Chapter 31: “Like You the Most” (Part 1)

The next day was a cloudy day. After last night’s rain, the morning air was fresh, carrying the scent of earth and leaves.

Zhao Yu opened his eyes, feeling a sharp headache.

Almost immediately, he sensed something was wrong—there was someone in his arms. Under his touch was soft, delicate skin with captivating curves.

His expression changed. He vaguely remembered what happened at “Nevernight City” last night. By the time Lan Rongrong helped him out, he’d already been drugged. Could he have actually ended up with Lan Rongrong?

Unable to accept this possibility, he instinctively tried to push the woman away.

When his hand brushed against soft, curly hair, he froze completely.

Looking down, the morning light cast a glow over her. The young lady’s hand rested gently on his shoulder, her cheeks flushed as she slept soundly, her breaths warm against his chest.

Dai Ning’s mouth was slightly open, her lashes long and curled.

Zhao Yu was silent for a long moment, lifting the blanket slightly. He was nearly naked, while she was in a loose nightdress, the fabric slipping off her shoulders.

Her pale shoulders were exposed, her skin smooth and white, with faint red marks and teeth impressions.

A few spots of blood on the sheets silently revealed what he had done.

His hand was still on her waist.

Her body was soft as a cloud. Gently brushing her hair aside, he looked at her exquisite, sleeping face.

The sight of her stirred something tender within him.

His throat tightened. Realizing it was Dai Ning in his arms, his first thought was worry—what if she woke up in tears?

Feeling movement, Dai Ning slowly woke up. Her eyes met his, dark and unreadable. How bold of him, to actually be on her bed!

Thankfully, she quickly recalled her own plan. She blinked her large eyes, and her tears instantly welled up.

Zhao Yu, unable to maintain his calm, asked in a rough voice, “What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

With a sniffle and a sob, she whimpered, “Everything hurts.”

She cried easily, large tears rolling down her cheeks. Zhao Yu sighed, gently wiping them away. Having no experience, he wasn’t sure how to handle the situation.

“Don’t cry. It’s my fault,” he murmured, unsure if he might have hurt her last night in his dazed state. Softly, he added, “Let me check to see if you’re hurt, okay?”

Dai Ning shook her head, stubbornly sobbing without letting him check.

Left with no choice, Zhao Yu endured the pain in his shoulder, letting her lean against him. He cradled her face, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. “Don’t cry; I’ll take responsibility.”

Still sniffling, Dai Ning looked up with disdain, “Who wants you to take responsibility? You’re not good enough for me.”

Knowing he had to coax her, Zhao Yu replied, “Right, not good enough. But I’ll work hard to be worthy of you, okay?”

She wiped her tears, accusing, “You say you don’t like me, but you still bully me. You’re mean.”

Zhao Yu responded, “I never said I didn’t like you. I like you very much.”

She finally stopped crying, though her expression remained one of a pouting, aggrieved kitten.

Zhao Yu stroked her hair and, after a slight cough, leaned close and whispered, “I like you the most.” For him, this was the most daring thing he’d ever said.

Of course, Dai Ning wasn’t one to let things end there. With a soft, muffled voice, she replied, “Just so you know, I won’t ever like you.”

Zhao Yu brushed away the tear on her chin and nodded, “Alright.”

Finally, the girl in his arms stopped crying.

Now calm, Zhao Yu swallowed his awkwardness and asked softly, “Are you hurt anywhere?”

She sniffed, “My waist hurts a little. Can you rub it?”

Relieved, he held her head against his chest so she couldn’t see his face as he gently massaged her waist.

The spirit Qingtuan thought to itself, “Pretending like this—it’s just a little back pain.”

Dai Ning, who had made the request casually, found it unexpectedly comfortable. She settled in, feeling that maybe being bitten last night wasn’t such a bad thing, after all. Zhao Yu was a lot gentler now.

After a while, Zhao Yu, clearing his throat, suggested, “Let’s get up.”

It wasn’t that he was tired, but, well, men can have morning reactions.

Qingtuan also nudged Dai Ning, “Enough acting, or you’ll slip up.”

Reluctantly, Dai Ning got out of bed.

