trying to scam you here.¡± Ji Fanyin was amused by his response. ¡°I never said that you were a scammer.¡± He did manage to clear the stage in his second try, and he heaved a long sigh of relief. He passed the phone back to Ji Fanyin and looked at her excitedly, as if fishing for compliments. ¡°I¡¯ve cleared the stage for you.¡± Ji Fanyin received her phone from him and thanked him for his help. ¡°As a reward for clearing the stage¡­ may I ask you a question?¡± the young man asked. Ji Fanyin closed the game tab and replied casually, ¡°Sure.¡± She didn¡¯t have to guess what he was going to ask. The question was literally written all over his face. As expected, the young man licked his lips nervously and asked, ¡°You were walking out with another man earlier¡­ Is he your boyfriend?¡± ¡°Boyfriend?¡± Ji Fanyin waved her phone in front of him. ¡°If I had a boyfriend, I wouldn¡¯t have responded to any strangers chatting me up.¡± The young man exhaled deeply upon hearing those words. His face burst into a joyful smile as he exclaimed, ¡°So, the two of you are just friends? That¡¯s a relief.¡± ¡°We aren¡¯t friends,¡± Ji Fanyin refuted Song Shiyu¡¯s standing in her heart. ¡°He¡¯s just a client.¡± ¡°Are you done with work now?¡± the young man asked a little awkwardly. ¡°It¡¯s truly a coincidence that we met one another again here, so why don¡¯t we have a meal together? I¡¯ll treat you.¡± They¡¯re both of the same age, but this child is so much cuter than Bai Zhou, Ji Fanyin thought. ¡°I¡¯ll treat you instead,¡± she said. ¡°I passed by an ice cream shop earlier that I was interested in.¡± That ice cream shop was having a promotion for its new flavors, offering half price for every second ice cream cone bought. Ji Fanyin didn¡¯t want to be eating two ice cream cones by herself, so she could only regrettably give up on the deal. But now that she had someone with her, it was time to make full use of the deal. ¡°Sounds good!¡± The delighted young man accepted the offer right away. According to the young man, he was a third year student studying in the same university as Bai Zhou. Interestingly, the two of them were around the same height too. ¡°You¡¯re from Lakeside University?¡± remarked Ji Fanyin as she scanned a QR code to pay for the ice cream. ¡°What a coincidence.¡± ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ also graduated from that school. ¡°Arre you my senior by any chance?¡± ¡°Well, I know quite a few people from your school. We had a gathering not too long ago,¡± replied Ji Fanyin. ¡°That¡¯s the most famous school in our province after all. Are those people still studying there right now? There might be a few whom I know of.¡± Ji Fanyin received the two light blue ice cream cones from the staff and passed one over to the young man. ¡°There¡¯s one you probably have heard of.¡± Bai Zhou. ¡°What¡¯s his name?¡± asked the young man curiously. Speak of the devil. Just as Ji Fanyin was about to reveal his name, the person she was talking about suddenly approached them on the street with his buddies. Chapter 17.3: Its Too Late to Apologize (3) This was the third time they were meeting today. As expected of students from the same university, they began greeting one another as soon as they spotted one another. Bai Zhou¡¯s buddies widened their eyes in surprise upon seeing the young man accompanying Ji Fanyin and started waving their hands, ¡°Hey, Senior Chen!¡± ¡°Waaa! Did we just see something we weren¡¯t supposed to? Hehehe¡­¡± ¡°Aiyoo, I actually thought that Senior Chen was still a single dog. It looks like my news is lagging behind!¡± The young man standing beside Ji Fanyin waved his hands around in a fluster as he tried to explain, ¡°No, this is a misunderstanding! We aren¡¯t in that kind of relationship¡­¡± ¡°Why would two people who aren¡¯t in that kind of relationship share a couple ice cream cone?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± someone remarked doubtfully. ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve seen Senior¡¯s girlfriend somewhere before.¡± ¡°Ah! Isn¡¯t she Senior Ji Xinxin who went to further her studies in France not too long ago?¡± Looking at the youngsters chattering away and that sour look on Bai Zhou¡¯s face, Ji Fanyin thought that she should at least clarify the misunderstanding here, so she said, ¡°Ji Xinxin is my younger sister.¡± ¡°Are the two of you twins? You really look alike!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, we¡¯re twins,¡± replied Ji Fanyin casually. She pointed at the ice cream store behind her and asked, ¡°Have you all eaten yet? I¡¯ll treat you.¡± University students had a black hole in their stomach. Whether it was to mooch off Ji Fanyin or to immerse themselves in this exciting gossip, they unhesitatingly accepted Ji Fanyin¡¯s offer and headed into the ice cream shop. However, the one who said that Ji Fanyin looked familiar was still brooding over it, murmuring, ¡°No, I feel like I¡¯ve seen her somewhere else today¡­¡± It was just that no one was bothering with him, so he scratched his head in confusion and hurriedly caught up with the others. The crowd surrounded around the young man who already had an ice cream cone in his hand and ¡®escorted¡¯ him off the counter to make their orders while grilling him for the details. As a result, the only ones left behind were Bai Zhou, whom no one dared to drag along, and Ji Fanyin, who gave off an imposing air. Once everyone was out of earshot, Bai Zhou finally remarked disdainfully, ¡°You sure are busy. I didn¡¯t think that you would have another appointment after dealing with Song Shiyu.¡± Ji Fanyin¡¯s eyebrows shot up. ¡°You don¡¯t remember him?¡± ¡°Why would I remember him?¡± replied Bai Zhou with a matter-of-factly tone. Ji Fanyin thought about it for a moment and thought that it made sense. Well, there¡¯s no way someone as arrogant as Bai Zhou would bother remembering the appearance of the ones who talked to her at the bus stop the other day. However, she also had no reason to explain it to Bai Zhou, so she continued licking her ice cream while remarking nonchalantly, ¡°I¡¯m off work right now.¡± She would never buy an ice cream cone for her clients during working hours, not even at half price. With those words behind, she began making her way back to the ice cream shop, only to suddenly remember something important. She turned around to look at him. Bai Zhou looked back at her with an impatient expression and grumbled, ¡°It¡¯s too late to apologize now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it,¡± replied Ji Fanyin. ¡°Don¡¯t forget to reimburse me for yesterday¡¯s ingredients.¡± Chapter 18.1: Its Still Something (1) Bai Zhou: ¡°¡­¡± He exclaimed incredulously, ¡°You¡¯re asking me for money when you¡¯re so generously treating others? You didn¡¯t even leave anything behind for me when you left yesterday! I was so hungry in the middle of the night that I had to call for delivery!¡± ¡°You were the one who asked me to take everything away with me when I left.¡± Ji Fanyin paused for a moment before asking doubtfully, ¡°If you wanted me to buy you something, why did you reject my offer to treat you to an ice cream cone earlier?¡± ¡°When did I ever say that I want you to buy me anything?¡± Bai Zhou immediately refuted with a disgusted look on his face. ¡°Ji Fanyin, don¡¯t be so narcissistic.¡± ¡°Young master Bai, I know that this bit of money is no more than pocket change to you, so I am certain that you have only forgotten to reimburse me. There is no chance that you¡¯d be intentionally delaying the reimbursement, right?¡± said Ji Fanyin. Feeling like his integrity was being questioned, Bai Zhou clenched his jaws. He angrily whipped out his phone and transferred the money to Ji Fanyin on the spot to prove his innocence. He only remembered that the amount was five digits and the first digit was ¡®1¡¯, so he decided to round up the figure. In less than a minute¡¯s time, 20,000 dollars was transferred from one bank account to another. ¡°I assume that the extra amount you sent over is a tip for my service?¡± asked Ji Fanyin as she looked at the message she received from the bank. Not intending to return the extra amount, she quickly added, ¡°Thanks, young master Bai.¡± She bit down on her waffle cone and headed into the ice cream store, not sparing a glance at Bai Zhou at all. Compared to an entire set of high-class French cuisine ingredients, buying a couple of university students some ice cream cones wasn¡¯t expensive at all. By the time everyone had a uniquely colored ice cream cone in their hands, Bai Zhou muttered with a glum face that he was going to head back. Bai Zhou¡¯s buddies glanced at one another with conflicted looks on their faces. While they were determined to get to the bottom of this peculiar relationship between a senior and an alumnus of their school, they weren¡¯t so vicious as to actually ruin their date. After a brief moment of hesitation, they decided to leave with Bai Zhou. Ji Fanyin didn¡¯t stay for too long either. Her mind was still fixated on the movie review that she wasn¡¯t done with yet. So, she politely exchanged contact numbers with the young man before heading home. By the time she finally finished crafting the entire movie review¡ªshe was so serious that one would have thought that she was writing a thesis¡ªit was already nightfall. Ji Fanyin took off her blue light glasses and headed to the fridge to look through the ingredients she had left from yesterday. While pondering about what to make for dinner, her phone suddenly rang. She cast a glance over, and her eyebrows shot up. She had already deleted most of her contact numbers ever since she moved out of the Ji Family a week ago, and the only ones who had called and messaged her during this period of time were her two clients. As for Ji Xinxin, they communicated via a video call application since she was overseas. The caller this time around was another number that was already stored in her contact, but it wasn¡¯t either of her two clients. Looking at the word ¡®Father¡¯ on the phone screen, she couldn¡¯t help but feel the irony of this situation. It had been little more than a week since she had moved out from the Ji Family. No matter how blind Father Ji and Mother Ji were, they should have noticed that someone was missing from their house, not to mention that Ji Fanyin even dropped them a message on WeChat to inform them of the matter in view of their blood ties. But ever since that day, neither Father Ji nor Mother Ji had dropped a call or asked how she was faring. It looked like they couldn¡¯t care less if she was alive or dead. Ji Fanyin casually accepted the call and put it on speakerphone before turning her attention back to the fridge. She greeted Father Ji with a casual ¡°Hey¡±. Her perfunctory greeting immediately brought about an outburst from Father Ji. ¡°Hey what hey? You aren¡¯t going to call me father? You¡¯re really getting out of hand now! Go and learn a thing or two from your younger sister on how you should speak to your elders!¡± Ji Fanyin didn¡¯t have much respect for Father Ji since she wasn¡¯t ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯. Her attention remained focused on picking out two of the most beautiful bell peppers while asking nonchalantly, ¡°What do you want?¡± Father Ji lashed out angrily, ¡°Watch your tone! Do you still take me as your father?!¡± Ji Fanyin decided to clear away two of the nicer bell peppers today. So, she grabbed her ingredients, closed the fridge door, and swiped her finger across her phone screen, hanging up the call from Father Ji. Chapter 18.2: Its Still Something (2) She remained unfazed as if the call she had just received had come from a telemarketer asking her to buy insurance. Perhaps feeling insulted by her hanging up, Father Ji didn¡¯t call back. But around ten minutes later, while Ji Fanyin was busy working in the kitchen, Mother Ji dropped a call. Her tone was much more amicable compared to Father Ji¡¯s. She started off by calling Ji Fanyin by her nickname, saying, ¡°Yinyin, are you doing well outside? If you don¡¯t have enough money on hand, feel free to ask us for more.¡± Ji Fanyin continued chopping her asparagus. She disregarded Mother Ji¡¯s hypocritical load of useless padding and repeated what she had told Father Ji earlier, ¡°What do you want?¡± Mother Ji coughed awkwardly at Ji Fanyin¡¯s candidness, but she managed to keep her calm as if she was mentally prepared for this. Instead, she asked, ¡°Where are you living at the moment?¡± ¡°Are you planning to visit me?¡± asked Ji Fanyin. Mother Ji hesitated for a long while before finally coming out clean, ¡°Your father and I¡­ we¡¯re worried about you. Someone told your father that he saw you at a place where women with proper upbringing shouldn¡¯t be. Yinyin, be honest with me. Did you make any bad friends and visit inappropriate places with them?¡± Ji Fanyin thought about the places she had been to thus far and deduced that the place they were talking about was the bar she met Song Shiyu at the other night. ¡°Is there a problem with an adult visiting a bar?¡± asked Ji Fanyin nonchalantly. Mother Ji immediately got agitated and exclaimed, ¡°Of course there is! How can a demure lady visit that kind of place? Think about how our family¡¯s friends would think of us if they were to find out about it!¡± Ji Fanyin turned on the tap and washed the knife as she asked calmly, ¡°You called me for this?¡± ¡°How can you say that? Don¡¯t you know how serious this matter is? We¡¯re nagging you for your own good, or else¡­¡± This means that there¡¯s nothing else. Ji Fanyin wiped her hands using a soft cloth before hanging up the phone once more. After that, she switched her phone to ¡®Do Not Disturb¡¯ mode. With this, the only ones who could contact her were her clients. It was only after she was done cooking, eating, and clearing the dishes that she checked her phone once more. By then, several hours had already passed. There were several missed calls from Mother Ji. She seemed to have noticed at some point that Ji Fanyin wasn¡¯t going to pick up her calls, so she decided to write long paragraphs in her WeChat instead. Ji Fanyin took a brief glance at them. The crux was basically that her actions had shamed her family, and that since she wasn¡¯t young anymore and wasn¡¯t planning to further her studies like Ji Xinxin, she should think about getting married, and that she had prepared a candidate for her, so on and so forth. Mother Ji appeared to have delved deeper into the background of the person she wanted to matchmake her with, but Ji Fanyin didn¡¯t bother to skim on. Why do rich people like matchmaking that much? First Song Shiyu, and now me. Ji Fanyin wasn¡¯t as patient as Song Shiyu as to bother sparing a meal¡¯s time to satisfy them. However, Father Ji and Mother Ji clearly weren¡¯t planning on giving up easily. If they ever uncovered her address, she would probably face some trouble from them. She took a sip of water as she thought about this issue, but she eventually decided that it was no big deal and tossed it to the back of her head. She was someone who had weathered through storms worse than this. Why should she get worried over something as minor as this? The world was huge. There were plenty of jobs and houses out there for her to pick from anyway. Other than that, she also received some messages from Ji Xinxin and the young man she had added to her WeChat¡¯s friend list earlier in the day. Ji Xinxin¡¯s message looked the same as usual, though she seemed to have casually mentioned Bai Zhou in it. As for the young man, he sent a particularly formal self-introduction, saying that his name was Chen Yunsheng, followed by a great deal of personal information like his age, hobbies, and hometown. He started off by asking if she had reached home, and an hour later, he timidly added: ¡¾Are you still busy with work?¡¿ Ji Fanyin ignored the former. She slipped a new disc into her player and started watching it while occasionally responding to the latter. By the time the movie came to an end, she said goodbye to him with a ¡®Good night¡¯. Chen Yunsheng was a decent and earnest person, so the hour she spent chatting with him while watching the movie was actually quite relaxing and enjoyable. When she put down her phone, she suddenly recalled that Zhao Qi hadn¡¯t contacted her for quite a while. Hmm¡­ Forget it. It¡¯s normal for friends not to contact one another for a month or so. Chapter 18.3: Its Still Something (3) After washing up, Ji Fanyin lay down on her bed and conducted her daily pre-sleep routine¨Dchecking the records of ¡®Temptation of Home¡¯. While looking through the transaction history, she noticed something peculiar. There were quite a few small figures coming in from people she didn¡¯t recognize, and the amounts were fairly small, ranging from two figures to three figures. They were all tagged under ¡®Emotion Points¡¯, and they only started appearing earlier this afternoon. Ji Fanyin pondered for a moment before checking her Weibo in uncertainty. Just as she had expected, the movie review she had sent earlier in the afternoon had gone viral. It had been reposted more than 10,000 times, and the likes were severalfold of that¡ªand it wasn¡¯t showing any signs of losing steam yet. There were quite a lot of impassioned responses in the comments and reposts, some positive and some negative¡­ but that didn¡¯t matter to Ji Fanyin. She casually checked the reposts calmly and soon determined the source of this abrupt explosion of popularity. It appeared that a celebrity had liked her movie review and hadn¡¯t unliked it yet. So, Ji Fanyin went to look up the celebrity, only to realize that he was a familiar face. Given that she had done a marathon of the movies in this world, it went without saying that she would recognize the influential four-time ¡®Best Actor¡¯ award winner, He Shen. Even from the perspective of an industry insider, Ji Fanyin felt that his acting skills were on the dot. He was definitely worthy of being called an artist. What was even rarer was that he was good-looking too. She would be happy to collaborate with him if she was still in the entertainment industry, but for now, probably not. In view that he had contributed so many Emotion Points to her, Ji Fanyin decided to ¡®Follow¡¯ him on Weibo, and the app immediately reflected that there was a mutual following between them. Ji Fanyin¡¯s eyebrows shot up. Celebrity accounts on Weibo were usually managed by professionals, and the celebrities themselves wouldn¡¯t be involved in the content posted, liked, or users followed. Even if the celebrity had a true passion for Weibo, they would secretly create a side account to play with. After all, the slightest mistake made by an official account could easily stir a riot, not to mention that celebrities usually had their schedule so completely jam-packed that they wouldn¡¯t have time to personally manage their accounts. Given He Shen¡¯s standing in the film industry, his Weibo account should be managed by a team¡­ ¡­ but He Shen wasn¡¯t in the film though? Ji Fanyin checked her Weibo messages, and she didn¡¯t receive any collaboration requests from He Shen¡¯s studio. In the end, she decided to close her Weibo and go to sleep. She had seen more than enough celebrities in her past life anyway. Interacting with a ¡®film emperor¡¯ was no big deal. ¡­ The collaboration request from He Shen¡¯s studio belatedly arrived the following day. Ji Fanyin browsed through the message while brushing her teeth. The request was written formally, starting off with showering compliments on the sharpness and uniqueness of her review before extending an invitation for her to attend the premiere of He Shen¡¯s newest movie. Of course, she was expected to compose and post a review at the end of it. It was pretty normal for newly released films to employ an Internet Water Army to garner some good reviews on social media.(Internet Water Army refers to internet ghostwriters paid to post online comments with particular content.) But even so, it seemed odd that they went to the extent of following her with He Shen¡¯s official Weibo account. On top of that, they were only offering an invitation without any mention of money, which hinted that they weren¡¯t intending to buy good reviews from her. That being said, the amount of Emotion Points she received last night was really substantial. Unlike the usual ones she received from Song Shiyu and the others, a viral Weibo post continuously brought in more Emotion Points as long as it remained there as new readers were constantly stumbling upon the post. The amount earned from each individual might be small, but it was still something. There was no reason for her to turn it down, especially since it was something she liked doing and didn¡¯t take up too much of her time. After coming to a decision, she gargled her mouth before responding to the message with her address. The other party replied extremely quickly. They started off by sending her the time and location before informing her that the invitation letter would be sent to her home very soon. Ji Fanyin stared at the reply, and somehow, she felt that something was off with the tone. The first message was extremely formal, but the following ones were oddly casual, almost as if it was someone else. But when she looked at the message she had sent over, which contained only a cold and lofty address¡­ Yup, I¡¯m also pretty casual myself. I¡¯m in no position to talk about them. While walking out of her bathroom, she decided to give He Shen¡¯s studio a clear heads up first: ¡¾I¡¯m honest with my reviews.¡¿ I¡¯m not going to betray my conscience for you if you show me crap. The other party replied immediately:¡¾No problem, that¡¯s what we want too.¡¿ Regardless of whether it was just a formality or not, Ji Fanyin felt more at ease after receiving their assurance. She noted down the date of the movie premiere in her schedule lest it accidentally clashed schedules with a client¡¯s reservation. If a clash really occurs¡­ Well, that would depend on how much the client is willing to pay. Chapter 19.1: I Am a Dream Weaver (1) The invitation letter arrived at Ji Fanyin¡¯s home the following day. The movie premiere was the day after that. Song Shiyu didn¡¯t attempt to make any reservations this time around, but Bai Zhou did. ¡°I need a full-day reservation,¡± he said. ¡°I want to practice visiting the amusement park¡± ¡°Tomorrow won¡¯t do,¡± Ji Fanyin looked through her calendar and replied. ¡°How about the day after tomorrow?¡± The location of the movie premiere was quite some distance away, so she should be able to finish up the review while returning home. With that, she should be able to sleep early and prepare herself for any appointments the next day. ¡°Tomorrow won¡¯t do?¡± Bai Zhou snorted in annoyance. ¡°You sure have a packed schedule. Even bidding for classes isn¡¯t as troublesome as this.¡± It was a snide remark, but it did bring some inspiration to Ji Fanyin. Why don¡¯t I develop a simple application to make my schedule semi-public? With this, the clients wouldn¡¯t have to call me to make a reservation anymore. All they have to do is to check the application and pick out a convenient time. Ahhh, technology sure makes life easier. Ji Fanyin earnestly wrote down her idea into her book and decided to give more thought to its implementation when she had time. As convenient as automation sounded, she needed her clients to be willing to adopt it. Other than that, it was also time for her to start thinking about further increasing her clientele. Song Shiyu was running a company whereas Bai Zhou was still a student; the two of them wouldn¡¯t be enough to sufficiently occupy her time. In other words, it was time to find Fish No. 3. As a fellow ¡®King of the Seas¡¯, Ji Fanyin had a good idea of what was running through Ji Xinxin¡¯s mind. To Ji Xinxin, rearing fishes was probably a way for her to validate her charms. She wasn¡¯t limiting herself just to romantic involvements with her fishes. There were other varieties too, such as kinship, friendship, admiration, respect¡­ Ji Fanyin wasn¡¯t certain of the reason just yet, but she could tell that Ji Xinxin was obsessed with it, working under the notion that ¡®more is better¡¯. This resulted in the fishes in Ji Xinxin¡¯s pond being of varying quality. Based on her own memories, Ji Fanyin wrote down the names of all of the people she knew of that harbored significant goodwill toward Ji Xinxin and conducted a simple categorization. The first category were the ones introduced by the ¡®future¡¯ Song Shiyu; those who treated ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ as Ji Xinxin¡¯s substitute in order to alleviate their loneliness. She could remember six other people in this category, and throwing Song Shiyu and Bai Zhou into the mix as well, they added up to an auspicious eight. The second category was those whom she had to do her homework on carefully in order to filter out eligible candidates. Firstly, those who weren¡¯t sufficiently wealthy were out of the question since it wouldn¡¯t be as profitable. Secondly, the individual had to be sufficiently generous. She wouldn¡¯t be able to take it if her clients suddenly started haggling with her. Last but not least, as a person who valued appearances, she wanted clients who were decently good-looking. Her professionalism allowed her to be gentle and caring to anyone without losing her patience, but a good-looking client could still raise her tolerance level by a bit. Both Song Shiyu and Bai Zhou were lookers in their own rights. Whenever something infuriating occurred, just by looking at the other party¡¯s face, her anger level would subside from 100 to¡­ around 90, perhaps. Last but not least, the other party must be willing to bite onto her hook. Ji Fanyin¡¯s conscience didn¡¯t ache at all from earning money off Song Shiyu and Bai Zhou, but the same didn¡¯t necessarily apply to the others. Filtering the list down to those who fulfilled all three criteria¡­ Oh? There are still quite a few people to choose from. It looks like her fishery is bigger than I thought. The next step would be to approach and probe potential clients to gauge their level of interest. ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ was acquainted with Song Shiyu and Bai Zhou right from the start, making it easier for her to take them down as compared to a complete stranger. If it was a stranger, she would have to start from the very first step of socializing¡ªgetting to know one another. So, she began crafting out a mindmap to brainstorm and plan her next move. Theoretically speaking, it was likely that she might bump into some of the candidates at the movie premiere tomorrow afternoon. She remembered Ji Xinxin had a fish that received the prestigious ¡®Best New Director Award¡¯ right after graduation, and he had a good face too. On top of that, he even tried to kidnap Ji Xinxin and force himself on her. His obsession made him a potential client. After Ji Fanyin finished her homework for the movie premiere, she took one last look at the ticket and flicked it lightly with her finger. This is a schedule where I can get a lot of things done at once. There¡¯s no way I can miss it. Chapter 19.2: I Am a Dream Weaver (2) The movie that was playing at the premiere was directed by a famous director and had He Shen as the leading actor. Invitation tickets were only offered to those in the same industry and family members. Even the reporters were only invited to the press conference; they couldn¡¯t enter the theater to enjoy the movie. Ji Fanyin was planning to just watch the movie and head home to write her review, so she didn¡¯t bother dressing up. She wore light casual wear and a pair of glasses for her slight astigmatism.(Astigmatism is a vision problem that causes light to look a bit fuzzy) But when she arrived at the entrance of the venue, she found herself faced with an army of reporters who were ready to interview anyone who tried to head in. Those with invitation letters in their hands weren¡¯t exactly dressed in high fashion, but they were at least wearing suits and gowns. Only Ji Fanyin was wearing a loose sweater and a pair of jeans with her hair scattered casually down her shoulder. She gave off the impression of an arts student who was dressed casually for town. Most people in her position would head home to change their clothes, but Ji Fanyin calmly put on her glasses and proceeded into the venue. There were two individuals ahead of her who were stopped by the reporters and were in the midst of their interview, and Ji Fanyin walked past them from behind. She ignored all of the reporters who tried to shove their microphones toward her. It was not just once or twice that she had gotten onto the news for putting on airs, and the people in her previous world were already all used to it. The young lady welcoming the guests at the entrance bowed to Ji Fanyin and said, ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to have you here. May I have your invitation letter?¡± Ji Fanyin passed her invitation letter over and waited for the other party to verify it before entering the venue. It was shortly after she walked in that she belatedly realized that the two individuals who were being interviewed earlier looked a little familiar. Where have I seen them? She turned around to take a look, only to see a couple walking in with linked arms. Just like that, the three of them met gazes with one another. Of the couple, the man immediately glared at Ji Fanyin furiously. Ji Fanyin: ¡°¡­?¡± Who are you? The woman quickly unlinked her arm from her husband¡¯s and hurried over to Ji Fanyin. With a hushed tone, she exclaimed, ¡°How did you get in here?!¡± Ji Fanyin shot a glance at the female receptionist at the entrance before turning to look at the woman standing before her. She thought that the woman¡¯s head might not be working too well, so she replied, ¡°I passed through the walls to get in here.¡± ¡°What kind of nonsense are you spouting! You¡­ Did you sneak in here to meet Shiyu because you knew that he¡¯ll be here today?¡± the woman asked furiously. It was only upon hearing those words that realization struck Ji Fanyin. She took another good look at the couple in front of her. Ah, they are ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯s¡¯ parents. It has been so long that I nearly forgot about them. ¡°Is Song Shiyu coming?¡± asked Ji Fanyin nonchalantly. ¡°That has nothing to do with me. I¡¯m here for work.¡± Mother Ji immediately shut her down angrily, ¡°You nearly failed your graduation, so what kind of work could you possibly have? Stop embarrassing yourself here. I¡¯ll have security drag you out right now. You really are getting out of hand!¡± She reached forth to grab Ji Fanyin¡¯s arm, but the latter dodged it easily. Ji Fanyin shook the invitation letter in her hand and said with a smile, ¡°Are you sure that the two of you, who value your reputation so much, really want to humiliate yourself by having an argument here over whether my invitation letter is real or not?¡± Of course, neither Father Ji nor Mother Ji would be willing to do anything that risked sullying their reputation, so they could only try to stifle their anger as they watched Ji Fanyin walk away. The venue was decorated to resemble a mini theater, and every invitation letter was tagged to a seat. There were some who made use of the time before the movie premiere to socialize. Ji Fanyin was intending to head straight to her seat and settle down, but the earlier confrontation with Father Ji and Mother Ji changed her mind. They won¡¯t give up that easily. I should find a way to resolve this once and for all so as to avoid further trouble. Chapter 19.3: I Am a Dream Weaver (3) Barely ten seconds after Ji Fanyin started racking her brain, a woman dressed in a red fishtail skirt walked over with the loud clacking of high heels. The other party gave off the vibes of a confident, successful woman whom Ji Fanyin was familiar with. Such women gave off an imposing disposition even through their strides, and they were in the limelight no matter what kind of social occasion they were in. ¡°Are you Miss ¡®FeatureYin Films¡¯?¡± The confident woman offered her hand forth. ¡°I am He Shen¡¯s manager, Zhang Ning. May I know how I should address you?¡± ¡°I am Ji Fanyin,¡± replied Ji Fanyin as she shook the other party¡¯s hand. ¡°You don¡¯t have to address me formally.¡± Zhang Ning chuckled softly. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be so young.¡± Ji Fanyin felt that Zhang Ning was driving at something here. ¡°He Shen has something to deal with so he isn¡¯t here yet, so he got me to greet you in his place. He says that he hopes to receive your earnest movie review.¡± Zhang Ning gestured to the resting lounge next to the reception area. ¡°There¡¯s still some time before the premiere, so would you like to take a seat and rest there first?¡± Ji Fanyin was even more perplexed by this abrupt offer. She pondered for a moment before nodding. ¡°Alright.¡± Is He Shen one of Ji Xinxin¡¯s fishes too? That doesn¡¯t make sense. It¡¯s impossible that no one would know of it if Ji Xinxin managed to snag someone as outstanding as that. ¡°I¡¯ll walk you there,¡± said Zhang Ning as she began leading the way. ¡°I was still worried that you¡¯d feel uncomfortable being put in such an environment, but it looks like you¡¯re already used to it.¡± ¡°You mean chatting with others?¡± asked Ji Fanyin with a smile. ¡°Those two are my parents. They didn¡¯t know that I¡¯d be coming.¡± Zhang Ning revealed a look of surprise. She turned around to take a glance at Father Ji and Mother Ji. Ji Fanyin also halted her footsteps. She turned her head around and saw Father Ji and Mother Ji staring at her too. She was standing right in front of a room with a sign labeled ¡®VIP Lounge¡¯, which explained why their faces were practically written with looks that said ¡®How are you able to go in there?¡¯ Ji Fanyin directed a faint smile at the biased couple before making her way into the lounge. Children were like mirrors. They reflected whatever one showed them. When parents refuted everything about their children, it was inevitable that their children would think that they were utterly useless. Bias wasn¡¯t something that was formed overnight. ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ had slowly lost her confidence and pride bit by bit over many years. Even if it wasn¡¯t Father Ji and Mother Ji¡¯s intention to drive ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ to her death, there was no doubt that they had to take some blame for her eventual suicide. To make things worse, they didn¡¯t think that they had done anything wrong at all. Ji Fanyin couldn¡¯t think of a reason why she should even accord them respect. ------ Yoo hang out with us in our Discord~ Got a neat community there!Mission 1 (??''-''?)?8/10 unique commenters on a chapter (Just a bit more @@)Reward: 1 bonus chapterI recently started a Patreon (????)If you have spare cash and you don''t know where to spend it on, do consider supporting me a little in exchange for reading a couple of chapters in advance ¡ñ©n¡ñ)Advanced chapters link: https://100kpsi.schk.co/ Chapter 19.4: I Am a Dream Weaver (4) Meanwhile, Father Ji was on the verge of erupting. Unable to take it anymore, he grabbed Mother Ji¡¯s hand and marched over to the VIP Lounge. ¡°Please show me your invitation letter.¡± The security guards stationed in front of the VIP Lounge did their job and stopped them. ¡°Lad, do you not recognize who I am?¡± asked Father Ji lividly. The security guard replied with a tone that was neither humble nor disrespectful, ¡°I am new here, so I¡¯m afraid that I don¡¯t recognize the two of you. I¡¯d appreciate it if you could show me your invitation letters so that I could verify if you have access to the VIP Lounge.¡± Mother Ji gently consoled Father Ji while reaching into her bag to take out their invitation letters. The security guard quickly scanned the QR code on the invitation letters before turning back to the couple with a troubled look on his face, saying, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that the two of you aren''t on the VIP list.¡± ¡°The woman who entered earlier is our daughter. Why is she able to access the VIP Lounge?¡± asked Father Ji with a voice of suppressed rage. ¡°Are you referring to the one who entered with Miss Zhang Ning earlier?¡± asked the security guard. ¡°¡­ The one who walked in with her earlier is Zhang Ning?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± the security guard replied with a perplexed look on his face. ¡°Pardon me, but¡­ is it possible that you don¡¯t recognize the organizer of today¡¯s event?¡± Father Ji¡¯s complexion turned awful. The Ji Family was in the middle class. They were still a hurdle away from reaching the ¡®capitalist¡¯ class in each industry. Father Ji and Mother Ji thought that there was a chance for them to reach that level thanks to Ji Xinxin¡¯s halo, but who could have thought that Ji Fanyin would actually reach upper society ahead of them? It was then that Zhang Ning walked over with Ji Fanyin. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re from the Ji Family! I believe that they were invited here by Song Shiyu,¡± she said. She then turned to Ji Fanyin and added, ¡°We can invite them into the lounge as well if you like.¡± Ji Fanyin couldn¡¯t even be bothered to figure out whether Zhang Ning was trying to sound her out, so she replied curtly, ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡± I want my peace. ¡°The drinks are there, and we have Japanese food and dessert around too. Feel free to get anything you like,¡± Zhang Ning roughly introduced the layout of the resting room to her. ¡°You should feel much more comfortable here if you don¡¯t wish to socialize with others.¡± Between Zhang Ning and Ji Fanyin, one was dressed flamboyantly whereas the other was wearing casual clothes. This created a striking contrast that made them quite eye-catching. Nevertheless, of the few people in the lounge, none showed any intention of approaching them for a conversation. Ji Fanyin preferred social settings where everyone was cold and proud. It was less tiring that way. ¡°I still have matters to attend to. Will you be alright here by yourself?¡± Zhang Ning led Ji Fanyin to one of the tables to take a seat. ¡°I believe that He Shen would like to meet you once he arrives.¡± Instead of leaving right away, Zhang Ning blinked her eyes suggestively at Ji Fanyin, as if trying to encourage her curiosity. Ji Fanyin decided to play along with her. ¡°Why?¡± Zhang Ning smiled in satisfaction and said, ¡°He Shen fell in love with your reviews at first sight. He sees you as his soulmate, saying that the points you focused on in your film evaluations are the same as his. He was the one who insisted on having me invite you to his movie premiere.¡± Ji Fanyin¡¯s eyebrows shot up. ¡°He was the one who followed my Weibo account?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Zhang Ning winked mischievously. ¡°He even grumbled to me that you have only watched three of his movies, and none of them was the one which he was the most satisfied with¡­ Cough, don¡¯t tell He Shen that I told you all of this, alright?¡± Ji Fanyin couldn¡¯t figure out Zhang Ning¡¯s rationale for revealing all of this to her, so she decided to keep up her guard and respond formally, ¡°I¡¯m flattered by Mr He¡¯s high opinion of me. I hope that this collaboration between us will be a delightful one.¡± Zhang Ning sent Ji Fanyin a flying kiss before strutting out of the VIP Lounge. There was still fifteen minutes before the movie premiere, so Ji Fanyin headed to the drinks station to get herself a cup of juice. Unlike the ladies dressed in gowns, Ji Fanyin was able to have her fill of drinks without having to worry about her stomach sticking out. While Ji Fanyin was drinking her juice using the straws provided, a few more people entered the resting room. She could sense their gazes casually sweeping past her. Chapter 19.5: I Am a Dream Weaver (5) Her phone suddenly vibrated at this moment. It was a message from Chen Yunsheng. He had sent her a photo of him beside a basketball court. His hair was drenched with sweat, and he was holding a bottle of water in his hand. He had a bright smile on his face that revealed his white teeth, making him appear like the typical handsome second lead in romance dramas. Ji Fanyin felt like she had returned to her youthful years just by looking at the photo. Chen Yunsheng: ¡¾We had the semifinals for an inter-school basketball competition today. It was a close one, but our team won in the end! >A<> Ji Fanyin looked at the ¡®>A Before she could reply, Chen Yunsheng had already followed up with another message: ¡¾The finals are on next Sunday. Are you free to drop by your alma mater to watch the game? Our team will reserve the best seats for you!¡¿ A third message arrived right after: ¡¾Remember to reply once you¡¯re done with your work ¡Ñ_¡Ñ¡¿ Ji Fanyin was indeed busy at the moment. There were many people walking to and fro the VIP Lounge, but a pair of polished male leather shoes suddenly stopped in front of her. Ji Fanyin tore her eyes off her phone to look at the person who had walked up to her, only to see the other party staring at her face in astonishment. ¡°It looks like you¡¯re an acquaintance of my younger sister,¡¯ said Ji Fanyin. ¡°¡­ Younger sister?¡± ¡°Ji Xinxin is my twin sister,¡± said Ji Fanyin. Her long eyelashes drooped a little as she added, ¡°Did you mistake me for her?¡± ¡°I see.¡± The man coughed lightly to conceal his earlier rudeness. ¡°I was just thinking that¡­ the two of you really look alike.¡± ¡°We¡¯re twins,¡± replied Ji Fanyin. She gestured to the seat beside her and asked, ¡°Would you like to take a seat?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard about you from Xinxin,¡± the man said as he took a seat. He stared intently at Ji Fanyin¡¯s face for a moment before finally continuing on, ¡°But you¡¯re very different from what I¡¯ve heard.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± remarked Ji Fanyin. ¡°Well, I¡¯ve changed quite a bit in recent days. I¡¯m Ji Fanyin. How should I address you?¡± ¡°Ah,¡± exclaimed the man awkwardly. ¡°I am Cen Xiangyang.¡± Ji Fanyin also let out an ¡°Ah¡±. He¡¯s here, the rising director-cum-future kidnapper-cum-attempted rapist Cen Xiangyang. Cen Xiangyang¡¯s eyes lit up in anticipation as he asked, ¡°You¡¯ve heard about me from Xinxin?¡± Ji Fanyin chose to respond in a roundabout manner, ¡°Xinxin and I don¡¯t really talk about such stuff.¡± Cen Xiangyang lowered his gaze in disappointment. He had a ¡®salt type face¡¯ which was considered trendy nowadays. He didn¡¯t have pronounced facial features that made him stand out amidst a crowd. Instead, he looked more like an artistic young man. Paired with his gold-rimmed glasses, he had a decent, refined appearance. It¡¯s impossible to tell that he¡¯s a criminal in the making just by his appearance and the way he talks. Now that I think about it, Song Shiyu isn¡¯t any better than him either. Cen Xiangyang soon snapped out of his disappointment and said, ¡°Xinxin seems to be really busy after arriving in France. We weren¡¯t able to talk to each other as much as before. Does she still call home often? How is she doing now?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think that she¡¯ll be able to adapt well to any environment?¡± asked Ji Fanyin in response. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right.¡± Cen Xiangyang chuckled softly. ¡°But while I trust her capability, I still can¡¯t help but worry about all sorts of things when she¡¯s not in my line of sight. I really wish that she could stay by my side forever, never having to part ways.¡± Ji Fanyin looked at him quietly. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m sorry, I shouldn¡¯t have said all of that to you.¡± Cen Xiangyang snapped out of his trance and apologized sheepishly. ¡°I¡¯m a director. What about you?¡± It was then that a few more individuals appeared at the lounge¡¯s entrance. Ji Fanyin casually shot a glance over and saw Song Shiyu bringing Father Ji and Mother Ji in. Song Shiyu cast a casual sweeping glance across the room and immediately met her gaze. His complexion immediately darkened a little in displeasure. Not at work at the moment, Ji Fanyin raised her cup of juice and directed a faint smile in Song Shiyu¡¯s direction before turning her head back to answer Cen Xiangyang¡¯s question. ¡°If I were to put it in my own words, I¡¯m a dream weaver,¡± she replied. Chapter 20.1: Love Can Be Bought (1) Cen Xiangyang¡¯s curiosity was piqued. ¡°Are there any other terms for it other than dream weaver?¡± he asked. Ji Fanyin chuckled in response. Well, the other term would be a romance scammer. She ignored Cen Xiangyang¡¯s question and rose to her feet, saying, ¡°The movie premiere is about to begin soon. I¡¯ll be heading out to take my seat. What about you?¡± Father Ji and Mother Ji, who had entered the VIP Lounge, were currently heading her way. Cen Xiangyang also rose to his feet. ¡°I¡¯ll come with you. What¡¯s your seat number?¡± The two of them quickly compared their seat numbers. One of them was a slightly known director whereas the other was a humble movie reviewer. Needless to say, their seats were far away from one another. ¡°Let¡¯s talk after the movie premiere.¡± Cen Xiangyang took out his phone. ¡°You¡¯re working in the film industry too since you were able to get an invitation here, right? Shall we exchange contacts?¡± He spoke in such a natural manner that it didn¡¯t feel like he was flirting at all, more like two individuals exchanging contacts for work. It happened that Ji Fanyin viewed him as potential Fish No. 3, so she accepted his offer and took out her phone. However, this exchange was put to a halt by Song Shiyu. The approaching Song Shiyu first directed a nod toward Cen Xiangyang before he turned to Ji Fanyin and said, ¡°Ji Fanyin, your parents are worried about you.¡± Ji Fanyin couldn¡¯t help but notice that Song Shiyu¡¯s gaze had lingered on her phone screen for a little too long, as if there was something on it that was of interest to him. ¡°I¡¯ve already greeted them earlier.¡± Ji Fanyin couldn¡¯t be bothered to hold a conversation with Song Shiyu outside service hours, so she decided to take her leave. ¡°If you may excuse me.¡± She bade Cen Xiangyang farewell before walking out of the VIP Lounge, leaving the two men behind. She knew that it didn¡¯t matter whether they exchanged contacts here or not. Cen Xiangyang wouldn¡¯t give up that easily. ¡°Mr Song, are you acquainted with Miss Ji too?¡± asked Cen Xiangyang. ¡°Ah, she is Xinxin¡¯s older sister after all. I guess it shouldn¡¯t come as a surprise that you¡¯re acquainted with both sisters given the close ties you have with the Ji Family. I must say, the two sisters really resemble one another. If Miss Ji could just change her disposition a little, she would completely be able to stand in as her younger sister.¡± The words ¡®stand in¡¯ stabbed into Song Shiyu¡¯s heart like a sharp thorn, making him frown in discomfort. It was a fact that he thought of Ji Fanyin as Ji Xinxin¡¯s substitute. ¡°Speaking of which, Mr Song, you have Miss Ji¡¯s contact number, right? Could you forward it to me?¡± Song Shiyu: ¡°¡­¡± I¡¯ve deleted it and haven¡¯t added her back yet. ¡°Don¡¯t mess with her,¡± Song Shiyu said as he rubbed his temples to alleviate the throbbing pain in his head. ¡°No matter what, she is Xinxin¡¯s older sister.¡± Cen Xiangyang was stunned for a moment before laughing heartily, ¡°Oh? What do you mean by ¡®mess with her¡¯? All I want to do is to befriend her. Mr Song, don¡¯t you think that you¡¯re overstepping your boundaries here? In what capacity are you warning me? Xinxin¡¯s boyfriend? Or an ordinary friend?¡± Despite being too busy to attend Ji Xinxin¡¯s farewell banquet, Cen Xiangyan was still aware of the events that transpired that day. Compared to the others who had yet to confess to Ji Xinxin, Song Shiyu, who had been rejected by Ji Xinxin, was clearly out of the race. ¡°Even if I¡¯m just an ordinary friend, I¡¯m still closer to her than you are,¡± replied Song Shiyu with a graceful smile. ¡°Ji Fanyin isn¡¯t as easy to deal with as you think, Cen Xiangyang.¡± The old Ji Fanyin was a passive person who quietly accepted what others dished out to her, but the current Ji Fanyin was capable of hiding her own feelings in order to protect herself¡­ ¡­ though in Song Shiyu¡¯s view, her disguise was still far too vulnerable. Often, he thought how wonderful it would be if he could just place Ji Fanyin¡¯s affection for him into Ji Xinxin. If he could, the three of them wouldn¡¯t have to suffer like this. Cen Xiangyang shrugged off Song Shiyu¡¯s warning with a smile and replied half-jokingly, ¡°Mr Song, your words are really misleading. I almost thought that the one you love isn¡¯t Xinxin but her older sister.¡± Song Shiyu smiled in response to that remark, but on the inside, he was sneering. If I really had feelings for Ji Fanyin, I would have long gotten together with her given her devotion toward me. It¡¯s simply impossible to force a person¡¯s feelings. Seeing that Song Shiyu wasn¡¯t bothering to reply anymore, Cen Xiangyang chose not to harp on the topic either. He gracefully gestured Song Shiyu outward to make their way to their seats. Along the way, he noticed that Song Shiyu¡¯s complexion looked a little awful and asked concernedly, ¡°Mr Song, are you feeling unwell? You should head home if you¡¯re ill. You shouldn¡¯t push yourself too much.¡± Song Shiyu shot Cen Xiangyang a glance and said, ¡°Thanks for your concern, but I¡¯m fine.¡± It was in the midst of summer, but several days of consecutive flash rains had caused the weather to turn a little chilly. It was easy to catch a cold under such conditions and Song Shiyu was, unfortunately, one of the victims. However, he turned a blind eye to his cold and remained focused on his work. For some reason, he had started to think that earning money was of utmost importance. As long as he had enough money on hand, he could even buy love that was just like the real one. All he needed was an endless stream of cash. Chapter 20.2: Love Can Be Bought (2) Ji Fanyin¡¯s seat was in the last few rows, but it wasn¡¯t uncomfortable or anything. She was so focused on the movie that she didn¡¯t even notice that the person sitting next to her had swapped with someone else halfway through the movie. It was only when the ending credits started rolling that Ji Fanyin finally let out a deep breath. It was a movie filled with tension. The male lead had weaved an elaborate scheme that felt like it could unravel at the slightest bit of carelessness and bring him to his death, almost as if he was walking on a tightrope. Ji Fanyin found herself sitting on the edge of her seat throughout the movie. ¡°How was the movie?¡± the person beside her asked softly. ¡°It was exquisite,¡± replied Ji Fanyin subconsciously. ¡°From the camera shots, the meticulous attention to details regarding the scheme, to the gradual change in the mindsets of the key characters, everything is harmoniously weaved together to relay an impactful story. I believe that this film has a shot at winning film festivals.¡± ¡°What about He Shen¡¯s acting?¡± There was no hesitation in Ji Fanyin¡¯s voice as she replied, ¡°It¡¯s perfect. He seems to be the kind of actor who fully immerses himself in the characters he¡¯s portraying. With how deep he has gone for this film, it might be hard for him to recover from it.¡± She naturally got more chatty when talking about films. After offering her evaluation, Ji Fanyin raised her head to look at the person beside her and asked, ¡°What about you?¡± The dim lighting made it hard for her to see the other party¡¯s expression, so all she could hear was his indistinct chuckle. ¡°I¡¯m of the same view as you.¡± He stood up after that¡ªhe was surprisingly tall¡ªand started walking away. JI Fanyin: ¡°¡­?¡± Does he urgently need the loo? After the credits scene finished rolling, the lights turned on, and everyone rose to their feet and started applauding. Ji Fanyin subconsciously glanced at the seat beside her. It was empty. Following that was the interview for the film crew. Ji Fanyin had no intention of asking any questions, but she took out the notebook and pen she had prepared beforehand anyway since the perspective taken by the film crew could be vastly different from that of the audience. In order to write a proper review, it was important for her to be thorough in her understanding. The Q&A session proceeded smoothly under the host¡¯s lead. Ji Fanyin noted down a few important details. She already had a rough idea as to how she was going to write the movie review. Soon, the premiere was officially concluded, and the crowd in the theater started to take their leave. Ji Fanyin also rose from her seat and prepared to head home. It was already getting late, and she still had work the next morning. While she was walking out, she noticed Cen Xiangyang making his way toward her from the front row seats. However, he was soon stopped by Song Shiyu, and the two of them began chatting with smiles on their faces. Ji Fanyin attributed it to mutual attraction between perverts allowing them to get along with one another. In any case, she decided to turn a blind eye to it and continued walking her way, but she still ended up getting halted by someone else. ¡°Ji Fanyin, wait a moment!¡± Zhang Ning shouted while rushing over. With a relieved smile from having caught up with her, she said, ¡°If you aren¡¯t in a rush, I¡¯d like to introduce you to a few people.¡± Ji Fanyin was intrigued. ¡°You intend to introduce me to others?¡± It went without saying that networking was much easier if someone was willing to introduce one into a circle, but this privilege was usually granted only to those in a close relationship, such as mentors and mentees, family members, or working partners. There was no such relationship between her and Zhang Ning to justify such an act of generosity. ¡°Of course! Since you¡¯re going to write a review for us, it¡¯s only right for you to meet our film crew, right?¡± said Zhang Ning as she dragged Ji Fanyin along with her. ¡°Oh¡­¡± remarked Ji Fanyin. ¡°I thought that you were going to bring me over to meet Mr He.¡± Zhang Ning¡¯s smile froze up for a brief moment before she laughed off the remark. ¡°He had to leave early because he has another schedule. You should be able to meet him next time.¡± ¡°I see,¡± replied Ji Fanyin with a deep smile. ¡°I¡¯ll look forward to it.¡± ¡°How was the movie? Did you enjoy it?¡± Zhang Ning changed the subject. ¡°I love it.¡± Ji Fanyin did a quick internal evaluation before adding, ¡°It¡¯s in my top three.¡± Zhang Ning wasn¡¯t satisfied with the evaluation. She pouted like a little girl and complained, ¡°Why isn¡¯t it your top one?¡± Ji Fanyin responded with a polite smile. It went without saying that her favorite movie was her own. Chapter 20.3: Love Can Be Bought (3) Under Zhang Ning¡¯s lead, everyone treated Ji Fanyin amicably. Some of them even took the initiative to propose exchanging contacts, saying that they could collaborate together on projects if the opportunity ever arose. By the end of it, Ji Fanyin had quite a few new names in her friend list. From their interactions, it soon became apparent to Ji Fanyin that Zhang Ning was not just an ordinary manager. There was something more to her background. ¡°How did you get here? Shall I get someone to drive you home?¡± asked Zhang Ning. ¡°I took a cab,¡± said Ji Fanyin as she waved her phone. ¡°It¡¯ll only take an hour and a half.¡± Cab fare was expensive in the city, but it was definitely within Ji Fanyin¡¯s means to pay for. ¡°I think it¡¯ll be better if I get someone to drive you. It just so happens that He Shen drove off by himself, so we have two idle assistants on standby,¡± Zhang Ning insisted. Ji Fanyin pondered over it a little, but she decided not to turn down the other party¡¯s goodwill. After bidding farewell to Zhang Ning, she left with the two assistants from He Shen¡¯s studio via the side entrance and got into a low profile van. After giving the assistants her address, she whipped out her phone and began drafting her movie review. When the car left the parking lot and was driving by the entrance of the venue, Ji Fanyin took a look outside and saw Father Ji and Mother Ji lingering around the entrance. Song Shiyu was with them, but he was clutching his forehead in discomfort. Is he sick? A person is usually the most vulnerable when he¡¯s ill¡­ Such a thought arose in Ji Fanyin¡¯s mind, but the van gradually sped up and tossed Song Shiyu and the others out of her sight and mind. Forget it, there¡¯s no need for unnecessary interaction with my clients outside of working hours. I don¡¯t want any misunderstanding here. If the client has a need for me, he¡¯ll naturally drop me a call. ¡­ ¡°Ahhh, she¡¯s gone,¡± remarked Cen Xiangyang lamentingly. ¡°I haven¡¯t gotten her contact yet.¡± Song Shiyu ignored him. ¡°Xinxin doesn¡¯t seem to be interested in dating at the moment, so Ji Fanyin would be good for a pastime. It¡¯s better to have an imitation than nothing at all, don¡¯t you agree, Mr Song?¡± asked Cen Xiangyang. ¡°There¡¯s bound to be someone who knows her. Even if you refuse to give me her contact, I¡¯ll still be able to obtain it by asking around.¡± His voice was suppressed so that only Song Shiyu was able to hear it. ¡°Court her if you want,¡± replied Song Shiyu casually. ¡°I wish you all the best.¡± ¡°You seem quite confident that I¡¯d fail,¡± said Cen Xiangyang as he stroked his chin. ¡°Is it because Ji Fanyin isn¡¯t interested in dating, or do you know her type? ¡­ Oh, wait a moment. I think I get it.¡± Cen Xiangyang suddenly looked at Song Shiyu with peculiar eyes. ¡°Could it be that Ji Fanyin likes you?¡± Song Shiyu casually placed his hands into his coat before turning over to look at Cen Xiangyang with curled lips. ¡°That¡¯s right. Ji Fanyin likes me.¡± Chapter 21.2: Isn’t the Person You Like Song Shiyu? (2) Those who had been to Disneyland would know that while it had lots of interesting things to see and fun rides to enjoy, an entire day spent there was bound to be exhausting even with the conveniences provided by the premium services one purchased. Not to mention, Ji Fanyin was told to dress in demure low heel leather shoes which were not exactly comfortable to walk in. Still, a job was a job. She had gone through tougher times back in her acting days, so a mere day at Disneyland was not an issue at all. The two of them ended up walking around the amusement park and playing till nightfall. To Ji Fanyin¡¯s surprise, it seemed like Bai Zhou had earnestly done his homework to make the best out of their time. He knew the roads that minimized traveling time, the order to visit the rides in so as to reduce waiting time, as well as the existence of ¡®Fastpass¡¯. He also brought her to the more famous activities and tourist spots that had been promoted by famous influencers. It might have been normal for other people, but for the self-centered Bai Zhou, this was nothing short of a miracle. ¡°I¡¯ve wanted to come here since my younger years,¡± said Bai Zhou as he tugged at the string attached to a helium balloon in his hand. This helium balloon consisted of two layers. The outer layer was a transparent sphere whereas the inside was a yellow Mickey Mouse. ¡°You had such childhood days too?¡± asked Ji Fanyin. At this very moment, she was earnestly thinking that this balloon was too goddamned expensive. ¡°¡­ Mm. When this place first opened, many of my classmates came here with their parents,¡± said Bai Zhou with crestfallen eyes. ¡°All of them talked about how fun this place was, and it made me really envious.¡± Ji Fanyin took a moment to recollect Bai Zhou¡¯s background. His parents are in a marriage of convenience, promising not to interfere in each other¡¯s private life as long as they didn¡¯t bring in illegitimate children. Due to that, he grew up in a house filled with nannies and bodyguards. ¡°I came here by myself later on,¡± said Bai Zhou coldly, ¡°but it wasn¡¯t fun at all.¡± Ji Fanyin tugged the balloon out of Bai Zhou¡¯s hand before gently tying it on his wrist. ¡°Then was it fun to come here with me today?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Bai Zhou looked at the knot tied around his wrist before raising his eyes to look at Ji Fanyin. ¡°¡­ Everything is interesting as long as I¡¯m with big sis. What interests me isn¡¯t the place but being with you.¡± ¡°Good boy,¡± said Ji Fanyin with a smile as she patted Bai Zhou¡¯s head. ¡°Where are we heading to next?¡± ¡°¡­ Fireworks.¡± Even before the sun fully set, the crowd had already started making their way toward the best spot to catch the fireworks. Not too far away from the castle was a fountain that provided a good view of the fireworks, so there was a crowd gathered there. Bai Zhou wasn¡¯t nervous at all to see the area fully occupied. With the sheer power of money, he managed to secure two spots for them. The couple who accepted his offer happily left hand-in-hand while the others felt envious at the small fortune they had earned so easily. That being said, the two spots weren¡¯t exactly spacious, such that any couple sitting there would have to bump bums. Ji Fanyin sat down on where the lady was sitting earlier and patted on the empty seat beside her, saying, ¡°Bai Zhou, come over.¡± Bai Zhou hesitated for a moment before awkwardly walking over and squeezing into the remaining space. There was still some time before the fireworks show, so the youths gathered around the fountain got into their own conversations. Amongst them, a woman complained coyly to her boyfriend, ¡°My legs hurt.¡± Her boyfriend, who was holding two huge bags, sighed helplessly and said, ¡°I already told you not to wear a pair of new shoes here.¡± ¡°But these shoes are pretty!¡± exclaimed the woman indignantly. ¡°Of course I have to wear the nicest shoes and skirt for our date!¡± How could the boyfriend possibly complain when she had already put it in such a manner? He raised his hands in resignation and said, ¡°Alright, alright. Let me take a look at your feet.¡± He half-kneeled onto the ground and carefully took off her exquisite leather shoes, only to see that her ankles were already bleeding. The boyfriend: ¡°¡­¡± The woman quickly took this initiative to explain herself and garner some sympathy before her boyfriend could scold her, ¡°I also didn¡¯t expect the back of the shoes to be so rough. It hurts, wuuuuuu.¡± The boyfriend sighed yet again before asking those around them, ¡°Sorry, do you have any plaster?¡± One of them happened to have it. The boyfriend placed the woman¡¯s leg on his own thigh and carefully placed the plaster on her wound before putting her shoes back on. His movements were so gentle that it looked as if he was handling something fragile. The woman shyly covered her face and said, ¡°Quick. Everyone is staring¡­¡± ¡°Make sure to wear a more comfortable pair of shoes next time if you know that it¡¯s embarrassing,¡± said the boyfriend. Ji Fanyin looked at the bickering couple with her chin resting on her arm, a heartened smile on her face. ------ Yoo hang out with us in our Discord~ Got a neat community there!Mission 1 (??''-''?)?10/10 unique commenters on a chapter (Just a bit more @@)Reward: 1 bonus chapter (Cleared, coming up at 8 June 3PM +8GMT)I recently started a Patreon (????)If you have spare cash and you don''t know where to spend it on, do consider supporting me a little in exchange for reading a couple of chapters in advance ¡ñ©n¡ñ)Advanced chapters link: https://100kpsi.schk.co/ Chapter 21.1: Isn’t the Person You Like Song Shiyu? (1) That night, Ji Fanyin successfully expanded her connections in the film industry, introduced herself to Cen Xiangyang, and annoyed Father Ji and Mother Ji a little. But her greatest gain of all was that she had watched an exciting film. On her way home, she quickly drafted out her review in a cheery mood. All that was left to do was for her to quickly polish it up one last time later on. Upon reaching their destination, the two assistants insisted on seeing her off to her apartment building before finally driving off. The first thing Ji Fanyin did upon reaching home was to wash up before quickly editing her movie review. Once everything was satisfactory, she posted it before heading off to bed. It was only slightly past eleven-thirty. There was some hype surrounding the movie due to its pre-release promotion, so Ji Fanyin¡¯s review swiftly drew a great deal of attention. It didn¡¯t take long for it to become one of the trending posts. It was no easy feat to write an immersive movie review without spoiling the movie itself, just like how it was difficult for a web novel to reach the top place. However, Ji Fanyin¡¯s review stirred excitement and suspense, almost as if she was creating another separate piece of artwork on top of the movie. Many netizens felt great anticipation for the movie after reading her review. That very night, the presale tickets for the movie, ¡®Beneath the Waters¡¯, starring He Shen broke through the ten million hurdle. The following morning, when the meritorious Ji Fanyin checked on the ¡®Temptation of Home¡¯ app and saw the massive influx of Emotion Points, she felt like she was floating amidst fluffy clouds. Not even the naggy instructions Bai Zhou sent her were able to ruin her good mood. After dressing up in accordance with the client¡¯s pedantic demands, Ji Fanyin quickly finished her make-up and headed out to meet Bai Zhou while humming a joyful melody. Thanks to Bai Zhou, she got to experience a hardcore motorcycle ride during a date to the amusement park. Who in the world would choose a motorcycle as a choice of vehicle to drive a lady wearing a dress for a date at Disneyland? Ah yes, Bai Zhou would. It was fortunate that Ji Fanyin had taken Bai Zhou¡¯s unusual brain wiring into account when making preparations, so she opted to wear a culotte instead of a skirt and brought a coat along as well. When they arrived at the destination, Ji Fanyin took off her helmet and demurely tidied up her long hair that had been messed up by the furious wind resistance. If this darned kid were to treat Ji Xinxin in the same manner, he would definitely be blacklisted from her list of date-able candidates. Of course, Ji Fanyin wouldn¡¯t say such words aloud. When Bai Zhou excitedly asked her if the wind from cruising down the expressway was refreshing, Ji Fanyin scratched her cheeks shyly and replied, ¡°It was refreshing, but a little scary too. There were a few times while we were heading downward that I nearly wanted to wrap my hands around your waist out of fear.¡± Bai Zhou was taken aback for a brief moment before the tips of his ears started to furiously redden. He quickly took out the entrance tickets and started heading in. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Barely a few steps later, he suddenly turned his head around vigilantly and instructed, ¡°Wait. Take out your phone and turn it off first.¡± Ji Fanyin obediently took out her phone from her bag. Bai Zhou unhesitatingly snatched it over and switched it off. He even double-checked it before finally returning it to Ji Fanyin. Ji Fanyin figured that he might have been traumatized by Song Shiyu¡¯s unexpected phone call while they were in the art room the other day. It doesn¡¯t really matter anyway. I reckon Song Shiyu is still ill at the moment anyway. Chapter 21.3: Isn’t the Person You Like Song Shiyu? (3) When she finally turned her head back, she realized that Bai Zhou was also looking at the same couple too. He averted his gaze right away when he realized that Ji Fanyin was staring at him, but he wasn¡¯t about to fool anyone here. Ji Fanyin asked, ¡°Why? Are you interested in¡­¡± It was then that the first firework whizzed into the air and exploded. Like everyone else, Ji Fanyin¡¯s gaze was immediately drawn to the spectacular fireworks show in the sky, causing her to forget about what she was thinking a moment ago. She was also oblivious to how Bai Zhou¡¯s gaze kept drifting toward her ankles. After the fireworks show came to an end, the couples reluctantly left the area with comments like ¡®We have to watch the fireworks again¡¯ and ¡®Let¡¯s come here again for my birthday¡¯. Perhaps it was due to the lack of rose-tinted glasses, Ji Fanyin thought that the fireworks show was so-so with nothing particularly impressive. If anything really stood out, it was just the castle in the background. The castle does look great, but too bad I can¡¯t afford it. ¡°Are we heading to the float parade next?¡± asked Ji Fanyin. Bai Zhou nodded, but he frowned in hesitation right after. Then, he quickly shook his head and said, ¡°Let¡¯s just wait for the float parade to pass by here.¡± Ji Fanyin replied with a smile, ¡°Alright.¡± Floats tended to travel extremely slowly, and most of them were based on recent movies that most guests didn¡¯t recognize. Most people were there to immerse themselves in the festive atmosphere. The two of them were standing right next to the main road, granting them a good view of the parade. Ji Fanyin usually wasn¡¯t too interested in this kind of stuff, but perhaps due to the influence of the atmosphere, she somehow thought that it was pretty interesting. The staff members around each float were dedicated to their performance, and all of them had brilliant smiles on their faces. There was even one float that went around scattering flower petals over the audience. Now that I think about it, I¡¯m actually in the same trade as Disneyland. We¡¯re all in the business of selling dreams, Ji Fanyin thought. She shot a glance at Bai Zhou and noticed that a flower petal had landed on top of his head. She tiptoed over and brushed the flower petal off for him, but just as she was about to retract her hand, he suddenly grabbed it. He stared at her for a few seconds before deeply shouting to her, ¡°Big sis!¡± Ji Fanyin replied with a tilt of her head, but there was no follow-up afterward. It was soon the closing time for the amusement park. As they followed the crowd out, Ji Fanyin noticed that Bai Zhou appeared a little lethargic, giving off an unhappy brooding vibe. She lightly tugged the knot on Bai Zhou¡¯s wrist and asked, ¡°Is there anywhere else we¡¯re heading to before going home?¡± Bai Zhou glanced at her shoes and replied, ¡°¡­ Nowhere. We¡¯re going straight home.¡± He began striding toward the car park, and Ji Fanyin followed him in confusion. It was good news for her to be able to get off work early, but it felt unnerving when it was happening a little too often. ¡°Is the person you like Song Shiyu?¡± Bai Zhou suddenly stopped and asked. ¡°What do you hope to gain by putting on this act with me? Are you hoping to steal your younger sister¡¯s love?¡± Ji Fanyin simply tilted her head in response. She felt no obligation to respond to a non-work-related question during working hours. ¡°Speak!¡± Ji Fanyin sighed softly and asked, ¡°Is that all for today?¡± Bai Zhou replied with a darkened face, ¡°That¡¯s right. Can you answer the question now?¡± So, Ji Fanyin graciously offered him the answer to his question, ¡°Youngsters like you should stop being so obsessed with love. It isn¡¯t everything in life. All I¡¯m looking for here is money.¡± ------ Yoo hang out with us in our Discord~ Got a neat community there!Mission 1 (??''-''?)?10/10 unique commenters on a chapter (Just a bit more @@)Reward: 1 bonus chapter (Cleared, coming up at 8 June 3PM +8GMT)I recently started a Patreon (????)If you have spare cash and you don''t know where to spend it on, do consider supporting me a little in exchange for reading a couple of chapters in advance ¡ñ©n¡ñ)Advanced chapters link: https://100kpsi.schk.co/ Chapter 22.1: Glee (1) Bai Zhou had a complicated expression on his face upon hearing the answer. Ji Fanyin tried to analyze it from a professional standpoint, and her conclusion was that it was a look of disdain and disbelief. So, she shrugged casually and said her farewells to Bai Zhou before going on her own way. Barely a few steps later, her feet started feeling uncomfortable once more, so she decided to simply take them off. Her heels were a little red, but they were fortunately not bleeding. While leisurely making her way out of the amusement park along with the crowd, she reached for her phone in her bag and switched it on. She was intending to hail a cab, but she noticed that she had quite a few missed calls from Song Shiyu. Three of them were made at around 8 P.M., and the most recent one was just ten minutes ago. It was unusual for Song Shiyu to drop her so many calls, so she decided to return the call to check on him. After all, it was important to maintain good ties with loyal customers. Song Shiyu didn¡¯t pick up the call right away, so Ji Fanyin patiently waited and waited. It was when she thought that the call was going to be automatically hung up that Song Shiyu¡¯s hoarse voice finally sounded through the speaker, ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°You called?¡± asked Ji Fanyin. There was a long pause before he finally said, ¡°¡­ I¡¯m ill.¡± ¡°Do you need me to call an ambulance for you? Or should I relay your condition to Ji Xinxin?¡± asked Ji Fanyin. His fever must be really getting to him for him to actually call me. Song Shiyu mumbled something, but Ji Fanyin wasn¡¯t able to hear him clearly. However, the rustling of bedsheets coming from the other side clued her in that he had been lying on a bed and was just getting up. Only the last few words from him were comprehensible. ¡°Come over.¡± Question marks popped up in Ji Fanyin¡¯s head. ¡°Song Shiyu, do you know who you are calling?¡± ¡°You are Ji Fanyin.¡± Even though Song Shiyu sounded a little out of it, it seemed like he wasn¡¯t delirious yet. ¡°I¡¯m asking you to come over right now to take care of me.¡± There was suddenly a loud clang on the other side. It sounded like something heavy had fallen to the ground. It was also with this that the call ended. Ji Fanyin: ¡°¡­?¡± Staring at her phone screen, she hesitated for a single second before tossing Song Shiyu to the back of her head. However, shortly after she got into a cab, she suddenly received a money transfer from Song Shiyu. She looked at the sum she received and thought that she could at least spare a bit of her free time to him in view of his sincerity. So, she changed her destination and began heading for Song Shiyu¡¯s home. ¡­ Song Shiyu thought that he could easily tank a small cold, but his condition only ended up worsening with time. The day after he returned from the movie premiere, he was down with a high fever. His assistant was particularly vulnerable to catching colds, usually being the first one to get infected and the last one to recover. Understandably, upon hearing that Song Shiyu was sick, he immediately began begging and crying and threatening him with his life. It took a great deal of effort before he finally convinced Song Shiyu not to come to work. His assistant did get some medicine for Song Shiyu, but the latter refused to eat it. He fell asleep at noon and woke up with a growling stomach. He should have called his assistant to get him to deliver food over, but he found himself dialing Ji Xinxin¡¯s number instead. Ji Xinxin declined his call but sent him a message: ¡¾Sorry, Shiyu! I¡¯m in the middle of a class right now > With a groggy mind, he slowly typed out a response to Ji Xinxin¡¯s message: ¡¾It¡¯s nothing much. I¡¯m ill. I just wanted to hear your voice.¡¿ Chapter 22.2: Glee (2) He thought that someone as kind as Ji Xinxin would surely start fussing over him, but when the person fussing over him was not by his side but in another country¡­ It somehow felt like something was missing. Just as he had expected, Ji Xinxin immediately sent a series of messages asking how he was feeling, whether he had gotten his assistant to buy some medicine for him and if he needed to get a check-up in the hospital just to be safe. Her tone sounded worried and anxious. Song Shiyu¡¯s vision was a little blurry under the effects of his illness, so the speed of his typing was affected as well. He couldn¡¯t help but smile at the messages that were pouring out from her. It was only after she dropped a series of questions and emojis that he finally managed to type out his response: ¡¾It¡¯s just a common cold. It would really be great if you could come over to see me.¡¿ Ji Xinxin sent a sighing emoji, followed by a hugging emoji. Then, she asked: ¡¾Are you not eating your medicine again? You can¡¯t do that. I can¡¯t rush over to keep an eye on you right now, but you need to take care of yourself.¡¿ Song Shiyu circumvented the medicine question and asked: ¡¾When is your break? Will you be coming back?¡¿ Ji Xinxin¡¯s response was a little slower this time around: ¡¾I was intending to come back during the winter holidays, but I might drop by earlier before Christmas. I have some matters to attend to.¡¿ Song Shiyu quickly did a quick mental calculation. There were just a few more months before Christmas. ¡¾We¡¯ll be able to meet each other very soon.¡¿ He typed the message out word by word. ¡¾I miss you.¡¿ ¡¾I also hope to see you as soon as possible!¡¿ Ji Xinxin sent a head patting emoji. ¡¾I need to rush for my next class now. I¡¯ll check on you later on, so make sure to eat your medicine!¡¿ Sogn Shiyu exhaled deeply before turning over on the bed. Ji Xinxin wasn¡¯t his girlfriend, but even if she was, he couldn¡¯t possibly ask her to fly across half the globe to visit him over a mere cold. But there¡¯s someone else who is at my beck and call. He fiddled with his phone, which was starting to heat up under his body temperature, but his rationality eventually stopped him from sending a message to Ji Fanyin. Instead, he called his assistant to prepare some food for him. His assistant couldn¡¯t cook and had his hands full from having to take over Song Shiyu¡¯s work at the last moment. He only had time to help Song Shiyu order a porridge delivery. Song Shiyu ate a few mouthfuls and popped a couple of pills into his mouth before returning to bed. At some point, he drifted off to sleep yet again. It wasn¡¯t a good sleep. In his dream, there was a beautiful glowing light drawing him in, but some sort of force was holding onto him from behind, stopping him from approaching the light. He tried everything he could, scrambling with all four of his limbs to fight against that mysterious force. He ended up waking up not feeling like he had gotten an ounce of rest at all. His body was aching all over, as if he had just been fished out of water. Song Shiyu was still clear-headed at that moment. He tried feeling his own forehead with the back of his hand, and it felt searing. He was still burning up. He exerted all his might to flip over and look at the clock on the bedside table, only to find that it was already eight at night. The entire day had somehow passed him by amidst grogginess. He grabbed his phone to take a look, but there were no messages from Ji Xinxin at all. She seemed to have forgotten her earlier promise to keep an eye on him to ensure that he took his medicine. He continued lying in his bed for a while, but his fever showed no signs of subsiding. Even moving a finger felt tiring to him. A while later, he still ended up dialing the number that was almost like a taboo in his contact list. The other party¡¯s phone was switched off. Thrice he tried, but there was no difference in the result. Song Shiyu sneered. He figured that Ji Fanyin might have managed to hook onto Cen Xiangyang after yesterday¡¯s meeting. Otherwise, she might be with Bai Zhou too. She was usually quite contactable outside of working hours. ¡­ Feigning as if she doesn¡¯t care for me at all! Song Shiyu angrily threw his phone at the wall, which then fell onto the ground with a large ¡®bam¡¯. Just doing this sapped him of almost half of his remaining energy. Chapter 22.3: Glee (3) He pulled his blanket up in hopes of returning to sleep, but sleep wasn¡¯t coming to him, possibly because he had slept for too long earlier on. The porridge he had earlier in the afternoon wasn¡¯t enduring well either. His stomach had started growling in protest of its mistreatment. He turned and flipped on his bed for a long time, as if he was throwing a tantrum at himself. It took an entire hour before he finally rose from the bed to retrieve his phone. The screen was cracked and had a few problems, but the call function was still working properly. He tapped into his contacts, and once again, the name ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ appeared on his phone screen. However, her phone was still turned off even though it was nearing ten. Song Shiyu took a look at the time as he began to maliciously wonder how far Ji Fanyin would go for money despite her claims that she ¡®sold her skills and not her body¡¯. Doesn¡¯t she offer nighttime accompaniment service too? Song Shiyu stared at his phone in a daze as his mind turned a little sluggish. He felt like his mind wasn¡¯t processing anything at all, but at the same time, it felt like it was overloaded with lots of thoughts too. His phone suddenly vibrated, and Ji Fanyin¡¯s name appeared on the screen. Song Shiyu stared at the screen in a daze, his finger hovering above the ¡®Accept¡¯ button but somehow not pressing it. He wasn¡¯t certain whether he really wanted to hear Ji Fanyin¡¯s voice right now. Maybe¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have made those four calls. But he still picked it up in the end. ¡°You called?¡± asked Ji Fanyin. She didn¡¯t use Ji Xinxin¡¯s voice, but Song Shiyu was relieved by that. At least Ji Fanyin is always waiting for me at the same spot. So, he replied, ¡°Come over.¡± To be safe, he even sent money into Ji Fanyin¡¯s bank account. So be it. If Ji Fanyin has chosen to use money to conceal her feelings and protect her dignity, I¡¯ll go along with her, Song Shiyu thought as he fiddled with his phone. Her accompaniment deserved his reward. Ji Fanyin should have known the address of his apartment, but he was still ready to send a message on WeChat to remind her. But it suddenly struck him when he tapped into his WeChat app¡ªhe had deleted her from his friend list a while ago. But just yesterday, while Ji Fanyin was exchanging contact numbers with Cen Xiangyang, Song Shiyu took a look at her phone and took down her WeChat ID. He rubbed his blurry eyes and added Ji Fanyin back into his friend list before proceeding to send her his address and the passcode for his door. He didn¡¯t understand why either, but he felt a surge of relaxation after doing all of these. He placed his phone back on his bedside table and heaved a long sigh of relief. He curled himself into a ball on the bed and felt a much greater sense of security than before. Some time later, he heard footsteps, followed by a flick of a switch. A delicate figure was slowly making her way to him. ¡°¡­ Ji Fanyin?¡± mumbled Song Shiyu. The other party bent down to feel his forehead before sighing with a soft and gentle voice. Despite his high fever, Song Shiyu once again affirmed his speculation. No matter how Ji Fanyin tried to conceal it with her actions or words, she was still unable to hide her feelings for him. For the first time in his life, the knowledge of the fact that ¡®Ji Fanyin likes me¡¯ spurred a hint of glee in his heart. Chapter 23.1: Are You Coming Back? (1) Ji Fanyin felt that Song Shiyu¡¯s fever must have burned up his mind. Song Shiyu stayed in a condominium that was close to the company he founded. Ji Fanyin was able to enter his house without any problem using the passcode he had sent her. It was just that being in a seemingly empty house devoid of light in the middle of the night was a little chilling. So, the first thing she did upon entering the house was to start feeling the walls for the light switches. Once the lights were on, she started looking around the room. The first thing she spotted was two geckos sitting not too far away from the doorway. Ji Fanyin: ¡°¡­¡± I nearly forgot that Song Shiyu raised lizards. I guess even a cold-blooded man like him feels kinship toward his cold-blooded brethren. She decided to make her first stop at the crystal oven, prioritizing the feeding of the two ugly yet weirdly adorable geckos over Song Shiyu. She remembered that these two geckos were of noble bloodline, costing quite a fortune to buy. Don¡¯t die of hunger. Song Shiyu won¡¯t die for missing a meal or two, but the same can¡¯t be said about these geckos. After she was done feeding the geckos, Ji Fanyin switched on the lights to the living room and familiarized herself with the surroundings. To be frank, this was not the first time she had visited Song Shiyu¡¯s apartment, or to be more exact, ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ had been here before. ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ had been with Song Shiyu for quite a while before her transmigration to this world. The two of them would frequently meet here, but there was hardly any conversation or physical contact between them. ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ was a painting to Song Shiyu, no more no less. She would rush to whatever destination he designated at a phone call from him, only to later leave at a wave of his hands. Her attitude could be almost said to be subservient. This was the present Ji Fanyin¡¯s first time visiting this place, so she took her time strolling around the living room to examine the surroundings. There were a few boxes of medicine and a bowl of porridge lying on the living room table. The porridge had barely been touched, but he had taken quite a bit of medicine. It was just that Song Shiyu lacked the common sense to not eat different variations of the same medicine at once. All four boxes of medicine had signs of being eaten. JI Fanyin took a look at the receipt for the medicine, and her eyebrows shot up. After that, she began making her way toward Song Shiyu¡¯s bedroom. She stopped right in front of the room and listened quietly for any activity inside before finally pushing the door open and heading in. It was pitch-black inside. Even the light from the corridor was insufficient to light up the area around the bed. Nevertheless, the person lying on the bed still curled up even tighter, as if protesting at the disturbance. Ji Fanyin unsympathetically switched on the lights in the bedroom before walking over to gaze down at him. The outwardly gentlemanly but inwardly cold-blooded young master Song was completely drenched in sweat. His cheeks were flushed and his eyes looked delirious, making him appear extremely pitiful. ¡°Ji Fanyin?¡± he murmured. It was surprising that he got it right this time around. Ji Fanyin bent down and touched his forehead. It was burning hot. The fever must have burned away quite a few of his brain cells. I guess two negatives do make a positive after all; that¡¯s why he was able to identify me correctly. In view that there might be nothing in Song Shiyu¡¯s house, Ji Fanyin had dropped by the pharmacy to get some stuff before heading over. It was time to put them to good use. Ji Fanyin wouldn¡¯t spend additional bucks for the more expensive ear thermometer for Song Shiyu, so what she had in her bag of items was just a basic five-dollar mouth thermometer. Song Shiyu should be thankful that she was at least conscientious enough to wipe it with an alcohol swab before coaxing him to put it inside his mouth. She waited for a while before pulling it out from the clutches of his teeth. ¡°Open your mouth. Stop biting on it.¡± Song Shiyu obeyed her orders so well that it felt a little unnerving. Ji Fanyin had to check on the thermometer twice in order to verify that she wasn¡¯t seeing things: 39.5¡æ. High fever. Chapter 23.2: Are You Coming Back? (2) Ji Fanyin cleaned the tip of the thermometer with another alcohol swab as she said, ¡°You should go to the hospital.¡± Song Shiyu shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°I guessed as much,¡± murmured Ji Fanyin in response. She took out a fever patch from the bag of items she had bought and plastered it onto Song Shiyu¡¯s forehead. Impressed by her own handiwork, she felt an urge to snap a photo for commemoration. It should qualify as a dark history for Song Shiyu. ¡°Ji Fanyin,¡± Song Shiyu called out once more. ¡°My big sis isn¡¯t here. Shiyu, it looks like your fever is getting to you. I¡¯m really going to get angry if you mistake me for big sis once more,¡± replied Ji Fanyin gently as she began reading the dosage instruction of the fever medicine. ¡°Ji Fanyin, you won¡¯t be as caring toward others as you are to me, right?¡± Song Shiyu continued speaking insistently, acting as if he hadn¡¯t heard her. Ji Fanyin shot a glance at him, baffled as to what in the world he was talking about. But soon, it clicked. Ah, this must be the famous mentality of ¡®Even if it¡¯s something I don¡¯t want, I won¡¯t let anyone else take it away¡¯. So, Ji Fanyin used Ji Xinxin¡¯s tone to question him, ¡°When did you get so close with my big sis? I remember that the two of you weren¡¯t even on talking terms.¡± The Song Shiyu with a fever patch on his forehead fell silent. He seemed to have trouble processing his thoughts, and it took a moment before he finally replied slowly, ¡°I don¡¯t want Ji Xinxin today. I want Ji Fanyin.¡± Ji Fanyin¡¯s movements jerked to a halt. That would render things meaningless. ¡°My big sis doesn¡¯t want to be with you,¡± she replied with a casual tone as she took out two pills from the packaging. ¡°The only one you can be with now is Ji Xinxin.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Song Shiyu was determined to get to the bottom of this. Ji Fanyin opened a bottle of mineral water and passed it to him, saying, ¡°Take your medicine first.¡± Song Shiyu swallowed the two pills down before staring intently at Ji Fanyin, awaiting her reply. Ji Fanyin placed the cap back onto the mineral water before directing a smile toward him, saying, ¡°It¡¯s a secret. You mustn¡¯t tell anyone.¡± Song Shiyu nodded in response. ¡°My big sis doesn¡¯t like Song Shiyu anymore,¡± whispered Ji Fanyin. Right after she said those words, Song Shiyu burst out with a rebuttal, ¡°You¡¯re lying.¡± ¡°How could it be a lie when it¡¯s coming right out of my mouth?¡± Ji Fanyin rested her arm on the bedside table as she looked at Song Shiyu with a gentle smile. Song Shiyu glared at her sharply, struggling to find words to refute her. Ji Fanyin thought that this development was pretty interesting regardless of whether Song Shiyu remembered this conversation or not after his fever subsided. She took a look at her time and saw that her fourfold salary service hours were nearly over. Based on the amount of money Song Shiyu had sent over earlier¡­ there were forty more minutes to go. ¡°Let¡¯s have you change into a fresh set of clothes,¡± Ji Fanyin coaxed Song Shiyu patiently. ¡°It won¡¯t be comfortable for you to sleep in such a state.¡± Song Shiyu obediently moved at each of her instructions. His reaction was a little delayed, but he still managed to take off his pajamas. Ji Fanyin looked through his wardrobe for another set of pajamas, only to spot a bracelet lying by the corner. This bracelet looked a little shabby compared to Song Shiyu¡¯s elegant wardrobe. Its many marks showed the mistreatment it had been through, possibly having scraped against a rough surface. It was to the point where the bracelet looked out of shape. Ji Fanyin had to examine it closely before she could identify it as the ¡®birthday present¡¯ she had given to Song Shiyu the other day. It looks like Song Shiyu doesn¡¯t treasure much. Look at how roughly he has treated it. Ji Fanyin pondered for a moment before slipping the bracelet into her pocket. Song Shiyu doesn¡¯t want it anyway, and this bracelet came right out of my pocket. I¡¯ll think of it as recycling my goods. There might just be someone in the secondhand market who¡¯s willing to take it home. ------ Yoo hang out with us in our Discord~ Got a neat community there!Mission 2 (??''-''?)?2/15 unique commenters on a chapterReward: 1 bonus chapterI recently started a Patreon (????)Do consider supporting me a little in exchange for reading a couple of chapters in advance ¡ñ©n¡ñ)Advanced chapters link: https://100kpsi.schk.co/ Chapter 23.3: Are You Coming Back? (3) She randomly grabbed a set of pajamas and helped Song Shiyu put them on. She was just about to head to the kitchen to prepare some food when he suddenly asked, ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°You barely touched the porridge on the table outside. Aren¡¯t you hungry?¡± asked Ji Fanyin. ¡°¡­ Are you going to cook for me?¡± Ji Fanyin had to ponder for a moment before giving her response. Ji Xinxin did cook at times though she isn¡¯t good at it, so it should be fine to accept his request. Paying him a visit ¡ú Showing concern ¡ú Making food. This should be the standard ¡®taking care of an ill acquaintance¡¯ procedure, right? ¡°Of course. You don¡¯t trust my cooking skills?¡± asked Ji Fanyin. ¡°¡­ No.¡± Song Shiyu was quiet for a moment before he asked awkwardly, ¡°Will you come back after you¡¯re done cooking?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Ji Fanyin lied. With those words, Song Shiyu returned to bed at ease. Ji Fanyin had to ransack the barren kitchen in order to gather sufficient ingredients for a pot of egg congee with spring onions. By the time the aroma of porridge started wafting from the electric pot, Song Shiyu¡¯s service hours were nearly up. By then, he had already fallen into deep sleep under the influence of medicine. So, Ji Fanyin switched the electric pot to ¡®Heating¡¯ mode lest her porridge turned cold. She took one last look at the clock and saw that there was another minute to go. She used this time to enter his bedroom and meticulously took out the next dosage of medicine for him so that he wouldn¡¯t get it wrong again. With that, her job was done. She walked out of Song Shiyu¡¯s house coolly. Will you come back after you¡¯re done cooking? Of course¡­ not. Words that are spoken in the midst of a dream¡ªah no, it should be service hours¡ªcan¡¯t be trusted at all. ¡­ Song Shiyu woke up at six the following morning. The sky was already starting to brighten up. There was no one else in his room, but the lit lamp and the pills sitting on his bedside table were evidence that someone had dropped by to visit him. Possibly because he had finally eaten the medicine correctly this time around, he felt much more clear-headed than he was yesterday. He pressed his hand against his forehead, which was still throbbing in pain, as he called out, ¡°Ji Fanyin?¡± There was no response. He slowly sat up. There was a post-it note on the bedside table, and he quickly tore it off and read it: Remember to take your medicine after breakfast! Also, make sure that you take your temperature to check if your fever has gone down. If not, you¡¯ll have to head to the hospital. The message was written in Ji Xinxin¡¯s handwriting, and it was signed off with Ji Xinxin¡¯s name too. Song Shiyu read the message a few times before he finally rose to his feet and headed out with a frown. Barely after he took a few steps, he suddenly turned around to grab the thermometer on the bedside table and place it into his mouth before leaving his bedroom. The moment he opened his door, he was welcomed by the aroma of food. Despite thinking that he didn¡¯t have much of an appetite, Song Shiyu¡¯s stomach started growling loudly. So, he made his way into the kitchen with pursed lips. There was no one in the kitchen too, but steam was rising from an electric pot. He lifted the lid and saw warm congee inside. His frown slowly loosened up. He served himself a bowl of congee before heading back to his bedroom to grab his phone. There were two seconds of hesitation for a moment there, but he decided to send a message to Ji Fanyin nevertheless: ¡¾You accompanied me for the entire night? Thanks. My fever has subsided. ¡¿ Ji Fanyin¡¯s reply came a few hours later: ¡¾I¡¯d ask you for overtime wages if I stayed with you that long.¡¿ Song Shiyu, who was already in the company by that point, couldn¡¯t help but chuckle to himself. He was starting to think that Ji Fanyin¡¯s claim that she no longer liked him was nothing more than a lie. Despite saying such words, she still can¡¯t help but worry about me. Ji Fanyin: ¡¾Would you like to make a reservation? If not, I¡¯ll be meeting other clients.¡¿ Song Shiyu: ¡°¡­¡± She¡¯s just acting¡­ right? Chapter 24.1: She Was With You? (1) The client Ji Fanyin was meeting today was different from usual. It wasn¡¯t her usual clients from her stand-in job but from the connections she had recently made from the film industry. This new world she had transmigrated into had a different cinematic culture from the world she had come from, but she was still able to bridge the gap through her deep knowledge of films. When her previous review went viral, she received a call from Zhang Ning, who remarked in astonishment that she didn¡¯t think that their collaboration would actually produce such amazing synergy, and that this was beyond her expectations. That very day, Zhang Ning asked her out for a meeting and tried to persuade her to sign a long-term contract with them, but Ji Fanyin rejected the offer after some thought. She thought that it would be hard for her to balance two jobs, and she valued the greater freedom from being a freelancer too. She would be able to watch any movie and write any review she wanted. As long as she chose her content wisely, she would be able to obtain a decent amount of Emotion Points through this regardless of whether she went professional or not. Signing a contract with Zhang Ning would grant her access to greater resources, such as invitations to movie premieres, but she thought that those were just nice-to-haves. Ultimately, it all boiled down to the quality of the review. She knew of reviewers who specifically chose to tackle lousy films but were still able to get their audience clutching their stomachs in laughter through their glib tongue. It was the typical example of ¡®the review being more interesting than the movie¡¯, and such reviews had the potential to go viral too. Alternatively, there were also reviewers who accepted bribes to fling mud on certain films so as to sully their reputation. She could earn negative Emotion Points through that too. If she were to sign a contract with Zhang Ning, her freedom would be greatly affected, especially when it came to films related to He Shen¡¯s studio. It was with these considerations in mind that she rejected Zhang Ning¡¯s invitation, though she expressed interest in having more of such collaborations in the future. ¡°I¡¯m fond of He Shen¡¯s movie,¡± said Ji Fanyin, ¡°and I¡¯m not just saying this out of politeness. I earnestly hope that his studio will be able to maintain this high standard in selecting new scripts.¡± Zhang Ning laughed in response, saying, ¡°No problem, I¡¯ll relay your words to them. Speaking of which, a junior in the industry has been asking me for your contact number. Should I give it to him?¡± Ji Fanyin had a good idea who this ¡®junior¡¯ was, but she still asked anyway just to be sure. As expected, Zhang Ning replied, ¡°Cen Xiangyang.¡± It went without saying that Ji Fanyin accepted the offer. Cen Xiangyang appeared to be the kind who was fond of playing mind games. It was only several hours after she dropped him a message that he finally sent her a friend request, saying that he had been busy earlier. Ji Fanyin laughed upon seeing his message. She decided to leave him hanging for a few hours and focus on her work. Cen Xiangyang¡¯s situation was different from Bai Zhou¡¯s. Bai Zhou had bumped into Ji Fanyin and Song Shiyu in the middle of their ¡®date¡¯, so Song Shiyu was compelled to help her convert Bai Zhou into one of her clients so as to drag him down. However, it would be hard to employ the same script on Cen Xiangyang. Song Shiyu was not a fool. He wouldn¡¯t make the same mistake twice. Interestingly, in the future Ji Fanyin had gotten a glimpse of when she first transmigrated over, she remembered that Song Shiyu was the one who introduced Cen Xiangyang to her. After Ji Xinxin flew off to Paris, Song Shiyu¡¯s obsession and demands began to grow out of hand. He viewed ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ as an ornament that he could go around boasting about. Due to the attitude he had taken, it didn¡¯t take long before ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ became known in their little fishery. Naturally, the twisted Cen Xiangyang joined the circle too. That being said, there was already a divergence from the present and the ¡®future¡¯ Ji Fanyin had seen even though she was still in the stand-in business, and the most notable one was likely the barrier to entry. In the ¡®future¡¯, Song Shiyu had no requirements as to who he allowed to join his little circle. He was just about willing to lend ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ out to anyone as long as he was in a good mood. Due to ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯s¡¯ feelings for Song Shiyu and her weak temperament, she always ended up obeying his orders no matter how reluctant she was. But things were different now. One, Song Shiyu didn¡¯t have the power to control her. Two, Ji Fanyin was the one deciding on the barrier to entry now. For one, her charge of 100,000 dollars per hour was already more than enough to filter out those who weren¡¯t ultra-wealthy. The average man wouldn¡¯t be able to afford her service. It would appear that Cen Xiangyang and Song Shiyu are already acquainted with one another based on their interactions at the movie premiere. As long as I slowly reel him in and let out some ¡®unintentional¡¯ clues about Fish No. 1, the latter would probably take the initiative to pull him in, right? Ji Fanyin thought that it was feasible to give it a try. Chapter 24.2: She Was With You? (2) She finished her movie and wrote up a review before finally picking up her fully charged phone to reply to Cen Xiangyang¡¯s message: ¡¾My apologies. I thought that you were busy so I put my phone aside and went to work. Zhang Ning told me that you were looking for me?¡¿ She didn¡¯t mind having a game of patience with Cen Xiangyang if the latter wanted to continue playing hard to get. She would just respond to him with insignificant things once every few hours just to let him know that she was still breathing, a ¡®time zone difference conversation¡¯. However, it looked like Cen Xiangyang had decided to abandon his previous strategy. He replied within two minutes: ¡¾Is it the dream weaver job you spoke about? When will I get a chance to experience it for myself?