Chapter 12: The Bead Bracelet

Ji Fanling’s mind buzzed, and she refused to believe her misfortune. She rolled up her sleeve, but her wrist was completely bare.

The bead bracelet itself shouldn’t have been worth much; otherwise, Ji Guoliang would have taken it long ago and sold it.

…But that was the only thing her mother had left her, the only item.

Ji Fanling turned and ran back to Yongle Supermarket, but she couldn’t find the bead bracelet there. She then hurried to the convenience store where she had interviewed that morning, but it was still nowhere to be found.

Unwilling to give up, she returned to Fu Yingcheng’s home, checking the corners of the sofa, searching the bedroom again, and even looking through the bathroom.

She only stayed in a few places at Fu Yingcheng’s house. With his cleanliness obsession, his home was meticulously tidy, without even a pile of clutter where something could be hidden. Moreover, she had the habit of keeping her personal items in a bag, hanging it behind the door.

It shouldn’t have been lost.

The girl sat on the sofa, racking her brain to recall.

Going back through the places she’d been… the last one was Jiang Family Noodles.

Ji Fanling took out the membership card for Jiang Family Noodles from her pocket and dialed the contact number on the back.

The call connected quickly, and a clear, youthful voice came through: “Hello, this is Jiang Family Noodles. How can I assist you?”

“…Little Xingxing?”

Ji Fanling frowned. “Why aren’t you in school?”

On the other end, Jiang Baixing was momentarily stunned, then immediately stood up. “You! You’re that customer… the lady with Mr. Fu… uh, senior—no, junior?” He changed his wording a dozen times in a second.

Ji Fanling responded, “Junior, my foot! Watch your manners.”

“…Sister.”

Jiang Baixing obediently called her, “Today is the school anniversary. I took leave and came home after my speech this morning.”

Ji Fanling glanced at the calendar on her phone; it was indeed the anniversary of Beiwan No. 1 High School.

Students looked forward to this day eagerly because they didn’t have to attend classes. Those who wanted to play basketball could play, and those who wanted to join club activities could do so. Fu Yingcheng was always studying, while she was always sleeping.

Ji Fanling let out a small “hmm.” “The other day when I went to eat, did I leave anything behind… like a black wooden bead bracelet?”

“No, I checked,” Jiang Baixing replied quickly. “Besides, I remember you weren’t wearing a bead bracelet that day.”

“Was I not?” Ji Fanling frowned deeply.

“I have a great memory,” Jiang Baixing rattled off rapidly. “That day, you were wearing a black hoodie, dark jeans, white sneakers, and underneath the hoodie was Beiwan No. 1 High School uniform. I saw the collar. If you’re not a junior, then are you in the second or third year?”

“Alright, Sherlock Baixing,” Ji Fanling interrupted him.

She wore her school uniform under her clothes every fall and winter, not because of school regulations, but simply because she didn’t have many clothes to wear and used the uniform to fill in.

“Did you lose your bead bracelet? When did you lose it? I can help you look.”

“It has nothing to do with you. Bye.”

“Wait, don’t hang up… wait!!”

The boy on the other end was so anxious that he was blushing, his voice nearly cracking from shouting. Ji Fanling hadn’t actually hung up.

A quiet pause lasted two seconds.

Only the faint sound of static came through the receiver.

“…Sister.”

Jiang Baixing called softly, his voice oddly subdued. “When are you coming over for a meal again?”

Ji Fanling paused for a moment. “We’ll see.”

“So, you promised you’d come, right?”

Unable to get a clear answer, Jiang Baixing asked again, “Can I know your name?”

“My name, huh?”

Ji Fanling dragged out her words, blinking slowly. “Xiaoming’s grandfather lived to be a hundred and three, but Xiaoming died at seventeen. Do you know why?”

Jiang Baixing asked, “Why?”

Ji Fanling chuckled lightly. “…Because he asked too many questions.”

Then she hung up.

On the other end, Jiang Baixing stared blankly at the receiver.

After a moment, he slowly lowered his head in frustration. With a thud, his forehead hit the table, followed by several more thud, thud, thud as he continued to bump it repeatedly.

Sister, she…

Really.

Made him restless and exasperated.

*

Ji Fanling hung up the phone.

The slight smile at the corner of her lips gradually faded away.

Since Jiang Baixing was so certain that the bead bracelet was already missing by the time she went to Jiang Family Noodles…

Then, she had a pretty good idea of where she had lost it.

Back at Cheng Jiali’s wedding, she had hurriedly left and bumped into a waiter, it must have been then that the bead bracelet fell to the ground.

Ji Fanling found the contact information for Century Jinming Grand Hotel online and called them. The staff politely informed her that if a waiter had found any lost item, it would have been handed over to the person in charge of the booking, and suggested she contact the bride and groom directly.

With no other option, Ji Fanling dialed Cheng Jiali’s number once again.

The call that wouldn’t go through no matter what on the day she came back to life connected smoothly this time.

A lazy voice came from the other end. “Hello?”

Something suddenly lodged in her throat, leaving Ji Fanling unsure of how to start.

“Not talking? Want me to guess?” The man chuckled.

Ji Fanling cleared her throat. “I lost a bead bracelet at your wedding. Do you have it?”

Cheng Jiali’s laughter froze, and he slowly sat up. “Seems like there is such a thing. And you are…?”

Hearing that the bracelet was with him, Ji Fanling felt relieved. “The owner of the bracelet.”

Cheng Jiali asked, “And then?”

“I humbled myself to attend your wedding.”

“…”

“So mysterious, not even saying your name?”

Cheng Jiali chuckled again. “Then how do I know you’re not just a little scammer?”

Ji Fanling was silent for a moment. “Cheng Jiali, it’s my belonging. Return it to me.”

Addressing him by his full name, her voice was calm yet clear.

Cheng Jiali narrowed his eyes.

On the computer screen in front of him was a video clip from the wedding’s sign-in table, a roughly one-minute segment that was playing on a loop.

In the footage, a girl in an oversized jacket hurried over, only to be stopped by someone. “Hey, young lady, are you here for the wedding?”

“…Mm.”

“Did you… come with your parents? Have you signed in yet?”

She stepped closer, picked up a pen, lowered her head, and, with a flourish, wrote the character “Ji” (季).

The brim of her hat was pulled low, revealing only a small chin and tightly pressed, stubborn lips. Only when she looked up could he catch a glimpse of her… 

A fleeting, blurry moment.

She looked remarkably like the young girl in his memories.

It made his heart itch.

He almost wanted to reach into the screen, brush aside her hair, and see her face clearly.

Cheng Jiali pondered for a moment. “It’s possible, but I’m busy today. Tomorrow evening at 6:30, there’s a newly opened restaurant, Chuanteng Mansion, on Fuxing Road. Meet me on the third floor.”

Ji Fanling didn’t suspect anything and immediately agreed. “Alright.”

*