She needed to go back to her room to change. At the door, she suddenly remembered something: “You can’t tell Uncle Qian, okay? If Grandpa finds out, he’ll be mad.”

Zhao Yu paused, looking into her eyes, “Alright.”

She didn’t need to say it; he already felt the weight of it. He was, after all, without status or position, barely qualified to be responsible for her.

Dai Ning went to change, reassured.

By the time she came back down, Zhao Yu and Uncle Qian were already having breakfast. Uncle Qian saw her coming down and said, “Young Miss, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“What is it?”

Uncle Qian hesitated before saying, “Before coming to find you, I arranged for Chen Xiaoli to be sent home. She still has to attend school; it wouldn’t be appropriate for her to stay at Xinghua Village.”

Dai Ning was unfazed. “Alright, that’s fine.”

Uncle Qian was worried she might throw a fit, upset that he had sent Chen Xiaoli home without asking. Seeing her unbothered, he sighed with relief.

This was just Uncle Qian overthinking things. While Dai Ning was indeed petty, she wasn’t one to hold a grudge once it was resolved. Letting Chen Xiaoli live poorly in Xinghua Village had already balanced the scales for her past misdeeds. Dai Ning wasn’t interested in holding on to trivial grievances.

Why get caught up with minor characters when the main characters were so much more interesting?

Uncle Qian then asked, “Since that’s settled, Young Miss, shall we think about going home?”

Now that her plan was finally falling into place, Dai Ning had no desire to leave. Smiling slyly, she turned to Zhao Yu, “What do you think, Mr. Zhao?”

Zhao Yu glanced at her briefly, then said to Uncle Qian in a calm voice, “Mr. Qian, if you trust me, give me six months. I can help the young miss raise her grades by twenty points in every subject.”

If anyone else had said this, Uncle Qian wouldn’t believe it. But something about Zhao Yu’s demeanor made him seem so reliable—like he could actually make it happen. Twenty points? That would be like helping the young miss achieve basic literacy!

Uncle Qian picked up his tea, nodding in agreement. His quick acquiescence made Dai Ning feel that something was amiss.

“I’ve been gone for quite some time. Normally, Grandpa would have sent Ji Mojue to bring me back, but he didn’t. Did he get himself into trouble?”

Grandfather wouldn’t let Dai Ning stay away for so long unless something troubling was going on. She recalled that, in her previous life, at this time she had been mourning her parents overseas. Back then, her grandfather had also told her to take her time and not rush back.

Uncle Qian nearly choked on his tea. Usually, Dai Ning was indifferent to most things, but now she seemed exceptionally perceptive.

Dai Ning was surprised she had guessed correctly. “Come on, tell me what trouble he’s caused now.”

Seeing that she’d figured it out, Uncle Qian had no choice but to answer honestly, his tone a bit somber. “There’s been some trouble at home. The young master had a fight with Yan Mingkou, and Yan ended up falling down the stairs and is now in a coma. The old master decided it’s better for you to stay away right now; the Yan family is bound to cause trouble.”

At these words, Dai Ning’s smile faded.

She frowned. “How could Ji Mojue be so reckless? Even if there was a conflict with Yan Mingkou, he wouldn’t lose control and use that much force.”

“The old master thought the same thing. There are doubts about this incident. The young master insists he didn’t go too far, but he was the only one there at the time, and there was no surveillance. It’s impossible to say definitively what happened. The Yan family is stirring up trouble, and the old master is working to gather evidence.”

Zhao Yu, listening nearby, observed Dai Ning’s expression and could guess that this “Yan Mingkou” must be someone significant. With a family background as powerful as Dai Ning’s, for them to be wary of the other family, they must hold substantial influence.

And he wasn’t wrong. In the wealthy city of Beijing, two powerful families stood in opposition.

One was the Ji family; the other was the Yan family.

Yan Mingkou’s family was no less powerful than Ji Mojue’s, which was why this incident was so troublesome for the old master. He even felt that his granddaughter might be safer staying away for now.

Dai Ning hadn’t realized that during this time in her previous life, something this serious had happened.

After a moment’s thought, something didn’t sit right with her. Yan Mingkou couldn’t have been put in that state by Ji Mojue. If he had, there was no way the Ji family would have been so calm when she returned to the country in her last life.