¡¿ Ji Fanyin took a sip of water while typing with just one hand: ¡¾If an opportunity arises¡¿ It would depend on when Song Shiyu was willing to let Cen Xiangyang join the fishery. She noticed that Cen Xiangyang had neglected to answer the other question she had asked, but she magnanimously decided not to pursue it. After exchanging a few messages, Ji Fanyin used dinner preparation as an excuse to end the conversation. She intended to send a post in her Moments page later on so as to give Cen Xiangyang an excuse to strike up a conversation with her, but barely as she got up from her seat, Cen Xiangyang suddenly sent her a picture, asking: ¡¾Guess who I just met here¡¿ Ji Fanyin tapped into the photo to take a look. It was a selfie of Cen Xiangyang dressed in casual formal, and the background suggested that he was in some sort of gathering or banquet. There were only so many common acquaintances between them, so the answer was pretty clear. ¡¾Song Shiyu?¡¿ Ji Fanyin asked. ¡¾Bingo! I thought that you would guess him too. However, there¡¯s another person here whom you might also recognize¡­¡¿ Cen Xiangyang sent another picture over. Ji Fanyin tapped into the picture, magnified it, and looked around for a bit before she finally spotted Bai Zhou standing amidst a group of people. Standing beside a middle-aged man, he was dressed in a shirt and long pants, which was unusual for him. He had an irritated frown that pushed others away from him. Oh? Bai Zhou is attending a networking banquet despite hating this kind of social occasion with a passion? It must be tough on him. Ji Fanyin chuckled sardonically. It was interesting that Song Shiyu, Bai Zhou, and Cen Xiangyang were actually gathered at one location. Today might just be the day that she would get introduced to Fish No. 3. Before she could type out a reply, Cen Xiangyang had already followed up with a couple more messages. ¡¾Aiya, they started fighting¡¿He said with a leisurely tone.¡¾Looks like there¡¯ll be something interesting to see¡¿ ¡­ Bai Zhou had made an agreement to game with Ji Xinxin tonight. It was curious why Ji Xinxin would suddenly show such a great passion for games despite never being interested in them, but she had been inviting Bai Zhou to game with her over the last few days. Bai Zhou was happy to accompany her, but Ji Xinxin¡¯s skills in the game were improving at a snail¡¯s pace. Rather than playing the game, it felt like they were frolicking around. Of course, for Bai Zhou, the important thing here wasn¡¯t to play the game. What was more important was that he was spending time with Ji Xinxin. As long as Ji Xinxin gave the call, he would come online within half an hour. He had already made an agreement with Ji Xinxin to play together tonight, but his father¡¯s secretary suddenly came over and told him to attend a small-scale banquet. Bai Zhou protested, but it was futile. He was forced to change into another set of clothes before being brought into the car. ¡°I¡¯ll return your phone to you once the banquet is over. Before then, please allow me to take care of it on your behalf,¡± the secretary said as he confiscated Bai Zhou¡¯s phone. Bai Zhou impatiently leaned back onto the car¡¯s leather seat and crossed his legs arrogantly, saying, ¡°Just what kind of banquet needs me around? Is that old man there too?¡± ¡°Mr Bai would like you to meet two people.¡± ¡°Who?¡± Someone who managed to climb his way to become the chief secretary of Bai Zhou¡¯s father naturally wouldn¡¯t give information away easily. ¡°You¡¯ll know once you meet them.¡± Bai Zhou rolled his eyes. He made up his mind to leave right away after meeting the two people his father wanted him to meet. Who cares about what he¡¯s up to? I¡¯ll just do what I want. Chapter 24.3: She Was With You? (3) When he got down from the car and entered the hotel, the first familiar face he saw at the entrance of the venue was surprisingly Song Shiyu. Song Shiyu had just passed through the security check and was in the midst of putting on his accessories whereas Bai Zhou was strutting over coolly with his hands inserted in his pockets. There were only three meters between them when the two of them met eyes. ¡°Young master Song,¡± the chief secretary greeted Song Shiyu politely. ¡°How is Mr Song and Mrs Song?¡± Song Shiyu clasped his watch on his wrist as he replied, ¡°They are doing fine. Please relay my regards to Uncle Bai too.¡± ¡°Mr Bai often mentions you, saying that you¡¯re an outstanding young man,¡± the chief secretary said with a smile. ¡°He hopes that his son can learn from your example.¡± Bai Zhou was in the midst of taking off his smartwatch for the security check when he heard the conversation between the two and snorted in disdain, ¡°What¡¯s there to learn from him?¡± The chief secretary passed through the metal detector without any fluctuation in his emotions at all, as if he hadn¡¯t heard Bai Zhou¡¯s words. He directed a nod toward Song Shiyu and said, ¡°I still have some matters to attend to, so I¡¯ll be taking my leave first. Pardon me.¡± Before leaving, he didn¡¯t forget to wave the phone he had just confiscated toward Bai Zhou. Bai Zhou: ¡°¡­ Scram!¡± After Bai Zhou passed through the metal detector, he shot a glance at Song Shiyu and let out a provocative sneer. ¡°You were the one with her earlier?¡± Song Shiyu suddenly asked. ¡°I¡¯ll still be able to play with big sis if I rush back, so don¡¯t even think about it,¡± replied Bai Zhou without any hesitation. Song Shiyu paused for a moment before clarifying, ¡°I¡¯m referring to Ji Fanyin.¡± Bai Zhou turned to look at Song Shiyu in bewilderment, doubting what he had just heard. ¡°You¡¯re asking about Ji Fanyin?¡± He exchanged gazes with Song Shiyu before clicking his tongue in annoyance, saying, ¡°Not today.¡± ¡°So you were with her yesterday?¡± asked Song Shiyu. Bai Zhou took his time to ponder about the significance of the question before remarking, ¡°So you really did call her yesterday. Your call couldn¡¯t get through, right?¡± Bai Zhou¡¯s response provided Song Shiyu the answer he was looking for, as well as an additional piece of information: Bai Zhou was the one who switched off Ji Fanyin¡¯s phone. This left him with deep thoughts. Ji Fanyin had told him earlier in the afternoon that she was going to meet a client. If the client she spoke of wasn¡¯t Bai Zhou, the only one left was¡­ Cen Xiangyang. Realization also dawned upon Bai Zhou. He snorted sarcastically and taunted, ¡°Are you feeling uncomfortable because the woman who said that she likes you is meeting other men? You must feel like your toy is being taken away from you.¡± Song Shiyu glanced at Bai Zhou before turning away. He had to pull Bai Zhou down together with him because there was no other choice back then, but when it came to Cen Xiangyang¡­ he wanted Ji Fanyin to avoid him. Of course, that was out of concern of Cen Xiangyang¡¯s personality problems and not because he was biased toward Ji Fanyin or anything. ¡°Everyone says that Ji Fanyin likes you, but it doesn¡¯t look like it at all,¡± remarked Bai Zhou leisurely. ¡°Why would she meet other men if she really liked you? It was me yesterday and someone else today. Who will she meet tomorrow?¡± It was no secret that they were love rivals, and their family backgrounds were on par with one another. On top of that, Bai Zhou¡¯s father would often lecture Bai Zhou by comparing him to Song Shiyu, which bred hostility between the two of them. This was a rare opportunity for Bai Zhou to get back at Song Shiyu. Even though he noticed the irony of him saying those words himself at some point, he wasn¡¯t willing to give up on this chance to put Song Shiyu down. Song Shiyu stared at Bai Zhou quietly for two seconds before suddenly revealing a triumphant smile. ¡°I was ill yesterday night. She spent the entire night taking care of me at my home,¡± said Song Shiyu. He paused for a moment before adding for emphasis, ¡°No charge at all.¡± Chapter 25.1: Even Tenfold? (1) Naturally, Bai Zhou didn¡¯t believe Song Shiyu. He sneered, ¡°How would you not know the whereabouts of someone who took care of you for an entire night?¡± The two of them met eyes once more. One had a fake smile and the other a look of contempt. With this, the two of them parted ways. Bai Zhou grabbed a cup of champagne before finding a place to camp till his father¡¯s chief secretary returned. It was just that someone of his identity was bound to be in the center of attention. Eyes were on him from the moment he made an entrance. While Bai Zhou was irritatedly dealing with them one by one, Song Shiyu was not faring any better. It was at this moment that Cen Xiangyang made his entrance. Bai Zhou didn¡¯t notice him at the start. It was only when a woman beside him asked ¡°Is that young man snapping our photos¡± that he casually turned his head to take a look. The arrogant young master Bai of course didn¡¯t recognize Cen Xiangyang. Cen Xiangyang¡¯s fringe drooped a little as he tilted his head down to type on his phone. His neat features and cleanly shaven lower jaws gave him a mild appearance. He looked like the typical good student, the type which Bai Zhou was completely uninterested in. Bai Zhou was about to turn his gaze away when the latter suddenly finished typing and raised his head. Upon noticing Bai Zhou¡¯s gaze, Cen Xiangyang smiled at him. Bai Zhou couldn¡¯t really describe what was wrong with that smile, but he suddenly felt a strong feeling of discomfort, nearly shuddering even. However, his pride forced him to keep his poise, and he responded with a provocative smile. Cen Xiangyang innocently tilted his head before turning his eyes in Song Shiyu¡¯s direction. Bai Zhou subconsciously directed his gaze over too, only to find that Song Shiyu was staring at Cen Xiangyang. This queer interaction brought an epiphany to Bai Zhou: He must be the man whom Ji Fanyin was with earlier. Bai Zhou assessed Cen Xiangyang from head to toe and came to an evaluation: A weakling, just like Song Shiyu. Ji Fanyin¡¯s has horrible taste in man. ¡°Young master Bai.¡± The elusive chief secretary finally made his appearance. ¡°Please come with me.¡± Bai Zhou tore his attention away from Cen Xiangyang and asked impatiently, ¡°Can I leave after meeting those two?¡± To him, Cen Xiangyang and Song Shiyu were of secondary concern here. His priority was to quickly finish up whatever he had to do here so that he could rush home to game with Ji Xinxin. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re free to leave afterward,¡± replied the chief secretary with a smile. He gestured for Bai Zhou to follow him to a more private location. Bai Zhou followed the chief secretary¡¯s lead with his hands in his pocket. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder: Just who am I meeting that requires such secrecy¡­ It was then that the chief secretary came to a halt and pushed a door open. In the room were a woman and a teenage boy, who appeared to be a high schooler. They were sitting side-by-side on a sofa. Bai Zhou recognized the woman right away. She was his father¡¯s mistress¡­ one of them. This clue made it easy for him to figure out the identity of the teenage boy too. Bai Zhou¡¯s footsteps screeched to a halt. He turned to the chief secretary and bellowed, ¡°My father told you to bring me here in order to meet them? What does he mean by this?!¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a meeting,¡± replied the chief secretary as he calmly propped his glasses up. ¡°There are too many people out here. Let¡¯s talk inside.¡± Bai Zhou threw him a nasty ¡®I¡¯ve nothing to say to them¡¯ expression and stomped off. The chief secretary raised his hand to block Bai Zhou¡¯s path and said, ¡°Young master Bai, you have nothing to worry about. You¡¯re the only successor to the Bai Family.¡± The infuriated Bai Zhou threw a punch into the chief secretary¡¯s face without any warning, sending the latter¡¯s glasses flying across the room. It stirred a huge commotion, drawing many eyes over. Bai Zhou shot a deathly glare at the mother and son inside the room before striding off, not paying any heed to the chief secretary. ¡°Young master Bai,¡± the chief secretary quickly called out to him. ¡°This is your father¡¯s will.¡± Bai Zhou turned his head around and sneered coldly, ¡°I¡¯ll call my mother to see what she thinks about this.¡± ¡°Your mother has already given her consent,¡± the chief secretary said with a hushed voice. Bai Zhou¡¯s face immediately froze up. ¡°It¡¯s a mutually beneficial exchange. You should try to understand it too.¡± Bai Zhou slowly turned his eyes back into the room. The two people inside had stood up at some point and were currently walking to the doorway. Bai Zhou didn¡¯t even want to look at the woman¡¯s face, but he could see the teenage boy standing in front of his mother protectively, warily staring at him like a young beast. The chief secretary raised his hand to stop the mother and son from walking any further, ¡°You have to stay inside.¡± ¡°¡­ Exchange, you said? That means that my mother also¡­¡± murmured Bai Zhou. The chief secretary didn¡¯t refute Bai Zhou¡¯s guess. ¡°This will not affect your inheritance. The two of them have already agreed on it.¡± The term, ¡®mutually beneficial exchange¡¯, left Bai Zhou feeling indescribably queasy. It felt even more disgusting than Cen Xiangyang¡¯s smile. He quietly raised his arm toward the chief secretary. The chief secretary hesitated for a moment before handing Bai Zhou¡¯s phone back to him. ¡°Please calm down a little before you call your parents to talk to them about this matter.¡± ¡°Talk to them about this matter?¡± sneered Bai Zhou. ¡°I reckon that they¡¯re too busy with their ¡®mutually beneficial exchange¡¯ to even talk about this! I¡¯ll find someone else who will come at my beck and call instead.¡± He tapped into his contacts and scrolled down. He stopped at Ji Xinxin¡¯s name for a moment, but in the end, he still chose the name directly above it¡ªJi Fanyin. Chapter 25.2: Even Tenfold? (2) He felt a little nervous when he dialed the number. He was worried that Ji Fanyin¡¯s phone was switched off or that another man would accept the call. But a few seconds later, Ji Fanyin¡¯s seemingly unreal voice sounded through the phone, ¡°Yes?¡± Bai Zhou was so overwhelmed that he didn¡¯t even realize that he had heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Can we meet now? I¡¯ll find you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t accept last-minute reservations,¡± replied Ji Fanyin heartlessly. Bai Zhou: ¡°¡­ I¡¯ll pay you extra.¡± Ji Fanyin chuckled softly. ¡°Even if it costs tenfold?¡± By then, Bai Zhou was already approaching the entrance of the venue, on the verge of leaving the banquet. He halted his footsteps, turned around, and took a look. The door had been closed, but the chief secretary was still standing there, staring at him. Yes, the only one here was the chief secretary. His father and mother were nowhere in sight. He thought about the chief secretary¡¯s earlier words¡ª¡®This will not affect your inheritance¡¯¡ªand it brought out a cold sneer from him. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll pay for it.¡± Not too far away, Song Shiyu heard those words and turned his gaze over, to which Bai Zhou responded with a contemptuous look. Ji Fanyin was openly obsessed with money. Only an idiot Song Shiyu would believe that Ji Fanyin was still in love with him. In Bai Zhou¡¯s view, this was probably one of the wisest decisions Ji Fanyin had made in her life. Is there even anything good about Song Shiyu? ¡­ Ji Fanyin agreed to meet Bai Zhou at his place. After hanging up the call, she received another message from Cen Xiangyang. ¡¾He stomped off angrily¡¿Cen Xiangyang was doing a live telecast for her. ¡¾I think he called someone while leaving the venue¡¿ Ji Fanyin pondered for a moment before replying: ¡¾Yeah, he called me¡¿ Cen Xiangyang replied with an ellipsis followed by a question mark. ¡¾Where are you all?¡¿Ji Fanyin chose not to satisfy his curiosity. Cen Xiangyang sent her a location pin before probing on: ¡¾What do you mean? Are you actually close with Bai Zhou?¡¿ For a long while after that, the app reflected that he was in the midst of typing something, but he didn¡¯t send his message. It was impossible to guess what he was writing and deleting over and over again. Ji Fanyin quickly checked the location pin sent over and saw that it would take around 40 minutes for Bai Zhou to get back to his penthouse. Considering that she had to dress up and put on some makeup, time was a little tight. As if determined to join in the commotion, her phone vibrated at this moment. A notification indicating that He Shen had liked her newly posted review popped up. Ji Fanyin quickly swiped off the notification before heading back to her room to check her wardrobe. Her wardrobe was divided into two segments¡ªwork and personal. Both sides were stuffed to the brim. She was pretty wealthy after all, so there was no need for her to hold back when it came to minor expenses such as clothes. She never hesitated to whip out her card whenever she saw something that she fancied. Half an hour later, she received a call from Bai Zhou. He was panting a little. ¡°I¡¯ve arrived.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve just headed out,¡± replied Ji Fanyin with her phone sandwiched between her ear and her shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll be arriving in around twenty minutes¡¯ time.¡± ¡°¡­ Alright.¡± Bai Zhou¡¯s voice sounded a little lifeless. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you.¡± In truth, Ji Fanyin was already on the ground floor of Bai Zhou¡¯s apartment. She was standing by the corner amidst a couple of trees, which granted her full vision of Bai Zhou, who was leaning against his motorcycle with a phone in hand. He had thick black eyebrows which converged sharply at the tips, giving him an imposing appearance whenever he frowned¡ªwhich he often did. So, when he stood beneath the streetlamp with his face concealed amidst shadows, he surprisingly looked much more approachable than usual. Of course, a 1.85 meters tall man standing with his motorcycle in the middle of the night could only look so much more approachable. ¡°I¡¯ll call you when I arrive,¡± replied Ji Fanyin before hanging up the call. There were still three minutes to go before the next hour, so she decided to wait till then. After she hung up the phone, she noticed that Bai Zhou didn¡¯t head upstairs right away. He continued waiting beside his motorcycle while fiddling with his phone. Twenty seconds later, he raised his hand to check his watch, Ji Fanyin: ¡°¡­¡± Just what kind of devastating trauma did the boy suffer to be in such urgent need of Ji Xinxin¡¯s consolation? It looks like seconds are passing as slowly as years to him. Another thirty seconds later, Bai Zhou checked his watch yet again before unhappily stomping his feet. It was such an interesting scene that Ji Fanyin decided to spectate a while longer. If it really comes down to it, I¡¯ll just add a few more minutes to his allotted time. That isn¡¯t a problem at all. A few minutes later, Bai Zhou¡¯s phone rang. He already had his phone in his hand, but he hesitated for a long while before picking it up. Ji Fanyin clearly heard him call out ¡°big sis¡±. Chapter 26.1: Despicable (1) Ji Fanyin was delighted by this turn of events. If Bai Zhou were to go game with Ji Xinxin¡­ wouldn¡¯t I be able to get off work right now? She listened intently to Bai Zhou and Ji Xinxin¡¯s conversation by the corner, but other than the initial greeting, Bai Zhou hardly said a word at all. He was quietly listening to the other party¡¯s words, only occasionally squeaking out a response. Ji Fanyin stroked her chin contemplatively. Did the two of them get into an argument? Even if Bai Zhou was in a bad mood, his spirits would usually be quickly raised with a call from Ji Xinxin. This doesn¡¯t make sense. I must have missed out on some clues or developments. The call ended while Ji Fanyin was still deep in thought. He stared at his phone intently before fiddling with it a little. Ji Fanyin waited in anticipation for him to call her and say ¡®You need not come anymore¡¯. To her disappointment, Bai Zhou locked his screen and slipped his phone into his pocket. Ji Fanyin: ¡°¡­¡± Fine, I was being too optimistic. She took two steps back from the corner before casually making her way toward Bai Zhou. She stopped right in front of him and asked, ¡°In a bad mood?¡± Bai Zhou had already raised his head to look at her while she was still several steps away, but he appeared to be a little out of it. Upon hearing the question, he lowered his head and said, ¡°¡­ I want to talk with you, big sis.¡± ¡°Here?¡± asked Ji Fanyin with her hands behind her back. ¡°I guess I can accompany you while you smoke a few cigarettes.¡± Bai Zhou took off his helmet and spoke with a hint of anxiety in his voice, ¡°I won¡¯t smoke. Don¡¯t you hate the smell of cigarettes?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a special privilege just for you,¡± coaxed Ji Fanyin. Bai Zhou looked at her, but he shook his head in the end. He took out his key and stood upright, saying, ¡°Let¡¯s talk upstairs.¡± In truth, Ji Fanyin carried a bottle of pepper spray wherever she went. She had also placed the local police station on her phone¡¯s quick dial too. While she did know a bit of martial arts and would be able to protect herself even if her client suddenly went on a rampage, it was still better to be prepared. For the time being, Bai Zhou still seemed to be in a normal state. While walking over to the lift, Ji Fanyin rummaged through her bag and took out a fruit candy. ¡°Give me your hand.¡± Bai Zhou was waiting for the lift with his hands in his pockets. His body stiffened for a moment from the abrupt request before he obediently stretched his hand forth. He tilted his head sideward with a reluctant look on his face as he grumbled, ¡°¡­ What do you want?¡± Ji Fanyin placed the sweet on his palm and said, ¡°I want to give you a sweet.¡± Bai Zhou could feel a slight prick from the sweet wrapper on his hand. He clenched his fist tightly together and roared angrily, ¡°I¡¯m already 19 years old!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that? Even people in their nineties eat sweets,¡± replied Ji Fanyin doubtfully. ¡°Give it back if you don¡¯t want it.¡± Bai Zhou hurriedly unwrapped the sweet and popped the candy right into his mouth before harrumphing, ¡°Nope!¡± Ji Fanyin: ¡°¡­¡± Is Bai Zhou the kind of person whose mental maturity plummets whenever he gets angry? There was a ¡®ding¡¯, and the lift arrived. Bai Zhou strode into the lift with such a forceful demeanor that it looked almost as if he was going to tear the place down. Ji Fanyin followed him in as she took out her phone to search for something. The lift was bright and spacious, and there were mirrors on both sides. While Ji Fanyin was searching for an application, she noticed Bai Zhou staring at her with a displeased look on his face. So, before the client could start complaining, Ji Fanyin took the initiative to ask first, ¡°Have you eaten yet?¡± Bai Zhou: ¡°¡­¡± Whatever words that he was intending to say earlier ended up being stifled in his throat. It was a while before he finally muttered, ¡°Not yet.¡± Ji Fanyin had also figured as much. It just so happened that she hadn¡¯t eaten yet, so she could reasonably freeload off him for dinner. ¡°What do you want to eat? I¡¯ll get some ingredients and cook for you.¡± Ji Fanyin tapped into the supermarket delivery application and browsed through the ingredients available. ¡°Is it still French cuisine like last time or¡­¡± ¡°I want usual home-cooked meals,¡± replied Bai Zhou firmly. Ji Fanyin regretfully removed the premium steak cut from her shopping cart. What a pity. ------ Yoo hang out with us in our Discord~ Got a neat community there!Mission 2 (??''-''?)?2/15 unique commenters on a chapterReward: 1 bonus chapterI recently started a Patreon (????)Do consider supporting me a little in exchange for reading a couple of chapters in advance ¡ñ©n¡ñ)Advanced chapters link: https://100kpsi.schk.co/ Chapter 26.2: Despicable (2) She was still picking out ingredients even when they walked out of the lift. There was simply nothing in Bai Zhou¡¯s kitchen at all that she had to get even the bare necessities. She did manage to fill his kitchen with condiments such as oil, salt, soya sauce, and vinegar the last time she was here, but there was more to consider if she wanted to cook usual home cooked meals this time around. For one, it was certain that he wouldn¡¯t have common ingredients like rice and onion in his kitchen. She subconsciously followed Bai Zhou¡¯s footsteps while adding everything she needed into her shopping cart. Bai Zhou suddenly stopped without any warning, and she nearly bumped right into him. It was fortunate that there was some distance between them, allowing her to stop in time. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± she asked. Did he change his mind and decide to play with Ji Xinxin instead? Bai Zhou turned around and assessed the distance between them with his eyes before clicking his tongue in annoyance. Then, without saying anything at all, he began walking forward once more. Weirdly, he didn¡¯t do anything at all despite the abrupt halt. It was almost as if he was just experimenting to see if she would bump into him. Ji Fanyin: ¡°¡­?¡± Just how much did his mental maturity regress by? The brooding Bai Zhou unlocked his door using facial recognition technology before haphazardly tossing his leather shoes aside. He slipped into a pair of slippers and headed into the house. Ji Fanyin looked through the shoe rack, but just like before, there were only men-sized slippers. So, she put on the same ones she wore the last time she was here. While shutting the door, she asked, ¡°I remember that you aren¡¯t fond of food with strong flavors or odors?¡± Bai Zhou replied with a lackadaisical ¡°Mm¡±. Ji Fanyin took one last look through the shopping cart and ensured that there was enough food for two. With that, she confirmed the order. It would probably take thirty to forty minutes for the groceries to be delivered to their doorsteps. Ji Fanyin finally stowed her phone away and raised her gaze, only to see that Bai Zhou was nowhere to be seen. So, she tried calling his name. A slightly muffled voice sounded from the bedroom, ¡°I¡¯m changing my clothes¡­ Don¡¯t come in!¡± Ji Fanyin: ¡°¡­¡± You were still playing with mud when I was touching world-class models with perfect abs during magazine shoots. She opened the fridge to take a look, and just as she expected¡­ How should I put this? It¡¯s almost shouting to me that ¡®This is the fridge of a young man living by himself¡¯. Ji Fanyin shouted over, ¡°Bai Zhou, what do you want to drink?¡± ¡°Beer.¡± Ji Fanyin glanced at the boxes of beers inside the fridge before heading to the water dispenser to get him a glass of warm water. When Bai Zhou walked out of his room in a white T-shirt and comfortable long pants and saw the glass of warm water on the bar counter: ¡°¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s even more so when you¡¯re in a bad mood that you shouldn¡¯t vent your emotions through alcohol. It¡¯s not good for your body,¡± said Ji Fanyin as she pushed the cup of warm water toward him. ¡°Big sis is doing this for your own good.¡± Bai Zhou maintained a ¡®¡­¡¯ look on his face as he picked up the glass and obediently took a sip. Bai Zhou¡¯s penthouse was renovated with a modern design. It had an open concept kitchen that was linked with the living room, making the area look exceptionally spacious. There was a bar counter with stools on both sides that resembled a small office space. There was hardly anything on the bar counter though. There was only a speaker and a drawer box filled with chargers. Bai Zhou and Ji Fanyin stood opposite to one another with only half a meter between them. They could easily touch one another just by stretching their hands forward. Bai Zhou took a seat on one of the stools with the glass of water in his hand. He stroked the uneven edges of the glass with his fingers, seemingly deep in thought. His behavior was typical of a person who had many things bottled up in his heart and needed someone to confide in, so Ji Fanyin rested her head on her arm and waited patiently for him. Whatever happened at that banquet earlier today must have dealt a heavy blow to Bai Zhou for someone as arrogant as him to be in such low spirits. Chapter 26.3: Despicable (3) It was a long time later before Bai Zhou finally spoke up. He dropped explosive news right away, ¡°My father has an illegitimate son.¡± Ji Fanyin was not too surprised by that, but she still widened her eyes and asked, ¡°What happened? Did you just find out about it today?¡± ¡°He isn¡¯t much younger than me,¡± sneered Bai Zhou. ¡°He does look like the old man. Secretary Li told me that the old man wanted me to meet two people today, so I thought that they were someone important. Turns out they were his mistress and illegitimate son.¡± Ji Fanyin: The aristocratic circle sure is complicated. ¡°He said that I¡¯d remain as the only successor¡­¡± Bai Zhou scoffed. ¡°Just his private properties are more than enough for those two to live comfortably for the rest of their lives.¡± Ji Fanyin wasn¡¯t surprised at all. When a couple like Bai Zhou¡¯s parents made an agreement to turn a blind eye to each other¡¯s extramarital affairs, the chances were that one of them would eventually end up having an illegitimate child. It would be a blessing if the illegitimate children had no interest in the family fortune, but most eventually choose to compete for the family fortune. Ji Fanyin had seen plenty of that in her previous world. ¡°He even brought them over to introduce them to me. Does he expect me to call them ¡®mother¡¯ and ¡®little brother¡¯?¡± Bai Zhou gripped the cup tightly. ¡°If he had appeared before me today, I¡¯d have sunk my fist into his face!¡± Crime solved. This is the reason why Bai Zhou got into a fight today. Ji Fanyin sighed in her heart. Had it been her, she would have long come to terms with his disappointing parents and washed her hands out of their private affairs. It would just be a waste of time and effort anyway. However, Bai Zhou wasn¡¯t as unfeeling as she was. From a certain perspective, he was actually quite hot-blooded. ¡°Are you going to have a talk with your father?¡± she asked gently. ¡°If you aren¡¯t willing to meet those two, why don¡¯t you relay your thoughts to him properly?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear his voice now,¡± Bai Zhou rejected the suggestion irritatedly. ¡°Then¡­ what about your mother?¡± Ji Fanyin decided to approach this problem from another perspective. ¡°She wouldn¡¯t turn a blind eye to it, right?¡± Bai Zhou fell silent once again. Ji Fanyin couldn¡¯t help but notice the increasing grip strength on the glass he was holding. She felt like that innocent glass was going to shatter very soon. ¡°She already knows,¡± said Bai Zhou hoarsely. ¡°She also¡­¡± Unable to speak any further, he grabbed his own forehead out of distress and took in a deep breath. His sharp eyebrows furrowed into a pained frown. Ji Fanyin caught on right away. The chances were likely that both of Bai Zhou¡¯s parents had an illegitimate child each. Thanks to that, the scales of balance were able to easily reach another equilibrium when they finally came clean with one another. This was something for their respective factions to rejoice over since they would be spared from unnecessary discord¡­ though the same couldn¡¯t be said about their family members. Ahhh, the aristocratic circle sure is complicated! Ji Fanyin gently ruffled Bai Zhou¡¯s hair and said, ¡°What is it that upset you the most? Is it because they are different from how you expected them to be?¡± ¡°¡­ No, they were exactly the same as I expected them to be. It was just that I thought that I was already underestimating their shamelessness, but they still managed to exceed my expectations in the end.¡± ¡°There¡¯s actually a simple way you can prove to them that they¡¯ve done wrong,¡± said Ji Fanyin. Bai Zhou raised his head to look at her. ¡°How?¡± Ji Fanyin looked at him with a smile and said, ¡°All you have to do is to make sure that you don¡¯t stoop to their level and do the same things as they did.¡± What a pity that you, Bai Zhou, have already stooped down to their level. You have already disrespected your own feelings and others. The two of them stared at one another for a few seconds, neither of them saying a word at all. Ji Fanyin maintained her gentle smile whereas Bai Zhou¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple bobbed up and down in unease. This awkwardness was broken by the intercom call coming from downstairs. ¡°It must be the delivery man,¡± said Ji Fanyin as she rose to her feet. She patted Bai Zhou¡¯s head lightly as she said, ¡°You must be starving. I¡¯ll go get the ingredients.¡± Chapter 27.1: For Free? How’s That Possible? (1) Bai Zhou sat idly on the bar stool as he watched Ji Fanyin busy herself in the kitchen. He didn¡¯t want any expensive premium food today; all he wanted was an ordinary home-cooked meal. Very rarely would the trio from the Bai Family gather around a table and share a meal. To be more exact, Bai Zhou couldn¡¯t even recall a single instance of that happening. It was either the three of them dining at a huge table with many outsiders or him eating all alone. The Bai Family was probably the farthest away from what one would deem a typical ordinary household. Bai Zhou subconsciously shut down his brain, avoiding the important question of who the person hard at work in the kitchen was. Instead, he stared at her with a glass that was as empty as his mind in his hand, choosing to immerse himself in this moment of peace. Is this the kind of peaceful warmth that ordinary people feel when they return home exhausted from work? Bai Zhou had taken in far too much information today that he wanted to put a lid on his mind and not think anymore. However, a question that had been circling in his head for the last few days refused to grant him rest. It was getting increasingly difficult for him to endure not posing the question to the person before him. He tried his best to hold himself back, but when Ji Fanyin placed a pot of Pork Rib Lotus Soup on the dining table, he finally caved in. ¡°The person who has been playing with us for the past few days, is she really a woman?¡± The accumulation of emotions that had stifled his heart all this while was released along with the voicing of that question, leaving him feeling much lighter than before. Ji Fanyin halted for an instant upon hearing that question. She turned to look at Bai Zhou with a smile and asked, ¡°Are you doubting me?¡± Bai Zhou pursed his lips tightly. This doubt had been floating in his head since a few days ago. No, to be more accurate, he had stumbled upon an important piece of evidence just a few days ago. Whenever he was playing with Ji Xinxin and Kitty, Kitty¡¯s mic was always switched off and she would never talk. He asked Ji Xinxin about this, and she said that Kitty couldn¡¯t speak Chinese and was a little shy around strangers, so she decided not to turn on her mic. Bai Zhou trusted those words, but he simply couldn¡¯t help but notice some problems as they played together a few more times. For one, Ji Xinxin¡¯s responses throughout the voice chat were oddly delayed at times. Sometimes, it took a long while after he asked a question before she finally responded, and her answer was off at times. It was like she was distracted by something else. Another anomaly he noticed was Ji Xinxin abruptly turning off her mic at times. Kitty¡¯s actions in the game were also rather unusual. It was common knowledge in PUBG that giving out good equipment and determinedly defending a weaker teammate from dying were gestures of affection, and that was how Bai Zhou treated Ji Xinxin in the game. But Kitty¡¯s actions were identical to his. In fact, the two of them would often bump into one another while trying to save Ji Xinxin. All of these anomalies were so apparent that Bai Zhou couldn¡¯t help but think deeper into them. He did raise his suspicions at the start, giving Ji Xinxin the chance to dispel his concerns. However, two days ago, when Ji Xinxin excused herself to pick a call, Bai Zhou happened to overhear her chatting with another man using French. The phone call itself wasn¡¯t an issue; the problem lay in the fact that he overheard the conversation through not Ji Xinxin¡¯s but Kitty¡¯s mic. There were only two possibilities. Either Kitty was currently in the same room with Ji Xinxin and another man happened to be with them at the moment, or that Kitty wasn¡¯t a man in the first place and that Ji Xinxin had been lying to him. ¡­ Of course, Bai Zhou knew deep down that the person standing before him couldn¡¯t possibly answer his question. He wasn¡¯t really expecting an answer anyway. Chapter 27.2: For Free? How’s That Possible? (2) He was just about to end this vexing conversation and change the topic when Ji Fanyin suddenly whacked his forehead with a chopstick and said, ¡°Don¡¯t keep things to yourself. If you ever feel uncomfortable, make sure to tell me right away. You¡¯ll at least feel better once you confide in me.¡± Bai Zhou didn¡¯t expect Ji Fanyin to suddenly hit him. The pain on his forehead made him glare at her and roar, ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t want me to play with that person, I¡¯ll promise you that I won¡¯t play with that person anymore,¡± said Ji Fanyin as she placed the chopstick which she had just used to whack his head in front of him. ¡°You¡¯re the only one whom I really want to play with. Everyone else is of secondary concern here, do you understand?¡± Bai Zhou frowned. ¡°But you told me that¡­¡± ¡°It doesn''t matter. Be it that person¡¯s gender, appearances, country of origin, or background, none of those matter at all.¡± Ji Fanyin interjected right in and spoke with a forceful tone that allowed no room for no doubts. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t waste your time on people who can¡¯t even be compared to you.¡± Bai Zhou: ¡°¡­¡± His face began to redden bit by bit. He slowly picked up his chopsticks and reached for the nearest dish before hurriedly stuffing some into his mouth. ¡­ Ji Fanyin was glad that she had managed to beguile Bai Zhou. Bai Zhou¡¯s words were unclear, but it wasn¡¯t too difficult to figure out what had happened. Ji Xinxin most likely got overconfident and tried to hook two fishes at once, only to end up giving herself away. Ji Fanyin might have managed to placate Bai Zhou for the time being, but that didn¡¯t solve the root of the problem. Ultimately, the only one who could resolve this issue was Ji Xinxin herself. Ji Xinxin should stop expanding her fishery for the time being and focus on stability instead. It¡¯s not hard to expand the fishery, but sustaining it does take quite a bit of effort once it gets too large. Ji Fanyin began digging into the food as she wondered if Ji Xinxin had realized that Bai Zhou was already onto her. To be honest, this didn¡¯t really have anything to do with her since she was nothing more than a hired actor. It would suffice to leave the headache for Ji Xinxin to deal with. Ji Fanyin raised her head to take a look at Bai Zhou, only to realize that her earlier remark about how others couldn¡¯t be compared with him was a little too potent. They were several minutes into the meal by now, but Bai Zhou¡¯s head still remained lowered. He continued to tackle that single dish placed in front of him, as if he was going to stuff himself full with that one dish. Ji Fanyin heaved a deep sigh before topping up her foolish client¡¯s plate with the other dishes. ¡°Here, try this fish. Do you want a bowl of soup?¡± Bai Zhou quietly passed his bowl to her, and Ji Fanyin took the bowl, stood up, and began serving soup for him. It was then that a ringtone sounded. Bai Zhou¡¯s phone, which was placed by the side of the table, lit up, revealing a display picture that familiar Ji Fanyin was familiar with. Ji Xinxin. Bai Zhou leisurely glanced at his phone when he first heard the ringtone, but when he saw whom the call was from, he put down his chopsticks and anxiously reached forth to grab it. His vigorous movement caused a huge ruckus as bowls and plates were shoved around. However, Bai Zhou was hardly in the mood to care about the state on the table. His complexion as he grabbed his phone was awful, almost as if he was a scum caught cheating by his girlfriend. Ji Fanyin calmly put down the ladle and wickedly asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Aren¡¯t you going to pick up the call?¡± Bai Zhou looked at the phone in his hand with a deep frown before raising his head to look at Ji Fanyin. He hesitated for a moment as to whether he ought to excuse himself, but in the end, he decided to pick up the call on the spot. ¡°Big sister? Mm¡­ I have something up today, so I won¡¯t be joining you for the game. Have fun.¡± Meanwhile, Ji Fanyin quietly pushed the bowl of soup in front of Bai Zhou. She even specially made her way over to a drawer to grab him a soup spoon. God knows how difficult it is to find all of these crockeries and eating utensils in Bai Zhou¡¯s home. It¡¯s almost as if someone has sealed his kitchen off from the day renovations were completed. ¡°What I¡¯m doing now?¡± Bai Zhou anxiously raised his head to glance at Ji Fanyin. ¡°Cough cough¡­ I¡¯m having my dinner now¡­ Yes, I¡¯m alone. I called for delivery.¡± Ji Fanyin settled back into her chair and began gracefully digging into her meal. Really, the food I make fits my palate the best. Chapter 27.3: For Free? How’s That Possible? (3) He was just about to end this vexing conversation and change the topic when Ji Fanyin suddenly whacked his forehead with a chopstick and said, ¡°Don¡¯t keep things to yourself. If you ever feel uncomfortable, make sure to tell me right away. You¡¯ll at least feel better once you confide in me.¡± Bai Zhou didn¡¯t expect Ji Fanyin to suddenly hit him. The pain on his forehead made him glare at her and roar, ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Since you don¡¯t like it, I promise you that I won¡¯t play with that person anymore,¡± said Ji Fanyin as she placed the chopsticks she had just used to whack his head in front of him. ¡°You¡¯re the one whom I really care about. Everyone else is of no importance, do you understand?¡± Bai Zhou frowned. ¡°But you told me that¡­¡± ¡°It doesn''t matter. Be it that person¡¯s gender, appearance, or background, none of those matter at all.¡± Ji Fanyin interjected with a forceful tone that allowed no room for no doubts. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t waste your time on people who can¡¯t be compared to you.¡± Bai Zhou: ¡°¡­¡± His face began to redden bit by bit. He slowly picked up his chopsticks and reached for the nearest dish before hurriedly stuffing some into his mouth. ¡­ Ji Fanyin was glad that she had managed to beguile Bai Zhou. Bai Zhou¡¯s words were unclear, but it wasn¡¯t too difficult to figure out what had happened. Most likely, Ji Xinxin had gotten overconfident and tried to hook two fishes at once, only to end up giving herself away. Ji Fanyin might have managed to placate Bai Zhou for the time being, but that didn¡¯t solve the root of the problem. Ultimately, the only one who could resolve this issue was Ji Xinxin herself. Ji Xinxin should stop expanding her fishery for the time being and focus on stability instead. It¡¯s not hard to expand the fishery, but sustaining it does take quite a bit of effort once it gets too large. Ji Fanyin began digging into the food as she wondered if Ji Xinxin had realized that Bai Zhou was already onto her. To be honest, this didn¡¯t really have anything to do with her since she was nothing more than a hired actor. It would suffice to leave the headache for Ji Xinxin to deal with. Ji Fanyin raised her head to take a look at Bai Zhou, only to realize that her earlier remark about how others couldn¡¯t be compared with him was a little too potent. They were several minutes into the meal by now, but Bai Zhou¡¯s head still remained lowered. He continued to tackle that single dish placed in front of him, as if he was going to stuff himself full with that one dish. Ji Fanyin heaved a deep sigh before topping up her foolish client¡¯s plate with the other dishes. ¡°Here, try this fish. Do you want a bowl of soup?¡± Bai Zhou quietly passed his bowl to her, and Ji Fanyin took the bowl, stood up, and began serving soup for him. It was then that a ringtone sounded. Bai Zhou¡¯s phone, which was placed by the side of the table, lit up, revealing a display picture that familiar Ji Fanyin was familiar with. Ji Xinxin. Bai Zhou leisurely glanced at his phone when he first heard the ringtone, but when he saw whom the call was from, he put down his chopsticks and anxiously reached forth to grab it. His vigorous movement caused a huge ruckus as bowls and plates were shoved around. However, Bai Zhou was hardly in the mood to care about the state on the table. His complexion as he grabbed his phone was awful, almost as if he was a scum caught cheating by his girlfriend. Ji Fanyin calmly put down the ladle and wickedly asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Aren¡¯t you going to pick up the call?¡± Bai Zhou looked at the phone in his hand with a deep frown before raising his head to look at Ji Fanyin. He hesitated for a moment as to whether he ought to excuse himself, but in the end, he decided to pick up the call on the spot. ¡°Big sister? Mm¡­ I have something up today, so I won¡¯t be joining you for the game. Have fun.¡± Meanwhile, Ji Fanyin quietly pushed the bowl of soup in front of Bai Zhou. She even specially made her way over to a drawer to grab him a soup spoon. God knows how difficult it is to find all of these crockeries and eating utensils in Bai Zhou¡¯s home. It¡¯s almost as if someone has sealed his kitchen off from the day renovations were completed. ¡°What I¡¯m doing now?¡± Bai Zhou anxiously raised his head to glance at Ji Fanyin. ¡°Cough cough¡­ I¡¯m having my dinner now¡­ Yes, I¡¯m alone. I called for delivery.¡± Ji Fanyin settled back into her chair and began gracefully digging into her meal. Really, the food I make fits my palate the best. She noticed that Bai Zhou was looking at her with a nervous smile, so she responded with a gentle smile before popping another piece of meat into her mouth. She couldn¡¯t tell what Ji Xinxin said afterward, but Bai Zhou¡¯s face suddenly grew even darker. He spoke with an almost displeased tone, ¡°¡­ Who told you about the affairs that happened tonight? Song Shiyu?¡± Ji Fanyin pondered about the question over the meal. Would Song Shiyu tell Ji Xinxin about the happenings during the banquet earlier on? Hmm¡­ I think his motive is lacking. At least for the time being, it doesn¡¯t seem like the involvement of illegitimate children would affect Bai Zhou¡¯s future, let alone his place in Ji Xinxin¡¯s heart. Besides, snitching is at odds with the kind of refined gentlemanly character Song Shiyu had chosen to play. He stands to lose more by trying to gossip behind others. The culprit should be someone else. The intuition to process and evaluate information was extremely important to a ¡®King of the Seas¡¯. While Ji Fanyin was still making logical deductions on the situation, Bai Zhou¡¯s conversation had already moved on to the next phase. ¡°Tomorrow?¡± Bai Zhou¡¯s finger moved around the table nervously. ¡°¡­ My account has been banned. I might not be able to join you for the next few days. I¡¯ll call you when my account is finally unbanned.¡± Ji Fanyin was so free that she even started to help Bai Zhou keep count . Three lies so far, and each is smoother than the previous. ¡°See you, big sister.¡± It seemed like the conversation had ended there, but Bai Zhou didn¡¯t put down his phone right away. Instead, he hesitantly asked, ¡°Big sister, there¡¯s something I want to ask you¡­¡± He paused for several seconds here before continuing on, ¡°¡­ Never mind, it¡¯s nothing much. Make sure to take care of yourself.¡± Ji Fanyin thought that it was quite fascinating. It interested her to watch as a person¡¯s feelings slowly changed in nature due to the complications of their own mind. However, it was best for her major clients not to have a change of heart till she finally decided to do away with this job. So, when she saw that Bai Zhou had hung up her phone and was just about to say something, she cut right in and said, ¡°Careful, the soup is still hot.¡± Bai Zhou clicked his tongue. Almost as if he was venting his anger at himself, he lifted the bowl and gulped it down in a single mouthful. Ji Fanyin: ¡°¡­¡± Youngsters. What¡¯s the point? She stayed at Bai Zhou¡¯s house for two hours in total. She made sure to clean up the bar counter and kitchen properly after the meal. Just as she was about to leave, Bai Zhou, who was leaning against the walls of the entryway with crossed arms, suddenly stopped her with a question. ¡°Song Shiyu looked for you last night?¡± he asked. Ji Fanyin was in the midst of putting on her heels when she turned over to look at him. As service time was already over, Ji Fanyin¡¯s attitude had reverted back to her usual lackadaisical self. ¡°Mmhm. What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°For free?¡± ¡°For free?¡± Ji Fanyin repeated before refuting it with a chuckle. ¡°How¡¯s that possible?¡± After putting on her heels, she rose to her feet. As her heels were fairly tall, Bai Zhou naturally reached out to support her in case she lost her balance, but she subconsciously avoided his touch. This set of actions surprised the two of them. Bai Zhou clicked his tongue and retracted his hand unhappily, and Ji Fanyin didn¡¯t bother explaining her avoidance of his touch. She calmly bade him farewell as if nothing had happened and walked out of the house. ¡°Hey,¡± Bai Zhou suddenly called out to her. ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious why I asked you that?¡± ¡°I have no interest in my client¡¯s personal life,¡± replied Ji Fanyin as she rubbed her fingers together, a gesture for money. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me divulging whatever that has happened today to anyone else.¡± That¡¯s why, my esteemed customer, please don¡¯t fall for me that easily. Chapter 28.1: We Aren’t Close (1) Weekend. Ji Fanyin had previously applied for a new bank account that was linked to her identification card. She was quite busy for the entire week, so she was only able to make time for it on the weekend. Her old bank account was applied for by Father Ji and Mother Ji, but those two had been spamming her phone with calls ever since the movie screening. She would still pick up their calls at the start, but when they kept asking meaningless questions like ¡®How have you been?¡¯, she started to simply leave the phone on the table and continue whatever she was doing. KInship was nowhere near the top in her list of priorities at the moment. Making a fortune was far more important. That was also why she applied for a new bank account. She dropped by the bank in the late afternoon to finish up the procedures and transfer all of the money she had into it. Following that, she dropped her two clients a message to inform them about the change in her bank account number. She didn¡¯t forget to close her old bank account too. The bank manager tried to retain her, but Ji Fanyin insisted on it. The sun was already showing signs of setting by the time she left the bank. She happened to be near a university, so there were many youthful university students on the streets. She couldn¡¯t help but notice an advertisement poster plastered around about a varsity basketball competition finals that were going to be held today at 4 P.M. She took a look at her watch and noted that it was 3:30 P.M. This is really too much of a coincidence. It feels like the world is dropping me a hint. Well, I guess that I don¡¯t have anything important today anyway. After a moment of consideration, Ji Fanyin tapped into her conversation window with Chen Yunsheng and confirmed that she was indeed near the location of the basketball finals. ¡­ Should I take a look? Ji Fanyin headed to the nearest convenience shop and bought some sports drinks, energy bars, and fruits before making her way to the match location. Along the way, she began messaging Chen Yunsheng. ¡­ There was a huge crowd on the basketball court. Youth, sweat, hunks, and basketball¡ªthese four words fit perfectly here. There was still half an hour to the commencement of the match, but the audience had already settled into their seats. Some of them had even brought decent-looking cheering banners with them. Both teams were already on the court. Some of them were warming up whereas the others were listening to their coach¡¯s pep talk. ¡­ There was also one cool guy who snuck over to the bench to grab his phone. ¡°¨DChen Yunsheng!¡± the coach shouted. ¡°Look at the time! Why are you still looking at your phone?!¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m just taking a glance.¡± Chen Yunsheng expectantly picked up his phone which had vibrated earlier and took a look at it. His face brightened up right away. ¡°Coach, I need to head out for a moment.¡± The volume of the coach¡¯s voice was really no joke. ¡°Right now? I¡¯ll bloody smack your head off!¡± One of Chen Yunsheng¡¯s teammates that had insider news remarked teasingly, ¡°Heh! Judging from your reaction, that big sister whom you met outside must have sent you a message, right?¡± ¡°Oh? Is it the legendary big sister whom our faculty hunk invited to the competition but still hasn¡¯t received a proper response yet?¡± ¡°Coach, you should also understand where he¡¯s coming from. Let him fetch her here. As the saying goes, ¡®it¡¯s better to tear down ten temples than to ruin a good marriage¡¯!¡± The coach glanced at his watch before snorting impatiently, ¡°I¡¯ll give you eight minutes!¡± Not wasting even a second, Chen Yunsheng grabbed his jacket and phone before taking flight. ¡°Brat, slow down a little! How are you going to play later on if you tire yourself out now!¡± Chapter 28.2: We Aren’t Close (2) Chen Yunsheng ran out of the basketball court amidst the excited shrieks of the female students while anxiously sending a voice message to Ji Fanyin, ¡°Big sister, where are you? I¡¯m coming over to fetch you right now. The place is a little confusing so it¡¯s very easy for you to get lost.¡± Ji Fanyin quickly sent him a photo. Chen Yunsheng took a quick look at the photo before grabbing a nearby student to ask, ¡°Hey, do you know where this place is?¡± The student propped up his black-rimmed glasses and nonchalantly pointed in a direction, saying, ¡°It¡¯s right under that building over there.¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± Chen Yunsheng put on his jacket and dashed over. It was as if he had an eternal spring of youthful energy inside of him, and it took him only two minutes to rush over to the opposite building. It didn¡¯t take him long before he caught sight of Ji Fanyin under a distinct logo. She was wearing a mask, and her face was lowered toward her phone, but Chen Yunsheng was certain that he had gotten the right person. His footsteps immediately screeched to a halt. He took a brief moment to calm his breathing before heading over to greet her, but he didn¡¯t try to intentionally conceal the joyful tone in his voice, ¡°Big sister!¡± The woman standing there raised her head. She pulled down her mask and smiled at him, ¡°Hi.¡± ¡°I thought that you¡¯d be too busy with work to watch the competition.¡± Chen Yunsheng was a little nervous. ¡°What are you holding? Is it heavy? I¡¯ll carry it for you.¡± He couldn¡¯t help but secretly take a good look at Ji Fanyin as he asked. Ah, she¡¯s dressed casually today without any make-up. She looks beautiful in a different way. ¡­ How should I put it? Both her outfit and her disposition feel quite different. ¡°I got them at a convenience shop earlier on. I don¡¯t know if these are appropriate.¡± Ji Fanyin showed the contents of the plastic bag to Chen Yunsheng. ¡°I recall that basketball players would usually get a bit of time to replenish their energy off-court, so I got some sports drinks, fruits, and energy bars. It would be great if these can be of any help.¡± ¡°Of course they are!¡± Chen Yunsheng happily took the heavy plastic bag from her hand. ¡°You don¡¯t know how gluttonous those guys can get. There are even times when everything is gone before I could even grab anything. Eesh!¡± He chose to put on a pitiful front. He read on the internet that going for a pitiful but cute impression could do wonders when trying to court confident women, so he unhesitatingly cast his pride aside! ¡°That¡¯s a relief,¡± replied Ji Fanyin as she put her mask back on. She took a look at her watch and asked, ¡°How long is the match going to be?¡± ¡°It¡¯ll only take a little more than an hour!¡± replied Chen Yunsheng nervously. ¡°Do you have something up afterward?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any work lined up,¡± replied Ji Fanyin with a shake of her head. ¡°It¡¯s just that the match is a little shorter than I expected¡­ Did you sneak out of the court?¡± ¡°My coach gave me eight minutes,¡± Chen Yunsheng quickly clarified with a pitiful look on his face. ¡°Shall we head over? I¡¯ll get you a front-row seat at the basketball court.¡± He figured that if there were no more front row seats, he would place Ji Fanyin at the closest seats commonly dubbed as the ¡®family seats¡¯. There was bound to be space there. As long as he explained it carefully, it was unlikely that the other party would mind it too much given her easygoing personality. Chen Yunsheng happily accompanied Ji Fanyin toward the basketball court with the bag of goodies in his hands. He felt like he was drifting amidst clouds, but fortunately, he was still able to retain a bit of invaluable rationality to hold a conversation, ¡°Big sister, did you happen to have some work to do in the vicinity?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Ji Fanyin pointed to the advertisement posters that were plastered all around the campus and said, ¡°I happened to see one of those while walking around the streets so I thought that I could head over to take a look. It sure is a coincidence, isn¡¯t it?¡± Chen Yunsheng clenched his fists tightly: I¡¯ll have to treat those in the publicity department to a meal to thank them. It took Chen Yunsheng two minutes to run to where Ji Fanyin was, so it only took them a few minutes to walk over to the basketball court too. Chapter 28.3: We Aren’t Close (3) As they approached the side entrance, Ji Fanyin could clearly hear a ruckus produced by a combination of music and chatter coming from within. A student dressed in a basketball team uniform happened to rush out at that moment. Upon seeing Chen Yunsheng, he quickly grabbed him and exclaimed, ¡°It¡¯s already been ten minutes! Hurry up and return to the court!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get someone to bring you to your seat¡­¡± Chen Yunsheng was still dilly-dallying, but three other tall and brawny teammates ran over at that moment and dragged him away. Ji Fanyin waved at Chen Yunsheng with a smile and mouthed to him: All the best. Chen Yunsheng barely stood his ground against his teammates by grabbing the edge of the door and said, ¡°Big sister, you must make sure to only look at me later on!¡± With that, he was dragged off as pitifully as one could imagine. His teammates couldn¡¯t help but retort, ¡°It¡¯s really terrifying when a cold-faced hunk like you suddenly undergoes a 180-degree twist in personality¡­¡± Ji Fanyin chuckled at their banter. She leisurely entered the basketball court after them and took a brief look around the area. There was naturally an audience stand, but it appeared to be completely filled at the moment. Surprisingly, she found a familiar face amongst the audience¨DSong Shiyu. He was probably invited because he was a renowned alumnus who had now become a successful entrepreneur. Ji Fanyin disinterestedly looked away. It was then that a young lady jogged over to her side. ¡°Nice to meet you, Miss Ji? Chen Yunsheng told me to help you look for a seat.¡± The young lady sounded a little nervous. Ji Fanyin pulled down her mask and said, ¡°I¡¯m Ji Fanyin.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± The young lady looked at her in confusion and asked doubtfully, ¡°You¡¯re Senior Ji Xinxin¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°She¡¯s my younger sister.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The young lady didn¡¯t think too much into it and began leading Ji Fanyin toward the sides. ¡°There aren¡¯t many seats left at the moment. Are you fine with the seats near the coach¡¯s bench? It¡¯ll be hard to find another seat, and you wouldn¡¯t get as good of a view of the match too. However, I think it¡¯ll be better if I tell you in advance¡­¡± She paused hesitantly for a moment before continuing on. ¡°Those seats are commonly known as the ¡®family seats¡¯. There are no explicit rules about it, but those who sit there are usually either esteemed guests or the players¡¯ family members and girlfriends. Big sister¡­ i-is that okay with you?¡± ¡°You¡¯re calling me big sister too?¡± Ji Fanyin glanced at the seat the young lady was pointing out. ¡°Is it that row over there?¡± ¡°Y-yes.¡± Ji Fanyin comforted her and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯ve troubled you all by coming in at the last moment. You don¡¯t need to walk me there; I can head there by myself. You probably have a lot on your hands right now since the match is about to begin, right?¡± ¡°A-ah. Then¡­ I¡¯ll get going?¡± The young lady gestured toward the seat before walking away stiffly with uncoordinated hands and legs. Ji Fanyin touched her own face and wondered if she really looked that frightening. Under the curious gaze of the nearby crowd, she calmly made her way through a special passageway that led toward the ¡®family seats¡¯. She settled down on the first empty seat she saw. The young lady sitting on the adjacent seat turned toward her and greeted her amicably, ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Chen Yunshan. You can think of it as a woman¡¯s sixth sense, but by any chance, is it possible that you¡¯re acquainted with my younger brother, Chen Yunsheng? I saw him running out earlier, and the two of you arrived one after another not too long later. So, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder about it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve long heard that the more gorgeous a woman is, the sharper her sixth sense is. It looks like there¡¯s some truth to that claim,¡± replied Ji Fanyin with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m Ji Fanyin. Nice to meet you.¡± Oddly enough, this wasn¡¯t the first time Ji Fanyin met Chen Yunshan. The last time they met, she was accompanied by another man who happened to be present here too. ¡°I came here with a friend. He used to be from Yunsheng¡¯s school.¡± Chen Yunshan turned to the side and began introducing her male companion to Ji Fanyin. ¡°This is Song Shiyu. Ah, you probably already know him if you graduated from the same school.¡± Ji Fanyin looked at Song Shiyu and said with a smile, ¡°We¡¯ve met before, but we aren¡¯t that close to one another.¡± ------ Discord || Twitter || Advanced Chapter for Patreon Supporters Chapter 29.1: None At the Moment (1) While watching the competition, Ji Fanyin couldn¡¯t help noticing a gaze had been lingering on her discreetly. Needless to say, it was Song Shiyu. Chen Yunshan was the one who had a blind date with him the other day at that restaurant. Ji Fanyin never thought that she would bump into her client during her rest day, but she couldn¡¯t be bothered to entertain him outside of working hours. So, she ignored his gaze and focused her attention on the competition. It was the finals after all. The match was so intense that it spurred deafening cheers from the supporters of both teams in the indoor basketball court. The match concluded with the victory of Chen Yunsheng¡¯s team. There was roaring applause from the crowd, and Chen Yunshan hopped to her feet excitedly. Ji Fanyin clapped along with the crowd as she began thinking about what she should have for dinner. The award ceremony was pretty decent too. The third place and fourth place were decided by another match that happened simultaneously with the finals, and the third-place team joined them in the award presentation ceremony too. As soon as the award ceremony came to an end, Chen Yunsheng ran to the audience stand with his medal and frantically waved his hand to catch Ji Fanyin¡¯s attention, ¡°Big sister, big sister!¡± Ji Fanyin subconsciously stood up, but she quickly glanced toward Chen Yunshan. ¡°Ah no, I¡¯m his cousin. It¡¯s just that we¡¯re quite close to one another so we address each other directly by our names,¡± Chen Yunshan quickly clarified. She giggled under the cover of her hand and said, ¡°You should quickly head over. Look how anxious he is.¡± So, Ji Fanyin walked toward the railing and looked downward at Chen Yunsheng, saying, ¡°Congratulations.¡± Chen Yunsheng tiptoed a little. With his long limbs, he was able to hang the gleaming medal around her neck. Ji Fanyin could immediately feel the weight on her neck. The medal swayed freely beneath her eyes. ¡°¡­ Are you giving it to me?¡± ¡°Yup!¡± Chen Yunsheng warily took a step back and said, ¡°I don¡¯t accept any refunds.¡± He cheekily waved his hand at her before running off. But before he could make his escape, his teammates swarmed him and dragged him back toward the audience stand where Ji Fanyin was. Ji Fanyin: ¡°¡­¡± She touched the medal hanging around her neck as she looked at Chen Yunsheng with a slightly helpless look. To be honest, I shouldn¡¯t be accepting this gift. It¡¯s scalding to the touch. Chen Yunsheng stared at Ji Fanyin with glistening, fawning eyes. ¡°Accept him! Accept him!¡± Chen Yunsheng¡¯s teammates began cheering loudly. Chen Yunsheng frowned upon hearing their cheers. He quickly turned to them and said, ¡°I haven¡¯t confessed yet. Stop messing around.¡± He chased off his teammates with a fierce look on his face, but the commotion had already drawn half of the eyes in the indoor basketball court. Chen Yunsheng snuck a peek at Ji Fanyin before slowly inching his way toward her. He leaned against the railing and apologized, ¡°Big sister, sorry about that. They don¡¯t mean anything bad. I¡¯ll teach them a lesson later. They won¡¯t dare to do it anymore in the future.¡± Ji Fanyin remarked contemplatively, ¡°And I thought that you were that cute in front of everyone.¡± But it turns out that he only acts cute in front of her. Doesn¡¯t that make him even cuter? Chen Yunsheng¡¯s face reddened. He protested softly, ¡°A man can¡¯t be called cute, but since it¡¯s coming from big sister¡­ it¡¯s fine.¡± Ji Fanyin asked him, ¡°You won¡¯t regret giving me this medal?¡± ¡°Definitely not,¡± Chen Yunsheng replied affirmatively. He placed his chin on the railing and said, ¡°I¡¯m only giving it to you because it¡¯s something I cherish a lot.¡± ¡°Just because you cherish something doesn¡¯t mean that she¡¯ll see value in it too,¡± someone suddenly interjected. Ji Fanyin glanced at Song Shiyu, who was currently gazing down on Chen Yunsheng beside her. Chen Yunsheng nonchalantly turned to Song Shiyu and replied, ¡°Big risk, big return. I can¡¯t possibly not do anything just because I¡¯m afraid of failure, right?¡± He even turned to Ji Fanyin right after to seek her acknowledgment, ¡°Am I right, big sister?¡± Ji Fanyin burst into laughter. She patted his head lightly and said, ¡°Yes yes, you¡¯re right.¡± Chapter 29.2: None At the Moment (2) ¡°Can I ask you another question?¡± Chen Yunsheng blinked his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re asking for a reward?¡± Ji Fanyin pondered for a moment before nodding. ¡°Ask ahead.¡± Chen Yunsheng lowered his voice further before asking, ¡°You told me last time you don¡¯t have a boyfriend. Then, do you have anyone you like at the moment?¡± Song Shiyu¡¯s intervention brought a frown to Chen Yunshan¡¯s face, compelling her to pull him away. He just so happened to be walking behind Ji Fanyin when Chen Yunsheng asked his question, allowing him to hear it loud and clear. He didn¡¯t even notice that his footsteps had stalled to a halt in wait for the answer. He felt that he already had the answer to that question, but despite so¡­ he wanted to hear a direct confirmation from her mouth. It felt like a long time had passed before he finally heard her voice. She chuckled softly before saying, ¡°Anyone I like? Hmm¡­ No one at the moment.¡± Chen Yunsheng¡¯s eyes lit up right away. Just as he was about to let out a soft celebratory cheer, a loud excited male voice boomed across the indoor basketball court through the speakers. ¡°Everyone heard that? She says that she doesn¡¯t have anyone she likes at the moment!¡± The spectating crowd was weirdly riled up about that. ¡°Oooooooh!!!!¡± Chen Yunsheng¡¯s face darkened. He turned his head around coldly. The man who was eavesdropping behind him with a microphone in hand caught a whiff of danger and immediately made his escape. He was so agile that one could mistake him for a core member of the track and field club. Chen Yunsheng chased after him furiously. Ji Fanyin looked upon the bustle as she touched the medal hanging in front of her chest. Perhaps it was the influence from the lively atmosphere, the edges of her lips curled up a little. She took a look at her watch before turning around, only to see Song Shiyu standing behind her. He was staring at her intently. ¡°Mr Song?¡± asked Ji Fanyin. ¡°Is there any problem?¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Song Shiyu gritted his teeth tightly. Ji Fanyin had a good idea what he was going to ask, but she didn¡¯t think that she was obliged to give in to him outside of service hours. So, she directed a nod toward Song Shiyu and said, ¡°I¡¯ll be heading off first if there¡¯s no issue. See you, Miss Chen.¡± It looks like their matchmaking is going pretty well. If the two of them are confirmed to be dating, I¡¯ll have to strike Song Shiyu off my list of clients. Ji Fanyin had completely no interest in getting caught up in some depraved love scandal. While making her way out, she took out her phone and sent a message to Chen Yunsheng, congratulating him once more for clinching the champion¡¯s seat. Chen Yunsheng was still busy chasing his teammate, so he didn¡¯t reply right away. Ji Fanyin headed all the way to the main road outside the campus and hailed a cab. She didn¡¯t see any hint of Song Shiyu along the way. They were in a public place after all. He wouldn¡¯t want to be seen by anyone else and get caught up in some rumor with her. ¡­ ¡°She has a good personality. My uncle¡¯s family will be fond of her,¡± said Chen Yunshan full of envy. ¡°If only I was as confident and open-hearted as her.¡± She turned to look at Song Shiyu, only to see that his attention was wandering somewhere else. ¡°¡­ Mr Song?¡± Song Shiyu snapped out of his daze and turned to her with a smile, saying, ¡°Sorry, I was thinking about work¡­ It really is a coincidence for us to bump into each other here. Miss Chen, what are your plans for the day? Shall I drive you home, or are you returning with your younger brother?¡± Chen Yunshan looked a little disappointed. She lowered her head and fidgeted with her feet as she replied, ¡°I drove here. You should get going if you have matters to attend to. You don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡± ¡°At least allow me to walk you to the parking lot.¡± Song Shiyu maintained his gentlemanly demeanor. After seeing Chen Yunshan off, Song Shiyu walked over to his car and took out his phone, only to put it down after several seconds of hesitation. Chapter 29.3: None At the Moment (3) Song Shiyu drove back to his apartment and opened his fridge. The heart-shaped chocolate and the gift wrapper were still in there, untouched. In truth, he didn¡¯t like chocolate that much. After staring at it for a moment, he slowly made his way into his room and opened his wardrobe. Song Shiyu had a mild obsessive-compulsive disorder. He liked to classify items and place them in specific locations, so it never took him long to find his stuff. However, he didn¡¯t find the item he was looking for at its designated spot this time around. The tattered bracelet that should have been in the topmost accessories drawer wasn¡¯t where it was supposed to be. He quickly pulled open the second and third drawers, but it wasn¡¯t there either. He started to get a little anxious. He bent down to look through his ties, watches, belts¡­ He even recalled the clothes he wore that day and searched through their pockets, but he couldn¡¯t find the bracelet Ji Fanyin had given to him that day as a birthday present. I clearly retrieved it from the parking lot that day and placed it here. Why is it not here? It was just like how Ji Fanyin told him that she liked him at the underground parking lot the other day, only to tell another man that she didn¡¯t have anyone that she liked shortly after. Song Shiyu angrily slammed the drawers back in. He paced around the spot like an irritated beast. In the end, he decided to conduct an all-out search. It¡¯s not in the bedroom. It¡¯s not in the toilet. It¡¯s not in the living room. It¡¯s not in the parking lot When could I have possibly lost it? The apartment has designated housekeepers who would drop by from time to time in order to clean the place up, but they are professionals who wouldn¡¯t touch any of the residents¡¯ private possessions. I also didn¡¯t have any guests during this period of time either¡­ Song Shiyu¡¯s footsteps suddenly screeched to a halt. ¡­ No, there¡¯s one person who dropped by recently. With a livid look on his face, Song Shiyu grabbed his phone and dialed Ji Fanyin¡¯s number. But barely a second after the phone rang, he hung up the call. Even if it was really Ji Fanyin who took the bracelet away, what reason do I have to get her to give it back? Rather, why should I demand her to return a broken bracelet? Why should I be concerned whether Ji Fanyin still likes me or not? ¡­ Ji Fanyin was preparing her dinner when she received Song Shiyu¡¯s call. She continued stirring the pot with a single hand while picking up the call with her free hand. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Did you touch my personal possessions without my permission while you were at my house?¡± Song Shiyu questioned. Ji Fanyin gave his question some thought before replying, ¡°I only took away trash with me. Is there something important amongst them?¡± Song Shiyu: ¡°¡­¡± ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be.¡± Ji Fanyin sealed off all of his routes with ease. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I checked the items beforehand before tossing them away. I¡¯m certain that they are things that you would have thrown away.¡± She could tell that Song Shiyu was really angry that day from how damaged the bracelet was. What really surprised her was him keeping it instead of throwing it away. Song Shiyu: ¡°¡­¡± Ji Fanyin kindly reminded him, ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me what it is? I might be able to recall it.¡± If you¡¯re able to put down your pride and mention it, that is. Song Shiyu hung up the call. Ji Fanyin put her phone down and continued stirring her pot. Shortly after, she received yet another call. ¡°Hello, Mr Cen¡­ Lunch tomorrow? Alright, send the address to me.¡± Ahh, so much work is coming in. Chapter 30.1: Ten Billion Is Enough (1) Cen Xiangyang was fully prepared for his meeting with Ji Fanyin. Despite Song Shiyu¡¯s attempts to conceal the truth, he was still able to make some deductions based on the other party¡¯s attitude and words. For example, Song Shiyu seemed to be particularly sensitive to the word ¡®substitute¡¯. He was also oddly determined to stop him from obtaining Ji Fanyin¡¯s contact number. Through his constant harassment of Song Shiyu over the last few days, Cen Xiangyang felt that he had finally gotten to the bottom of this matter. Most likely, there¡¯s some sort of dirty deal between Song Shiyu and Ji Fanyin. Cen Xiangyang had actually never heard of Ji Fanyin prior to this. He was one of Ji Xinxin¡¯s suitors, but all along, he thought that she was the only daughter of the Ji Family. Not once had Ji Xinxin mentioned the existence of her twin sister to him. So, he spent some time visiting his juniors in Lakeside University and was surprised to learn that the Ji Fanyin he had met that day was very different from the ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ they knew of. They said that ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ was a gloomy reclusive, but Cen Xiangyang couldn¡¯t see how those two words could be applied to the Ji Fanyin he met at the movie premiere. They said that ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ was extremely ugly and dared not show her own face, but Cen Xiangyang felt his heart pounding in excitement just thinking about the Ji Fanyin he met. They said that ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ liked Song Shiyu, but Cen Xiangyang couldn¡¯t sense any affection from her attitude toward Song Shiyu. He could only conclude that she was able to hide her emotions well. The results made him feel like he had collected a bunch of false intelligence. In fact, he felt a little regretful that Ji Fanyin wasn¡¯t a social recluse. Someone like that would have been much easier to control. It looks like I can only count on my verbal skills to entice this thorny rose into making a deal with me. Cen Xiangyang spent some time making thorough preparations to ensure that everything would go his way before finally dropping her a call. It was already a few days later by then, but he was confident that his mixture of threats and baits would be enough to make her accept his deal. Sitting in the book caf¨¦ they had agreed to meet at, Cen Xiangyang picked out a book named ¡®The Lucifer Effect¡¯ in a good mood while waiting for Ji Fanyin¡¯s arrival. He took a look at the time as he flipped open the book. I guess I can magnanimously forgive her even if she¡¯s late. It won¡¯t be long before she¡¯s mine anyway. Three minutes before the agreed meeting time, Ji Fanyin arrived at the restaurant. She walked toward the table under a waiter¡¯s lead. She took a glance at the cover of Cen Xiangyang¡¯s book and remarked with a smile, ¡°The Stanford prison experiment. Who are you hoping to change?¡± Words that directly pointed out the origin of the book meant that she wasn¡¯t just flaunting her knowledge here. Cen Xiangyang was about to rise to his feet when those words caused him to freeze up for a brief moment. ¡®The Lucifer Effect¡¯ and the Stanford prison experiment weren¡¯t exactly obscure topics, but very few of those who didn¡¯t dabble in related fields knew about them. ¡°It caught my eye when I was looking through the bookshelves earlier. I¡¯ve only just started on it.¡± Cen Xiangyang was able to quickly adjust his state and reply with an innocent smile. ¡°I¡¯ve only taken a brief look, but I must say that the notion that a person could be easily changed by their environment is quite an intriguing one.¡± Ji Fanyin didn¡¯t bother further discussing this topic with him. She responded with a casual nod and took her seat. ¡°I must have kept you waiting.¡± ¡°Nah, I¡¯ve also just arrived not too long ago,¡± replied Cen Xiangyang. He passed the menu to Ji Fanyin and said, ¡°There¡¯s something that I¡¯d like to talk to you about today¡­ Shall we first order some food? I¡¯ll treat you.¡± Ji Fanyin¡¯s eyebrows shot up. She decisively picked out two expensive dishes and a freshly-squeezed beverage that had an artsy but incomprehensible name. After the waiter confirmed the orders and took his leave, Cen Xiangyang picked up the teapot and poured Ji Fanyin a cup of barley tea. ¡°I¡¯ve been quite busy ever since that day, so I wasn¡¯t able to ask you out till today.¡± Ji Fanyin received the cup of barley and thanked him. ¡°Busy with your new movie?¡± ¡°Yeah. There¡¯s a great deal of preparation work to be done before filming¡­ Just like the ancient saying, ¡®the rations move before the army.¡¯¡± Cen Xiangyang placed the teapot aside and carefully pushed the conversation toward the direction he wanted. ¡°It¡¯s interesting how the concept of the movie I¡¯ve decided on half a month ago happens to be about a pair of twins too. Don¡¯t you think that it¡¯s a coincidence?¡± he asked with a casual tone that made it sound like a passing remark. Ji Fanyin raised her eyebrows in interest, a signal for him to continue speaking. Cen Xiangyang felt a little peeved by her expression. It wasn¡¯t one that he thought would ever appear on Ji Xinxin¡¯s face. It was too casual and perfunctory. Ji Xinxin should be more¡­ elegant, pure, and innocent. ¡°¡­ The story is about a pair of estranged twin brothers who have never met one another before. The older brother is a respected cop whereas the younger brother is an idle vagrant. One day, the younger brother witnessed his older brother getting murdered by his enemies. He coveted his older brother¡¯s standing and lover, so he stole his identification documents and headed to his home. He wanted to take over his position.¡± Ji Fanyin calmly listened to his story with the cup of barley tea in her hands. She even chuckled softly in response to his words at one point in time. This chuckle looks a little like Ji Xinxin, Cen Xiangyang thought. Now I really want to hurry up and make her mine. Ji Fanyin waited for Cen Xiangyang to finish his story before asking, ¡°Was the younger brother exposed in the end?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll have to wait for the movie to hit the theaters in order to find out,¡± Cen Xiangyang reined in his thoughts and replied in a half-joking manner. Chapter 30.2: Ten Billion Is Enough (2) ¡°Surely it¡¯s impossible for him not to be exposed?¡± Ji Fanyin got straight to the point. ¡°Without the suspense from the constant threat of being exposed, the movie would lose its greatest charm.¡± ¡°But don¡¯t you think that the premise is pretty interesting?¡± asked Cen Xiangyang. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m quite curious since you and your younger sister are twins too. Are the two of you able to act as one another impeccably to the point where it¡¯s impossible to tell the two of you apart?¡± He didn¡¯t receive an answer right away because the waiter served their first dish then. It was only after the waiter left that Ji Fanyin finally answered his question, ¡°I¡¯m quite curious about that too, but we have never tried that before.¡± ¡°I thought that twins would put their identical appearances to full use and swap places with one another,¡± Cen Xiangyang replied with a regretful sigh. He was indeed feeling a little regretful as Ji Fanyin was turning out to be a difficult catch, just as he had expected. However, he had no plans on giving up. He was determined to reel her in by hook or by crook. So, he decided to take a step back and attack from another angle. ¡°Song Shiyu told me about your affairs the other day¡­ I heard that your parents are a little biased?¡± The earnestly eating Ji Fanyin stopped what she was doing. She raised her head, looked at Cen Xiangyang, and said with a smile, ¡°Director Cen, don¡¯t you think that your roundabout way of speaking is a waste of time for adults?¡± Cen Xiangyang was choked up by her straightforward rebuttal for two seconds before he was able to slowly reply, ¡°It looks like you¡¯re a smart person too. I¡¯ve already heard about your affairs from people who know you. Your parents only dote on Xinxin, making you an invisible person in the household. It¡¯s almost like they only have a single daughter¡­ Is that true?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true,¡± replied Ji Fanyin with a distracted nod. Cen Xiangyang realized that Ji Fanyin had just taken away the most tender piece of meat from the torched marble goby fish: ¡°¡­¡± He paused for a moment before proceeding with his script, ¡°Don¡¯t you want to become Ji Xinxin and be as loved as she is?¡± Ji Fanyin raised her head to present a surprised look and said, ¡°No, I want to enter the Forbes¡¯ wealthiest people ranking. I don¡¯t expect too much, just ten billion¡­ No, 9.8 billion would suffice. Cen Xiangyang narrowed his eyes and asked slowly, ¡°You¡¯re denying it, but isn¡¯t that what you¡¯re doing with Song Shiyu? Or are you trying to say that¡­ it¡¯s fine with Song Shiyu but not with anyone else?¡± ¡°Anyone else?¡± ¡°With me.¡± There wasn¡¯t any hint of surprise on Ji Fanyin¡¯s face at all. She rested her chin on her hand and said, ¡°Carry on.¡± ¡°This is a good thing for both you and me,¡± said Cen Xiangyang confidently. ¡°We can both get what we want. You¡¯ll obtain your younger sister¡¯s happiness, and I¡¯ll attain the sense of satisfaction I seek.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not right.¡± Ji Fanyin shook her head. ¡°The order should be reversed. I can give you the sense of satisfaction you want, and I¡¯ll obtain what I¡¯m seeking.¡± ¡°How¡¯s that any different?¡± Cen Xiangyang was unbothered by her seemingly meaningless argument on semantics. ¡°What I want is not the happiness of others,¡± said Ji Fanyin. ¡°What I¡¯m looking for is something simpler and far more practical.¡± Cen Xiangyang sensed that he was gradually losing power over the flow of the conversation, and the loss of control made him feel a little anxious. ¡°¡­ What is it?¡± ¡°Director Cen, don¡¯t you pay the actors who work for you?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Cen Xiangyang was silent for a few seconds before he finally grasped what Ji Fanyin was getting at. He stared at her in disbelief and exclaimed, ¡°You want money?¡± No. No no no no! How could my Ji Xinxin possibly be obsessed with dirty money? ¡°Is there a problem with that?¡± asked Ji Fanyin. Cen Xiangyang suddenly thought that Song Shiyu was very pitiful. ¡°¡­ Song Shiyu paid you as well?¡± Ji Fanyin crossed her hands and said, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t answer that question.¡± Cen Xiangyang: ¡°¡­¡± The conversation had gone down a different direction from what he had expected, but the endpoint looked to be the same. At least they did manage to exchange their views and expressed their interest to proceed with this transaction. Things still looked optimistic thus far. It was just that Cen Xiangyang couldn¡¯t help but feel like something was wrong as he paid for the meal. It was only till he walked out of the restaurant and saw a couple of people giving out flyers about a gym membership that it finally struck him. She¡¯s really viewing this as a business? It feels like she¡¯ll be even more vicious than gym memberships when ripping off her clients. Ji Fanyin put on her coat as she asked him, ¡°Would you like to have a look at the fee structure?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Cen Xiangyang felt like he was just like a plump lamb who had caught the eye of a wolf. But he was the one who first raised the suggestion, and he did want to entertain himself with this imitation while Ji Xinxin was away. So, Cen Xiangyang¡¯s eyes curled into a smile, and he said, ¡°¡­ It¡¯ll be fine as long as you ensure that it¡¯s value for money.¡± ¡­ Not too long after the two of them parted ways, Cen Xiangyang received the so-called fee structure from Ji Fanyin. He checked the document¡¯s last edit and noted that it had just been reviewed not too long ago. What would lead to her reviewing her fee structure in recent days? With this thought in his mind, Cen Xiangyang opened the document and was immediately met with a series of detailed rules. It really looked like the fee structure of a legitimate company. On top of that, the most important part was placed obediently in the middle of the document, almost like a wolf hiding amidst a pack of sheep. When Cen Xiangyang saw that the prices started from 100,000 dollars per hour: ¡°¡­¡± This is almost on par with top-tier celebrities! Is Song Shiyu really paying her this sum or compensating her through his body? Chapter 31.1: Men Can’t Be Counted On (1) 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 10 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 10 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. 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 10 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. Chapter 31.2: Men Can’t Be Counted On (2) 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. 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: ¡¾Shiyu, 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¡ª¡°Anyone I like? Hmm¡­ No one at the moment.¡±¡ªand inexplicable anger and frustration would gush out from his heart. Ji Xinxin: ¡¾This 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: ¡¾Don¡¯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. Chapter 32.1: You Seem Very Concerned About It (1) 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 living in separate rooms.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t do. My tropical fishes need to be fed every day,¡± Ji Fanyin found a random excuse to reject him. Bai Zhou: ¡°¡­¡± He stared at Ji Fanyin for a moment before saying, ¡°500,000 dollars 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, ¡°800,000 dollars per day.¡± ¡°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. Chapter 32.2: You Seem Very Concerned About It (2) 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 application 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. 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: ¡¾¡­¡¿ Ji Fanyin replied to his expression of speechlessness: ¡¾Make 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. Chapter 32.3: You Seem Very Concerned About It (3) 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. 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.¡± Chapter 33.1: It’s the Jealousy Speaking (1) ¡°¡­ 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 fianc¨¦e,¡± 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.¡± 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 longer 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 matchmaking 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. Chapter 33.2: It’s the Jealousy Speaking (2) ¡°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. 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¨D¡± 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: ¡¾The 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. Chapter 34.1: Liar (1) 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.¡± 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¡ªit 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. Chapter 34.3: Liar (3) ¡°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. 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: ¡¾Going 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.¡± Chapter 35.1: I Want Big Sis To Be My Girlfriend (1) 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. 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¡ãC 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. Chapter 35.2: I Want Big Sis To Be My Girlfriend (2) 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. 5 billion in three years, 10 billion in five years! I¡¯ll live a carefree life once I earn enough and return home whenever I want to! 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? Chapter 36.1: Don’t Ever Get It Wrong (1) ¡°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 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 here¡­ 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 I¡¯ll make a promise with you. 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. ¡°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 sleep for a while,¡± Bai Zhou closed his eyes and spoke with a slightly nasally voice. ¡°Wake me up in thirty minutes. We¡¯ll head back to rest afterward.¡± Ji Fanyin: ¡°¡­¡± If you¡¯re intending to head back to the villa to rest right after, what¡¯s the point of sleeping 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 here 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 outside.Ji 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 be up, 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 outside for a change of pace. While Ji Fanyin was thinking so, 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. Chapter 36.2: Don’t Ever Get It Wrong (2) ¡°¡­ 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 pondered deeply before it finally struck her. 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 well-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 till then.¡± His gaze and voice carried a natural air of loftiness belonging 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. 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 bias treatment. How could he possibly not be delighted at that? There was no human who wouldn¡¯t want to receive preferential treatment, especially from the one they loved. Chapter 36.3: Don’t Ever Get It Wrong (3) 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 around the room 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, so it won¡¯t make a difference for me to delete it now. Besides, I won¡¯t have much time to watch a movie and post a review within 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. 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 the 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. ¡°This isn¡¯t the first time?¡± 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 will take 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.¡± Chapter 37.1: Going Up In Smoke From Embarrassment (1) 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 digging in.¡± She wondered if Ji Xinxin would tolerate such behavior. Hm¡­ I guess she would. Anyone who had played otome games would know that the ¡®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 a spoon by a 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¡ªa usual routine after he had fallen ill¡ªhe 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 for a vacation?¡± I just wonder if his plans will be ruined with a call from Ji Xinxin tomorrow. Chapter 37.2: Going Up In Smoke From Embarrassment (2) ¡°Now that I think about it, it¡¯s already my birthday if we consider 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. 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 kicked 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. Often, she would 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 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 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 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 surely prioritize yours for the unwrapping!¡± ¡°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 really 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¡­ Chapter 37.3: Going Up In Smoke From Embarrassment (3) 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 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 alike to 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 which 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 have a peace of mind, 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. 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. Chapter 38.1: She’ll Hate Me (1) 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 applications, 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 applications. 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: ¡¾Is 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: ¡¾The 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: ¡¾I 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: ¡¾Did you have fun today?¡¿ ¡¾I didn¡¯t celebrate my birthday¡¿Ji Fanyin replied honestly.¡¾No time, and I didn¡¯t intend to celebrate it¡¿ Chapter 38.2: She’ll Hate Me (2) ¡­ 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.¡± 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¡ª¡¯ 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: ¡¾Happy birthday¡¿ His palms were sweating. ¡¾Is 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 ¡¾Yeap¡¿. 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 Chapter 38.3: She’ll Hate Me (3) ¡°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.¡± ¡°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¨Dbig 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. ¡°¨DIt¡¯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.¡± Chapter 39.1: Why Does He Call You Big Sis? (1) 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.¡± 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!¡± Chapter 39.2: Why Does He Call You Big Sis? (2) ¡­ 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 behind.¡± Just as she was able 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.¡± Chapter 39.3: Why Does He Call You Big Sis? (3) She walked through the compartment door before reading the message Cen Xiangyang had sent: ¡¾Just 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: ¡¾Are 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. 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 applications. 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 application 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: ¡¾Big 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 are 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.¡± Chapter 40.1: I Refuse (1) 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¨DLi 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?¡± 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: ¡¾I¡¯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. Chapter 40.2: I Refuse (2) 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. 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. Chapter 40.3: I Refuse (3) 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¡ªa 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. 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?¡± Chapter 41.1: Men Are Easily Fooled (1) As formidable as Li Xiaoxing was, Ji Fanyin was also skilled at dealing with tough situations herself. After a symbolistic handshake of cooperation, Li Xiaoxing said, ¡°I¡¯ve already dealt with Cen Xiangyang. He won¡¯t contact you again.¡± His tone sounded almost like an official notice coming down from a higher-up in a company. Ji Fanyin thought about it for a moment before asking, ¡°How do you intend to make up for my losses?¡± ¡°I know your fee structure,¡± said Li Xiaoxing, ¡°I¡¯ll double the prices, from the lowest to the highest.¡± ¡°That¡¯ll do,¡± Ji Fanyin agreed. I lost one client but gained another one that can make up for two. Great. ¡°This deal depends on you delivering what you have promised,¡± added Li Xiaoxing. ¡°No problem.¡± Ji Fanyin glanced at her watch and said, ¡°It just so happens that I haven¡¯t had dinner yet. Mr Li?¡± Li Xiaoxing looked at her. It was honestly hard to read his expression, but Ji Fanyin had played far too many roles in her previous life¡ªduring which, she had to understand how the brain wirings of those characters worked¡ªand that allowed her to figure out after two seconds that it was an expression of doubt. ¡°We can begin the lessons tonight,¡± she explained. Li Xiaoxing fell silent. He straightened up his body and lowered the divider. ¡°Mr Li?¡± the secretary asked. ¡°Reserve two seats for dinner,¡± ordered Li Xiaoxing. ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Transfer 400,000 dollars into her account,¡± he added. The secretary was visibly astonished for a moment before he propped up his glasses and replied, ¡°Understood.¡± Ji Fanyin was happy that she got to freeload a meal once again. The first thing she did after receiving her double wages was to refund Cen Xiangyang¡¯s 200,000 dollars. At the same time, she asked half-jokingly, ¡°Will Director Cen come after me for this?¡± ¡°That¡¯s your problem,¡± replied Li Xiaoxing coldly. Ji Fanyin¡¯s eyebrows shot up. ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, isn¡¯t it due to Mr Li¡¯s intervention that I¡¯ve offended Director Cen?¡± ¡°Then you shouldn¡¯t have chosen to dabble in such high-risk ¡®work¡¯.¡± Ji Fanyin thought that there was some sense to what he was saying. If Cen Xiangyang contacts me once more¡­ I guess it wouldn¡¯t be too bad to continue our transaction. He¡¯s already on the hook anyway, so it¡¯ll be easier to deal with him. Cen Xiangyang was a dangerous person, but there were ways to deal with him. Ji Xinxin simply got complacent on her successes and underestimated the enemy, resulting in her flopping in that kidnapping incident. Fish No.4, on the other hand, was very different from the other fishes in the fishery. There was no need for Ji Fanyin to put on an act in front of him, or to be more exact, she couldn¡¯t be bothered to even put on an act. After confirming their partnership, she passed her questionnaire to him and said, ¡°Mr Li should also be familiar with what this is, right? I¡¯ll need you to fill it up.¡± Li Xiaoxing didn¡¯t even bother looking at it. Instead, it was the secretary in the passenger seat who passed Ji Fanyin a name card and said, ¡°Miss Ji, please send the details to my email instead.¡± Ji Fanyin took the secretary''s name card. She quickly sent out the email and added the secretary¡¯s WeChat account. ¡°I¡¯ll contact Secretary Fan if I have anything then.¡± It looked like Li Xiaoxing wasn¡¯t the type to be bothered with day-to-day trivialities. He was probably the kind who had to ask his secretary in order to find his own socks. Secretary Fan first checked on the email before whipping out a notebook computer out of nowhere and laboriously turning around to place it into Li Xiaoxing¡¯s hands. Li Xiaoxing passed the folder filled with documents he had browsed through earlier into Secretary Fan¡¯s hands before placing the notebook computer on his lap. He did a quick look through the questionnaire as he asked, ¡°So this is your questionnaire?¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple but effective.¡± Ji Fanyin leisurely rested on the leather seat and began browsing through Weibo to pass time. Chapter 41.2: Men Are Easily Fooled (2) It was then that it suddenly occurred to her that she ought to send a message to Zhang Ning to clarify that it was just an empty scare. Surprisingly, a ringtone sounded in the car at that exact moment. It wasn¡¯t hers, so it could only be from Li Xiaoxing¡¯s side. Ji Fanyin thought that it was a business call, but the Secretary Fan suddenly covered the speaker, turned around, and told Li Xiaoxing softly, ¡°It¡¯s the first miss of the Zhang Family.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Ji Fanyin raised her hand like an obedient student requesting for the right to speak in a classroom. ¡°She¡¯s probably looking for me.¡± ¡°¡­ Mr Li?¡± asked Secretary Fan. Li Xiaoxing¡¯s eyes remained on the notebook computer as he replied, ¡°Give it to her.¡± Secretary Fan passed the phone to Ji Fanyin. Ji Fanyin quickly placed the phone to her ear and said, ¡°It¡¯s me, Ji Fanyin.¡± ¡°Are you okay?¡± Zhang Ning visibly heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°How did you get involved with him? It took me some time before I managed to get his contact number.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a little complicated, but it¡¯s alright now. Sorry for troubling you. Shall I treat you to a meal the next time we meet?¡± asked Ji Fanyin with a smile. ¡°Of course. Just a heads up, I¡¯m quite particular with food.¡± Zhang Ning didn¡¯t hold back at all. ¡°It just so happens that there¡¯s something I¡¯d like to discuss with you¡­ Is Li Xiaoxing still there? I want to talk to him.¡± Ji Fanyin¡¯s eyebrows shot up. She turned around and passed the phone to Li Xiaoxing. However, Li Xiaoxing didn¡¯t take the phone right away. He spent another ten seconds typing away on the laptop notebook and then hitting the ¡®Send¡¯ button before receiving the phone. ¡°Zhang Ning.¡± A while later, he answered, ¡°I see.¡± He listened for a while longer, but he no longer gave any more responses. The call ended just like that. He passed the phone back to Secretary Fan as he commented, ¡°I didn¡¯t think that you would prepare such a hand.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt to be prepared. My work is quite high-risk, after all.¡± Ji Fanyin threw his words back at him as she tapped into her email to look through Li Xiaoxing¡¯s questionnaire. She came up with the questionnaire herself. Most of them were rating scale questions, though there were a couple of fill-in-the-blanks and open-ended ones too. Of them, the open-ended ones were the most important as they concerned how the clients perceived Ji Xinxin. For a special client like Li Xiaoxing, Ji Fanyin skipped through everything else and headed straight for the open-ended questions. It was clear to her that Li Xiaoxing was a highly percipient individual. He was able to look at things from Ji Xinxin¡¯s perspective, perhaps from a level above hers even. Yet, his answers were simple. Exceedingly so. Question: What¡¯s your mental perception of Ji Xinxin? Choose two to three points and briefly elaborate on them. Li Xiaoxing¡¯s answer contained a single word: Greedy. Ji Fanyin: ¡°¡­¡± Duh? Do you think that I don¡¯t know that? She quietly rolled her eyes before scrolling back to the top to carefully look through the questionnaire. Soon, they arrived at the restaurant. Ji Fanyin continued staring intently at her phone while subconsciously following Li Xiaoxing¡¯s wheelchair. Due to her inattentiveness, she nearly tripped over the wheelchair at one point in time. Li Xiaoxing began making his order right after they arrived at their table. By then, Ji Fanyin had already finished browsing through the questionnaire. She took a moment to internalize what she had gathered thus far before asking, ¡°Allow me to do a quick summary. You know that she¡¯s not a good person, and you¡¯re also aware that she doesn¡¯t have feelings for you. However, you still love her. Is that an accurate description?¡± ¡°I¡¯m paying you money to resolve this problem,¡± replied Li Xiaoxing. ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a yes.¡± Ji Fanyin smiled. ¡°Do you mind telling me how the two of you started?¡± Li Xiaoxing lowered his head to look at his crippled legs. ¡°She saved me.¡± Ji Fanyin habitually rested her head on her arm as she inquired further, ¡°My apologies, but I haven¡¯t done any background checks on you. What happened?¡± ¡°It was a car accident.¡± Li Xiaoxing began recounting his story with the usual emotionless look on his face. ¡°The doctor said that I¡¯d be fully paralyzed for life. It¡¯s thanks to her encouragement and company that I am what I am.¡± His words were simple and vague, but Ji Fanyin was somewhat able to grasp his thoughts. To put it simply, she helped him during the toughest period in his life. I do recall Ji Xinxin spending a lengthy period of time in the hospital during her younger years¡­ Were they staying in neighboring wards? Chapter 41.3: Men Are Easily Fooled (3) Ji Fanyin wondered about it for a moment before tossing the question to the back of her mind. Before Li Xiaoxing¡¯s eyes, she took out her phone, set a two hours timer, and got into work mode. ¡°I¡¯ll get straight to the point. What you¡¯re doing now won¡¯t work.¡± Li Xiaoxing: ¡°¡­¡± Ji Fanyin pointed to the questionnaire in her phone and began to sharply criticize him, ¡°The frequency of your meetings are around eight to twelve times a year, and there are times you don¡¯t even meet once a month? With such a frequency of meeting and that taciturn personality of yours, do you honestly expect her to fall for you?¡± Li Xiaoxing: ¡°¡­ Ji Fanyin, watch your words.¡± ¡°Strictly speaking, you¡¯re my student during these two hours.¡± Ji Fanyin shut him down without any mercy. ¡°This question: If she doesn¡¯t contact you, how long will you wait before taking the initiative to contact her? You answered six to twelve months. Mr Li, pardon my frankness, but that¡¯s enough time for a woman to give birth to a child.¡± Li Xiaoxing continued his silent ¡°¡­¡± expression. It was only when the waiter arrived to serve their food that the stiflingly awkward atmosphere finally alleviated a little. Ji Fanyin continued scrolling through the questionnaire while shaking her head in disappointment. It was almost as if she was a tutor dealing with a student who was scoring in the thirties for all of his subjects but was still dreaming of getting into Tsinghua. After the waiter left, Ji Fanyin picked up her chopsticks and started digging in, not showing any reservation at all. ¡°However, I do have a piece of good news for you. There¡¯s no doubt that you have a high standing in Ji Xinxin¡¯s heart¨Dall I have to do here is to push you up to the highest spot.¡± ¡°Who do you think is the most important person in her heart right now?¡± asked Li Xiaoxing. Ji Fanyin was surprised but also amused to hear this question coming from his lips. ¡°Does that even need to be said?¡± ¡°Bai Zhou isn¡¯t qualified.¡± Li Xiaoxing scraped Bai Zhou off the list. Ji Fanyin sighed softly and answered his question, ¡°It¡¯s herself. The most important person to Ji Xinxin is herself. Be it Bai Zhou or you, you are just¡­ how should I put this¡­ stepping stones? Medals? Stamps in a collection?¡± Li Xiaoxing put down his chopsticks, seemingly having lost his appetite. Ji Fanyin took this chance to gracefully swipe away the small plate of tuna sashimi in front of him. ¡°At the very least, you¡¯re a valuable limited edition stamp. It¡¯s a good starting point. You just have to work hard from now onward.¡± ¡°You know her surprisingly well. Have you been studying her?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve no interest in her,¡± replied Ji Fanyin. ¡°I¡¯m just familiar with her means.¡± Perhaps it was because the ¡®Kings of the Seas¡¯ in the world all relied on the same few tricks? Somehow, looking at Ji Xinxin made Ji Fanyin feel like she was looking at a junior descending from the same lineage. Ah, but I¡¯m different from Ji Xinxin. At least I still uphold my principles despite being a ¡®King of the Seas¡¯. It wasn¡¯t exactly a harmonious meal, but it was at least a satisfying one for Ji Fanyin, so she shared quite a bit of her knowledge. It was just that teaching someone as inflexible as Li Xiaoxing wasn¡¯t easy. She needed to start from reshaping his fundamental viewpoint, so she had to assign him some homework to spur changes. ¡°Drop her a call when you return home later on. Do it the way I taught you,¡± instructed Ji Fanyin. ¡°It¡¯s nothing complicated; just those three lines. I trust that Mr Li should be able to remember them.¡± Li Xiaoxing neither expressed his agreement or rejection toward the homework. Instead, he tidied up his clothes on his wheelchair before raising his head to look at her. ¡°Why do you take such a different attitude during working hours with me as compared to the others? I heard that you¡¯re good at acting out Xinxin.¡± Ji Fanyin remarked in surprise, ¡°But you only paid me for the lessons, Mr Li. You¡¯ll have to pay an additional sum in advance if you wish to have the stand-in service too.¡± ----- Tsinghua and Peking University are the most prestigious universities in China, similar to how Japanese studnets might aim for Tokyo University and American students the Ivy League. Chapter 42.1: Please Keep On Liking Me (1) For the next two months, Ji Fanyin made steady progress on the ¡®Temptation of Home¡¯ app. She managed to expand on her movie review career, establishing a screenwriting studio with Zhang Ning. It would be unwise to look down on screenwriting just because it was a behind-the-scenes work. A good screenplay was hard to come by. This was especially so now that most films and series were reliant on IP adaptation or remakes of classics. It was getting hard to find outstanding original screenplays, and this didn¡¯t bode well for the industry. Ji Fanyin had been an actor for many years now, so she was familiar with screenwriting, directing, and the various different types of work required to put a film together. She wasn¡¯t just a silent partner in the screenwriting studio; she took part in the studio¡¯s activities as well. With Zhang Ning¡¯s connections and her filmmaking expertise, they were able to get things done efficiently and effectively. Within a short span of two months, their studio had already embarked on the filming of their first movie. For this, Ji Fanyin even halted her stand-in job for three whole days so as to supervise the filming. Her personal opinion: This movie is going to be a hit. Speaking of her stand-in job, it was going smoothly as always. There were several problems from time to time, but she was able to resolve them without a hitch thanks to her sharp wits and glib tongue. She only had three clients thus far, but they were already enough to keep her busy. As the demand from all three clients stabilized, Ji Fanyin thought that it would be best for her to have a program developed to automate the reservation process. So, she headed to a programming forum and found herself a freelance programmer who appeared to be quite the whiz on the website. She explained the basic functions of the program, which was basically an anonymous reservation system. Each of her clients would be allocated an anonymous account upon accessing the program. They would be able to view Ji Fanyin¡¯s schedule with the unavailable slots marked gray and the available ones marked white¡ªit was similar to purchasing movie tickets. Naturally, they could only make a reservation on the white available slots. Each account could view its own reservation but the identity of those who reserved the other slots would be kept anonymous. Upon selecting their reservation slots, there would be a pop-up informing them of the price and a textbox where the clients could state special requests. After the client made their reservation, Ji Fanyin would receive a reservation request on the admin portal of the website. She would first wait for the client to send in the money before accepting the reservation request, which would then turn those slots gray. After the app was developed, Ji Fanyin gave it a few tries and thought that it worked pretty well. The programmer also seemed to be out for the money, so he hardly said a word during the development process. After enquiring about the necessary details for the app development, he buried himself in his work and fell silent. Ji Fanyin had to say that she was fond of such contractors¡­ though she thought that she was quite a wonderful client too, generous and not excessively meddling. After footing the bill for the app, Ji Fanyin spent some time trying to promote the app to her three clients. Well¡­ she could only say that the level of acceptance varied amongst them. Li Xiaoxing¡¯s secretary, a young man who gave off the vibes of a soon-to-be-bald elite, was the most receptive to the introduction of the reservation app. He switched over right away and made reservations through the app every single time. It was only for special situations that he would call Ji Fanyin. Considering that he was just an intermediary, his swift acceptance wasn¡¯t that surprising. It was a completely different story for Song Shiyu and Bai Zhou, especially for the latter. From the data on the admin portal, Ji Fanyin could see that Bai Zhou frequently accessed the app, checking it every now and then throughout the day. But for some reason, this little dolt insisted on calling her and making reservations that clashed with the others. As for Song Shiyu, it was 50:50. He alternated between making reservations through the phone and the app. December was approaching soon, and Ji Fanyin¡¯s wardrobe had already switched over to fluffy winter wear. It was mainly for work though. She was the kind of fearless warrior who had no problem wearing skirts during wintertime. Coldness never posed a problem to her. Chapter 42.2: Please Keep On Liking Me (2) Today was an unexpectedly busy day. In the morning, she had a one-hour appointment with Li Xiaoxing to check on his homework through video call. Later in the afternoon, she would meet Zhang Ning for lunch to discuss the preparations for their next film before accompanying Song Shiyu for a three-hour date at an art exhibition. At night, she would head over to Bai Zhou¡¯s place to prepare dinner for him, another three-hour appointment. It was quite troublesome having to deal with so many appointments in a single day, but at least she was making good money out of it. After looking through her work for the day, she grabbed a phone and tapped into the ¡®Temptation of Home¡¯ app. Totaling her income, she had accrued 700,000,000 on the app thus far. Once their film started screening in movie theaters, she should be able to reach her first billion. She didn¡¯t leave her spare cash lying around in the bank either. She chose to entrust it into the hands of a financial management company. The interest rate she was offered wasn¡¯t spectacular, but it was still money. It was quite remarkable how she was able to advance this far despite having only transmigrated over for a few months. Once the screenwriting studio took off, she would be able to quit her stand-in job and finally take it easy. Ahh, I¡¯m looking forward to it. ¡­ Two minutes before 10 A.M., Ji Fanyin had already switched on her laptop and was prepared to accept Li Xiaoxing¡¯s video call. As soon as the clock struck ten, she received a video call request from Secretary Fan. She accepted the request, and Li Xiaoxing¡¯s face appeared on her laptop screen. ¡°Mr Li.¡± Ji Fanyin took out a notebook and twirled a pen on her finger. ¡°What¡¯s your current progress?¡± ¡°¡­ Following your instructions, I expressed my dissatisfaction toward her for the first time,¡± said Li Xiaoxing. ¡°I hung up the call on her afterward too.¡± ¡°Well done.¡± Ji Fanyin put a tick on the assignment she had assigned him last week. ¡°Do you remember the details of the conversation? Even the general flow of it would do.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be said here. You were spot-on about her replies.¡± Li Xiaoxing stared at her through the camera. ¡°Your predictions have always been on the dot. It¡¯s almost as if she¡¯s reading off your script.¡± Ji Fanyin¡¯s eyebrows shot up. ¡°That could only mean that she¡¯s the same ¡®King of the Seas¡¯ as me.¡± ¡°If I hadn¡¯t known Ji Xinxin for years now, I¡¯d have thought that you were the one who taught her.¡± Ji Fanyin chuckled at those words. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean that I¡¯m curbing my own tactics? ¡­ Alright, let¡¯s get back to the main topic at hand. After you expressed your dissatisfaction toward her for rejecting your invitation and hung up on her, how did she respond?¡± Li Xiaoxing fell silent. It had been two months since the start of their lessons. They¡¯d had dozens of lessons thus far, and there were several occasions where he paid Ji Fanyin extra for stand-in practice sessions, but he was still uncomfortable with reporting his private relationship to her. That wasn¡¯t the kind of person Li Xiaoxing was. ¡°Mr Li?¡± Ji Fanyin urged him to answer her question. Li Xiaoxing had no idea how Song Shiyu and Bai Zhou ended up being played like a fiddle by Ji Fanyin. If the two of them had just put some thought into it, they would swiftly realize that she was far more callous and heartless than Ji Xinxin. Or maybe the two of them are already aware of it, but they simply can¡¯t bring themselves to break this beautiful dream. ¡°¡­ She said that she¡¯ll be returning to the country soon and asked if I¡¯ll have time to meet up with her. She mentioned that she has a surprise prepared for me,¡± replied Li Xiaoxing. ¡°We have gone through this before. How should you reply to that?¡± The Ji Fanyin on the screen had a notebook and a pencil in hand, making her look like a real private tutor. Li Xiaoxing nodded stoically. ¡°We¡¯ll talk about it then.¡± ¡°Not bad. You¡¯ve made good progress.¡± Ji Fanyin was heartened. ¡°Our first step of making her realize that you¡¯re no longer under her absolute control anymore is pretty much done. Let¡¯s proceed to the next step¡­¡± The one-hour tuition ended rather quickly. Ji Fanyin switched off her alarm and took off her blue light glasses. ¡°I¡¯m in a rush, so I¡¯ll have to head off right now. See you next time.¡± With a polite nod, she closed her laptop without waiting for Li Xiaoxing¡¯s response. She didn¡¯t think that he would have anything to say anyway. She had already set her laptop to automatically shut down after the lid was put down, so she couldn¡¯t be bothered to go through the additional step of manually shutting it down. Lazy people like her were good at finding little ways to reduce daily hassles. While she was grabbing her keys and leaving her apartment, Zhang Ning called. ¡°¡­ You¡¯re already there? I just left my house. Give me twenty minutes. You¡¯re the best, sweety. Wait for me, alright?¡± From the laptop that hadn¡¯t completely shut down yet, Li Xiaoxing: ¡°¡­ Sweety? Is that Song Shiyu or Bai Zhou?¡± Chapter 42.3: Please Keep On Liking Me (3) Women were mysterious creatures. They could hate each other without any real reason, but they could also form friendships over inexplicable reasons. It was only a month ago that the flowers of friendship between Zhang Ning and Ji Fanyin started budding, and now, they were already soulmates. Over lunch, the two of them decisively settled all of their work-related matters before moving on to idle chatter. Zhang Ning sipped on her Pu¡¯er tea like an old man and said, ¡°It was actually He Shen who first noticed you, but after meeting you, I realized that you¡¯re quite a remarkable person. To be frank, I would have never considered partnering with a friend, but I don¡¯t feel worried at all establishing this studio with you.¡± Since the topic had gotten to He Shen, Ji Fanyin casually replied, ¡°I¡¯ve watched all of He Shen¡¯s films ever since his debut, whether he¡¯s playing the main character or supporting roles.¡± Zhang Ning chuckled softly and said, ¡°He¡¯d be overjoyed to hear that. Have you posted a movie review on them yet?¡± ¡°I¡¯m preparing an essay for it. Rather than a movie review, it¡¯s more of an analysis on the actor. It¡¯s a new project I¡¯m working on,¡± replied Ji Fanyin. ¡°Just a heads up, there might be some things in the review that he might not be too fond of.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Zhang Ning waved her hand casually, thinking nothing of it at all. ¡°He thinks that everything you say is right. The two of you have identical views when it comes to movie preferences and evaluations. I¡¯m telling you, he has read every single one of your movie reviews ever since he discovered your Weibo account!¡± Ji Fanyin was perplexed to hear that. ¡°I guess I really should meet him one of these days.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Zhang Ning was surprised. ¡°Didn¡¯t you have a chat with him during the movie premiere? I recall him heading to your seat after the movie ended.¡± Ji Fanyin thought back on what happened that day and nodded in realization. ¡°Ah, I get it now.¡± ¡°What did you get? Tell me!¡± exclaimed Zhang Ning. Ji Fanyin burst into laughter. ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask him if you¡¯re that curious?¡± ¡°He Shen doesn¡¯t tell me anything at all!¡± ¡­ Ji Fanyin did her homework for the date with Song Shiyu at the art exhibition later in the afternoon. With a bit of investigation, she found out that the art exhibition was displaying works from one of Ji Xinxin¡¯s favorite painters. To ensure that she could say a thing or two about the artworks, she memorized the artist¡¯s personal details and looked up analysis on his paintings. Though she didn¡¯t get a chance to put her newfound knowledge to use. ¡°I¡¯ll buy one for you,¡± said Song Shiyu. ¡°You were staring at one of the paintings for quite a long time earlier. Do you like it?¡± Ji Fanyin took some time to jog her memory. The only painting she had stared at for a long time was the one she had trouble comprehending. If she had to describe it in words, it would be: Can this be considered art too? Anyway, it would be wrong for her to candidly accept the gift from him. That would be un-Ji Xinxin-like. ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to do that. I don¡¯t have space at home to hang it anyway,¡± Ji Fanyin rejected his offer with a smile. ¡°Rather than a painting, I¡¯d be happier if we could spend more time together like this.¡± Song Shiyu replied with a laugh, ¡°I¡¯d be more than happy to spend more time with you, but that has nothing to do with me giving you a gift.¡± So, he bought that painting and gave it to Ji Fanyin. The painting cost only 400,000 dollars as it was from an up-and-coming painter, but it was still worth something. As soon as the painting fell into Ji Fanyin¡¯s hand, its value was added to the ¡®Temptation of Home¡¯ app. Ji Fanyin rejected the offer to have the painting delivered to her home. She had absolutely no intention of revealing her address to Song Shiyu. It was rather small anyway, so she could lug it back home herself. Holding onto the painting that was wrapped with high-quality kraft paper, Ji Fanyin eyed Song Shiyu coyly and said, ¡°I think it¡¯s only right for me to return your gift. Shiyu, what do you want?¡± With his hands tucked inside his cashmere coat, Song Shiyu lowered his head and looked at Ji Fanyin with a hesitant look on his face. ¡° I want you to continue liking me.¡± ¡°What kind of request is that?¡± Ji Fanyin burst into laughter. ¡°Why would I stop liking you?¡± ¡°¡­ I want you to like me till the end of time,¡± insisted Song Shiyu. Ji Fanyin blinked her eyes before graciously accepting his request, ¡°Alright, till the end of time.¡± As long as it¡¯s during working hours. Chapter 42.4: Please Keep On Liking Me (4) Due to the extraneous painting, Ji Fanyin had to make a trip back to her apartment to drop off the painting before heading to Bai Zhou¡¯s house. While in the cab, she quickly selected ingredients on a grocery delivery app and had it delivered to Bai Zhou¡¯s condominium. Interestingly, she found that she had more deliveries made to Bai Zhou¡¯s house than her own one on the grocery delivery app. When Ji Fanyin arrived, she saw the caretaker receiving bags of vegetables, meat, and seafood from the delivery man. She took some of the bags from him¡ªthere were quite a lot of them¡ªand the two of them made their way into the lift. ¡°It looks like Miss Ji really cares a lot about Mr Bai,¡± the caretaker said with a polite smile. ¡°I have a younger brother too, but I don¡¯t treat him as well as you do. Mr Bai has been living here for quite some time now, but you¡¯re the only one who frequently visits him. He did bring a few friends over in the past, but that¡¯s once in a blue moon.¡± Ji Fanyin replied with a smile, ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s not good at socializing with others. His personality is really worrying.¡± Though the ones who should be worried are Bai Zhou¡¯s family members, not a contractor like me. Soon, the lift reached the top floor. The doors opened to reveal an angry-looking Bai Zhou standing right outside. ¡°You¡¯re late,¡± he grumbled impatiently. Ji Fanyin immediately switched to her work mode. She glanced at her watch and replied, ¡°I¡¯m not. Your watch is off.¡± Bai Zhou harrumphed irritably. He snatched the heavier bags from her hands and walked off, leaving just two of the lighter bags for her to carry. Ji Fanyin casually followed him as she began making plans for tonight¡¯s menu. ¡°Zhouzhou, it¡¯s going to be winter soon. Why don¡¯t I broil some turtle chicken soup?¡± ¡°Up to you,¡± replied Bai Zhou perfunctorily, not bothering to look at her. ¡°You said that you had something up in the afternoon and couldn¡¯t come over. What is it?¡± ¡°I was busy with schoolwork,¡± replied Ji Fanyin without any hesitation. She entered the house and switched to a pair of slippers. ¡°It¡¯s going to be the Christmas Holidays soon. I¡¯ve got to clear up my work beforehand so that I can relax over the break.¡± ¡°Of course, you¡¯re busy. 24 hours a day, and you¡¯re only free at night.¡± Bai Zhou wasn¡¯t intending to let this go easily. ¡°Was it Song Shiyu or someone else this time?¡± ¡°Who are you talking about?¡± Ji Fanyin walked past him as she teased, ¡°Oh? Is our Zhouzhou jealous?¡± Before Bai Zhou could blow his top, Ji Fanyin placed her bags on the counter and turned around to face him. ¡°Even if I really met up with others for work or some other reason, you should know that they can¡¯t possibly shake the place you have in my heart. I¡¯ll never neglect you over others. You should know how much I care for you, right?¡± she said earnestly. Bai Zhou¡¯s anger visibly dissipated at her words. As if to hide his embarrassment, he tossed the bags on the counter and shot her a glare, saying, ¡°I¡¯m hungry!¡± ¡­ It was already nearing 9 P.M. by the time she left Bai Zhou¡¯s house. On the way home, she tapped into her reservation app and greyed out her schedule for the next two weeks. Ji Xinxin would be returning to the country tomorrow, and her Christmas Holidays lasted for two weeks. Ji Fanyin intended to take a break during this period of time. Her clients would likely be too focused on Ji Xinxin during this period of time to bother trying to look for her. ¡­ Maybe except for Li Xiaoxing. I reckon that he¡¯ll need some urgent supplementary classes, but that isn¡¯t much of a problem since we¡¯re doing it online. For that reason, she decided to allow calls from her Client group. She made up her mind to set her phone to ¡®Do Not Disturb¡¯ mode for the next two weeks and spend her days binging on films. She thought that she deserved a good break after working so hard for the past few months. Chapter 43.1: Doesn’t Big Sis Like You? (1) Ji Xinxin got off the plane and headed to the baggage carousel to collect her luggage. While waiting, she powered her phone on but switched it to silent mode right away. The moment her phone regained its signal, countless messages poured in like a terrifying tsunami. Most wished her bon voyage, some asked if she had arrived yet, and one said that he was already in the car park and urged her to call him once her plane landed. There was a huge list of people she could choose from to fetch her from the airport, many of whom had already offered their services. However, that didn¡¯t mean that she could simply choose whoever she wanted. Ji Xinxin knew that she was treading a delicate path here; the slightest bit of carelessness could cause her to plummet back to earth. It was just that she had done this for so many years that she had already gotten used to the feeling of playing with fire. It was indescribably thrilling. ¡°What does your suitcase look like?¡± a young man whom she had just met on the plane asked. Ji Xinxin raised her head and smiled in embarrassment. ¡°It¡¯s pink with a baggage tag that has ¡®Fairy¡¯ on it.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll help you. It¡¯d be inconvenient for a lady like you to carry something that bulky.¡± The young man offered his service. Ji Xinxin was used to having others fawn on her like that. She smiled sweetly at him and said, ¡°Thank you. To be honest, I nearly bumped my leg into my suitcase while I was checking into the flight earlier on.¡± The man¡¯s face reddened. He waved his hand and replied, ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. It¡¯s always a pleasure to help a lady as beautiful as you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s rare to see someone as kind and warm-hearted as you.¡± Ji Xinxin tucked her hair behind her ears. ¡°A man who knows how to take care of the ladies like you must be very popular.¡± The man blushed even more furiously. He awkwardly coughed twice and turned his eyes away. To Ji Xinxin, pulling on a man¡¯s heartstrings was the easiest thing in the world, not to mention that she was blessed with an innocent and jovial face. Leaving a good impression on others was a walk in the park for her. It was just that she had managed to grasp the man¡¯s background while chatting on the plane, and the latter was a perfectly average person. Even his appearance was just passable. She didn¡¯t think that there was a need to spare her time on him. After all, she wasn¡¯t the same woman she used to be. She had choices. Ji Xinxin chuckled softly before turning her attention to her phone. She began replying to the messages from some of the higher priority individuals on her phone, though she specially left Bai Zhou for last. She knew that Bai Zhou would drop her a call as soon as he received her message. The problem was that she had chosen Song Shiyu to fetch her from the airport. Her first choice was actually Li Xiaoxing as he had been acting weird recently. She had dropped him a hint about her arrival time in her messages, but the other party hadn¡¯t responded to it at all. Left with no choice, she could only go for Song Shiyu instead. ¡°Shiyu? My plane has finally landed, and I¡¯m collecting my luggage now,¡± Ji Xinxin called Song Shiyu¡¯s number and said. She added teasingly, ¡°Are you still at the car park? Aren¡¯t you coming over to fetch me?¡± Song Shiyu¡¯s voice sounded a little suppressed. ¡°Xinxin, I have a meeting now so I sent my assistant over to fetch you. I¡¯ll be waiting for you in my car.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± replied Ji Xinxin in disappointment. ¡°You should focus on your meeting then. See you soon!¡± ¡°It¡¯s cold outside. Button your coat well and make sure to keep your hands warm,¡± advised Song Shiyu. ¡°I know, I know.¡± Ji Xinxin hung up the phone. The unease she had felt over the past few months welled up in her heart once more. Song Shiyu is supposed to¡­ No, he would have come to the arrival hall to fetch me! There¡¯s no meeting that could have been more important than me. ¡°Is that your luggage?¡± the man asked while pointing to a pink suitcase on the baggage carousel. Ji Xinxin snapped out of her thoughts and looked over. ¡°Mmhm, that¡¯s my suitcase.¡± The man stepped forward and carried it down from the conveyor belt for her. ¡°Thank you. My friend is already outside waiting for me, so I¡¯ll be making a move first.¡± Ji Xinxin waved him goodbye with a smile and left without waiting for his response. She wasn¡¯t about to give the other party a chance to ask for her contact details. Chapter 43.2: Doesn’t Big Sis Like You? (2) Song Shiyu¡¯s assistant wasn¡¯t there yet when she stepped into the arrival hall. She stood by the railings and pondered for a moment. Then, she tapped into her WeChat conversation window with Bai Zhou. Her initial plan was to call Bai Zhou upon returning home so that they could have a good chat, but she had changed her mind. Song Shiyu¡¯s assistant soon arrived at the arrival hall. He walked up to Ji Xinxin and greeted her, ¡°Miss Ji, Mr Song sent me here to fetch you. Please follow me¨DAh, allow me to carry your suitcase for you.¡± Ji Xinxin thanked him. ¡°How long would it take for us to reach the car park?¡± ¡°Around ten minutes,¡± the assistant replied respectfully. So, Ji Xinxin whipped out her phone and continued replying to her contacts, informing them that her plane had safely landed. It was only when they were about to arrive at the car park that she tapped into Bai Zhou¡¯s conversation window to tell him the same. As expected, shortly after Ji Xinxin spotted Song Shiyu¡¯s car, Bai Zhou¡¯s call came in. With a smile on her lips, she picked up the call while opening the rear door of Song Shiyu¡¯s car. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that I¡¯ve safely arrived? You didn¡¯t have to take the trouble to call me.¡± Bai Zhou¡¯s voice sounded like he hadn¡¯t slept a wink last night. ¡°You¡¯re at the airport now? How are you going to return home?¡± ¡°Hehe, it goes without saying that I have someone to fetch me. You don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡± As Ji Xinxin got into the car, she mouthed out a greeting to Song Shiyu before turning her attention back to the phone. ¡°Your voice sounds a little gruffy. Did you stay up all night playing games again?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. You didn¡¯t want me to fetch you anyway,¡± grumbled Bai Zhou with a pout. ¡°I¡¯ve been gaming from dinner till now.¡± ¡°Should I praise you for remembering to have dinner last night?¡± replied Ji Xinxin mirthfully. ¡°That¡¯s because you¨D¡± It was at this point that Bai Zhou¡¯s voice was suddenly cut short. Several seconds ticked by before he anxiously covered it up. ¡°¨Dyou always nag at me to remember my meals!¡± ¡°If only you would be as obedient for the other stuff I told you to do too,¡± berated Ji Xinxin. She knew that Bai Zhou wouldn¡¯t get angry at her for nagging him. This was a special treatment that not even Bai Zhou¡¯s parents were entitled to. Such special treatment gave Ji Xinxin a sense of superiority that she relished in. This was the feeling she was constantly seeking from others. Be it Song Shiyu, Bai Zhou, Li Xiaoxing, or the others¡­ they all meant the same to her. While she chatted with Bai Zhou over the phone, she kept an eye out for Song Shiyu¡¯s reaction via his reflection on the car¡¯s tinted window. She couldn¡¯t make out his expression from the blurry reflection, but she did notice that Song Shiyu had turned to look at her twice. It was hard to tell from this whether he was really bothered by the call or not. After coaxing Bai Zhou to sleep, Ji Xinxin hung up the phone and turned to Song Shiyu with a sheepish look on her face. ¡°Sorry, Zhouzhou happened to call. Are you done with your meeting?¡± Song Shiyu tilted his head to show her that he had a pair of wireless earpieces on. He replied with a smile, ¡°Not yet, but my mic is off. No worries.¡± ¡°Are you that busy?¡± Ji Xinxin sighed concernedly. ¡°I can see your eyebags.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that bad; there¡¯s just a bit more work recently. I¡¯ll be freer after the New Year,¡± Song Shiyu replied gently. ¡°At least I still have time to fetch you from the airport.¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t force yourself if you¡¯re that busy. I could have just taken a cab back home,¡± replied Ji Xinxin. ¡°I was still thinking of asking you out for a meal, but I¡¯d feel bad if I got in the way of your work.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll always have time for you.¡± Song Shiyu chuckled good-naturedly. ¡°It¡¯d be fine even if you wanted us to stay together every day.¡± Chapter 43.3: Doesn’t Big Sis Like You? (3) ¡°It¡¯d really be great if we could be together every day. It¡¯s just that I also have a lot of things to handle. I have quite a few assignments I need to complete over the Christmas Holidays,¡± lamented Ji Xinxin with a sigh. ¡°We should have time to meet up a couple of times though. Shiyu, is there anywhere you want to go to?¡± ¡°I know of a private art exhibition that will pique your interest. Shall we check it out?¡± Song Shiyu asked. ¡°Sure!¡± Ji Xinxin heaved a sigh of relief. The painter I like isn¡¯t that famous. If Song Shiyu intends to bring me to his private art exhibition, he must have been specially paying attention to the painter. It looks like his heart is still with me. ¡­ Are his recent changes just because he has been busy with work? ¡°Is there anything I can do to help you with your work?¡± asked Ji Xinxin. ¡°I can ask my dad and mum for help.¡± Song Shiyu revealed a gentle smile at her remark. He ruffled her hair and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I can cope. Just seeing you chases my fatigue away.¡± Ji Xinxin intimately leaned toward him and rested her head on his shoulder. ¡°It¡¯s so tiring to ride on planes. My neck always feels sore afterward.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you that I¡¯d get you a first class seat?¡± said Song Shiyu with a sigh. ¡°You¡¯d usually message me, but you forgot about it this time around. It¡¯s too embarrassing for me to demand a plane ticket from you,¡± grumbled Ji Xinxin coyly. ¡°But since you have been busy with work, I¡¯ll forgive you this once!¡± ¡°Alright alright, it¡¯s my fault.¡± Ji Xinxin subconsciously glanced at her phone and murmured, ¡°Why hasn¡¯t big sis replied to the message I sent yet¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Ji Fanyin?¡± asked Song Shiyu. Ji Xinxin didn¡¯t notice the unusual edge to Song Shiyu¡¯s voice. She nodded in response and said, ¡°I told her about my flight yesterday, and I just texted her to tell her that my plane has landed. It¡¯s weird how she hasn¡¯t replied yet¡­ Is she busy with other stuff?¡± It might have been Ji Xinxin¡¯s imagination, but she thought that she had heard a sneer coming from the man sitting beside her. Bewildered, she turned to Song Shiyu questioningly. ¡°Shiyu?¡± Song Shiyu met her eyes in confusion. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡­ Did I hear it wrong? Ji Xinxin shook her head before leaning back onto Song Shiyu¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve received quite a few calls from my parents about my big sis. A cousin of mine saw my big sis entering a famous bar around two to three months ago, so my parents are worried that she might have gotten involved with bad company.¡± ¡°A famous bar?¡± asked Song Shiyu. ¡°Yeah. I don¡¯t really know what kind of bar it is since I¡¯ve never been there before. My parents might just be making a big fuss out of nothing,¡± Ji Xinxin sighed. ¡°It¡¯s just that my big sis doesn¡¯t have many friends, so it¡¯s worrying to know that she has been going to a bar alone at night. I¡¯m planning to talk to her about this, but I¡¯m worried that she wouldn¡¯t confide in me.¡± Song Shiyu replied with a distracted ¡°Mm¡±. ¡°Shiyu, do you know anything about the bar and big sis¡¯ recent changes?¡± Ji Xinxin turned her head over and asked him. ¡°I mean¡­ my big sis likes you. She might have shared something with you.¡± Song Shiyu¡¯s eyes were fixated on his laptop screen. It took a few seconds before he finally turned to answer Ji Xinxin¡¯s question with a hint of resignation in his voice. ¡°Sorry, I haven¡¯t met Ji Fanyin ever since you went abroad. So¡­ I don¡¯t know anything about how she¡¯s doing.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t met my big sis? Not even once?¡± asked Ji Xinxin in surprise. Song Shiyu averted his gaze. He began tapping on his keyboard as if he was replying to someone. ¡°Mm, not even once.¡± Chapter 44.1: Please Transfer 1,000,000 Dollars To My Account (1) Ji Fanyin had a strong feeling that she wouldn¡¯t be able to spend her long-awaited break in peace, but she still obstinately holed herself up at home to binge on her movies. Just like that, the first day passed peacefully. To her delight, not a single one of her clients dropped her a call or a message. In a spurt of inspiration, she posted three consecutive movie reviews within the span of a day and earned quite a bunch of Emotion Points from the kind-hearted netizens. It was only after all this that she finally began checking her messages. Ji Xinxin said that she had gotten on the plane. Ji Xinxin said that she had landed safely. Ji Xinxin said that she had reached home. Ji Xinxin said that there was no need for her to worry. The sheer amount of admirers Ji Xinxin had was more than enough to form a motorcade to fetch her from the airport. There was no way Ji Fanyin would needlessly worry over her safety, so she chose to turn a blind eye to Ji Xinxin¡¯s messages. She couldn¡¯t be bothered to deal with Ji Xinxin unless the latter were to come knocking on her door¡­ though she reckoned that there was a good chance that it might happen. Ji Xinxin had already gone to the trouble of returning to the country. Whether it was just to ¡®visit¡¯ or ¡®keep an eye on¡¯ her, she would likely try to find some time to visit her, regardless of whether she had found out that she was the cause of the changes behind Song Shiyu, Bai Zhou, and the others or not. After looking through her WeChat messages, Ji Fanyin noticed that she had received a friend request. It was from one of the supporting actors from the film their studio was working on. She had some impression of that actor because she was the one who personally selected him for that role. He was a fairly good-looking young man in his early twenties, and he had always been quite a respectful one on the set. Thinking that he had some questions regarding the script, Ji Fanyin accepted his friend request. He started off with a polite greeting before posing a few questions regarding the script. Ji Fanyin answered his questions one by one, but she soon noticed that something was amiss. Those questions were too trivial. If he really lacked the ability to interpret the actions of his character, she would have never chosen him for the role. That meant that his intention lay somewhere else. With a lackadaisical yawn, Ji Fanyin sent out the answer to his final question before waiting disinterestedly for his follow-up line. Just as she had expected, the actor replied with a troubled tone: ¡¾I think I get it, but I¡¯m still not quite sure. I know that it¡¯s a little late, but is there any chance we could meet up and discuss this in person?¡¿ It was not uncommon for those who wielded resources and power in the entertainment industry to take advantage of others, but similarly, there were also those who sought to make use of unspoken rules to rise faster than their peers. Ji Fanyin had seen plenty of those from both sides in the years she had spent in the entertainment industry, especially after she solidified her reputation and became an unshakable powerhouse in the entertainment industry. There were many who tried to approach her to ¡®self-recommend¡¯. Those in the entertainment industry were usually fairly busy and didn¡¯t have much spare time to frolic around. There were only so many ways to efficiently relay one¡¯s intention to the other party, and Ji Fanyin was familiar with most of them. The actor¡¯s method of asking a few adorably dumb questions before dropping a hint that they could get a room was a common tactic. It was just that Ji Fanyin didn¡¯t think that someone would try to ¡®self-recommend¡¯ themself to her with her current standing. Ji Fanyin clenched her toothbrush between her teeth and typed out a reply to the actor: ¡¾Focus on your acting. Don¡¯t think too much about such stuff¡¿ The young actor quickly dropped an ambiguous apology before vanishing. Ji Fanyin grumbled about this matter to Zhang Ning before heading off to bed, and Zhang Ning sent a voice message shortly after: ¡°Hahahahahahahahaha! Of course he¡¯d try to ¡®self-recommend¡¯ himself to you. You¡¯re rich and beautiful, and you hold resources in your hands. You¡¯re the ideal choice for aspiring actors who are anxious to make it big!¡± Ji Fanyin: ¡¾Shouldn¡¯t they look for you instead?¡¿ Zhang Ning replied coolly, ¡°You think that they haven¡¯t tried? They could easily form a long queue from one end of the street to the other! I wouldn¡¯t have enough time to allocate to each of them if I were to accept all of them! Seriously though, you didn¡¯t accept him, right?¡± Ji Fanyin: ¡¾I don¡¯t have time for such stuff. I just wanted to see what you think and check if we should switch him out for someone else¡¿ Zhang Ning leisurely replied, ¡°He probably isn¡¯t too dumb since he didn¡¯t bug you about it. Weren¡¯t you quite satisfied with him during the casting audition? It doesn¡¯t really matter whether we switch him out or not; it¡¯s just a small role anyway. You can decide.¡± Ji Fanyin gave the matter some thought and decided not to switch him out. At least the young actor had the common sense to back down after being rejected. As long as he didn¡¯t try to pull anything else, this wasn¡¯t really a huge issue. ¡°Such things will continue to happen in the future. Gorgeous, you should get used to it as soon as possible,¡± teased Zhang Ning. ¡°It won¡¯t make a difference even if you were to get married. People will still try to approach you.¡± Ji Fanyin thought that her words made sense, so she tossed this matter to the back of her mind. ¡°Speaking of which, should I recommend some men for you to choose from?¡± asked Zhang Ning with a hearty laugh. Ji Fanyin rejected her offer without any hesitation: ¡¾No thanks. No time¡¿ Chapter 44.2: Please Transfer 1,000,000 Dollars To My Account (2) Ji Fanyin thought that this ¡®self-recommendation¡¯ incident would be the only hiccup she would face on the first day of her break. Who would have thought that she would receive a call from Li Xiaoxing at 1 A.M. in the morning, shortly after she had fallen asleep? Li Xiaoxing¡¯s voice sounded a little strained. ¡°I received a call from Ji Xinxin.¡± Ji Fanyin rolled on her bed with her eyes still closed and wrapped the blanket tightly around her. ¡°Then?¡± ¡°¡­ I haven¡¯t picked up yet,¡± added Li Xiaoxing. A question mark popped up in Ji Fanyin¡¯s mind. ¡°Your phone is still ringing right now?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Ji Fanyin rubbed her eyes before lifting her phone to check the time. ¡°Mr Li, do you know my charges at this hour?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll transfer you the money after the call,¡± said Li Xiaoxing. ¡°What do I do?¡± Ji Fanyin thought that the domineering CEO¡¯s ¡®What do I do?¡¯ sounded a little adorable yet pitiful. She switched on her bedside lights and slowly sat up. As her mind cleared up, she said, ¡°For now¡­ ignore her.¡± ¡°Ignore her?¡± Li Xiaoxing repeated her instructions in dissatisfaction. ¡°She must have something important to say if she called at this hour.¡± Ji Fanyin reached for the laptop she had placed on her bedside table. ¡°Exactly. That¡¯s why she won¡¯t give up easily. If you¡¯re on the phone with me now, what phone is Ji Xinxin calling you on?¡± ¡°Landline.¡± Ji Fanyin could hear the rolling of Li Xiaoxing¡¯s wheelchair, and soon, she could hear another phone ringing on his side. ¡°Why did you call me?¡± asked Ji Fanyin curiously. ¡°It¡¯s just a phone call.¡± ¡°You can tell me what to do.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already gone through what you have to do at this stage. You should be able to deal with a phone call.¡± Ji Fanyin let out a yawn. ¡°Ji Fanyin. I¡¯m not paying you to hear your complaints,¡± said Li Xiaoxing placidly. Ji Fanyin yawned yet again. She couldn¡¯t muster the energy to argue with him, so she waited for the ringing to end before replying, ¡°Calm yourself down first. Put the call on speakerphone when you pick up later so that I can listen in. Check your WeChat for my messages; I¡¯ll tell you what to do.¡± ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t have your WeChat.¡± ¡°Ah. Shall we add each other now?¡± replied Ji Fanyin. It took less than a minute for them to add each other. By then, Ji Xinxin¡¯s second call had already come in. The second the call came in, Ji Fanyin decisively issued her order, ¡°Pick it up.¡± She hurriedly typed on the laptop right after: ¡¾But don¡¯t speak first¡¿ ¡­ The instant Ji Fanyin told him to ¡®pick it up¡¯, Li Xiaoxing grabbed his landline phone and put it on speakerphone. In accordance with what he was instructed, he kept his mouth tightly shut. A few seconds of silence ensued, but it felt unbearable to Li Xiaoxing. He stared at his telephone with searing eyes that threatened to bore a hole through it. ¡°I had a nightmare. I dreamt that you were ignoring me, just like when we first met,¡± Ji Xinxin sobbed. It melted Li Xiaoxing¡¯s heart. He instinctively wanted to console her, but Ji Fanyin¡¯s message popped up on his WeChat right after. She was typing at such an incredible speed that it almost felt like she was talking to him in real-time. ¡¾Tell her that it¡¯s only a dream¡¿¡¾But don¡¯t console her¡¿¡¾Tell her to go back to sleep¡¿ The three consecutive messages plunged Li Xiaoxing into silence. He thought such a response was too heartless, and it would hurt the sensitive Ji Xinxin. But then again, Ji Fanyin had already proven her capability over the past two months. She was able to accurately predict Ji Xinxin¡¯s reaction over 70% of the time. It was not spot-on every single time, but it was still a frighteningly high level of accuracy. Chapter 44.3: Please Transfer 1,000,000 Dollars To My Account (3) So, after a brief moment of hesitation, he went along with Ji Fanyin¡¯s script. ¡°It¡¯s just a dream. Go back to sleep,¡± he said. ¡°I dreamt that you were unable to move at all, just like back then.¡± Ji Xinxin ignored his words and continued sobbing sorrowfully. ¡°I¡¯m scared. I¡¯m scared that your condition will suddenly deteriorate back to how it was those days. I know that I shouldn¡¯t be calling you at this hour, but I can¡¯t help myself from worrying about you. I needed to check if you¡¯re fine. My heart simply won¡¯t calm down until I hear your reassurance¡­¡± Ji Fanyin replied equally fast too: ¡¾Tell her that you¡¯re the same as always, and tell her once more to return to bed¡¿ Li Xiaoxing read her message and did as he was told. ¡¾She¡¯ll continue talking about the past, but you need to hold yourself back. Don¡¯t console her. Don¡¯t reminisce with her. Don¡¯t make any promises¡¿¡¾If you give her what she wants, she¡¯ll have no qualms putting you at a lower priority¡¿ Li Xiaoxing first saw Ji Fanyin¡¯s two messages pop up before hearing Ji Xinxin continue reminiscing about the past. It¡¯s almost as if Ji Fanyin is reading Ji Xinxin¡¯s mind. It was this ability that continuously deepened Li Xiaoxing¡¯s trust in Ji Fanyin. That was also why the first thing he did upon receiving a call from Ji Xinxin was to contact Ji Fanyin. His expectations weren¡¯t let down. Ji Fanyin handled it perfectly. Every single word she told him to speak accurately struck at Ji Xinxin¡¯s vital spots, dragging her closer and closer into his net. Regardless of the intentions Ji Fanyin had in mind for helping him, the money was definitely well-spent here. Back to the call with three listeners. Ji Xinxin: ¡°Do you still remember the time we spent in the hospital? I always snuck out to look for you, but you always ignored me. It made me wonder why someone as good-looking as you had such a nasty temper.¡± Ji Fanyin: ¡¾Yawn¡¿ It was tough, Li Xiaoxing managed to snap out of his trance and let out a yawn. Ji Xinxin: ¡°¡­ Are you exhausted? Sorry, I shouldn¡¯t have called you at such a time and disturbed your rest. I know that I shouldn¡¯t have allowed my worry to get the best of my rationality, but I simply couldn¡¯t control myself¡­¡± Ji Fanyin: ¡¾With a cold tone, tell her that you don¡¯t mind and urge her to go back to sleep.¡¿ There was no need for Li Xiaoxing to feign a cold tone at all¡ªthat was his default tone. ¡°It¡¯s going to be three o¡¯clock soon. Hurry up and go to bed.¡± After such a long tug-o-war over the phone, Ji Xinxin finally unleashed her trump card. She asked, ¡°Will you accompany me till I fall asleep, just like how we did when we were younger?¡± Ji Fanyin sent Li Xiaoxing a ¡®cat giving a thumbs up¡¯ emoji. ¡¾Heave a sigh and don¡¯t say a word¡¿¡¾You¡¯ll see results soon¡¿ Li Xiaoxing let out a heavy sigh and swallowed the words that were already at the tip of his tongue. Ji Xinxin burst into tears. ¡°Li Xiaoxing, I¡¯m begging you, please tell me what I¡¯ve done wrong! We have known each other for so many years. You¡¯re my most treasured friend¡­ I don¡¯t want to lose you!¡± Li Xiaoxing¡¯s attention was hooked by the words ¡®most treasured¡¯, and it made his blood race in exhilaration. Just as Li Xiaoxing was about to succumb and console Ji Xinxin, Ji Fanyin¡¯s message popped out: ¡¾Ask her if she means it¡¿ Li Xiaoxing paused for a moment there. To his surprise, he actually felt a hint of glee from Ji Fanyin¡¯s verbal manipulation skill. He deepened his tone and asked, ¡°Do you mean it?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± exclaimed Ji Xinxin. Following that, her tone lowered a little, as if she felt aggrieved by his doubt. ¡°Do you really need me, a woman, to voice aloud how much you mean to me?¡± Ji Fanyin: ¡¾Tell her to meet you tomorrow¡¿ Li Xiaoxing did as he was told. Ji Xinxin agreed to his request amidst sniffles, saying that she would visit him tomorrow morning. Ji Fanyin: ¡¾Tell her ¡®See you tomorrow¡¯ and hang up the phone¡¿ Li XIaoxing did as he was told yet again. When he said ¡®See you tomorrow¡¯, he felt like he could almost see Ji Xinxin¡¯s flabbergasted expression over the phone. He exhaled deeply and praised Ji Fanyin for the first time, ¡°You¡¯re indeed worth the price.¡± Unfazed by his compliment, Ji Fanyin replied emotionlessly, ¡°Prices are rounded up to the nearest hour. The charges are fivefold at this ungodly hour, so please transfer 1,000,000 dollars to my account. Thanks.¡± Chapter 45.1: There’s No One Like You (1) The call from Li Xiaoxing in the middle of the night had completely awoken Ji Fanyin. She exhaled deeply before heading to the living room to grab herself a cup of water. It didn¡¯t take long for Li Xiaoxing to transfer the money over. I¡¯ll forgive his late night call in view of his efficiency. She lay on her bed and fiddled with her phone while trying to channel her inner drowsiness. She chanced upon an official message from Lakeside University shared by Chen Yunsheng in his Moments page. She browsed through it while yawning. The rough idea was that the university was going to hold some kind of exhibition, and they would be inviting a few renowned alumni back to attend the activity. While she was scrolling down, to her not-very-surprise, Ji Xinxin¡¯s name was there. Of course, Ji Xinxin is one of the more renowned alumni in recent years. It just so happens that she¡¯s back in the country, so she¡¯ll be able to make it. I just wonder who¡¯ll be accompanying her. Will Bai Zhou and Song Shiyu start fighting over that? The drowsy Ji Fanyin liked Chen Yunsheng¡¯s post before putting her phone aside. Within moments, she was already asleep. ¡­ The following morning, she received an invitation from Chen Yunsheng for the exhibition. Determined to steer clear of anything work related and spend her break in peace, she rejected his offer and happily idled her time away for the second day. In contrast, Ji Xinxin¡¯s schedule for her two week break was jam-packed. Delighted that her late night call to Li Xiaoxing had softened his attitude, she woke up early the following day and made sure to doll herself up before heading over to meet Li Xiaoxing. She personally prepared breakfast for him and accompanied him to his company afterward. They had lunch at a nearby restaurant before paying a visit to the hospital they used to stay at. ¡°Now that we¡¯re here, I can¡¯t help but remember a lot of our past memories,¡± remarked Ji Xinxin as she pushed Li Xiaoxing¡¯s wheelchair forward. ¡°I was just an elementary schooler then, so my memories are a little hazy.¡± ¡°I remember it all,¡± said Li Xiaoxing. ¡°There used to be a swing there. You would help me up there and push me.¡± ¡°I remember that,¡± Ji Xinxin chirped in. ¡°I pushed you pretty hard back then, didn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°¡­ You said that I was too light and told me not to be picky with food.¡± Li Xiaoxing gazed at the garden. ¡°But even eating was difficult for me back then.¡± Ji Xinxin halted her footsteps. She placed her hands on Li Xiaoxing¡¯s shoulders and massaged them lightly, as if encouraging him. ¡°You have already made good progress with your recovery. There¡¯s still a chance that you¡¯ll be able to walk on your own two feet. Don¡¯t give up hope, alright?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t ever give up on things I desire,¡± said Li Xiaoxing placidly, ¡°be it this body or anything else.¡± Ji Xinxin¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She knew that Li Xiaoxing wasn¡¯t someone to be trifled with, but which of those priority targets she had approached, seduced, and maintained relationships with wasn¡¯t dangerous? It was high-risk, high-reward. That was why the first thing an outstanding ¡®King of the Seas¡¯ had to learn was the art of control. Only by training her fishes to be satisfied with her limited attention could she ensure the longevity of her fishery. Ji Xinxin saw herself as a master at guiding the flow of a relationship, and this was evidenced by the size of her fishery. Nevertheless, she still felt unnerved when it came to Li Xiaoxing. And she knew the reason behind that too. It was all luck that she was able to catch Li Xiaoxing¡¯s eye and gain his favor. It was true that the two of them were in the same hospital, but she was so delirious from her illness that it was impossible for her to accompany the then paralyzed Li Xiaoxing through the hardest phase of his life. The one who had helped him rehabilitate and partially regain his physical functions was actually Ji Fanyin, who frequently accompanied their parents to visit her in the hospital. Ji Xinxin had already tried her best to take over Ji Fanyin¡¯s position and channel his feelings onto her, but ultimately, she wasn¡¯t the girl he met back then. She knew that Li Xiaoxing was an extremely shrewd person, and that left her constantly in fear of having her lies exposed. She knew that she wouldn¡¯t be able to shackle Li Xiaoxing anymore once these childhood rose-tinted glasses were gone. That was why she could still suppress her anxiety when Bai Zhou, Song Shiyu, and Ji Fanyin behaved abnormally, but the moment problems cropped up with Li Xiaoxing, she immediately lost her patience. Li Xiaoxing¡¯s background and credentials were top-notch. If not for the fact that his legs were still showing no signs of recovery, Ji Xinxin might have abandoned everyone else for him. She viewed Li Xiaoxing as a treasured possession whom she couldn¡¯t afford to lose. ------ Discord || Twitter || Advanced Chapter for Patreon Supporters---Mission 2: 15 unique comments on a single chapterReward: 1 bonus chapterMission 3: 30 reviews on NovelupdatesReward: 1 bonus chapter--- Chapter 45.2: There’s No One Like You (2) ¡°Speaking of which, I have a twin sister,¡± Ji Xinxin raised the subject with feigned casualness. ¡°Have I told you about her before?¡± ¡°¡­ Are you close with her?¡± asked Li Xiaoxing. ¡°We used to be, but now¡­¡± Ji Xinxin sighed softly. ¡°My big sis seems to harbor some misunderstandings about me.¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll introduce my big sis to you if an opportunity arises in the future. We¡¯re identical twins, so we¡¯re like two peas in a pod.¡± Ji Xinxin paid close attention to Li Xiaoxing¡¯s expression in order to determine if he had met Ji Fanyin before. Despite her words, it went without saying that there was no way she would do something as dangerous as introducing Ji Fanyin to Li Xiaoxing. Those were just empty words. ¡°Two peas in a pod?¡± Li Xiaoxing shook his head. ¡°There¡¯s no one like you.¡± It doesn¡¯t seem like they have met each other¡­? Uncertain about her judgment, Ji Xinxin continued assessing Li Xiaoxing¡¯s expression. Even though she had known this man for over a decade now, she was still unable to decipher his emotions from permanently placid face. But based on what Li Xiaoxing had said, it didn¡¯t seem like he was interested in Ji Fanyin even if he had met her before. That put Ji Xinxin¡¯s heart at ease. A smile emerged on her lips and she continued pushing the wheelchair forward. ¡°Can you tell me what I¡¯ve done to make you unhappy? We can¡¯t resolve the problem unless you tell me what it is.¡± ¡°You told me over the phone that you don¡¯t wish to lose me,¡± said Li Xiaoxing. ¡°You said that I¡¯m your most cherished friend.¡± ¡°Yeap. is there something wrong?¡± Ji Xinxin felt her heart beating faster. The next thing he¡¯s going to say is probably¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t need a friend, Xinxin. If all you want is to remain friends, I don¡¯t think that there¡¯s any need for us to remain in contact.¡± Ji Xinxin¡¯s footsteps screeched to a halt. She lowered her gaze to look at Li Xiaoxing. ¡°Make your choice, Xinxin.¡± Li Xiaoxing kept his eyes straight forward. ¡°Lovers or strangers?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Ji Xinxin bit her lips as her mind furiously whirred into action to find the optimal solution to this problem. She could tell that this was an ultimatum from Li Xiaoxing. If she rejected him here, there was a chance that she would lose him for good. But if she accepted him, it would trigger an explosive chain reaction¡­ ¡°¡­ I need some time to think about it.¡± Ji Xinxin bit her tongue and forced herself to remain calm. She looked at Li Xiaoxing with a troubled expression and continued, ¡°It¡¯s a huge leap for us to suddenly become lovers¡­ I need time to consider and accustom myself to it. Are you willing to wait for me?¡± Li Xiaoxing turned his wheelchair around till he was face to face with Ji Xinxin. ¡°I¡¯m willing to wait, but how long do you need?¡± Li Xiaoxing stared deeply into her eyes as he asked. Ji Xinxin had never felt so anxious and pressured before. She began sobbing helplessly. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­ Didn¡¯t you tell me to pursue my dreams when I was hesitating whether to go abroad or not? Why are you changing all of a sudden?¡± Tears were a powerful weapon if used correctly. Ji Xinxin wiped off her tears with the back of her hand. In her peripheral vision, she could see Li Xiaoxing¡¯s fingers rising slightly, only to be placed back down as if he was restraining himself. At least he¡¯s still unable to let go of me. This brought Ji Xinxin a tinge of confidence. ¡°I never changed. I¡¯m willing to let you continue doing whatever you want,¡± said Li Xiaoxing deeply. ¡°But how long do I have to wait? Xinxin, I need a deadline.¡± Ji Xinxin sniffled. Li Xiaoxing hasn¡¯t fallen for anyone else, and he hasn¡¯t noticed my deception either. If so, until I find the perfect excuse and solution to resolve this crisis, I just have to stall him. Ji Xinxin squatted down in front of Li Xiaoxing till they were on eye level with each other. She grabbed his large hands and said, ¡°I¡¯ll think it through. I promise that I won¡¯t keep you waiting for long¡­ but before then, can we go back to the old days? My heart hurts whenever you give me the cold shoulder¡­¡± Chapter 45.3: There’s No One Like You (3) ¡­ ¡°¡­ So, you¡¯re saying that she hasn¡¯t promised anything, but you have already fallen for her act and agreed not to be cold to her anymore.¡± Ji Fanyin snuggled lazily on her sofa as she summarized what she had just heard from Li Xiaoxing. ¡°Is that right?¡± Li Xiaoxing didn¡¯t reply. Ji Fanyin felt tempted to send Li Xiaoxing the ¡¯I can¡¯t carry you anymore, goodbye¡¯ emoji, but ultimately, she still had to preserve her client¡¯s dignity. Letting out a sigh, she grabbed a strawberry from a fruit platter placed on the table and said, ¡°Forget it, this works too. Let her think that the conflict has been resolved for the time being. In a way, she has left a handle that you can use against her in the future. From now on, you¡¯ll just have to find another way to stoke her unease and let her know that you¡¯re no longer within her sphere of control.¡± ¡°How do I do that?¡± Li Xiaoxing dived right down to the real question. ¡°You¡¯re from a distinguished background. Your family must have been pushing quite a few marriage candidates on you, right?¡± Ji Fanyin casually rested her head on her arm. ¡°Why don¡¯t you try meeting some of them?¡± ¡°¡­ To provoke her?¡± ¡°Yes, but there¡¯s a way to go about it,¡± replied Ji Fanyin. ¡°There¡¯s no need to rush things now. For the time being, we can let her think that her tricks are working.¡± ¡°So, act normally?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. You can interact with her in the way you usually do,¡± said Ji Fanyin with a smile. ¡°She¡¯ll be reminded of her promise to consider you whenever she thinks of you. I reckon that it¡¯ll bug her for quite a while.¡± Balance was important when it came to pursuing a woman. It would rarely end well to go full aggressive. ¡°I¡¯ll try my best,¡± replied Li Xiaoxing. Hanging up the call, Ji Fanyin spent a short moment contemplating the deeper meaning behind the words, ¡®I¡¯ll try my best¡¯. I guess that Li Xiaoxing is getting a little drunk now that the tables are turned and Ji Xinxin is the one who¡¯s anxious to fawn on him. Ji Fanyin felt like she was playing a game of chess here, using Li Xiaoxing as her piece against Ji Xinxin. Should Ji Xinxin choose to become lovers with Li Xiaoxing, it would spell the end of her fishery. If so, Ji Fanyin should be able to reap one last huge harvest from her fishery behind her back. To be frank, Ji Fanyin was quite curious to know how Ji Xinxin would deal with this crisis. ¡­ On the third day of Ji Fanyin¡¯s break, she received a call from Ji Xinxin. Ji Xinxin spoke with her usual cheery voice, ¡°Big sis, a huge coincidence happened earlier on. I met a junior who mistook me for you. He seems to be very close with you, and he shared a lot of your affairs with me. Is he a friend you made recently?¡± Ji Fanyin lazily flopped over on her sofa and put her remote control down on the table. Then, she sighed in exasperation. Haaa, it¡¯s this kind of petty trick again. Chapter 46.1: Stay Back (1) (Rewinding time a day back for Ji Xinxin¡¯s point of view~) Ji Xinxin had decided to place Li Xiaoxing on her observation list for the time being. She was confident that her little skit had tightened her leash on Li Xiaoxing. She had even gone to the extent of bringing Li Xiaoxing to places of their past memories, so there was no way the latter wouldn¡¯t have been moved. After Li Xiaoxing returned to the company, Ji Xinxin used the pretext of not wanting to disturb him to take her leave. That very afternoon, she accompanied Song Shiyu to an art exhibition. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to remember that I¡¯m fond of this painter,¡± said Ji Xinxin delightfully. ¡°I heard that he was holding an exhibition, and I was going to find time for it. Your invitation really came at the right moment.¡± Song Shiyu opened the door for her as he said, ¡°It¡¯s already been up for nearly a week now. It¡¯d have already ended if you had come any later. Shouldn¡¯t you thank me for that?¡± ¡°Heh! If I couldn¡¯t make it in time for this exhibition, I¡¯d chase him all the way to his next exhibition,¡± replied Ji Xinxin with a chuckle as she walked into the gallery. The comfortable atmosphere made her exhale happily. She was quite familiar with this artist, and she had seen many of his works on the internet. She had looked up information on this exhibition before coming on this date with Song Shiyu. The two of them slowly walked around the gallery while appraising the artworks one by one. At the end of which, Ji Xinxin remarked doubtfully, ¡°I remember that his famed work, ¡®Average¡¯, is on display for this exhibition, but I can¡¯t find it anywhere. Did something happen?¡± ¡°Do you like that painting?¡± asked Song Shiyu. ¡°Yeah, I have my eyes set on it. I heard the original is much smaller though, so I¡¯ll have to see it in person to decide.¡± Ji Xinxin crossed her arms and thought about it for a moment. She still felt bothered by its absence, so she decided to ask one of the staff members about it. ¡°Excuse me.¡± The formally dressed staff member bowed deeply and greeted the two of them, ¡°Mister Song, Miss Ji.¡± ¡°Is ¡®Average¡¯ not on display today? I remember seeing it on the promotion brochure,¡± asked Ji Xinxin politely. Right after she asked that question, she noticed the staff member revealing a surprised look before turning to look at Song Shiyu. He¡¯s surprised? Is there something wrong with my question? ¡°It might have already been bought by someone else,¡± remarked Song Shiyu with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s common for artworks to be sold during such public exhibitions.¡± The staff member nodded in agreement. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sorry to inform you that someone else has already purchased the painting.¡± Ji Xinxin sighed regretfully. ¡°What a pity. I was hoping to have a close look at it. I heard that its colors are much more vibrant up close.¡± ¡°¡­ Why don¡¯t I buy another painting for you?¡± consoled Song Shiyu. ¡°Is there anything else here that has caught your eye?¡± ¡°The one I want the most isn¡¯t here anymore,¡± Ji Xinxin bemoaned. ¡°It looks like I¡¯ll just have to find the painting for you then,¡± said Song Shiyu half-jokingly. Ji Xinxin turned to look at the gentlemanly Song Shiyu and chuckled in response to his remark. ¡°You said it yourself. It¡¯s a promise. I¡¯ll be looking forward to it then.¡± Song Shiyu smacked his forehead and burst into laughter. ¡°I¡¯ll try my best.¡± There¡¯s nothing wrong with his response. Ji Xinxin eyed the staff member with her peripheral vision. The staff member had already turned his head away, but she couldn¡¯t help but feel bothered by his response. She didn¡¯t think that she had asked a weird question, but the way he had reacted was extremely off. ¡°Now that we¡¯re done looking around the exhibition, shall we grab dinner together?¡± Song Shiyu took a look at his watch and asked. ¡°Are you hungry yet?¡± Ji Xinxin snapped out of her daze. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m getting hungry. You said last time that you would treat me to that authentic Western restaurant. Why don¡¯t we head there today?¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go with that.¡± Ji Xinxin was still feeling troubled over the incident in the gallery that she subconsciously ordered seafood soup. It was only when the seafood soup was served with clams inside that she realized that she had made a mistake here. She hurriedly scooped the clams into her own bowl and apologized, ¡°Sorry, Shiyu. My thoughts wandered for a moment there. I forgot that you don¡¯t eat shellfish.¡± I made a mistake here, but Song Shiyu wouldn¡¯t mind since I realized it the moment it was served. Such were Ji Xinxin¡¯s thoughts, but she noticed that Song Shiyu¡¯s response was a little odd. He had been paying focus to her movements all this while, but his expression suddenly stiffened at her apology. It looked as if¡­ he had woken from a dream. Shortly after, Song Shiyu apologized smilingly too, ¡°It¡¯s fine. I got distracted for a moment there too. Too much work recently.¡± ¡°Ah, it looks like we¡¯re equal then!¡± Ji Xinxin pushed the seafood soup to the middle of the table with a chuckle. ¡°You should be fine with it once I get all of the clams out, right?¡± Song Shiyu looked at her with a gentle smile. ¡°¡­ Mm. Thanks.¡± Chapter 46.2: Stay Back (2) Ji Xinxin was going to participate in Lakeside University¡¯s event the following day after meeting Song Shiyu, so she decided to take the opportunity to ask Bai Zhou out. Bai Zhou refused to admit it, but he was incapable of concealing the anticipation in his voice. His behavior had been a little weird recently, but Ji Xinxin wasn¡¯t too worried about him. She figured that he was just in a low mood due to his previous confrontation with his father¡¯s mistress and illegitimate son, and that he should bounce back soon enough. That being said, there was still a need for her to maintain her relationship with Bai Zhou. He was the sole successor of the ultrawealthy Bai Family, after all. I wonder if his parents¡¯ illegitimate children would affect his inheritance rights. If so, I¡¯d have to drop his priority level. Ji Xinxin began revising the ranking list of her suitors on the way to Lakeside University. It didn¡¯t take her long to reach her destination. She got off the cab and made her way into her alma mater. Before she could meet Bai Zhou, she encountered a tall man. This man was walking down the pathway alone with a stack of books in his arm. There was a cold, emotionless look on his face as he stared at the phone in his hand intently. With a swift glance at his dress-up, Ji Xinxin could tell that he was from an affluent family. There aren¡¯t any couple-related accessories on him. Is he single? Had it been a year ago, there was no way Ji Xinxin would let go of such quality goods. It was just that she was going to meet the ¡®vinegar vat¡¯ Bai Zhou today, so it wouldn¡¯t be apt for her to chat up other guys. Ji Xinxin regrettably gave up on the notion and was just about to pass that man by when the latter suddenly stowed away his phone and raised his head. Their eyes happened to meet that instant. It was hard to describe the instantaneous change in that man¡¯s expression. In a mere moment, his cold hard facial features melted into a radiant smile, reminiscent of a warm sun shining right into one¡¯s heart in the middle of winter. The sheer feeling of joy he emanated was so pure that it was contagious. ¡°Big sis?¡± That man called out. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you¡¯re on a break and aren¡¯t going to leave your house? What brings you here?¡± ¡­ He got the wrong person. He probably mistook me for Ji Fanyin. As such a thought flashed past Ji Xinxin¡¯s mind, she adeptly put on a sweet smile and said, ¡°Excuse¡­¡± Before she could even put out a second word, that man¡¯s smile had already faded into a frown. ¡°¡­ My bad, I seem to have gotten the wrong person. You¡¯re Ji Xinxin?¡± Even for someone as mentally resilient as Ji Xinxin, it felt utterly terrible to be shoved with a cold face right after such a radiant smile. It took her a while to soothe the stifled sensation in her chest before replying, ¡°Yes, I am. You¡¯re acquainted with my big sis?¡± ¡­ He was able to tell us apart? This works too. I can at least sound him out. After all, Ji Fanyin has yet to answer my question about her new friend. ¡°¡­ Yes, nice to meet you.¡± By this point, that man had already completely reined in his smile, reverting back to the cold hunk she had seen at the very start. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for mistaking you for someone else.¡± He took a step to the side as he said those words, seemingly intending to end the conversation there and take his leave. Of course, Ji Xinxin had no intention of letting him go that easily. She casually tilted her body slightly to block him. ¡°You must be a friend of my big sis. I¡¯ve talked to my big sis over the phone so many times, but she has never mentioned you before.¡± ¡°¡­¡± That man looked at her impassively. He had a stature so tall that he had to slightly crane his neck in order to look at Ji Xinxin. His towering height paired with his icy face gave him an imposing appearance, making it hard for anyone to approach him. But Ji Xinxin was the master who took down the haughty Bai Zhou. There was no way she could be intimidated that easily. She ignored the man¡¯s unwelcoming demeanor and proceeded to ask him a question, ¡°I¡¯m Ji Xinxin. Ah! You already know that. What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°¡­ Chen Yunsheng.¡± ¡°How do you know my big sis?¡± Ji Xinxin placed her hands behind her back and subtly inclined her body toward him. Chen Yunsheng immediately took a huge step backward, and his expression became even colder than before. ¡°Stay back.¡± Ji Xinxin: ¡°¡­¡± It¡¯s not my first time seeing this type. He just acts prim and proper at the start. Men are visual creatures. Those who are attracted to Ji Fanyin are bound to be attracted to me too. The two of them were identical twins. Even if Ji Fanyin started dolling herself up, Ji Xinxin was still confident that she would be able to outdo her older sister with her bubbly personality. ¡°Don¡¯t you like my big sis?¡± Ji Xinxin placed her hand over her mouth and chuckled mischievously. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be trying to get in my good books then? You should know that I am very close to my big sis. Who knows? I might just lend you a helping hand.¡± Ji Xinxin thought that she had found a good pretext for Chen Yunsheng to engage her in a conversation. It was the perfect excuse. As long as she worked on it a little, it shouldn¡¯t be too hard for her to get some information on Ji Fanyin from him. That¡¯s how young men are like. They easily lose themselves when they come into close contact with a beautiful woman for a prolonged period of time¡­ Chen Yunsheng impassively rejected her, ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡± ¡°¡­¡± It took Ji Xinxin a second before Chen Yunsheng¡¯s rejection finally sank in. In that single second, Chen Yunsheng had already stridden past her without a second thought. ¡°What a coincidence, your big sis has never told me anything about you either. It looks like the two of you aren¡¯t that close after all.¡± He left those words behind. Left behind, Ji Xinxin quietly took a deep breath and slowly exhaled it out. She made sure to imprint the name ¡®Chen Yunsheng¡¯ in her mind. It¡¯s one thing for him to be Ji Fanyin¡¯s suitor, but how dare he speak so arrogantly in front of me¡­! ¡°Big sis?¡± Bai Zhou¡¯s voice sounded. Ji Xinxin snapped out of her thoughts and raised her head. Bai Zhou came into her line of sight. She smiled apologetically and said, ¡°I was talking to someone else earlier¡­ His name is Chen Yunsheng, and he seems to be acquainted with my big sis. Do you know him?¡± ¡°Chen Yunsheng?¡± Bai Zhou repeated that name before shaking his head nonchalantly. ¡°Don¡¯t know him.¡± ¡°He mistook me for my big sis.¡± Ji Xinxin gestured in the direction where Chen Yunsheng departed. ¡°He called me ¡®big sis¡¯ too when he approached me earlier. It really surprised me. What a coincidence, right?¡± Bai Zhou suddenly fell silent. ¡°Zhouzhou?¡± Ji Xinxin called him doubtfully. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did you remember something?¡± ¡°¡­ What did you say his name is again?¡± Ji Xinxin frowned. ¡°He said that he¡¯s Chen Yunsheng.¡± Bai Zhou clenched his jaws. ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll help you find out who that Chen fellow is.¡± Chapter 47.1: Another Ji Fanyin Is Here (1) Quick Recap: On the third day of Ji Fanyin¡¯s break, she received a call from Ji Xinxin. Ji Xinxin spoke with her usual cheery voice, ¡°Big sis, a huge coincidence happened earlier on. I met a junior who mistook me for you. He seems to be very close with you, and he shared a lot of your affairs with me. Is he a friend you made recently?¡± Ji Fanyin lazily flopped over on her sofa and put her remote control down on the table. Then, she sighed in exasperation. Haaa, it¡¯s this kind of petty trick again.) --- ¡°Big sis?¡± Ji Xinxin asked. ¡°What¡¯s with that sigh? Did I say something wrong?¡± ¡°Nah. Haven¡¯t you already heard everything you want to know from him?¡± Ji Fanyin leisurely went along with Ji Xinxin. ¡°But there¡¯s no guarantee what he said is true,¡± replied Ji Xinxin coyly. ¡°I¡¯ve always told you to make some friends, but you¡¯d never listen to me. Yet, in the months I was away in Paris, you made yourself a new friend. How could I possibly not be curious about it?¡± Ji Fanyin replied nonchalantly, ¡°Then you should have asked him more. Get him to tell you more about me.¡± ¡°Big sis, you¡¯re saying such words again!¡± Ji Xinxin pouted in dissatisfaction. ¡°You haven¡¯t even met me once ever since I came back to the country. Dad and mum said that you haven¡¯t come back home for a long time now. Are you avoiding me too?¡± ¡°Do you need something from me?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t I meet you just to catch up?¡± retorted Ji Xinxin. ¡°Where are you living now? I¡¯ll bring some food over to your place. You won¡¯t even need to walk out of your apartment. That should do, right?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t. I¡¯m on my break.¡± Ji Fanyin heartlessly turned down Ji Xinxin¡¯s offer. ¡°Besides, don¡¯t you have lots of things to do over these two weeks?¡± While it was a last-minute choice for Ji Xinxin to return to the country, there were mountains of things for her to do here. Two weeks might not even be enough for her. Besides, Ji Fanyin had no intention of exposing her address. She had a strong feeling that Ji Xinxin would ¡®accidentally¡¯ expose the address to others, like Father Ji and Mother Ji. Ji Xinxin sighed softly over the phone and said, ¡°Big sis¡­ It¡¯s good that you¡¯re breaking out of your shell, but you should be careful with whom you befriend. Chen Yunsheng is too young, and he doesn¡¯t look like the type of person who opens up to others easily. If you get too close to him and get hurt once more¡­¡± She suddenly paused at this point, seemingly unable to speak any further. Ji Fanyin fumbled around the sofa in search of her phone charging wire. ¡°That won¡¯t happen. I¡¯ll sever my ties with him the moment he tries to pull anything.¡± Bad women will never get hurt! ¡°Big sis¡­¡± Ji Xinxin still wanted to say something about the matter, but Ji Fanyin couldn¡¯t be bothered to continue talking to her anymore. Having finally found her phone charging wire, she quickly bade Ji Xinxin goodbye, saying, ¡°My phone is running out of charge. See ya.¡± Her phone was still at 90% when she hung up the phone. Ji Fanyin had been thinking about Ji Xinxin¡¯s motive from the moment the latter chose to keep Song Shiyu on her reel despite learning that her older sister was fond of him. She was able to come up with several deductions from the things Ji Xinxin said and did, but the concluding evidence was still Li Xiaoxing¡¯s testimony. It looks like Ji Xinxin tried to make a move upon learning about Chen Yunsheng. I really wonder why a pair of twins would end up in such a state. Did they have a huge argument with each other or something in the past? Ji Fanyin did receive ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯s¡¯ memories upon transmigrating over, but the latter¡¯s life was so frustrating and unrelatable to her that she didn¡¯t want to look through them. Only in times of absolute need or a familiar scene had triggered a memory would she sieve through them. It was similar to how a reader who was into strong protagonists wouldn¡¯t even bother with a tragic melodrama when browsing for books. Besides, Ji Xinxin was no longer of importance to her anymore. Ji Fanyin had already managed to accrue sufficient starting capital. Even if she ended her stand-in business right now, she would still have plenty of other avenues to earn money from. She also had the screenwriting studio she founded with He Shen and Zhang Ning. With those two powerhouses holding the fort, she didn¡¯t need to worry about finding partnerships or getting blacklisted by others in the entertainment industry. There was no denying that her stand-in job was able to rake in money fast, but over the past few months, its position had already dropped from the ¡®best option¡¯ to a ¡®better option¡¯. It would be good if she could sustain it, but otherwise, there were also many other opportunities that she could devote her time to. There was nothing to fear even if she were to fall out with Ji Xinxin right now, so she couldn¡¯t be bothered wasting time with her. Chapter 47.2: Another Ji Fanyin Is Here (2) While thinking about this complicated sisterly relationship, Ji Fanyin checked on the other messages on her phone. Chen Yunsheng had sent her a message last night, nervously asking her: ¡¾Big sis, I met your younger sister at school earlier¡­ Are you close with her?¡¿ Ji Fanyin replied: ¡¾We aren¡¯t close. I heard that the two of you chatted for quite a bit?¡¿ Chen Yunsheng immediately sent over a ¡®struck by a bolt of lightning¡¯ emoji, followed by an explanation: ¡¾That¡¯s a false accusation, big sis! I only said seven sentences to her!¡¿ Ji Fanyin was amused by his response: ¡¾You even kept count?¡¿ Chen Yunsheng¡¯s reply arrived quickly: ¡¾I kept thinking about it after I got home. I was worried that I might have said something wrong. I heard that she was the previous campus belle, but when I saw her in person¡­ She¡¯s really quite different from you, big sis¡¿ Ji Fanyin:¡¾We look alike, don¡¯t we? You wouldn¡¯t have gotten us wrong otherwise¡¿ Chen Yunsheng anxiously defended himself. ¡¾At first glance, yeah. But big sis, the way you smile is completely different from hers!¡¿¡¾Big sis, don¡¯t misunderstand. I admit that I got it wrong at the start, but I knew that she wasn¡¯t you the moment she smiled!¡¿ Ji Fanyin thought about her usual Ji Xinxin act. Our personalities are completely different, so there¡¯s bound to be a difference in our demeanor. She thought that it was exhausting to maintain Ji Xinxin¡¯s smile during working hours, but it seemed like Ji Xinxin had already gotten used to it. Chen Yunsheng hesitated for a while before sending the following few messages. ¡¾Besides, she¡­¡¿¡¾She seems to be quite interested in your affairs, big sis. She kept trying to ask me, but at the same time¡­¡¿ Sensing the hesitation from Chen Yunsheng¡¯s words, Ji Fanyin decided to send a voice message over, ¡°So, what kind of crucial information did you tell her in those seven sentences?¡± Chen Yunsheng nervously responded:¡¾My cousin would always tell me about the fights between women¡­ You know, green tea and white lotus, those sorts of things. She¡¯s fond of reading novels, so I grew up listening to those¡¿ Ji Fanyin understood what he was driving at. Chen Yunsheng was an unexpected master at bitch detection. Ji Xinxin¡¯s tier was so low that she couldn¡¯t even last seven sentences with him. How lamentable. ¡¾She even got a senior to get my contact details afterward. That senior told me all about it¡¿¡¾I didn¡¯t add her!¡¿ But Ji Fanyin wasn¡¯t bothered by this at all:¡¾It doesn¡¯t matter even if you added her. It¡¯s up to you¡¿ Chen Yunsheng exclaimed adamantly:¡¾I won¡¯t add her!¡¿ He followed that up with a gif: that_is_a_trick_question.jpg Ji Fanyin sent him a ¡®good luck¡¯ emoji in response. She had a feeling that Ji Xinxin wouldn¡¯t give up that easily. ------ Discord || Twitter || Advanced Chapter for Patreon Supporters---Mission 2: 15 unique comments on a single chapterReward: 1 bonus chapterMission 3: 30 reviews on NovelupdatesReward: 1 bonus chapter--- Chapter 47.3: Another Ji Fanyin Is Here (3) Ji Xinxin was irritated by Chen Yunsheng¡¯s cold attitude. Even after she got one of his seniors in the basketball club to mediate on her behalf, Chen Yunsheng still refused to contact her. He even rejected the friend request she sent to him through WeChat. It was not like Ji Xinxin had never encountered such a situation before, but those were usually men who were already attached. It¡¯s just a matter of time. There¡¯s no man whom I can¡¯t bring down. However, her greatest concern at the moment wasn¡¯t Chen Yunsheng but whom she should spend Christmas with. She had far too many invitations on hand. She had already rejected the not-so-important ones, leaving behind a few prime candidates. It was impossible for her to divide herself into clones. Even if she split her day into segments, she would only be able to meet two to three of them at best. After a moment of hesitation, Ji Xinxin came up with the most reasonable schedule she could think of: I¡¯ll reserve the night for Li Xiaoxing, morning for Bai Zhou, and the eve for Song Shiyu. She had her own considerations for setting up the schedule in such a manner. There was just one more person whom she had to deal with¡ªCen Xiangyang. Ever since she returned to the country, the two of them had only talked to each other on the phone once. Cen Xiangyang mysteriously told her that he had important news for her, and that she would regret it if she didn¡¯t hear it. On the morning of Christmas Eve, Ji Xinxin paid a visit to Cen Xiangyang¡¯s filming set. The World Studio was filled with many crews rushing their filming even in the midst of winter. Following the directions Cen Xiangyang had provided to her, Ji Xinxin found herself passing by yet another active filming crew. Upon seeing her, one of the male actors hesitantly stepped forward and greeted her, ¡°Miss Ji, good morning.¡± Ji Xinxin had never met this young man before, but she could easily guess that he was an actor from his decent looks and dress-up. She put on a smile and returned the greeting, ¡°Good morning.¡± ¡°Are you here to visit?¡± The actor glanced at her empty hands doubtfully. ¡°Aren¡¯t you currently on break?¡± ¡°I have some business at the neighboring set,¡± replied Ji Xinxin with a smile. She had no intention of clarifying the misunderstanding. ¡°How has it been going over here?¡± The actor replied without any reservations, ¡°The screenplay you wrote is incredible. The filming has been proceeding smoothly. Our director said that we¡¯re 25% ahead of our intended schedule.¡± ¡°Is that so? That¡¯s great.¡± Ji Xinxin paused for a moment before continuing with a smile, ¡°I have an appointment today, so I¡¯ll be heading off first. I¡¯ll drop by when I¡¯m free next time. I hope that I¡¯m not disturbing you here.¡± ¡°Of course not! Your studio invested in our film, so you¡¯re more than welcome to visit our crew anytime you want to!¡± the actor replied courteously. He then added with a hushed voice, ¡°About that WeChat incident back then¡­ I¡¯d like to apologize to you in person. Please don¡¯t take it to heart.¡± However, Ji Xinxin was too caught up with his previous words to hear his apology. He said that ¡®your studio has invested in our film¡¯¡­ Ji Fanyin has a studio? And she¡¯s writing the screenplay but not acting in it? ¡°Mm, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve already forgotten about it,¡± replied Ji Xinxin distractedly. She glanced at her watch and hurriedly found an excuse to take her leave. ¡°It looks like I¡¯m running short on time. I¡¯ll be heading off first. Good luck with the filming.¡± She quickly bade the actor goodbye and rushed off. That actor¡¯s attitude was so respectful that it made her feel incredibly uncomfortable. She held her discomfort in until a bend by the corner. Only after ensuring that the actor could no longer see her did she lean against the wall and let out a deep breath. Her mind was filled with the words of that actor. The implied meaning behind what he had said was so huge that it drove her into a fluster. Ji Fanyin has stepped into the entertainment industry. She¡¯s taking on a behind-the-scenes role, but for her script to start filming within a short span of several months¡­ That¡¯s definitely not what an outsider of the industry could pull off. Furthermore, where did she find the money to establish her own studio, let alone to invest in a movie? This doesn¡¯t make sense at all! Unless¡­ she isn¡¯t that big sister of mine from whom I¡¯ve slowly squeezed the confidence out of. Unless she¡¯s someone else. Ji Xinxin wrapped her arms tightly around her body, and she couldn¡¯t stop herself from trembling. It¡¯s another Ji Fanyin¡­ That other Ji Fanyin must have come over!, Ji Xinxin thought. That woman I occasionally met in my dreams when I was younger, that woman who shared an identical name with my older twin sister¡­ Could it really be¡­? --- Starve¡¯s Chinese Terminology Remedial Class World Studios refer to Hengdian World Studios, which is commonly referred to in Chinese as ¡®film city¡¯ or ¡®movie city¡¯. It¡¯s the place where over 1200 dramas and movies have been filmed, including live-action Mulan. It¡¯s basically the go-to place especially for ancient historical dramas, making it the hub of film sets in China. It¡¯s rated an AAAAA scenic spot. Chapter 48.1: Not a Date (1) The younger sister is smart too, but she seems a little lacking compared to the older sister¡­ Such was the evaluation Ji Xinxin often heard from others in her childhood. Ji Xinxin wasn¡¯t a slow learner. On the contrary, she was actually smarter and more mature than her peers. She would have easily been the pride of any family, if not for the fact that her older sister was a true prodigy. Her child mind couldn¡¯t comprehend why she was unable to keep up with her older sister¡¯s footsteps, no matter how hard she worked. Weren¡¯t they supposed to be twins? While Ji Xinxin was trying her best to get first place in school, Ji Fanyin had already clinched a tier-1 prize from Hua Luogeng¡¯s Golden Cup. While Ji Xinxin was desperately revising Olympiad questions, Ji Fanyin had already claimed its golden trophy. While Ji Xinxin was revising educational material three years ahead of her peers, Ji Fanyin had already finished a bunch of university textbooks that were now piled up by the corner of her room. She was even able to help their undergraduate neighbors with their assignments! While Ji Xinxin had just started learning about Picasso and Beethoven, Ji Fanyin was already making robots that could play any music sheet in the world. Everyone always had their eyes focused on Ji Fanyin. Their compliments were always reserved for her. It was almost as if everything good in the world belonged to her. Even their names were so different. Fanyin (Vivace), Xinxin (Joyful). No matter how hard their parents tried to explain that they had taken their names from the ancient poem¡ª¡¯the five notes resonate in a harmonious vivace, joyfully wishing the emperor good health¡¯¡ªshe was still unable to curb her feelings of jealousy. As Ji Xinxin slowly grew older and her attempts to chase after her older sister¡¯s footsteps always ended in failure, she began to realize one thing. No matter how accomplished she was compared to her peers, as long as Ji Fanyin existed, she could never become the center of attention. There was no way she could ever catch up with her older sister. Never. This despair drove Ji Xinxin into illness. It was just an ordinary cold at the start, but she made a huge fuss and screamed that she was in excruciating pain. Their parents anxiously sent her to the hospital to conduct a full body check-up, but of course, they were unable to find anything wrong with her. That very moment, their hearts were with her and her only. They were so worried about her that they even stayed overnight at the hospital. It was a night of just Ji Xinxin and no Ji Fanyin. That was her moment of realization. I don¡¯t need to be more outstanding than my older sister to make everyone see me. It could have been karma arising from her pretense, but she really fell severely ill shortly after, to the point where she became delirious. In her dreams, she saw herself becoming no more than an accompanying shadow living under her older sister¡¯s towering success. At the same time, she also saw a woman whose name was also ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ but was living a life completely different from theirs. That ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ had an incredibly beautiful appearance. She had no lack of money, and she was revered by everyone around her. Countless people would willingly become slaves under her skirt at her command. That was how loved she was. Even when Ji Xinxin finally awoke from her dreams, she still couldn¡¯t forget about the other ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯. So, she started copying her actions and behaviors. One step at a time, she slowly found her own path and finally became someone who was more eye-catching than her twin sister. But even so, there were still two things which Ji Xinxin dared not to let her guard down on. One was her older twin sister, Ji Fanyin. She knew that Ji Fanyin would soar like a phoenix as soon as she regained her confidence, so she was constantly keeping an eye on her. The other was the ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ she saw in her dream. It was out of deep admiration for the other ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ that convinced her to copy the latter¡¯s actions and behaviors, and she eventually became the current her. But at the same time, she also feared ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯, who had unwittingly imparted to her all of her current skills. Ji Xinxin had looked it up on the internet several times over the years, and there was no film empress going by the name of ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯. There was no such person during her childhood days, and that remained the case even after she graduated from university. Maybe it¡¯s just a dream. Maybe it¡¯s a revelation from heaven upon hearing my wish. ¡­ Ji Xinxin was ready to accept it as such, but the two Ji Fanyins suddenly converged into the same person. TL Note: Fanyin (Vivace) has a more sophisticated tone to it whereas Xinxin (Joyful) sounds a little perfunctory for a name. The Chinese value the significance of their name quite a bit Chapter 48.2: Not a Date (2) (Transitioning back to the World Studio, where Ji Xinxin has just left the set after being informed that Ji Fanyin is a co-founder of a studio and her script is in the midst of being filmed) Ji Xinxin¡¯s body slowly slid down the wall and slumped onto the ground, curling into a ball. Her mind was in utter chaos, as if someone had mashed it all up. It took her a while before she gradually regained her rationality. It¡¯s too late for regrets. It wouldn¡¯t make a difference at this point. I should think of a way to deal with the situation instead while ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ is still unaware that her cover is already blown. Ji Xinxin massaged her temples before slowly rising back to her feet. She took out her phone and checked it. There was a notification informing her of an unanswered call from Cen Xiangyang. Swiping off the notification, she tapped into her WeChat and sent Cen Xiangyang a message telling him that she suddenly had urgent business to attend to and couldn¡¯t meet him anymore. Despite her pale complexion, the message she crafted looked adorable and innocent. It would have been hard for anyone to hold a grudge against her. After sending out the message, Ji Xinxin put away her phone and began making her way out of the World Studio. Before I go on my three dates on Christmas, I need to confirm the situation with Ji Fanyin first. Ji Xinxin hailed a cab and returned home. When she walked into the Ji Residence, her face looked so dispirited that it alarmed Father Ji and Mother Ji. They anxiously asked, ¡°Xinxin, what¡¯s wrong? Who bullied you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Ji Xinxin tried to pull herself together and smiled. ¡°¡­ Do you know where big sis is living?¡± ¡°How are we supposed to know where she lives? She doesn¡¯t even pick up calls from us anymore!¡± grumbled Mother Ji angrily. ¡° Aren¡¯t you in contact with your big sis? You can ask her yourself.¡± ¡°Mm¡­¡± Ji Xinxin¡¯s eyes drooped a little. ¡°I¡¯ll ask big sis then.¡± She headed back to her room, picked up her phone, and tapped into Ji Fanyin¡¯s contact. Her finger was already floating above the ¡®Call¡¯ button, but she wasn¡¯t able to find the courage to press it. If¡­ If she¡¯s really the other Ji Fanyin, wouldn¡¯t everything I¡¯m doing look no more than child¡¯s play in front of her? Such thoughts grew stronger and stronger in Ji Xinxin¡¯s mind, crescendoing in her ears. Taking in a deep breath, she picked up her phone with a maddened look on her face and smashed it on the wall, producing a loud ¡®bam¡¯ sound. But that wasn¡¯t enough to placate Ji XInxin¡¯s anger. She angrily hammered down on her pillow for a long time before a sliver of rationality finally pulled her back. Calm down. I have to calm down. Even if she¡¯s the ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ from my dreams, she wouldn¡¯t know that I¡¯ve seen her in my dreams. This is¡­ the leverage I have over her. ¡­ On the day of Christmas Eve, Ji Fanyin decided to prepare a feast for herself. She put on a thick layer of clothing, cotton socks, and a pair of snow boots in preparation for the journey to the closest supermarket to buy some ingredients, fruits, and wine. Ah, I need to restock on the holy elixir of shut-ins too, cola. I should also catch that new movie that¡¯s hitting the theaters today, Ji Fanyin thought joyfully to herself. But the moment she opened her door, she was welcomed by a cold draft. ¡°¡­¡± She headed back in and grabbed a cashmere scarf, which she used to cover an entire half of her face. ¡°Winter sure is terrifying,¡± murmured Ji Fanyin under her breath as she left her house with yesterday¡¯s trash. There was a shopping mall located within walking distance from Ji Fanyin¡¯s home. The movie theater was located on the highest level, and there was a Hema Supermarket in the basement. That was all she asked for in a shopping mall. After catching her movie, she made her way toward the lift lobby, so as to travel down to the basement floor. Yet, when the lift finally arrived and the doors opened, she found herself coming face to face with Ji Xinxin and Song Shiyu. Chapter 48.3: Not a Date (3) The moment the three of them made eye contact, the atmosphere became incredibly bizarre. Song Shiyu instinctively averted his face. Ji Fanyin thought that Ji Xinxin would be paying close heed to his reaction since there was a lot of information to be gleaned from it, but to her surprise, Ji Xinxin¡¯s reaction was even bigger. She took a step back with a frightened look on her face. Ji Fanyin patiently waited several seconds with a cup of hot cocoa in her hand, but the two of them showed no inclination to move at all. So, she asked, ¡°Are the two of you not coming out? I¡¯m taking the elevator down.¡± Those words snapped Song Shiyu out of his daze. He coughed lightly and began making his way out of the elevator. It was also only then that he belatedly noticed Ji Xinxin¡¯s peculiar state. ¡°Xinxin?¡± ¡°B-big sis,¡± Ji Xinxin greeted Ji Fanyin in a meek voice. She shuffled her way out of the lift while trying to stay as far away from Ji Fanyin as possible. Ji Fanyin replied with a casual ¡°Mm¡±. She entered the lift, pressed the B1 button, and waved them goodbye. ¡°I wish you two an enjoyable date.¡± Till the lift doors finally closed shut, the two of them had their eyes firmly drawn to her like opposite poles of a magnet. Ji Fanyin took a sip of her sweet hot cocoa as her thoughts began to wander. Did Ji Xinxin screw up that quickly? No, that shouldn¡¯t be possible. I mean, she came back to conduct a routine maintenance check on her local fishery. But why does it feel like things are only getting worse with her fixing? It was intriguing, but she wasn¡¯t too concerned since it was none of her business. When the lift doors opened once more, she exiled Song Shiyu and Ji Xinxin out of her mind and began on her delightful shopping spree in Hema Supermarket. Given her current financial status, she could afford to buy entire shelves of goods without batting an eyelid. Many thanks to my rich and gullible clients, as well as Ji Xinxin¡¯s ceaseless diligence on the fishery. ¡°With their generous contribution toward my financial freedom, the least I can do is to wish them a pleasant date,¡± mumbled Ji Fanyin to herself, as she happily threw a box of chocolate balls into her shopping cart. Her phone suddenly vibrated. She took it out and saw that she had just received two messages from Song Shiyu. First message:¡¾It isn¡¯t a date¡¿Second message:¡¾Let¡¯s meet tomorrow night. Two hours¡¿ Ji Fanyin couldn¡¯t resist the urge to gaze at the ceiling above her. Isn¡¯t Song Shiyu in the midst of a movie date with his goddess several floors above? She lazily replied:¡¾I¡¯m on my break¡¿ Song Shiyu¡¯s reply came swiftly:¡¾Tenfold¡¿ Ji Fanyin gave it some thought. I can only think of one reason why Song Shiyu is in such a rush to meet me¡­ Is it the painting he gave me? Is he intending on buying it back for Ji Xinxin? Well, that doesn¡¯t sound like a bad idea. I can even hike up the price and squeeze more out of him. Not to mention, I¡¯ll be receiving a salary of 2,000,000 dollars too. Ji Fanyin rested her arms on her shopping cart as she merrily typed out a response:¡¾Sure. Time and location?¡¿ Song Shiyu replied:¡¾Six in the evening. My house¡¿ A second later, she received a notification informing her that 2,000,000 dollars had made its way into her bank account. Ji Fanyin stared at her phone in deep thought. ¡­ Does he intend to have dinner with me at his house? Does he even know how to cook? Whatever. I¡¯ll just bring a pepper spray just in case. Ah, the painting too. It¡¯ll be better if we could settle the transaction on the spot. Ji Fanyin hummed a joyous melody as she tossed a box of pork collar bone into her shopping cart. Her client was going to buy back the painting he gave her at an even higher price. What could be happier in life than free money generating more free money? ¡­ While Song Shiyu was putting away his phone, he noticed that Ji Xinxin¡¯s eyes were on him. It wasn¡¯t too surprising since his phone screen remained jarringly bright in the dark movie theater even after he set the brightness level to the lowest. ¡°Urgent news from work,¡± whispered Song Shiyu. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve settled it.¡± As those words came out of his mouth, he realized that his excuse wasn¡¯t appropriate. He had brought up work far too many times during their meetings. Ji Xinxin was bound to get suspicious. However, Ji Xinxin merely flashed him a gentle smile and replied distractedly, ¡°Mm, let¡¯s continue watching the movie.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Song Shiyu heaved a sigh of relief. ------ Discord || Twitter || Advanced Chapter for Patreon Supporters---Mission 2: 15 unique comments on a single chapterReward: 1 bonus chapter---Lucky Draw!I''m having a Discord giveaway for free access to advanced chapters!Just join my Discord server, head to #announcements, and react to my post! There''ll be three winners selected randomly!The lucky draw will be up till 20 August~ Chapter 49.1: What Do You Think? (1) Ji Xinxin remembered telling Bai Zhou that she had learned to cook some French cuisine. As she was only able to spend the morning with him on Christmas, she proposed cooking for him at his house to make it up to him. She bought her groceries and made her way to Bai Zhou¡¯s house with huge bags in hand. A caretaker at the lift lobby spotted her and quickly walked over. ¡°Here, I¡¯ll help you.¡± The caretaker took half of her bags with a smile. Ji Xinxin directed a nod at the caretaker and courteously thanked him. The caretaker appeared to know her quite well. ¡°You¡¯ve brought so many things over again. Shopping for all these ingredients must have been quite troublesome.¡± Ji Xinxin froze up. Again? She decided to sound the caretaker out. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. I¡¯m always worried that he¡¯s not eating properly. It¡¯d be terrible if he suffered a nutritional imbalance.¡± ¡°It¡¯s thanks to your concern that Mr Bai was able to grow this tall,¡± said the caretaker jokingly. He walked over to the lift lobby with Ji Xinxin and pressed the ¡®Up¡¯ button to hail the lift. This was not the first time Ji Xinxin had visited Bai Zhou¡¯s ten million dollars condominium penthouse, but she wasn¡¯t such a frequent visitor as to have gotten this close to the caretaker. If she wasn¡¯t the one who visited Bai Zhou¡¯s penthouse, there was only one other possibility¡ªJi Fanyin. With a ¡®ding¡¯, the elevator doors opened, revealing a Bai Zhou standing inside. He stuck his foot out to keep the elevator door open. ¡°Big sis, I¡¯ll carry those bags for you. Come in.¡± He smoothly received the bags from Ji Xinxin¡¯s hands before directing a nod at the caretaker. The doors closed and the lift started moving upward. Ji Xinxin stood in the lift with her gaze lowered. Her mind was occupied with how she ought to question Bai Zhou in order to find out what happened during the months she was away. In the end, she decided to approach the conversation from an indirect angle. ¡°The caretaker at the lift lobby is really warm-hearted. She started chatting me up as soon as I arrived, and she even knows my name. Did you tell her about me beforehand?¡± Bai Zhou¡¯s body stiffened up at those words. He subconsciously asked, ¡°What?¡± That was a suspicious reaction. How could Bai Zhou have possibly missed what she said in this quiet lift? He¡¯s trying to buy time to find a reasonable excuse. Ji Xinxin exhaled softly and said, ¡°Zhouzhou, I know that you are hiding something from me.¡± ¡°Hiding something from you?¡± Bai Zhou refuted it reflexively. ¡°Big sis, what are you talking about?¡± Ji Xinxin looked at him in disappointment. ¡°Don¡¯t you know better than anyone else what I¡¯m talking about?¡± Bai Zhou fell silent. The lift reached the highest level. Ji Xinxin picked up the bags and started walking out. ¡°I know that you have your own difficulties. I¡¯ll wait until you¡¯re ready to be honest with me.¡± Bai Zhou anxiously chased after her and explained, ¡°Things are different from what you¡¯re thinking!¡± ¡°What is it then? Tell me.¡± Ji Xinxin turned around and looked at him. ¡°I was never opposed to you making more friends¡­ but is there a reason for you to keep things from me, especially when it involves my older sister?¡± Bai Zhou frowned. He bit his lips in frustration before replying, ¡°I¡¯m not friends with Ji Fanyin. I just¡­ think that she¡¯s pitiful.¡± He¡¯s finally confessing. ¡°Do you bring everyone who you think is pitiful into your house and have a meal with them?¡± asked Ji Xinxin. ¡°I¡¯ve never brought her into my house to eat!¡± Bai Zhou responded explosively. ¡°I was just¡­ pitying her! A-and when you¡¯re not around, being with her makes me feel like I¡¯m being with you! It makes me feel less lonely¡­¡± Ji Xinxin eyed Bai Zhou sharply. ¡°Is that all?¡± ¡°It is!¡± exclaimed Bai Zhou with a pout. ¡°Are there any strengths that Ji Fanyin has over you?¡± Ji Xinxin stared at Bai Zhou intently for a while and took in all of his subtle expressions. Then, she softened her tone and murmured, ¡°It¡¯s my fault. I shouldn¡¯t have made you feel lonely.¡± ¡°¡­ I already told you. Don¡¯t go abroad. Stay here with me,¡± grumbled Bai Zhou unhappily. ¡°But you had to go to France. My parents didn¡¯t allow me to visit you. I was just¡­ Ji Fanyin is an imitation, but at least she shares the same face as you.¡± Ji Xinxin gently berated Bai Zhou, ¡°You mustn¡¯t treat big sis like that. She¡¯ll be upset.¡± Upset? How¡¯s that possible? That other ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ would never feel upset. She¡¯s probably spending time on Bai Zhou just to entertain herself. But even if it¡¯s nothing more than a casual whim to her, if she¡¯s really that other ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯, Bai Zhou might just fall in love with her. ¡°Zhouzhou, promise me. You mustn¡¯t use me as an excuse to meet big sis anymore, alright?¡± asked Ji Xinxin. ¡°¡­¡± Bai Zhou frowned. He didn¡¯t give her a response right away. ¡°Your actions are disrespectful to both her and me.¡± Ji Xinxin raised her hand and gently touched Bai Zhou¡¯s cheek. ¡°You can call or message me whenever you miss me. Don¡¯t use other people as my substitute, alright?¡± Bai Zhou looked at her with eyes flickering with hesitation. ¡°¡­ Or have your feelings for me moved on to her?¡± asked Ji Xinxin. ¡°Impossible! The one I like is big sis!¡± exclaimed Bai Zhou. ¡°How could Ji Fanyin compare to you?¡± ¡°Then listen to me on this matter, alright?¡± ¡°¡­ Alright.¡± Ji Xinxin finally revealed a smile. She pinched Bai Zhou¡¯s cheeks affectionately. ¡°Good boy. Let¡¯s go in. It¡¯s freezing out here and you¡¯re not wearing enough.¡± She had managed to settle the wavering Bai Zhou with this, but she couldn¡¯t help but feel uneasy about her date with Li Xiaoxing at night. She felt like things had spiraled out of control over the last few months. It was certain that Bai Zhou had come into contact with Ji Fanyin, but he kept beating around the bush, refusing to tell her the details. Could it be the same for Li Xiaoxing too? What about Song Shiyu? What about the others? Are they all getting snatched away by Ji Fanyin? It was inevitable that she was worried. Everything she had came from Ji Fanyin. --- TL Note: I made a mistake T_T Bai Zhou¡¯s house doesn¡¯t have a butler, but the apartment has a caretaker (think of a person with a counter at the ground level lift lobby who attends to the residents¡¯ needs). That¡¯s the person whom Ji Fanyin has been talking to all this while. I¡¯ve already corrected the relevant portions. Chapter 49.2: What Do You Think? (2) It was only due to the extra pay that Ji Fanyin was willing to work on Christmas Day. Ah, I¡¯m also heading there to dispose of a painting too. Ji Fanyin grabbed a huge bag from her wardrobe, which happened to be large enough to stuff the painting in. She was saved from the hassle of wrapping the painting since she didn¡¯t unwrap it in the first place. It¡¯s not as if I can appreciate that painting anyway. She made sure to pack her pepper spray and security alarm in her bag, and she had the closest police station on her quick dial too. Other than that, she also prepared a miniature Christmas tree for Song Shiyu as a present. With all preparations complete, she left her house and hailed a cab to head to Song Shiyu¡¯s house. When Song Shiyu opened the door to let her in, Ji Fanyin thrust the Christmas tree toward him and exclaimed, ¡°Happy Christmas!¡± ¡°¡­ You too.¡± Song Shiyu was stunned for a moment before he gave a response. With a gentlemanly smile, he took the miniature Christmas tree from her hands and invited her in. ¡°Come in and take a seat. The slippers are by the door.¡± ¡°Are we having dinner at your place today?¡± Ji Fanyin put on a pair of slippers and entered his house. She placed her bag on the shoe rack and took off her coat before following Song Shiyu in. ¡°Do you need my help?¡± She could already see the ingredients on display in his huge kitchen. It¡¯s just that¡­ How should I put this? It¡¯s clear at a glance that the master of the house doesn¡¯t know how to cook. ¡°Let¡¯s do it together. I bought quite a bit. It¡¯ll be tough for you to prepare everything on your own.¡± Song Shiyu walked over to the sink. ¡°Which ones should I help you with?¡± Ji Fanyin walked over to take a look, only to reveal a helpless smile right after. ¡°You bought so many mussels! Don¡¯t you find eating shellfish a hassle?¡± She started rolling up her sleeves. ¡°I guess there¡¯s no need for everything to be pretty since we¡¯re eating at home anyway. I¡¯ll first broil the soup with the mussels, then remove the shells before serving. That should make things easier for you. What do you think?¡± On the other end of the kitchen, Song Shiyu replied without turning his head around, ¡°Sounds good.¡± The adept chef Ji Fanyin swiftly cleaned the mussels before boiling them in water. Then, she tore out their rich flesh one by one. Song Shiyu wasn¡¯t the only one who found deshelling the mussels a chore. Even an avid amateur chef like Ji Fanyin thought that it was troublesome to remove the flesh without directly using her hands. After extracting all of the mussel meat and placing them into a bowl, she began preparing the sauce for them. At the same time, she started chatting with Song Shiyu, ¡°Don¡¯t you think that your house looks a little plain? It¡¯s Christmas! You should have at least put some ornaments up for festivity¡¯s sake.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t I have you here?¡± replied Song Shiyu casually. A second later, he suddenly registered what he had just said and hurriedly supplemented it with, ¡°Didn¡¯t you already bring me a Christmas tree?¡± Ji Fanyin burst into laughter. ¡°You expect that small tree to bring the Christmas atmosphere to your house?¡± Song Shiyu smiled wordlessly at her remark. His abnormal silence lasted until the end of dinner. Ji Fanyin had really put her heart into preparing the meal. She could tell that Song Shiyu didn¡¯t cook frequently, but she didn¡¯t expect the latter to be so clumsy as to be unable to even dice meat. He even had to take a taste test in order to tell the difference between sugar and salt. They would probably still be starving right now if she had pinned her hopes on him. In order not to waste any ingredients, Ji Fanyin had no choice but to take charge. Having to maintain a warm atmosphere while taking charge in the kitchen was quite tiring even for Ji Fanyin. Chapter 49.3: What Do You Think? (3) The two hours were almost up by the time they had their fill of food. Ji Fanyin looked at Song Shiyu and gently asked, ¡°Is there something bothering you?¡± Song Shiyu glanced at his watch before replying, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you later.¡± Ji Fanyin caught his drift right away. He was probably the kind of person who spent a bomb on his idol¡¯s newest album in order to get a random handshaking event ticket. Oh well. The recording company has no reason to complain as long as it receives its money, right? So, Ji Fanyin cleared the table and washed the dishes. When her timer finally rang, she casually made her way to the doorway to grab her bag. ¡°Were you intending to talk about this?¡± Ji Fanyin pulled out the painting from her bag and placed it on the table. ¡°That¡¯s one.¡± Song Shiyu glanced at the painting on the table and quickly noticed the anomaly. ¡°You didn¡¯t unwrap it?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that better for you?¡± Ji Fanyin casually pushed the painting toward him. ¡°You¡¯ll be gifting it to Ji Xinxin anyway, so you should be glad that it¡¯s in pristine condition. Let¡¯s get straight to the point. What¡¯s your offer?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pay double.¡± ¡°Fivefold,¡± Ji Fanyin nonchalantly upped the price. She didn¡¯t spend a cent on it, but that was no reason for her not to squeeze out every bit of value in it. ¡°Fine,¡± Song Shiyu paused for a moment before adding, ¡°but you have to listen to what I¡¯m going to say next.¡± ¡°Go ahead.¡± Ji Fanyin graciously allowed him to speak his mind. ¡°I think that¡­¡± Song Shiyu interlocked his fingers tightly on the table as he struggled to find the appropriate word choices to relay his thoughts. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m willing to give it a try with you. You said that you don¡¯t like me, but you have a deeper understanding of my habits and preferences, more than anyone else¡­ Xinxin can¡¯t compete with you on that.¡± Ji Fanyin¡¯s eyebrows shot up. She was amused by what she had just heard. ¡°I know that Xinxin won¡¯t accept me, so you should give this some thought too. I¡¯ll become a good boyfriend to you. I¡¯ll try my best to like you.¡± Song Shiyu fiddled with his thumb. ¡°But the transactions between you and Bai Zhou¡­ and your other ¡®clients¡¯ as well, they¡¯ll have to stop. If you need money, I can give it to you.¡± He took in a deep breath before staring intently into Ji Fanyin¡¯s eyes. ¡°¡­ So, are you willing to become my girlfriend?¡± Ji Fanyin waited two seconds to see if he had anything else to say. Then, she smiled and displayed a graceful middle finger to Song Shiyu. ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°¡­ Ji Fanyin, I¡¯m serious about this.¡± Song Shiyu frowned. ¡°I was also serious when I told you that the ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ who liked you is dead,¡± Ji Fanyin looked at the man in front of her in bemusement. ¡°¡­ When you explained to me that it wasn¡¯t a date yesterday, I thought to myself: It can¡¯t be that Song Shiyu actually thinks that he can go back? But you were actually harboring such thoughts?¡± That message Song Shiyu sent to her yesterday felt incredibly awkward, almost as if he was trying to explain himself to her. She found herself thinking ¡®It can¡¯t be, right? Surely it can¡¯t be?¡¯, but as fact would have it, he was really thinking of it. It was hilarious yet pathetic at the same time. ¡°Did your dates with Ji Xinxin disappoint you? Is your fantasy of her shattered? Is that why you started thinking to yourself: Ji Fanyin¡¯s act is better than the real thing?¡± Song Shiyu¡¯s complexion turned awful. ¡°You don¡¯t believe that I don¡¯t harbor any feelings for you anymore?¡± Resting her chin on her arm, Ji Fanyin looked at Song Shiyu with sympathetic eyes. ¡°Song Shiyu, think about it. Was I not direct enough, or are you too delusional to admit that your charms no longer work on me? Is it that hard for you to believe that the dog who has been at your beck and call all this while has finally awoken from its foolishness?¡± It was not that Song Shiyu couldn¡¯t understand her words. He was just terribly unwilling to acknowledge it. ¡°Dating you? All the men must have died out for me to even consider it.¡± With a chuckle, Ji Fanyin pushed the painting toward Song Shiyu. ¡°I¡¯ve already heard you out. I¡¯ll leave the painting here. Remember to transfer me the money.¡± She stood up and gazed down on Song Shiyu. ¡°Goodbye, Song Shiyu.¡± Chapter 50.1: Don’t Forget To Pay Your Bills (1) Song Shiyu never thought that Ji Fanyin would reject him. No, to be more exact, he did consider the possibility of being rejected, but he hadn¡¯t expected Ji Fanyin to be this heartless. ¡°Wait a moment!¡± Song Shiyu subconsciously stood up and attempted to grab Ji Fanyin¡¯s arm, only for the latter to swiftly dodge his hand. ¡°Haven¡¯t you already said what you wanted to?¡± asked Ji Fanyin with raised eyebrows. There was a haughty look on her face, giving her a completely different air from before. This was not the Ji Fanyin he knew. Song Shiyu couldn¡¯t tell if the one he was unable to let go of was the Ji Fanyin who liked him or the heartless Ji Fanyin in front of him. All he knew was that he couldn¡¯t let Ji Fanyin leave right now. There were so many words bubbling in his chest, but some kind of mysterious force stifled everything in his throat, making him incapable of words. In the end, he could only mutter, ¡°Are we¡­ still friends?¡± ¡°Of course not,¡± replied Ji Fanyin in bewilderment. ¡°We weren¡¯t friends in the past, we aren¡¯t friends now, and we¡¯ll never be friends.¡± ¡°So, I¡¯m just¡­ someone whom you used to like?¡± ¡°You¡¯re a fi¡­ client. A client.¡± Song Shiyu didn¡¯t pay much attention to Ji Fanyin¡¯s abrupt change in terms. He racked his brain for the correct words to remedy the situation. ¡°I know that I¡¯ve done a lot of overboard things to you in the past, but from now on¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯ll change?¡ªIs that what you¡¯re going to say? That has nothing to do with me.¡± Ji Fanyin picked up her bag and flung it behind her. ¡°Song Shiyu, I¡¯ll repeat those words one last time. The person who liked you is already dead. You¡¯ll never see her again. Do you get it now?¡± Her words were so calm and soft that they sounded disparaging. ¡°Don¡¯t say that you''re in love with me. That¡¯s the most hilarious and revolting thing that could come out of your mouth right now.¡± The shocked Song Shiyu staggered backward and bumped into his chair. This was too much for him to bear. Even though he knew that it was just a metaphorical expression, for some reason, it felt like the shy and demure Ji Fanyin he knew was really dead. It was another person standing in front of him, criticizing him on her behalf. ¡°You said¡­¡± Song Shiyu felt like a fishbone was stuck in his throat. ¡°You said that you would always forgive me no matter what I said or did.¡± ¡°That must have been wonderful.¡± Ji Fanyin laughed. ¡°It must have felt amazing to have someone who stayed by your side even when you hurt her again and again.¡± Song Shiyu was rendered speechless. He could only watch helplessly as Ji Fanyin left his residence with light footsteps. There was nothing from her at all. No nostalgia. No anger. No sorrow. She just¡­ left. ¡°¡­ One last thing. No matter how upset you are, don¡¯t forget to transfer me my money.¡± Song Shiyu raised his head, only to see the door slamming shut. ¡­ It was already snowing outside when Ji Fanyin reached the ground level of Song Shiyu¡¯s apartment. She felt exhilarated to have put Song Shiyu in his place, but she felt that she should seriously consider hiring a bodyguard. It was a little funny how she had prepared so many tools, only to forget her umbrella. Left with no choice, she could only raise her coat above her like a hat. She looked into the sky dazedly for a while and muttered, ¡°What a Christmas it is.¡± The old ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ might have just accepted Song Shiyu¡¯s ¡®compromise¡¯. Years of whatever experiences she had been through had already made her accustomed to being in a subservient position. It was an instinct for her to defer to others and go along with their will. Chapter 50.2: Don’t Forget To Pay Your Bills (2) Ji Fanyin shook her head and hailed a taxi using her phone. After confirming a driver, she began making her way through the snow. While waiting for her taxi by the roadside, she idled her time away by playing a mobile game. It was just that snow kept falling on her phone screen, forcing her to wipe it off from time to time. It was grating on her nerves so much that she eventually gave up. She tabbed over to check her ride-hailing app and saw that the driver was still three minutes away. She went on to check her ¡®Temptation of Home¡¯ app. Other than the bits accruing from the netizens reading her movie reviews, she was also logging huge streams of Emotional Points from Song Shiyu at this very moment. There were already several million even with a swift glance. There was no detailed description on the app about how Emotional Points were tabulated, but Ji Fanyin had a rough idea based on her observations over the past few months. Basically, it was the amount of money a person was willing to pay for the current emotions they had. Take the movie reviews Ji Fanyin had been posting as an example, she had managed to gather quite a following of movie buffs thus far. The Emotional Points they generated after reading her movie reviews were usually around the price of a movie ticket. It was a little similar to how an otaku¡¯s feelings for their in-game waifu correlated to how much they were willing to spend on them. ¡°Swimsuit S*ber?! I have to get it even if I have to top up 100,000 dollars!¡± Those emotions would generate 100,000 Emotional Points. The clients Ji Fanyin had specially picked out had a vastly different perception regarding the valuation of nonmaterial pursuits as compared to the masses, so the Emotional Points she received from them were disproportionately great. It could also be due to the clich¨¦ melodrama that was oddly common in Ji Fanyin¡¯s life. She had a brief inkling of it all this while, and the event that transpired today affirmed it. ¡°I know that I can¡¯t be with her, so I¡¯m willing to make do with you.¡± Someone with a working brain couldn¡¯t have possibly spouted those words. The only question now was whether she should abandon Song Shiyu now or later. Ji Fanyin couldn¡¯t make up her mind on that. There were already signs of his feelings moving from Ji Xinxin onto her. This made a good opportunity for her to harvest huge amounts of money and Emotional Points from him. Besides, shouldn¡¯t a scum like him get a taste of his own medicine? Ji Fanyin slipped her phone back into her pockets and decided to keep her hands in there. It was too cold. Standing at the entrance of the residential district, there were quite a few pedestrians walking to and fro. Ji Fanyin spotted two women wearing a pair of adorable reindeer horns. They were sharing an umbrella while discussing their dinner plans. At least the general populace in this world seems fairly normal, Ji Fanyin thought. She waited and waited, but the taxi still didn¡¯t arrive. There are quite a few cars on the street. Is there a traffic jam ahead? The bored Ji Fanyin began kicking on the snow pile by the roadside, but a white patch suddenly covered her vision. A snowflake had fallen on her eyelashes. She was reluctant to extract her hands from her toasty pockets, so she tried to blow it off. ¡­ The snowflake wasn¡¯t cooperating. She contemplated jumping up and down to shake that mischievous snowflake off her. Suddenly, an umbrella covered her head, sheltering her from the falling snow. ¡°¡­ Ji Fanyin?¡± The person holding the umbrella was able to call her name. Ji Fanyin turned her head over to take a look, only to discover that the other party was really tall. She had to raise her gaze quite a bit before she finally saw a man wearing a pair of black-rimmed glasses and a mask. It was a familiar getup. In fact, she was able to recognize the man just by looking at the pair of eyes behind the glasses. ¡°He Shen. What a rare sight.¡± Chapter 50.3: Don’t Forget To Pay Your Bills (3) The studio Ji Fanyin and Zhang Ning established was already getting on track, but He Shen, despite being one of the co-founders, hadn¡¯t made an appearance even once. He simply entrusted everything to Zhang Ning. Whenever there was an important decision to be made, Zhang Ning would say that he had no opinions at all and that they could just decide between themselves. It was almost as if he was an emotionless investing machine. ¡°¡­ Didn¡¯t you say it yourself? I got too immersed in the role. I¡¯m still trying to recover.¡± He Shen¡¯s voice was extremely soft, to the point that only Ji Fanyin, who was standing right beside him, could hear it. Ji Fanyin could understand where he was coming from since she had lived a similar life in another world. If anyone on the street discovered his identity, it would lead to a series of complications. ¡°You¡¯re a professional actor. No matter how immersed you¡¯re in a role, it shouldn¡¯t take months for you to recover,¡± teased Ji Fanyin. ¡°You seem to be a regular on Weibo.¡± The two of them had quite a few interactions on Weibo despite hardly meeting in real life. It was the perfect example of the current era¡¯s virtual friends. Perhaps it was because they were both actors who had achieved a high level of competency in their craft, they had many common views regarding films. It was their first time chatting face to face with each other, but Ji Fanyin felt comfortable, as if she was talking to an old friend. ¡°Rather than socializing, I prefer to be on the net¡­¡± He Shen¡¯s words sounded a little muffled due to his mask. ¡°Are you waiting for someone?¡± ¡°I¡¯m waiting for my taxi,¡± explained Ji Fanyin. She glanced at the bags from a convenience store in He Shen¡¯s hands and asked, ¡°You live in the vicinity?¡± It was a fairly upscale residential district, so it wasn¡¯t too surprising for He Shen to live here. It¡¯s just that¡­ Ji Fanyin took another look at the convenience store bags and noticed that they were filled with canned drinks. She found it a little amusing. ¡°A film emperor like you is spending Christmas alone?¡± He Shen uncomfortably adjusted his mask as he replied, ¡°¡­ Mm. I¡¯ll accompany you till your taxi arrives.¡± It just so happened that the taxi that had been caught up in the traffic arrived at this moment. Ji Fanyin checked the license plate number and confirmed it was hers before gesturing to He Shen. ¡°My ride''s here. Byebye.¡± He Shen nodded. He silently escorted her into her taxi while sheltering her with his umbrella. After closing the car door, Ji Fanyin raised her head and unexpectedly noticed a pile of snow accumulated on one of He Shen¡¯s shoulders. It stood out quite a bit under the illumination of the streetlights. In the first place, his umbrella wasn¡¯t big enough for two, and they had been keeping a polite distance between them. One of them was bound to get snowed on. Ji Fanyin spent a second thinking about it before telling the driver to wait for a moment. She lowered the car window and told He Shen to stop. She couldn¡¯t possibly call He Shen¡¯s name in the middle of the street, so she shouted ¡°Mr He¡± instead. He Shen stopped and turned around. Ji Fanyin took out an apple from her pocket¡ªshe had swiped it from Song Shiyu¡¯s house earlier¡ªand stuffed it into He Shen¡¯s hands through the lowered car window. ¡°Merry Christmas.¡± He Shen took the apple with a dazed expression. He was having difficulty trying to understand where Ji Fanyin had conjured the apple from. Ji Fanyin waved him goodbye with a smile before raising the car window back up. She took out her phone and started Baidu-ing ¡®He Shen social anxiety disorder¡¯. There were a few joking posts, but all in all, there was not a single person who earnestly shared her thoughts. On the contrary, most thought that He Shen was a serious and uptight person outside of the silver screen. Even when he was promoting his movie, he often avoided social interaction wherever possible. He was like the aloof flower of male actors. Ji Fanyin changed her search query to ¡®He Shen aloof flower¡¯, and it immediately generated a flood of results. She stared at the two words ¡®aloof flower¡¯ and thought about He Shen¡¯s shocked expression when he was suddenly stuffed with a big red apple. Hm¡­ No matter how I look at it, it feels like He Shen is using a cold persona to conceal his social anxiety disorder. Ding! Ji Fanyin received two consecutive messages on her phone. The first one was from the bank, informing her that she had received a sum of money from Song Shiyu. Mm, the money for the painting is in. Hopefully, he¡¯ll be able to get what he wants when he gifts Ji Xinxin the painting. Amen. The second was a message from Ji Xinxin. She said that she wanted to meet Ji Fanyin tomorrow and she would be free all day. ¡¾Let¡¯s meet at the handicraft shop that big sis likes. I¡¯ll keep waiting until you come¡¿ Chapter 51.1: F5 Sect (1) Ji Fanyin had no intention of giving in to Ji Xinxin¡¯s half-threatening half-pleading request. She was willing to meet Song Shiyu because she could earn a few million from the meeting, but as for Ji Xinxin¡­ First of all, Ji Xinxin was definitely not going to pay her. Secondly, regardless of whether she went or not, Ji Xinxin would still contribute huge chunks of Emotional Points to her anyway. Shortly after Ji Xinxin returned to the country, Ji Fanyin came to realize just how wild that young lady¡¯s imagination was. Her emotions seemed to be constantly on a roller coaster, contributing huge amounts of Emotional Points that could nearly match Song Shiyu¡¯s. Still, Ji Fanyin was rather curious to know if Ji Xinxin was really going to ¡®keep waiting for her¡¯. So, she looked through her memory to search for the handicraft shop that Ji Xinxin spoke of. She tapped into a delivery app to hire a runner to purchase something at the handicraft shop on her behalf. The shop closed at 9 P.M., so Ji Fanyin requested for the runner to head there at 8.45 P.M.. She specifically told the runner to give her a call upon arriving at the shop. ¡°Hello, I am calling from Flash Delivery Knight.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like you to buy the most popular felt craft in the shop for me. Make sure to collect the receipt.¡± Ji Fanyin¡¯s focus was naturally not on the handicraft products. ¡°I¡¯d like you to look around the shop and check if there¡¯s a beautiful woman sitting alone.¡± The handicraft shop catered to a niche market segment, so there weren¡¯t many customers. The boss was operating the shop mainly out of interest. It was because of its quiet environment that Ji Fanyin often headed there alone. There were only eight tables provided for the customers in that shop, so it took only a simple sweeping glance to scan the area. The runner slowly scanned the area as he said, ¡°Most of them seem to be in groups. I don¡¯t see any¡­ Ah! There¡¯s a young lady sitting alone by the windows. She appears to be waiting for someone.¡± Oh? She¡¯s really waiting for me? Not bad. Ji Fanyin¡¯s eyebrows shot up. ¡°Okay. Buy the items I requested. Give me a call when you get here.¡± The runner soon arrived at Ji Fanyin¡¯s residence. His face visibly stiffened when he saw Ji Fanyin¡¯s appearance, ¡°H-hello?¡± His face revealed his horror. ¡°That woman sitting in the shop is my little sister. She threw a tantrum and left home, so I¡¯ve been keeping tabs on her to ensure her safety,¡± Ji Fanyin randomly found an excuse to explain things. She transferred the money to the runner and said, ¡°Thanks for making the trip.¡± The runner nodded in a daze. ¡°O-oh¡­ I think that shop is going to close soon. Will your little sister be fine?¡± Ji Fanyin nonchalantly glanced at the incoming call on her phone as she replied, ¡°She¡¯ll be fine. She¡¯s old enough to know her way around.¡± It was only after shutting the door that Ji Fanyin calmly picked up Ji Xinxin¡¯s call. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°¡­ Big sis, are you really not coming over to meet me?¡± asked Ji Xinxin. ¡°I¡¯ve already waited for you for an entire day.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard,¡± replied Ji Fanyin. She squeezed the phone between her ear and her shoulder as she carried the plush animals she had just received from the runner to her living room. Oh? They¡¯re surprisingly cute. I¡¯ll leave them on the table as decoration. ¡°Since big sis isn¡¯t willing to meet me in person, let¡¯s talk over the phone instead,¡± said Ji Xinxin. ¡°Are you free now?¡± ¡°What if I¡¯m not?¡± ¡°¡­ I know your secret, big sis,¡± said Ji Xinxin. ¡°I¡¯ve already figured out the reason why you¡¯ve changed so much recently.¡± Those words successfully piqued the interest of the previously disinterested Ji Fanyin. ¡°Big sis¡­ you dreamt of that person too, didn¡¯t you?¡± Ji Fanyin fell silent. ¡°¡­ The God of Fortune?¡± Chapter 51.2: F5 Sect (2) ¡°Are you still trying to hide it from me?¡± asked Ji Xinxin calmly. ¡°I¡¯ve given the matter some thought over the last few days. I initially thought that you were her, but then it struck me. If I could dream of her, there¡¯s no reason why you couldn¡¯t do the same. That makes much more sense than her suddenly traveling over to our world and taking your place.¡± She appeared to be certain of her deduction, judging from her confident tone. Ji Fanyin was confused. Who did Ji Xinxin dream of that left such a huge impact on her? Ji Xinxin chuckled softly and continued on, ¡°Staying quiet won¡¯t work, big sis. You know who I¡¯m talking about. That woman who shines brighter than us both. That woman who shares the same name as you. ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯.¡± Ji Fanyin: ¡°¡­???¡± ¡°That¡¯d explain why you have changed so much over the last few months. No wonder the tricks I¡¯ve used on you no longer work.¡± Ji Xinxin¡¯s words were growing faster. ¡°Everything you have done over the past few months, you¡¯ve learned from her, no? But big sis, you¡¯re dreaming if you think that you can take away my men with just this much.¡± It was at this point that Ji Fanyin nonchalantly hung up the call and set her phone to ¡®Do Not Disturb¡¯ mode. Ji Xinxin had already provided her with the intelligence she was seeking. There was no need to continue listening to her prattle. Ji Fanyin lay down on her sofa lazily and began squeezing her newly bought plush toys while giving some thought to the information Ji Xinxin had kindly provided. She hadn¡¯t thoroughly looked through ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯s¡¯ memories before, but the earlier conversation with Ji Xinxin answered quite a few of her doubts. Such as how Ji Xinxin started heaping mental pressure on ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ after recovering from her illness. Or how the ¡®King of the Seas¡¯ skills that Ji Xinxin had slowly polished up over a decade looked oddly familiar to her. While Ji Fanyin was deep in thought, the television in the living room was playing a recently popular xianxia drama. The male lead¡¯s master berated the male lead with a pained look, ¡°I don¡¯t have a wretched disciple like you! Scram! From this day onward, our master-disciple relationship shall be severed!¡± Ji Fanyin eyed the actor playing the male lead¡¯s master and empathetically murmured, ¡°+1.¡± ¡­ Ji Xinxin wasn¡¯t angered despite having the call abruptly hung up on her. She thought of it as concrete evidence affirming her deduction. She was indeed flustered by the abrupt realization she had come to several days ago, but having several days to calm down allowed her to look at the matter more rationally. It wasn¡¯t that difficult for her to confirm who the current Ji Fanyin was. The ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ she had met in the dream would have never been interested in Song Shiyu, Bai Zhou, or Li Xiaoxing, let alone approach them. Given her standing and experience, those men couldn¡¯t have possibly caught her eye. The fact that Ji Fanyin chose to associate herself with those men showed two things. One, the current Ji Fanyin was still her older sister. She had only wisened up due to the knowledge she gained from her dreams. Two, she had some kind of motive for approaching those men. ¡°It won¡¯t be that easy to snatch my men, big sis.¡± Ji Xinxin gently touched a photo of her and Ji Fanyin on her phone. ¡°I¡¯d have been no match for you if you were the ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ in the dreams, but since you¡¯re not¡­ how could I possibly lose to you a second time?¡± Ji Xinxin knew that she had lost the element of surprise by confronting Ji Fanyin directly, but she thought that she had the upper hand here. She still had a good chance at turning the tables on her older sister. Big sis might be smarter than me, but she¡¯s no more than a newcomer in this field. I might have lost to her when I was younger, but never again. Ji Xinxin thought determinedly as she slipped her phone into her bag. I just have to ensure that the men Ji Fanyin approached devote their full attention and affection to me. That¡¯s all I need to do. Chapter 51.3: F5 Sect (3) ¡­ All in all, Ji Fanyin thought that her break hadn¡¯t been too bad. She managed to get ample rest while easily earning a hefty sum of money. Li Xiaoxing hadn¡¯t called her ever since Christmas Day, which suggested that he was starting to become independent. He no longer needed to constantly refer to ¡®Walkthrough Guide¡¯ Ji Fanyin for his every move. Ji Xinxin also hadn¡¯t harassed her ever since then. Of course, it was likely that Ji Xinxin was pulling something from the shadows, but honestly speaking, Ji Fanyin couldn¡¯t care less. After all, she was an emotionless money-making machine with no scruples. What could the latter possibly do to her? Sully her reputation? Ji Fanyin was only interested in the money. Any scorn or love from her family members couldn¡¯t hope to faze her in the least. Tighten her rein on her fishes? Unless Ji Xinxin was able to make multiple clones of herself, there were bound to be people who would be dissatisfied with whatever limited time and energy she had to offer. Ruin her current stand-in business? That was easier said than done. No matter how rich and well-connected Song Shiyu, Bai Zhou, Cen Xiangyang, and Li Xiaoxing were, they didn¡¯t have the power to interfere in her business. Even if Ji Xinxin somehow managed to ruin Ji Fanyin¡¯s business as a stand-in, she could simply redirect her time and effort into developing her studio. It was only a matter of time before she raised ten billion anyway. The day before Ji Xinxin returned to France, Ji Fanyin took out her phone and checked on her reservation app. It was already the last day of her two weeks break, meaning that she would be resuming operations tomorrow. So far, she didn¡¯t have any work lined up. No one had made a reservation yet. A person who had taken a long break would be inclined to continue lazing around, and Ji Fanyin was no exception to the rule. It was then that the number of concurrently online users reflected on the app¡¯s admin portal suddenly increased from 0 to 1. This meant that a client had just accessed the app, and Ji Fanyin only had three clients. Out of curiosity, she chose to wait patiently on the admin portal to see who was going to make a reservation. But several seconds later, the number of online users dropped back to 0. I guess I¡¯m taking a break tomorrow. A second later, the number increased to 1 yet again. The number then continued to alternate between 0 and 1 several times nonstop. Ji Fanyin: ¡°¡­¡± Yup, it¡¯s Bai Zhou. The way he kept accessing the app but refused to make a reservation felt like a nervous husband pacing outside the labor room, frequently peeking into the labor room but not daring to enter. Ji Fanyin was able to quickly figure out what was behind his peculiar behavior. Ji Xinxin has a good grasp over the fishes in her fishery. She also knows that Bai Zhou is the easiest one to handle. All she has to do is to order him to not meet me privately anymore. Oh well, who cares? He can refresh the app for all he wants. Ji Fanyin was just about to close the admin portal when she noticed that all fifteen blocks for her schedule tomorrow had changed from white to green. It meant that someone was in the midst of confirming his reservation. Ji Fanyin quickly checked the number of concurrent online users and saw that the number had increased to 2. Shortly after, Song Shiyu¡¯s reservation request appeared on the admin portal. There was no message appended to it, just a simple 1,500,000 dollar reservation. She received a message from the bank informing her about the money transfer of 1,500,000 dollars right after. Ji Fanyin stared at the request with lifted eyebrows before confirming the request. Song Shiyu came earlier than I thought. It must be because he has plenty of money to burn. At the same time, Bai Zhou, who was furiously refreshing the app on his phone, blurted out a vulgarity, ¡°Fuck!¡± Chapter 52.1: She Belongs to Me And Me Alone (1) A long break was often followed by a strong desire to procrastinate. Ji Fanyin was currently having a firsthand experience of it herself. Ji Fanyin learned a painful lesson from this. She wasn¡¯t able to wake up to the alarm she set, causing her to be short on time for her preparation. She had no choice but to sacrifice her breakfast in order not to be late. In the end, all she managed to prepare was two slices of bread she had barely popped into the toaster. This won¡¯t be enough to stave off hunger. Ji Fanyin arrived at the meeting location feeling a little weary. She glanced at the time and saw that there were only two minutes left till working hours. It looks like I won¡¯t have enough time to grab something from the convenience shop. Ji Fanyin rubbed her tummy with a frown as she wondered how long those two slices of toast would last her. If it comes down to it, I¡¯ll just have ¡®Ji Xinxin¡¯ tell Song Shiyu that I¡¯m hungry and freeload my breakfast off him. A car stopped by the roadside and honked. Ji Fanyin looked over and saw that it was an unfamiliar sedan car. The car lowered its passenger seat window, revealing Song Shiyu¡¯s face. Yet another new car? Is he worried that Ji Xinxin would find out about it? It was hard to tell what Song Shiyu was thinking. Perhaps he was wavering between Ji Xinxin and Ji Fanyin. Maybe he was reluctant to lose his number one follower who used to worship him like a god. Or perhaps, he had a newfound obsession with love triangles. But regardless of which it was, Ji Fanyin couldn¡¯t care less. She couldn¡¯t be bothered to analyze his thoughts. As long as Song Shiyu was able to afford her price and she was willing to earn from him, he would be able to remain as her client. So, Ji Fanyin lowered the hand on her stomach and flashed her sweet business smile. Then, she began gracefully walking over to his car. Upon getting into the passenger seat, Ji Fanyin fastened her seatbelt and casually asked, ¡°Where are we heading to today?¡± ¡°Where do you want to go?¡± Song Shiyu answered with a question. You¡¯re the one who asked me out, Ji Fanyin thought. She placed her hands together and looked at him with a sheepish smile, ¡°Can we grab breakfast first? I came out in a hurry, so I haven¡¯t eaten anything yet.¡± Ji Fanyin would have been perfectly fine with a roadside food stand, but Song Shiyu unhesitatingly drove her to a Western brunch restaurant after accepting her request. As the word suggested, brunch was the high-class in-between of breakfast and lunch. It was a lofty privilege that lowly corporate slaves couldn¡¯t possibly hope to enjoy. It was now working hours on a working day. Those sitting in the restaurant mainly consisted of university students on break, elegant full-time madames, and an influencer and his army of cameramen. As soon as Ji Fanyin started browsing through the menu, she understood why Song Shiyu had chosen this restaurant. Of course, exorbitant prices are the best way to showcase young master Song¡¯s class. ---- TL Note: This chapter part is a bit short, but part 3 will be much longer in comparison @@ Didn¡¯t want to cut off at weird parts Chapter 52.3: She Belongs to Me And Me Alone (3) ¡­ Watching as Ji Fanyin blissfully devoured a quarter of the Eggs Benedict in a single mouthful, Song Shiyu belatedly realized that he no longer confused Ji Fanyin for Ji Xinxin. It was weird. He used to fall for the illusion slyly crafted by Ji Fanyin, and it often left him frustrated how easily she was able to make a fool out of him. But now¡­ It has been like this, especially after the two of us spent Christmas together. Ji Fanyin¡¯s gestures and voice are still identical to Ji Xinxin¡¯s, but somehow, I am able to subconsciously distinguish between the two of them. Along with that came the realization of just how little he knew about Ji Fanyin. What does Ji Fanyin like? What does she hate? What does she do when not meeting with me? What usually goes through her mind? Is there some special reason why she used to like me? What was she thinking when she first accepted my offer to become Ji Xinxin¡¯s substitute? Song Shiyu knew none of the answers to those questions. He desperately tried to fish the answers out of her, but no matter what he asked, all he heard were Ji Xinxin¡¯s responses. Ji Fanyin was sitting right in front of him, smiling gently at him. Yet, he felt like she was hidden beneath a layer of ice, existing in a domain beyond his reach¡­ No, that¡¯s not it. The person sitting in front of me is ¡®Ji Xinxin¡¯. When this thought flashed across Song Shiyu¡¯s mind, he subconsciously clenched his fists tightly. He took a deep breath and tried his best to recall whatever he knew about Ji Fanyin. He had known these two twin sisters for many years now, so surely he should be able to find something of use here. ¡°I remember that you used to¡­¡± Song Shiyu did manage to dig something up in the end. ¡°¡­ I mean, I heard that your big sister is good at studying. She¡¯s able to grasp anything right away. Could the reason you frequent museums be to catch up with her?¡± While chewing on her food, Ji Fanyin flashed Song Shiyu an embarrassed smile before slowly nodding her head. Her smile was as impeccable as always, sweet and pure, but Song Shiyu felt like he could see a hint of contempt in her eyes. It was as if she was mocking him for his desperation in trying to resuscitate something that was already long gone. ¡°Shall we head to the observatory today?¡± Song Shiyu remembered that there was a famous observatory in the city. Ji Fanyin swallowed the final mouthful of her Eggs Benedict before replying with a faint smile, ¡°That sounds great. It¡¯s just a pity that we can¡¯t bring big sis with us.¡± Song Shiyu felt a stifle in his chest. ¡°¡­ We can call her next time.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t do.¡± Ji Fanyin shook her head smilingly. ¡°Big sis doesn¡¯t like those things anymore.¡± Song Shiyu¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple bobbed up and down. He found himself at a loss. ¡°What does she like then?¡± Ji Fanyin looked at him doubtfully. ¡°When did you start caring so much about big sis? Is the person you like me or my big sis?¡± Her words were so light and casual, as if she was just asking a question that had little significance to her. It made Song Shiyu realize just how worthless her previous feelings for him had become as soon as she stopped liking him. She used to like him so much, but there was nothing left now. He couldn¡¯t accept this huge change. He was already accustomed to having Ji Fanyin at his beck and call. Even when he insulted her, she would quietly tolerate it without the slightest grudge. It felt like those affectionate eyes she always directed toward him would be the only constant thing in the world. He couldn¡¯t accept how he had already shattered his mental barrier to finally confess to Ji Fanyin, only to be met with her disdain. ¡°Now that you mentioned it, it has been a while since we have last been to the observatory. Should we head there at night?¡± Ji Fanyin carried the conversation forward without the slightest awkwardness. ¡°We can watch the stars at night. I¡¯m sure that it¡¯ll be beautiful.¡± Song Shiyu was just about to respond when a young man suddenly entered the brunch restaurant. That young man ignored the waiter¡¯s greeting and headed straight toward Song Shiyu and Ji Fanyin¡¯s table. With both hands inserted inside his aviator jacket, the young man looked at Song Shiyu with his usual cool face and said, ¡°What a coincidence.¡± Coincidence? You¡¯re obviously here to hinder us. But how did he know that we¡¯re here? ¡­ No, this isn¡¯t right. The real question is who¡¯s he really trying to hinder here? Song Shiyu sharply glanced at Bai Zhou. He swallowed down all of the conflicted feelings bubbling inside him and grabbed Ji Fanyin¡¯s hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± At the very least, he was confident that Ji Fanyin wouldn¡¯t reject his request during ¡®service hours¡¯. ¡°Alright.¡± Ji Fanyin stood up without any complaints. However, Bai Zhou stepped forward to block Ji Fanyin¡¯s path. It was clear that he was here to cause trouble. Song Shiyu felt an inexplicable rush of fury surging into his head. At least at this very moment, Ji Fanyin belongs to me and me alone! Then he jolted in surprise. Does Bai Zhou harbor the same thoughts as me? The tension between Song Shiyu and Bai Zhou swiftly escalated. Right before an argument was about to break out, Ji Fanyin suddenly interjected, ¡°Zhouzhou, I¡¯m on a date. You shouldn¡¯t cause a scene here.¡± With her sweet voice, she uttered freezingly cold words to Bai Zhou. Feeling the full brunt of the impact, Bai Zhou widened his eyes in disbelief. Even if it was just an act, she had used the word ¡®date¡¯. Song Shiyu felt his heartbeat hasten for two seconds, but his rationality swiftly dragged him back into the abyss. He knew that Ji Fanyin was saying those words not because she liked him but that he had paid her for it. Should the situation be flipped around and Bai Zhou had been the one who paid the money, he would have been the recipient of those freezingly cold words. Just the thought of those words being directed at him left him feeling indescribably bitter. I never knew that it was this unbearable to lose a person¡¯s preferential treatment, Song Shiyu thought in remorse. He couldn¡¯t believe that he had thrown it away himself back then. Chapter 52.2: She Belongs to Me And Me Alone (2) ¡°This restaurant is known for its Eggs Benedict. Want to give it a try?¡± Song Shiyu recommended. Eggs Benedict was a particularly troublesome dish to prepare. It looked like a hamburger filled with meat and vegetables, but its bread was replaced with a poached egg and rich sauce was drizzled on the upper layer instead of the inside. Even making a perfect poached egg with flowing liquid gold was a daunting task, but a good Eggs Benedict required all of the components to be prepared simultaneously. Ji Fanyin had tried making it herself several times at home. It was delicious, but the effort put into it was hardly worthwhile. Though it was a different case now that she was in a restaurant. Looking at the selection of Eggs Benedicts where the prices started from 188 dollars, Ji Fanyin decisively chose the most expensive one. ¡°I¡¯ll have the Beef Eggs Benedict and a cup of freshly-squeezed orange juice.¡± ¡°Same as her, but I¡¯ll have a cup of latte instead,¡± Song Shiyu added to the order list without looking at the menu. The waiter confirmed their orders once more before walking away. Ji Fanyin leisurely rested her chin on her arm and asked teasingly, ¡°You haven¡¯t eaten either?¡± ¡°¡­ I left an hour in advance to meet you as soon as possible,¡± replied Song Shiyu with a smile. ¡°I had to drop by the office first, so I haven¡¯t eaten either.¡± ¡°No matter how busy you are, you mustn¡¯t neglect your own health,¡± said Ji Fanyin concernedly. ¡°Have you forgotten how you caught a fever in the middle of the night last time?¡± Song Shiyu lowered his eyes and muttered, ¡°It¡¯s still etched in my mind. You were the one who took care of me that day. I haven¡¯t thanked you for that yet¡­ The congee was delicious.¡± Ji Fanyin blinked her eyes contemplatively. ¡°You¡¯re being too courteous with me. You just have to take care of yourself and make sure that you don¡¯t fall sick again. That¡¯s the best way you can repay me.¡± Do you know how hard it is to take care of a patient in the middle of the night? What if you infect me with your virus? ¡°Where should we go after breakfast? Is there any place you want to visit?¡± asked Song Shiyu with a gentle tone. Ji Fanyin eyed Song Shiyu doubtfully. ¡°Why do you keep asking me where I want to go? What about you?¡± Song Shiyu stared at her and replied, ¡°I want to know what you like.¡± Ji Fanyin caught his drift right away. Song Shiyu was foolishly hoping to make use of the service hours to learn more about her preferences. He still hasn¡¯t given up despite his confession failing miserably a few days back. Despite Ji Fanyin¡¯s wandering thoughts, she was still able to answer his question smoothly, ¡°Hahaha, what¡¯s with that? We have known each other for so many years now. You should know better than anyone what I like! Let me see¡­ I like keeping up with fashion and doing art. I¡¯m pretty fond of theaters too.¡± Ji Xinxin¡¯s ¡®preferences¡¯ were in line with the character she had established for herself¡ªelegance. The more elegant a hobby was, the more time Ji Xinxin devoted to pursuing it so that she could enhance her profile. It was her way of perfecting her character. Song Shiyu fell silent for a moment before chuckling softly. ¡°Anything other than those?¡± Ji Fanyin racked her mind before adding, ¡°I¡¯m also interested in classical music and ballet. Just a few days ago, I watched Swan Lake performed by our juniors back at our alma mater. It was not bad.¡± It went without saying that Ji Fanyin didn¡¯t attend the performance. She had simply done her homework by checking out Lakeside University¡¯s social media page. This time, Song Shiyu fell silent for an even longer period of time. It was fortunate that the waiter served two steaming plates of Eggs Benedict from the kitchen at this moment, sparing Ji Fanyin the trouble of clearing the awkward air. The poached egg layered above the vegetable and beef looked soft and bouncy. At a light poke, the mouth-watering egg yellow flowed out and covered the dish. It looked incredibly appetizing. Ji Fanyin gracefully sliced a serving and delivered it into her mouth. Her eyes curled in delight. From the hollandaise sauce to the texture of the poached egg, everything was just right. It looked like the price of the dish wasn¡¯t a scam after all. Chapter 53.1: What About the Time You Have Spent With Me? (1) (Rewinding time a day back from Ji Fanyin and Song Shiyu¡¯s date.) Bai Zhou thought that he had taken to heart Ji Xinxin¡¯s request for him to never meet Ji Fanyin again. He couldn¡¯t stop himself from checking that darned little app from time to time, but he did hold himself back from making a reservation. Who could have thought that a bastard would reserve Ji Fanyin¡¯s entire day in a single breath? Bai Zhou felt like an indignant shopper on Single¡¯s Day. He had already added a heavily discounted big-ticket item into his shopping cart and was considering whether he should confirm it or not when the item suddenly ran out of stock. Was it Song Shiyu? That disgusting man I met at that banquet? That wheelchair guy in Greece? Or did she further expand her client list, just like how she brought me in as a client? Bai Zhou watched as the reservation schedule turned from a pending light green into a confirmed olive green within less than a minute. Goddamnit! Ji Fanyin must be online! There¡¯s no way she could have approved it that quickly otherwise! Is she in such dire lack of money? In a fit of anger, Bai Zhou selected all fifteen hours available for the day after tomorrow, but his finger stalled to a halt before he could confirm his reservation request. Ji Xinxin¡¯s words surfaced in his mind, pouring a pail of cold water over his heated mind. In the end, he threw his phone on his bed out of sheer frustration. He couldn¡¯t break a promise that he had already made. He stomped to his study table, dragged out the chair noisily, and flipped open his textbook to begin revision. It was approaching the end of the academic semester, and all of the Year 2 students were going to face an onslaught of examinations. Bai Zhou was no exception to the rule. Bai Zhou¡¯s roommate looked at him curiously and asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you can pass the exams without revising?¡± For some reason, Bai Zhou found himself recalling how Ji Xinxin said that Ji Fanyin used to be incredibly good at her studies, but she had given up on herself somewhere along the way. He used to believe those words at face value, but right now, he felt that even Ji Fanyin¡¯s diffident appearance was feigned! ¡°Is passing all that matters?¡± spat Bai Zhou with gritted teeth. ¡°I¡¯m aiming for full marks!¡± The roommate was baffled by Bai Zhou¡¯s sudden declaration. He clasped his fist with feigned respect and said, ¡°Wow, I never thought that you would have that in you. All the best¡­ Are you sure that you aren¡¯t just agitated over something you saw on your phone?¡± ¡°Agitated your head!¡± Bai Zhou flipped a page on his book. ¡°Why can¡¯t I be passionate about my studies?¡± Only those who were born with a good temper could become Bai Zhou¡¯s roommate and still get along with him. The roommate scratched his head. ¡°Alright alright, whatever floats your boat. Ah right, didn¡¯t you ask me about Chen Yunsheng a while back?¡± ¡°Who?¡± asked Bai Zhou. His eyes were still fixed on his textbook. ¡°Chen Yunsheng. That senior who¡¯s a year older than us. You marched up to me the other day looking like you were going to murder someone and asked me a bunch of questions about him. You forgot about it?¡± The roommate was dumbfounded. Those words successfully evoked Bai Zhou¡¯s memories. He immediately turned his head over and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that fellow?¡± ¡°Someone in my chat group said that it¡¯s his birthday tomorrow.¡± Bai Zhou widened his eyes in realization. Right¡­ How could I have forgotten about Chen Yunsheng? Another roommate from the upper bunk bed peeked down and joined in the gossip session. ¡°I also heard that a senior confessed to him earlier today, but he rejected her.¡± ¡°Now that I think about it, Chen Yunsheng is pretty popular, but I don¡¯t think he has ever had a girlfriend¡± ¡°Don¡¯t we have someone like that in our room too?¡± ¡°Hahaha! Truer words have never been spoken! Actually, don¡¯t you think that the two of them are quite similar to each other?¡± Being compared with Chen Yunsheng sent Bai Zhou¡¯s anger shooting through the roof. ¡°Shut up!¡± The two roommates exchanged glances and shrugged nonchalantly. ¡°Well, Chen Yunsheng already has someone he likes. Didn¡¯t the basketball team win the championship a while back? I heard he gave his champion medal to that person.¡± Those words spurred a premonition in Bai Zhou¡¯s mind. Could the person he gave the medal to possibly be¡­ Their fourth roommate, who coincidentally happened to return at this moment, overheard their conversation and excitedly joined in, ¡°I heard that it was a babe. Such a pity that the competition wasn¡¯t held in our school, or else I would have headed over to take a look.¡± ¡°I know who it is,¡± said the roommate on the upper bunk bed with a gleeful tone. ¡°It was trending on our school forum. Tsk tsk, looks like the two of you don¡¯t know how to do your research.¡± ¡°Amazing, my bro. No wonder people call you the gossip king! Quick, tell us who it is!¡± ¡°Heh! Think about it, why would I say that they are similar? Doesn¡¯t our Lil¡¯ Bai like Senior Ji Xinxin? The woman Chen Yunsheng fancies is Ji Xinxin¡¯s twin sister! I saw the photo they posted on the forum, and the two of them look exactly the same!¡± ¡°Holy shit, are you serious? You know, the last time we went to the mall to have hot pot¨D¡± With his premonition confirmed, Bai Zhou was no longer in a mood to continue listening to his roommates¡¯ gossip. He quickly accessed the forum page to check that old trending post. By searching for the keywords, ¡®champion medal¡¯, the very first result was a post titled ¡¶Enlighten me, please. What does it mean for a man to give the champion medal he painstakingly won to a woman?¡·. Bai Zhou tapped into the post and impatiently scrolled all the way down till a photo appeared. Without enlarging the photo, he could easily recognize the women standing by the railings of the spectator stand. Ji Fanyin has never smiled at me in such a way before, be it during or outside of service hours. After an intent stare at Ji Fanyin, he turned his attention to the jarring medal around her neck, followed by Chen Yunsheng¡¯s face. His eyes slowly narrowed as he murmured, ¡°Chen Yunsheng¡­ I feel like I¡¯ve seen him somewhere before.¡± One of the roommates shot him a peculiar look. ¡°Yeah, didn¡¯t I just say it? Do you remember the day we had hot pot at the mall? We bumped into him and Senior Ji Xinxin¡¯s older sister. She treated us to ice cream.¡± Bai Zhou: ¡°¡­¡± Bai Zhou gripped his phone tightly as he mentally berated himself for being an utter idiot. ¡°Speaking of hot pot, I¡¯m getting a craving for it again. Shall we head there again tomorrow? I need to drop by the bookstore and buy some reference books anyway.¡± ¡°Ah, I also need to buy a set of drawing pencils. Lil¡¯ Bai, why don¡¯t you come with us? You¡¯re close with the manager of that art studio. Hehe, you might just be able to get a discount for me.¡± Bai Zhou felt incredibly irritated. He shot to his feet and grunted, ¡°I¡¯ll take a puff.¡± ¡°Hey, smoking is banned in the dormitory building¡­¡± Chapter 53.2: What About the Time You Have Spent With Me? (2) ¡­ The following day, Bai Zhou was dragged to the mall by his three roommates early in the morning. While the three of them were checking out the art studio, he found himself getting frustrated by his endless thoughts of Ji Fanyin, Ji Xinxin, and Chen Yunsheng that he simply couldn¡¯t shake off, so he headed out to have a smoke. It wasn¡¯t even 9 A.M. yet. Feeling lethargic, he let out a yawn. In the midst of his smoke, he received a call from Ji Xinxin. Doing a quick mental calculation, it was about time for Ji Xinxin¡¯s plane to land in Paris. It¡¯s earlier than usual. Her call usually comes in an hour late after the estimated landing time. The thought swiftly took root in his mind. He found himself unable to cast it away anymore. Bai Zhou pressed his lips tightly before slowly picking up the call. ¡°Big sis, you¡¯ve arrived in Paris?¡± ¡°Yeap, I just got off the plane. I¡¯m on my way to collect my luggage,¡± replied Ji Xinxin with her usual cheery tone. ¡°How unexpected. I thought that you would still be asleep at this hour. Are you intending to head out today?¡± It could have just been an innocent, casual question, but Bai Zhou couldn¡¯t help but feel that she was trying to sound him out. It left him feeling slightly repulsed. ¡°I¡¯m out with my roommates. We¡¯re buying some supplies and having hot pot later,¡± he replied. ¡°Alright, have fun~,¡± said Ji Xinxin with a chuckle. ¡°I have a piece of good news here, but I can only tell you once it¡¯s confirmed. Look forward to it, alright?¡± Bai Zhou stifled his cigarette as he subconsciously answered, ¡°Are you going to fulfill your promise to become my girlfriend?¡± Those words blurted out caused a heavy silence to loom over the call. No matter how fast Bai Zhou¡¯s reflexes were, he couldn¡¯t possibly take back the words that he had already spoken. Shit, how could I have forgotten that the one who promised to give me an answer on my 21st birthday was Ji Fanyin? ¡­ Fuck! ¡°Zhouzhou, what did you just say? I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t really understand¡­¡± asked Ji Xinxin with a confused voice. Bai Zhou clawed his hair in exasperation as he paced around the trash can. He was going to stuff Ji Xinxin a random excuse like he hadn¡¯t fully woken up yet or that he had a dream, but he suddenly spotted Ji Fanyin¡¯s silhouette in his peripheral vision. She was standing by the roadside, near a dessert store. Her clothes were clearly that of Ji Xinxin¡¯s style. However, she was clutching her stomach with a slight frown. As someone who often suffered gastric attacks, Bai Zhou was able to understand her gesture right away. He subconsciously lowered his phone from his ear to check the current time. 8.57 A.M.. She¡¯s about to start work. Bai Zhou stared at Ji Fanyin from afar. ¡°Zhouzhou?¡± Ji Xinxin called out to him. Bai Zhou didn¡¯t hear her. It took several seconds before he finally snapped out of his trance. ¡°Hm? ¡­ Ah, it¡¯s nothing. I was up last night revising for my exams. My thoughts are all jumbled up. Big sis, you don¡¯t have to pay it any mind.¡± A car stopped by the roadside and honked. Bai Zhou watched as Ji Fanyin raised her head and waved toward the driver before elegantly making her way over. I dare bet with my head that the person sitting on the driver¡¯s seat is the man who reserved Ji Fanyin for the entire day. He began walking instinctively toward the car, but his footsteps soon screeched to a halt when he recalled that he was still on a call with Ji Xinxin. I might still be able to catch up with them if I give chase right now. Bai Zhou quickly bade Ji Xinxin farewell. ¡°My roommates are out. Take care, big sis. I¡¯ll be hanging up first.¡± He hung up without even waiting for Ji Xinxin¡¯s response. Without any hesitation, he began sprinting toward his motorcycle. He wouldn¡¯t be so dumb as to try to follow a car barefoot, but he should be able to easily follow them on his motorcycle given the heavy city traffic. As he leaped onto his motorcycle and put on his helmet, his mind was filled with vulgarities that shouldn¡¯t be written out. He wanted to curse at that twat who was getting so agitated over this for no reason: Why the hell are you getting involved in Ji Fanyin¡¯s business? He wanted to curse at the fool who had blurted nonsense to Ji Xinxin earlier: You know that Ji Fanyin is a liar, so why are you taking her words so seriously? He wanted to curse at the woman who was so money-minded that she could work fifteen hours a day: Shit! Do you owe loan sharks billions or something? He wanted to curse at the pervert on the driver¡¯s seat: Reserving from morning till twelve midnight? Bloody hell, even an idiot can see through those dirty intentions you have in mind! Even the traffic lights weren¡¯t spared from his cursing: You lousy waste of time! You¡¯re making me lose sight of that stupid car! After an intense chase, Bai Zhou followed the car into an underground parking lot. He chose to watch from afar as the car finally came to a halt. The driver seat¡¯s door opened, and Song Shiyu came out from within. Chapter 53.3: What About the Time You Have Spent With Me? (3) (Resuming the confrontation among Bai Zhou, Song Shiyu, and Ji Fanyin in the brunch restaurant) ¡­ In the brunch restaurant that he had to search two whole floors for, Bai Zhou took in a deep breath to calm his own anger before replying, ¡°Date, you said? What about¡­¡± Halfway through his words, he paused for a split instant before continuing on with a hushed tone, ¡°What about the time we have spent together?¡± Song Shiyu grabbed Bai Zhou¡¯s shoulders in displeasure. ¡°Is this the time for that? Can¡¯t you see the crowd here?¡± Bai Zhou slapped off Song Shiyu¡¯s hands and glared at him furiously. ¡°Song Shiyu, are you an idiot? Can¡¯t you tell that she¡¯s having gastric pain?¡± Song Shiyu quickly turned to look at Ji Fanyin with a frown. ¡°Are you feeling unwell?¡± The latter blinked her eyes in confusion before shaking her head innocently. ¡°No, I¡¯m feeling perfectly fine.¡± Bai Zhou was infuriated to hear her response. Why are you going to such an extent?! Is it money? Or is it Song Shiyu? He wanted to grab her shoulders and angrily question her, but those words were choked in his throat. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to voice them aloud. It was also at this instant that he finally understood why he felt so anxious, angry, and hurt. Ji Fanyin had simply treated him too well. Even if it was all an act, the care and concern she had showered on him were irreproachable. Deep down, he was aware that the real reason why he had fallen for Ji Xinxin in the first place was due to the patience, warmth, and care she had shown him. No one had ever treated him in such a manner¡­ until Ji Fanyin came along. There was a moment of silence before he slowly straightened his back. He let out a contemptuous laugh and sneered, ¡°I see. I hope you two have fun on your date.¡± Ji Fanyin didn¡¯t even spare Bai Zhou an additional glance when she left the brunch restaurant. Bai Zhou sat down at the table the two of them occupied earlier. With a wintry look on his face, he whipped out his phone and accessed the reservation app. He unhesitatingly selected all of the fifteen hours available tomorrow and submitted the reservation request before proceeding to transfer the reservation fee over. He repeated those steps for the day after tomorrow, reserving all fifteen hours available and paying the reservation fee. And he did it another twelve more times afterward. What a dumb app. It only allows reservations to be made a maximum of two weeks in advance. (TL Note: It¡¯s a shorter third part. The first two parts were much longer for the sake of continuity uhh, or else it would be stifling to read @@Also, I¡¯ve been leaving additional notes for scene skips so that it¡¯s easier to follow the story. Do let me know if it¡¯s helpful or just annoying.) Chapter 54.1: You Want to Hold My Hand? (1) Ji Fanyin¡¯s phone vibrated despite being on ¡®Do-Not-Disturb¡¯ mode. She had set her phone such that both her clients and the little reservation app were able to reach her when her phone was on ¡®Do-Not-Disturb¡¯ mode. The vibration showed that she had received a new reservation request on her app. She glanced into her bag, but she didn¡¯t take out her phone to take a look. However, her phone continued vibrating for quite a while. She was receiving a whole chain of notifications. It even caught Song Shiyu¡¯s attention. He turned his head over to look at Ji Fanyin, but he surprisingly chose not to ask anything at all. Ji Fanyin casually turned around and looked behind them before remarking, ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯s following us.¡± Though his soul seems to be with us right now. ¡­ It can¡¯t be that Bai Zhou is impulse shopping on the reservation app right now, is he?How many times did my phone vibrate earlier? Ji Fanyin tried to do the calculations. The earlier vibration seemed to last for a long time. ¡°I really don¡¯t know how he managed to find us,¡± said Song Shiyu contemplatively. ¡°Does he know your address? He isn¡¯t be stalking you, is he?¡± Regardless of whether it was intentional or not, Ji Fanyin thought that she needed to tread carefully around those words. There was no way she would reveal her address to her clients that easily. Song Shiyu had a rough idea where her neighborhood was, but he didn¡¯t know the exact address. Bai Zhou shouldn¡¯t know her address yet. As for Li Xiaoxing¡­ he had already dug up everything from the very start. ¡°How could he not know where the Ji Residence is?¡± That was how Ji Fanyin chose to answer the question. ¡°¡­¡± Song Shiyu pressed the lift button. ¡°It could be dangerous if he knows where you live. There¡¯s no saying that he might attempt to pull something.¡± Ji Fanyin nodded in response. ¡°I¡¯ll be careful.¡± Why else do you think I¡¯m hiding my address from you all? As she looked at Song Shiyu, a wicked idea suddenly surfaced in her mind. She asked, ¡°You¡¯ll come right away at a call if I were to really meet with danger, right?¡± Song Shiyu turned over and looked at her with eyes so intense that it looked almost as if he was a sinner repenting to a cross. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± he murmured a promise. ¡°So make sure to look for me first if you ever meet with trouble.¡± A few more people came over to wait for the lift alongside them. Ji Fanyin glanced at the strangers around them before tiptoeing toward Song Shiyu and waving him over with a secretive look on her face. Song Shiyu obediently moved his ear over to listen to whatever she was going to say. ¡°You¡¯ll definitely be my first choice,¡± Ji Fanyin whispered quickly. ¡°Because ¡®Ji Xinxin¡¯ likes Song Shiyu.¡± Those were the exact words that Song Shiyu told her in the bar that day. Those words made her cringe badly back then, so she solemnly vowed to find an opportunity in the future to stuff those disgusting words back at him. As she had expected, Song Shiyu¡¯s expression stiffened up right away. ¡°Ah, the lift is here.¡± Ji Fanyin pointed to the lift and began making her way over. ¡°Shiyu?¡± ¡°¡­ Mm.¡± Song Shiyu stiffly made his way into the lift. Ji Fanyin pressed the ¡®B2¡¯ lift button while joyfully humming the melody of ¡®Loser¡¯. It¡¯s Ji Xinxin who likes Song Shiyu, so don¡¯t get ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ involved here, alright? Chapter 54.2: You Want to Hold My Hand? (2) ¡­ Yuan Yao was a little-known streamer from a small streaming website. She earned her keep by posting videos of her visits to cosmetics stores. Today, she brought her equipment out to a fairly expensive Western brunch restaurant to review it for her viewers. She had talked to the staff beforehand and promised them not to disturb or film the other customers. After swiftly setting up her equipment, she started her stream. She had already ordered her food in advance, but she still took the trouble to introduce the restaurant¡¯s specialty to her viewers. After that, she showed them the full menu and the prices. ¡°¡­ That¡¯s pretty much it for the introduction. We¡¯ll be waiting for the food to come now. I feel like a rich young madame eating a 188 dollar brunch set.¡± Yuan Yao rubbed her hands together expectantly. ¡°Let¡¯s pray that my 188 dollar brunch set is worth the price. My hard-earned money can¡¯t go to waste!¡± While waiting for her Egg Benedicts to be served, Yuan Yao began chatting about her daily life with her fans. In the midst of her chat, she noticed a couple walking into the restaurant and taking a seat two tables away from her. She couldn¡¯t resist gossiping with her fans, ¡°Ooh, I spotted a handsome guy and a gorgeous babe. They look just like models. What a pity that I can¡¯t film others here, or else we could have eye-candied them together.¡± The chat replied to her with ¡°Good things should be shared!¡± ¡°Lemme see, lemme see!¡±. There was no way Yuan Yao could just bring random strangers into her stream¡ªshe at least had that much tact. It was one thing for strangers to accidentally appear on her stream on the street, but turning her camera over to film others in a restaurant was way too conspicuous. Besides, there are two of them there and only one of me here. What if they beat me up? Humans were naturally drawn to pretty things. Yuan Yao began digging into her Eggs Benedict while providing her fans with real-time reactions, but her eyes wouldn¡¯t stop drifting over to look at the couple. That guy is good-looking, but that woman is drop-dead gorgeous! How could those stinky men hold a candle to sweet-scented ladies? Yuan Yao made sure to take her time eating so that she could get a few more looks in. When the couple finished their meal and began taking their leave, she sighed in disappointment. What happened next was beyond her imagination. ¡°Oh? Another hottie entered the restaurant. He looked a little young¡­ Holy shit, is that what they mean by love triangle? What an intense atmosphere! Are they going to come to blows?¡± Yuan Yao whispered with a hushed voice. The chat: We don¡¯t ask you to show us their faces, but you should at least let us listen to the fresh gossip! Yuan Yao secretly adjusted her mic toward the couple plus one. She took a casual glance around and saw that many of the customers were looking over as well. The desire for gossip was innate in all humans. The couple plus one were two tables away, and they weren¡¯t speaking loudly either. Yuan Yao couldn¡¯t tell how much the mic was able to take in, but she did manage to catch everything loud and clear. How exciting! Be it the ¡°You shouldn¡¯t cause a scene here¡± or ¡°What about the time we have spent together?¡±, Yuan Yao could easily imagine a ten thousand words dog-blooded novel. Between the old flame and the new lover, which one does her heart truly belong to? Yuan Yao pricked up her ears, not wanting to miss out on a single word. This dramatic scene was eventually concluded with the couple¡¯s departure. Messages like ¡°What happened afterward?¡±, ¡°Did they start fighting?¡±, and ¡°Damn! I just brought my earpiece over, and the fight is already over?¡± could be seen flashing across the live stream. Yuan Yao whispered into the mic with a secretive look on her face, ¡°The other hottie hasn¡¯t left yet. He sat down at the couple¡¯s table. Oof, he looks like he¡¯s going to murder someone. He¡¯s fiddling with his phone right now¡­ Haha, even the waiter doesn¡¯t dare collect the plates¡­ Ey? He gulped down the beverage that the gorgeous babe was drinking earlier¡­ Ah?¡± The chat: Looks like your 188 dollars was well-spent. Yuan Yao: ¡°¡­ I can¡¯t deny that.¡± Yuan Yao later edited the love triangle video and uploaded it online. It unexpectedly went viral, becoming one of the recommended videos of the website that very night. Lots of curious netizens enjoyed the gossip fodder and shared it around. The fighting trio never appeared on camera, but the streamer mentioned that they were two hotties and a babe. That further stoked curiosity about the entire fiasco. Chapter 54.3: You Want to Hold My Hand? (3) While the video was swiftly making its way around the net, Ji Fanyin was with Song Shiyu at the observatory, looking at the stars. It was such an abrupt test that Ji Fanyin wasn¡¯t able to do her homework beforehand. She could only try her best to rake up whatever knowledge she knew about astronomy from disaster films so that she wouldn¡¯t appear ignorant. It was fortunate that Song Shiyu wasn¡¯t particularly focused on the stars either. He looked at the winter sky via the telescope and sighed in wonderment, ¡°Beautiful. It¡¯s no wonder you¡¯re fond of the stars.¡± Ji Fanyin, who was looking through the telescope adjusted to the North Star, also thought that the night sky was beautiful, though it was really just a layman¡¯s level of appreciation. ¡°Are you feeling cold?¡± Song Shiyu asked as he reached out to touch Ji Fanyin¡¯s hand, hoping to feel her hand¡¯s temperature. Ji Fanyin was still focused on watching the stars a moment ago when she instinctively retracted her hand and looked at Song Shiyu. For just an instant there, she broke out of her working mode. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Song Shiyu looked perplexed. Ji Fanyin replied with a composed smile, ¡°Nothing much.¡± She wasn¡¯t fond of being touched by others, which was why she didn¡¯t like taking public transport. The feeling of repulsion was further exacerbated when it came to Song Shiyu. I might just be allergic to scums. There weren¡¯t many people in the observatory due to it being a working day. Ji Fanyin was still feeling a little gleeful at having monopolized this popular telescope for so long, but the earlier event had ruined the mood. Thus, she said, ¡°It really is a little cold here. Let¡¯s go.¡± However, Song Shiyu began staring at Ji Fanyin¡¯s face intently instead of walking away, as if he was trying to find something from her. Ji Fanyin gave it some thought before offering her hand to him. ¡°Do you want to hold my hand?¡± She had a sudden recollection. Ji Fanyin¡¯ was very fond of Song Shiyu. She desired his warmth and intimacy. Even an unintentional brushing of hands while passing over a cup could make her heart go wild. She would have liked more than anything to hold hands with him, but Song Shiyu, despite seeing her as Ji Xinxin¡¯s substitute, refused to come into physical contact with her. She was also too meek to voice her thoughts aloud. Of course, even if Song Shiyu had learned about her humble desire for warmth and intimacy back then, he would have just snorted at her. He wouldn¡¯t cherish what came so easily. It was ironic how the tables had turned. Song Shiyu was now the one who was greedy for warmth and intimacy. He had become the humble one in this relationship. I wonder if Song Shiyu has noticed that this is karma yet. Ji Fanyin smiled at the man who was looking at her with a hesitant frown, her hand still waiting in mid-air. Let¡¯s see if you¡¯re thick-skinned enough to try it. She had already thought of a countermeasure if he attempted to grab her hand. She would pull it back and brush him off with a joking ¡®But I don¡¯t want to hold your hand now. Heehee.¡¯. Several seconds ticked by. Song Shiyu raised his hand, only to swiftly pull it back. There was an awful look on his face. He stiffly turned his head away before hurriedly walking past Ji Fanyin, as if he was trying to flee the scene. Ji Fanyin slipped her hand into her pocket and smiled at Song Shiyu from behind. Not bad. It looks like you¡¯ve finally managed to find your sense of shame. You finally know just how ugly you were. But what¡¯s the point of realizing it now? So many years have already passed. The person you have driven past the edge is no longer here. Ji Fanyin began following Song Shiyu with leisurely footsteps. Her boots produced a ¡®tak tak tak¡¯ rhythm against the tiles. It sounded like a bell being rung by a monk on the path to redemption. Chapter 55.1: Bidding Model (1) When the two of them reached the doorway of the observatory, Song Shiyu suddenly halted his footsteps. Without turning to look at Ji Fanyin, he muttered softly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Ji Fanyin looked at his tightly-clenched fists and asked, ¡°What are you sorry for?¡± ¡°I just wanted to apologize to your older sister. I¡­ didn¡¯t treat her well,¡± said Song Shiyu with difficulty. ¡®Didn¡¯t treat her well¡¯. That¡¯s putting it quite mildly. Ji Fanyin answered him calmly, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll relay your words to big sis.¡± ¡°¡­ Do you think that she will forgive me?¡± Ji Fanyin spent a few seconds earnestly contemplating that question before she answered, ¡°I don¡¯t know. She¡¯ll have to hear your apology first.¡± Just that she¡¯s already dead. She can¡¯t hear anything now. Either Ji Fanyin¡¯s remark had rendered him speechless or his overwhelming guilt had left him ashamed of himself, but Song Shiyu chose not to dwell on this topic. He quietly drove Ji Fanyin back home even though it was only 10 P.M.. When Ji Fanyin noticed that they were heading toward her neighborhood instead of the Ji Residence, she kindly reminded him, ¡°My house is not in this direction.¡± Song Shiyu ignored her and continued driving toward her neighborhood. When the car finally came to a halt, he leaned over and released her seatbelt for her. ¡°Goodnight,¡± he said. ¡°Take care on your way back. Goodnight.¡± While saying those words, Ji Fanyin noticed a familiar male bracelet around Song Shiyu¡¯s wrist. Where have I seen this before? Ah. It was the bracelet that she had given to him several months ago for work, only for him to smash it. She had chanced upon it while she was at his home, so she took it away with her for garbage disposal. She was able to sell it for 200 dollars on an e-commerce website despite it being bent out of shape. Does this mean that someone else gave him a similar bracelet? No¡­ he bought it himself? Regardless of whether Song Shiyu was wearing it as a statement or for some other reason, she decided to just feign ignorance. She turned her eyes away with an ambiguous smile and alighted from the car. ¡°Ji Fanyin,¡± Song Shiyu called out to her from behind. He leaned out of the window and looked at her with a hesitant look on his face, afraid that he might face yet another rejection. ¡°Can I¡­ ask you out? I don¡¯t need you to be¡­ anyone¡¯s substitute. You just have to be yourself.¡± Ji Fanyin turned around and smiled at him. Sometimes, a silent smile can be the loudest rejection. Sorry, but the person you¡¯re calling doesn¡¯t wish to bother with you. Don¡¯t bother trying again. Song Shiyu was still fairly good at catching hints. He grasped the meaning behind her smile within a few seconds and wisely chose to seal his lips. Ji Fanyin waved her hand at him and bade him farewell, ¡°Byebye.¡± Song Shiyu looked like he still had things to say, but he chose not to waste anyone¡¯s time here. He quietly drove his car away. Ji Fanyin glanced at her watch. Not bad, I managed to get off work forty minutes in advance. Chapter 55.2: Bidding Model (2) Ji Fanyin took a detour to the neighborhood¡¯s 24-hour convenience shop to grab some food. While waiting for the staff to wrap up her tea egg, she took out her phone to check on the notifications she had missed. The thirteen reservation requests Bai Zhou had made filled her screen. Her bank account balance had increased by nearly 20,000,000 dollars. Ji Fanyin thought about it and decided to only approve the reservation request Bai Zhou made for tomorrow. She rejected the other twelve requests and refunded him accordingly. Her clients had been making reservations on and off, so an occasional full-day request wasn¡¯t that big of a deal to her. However, if she allowed Bai Zhou to do as he pleased, it wouldn¡¯t be long before she died of exhaustion. She paid for her food via WeChat. On her way back home, she sipped on her warm milk while thinking about how she could change the SOPs for her stand-in business. First and foremost, I should deter such mass reservations from a single client. I won¡¯t be able to take it if I have to work 15 hours a day for an entire fortnight. It¡¯s not like I have to push myself to that extent anymore. Ji Fanyin roughly drafted up a proposal in her mind. When she got home, she tapped into her WeChat to look up the programmer who had made her reservation app. While doing so, she noticed that Chen Yunsheng had sent her quite a few messages. He said that it was his birthday, before proceeding to report his schedule for the day. He even posted pictures of what he ate for dinner. He concluded his report with: ¡¾Big sis, are you still at work? When will you be free? There¡¯s no need to reply to my messages if you¡¯re exhausted. Have a good rest. Goodnight¡¿ Those words looked perfectly normal, but somehow, Ji Fanyin could sense Chen Yunsheng¡¯s inexplicable anticipation bursting through them. She glanced at the time and saw that there were twenty minutes left before the end of the day. She began typing out a response to Chen Yunsheng, writing ¡®I¡¯ve been busy the whole day¡¯, but after a moment of hesitation, she erased her words and went with a call instead. While waiting for the call to be picked up, she settled down on her sofa and flipped open her laptop. She looked up the programmer¡¯s contact and sent him a nudge. It isn¡¯t even midnight yet. Someone who abides by the 996 philosophy can¡¯t possibly be asleep. Just as she had expected, the programmer swiftly responded with a ¡¾?¡¿. She placed her phone on the table first and began typing out her request to the programmer. She was on her second sentence when Chen Yunsheng finally picked up the call. His voice was a little muffled, like he was speaking under his blanket. ¡°Who is it?¡± Ji Fanyin answered with a smile, ¡°Happy birthday.¡± There was a sharp inhalation of breath from the other side. It took Chen Yunsheng a second to snap out of his groggy state. ¡°Big sis!¡± Ji Fanyin quickly finished typing out her request and sent it over to the programmer. Now that her hands were free, she settled down on a stool and began taking off her earrings. As she did so, she glanced at her phone screen and noticed that it was completely dark. ¡°It¡¯s a video call,¡± she told him with a chuckle. Chen Yunsheng exclaimed with an ¡°Ah!¡±. There was slight chaos from the other side of the call, followed by a ¡®Pah!¡¯ sound. A dim yellow night light was switched on. A young man with messy hair appeared on the phone screen. He adjusted the angle of the phone with a serious look, causing the video to shake around. When the video finally stabilized, he revealed a radiant smile and said, ¡°I thought that I wouldn¡¯t hear from you today.¡± Ji Fanyin took a look at him and said, ¡°Wrap yourself tightly in your blanket. Don¡¯t catch a cold.¡± Chen Yunsheng obediently pulled his blanket over and wrapped himself in it. ¡°Were you working till now?¡± ¡°Yeah, I just saw your message. Luckily I made it before midnight,¡± said Ji Fanyin. With her earrings in hand, she grabbed her phone and stood up. ¡°I wasn¡¯t able to prepare anything for your birthday. How about a red packet?¡± Chen Yunsheng shook his head and answered exuberantly, ¡°I¡¯ve already received the best present from you!¡± Ji Fanyin noticed a clump of bed hair by the corner of his head. It swayed around with his vigorous head movement, but it simply refused to drop down, as if it had thoughts of its own. It was weirdly amusing. She walked into one of the empty bedrooms and showed Chen Yunsheng the rows of accessory boxes she had on her dressing table. ¡°Is it a lot?¡± ¡°Not at all! There¡¯s plenty of room for more!¡± answered Chen Yunsheng right away. Ji Fanyin chuckled once again. Even words intended to please felt very different coming from an innocent youth as compared to a relationship veteran. Chapter 55.3: Bidding Model (3) Ji Fanyin brought the camera close up to one of the accessory boxes and asked, ¡°What do you think is in there?¡± Chen Yunsheng responded carefully, ¡°The box looks flat¡­ Is it bracelets?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Necklace?¡± Ji Fanyin tilted her phone downward and back up to emulate a nodding action. ¡°You¡¯re getting close.¡± Chen Yunsheng spent another few more seconds in thoughts, trying to gather whatever little knowledge he knew about female accessories. ¡°Princess necklace?¡±(It¡¯s referring to the type of necklaces that rests nicely on the collar bone.) Ji Fanyin¡¯s lips curled up in interest. Deciding not to tease the young man anymore, she pried open the lid to show it to him. Sitting in the box was a golden medal with a basketball inscribed on it. The medal¡¯s design wasn¡¯t exactly aesthetically pleasing, but the feelings behind it were sincere. Thus, she chose to carefully stow it away. There was a loud thud on the other side of the phone, as if something had been knocked over. The screen spun around before finally halting on Chen Yunsheng, who was covering his face. ¡°Don¡¯t get so agitated,¡± said Ji Fanyin as she closed the accessory box. ¡°I¡¯m just showing you that I¡¯ve been keeping it well.¡± Chen Yunsheng turned his phone away from him, not wanting to show his furiously blushing face. He murmured weakly in protest, ¡°¡­ This is unfair.¡± Ji Fanyin chuckled softly before repeating her blessing, ¡°Happy birthday.¡± She found joy in teasing the youth, somewhat similar to how she would poke fun at Song Shiyu from time to time. It was just that the former was innocent fun whereas the former was fueled by her inner wicked streak. Well, both are quite entertaining anyway. The clock soon struck midnight, and the youth¡¯s birthday came to an end. Ji Fanyin bade him farewell and hung up the video call. She returned to her laptop and noticed that she had already left the programmer hanging for ten minutes or so. He asked: ¡¾To summarize what you just said, you want to build a competitive bidding system on top of your current system, right?¡¿ Ji Fanyin answered concisely: ¡¾That¡¯s right¡¿ The programmer replied with charismatic decisiveness: ¡¾Got it. I¡¯ll draft out a journey map for you. Let¡¯s use the prices from our previous deal¡¿ Ji Fanyin generously offered him a premium to rush out the function as soon as possible. The amount she was paying wasn¡¯t much compared to the potential benefits she could earn from the bidding system. The programmer was extremely efficient in his work. Within twenty minutes, the customer journey map was already sitting in Ji Fanyin¡¯s email. The design of the reservation app was quite simple, modeled after movie ticketing apps. As long as a person was willing to pay for a certain seat, the ticket would go to him. However, Bai Zhou¡¯s unusual purchasing habits earlier in the day alerted her to potential problems, so she decided to impose some restrictions. Same as before, the user would first select a series of time slots to begin the reservation process. What was different was the additional option to select whether they would like to pay for the basic fee or increase it up to tenfold. If another user hoped to occupy the same time slot, he had the option to pay a higher price so as to receive priority, making it somewhat like an auction. Of course, the original user also had the option to further raise his bid so as to not allow his reserved slot to be taken away. Other than that, she also reduced the time slots that could be reserved, from fifteen hours a day to ten hours a day, ranging from 11 A.M. to 9 P.M.. She didn¡¯t want to burn herself out from overworking, not to mention that she was slowly moving her priority toward the studio she had established with Zhang Ning. Until my part-time job officially becomes a full-time job, I¡¯ll just have to do it this way. An increase in prices was bound to lead to a decrease in demand, but she needed to adopt a business model that was feasible for her circumstances. Ji Fanyin looked at the newly updated app and gave the matter some thought. Hmm, my largest one-off income was still from the business trip I had with Bai Zhou to Greece. Is it possible that my salary might end up going up as my rich clients attempt to outbid each other? Chapter 56.1: She Didn’t Do It On Purpose (1) ¡°Why did you reject my reservation?¡± Bai Zhou shoved this question onto Ji Fanyin the moment they met each other the following morning. ¡°What reservation?¡± asked Ji Fanyin innocently. ¡°Did you forget to eat breakfast again? I prepared a sandwich for you.¡± ¡°You even locked your schedule!¡± exclaimed Bai Zhou. He snatched the sandwich from Ji Fanyin¡¯s hand and glanced at it. ¡°Did you agree to travel with someone else, just like how we went to Greece back then? I don¡¯t eat sandwiches bought from convenience shops!¡± Ji Fanyin reached forth in an attempt to take her sandwich back. ¡°I made extra this morning. Give it back to me if you don¡¯t want it.¡± Bai Zhou subconsciously twisted his body around to ward off Ji Fanyin¡¯s approaching hand. ¡°I won¡¯t give it back to you even if I¡¯m not going to eat it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t eat it then.¡± ¡°Why should I listen to you?¡± Bai Zhou impatiently tore open the packaging and took a huge chomp off the sandwich. The next moment, he widened his eyes in surprise. He quickly glanced down to examine the ingredients in the sandwich. The sandwich was specially prepared for Bai Zhou, so it went without saying that Ji Fanyin had chosen everything according to his preferences, be it the bread, filling, or sauce. She placed her hands behind her back and asked him with a chuckle, ¡°How is it? Delicious, right?¡± Bai Zhou continued glaring at her as he quickly gobbled up the sandwich. Then, he clapped off the bread crumbs on his hands and said, ¡°We won¡¯t be heading out today.¡± ¡°Are your finals over?¡± asked Ji Fanyin as she got into a pair of slippers. She wasn¡¯t too concerned with Bai Zhou¡¯s bad mood. It would be impossible for someone like him not to get mad after yesterday¡¯s incident. ¡°Not yet.¡± Bai Zhou yawned as he began booting up two computers. ¡°I¡¯ve already done my revision. You don¡¯t need to worry about me.¡± It was ridiculous that a university student was living alone in such a huge apartment. It was also hard to comprehend why he needed to have two computers and a laptop on top of that. He¡¯s a fiery-tempered thug when he goes out, and a fiery-tempered shut-in when he holes himself up at home. He probably squanders most of his time at home gaming. Ji Fanyin only had a thought in mind when she saw how smoothly Bai Zhou started up his two computers in preparation for idling his whole day away: The current generation of university students sure lives decadently. While Bai Zhou was adjusting his seat, his phone suddenly started vibrating a couple of times. It eventually culminated into a phone call. As his phone was placed right in front of Ji Fanyin, she subconsciously glanced at it and saw the caller¡¯s name. It wasn¡¯t a familiar name, but judging by the intimate nickname, it appeared to be one of his same-aged friends. ¡°Pass it over,¡± said Bai Zhou. Ji Fanyin eyed the literal arm¡¯s length distance between Bai Zhou and his phone, but she still patiently delivered it into his hand with a smile. Bai Zhou had a relaxed expression when he first picked it up, but seconds later, his face turned cold. ¡°Send it to me.¡± After saying those four words, he hung up the phone, rose from his seat, and walked out of the room. ¡°Feel free to watch whatever you want on the computer. I¡¯ll be right back.¡± Ji Fanyin leisurely checked out what was on the computer before entertaining herself with a simple round of spider solitaire. Chapter 56.2: She Didn’t Do It On Purpose (2) Bai Zhou was away for quite a while, returning only around half an hour later. In the meantime, Ji Fanyin made her way over to the refrigerator, took out a couple of fruits, and prepared a beautiful fruit platter. She stationed the fruit platter in between the two computers. Bai Zhou¡¯s refrigerator was oddly full as if he had just gone on a shopping spree. It didn¡¯t take long for Ji Fanyin to figure out what was going on. He probably thought that he had secured the next two weeks of my reservation, so he prepared the ingredients in advance. Bai Zhou¡¯s complexion looked awful. With his phone still in hand, he looked at Ji Fanyin for a moment before explaining, ¡°Someone uploaded the incident in the restaurant yesterday on the internet.¡± Ji Fanyin blinked her eyes innocently, ¡°Incident? What happened yesterday?¡± Every single one of her ¡®Ji Xinxins¡¯ was customized and tailored to her client¡¯s needs. Bai Zhou¡¯s version shouldn¡¯t have known about the events that had happened in Song Shiyu¡¯s version. How could a professional like her possibly mix up different versions of ¡®Ji Xinxin¡¯? Besides¡­ whether something had been uploaded to the internet or not wasn¡¯t that much of a deal to her. Whenever her name appeared in a forum in her previous world, the threads would easily stack up to form a skyscraper. She was a veteran who had survived the battlefield many times. That mild exchange they had yesterday was no big deal to her. It wouldn¡¯t hurt her in the least. If our conversation yesterday got leaked¡­ is the culprit the lady who was doing a mukbang stream? She shouldn¡¯t have been able to catch us in her video given her camera¡¯s angle, so there shouldn¡¯t be any problem here. Bai Zhou: ¡°¡­¡± He took a deep breath to suppress his anger before continuing on, ¡°Take a look yourself.¡± He placed his phone in front of Ji Fanyin, which showed a video recently uploaded by a beauty and food streamer. Ji Fanyin picked up the phone and played the video. There were no faces in the video and the background was rather noisy, though the streamer¡¯s voice was recorded rather clearly. Even with the volume set to max, one could only vaguely hear the conversation among the three of them. Of course, there was no lack of talents amongst netizens. There were already warm-hearted individuals who had transcribed their conversation and posted it in the comment section. Ji Fanyin scrolled down to browse through the diverse comments. She thought that they were pretty interesting. The video had gone viral on the internet. Since Bai Zhou¡¯s friends were able to recognize his voice, there might be people out there who could recognize all three of their voices¡­ ¡­ though one shouldn¡¯t forget that Ji Fanyin was working back then. She wasn¡¯t speaking with her usual voice but imitating Ji Xinxin¡¯s speech. Even if those who were familiar with the two of them were to stumble upon the video, they would only think that the woman in it was Ji Xinxin. This makes things quite interesting. For one, what would the other fishes in Ji Xinxin¡¯s fishery think upon seeing the video? Or if Ji Xinxin were to see the video herself, what would she deduce from it? If not for the TPO, Ji Fanyin would have rubbed her hands together to express her anticipation. ¡°I¡¯m going to report the video uploader and make her remove the video,¡± said Bai Zhou with a frown. ¡°This is a violation of my privacy!¡± ¡°The video has already been shared so many times. It won¡¯t be easy to remove it now,¡± said Ji Fanyin as she patted the seat next to her. ¡°There¡¯s no need to go through that much trouble. News comes and goes quickly on the internet. The video will lose steam soon enough.¡± How could a video that only contained a couple of voices possibly remain popular for long? The deep furrow on Bai Zhou¡¯s forehead still showed no signs of loosening. ¡°But others might recognize us through it!¡± ¡°Are you worried?¡± asked Ji Fanyin. Bai Zhou pulled out the chair and sat down. ¡°I¡¯m not worried about that buffoon Song Shiyu or myself. I¡¯m worried about you!¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be worried if I was the woman in the video,¡± replied Ji Fanyin as she began booting up the game. ¡°Don¡¯t you think that she knows what she¡¯s doing?¡± Bai Zhou fell silent. He let out a disdainful snort before reaching out to grab his mouse. Chapter 56.3: She Didn’t Do It On Purpose (3) It was common knowledge that Ji Xinxin¡¯s gaming skills were so-so. Even Ji Fanyin¡¯s flawless acting ended up stumbling once due to it. She honestly didn¡¯t think that Ji Xinxin would be that terrible in gaming. She had never felt more like a damsel in distress than during the gaming sessions with Bai Zhou. She logged into one of Bai Zhou¡¯s side accounts and immediately received an invitation request from Bai Zhou¡¯s main account. In her peripheral vision, she noticed that someone had sent Bai Zhou a request to join his squad, but he ignored the request and went ahead to queue up for Duo mode. With a hand on the mouse and the other on the keyboard, Ji Fanyin swiftly entered her ¡®Newbie Gamer Ji Xinxin¡¯ mode. It was not easy for Bai Zhou to advance in the game with a huge burden in his squad, though Ji Fanyin did notice that his skills had improved considerably compared to back then. It showed that humans did grow in the face of adversity. While Ji Fanyin was crouching in the bushes, Bai Zhou proceeded into a nearby building to scavenge for resources. Around two minutes later, Ji Fanyin suddenly heard a voice message coming from Bai Zhou¡¯s computer. It was a voice filled with surprise and delight, ¡°Zhouzhou?¡± Those words were relayed through all chat, which meant that everyone in the vicinity of the player would be able to hear it, be it friend or foe. There was only one person in the world who would address Bai Zhou in such a manner. What¡¯s with this coincidence? Did we really get queued into the same match as Ji Xinxin? Ji Fanyin thought that this was pretty interesting. She began searching her vicinity from the safety of the bushes, and she soon spotted three avatars standing by the window. One was Ji Xinxin and one was Bai Zhou. Who¡¯s the third person then? Ji Fanyin glanced at Bai Zhou¡¯s expression and immediately understood what was going on. Is this what Bai Zhou has been feeling troubled about all this while? That third person should be the man whom Ji Xinxin boldly brought along with her during her gaming sessions with Bai Zhou, right? Ji Fanyin equipped the 98K she had just picked up earlier on and started taking aim at an avatar which could have either belonged to Ji Xinxin or her male partner. Without any hesitation, she pulled the trigger. Ji Xinxin¡¯s shocked exclamation sounded from Bai Zhou¡¯s computer right away, ¡°Someone is sniping at us! I¡¯ll help my teammate first.¡± It looked like the avatar Ji Fanyin had shot down didn¡¯t belong to Ji Xinxin. So, she directed her scope toward the other avatar that definitely belonged to Ji Xinxin. There was really no denying that Ji Xinxin was horrible at the game. Despite knowing that there was a sniper onto them, she didn¡¯t bother trying to take cover when helping her teammate up. After taking aim, Ji Fanyin decisively eliminated Ji Xinxin with a single shot. Consider this a gift from ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯. There was no way she would kill Ji Xinxin in real life, but there was no harm in getting back at her in the game. Everything had happened too quickly. The two snipes occurred within seconds of each other, and both were deadly headshots. Bai Zhou only understood what was going on when the second gunshot sounded. ¡°Wait a¨D¡± A system notification reflecting that Bai Zhou¡¯s side account had killed two people popped up. After claiming two heads for herself, Ji Fanyin took off her headphones and turned to look at Bai Zhou with innocent eyes. ¡°Wow, I was really accurate with those two shots.¡± ¡­ Bai Zhou knew that Ji Fanyin was feigning ignorance. He stared at her for a few seconds before turning his attention back to the game. He felt a tinge of glee when she had eliminated Kitty, but as for Ji Xinxin¡­ Maybe Ji Xinxin isn¡¯t as important to me as Ji Fanyin is anymore. Bai Zhou was taken aback by the conclusion that inexplicably arose in his mind. He soon received a text message from Ji Xinxin on his phone: ¡¾Who¡¯s playing with you on your side account? Why did he shoot me too?¡¿ Bai Zhou glanced at his phone and quickly responded with a frown: ¡¾She didn¡¯t do it on purpose¡¿ It was only after he sent out the message that he noticed a seemingly subtle yet glaringly conspicuous difference in their usage of terms. Ji Xinxin had used the noun ¡®he¡¯ whereas he had responded with a ¡®she¡¯. He tossed aside his mouse in frustration. ¡­ Ji Xinxin is going to guess it. Just as he had expected, the next message Ji Xinxin sent in was: ¡¾Zhouzhou, didn¡¯t you promise me that you wouldn¡¯t meet with my big sis anymore?¡¿ Chapter 57.1: Your Big Sis Is Profiting Off You (1) Ji Xinxin stared at her phone intently. There was no response from Bai Zhou, just like how he had ignored her request to join his squad earlier. He was like a little kid throwing a tantrum, thinking that the problem would magically disappear by ignoring it. This was the kind of person Bai Zhou was. Obstinate and immature. Ji Xinxin had to spend quite a bit of effort to win him over back then. She knew that she should use a gentle attitude to placate him before casting out her doubts. That was the safest way to deal with him. A day had passed since their last phone call, but she felt like a fishbone was stuck in her throat every time she thought about it. ¡®Are you going to fulfill your promise to become my girlfriend?¡¯ She clearly remembered what he had said back then. Having a good memory was important for a King of the Seas, especially if one was treading on a thin rope like her. Her character could quickly crumble if she mixed up what she had said to different people. There was no way she would forget it if she had mentioned a key phrase like ¡®girlfriend¡¯. She was absolutely certain that she had never said anything along that line to Bai Zhou. If so, what could those words he had blurted out mean? Not to mention, Bai Zhou has been meeting Ji Fanyin in private all this while¡­ Ji Xinxin was extremely tempted to press the ¡®Call¡¯ button, but she decided against it. Ji Fanyin is beside Bai Zhou right now. She¡¯ll be able to overhear our conversation if I call him now. That¡¯ll be disadvantageous to me. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± the French man sitting beside her asked concernedly. ¡°I was just unlucky to get sniped. Shall we play another round with your younger brother?¡± Ji Xinxin turned her head over and smiled at the man. ¡°He¡¯s playing with another friend. Give me a while, I¡¯ll get a cup of water.¡± She grabbed her empty cup and her phone and left the room. In the quiet kitchen, she sent another message to Bai Zhou: ¡¾Do you still remember the promise you made with me? You can¡¯t treat my big sis as my substitute just because I¡¯m not around¡¿ This time, Bai Zhou answered her message: ¡¾It¡¯s not because you aren¡¯t around¡¿ Ji Xinxin stared at those six words intently. What does Bai Zhou mean by this? It¡¯s not because I¡¯m not around? Is he talking about the reason why he¡¯s still meeting with Ji Fanyin? What other reasons could he have if it''s not because he feels lonely and needs a substitute? Ji Xinxin closed her eyes and took a while to calm her bursting emotions. Then, she opened her eyes and started crafting a reply: ¡¾You still haven¡¯t explained what happened last time. When did I agree to become your girlfriend?¡¿ Bai Zhou''s reply came in quickly: ¡¾Who is Kitty?¡¿ The shorter the sentence, the bigger the problem. The moment that concise question appeared before her eyes, Ji Xinxin felt a lurch in her. She knew that there was a possibility that Bai Zhou might find out about it, but she was confident in her means. She thought that she had done a good job hiding it from him. More importantly, she didn''t think that Bai Zhou would confront her over this. It was almost as if he was prepared to sever their relationship. Ji Xinxin grabbed her cup and took a big gulp. The icy water made her shudder. Calm down, this isn¡¯t a checkmate yet. I can still salvage the situation. Bai Zhou is just angry. As long as I placate his anger, I¡¯ll be able to slowly win him back¡­ Chapter 57.2: Your Big Sis Is Profiting Off You (2) Ji Xinxin was just about to answer Bai Zhou¡¯s question when another female roommate passing by the kitchen suddenly called out to her, ¡°Babe!¡± Ji Xinxin jolted in fright. She turned to the female roommate and asked, ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°You¡­¡± Despite having called her, the female roommate hesitated in getting to the main topic. ¡°Didn¡¯t you return to China a while ago? Did you meet with your boyfriend?¡± JI Xinxin was surprised to hear that. ¡°I don¡¯t have a boyfriend.¡± The innocent roommate heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°That means that you aren¡¯t dating other people, right? That¡¯s a relief! I knew that you can¡¯t be the one in the video, but Lil¡¯ Yu simply wouldn¡¯t believe it.¡± This female roommate and her boyfriend were currently staying under the same roof as Ji Xinxin. She was studying the same course as Ji Xinxin and respected her greatly. Lil¡¯ Yu was none other than her boyfriend. ¡°What video?¡± Ji Xinxin¡¯s intuition began ringing warning bells in her head. ¡°It¡¯s this.¡± That female roommate quickly searched up a video and showed it to Ji Xinxin. ¡°It recently appeared in my feed. The woman in the video has a voice identical to yours!¡± She turned up the volume of the video as she spoke. It was a two-minute-long video. As the key to the video lay in the background voices, the person who edited the video made sure to add subtitles. Ji Xinxin¡¯s eyes had already turned livid from the moment she heard the words ¡®What a coincidence¡¯. That¡¯s Bai Zhou¡¯s voice. And the following ¡®Let¡¯s go¡¯ is Song Shiyu¡¯s voice. It¡¯s possible for the two of them to encounter each other since they live in the same city, but why would Bai Zhou greet Song Shiyu? Even if the two of them were to bump into each other, they wouldn¡¯t be bothered to spare a glance at each other, let alone engage in a conversation. Furthermore, my roommate mentioned ¡®woman¡¯ earlier, which shows that there¡¯s a third party present. Ji Xinxin continued watching the video with an unchanging smile on her lips. But when she heard a sweet voice identical to hers stabbing daggers into Bai Zhou¡¯s heart, she found herself unable to maintain her smile any longer. If not for the fact that she was certain she hadn¡¯t said those words, she would have thought that the woman in the video was her! ¡°Don¡¯t you think that it really sounds like you?¡± the female roommate asked excitedly. ¡°I was shocked when I first heard it!¡± ¡°I¡¯m feeling pretty shocked too.¡± Ji Xinxin was stunned for a moment before asking with a smile, ¡°Does this audio recording have a video to it?¡± ¡°Nay, there¡¯s only the audio recording. Based on what I heard, the streamer who recorded this conversation chanced upon this drama at a restaurant near your home. Don¡¯t you think that it¡¯s a huge coincidence?¡± ¡°¡­ It really is,¡± replied Ji Xinxin as she returned the phone to the female roommate. She pointed to the stairs and said, ¡°Liam is still waiting for me. I¡¯ll head up first.¡± The female roommate didn¡¯t sense anything wrong with Ji Xinxin. She waved her hand innocently and said, ¡°Alright! I¡¯ll call you down when I¡¯m done preparing dinner.¡± Ji Xinxin trudged the stairs with her cup in hand as she quickly revised all of the clues she had gathered thus far. She was certain that Ji Fanyin was her older sister because the ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ in her dreams wouldn¡¯t stoop down to becoming a mere substitute. There¡¯s no way that ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ would do something so demeaning. It¡¯s not as if she could gain anything out of it! ¡­ There aren¡¯t enough clues for me to work with. After careful contemplation, Ji Xinxin decided not to contact Song Shiyu, Bai Zhou, or Ji Fanyin to ask about it. She suddenly recalled that during the period of time she returned to China, Cen Xiangyang had requested to meet her, saying that he had an extremely important secret to tell her. She eventually chose not to meet him, and Cen Xiangyang didn¡¯t bother contacting her afterward. Thinking that this might be somewhat related to everything else, Ji Xinxin decided to call up Cen Xiangyang. To be frank, she wasn¡¯t fond of interacting with Cen Xiangyang. Trying to maintain her image of a ¡®weak and innocent lamb¡¯ before him was quite mentally exhausting, and it often left her feeling rather uncomfortable. However, if she wanted to acquire any information from him, she had no choice but to take the initiative to contact him. She spent a while mentally preparing herself before hitting the ¡®Call¡¯ button. Chapter 57.3: Your Big Sis Is Profiting Off You (3) ¡°Xinxin?¡± Cen Xiangyang¡¯s surroundings were as noisy as always. ¡°You¡¯re looking for me?¡± ¡°I just saw the news about your new movie on the internet, so I wanted to call to check on how our great director is faring.¡± Ji Xinxin began chatting about mundane stuff. ¡°Why don¡¯t I drop by your set if an opportunity arises in the future?¡± Cen Xiangyang chuckled softly and said, ¡°You said the same thing the last time too. You still owe me a visit.¡± ¡°I wanted to drop by, but I ended up getting bogged down with work!¡± Ji Xinxin protested coyly. ¡°You know how short my Christmas break is. My family just had to arrange lots of things for me to do, and I can¡¯t neglect my school work either. Haa, I didn¡¯t think that I¡¯d be this busy either. Good news though, I applied for a program that would allow me to return to China next semester. I¡¯ve already got it all sorted out, so I should have plenty of free time then!¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Cen Xiangyang asked with a laugh. ¡°I¡¯ll be expecting gifts when you visit then.¡± ¡°Of course! I¡¯ll make sure to bring lots of food as an apology for breaking my promise!¡± Ji Xinxin chatted with Cen Xiangyang for a while before suddenly letting out a yawn. She used it as an opportunity to change the topic and casually asked, ¡°Now that I think about it, didn¡¯t you say that you have a secret to tell me the last time I came back? What is it?¡± ¡°Secret?¡± Cen Xiangyang muttered mysteriously. ¡°I thought you weren''t interested in it.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t keep me in suspense,¡± Ji Xinxin gently urged him to divulge the secret. ¡°Does it have anything to do with me?¡± ¡°Before I let you in on the secret, you have to answer a question of mine first.¡± ¡°Alright, go ahead.¡± ¡°The last time you returned to the country, you met Song Shiyu, Bai Zhou, and Li Xiaoxing, but not me, right?¡± Cen Xiangyang spoke with a slow and leisurely pace, but Ji Xinxin felt as if she was watched by a pair of sinister eyes through the phone, rendering her completely immobile. She gulped down her saliva before meekly responding, ¡°Are you still angry with me? I promise you. I¡¯ll make sure to meet you first the next time I return to the country, alright?¡± Instead of answering her question, Cen Xiangyang continued with his casual voice, ¡°Are you aware that those men who have been chasing after you are on the verge of being taken away by your big sis?¡± ¡°My big sis?¡± Ji Xinxin tried her best to make herself sound as confused as possible. ¡°How is my big sis involved in this?¡± ¡°Your big sis is making money off you,¡± Cen Xiangyang replied with a trace of mirth in his voice. ¡°Let¡¯s see. Professional stand-in, 100,000 dollars per hour.¡± The final missing puzzle piece finally fell in place, completing the picture in Ji Xinxin¡¯s head. Ji Xinxin clutched her phone tightly. ¡°What¡­ do you mean by that?¡± ¡­ Ji Xinxin could hardly remember how she ended the call. For a long time after that, she sat in a daze with her hand wrapped tightly around her phone. She found her own fingers automatically tapping into her WeChat, scrolling all the way down till she was faced with the profile picture she would make sure to tap into once every three days. The frighteningly familiar profile picture suddenly looked frighteningly foreign. With trembling fingers, she tapped on the ¡®Call¡¯ button. Every passing second felt like torture to her. When her call was finally answered, she finally let out the breath she had been holding and meekly called out, ¡°Big sis?¡± The woman on the other end of the call answered impassively, ¡°What?¡± ¡°¡­ Are you really my big sis?¡± asked Ji Xinxin softly. Her voice was suppressed to the lowest level as if she was afraid of jolting awake the terrifying monster known as the truth. ¡°Ah.¡± The woman on the other end of the call laughed. ¡°You¡¯ve finally gotten it.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ji Xinxin was quiet for a few seconds before she asked quietly, ¡°Where¡¯s my big sis?¡± If the person she was talking to right now was the other ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯, where could the Ji Fanyin whom she had envied, feared, suppressed, and crushed over the years be? ¡°Is that any of your concern?¡± asked Ji Fanyin. ¡°Tell me!¡± Ji Xinxin roared. ¡°I am her younger sister. I have the right to know how she¡¯s faring!¡± Her outburst couldn¡¯t faze the woman on the other end of the call. The other ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ answered with a hint of contempt in her voice, ¡°You¡¯re awfully concerned about your older sister despite being the one who forced her off the edge.¡± ¡°Forced her¡­ off the edge?¡± Ji Xinxin didn¡¯t notice that her voice had started quivering. Ji Fanyin chuckled softly in response. Ji Xinxin could hear the derision dripping from her laughter. ¡°You don¡¯t get it! A person who has everything like you will never understand why I did that!¡± Ji Xinxin screamed. ¡°Do you think that you¡¯re any different from me? You¡¯re no nobler than I am!¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. I don¡¯t think of myself as a noble person either,¡± answered Ji Fanyin calmly. ¡°But at least I haven¡¯t fallen to the level of crushing my older sister¡¯s brilliance and forcing her to her death.¡± Ji Xinxin trembled under her blanket, but Ji Fanyin wasn¡¯t done yet. ¡°Ji Xinxin, you have a hand in ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯s¡¯ death.¡± Chapter 58.1: He’s Blind (1) With a loud ¡®ka!¡¯, the phone was hung up. Ji Fanyin found herself achieving a state of inner peace after having crushed someone¡¯s spirit. For the first time, Ji Xinxin had torn off her mask and erupted. Was it out of love? Hatred? A sliver of warped kinship amongst jealousy and fear? In any case, Ji Fanyin couldn¡¯t care less. She didn¡¯t have the right to forgive anyone in ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯s¡¯ place anyway. At this very moment, she was standing at the bottom floor of Bai Zhou¡¯s apartment, waiting for her cab to arrive. Bai Zhou had offered to send her home, saying that it was getting late, but she declined the offer. Thinking about it, Ji Xinxin¡¯s call did come at the perfect timing. She wouldn¡¯t have been able to receive it if the other party had called ten minutes earlier. Ji Xinxin was still confused about my identity the last time we talked. What could have happened for her to suddenly stumble upon the truth? I guess the earlier in-game incident might be one of the causes, but even if she knows that I have met with Bai Zhou¡­ Ah, there¡¯s that video in the brunch restaurant too. But even if she saw that and guessed that I¡¯m in the midst of raiding her fishery, a normal person still wouldn¡¯t have concluded that I¡¯m a transmigrator. She must have received another important piece of news during this period of time. Also, in her parting message, she said that I was no nobler than her. If those words were referring to my job¡­ ¡­ that would make perfect sense too. Here comes the question. I¡¯ve made sure to keep my job confidential, such that only a selected handful of people knows about it. I¡¯m not the one who leaked it, and it isn¡¯t Bai Zhou either. That leaves Song Shiyu, Li Xiaoxing, and¡­ Cen Xiangyang. Having found the suspect who divulged her information, Ji Fanyin blinked her eyes contemplatively. She subscribed to the adage ¡®know a person not through his words but his actions¡¯. Cen Xiangyang must have his reasons for informing Ji Xinxin about her stand-in job. From this, it was possible to make deductions on his goals. Ji Fanyin suddenly felt vibrations from the phone in her pocket. She reluctantly fished her phone out of her pocket and took a look. Bai Zhou had sent her a message asking if she had gotten on a cab yet. She raised her head to look at the highest level of the apartment, but shortly after, she slipped her hands back into her warm and cozy pockets, choosing not to respond to his message. Soon, a white sedan car slowed to a halt in front of her. Ji Fanyin pulled the door open and entered the car. She switched on the heater for the back seats before exhaling deeply in relief. Then, she took out her phone and tapped into her WeChat. Is there anything I need to do with regards to Ji Xinxin right now? ¡­ Probably not. Ji Fanyin knew what fishes Ji Xinxin was rearing in her fishery. There were only two people whom Ji Xinxin could count on right now. One was Cen Xiangyang, who was patiently waiting for Ji Xinxin to approach him for help so that he could get something out of her. The other was Li Xiaoxing, who was already under Ji Fanyin¡¯s control. Will Ji Xinxin choose the safer route and go for the powerful and affluent Li Xiaoxing, or will she choose to go with wild card Cen Xiangyang? Ji Fanyin loosened her scarf a little before chuckling softly to herself. Actually, it doesn¡¯t matter at all. Regardless of Ji Xinxin¡¯s choice, the true trump card here is Li Xiaoxing. If she chooses Cen Xiangyang, I¡¯ll use Li Xiaoxing to strike her down. If she chooses Li Xiaoxing, I¡¯ll still use Li Xiaoxing to strike her down. It was already midnight by the time she reached home, so she decided to drop by the convenience shop to buy herself some oden. The night-shift employee looked at her and asked, ¡°996?¡± ¡°Fifteen hours a day,¡± replied Ji Fanyin. The night-shift employee shot her a look of pity. ¡°But once my company¡¯s system finishes upgrading,¡± Ji Fanyin pondered for a moment before continuing on, ¡°my working hours will be reduced to at most 10 hours a day.¡± The night-shift employee felt even more sympathy for her. She smiled at the employee before leaving the store with a cup of oden and warm milk. --- 996 is a reference to Jack Ma¡¯s remark that young people should seek to work from 9 A.M. to 9P.M., 6 days a week. It¡¯s a common phrase used amongst netizens, at least when it comes to overworking. Chapter 58.2: He’s Blind (2) It was a short distance from the convenience store to Ji Fanyin¡¯s house, but she took her time walking back while enjoying her oden. After she finished her food, she tossed the empty cup into the nearest trash bin. It was around then that she spotted a car stopped in front of her apartment building. Its interior lights were on, indicating that someone was inside. Are they here for me? Ji Fanyin eyed the car with raised eyebrows. She casually reached into her pocket and took out her warm milk. She twisted its cap and took a huge gulp of it. Drinking warm milk in this frosty environment feels amazing. She decided to ignore the car and head straight into her apartment building. However, as she walked by, two individuals rushed out of the car, and one of them hollered, ¡°Stop!¡± Ji Fanyin turned around and assessed the two individuals for two seconds. She was able to recognize them much faster this time around. It¡¯s Father Ji and Mother Ji. It looks like I¡¯ve underestimated Ji Xinxin. I never thought that she would dish out this set of lousy cards first. I can¡¯t even put my trump card, Li Xiaoxing, to use here. Oh well, it¡¯s no biggie. I just need to dish out a few face slaps and send them packing. ¡°You have business with me?¡± Ji Fanyin asked nonchalantly with her warm milk in hand. ¡°Who told you I was living here?¡± Security in minor residential areas like the one she was living in was practically just for show. It wasn¡¯t that surprising that they would allow outsiders like Father Ji and Mother Ji in. The real issue here was how the two of them managed to get hold of her address. Furthermore, it was nearly 1 A.M. by now. The two of them wouldn¡¯t camp here till this ungodly hour if they weren¡¯t up to something. ¡°It was your delivery address,¡± replied Mother Ji with a slight frown. ¡°We only found out about it recently. We happened to pass by the area today, so we came over to see how you¡¯re doing.¡± With a hand in her pocket and the other grabbing a milk bottle, Ji Fanyin tilted her head and replied, ¡°As you can see, my limbs are intact. What else do you want?¡± Father Ji and Mother Ji were known to be a foolish duo. To be more exact, they were just¡­ ordinary people. They got greedy over the littlest things. They fooled others and got fooled by others. Mistakes that other humans would commit, they were fallible to them too. Even though Ji Fanyin had hardly looked through ¡®her¡¯ memories, she knew that those two had believed at least 70 to 80% of Ji Xinxin¡¯s lies. By the time Ji Xinxin was recovering from her illness, she already knew how important it was to secure her parents¡¯ support and authority. She told ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ that sisters should share everything, including their accomplishments, only to turn around and ¡®share¡¯ those accomplishments ahead of ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯, leading everyone to think that she was the talented one of the two sisters. Similar to the fable of ¡®The Foolish Old Man Removes the Mountain¡¯, she started her deed from the seemingly smallest things. Ji Xinxin didn¡¯t just abruptly rise to prominence in her social circles. These were all the fruits of the relationships she had carefully managed over the course of many years. When Father Ji¡¯s business started declining in recent years, she tapped into her connection of fishes to help him out. This further elevated her standing in the Ji Family. It eventually came to a point where no one remembered the amazing talent ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ displayed in her younger years. Even if they did have an impression of it, their evaluation of her was probably something like ¡®That child wasn¡¯t fond of speaking in her younger years, but she seemed to be pretty smart back then. Ahh, but those who are smart as children don¡¯t necessarily remain smart as adults¡­¡¯ or ¡®Probably just another Fang Zhongyong, I reckon¡¯. ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ was simply too sensitive and thought too much into things. That was why she lost to Ji Xinxin. This was a common problem amongst prodigies. Even a random passer-by grabbed off the street could easily name talented actors, singers, and artists who eventually fell into depression and committed suicide. ¡°Yinyin, won¡¯t you come home with us?¡± asked Mother Ji. She glanced at her husband before continuing on, ¡°The apartment houses are small and stifling. You¡¯ll feel much more comfortable at home, and there¡¯ll be maids to help you clean up too. Come home with us, alright?¡± ¡°I refuse,¡± replied Ji Fanyin. She tilted her head quizzically and asked, ¡°I don¡¯t think that either of you have paid me any heed when I left. For the two of you to be suddenly calling me back, you must have finally discovered a use for me.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t young anymore. It¡¯s time for you to get married,¡± grumbled Father Ji with a darkened face. He was perfectly playing the role of the bad cop. ¡°I¡¯ve already chosen the ideal husband for you. Stop hanging out with whatever rotten company you¡¯re associating yourself with and return home!¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask Ji Xinxin instead? She looks much more interested in marriage,¡± asked Ji Fanyin curiously. ¡°Do you think that the two of you are the same?¡± roared Father Ji. ¡°You have always bullied your younger sister even when the two of you were still children. You stole her stuff and made her fall ill. She always pleaded with us not to tell you, but you refused to learn your lesson. You owe it to her!¡± Ji Fanyin calmly listened to his words as she took a sip of milk. I see. There were no such memories in ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯s¡¯ mind. Ji Xinxin had been feeding lies to Father Ji and Mother Ji before coaxing them to keep it a secret. This way, she could secretly worsen their impression of ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯. Those who were terrible at words and observing the atmosphere tended to be vulnerable against such petty tricks. ---- In a story written by a politician and author in Southern Song, Fang Zhongyong was an incredibly smart child dubbed to be a ¡®child prodigy¡¯ in his town. However, his father refused to allow him to go to school, saying that he was already smart and didn¡¯t learn, so he ended up growing up to become an average person. Chapter 58.3: He’s Blind (3) Ji Fanyin let out a sigh and said, ¡°I have no interest in playing this marriage game with you.¡± ¡°Yinyin, it¡¯s time for you to start growing up. Can¡¯t you learn from your younger sister?¡± Mother Ji stepped forward and played the role of the good cop. With a worried frown, she said, ¡°Your father has been wanting to look for you over the past few months, but your younger sister has been pleading on your behalf, saying that you know how to take care of yourself. That¡¯s why we have been refraining ourselves from interfering in your business.¡± ¡°You seem to have gotten your lines wrong. It should be ¡®We have been wanting to drag you back home so that you can marry the man we¡¯ve chosen for you¡¯,¡± Ji Fanyin corrected her. ¡°You¡¯ve always been like this.¡± Mother Ji sighed sorrowfully. ¡°You have changed ever since Xinxin fell ill. You didn¡¯t want to stay by her side when she was lying in a coma in the hospital. Do you remember how weak she was when she was first discharged from the hospital? You really shouldn¡¯t have tried to steal her credit back then. I know that you might be jealous of¡­¡± Ji Fanyin was able to sieve out an important piece of news from Mother Ji¡¯s babbling. Ji Xinxin was in a coma back when she was in the hospital? How was she able to visit Li Xiaoxing and build up his confidence then? She continued sipping on her milk as she started looking through the sealed memories of ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯s¡¯ childhood. These were the memories which even ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ herself had buried in the depths of her mind. Then, she discovered something that could have only happened in the lousiest of clich¨¦ melodramas. That dumb Li Xiaoxing had recognized the wrong person as his benefactor. The two of them were truly an interesting pair; one boldly claimed credit for something she didn¡¯t do and the other one foolishly took her word for it. ¡°¡­ You might not understand why we¡¯re saying all of this, but we¡¯re doing this for your own good!¡± Mother Ji was still carrying on her tearful speech, just that not a single word got through to its recipient. Ji Fanyin was a believer of actions, not words. ¡°I recently earned a bit of money from my part-time work. Should I transfer some of it to you?¡± Ji Fanyin casually waved her hand at the couple. ¡°While the two of you could hardly be said to be good parents, I have to acknowledge that you have never disadvantaged ¡®me¡¯ materially before.¡± ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ did receive a steady stream of living allowance, and she was given a fairly inexpensive car too. It was nowhere in comparison to the privileges Ji Xinxin received, but it was still a fair bit. She was perfectly fine with squandering her money as long as it had once entered her bank account. The ¡®Temptation of Home¡¯ app had recorded down the numbers, and spending the money afterward wouldn¡¯t undo the progress she had already made. ¡°I don¡¯t care whether you¡¯re willing or not, but you¡¯re coming back with us today!¡± Father Ji rolled up his sleeves. ¡°I don¡¯t believe that I can¡¯t deal with an unfilial daughter like you!¡± Ji Fanyin quietly took two steps back. She whipped out her phone and showed them the screen. It was the phone number of the local police station, accessible with just a single tap. Father Ji¡¯s face grew even more livid. ¡°Do you think that the police would bother with this kind of household matter?¡± ¡°Unscrupulous parents forcing their working daughter to marry a complete stranger¡­ Don¡¯t you think that it would invite gossip once it gets on the internet?¡± Ji Fanyin wasn¡¯t intimidated by him in the least. ¡°Besides, such a matter would probably cause quite a stir in your social circle once the police get involved. Weren¡¯t you hoping for Ji Xinxin to marry into the Bai Family or the Li Family? They might just think twice about becoming in-laws with you.¡± Father Ji glared at Ji Fanyin. ¡°You¡¯re threatening me?¡± Ji Fanyin smiled at him and replied, ¡°You¡¯re the one who is threatening me.¡± She pointed toward the ceiling of the nearest apartment building, where a CCTV camera was installed. Father Ji had an aggrieved look on his face. With a cold harrumph, he turned around and took his leave. Mother Ji quickly chased after him. Before getting into the car, she didn¡¯t forget to direct a grudging look at Ji Fanyin. Ji Fanyin shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly before getting into the lift. It¡¯s about time for me to move houses. I should switch to one that¡¯s larger, more expensive, and upholds a high level of resident confidentiality. At the very least, the caretaker should be similar to the one at Bai Zhou¡¯s apartment. It was a little ironic how Father Ji and Mother Ji came here to cause a ruckus, only to achieve nothing and instead deliver new intelligence to her. It was just that this piece of intelligence was useless to her at this current stage. Li Xiaoxing got the wrong person? That¡¯s none of my business. Even if I¡¯m going to divulge the truth to him, now is not the time for it yet. I haven¡¯t even gotten a chance to play my trump card yet. Ah, I could let Ji Xinxin in on it though. It would surely send her into a state of panic. It was at that very moment that her phone rang. Her earlier thoughts must have cued him. What a coincidence. I must have unintentionally cued him with my earlier thoughts. Did he sneeze as well? Ji Fanyin walked out of the lift and picked up his call. ¡°Hello, Mr Li.¡± She looked at her watch before carrying on, ¡°It¡¯s 1 A.M. right now.¡± ¡°I know,¡± replied Li Xiaoxing with his usual deep voice. ¡°I need an hour.¡± Chapter 59.1: Buy 6 Get 4 Free? Dream On (1) The new update to her reservation app wasn¡¯t up yet, so she decided to charge this phone call based on her old fee structure. ¡°What happened?¡± asked Ji Fanyin as she unlocked her apartment door. ¡°Was there a huge change in her attitude?¡± ¡°¡­ Yes,¡± answered Li Xiaoxing concisely. Ji Fanyin nodded with an ¡°Oh¡±. It looks like Ji Xinxin understands the importance of engaging in a multi-pronged approach to deal with problems. She contacted Father and Mother Ji and talked to Li Xiaoxing about it. My guess is that she has also reached a common understanding with Cen Xiangyang too. But what about it? She still doesn¡¯t know that Li Xiaoxing is one of my clients or that the lies she has uttered to him have already been exposed to me. The pitiful one in the relationship appears to be Li Xiaoxing now, but it could very well become Ji Xinxin at the end. It¡¯s almost like a toxic dating sim game, though I must say, it¡¯s quite entertaining too. If this is really a dating sim, I guess I would be the player controlling ¡®Control Freak¡¯ Li Xiaoxing to win over ¡®King of the Seas¡¯ Ji Xinxin. The notion amused Ji Fanyin so much that she let out a chuckle. ¡°¡­ What are you laughing at?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this good news?¡± asked Ji Fanyin. ¡°It¡¯s about time for your relationship to change. Things have been too static between the two of you thus far. If I¡¯m not wrong, she could be undergoing some sort of turmoil and is feeling uneasy at the moment. That¡¯s why she hopes to find support in you.¡± ¡°So, I don¡¯t have to do anything?¡± asked Li Xiaoxing. ¡°You can choose to enjoy the situation,¡± said Ji Fanyin. ¡°Relishing her dependence and goodwill is an option you can pick. However, you can also further stoke her unease by choosing not to accept her feelings. It¡¯ll prompt her to focus her attention on you.¡± Li Xiaoxing fell silent. A moment later, he spoke with a placid tone, ¡°The latter, how do I go about it?¡± Ji Fanyin thought that Li Xiaoxing¡¯s personality was rather warped too. Maybe it was his innate nature. Maybe his inability to control his legs drove his desire to control everything else around him. Maybe it was both. In any case, she thought that Li Xiaoxing didn¡¯t pale to Ji Xinxin in terms of psychopathic tendencies. Ji Fnayin spent half an hour breaking down Ji Xinxin¡¯s trains of thought for him and explaining how he could deal with various situations. In order to make sure that he got the gist of it, she even conducted a surprise pop quiz, ¡°So, what¡¯s the most important thing of all?¡± ¡°¡­ I mustn¡¯t make any promise to her.¡± Li Xiaoxing was a good student. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Ji Fanyin nodded in satisfaction. She was just about to conclude the class when Li Xiaoxing suddenly added, ¡°Just like how she treated me in the past.¡± Ji Fanyin picked up her electric toothbrush and examined the face reflected in the mirror. As long as she controlled her expressions well, she could blur the differences between her and Ji Xinxin. Similarly, she could also portray herself as ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯. Ji Fanyin stared at her own eyes in the mirror as she asked, ¡°Mr Li, do you intend to marry Ji Xinxin after you conquer her?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± replied Li Xiaoxing calmly. ¡°I love her.¡± Ji Fanyin chuckled softly. ¡°It¡¯s about time. Goodnight, Mr Li. There¡¯ll be some adjustments to my fee structure soon. I¡¯ll relay the details to Secretary Fan.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Li Xiaoxing wasn¡¯t bothered by the fluctuations in prices at all. He hung up right after that. Chapter 59.2: Buy 6 Get 4 Free? Dream On (2) Ji Fanyin was just about to put down her phone and begin brushing her teeth when she received a message from her programmer. She tapped in and took a look. The programmer said: ¡¾It¡¯s done. You can check if there¡¯s anything else you would like to change¡¿ Ji Fanyin accessed the testing platform and tried out the functionalities. She didn¡¯t find any problems with it, so she paid the fee without any hesitation. The other party replied with a simple ¡¾I¡¯ve received your money¡¿ before falling silent. She checked the time on her phone and saw that it was nearly 2 o¡¯clock. It would seem that programmers didn¡¯t lead easy lives. She quickly washed up and updated the reservation app before lying on her bed. Before going off to sleep, she decided to give herself a day off and lock her schedule for today. ¡­ It was only the first day since the reservation app¡¯s update, but the situation turned out to be more complicated than Ji Fanyin had expected. For example, there were some people who had no qualms with bidding the highest price right from the get go¡ªBai Zhou. However, he had learned to rein himself in a little. He didn¡¯t book her for the entire day this time around. He cunningly reserved her lunch and dinner hours, from 11 A.M. to 2 P.M. and 6 P.M. to 9 P.M., a total of six hours. It left an awkward empty four hours slot in the middle. Ji Fanyin: ¡°¡­¡± That darned brat sure knows how to exploit loopholes. I should think about how I can make good use of the four hours in the middle. A lazy person might have just chosen to give those four hours to him for free, but Ji Fanyin would never allow something as good as ¡®Buy 6 get 4 free¡¯ occur. She quickly headed into her cinema app and checked if there were any new movies. I¡¯d rather spend my time singing at a karaoke bar than to give it to him for free! Ah, I can check out new apartments too. ¡­ The following day, Ji Fanyin went to Bai Zhou¡¯s house to have lunch with him. As time approached 2 P.M., Bai Zhou¡¯s eyes began drifting toward Ji Fanyin with greater frequency. Ji Fanyin placed a bowl filled with strawberries into Bai Zhou¡¯s hands and asked, ¡°Why do you keep looking at me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m thinking about what to do next. Should we play games?¡± muttered Bai Zhou. ¡°Sure.¡± Ji Fanyin accepted his offer without the slightest hesitation. Bai Zhou¡¯s eyes lit up. He stuffed the bowl of strawberries back into Ji Fanyin¡¯s hand and exclaimed, ¡°You can eat it. I¡¯ll switch on the computers!¡± Ji Fanyin started munching on the strawberries. Bai Zhou was barely able to make a few steps before a familiar dream shattering alarm rang and erased the smile from his face. Chapter 59.3: Buy 6 Get 4 Free? Dream On (3) Bai Zhou turned around to look at Ji Fanyin. ¡°Didn¡¯t you promise to game with me?¡± Ji Fanyin swallowed a strawberry before casually answering his question, ¡°I wasn¡¯t the one who made that promise with you. I¡¯ll return in a few hours¡¯ time.¡± She grabbed her phone and rose to her feet. She draped her coat over her arm and started making her way out of the apartment. ¡°You¡¯re clearly free for the next few hours!¡± Bai Zhou grabbed his phone and vehemently pointed at the screen. ¡°Don¡¯t try to dupe me!¡± ¡°And you clearly have money in your bank account. Why would anyone work if they aren¡¯t receiving a salary?¡± refuted Ji Fanyin rationally. ¡°I¡¯m off work now. I don¡¯t think you have the right to dictate what I do in my personal time.¡± Bai Zhou was rendered speechless for a moment before he asked, ¡°What are you going to do then?¡± Ji Fanyin put on her shoes and casually answered, ¡°Catch a movie.¡± ¡°Ah? Who are you going with¨D¡± Before Bai Zhou could finish his question, Ji Fanyin had already walked out and closed the door behind her. Bai Zhou: ¡°¡­¡± He walked over to the windows and gazed downward. At the same time, he took out his phone and began scrolling through Ji Fanyin¡¯s movie review Weibo account. He had taken a glance at it during the plane ride to Greece. Even though Ji Fanyin had removed him from her list of following later on, he was still able to remember her Weibo account name. Recently, he even got into the habit of refreshing her posts a hundred times every day. The only problem was that Ji Fanyin used this Weibo account exclusively for movie reviews, so everything she posted on it was movie-related. There was nothing personal at all. Bai Zhou would have been able to somewhat understand it if all she wrote was just her own reflections on the movie, but her reviews contained professional jargon that the layman would struggle to comprehend. Nevertheless, it didn¡¯t hinder him from refreshing her account every single day. Ji Fanyin didn¡¯t mention what movie she was catching today on her Weibo. ¡°Tsk. A person can always catch a movie alone,¡± grumbled Bai Zhou. Resting his arm on the windowsill, he continuously refreshed her Weibo account as if to vent his frustration. In his peripheral vision, he spotted Ji Fanyin¡¯s silhouette appearing on the bottom floor of his apartment building. He immediately turned his attention over. If that intentional ¡®coincidental¡¯ meeting with Song Shiyu and Ji Fanyin the other day was the trigger that made him conscious of his feelings for Ji Fanyin, the following day, when he chose not to stop her from sniping down Ji Xinxin¡¯s avatar, that was the moment he realized that he wanted to court her. Ever since then, he had been thinking about what he should do. Ji Fanyin was a liar through and through, but her impeccable portrayal of Ji Xinxin peeled off the latter¡¯s rose-tinted filter, allowing him to more rationally analyze his relationship with Ji Xinxin. Is the person whom I¡¯m in love with Ji Xinxin, who refuses to put me in the first place, or Ji Fanyin, who openly deceived me but never tried to hide the ugly truth from me? Ji Fanyin had already reached the main road by this moment. Bai Zhou had watched her leave his apartment many times before, so he was no stranger to this scene. As soon as her working hours were over, the differences between Ji Fanyin and Ji Xinxin were immediately made apparent. Despite the numerous floors that stood in between them, he was still able to recognize Ji Fanyin through her silhouette. He leaned on the windowsill, watching patiently for Ji Fanyin¡¯s cab to arrive and drive her away. Soon, a car stopped in front of Ji Fanyin. Bai Zhou looked at the car, and his face immediately darkened. Is it even possible to hail a cab without a green license plate through a ride hailing app nowadays? On top of that, who would first greet the driver first through the passenger seat window before getting onto the passenger seat? It was not that it was entirely impossible, but Bai Zhou didn¡¯t believe in the other possibilities. He had seen Ji Fanyin getting into her cab multiple times from this position, such that he was even aware of her habit of lightly stomping her leg before getting into the car. That car is definitely not a cab that Ji Fanyin hailed! Bai Zhou quickly accessed Ji Fanyin¡¯s reservation app and saw that her time slots between 2 P.M. to 6 P.M. were still empty. No one has reserved those slots, which means that she isn¡¯t meeting with her clients. Is it her friend? A name immediately popped up in Bai Zhou¡¯s mind. He only knew of one person whom Ji Fanyin had acknowledged as her friend. Chen Yunsheng. Chapter 60.1: You Want to Break Up?! (1) ¡°Isn¡¯t your house quite far away from here?¡± asked Zhang Ning curiously as she stepped on the accelerator. ¡°Did you move?¡± ¡°Not yet. I¡¯m planning on checking out a few places first,¡± replied Ji Fanyin as she fastened her seatbelt. ¡°My parents camped at my place yesterday night, insisting on dragging me back so that they could marry me off.¡± ¡°There are still people doing that in this era? You don¡¯t look like the kind who would allow others to dictate your marriage,¡± remarked Zhang Ning. ¡°To be honest, I thought that your parents only had a single daughter before I met you.¡± Ji Fanyin chuckled softly. She rested her arm on the car window and used it to prop up her forehead. ¡°Of course not. I have no plans of marrying anyone yet, let alone get caught up in an arranged marriage.¡± ¡°True. You could easily score any guy you want anyway,¡± teased Zhang Ning. ¡°Even if you aren¡¯t willing to commit, there are still plenty of hunks who are lining up to self-recommend themselves to you.¡± Ji Fanyin knew that Zhang Ning was talking about the incident where the young actor tried to approach her a while back and responded with a helpless smile. She changed the topic and asked, ¡°I haven¡¯t been to the set for a while now. Is everything going well?¡± ¡°Everything is going perfectly fine.¡± Zhang Ning raised a big thumbs up. ¡°You know, I¡¯m confident that we¡¯ll be able to raise all the funds we need with this single movie.¡± ¡°We¡¯re looking to invest in six movies this year, remember? There''s a lot more to go before we achieve our goal,¡± reminded Ji Fanyin. ¡°If only you would just act in even one of them, babe.¡± Zhang Ning heaved a deep sigh. ¡°You were so professional when you whipped those younger actors into shape. I¡¯ve no doubt that you¡¯ll definitely make it on the silver screen. I mean, look at your face! It¡¯s such a pity that you chose to restrict yourself backstage.¡± ¡°Darling, that¡¯ll be too tiring. I¡¯m content with sitting behind the cash register and waiting for money to roll in,¡± replied Ji Fanyin. Darling, babe, honey¡­ That was how the two of them usually addressed each other. ¡°I guess there¡¯s no choice then¡­¡± Zhang Ning shook her head. ¡°We can only drag He Shen over to our set at a discounted price.¡± ¡°He should be doing it for free,¡± replied Ji Fanyin coldly. ¡°He has a share in our studio too. Why should we pay him for acting in our movie? That¡¯s just a waste of money.¡± ¡°¡­ Honey, you¡¯re much more miserly than I thought,¡± said Zhang Ning. Ji Fanyin¡¯s lips inched upward as she replied, ¡°That¡¯s my persona.¡± I¡¯m an emotionless money-making machine, after all. If I had even a sliver of sympathy in me, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to earn a dime off those fishes. The movie was only two hours long. Even factoring in the drive and waiting time, Ji Fanyin should be able to make it back within two hours. In truth, Zhang Ning had a business dinner whereas Ji Fanyin needed to return to Bai Zhou¡¯s place afterward. The two of them had squeezed out time to catch this movie together. ¡°Sometimes, I feel like I¡¯m the one holding up our studio. He Shen just dumps money in while you only keep an eye on the production quality. I¡¯m the one who has to do all of the socializing and the dirty work. But of course, I¡¯m probably the only one who can deal with those conniving rascals!¡± Zhang Ning proudly tousled her long hair. ¡°He Shen isn¡¯t helping out not because he doesn¡¯t want to but he can¡¯t,¡± Ji Fanyin remarked. ¡°Oh?¡± Zhang Ning looked at Ji Fanyin. ¡°I coincidentally met him on the street.¡± Ji Fanyin lowered her head and spoke in a softer tone. ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem very comfortable at socializing. He¡¯s probably the type who worries a week ahead if he knows that he has a party to attend.¡± Zhang Ning was stunned for two seconds before bursting into laughter. ¡°Aren¡¯t you way too fast at noticing that? You didn¡¯t ask him about it in person, did you?¡± ¡°Do I look like a demon to you?¡± asked Ji Fanyin. She withdrew her hands from her coat and placed them on Zhang Ning¡¯s cheeks, which had heated up from all of the laughing. ¡°¡­ Really. Is it that funny to you?¡± ¡°It is!¡± Zhang Ning wiped off her tears of laughter. ¡°You don¡¯t know how proud he was when he thought that he had perfectly hidden his social awkwardness from the rest of the world. Even I have to admit that he¡¯s pretty good at it. I don¡¯t think that anyone has really seen through him thus far.¡± ¡°¡­ I guess it''s ¡®cause we¡¯re from the same industry. It¡¯s easier for me to tell when someone is putting on an act,¡± replied Ji Fanyin. Zhang Ning was still laughing her head off. She had to hold Ji Fanyin¡¯s shoulder just to keep balance. It took her a while before she finally calmed down and straightened her back. ¡°Alright, I need to head to work now.¡± ¡°Good girl.¡± Ji Fanyin patted her head as a compliment. ¡°I also have some matters to attend to.¡± ¡°Shall I drive you?¡± Zhang Ning shot her a seductive wink. Ji Fanyin shook her head. ¡°Nah, I¡¯ll just catch a cab. All the best for your business dinner.¡± Chapter 60.2: You Want to Break Up?! (2) ¡­ Ji Fanyin¡¯s sense of time was spot-on. Her cab was due to arrive at Bai Zhou¡¯s just minutes before 6 P.M.. Making use of her free time before work commenced, she took out her phone and checked her notifications. She noticed that Chen Yunsheng had sent her a message. Chen Yunsheng had previously mentioned that he wouldn¡¯t get clingy to the point where he would annoy her, and he really did as he had promised. He refrained from bombarding Ji Fanyin with messages every single day, choosing instead to only share interesting news or happenings with her. He had never pressured Ji Fanyin to respond to him either. From time to time, Ji Fanyin would find herself chuckling at the adorable videos he sent. To be honest, his messages are pretty stress-relieving. But this time, his message contained the words ¡®Bai Zhou¡¯, so she decided to tap in to take a look. What did Bai Zhou do this time? Chen Yunsheng had asked a question: ¡¾Big sis, are you close with Bai Zhou?¡¿ Ji Fanyin tried to jog her memory. The first time she met Chen Yunsheng was at a bus stop. Bai Zhou arrived halfway through their conversation, but he was wearing a helmet that covered his face. The second time the three of them met was when they had ice cream at a shopping mall. Since it was outside her working hours, she didn¡¯t pay Bai Zhou any heed. Under normal circumstances, Chen Yunsheng wouldn¡¯t have associated her together with Bai Zhou. The abrupt question from him could only mean that the two of them had just met each other, and Bai Zhou had given her name away. Having finished her analysis, Ji Fanyin began typing out a reply to Chen Yunsheng: ¡¾We¡¯re acquainted but not close¡¿ Chen Yunsheng: ¡¾He just dropped by my dorm room. He was surprised when he saw me, and he asked me a few weird questions¡¿ Ji Fanyin read the message several times with a contemplative look on her face. Bai Zhou was surprised? That means that he didn¡¯t expect Chen Yunsheng to be in his dorm room¡­ Did he think that I was watching a movie together with Chen Yunsheng? Why did that brat go to another person¡¯s dorm room? No, to be more exact, what was Bai Zhou¡¯s goal? He couldn¡¯t even remember Chen Yunsheng¡¯s name despite the several meetings they had, so what was with the sudden interest in him? Is this over Ji Xinxin? That¡¯s unlikely. Ji Xinxin wouldn¡¯t have made a move. She knows that she wouldn¡¯t be able to get through to Bai Zhou at the moment, at least within these few days. If so¡­ that could only mean one thing. Ji Fanyin began typing on her phone: ¡¾What did he ask you?¡¿ ¡¾He showed me a schedule and asked me if I know what it is¡¿¡¾He also asked if I have as much money as he does¡¿ Chen Yunsheng¡¯s bewilderment could be felt even through his messages. Ji Fanyin: ¡°¡­¡± She replied to Chen Yunsheng: ¡¾Is that all?¡¿ ¡¾Yeah, that¡¯s all. But it reminded me of the first time I met you. Was he the one with you? Was Bai Zhou that hot-tempered man on the motorcycle?¡¿ Those words left Ji Fanyin hesitating for two seconds. Numerous thoughts surfaced in her mind, but they disappeared as quickly as they had arrived. She responded to Chen Yunsheng with a ¡¾That¡¯s right¡¿ before waiting patiently at the chat window for his response. How would that young man with a tinge of innocence reply to this? Would he question why two acquaintances who weren¡¯t close would meet each other privately, or would he ask if I¡¯m two-timing here? Ji Fanyin felt like she was watching a mystery thriller in action. She was dying with curiosity to know how the plot would develop from here. Her casual attitude made her appear like a mere onlooker here. Chapter 60.3: You Want to Break Up?! (3) White messages soon popped out in the chat window. Chen Yunsheng had a habit. He would only send one message at a time when he was in control of himself, but whenever his emotions got the better of him, be it positive or negative, he would start sending multiple messages at once. ¡¾If big sis is meeting Bai Zhou privately but only considers him as an acquaintance, how close are the two of us then?¡¿¡¾Am I at least a little closer to you than Bai Zhou is?¡¿¡¾Does that mean that I can ask you out too?¡¿ Ji Fanyin raised her eyebrows in surprise. She didn¡¯t respond right away. Instead, she stared at the three consecutive messages Chen Yunsheng had sent for a moment before she started chuckling to herself. The smile lingered on her lips for quite a while before she finally responded to him: ¡¾I¡¯ve never said that you can¡¯t ask me out¡¿ Ji Fanyin was typing a total of two messages. While she was on her second message, the chat window reflected that ¡®The other party is in the midst of typing¡­¡¯ She belatedly finished up the second message and sent it over: ¡¾But I might not necessarily agree to it¡¿ A split second later, the other party sent an incomplete ¡¾Rea¡¿, but it was hurriedly retracted the next instant. His hand must have slipped, Ji Fanyin thought amusedly. Her cab was already arriving at her destination by then, so she switched her phone to ¡®Do Not Disturb¡¯ mode and slipped it into her bag. Then, she looked out of the window and assessed the neighborhood. It was an upscale residential district, so the security was quite impressive, though the same could be said about the housing prices too. It didn¡¯t seem like a bad idea to move here since the conditions were pretty good. The only problem is that¡­ Ji Fanyin turned her eyes toward the young man leaning on his motorcycle not too far away. ¡­ I might end up frequently bumping into Bai Zhou. That would be a terrible inconvenience to me. Ji Fanyin had the driver halt the car, and she sat quietly in the cab for a moment to look at Bai Zhou. She had to admit that he was quite a good fit with his motorcycle. It enhanced his ¡®hot-tempered delinquent¡¯ vibe. This was not the first time she was seeing him leaning against his motorcycle, taking a puff. There would always be a vexed expression on his face whenever he smoked, as if he would hop onto his motorcycle the next moment and go on a rampage. When she finally opened the door and alighted from the car, it was six minutes to 6 o¡¯clock. Bai Zhou initially didn¡¯t notice the car, but he heard the opening of the car doors, which prompted him to turn his gaze over. His face was momentarily colored in surprise before his gaze turned aggressive. ¡°What¡¯s with that look on your face?¡± ¡°What look?¡± Ji Fanyin adjusted her hair as she asked lazily. ¡°It¡¯s as if you¡¯re looking at a kid!¡± roared Bai Zhou. ¡°Where¡¯s the person who took you to the cinema? Shouldn¡¯t he at least be gentlemanly enough to escort you to another man¡¯s house?¡± By then, the cab behind her had already driven off. ¡°I hope that you can stop harassing my friend.¡± Ji Fanyin slipped her hands into her pockets before properly facing the infuriated Bai Zhou. ¡°You¡¯re infringing on my personal life. The next time something like that happens once more, I¡¯ll have to consider removing you from my client list.¡± Even though Fish No.2 promises huge returns, I should still prioritize my own safety over money. Ji Fanyin hadn¡¯t forgotten that these fishes were capable of becoming piranhas. Even though Song Shiyu was the mastermind behind ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯s¡¯ kidnapping in the now divergent future, Bai Zhou had also dropped by from time to time to have his fun after learning about it. ¡°Removing?¡± Bai Zhou¡¯s body immediately straightened up from his motorcycle. ¡°You want to break up?¡± Ji Fanyin looked at him with raised eyebrows before giggling softly. With a hint of amusement in her tone, she asked, ¡°Bai Zhou, do you think that we¡¯re dating?¡± ¡°¡­ Fuck! I didn¡¯t mean ¡®break up¡¯. I¡¯m asking you if you¡¯re intending to terminate our business relationship!¡± Bai Zhou corrected his terminology with gritted teeth. ¡°Ji Fanyin, you should get it clear in your head who¡¯s the client here!¡± To that, Ji Fanyin casually replied, ¡°You¡¯re the client, but I reserve the right not to take your business.¡± Bai Zhou was rendered speechless for a moment before he scoffed in disdain, ¡°That Chen fellow must have complained to you, huh? What do you think he¡¯ll think of you if I inform him about the dealings between us? How would you explain it to him?¡± Ji Fanyin tilted her head in confusion and asked, ¡°Explain what?¡± Bai Zhou was stunned. ¡°Explain why I¡¯m doing this job? There¡¯s no need for that,¡± replied Ji Fanyin impassively. ¡°If he can¡¯t accept my occupation, there¡¯s no need for us to remain friends. It¡¯s as simple as that. Bai Zhou, do I look like someone who lacks friends?¡± Bai Zhou: ¡°¡­¡± He pressed his lips together, seemingly hesitating whether he should squeeze out the word ¡®Yes¡¯. However, he knew how childish he would look if he insisted on winning this argument just for the sake of it. Ji Fanyin glanced at the time and saw that it was approaching six, but there was no need for her to start work early. So, with her hands inserted in her pockets, she casually stabbed a dagger into Bai Zhou¡¯s heart. ¡°I should also inform you that I have no lack of clients.¡± Chapter 61.1: Vixen Service (1) Ji Fanyin thought that getting off work at 9 PM was still reasonable. It was much better than having to trudge home at midnight. Perhaps he was feeling too stifled from her earlier verbal jabs, but Bai Zhou didn¡¯t trouble her much in the following three hours. He was oddly obedient, choosing to go along with her cues without a word of complaint. He even finished up his vegetables despite being a picky eater. It was just that he hardly spoke a word over the three hours. Ji Fanyin figured that he was probably frightened by the possibility that she might kick him off her list of clients. As she sat on the chair by the entranceway and put on her boots, preparing to leave the penthouse, Bai Zhou stared intently at her from not too far away. After she slipped into her boots and stomped lightly to get her feet fully inside, she turned around and asked Bai Zhou a vital question, ¡°Do you still have enough money to use?¡± No matter what, Bai Zhou was still a student. No matter how rich his family was and how negligent they were of him, surely they would be concerned at the millions flowing out of his bank account. She did consider the possibility of the clich¨¦ plot of Mrs. Bai knocking on her door with an 800 million dollars cheque in hand. If such a situation were to really occur, her natural response was to accept the cheque and leave Bai Zhou¡¯s side. ¡°None of your business,¡± growled Bai Zhou. Ji Fanyin gave it some thought and decided that it was indeed none of her business. The Bai Family would make a move if they had any objections about their transactions. It wouldn¡¯t be too late for her to resolve the problem when they finally come knocking on her door. ¡°Goodbye.¡± Ji Fanyin wrapped her scarf around her neck and opened the door. Bai Zhou couldn¡¯t resist the urge to call out to her, ¡°Hey.¡± Ji Fanyin turned around to look at him questioningly. ¡°Why do you need so much money?¡± Bai Zhou bit his lips and asked impatiently. ¡°Do you owe money to loan sharks or something? How much more do you need? I¡¯ll pay your debts on your behalf.¡± ¡°Ten billion,¡± Ji Fanyin honestly confessed the sum to him. Bai Zhou: ¡°¡­¡± If his expressions could manifest as words, his left cheek would have written ¡®Bullshit¡¯ and his right cheek ¡®Who do you think you¡¯re fooling¡¯. Ji Fanyin chuckled under her breath. She waved Bai Zhou goodbye and left the penthouse. ¡­ Two major incidents happened in the following days. One, Ji Xinxin had applied for an exchange program that would allow her to temporarily return to the country. She would be bringing her French peers to local universities and facilitating the exchange between both sides. The location of the exchange program was Lake City, so Lakeside University was one of the partnering universities too. The duration of the exchange program was a semester. Ji Fanyin guessed that this might be Ji Xinxin¡¯s declaration of war. Two, the Bai Family did knock on her door, but it was a little different from what she had expected. To be more exact, it wasn¡¯t a member of the Bai Family but someone closely associated with them. Ji Fanyin had taken a look at several apartments over the last few days, and she was still in the midst of deciding which one to get. Other than safety and convenience, she also had to consider the potential of capital appreciation since her goal was none other than to earn money. Buying a house with her own money wouldn¡¯t result in any immediate progress in the ¡®Temptation of Home¡¯ app. Take for example, if she were to spend 20 million dollars to buy a house that was worth 20 million in the market, her overall asset would remain unchanged. However, if the price of the house rose to 25 million dollars a month later, the app would take it as her generating an income of 5 million dollars. For that reason, ever since Ji Fanyin started entrusting her money to a fund manager, the number in the app had been continuously fluctuating. All in all, the important thing was that Ji Fanyin still hadn¡¯t managed to find a satisfactory house yet. She was still currently living in the same residential district which was first discovered by Li Xiaoxing, followed by Father Ji and Mother Ji. And now, her third guest was knocking on her door. It was a beautiful middle-aged madam dressed elegantly. Ji Fanyin was in the midst of collecting her delivery when the two of them met eyes. ¡°Hello, Miss Ji Fanyin,¡± the madam said with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m visiting with the intention of talking to you about Bai Zhou¡¯s affairs.¡± Chapter 61.2: Vixen Service (2) Before Ji Fanyin could reply, a person standing behind the madam had already impatiently interjected, ¡°Sorry, can you step aside for a while?¡± It was a delivery man dressed in Missfresh¡¯s uniform. He was holding two plastic bags in his hands. ¡°Yes, I ordered the delivery.¡± Ji Fanyin reached out to receive the plastic bags. ¡°Thanks.¡± The delivery man quickly confirmed the delivery with his phone before rushing off. With two bags in hand, Ji Fanyin looked at the madam and said, ¡°Pleased to meet you. May I know how you¡¯re related to Bai Zhou?¡± The madam didn¡¯t look angry even though she had been kept waiting for a moment. ¡°I have no blood ties with Bai Zhou, but my son is his younger brother.¡± Ji Fanyin had heard from Bai Zhou about the messy state of his household, prompting her to raise her eyebrows. Ah, so it¡¯s the lover who bore an illegitimate child for Bai Zhou¡¯s father. ¡°Do you need me for anything?¡± Ji Fanyin got straight to the point. The madam gracefully smiled and spoke unhurriedly, ¡°Could we speak inside? I¡¯ve looked into the relationship between Bai Zhou and you, and I think that you¡¯re a rational and intelligent woman. I believe that there¡¯s room for us to have an amicable chat.¡± Looks like she¡¯s a tough character. Well, I guess an ordinary person wouldn¡¯t have dared to give birth to an illegitimate child right beneath the eyelids of Bai Zhou¡¯s mother, let alone convince the couple into accepting the arrangement. With a smile, Ji Fanyin stepped aside and allowed her in. ¡°Has Bai Zhou been here too?¡± the madam asked with a casual voice, as if she was just satisfying her curiosity. ¡°He doesn¡¯t know that I live here.¡± The madam nodded in realization before remarking with a chuckle, ¡°You know how to protect yourself. You¡¯re truly a smart child.¡± Ji Fanyin turned around to look at her. She was still considering whether she should grab a glass of water for her guest, but it looked like there was no need for it now. ¡°Take a seat.¡± Ji Fanyin gestured to the sofa. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to serve me a cup of tea?¡± asked the madam as she settled onto the sofa. ¡°Are you here to have tea?¡± refuted Ji Fanyin. ¡°You really don¡¯t put on a front. I¡¯m starting to get curious how you were able to make Bai Zhou so infatuated with you,¡± said the madam. ¡°Are you? I thought that you¡¯d know much more than me,¡± mocked Ji Fanyin. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so guarded. I didn¡¯t come with ill-will.¡± The madam gracefully rested her hands on her knees. ¡°On the contrary, I admire your ambitions. I personally believe that a woman should be ambitious. Only then can she make a place for herself in this male-dominated society.¡± Ji Fanyin answered with a perfunctory ¡°I see¡± while organizing the ingredients that had just been delivered. She was waiting for the other party to get to the point. ¡°You like money whereas I¡¯m fond of power. We¡¯re both using men to achieve our goals¡­ There are far more similarities between us than you imagine.¡± Ji Fanyin curtly replied, ¡°So?¡± The madam looked at her with a smile and said, ¡°I just want to ask. Are you interested in working with me to earn even more money?¡± Ji Fanyin was in the midst of peeling a tangerine when she heard those words and smiled. There¡¯s only one possibility here. She intends to crush Bai Zhou so that her son can inherit the Bai Family. That¡¯s no easy feat to pull off. Bai Zhou¡¯s mother won¡¯t let it happen, and Bai Zhou¡¯s father will have to suffer a stroke before entertaining that idea. ¡°You must be thinking that it¡¯s impossible.¡± The madam wasn¡¯t angered by Ji Fanyin¡¯s skeptical attitude. ¡°I didn¡¯t think that it was possible either, but your appearance showed me a sliver of hope. Sometimes, all it takes is a woman to turn a lofty young master into a penniless loser.¡± ¡°You want me to drive in the wedge between Bai Zhou and his father until he¡¯s erased from the line of succession,¡± Ji Fanyin summarized the madam¡¯s intention. ¡°I won¡¯t ask you to do the dirty work all alone. If anything, my workload will be greater than yours. However, you can rest assured that you¡¯ll be rewarded for your efforts. That¡¯s why I brought this here with me today.¡± The madam reached into her Hermes bag and retrieved a document folder. Ji Fanyin was actually excited for a moment when the madam reached into the bag. She thought that it would be a cheque, so naturally, she was disappointed to see that it was documents instead. Chapter 61.3: Vixen Service (3) ¡°This is the deed to one of my properties. It¡¯s currently worth around a hundred million dollars. I¡¯ve already settled the administrative procedures with my lawyer, so all you have to do is to place your signature on this document to make the property yours. This is a token of my sincerity.¡± ¡°Assuming that I accept your deal, what do you want me to do?¡± asked Ji Fanyin as she munched on a slice of tangerine. ¡°It won¡¯t be easy to deal with Bai Zhou¡¯s mother, no?¡± ¡°You need not worry about Mrs. Bai. I¡¯ll deal with her,¡± replied the madam calmly. ¡°All you have to do is to continue what you¡¯re doing, or if possible, make Bai Zhou fall even deeper for you. Make him spend every single cent he has on you. It¡¯s that simple. You¡¯ll be able to do it.¡± ¡°What about the compensation?¡± The madam tucked her hair behind her ear and generously offered, ¡°I¡¯ll match whatever Bai Zhou is paying you, meaning that you¡¯ll be able to earn double. How does that sound?¡± Ji Fanyin gave the offer some thought. Is this my opportunity to expand into the vixen industry? But just because an opportunity arises doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯ll have to take it. ¡°You don¡¯t have to answer me right away. You can take your time to think it through,¡± said the madam. ¡°I¡¯ll call you in a few days¡¯ time, Miss Ji Fanyin.¡± Leaving the document folder on the table, she rose to her feet and gracefully smoothened out the crumples on her skirt. Ji Fanyin looked at her and asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried that I might tell others about this?¡± ¡°Who are you going to tell?¡± The madam laughed softly. ¡°Bai Zhou? I doubt that he dares to tell this matter to his parents. To Mr. and Mrs. Bai? Pardon me, but I don¡¯t think that Miss Ji Fanyin has the connections to reach them.¡± The madam walked to the doorway before directing a nod at Ji Fanyin. ¡°Do consider it. Such opportunities tend to slip past your fingers before you know it.¡± Ji Fanyin watched as the madam left her house before reaching into the plastic bag to grab her second tangerine. While she was in the midst of peeling her skin, her phone on the table vibrated. It was a message from Zhang Ning. ¡¾Babe, are you ready? I¡¯m coming over in three hours¡¯ time.¡¿ Ji Fanyin was going to attend a small-scale party tonight. Zhang Ning had insisted on her participation, saying that this event was crucial if they wanted to reach out to the cinema chains. Many important figures were going to be at the party. Perhaps fearing that she would dress in casual clothes as she did back at He Shen¡¯s movie premiere, Zhang Ning had dragged her out to a boutique to try out new clothes three days ago. Even earlier this morning, she made sure to give her a wake-up call eight hours before the event. Never had a person dared to rush Ji Fanyin so much in her previous life. She stuffed the tangerine into her mouth in a single mouthful before marching to the bathroom with stuffed cheeks. The property deed that was worth over a hundred million was left just like that on the table. Ji Fanyin didn¡¯t even bother opening it to take a look. Coincidences really did happen at times. It was just earlier in the afternoon that Mr. Bai¡¯s lover told Ji Fanyin that she didn¡¯t have the connections to request a meeting with the Bai couple. Yet, just hours later, while Ji Fanyin was sipping on a glass of champagne in an elegant silk dress, she spotted Mr. and Mrs. Bai walking into the venue together. Standing not too far behind the couple was Bai Zhou in a formal suit. Bai Zhou initially cast an irritated look to every corner room, as if everyone was an eyesore to him. Yet, despite being fifty meters away from each other, he was somehow able to swiftly lock his eyes upon Ji Fanyin. Ji Fanyin took a sip of her champagne, not bothering to pay any heed to Bai Zhou. She wondered if she should make a trip back home to bring the property deed over and attempt to make an even larger deal with Mrs. Bai. Such a move did come with risks, but who knows? Perhaps Mrs. Bai might just whip out an 800 million dollar cheque in response. Chapter 62.1: Me and Him, Who Do You Choose? (1) Despite Ji Fanyin¡¯s thoughts, she wasn¡¯t able to fulfill her plan of sneaking back home. There was a pair of sharp eyes constantly locked on her, ensuring that she couldn¡¯t leave till the end of the party. Zhang Ning. The moment she put down her plate, Zhang Ning somehow appeared in front of her and said, ¡°Babe, let¡¯s go greet some people.¡± ¡°Who are we greeting?¡± ¡°The matriarch of the Bai Family,¡± replied Zhang Ning. Ji Fanyin¡¯s eyebrows shot up. ¡°¡­¡± Zhang Ning immediately realized that something was amiss. ¡°What¡¯s with your expression?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know that her son is one of my younger sister¡¯s suitors?¡± asked Ji Fanyin. ¡°I thought that it¡¯s a well-known gossip in your circle.¡± ¡°That might be the case for the young rascals, but I¡¯m not part of their group.¡± Zhang Ning proudly pointed her thumb to herself and said, ¡°I¡¯m not close with Bai Zhou. In terms of seniority, he ought to be calling me ¡®Aunt Zhang Ning¡¯!¡± Ji Fanyin was holding onto a glass of champagne, so she clapped on her wrist instead. ¡°Of course. I would expect no less from our Zhang Ning.¡± Zhang Ning rolled her eyes at Ji Fanyin¡¯s perfunctory response. She quickly scanned the room before pushing Ji Fanyin forward. ¡°Speaking of which, I saw Bai Zhou entering the venue with the Bai couple. He was good-looking as a child, and I see that he has retained his looks over the years. Even as his aunt, I have to say that he¡¯s quite a feast for the eyes.¡± ¡°It would have been better if he could do away with that nasty temper of his,¡± Ji Fanyin supplemented. It was too easy to find Bai Zhou with his tall stature and his eye-catching looks. Zhang Ning was able to spot him within moments, ¡°Ah, he¡¯s over there. Hm¡­ Don¡¯t you think that he¡¯s staring at you?¡± Zhang Ning alternated her gaze between the composed Ji Fanyin and the staring Bai Zhou. ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s really staring at you.¡± Zhang Ning nodded affirmatively. ¡°It has been a while since my younger sister went abroad to further her studies, and the two of us are identical twins. He¡¯s just using me as a substitute for her,¡± replied Ji Fanyin without the slightest embarrassment on her face. ¡°Darling, I can at least tell the difference between a gaze directed at a substitute and a gaze toward someone he yearns for,¡± replied Zhang Ning with a meaningful smile. ¡°He¡¯s definitely looking at you, not your younger sister.¡± Ji Fanyin turned her head over. With a smile in her eyes, she raised her finger to her lips and silenced Zhang Ning with an ¡°Shh¡±. ¡°Are you for real?¡± Zhang Ning widened her eyes in bewilderment. ¡°He ¡®likes¡¯ me the same way he previously ¡®liked¡¯ my younger sister,¡± explained Ji Fanyin. You don¡¯t have to be that surprised. Don¡¯t you know how easily youngsters move from one person to the next?¡± ¡°I guess so.¡± Zhang Ning pressed her lips together contemplatively. ¡°Dating a man from their house is quite troublesome. It won¡¯t be easy to marry into their household, but I don¡¯t think that you¡¯re into guys like him.¡± Ji Fanyin gave it some thought before replying, ¡°It¡¯s fun to tease him though.¡± Zhang Ning burst into laughter. She replied with a playful nasal voice, ¡°You¡¯re such a bitch.¡± She laughed so hard that her head fell onto Ji Fanyin¡¯s shoulders. It wasn¡¯t good to be caught gossiping about others, so the two of them had been whispering into each other¡¯s ears. They remained conscious about their surroundings even when they were fooling around, and it didn¡¯t take them long to regain their poise. Zhang Ning cleared her throat and asked, ¡°Does Mrs. Bai know you?¡± Ji Fanyin gave the question some thought before shaking her head, ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Bai Zhou¡¯s mother was aware of Ji Xinxin¡¯s existence though. How could she not know about her when Bai Zhou had insisted on enrolling at Lakeside University for her, and he even wanted to chase her to Paris at one point in time? ¡°Let¡¯s head over then,¡± Zhang Ning raised her chin and said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mrs. Bai and I share the same blood.¡± ¡°I¡¯m scared. You must protect me, darling.¡± Ji Fanyin played the damsel in distress. That remark got Zhang Ning¡¯s funny bone, leaving her on the verge of breaking into laughter once more. ¡°Babe, you need to stop making me laugh. I can sense Bai Zhou¡¯s piercing gaze on me. You sure are heartless. Aren¡¯t you going to at least spare a look in his direction?¡± Ji Fanyin didn¡¯t respond to that. Chapter 62.2: Me and Him, Who Do You Choose? (2) By this point, the two of them had already walked up to Mrs. Bai. The latter looked at the two ladies and smiled. ¡°Zhang Ning, and¡­ Miss Ji.¡± ¡°This is my business partner, Ji Fanyin,¡± Zhang Ning quickly clarified with an introduction. ¡°Pleased to meet you,¡± greeted Ji Fanyin with a polite smile. ¡°It¡¯s our first time meeting.¡± ¡°Ji Fanyin?¡± A contemplative frown formed between Mrs. Bai¡¯s brows. Her pupils drifted upright, seemingly trying to recall something. ¡°Ah¡­ Are you Ji Xinxin¡¯s older twin sister?¡± Mrs. Bai directed her gaze back at Ji Fanyin and carefully studied her face. ¡°The two of you do look alike¡­ Pardon me, but I¡¯m not too fond of those from the Ji Family.¡± She was extremely straightforward, typical of a graceful member of upper-class society. Ji Fanyin was far too familiar with the attitudes put up by the affluent that her heart was hardly fazed at all. She simply smiled quietly in response. However, Mrs. Bai smiled shortly after and added, ¡°However, it¡¯s different since you¡¯re Zhang Ning¡¯s friend.¡± With Zhang Ning mediating between them, Mrs. Bai wouldn¡¯t go to the extent of snubbing Ji Fanyin. The three of them had a polite conversation with one another before promptly concluding their talk. Zhang Ning remarked that she saw someone else whom she recognized, and Mrs. Bai bade her farewell with a nod. However, Ji Fanyin remained on the spot. She directed a smile at Mrs. Bai and said, ¡°My younger sister has brought you quite a bit of trouble. I¡¯d like to offer you an apology gift. May I know where it would be convenient for me to deliver the gift to?¡± Such words shouldn¡¯t have been spoken under such a setting. They would have easily eroded any goodwill that was previously built up. It was just that Ji Fanyin knew that Mrs. Bai already had the poorest impression of her due to her relationship with Ji Xinxin, so there was no need to pay heed to such trivial details. It was far more convenient to just get straight to the point. Mrs. Bai cast an assessing gaze at her before impassively uttering a company¡¯s name. ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll deliver it there promptly tomorrow.¡± Ji Fanyin noted down the company¡¯s name in her head and set a mental reminder to bring the contract there tomorrow. Before taking her leave, she briefly glanced at Bai Zhou, who was standing not too far behind Mrs. Bai. The two of them met eyes for just a single second before she coolly turned her head away and strutted off. ¡­ Seeing that the seemingly pleasant conversation among the three ladies had finally come to an end, Bai Zhou gulped down his wine. He then put down the glass and hurried forward to his mother¡¯s side. ¡°What did you talk about?¡± ¡°What are you so worried about?¡± Mrs. Bai glanced at him with a wine glass in hand and asked with a cold tone. Despite this, she still ended up answering his question anyway, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it has nothing to do with your little girlfriend.¡± ¡°Little-¡± Bai Zhou repeated those words in confusion before belatedly realizing that Mrs. Bai was referring to Ji Xinxin. That brought a frown to his face. Mrs. Bai couldn¡¯t possibly have missed the change in his expression. ¡°The two of you¡¯ve had an argument?¡± ¡°¡­ That¡¯s not it.¡± Bai Zhou denied it with the frown still firmly fixed to his face. ¡°I just wanted to ask what you talked about.¡± Mrs. Bai looked at her son intently as she answered, ¡°We were chatting about business matters. The two of them established a filmmaking studio, and it would appear that they are making huge strides in the industry. News about it even reached my office. They might just become a formidable force in the industry within a few years.¡± ¡°Filmmaking studio? Ji Fanyin?¡± Bai Zhou grasped the crux from it right away. ¡°Is it very profitable?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that it¡¯s very profitable, but it should fare decently for a startup if they manage to work out the kinks,¡± evaluated Mrs. Bai. Chapter 62.3: Me and Him, Who Do You Choose? (3) Bai Zhou knew just how high his mother¡¯s standards were. Even someone of Ji Xinxin''s caliber couldn¡¯t hope to catch his mother¡¯s eyes. Such an evaluation from her meant that Ji Fanyin was likely to earn a lot of money in the next few years to come. She has already moved on to other money-making ventures. Is it because she¡¯s sick of her current lifestyle? If her lousy filmmaking studio is able to rake in big bucks, will she continue to operate her little reservation app? If I can¡¯t even meet her using the ¡®stand-in¡¯ service as an excuse¡­ Bai Zhou shuddered at that thought. I might just never be able to meet Ji Fanyin ever again. In the end, our connection is bound by a single object¨Dmoney. Bai Zhou suddenly recalled Ji Fanyin¡¯s words. There had been a doubt lingering in his mind all this while. If Ji Fanyin really wasn¡¯t doing this stand-in business for Song Shiyu but to rake in money, why would she need so much money? In fact, he had posed this question to her twice. The first time, she said that it was to save someone from comatose. The second time, she said she needed ten billion. ¡°Is it possible for a person to be in a debt of ten billion?¡± he murmured. ¡°If such a person really does exist, they would either be a criminal or one of the richest people in the world,¡± Mrs. Bai answered the question on his behalf. Bai Zhou stared at Ji Fanyin¡¯s silhouette. Based on what he knew, she was neither the former nor the latter. ¡°You have been spending quite a bit recently,¡± remarked Mrs. Bai in a tone so casual that she could have been saying ¡®You have added too much salt on your steak¡¯. ¡°Are you going to interfere with my finances now?¡± snorted Bai Zhou. ¡°Are you sure you have the time to meddle with my business?¡± Mrs. Bai froze up as if something had pricked her. A moment later, she let out a sigh, ¡°Bai Zhou.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already met that old man¡¯s other son. What about you?¡± sneered Bai Zhou. ¡°When are you planning on bringing me to meet yours? Should I start practicing calling them ¡®father¡¯ or ¡®brother¡¯?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Mrs. Bai took a deep breath before speaking, ¡°They won¡¯t affect you. Your father¡¯s illegitimate son can never hope to lay his hands on anything that belongs to you.¡± Bai Zhou irritatedly pushed off her hand that was consoling him and started striding off in Ji Fanyin¡¯s direction. He could vaguely hear Mrs. Bai¡¯s soft sigh, but he couldn¡¯t be bothered to think deeper into it. This broken family wasn¡¯t worth his attention. The only thing that was on his mind right now was to rush over to Ji Fanyin¡¯s side. It would be fine even if he could just watch her cook in the kitchen, play games with her, or idle around on the sofa. That was the only remedy he knew of that could bring him out of this hell. His footsteps hastened. Just when he was several steps away from Ji Fanyin, he saw another man step forward and block Ji Fanyin¡¯s path with his hand. That man had an innocent smile on his face, but Bai Zhou recognized him. This was the man that had triggered Song Shiyu¡¯s ire and his utmost discomfort with a mere smile at the banquet he met his father¡¯s illegitimate child. He didn¡¯t know the man¡¯s name, only the fact that he was a director. ¡­ A job that¡¯s related to Ji Fanyin¡¯s new field. With a darkened face, he scurried forward and forcefully squeezed between the duo. That man looked at him in surprise, asking, ¡°Young master Bai?¡± Bai Zhou glanced at him, but he had no intention of greeting him. He turned his attention to Ji Fanyin and said, ¡°I need to talk to you.¡± ¡°Young master Bai, I am Cen Xiangyang,¡± that man said with his usual disarming smile. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you¡­ However, I was the one who proposed a conversation with Miss Ji first. It won¡¯t take too long. Would you mind waiting for a while?¡± Bai Zhou didn¡¯t even bother looking at him this time around. He stared at Ji Fanyin with a hint of ire in his eyes as he said, ¡°Say something, Ji Fanyin! Me or him, who do you choose?¡± Chapter 63.1: Have You Forgotten How You Treated Me In the Past? (1) If possible, Ji Fanyin wouldn¡¯t want to choose either of them. One was a criminal in the making. Ji Fanyin already had a good idea of what he was going to say¡ªhe would either take his side with Ji Xinxin and threaten her to stop her stand-in business or let his psychopathic tendencies take over and become a two-faced bastard. The other was an innocent client with a tendency to throw childish tantrums. Ji Fanyin was certain that he had nothing important to say. It was a pity that Zhang Ning was busy socializing, so Ji Fanyin couldn¡¯t use her as a shield. She took a split second to think of an excuse before glancing at her watch. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s about time for me to feed my tropical fish.¡± Bai Zhou: ¡°¡­¡± Cen Xiangyang: ¡°¡­¡± It was such a perfunctory excuse, and her lackadaisical gaze clearly showed that she couldn¡¯t be bothered to deal with them. She had already made up her mind to not get involved in their quarrel and return home, and neither of them could hope to stop her. While Zhang Ning wasn¡¯t paying attention, she secretly made her way to the doorway of the banquet hall. She soon heard footsteps echoing behind her. ¡°Bai Zhou, go back.¡± Ji Fanyin didn¡¯t even have to turn around to figure out who it was. ¡°Is that director one of your clients too?¡± Bai Zhou matched her walking speed behind her and began unloading his questions. ¡°Did you really start a screenwriting studio behind all of our backs? Have you forgotten where your money came from?¡± ¡°From proper work,¡± replied Ji Fanyin nonchalantly. Her assets were being taken care of by an asset management company known for its high level of confidentiality. No problem could arise out of that. ¡°¡­ What are you going to do next?¡± ¡°Do next?¡± Bai Zhou wasn¡¯t able to clarify his question right away, as if he found it hard to talk about this. Nevertheless, he continued trailing behind Ji Fanyin till the two of them were finally out in the hotel lounge. Unlike the banquet hall that had its temperature regulated to a cozy level, the hotel lounge was chilly. It wasn¡¯t as freezing as it was outside, but the difference in temperature was more than enough to make the two of them shudder. Bai Zhou first scanned his surroundings with a frown before unbuttoning his blazer, but Ji Fanyin had already walked up to the receptionist to collect her coat. Despite wearing an open-back red gown in this chilly environment, her posture remained upright and confidently relaxed. It felt like even the cold air shied away from her powerful disposition. Staring at the confident woman before him, Bai Zhou couldn¡¯t help but think: They are really different. Ji Xinxin would have shuddered in this cold environment, hence giving him the chance to wrap his blazer around her. But Ji Fanyin had never displayed her vulnerabilities before others, be it the meek her of the past or the current confident her. She had never tried to rely on anyone before. Even when everyone privately scorned her for sucking up to Song Shiyu, Ji Fanyin had never asked anyone for help. Bai Zhou found a woman like her terrifying. She could live perfectly well even without him in her life. Only someone delusional would think that they could shackle down such a woman with favors and debts. Song Shiyu couldn¡¯t do it. The director couldn¡¯t do it. Bai Zhou couldn¡¯t do it either. The more he thought about it, the more infuriated he felt. He harrumphed coldly, ¡°How did you even fall in love with Song Shiyu when he treated you atrociously in the past?¡± Why can¡¯t Ji Fanyin be like this from the start? If so, I wouldn¡¯t have detested her for her weakness for so long. Perhaps we might have even become friends. Song Shiyu must be wallowing in regret now. Chapter 63.2: Have You Forgotten How You Treated Me In the Past? (2) The receptionist retrieved Ji Fanyin¡¯s coat and handed it to her. Ji Fanyin draped her coat around her shoulder before turning around to answer Bai Zhou¡¯s question, ¡°Bai Zhou, you seem to have forgotten how you used to treat me.¡± Those words rendered Bai Zhou speechless. He did look down on Ji Fanyin in the past. He couldn¡¯t stand how she had chosen to give up on herself and simply accepted whatever others doled out to her, especially when Ji Xinxin was there to contrast between the two of them. Even the notion of offering a helping hand to her irked him. He thought that Ji Fanyin was a gone case; how could one help a person who didn¡¯t even want to help herself? This was all coming back to bite him now. But in the depths of his mind, Bai Zhou couldn¡¯t help but think that Ji Fanyin had to take the blame for this too. Things could have ended up differently if only she had awoken and changed earlier. ¡°I¡¯ve reminded you more than once, Bai Zhou,¡± said Ji Fanyin coolly. ¡°In our business transactions, I¡¯m ¡®Ji Xinxin¡¯. You¡¯d do well to remind yourself of that, if you¡¯re starting to waver.¡± Bai Zhou widened his eyes. He suddenly felt a surge of fluster from having his inner thoughts spoken aloud. All of the subtle hints Ji Fanyin had dropped to him during her ¡®service hours¡¯ strung together to form a revolving lantern in his mind. He had always been intrigued by how she would occasionally ask him questions like ¡®Do you know who I am?¡¯, but it turned out that they were reminders for him to distinguish reality from illusion. ¡­ She has known for a long time that my heart had started to waver. And she has already rejected me right from the start. Blood surged into Bai Zhou¡¯s head, freezing his mind up. He realized that even though he had finally become cognizant of his feelings, it wouldn¡¯t make a difference in their relationship if he couldn¡¯t bring himself to speak them aloud, and Ji Fanyin clearly had no intention of acknowledging them. Bai Zhou gritted his teeth and asked emphatically, ¡°What should I remind myself of?¡± Ji Fanyin nonchalantly answered, ¡°The person whom your heart is wavering for, that person, she doesn¡¯t exist.¡± Bai Zhou felt a lurching feeling in his chest as a feeling of humiliation washed over his mind. It was as if someone had hurled a straight at his ribcage, inducing unbearable pain in him. ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving first.¡± Ji Fanyin directed a nod at him, a polite yet distant gesture, almost as if they were two strangers who coincidentally met at a banquet. Bai Zhou had a load of questions in his mind. He wanted to ask if he was really unqualified to like her. He wanted to ask if he didn¡¯t even have the right to become friends with her. He wanted to ask what kind of man she fancied. Yet, he was somehow subconsciously aware that he had no rights to pose those questions. ¡­ He also knew that if he dared to ask those questions, Ji Fanyin would have answered with even more stifling answers. So, he could only watch helplessly as Ji Fanyin walked away. Her coat draped over her shoulders fluttered lightly along with her footsteps. When the doors of the hotel entrance opened wide, a rush of cold air caused her coat to rise up, reminiscent of a bird unfurling its wings. As he watched while Ji Fanyin got into a cab and left the area, Bai Zhou felt like a part of him had flown away with her. He couldn¡¯t even make sense of his own thoughts. Do I like Ji Fanyin? If so, which Ji Fanyin do I like? Or is the one I like Ji Xinxin? I still can¡¯t truly put her down yet, but when I look back on my desperate attempts to court her, I feel like I was merely chasing after an impossible dream. Why was I even infatuated with Ji Xinxin back then? If I could get from others what I got from her too, would my feelings move on to others? Bai Zhou stood in the hotel lounge for a long while thinking over this question when a word suddenly surfaced in his mind: Scumbag. Bai Zhou: ¡°¡­¡± Am I a scumbag? His phone suddenly rang. Still in a distraught state, he took out his phone in a daze and glanced at it. The moment he saw Ji Xinxin¡¯s name, he subconsciously rejected the call. Then, his mind started to wander once again like an ado teenage girl. Would I have picked up if the one who called was Ji Fanyin? Shit. I might have just run straight to the entrance to check if her cab had driven back here. ------ Twitter || Advanced Chapter for Patreon Supporters---Join my Discord to chat about the novel with me T_TIt would be nice if we could discuss characters, plotlines, and stuff together---Mission 2: 15 unique comments on a single chapterReward: 1 bonus chapterMission 3: Reach 45 reviews on NovelupdatesReward: 1 bonus chapter Progress: 37/45 Chapter 63.3: Have You Forgotten How You Treated Me In the Past? (3) ¡­ Ji Fanyin was able to subdue Bai Zhou with just a couple of words, but Cen Xiangyang wasn¡¯t as easy to deal with. He had strung everything he wanted to say into a long message and sent it to her. In the cab, Ji Fanyin quickly scanned through it. She made sure to screenshot the message before Cen Xiangyang could retract it. His intentions were pretty clear. He frankly admitted to telling Ji Xinxin about her stand-in occupation before making a cunning suggestion. He offered his services as a double agent to Ji Fanyin, saying that he would help her fend off Ji Xinxin¡¯s vengeance. In return, he wanted Ji Fanyin to cooperate with him in clearing away Ji Xinxin¡¯s suitors. Cen Xiangyang was hoping to come out on top without raising a finger. He wanted to be the hidden mastermind who manipulated Ji Fanyin into emptying out Ji Xinxin¡¯s fishery. He knew that Ji Xinxin would languish at the loss of her fishery and fall into a distraught and vulnerable state. By then, she would have no choice but to rely on him. Ji Fanyin was entertained by the grand ambitions peeking through his message. It looked like it wasn¡¯t just politicians and CEOs of huge companies who were skilled at scheming and political machinations. Despite being a director, Cen Xiangyang was a self-taught master conniver. It was just that the appeal of his offer was built on one condition: Ji Fanyin is incapable of dealing with Ji Xinxin. And that condition didn¡¯t hold. As a result, all Cen Xiangyang succeeded in doing was delivering another chip for Ji Fanyin to play with. She tapped into her phone gallery to check on the concrete evidence she had screenshotted, and she couldn¡¯t help but feel sorry for Ji Xinxin. If this were a war game, under the service of Empress Ji Xinxin would be mighty generals Father Ji, Mother Ji, Cen Xiangyang, Li Xiaoxing, Bai Zhou¡­ All of them looked like ferocious generals at first glance, yet none of them were able to stand their ground at all. If Ji Xinxin ever catches a glimpse of their KPI, I bet that she¡¯ll have them fired right away. Ji Fanyin had collected so many good cards that she couldn¡¯t even decide which one to use first. She couldn¡¯t help but sigh on Ji Xinxin¡¯s behalf. If one of us has to suffer, I¡¯d very much choose to be the happy one. With such thoughts in mind, she tapped into the ¡®Temptation of Home¡¯ app to check on the progress. To her delight, she had made huge progress on the app ever since Ji Xinxin¡¯s return over her Christmas break. Putting aside the impulse purchases and the newly implemented auction system on her reservation app, she was receiving an amazing amount of Emotion Points just from the escalation of conflict. Browsing through the records quickly, her greatest financial sponsor was Bai Zhou, but her greatest Emotion Points sponsor was none other than Ji Xinxin. Even with the constant small inflow of Emotion Points from netizens, Ji Xinxin¡¯s names still persistently popped up everywhere. It would be no exaggeration to say that the young lady spent 18 hours of each day thinking about her. Ji Fanyin took a closer look at the transaction times: ¡°¡­¡± It looks like I appear in her dreams too. So far, she had accrued 800 million out of her goal of 10 billion. The first few steps were usually the hardest to take; everything would only accelerate from this point onward. Ji Xinxin would be returning to the country in just a few days¡¯ time to launch her counterattack. Ji Fanyin personally believed in maintaining a sustainable inflow of income, especially since Ji Xinxin was her greatest contributor of Emotion Points. Instead of mercilessly crushing the latter at one shot, she thought that it would be better to dish out her cards one by one so that she could slowly harvest waves of Emotion Points. A patient farmer who didn¡¯t overstress his land would be able to reap greater harvest over time. There was no need to rush things since Ji Xinxin was going to stay for a semester. It should be soon, right? Ji Fanyin rubbed her phone in anticipation. Once Ji Xinxin is no longer capable of fighting back anymore, I¡¯ll be able to put an end to my stand-in occupation. She still hadn¡¯t forgotten about the kidnapping scenario yet. She wouldn¡¯t want to risk putting herself in such a position. She rested her back on the leather seat and began organizing her plans. For Ji Xinxin, I can just patiently wait for her to make her move and retaliate accordingly. As for how I can further speed up my progress on the app¡­ I guess I could start with handing over the documents on my table to Mrs. Bai. So, Ji Fanyin tapped into her phone¡¯s on-demand delivery app. Chapter 64.1: 100 Million Has Returned (1) The first thing Ji Fanyin did upon returning to her apartment was to take out the documents from the folder and look through them. She wasn¡¯t a professional lawyer, but the documents did appear to be an agreement to transfer a house deed. She couldn¡¯t find any problems with the agreement, but she had no intention of accepting the sum of money. There was no compelling need for her to accept this sum of money since she could earn 100 million through other avenues too. Even if her current occupation was bordering on the gray zone, it was a violation of her principles to ruin another person¡¯s marriage. By an extension of that, she wouldn¡¯t help a mistress and her son rise to power. However, there was another opportunity she could exploit through this agreement. She quickly washed up before lying down on her bed. Before drifting off to sleep, she tapped into her reservation app to check on her schedule for tomorrow. The reservation app now came with a function that automatically refunded clients on their failed bids and confirmed the winning bid. Thanks to that, Ji Fanyin didn¡¯t have to constantly check the progress of the bids, just the results. It doesn¡¯t matter whether I get a reservation or not. I also have plenty of work from my screenwriting studio anyway. Besides, Ji Xinxin is coming back the day after tomorrow. However, when Ji Fanyin tapped into the app, she saw that her schedule was full for the day after tomorrow, from 11 A.M. to 9 P.M.. It was reserved by Song Shiyu. She looked through the bidding records and saw that Song Shiyu had gone with the highest bid right away. Bai Zhou later tried to outbid him with elevenfold of the usual price, only to be rejected by the System under the error of ¡®Exceed maximum bid¡¯. So, Bai Zhou went on to reserve her full schedule three days later at the maximum tenfold price. Looking at the record of Bai Zhou¡¯s failed attempt to bid elevenfold, Ji Fanyin felt that Bai Zhou¡¯s financial potential as a client was extremely high. Had there not been a bidding limit and Bai Zhou had successfully bidded elevenfold of the price, Song Shiyu might have just chosen to raise the price as well, thus initiating a bidding war. The prices could have reached unbelievable levels. Ji Fanyin stared at her green reservation app contemplatively for a while. Oh well¡­ I guess I shouldn¡¯t go too far. Mrs. Bai doesn¡¯t look like someone to be trifled with, and I don¡¯t want to make an enemy out of her. I should let her son off the hook for now. For the time being, I¡¯ll keep the bidding limit to tenfold. Ji Fanyin felt that she was an ethical businesswoman. ¡­ The first thing Ji Fanyin did when she woke up the following morning was to send the document to the company Mrs. Bai mentioned yesterday. Of course, she made sure to photocopy the document beforehand so that she had a spare copy to keep with her. Under normal circumstances, it was unlikely that someone as lofty as Mrs. Bai would pay any heed to a gift from an insignificant nobody like her, even if she was Ji Xinxin¡¯s twin sister. However, things should be different because Bai Zhou was present at the banquet last night too. She went through the trouble of chatting with Bai Zhou so as to pique Mrs. Bai¡¯s interest. She was confident that Mrs. Bai would make a move once she received the document. After handing the documents over to the delivery man, Ji Fanyin leisurely did some yoga before digging into her breakfast. The world looks so much more beautiful when I don¡¯t have to go to work early in the morning. Chapter 64.2: 100 Million Has Returned (2) Shortly after noon, Ji Fanyin received a call. It was from Mrs. Bai¡¯s secretary. ¡°Miss Ji, Madam Meng wishes to have dinner with you. May I know when it¡¯s convenient for you?¡± The secretary¡¯s manner of speaking was polite. Mrs. Bai¡¯s maiden name was Meng. Despite being a woman, she had a resounding reputation in the corporate world. Most people would be excited to even catch a glimpse of her, let alone be able to share a dinner with her. Ji Fanyin had already anticipated this in advance, so she was hardly surprised at all. She took the lead and made a counterproposal, ¡°I have around an hour and a half now. I¡¯ll be heading to Japan afterward, so would it be possible for us to meet right now?¡± ¡°Madam Meng¡¯s schedule is packed. I¡¯m afraid that it would be hard to adjust her schedule,¡± the secretary politely rejected Ji Fanyin¡¯s suggestion. Ji Fanyin expressed her regret. ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate. I¡¯ll be busy till the day after tomorrow, so we will probably have to postpone the dinner till then.¡± It can¡¯t be helped. I¡¯m a busy woman too. I have Li Xiaoxing today, Song Shiyu tomorrow, and Bai Zhou the day after tomorrow. Ji Xinxin will be returning tomorrow, so I¡¯ll have to keep an eye out for her too. The experienced secretary gave the matter some thought before saying, ¡°Could you hold on for two minutes?¡± The least Ji Fanyin could do was to wait that long, though the secretary¡¯s attitude was enough for her to confidently rise from her sofa and grab her bag and keys. If it was truly impossible for the schedule to be adjusted, the secretary would have turned her proposal down right away. The fact that the secretary had chosen to consult with Mrs. Bai revealed how seriously the latter took this matter. Ji Fanyin leisurely walked to the doorway and put on her shoes. Just as she was about to head out, the secretary finally returned to the call and answered, ¡°Miss Ji, Madam Meng has postponed her plans. The meeting location will be the shopping mall beneath the company building. May I know how long it¡¯ll take for you to get there?¡± Ji Fanyin made her way toward the lift as she did a quick estimation. ¡°I should be able to reach you within thirty minutes.¡± The secretary politely replied, ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll send you the restaurant¡¯s address.¡± Seconds after Ji Fanyin hung up the call, she received a location pin from the secretary. Using the location pin, she hailed a cab. Upon getting into the car, she started browsing through her Moments page out of boredom and saw Bai Zhou flaunting his kitchen. There were all sorts of ingredients lying on his kitchen table, including vegetables, meat, or eggs. If Ji Fanyin hadn¡¯t known about Bai Zhou¡¯s atrocious cooking skills, she would have thought that he had awakened his passion for cooking. There was a reason why she had completely barred Bai Zhou from the kitchen. The most she would allow him to do was to wash some vegetables or set the plates. Not even Song Shiyu, who was at best an amateur, was anywhere as terrible as Bai Zhou. As for Li Xiaoxing¡­ With those legs of his, it was unlikely that he would devote much time and effort into cooking. She began crafting a message for her Moments page. ¡¾Nowadays, it¡¯s not just women who should know how to cook. Men should learn to cook up a few dishes too. That¡¯ll help them greatly in their lives.¡¿ Barely a minute after she sent the message out, Zhang Ning and Chen Yunsheng had already given her post a ¡®Like¡¯. It was as if the two of them were living inside her Moments page, constantly waiting for updates. A short moment later, the reticent Programmer 996 also quietly offered a ¡®Like¡¯. Ji Fanyin: ¡°¡­¡± A university student staying at a dormitory, a tough young miss who never had to do household chores, and a programmer who was slogging it out to earn extra bucks despite already working 996¡­ Are you certain that the three of you know how to cook? Bai Zhou tried to ignore the post for a whole twenty minutes before finally succumbing to his anger: ¡¾What do you mean by that? Is that post directed toward me?¡¿ Ji Fanyin politely answered: ¡¾Not everything is about you¡¿ Bai Zhou furiously replied: ¡¾Just you wait! I¡¯ll post the completed dish once I¡¯m done!¡¿ Ji Fanyin didn¡¯t think that it was likely for Bai Zhou to create a ¡®completed dish¡¯. It¡¯s totally possible that he doesn¡¯t even know that oil is needed to prepare green onion pancakes. What a pity that those ingredients are going to waste. She found it comical, how Bai Zhou was still innocently messaging her when she was on the way to meet his mother. Now that she was thinking about it, Bai Zhou¡¯s family circumstances played a huge part in him becoming the person he currently was. Children who were deprived of love often grew up hungry for love, but neither Mr. nor Mrs. Bai seemed to understand that. Mrs. Bai had reserved the entire restaurant for this meeting, and her secretary was waiting by the entrance. Upon spotting Ji Fanyin, he bowed slightly to her and gestured inward. ¡°Miss Ji, Madam Meng is waiting for you inside.¡± Ji Fanyin entered the restaurant. Chapter 64.3 100 Million Has Returned (3) When she saw Mrs. Bai sitting gracefully at one of the tables, she found herself lamenting that there was no such thing as a perfect person in this world. Mrs. Bai was someone who seemed to have it all, be it her prestigious family background, her sharp business acumen, her beautiful and youthful appearance, her outstanding and handsome son¡­ Yet, she was hopelessly incompetent at getting along with her son. Upon hearing her footsteps, Mrs. Bai raised her head and looked at Ji Fanyin. She gestured to the seat opposite to her and said, ¡°Have a seat.¡± Her voice was light and mellow, but her tone carried unquestionable authority. It was almost as if she was treating Ji Fanyin as her subordinate. But again, one wouldn¡¯t expect a mogul of the corporate world to be soft spoken. In any case, Ji Fanyin was in an advantageous position now that Mrs. Bai had taken the initiative to invite her for a meal. She overlooked Mrs. Bai¡¯s tone of speech and calmly took a seat. ¡°Hello. It appears that my apology gift has been properly delivered to you.¡± ¡°I have learned the reason behind my son¡¯s increased spending over the past few months. The means employed by you and your younger sister put me at a loss for words. I can¡¯t tell which of you two is more¡­¡± Mrs. Bai paused for a brief moment before completing her sentence. ¡°¡­ contemptible.¡± Ji Fanyin chuckled softly. ¡°I¡¯ve never really thought about that.¡± Ji Xinxin had once questioned if she thought that she was nobler than her, but to be honest, Ji Fanyin had never thought that way. ¡°Even so, I have the right to choose what I want to do and what I don¡¯t want to do.¡± Ji Fanyin picked up the transparent flask on the table and poured herself a cup of lemonade. ¡°What that woman proposed happens to be something I¡¯m unwilling to participate in.¡± ¡°The house isn¡¯t worth a lot, but it¡¯s still a substantial sum considering your current income.¡± Mrs. Bai remained unmoved by Ji Fanyin¡¯s rhetoric. ¡°You¡¯re hoping to negotiate a better deal with me.¡± Ji Fanyin smiled at those words. ¡°I won¡¯t deny that, but even if you refuse to meet me after receiving my document, I still wouldn¡¯t work with that woman.¡± Most people might have the experience where one of their answers to a test was erroneously marked correct, but upon reporting it to the teacher, the teacher chose to compliment their honesty and allowed them to keep their marks. In a way, this could be described as a nifty trick to earn goodwill. Ji Fanyin calmly took a sip of water while waiting for Mrs. Bai¡¯s response. On the other hand, Mrs. Bai contemplatively lowered her gaze for around ten seconds. When she finally raised her head once more, she picked up a folder placed on the seat next to her and pushed it toward Ji Fanyin. ¡°You may accept this gift,¡± said Mrs. Bai with her uniquely mellow voice. ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, you¡¯re still living in a rented apartment, right?¡± Ji Fanyin¡¯s eyebrows shot up. Just as I thought. Moments after I gave the 100 million out, it was returned to me in full. Mrs. Bai looked straight into Ji Fanyin¡¯s eyes and revealed the faintest of smiles. ¡°Ji Fanyin, allow me to propose a deal.¡± ¡°Please go ahead.¡± Ji Fanyin had a weird feeling that this story was transitioning from a clich¨¦ substitute lover plot line to a rich family¡¯s internal war over inheritance. She would probably want me to serve as a double agent for her. It¡¯ll be troublesome, but it¡¯s not entirely out of the question¡­ To her surprise, Mrs. Bai proposed something very different. ¡°You¡¯re unlike your younger sister. She¡¯ll desperately cling onto Bai Zhou, but you won¡¯t. So, I¡¯d like you to teach that child how not to stumble on women.¡± That¡¯s different from what I expected. Ji Fanyin took a moment to carefully decipher Mrs. Bai¡¯s intentions. She was reminded of a historical drama she had watched in her earlier years. In that historical drama, the empress wanted her son to cast away his compassion so that he could become a qualified crown prince, so she coldly ordered her kind son to murder the kitten he was raising. What Mrs. Bai wanted to do was effectively the same as that empress had done. It mattered not to her why Bai Zhou was vulnerable to women; she was only interested in the result. She decided that the most effective way was to instill a mental trauma in Bai Zhou, one that would haunt him for his entire life. ¡°As for his act of buying your¡­¡± Mrs. Bai paused for a moment in an attempt to search for an appropriate phrase. ¡°¡­ time, you may continue with that. I won¡¯t interfere.¡± She looked at Ji Fanyin as if the latter was a conveniently sharp dagger that would do her job for her. ¡°All the money will be worth it, as long as you¡¯re able to teach him a lesson he¡¯ll never forget.¡± Chapter 65.1: Is Asking For Her Marriage In Hand Not Considered a Promise? (1) There were several reservations Ji Fanyin harbored about accepting the deal. It was definitely within her means to dupe Bai Zhou into going out with her before heartlessly jilting him. She knew of ways to instill deep-rooted traumas in him, to the point that he would never want to fall in love ever again. But that would change the consensual nature of the transactions between her and Bai Zhou. There were benefits to going along with Mrs. Bai¡¯s offer. Money was a huge reason, and it would eliminate the possibility of the Bai Family trying to settle scores with her in the future. Rejecting Mrs. Bai¡¯s offer was also a viable option, but it would risk a falling-out. It would be foolish to think that Mrs. Bai was on the same level as Father Ji and Mother Ji. She wouldn¡¯t just resort to petty measures if she wanted to make things difficult for someone. Even though there were only two options to Mrs. Bai¡¯s offer, Ji Fanyin decided to pick neither and instead created a third option for herself. ¡°You¡¯re only interested in the outcome. I can give you the outcome you want,¡± said Ji Fanyin, ¡°but how I go about doing it shouldn¡¯t matter to you, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯m only interested in the outcome,¡± replied Mrs. Bai. ¡°You can do whatever you want as long as it doesn¡¯t bring about any health issues for him. That shouldn¡¯t be a problem for you, right?¡± Ji Fanyin displayed a look of sudden recollection and said, ¡°Do you know that Bai Zhou has always suffered from gastric problems?¡± Mrs. Bai¡¯s movements halted for a moment. ¡°Is that so?¡± Then, she raised her hand to gesture for the manager to serve them the food. This was the quietest meal Ji Fanyin had in the past few months. Mrs. Bai was the type who wasn¡¯t fond of speaking during a meal. Even her chewing barely produced a sound. Now that she thought about it, Bai Zhou was the same when they first started dining together. It was just that he slowly became chattier after they shared a few meals together. Right before leaving the restaurant, Ji Fanyin finally voiced the doubt floating in her mind, ¡°Don¡¯t you think it might be better for you to personally teach Bai Zhou such life lessons?¡± ¡°He needs to experience it himself to get it inside his head,¡± replied Mrs. Bai as she straightened the wrinkles in her coat. ¡°I am his mother, not his teacher. It¡¯s my responsibility to hire the best teachers to guide him down the right path. That¡¯s why, Ji Fanyin, I hope that you¡¯ll be a satisfactory teacher.¡± Ji Fanyin rested her chin on her arm as she watched the female mogul board her car and leave. She then took out her phone and jotted down the name of the restaurant. The food here is really no joke. I¡¯ll have to make sure to drop by again. She took a look at her watch. It¡¯s about time for me to make my way to the airport. Before she left her apartment, she got a delivery man to bring her suitcase to the airport, so there was no need for her to take a detour. She could head straight to the airport and collect her suitcase and boarding pass there. Li Xiaoxing wanted to do a rehearsal for his proposal, and the location he had chosen was none other than the Tokyo Tower. Ji Fanyin couldn¡¯t comprehend why he had to propose in a foreign country, but that was really none of her business. He could propose wherever he wanted to, and her job was to cooperate with him. ¡­ Speaking of which, how did Song Shiyu¡¯s blind date go? Are they still discussing engagement plans? After some thought, Ji Fanyin decided to ask Chen Yunsheng: ¡¾Are you there? I previously met your older sister at the basketball competition. Is she in a relationship with Song Shiyu?¡¿ Chen Yunsheng¡¯s response was as swift as ever: ¡¾With Senior Song? I¡¯m not too sure whether she¡¯s going out with Senior Song, but she does appear to be in a relationship with someone. I heard from my parents that they have confirmed the engagement date.¡¿ Ji Fanyin: ¡°¡­¡± She tapped into her reservation app and looked at the full-day reservation made by Song Shiyu for tomorrow. She figured that it was time to wrap things up with him. There¡¯s no way I¡¯d refund the reservation fee when it¡¯s a problem on the client¡¯s side. If anything, he owes me a compensation fee on top of that. Chen Yunshan, Ji Xinxin, and Ji Fanyin. Is Song Shiyu trying to become a ¡®King of the Seas¡¯ too? Chapter 65.2: Is Asking For Her Marriage In Hand Not Considered a Promise? (2) It was then that Chen Yunsheng sent another message:¡¾Big sis, I thought you weren¡¯t interested in dating and marriage?¡¿ It had taken him a full minute to type out that message, which reflected how much thought he had put into it. He might have even edited it several times before finally deciding on the current wording. The way Ji Fanyin saw it, what he really wanted to ask was ¡®Didn¡¯t you say that you aren¡¯t close with Song Shiyu?¡¯. So, Ji Fanyin selected Chen Yunsheng¡¯s message and tapped on the reply button: ¡¾I¡¯m not close with Song Shiyu¡¿ For a long while, the conversation window reflected that Chen Yunsheng was in the midst of typing something. In the end, he gave up and sent an ¡®Ostrich hiding its head in the ground¡¯ emoji. Ji Fanyin proceeded to look up Programmer 996 and asked how she could permanently blacklist a client account. It took a while before Programmer 996 replied: ¡¾I¡¯ll do a quick patch. I¡¯ll send you the update tonight as soon as I¡¯m done with it.¡¿ Having worked together on two previous occasions, Ji Fanyin trusted Programmer 996¡¯s competency and character. So, she sent the full payment to him in advance. ¡­ Ji Fanyin had ridden on the Bai Family¡¯s private jet the last time she accompanied Bai Zhou to Greece. This time around, Li Xiaoxing¡¯s secretary had booked a business class plane ticket for her. She wasn¡¯t traveling together with Li Xiaoxing as the latter had headed there several days before to handle some work-related matters. Was it on a whim that he decided to propose to Ji Fanyin at the Tokyo Tower? Ji Fanyin was about to head to the reception area to collect her suitcase when she spotted two conspicuous figures standing there. Li Xiaoxing¡¯s appearance was eye-catching as it was, not to mention that he was seated in a prominent wheelchair. Some passers-by couldn¡¯t resist the urge to secretly snap photos of him. His secretary was standing next to him. Ji Fanyin was averse to the idea of starting work early, but Li Xiaoxing was camping in the area. Left with no choice, she nonchalantly walked over and asked, ¡°Are we starting work early?¡± ¡°I happened to have some spare time, so I came to fetch you.¡± Li Xiaoxing raised his head to look at her. Ji Fanyin looked around for her suitcase as she asked, ¡°Are you planning on taking a public airline with her too?¡± ¡°No,¡± replied Li Xiaoxing, ¡°I¡¯m not fond of public airlines.¡± Ji Fanyin turned to look at him. Li Xiaoxing was born to an affluent family. He was a precocious child whose competency far surpassed those around him. Many believed that he was set to become the future leader of the Li Family. At least that was the case before the accident nearly robbed him of his control over his body. Sometimes, it was that easy for a person to lose all confidence. He couldn¡¯t accept becoming a cripple. He couldn¡¯t stand the looks of pity others directed toward him. That was why he always traveled in private cars and private jets. It wasn¡¯t that difficult to deduce. ¡°Here is your suitcase.¡± The receptionist found Ji Fanyin¡¯s suitcase and passed it over. Before Ji Fanyin could collect it herself, Secretary Fan had already stepped forward to take it on her behalf. From his thinning crown to his slightly haggard facial features, Secretary Fan fitted the stereotype of an overworked young man. Yet, he was still able to pick up Ji Fanyin¡¯s suitcase effortlessly. ¡­ Ah, I forgot. He does carry Li Xiaoxing all around. Ji Fanyin thanked Secretary Fan. She bent down a little to smoothen the edge of the rug placed over Li Xiaoxing¡¯s thigh as she asked, ¡°So, are we heading to Tokyo separately?¡± Li Xiaoxing eyed her movements and placidly answered, ¡°No, you¡¯ll be traveling with me.¡± As a result, Ji Fanyin switched over to taking Li Xiaoxing¡¯s private jet. What about the business class ticket, you ask? Someone as rich as Li Xiaoxing wouldn¡¯t be fazed by that little money. Chapter 65.3: Is Asking For Her Marriage In Hand Not Considered a Promise? (3) While Bai Zhou¡¯s private jet had home theaters and gaming consoles installed, Li Xiaoxing¡¯s private jet was practically a mobile office. There was nothing entertainment-related at all. By the time they boarded the jet, the highly efficient Secretary Fan had already transferred the additional wages arising from the premature commencement of work to Ji Fanyin¡¯s account. Ji Fanyin couldn¡¯t help but sense a hint of envy in the overworked youth¡¯s eyes whenever he looked at her. The gap in wages must be hard to bear. Ji Fanyin casually settled down on a comfy sofa chair and asked, ¡°How do you plan to invite Ji Xinxin to Japan?¡± ¡°She¡¯s feeling down. I¡¯ll propose bringing her overseas for a change of pace,¡± replied Li Xiaoxing. He had clearly thought through his plans. Ji Fanyin assessed Li Xiaoxing¡¯s expression. ¡°Given her wits, it won¡¯t take long for her to figure out what you¡¯re up to.¡± The truth was that it made no difference how Li Xiaoxing chose to propose to Ji Xinxin. The real issue was whether Ji Xinxin would accept his proposal or not. ¡°She¡¯ll likely hesitate if you propose to her directly,¡± added Ji Fanyin. She noticed a frown forming on Li Xiaoxing¡¯s forehead, a sign that he was going to refute her point, so she stopped him with a raise of her hand. Then, she took her time to finish her sentence. ¡°¡­ However, if you present your proposal in the form of an engagement, the chances of success would be much higher.¡± Those words unfurrowed Li Xiaoxing¡¯s forehead, and he nodded in agreement to Ji Fanyin¡¯s analysis. ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°Tell me your plan in detail.¡± Ji Fanyin gestured for him to continue on. ¡°I¡¯ll see if your plan requires any modifications.¡± This was effectively a clash between Ji Fanyin and Ji Xinxin, and Ji Fanyin was in an absolutely advantageous position here. She was in possession of information that Ji Xinxin lacked, and Li Xiaoxing was completely on her side. If I can¡¯t curb her even with such overwhelming advantages, I might as well just remain comatose and never return to the other world. Li Xiaoxing was the final rope that Ji Xinxin could clutch onto, and the offer of an engagement provided her with an additional layer of security to allay her unease. She would definitely consider accepting this commitment And it was Ji Fanyin¡¯s job to turn ¡®consider accepting¡¯ into ¡®accept¡¯. There was really no need for Li Xiaoxing to elaborately plan out his words to reel her in. All he needed to do was to pop the most important phrases at the most crucial timing, and that would be more than enough for him to clinch victory. ¡­ ¡°I¡¯ve always told you. Relish in her goodwill, enjoy her warmth, and assuage her anxieties, but never make promises to her.¡± From the top of the Tokyo Tower, Ji Fanyin gazed upon the brilliant city and the moving cars beneath her. ¡°But on that long-awaited day, it¡¯s about time for you to make promises to her.¡± ¡°Does a proposal not count as a promise?¡± asked Li Xiaoxing. ¡°It¡¯s not strong enough.¡± Ji Fanyin pointed to herself. ¡°You have to understand why she¡¯s feeling anxious. You have to comprehend why she desperately needs your help. You need to grasp these two points and make a directed promise to her. That¡¯s the way you can get her Achilles¡¯ heel.¡± Li Xiaoxing eyed Ji Fanyin¡¯s movements with a frown. ¡°Where does her anxieties stem from?¡± ¡°From me,¡± replied Ji Fanyin with a chuckle. ¡°Has she told you about our childhood?¡± Li Xiaoxing nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll share my version with you,¡± said Ji Fanyin. ¡°You¡¯ll understand why she fears me by the end of it.¡±¡£ She went on to share with him the factual account of her childhood with Ji Xinxin, though she brushed off some of the minor details. Such as how Ji Xinxin was impersonating her as Li Xiaoxing¡¯s savior. She did mention that Ji Xinxin had fallen ill and was hospitalized in their younger years, but she excluded the part about Ji Xinxin being practically in a coma. She also talked about how she had finally pulled herself together, but she neglected to mention how she was actually a different person on the inside. I just need to leave a faint imprint in Li Xiaoxing¡¯s brain now. He might not think much about it now, but one day in the future, when he finally strings the pieces of evidence together, he¡¯ll stumble on the truth. ¡°What you have to do now is very simple,¡± said Ji Fanyin. ¡°Tell her that I¡¯ve approached you, but assure her that you¡¯ll never fall for me. Tell her that you¡¯ll unconditionally help and protect her from me.¡± ¡°¡­ Because I love her,¡± Li Xiaoxing completed the sentence. Ji Fanyin smiled. ¡°That¡¯s right. Because you love her.¡± Chapter 66.1: Ignore Him (1) It was tiring to be a teacher, even if your student was extremely smart and fully trusted you. This was especially so when the topic was something as elusive and subjective as the human mind. Imparting such knowledge was bound to be time-consuming. After explaining the important steps and the logic behind them, Ji Fanyin proceeded to have a rehearsal with him. Ah, I nearly forgot. My stand-in service counts as an additional service, so he¡¯ll have to top up on the sum. It took nearly three hours before their rehearsal dinner finally ended. By then, it was already close to 9 P.M.. Knowing that it was about time for her to get off work, Ji Fanyin took out her phone in preparation to turn off her alarm. Unexpectedly, her phone started ringing instead. She glanced at the caller id reflected on the screen and rejected the call right away. The alarm rang right afterward. Ji Fanyin switched off the alarm and smiled at Li Xiaoxing. ¡°My apologies, it was a call from another client. I have work tomorrow, so I¡¯ll be returning to the hotel now.¡± ¡°You¡¯re leaving tomorrow?¡± Li Xiaoxing, who was still in the midst of organizing his thoughts, raised his head to look at her. ¡°I¡¯ll offer the highest price. Stay for another day.¡± ¡°That person also offered the highest price,¡± Ji Fanyin rejected Li Xiaoxing¡¯s proposal without any hesitation. Credibility was important when it came to running a business. She had set the rules herself, and she intended to follow them. ¡°We haven¡¯t sorted out all the details yet.¡± Li Xiaoxing shook his head. ¡°There are still some parts I¡¯m unsure of.¡± ¡°You¡¯re doing great. Ji Xinxin will be moved by your sincerity,¡± assured Ji Fanyin as she rose to her feet. Li Xiaoxing¡¯s frown persisted. He wasn¡¯t going to be appeased with casual reassurances. So, Ji Fanyin added, ¡°Do you still doubt my capability after all the lessons we have been through?¡± Li Xiaoxing fell silent for a moment before giving a slight nod and had seemingly accepted her reassurances. ¡°I¡¯ll contact you if I have any issues.¡± Ji Fanyin hitched a ride on Li Xiaoxing¡¯s car to the 5-star hotel Secretary Fan had booked before parting ways with him at the hotel lobby. She was intending to stay the night, and that was why she had brought her suitcase with her. She figured that it would be exhausting to rush back on a night flight. Not only would she arrive at an ungodly hour, she would also have to endure a lengthy car ride back to her apartment after that. After all the hassle, she still wouldn¡¯t have much time to catch some sleep. Since that was the case, she would rather have some good sleep here and enjoy a 5-star hotel¡¯s continental breakfast before heading to the airport. It was of paramount importance that she rested well so that she would have the energy to deal with the buffoon who was thinking of three-timing her. Returning to her room, she was just about to return the call from Song Shiyu to see what he was up to when she received an urgent international call from Zhang Ning instead. ¡°Darling, tell me honestly. Did you sell yourself to the Bai Family as their daughter-in-law?¡± asked Zhang Ning grimly. ¡°Did Madam Meng hand you a briefcase loaded with money to poach you from our studio?¡± ¡°I met her today, but I have no intention of selling myself.¡± The amused Ji Fanyin casually kicked off her high heels by her hotel room¡¯s foyer. ¡°Did she wave a cheque at you?¡± The agitated Zhang Ning began rambling about a whole lot of stuff. Ji Fanyin went to the washroom and started brushing her teeth while listening to her story. To summarize the lengthy story: Mrs. Bai had indeed waved a cheque at her. That¡¯s probably her way of expressing her sincerity, similar to how that mistress offered to compensate me two-fold of my fees. Fortunately, Ji Fanyin was confident in accomplishing what Mrs. Bai requested of her. What Mrs. Bai really wants is for her son to stop stumbling over women. That can be easily achieved without anyone duping Bai Zhou. Bai Zhou simply has to mature into a rational adult and learn the correct values when it comes to romantic relationships. With those, he won¡¯t recklessly leap into a relationship without carefully thinking it over, regardless of whether it was true love or just a scam. All I have to do is to teach him how to respect others and how he ought to be respected by others. As long as he understands where he went wrong, this problem will resolve by itself. A child who has gone astray only needs to be guided back to the right path. There¡¯s no need to turn him into another dysfunctional ¡®cold domineering CEO¡¯ who has zero interest in women. It doesn¡¯t really take that much effort anyway. I just need to make some minor modifications to my original plan. So easy~ Chapter 66.2: Ignore Him (2) There were two parts to Ji Fanyin¡¯s exchange with Mrs. Bai. Her primary job was to correct Bai Zhou¡¯s twisted values in romantic relationships while serving as a double agent during the soon unfolding war over inheritance. Mrs. Bai was very generous with her offer. Not only did she allow Ji Fanyin to keep the apartment from the mistress, but she also grandly expressed ¡®I¡¯ll match any amount she pays you¡¯. That meant that all earnings Ji Fanyin made from Bai Zhou would be tripled. Back then, Ji Fanyin did consider humbly turning it down, but Mrs. Bai¡¯s pompous ¡®This is small money¡¯ attitude dissuaded her. For a business mogul like Mrs. Bai, such money was indeed not worth mentioning. By the time Zhang Ning was done with her ramblings, Ji Fanyin was already lying on her sofa, flipping through a magazine. She calmly assured Zhang Ning, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I didn¡¯t sell myself out. We had a pleasant conversation; that¡¯s why she decided to invest in us. This is good news.¡± ¡°¡­ Ji Fanyin, do you hear your own words?¡± Zhang Ning scoffed. ¡°Putting aside how it¡¯s impossible for you two to have shared a pleasant conversation, why did you even meet her today?¡± Ji Fanyin gave the question some thought before answering cryptically, ¡°It¡¯s the mysterious machinations of fate.¡± That mistress probably hasn¡¯t realized she has been betrayed yet, Ji Fanyin thought as she casually flipped through the magazine in her hand. ¡°I know that you¡¯re a smart person, but there¡¯s no need to play with fire,¡± said Zhang Ning worriedly. ¡°We still have many days ahead of us to rake in the big bucks. It¡¯s not as if you¡¯re facing a dire lack of money.¡± Ji Fanyin chatted with Zhang Ning for a while longer before hanging up. The first thing she did afterward was to check her progress on the ¡®Temptation of Home¡¯ app. Just as she had expected, there was a considerable advancement in the progress bar. The studio was co-owned by her with Zhang Ning and He Shen, so only 100 million of the recent investment was attributed to her. She was curious to know the principles applied by the app in processing such financial calculations. All in all, factoring in the apartment she had received from the mistress, she had earned 300 million dollars from the transactions with the Bai Family. Thanks to that, her progress shot up to 1.2 billion. It was quite decent considering how none of the films their studio had invested in had reached the silver screen yet. Their studio had put its money into six films this year, of which, they were the main producers of three of them. Looks like there¡¯ll be a huge harvest next year. I can take things slowly for the time being. After looking through the app, Ji Fanyin leaped onto the bed and prepared to head to sleep. It was then that she recalled that she hadn¡¯t returned the call from Song Shiyu yet. But now that she was already lying on her bed in her pajamas, her laziness got the better of her. It must be nothing important since Song Shiyu didn¡¯t call back. Alright, I¡¯ll ignore it for now. Ji Fanyin calmly switched off the bed lights and closed her eyes. The last thought on her mind before she drifted off to sleep was the hotel¡¯s famous continental breakfast. Chapter 66.3: Ignore Him (3) Song Shiyu attended a wedding banquet with his parents, where the groom was the son of one of the friends of his parents. Be it in terms of career or appearance, Song Shiyu was usually dubbed as ¡®other people¡¯s children¡¯, but he found himself outdone by others on a single aspect in this gathering. He was still unmarried and without a girlfriend. Wedding banquets were a networking session too. After a few drinks, the guests started moving around the room to chat with one another. Song Shiyu greeted a few of the elders and toasted them. It didn¡¯t take him long to get tipsy. He wasn¡¯t a strong drinker. His father refrained from alcohol and his mother only drank red wine. With such genes, he could only reach the level of an average person no matter how he trained his tolerance for alcohol. To make things worse, the alcohol served in this wedding banquet was the potent Five Lake White Wine. It took only a few cups for his face to redden and his head to spin. Mrs. Song excitedly nudged him and asked, ¡°Why is your face reddening? Are you interested in that lady from earlier on?¡± Song Shiyu waved his hand, feigning that he was succumbing to the alcohol and couldn¡¯t hear her properly. Mrs. Song made use of this opportunity to call some of Song Shiyu¡¯s peers over. She told them to drag him over to the table where those from the younger generation were gathered. Song Shiyu thought that both sides were equally terrible, but he decided to go with the side where he wouldn¡¯t have to face constant pressure for marriage. He did command some influence amongst his peers, thus he wouldn¡¯t face as much pressure from them. So, his cousins lifted him up and dragged him away from the elders¡¯ side. Barely a few tables later, one of them secretly whispered, ¡°Is Song Shiyu really drunk? I want to play a prank on him¡­¡± Song Shiyu retracted his hand from that person¡¯s shoulder and directed a graceful smile at him. The cousins glanced at one another before bursting into hearty laughter. Under the influence of alcohol, they boldly pushed Song Shiyu toward the table where those of their age group were gathered. This bunch of people were bored out of their minds, but they couldn¡¯t leave the wedding banquet without their parents¡¯ approval. So, they decided to entertain themselves with a game of ¡®Truth and Dare¡¯. The slightly tipsy Song Shiyu was pushed into one of the seats. Someone shouted, ¡°I¡¯ve dragged Song Shiyu over! Let¡¯s start a new round!¡± Song Shiyu: ¡°¡­¡± A guy beside him quickly explained the rules, ¡°There are forty dice in the ashtray. You have to choose a number, shake the ashtray, and pick out all the dice with your number on it before passing it to the next person. If there aren¡¯t any reflecting the number you chose, you¡¯ll have to pick between ¡®Truth¡¯ or ¡®Dare¡¯.¡± After quickly going through the rules, the guy made a sly attempt to pass the ashtray to the person left of Song Shiyu, only for it to be intercepted by Song Shiyu. There were sixteen people sitting on the table, and those who went later had a higher chance of getting punished. It was obvious that the guy was trying to make him go last so as to increase his chances of invoking the penalty. Song Shiyu loosened his tie and spoke with a gentle smile, ¡°Allow me go first. It¡¯s my first time playing. If I get the rules wrong, you¡¯ll be able to correct me right away.¡± He declared his number to be ¡®3¡¯ before shaking the irregularly shaped ashtray. Of the forty dice, there were eight of them that showed ¡®3¡¯. He took out those eight dice before passing the ashtray to the next person. ¡°Is that how you play the game?¡± he asked. The others reluctantly nodded their heads before continuing the game. Sometimes, even the sharpest of minds couldn¡¯t triumph over sheer bad luck. The other fifteen players safely overcame the trial posed by the Die Goddess, including the guy who explained the rules to Song Shiyu. ¡°The Goddess of Luck is shining on me!¡± shouted the guy in relief. He took out one of the two remaining dice that reflected a ¡®6¡¯ before merrily passing the ashtray to Song Shiyu. Song Shiyu looked at the single die left on the ashtray. A one-sixth chance, huh? ¡°1,¡± Song Shiyu declared. He shook the ashtray with a beautiful flick of his wrist before placing it down on the table. One of the curious spectators craned his neck over and loudly announced the result, ¡°It¡¯s a 2!¡± A wave of excitement rippled across the table. ¡°Truth or Dare!¡± ¡°It has to be a dare! We wouldn¡¯t really know if he lies after picking Truth!¡± Someone shoved a pile of penalty cards toward Song Shiyu and said, ¡°Pick one!¡± ¡°Pick one! Pick one!¡± the crowd started chanting. Song Shiyu had no intention of being a sore loser in front of so many people. It was just that his head was growing heavier with each passing moment. He rested his heavy head on his arm and casually picked out a card from the pile. He examined its contents with narrowed eyes. ¡°Oooh, he has to confess to the person he likes through the phone! ¡­ Eesh, that isn¡¯t fun at all. Don¡¯t we all already know who she is?¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t make a difference. He still has to make the call. It¡¯s the rule!¡± ¡°Call her, call her! You aren¡¯t a man if you don¡¯t call her!¡± Song Shiyu was forced by the crowd to whip out his phone. He scrolled down his list of contacts to the ¡®J¡¯ section. Without any hesitation, he tapped on a name and made the call. A person beside him immediately shouted, ¡°You called the wrong person! Ji Xinxin¡¯s name is the next one!¡± Those words jolted Song Shiyu awake from his mildly intoxicated state. He quickly tried to hang up the call, only to realize that the person on the other end had already rejected his call. ¡°It doesn¡¯t count, we need to do it again! Brother Shiyu tapped onto the wrong name, right?¡± Song Shiyu quietly lowered his gaze for a while before finally tapping down on Ji Xinxin¡¯s name. Chapter 67.1: I’m Terminating Our Business Relationship (1) Ji Xinxin felt a sliver of unease the last time she returned to the country, but she was still confident that most things were in her grasp. However, her recent decision to participate in the exchange program to her homeland was made on a spur, such that she had to rush the administrative procedures to make it on time. She ended up tiring herself out. Shortly after she boarded the plane with the other exchange students, she fell asleep in her seat. The young man seated beside her softly asked an air stewardess for a blanket, which he then placed over Ji Xinxin. Transcontinental flights tend to fly at higher altitudes, so it wasn¡¯t uncommon for the cabin to get chilly. One of the nearby students nudged the young man and said, ¡°Liam, we¡¯re heading to Xin¡¯s hometown. You might just get to meet her parents if she invites us over to her house.¡± Liam glared at the student and said, ¡°Shh. She¡¯s exhausted from rushing out the administrative procedures for this exchange. Let her rest.¡± ¡°Alright, alright. The two of you are living under the same roof; I wouldn¡¯t know better than you whether she¡¯s tired or not. Hahahaha!¡± There was no way a bunch of youths seated together would quieten down that easily. The nearby students curiously peered at Liam and Ji Xinxin and nodded in realization. Liam decided to ignore them. He hesitated for a brief moment before gently placing Ji Xinxin¡¯s head against his shoulder. He took out a book he had been carrying with him and began reading it. Ji Xinxin only woke up halfway through the flight. She rubbed her sore neck before turning toward Liam with an apologetic smile. ¡°How long was I asleep for? Sorry. You weren¡¯t able to eat because of me, right? ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± replied Liam calmly. ¡°Are you hungry?¡± ¡°I¡¯m alright. I can¡¯t get used to in-flight meals. The university should have lunch prepared for us when the plane lands. If not, I can bring all of you to Lakeside University¡¯s canteen. I¡¯ve eaten there for four years now, so I have a strong attachment to it.¡± Ji Xinxin looked at Liam with gentle eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll show you my secret go-to restaurants.¡± Liam gently tidied up Ji Xinxin¡¯s messy hair, an action that looked both natural and intimate. ¡°Alright. I¡¯d be happy to try everything you¡¯re fond of.¡± Ji Xinxin looked at her and softly muttered, ¡°Luckily you¡¯re still around.¡± ¡°What?¡± Liam couldn¡¯t hear those words clearly. ¡°I said, now that you¡¯re in a foreign land and can¡¯t speak Mandarin, you should avoid wandering around when I¡¯m not around,¡± Ji Xinxin poked Liam¡¯s shoulder as she instructed. She couldn¡¯t risk Liam meeting Ji Fanyin. Liam was from a fairly affluent family, and Ji Fanyin appeared to be in urgent need of money for some reason. It was completely possible for her to make a move on him. Ji Xinxin had built up many close connections over the years, be it friends, teachers, or elders, and she wasn¡¯t worried about Ji Fanyin approaching them. However, it was a different story for her quarries. She kept those quarries on her hook by maintaining a delicate balance of her attention, so she couldn¡¯t allow Ji Fanyin to approach them and satisfy their needs for money. That was why she decided to focus her effort on those she had a romantic relationship with. She looked at the receding background outside the plane window and took in a deep breath. If I lose this battle, I might lose it all. What was at stake here wasn¡¯t just her quarries. More than keeping her quarries, she wanted to prove herself. She wanted to prove that she could defeat the current Ji Fanyin just like how she trampled all over the old ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯. She might have decided her path out of distorted admiration for the current Ji Fanyin, but she wasn¡¯t about to live in the shadows of her past. I won¡¯t lose to anyone, not even to the Ji Fanyin of my dreams. Chapter 67.2: I’m Terminating Our Business Relationship (2) Upon arriving at the airport, Ji Fanyin took a cab straight to the restaurant where she was meeting Song Shiyu. While traveling by cab, she received a notification informing her about a new post on Lakeside University¡¯s social media account. The post talked about how a group of French transfer students were due to arrive at the airport today afternoon, and several teachers and students had headed over to welcome them. In other words, Ji Xinxin and the others are arriving later in the afternoon? Why isn¡¯t Song Shiyu heading over to fetch her then? Ah, it must be because Lakeside University has already sent people over to fetch them. There¡¯s no way Ji Xinxin could abandon the group and leave on her own. When the cab finally arrived at the restaurant, Ji Fanyin switched off her phone and carried her suitcase out of the cab. Then, she made her way toward the restaurant and reported the table number to the waiter. She had arrived ten minutes earlier because she wanted to have a private chat with Song Shiyu. Just as she had expected, Song Shiyu had already arrived. There was a menu placed in front of him, but instead of browsing through the menu, he was nervously fiddling with the bracelet on his wrist. Upon hearing the soft rumbling sound coming from the rolling wheels of Ji Fanyin¡¯s suitcase, Song Shiyu raised his head and smiled. ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± He belatedly noticed the suitcase in her hand. ¡°Did you stay out last night?¡± asked Song Shiyu. ¡°I just came back,¡± replied Ji Fanyin concisely as she took a seat. Song Shiyu was momentarily surprised by her attitude before his eyes widened in realization. He doubtfully called her name, ¡°Ji Fanyin?¡± It isn¡¯t time yet. I don¡¯t plan on starting work early. Ji Fanyin replied with a placid ¡°Mm¡± as she placed her suitcase against the wall. Song Shiyu¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Do you remember this tie clip?¡± Ji Fanyin nonchalantly glanced at the tie clip. I haven¡¯t seen that I suppose.... ¡°It¡¯s the birthday present you gave me two years ago. Don¡¯t you remember it?¡± Song Shiyu was stunned by Ji Fanyin¡¯s impassive response. He unbuttoned the sleeves of his shirt to reveal a bracelet. ¡°What about this? You should remember this, right? You gave it to me as a birthday present this year.¡± Ji Fanyin interlocked her fingers and looked at the nervous Song Shiyu. She calmly yet cruelly burst his hopes, ¡°Correction. That¡¯s a birthday present you¡¯ve received from ¡®Ji Xinxin¡¯, if it¡¯s even the same one at all.¡± You have already shattered the one I¡¯ve bought. Did you think that the significance would remain unchanged just because you secretly bought an identical one to replace it? Song Shiyu clenched his fists. Ji Fanyin glanced at her watch and said, ¡°It isn¡¯t time yet. There are some things I¡¯d like to inform you about beforehand.¡± Song Shiyu subconsciously straightened his posture. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Your blind date went well, right? When are you intending to get married?¡± Ji Fanyin got straight to the point. Song Shiyu was taken aback. He didn¡¯t understand what she was talking about. ¡°Married? To whom?¡± ¡°Miss Chen Yunshan,¡± answered Ji Fanyin. ¡°Or are there other ladies who you¡¯re dating at the moment?¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t a blind date!¡± Song Shiyu swiftly realized what Ji Fanyin was referring to. His upper body inclined forward out of agitation, and he hurriedly explained himself. ¡°It was also my first time meeting her in that restaurant! My mother arranged it behind my back. We have only eaten together once!¡± Ji Fanyin nonchalantly nodded before continuing with her questions, ¡°So, how did it go?¡± ¡°We only bumped into each other during that basketball match. She was there to watch her little brother play, and I was invited by the university. I didn¡¯t send her home that day!¡± Song Shiyu began speaking faster and faster. ¡°I¡¯ve never met Chen Yunshan ever since. We¡¯re nothing more than acquaintances. There¡¯s also no way I could have any dates. Why would I ask you out if I¡¯m already seeing someone else?¡± ¡°How would I know? You¡¯re someone who continues to proclaim your love for Ji Xinxin while trying to ask me out. It doesn¡¯t sound too outlandish to me that you¡¯re seeing someone else on top of that,¡± replied Ji Fanyin as she poured herself a cup of water. Ji Xinxin is going to return to the country today, but Song Shiyu is wasting his time by trying to explaining to me he isn''t dating anyone. His actions and words have always been so detached. Chapter 67.3: I’m Terminating Our Business Relationship (3) ¡°I did harbor feelings for Ji Xinxin in the past, but toward you, I also¡­¡± Song Shiyu blurted out, only for his words to screech to a halt halfway through. His mouth fell agape in shock as he belatedly realized what he was going to say. ¡°Pity me?¡± Ji Fanyin completed his sentence in his stead. ¡°¡­¡± Song Shiyu didn¡¯t answer. Ji Fanyin calmly took a sip of water before placing the cup back onto the table. ¡°I heard that Miss Chen is preparing for marriage. To avoid unnecessary complications, I¡¯ve decided to terminate our business relationship.¡± Song Shiyu¡¯s eyes slowly dilated upon hearing those words. He answered without the slightest bit of hesitation, ¡°I refuse.¡± ¡°Hasn¡¯t Ji Xinxin returned to the country?¡± remarked Ji Fanyin nonchalantly. ¡°You should go look for her. She¡¯s your white moonlight.¡± ¡°Ji Fanyin!¡± bellowed Song Shiyu furiously. A waiter was just about to get their order when the sudden bellow intimidated him, causing him to timidly walk away. Ji Fanyin placed her finger on her lips and shushed him, ¡°We¡¯re in a public place. Don¡¯t be a public nuisance.¡± Song Shiyu¡¯s chest rapidly expanded and contracted under the influence of his rampaging emotions. It took him a while to suppress his rage. He furiously questioned, ¡°What are you trying to ask me? What exactly do you want me to say? Are you waiting for me to confess that the person I like is no longer your younger sister but you?¡± A question mark popped up in Ji Fanyin¡¯s head. She was about to answer with an ¡®Of course not¡¯, but Song Shiyu didn¡¯t give her the opportunity to answer. ¡°Fine! My feelings have changed! I have fallen in love with you! My feelings for you are even stronger than how I previously felt for Xinxin! You¡¯re far more important to me than she is! Are you satisfied now?!¡± Despite Song Shiyu¡¯s emotional outburst, Ji Fanyin was hardly moved at all. She calmly assessed Song Shiyu¡¯s expression while musing over his confession. Then, she laughed. ¡°Song Shiyu, aren¡¯t you getting something wrong here?¡± Song Shiyu glared at her as if he was going to eat someone whole. ¡°I¡¯ve never wanted your feelings.¡± Ji Fanyin waved her hand dismissively at Song Shiyu. ¡°I¡¯ve told you from the very start¡ªI lack money. I thought that I¡¯ve made things very clear. Are you still deluding yourself into believing that the ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ who has feelings for you is still around?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t say anything to you!¡± exclaimed Song Shiyu with suppressed agitation. ¡°I couldn¡¯t accept that you no longer had feelings for me. What does that make me then? I neglected you, used you, hurt you. I denied you in the past, only to helplessly fall for you now. What does this count as?!¡± Ji Fanyin raised her eyebrows. She wasn¡¯t too surprised to learn of Song Shiyu¡¯s thoughts. Proud people had the tendency to ignore facts that made them question their own self-esteem. It was a natural defensive mechanism to protect their own sense of self. It was due to this that he interpreted Ji Fanyin¡¯s actions as an alternative method to attract his attention. That was why he thought that Ji Fanyin¡¯s act of accepting money to become a stand-in was some way for her to preserve her own self-esteem while staying by his side. That was why he assumed that Ji Fanyin had taken care of him while he was ill because she still had feelings for him. That was why he believed that Ji Fanyin was just being jealous when she asked him about his blind date. That was why he surmised that Ji Fanyin had refused to go out with him because she doubted his sincerity. But even an elephant could be brought down by an army of ants. It was only a matter of time before his castle of lies crumbled. ¡°If I admit to that, wouldn¡¯t that mean that I¡¯m a fucking idiot who fell in love with someone who¡¯s no longer in love with me?!¡± Song Shiyu hissed through gritted teeth. It was the first time in a long while that he had used vulgarity in front of someone else. Ji Fanyin directed a perplexed look at him and asked, ¡°Do you not think you are?¡± --- White moonlight refers to a person that you¡¯re fond of but is well beyond your reach, similar to a ¡®goddess of your dream¡¯. Chapter 68.1: Goodbye (1) ¡°Besides, you said that you have fallen for me. That makes things even more dangerous,¡± said Ji Fanyin. ¡°You liked Ji Xinxin but couldn¡¯t attain her; that¡¯s why you had me play her stand-in. Now that you no longer harbor feelings for her, there¡¯s no need to continue our business transactions anymore.¡± Even though she could earn more money and further stab Song Shiyu¡¯s heart by continuing this business relationship, that would be playing with fire. There was a risk that he might just cast aside all reason and pull off something extreme, just like how he had kidnapped ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ in the alternate future. Other than that, she had two other considerations. Firstly, even though she hadn¡¯t been trying to tame Song Shiyu, the latter had confessed that his feelings had moved on to her. Given so, she could put him back into Ji Xinxin¡¯s fishery as a powerful ticking time bomb. Unlike Bai Zhou, Song Shiyu hadn¡¯t fallen out with Ji Xinxin yet. The two of them could still continue playing together for a long time to come. Secondly, even if everything Song Shiyu said was true, it would mean that his family had indeed started to matchmake him. This might just be the first time, but there would surely be a second time, a third time and many more. Men and women have vastly different attitudes toward marriage. There was no saying when he might suddenly get engaged or married one day. Ji Fanyin didn¡¯t think that there was any need to soil herself. I might as well just squeeze one last harvest out of him and wave him bye-bye. Song Shiyu suddenly calmed down at this juncture. He interlocked his fingers and slowly spoke, ¡°Aren¡¯t you doing this for money? Since that¡¯s the case, the only thing that should matter to you is that I continue paying you. It¡¯s none of your business why I¡¯m looking for you.¡± Ji Fanyin didn¡¯t answer his question. In truth, she had already updated the app. All she had to do now was to log in to the administrative portal and remove Song Shiyu¡¯s account. Everything would be over then. The invitation she had previously sent to Song Shiyu had already expired. Unless she sent him a new invitation, he would never be able to access the reservation app again. But to avoid excessively agitating him, Ji Fanyin glanced at her watch and asked, ¡°It¡¯s about time. Do you still want to continue with today¡¯s reservation?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± replied Song Shiyu with a smile. He hadn¡¯t managed to fully adjust his mood yet, so his usual graceful smile looked awfully superficial. ¡°Otherwise, I¡¯d be giving Bai Zhou a free treat if he happens to pass by again.¡± Ji Fanyin felt that Song Shiyu was thinking too much into it. Bai Zhou was indeed her number one client now after her agreement with Mrs. Bai, which effectively tripled any earnings she made from him. There was no better money tree than that. However! Ji Fanyin would never work for free, not even if it was a request from her number one client! She just wanted to get a day of paid leave from Song Shiyu, but since the client insisted on proceeding ahead, she had no choice but to get into work mode. Yes, Ji Xinxin mode. While the client¡¯s needs had changed, this project was designed to cater to his previous needs. It was his own personal reasons that affected the deal, so naturally, he ought to be the one bearing the consequences. There was a hint of curiosity and terror in the waiter¡¯s eyes when he finally built up courage to approach the two customers. The tension between the couple seemed to have dissipated, but somehow, the air of amiability between them felt even more unnerving. It was to the point that he quickly ran away as soon as he confirmed the order. He seriously wondered if those two were suffering from dissociative identity disorder. Ji Fanyin and Song Shiyu had an unhappening meal till 1 PM. While they were making their way out of the restaurant, Ji Fanyin noticed a rowdy group in the shopping mall on the floor beneath. It was a group filled with Westerners, though there was a Chinese woman standing amongst them¡ªJi Xinxin. Song Shiyu was still in the midst of footing the bill, so Ji Fanyin continued to watch them from the entrance of the restaurant. She wasn¡¯t worried about getting caught by Ji Xinxin. If anything, she was hoping that Ji Xinxin would notice her. She wondered how Ji Xinxin would react upon realizing that Song Shiyu was going to escape from her fishery. Ji Xinxin still doesn¡¯t know that her frontlines are crumbling. Should I at least tip her off through Song Shiyu first? Chapter 68.2: Goodbye (2) ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Song Shiyu walked over and asked. ¡°Over there.¡± Ji Fanyin pointed to the group. ¡°There are many foreigners there. Are they tourists? They look fairly young.¡± Song Shiyu looked over too, but his expression stiffened the next instant. It was impossible for him to overlook Ji Xinxin, given how much she stood out from the group. Ji Fanyin suppressed the evil smile on her lips and innocently asked, ¡°Shiyu, I have a sudden craving for milk tea. Should we get something from the store on the opposite side?¡± Song Shiyu looked at her and asked, ¡°Are you certain?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Ji Fanyin had even decided on what she wanted. ¡°I want the one with grape pulp.¡± Song Shiyu was silent for several seconds before leading her toward the milk tea store. The shopping mall was shaped in an irregular ellipse. There was a huge empty space in the middle, allowing those on one side to see those on the opposite side. But again, given the constant huge flow of crowd in the shopping mall, most people wouldn¡¯t bother keeping an eye out on who was in the same space as them. Ji Fanyin only happened to spot Ji Xinxin because her presence was too conspicuous in the midst of an army of foreign students. Most people would take another look at her out of curiosity. Unfortunately, Ji Xinxin was too busy translating for the ten or so transfer students around her to pay attention to her surroundings. Even as Ji Fanyin received her iced fruit tea, her group was still chatting at the same spot. It looks like she didn¡¯t notice us. The disappointed Ji Fanyin gulped up a mouthful of grape pulp before walking away with Song Shiyu. ¡­ While Ji Xinxin was taking a cursory glance at her surroundings, she noticed two familiar figures in the mall in her peripheral vision. It drew her attention right away. Yet, when she turned her gaze over, she didn¡¯t spot anything worthy of note. It was as if her eyes were playing tricks on her. She fell into a daze. ¡°Did you see something?¡± asked the tall Liam, who had been standing by her side all this while like a knight. Ji Xinxin shook her head uncertainly and replied, ¡°I might be seeing things. I thought I saw a familiar face.¡± ¡°Was it over there?¡± Unexpectedly, Liam pointed in the direction of where she was looking at earlier. ¡°I noticed a woman who resembled you. She was with a man wearing a suit.¡± ¡°Resembled me? Did you see her face?¡± Ji Xinxin¡¯s heart skipped a beat. She hurriedly probed deeper. ¡°I¡¯m afraid not.¡± Liam shook his head. ¡°I only paid attention because her back silhouette resembled yours.¡± Ji Xinxin bit her lips as she gave this matter some thought. She gestured for the group to wait for a moment before whipping out her phone to dial a number. Based on her current intelligence, she knew for sure that Bai Zhou and Song Shiyu were in contact with Ji Fanyin. She could deduce that much from the video that had gone viral. Bai Zhou wouldn¡¯t visit a shopping mall dressed in a suit, which meant that the man was likely to be Song Shiyu, assuming that the woman was Ji Fanyin. I should be able to verify it as long as I drop Song Shiyu a call. However, the call hung up after several beeps. Song Shiyu didn¡¯t accept her call. Ji Xinxin stared at her phone with a frown for several seconds before giving Ji Fanyin¡¯s number a try. It reflected that the other party was busy and couldn¡¯t come to the call. This left Ji Xinxin worried. She was aware that Bai Zhou was likely going to betray her, but she wasn¡¯t able to sound Song Shiyu out because she was busy with work during this period of time. If even Song Shiyu has decided to defect to Ji Fanyin¡¯s side, how many useful pieces do I have left on my side? Ji Xinxin quickly calculated the cards she still had in her mind. My father and mother have tried confronting Ji Fanyin, but they were sent packing. Bai Zhou hasn¡¯t taken the initiative to contact me after the gaming incident. The culprit behind it, Liam, is still standing ignorantly next to me. Cen Xiangyang should still be on my side, but he¡¯s not trustworthy. Li Xiaoxing¡­ That¡¯s right, the most important one right now is Li Xiaoxing! Ji Xinxin exhaled deeply in relief as she placed Li Xiaoxing on the topmost priority on her list. With Li Xiaoxing¡¯s societal standing, she would be able to stand her ground against Ji Fanyin as long as he was willing to lend her a helping hand. If really pushed to a corner, she was willing to consider dating or even marrying him in order to secure his support. If not for his physical disability, Li Xiaoxing would have been her ideal marriage candidate. Chapter 68.3: Goodbye (3) ¡­ It was 9 PM when Ji Fanyin finally got off work. Song Shiyu appeared to have gained immunity against the countdown timer as he nonchalantly watched her switch off the alarm. He asked, ¡°Who are you meeting tomorrow?¡± ¡°That¡¯s an infringement of my client¡¯s privacy,¡± answered Ji Fanyin without raising her head. She opened the cab¡¯s door and said, ¡°Goodbye.¡± It¡¯ll be a true farewell this time around. As soon as Ji Fanyin got home, she blacklisted Song Shiyu on her reservation app and double confirmed that he no longer had the authority to access the platform. Shortly after, she received a call from Bai Zhou. He asked, ¡°Are you home yet?¡± ¡°It¡¯s outside of working hours now. Are you intending to pay me OT?¡± asked Ji Fanyin lazily. Bai Zhou immediately responded with a question, ¡°I can do that? What are your charges?¡± ¡°¡­ No, you can¡¯t,¡± replied Ji Fanyin. She headed to her fridge to grab a can of cola. ¡°You haven¡¯t sent me the meeting location for tomorrow.¡± Bai Zhou let out a disappointed ¡°Oh¡± before saying, ¡°I¡¯ll fetch you. Where do you live?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bother. I¡¯ll head there myself,¡± Ji Fanyin coldly rejected him. ¡°I don¡¯t care. I¡¯ll be coming over,¡± insisted Bai Zhou. ¡°I got a private investigator to uncover the neighborhood you live in a few months ago. It¡¯s just that I didn¡¯t get him to continue looking into your exact address. I¡¯ll meet you on the southern street of your neighborhood. That much should be fine, right? I did pay you after all!¡± He hung up the call right after, not giving Ji Fanyin a chance to say anything. Ji Fanyin put down her phone and began contemplating moving places once more. The thought of moving into the apartment she received from Mr. Bai¡¯s mistress wasn¡¯t appealing to her, so she hired a realtor to have it sold. She was planning to buy another apartment for her to stay in. It feels like everyone already knows the address of the apartment I¡¯ve rented. I guess I¡¯ll find some time day after tomorrow to buy a new apartment. Ji Fanyin made up her mind. ¡­ Bai Zhou heaved a sigh of relief after putting his phone down. He was proud of how fast he hung up the phone. Doesn¡¯t Ji Fanyin hold her professionalism in high regard? As long as I refuse to answer her calls, she¡¯ll have no choice but to meet me at the location I¡¯ve decided on. ¡­ Song Shiyu¡¯s car had been idling by the roadside for quite some time now. He was in the midst of fighting against the little reservation app, which kept displaying an error message, ¡®Invalid credentials¡¯, despite him trying to log in more than ten times now. In the end, he had no choice but to accept that Ji Fanyin meant what she said. She had really removed him from her list of clients. Song Shiyu punched his steering wheel angrily. He looked at the nearby neighborhood with eyes as deep as the ocean and spent a moment in deep thought. Eventually, he picked up his phone and called Ji Xinxin. He told her that he had just noticed the missed call from her and asked if there was anything up. ¡°It¡¯s almost 9. Are you that busy with work?¡± asked Ji Xinxin lamentably. ¡°I wanted to talk to you about my big sis¡­ if you¡¯re willing to listen.¡± Song Shiyu gripped the steering wheel tightly while his eyes continued lingering at the entrance of the nearby neighborhood. His face was completely impassive, but his voice remained as elegant and gentle as always, ¡°You want to talk about your big sis?¡± ¡°It has something to do with you too. Can you guess what it is?¡± said Ji Xinxin half-jokingly. ¡°That¡¯s too tough for me,¡± replied Song Shiyu. ¡°Shall we meet up and talk tomorrow morning? I¡¯ll have to leave at ten.¡± ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll wake up a bit earlier,¡± said Ji Xinxin. ¡°Do you have something up at ten?¡± Song Shiyu chuckled softly before replying, ¡°There¡¯s a place I need to be before eleven.¡± ¡­ Ji Xinxin bade Song Shiyu farewell before hanging up the call. She sat on her bed pensively for several minutes before heading downstairs to look for Mother Ji, who was in the midst of sewing a cotton shirt. ¡°Mum, do you still remember big sis¡¯ address? Can you tell me where she lives?¡± ¡°You¡¯re planning on looking for your big sis?¡± Mother Ji revealed a look of worry. ¡°She has quite the temper nowadays. Your father and I have visited her, but all she does is snub us. I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be able to deal with her yourself. Why don¡¯t you bring someone else with you? What about Shiyu?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, mum. We¡¯re sisters. Big sis won¡¯t bully me,¡± replied Ji Xinxin sweetly. ¡°I just want to visit big sis and have a talk with her. Who knows? I might just be able to move her.¡± Seeing how insistent Ji Xinxin was, Mother Ji had no choice but to send the address to her. She nagged for a while longer before asking, ¡°What time are you heading there tomorrow?¡± ¡°I have something up in the morning. I should have some free time after ten,¡± said Ji Xinxin with a smile. ¡°I think I¡¯ll try asking big sis out for lunch.¡± Chapter 69.1: Xinxin, What Brings You Here? (1) Ji Fanyin¡¯s left eyelid was twitching when she woke up. However, operating under the principle that ¡®whichever eyelid twitches is the one that represents good luck¡¯, she paid it no heed and began her morning exercises. As Bai Zhou insisted on fetching her from her residential area, she was spared the trouble of leaving home early. She ate her breakfast while leisurely typing out a movie review. Then, she looked through her inbox and dealt with some work emails from her filmmaking studio. Last but not least, she sent a huge red packet to the studio¡¯s staff group chat, which won her a flood of ¡®Thanks boss!¡¯. It was only after these that she started changing her clothes and doing her make-up. Her left eyelid was still twitching nonstop, as if it was warning her about something. Not one to believe in superstition, she left home without any hesitation. Thanks to two suc¡­ No, I should call them ¡®extended clients¡¯ instead; I am earning 30 million dollars from Bai Zhou for a day¡¯s work. How could I cancel the reservation over a mere twitching eyelid? Not to mention, Mrs. Bai even invested a huge amount of money in our filmmaking studio. She would have been a VIP18 gamer if this was a game, entitled to special privileges. Ji Fanyin made her way to the northern entrance of her residential area, expecting to see Bai Zhou and his funky motorcycle. ¡­ Her prediction wasn¡¯t wrong. She just didn¡¯t expect to see an additional dark-blue Audi parked beside the motorcycle, as well as a Song Shiyu standing next to Bai Zhou. It could be seen through their expressions that they weren¡¯t having an amicable chat. Barely after exchanging a few words, Bai Zhou had already grabbed Song Shiyu¡¯s collar, ready to start a fight. Ji Fanyin¡¯s footsteps screeched to a halt. She found the situation troublesome to deal with. How should I put this? I was already mentally prepared that such a situation could occur when I removed Song Shiyu from my client list. I knew that Song Shiyu wouldn¡¯t give up that easily, so I needed someone to keep him in check. But that person shouldn¡¯t be of the opposite stance to him, so definitely not Bai Zhou. I need someone who shares a common interest with him to some extent, someone like¡­ Having yet to figure out a solution to deal with this mess, Ji Fanyin directed a cursory look at the surroundings. It was a Sunday morning, so there were huge crowds moving to and fro the residential area. Many of the passers-by were sneaking looks at Song Shiyu and Bai Zhou. The ruckus they were causing was one thing, but that was two dashing hunks standing next to each other. It was impossible for them not to draw attention. However, Ji Fanyin sharply spotted a familiar silhouette in the crowd not too far away¡ªJi Xinxin. She was standing alone under the shade of a tree, just around twenty meters away from Song Shiyu and Bai Zhou. However, those two men didn¡¯t seem to have noticed her presence. Ji Fanyin, with her 1.5 vision, could see that Ji Xinxin was staring hard at the duo, her usual feigned smile nowhere to be seen. Oh. That simplifies matters. Ji Fanyin chuckled to herself. She whipped out her phone and made a call to Ji Xinxin as she started making her way to the residential area¡¯s entrance. Ji Xinxin¡¯s phone rang right away. Ji Fanyin saw Ji Xinxin jolting in horror in her peripheral vision. She found it a pity that the latter¡¯s ringtone wasn¡¯t particularly loud. If it was a bit louder, Bai Zhou and Song Shiyu might have just noticed her. Oh well, it doesn¡¯t matter. Chapter 69.2: Xinxin, What Brings You Here? (2) Ji Fanyin patiently waited for Ji Xinxin to pick up the call, and when she answered with a soulless ¡°Hello¡± Ji Fanyin dropped her question, ¡°Are you here to look for me?¡± Ji Xinxin didn¡¯t answer the question. By then, Ji Fanyin had already reached the residential area¡¯s entrance. She glanced at Ji Xinxin once more and saw her anxiously turning her back on Song Shiyu and Bai Zhou. She probably doesn¡¯t want the two of them to know she¡¯s here. ¡°What a coincidence. I happened to spot you yesterday.¡± Ji Fanyin began making her way toward Bai Zhou. ¡°In the shopping mall.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ji Fanyin casually walked up to Song Shiyu and Bai Zhou and smiled at the two men. She then turned toward where Ji Xinxin was and loudly called out, ¡°Ji Xinxin, why not join us since you¡¯re already here? Let¡¯s not make this a wasted trip.¡± Astonished by the sudden call, Ji Xinxin reflexively turned her head around and found herself coming eye-to-eye with Ji Fanyin¡¯s gaze. Those words also caught Song Shiyu and Bai Zhou by surprise. They immediately turned their eyes over to look at Ji Xinxin, with Bai Zhou¡¯s hand still tightly holding onto Song Shiyu¡¯s collar. Now that they were finally aware of each other¡¯s presence, the air suddenly grew so stifling that it became hard to breathe for them. The only one who remained unfazed was Ji Fanyin. ¡°Aren¡¯t you coming over?¡± she asked Ji Xinxin. Ji Xinxin stiffly hung up her phone. She began walking toward the trio with a strained smile, her eyes avoiding Ji Fanyin and alternating between Song Shiyu and Bai Zhou. Song Shiyu subconsciously asked, ¡°Xinxin, what are you doing here?¡± Ji Xinxin looked at Song Shiyu with disappointment looming in her eyes, ¡°You left in a hurry earlier. You said that you wouldn¡¯t be able to make it in time if you didn¡¯t leave right away. I sensed that something was wrong, so I followed you. I didn¡¯t know that you¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Song Shiyu fell silent. Oh? These two met earlier in the morning? Ji Fanyin suddenly regretted not recording her conversation with Song Shiyu yesterday. Otherwise, she could have played the part where he said ¡®My feelings have changed! I have fallen in love with you! My feelings for you are even stronger than how I previously felt for Xinxin!¡¯. That would have surely made for an interesting scene. ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy for you to build up your career and your wealth. Are you going to give it all away now?¡± asked Ji Xinxin in dismay. ¡°Doesn¡¯t your heart hurt when you see your hard work going down the drain?¡± She spoke in a hushed tone, seemingly worried that the passers-by would overhear them. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry,¡± said Ji Fanyin. She pulled out a spare helmet from Bai Zhou¡¯s motorcycle and added with a smile. ¡°He won¡¯t have a chance to squander his money anymore.¡± Song Shiyu had chosen to ignore Ji Xinxin¡¯s question, but Ji Fanyin¡¯s remark triggered him to raise his head and growl, ¡°You¡¯re fine with Bai Zhou, but not me?¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t go on a blind date, unlike you,¡± replied Ji Fanyin. While attempting to fit the helmet on her head, she continued, ¡°Not only so, your feelings have changed and you have fallen in love with me. Isn¡¯t that what you said?¡± Seeing how Ji Fanyin was struggling to find the helmet¡¯s buckle, Bai Zhou clicked his tongue in annoyance and stepped forward to help her. His movements appeared rough, but it didn¡¯t cause her any pain. He was oddly attentive to Ji Fanyin today, to the point where he hadn¡¯t said a single word to Ji Xinxin since her appearance. However, Ji Xinxin didn¡¯t have the spare energy to bother with Bai Zhou¡¯s unusual behavior. Her eyes widened in shock upon hearing Ji Fanyin¡¯s words, and she anxiously asked, ¡°Shiyu, is that true?¡± Song Shiyu clenched his fists and solemnly replied, ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± Chapter 69.3: Xinxin, What Brings You Here? (3) Bai Zhou let out a snort in response as he quietly fastened the helmet for Ji Fanyin. Ji Fanyin glanced at her watch and noted that it was approaching 11 AM, but she decided to dish out one final blow before taking her leave. ¡°Nice bracelet you have there. A gift from Ji Xinxin?¡± That prompted Ji Xinxin to glance at Song Shiyu¡¯s wrist, where she finally noticed a metal bracelet. I didn¡¯t give that bracelet to him¡­ He told me that he doesn¡¯t like to wear accessories on his wrist! Her complexion turned awful. She made several attempts to plaster a smile back onto her face but to little success. She turned to Bai Zhou and grilled him as well, ¡°What about you, Zhouzhou? Did your feelings move on too?¡± Bai Zhou grabbed the helmet hanging on his motorcycle¡¯s handle, and he casually threw it and caught it. ¡°You haven¡¯t answered me yet. That woman who was gaming with us, Kitty; is she really a woman?¡± Ji Xinxin bit her lower lips and answered agitatedly, ¡°Of course! If you don¡¯t believe me, I can bring you to meet her. She¡¯s my roommate, a Chinese national!¡± ¡°It¡¯s 11.¡± Professional stand-in Ji Fanyin raised her hand and interjected in their conversation. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind if you choose to cancel your reservation now. I¡¯m all for it.¡± Bai Zhou shot her a sharp glare before swiftly putting on his helmet. He gestured toward the motorcycle with a tilt of his head. ¡°Get on.¡± By pressing down on Bai Zhou¡¯s shoulder, Ji Fanyin managed to get onto the motorcycle¡¯s backseat. Before leaving the scene, she turned around and smiled at Ji Xinxin through the protector. I¡¯ll leave the two of them to bite at each other. As for Bai Zhou¡­ I guess I have no choice but to lend him a helping hand after striking such a profitable deal with Mrs. Bai. Bai Zhou appeared to be in a good mood. As they cruised down the streets, he asked with a jovial tone, ¡°You sacked Song Shiyu?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Ji Fanyin calmly replied. ¡°Does that mean that we¡¯ll have more time to¡­¡± ¡°Are you done with your exams yet? What about your thesis? Have you thought about your research question?¡± Ji Fanyin dished out three consecutive critical blows. Bai Zhou: ¡°¡­¡± ¡­ Neither Song Shiyu nor Ji Xinxin stepped out to stop the motorcycle when it arrogantly vroomed away in front of them. Several seconds ticked by before they finally turned to look at each other. Ji Xinxin swiftly adjusted her expression to reveal a forlorn smile. ¡°So it was all a lie. Everything we talked about just this morning.¡± ¡°Get in my car.¡± Song Shiyu appeared disinterested to refute her words. ¡°There are too many people around. Let¡¯s find somewhere else to talk.¡± Ji Xinxin bit on her lips so hard that pale teeth imprints showed on her lower lips. ¡°You could have just told me if you like my big sis. I have always been supportive of your relationships. But you chose to hesitate between my big sis and me, refusing to make a choice. This is disrespectful to both me and my big sis. I cannot accept this.¡± Song Shiyu unlocked his car. He looked at Ji Xinxin with chilly eyes and repeated himself once more, ¡°Get in my car.¡± Ji Xinxin was startled by his change in attitude. She quietly got into the passenger seat and closed the door. She waited till Song Shiyu got into the car before continuing on, ¡°You told me earlier this morning that you only wanted to be friends with my big sis. You said that you wanted to resolve the misunderstandings between the two of you. Were these all lies?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± replied Song Shiyu impassively. ¡°I used to like you, but I like her now. A person¡¯s feelings can¡¯t possibly remain constant for his entire life.¡± Chapter 69.4: Xinxin, What Brings You Here? (4) A bitter smile emerged on Ji Xinxin¡¯s lips. ¡°What real feelings can you buy with money? I¡¯d be more than happy to bless the two of you if you were in a proper relationship, but everything you have is built on money. This is¡­ This is nothing more than a mirage! It won¡¯t last, Shiyu! I¡¯m not opposing your relationship. I¡¯m just worried that there won¡¯t be a happy ending for you two!¡± While having a verbal tug-of-war with Song Shiyu, Ji Xinxin¡¯s mind was churning like a torrential storm. The situation with Bai Zhou is turbulent, but Song Shiyu seems to have defected even more thoroughly than him. Ji Xinxin felt suffocated. She had been on the higher ground for the past ten years, but the situation suddenly looked overwhelmingly disadvantageous to her. Is there no way for me to turn things around and catch Ji Fanyin off guard? ¡°Love that can be bought with money or love that can¡¯t be bought with money; which is more tragic?¡± asked Song Shiyu. That¡¯s right! If there¡¯s someone whom Ji Fanyin cares about¡­ If I could just grasp hold of her weakness, I¡¯d be able to turn things around! ¡°¡­ I remember that my big sis used to be head over heels for you,¡± said Ji Xinxin with a coaxing voice. ¡°My big sis might just have just said those words in a fit of anger. Perhaps, if you keep trying to make amends to her, she might just be touched by your sincerity and forgive you.¡± Why don¡¯t I get Song Shiyu to harass Ji Fanyin so that she can¡¯t get to my other targets? The car slowed to a halt at a crossroad. Song Shiyu contemplated for a moment before answering, ¡°Once a person puts certain feelings behind them, they will never turn back for it.¡± Ji Xinxin was stunned. Those words appeared to be describing the situation between him and Ji Fanyin, but on closer inspection, it could have also been talking about Song Shiyu and her. Ji Xinxin felt inexplicable rage breeding within her. If only Song Shiyu was able to tightly hold onto ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯, that Ji Fanyin from the dreams wouldn¡¯t have appeared in this world! Then my big sis, my cowardly and pitiful big sis, she could have still been meekly living out her life in this world! A strong feeling of repulsion gripped Ji Xinxin. With her usual innocent and sweet voice, she said, ¡°Who can we blame for that, Shiyu? You scorned my big sis when she was chasing you around, and now she has lost interest in you. You only have your own incompetence to blame for this.¡± The traffic lights had yet to turn green, so Song Shiyu turned his head over to look at Ji Xinxin. Ji Xinxin had been suppressing herself for far too long ever since she learned about Ji Fanyin¡¯s true identity. Once a crack surfaced, it was no longer possible to stop the malevolence that had been churning inside her all this while from pouring forth. ¡°Surely we can¡¯t blame big sis for this? She only made a mistake that all men commit.¡± Ji Xinxin¡¯s smile slowly widened. ¡°Who wouldn¡¯t want to be with a better partner? I reckon that all she thinks about when she looks at you now, is how in the world did she ever fall for a scum in the first place.¡± The traffic lights finally turned green. ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Song Shiyu stepped on the accelerator, ¡°I feel the same way about you too.¡± Ji Xinxin¡¯s warped smile froze in place. She took in a deep breath and squeezed out every single word emphatically, ¡°What did you say?¡± Chapter 70.1: What a Small World (1) ¡°I only fell for you because I wasn¡¯t clear-headed.¡± Song Shiyu¡¯s eyes remained firmly on the road ahead. ¡°All you wanted to do is control me. Are we even friends?¡± ¡°¡­ Stop the car,¡± Ji Xinxin said with a quivering voice. Song Shiyu eyed the roadside and replied, ¡°There¡¯s no place to stop here.¡± ¡°Song Shiyu, stop the car right now!¡± Ji Xinxin slammed the glove compartment in front of her, causing the documents inside to scatter all over the ground. Something sharp nicked Ji Xinxin¡¯s legs, causing her eyes to become teary. ¡°Song Shiyu, have I ever mistreated you? What have I done to deserve such humiliation? Are you regretting having fallen in love with me now? Have you forgotten that I was always the one turning you down? I never asked you to like me!¡± ¡°But the kindness and intimacy you showed misled me into believing that you were simply in a tight spot.¡± Song Shiyu tightly gripped the steering wheel. ¡°You have been leading me on all this while. I was only able to see the truth when you left for Paris¡­¡± ¡°What truth? That you¡¯re now in love with Ji Fanyin?¡± Ji Xinxin pointed to the road behind her and exclaimed, ¡°Wake up, Song Shiyu! The Ji Fanyin you like is someone who has everyone dancing in the palm of her hands! She¡¯s no longer the meek girl who doesn¡¯t dare stand before you, only able to peek at you from afar! Can¡¯t you tell that they aren¡¯t the same person?!¡± Song Shiyu felt hysterical at Ji Xinxin¡¯s sudden outburst. ¡°It¡¯s normal. People change. Also, I ought to tell you that I¡¯ve been meeting up with her, even in the past.¡± Ji Xinxin felt a lurch in her heart. ¡°You two¡­ did what?¡± ¡°We have been meeting privately all along,¡± Song Shiyu repeated himself once more as he steered the car toward the right. ¡°¡­ Why? Were your feelings for me a lie all along?¡± ¡°No, my feelings for you were real. I treated her as your shadow back then.¡± Song Shiyu stopped his car at a temporary parking lot before turning to look at Ji Xinxin¡¯s face. ¡°¡­ But now, I don¡¯t know why, but I think you¡¯re more like her shadow instead.¡± Those innocuous words filled Ji Xinxin with terror, and she started trembling. I¡¯m¡­ her shadow? Song Shiyu spent a moment in thought before supplementing, ¡°But you don¡¯t really resemble the current Ji Fanyin either.¡± More like a warped and crude imitation. Ji Xinxin mustered all of her strength to fling her hand at the unguarded Song Shiyu, giving him a tight slap. The manicured nails that she had done at the mall yesterday left two long cuts on his left cheek. While Song Shiyu was hissing in pain, Ji Xinxin quickly undid her seatbelt and scrambled out of the car. She didn¡¯t forget to slam the car door in her wake. Barely after taking a few steps, she turned around to take a look, only to see Song Shiyu¡¯s car moving out of the parking lot. She shot a sharp glare at his car before whipping out her phone to hail a cab. However, she changed her mind at the last moment and instead dialed Li Xiaoxing¡¯s number. Secretary Fan received the call. Ji Xinxin was able to recognize the other party¡¯s voice. It was the personal secretary who attended to Li Xiaoxing¡¯s every need. She recalled that he had a below-average face and was balding despite his young age. ¡°What¡¯s Xiaoxing doing? Can I visit him now?¡± She made her voice sound slightly tearful. There was actually no need for her to put on an act. Her voice was already nasal after her aggravating encounter with Song Shiyu. ¡°My apologies, Miss Ji. You¡¯re in the country, right?¡± Secretary Fan was polite in his response. ¡°Mr. Li is currently in the UK for work.¡± Ji Xinxin was disappointed to hear that, but at the same time, she felt a tinge of unease as well. Having lost Bai Zhou and Song Shiyu, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder if Ji Fanyin had made a move on her other targets too. Isn¡¯t it Ji Fanyin¡¯s aim to make money? There¡¯s no way she would turn a blind eye to Li Xiaoxing given how rich he is. If Li Xiaoxing chooses to defect to Ji Fanyin¡¯s side as well, I¡¯d really be doomed¡­ ¡°Since you called, Mr. Li has tasked me to consult you on a matter.¡± The sound of flipping papers could be heard. ¡°¡­ Are you free from 12th February to 15th February? Mr. Li would like to invite you to Japan for a change of pace.¡± Ji Xinxin¡¯s mood immediately lifted. ¡°Sounds great! It coincides with my Spring Break, so I should be able to make time. Is there anything I¡¯d need to prepare?¡± It was an overseas trip during a period that coincided with Spring Break and Valentine¡¯s Day. There was no doubt in Ji Xinxin¡¯s mind that Li Xiaoxing was preparing a surprise for her. ¡°Everything will be prepared for. All you have to do is to hand me your passport so that I can apply for a visa on your behalf,¡± replied Secretary Fan. After agreeing on a time for Secretary Fan to fetch her passport, they hung up the call. Ji Xinxin stowed away her phone and took two deep breaths before her usual smile returned to her face. It doesn¡¯t matter. As long as I have Li Xiaoxing in my grasp, Ji Fanyin will never be a threat. Chapter 70.2: What a Small World (2) Meanwhile, Ji Fanyin was busy dealing with Bai Zhou. It was even more tiring to teach Bai Zhou than Li Xiaoxing. Li Xiaoxing at least understood his own position, but Bai Zhou was painfully oblivious to his own shortcomings. Fortunately, Ji Fanyin knew of ways to deal with the conceit. Teaching Bai Zhou to be a proper human was the same as teaching a five-year-old kid. The first thing she had to do was to build up trust and authority. With that, she would be able to instill values in his head one by one. She would reward him if he did right and criticize him if he did wrong. The process would continue until he built up a stable, mature, and healthy set of values. To be frank, Ji Fanyin didn¡¯t think that she was qualified to be anyone¡¯s teacher, but it wasn¡¯t as if Mrs. Bai was asking her to nurture Bai Zhou into a wise philosopher who doled out warm chicken soup. All she had to do was teach Bai Zhou how not to be duped by women, and that was easy enough. But before starting the lessons, she would have to first assess if Bai Zhou was still vulnerable to Ji Xinxin¡¯s deception. To her relief, he appeared to be less vulnerable when the four of them crossed paths earlier in the day. Bai Zhou¡¯s schedule was as exhausting as ever. He brought Ji Fanyin to get a taste of the Universal Studios in February. It was good that they were able to avoid huge crowds, but the freezing wind might have just been a plausible reason for why there wasn¡¯t a crowd in the first place. Nine at night, before they left the amusement park, Bai Zhou bought a warm cup of milk tea and stuffed it into Ji Fanyin¡¯s hands. Finally feeling the warmth in her hands, she decided to offer an insincere compliment to the young man, who was finally learning how to show concern for others, ¡°Zhouzhou is such a good boy.¡± Bai Zhou turned his head away in response. There was a moment of silence before he loudly cleared his throat and asked, ¡°Why did you fire Song Shiyu?¡± Ji Fanyin glanced at her watch and saw that it had already passed 9 PM. She pressed all the parts of her fingers, which had turned red from the relentless battering of the cold winds all day long, against the cup of milk tea to warm them up. Without raising her head, she replied, ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear the reason yourself? He no longer needs me to play Ji Xinxin¡¯s substitute.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Bai Zhou fell quiet. ¡°You¡¯re saying that you ditched him because he fell in love with you?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± Ji Fanyin nodded. There are other reasons as well, but I have no reason to share those with you. ¡°Are you still wavering between me and Ji Xinxin?¡± she asked Bai Zhou. Bai Zhou was stunned for a brief instant before he snorted disdainfully, ¡°How¡¯s that possible? You¡¯re no match for big sis at all! I only paid you because you can accompany me while she¡¯s not around!¡± What mediocre acting. With the airs of a paper tiger he¡¯s giving off, even a child wouldn¡¯t be fooled by his act. He¡¯s lucky that there are two other women paying to extend his membership¡­ Ah, I mean clientship. Ji Fanyin calmly attempted to poke her straw into her milk tea, but somehow, it was proving to be a challenge. After two tries, she even accidentally bent the sharp end of the straw. Ji Fanyin: ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Look at how clumsy you are. What else can you do with those dull limbs of yours?¡± Bai Zhou scoffed. He snatched the milk tea from her and poked the straw in with his sheer strength before handing it back. ¡°Drink!¡± Ji Fanyin calmly thanked him before taking a big sip of the warm milk tea. ¡°¡­¡± It¡¯s scalding hot. Chapter 70.3: What a Small World (3) That night, Ji Fanyin checked her phone once she reached home and noticed a message from Secretary Fan. The latter noted that Ji Fanyin was taking a break for the next few days and wouldn¡¯t be accepting any reservations. Worried that it might be inconvenient for her to take a call, he chose to relay an important piece of news to her through text, and he solemnly reminded her to acknowledge the message. The proposal ring Li Xiaoxing had custom-made was almost ready, and he had flown to England to personally check on it. He had also decided to propose on Valentine¡¯s Day, which happened to be the third day of Chinese New Year. Ji Fanyin did a quick mental calculation and noted that it was only a week from now. After suffering multiple heavy setbacks today from losing two of her prized fishes, the chances that Ji Xinxin would accept Li Xiaoxing¡¯s proposal had skyrocketed. I just have to do one final check on the last unstable variable before Valentine¡¯s Day¡ªCen Xiangyang. Oh well, the good thing is that I don¡¯t even need to drop him a call. The following morning, Ji Fanyin asked ¡®Real Estate Guru¡¯ Miss Zhang Ning out to look at some apartments with her. The two wealthy women climbed into a pink Maserati and whizzed toward a new apartment that had just been released to the market several days ago. ¡°Cen Xiangyang?¡± Zhang Ning gave it some thought. ¡°I¡¯m close to him. You know, I¡¯m not into men like him. However, I did hear that his film set is located close to ours. If you¡¯re concerned, why don¡¯t we drop by Hengdian Film Studios later on? It just so happens that He Shen has three scenes there today.¡± She made it sound as if purchasing a flat was as fast and convenient as buying a watermelon. ¡°Sounds good,¡± Ji Fanyin replied. ¡°Which set is it?¡± ¡°The one where one of the actors self-recommended himself to you,¡± replied Zhang Ning without any hesitation. Ji Fanyin whipped out her phone and began scrolling through her chat groups. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll just head into our chat group and ask around if any bold young men have recently self-recommended themselves to our Miss Zhang over here¡­¡± ¡°Wait wait wait! Babe, I¡¯m sorry. I promise that I won¡¯t tease you on that anymore. Happy?¡± Zhang Ning immediately gave in. ¡°You¡¯ll tarnish my reputation if you ask something like that in our work chat group¡± Ji Fanyin smiled in response and sent a red packet in their studio chat group. It was then that she noticed that there were more members in the group than before. ¡°We have new recruits?¡± Zhang Ning responded with a ¡°Hm?¡± before it finally struck her, ¡°Ah, yes. We held a recruitment drive at Lakeside University and got ourselves some vibrant university student interns. A child of my aunt¡¯s friend is there too. I think he¡¯s studying music. Really, I don¡¯t get how his brain is wired. He actually said that he¡¯s interested in doing music for films! My aunt thought that he could accrue some job experience on my side, so she insisted that I take him in.¡± ¡°Lakeside University?¡± Ji Fanyin thought that the world was a small place. ¡°I graduated from there too.¡± ¡°You did? Well, it¡¯s the only good university in this region. Not too surprising, I¡¯d say,¡± replied Zhang Ning. ¡°Oh yeah. Didn¡¯t Song Shiyu graduate from Lakeside University too? Have I told you yet? Song Shiyu suddenly contacted me, saying that he wants to get a stake in our studio.¡± Ji Fanyin answered without the slightest hesitation, ¡°Tell him to dream on. He can invest in our movies if he wants, but not our studio.¡± Zhang Ning glanced at Ji Fanyin via the rearview mirror before letting out a long ¡°Ooooh~¡±. ¡°What¡¯s with your ¡®Ooh¡¯? Have you never seen a three-legged man before?¡± Ji Fanyin knocked Zhang Ning¡¯s head with her knuckle. ¡°Keep your eyes on the road.¡± Zhang Ning chuckled in response. She dropped a call to He Shen¡¯s assistant and confirmed that He Shen was on set today. A mischievous smile curled on her lips as she suggested, ¡°Shall we bring some delicacies over when we visit him? He Shen can¡¯t take spicy food, so let¡¯s bring huge packets of skewers drizzled in red chili oil.¡± Ji Fanyin was fine with anything, so she began searching for delicious skewers in the vicinity. She wondered if she would meet the new interns from Lakeside University later on set. No matter how small the world is, surely there¡¯s no way I would happen to know them¡­ right? Two hours later, when the two of them finally arrived at Hengdian World Studios, Ji Fanyin realized that she had underestimated the power of coincidence. Of the three guys who rushed over to help her carry the skewers, one of them was Chen Yunsheng. He was initially following the other two impassively when he spotted Ji Fanyin standing by the car. There was a momentary pause before sheer joy filled his eyes. He immediately overtook his other two companions and asked, ¡°Big sis, what brings you here?¡± His expression changed as quickly as ever. I can almost see a tail wagging furiously behind him. Meanwhile, Zhang Ning gestured to a person standing even further back and shouted, ¡°He Shen, quick! Come and help us carry our stuff!¡± Chapter 71.1: It’s Not What You’re Thinking! (1) It only took a split moment for the takeaway packets in Ji Fanyin¡¯s hands to be taken into Chen Yunsheng¡¯s. He casually led Ji Fanyin toward the back of the car and left the remaining takeaway packets for his companions to carry. Ji Fanyin was planning to carry two bags herself, but with the guys splitting the load amongst themselves, the takeaway packets were gone before she knew it. So, she slipped her empty hands into her pockets to keep them toasty instead. She spotted He Shen and greeted him. The latter responded with a placid nod before leaving with his food. It was only then that she turned to Chen Yunsheng and asked, ¡°You¡¯re interning here?¡± It was actually quite obvious. To be put on a blind date with Song Shiyu, Chen Yunsheng must have had quite the affluent background. That suggested that Chen Yunsheng was from a well-to-do family too. Most likely, he was the intern who was stuffed in by Zhang Ning¡¯s aunt. ¡°Yeah. I remembered that you¡¯re fond of movies.¡± Chen Yunsheng quietly positioned himself to shelter Ji Fanyin from the wind. ¡°I happen to have some experience in composing, so I wanted to try music production for films.¡± Another intern approached them with the intention of joining in the conversation, but Chen Yunsheng discreetly kicked him away. Ji Fanyin saw it in her peripheral vision. She was aware that the innocent persona Chen Yunsheng played in front of her was half- authentic and half-feigned, but she still found herself amused by his actions. ¡°How is it? Does the work interest you?¡± Ji Fanyin casually asked. Films were art pieces created by the harmony of its elements, one of them being music composition. Music is vital in building up the atmosphere of a scene, as well as the overall theme of the film. Good music composition could easily elevate the overall presentation of a film. Ji Fanyin wasn¡¯t against Chen Yunsheng becoming interested in the film industry due to her influence. What she was opposed to was him blindly leaping into the industry for no good reason. ¡°It¡¯s interesting,¡± Chen Yunsheng replied instantaneously. ¡°I¡¯m not doing this just because you like films. I find work here meaningful as well.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Ji Fanyin flipped through one of the bags in Chen Yunsheng¡¯s hands and pulled another bag containing three cups of beverages. Meanwhile, Chen Yunsheng began sharing his experiences of interning in the film studio over the last few days. Ji Fanyin managed to fish out a fourth cup of beverage and asked, ¡°Do you drink Oolong?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine with anything.¡± Chen Yunsheng eyed the four cups of beverages in her hands and asked softly, ¡°Big sis, are you acquainted with He Shen?¡± Ji Fanyin raised her head to look at him and chuckled. ¡°As an intern, don¡¯t you know who your own bosses are?¡± ¡°I do! There¡¯s He Shen, Zhang Ning, and a producer who¡¯s said to be involved in the filming process. I heard that our third boss rarely appears, but she gives out huge red packets whenever she does¡­¡± Chen Yunsheng¡¯s words slowly trailed to a halt as his eyes widened. Ji Fanyin stuffed the cup of Oolong milk tea together with a straw into his coat¡¯s wide pocket before blinking at him. ¡°In the flesh.¡± Seeing that Zhang Ning and Ji Fanyin had arrived, the director called for a break and quickly dashed into the crowd to grab a couple of skewers. He Shen positioned himself two meters away from the crowd, where he watched quietly as the filming crew fought over the skewers. He was dressed in a military uniform and a pair of polished boots, which gave him the image of a stern military man. He gave off an imposing disposition on top of that, making it difficult for anyone to approach him. Still, Ji Fanyin approached him without any issues and passed him a cup of cheese foam cherry tea. He Shen thanked her as he took the drink. He popped a straw in and began drinking right away. It was interesting how even though he was holding a cup of commercial milk tea, he was able to make it appear as if he was in a solemn tea ceremony. Ji Fanyin passed the other cup to Zhang Ning, who was busy chatting with the director about the filming progress. As she took out the last cup of milk tea for herself, she asked He Shen, ¡°Is this your first time on this set?¡± He Shen shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s my second time.¡± ¡°You had your reservations when I first showed you the script.¡± Ji Fanyin turned her gaze toward the bustling crowd as she spoke. ¡°Now that you have been to the set twice, what do you think?¡± He Shen fell silent. He subtly tilted his head toward Ji Fanyin, hoping to look at her expression through his peripheral vision. ¡°There¡¯s no need to look at me. That¡¯s right, I¡¯m bragging right now,¡± said Ji Fanyin gleefully as she tried to poke her straw into her cup. ¡°You said that it¡¯ll be hard to find a suitable female lead and realize my script. You can take back your words now.¡± ¡°¡­ That newcomer is pretty skilled,¡± He Shen replied objectively. ¡°The movie will be better than I expected.¡± Chapter 71.2: It’s Not What You’re Thinking! (2) It took several tries, but Ji Fanyin finally managed to get that annoying paper straw in. She honestly couldn¡¯t understand how others were able to poke those flimsy paper straws through the plastic cover in a single try. She raised her eyebrows and remarked, ¡°That newcomer has already signed to our work studio.¡± He Shen sipped on his milk tea as he replied with a ¡°Mm¡±. A young actor holding onto a skewer happened to walk by the two of them. He was visibly startled for a moment, before greeting the two of them with a smile, ¡°Teacher He. Miss Ji, you¡¯re here again.¡± Watching the young actor¡¯s departing silhouette, He Shen suddenly remarked, ¡°He wasn¡¯t that awkward when he met me earlier on.¡± Ji Fanyin calmly replied, ¡°It might be due to me rejecting his self-recommendation.¡± He Shen: ¡°¡­ Such things are actually not that common in our industry.¡± ¡°Who are you trying to hoodwink here?¡± Ji Fanyin scoffed. Using sexual favors to make deals was nothing new. It was even more common in the world of glamor and glitz that they were in. Zhang Ning happened to wrap up her conversation with the director then. She walked over and interjected, ¡°He¡¯s speaking from his own experience. I mean, just look at him. He¡¯s obviously the inflexible, conservative type. It¡¯ll take a fox demoness to devour a monk like him!¡± He Shen wasn¡¯t happy with her choice of metaphor, and he voiced his displeasure aloud with two concise words, ¡°Zhang Ning.¡± Zhang Ning sipped on her milk tea, ignoring his protest. ¡°Babe, you¡¯re acquainted with Chen Yunsheng?¡± Ji Fanyin nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a small world.¡± Zhang Ning bit on her straw and smiled. ¡°Yeah, the world is pretty small. I¡¯ve helped you ask about Cen Xiangyang. His filming hasn¡¯t been going smoothly recently. He seems to be in an irritable mood recently. Everyone is speculating whether he¡¯s in a slump.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Ji Fanyin thought about what could get Cen Xiangyang down. I wonder if Ji Xinxin has contacted him yet. ¡°He also recently established a work studio with his own money,¡± said Zhang Ning. ¡°He¡¯s just starting out, so he probably wants to build up his name first. That shouldn¡¯t pose too much of a problem for him given his family background.¡± ¡°He established his own studio?¡± Ji Fanyin¡¯s interest was piqued. It was not to discount the possibility of Cen Xiangyang establishing a work studio for the sole purpose of advancing his career, but the timing it occurred was something worth looking into. Furthermore, someone had just leaked fairly valuable intelligence just a moment ago. Ji Fanyin looked around the set and was just about to ask a staff member for directions when Chen Yunsheng suddenly popped out of nowhere. He was still holding onto the same cup of Oolong milk tea. ¡°Big sis, are you looking for someone? I can help you. I was able to familiarize myself with the set over the last few days.¡± ¡°The fourth male lead. I think his surname is Liang,¡± said Ji Fanyin. ¡°He just passed by this area a moment ago. Did you see him?¡± Chen Yunsheng nodded in acknowledgment before leading Ji Fanyin somewhere. ¡°The actors¡¯ resting room is over there. Big sis, do you need something from him?¡± ¡°I just plan to ask him a few questions.¡± Ji Fanyin glanced at Chen Yunsheng and asked, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you drinking your milk tea?¡± Chen Yunsheng lowered his head to look at his Oolong milk tea and honestly answered, ¡°I can¡¯t bear to.¡± Ji Fanyin snatched the straw from his pocket and stabbed it into the Oolong milk tea. Heaven seemed to be on her side as she succeeded in breaching the plastic cover in a single try. Chen Yunsheng winced. ¡°Are you thinking of bringing it home as a memento?¡± asked Ji Fanyin amusedly. ¡°Milk tea isn¡¯t the same as a medal. It¡¯ll spoil.¡± ¡°Orh,¡± Chen Yunsheng answered dispiritedly. Chapter 71.3: It’s Not What You’re Thinking! (3) There was quite some distance to the actors¡¯ resting room, so the two of them started chatting. ¡°I heard from Zhang Ning that our studio did a recruitment drive at Lakeside University, but I didn¡¯t think that you would be one of the hires.¡± Ji Fanyin talked about the conversation she had with Zhang Ning earlier on. ¡°You never told me that you¡¯re in the Music Faculty.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing much¡­¡± Chen Yunsheng pursed his lips. ¡°Do you still remember the game you played when we first met?¡± ¡°I¡¯m still playing it,¡± replied Ji Fanyin. That was the impetus that allowed Chen Yunsheng to first strike up a conversation with her. ¡°That game is actually made by a studio co-founded by me and my friend.¡± Chen Yunsheng looked a little embarrassed talking about it. ¡°There aren¡¯t a lot of downloads for it, but the music and sound effects were my own creation. That¡¯s why I was able to recognize it right away. It wasn¡¯t a lie when I told you that I¡¯ve played the game too!¡± The game was actually pretty well made. It was clearly a small-scale production, but the concept and music accompaniment had its own unique style. Ji Fanyin earnestly considered investing in their studio. ¡°Making music for games is not a bad career path either.¡± ¡°I can do both at once.¡± There was a gleam in Chen Yunsheng¡¯s eyes when he talked about his field of specialty. ¡°I can establish my own studio, just like big sis. Once I manage to build up my reputation, I¡¯ll become the exclusive music composer of your films!¡± Ji Fanyin smiled in response to those words. She chose to neither dampen his motivation nor flatter him. ¡°You¡¯ll have to be very good for that.¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Chen Yunsheng looked at her intently. It was hard to tell whether the red tinge on his cheeks came from the cold weather or embarrassment, but beneath the embarrassment lay the courage of a hot-blooded youth to charge over any obstacles that stood in the way. ¡°¡­ I need to work hard to catch up with you.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll tire yourself out if you set a person to be your goal,¡± advised Ji Fanyin. Chen Yunsheng glanced in the direction where the two of them had come from and murmured under his breath, ¡°I can¡¯t lose.¡± Ji Fanyin also did the same. She raised her eyebrows and asked, ¡°He Shen?¡± Chen Yunsheng¡¯s attention wandered only for that split instant. He quickly returned to his bubbly self and asked, ¡°Big sis, are you free to have dinner with me later on? I mean, after I get off work.¡± Ji Fanyin took a look at the time and said, ¡°We¡¯ll probably have a company gathering later on.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Chen Yunsheng responded glumly. ¡°I doubt an intern like me will be able to sit beside the boss.¡± ¡°It might be possible if the intern is willing to take drinks for the boss,¡± Ji Fanyin joked with him. Chen Yunsheng earnestly took out his phone and said, ¡°I¡¯ll check if there are any nearby pharmaceuticals. I¡¯ll buy a box of KingDrink later on.¡± Ji Fanyin nearly choked on her milk tea. ¡°Where did you learn that? I wouldn¡¯t let a youth take drinks on my behalf. You should obediently sit with the other interns.¡± Ji Fanyin was just about to push Chen Yunsheng¡¯s phone down when she noticed a WeChat notification popping up. It was from a group named ¡¾Training for Newlyweds~ Cooking Classroom~¡¿. Ji Fanyin: ¡°¡­¡± Oh my, I seem to have stumbled upon something interesting. Chen Yunsheng hadn¡¯t noticed the information leak yet. He put his phone away in disappointment as he meekly grumbled, ¡°I¡¯m not a kid anymore. I also drink when I hang out with my friends.¡± ¡°Does your cooking class teach you how to drink alcohol too?¡± asked Ji Fanyin. Chen Yunsheng: ¡°?¡±Chen Yunsheng: ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±Chen Yunsheng ¡°!!! It¡¯s not what you think! Most of the people in the cooking class are housewives in their thirties! I really only learn cooking there!¡± Ji Fanyin shot him a ¡®I totally get it¡¯ look. ¡°I see¡­¡± Her gaze left Chen Yunsheng feeling utterly embarrassed. He slowly lifted his Oolong milk tea to cover his reddened face. Chapter 72.1: Exposed (1) One trait shared by mature adults like Ji Fanyin and Zhang Ning was knowing when to end a joke. Seeing that the young man was already blushing to the tip of his ears, Ji Fanyin decided to stop teasing him. She could already spot the actors¡¯ resting room, so she made her way there herself, wanting to give the young man some room to calm down. However, Chen Yunsheng quickly grabbed the sleeves of her cashmere windbreaker to stop her. He took in a deep breath before lifting his head to look at her. ¡°Will you give my skills a try after I graduate from the cooking class?¡± Humans would always progress from adolescence to adulthood but never the other way around. That was why adults, from time to time, would find themselves overwhelmed by the assault of past memories, that would leave them in a wistful mood. That was how Ji Fanyin was feeling right now. She lowered her head and seriously gave the matter some thought. Time slowly ticked by. The first one to break the silence ended up being the one who had extended the invitation, ¡°You don¡¯t need to think that hard about it. I¡¯ll be fine even if you reject me. As long as you¡¯re willing to try my cooking, you can call me over whenever it¡¯s convenient for you. I¡¯ll rush there right away.¡± ¡°When do your cooking classes end?¡± Ji Fanyin raised her head and asked him. Chen Yunsheng was momentarily stunned. ¡°My classes end in April. Three months from now.¡± ¡°April¡­¡± Ji Fanyin thought about it for another few more seconds before answering, ¡°Got it. Work hard in your cooking class. Tell me when your class ends.¡± I should be done with Li Xiaoxing and Ji Xinxin by then. Thinking on the optimistic side, Bai Zhou might have also graduated by then. I guess I could start thinking about it when April comes. ¡°Really?¡± Chen Yunsheng breathed a long sigh of relief. ¡°It¡¯s a promise!¡± Ji Fanyin glanced at his hand and said, ¡°Tea.¡± Chen Yunsheng lowered her head and noticed that the Oolong tea he had been tightly clutching out of nervousness was spilling out of his straw, but he had been too caught up in his emotions to notice it. Ji Fanyin patted his shoulder and said, ¡°Go and wash up. I¡¯ll head in first to settle my business.¡± Chen Yunsheng obediently walked away as he was told to, though he kept turning his head around to look at her every few steps. Meanwhile, Ji Fanyin walked up to the actors¡¯ resting room and knocked on the door. The men who were busy feasting on the skewers subconsciously turned their eyes to the doorway. Ji Fanyin had personally supervised the interviews, so many of the actors recognized her. They quickly shot to their feet in a fluster and greeted her. Ji Fanyin answered their greeting before turning her attention toward the actor who went by the surname of Liang. ¡°There¡¯s something I¡¯d like to check with you.¡± The actor awkwardly stood up and left the resting room together with Ji Fanyin. There was an empty clearing several steps away from the resting room. Ji Fanyin didn¡¯t want to head to some remote place and risk having unnecessary rumors spread about them, so she got straight to the point, ¡°You mentioned earlier that I was here again?¡± The nervous actor was surprised by the unexpected question. ¡°I did. Is there something wrong?¡± ¡°This is my first time visiting the film set since the opening ceremony.¡± Ji Fanyin casually slipped her hands into her pockets and looked at him. ¡°What do you mean by ¡®again¡¯?¡± The actor was visibly shocked. ¡°That can¡¯t be! You¡­ No, I mean, Miss Ji, don¡¯t you remember? You dropped by the set before Christmas, and I happened to bump into you. You said that you had something to do in the neighboring set and would visit us next time. You technically didn¡¯t enter our film set, but we did talk for a while!¡± ¡°Before Christmas?¡± Ji Fanyin did some quick mental calculations and a possibility surfaced in her head. ¡°Got it. You can head in now.¡± Chapter 72.2: Exposed (2) ¡°M-Miss Ji.¡± The actor¡¯s face had already turned pale by then. ¡°Is it possible that I b-b-b-bumped into a¡­¡± Before he could utter the word ¡®ghost¡¯, Ji Fanyin interjected, ¡°It¡¯s my twin sister. She can be malicious at times. She was probably just joking around with you.¡± The actor breathed a sigh of relief before revealing yet another piece of information. ¡°I saw her heading in that direction that day.¡± Ji Fanyin looked at the direction he was pointing at. ¡°Whose film sets are over there?¡± The actor quickly named out a couple and, lo and behold, Cen Xiangyang¡¯s name was amongst them. That affirmed Ji Fanyin¡¯s earlier deduction. It was likely that Cen Xiangyang had wanted to reveal the stand-in business to Ji Xinxin when the latter returned to the country during her break, but for whatever reason, he ended up stalling until Ji Xinxin returned to France. Hm¡­ Ji Xinxin probably intended to visit Cen Xiangyang when this fellow thought she was me. Ji Xinxin likely realized it, but she chose to go along with him to gather some dirt on me. She probably figured out my identity then¡­ and I guess she suffered a mental breakdown afterward? Ji Fanyin casually waved her hand at the nervous actor to gesture that it was fine, and the latter was visibly relieved at her pardon. He took his leave and headed back into the resting room. Ji Fanyin rested her back against a nearby pillar and began analyzing Cen Xiangyang and Ji Xinxin¡¯s relationship. Cen Xiangyang is a man filled with possessiveness. He wouldn¡¯t hesitate to take action if he were to sense that he might lose Ji Xinxin for good. It¡¯s not beneath him to resort to criminal acts like kidnapping. Since I rejected his previous proposal, I reckon that he¡¯s probably making other preparations in the shadows. Ji Xinxin is unlikely to break ties with Cen Xiangyang at this point, considering how she has already lost Bai Zhou and Song Shiyu¡­ Ah, did Cen Xiangyang establish his studio in hopes of suppressing my career for her sake? If that¡¯s what he¡¯s thinking, he¡¯s really overestimating his own capabilities. Ji Fanyin took a sip of h milk tea. Putting her aside, just He Shen and Zhang Ning were already beyond Cen Xiangyang¡¯s means to deal with. Not to mention, her studio was now backed by a vicious female mogul who had no qualms throwing away millions at her whim. There was no way Cen Xiangyang could compete with their studio in a direct confrontation. As for underhanded tricks¡­ I doubt that he¡¯ll be able to pull anything meaningful. Does he have some other goal then? Or is he just that confident in himself? Ji Fanyin bit on her straw as she thought about her previous meetings with Cen Xiangyang. The second time they met, he tried to brainwash her. The last time he messaged her, he tried to make use of her¡­ ¡­ Ah, I guess he is that confident in himself. Chapter 72.3: Exposed (3) With the three big bosses of the filming studio all present, the film crew decided to end their work early and have a feast. Ji Fanyin was planning to foot the bill, but the restaurant manager informed her that He Shen had beat her to it. So, she put away her phone and headed back to the compartment room. They had a toasting session afterward. Naturally, Ji Fanyin wouldn¡¯t let Chen Yunsheng take any drinks for her¡­ though it appeared that there was no need for that at all. She happened to be sandwiched between Zhang Ning and He Shen, so that hardly anyone had the guts to approach her and make a toast to her. Even if someone did come over, Zhang Ning already had a cup of tea prepared for her. When the company dinner finally concluded, Ji Fanyin became the other two¡¯s chauffeur, responsible for sending them safely back home. Driving Zhang Ning¡¯s striking pink Maserati, she first drove He Shen to Song Shiyu¡¯s neighborhood before making her way to Zhang Ning¡¯s place. ¡°When are you moving?¡± the tipsy Zhang Ning asked. ¡°You¡¯re able to move into the apartment you bought right away, right? Do you need any help? We can get some free labor from the studio and frame it as a ¡®corporate team-building exercise¡¯.¡± ¡°It¡¯s more convenient to hire a moving company,¡± Ji Fanyin replied as she drove into a high-class residential area. ¡°I¡¯m free for the next two days, so I¡¯m planning to get it done by then.¡± ¡°That¡¯s nice~ You don¡¯t have anything for New Year¡­¡± Zhang Ning let out an envious long sigh. ¡°I ALSO WANT TO GO ON A BREAKKKK¡­¡± After driving the drunk and rampaging Zhang Ning back home, Ji Fanyin hailed a cab. She might have cleared her schedule, but she didn¡¯t think that she would really be that free. Similar to what happened over her year-end break, it was completely possible that urgent business might just pop up and ruin her break. Li Xiaoxing, who would be proposing on the third day of the Chinese New Year, was one such example. Even though the odds were on their side, their chances of winning weren''t 100%. Thinking back, she had done quite a lot to push Ji Xinxin toward Li Xiaoxing so as to fulfill his wishes, or, at least, what he thought his greatest wish was. ¡­ The 11th of February was Chinese New Year Eve. The Ji Family excluding Ji Fanyin gathered for a warm reunion dinner. They tacitly chose to neglect the existence of their other daughter. That same night, Ji Xinxin began packing her suitcase in preparation for her Japan trip. Mother Ji secretly snuck her a set of lace nightwear, telling her to grasp her opportunity. Ji Xinxin hesitated for a moment before placing it into her suitcase. While she wasn¡¯t certain of whether Li Xiaoxing was capable of engaging in nightly activities, it didn¡¯t hurt to be prepared. Mother Ji looked at her with a heartened smile and said, ¡°You were always sickly as a child, but you¡¯ve matured into a beautiful woman before I knew it. It won¡¯t be long before you marry and have your own family.¡± Ji Xinxin lowered her head shyly. ¡°It¡¯s too early to say that. I¡¯m just going abroad with him for a few days.¡± ¡°Just the two of you, right?¡± teased Mother Ji. ¡°It¡¯s good that your partner is someone as affluent as Mr. Li. He¡¯ll be able to lend your father a helping hand. Your father has been stressed out managing the company recently.¡± Ji Xinxin¡¯s movement stalled to a halt. She turned to her mother and asked concernedly, ¡°Is dad¡¯s company facing problems again?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Mother Ji sighed. ¡°Little Song used to take care of your father, but it seems like he¡¯s a little strapped on cash recently. Do you know what happened to him?¡± What could possibly happen to him? He just willingly spent all of his money on Ji Fanyin! Ji Xinxin had to purse her lips to stop a sneer from forming on her lips. She shook her head and replied, ¡°I¡¯m not too sure. I was abroad.¡± ¡°We were planning to have your big sis marry someone in hopes that her partner could offer some help to the family¡­¡± Mother Ji began nagging again. ¡°At least she has a good face. It¡¯s a different story for you, but if she could just¡­¡± ¡°Mom,¡± Ji Xinxin interrupted her ramble with a gentle voice. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t rely on big sis. She¡¯ll only disappoint dad and you just as she did many times before. Have you forgotten? The daughter whom you dote and rely on is me.¡± Mother Ji stared at Ji Xinxin in a daze for a long while before finally nodding. ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make sure dad¡¯s company tides through this crisis. I have always been able to do it, isn¡¯t that so?¡± asked Ji Xinxin. Chapter 72.4: Exposed (4) ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right.¡± Mother Ji rubbed her temples as if she was having a headache. ¡°I really don¡¯t understand why your big sis blames you for everything. It¡¯s that victim mentality of hers at work. She was the one who mistreated you in the past!¡± Ji Xinxin folded her clothes as she replied, ¡°I¡¯m fine. I don¡¯t blame big sis for it.¡± ¡°The other day, your father and I went to her place to look for her. We talked about the past, like how she kept running out by herself while you were unconscious in the hospital, how she made you do all of her difficult assignments¡­ but she didn¡¯t show the slightest sense of shame at all!¡± Ji Xinxin was listening half-heartedly to her mother¡¯s rambling when she suddenly heard something that prompted her to raise her head and exclaim, ¡°You told big sis about my time in the hospital?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± replied Mother Ji. ¡°You probably weren¡¯t aware of it because you were delirious, but we often visited you in the hospital during that time. Your father and I would sit by your bed to take care of you, but your big sister kept sneaking out to play.¡± Ji Xinxin took in a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. She tightly grabbed the dress in her hand and quickly ran through the current situation. I don¡¯t know whether the current ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ has inherited big sis¡¯ memory, but there shouldn¡¯t be anything to worry about even if she did. Ji Fanyin shouldn¡¯t be able to recognize Li Xiaoxing, so she wouldn¡¯t know that I¡¯ve taken her spot. It¡¯ll all be fine as long as Ji Fanyin doesn¡¯t recognize Li Xiaoxing. Ji Xinxin tried her best to allay her fears, but her unease persisted even when she was making her way to Japan the following day. In contrast, Li Xiaoxing behaved perfectly normally. He was his usual self. Cold, possessive, arrogant, and self-conscious. It put her heart at ease. The night of Valentine¡¯s Day, she donned a gown and made her way to the Tokyo Tower, ready to hear Li Xiaoxing¡¯s proposal. The latter, dressed in a dashing suit, looked at her with warm eyes and asked for her hand in engagement. She stood shyly before the blessings of an envious crowd as she awaited Li Xiaoxing¡¯s confession with her mouth covered. He said that she was his salvation, the one who had picked him up when he was at his lowest point in life. He said that the only reason why he hadn¡¯t proposed to her all this while was because he was afraid of being rejected, but he didn¡¯t want to lose her because of his hesitance. He said that Ji Fanyin had tried to approach him, but he turned her down because he felt nothing for her at all. The only person that he loved in this world was Ji Xinxin, his savior. Ji Xinxin was moved by the confession till the final proclamation, where her expression visibly froze up for a moment. She asked with a strained smile, ¡°You¡¯ve met my big sis?¡± ¡°I did.¡± Li Xiaoxing paused for a brief moment before adding, ¡°I told her that you¡¯re the love of my life, and she¡¯ll never be able to replace you. The memories we share are not something a third party like her can ever understand.¡± He reached out to grab Ji Xinxin¡¯s hand, only to tilt his head in surprise. ¡°Xinxin, is it cold here? Why are you shivering?¡± Ji Xinxin couldn¡¯t hear what Li Xiaoxing said afterward. Her mind was completely dominated by two words, leaving her no room to think about anything else. She knows she knows she knows she knows she knows! If she knows the truth, what reason does she have to not reveal it to Li Xiaoxing? If she did reveal the truth to Li Xiaoxing, why is he still proposing to me? If Li Xiaoxing chose to propose to me despite having learned the truth, is it because he wants to exact vengeance on me for deceiving him? No. No no no no no. Ji Xinxin knew Li Xiaoxing well enough to know that he harbored no hostility toward her, at least not yet. That brought her back to the very first question. Why didn¡¯t Ji Fanyin tell Li Xiaoxing the truth? Chapter 72.5: Exposed (5) What was even more frightening than being instantly decapitated was to have one¡¯s head held under a guillotine, not knowing when the blade would fall. It was the faint glimmer of hope that the blade might not fall in the end that stoked one¡¯s deepest fears. The more she thought about it, the more afraid she became. She didn¡¯t even notice the cold sweat drenching her back. She anxiously stood up and withdrew her trembling hand from Li Xiaoxing¡¯s grasp. The resulting confused look on Li Xiaoxing¡¯s face shook her out of her daze, and she quickly added, ¡°Sorry, I need to use the washroom for a moment.¡± Ignoring the commotion around her and Li Xiaoxing¡¯s worried shouting, Ji Xinxin lifted her skirt and rushed out of the dining room. She headed to an open place and took a deep breath to soothe her anxiety. Calm down, calm down¡­ How could I possibly calm down?! Ji Xinxin slammed the metal board beside her to vent her emotions. Her movement was so forceful that her palm reddened in pain, but it did little to assuage her anxiety. Fear and fury coalesced into a raging tsunami that threatened to drown her. It took her many years of work to make her way up the social ladder with grace and composure, but Ji Fanyin was threatening to undo her work and push her back into the abyss she had climbed out of. She subconsciously reached for her phone, wanting to call Ji Fanyin and confront her about why she didn¡¯t reveal the truth to Li Xiaoxing. She wanted to holler at the latter for making a fool out of her. But as she reached for her waist, she realized that the gown she wore allowed no space for her phone. Her courage instantaneously deflated. She lost all strength and huddled up into a squatting position. She could feel her own eyes tearing up. I can¡¯t win. I can¡¯t win against that person. I was only able to win over big sis with my tricks because she¡¯s soft-hearted. But the other ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ has a heart as cold as stone. She has no intention of leaving any breathing space for me. I thought that I had played every move well, but she could see through everything. How could there be such a terrifying person in the world? I¡¯m scared¡­ The sound of a wheelchair gradually approached. Then, she heard Li Xiaoxing¡¯s voice. ¡°¡­ Xinxin,¡± he called out. ¡°Are you crying because you aren¡¯t willing to be with me?¡± Ji Xinxin buried her head into her knees and immersed herself in her tears. She was too emotionally crushed to gather any strength to deal with Li Xiaoxing. Li Xiaoxing asked on, ¡°Xinxin, are you going to reject me?¡± Ji Xinxin continued to ignore him. An eternity seemed to have passed before she heard a long sigh from him. ¡°I understand now.¡± His voice was still as placid as ever, as if nothing in the world could hope to faze him, ¡°Let¡¯s return to the hotel. We¡¯ll talk tomorrow.¡± Chapter 73.1: The Two of You Are Compatible (1) In the last few days of the lunar new year, Ji Fanyin called up a moving company and generously opted for the most expensive Japanese quality service. From packing up the items in the old home to putting them in place in the new home, she wouldn¡¯t have to lift a single finger throughout the entire process. All she had to do was to watch by the side and give orders. It was perfect for the rich and lazy. All in all, it only took her a day to move into her new home. She didn¡¯t even have to unpack the luggage herself, so it was quite relaxing. She even had time to call someone to change the door¡¯s facial recognition access system. With that, she began preparing for her own Chinese New Year celebration. She first did some spring cleaning before heading out to fill up her fridge. Her goal for the Chinese New Year celebration was to wall herself up at home as much as possible. She made up her mind not to touch anything business-related unless her 30 million dollars student appeared or the other 20 million dollars student called her. Ji Fanyin and He Shen had exchanged their movie watching schedule and secured a huge pile of unwatched old movies in preparation for this break. Valentine¡¯s Day? What¡¯s that? On the third day of Chinese New Year, Ji Fanyin turned up the heater in her living room before cozying herself up on her sofa. It was so comfortable that she started nodding off while watching ¡®Greatness of Love¡¯. Her phone suddenly started vibrating. She clawed at her phone like a big fat cat, and it took a great deal of effort for her to drag it over to her side. Reflected on the phone screen was her 20 million dollar student¡­that was, Li Xiaoxing. Why am I not surprised at all? Ji Fanyin first grabbed her remote control and paused the movie before picking up the call, ¡°Hello?¡± Li Xiaoxing was either calling to report his success or make a customer complaint. There was no other possibility. Ji Fanyin had taken extra effort to ensure that he wouldn¡¯t find out that Ji Xinxin was an impersonator, and Ji Xinxin wasn¡¯t so dumb as to give herself away. ¡°She rejected me,¡± Li Xiaoxing said placidly. Ji Fanyin could hear extreme tension in his words, both in his tone and the way he verbalized his words. There was a high-strung edge to it. It was like how a good actor playing a serial killer in a movie could strike fear in the hearts of the audience with just a simple gaze. The current Li Xiaoxing gave off a faint scent of danger. Ji Fanyin put down her remote control and dragged a fruit platter over to her side. She could tell that Li Xiaoxing was on the verge of snapping, so she tactfully decided not to raise the topic of prices first. ¡°Are you alone now? Calm down and tell me everything that happened tonight.¡± ¡°No, Ji Fanyin. You are the problem here.¡± Li Xiaoxing chose not to go along with Ji Fanyin¡¯s instructions. ¡°It was right after I said the words you taught me, that Xinxin suddenly stood up and ran away. I was certain that she was going to accept my proposal up till that point.¡± Faced with Li Xiaoxing¡¯s accusation, Ji Fanyin calmly asked, ¡°Which words are you referring to? The one saying you¡¯ve met me?¡± Li Xiaoxing expressed his acknowledgment through his silence. Ji Fanyin gobbled down a strawberry and spent those five seconds in thought. It¡¯s actually quite simple. There are two possibilities here. One, Ji Xinxin has found an even more formidable backer than Li Xiaoxing. Two, she noticed that something was amiss and decided to avoid the trap. The possibility of the former occuring is too low, so it should be the latter. On top of that, Li Xiaoxing clearly stated that Ji Xinxin only changed her attitude after hearing about me. Putting all of the clues in place, there¡¯s only one answer: Ji Xinxin must have sensed that the truth about her impersonation has gotten out. ¡­ Well, I did bury this landmine to give Ji Xinxin a good scare before wrapping things up. Yeap, it looks like it¡¯s very effective. I didn¡¯t bury it in vain. Chapter 73.3: The Two of You Are Compatible (3) ¡°I visited the World Studio two days ago. I heard that Cen Xiangyang is currently filming there.¡± Ji Fanyin spoke as if she was just prattling about random, everyday affairs. ¡°You do know that I have a film set there, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Cen Xiangyang approached me. You¡¯re aware of that too,¡± Ji Fanyin spoke with a trace of mirth in her voice. ¡°But do you know why?¡± Ji Xinxin finally broke her silence. She sneered in disdain, ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who approached him, offering to play my stand-in so you could earn some quick cash from him? He even rejected you.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s what he said.¡± Ji Fanyin wasn¡¯t too surprised to hear that Cen Xiangyang had only told half the story. ¡°I¡¯m not talking about that incident but what happened afterward. Let¡¯s see¡­ He told you everything shortly after you returned to France, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ji Fanyin chuckled softly. ¡°That¡¯s right. He took the initiative to approach me afterward.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to ask why?¡± Ji Fanyin provoked Ji Xinxin out of malicious pleasure. ¡°Why did he approach you?¡± asked Ji Xinxin with a hoarse voice. ¡°For you, of course.¡± Ji Fanyin made a dramatic pause. ¡°How should I put it using his words? He wants my help in crippling your wings so that he can enclose you in a cage.¡± ¡°He approached you for that?¡± Ji Xinxin scoffed. ¡°I don¡¯t believe you. He told me about how he nearly struck a deal with you.¡± Ji Fanyin went into her phone gallery and took some time searching through it. Without bothering to explain anything, she tapped onto the screenshot she had taken from her conversation with Cen Xiangyang, and sent it to Ji Xinxin. ¡°I can¡¯t stop you if you insist that the screenshot was photoshopped. It¡¯s your judgment,¡± added Ji Fanyin calmly. Ji Xinxin would have to feel utterly cornered for her to accept Li Xiaoxing¡¯s outstretched hand, albeit with gritted teeth. ¡°¡­ How can I be certain that you won¡¯t divulge the truth to Li Xiaoxing?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t. You won¡¯t believe me even if I made a vow to the heavens,¡± replied Ji Fanyin with a smile. ¡°You can only take a step at a time and hope everything goes well, no?¡± With those words, Ji Fanyin unhesitatingly hung up the phone. She wasn¡¯t worried that Li Xiaoxing would come after her. There was only one path Ji Xinxin could take. To be more exact, she could choose to take a step back too, but that would mean that all of her hard work would disintegrate to dust. She wasn¡¯t going to be able to lose everything and still rise up once more. ¡­ The following morning, Ji Fanyin woke up to a message from the bank, informing her that she had received a sum of money from Secretary Fan. She also received a notification from WeChat, where Ji Xinxin posted a picture of two interlocked hands and announced the joyous news of her engagement. Ji Fanyin rubbed her eyes and counted the number of digits on the message from the bank. Ah, I got a bonus. Or is this Li Xiaoxing¡¯s way of apologizing for his disrespectful words from the previous night? Ji Fanyin tapped into the ¡®Temptation of Home¡¯ app and saw that the progress bar had suddenly advanced to 1.8 billion within a short period of time. Not only so, the number was growing at an incredible rate every second. Out of curiosity, she tapped into the logs and saw that everyone¡ªfrom Ji Xinxin to Song Shiyu to Li Xiaoxing to Cen Xiangyang, as well as Mrs. Bai, Chen Yunsheng, and a few others¡ªwas working very hard for her. It was as if they were trying to up their KPI for a year end bonus. Ji Fanyin felt deeply moved. Without your contributions, I would have never been able to conquer this seemingly insurmountable goal of 10 billion! Chapter 74.1: I Want to Slap the Old Me (1) Ji Fanyin had no idea how many people had their hearts broken because of the news of Ji Xinxin¡¯s engagement. She was also quite curious as to how Ji Xinxin chose who could read the engagement message she sent¡­ In any case, it must have taken a lot of courage for her to take that step. There were only two scenarios where a ¡®King of the Seas¡¯ would rein in her net. One, the ¡®King of the Seas¡¯ was exhausted and wanted to retire from the seas. Two, the ¡®King of the Seas¡¯ screwed up and had no choice but to seek refuge with an honest man. It was that simple. What happened afterward was equally important as well. An outstanding ¡®King of the Seas¡¯ should be able to minimize the negative consequences that would naturally arise from her reining in her net. Fishes who were attached to her could offer their blessings and silently fade away into the background, but they could raise a shitstorm too. If Ji Xinxin had a tool that quantified emotions too, she would be receiving a huge amount of Emotion Points at this moment. She accepted Li Xiaoxing¡¯s proposal in a rush, but there¡¯s still a great deal of trouble for her to deal with afterward. Especially Cen Xiangyang. He might just go insane. Ji Fanyin felt that Ji Xinxin wouldn¡¯t have any strength to come after her for a very long time. She was also quite curious as to whether Li Xiaoxing would continue asking for her help. She personally thought that the likelihood of it was quite high. Li Xiaoxing had tasted the sweet joys of successfully manipulating Ji Xinxin, and that could have very well further stoked his possessive personality. He would constantly be tempted to further reinforce his control over her. She made use of the last few days of her break to organize her schedule. She wasn¡¯t exactly busy, but her work was hard to organize because it was coming from all kinds of places. I¡¯ll need a personal assistant to help me take care of miscellaneous stuff. Zhang Ning had previously offered to hire a personal assistant for her, and she accepted it on the spot. She thought that Zhang Ning would find someone who studied filmography, perhaps a fresh female graduate or something. Yet, when she dropped by the studio after her break, she found that her new personal assistant was actually a tall and strong man. ¡­ He also looks oddly familiar. I feel like I¡¯ve met him somewhere else before. Zhang Ning coolly put on her lipsticks in front of her mirror before turning around to introduce them to each other. ¡°Here, let me introduce your new personal assistant to you, Shen Qi. Give him a try. If it doesn¡¯t work, I¡¯ll transfer him to another department. Alright babe, I need to attend a business meeting now. Bye bye. Mua~¡± Ji Fanyin nodded in response to Zhang Ning¡¯s words, before assessing the man before her. ¡°Shen Qi¡­¡± murmured Ji Fanyin contemplatively. ¡°Have I met you somewhere before?¡± The reticent man nodded. He propped up his sunglasses and explained, ¡°The classmate gathering.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Ji Fanyin finally remembered. ¡°Passion fruit cheesecake.¡± It was the kind-hearted man who had shared his after meal dessert with her during the classmate gathering last year. What a small world. ¡°You¡¯re here as my personal assistant, right?¡± Ji Fanyin looked at her watch. ¡°Have you met the others yet?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Shen Qi opened up the tablet in his hand and offered it to Ji Fanyin. ¡°I¡¯ve grasped your current schedule.¡± He sounds like an agent or even a stalker. One of the female employees passing by the office happened to overhear those words and burst into laughter. She quickly covered her own mouth and rushed away. Chapter 74.2: I Want to Slap the Old Me (2) ¡°Is that how you usually speak?¡± Ji Fanyin asked as she received the tablet and took a look at it. A frown soon formed on her forehead. I¡¯m busier than I thought. And this was just her work schedule for the studio. There was still Bai Zhou and Li Xiaoxing on top of that. It feels like my workload hasn¡¯t decreased at all. I¡¯ll still be doing fifteen hours workdays as I did when I first transmigrated over, and I might still have to work OT now. Haa. At least I¡¯m earning more. ¡°Yes,¡± Shen Qi answered concisely with a single word. ¡°I don¡¯t dislike that. You resemble a friend I know. I¡¯m quite used to it by now,¡± said Ji Fanyin as she returned the tablet to Shen Qi. While she was raising her head, she noticed a faint smile appearing on his lips for the briefest of moments. ¡­ Did he just smile? Before Ji Fanyin could ask about it, Shen Qi had already noticed her doubt and had decided to address it, ¡°I thought of something funny.¡±(Reference to a famous scene in The Mermaid involving two policemen.) The same female employee happened to pass by once again, this time with a stack of documents in hand. She heard those words and crumbled against the wall in laughter. ¡°Pu¡­ what a prehistoric cold joke¡­¡± ¡°Shoo. Go and do your work.¡± Ji Fanyin lightly tugged the female employee¡¯s twintails and ushered her off. ¡°Or else you won¡¯t be getting any afternoon tea today.¡± The employees in the studio were given a high degree of autonomy, giving rise to a light-hearted atmosphere in the workplace. The employees were hardly afraid of their bosses at all. ¡°Alright alright~¡± The female employee playfully stuck her tongue out at Ji Fanyin before quickly running off with her documents. Ji Fanyin tapped into her reservation app and informed Shen Qi about Bai Zhou¡¯s recent reservation. ¡°I have private matters to attend to during this time.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Shen Qi¡¯s eyes lingered on her reservation app for a few seconds. ¡°This is my private schedule. I¡¯ll inform you if there are any changes,¡± explained Ji Fanyin calmly. ¡°I¡¯ll be heading off first. Send me an email if you need to get to me.¡± Shen Qi looked as if he was going to say something. ¡°Is there something you would like to say?¡± asked Ji Fanyin. Shen Qi fell silent for a few seconds. For some reason, Ji Fanyin thought that she could see a tsunami crashing down in his mind during these few seconds. He eventually explained his peculiar behavior with charismatic conciseness, ¡°I was the one who made your app.¡± Ji Fanyin: ¡°?¡± Shen Qi took out his phone and quickly tapped on a few buttons. Several seconds later, Ji Fanyin¡¯s phone vibrated. It was a simple ¡®full stop¡¯ coming from Programmer 996. It was clear now, that Programmer 996 was the man standing in front of her. Wow. Programmer 996 isn¡¯t bald like I thought he would be, and he somehow ended up becoming my personal assistant. Ji Fanyin was only stunned for a moment before quickly snapping out of it. While keeping her phone in her pocket, she teased him, ¡°Did you switch industries to protect your hairline from receding any further?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve achieved my previous goal,¡± replied Shen Qi. ¡°Did you manage to save up enough for your retirement?¡± Ji Fanyin looked at him curiously. ¡°Being my personal assistant might not be the most relaxing retirement job out there.¡± ¡°I can always switch jobs later on,¡± replied Shen Qi honestly. Ji Fanyin laughed. ¡°What¡¯s your goal working here then?¡± Shen Qi looked at the tablet in his hand and answered, ¡°To help you rake in big bucks.¡± Slightly surprised, Ji Fanyin looked at him and said, ¡°Not bad. This joke wasn¡¯t as cold as I thought it would be.¡± Shen Qi replied with a serious nod, ¡°Thank you.¡± Chapter 74.3: I Want to Slap the Old Me (3) Bai Zhou¡¯s reservation often spanned a full day. This was going to be the first time Ji Fanyin was meeting him in the new lunar year. To be more exact, Bai Zhou had called her twice, but she didn¡¯t pick up. On Chinese New Year Eve, Bai Zhou had discreetly sent her a ¡®Happy Chinese New Year¡¯, but Ji Fanyin was no longer the social recluse she was when she had first transmigrated. The sheer number of Chinese New Year greetings she received was so great that it was impossible for her to look through all of them. She could only selectively pick out a few to respond to. Unfortunately for Bai Zhou, he wasn¡¯t on the list. The meeting location they agreed on was a shopping mall. Bai Zhou arrived ahead of time with a warm cup of coffee. Upon seeing Ji Fanyin, he stuffed the cup into her hands and grumbled, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you allow me to pick you up?¡± Ji Fanyin glanced at his motorcycle and gave him a seemingly unimportant but extremely authentic answer, ¡°It¡¯s cold.¡± I don¡¯t deny that it¡¯s cool and dashing, but it¡¯s really, really cold. Bai Zhou: ¡°¡­¡± He let out a harrumph before marching into the shopping mall. A few steps later, he turned around and saw Ji Fanyin walking slowly while sipping on the coffee he had bought for her. Impatient, he said, ¡°Hurry up.¡± Ji Fanyin walked over with the same leisurely pace and replied, ¡°It¡¯d be a waste if I were to spill the coffee you bought.¡± Bai Zhou glanced at the cup she was holding with both of her hands and then fell silent. He was behaving perfectly normally, but that was also the reason why something felt off. It was just a few days ago that Ji Xinxin got engaged to Li Xiaoxing, but he didn¡¯t appear to be affected by it at all. It wasn¡¯t working hours yet, so Ji Fanyin didn¡¯t bother watching her tone when she spoke to Bai Zhou. She got straight to the point and asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you see your Moments page?¡± ¡°Says the one who hasn¡¯t been reading her messages,¡± grumbled Bai Zhou in annoyance. ¡°Did Ji Xinxin block you?¡± asked Ji Fanyin. ¡°Oh. The engagement. I saw it,¡± replied Bai Zhou with a frown. ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°Nothing at¡­¡± Bai Zhou bit his tongue at the last moment and quickly changed his tune. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill Li Xiaoxing that cripple!¡± Ji Fanyin: ¡°¡­¡± Wow. He has really imprinted the reason why I expelled Song Shiyu from my list of clients deeply into his mind. While they were in the lift, Ji Fanyin glanced at her watch and noticed that the clock ticked to a new hour. It was time for her to start work. Bai Zhou was particularly sensitive to her movements. He also quickly lowered his head to look at the time before clicking his tongue in annoyance, ¡°So fast¡­¡± Ji Fanyin feigned ignorance. Bai Zhou led her toward a newly opened arcade that contained a massive array of games, ranging from classic arcade game machines to the latest VR games. Standing by the doorway, Ji Fanyin couldn¡¯t help but think: Bai Zhou really loves his games. Chapter 74.4: I Want to Slap the Old Me (4) Bai Zhou spent several seconds looking at her with expectant eyes. Perplexed, Ji Fanyin asked with a warm and gentle voice, ¡°Zhouzhou, why are you looking at me like that?¡± Bai Zhou was even more bewildered than her. ¡°Don¡¯t you remember this place?¡± ¡°Have we been here before?¡± Ji Fanyin tilted her head as she quickly sieved through her memories. Nope, I¡¯ve never been here with him before. Most of our meetings have been at his place. Other than that, we¡¯ve only gone to his drawing studio, Disneyland, Universal Studios, and a few other places, but not this one. Could this be a place he has been to with Ji Xinxin? Unable to take it any longer, Bai Zhou shouted angrily, ¡°Isn¡¯t this the first place we met each other?!¡± ¡°Zhouzhou, you must be confused,¡± replied Ji Fanyin in bewilderment. ¡°Have you forgotten? The first time we met was at Yandu¡¯s experiential summer camp. Your school organized a visit to a nearby gallery showcasing the work of graduating art students.¡± Bai Zhou was so frustrated that he closed his eyes for several seconds in order to calm himself down. Then, he spoke in a suppressed voice, ¡°This is the place I first met Ji Fanyin. That should be clear enough, right?!¡± Ji Fanyin looked through her memories. That does appear to be the case. Back then, after the experiential summer camp, Bai Zhou chased Ji Xinxin all the way to Lakeside City, hoping to get closer to her. There was one incident where Ji Xinxin called a few friends out to play, and she insisted on dragging ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ along, saying that it was a good chance for her to make some friends. But how could the incredibly diffident ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ be able to make any friends? She didn¡¯t even get a chance to speak at all. It was that day Ji Xinxin introduced ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ to Bai Zhou. With a smile, she said, ¡°This is my twin sister. She¡¯s an amazing person.¡± Out of courtesy to Ji Xinxin, Bai Zhou greeted ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯. It was just that ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯s¡¯ response was so timid that it sounded like a mosquito¡¯s buzz, and that grated on Bai Zhou¡¯s nerves. That was probably where his initial disdain for ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ came from. ¡°I recall it now!¡± Ji Fanyin gave an ¡®Ah hah!¡¯ expression, indicating that she had recalled something. She stroked her chin with her fingers and said, ¡°But I remember that you disliked my big sis back then. You said something along the lines of ¡®Your big sis can¡¯t even compare with one of your fingernails. How is she amazing?¡¯. Did I remember it wrong?¡± The unexpected verbal stab had Bai Zhou cursing under his breath, ¡°Fuck.¡± He grabbed his pained heart and wondered where he could buy a time machine. If I could turn back time, I would give the me from two years ago a tight slap. Chapter 75.1: Why Do It If You’re Going to Regret It? (1) Not many people in the world aren¡¯t fond of games. There was a wide variety of games that one could choose from, ranging from mobile games to first-player shooting and role playing games. Even Mahjong and Blackjack were considered games too. These were entertainment choices devised by the brilliance of humanity, catering to people of all walks of life. Just like how white-collar workers occasionally peeked into their social media accounts during working hours, Ji Fanyin was overtly fond of gaming during working hours. When Bai Zhou remarked, ¡°Can¡¯t you play any better than that?¡±, Ji Fanyin fulfilled his wish and thoroughly kicked his ass. ¡°Tsk! Fine, I admit defeat. Happy now?¡± Bai Zhou grumbled in displeasure after having lost in every single game he had challenged Ji Fanyin to. He eyed the time and said, ¡°It¡¯s 1 o¡¯clock now. Let¡¯s go have lunch.¡± Ji Fanyin already had a good idea as to what Bai Zhou was up to today. He was planning to review whatever pieces of the pathetically few memories they shared together, likely with the aim of repainting them with new colors. If Ji Fanyin was still ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯, she might have been moved by his sincerity. Unfortunately, ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ was no longer around. Also, if Ji Fanyin didn¡¯t transmigrate over to this world, Bai Zhou wouldn¡¯t have had a change of heart either. That was a huge gap in logic that was simply impossible to overlook. The restaurant Bai Zhou picked for lunch was another extension of his memories with ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯. It was the place their group had gone after having their fun at the arcade that day. According to ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯s¡¯ memories, she hardly ate anything that day. The restaurant had a glass turntable where the dishes were served, so as to make it easier for customers to get the dish they wanted. Unfortunately, ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ was unable to grasp the timing for her to turn the turntable, so she was stuck with eating the dishes that happened to stop in front of her. Bai Zhou had specially booked a huge table just for the two of them. Ji Fanyin: ¡°¡­¡± When it was finally time to foot the bill, Bai Zhou walked up to the cashier and took out his wallet. Do youngsters nowadays still bring wallets with them? I thought they roamed the world with just a phone in hand. At most, I thought they would just bring a portable charger with them. Ji Fanyin couldn¡¯t recall Bai Zhou ever using a wallet, so his unusual behavior piqued her attention. She swiftly noticed a small picture pasted inside the wallet. ¡­ A neoprint? Are you a grade schooler? Despite Bai Zhou¡¯s desperate attempt to paint over old memories, the fact still remained that his interactions with ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ were severely lacking. It was to the extent where a day was more than enough to run through all of the memories, even amidst dilly-dallying. They had dinner at the hotel where they¡¯d had a farewell banquet to send Ji Xinxin off. That was actually the place Ji Fanyin and Bai Zhou first met. She had used the excuse that Ji Xinxin detested the smell of cigarettes to play the arrogant young man like a fool, and it looked like her lie hadn¡¯t been exposed to date. Their schedule for the day ended at a coffee shop. As Bai Zhou handed the freshly brewed latte to Ji Fanyin, the clock in the nearby square started to chime a total of nine times. Bai Zhou asked with a pleading voice, ¡°¡­ Can we head to one more location?¡± ¡°I¡¯m off work now,¡± Ji Fanyin rejected him heartlessly. ¡°Do you intend to pay me extra?¡± Bai Zhou fell silent for a brief moment before shaking his head. Ji Fanyin was surprised to see that. There were people in the world who were money-minded and showed contempt toward the rich. Bai Zhou was different from them¡ªhe seemed to hate money. Whenever he spent money, he would squander it as if it was nothing more than a tool to vent his emotions. get_lost_you_goddamned_money.jpg This was the first time she was seeing Bai Zhou hesitate when it came to money. This meant what he was up to wasn¡¯t as simple as just ¡®heading to another location¡¯. Chapter 75.2: Why Do It If You’re Going to Regret It? (2) ¡°¡­ My birthday is coming up soon,¡± said Bai Zhou all of a sudden. ¡°I know.¡± There was no way Ji Fanyin wouldn¡¯t know the birthday of her number one client. ¡°21st birthday,¡± he emphasized. ¡°I know,¡± Ji Fanyin also responded with an emphatic voice. Back in Greece, that was the day she had promised Bai Zhou to give him a response. ¡°You¡¯d better not have forgotten about it.¡± Bai Zhou let out a cold harrumph. He eyed her clothes and impatiently urged, ¡°Hurry up and hail your cab.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not heading home yet.¡± Ji Fanyin glanced at her watch. ¡°I still have matters to attend to, so I¡¯ll be leaving first.¡± Bai Zhou subconsciously stopped her.¡± Where are you heading to? Who are you meeting with?¡± Ji Fanyin tapped on her watch and reminded Bai Zhou, ¡°It¡¯s my private time.¡± She walked out of the coffee shop, leaving Bai Zhou behind. She really did have matters to attend to¡ªshe was rushing to the cinema to catch the latest movie that hit the silver screen. There was a real risk that she might get spoiled on her Weibo if she were to be late. There were still twenty minutes before the screening, so she decided to make a call to report on the progress of her work first. I guess there¡¯s time to make two. The first call was to Mr. Bai¡¯s mistress. She roughly reported her recent meetings with Bai Zhou to her, making sure to properly relay the charges. The mistress was satisfied with the progress. ¡°Bai Zhou didn¡¯t return home over the holidays, choosing to stay in Lakeside City all alone. His father was infuriated. He grumbled quite a bit about it to me.¡± Ji Fanyin could hear the smirk in her voice, as if the latter was boasting that she was the one Mr. Bai truly cared for. She raised her eyebrows and asked, ¡°Does that mean that you¡¯re satisfied with my performance?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already said that you¡¯re a smart child. A smart person can only succeed after choosing the right path¡­¡± The mistress paused for a moment before asking, ¡°It looks like you sold the apartment I¡¯ve given you?¡± Her surveillance work is quite thorough. It looks like the Bai Family is very fond of engaging the services of private investigators. ¡°It¡¯s too big. It would be uncomfortable to live there,¡± replied Ji Fanyin. ¡°You¡¯re still young, that¡¯s why you don¡¯t understand why bigger houses are better,¡± the mistress said with a chuckle. ¡°I¡¯ve already given the apartment to you, so you¡¯re free to do whatever you want with it. Bai Zhou will be in his third year of university soon. His father will soon call him home to intern in the company so as to prepare him for succession. All you have to do now is make him stay in Lakeside City and not return home. It should be easy for you. You just have to meet up with him more.¡± Ji Fanyin agreed to the request. After receiving the mistress¡¯ bank transfer, she dialed another number on her phone¡ªMrs. Bai. ¡°I didn¡¯t return during the Chinese New Year period either,¡± Mrs. Bai replied placidly. ¡°Did he spend the New Year with you?¡± ¡°He wished me Happy Chinese New Year.¡± There was a moment of silence before Mrs. Bai replied, ¡°Is that so? It has been many years since I received such messages from him.¡± ¡°Have you ever sent one to him?¡± asked Ji Fanyin. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡± Mrs. Bai thought nothing about it. ¡°I understand the current situation. I¡¯ll send you the money by tomorrow. I heard that your younger sister is back in the country. Do take note of it.¡± Ji Fanyin seriously doubted whether Ji Xinxin would have the energy to bother with Bai Zhou during this period of time, but there was no need for her to explain that to Mrs. Bai. Mrs. Bai hung up the call. After making those two calls, it was already about time for the movie to start soon, so she quickly made her way to the cinema. Along the way, she noticed two neoprint machines, the source of the little photos in Bai Zhou¡¯s wallet. She subconsciously glanced at the lower floors and noticed that she could still see the sign of the cafe they were in earlier. Could this be the place where Bai Zhou wanted to bring me to? Ji Fanyin had seen plenty of people who courted their own death, but this was the first time she was seeing someone who insisted on torturing themself on top of that. As long as you don¡¯t do things that prick at your conscience, you won¡¯t regret it in the future. It¡¯s such simple logic, but why is it that so few people in the world understood it? Ji Fanyin nonchalantly walked up to the concession stand and made her order, ¡°Single Combo Set B. Thanks.¡± Chapter 75.3: Why Do It If You’re Going to Regret It? (3) Ji Fanyin¡¯s new assistant was more competent than she had thought. He had planned out her schedule flawlessly, leaving nothing for her to complain about. Even when there was a seemingly irreconcilable clash in schedule, he was somehow able to settle things effectively with just a few calls. Ji Fanyin found herself wondering if Shen Qi was actually a personal secretary of some famous CEO prior to becoming a 996 Programmer. I heard that Li Xiaoxing has several teams of personal assistants, around forty people in total. I reckon that the salary of those people exceeds that of most small enterprises. ¡°You also have a wedding invitation,¡± said Shen Qi. ¡°It¡¯s from Mr. Li Xiaoxing and Miss Ji Xinxin. They are getting engaged on the 12th of March.¡± ¡°Arbor Day,¡± Ji Fanyin remarked subconsciously. ¡°It¡¯s the day commemorating Mr. Li Xiaoxing and Miss Ji Xinxin¡¯s reunion,¡± Shen Qi corrected her. Ji Fanyin: ¡°¡­¡± She took a moment to dissect what she had just heard from Shen Qi before asking the important question,¡± How did you know?¡± That should be information that only Ji Xinxin and Li Xiaoxing know about. Shen Qi propped up his glasses and replied, ¡°Miss Ji Xinxin said so herself.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Ji Fanyin¡¯s interest deflated. She¡¯s probably being high profile about the event because she¡¯s terrified about having no one else to fall back on. She¡¯s trying to be more affectionate so as to bind Li Xiaoxing tighter to her. It¡¯s just that the tighter she holds and the more she gains out of him, the harder she could fall, and the more afraid she would be of the eventual revelation. Ji Fanyin had no intention of letting Ji Xinxin off that easily. She was biding her time for Ji Xinxin¡¯s sea to dry up so that all of her shrimp and fishes would escape from her fishery. Her fall from grace would be spectacular. Or at least that was the conclusion she had prepared for Ji Xinxin. ¡°Do intend to attend the engagement ceremony?¡± asked Shen Qi. ¡°Nah, I¡¯ll pass,¡± replied Ji Fanyin without any hesitation. ¡°I have other appointments¡­¡± She paused at this point. 12th of March; it was also the day of Bai Zhou¡¯s birthday. On top of that, there was bound to be a crowd at the engagement ceremony. Aside from Father Ji and Mother Ji, many of Ji Xinxin¡¯s old fishes would likely attend the ceremony as well so as to bid farewell to their old flame. It almost sounds like a banquet for me to rake in Emotional Points. ¡°I¡¯ll go,¡± Ji Fanyin quickly changed her words. ¡°Prioritize the engagement ceremony in my schedule. Cancel everything that clashes with it.¡± Shen Qi propped up his glasses and replied, ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll change your schedule.¡± ¡­ The first thing Bai Zhou did after returning home was to browse through the reservation app. He was waiting for midnight to arrive so that he could reserve her service for his birthday right away lest someone beat him to it. He had already planned it out. He was planning to reserve several days of her time in a single breath. We went to Greece last time, didn¡¯t we? I¡¯ll take her somewhere else this time. Since we don¡¯t have much of a past together, I¡¯ll just have to create some new memories with her. Ji Fanyin had promised to answer his confession on his 21st birthday. While she did often spout lies, he didn¡¯t think that she would renege on a promise she had made. She didn¡¯t seem to be averse to Santorini¡¯s weather back then. Where should we go this time? London sounds good, but it¡¯s prone to rain. Or should we head for somewhere sunnier since the weather is cold here? Maybe Bali or Boracay? Would it be too hot though? Bai Zhou had nearly scrolled through the entire traveling app, Fliggy, by now. His plan was to take Ji Fanyin out for three days, leaving on Friday and returning on Monday. Saturday was the 12th of March, his birthday. Thus, the moment the reservation app opened up 11th of March for reservation, Bai Zhou swooped right in and claimed it for himself. 24 hours later, the reservation app finally opened up 12th of March for reservation. Same as before, Bai Zhou swooped in the moment the clock struck midnight, only to discover that the schedule was locked from 3 PM onward. Bai Zhou gritted his teeth in anger, but he still claimed all of the time slots between 11 AM to 3 PM for himself anyway. Chapter 76.3: None of My Business (3) While making their way out of the art studio, Bai Zhou casually asked Ji Fanyin,¡± Are you attending the engagement ceremony tomorrow?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± replied Ji Fanyin lazily. Bai Zhou secretly glanced at Ji Fanyin¡¯s reflection on the front reception¡¯s glass table. He found it intriguing how her disposition underwent a 180-degrees change the moment she was off work, even though she was still wearing the same set of clothes. ¡°Let¡¯s head there together after lunch. I¡¯ll drive you,¡± Bai Zhou offered on a whim. Ji Fanyin decisively rejected his offer, ¡°On your motorcycle? Too cold.¡± ¡°I bought a car!¡± exclaimed Bai Zhou as he puffed out his chest. Ever since Ji Fanyin complained about riding on his motorcycle being too cold, he immediately went through the driver¡¯s license test and bought a car. Ji Fanyin raised her eyebrows. Bai Zhou couldn¡¯t figure out what Ji Fanyin was thinking, but he had a feeling that she saw him as a child throwing a tantrum. ¡°You want to attend Ji Xinxin¡¯s engagement ceremony with me?¡± Ji Fanyin repeated his proposal. ¡°Bai Zhou, do you know what others will think if they see that?¡± Bai Zhou was silent for two seconds before he responded with an answer that was aligned with his previous persona, ¡°Why the fuck would I care about what they think?¡± Ji Fanyin shot him a look. Her gaze made Bai Zhou incredibly self-conscious, to the point that he subconsciously corrected his words, ¡°What would I care about what they think?¡± A split second after he made that correction, he realized that something was really weird here: When did I become so civilized? ¡°I¡¯ll hitch a ride from you tomorrow then,¡± replied Ji Fanyin. ¡°I-It¡¯s a deal then!¡± The unexpectedly positive outcome left Bai Zhou so excited that he immediately cast aside the doubts he harbored in his mind. ¡­ 12th March arrived as promised. There was a drizzle early in the morning. Just as Ji Fanyin was about to head out, she received a call from Mother Ji. The latter anxiously asked, ¡°Yinyin, where are you?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the day of Xinxin¡¯s engagement! Shouldn¡¯t you come earlier to help you?¡± exclaimed Mother Ji in bewilderment. ¡°No matter how estranged you are from our family, you shouldn¡¯t miss such an important day for your younger sister. We¡¯re waiting for you to host the guests here!¡± Ji Fanyin used an even more shocked tone to respond, ¡°I nearly forgot about it. If I recall correctly, I¡¯ve only received an invitation from the groom¡¯s side. I don¡¯t think anyone from the bride¡¯s side even invited me.¡± Both Father Ji and Mother Ji had vanished from Ji Fanyin¡¯s life ever since their previous awkward meeting. It was understandable why Ji Xinxin hadn¡¯t sent Ji Fanyin an invitation letter, but there was really no excuse for these two. ¡°You expected us to send you an invitation letter too?¡± ¡°I¡¯m busy. I¡¯ll head there in the afternoon.¡± Ji Fanyin looked at the gloomy weather outside and decided to take an umbrella with her. ¡°What are you busy with? What could be more important than your younger sister¡¯s engagement ceremony?¡± Mother Ji sounded infuriated. ¡°I don¡¯t care! If you don¡¯t rush here right now, you shouldn¡¯t even dream of us offering you a helping hand when you need help!¡± Ji Fanyin calmly answered, ¡°My next schedule is worth 12 million dollars. If you¡¯re willing to compensate me for my loss, I¡¯ll head over right now.¡± Mother Ji became even more agitated. ¡°What nonsense are you spouting? 12 million? Are you selling your organs?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need your help. I also don¡¯t intend on attending the engagement ceremony as Ji Xinxin¡¯s older sister.¡± The lift arrived on the first floor. Ji Fanyin walked out and opened her umbrella. ¡°Oh right, relay my well wishes to Mr. Li. Thank him for the invitation letter on my behalf.¡± ¡°Ji Fanyin!¡± Mother Ji furiously bellowed. ¡°Are you going to defy us now that you¡¯re earning your own money?¡± Ji Fanyin chuckled at those words. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Mother Ji took a sharp gasp of air, but Ji Fanyin hung up the phone before she could say anything else. Father Ji and Mother Ji weren¡¯t generous with their Emotional Points, but it was still something. More importantly, she carried disdain for the two of them. The two of them were accustomed to taking advantage of little conveniences and making use of other people¡¯s kindness. They disliked dealing with trouble, and they would prefer to downplay things whenever possible. Ji Xinxin knew how to cry and kick up a fuss, so the two of them doted on her. ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ chose to bottle everything within her and tolerate it, so the two of them took her sacrifices for granted and expected her to continue doing so till the end of time. If only Father Ji and Mother Ji were a little more sensitive to their children¡¯s feelings, they would have found themselves with two intelligent twin daughters who had strengths in different fields. It wouldn¡¯t have ended in the current tragedy. After Ji Fanyin got into a cab, she whipped out her phone and began scrolling through her WeChat. She was hoping to see the commotion at the engagement ceremony, but she unexpectedly stumbled upon a friend request. It was from a person named Yuuki. It took her a while before she recalled who this ¡®Yuuki¡¯ was. It was Cheng Lin, the female classmate who seemed to harbor ill feelings for both Ji Xinxin and Ji Fanyin. Chapter 77.1: Why Didn’t You Reply to My Text? (1) Cheng Lin¡¯s friend request came without an introduction message, but it piqued Ji Fanyin¡¯s interest. Cheng Lin outwardly appeared to be on good terms with Ji Xinxin, but their interactions looked much more like that of plastic sisters. In comparison to her interactions with Ji Xinxin, she was quite hostile toward ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ and never hesitated to utilize every possible opportunity to ridicule her. She was like a short-tempered bystander who was angry at ¡®Ji Fanyin¡¯ for not standing up for herself. Ji Fanyin accepted Cheng Lin¡¯s friend request but did not message her. Instead, Ji Fanyin started scrolling through her WeChat Moments, wanting to see if there were any tidbits of gossip on Ji Xinxin¡¯s wedding. A message notification from Cheng Lin popped up: ¡¾You there?¡¿ Ji Fanyin: ¡¾.¡¿ Cheng Lin fell silent again. Ji Fanyin continued scrolling through her WeChat Moments when she chanced upon a post by Mother Ji. The photo featured the back view of Ji Xinxin in her engagement dress, complete with the front view reflected on the full-length mirror in front of her. There was a blissful smile on Ji Xinxin¡¯s face, just like any other bride. With a swipe of her finger, Ji Fanyin scrolled away the photo and the accompanying lengthy paragraphs depicting the rueful feelings of Mother Ji. She felt a bit regretful that there wasn¡¯t anything about an outbreak of conflict yet. Oh well, this is fine too. I¡¯ll be able to secure front row seats to the drama when I head over to rake in Emotion Points later at night. Ji Fanyin had a simple lunch at Bai Zhou¡¯s place where he confidently showed off his cooking skills with a plate of stir-fried tomatoes with eggs. With the slightly charred dish placed in front of him, a proud Bai Zhou looked at Ji Fanyin with his arms akimbo as he smugly raised his chin toward her. Ji Fanyin glanced at him and praised with a smile, ¡°Our Zhouzhou learnt how to cook so quickly. When are you going to cook up a feast for me?¡± ¡°Soon!¡± Bai Zhou¡¯s tail was almost up to the sky, ¡°You can look forward to it in the next few days¡­ next few months!¡± ¡°Today is your birthday. It wouldn¡¯t do for the birthday boy to tire himself out.¡± Ji Fanyin tousled his hair, ¡°Wait for me outside; I¡¯m almost done. You can bring the cake out first.¡± Bai Zhou happily scurried away with his plate of stir-fried tomato with egg in hand. He then proceeded to take out the cake Ji Fanyin had brought over. ¡°Where¡¯s my present?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give it to you after the meal.¡± Bai Zhou carefully warned, ¡°No going back on your word.¡± Ji Fanyin casually replied without even raising her head, ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± So what if I do? What can you even do about it? The meal lasted till 1 PM. Bai Zhou moved the dirty dishes into the dishwasher before hounding Ji Fanyin to help him pick out his outfit for later. This was the first time Ji Fanyin was in Bai Zhou¡¯s bedroom. The walk-in wardrobe that was connected to the bedroom was quite spacious. It was probably intended for two. Ji Fanyin took a look around and casually picked out a tuxedo and a matching tie. ¡°What about the accessories?¡± asked Bai Zhou. ¡°Our Zhouzhou is young and handsome. You look good without them.¡± ¡°But Song Shiyu has them.¡± Bai Zhou was displeased. Ji Fanyin: ¡°...¡± What in the world have these two people been talking to each other about? Chapter 78.1: I Love You Too (1) Li Mingyue¡¯s quiet appearance shocked Ji Fanyin, but it made perfect sense when she noticed the lambskin flats on Li Mingyue. Anyone with the slightest bit of common sense would choose to wear a pair of comfortable shoes over stiletto on such an exhausting day. ¡°Looks like she has done a good job hiding the truth.¡± Cheng Lin crossed her arms and snorted. She turned to Li Mingyue and continued, ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t she? She¡¯s still counting on marrying into the Li Family to lift her social status!¡± Li Mingyue was unfazed. She calmly looked at Cheng Lin and replied, ¡°It¡¯s only been a month since my brother brought Ji Xinxin home. I admit that I don¡¯t know her well. Can¡¯t you share more details with me?¡± Cheng Lin¡¯s expression froze up, which amused Ji Fanyin. The latter chuckled unapologetically. Cheng Lin had always been weak to soft tactics. She couldn¡¯t find any reasons to reject the calm and polite request coming from Li Mingyue. Cheng Lin directed a sharp glare at Ji Fanyin, but it didn¡¯t look very intimidating. She then pursed her lips and asked with a provocative tone, ¡°Ji Fanyin, what do you think? Should I reveal everything to the Li Family?¡± ¡°Today is an important day for them. Let¡¯s not be wet blankets,¡± Ji Fanyin replied with a smile. She had already booked a VIP seat to enjoy the upcoming drama. It would be interesting to watch them get onto the same boat and drag each other down. She wouldn¡¯t want Li Xiaoxing and Ji Xinxin to sever their relationship now and ruin the show. After all, she had already booked the VIP seats to enjoy the upcoming drama. However, Ji Fanyin¡¯s reply agitated Cheng Lin. ¡°That¡¯s the thing about you! Don¡¯t you know how the two of them ¡®met at the nursing home¡¯?¡± These words were a huge hint. Ji Fanyin put up a finger to hush Cheng Lin. She then walked forth to grab her arm to stop her from revealing anything more. Despite looking like a valiant soldier prepared to march to the battlefield, Cheng Lin froze up on Ji Fanyin¡¯s touch. ¡°Ji Fanyin! What are you doing¡­ Why the bloody hell are you leaning on me? Let¡¯s talk peacefully and not resort to violence¡­ Don¡¯t you have any bones?!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ruin my plans.¡± Ji Fanyin forcefully dragged Cheng Lin off while directing an apologetic smile toward Li Mingyue. ¡°Sorry for the inconvenience.¡± Li Mingyue frowned at their exchange. She asked, ¡°Is it inconvenient to reveal the details?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s better not to talk about it,¡± replied Ji Fanyin. For me, that is. I can¡¯t say the same for Li Xiaoxing though. Those words got Cheng Lin gritting her teeth. She dragged Ji Fanyin forward with her and exclaimed, ¡°Why not? Don¡¯t you know that a person of Li Xiaoxing¡¯s stature won¡¯t be able to easily annul an engagement once the ceremony goes through? If you do not reveal the truth now, when do you plan to¡­¡± Cheng Lin suddenly widened her eyes and stared at Ji Fanyin incredulously. ¡°It can¡¯t be that you don¡¯t even know why Li Xiaoxing likes Ji Xinxin?!¡± ¡°I know.¡± Ji Fanyin tightened her grip around Cheng Lin¡¯s arm, silently pressuring her to lower her volume. ¡°But we don¡¯t have to expose her now.¡± ¡°... When do you plan to reveal it then?¡± ¡°When Li Xiaoxing can no longer back out,¡± replied Ji Fanyin. Ji Fanyin had never been worried about being outplayed by Ji Xinxin. What interested her more was how Li Xiaoxing would react when he learned of the truth, after the deed had been done. That was the only thing she was uncertain about. These were the kind of things that piqued her interest, making her want to see to the end of things. But if one thing was for sure, Li Xiaoxing definitely wouldn¡¯t abandon Ji Xinxin right away. He had already invested so much into Ji Xinxin. Regardless of whether it was out of anger from being scammed, or to recoup his investment, Li Xiaoxing wouldn¡¯t let Ji Xinxin go that easily. But what about after that? Ji Fanyin was secretly hoping that he might transfer her eight billion dollars out of guilt and self-reproach. ¡­ I¡¯m also fine with seven billion too if that¡¯s too much. Cheng Lin fell silent. She pulled her arm out of Ji Fanyin¡¯s grasp and then snorted in disdain, ¡°You¡¯re hopeless. I¡¯m an idiot for worrying about you.¡± She raised her chin haughtily and marched off to the table assigned to her, not wanting to interfere in this matter anymore. Ji Fanyin¡¯s invitation was from Li Xiaoxing, so it was only natural for her to be seated amongst Li Xiaoxing¡¯s guests. Despite being a foreign face to Li Xiaoxing¡¯s associates, no one dared to belittle her. After all, Secretary Fan had taken special care to greet her within a minute of her settling down in her seat. Chapter 78.2: I Love You Too (2) After Ji Fanyin and Cheng Lin¡¯s departure, Li Mingyue was left standing on the spot. She tapped her foot as she mused over the information she had just gathered. Things aren¡¯t as simple as they seem. If Cheng Lin is a paparazzi who has caught wind of juicy gossip, Ji Fanyin would be a capitalist who is determined to suppress the news. She spent half a minute organizing the information she had just gathered before returning to the registration corner. Despite Ji Fanyin¡¯s interference, Cheng Lin had already leaked the crux of the matter. It wasn¡¯t that difficult to figure out the rest of the story. All that was left to do was to sound out Father Ji and Mother Ji to verify her deduction. She entrusted her duties at the reception area to her assistant before heading over to Father Ji and Mother Ji. With an amicable smile, she struck up a conversation with them, ¡°I was surprised by how identical my sister-in-law and her older sister are.¡± Father Ji let out a dry laugh while Mother Ji awkwardly answered, ¡°They are twins after all.¡± Li Mingyue nodded understandingly. ¡°I heard my sister-in-law had to be admitted to a nursing home many years ago?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ Xinxin had a frail body as a child. Once, she got so critically ill that we thought that she wouldn¡¯t make it¡­ Ah! Let¡¯s not talk about inauspicious stuff on a joyous day like this!¡± Mother Ji lightly slapped her mouth in a gesture of touchwood. ¡°Thank god she was able to grow up into a healthy adult. With Mr. Li¡¯s companionship, I¡¯m sure that they¡¯ll both be able to sail through any difficulties that come their way.¡± Li Mingyue slightly lowered her head to dissect what she had just heard. When Li Xiaoxing returned from Japan a month ago, he brought Ji Xinxin back to the Li Family with him, saying that he had proposed to her and she had accepted him. He adamantly insisted that he would marry no one other than this woman. Left with no choice, the Li Family could only approve their marriage. During that meeting, Li Xiaoxing shared how he ended up giving his heart away to a woman who was almost ten years younger than him. When the Li Family realized that Ji Xinxin was the little girl who had helped Li Xiaoxing regain his confidence when he was at his lowest point, their opinion of her was raised by a notch. If not for her encouragement then, Li Xiaoxing might have been bed bound for his entire life. Ji Xinxin had also received their thanks at that time, albeit shyly. But thinking about it now, Ji Xinxin was merely in the third grade when the incident happened. If she was severely ill during that period of time, would she really have the strength to visit Li Xiaoxing¡¯s ward that frequently? Li Mingyue had an impression of that little girl too. Her memories of that little girl were fuzzy, but she was certain that the girl was in the pink of health. ¡°Was my sister-in-law¡¯s condition that bad?¡± Li Mingyue asked with a worried look. ¡°Does she undergo regular health checkups? It would be awful if she suffered a relapse. Why don¡¯t I get someone to arrange a checkup for her before the wedding?¡± Mother Ji was flustered by the suggestion. She quickly waved her hands to turn down the offer, saying, ¡°That¡¯s a thing of the past. She has never been in a coma ever since. She was also given a clean bill of health during our annual health checks.¡± ¡°... Coma?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t remember what exactly the doctor said back then, but I think he mentioned something along the line of vegetative state?¡± Mother Ji¡¯s brows furrowed as she tried to remember the details. ¡°She simply wouldn¡¯t wake up no matter what we did, so the doctor admitted her into the nursing home for observation. It took an entire month before she finally regained consciousness¡­ But I can assure you that Xinxin is in great health now. There¡¯s no need to worry about that. She¡¯ll have no problem giving birth and taking care of kids!¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± Li Mingyue¡¯s lips curled into a smile, but the smile didn¡¯t reach her eyes. ¡°I was just worried that my brother might go mad with worry if something happens to sister-in-law.¡± After saying her piece, she ended the small talk and returned to the Li Family¡¯s side of the reception. Barely after taking two steps, she suddenly remembered something and turned around to look at Mother Ji. ¡°Has my sister-in-law shared the story of how she and my brother met?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid not.¡± Mother Ji shook her head in confusion, before adding in a loving manner, ¡°But it must have been romantic.¡± Li Mingyue casually replied to that with another smile. At that moment, Li Mingyue¡¯s assistant had just finished registering a male guest. Li Mingyue approached her and whispered, ¡°Make a trip to Evergreen Nursing Home and bring me both Ji Xinxin and my brother¡¯s medical records.¡± The assistant acknowledged the instructions with a nod and took her leave. Soon, another assistant came in to fill the gap. Li Mingyue continued to welcome her brother¡¯s guests, but she couldn¡¯t help checking the time on her watch every now and then with a slight frown. The nursing home isn¡¯t too far away, and its president is one of our close acquaintances. It shouldn¡¯t take too long for my assistant to return with the medical records. He might just be able to make it in time before the commencement of the engagement ceremony¡­ Chapter 78.3: I Love You Too (3) Somewhere within earshot, a guest had just completed his registration and deposited his congratulatory money. As he calmly made his way into the venue, he whipped out his phone and made a call. The call did not connect, but the man wasn¡¯t going to give up that easily. On his fifth try, the call finally connected. ¡°Xinxin.¡± The man licked his lips in excitement. ¡°I just heard an important piece of news that you definitely won¡¯t want to miss out on.¡± ¡°...¡± Ji Xinxin replied with a voice that was suppressed to the bare minimum, ¡°Cen Xiangyang, didn¡¯t I tell you not to contact me again?¡± Cen Xiangyang¡¯s complexion darkened. ¡°Evergreen Nursing Home. Does it ring a bell?¡± ¡°...¡± Ji Xinxin fell silent. Cen Xiangxiang patiently waited for a moment before continuing on, ¡°I¡¯m beside the reception area. Meet me and I¡¯ll let you in on the details.¡± He ended the call right after saying his bit, not giving Ji Xinxin a chance to bargain. While waiting for Ji Xinxin, Cen Xiangyang tidied up his hair looking in a nearby glass panel. His reflection showed a sniggering man with a hint of madness in his eyes. With the handle he now had over Ji Xinxin, she would never be able to escape from his clutches even after becoming Mrs. Li. You¡¯re mine. Cen Xiangyang whistled in a good mood. Shortly after, he was approached by a staff member. ¡°Are you Mr. Cen?¡± The staff member led him to a room beside the bridal preparation room. Not too long later, Ji Xinxin entered in her wedding dress. ¡°You¡¯re gorgeous,¡± Cen Xiangyang praised. ¡°It¡¯s a pity that I¡¯m not the groom.¡± Ji Xinxin vexatiously cut him off there and got straight to the point. ¡°Let¡¯s not waste time. Now that I¡¯m here, you should explain what you said on the phone.¡± Suppressing his emerging smile, Cen Xiangyang repeated the conversation he had overheard from Li Mingyue, Father Ji, and Mother Ji. He ended off with a taunt, ¡°Li Mingyue has a good head. She sent her assistant out after hearing your parents¡¯ words. Aren¡¯t you curious what her plans are? Could she be thinking of ousting you out as an imposter?¡± Ji Xinxin tightly gripped her skirt. Without a word, she turned around and left the room. Cen Xiangyang allowed her to leave. What he was seeing in his eyes was a helpless prey running straight toward a trap. ¡­ Who was it? Who raised Li Mingyue¡¯s suspicions? Was it Ji Fanyin? Was it really her? Didn¡¯t she offer us her blessings?! How could she go back on her word? Ji Xinxin practically sprinted all the way to the groom¡¯s preparation room. She stopped at the door, took in a deep breath to recompose herself, and plastered a blissful smile on her face. Then, she knocked on the door. ¡°Xiaoxing, may I come in?¡± A flurry of activity could be heard on the other side, but it didn¡¯t take long before someone answered the door. It was Li Xiaoxing¡¯s assistant. Behind him, a dashing suited-up Li Xiaoxing was slowly wheeling himself toward the door. He looked at Ji Xinxin with an endearing smile and offered her his hand. ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you getting cold feet now?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Ji Xinxin returned a smile. She squatted down beside Li Xiaoxing¡¯s wheelchair and took his outstretched hand in hers. Tears welled up in her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m just¡­ frightened you¡¯ll suddenly change your mind and abandon me.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way I would do that.¡± Li Xiaoxing stroked her hair tenderly. ¡°I love you.¡± ¡°Shall we¡­¡± Ji Xinxin broke out into a smile. She suggested with a mischievous glint in her eyes, ¡°Shall we surprise everyone by commencing the ceremony now?¡± Her heart hammered so loudly in her chest that she thought that it would rip right out of her ribcage. Both her voice and hands were trembling ever so slightly. Li Xiaoxing was falling more and more in love with her unease. He squeezed her trembling hands comfortingly and accepted her wilful request, ¡°Let¡¯s do that then. Let¡¯s commence the ceremony now.¡± Ji Xinxin let out a huge sigh of relief. She was glad to have overcome the ordeal, even if just for the time being. So what if Li Mingyue discovers the truth? I¡¯d have already become Li Xiaoxing¡¯s fianc¨¦ by the time she gathers the evidence. By then, the Li Family won¡¯t be able to get rid of me anymore. I¡¯ll have all the time in the world to win Li Xiaoxing over. Ji Xinxin rested her forehead on the back of Li Xiaoxing¡¯s hand and mumbled, ¡°... I love you too.¡± ¡°Mm.¡± Li Xiaoxing tenderly stroked Ji Xinxin¡¯s nape. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be scared about. I¡¯ll always be by your side.¡± Chapter 79.1: Look Closely, Stupid! (1) Ji Fanyin was sipping on some refreshing coconut water when the emcee suddenly stepped on stage. The emcee maintained a composed front but his premature appearance and hurried movements hinted that there was a sudden change in plans. It¡¯s barely 4PM. Wasn¡¯t the ceremony supposed to start at 4.30PM? The abrupt change in plans piqued Ji Fanyin''s interest. What could have prompted this change while she was idling in her seat? To be exact, she hadn''t exactly been idling since quite a few things happened ever since she settled down on the seat. For one, there was a constant stream of people who either mistook her for Ji Xinxin or were curious about their identical appearances, that approached her for small talk. There was also Bai Zhou and Song Shiyu, who entered the venue shortly after her. But what particularly caught her eye was Cen Xiangyang. The budding film director shot her a long, meaningful stare. Ji Fanyin figured that Cen Xiangyang was up to no good, but she chose to ignore him. Soon, the emcee welcomed the two stars of the night up on stage. The doors to the ballroom opened, and a wheelchair-ridden Li Xiaoxing entered the ballroom with Ji Xinxin. She slowly pushed him down the aisle and up onto the stage via a specially constructed ramp. ¡°What a beautiful couple¡­¡± Awed murmurs could be heard from the audience. Some of the guests even turned to look at Ji Fanyin after seeing the bride, shocked at the degree of similarity in their appearances. To hype up the atmosphere, the emcee cued the couple to share the story of how they met. The emcee was an amateur and a close friend of Li Xiaoxing, so he didn''t pull any punches with his teasing, ¡°Should we get the bride-to-be or groom-to-be to answer this question?¡± That threw the crowd into a frenzy. Loud applause broke out, and several people in the crowd chanted Li Xiaoxing¡¯s name. Ji Xinxin''s accusatory eyes immediately darted toward Ji Fanyin. Ji Fanyin felt wronged. ¡­ The heavens can vouch for me. If anything, I was the one who has been trying to conceal the matter. Instead of looking at me, you should look at your parents instead. That would have been much more useful. Li Xiaoxing took the mic from the emcee. This was an important day to him too, so he didn¡¯t hesitate to share the story. ¡°I was involved in a car accident back when I was nineteen. The impact damaged my spinal cord, leaving me fully paralyzed. My family and the doctors told me that there was a chance for me to recover, but deep down, I had already given up all hope.¡± He turned to Ji Xinxin and grabbed her hand. ¡°When I fell into depression from the thought of having to be confined to a bed for the rest of my life, a little girl who was in the same hospital barged into my ward. She was¡­¡± A faint smile formed on Li Xiaoxing¡¯s lips as he recalled that moment. ¡°... an angel. She appeared and comforted me when no one else could understand my fear. She brought hope back to me. Under her care and support, I worked hard on my rehabilitation and eventually started recovering.¡± The mischievous emcee then stuffed the mic toward Ji Xinxin and said, ¡°Shall we get our bride-to-be to share her thoughts after hearing the groom¡¯s touching story?¡± Ji Xinxin took the mic from the emcee and said, ¡°That was just an intermittent memory of our childhood days. We lost contact afterward, and it was only on the 20th of May five years ago that our paths crossed again. It was an unexpected reunion, but we still managed to recognize each other. Over time, we developed feelings for each other. I am fortunate to have been able to meet Xiaoxing and grasp hold of this wonderful relationship.¡± Chapter 79.2: Look Closely, Stupid! (2) During her speech, her gaze casually lingered on Ji Fanyin for a few seconds. It was almost as if she was trying to convince herself that the identity swap was nothing but an impetus that kickstarted their relationship, and that she was the one whom Li Xiaoxing truly loved. Ji Fanyin raised her eyebrows, not bothering to say a word. However, Ji Xinxin¡¯s words had tipped quite a few people off about the truth. One of them was Bai Zhou, who rudely shot to his feet and stared at Ji Fanyin in disbelief. Song Shiyu, Father Ji, and Mother Ji were also aware of the details behind Ji Xinxin¡¯s hospitalization, and they could hardly control their expressions once they realized the truth. Thankfully, the banquet hall was incredibly massive, such that those seated at the far back would have trouble seeing the newlywed¡¯s faces. As a result, hardly anyone noticed their anomaly. It was also around then that Ji Fanyin spotted Li Mingyue, who was seated in the main table as the groom¡¯s direct kin, rising to her feet and inconspicuously leaving the banquet hall. Following closely behind was her assistant with two folders tucked under her arm. Ji Fanyin thought about everything that had happened since her arrival at the hotel, and she stroked her lower jaw in anticipation. Li Mingyue is truly a smart person. The highlight of the show is about to begin. Isn¡¯t Ji Xinxin trying so hard to convince herself that the person Li Xiaoxing is in love with is the one he met after the reunion? Let¡¯s put that to the test then. ¡­ Li Mingyue tried her best to leave the ballroom as discreetly as possible. She took the folders from her assistant¡¯s hands and swiftly browsed through it. Slowly, her delicate eyebrows began furrowing tightly against each other. ¡°This kind of matter¡­¡± She quickly pursed her lips to stop herself from saying anything more. It was too absurd. How did Ji Xinxin manage to conceal such a blatant lie? Did the shallowness of the affair blindside Li Xiaoxing, causing him to let his guard down? Li Mingyue clutched the two folders tightly as she considered her next move. Her assistant quietly probed, ¡°Do you intend to show these folders to Mr. Li?¡± Li Mingyue didn¡¯t answer the question. She looked at the banquet hall behind her, where laughter and cheery conversation could be heard. Who could have imagined the touching love story recounted just a moment ago was simply a lie? But the engagement ceremony was already underway. Li Mingyue didn¡¯t need to reach for her phone to know that a public engagement like this would have already spread like wildfire on the internet. Millions were already aware of this engagement. It wouldn¡¯t be an easy feat for them to annul it now. More importantly, Li Mingyue was unaware of Li Xiaoxing¡¯s thoughts on the matter. How will he react when he finds out about it? While Li Mingyue was still immersed in her thoughts, her assistant noticed a man walking out of the banquet hall and greeted him, ¡°Mr. Song.¡± The greeting sounded more like a reminder to Li Mingyue. The latter quickly snapped out of her daze and acknowledged Song Shiyu¡¯s presence with a nod. However, Song Shiyu walked up to her, eyed the folders in her hands, and then asked solemnly, ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Chapter 79.3: Look Closely, Stupid! (3) ¡°Just a couple of documents.¡± Li Mingyue passed the folders to her assistant with no intention of giving Song Shiyu a look at them. ¡°I have known Ji Xinxin and Ji Fanyin for many years.¡± Song Shiyu¡¯s voice was freezingly cold. ¡°I know how dire Xinxin¡¯s condition was back then.¡± Refusing to bite the bait, Li Mingyue calmly replied, ¡°You must have been touched by their love story.¡± ¡°...¡± Her response annoyed Song Shiyu. He lit up a cigarette and took a puff. ¡°You don¡¯t have to sound me out. If a little girl had truly helped your brother back then, she could only have been Ji Fanyin and not Ji Xinxin.¡± ¡°Smoking isn¡¯t allowed here,¡± Li Mingyue reminded him. While Song Shiyu put out the cigarette, Li Mingyue eyed the folders in her assistant¡¯s hands. ¡°Can those documents prove their identities?¡± asked Song Shiyu. ¡°¡­ Do you intend to show them to Li Xiaoxing?¡± ¡°It¡¯s too late for that.¡± Li Mingyue grabbed the folders and slammed them against Song Shiyu¡¯s chest. ¡°There¡¯s much more at stake now.¡± They could have easily called it off if the engagement ceremony hadn¡¯t commenced yet, but not anymore. It was like a message that had been sent for over two minutes on WeChat¡ªit couldn¡¯t be retracted anymore. While Li Mingyue was weighing her choices, Song Shiyu¡¯s mind started churning into action too. If Li Xiaoxing truly cares about the little girl who saved him back then, there¡¯s a possibility that he might back down on his decision to marry Ji Xinxin and instead court Ji Fanyin. Why would I bring another strong love rival into the picture? Besides, Ji Fanyin attended the engagement ceremony as one of the groom¡¯s guests, showing that she is acquainted with Li Xiaoxing. The chances are that she is already aware of Ji Xinxin¡¯s impersonation. If Ji Fanyin hasn¡¯t exposed them yet, it can only mean that she doesn¡¯t intend to, at least not yet. So, Song Shiyu began to speak up, ¡°In my view, it might not necessarily be a bad idea to let things play out as they are.¡± Li Mingyue stared daggers at Song Shiyu. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s a fact that Li Xiaoxing has already fallen in love with Ji Xinxin, isn''t that so?¡± asked Song Shiyu. ¡°Rather than plunging the world into chaos by announcing the truth, wouldn¡¯t it be better to uphold the current peace and harmony? What do you think?¡± ¡°¡­ What a load of crap!¡± Their conversation was interrupted by an infuriated Cheng Lin. ¡°Why should Ji Xinxin be allowed to trample all over her older sister and get things that don''t belong to her? Do you know how she has oppressed that dimwit, Ji Fanyin all these years? She shouldn¡¯t even be given a dime she doesn¡¯t deserve!¡± Cheng Lin¡¯s appearance spawned a headache for Li Mingyue. ¡°What brings you here?¡± ¡°Excuse me.¡± Another voice piped up behind Cheng Lin. ¡°You all trailed out of the banquet hall one after another. I¡¯m not blind.¡± It was Bai Zhou. He closed the door behind him and said, ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be anyone else after me.¡± The group looked at each other silently. No one was taking the initiative to start the conversation. Song Shiyu began looking through the medical records while Li Mingyue gestured for her assistant to keep a lookout for them. However, the remaining two, Bai Zhou and Cheng Lin, appeared to have reached an argument after a quick exchange of glances. ¡°You can discuss all you want, but I¡¯ll be revealing the truth.¡± Cheng Lin crossed her arms domineeringly. ¡°I had to put up with this for so many years and I am sick of it. I¡¯ll tell Li Xiaoxing he is blind for recognising the wrong person. Whether he wants to continue this shit or not is none of my business. It¡¯s his choice.¡± Bai Zhou looked at Cheng Lin. ¡°What?¡± Cheng Lin asked impatiently. Oddly enough, Bai Zhou was even angrier than her. ¡°Does Ji Fanyin condone your use of vulgarities?¡± Cheng Lin: ¡°?¡± ¡°Forget it. That just means she cares more about me than you.¡± Bai Zhou swiftly found an excuse. Chapter 79.4: Look Closely, Stupid! (4) Bai Zhou then turned to Li Mingyue and said, ¡°In any case, I¡¯m aware of the situation now. It doesn¡¯t matter what you decide to do anymore. You can¡¯t stop me from talking about it.¡± Song Shiyu chirped in, ¡°I understand your frustrations. There¡¯s only one thing I¡¯d like to say in response to that. Don¡¯t you think Ji Fanyin already knows about the imposter situation?¡± ¡°...¡± Song Shiyu further pushed his point, ¡°If Ji Fanyin herself isn¡¯t bothered by the situation, don¡¯t you think you¡¯re overstepping your bounds by revealing the truth?¡± Bai Zhou¡¯s determination began to waver. Now that he thought about it, Ji Fanyin was oddly unbothered by the situation compared to the rest of them. He was painfully aware that Ji Fanyin drew a clear boundary between work and personal life. Considering how she had taken Li Xiaoxing in as one of her clients, it was highly improbable that she was interested in becoming his ¡®white moonlight. ¡°... So what!¡± Cheng Lin had a totally different reaction. ¡°I¡¯ll do what I think is right! All I know is that someone has done something wrong. I¡¯ll expose her as a liar and hypocrite, even if it¡¯s none of my business! If Ji Fanyin has a problem with that, she can take it up with me any time she wants!¡± After saying her piece, she stomped back into the banquet hall. Li Mingyue hurriedly snatched the documents back from Song Shiyu¡¯s hands and handed them to her assistant before chasing Cheng Lin into the banquet hall. I can¡¯t allow her to barge in and tell Li Xiaoxing the truth now! This is the worst setting and timing to do so! The two newlyweds had just finished exchanging their engagement rings. The emcee cued the audience to applaud as the newlyweds headed off to change their clothes. Cheng Lin ran straight over to intercept the two of them, only to be surrounded by a group of bodyguards the next instant. ¡°Cheng Lin?¡± exclaimed Ji Xinxin in surprise. ¡°Is something the matter? ¡­ You don¡¯t have to be so vigilant around her. She¡¯s an acquaintance of mine.¡± Cheng Lin looked at Ji Xinxin with eyes filled with disdain and sneered, ¡°Ji Xinxin, I have had enough of you and your innocent white lotus act. If Li Xiaoxing is that important to you, why don¡¯t you share how you encouraged him back then?¡± Ji Xinxin looked a little indignant at being suddenly shouted at. ¡°I don¡¯t remember much of what happened back then. I only recall seeing an unhappily big brother lying in the neighboring ward, so I tried my best to cheer him on.¡± ¡°Is that so? It just so happens that I remember the incident very clearly.¡± Cheng Lin whipped out her phone and spent a while rummaging through its contents before reading aloud, ¡°¡­ I once said to someone, ¡°Even if your spine was damaged beyond repair, I¡¯ll study hard to find a way to help you stand up again¡±. I wonder how that person is faring now.¡± Ji Xinxin didn¡¯t have time to react before Cheng Lin shoved the phone into Li Xiaoxing¡¯s face. ¡°Look closely, you dimwit! I¡¯m reading this from Ji Fanyin¡¯s diary, not Ji Xinxin¡¯s! Has it never fucking occurred to you how Ji Xinxin was able to visit you every day and care for you despite being critically ill?¡± ¡°Cheng Lin, who put you up to this?¡± Panic and frustration were evident on Ji Xinxin¡¯s face. ¡°How can you fabricate such lies on such an important day for me¡­¡± ¡°... Is that the only evidence you have?¡± asked Li Xiaoxing deeply. Cheng Lin rolled her eyes. ¡°Of course not. I have an entire cloud worth of evidence! Why don¡¯t you give me your company email address? I¡¯ll forward it to you.¡± Chapter 80.1: Ji Fanyin, Let’s Leave This Place (1) Cheng Lin did not show a single ounce of respect for Li Xiaoxing. If it wasn¡¯t for the two newlyweds stepping off-stage moments earlier, all eyes in the banquet hall would have been on them right now. Nevertheless, there were still guests seated closer to the stage, who noticed that something was amiss and were quietly watching the situation play out. Li Mingyue finally caught up to Cheng Lin and said, ¡°Let¡¯s not make a scene here and talk elsewhere. I¡¯m begging you.¡± Cheng Lin glared at her. ¡°You should be begging them instead of me. That dimwit will just be fooled by that woman again if I walk away now!¡± ¡°Xiaoxing,¡± Li Mingyue spoke with a suppressed voice, ¡°there are too many eyes here.¡± Li Xiaoxing quietly motioned Secretary Fan to wheel him out of the banquet hall. Ji Xinxin left alongside Li Xiaoxing with hurried footsteps. She couldn¡¯t help but bite her lips. Cheng Lin swaggered ostentatiously behind them. She casually glanced in Ji Fanyin¡¯s direction and was surprised to see Bai Zhou squatting next to her seat, whispering something into her ears. Bai Zhou, that indecisive brat. What is he up to now? Cheng Lin frowned. She momentarily weighed her choices of interrupting their conversation or dragging Ji Xinxin into the mud, and eventually decided to go with the latter. Li Mingyue took the two copies of medical records from her assistant before instructing the latter to remain in the banquet hall to maintain order. After settling that, she quickly followed behind the group. ¡°Let¡¯s find a quiet room to talk.¡± Li Mingyue was glad they had booked the entire hotel for the engagement ceremony, allowing them much-needed privacy. Secretary Fan swiftly found a nearby guest room for them. ¡°Xinxin,¡± Li Xiaoxing called his fianc¨¦ in his deep voice, ¡°I want to hear the truth from you.¡± This was the first time Ji Xinxin thought that Li Xiaoxing¡¯s emotionless face was terrifying, but she suppressed her nervousness and fear to squat down in front of him. ¡°I don¡¯t remember much about our past. You were always the one who shared details about our childhood days, don¡¯t you remember?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t remember?¡± Cheng Lin spat coldly. ¡°Of course you don¡¯t! No matter how rotten your head is, you can¡¯t possibly remember memories that aren¡¯t yours!¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t remember anything at all! I don¡¯t know anything about what she recited from that diary or something!¡± Ji Xinxin broke down into tears. ¡°All I know is that I love you a lot. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. But if you don¡¯t love me anymore because I can¡¯t prove that I am the girl from your memories, let¡¯s annul our engagement right now.¡± ¡°Stop trying to change the topic!¡± Cheng Lin cut right in, leaving no room for others to speak. ¡°You just told everyone about how you¡¯ve known each other for five years. Haven¡¯t the two of you ever reminisced about your childhood even once during these five years? How could someone who doesn¡¯t remember at all, fondly reminisce about their childhood days? Your impromptu skills can beat even the best talk show hosts! Go on, spin your lies. I would love to see how you can turn the truth on its head today!¡± After finishing her piece, Cheng Lin planted a chair right in front of the door and sat down there. Li Mingyue: ¡°...¡± She shot a glance at the pitifully sobbing Ji Xinxin before stepping forward to hand the medical records to Li Xiaoxing. As Li Xiaoxing reached for the records, Ji Xinxin¡¯s eyes fell upon the words written at the corner of the document. ¡¾Name: Ji Xinxin¡¿ ¡°I requested this document from Evergreen Nursing Home earlier on,¡± explained Li Mingyue quietly. ¡°It contains detailed records of her medical conditions from her stay at the nursing home.¡± Li Xiaoxing took the documents, but he didn¡¯t browse through them right away. Instead, he began assessing Ji Xinxin, who was lying on his knees. His intent gaze induced shivers in Ji Xinxin. Left with no choice, she desperately grabbed Li Xiaoxing¡¯s hands and exclaimed, ¡°I had no choice! By the time I realized something was amiss, I was already deeply in love with you! I couldn¡¯t¡­ I simply couldn¡¯t let you know that I¡¯m not the girl from your memories! What if you didn¡¯t love me anymore? What if you decided to court my older sister instead? What would I do then?!¡± ¡°Hah!¡± Cheng Lin raised her hands and applauded loudly. ¡°Not bad at all. I¡¯ll give you ten points out of a hundred for this excuse. To put it in other words, you took his feelings toward Ji Fanyin as your own so that you could score yourself a rich sugar daddy!¡± Li Mingyue coughed softly at that remark. Cheng Lin retorted indignantly, ¡°Did I say anything wrong?¡± Chapter 80.2: Ji Fanyin, Let’s Leave This Place (2) ¡°I have already repented for this to my older sister a long time ago!¡± Ji Xinxin tearfully defended herself. ¡°I never hid anything from my older sister. She knows everything, but she was fine with it. She even offered her blessings, saying that we were made for each other. She can vouch for me!¡± Cheng Lin¡¯s face turned livid. ¡°How could that pathetic Ji Fanyin dare go against you, after being oppressed by you for an entire decade?¡± Ji Xinxin shot a hateful glance at Cheng Lin, but it only lasted for a split second. Li Xiaoxing turned to Secretary Fan and asked, ¡°Is she still here?¡± Secretary Fan implicitly understood who Li Xiaoxing was referring to, and he reported, ¡°Miss Ji was still seated in the banquet hall when we left.¡± Li Xiaoxing pulled Ji Xinxin¡¯s hands away from his knees, but the latter anxiously grasped his fingers. ¡°You said that you love me, right?¡± asked Li Xiaoxing. Ji Xinxin kissed the back of his hand and repeated in despair, ¡°Yes, I love you. You¡¯re the only one for me.¡± Ji Xinxin had always been aware of what Li Xiaoxing desired. That¡¯s why she made sure to feed him in small spoonfuls so as to ensure that he would never feel truly satisfied. Yet, before she knew it, Li Xiaoxing started baring his fangs at her. She found herself gradually losing her control over the relationship, and the scale of power between them started tipping in Li Xiaoxing¡¯s favor. Now that she was on the verge of losing everything and the only chip she had was Li Xiaoxing¡¯s love, there was no room for her to protect her pride anymore. She could only spew out everything Li Xiaoxing wanted to hear, praying hard that he wouldn¡¯t leave her. ¡°Please don¡¯t leave me. I love you so, so much. I can¡¯t survive without you. There¡¯s nothing else I have left in the world but you¡­¡± ¡°I want you to obediently wait for me here if you truly love me.¡± Li Xiaoxing stroked her hair before raising his hand. Secretary Fan immediately caught his drift and wheeled him toward the door, but Cheng Lin was still blocking the exit. Li Mingyue subtly cued her, ¡°You mentioned earlier that you have a cloud full of evidence. Can you tell me more about it?¡± ¡°Tsk.¡± Cheng Lin clicked her tongue and unwillingly shifted her chair away, allowing Li Xiaoxing and Secretary Fan to leave. Several seconds after Li Xiaoxing left, she peeked outside before striding toward the still sobbing Ji Xinxin. A resounding slap was heard as Ji Xinxin¡¯s tiara flew across the room. Cheng Lin had slapped Ji Xinxin. ¡°Ah!¡± Li Mingyue didn¡¯t plan on stopping Cheng Lin, but she still gasped in shock from how loud the slap was. ¡°That¡¯s right, I slapped her. What about it? Bitches like me are allergic to hypocritical white lotuses!¡± Cheng Lin bent toward Ji Xinxin and haughtily pointed at her own cheek. ¡°Do you feel wronged? I¡¯ll allow you to hit me back if you do.¡± Ji Xinxin covered her own face, refusing to look at her. Cheng Lin snorted in disdain. ¡°I knew that a white lotus like you won¡¯t easily give up on your pretense.¡± She stood back up and walked towards Li Mingyue. ¡°I was just joking earlier. It¡¯s someone else''s personal diary after all. Even though I snatched it away from her, I don¡¯t plan on publicising it.¡± ¡°¡­You snatched it?¡± Li Mingyue repeated in bewilderment. ¡°Yes, I snatched it.¡± Cheng Lin declared unabashedly. ¡°She didn¡¯t even dare to ask me to return it. What a wimp.¡± Li Mingyue gave the matter some thought before asking, ¡°Should I seek her permission first before getting the diary from you?¡± Cheng Lin: ¡°¡­ Aren¡¯t you a weird one?¡± ¡°Weird?¡± Li Mingyue inquired politely. ¡°Most people would have been infuriated by the turn of affairs,¡± Cheng Lin pointed out with narrowed eyes. ¡°But you don¡¯t seem angry at all.¡± Li Mingyue was suddenly reminded of the highly polarized evaluations those in their social circle had of Cheng Lin and found it rather amusing. With a temper like hers, it¡¯s no wonder why so many people talk behind her back. ¡°I just want to find an optimal solution to resolve this problem. Does that sound better?¡± asked Li Mingyue. Chapter 80.3: Ji Fanyin, Let’s Leave This Place (3) ¡°¡­¡± Cheng Lin fell silent for a brief moment. There was a pensive look in her eyes as she asked, ¡°Are you familiar with web novels? Or novels similar to Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio?¡± ¡°Pardon me, I¡¯m usually preoccupied with work, though I¡¯ve read Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio,¡± replied Li Mingyue indirectly. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m saying that you can just go ahead and take a look at it. There¡¯s no need to ask her for permission. It¡¯s meaningless.¡± Cheng Lin pushed the door open. ¡°I¡¯m heading out for a puff. I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± Li Mingyue waited for Cheng Lin to leave before turning her sights back to the guest room. The only ones left in here were her and Ji Xinxin, who was still despairing on the floor. She walked over and helped the bride-to-be onto a chair. ¡°Take a seat here and calm down. I¡¯ll handle the situation in the banquet hall.¡± Ji Xinxin suddenly grabbed Li Mingyue¡¯s wrist, ¡°I¡¯m begging you, don¡¯t tell uncle and auntie about this. They are already advanced in age. I don¡¯t want to put them through such a huge shock. If something were to happen to them, I¡¯ll¡­¡± Li Mingyue lowered her gaze and looked at Ji Xinxin intently. Despite the latter¡¯s frail appearance, she was brazen enough to deceive Li Xiaoxing for five whole years and even become his fianc¨¦e. She didn¡¯t dare underestimate what Ji Xinxin was capable of. ¡°My parents have weathered through huge storms over the years. They won¡¯t collapse at little setbacks like this,¡± replied Li Mingyue placidly. She slipped her hand out of Ji Xinxin¡¯s grasp and instructed her assistant to get her a cup of water. Right before Li Mingyue left the guest room, she took one last glance at Ji Xinxin. She had curled herself into a ball, looking miserable and pitiful. However, Li Mingyue didn¡¯t feel a shred of compassion for her. She quietly instructed her assistant, ¡°¡­ Keep a close eye on her. Don¡¯t allow her to leave the room until my brother or I return. If needed, call security over.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± The assistant nodded in acknowledgment. Having ensured the arrangements were in place, Li Mingyue made her way toward the smoking corner where Cheng Lin was taking a puff, ready to take a good look at Ji Fanyin¡¯s diary. ¡­ Ji Fanyin was taking her first sip from a glass of icy cola when Bai Zhou suddenly approached her. ¡°What?¡± Ji Fanyin gave him a sidelong glance. Bai Zhou squatted down beside her and spoke with a suppressed voice, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t get involved with what¡¯ll happen next. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°The ceremony is still underway.¡± Ji Fanyin was glued to her seat. She had noticed Cheng Lin and Ji Xinxin arguing earlier on, only for Li Mingyue to rush over moments later to break them up. The group of them then hurriedly left the scene. The entire incident was over in two minutes, so it didn¡¯t draw much attention from the guests. ¡°I already know about it.¡± Bai Zhou paused for a brief moment. ¡°Soon, Li Xiaoxing will too.¡± ¡°Now is a good time for him to learn the truth,¡± replied Ji Fanyin. Bai Zhou fell silent. With an even more suppressed tone, he asked, ¡°Is this revenge?¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t Ji Fanyin exact revenge?¡± she asked back. ¡°¡­ Just come with me.¡± Bai Zhou didn¡¯t harp on the issue and instead chose to reiterate his earlier request. ¡°It¡¯s my birthday today. You still owe me an answer.¡± Ji Fanyin continued sipping on her cola as she subconsciously glanced at a certain someone seated not too far away¡ªMrs. Bai¡ªand the latter was looking at her too. God knows how long she has been looking at us! The two of them ended up exchanging gazes for a brief moment. In the end, Ji Fanyin stood up with her cola and said, ¡°Let¡¯s talk outside.¡± Bai Zhou sprung to his feet and followed her. Minutes later, Secretary Fan arrived at Ji Fanyin¡¯s now empty seat with Li Xiaoxing. He asked the guests seated on the same table about where Ji Fanyin had gone. ¡°Miss Ji?¡± One of the guests pointed in a direction. ¡°She left with the young master of the Bai Family not too long ago.¡± Her son merrily chirped in, ¡°That beautiful big sister owes that big brother an answer!¡± The guest hurriedly covered his son¡¯s mouth and flashed an awkward but polite smile at them. Secretary Fan quickly took out his phone and made a call. A moment later, he bent down and whispered in Li Xiaoxing¡¯s ear, ¡°They are just outside.¡± Li Xiaoxing hadn¡¯t even noticed how tightly he had been gripping the wheelchair¡¯s hand rest all this while. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Chapter 81.1: Were You Playing Me All This Time? (1) 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. Chapter 81.2: Were You Playing Me All This Time? (2) 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. Chapter 81.3: Were You Playing Me All This Time? (3) 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?¡± 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 he treasured that 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. 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 her hands?¡± ¡­ The string of accusations left Li Xiaoxing with clenched jaws. He couldn¡¯t refute Ji Fanyin¡¯s claims at all. Of course he was happy about attaining Ji Xinxin, but that was only until he realized that Ji Xinxin wasn¡¯t his angel! 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. Chapter 82.1: Give Me Money Instead (1) 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. 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 they can think of? ¡°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.¡± ¡°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 kind of 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?¡± ¡°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.¡± Chapter 82.2: Give Me Money Instead (2) 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 devi left the premises straight away. 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¡¯. ¡°...¡± 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. 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?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Cheng Lin took a deep breath before finally asking with a resigned look on her face. ¡°Are you really Ji Fanyin?¡± Chapter 82.3: Give Me Money Instead (3) ¡°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. ¡°¡­ 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. 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 to 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.¡± 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. Chapter 83.1: Adept At Transferring Money (1) 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. 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. 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. 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 night. Even as he gently stroked the hair of the heavily panting Ji Xinxin after the deed, all that was in 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?¡± ¡°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. Chapter 83.2: Adept At Transferring Money (2) 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. 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.¡± ¡°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 to bring in a professional counselor to help Mr. Li cope with his mental stress. It would also be good if you could try to recall any recent events that might have triggered today¡¯s episode.¡± Secretary Fan and Ji Xinxin subconsciously looked at each other as the same thought arose in their minds. Chapter 83.3: Adept At Transferring Money (3) 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¡ª6.20 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¡¯.¡± Chapter 84.1: At Least A Few Hundred Millions (1) ¡°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. Chapter 84.2: At Least A Few Hundred Millions (2) 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?¡± 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 fianc¨¦ 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¨Dit was the first time for both of them and Li Xiaoxing¡¯s constitution wasn¡¯t fit for such activities¨Dbut 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. 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 was already flown into overdrive. She desperately racked her mind 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. ¡°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.¡± Chapter 84.3: At Least A Few Hundred Millions (3) 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. 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. 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¡­ Chapter 84.4: At Least A Few Hundred Millions (4) 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?! Chapter 85.1: What Are You Apologizing For? (1) 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. Chapter 85.2: What Are You Apologizing For? (2) 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 clich¨¦ 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. Chapter 85.3: What Are You Apologizing For? (3) 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. Chapter 86.1: Feigning Obedience (1) The meeting to decide on the next project for their studio was getting dragged on, to the point where the group had to take a break in the middle. The managerial employees trudged out with exhausted faces to take a puff outside. Meanwhile, Ji Fanyin and Zhang Ning used the short break as an opportunity to have a small chat. They started talking about work, but the two of them were so familiar with each other¡¯s working style and ideas that they were able to cut right through the negotiation phase and come to a consensus. Having settled their urgent business, they moved on to the next topic. Zhang Ning took a puff of smoke and began gossiping, ¡°I heard the new intern comes from a formidable background. I don¡¯t even know how much I should offer him for wages.¡± ¡°150 a day,¡± replied Ji Fanyin without hesitation.(23 USD per day) ¡°Whoa!¡± exclaimed Zhang Ning. ¡°Are you a demon? Even a watch worn by young masters like him is easily worth several million dollars!¡± Ji Fanyin closed her file and took a sip of water before refuting, ¡°Exactly. Do you think that it would make a difference to him if he¡¯s making 150 a day or paying us 150 a day to work here?¡± Zhang Ning burst into laughter. ¡°You really are a demon. I¡¯ll order some coffee. What do you want?¡± ¡°Iced vanilla latte,¡± Ji Fanyin casually answered. Zhang Ning fumbled around with her phone for a moment, but barely a few seconds later, she placed it back on the table. Ji Fanyin eyed her quizzically, ¡°You¡¯re done ordering?¡± ¡°Someone already beat me to it.¡± Zhang Ning winked at Ji Fanyin. A few minutes later, Chen Yunsheng popped up outside the meeting room. The meeting room featured glass walls all around, making anyone standing outside the meeting room extremely visible. Even so, Ji Fanyin was so absorbed in reading her documents that she didn¡¯t notice him. On the other hand, Zhang Ning stifled her laughter and curled her finger to beckon Chen Yunsheng over. Halfway through her movement, she thought that her finger curling gesture wasn¡¯t exactly appropriate, so she switched to waving instead. Chen Yunsheng directed a nod at Zhang Ning before entering the meeting room. He placed the several paper bags of Starbucks coffee he was carrying on the table. The disturbance finally drew Ji Fanyin¡¯s attention, prompting her to raise her head. She made it just in time to see Chen Yunsheng placing a cup of iced latte in front of her. Not wanting to disturb Ji Fanyin in the midst of her work, he glanced at Zhang Ning to check if the choice of drink was appropriate, but the latter was too absorbed into enjoying the real-life romance drama before her to respond to him. In the end, he could only turn to Ji Fanyin and ask in a low voice, ¡°If I recall correctly, iced vanilla latte is one of your favorites, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Thank you.¡± Ji Fanyin picked up the iced latte and took a sip. Zhang Ning tactfully took a cup from the paper bag herself as she said, ¡°Yunsheng, you can make a claim at the Finance Department with your receipt.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m treating everyone.¡± Chen Yunsheng shook his head. ¡°Treating ¡®everyone¡¯?¡± Zhang Ning looked at him with an amused smile. ¡°Let¡¯s not conflate work expenses with private expenditure. Any expense you incur at work should be borne by the studio. Even if you don¡¯t lack money, we can¡¯t let you treat us for free.¡± ¡°It¡¯s really alright¡­¡± Ji Fanyin interrupted Chen Yunsheng mid-sentence, saying, ¡°Let him treat us if he wants to. Go drink your coffee.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Zhang Ning pouted in indignance. She uncapped her cappuccino and gulped down a huge mouthful. Then, she turned to Ji Fanyin and protested in a high-pitched tone, ¡°Darling, you¡¯re being too biased! Is it because I¡¯m not as good looking as your little friend here?¡± Ji Fanyin ignored her. She looked at Chen Yunsheng and said with a much gentler tone. ¡°Ignore her. Go do your own stuff.¡± A smile formed on Chen Yunsheng¡¯s lips, revealing a small dimple in his left cheek. ¡°Big sister, all the best for your work.¡± He walked out of the meeting room afterward. For some reason, his tall departing figure seemed to be beaming with sunshine. Chapter 86.2: Feigning Obedience (2) Zhang Ning dropped her high-pitched tone and remarked contemplatively, ¡°Maybe I should find a youngster to date too.¡± Ji Fanyin ignored her. ¡°I mean it.¡± Zhang Ning nudged Ji Fanyin with her shoulder. ¡°It might just be a cup of latte now, but once you set this precedent, there¡¯s no stopping it anymore.¡± ¡°There are no precedents I can¡¯t put a stop to,¡± replied Ji Fanyin with her eyes still locked on the documents. Zhang Ning burst into laughter. ¡°Orh. What about the young master from the Bai Family?¡± ¡°¡­ I nearly forgot. There¡¯s him too.¡± Ji Fanyin took a moment to consider the matter. Do I have to report Bai Zhou¡¯s employment here to Mrs. Bai? She should be fine with it. It¡¯s unlikely that Bai Zhou can take the grind anyway. He¡¯ll probably be gone in a few days. Ji Fanyin checked the time and saw that there were still a few more minutes left before the resumption of the meeting. So, she took out her phone and quickly composed a message to inform Mrs. Bai of the matter. As expected, there was no reply. The break soon ended. The team members poured back into the meeting room, having energized themselves for the next round of debate. ¡­ Bai Zhou had no work experience. He had never had any superiors other than his own parents. To make things worse, this was Ji Fanyin¡¯s workplace. Bai Zhou dared not put on airs here. His gut feeling told him that he was a mere excuse away from being fired by Ji Fanyin. However, what annoyed him the most was none other than Chen Yunsheng. Considering that they were born just a year apart from each other, it was likely that Chen Yunsheng had only joined the studio not too long ago. Yet, the competency he displayed in his work was far beyond that of Bai Zhou¡¯s. The two of them had the same nasty scowl permanently etched onto their faces, but for some reason, Chen Yunsheng was much more popular than him amongst the staff members. Throughout the day, the employees from other departments kept dropping by to chat with him. ¡°Are you free today? Let¡¯s play basketball after work!¡± ¡°I just bought an insanely fun game recently. You definitely have to try it out too!¡± ¡°Have you heard? X band is holding a concert soon. Let¡¯s go together!¡± ¡­ He could still grudgingly accept it if it was just these. But Chen Yunsheng was popular with the girls too! One of them came over with a beaming smile, saying, ¡°I tried the ¡®sure-kill¡¯ recipe you sent me, and the food was really yummy! A huge huge thank you for that! I¡¯ll be rooting for you!¡± Bai Zhou thought about the three pots he had already destroyed on his arduous route to becoming the next Masterchef, and he clenched his fists tightly under the table. ¡­ Shit! There¡¯s no way there could be such a huge gap between me and Chen Yunsheng! Chapter 86.3: Feigning Obedience (3) Determined to pull his weight too, Bai Zhou marched up to the art director, whom Shen Qi had introduced him to earlier, and said, ¡°Give me¡­ Cough. I mean, please arrange some work for me to do.¡± The fifty-year-old man raised his head to look at him. There was a brief moment of thought before he started going through his desk. Bai Zhou waited patiently while looking around. In his peripheral vision, he saw Chen Yunsheng from the opposite sector receiving a phone call before subsequently walking out of the office. Less than a minute later, Chen Yunsheng returned with a few paper bags with the Starbucks logo imprinted on them. He placed the bags on the communal table, informing the people around to help themselves to the beverages. Bai Zhou scoffed in disdain: Tsk. Bootlicker. ¡°Is Yunsheng treating us to coffee?¡± The art director looked over before turning to Bai Zhou. ¡°Bai Zhou, help me get a cup. You¡¯ll have to hurry, or else it¡¯ll run out before you know it. Remember to get one for yourself too.¡± A tight frown formed on Bai Zhou¡¯s forehead, but he eventually walked over with a resigned look on his face. On his way there, he saw Chen Yunsheng picking up one of the paper bags and walking away. Bai Zhou stared intently at Chen Yunsheng¡¯s back as the latter navigated his way toward the meeting room. He spent a moment peeping in from outside before heading in. ¡°...¡± Ji Fanyin hasn¡¯t left that meeting room since early morning, right? He stared sharply at the meeting room door until someone approached him and carefully asked, ¡°Bai Zhou, what are you looking at?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Bai Zhou tried his best to mellow down his tone before replying, ¡°Chen Yunsheng entered the meeting room.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± The enquirer secretly reached for the last two cups of coffee while Bai Zhou wasn¡¯t paying attention. ¡°Sometimes it takes a pretext to make a move, y¡¯know? It¡¯s kind of similar to how you can¡¯t just give a packet of snacks to one person in class; the whole class will protest and make things awkward.¡± ¡°Fuck.¡± Bai Zhou cursed under his breath. ¡­ I knew it! Chen Yunsheng is trying to court Ji Fanyin too!Why is he such a bootlicker?! ¡­ Shit. I should have thought of buying coffee too! ¡°¡­¡± The colleague was about to swipe away the last two cups of coffee when he heard Bai Zhou¡¯s curse. Intimidated, he put back the two cups with trembling hands. ¡°Y-you can have it. I don¡¯t need them anymore.¡± Bai Zhou angrily picked up the two cups of coffee, but he continued staring through the meeting room¡¯s glass door till Chen Yunsheng finally exited the room. The latter was radiating rainbows and sunshine, to the point where his image as a cool guy was on the verge of unraveling. Their gazes happened to meet mid-air then. Sparks flew from their eyes. Bai Zhou¡¯s angry-o-meter hit the max whereas Chen Yunsheng¡¯s smile slowly faded. The Art Department happened to overcome a huge problem that very night. Overjoyed, they used welcoming the new intern as a pretext to have dinner together. The studio was rather tight-knitted with each department being on close terms with one another. It didn¡¯t take long for news to travel, and the number of attendees swiftly snowballed. Unfortunately, Zhang Ning was in a rush to return home to switch to a gown for a social gathering. As for He Shen, there was no way someone who had to video-conference in for an important company meeting would voluntarily participate in a gathering. In the end, Ji Fanyin checked her schedule with Shen Qi before coolly waving her hand and saying, ¡°Let¡¯s go. Dinner¡¯s on me.¡± ¡°Long live our boss!¡± ¡°Thank you, Sister Yin!¡± ¡°Big sister, you¡¯re awesome!¡± All sorts of compliments rained down on Ji Fanyin, especially from the girls. Bai Zhou: ¡°...¡± Chen Yunsheng isn¡¯t the only one who calls Ji Fanyin ¡®big sister¡¯ in the studio! Chapter 86.4: Feigning Obedience (4) Bai Zhou had always disliked crowds, so he wasn¡¯t planning on joining the gathering. However, when he saw that Chen Yunsheng was going to participate in the gathering, he immediately changed his mind. What if Ji Fanyin got drunk?I can¡¯t possibly let Chen Yunsheng send her home! Ji Fanyin was extremely thorough in keeping her new address under wraps, such that Bai Zhou wasn¡¯t able to find the slightest clue of it despite having asked around. That left him incredibly frustrated. But there was nothing he could do. The current Ji Fanyin wasn¡¯t someone he could treat carelessly. There were many attendees at the gathering, so they had to split into multiple groups. Some of them had their own cars while others hailed taxis. Bai Zhou happened to drive over, so he took on the responsibility of ferrying his colleagues from the Art Department to the restaurant. Bai Zhou felt that his temper had improved greatly after his relationship with Ji Fanyin. He responded to his colleagues when they tried to strike up a conversation with him, albeit perfunctorily. ¡°Yunsheng? He¡¯s a smart and hardworking person.¡± An elder from the Editing Department shot out a huge thumbs up. ¡°He doesn¡¯t have any experience in movie production, but he was able to quickly pick up the ropes by taking the initiative to learn. If only all our interns were like him!¡± Someone from the CGI Department gave his two cents on the matter too. ¡°It¡¯s rare for someone of his age to be so mature. If he stays with our studio, I bet he¡¯ll reach a managerial role within a few years. ¡± Another female colleague from the Scriptwriting Department buried her face in her hands and murmured dreamily, ¡°Totally agreed! Men with personalities like his tend to be loyal to their partners. It¡¯s highly unlikely that they¡¯ll fall for others or have an extramarital affair.¡± Bai Zhou was tempted to retort, but he stopped himself before words could roll off his tongue. ¡­ What right do I have to comment on this? It was then he caught sight of Ji Fanyin walking out of the studio building with a group of people. Chen Yunsheng was right beside her. Ji Fanyin got into her sports car. Chen Yunsheng said something to her before climbing into the passenger seat. Bai Zhou tightened his grip around the steering wheel. ¡°What about you, Bai Zhou?¡± Someone suddenly asked, ¡°Why did you join our studio? I¡¯m from the Human Resource Department, but I don¡¯t remember receiving your job application or resume.¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Bai Zhou stuttered. There was a stifled feeling in his chest that he couldn¡¯t get out. In the end, he had to close his eyes for a brief moment to calm down. ¡°¡­ I wanted to get closer to someone.¡± ¡°Ah, you must be a hardcore fan. I guess it¡¯s much easier for people in our trade to meet stars.¡± ¡°But working with them will burst your fantasy¡¯s bubble.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡± Bai Zhou¡¯s eyes remained glued to Ji Fanyin¡¯s car. All of a sudden, he noticed Shen Qi walking over and knocking on his car window. Thinking that there was some important information about their gathering, he wound down the window. Shen Qi bent down slightly and asked, ¡°Did you see that?¡± ¡°See what?¡± Bai Zhou was confused by Shen Qi¡¯s incomprehensible question. Shen Qi pointed at Ji Fanyin¡¯s car, and Bai Zhou¡¯s face darkened. Shen Qi assessed Bai Zhou¡¯s reaction before nodding in satisfaction. ¡°Make sure to take a closer look if you can. It¡¯ll be best if you think about it too.¡± Bai Zhou felt an urge to bellow at him. What¡¯s wrong with this fellow? Chapter 86.5: Feigning Obedience (5) Meanwhile, Ji Fanyin was in the midst of revving her car engine. She glanced at Chen Yunsheng and reiterated, ¡°This is the last time you¡¯re buying your way into my car with a cup of iced latte.¡± ¡°Mm.¡± Chen Yunsheng nodded his head obediently. ¡°Don¡¯t bother trying other beverages either.¡± ¡°... Orh.¡± Chen Yunsheng retracted his gaze from the rearview mirror, where another expensive looking car was seen. He buckled up his seatbelt and said, ¡°I remember hearing Bai Zhou¡¯s voice in one of my phone calls with you.¡± Ji Fanyin couldn¡¯t recall this incident at all, so she offhandedly replied, ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Mmhm. It was on the day following your birthday, when you returned my call.¡± Chen Yunsheng placed his hands on his thighs, assuming an unusually obedient position. ¡°I heard his voice in the background right before the call disconnected.¡± Memories of her time in Greece with Bai Zhou came to Ji Fanyin¡¯s mind. ¡°You told me it was work-related,¡± said Chen Yunsheng, ¡°so I thought Bai Zhou was also working for the studio.¡± ¡°It was from my other job,¡± Ji Fanyin briefly explained. Chen Yunsheng did not reply. Many thoughts ran through his mind that very instant. To be frank, Ji Fanyin didn¡¯t deliberately conceal the matter from him, and Bai Zhou had revealed some crucial information during their previous confrontation. Chen Yunsheng had once obliquely broached the subject with her, but he didn¡¯t dare probe any deeper. He did have a conjecture in mind, but he never made any attempts to verify it. Is this a good time to do so?But it might unravel the obedient image I have been putting up in front of her¡­ At a loss as to what he should do, Chen Yunsheng traced his finger across the seams of his pants. Eventually, he raised his head and flashed a smile at Ji Fanyin. ¡°I¡¯ll be graduating from my cooking class in a month¡¯s time.¡± ¡°Mmhm.¡± Ji Fanyin glanced at him. Having seen through his intentions, she replied with a chuckle, ¡°I haven¡¯t forgotten about it.¡± Those words were more than enough to lift Chen Yunsheng¡¯s spirit. He relaxed his clenched fingers and tossed He Shen, Song Shiyu, and Bai Zhou into the depths of his mind. To hell with them! He knew that it didn¡¯t matter what others did. Ultimately, the only one with the power to make the final decision was Ji Fanyin herself. Chapter 87.1: You Want Me To Become Ji Fanyin’s Substitute? (1) While Ji Fanyin was the one who often gave out red packets in their work chat group, as well as the youngest of the three bosses, the employees still maintained a level of respect for her even though they would joke with her from time to time. For one, they were aware that Ji Fanyin had driven here, so no one tried to pressure her into joining their drinking session. Soon, the waiter came over to take the orders from them. Ji Fanyin took the menu and ordered some of her favorites before pushing the menu toward Shen Qi. However, on second thought, she passed the menu to the young ladies sitting on the same table instead. Let¡¯s indulge the girls a little. Shen Qi wasn¡¯t too bothered with Ji Fanyin skipping by him. Propping up his glasses, he made use of the opportunity before the food arrived to inform Ji Fanyin of some work-related issues. Ji Fanyin sipped some plain water while listening, occasionally nodding her head in acknowledgment. Noticing their conversation, the others at the table subconsciously lowered their volume. Cheng Yunsheng and Bai Zhou were seated with their respective departments, but their attention was hardly on their own table. In fact, Bai Zhou wasn¡¯t even a fan of hot pot in the first place. While perfunctorily answering a couple of technical questions posed by his colleagues, he specially picked out a seat that provided the best view of Ji Fanyin. He suddenly felt that something was amiss about the scene before him, but he couldn¡¯t quite put his finger on what it was. He must have eaten with Ji Fanyin almost a hundred times now, but there was something incongruous about her actions right now What could it be? He pondered for a very long time till he finally saw Ji Fanyin fishing out some cooked spinach from the boiling broth. ¡­ Ji Xinxin doesn¡¯t like spinach, claiming that it tastes weird. Bai Zhou stared at the scene with widened eyes. The sheer impact from it left his chest feeling congested. He had always deluded himself into thinking that the interactions Ji Fanyin had with him as a stand-in were at least to a certain extent, genuine, but to think she was that thorough with her act¡­ Ironically, the two female colleagues beside him began discussing the lousy storyline of the recently released music video of ¡®The False Truth¡¯. He had hired Ji Fanyin to play the person he liked, but he ended up falling in love with the actress beneath the persona. How did something like this even happen? Bai Zhou suddenly found himself losing his appetite. He put down his chopsticks and started scrolling through his photo album. It didn¡¯t take him long to find the neoprints he had snapped a photo of. Just then, the Art Director downed another cup of wine before curiously peeking over to see what Bai Zhou was staring at. He lurched in shock at what he saw and exclaimed, ¡°Isn¡¯t that¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not her. That¡¯s her younger sister,¡± replied Bai Zhou coldly. After saying those words, he gritted his teeth and tapped on the ¡®Delete¡¯ button. The middle-aged Arts Director couldn¡¯t comprehend the complexities behind Bai Zhou¡¯s actions. He simply scratched his head and replied with a casual ¡°Oh¡± before calling out to his buddies for another round of alcohol. Bai Zhou stuffed his phone back into his pocket and flipped over the empty cup in front of him. ¡°I¡¯ll drink too.¡± ¡°Hoh!¡± The Art Director expressed his acknowledgment. ¡°You have backbone, Bai Zhou! Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll pay for your valet later on!¡± ¡°Would he even mind that bit of money? I mean, just look at the car he drives¡­¡± someone whispered. Bai Zhou was no stranger to alcohol, but this was the first time he was using it to drown his sorrows. It didn¡¯t help that there were three old geezers at his table who were skilled at getting him to drink more. It hardly took any effort for them to knock out the youth. It was only when they tried to call a valet for Bai Zhou that something very important finally dawned on them. ¡­ No one knew where Bai Zhou lived. Heck, he hadn¡¯t even submitted his resume to the company yet! Chapter 87.2: You Want Me To Become Ji Fanyin’s Substitute? (2) Someone suggested checking Bai Zhou into a hotel room, but the idea was quickly shot down. It was inappropriate to leave an intoxicated person alone in a hotel room. Unable to find any good solutions, the team eventually sought Ji Fanyin¡¯s advice. Ji Fanyin shot a glance at Shen Qi. Shen Qi immediately caught her drift. ¡°I know where Bai Zhou lives.¡± It went without saying that Shen Qi didn¡¯t know Bai Zhou¡¯s address, but Ji Fanyin secretly sent the address to him, so all he had to do was to forward it to the team. Everyone heaved a sigh of relief, lavishing praises on the almighty Assistant Shen. ¡°Give him a lift home,¡± Ji Fanyin told Shen Qi. Mrs. Bai would be hopping mad if something were to happen to Bai Zhou while he was drunk. Shen Qi was the administrator of the reservation app and knew the backstory here, so there was no one more appropriate to do the job. Shen Qi replied with a nod and supported Bai Zhou out of the restaurant. Bai Zhou wasn¡¯t the only one who was knocked out by the wine, so his departure with Shen Qi wasn¡¯t abrupt at all. Everyone simply laughed it off and continued with whatever they were doing. When the meal was finally over, the relatively sober Ji Fanyin footed the bill with a swipe of her card. The intoxicated Art Director happened to be walking behind her. He learned from the other youngsters and raised his hands up high, shouting at the top of his lungs, ¡°Thank you, boss!¡± Ji Fanyin laughed at the absurd sight. ¡°That¡¯s enough of you. Hurry back home and sleep!¡± The Art Director shouted once more like a broken record, ¡°Thank you, boss!¡± His daughter who came to pick him up keeled over with laughter. ¡°Sure sure, dad. Can we leave now?¡± Chen Yunsheng trailed behind the crowd, his twinkling eyes fixated on Ji Fanyin. ¡°Did you drink too?¡± Ji Fanyin shot him a glance as she made her way out of the restaurant. Chen Yunsheng quickened his footsteps to take his position beside her. ¡°Just a cup.¡± His voice was singing with happiness, almost as if a musical note would float out from him the next moment. It put his listeners in a good mood. ¡°Have all of you gotten a cab yet?¡± Ji Fanyin asked the employees waiting on the sidewalk. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Argh, I got one that¡¯s quite far away. Ahh, nine more minutes till its arrival¡­¡± Chen Yunsheng bent down to whisper into Ji Fanyin¡¯s ear, ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you to get into your car before flagging a cab.¡± Ji Fanyin looked at the youth who looked a little tipsy after drinking a mere cup of wine and chuckled. Her car was parked just by the roadside, not far from where they were standing. She looked at the time before waving the crowd goodbye. ¡°Make sure you all rest early when you get home. If you have nothing urgent to work on, you¡¯re allowed to come in an hour later tomorrow.¡± ¡°Really?! Whee! I get to enjoy nine full hours of sleep!¡± ¡°I just want to ask. Can we have more of such team bonding sessions?¡± Ji Fanyin flashed them a smile before leaving those drunkards behind for her car. While she was turning out of her parking spot, she glanced at the rearview mirror and saw a group of people standing under a lamp post, vigorously waving at her car. On her way home, Ji Fanyin received a call from Bai Zhou. Thinking that he was safe in Shen Qi¡¯s hands, Ji Fanyin rejected it. Chapter 87.3: You Want Me To Become Ji Fanyin’s Substitute? (3) Soon after that, her phone rang again. This time, it was from Shen Qi. ¡°I sent Bai Zhou home safely. His father was there.¡± Ji Fanyin¡¯s eyebrows shot up. Bai Zhou¡¯s father was a mysterious figure to her. Despite having heard about him from many different people, she hadn¡¯t met him in person thus far. Her ¡®encounters¡¯ with him had mostly been limited to finance news, in which he was a frequent guest. But for someone who could introduce his illegitimate son to his lawful son, he was definitely not a simple person. ¡°How did he react to the drunk Bai Zhou?¡± asked Ji Fanyin. ¡°He was quite upset,¡± replied Shen Qi. ¡°It would appear that he visited Bai Zhou after hearing that he was in a bad condition lately.¡± Bai Zhou¡¯s drunken state further lent credence to the claim that he was in a ¡®bad condition. Mr. Bai must be fuming after seeing that. It didn¡¯t take much for Ji Fanyin to figure that this was the doing of Mr. Bai¡¯s mistress. The latter had started to fan the flames. ¡°Are you still there?¡± asked Ji Fanyin as she turned a corner. ¡°No, I¡¯ve left.¡± ¡°Let Bai Zhou be. He can resign whenever he wants. Until then, his pay will be the same as the other interns.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Right before she was about to hang up, she suddenly recalled the call she received from Bai Zhou. Thus, she asked, ¡°Did you know Bai Zhou called me earlier?¡± Shen Qi replied calmly, ¡°I was not aware of that.¡± Ji Fanyin raised her eyebrows. ¡°Noted. Rest well when you get home.¡± Upon reaching home, Ji Fanyin washed up and headed off to bed. She was exhausted having worked for an entire day. It was a relief that she didn¡¯t have much work the following day, so she was prepared to sleep all the way till the next afternoon. Unfortunately, her sweet plan was cruelly shattered by the ringing of her phone at midnight. It was from Secretary Fan. Ji Fanyin: ¡°¡­¡± It took a great deal of effort for her to crack her eyes open and look at her phone. She noticed a message from the bank dated a minute ago. A competent secretary indeed. He chose to transfer the money before making the call. It was just that Ji Fanyin was exhausted after going through an entire day of meetings. She wasn¡¯t in the mood to entertain Li Xiaoxing to relieve his phantom pain. Besides, Li Xiaoxing was practically a ¡®perpetual emotion machine¡¯ for her by this point. She would rake in huge amounts of Emotion Points from him even if she didn¡¯t bother with him. There was no need for her to push herself tonight. Thus, she rejected Secretary Fan¡¯s call and refunded the money. Then she switched off her phone and returned to bed. It took only two minutes for her to complete this series of actions. It feels good to skip work. Happy. Chapter 87.4: You Want Me To Become Ji Fanyin’s Substitute? (4) Meanwhile, Secretary Fan saw the bank message informing him of the refund. He tried dropping a call to Ji Fanyin again, but the call wouldn¡¯t connect. He let out a deep sigh before turning to look at Ji Xinxin. Ji Xinxin looked flustered. ¡°What should we do? Xiaoxing looks like he¡¯s in a lot of pain. Should we send him to the hospital? I¡¯m afraid something bad might happen at this rate¡­¡± Secretary Fan looked like he was about to suggest something, but he didn¡¯t think that it was appropriate for him to do so. In the end, he hesitantly murmured, ¡°¡­ I know that it isn¡¯t right, but I think this might be the only way.¡± ¡°Do you have an idea in mind?¡± Ji Xinxin noticed hush hesitation and immediately pressed on. ¡°You can say whatever you have in mind. We brought in an entire team of doctors the last time, but they couldn¡¯t do anything at all¡­¡± ¡°I have a terribly demeaning proposition in mind,¡± Secretary Fan nervously fiddled with his nose, ¡°and it¡¯s likely to be something you don¡¯t want to hear.¡± Ji Xinxin¡¯s heart sank. Before her mind could process what Secretary Fan was driving at, her subconscious had already started feeling a tinge of unease. She nervously chewed on her lips and asked, ¡°¡­ What is it?¡± Secretary Fan frowned, his internal struggle apparent from his expression. The nerve-racking screams of pain echoing from the master bedroom hadn¡¯t ceased over the past hour. It sounded like the cries of a criminal undergoing death by a thousand cuts; the sheer agony relayed through his voice sent chills down the spine of anyone listening. Secretary Fan paced around the room for another two minutes before he finally made up his mind. He turned to Ji Xinxin and said, ¡°Mr. Li¡­ had also engaged the services of your older sister, Miss Ji Fanyin.¡± Ji Xinxin¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. She did have her suspicions about it. There was no way she wouldn¡¯t have any. She was aware of a missing link in her knowledge of events: How did Ji Fanyin and Li Xiaoxing come to know each other? But if Li Xiaoxing had engaged Ji Fanyin as a stand-in too, everything would make perfect sense. Ji Xinxin was stunned for a brief moment, but she quickly calmed down. ¡°Was it¡­ to act as my stand-in?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Secretary Fan chose to offer an ambiguous response. ¡°I was able to see it up close twice. Her rates are exorbitant, but her acting is on the mark. It can be easily confused for the real thing.¡± Ji Xinxin felt blood rushing into her head. Without careful thought, she blurted out the question weighing heavily on her heart, ¡°How much did she make from Xiaoxing?¡± Song Shiyu said that Bai Zhou had spent at least a few hundred millions on Ji Fanyin. What about Li Xiaoxing, who was even richer than Bai Zhou? Secretary Fan: ¡°¡­ That¡¯s not important.¡± Ji Xinxin yelled, ¡°¡­ That¡¯s not important?!¡± Secretary Fan quickly added, ¡°What¡¯s important is that you could have the ability to act as a stand-in for your older sister to soothe Mr. Li¡¯s pain.¡± Ji Fanyin leaped up from her seat, unable to believe what she had just heard. ¡°You want me to be Ji Fanyin¡¯s stand-in?!¡± ¡­ I¡¯ve spent many years trying to imitate her, only to lose it all to her within months. How could I possibly substitute her? Chapter 88.1: Your Acting Isn’t Up to Standard (1) Having anticipated Ji Xinxin¡¯s reaction, Secretary Fan showed no surprise at all. Instead, he looked at her with absolute composure and said, ¡°It¡¯s not as if you have never done it before.¡± If words were weapons, a sharp sword would have pierced Ji Xinxin¡¯s chest there and then. She wanted to rebuke Secretary Fan for what he had said, but the latter cut in before she could. ¡°Haven¡¯t you been pretending to be your older sister before Mr. Li all this while?¡± Secretary Fan paused for a brief moment before adding, ¡°Especially when you revisited Evergreen Nursing Home with him.¡± Ji Xinxin was so infuriated that her hands were shaking with anger. It wasn¡¯t easy, but she forced her rage down and swallowed her indignance. ¡­ Secretary Fan is Li Xiaoxing¡¯s right-hand man. I can¡¯t go against him. Not yet. Ji Xinxin took a deep breath and swallowed the humiliation. She weakly placed her hand on the nearby wall to support herself and squeezed her eyes shut. After a short pause, she murmured, ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll give it a try.¡± ¡°Even if it doesn¡¯t work out¡­ there¡¯s no need to take it to heart.¡± Secretary Fan consoled her. However, those words did little to soothe Ji Xinxin¡¯s heart. She ignored Secretary Fan and walked briskly toward the master bedroom with clenched teeth. She instinctively wanted to call him ¡®Xiaoxing¡¯ as she usually did, but she stopped herself at the last moment upon remembering her mission. She took a moment to recompose herself before attempting to mimick Ji Fanyin¡¯s polite yet distant tone. ¡°Mr. Li.¡± There was no response, so Ji Xinxin pushed the door open and entered. It was dark inside. The unbearable pain torturing Li Xiaoxing only continued to sear with greater fervor as the night deepened. His agonized but feeble moans were unsettling. Ji Xinxin waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness before shambling toward the bed. Li Xiaoxing didn¡¯t seem to have noticed her arrival. Her first thought was to gently stroke his hair, but she swiftly abandoned the notion, knowing that Ji Fanyin wouldn¡¯t do that. What would Ji Fanyin do? How does she interact with Li Xiaoxing? Ji Xinxin ran through all possibilities almost as if she was possessed, but she eventually chose not to do anything at all. Instead, she lowered her tone to mimic Ji Fanyin¡¯s pitch and called out, ¡°Mr. Li?¡± Amidst faint gasps of air, Li Xiaoxing opened his eyes and groggily looked at the silhouette in his room. ¡°¡­ Ji Fanyin?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± A smile curled on her lips. She was gaining confidence from his acknowledgment, thinking that it wasn¡¯t as difficult as she thought it out to be. ¡°Secretary Fan called me here.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Li Xiaoxing propped himself up using his elbows. He looked a little more awake now. ¡°Can you stay with me a bit longer today? Money is not an issue.¡± Ji Xinxin: ¡°¡­¡± Despite knowing that it wasn¡¯t a good time for that, she couldn¡¯t help herself from asking, ¡°How much are you prepared to pay me?¡± ¡°Any amount you want.¡± Li Xiaoxing¡¯s eyelids were drooping down. ¡°¡­ I remember you complimented my private jet. I¡¯ll buy you one.¡± Ji Xinxin was relieved that the room was only illuminated by a sliver of moonlight peeping through the curtains, or else she wouldn¡¯t have been able to conceal the slip in her expression. ¡°Alright,¡± replied Ji Xinxin replied, ¡°What would you like to hear from me today?¡± ¡°Continue from where you left off.¡± Li Xiaoxing languidly raised his head to look at her. ¡°You only told me half the story.¡± Ji Xinxin was stumped. How could she know what Ji Fanyin told Li Xiaoxing in their hour-long phone call? Chapter 88.2: Your Acting Isn’t Up to Standard (2) Ji Xinxin had no choice but to improvise on the spot. ¡°I do not want to tell that story today.¡± She regretted it as soon as those words left her mouth. Li Xiaoxing was the type of person who expected absolute obedience to his commands. He wouldn¡¯t take another person refuting him well. Ji Xinxin scrambled to find a solution to salvage the situation, but an obedient ¡°Mm¡± from Li Xiaoxing threw her off. What was that? That was abnormal. Is he too weak to blow his top because of the pain? Unable to make sense of the situation, Ji Xinxin intended to probe a little deeper to see what Li Xiaoxing meant, but the latter spoke up before she could. ¡°You don¡¯t have to do anything,¡± said Li Xiaoxing softly. Every word he uttered sounded laborious, but he still managed to enunciate each word clearly. ¡°As long as you stay by my side.¡± Ji Xinxin had never heard such submissive words from Li Xiaoxing before. ¡°¡­ Alright?¡± asked Li Xiaoxing pleadingly. Ji Xinxin wasn¡¯t able to hold back her sneer. The situation was too ironic and unbelievable for her. Li Xiaoxing was no different from a tamed dog before Ji Fanyin! ¡­ How did Ji Fanyin do it?! Ji Xinxin took a calming breath before answering, ¡°Alright. Go to sleep.¡± Li Xiaoxing didn¡¯t even dare to hold her hand. He lay back down on the bed and swiftly fell silent. The only thing that could be heard in the room was his laborious breathing. Minutes later, Li Xiaoxing suddenly piped up, ¡°Are you still there?¡± Ji Xinxin replied coldly, ¡°Yes.¡± The reply seemed to have assured Li Xiaoxing as he fell quiet once more. As the room fell silent, Ji Xinxin started to feel uncomfortable. The air felt so heavy that she felt like she was going to be crushed under it. She simply couldn¡¯t understand how Ji Fanyin was able to tame Li Xiaoxing to his current state. Did she do it by stoking his feelings of fondness, love, and gratitude? If that¡¯s the case, why has Li Xiaoxing never been so obedient before me? ¡°Ji Fanyin, are you still there?¡± Li Xiaoxing asked yet again. Ji Xinxin was tempted to kick Li Xiaoxing back into his abyss of pain, but she managed ti suppress her urge at the final juncture. She took in a deep breath and replied coldly, ¡°Yes.¡± Li Xiaoxing¡¯s breathing slowly relaxed, becoming slower and deeper. It was as if he was a drug junkie who had finally received his dose of medication. The gratification he received from the placebo slowly guided him toward a deep sleep. By then, the sun had already started to rise. Ji Xinxin was already at her limit after everything that had happened over the course of the night. She confirmed once more that Li Xiaoxing had fallen asleep before rising to her fee, prepared to leave the area. Yet, the moment she sat up from the bed, Li Xiaoxing roused from his sleep and desperately grabbed her hand. ¡°Where are you going?¡± His sudden hand grab shocked Ji Xinxin. A little scream escaped from her throat. She anxiously turned around and found herself met with Li Xiaoxing¡¯s intense gaze. Cold moonlight scattered in from the window, causing his glacial eyes to glow in the darkness. ¡°¡­ Ji Xinxin,¡± he called out her name with great displeasure. Ji Xinxin felt a lurch in her stomach as her heartbeat quickened. ¡°You¡­¡± Li Xiaoxing frowned. He tightened his grip around her hand and questioned, ¡°Why is it you¡­¡± Pain surged through Ji Xinxin¡¯s hand, telling her loud and clear that the plan had gone awry. Chapter 88.3: Your Acting Isn’t Up to Standard (3) She desperately racked her mind for a solution, and an idea soon surfaced. She quickly interjected, ¡°Have your pain subsided?¡± A placebo worked by tricking the patient into thinking that the ineffective drugs he had been consuming were real medicine. The goal was to convince the patient¡¯s mind and body that his condition was improving. Li Xiaoxing¡¯s pain had lightened when he mistook Ji Xinxin for Ji Fanyin, but when he realized that it was all a lie¡­ Li Xiaoxing¡¯s muscles suddenly clenched up as the piercing pain in his legs returned with a vengeance. It was so excruciating that he had bit down hard on his lower lip, unable to continue the conversation. That gave Ji Xinxin an opportunity to shake off his hand and run out to get Secretary Fan. Secretary Fan had been standing guard outside all this while. He glanced at his watch in confusion, remarking, ¡°You were in there for a long time. I thought the plan worked.¡± ¡°He recognized me.¡± Indignance showed on Ji Xinxin¡¯s face. ¡°Your plan idoesn¡¯t work.¡± Secretary Fan let out a sigh. ¡°Maybe your acting was not convincing enough.¡± Ji Xinxin stared at Secretary Fan in disbelief as the latter walked past her into the room. She couldn¡¯t believe what she had just heard. ¡­ My acting was not convincing enough?! Is he insinuating I am inferior to Ji Fanyin both as a person and an actress? Ji Xinxin swiveled on her heels to look into the room. The sight of Li Xiaoxing struggling to sit up in bed due to sheer pain sparked a tinge of twisted joy in her. There were so many men she could have picked to be her husband, but she chose Li Xiaoxing of them all. But instead of treasuring her, Li Xiaoxing kept demeaning her again and again. This was his retribution. Secretary Fan tried various ways to contact Ji Fanyin for help, but it was futile. As a last resort, he had no choice but to call a doctor to inject Li Xiaoxing with a tranquilizer. Slowly, Li Xiaoxing slipped into a deep sleep with a frown still persisting on his face. ¡°This is not a long-term solution,¡± the doctor said with a sigh. ¡°Mr. Li¡¯s body will not be able to withstand the continued usage of tranquilizers or the searing phantom pain in his legs. I¡¯d advise Mr. Li to put aside his work for the time being and receive specialized care at the hospital.¡± It took some time for the information to sink in before Secretary Fan answered, ¡°That is not a decision I can make.¡± The doctor knew about Li Xiaoxing¡¯s identity and circumstances, so he didn¡¯t refute Secretary Fan. He shook his head and asked, ¡°How about getting a psychiatrist?¡± ¡°¡­ Mr. Li said that¡¯s not required. He knows what he needs.¡± Secretary Fan walked the doctor to the door and bade the latter farewell. On his way back, he passed by the living room and saw Ji Xinxin sitting on the sofa in a daze. If one were to ask whether Secretary Fan felt sympathetic to Ji Xinxin or not, the answer was ¡®No¡¯. On the contrary, he even considered buying the book, The Cultivation of an Actor, for her.(This is a foundation book viewed to be a necessary read for all budding actors in China.) He had seen the rehearsals Li Xiaoxing had with Ji Fanyin before. The latter¡¯s acting was exquisite. She played out not just Ji Xinxin¡¯s actions and dialogues but her disposition too, creating a resemblance so uncanny that it was nigh impossible to tell them apart. ¡­ It¡¯s no wonder why she could confidently charge such a high rate. Chapter 88.4: Your Acting Isn’t Up to Standard (4) Secretary Fan was touching his balding head absentmindedly when Li Xiaoxing¡¯s phone suddenly rang in the distance. He made his way over to take a look. It was a call from Li Mingyue. ¡°I saw the doctor dropping by earlier. How is my brother doing?¡± Secretary Fan was shocked by how fast news was traveling. He recounted everything that had happened earlier to her truthfully before ending off, ¡°... Mr. Li is now asleep.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± replied Li Mingyue. ¡°Tell me when he¡¯s awake. There¡¯s something I have to discuss with him.¡± Secretary Fan assented. There was a brief pause before Li Mingyue added, ¡°What about Ji Xinxin? How is she doing?¡± She¡¯s no help at all, Secretary Fan thought. However, he rephrased his thoughts in more palatable terms, ¡°She¡¯s the same as usual.¡± ¡°I understand,¡± Li Mingyue answered decisively. ¡°Take good care of my brother. I¡¯ll take over his work for the time being.¡± Secretary Fan was stunned to hear those words. ¡°That¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get straight to the point. My parents intend to send my brother overseas get treated. They¡¯ll be sending someone over today afternoon.¡± Li Mingyue wasn¡¯t giving him a chance to refute at all. ¡°His health is more important than anything else.¡± ¡°¡­ I understand.¡± ¡­ It was no easy feat to have to take over Li Xiaoxing¡¯s work all of a sudden. Li Mingyue had to go on overdrive in order to barely cope with the workload. As if that wasn¡¯t enough, her assistant took it upon herself to inform her that someone was planning to take over Ji Fanyin¡¯s studio. Li Mingyue massaged her temples to alleviate the headache caused by the massive increase in workload. ¡°She can handle that herself. You don¡¯t have to report that to me.¡± Be it to sell or not to sell, someone like Ji Fanyin would never allow herself to be on the losing end of a bargain. ¡°¡­ The buyer is Gao Huai Entertainment,¡± explained her assistant. ¡°The one behind the acquisition is Bai Zhengye.¡± Li Mingyue¡¯s pen stalled to a halt. Bai Zhengye¡­ That¡¯s Bai Zhou¡¯s father. ¡­ A malicious takeover? Chapter 89.1: I Don’t Need Your Feigned Concern (1) Even if it¡¯s a malicious takeover, there isn¡¯t anything to worry about. They have Ji Fanyin and Zhang Ning there, Li Mingyue thought. As affluent as the Bai Family was, the Zhang Family wasn¡¯t to be made light of either. ¡°Got it. There¡¯s no need to meddle in their affairs.¡± The Li Family already had enough on their plate. They had no spare energy to get involved with other people¡¯s affairs. ¡°Your brother is also aware of the matter,¡± the assistant continued. ¡°So?¡± Li Mingyue replied without looking up from her documents. The assistant nervously gulped before adding, ¡°He refused to leave the country.¡± Li Mingyue¡¯s movements stalled to a halt once more. Unable to bear it any longer, she closed her eyes for five whole seconds before slowly letting out a long breath. The assistant dared not to let out even the slightest squeak. ¡°Get Secretary Fan on the line for me,¡± Li Mingyue ordered. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°As for Ji Xinxin,¡± Li Mingyue added before her assistant could leave the room, ¡°get her back to school if she isn¡¯t able to offer any help. How long of a break is she planning to take?¡± ¡°Understood.¡± The assistant wiped the cold sweat off her forehead and hurriedly left the room. Once the assistant was out of the door, Li Mingyue put down her work and sunk into her chair, closing her eyes for a brief rest. It¡¯s exhausting. ¡­ The culprit behind this mess, Bai Zhengye, actually didn¡¯t have malicious intentions in mind when he first made the decision to purchase the studio. There was no way Bai Zhou¡¯s improvident squandering could have escaped the notice of his family¡­ though it was not as if Bai Zhou was planning to hide his venting spending from them. Bai Zhengye had heard much about it from his secretary, but he simply thought of it as his son¡¯s rebellious phase. He didn¡¯t think that there was a problem with it as long as Bai Zhou didn¡¯t overstep his boundaries. Thus, all he did was to instruct his secretary to keep a close eye on Bai Zhou. Not to mention, Bai Zhengye had gone even more overboard in his younger days. He thought that it was only normal for his son to be like him. A pity it was that others did not share his sentiments. During his occasional visit to his mistress to let off some steam, the latter gently expressed her worries about Bai Zhou¡¯s ability to manage the Bai Family¡¯s business empire. Despite having an illegitimate son outside, Bai Zhengye had no plans of falling out with the Meng Family by appointing a new successor. His intention was similar to the mindset harbored by ancient Chinese emperors. If the crown prince could get along well with the other princes, the other princes could later become kings and assist the new emperor in his work. That was why he secretly arranged for Bai Zhou to meet his illegitimate son despite holding on to the pact he had with his wife to make Bai Zhou their successor. The outcome of that was disastrous. Bai Zhengye was only glad he was not present when the meeting took place, or else he would have been caught in the crossfire. Nevertheless, he persisted in his ideas. He thought that Bai Zhou was simply too young to understand his foresight, and the latter would understand his intentions in the future. Which men don¡¯t have their fair share of relationships outside? Not to mention, Bai Zhou himself also has multiple love interests too. Bai Zhengye¡¯s trip to Lakeside City happened by sheer coincidence. An important meeting had ended earlier than expected, freeing up some time on his schedule. It just so happened that Lakeside City was in the vicinity. He thought about how his son hadn¡¯t called him even once over the past six months, so he made a spontaneous decision to instruct his secretary to take him to Bai Zhou¡¯s apartment. Chapter 89.2: I Don’t Need Your Feigned Concern (2) Bai Zhengye didn¡¯t know Bai Zhou¡¯s current address, but there was no way his secretary wouldn¡¯t know. After all, he was one of the two emergency contacts stated in Bai Zhou¡¯s university records, with the other one being Mrs. Bai¡¯s assistant. Upon arrival, they chanced upon the sight of a drunk Bai Zhou being carried out of a car by a man. Bai Zhengye clicked his tongue and asked, ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± The secretary took a quick look at the man and smoothly answered, ¡°He¡¯s an employee from the studio the young master is interning at.¡± ¡°Bai Zhou went on an internship?¡± Bai Zhengye rubbed his lower jaws in gleeful surprise. ¡°That¡¯s good news! Get him over to Yandu and intern at the main company instead. He¡¯ll learn much more there. Inform his university that he will be withdrawing from his studies.¡± His secretary assented. ¡°Tsk tsk. Look at his unseemly state. It¡¯s fine for a man to drink, but not to this extent.¡± Bai Zhengye shook his head in disapproval. He tidied up his suit before stepping out of his car. He might have just been thinking too much, but he had a feeling that Shen Qi had shot him a glance the moment he opened the car door. As he approached the duo, Shen Qi suddenly stopped and greeted him, ¡°Mr. Bai.¡± When he was near them, Shen Qi stopped to greet him, ¡°Mr. Bai.¡± Bai Zhengye looked at him with a dour face. ¡°Do you know me?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± replied Shen Qi impassively. He tossed Bai Zhou over to Bai Zhengye and said, ¡°I¡¯ll leave your son to you.¡± This was the first time in his life that Bai Zhengye had an adult man thrown into his arms. He stumbled a little trying to support his son, who had grown taller than him at some point in time. He couldn¡¯t help but notice the scent of hotpot lingering on the latter. ¡°I¡¯ll be taking my leave now since I¡¯ve gotten him home safely.¡± Shen Qi directed a nod at the two men before taking his leave. His words were so stoic and mechanical that he felt like an emotionless robot. Bai Zhengye frowned. He waved his secretary over to help him support Bai Zhou. Just then, Bai Zhou groggily awoke from his sleep and saw Bai Zhengye. Without any hesitation, he raised his arms and pushed Bai Zhengye away, causing the latter to stagger backward and nearly fall to the ground. Bai Zhengye immediately hollered at Bai Zhou, ¡°Are you so drunk you can¡¯t even recognise your own father?!¡± Bai Zhou swept a glance at him, but he swiftly turned his eyes away and continued walking toward his apartment. Bai Zhengye was infuriated by his disrespectful attitude. He followed Bai Zhou and bellowed, ¡°What¡¯s with your attitude? Do you know whose money you are spending?¡± ¡°My mother¡¯s,¡± Bai Zhou answered coldly. Bai Zhengye¡¯s heart congested from the anger. ¡°Are you siding with your mother now, huh?¡± ¡°At least she didn¡¯t bring her bastard in front of me.¡± Bai Zhengye nearly gave Bai Zhou a tight slap there and then¡­ and he would have if Bai Zhou hadn¡¯t caught his hand mid-air. It was at that moment Bai Zhengye realized in astonishment that his son had grown stronger than him. ¡°Nothing good ever happens whenever you visit,¡± Bai Zhou sneered. ¡°Get on with it. What do you want this time?¡± ¡°Is this how you treat your father who took time off to visit you?¡± No matter how cool Bai Zhengye was in his social circle, he couldn¡¯t keep his composure when dealing with his rebellious son. He thundered, ¡°I specially came here to check on you because your stepmother told me that you have been drowning yourself in alcohol lately. Take a look at yourself! You¡¯re really a hopeless case!¡± Bai Zhou¡¯s senses were dulled by alcohol. It was only after Bai Zhengye finished his speech that he noticed a particularly jarring term that the latter used. ¡°Stepmother?¡± That question choked Bai Zhengye. His airs weakened for an instant, but he quickly regained his confidence and forcefully refuted, ¡°Haven¡¯t you met her before?¡± Bai Zhou mocked, ¡°Have I ever acknowledged her? Does the law acknowledge her? You said that you specially came here to check on me. Am I supposed to feel honored by your annual visits? I would have thought that I didn¡¯t have a father if you didn¡¯t come by today!¡± Right as the quarrel was about to further escalate, the secretary interjected, ¡°Pardon me, but the lift is here.¡± Bai Zhou shook off Bai Zhengye¡¯s hand and strode into the lift. ¡°Don¡¯t follow me, I am going to bed.¡± After the lift door closed, Bai Zhengye turned to his secretary and sheepishly asked, ¡°Has it really been a year?¡± ¡°Do you really want to know?¡± asked the secretary. Bai Zhengye scratched his head awkwardly. ¡°It really is?¡± The secretary shook his head. ¡°It has been more than two years now.¡± Bai Zhengye: ¡°¡­¡± Chapter 89.3: I Don’t Need Your Feigned Concern (3) In a rare bout of introspection, Bai Zhengye thought about how he could make up with his son on his way back to the hotel. Based on his years of coaxing women, he believe that a gift was necessary. ¡°What do you think I should get Bai Zhou?¡± Bai Zhengye asked his secretary. His secretary replied obliquely, ¡°I don¡¯t think a gift is what the young master is looking for.¡± But Bai Zhengye was so deep in his thoughts that he paid no heed to his secretary¡¯s words. ¡°You mentioned earlier that he¡¯s interning. Where is he interning at? Give me an overview of the company.¡± The experienced secretary did a quick search. Within minutes, an overview of publicly released information on Ji Fanyin¡¯s studio was in Bai Zhengye¡¯s hands. ¡°A screenwriting studio?¡± Bai Zhengye casually browsed through the documents, thinking it was mere child¡¯s play. ¡°Their first production just aired not too long ago¡­ Oh? The earnings look passable.¡± His secretary eyed him through the rearview mirror, wondering whether he should correct Bai Zhengye¡¯s judgment by telling him that the film was one of the front runners for box office champion this year. He eventually decided against it. ¡°How about this?¡± Bai Zhengye casuallu browsed through the document again. ¡°I¡¯ll buy this studio for Bai Zhou so that he can be his own boss. That¡¯s enough sincerity for an apology, no?¡±¡± The secretary struggled internally for a moment before obliquely hinting yet again, ¡°Would you like to consider other options too?¡± ¡°What¡¯s there to consider? He¡¯s the one who chose this place to intern at!¡± Bai Zhengye waved his hand dismissively. ¡°It¡¯s just a newly established studio. Go prepare the acquisition plan.¡± Seeing that Bai Zhengye¡¯s mind was already made up, he could only do as he was told. ¡°When did this little chap start taking an interest in the entertainment industry¡­¡± Bai Zhengye mumbled while he continued browsing through the information on the tablet. ¡°Haven¡¯t he always looked down on celebrities and idol singers, saying they are mere performers?¡± That brat even got into a fight with me when I appeared on gossip magazines over an affair with a celebrity a few years back. Back then, Bai Zhou was only thirteen years old. As the years went by, Bai Zhengye learned how to avoid his son so as to avoid getting into such arguments, especially now that his son was in his rebellious phase. Boys will grow up on their own even if I let him be. It had never been Bai Zhengye¡¯s intention to have an illegitimate son since he knew that it could complicate the situation. It was just that his mistress told him that it was a girl, and he thought that it would be good to have a daughter around. Due to that, he allowed her to keep the child. It turned out to be a boy in the end. It was already too late to do anything by then, so he could only turn a blind eye to the situation and let things be. Thinking about it, he had hardly met Bai Zhou ever since the latter left for Lakeside City. Instead, it felt like he was often meeting with his illegitimate son. ¡°What time are we leaving tomorrow?¡± Bai Zhengye suddenly asked. ¡°1 PM.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll visit the studio that chap is interning at tomorrow morning,¡± said Bai Zhengye. ¡°Drop a call to the person-in-charge. Make sure that chap doesn¡¯t learn about our visit.¡± His secretary subtly advised for the third time, ¡°I think you should reconsider the matter.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just visiting my son¡¯s workplace. What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± Bai Zhengye was convinced that there was nothing wrong with what he was doing. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s only right that I conduct a field study before the acquisition.¡± His secretary let out a quiet sigh. ¡°I understand.¡± Chapter 89.4: I Don’t Need Your Feigned Concern (4) Bai Zhengye¡¯s secretary proceeded to look up the details of the three founders. The first one to be struck off the list was He Shen, who was hardly involved with the affairs of the studio. He hesitated between the other two for a moment, but he eventually chose to go with Zhang Ning as he felt that Ji Fanyin was a ticking time bomb. Without further hesitation, he took out his phone and dialed Zhang Ning¡¯s number. He briefly explained the purpose of their visit. To which, Zhang Ning graciously accepted. News made its way to Ji Fanyin moments later. ¡°Bai Zhou¡¯s father?¡± Ji Fanyin was about to go to bed when she received a call from Zhang Ning. ¡°What does he want?¡± ¡°It sounds like he¡¯s planning to tour the company his son is interning at,¡± replied Zhang Ning with a soft chuckle. ¡°But I¡¯ve heard a lot about his business maneuvers. He might just be thinking of taking over our studio for Bai Zhou to toy with.¡± Ji Fanyin thought of Zhang Ning¡¯s schedule. ¡°You won¡¯t be around tomorrow?¡± ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think I can be there in the morning.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll meet him then,¡± Ji Fanyin answered. ¡°Be careful. You can use Bai Zhou as a shield if you ever find yourself in a spot. I doubt that Bai Zhengye will go too far in front of his son,¡± said Zhang Ning. Bai Zhengye¡¯s secretary was completely thrown off by the ¡®personnel swap¡¯. When Ji Fanyin, instead of Zhang Ning, came to greet them the following morning, he felt his heart skip a beat. ¡­ The reason why I contacted Zhang Ning is to prevent a meeting between Bai Zhengye and Ji Fanyin! If Bai Zhengye were to make even a single mistake here, it could very well raise a raging inferno in the Bai Family¡¯s courtyard! On their way here, Bai Zhengye learned from his secretary that Zhang Ning had a stake in the studio, and she would be the one taking them around today. Thus, he was surprised when the person who appeared before him wasn¡¯t Zhang Ning. ¡°Aren¡¯t you the Ji Family¡¯s¡­¡± Ji Fanyin introduced herself with a polite smile, ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Bai. I am Ji Fanyin, one of the founders of this studio.¡± Realization dawned on Bai Zhengye. He mumbled, ¡°Twins.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Ji Fanyin wasn¡¯t surprised to see that Bai Zhengye was aware of Ji Xinxin¡¯s affairs. She wouldn¡¯t be surprised either if he was aware that Bai Zhou had spent a few hundred million on her. On the contrary, it would be more surprising if Bai Zhengye was oblivious to that. ¡°What a coincidence.¡± Bai Zhengye casually shook Ji Fanyin¡¯s hand, not thinking much of it. ¡°I¡¯m here today to¡­¡± Before he could finish his sentence, the lift doors behind them opened. Walking out was Bai Zhou with a motorcycle helmet in his hand. He had a scowl on his face, clearly from the lack of sleep. He raised his head, only to witness the sight of his father shaking hands with Ji Fanyin. Disbelief was the first emotion that registered to him, but it was swiftly overtaken by rage. He strode toward the two of them and grabbed Bai Zhengye¡¯s wrist tightly. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t I take a look at the place where you are interning at?¡± Bai Zhengye countered. ¡°Spoken as if you truly care,¡± Bai Zhou sneered at his father¡¯s claims. ¡°I don¡¯t need your feigned concern. Just don¡¯t bother me ever again!¡± Ji Fanyin alternated her gaze between Bai Zhengye and Bai Zhou before slowly retracting her hand. The shield activated on its own accord before I could do anything. Judging by how things were panning out, Ji Fanyin thought that there was nothing to worry about the acquisition. At least for this matter, Bai Zhou is here to hold the fort even if the sky falls. Chapter 90.1: Should We End It Now? (1) Bai Zhou was on the verge of losing his mind over Bai Zhengye¡¯s maneuvers, but a glance at the quietly smiling Ji Fanyin told him that it wasn¡¯t a good time to burst out. So, he clenched his teeth and first explained things to Ji Fanyin first, ¡°This isn¡¯t my idea.¡± Ji Fanyin did not reply. All she did was to blink her eyes in response. This interaction piqued the interest of Bai Zhengye¡¯s secretary. He looked at Ji Fanyin and Bai Zhou with a look of contemplation, but he tactfully chose not to interject here. ¡°¡­¡± Bai Zhou first took a deep breath to calm himself before he continued speaking to Ji Fanyin awkwardly. ¡°You can go back first, I¡¯ll handle the situation here.¡± ¡°Mr. Bai is a guest of our studio,¡± replied Ji Fanyin. ¡°It would be rude of us to allow an intern who joined a day prior to bring him around.¡± A furrow formed on Bai Zhengye¡¯s face. ¡°Miss Ji, the intern you are speaking of is none other than my son. He has the right to receive any guest.¡± There was a condescending edge to his voice, almost as if he was berating a subordinate. ¡­ My son has graced your studio with his presence, but instead of taking good care of him, you¡¯re treating him like a regular intern? Bai Zhengye had spoken those words with conviction. He was confident that his son would be touched that he was standing up for him. However, the results were the complete opposite of what he had expected. Bai Zhou¡¯s face couldn¡¯t get any livider. With clenched jaws, he squeezed out his words, ¡°Father, let¡¯s find somewhere else to talk.¡± ¡­ This chap has even learnt to talk professionally. With such thoughts in mind, Bai Zhengye graciously agreed with a nod. Before leavingwith his son, he shot a glance at his secretary to prompt the latter to proceed with the acquisition negotiation with Ji Fanyin. Bai Zhou briskly strode toward the currently empty smoking area beside the washroom. He felt as if there was a pool of searing lava bubbling in his mind, threatening to explode at any moment. Yet, he somehow felt oddly calm at the same time. He stopped at the destination and turned around to face Bai Zhengye. He suppressed his rage and asked, ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to take a look at your work environment,¡± replied Bai Zhengye matter-of-factly. There was no way he would reveal his true intention right away, so he went with an excuse that was not completely untrue. ¡­ It¡¯s true that I¡¯m taking a look at the work environment. I need to learn more about how this studio works before acquiring it. ¡°Is that so?¡± Bai Zhou scoffed. ¡°You sure are showering me with care and concern after so many years. I guess your other son isn¡¯t meeting up to your expectations, after all.¡± Bai Zhengye lashed out angrily, ¡°I am your father. Is there anything wrong with me caring for you? Look at your clothes, your house, your car! When have I ever short-changed you before?¡± ¡°Money is the one thing that worths next to nothing to you. You wouldn¡¯t even bat an eyelid even if I dump a wad of it into the dumpster,¡± replied Bai Zhou dismissively. ¡°You only know how to solve your problems with money.¡± ¡°Money has the power to solve all problems.¡± Bai Zhengye shrugged nonchalantly. With a matter-of-factly tone, he said, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t forget that it¡¯s with money that you were able to grow up in such a comfortable environment.¡± He gestured toward Bai Zhou¡¯s figure. ¡°¡­ Take a look in the mirror. Haven¡¯t you grown up well, strong and healthy? Don¡¯t speak as if I owe you anything.¡± Bai Zhou snorted in irritation. ¡°What is your true motive for coming here?¡± Bai Zhengye decided to stop beating around the bush and come clean. ¡°I know that I have neglected you for not having visited you in such a long time, and I do feel guilty over it. I¡¯m guessing that you¡¯re fond of this studio since you chose to work here, so I¡¯m considering buying it as an apology gift to you.¡± Up to this juncture, Bai Zhengye was still convinced that he was the bigger man here. His very tone revealed his ¡®You should be thanking me¡¯ sentiment. ------ Twitter || Reddit---Join my Discord to get the latest updates from me!!????????????????? ???????????? ???????? ???????????????????? ????????????????????????:Little Tyrant Doesn''t Want to Meet With a Bad EndLibrary of Heaven''s PathMartial God Asura from Chapter 4320---Did you know that 100,000/Hour Professional Stand-in has a manhua?-StarveCleric Chapter 90.2: Should We End It Now? (2) Bai Zhou: ¡°¡­¡± He could hardly believe what he was hearing from his father. You¡¯ve neglected me for two years and forced me to meet your mistress and illegitimate son. Are those not enough? Why do you have to appear right now and sabotage me? ¡°Can¡¯t you do something good for once?¡± Bai Zhou roared in sheer anger. ¡°Why must you sabotage me at a time like this? Do you know how hard I had to work¡­¡± in order not to be blacklisted like Song Shiyu! Bai Zhou didn¡¯t speak the latter half of the sentence aloud. He was so furious that he was tempted to crack Bai Zhengye¡¯s skull open to see if what¡¯s inside was as dense as the Earth¡¯s core. ¡­ Had this happened half a year ago, he might have really done so. It was just that the time he had spent with Ji Fanyin had smoothened out his thorns, putting him in greater control of his own emotions. ¡°How is that not a good thing?¡± Bai Zhengye frowned at the unexpected outburst from Bai Zhou. ¡°You¡¯ll be taking over your mother and my business empires in the future. This is a good opportunity for you to gain some experience running a business. It¡¯s just a small studio anyway. It doesn¡¯t matter even if you bankrupt it.¡± Bai Zhou squeezed his eyes shut. He felt the blood in his body gushing up to his brain, screaming at him to hurl a punch at the asshole standing before him. ¡°No.¡± He squeezed a single word out from between his teeth. ¡°Why not? As long as the price is right and the owners are fine with it¡­¡± ¡°No!¡± Bai Zhou smashed his helmet on the ground, producing a deafening crash that echoed in this enclosed space. The sheer force caused the helmet to rebound to around half the height of a man before slowly rolling away on the ground. The violent show of might shocked Bai Zhengye. He roared in anger, ¡°What kind of attitude are you showing me?¡± Bai Zhou took another deep breath. His temples had been throbbing nonstop for a while now, and his puffy eyes felt uncomfortably swollen. It was at this moment that an epiphany dawned upon him. ¡­ This is where all of my bad habits came from. Bai Zhengye did as he pleased because he had the means to do so. I judged others as I pleased due to my own past experiences. We¡¯re ultimately the same kind of people at the core. Bai Zhengye had a flawed perception of love and kinship. That was why he leaped from a mistress to another. The woman he loved was always the next one to come. On the other hand, Bai Zhou grew up in a family that lacked love. That was why he swiftly fell heads over heels for Ji Xinxin when she treated him gemtly despite his horrible attitude. Bai Zhou could almost hear a voice in his head mocking him. It was telling him: As expected of father and son. ¡­ The only difference between them was that Bai Zhou met Ji Fanyin. Bai Zhengye still hadn¡¯t met the person who could slap him back into reality and teach him how to open his eyes wide and view others as equals. To be honest, Bai Zhou couldn¡¯t tell whether it was a good thing or not. He took yet another deep breath and forced himself to calm down. ¡°¡­ Ever since I was young, you have never asked me anything about myself. You raised me just like how others would raise a pet. It¡¯s not just once or twice that I¡¯ve stumbled upon your affairs as a child. Do you even remember when my birthday is? Forget it, those doesn¡¯t matter anymore.¡± Bai Zhou glared at Bai Zhengye with reddened eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t need your care and concern now. I¡¯m no longer the little child who craved fatherly love from you!¡± Despite his overflowing anger, Bai Zhou still managed to express himself calmly and coherently. Bai Zhengye had long since gotten used to Bai Zhou¡¯s nasty temper, so it was a breath of fresh air to see Bai Zhou suppressing his anger and attempting to reason things out with him. It was just that his anger overshadowed all other emotions he felt. ¡°Have you forgotten who¡¯s the one who raised you?!¡± ¡°You will have to ask my mother how much credit she¡¯s willing to share with you.¡± Bai Zhou paused before reiterating impatiently, ¡°Don¡¯t touch this studio. I won¡¯t accept it even if you give it to me.¡± What¡¯s the point of staying here if Ji Fanyin really sold the studio? She¡¯s the one who likes movies, not me. Bai Zhengye hesitantly made another offer, ¡°Then¡­ why don¡¯t I get you something else?¡± This person is beyond help, Bai Zhou thought. He grabbed his dented helmet, placed it under his arm, and left the scene. Chapter 90.3: Should We End It Now? (3) Bai Zhou returned to the office and took a look at Ji Fanyin¡¯s office. The door that was opened earlier when he headed off with his father, but it was now closed. This could only mean Ji Fanyin and his father¡¯s secretary had brought their conversation into her office. Bai Zhou tightened his grip around his helmet, feeling uncertain about the results of the talk. ¡­ Would Ji Fanyin really sell her shares if Bai Zhengye offered a sufficiently high price? She had been going on and on about her lack of money for quite a while now. Ten billion dollars¡­ While Bai Zhou was deep in thought, Bai Zhengye belatedly returned to the office too. Coincidentally, the door to Ji Fanyin¡¯s office opened. Ji Fanyin and Bai Zhengye¡¯s chief secretary walked out one after another. Bai Zhou was aware of how competent his father¡¯s chief secretary was, so he couldn¡¯t help but worriedly scrutinize Ji Fanyin¡¯s expression in hopes of figuring out her thoughts. ¡­ I can¡¯t read anything from her expression. Ji Fanyin had always been an incredible actress, capable of playing any role flawlessly. Not once had Bai Zhou ever succeeded in finding any faults in her acting. This made Bai Zhou frustrated. Ji Fanyin had always taken a perfunctory attitude toward him, almost as if he was a rascal from a distant relative. ¡°Are you done with your talk?¡± Ji Fanyin asked the two of them. ¡°Yes, we are done. They will be leaving now,¡± Bai Zhou snorted impatiently. The secretary took a quick glance at Bai Zhengye¡¯s face and noticed the latter¡¯s downcast expression. It didn¡¯t take a genius to figure what had gone down in their confrontration. So, he let out a light cough to remind him that they were in public space. Bai Zhengye swiftly snapped out of his thoughts. Feeling greatly displeased from having his kind intentions snubbed, he walked off with a darkened face. He didn¡¯t think that there was any need for him to engage in pleasantries with a young junior like Ji Fanyin, not to mention that she was a woman. His secretary was much more polite in contrast. He bade Ji Fanyin farewell before following Bai Zhengye out of the office. It was barely 9.30 AM by then. Most of those who had attended the gathering the day before weren¡¯t in the office yet, making it look emptier than ever. Bai Zhou nervously traced the inner lining of his helmet while struggling to find the words to explain this incident to Ji Fanyin. However, his thoughts were interrupted by Ji Fanyin¡¯s ringtone. Taking out her phone, she first glanced at the caller ID before accepting the call right in front of Bai Zhou. ¡°Hello.¡± Intrigued, Bai Zhou stared at Ji Fanyin¡¯s phone. Ji Fanyin is speaking with a formal tone?Who is on the other end? Ji Fanyin quietly listened for a few seconds before chuckling, ¡°News sure travels fast. That¡¯s right.¡± It¡¯s a calm and polite tone, mixed with a tinge of respect, Bai Zhou analyzed. A moment later, Ji Fanyin raised her eyebrows and asked, ¡°Does that mean we can end it now?¡± Perhaps too engrossed in their conversation, Bai Zhou somehow lost his grip on his helmet and it fell to the ground with a loud bam. He quickly bent down to pick it up, but as he was doing so, he heard Ji Fanyin speaking on the phone with a smile on her lips, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. It¡¯s quite a coincidence. He happened to drop something in front of me.¡± Taken aback by the mention of him, Bai Zhou¡¯s eyes shot up to stare at Ji Fanyin in bewilderment. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I understand.¡± Ji Fanyin paused briefly before continuing, ¡°This is probably our last meeting. I wish you all the best in life.¡± With that, she hung up the phone. As she put down her phone, her gaze slowly fell on Bai Zhou. He immediately stood upright and asked with a deep frown, ¡°Who were you talking to?¡± Ji Fanyin smiled at him and said, ¡°Let¡¯s take this conversation elsewhere.¡± Bai Zhou followed her, but an ominous feeling was swiftly growing in his heart. When they finally entered Ji Fanyin¡¯s office, Bai Zhou lost patience and urged, ¡°Who was that?¡± Ji Fanyin picked up the cup of coffee on her table and took a sip. Then, she nonchalantly replied, ¡°It¡¯s your mother, Mrs. Bai.¡± Chapter 91.1: We’re Over (1) Confusion was written all over Bai Zhou¡¯s face. He couldn¡¯t understand how his mother was involved in this matter. Ji Fanyin hadn¡¯t intended to show her hand to Bai Zhou today. Bai Zhengye¡¯s visit had come as a surprise, but she was planning to just humor him a little and send him on his way. If this studio was hers and hers alone, she might have just sold it if Bai Zhengye¡¯s offer was high enough. It wouldn¡¯t have been a bad idea to bump up the figure reflected in the ¡®Temptation of Home¡¯ app by another hundred million dollars. But this studio didn¡¯t belong to her and her alone. Neither Zhang Ning nor He Shen, who had devoted their time, money, and effort to the studio, lacked money. Even if it was just out of consideration for them, Ji Fanyin wouldn¡¯t allow herself to be enticed by a mere wave of Bai Zhengye¡¯s notes. Not to mention, He Shen and Zhang Ning held the right of first refusal if she ever intended to sell her shares. She couldn¡¯t possibly extort them out of their money. It wasn¡¯t doing all of this just to earn a bit of money. Of course she wouldn¡¯t bother selling the studio to Bai Zhengye then. After sending Bai Zhengye and his secretary on his way, Ji Fanyin was planning to let things be and allow Bai Zhou to continue his life as a 150 dollars a day intern. But who could have thought that Mrs. Bai¡¯s call would arrive at such a timely manner? Her phone happened to ring right after Bai Zhengye left. It was almost as if it was calculated to stop her from continue exploiting Bai Zhou for cheap labor. True enough, Mrs. Bai concisely explained over the phone that she had intentionally turned a blind eye to the mistress¡¯ bedside talk to lure Bai Zhengye over to Lakeside City. That piece of information was more than enough for Ji Fanyin to guess the rest of the story. ¡­ She¡¯s luring the tiger out of its lair. Be it Bai Zhengye¡¯s abruptly freed-up schedule or his sudden idea to visit Bai Zhou, they were probably part of Mrs. Bai¡¯s arrangements. It was a trap dug out for Bai Zhengye to leap into. Ji Fanyin was certain that by the time Bai Zhengye returned, Mrs. Bai would have already tamed his mistress into submission. The only question was what kind of fury and scorn would Bai Zhengye be faced with when he returned. After all, there would not be a mistress without an unloyal husband. As vicious as the mistress was, she wouldn¡¯t have amounted to much of a threat without Bai Zhengye¡¯s support. Mrs. Bai had managed to achieve total victory in one fell swoop, so she decided to drop a call to Ji Fanyin right away to inform her of the matter. Ji Fanyin understood what she was getting at¨Dit was time to end things with Bai Zhou. Ji Fanyin was planning to end things with Bai Zhou on the day of Li Xiaoxing¡¯s engagement ceremony, and she would have if not for but Mrs. Bai¡¯s sudden request to delay it. In hindsight, it was part of her ploy to lay a trap for Bai Zhengye and his mistress. Since both parties had achieved their goals, it was time to terminate their partnership. Mrs. Bai had even offered Ji Fanyin a rare compliment for her ability to ¡®read the situation¡¯. Ji Fanyin looked at Bai Zhou and sighed on Mrs. Bai¡¯s behalf. When it came to bad parenting, Bai Zhou was an example of how a child would turn out when the parents each took turns to traumatize the child. ¡°My mother?¡± Bai Zhou¡¯s eyebrows furrowed. He stared at Ji Fanyin in uncertainty and asked, ¡°¡­ What do you mean by that? My mother contacted you? Is it over money?¡± Ji Fanyin was tempted to answer with a simple ¡®Yes¡¯ and end things there, but she knew that it would trigger a huge fight between Bai Zhou and Mrs. Bai. It would be ungrateful of her to do that to Mrs. Bai, who had invested huge sums into her studio. So, she decided to explain the matter to him properly, ¡°She is aware of our transactions, but she is not opposed to it. I have other dealings with her, though she would occasionally enquire about your situation.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Bai Zhou fell silent. He knew that his mother was capable of pulling off something like this. Chapter 91.2: We’re Over (2) ¡°You don¡¯t have to report to work from today onward. Our studio will not continue employing you,¡± Ji Fanyin said as she casually flipped through a document. ¡°Your pay for yesterday¡¯s work is 150 dollars. I¡¯ll transfer you the money.¡± Bai Zhou silently stared at Ji Fanyin with an indignant look on his face. ¡°I don¡¯t just mean your internship here.¡± Ji Fanyin ignored Bai Zhou¡¯s searing gaze and continued impassively, ¡°Everything between us ends here today.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have the right to one-sidedly end it by yourself. What if I don¡¯t agree to it?¡± Bai Zhou murmured weakly in protest. Ji Fanyin unhurriedly asked him a question in response, ¡°Am I right to assume that when you came by yesterday saying that you wish to apologize to me, you have already understood what you have done wrong?¡± ¡°¡­ That¡¯s right.¡± Seeing how Bai Zhou had closed his eyes, as if he was going to recount his misdeeds, Ji Fanyin quickly raised her hand to stop him, saying, ¡°No. If you truly understand what you have done wrong, you would have known to never appear before me ever again. That is the best way you can express your apology.¡± Stabbed by those simple words, Bai Zhou¡¯s eyes narrowed sharply. ¡°But I¡­¡± ¡°But you truly know that you¡¯re wrong and want to make amends? There¡¯s no reason why I have to accept your apology and allow you to make amends.¡± Ji Fanyin gently swirled her coffee cup and asked with a faint smile, ¡°Did you think everything was over just because you apologized?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean!¡± Bai Zhou subconsciously raised his voice to refute Ji Fanyin, but he quickly lowered it in frustration. ¡°I thought that with time, you would¡­ hate me less.¡± Unaccustomed to saying such meek words, he bit down hard on his lower lips in discomfort. Ji Fanyin chuckled at that sight. She personally harbored no hatred for Bai Zhou. In fact, she felt no hate for anyone in this world. For that reason, she couldn¡¯t offer Bai Zhou the ¡®forgiveness¡¯ he was looking for. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be lamenting now when you were the one who agreed to our transaction back then.¡± Ji Fanyin took out her phone and casually swiped her screen. ¡°We were originally strangers who detested each other anyway, isn¡¯t that so?¡± She tapped into the reservation app, which she hadn¡¯t accessed for quite some time now, and removed all of Bai Zhou¡¯s access rights. ¡°Good bye, Bai Zhou.¡± Ji Fanyin¡¯s words sent a chill down Bai Zhou¡¯s spine. He belatedly realized what had just happened and quickly whipped out his phone. He anxiously tapped on the reservation app icon, only to find that he could no longer open that mysterious little app. That came as a heavy blow to him. He gripped his phone so tightly that the corners of his phone started cutting into his palm. Ironically, the pain he felt was the only outlet for him to let out his emotions, allowing him to keep himself from going crazy in front of Ji Fanyin. What was laughable about this situation was that Bai Zhou earnestly understood what he had done wrong, but that was precisely the reason why he was unable to find any excuse to refute Ji Fanyin. ¡­ Had it been the past him, he could have ignored all reason and screamed at Ji Fanyin to get his way. But again, the past him wouldn¡¯t have been in such despair from Ji Fanyin wanting to cut off all contact with him either. It was a paradox. One wouldn¡¯t have happened without the other. ¡°¡­ If I repent and change for the better in the future, are you willing to¡­¡± He bit the tip of his tongue. ¡°Are you be willing to accept me as a friend?¡± Ji Fanyin interlaced her fingers and tilted her head. ¡°But Bai Zhou, you aren¡¯t looking to be my friend.¡± She bluntly revealed Bai Zhou¡¯s intentions. ¡°And you are not the type of man I will date.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°If you¡¯re asking if I will ever forgive you, I don¡¯t think I will,¡± Ji Fanyin continued. ¡°You should know that the world does not always bend to your will.¡± Bai Zhou was rendered speechless. ¡­ You can never force another person to forgive you. ¡°You can leave now.¡± Ji Fanyin paused for a moment before steering back to her previous topic. ¡°How would you like to receive your pay?¡± Bai Zhou was stunned. He scanned the items on Ji Fanyin¡¯s desk and took an ordinary fountain pen from her stationary holder. ¡°This will be enough,¡± he spoke in a hoarse voice. He quickly left the room afterward with his worn-out helmet tucked under his arm. Chapter 91.3: We’re Over (3) A group of people happened to enter the office at that moment, and one of them was Chen Yunsheng. As a result, Bai Zhou and Chen Yunsheng¡¯s eyes met. Bai Zhou looked at Chen Yunsheng and said, ¡°Let¡¯s have a chat.¡± The other colleagues who bumped into Chen Yunsheng in the elevator were intrigued by this unusual interaction. They halted their footsteps and stared at the two youths in astonishment. ¡°Hm? When did the two of you become so close?¡± Chen Yunsheng glanced at Ji Fanyin¡¯s office and noticed that the door was open. Then, he turned his gaze back to Bai Zhou and nodded. ¡°Sure.¡± The other colleagues stared in the group stared at their departed silhouettes and casually remarked amongst themselves. ¡°They are really tall.¡± ¡°And handsome too. They can totally debut as a duo.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know why, but this really reminds me of those clich¨¦ idol drama scenes where the male lead and the second male lead confront each other one-on-one in private¡­¡± Only the motorcycle fanatic in the group expressed his utmost grief. ¡°What happened to Bai Zhou¡¯s helmet? How did it get so badly dented? That helmet costs at least a few hundred thousand dollars! Who in the world destroyed it!¡± Ji Fanyin noticed the two youths leaving together from her office, but after some thought, she decided to leave them be. ¡­ Bai Zhou has matured considerably from before. He wouldn¡¯t resort to violence for a relationship that has never been confirmed in the first place. Just then, Ji Fanyin¡¯s phone chimed. She glanced at her phone and saw that it was a message from Zhang Ning, asking her for updates on Bai Zhengye. Thus, she picked up her phone and dropped Zhang Ning a call. ¡°Mr. Bai did drop by but we didn¡¯t talk much. We ended up bumping into Bai Zhou at the entrance of the studio, and he got berated from the start to the end.¡± Ji Fanyin leaned against the office table as she recounted the events to Zhang Ning. ¡°I had a chat with his secretary afterward. He was indeed planning to buy the studio for Bai Zhou to try his hand.¡± Zhang Ning snickered. ¡°They would have to get my approval for that. What happened after that? I¡¯d assume that he has already left since you called?¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t talk much,¡± replied Ji Fanyin nonchalantly. ¡°His son seems to have put him in place.¡± A thought popped up in Zhang Ning¡¯s mind. ¡°Now that I think about it, Madam Meng¡¯s investment in the studio¡­¡± ¡°His secretary is aware, but Mr. Bai himself doesn¡¯t seem to know of it.¡± Zhang Ning was amused to hear that. ¡°Well well, looks like there¡¯s a good show coming up. What happened next? Did they give up just like that?¡± ¡°I fired Bai Zhou,¡± Ji Fanyin replied. ¡°Pu! You really fired him? On what basis?¡± ¡°What reason do I need to fire an intern who has only been here for a day?¡± replied Ji Fanyin. ¡°Oh~¡± Zhang Ning dragged out that single syllable. ¡°Youngsters of his age tend to be very stubborn. Are you sure that you¡¯ll be able to end things with him just by firing him?¡± Ji Fanyin took a look outside. Chen Yunsheng was already making his way back into the office, but Bai Zhou wasn¡¯t with him. Sensing her gaze, Chen Yunsheng tried waving at her, to which, she responded with a raise of her coffee mug. A smile broke out of his lips, and he headed over to his seat. Ji Fanyin then replied to Zhang Ning¡¯s question, ¡°I¡¯m certain Bai Zhou won¡¯t be coming back.¡± Bai Zhou only had two options. He could either acknowledge his mistakes and disappear from Ji Fanyin¡¯s life, or he could continue to stick around and pester her. The only problem was that if he chose the latter, it would signal that he didn¡¯t understand what his mistake was. ¡°What a pity.¡± Zhang Ning sighed. ¡°Putting aside the potential investment from the Bai and the Meng Family, Bai Zhou was at least a handsome lad.¡± Are there any lack of good-looking people in our industry? Ji Fanyin rebutted in her mind. Though she did agree that it was a pity too. Not due to Bai Zhou¡¯s looks, of course, but the loss of her three-pronged income.