Ji Fanling didn’t dwell on the incident of fainting.

Low blood sugar? Just an old issue, not the first time she’d passed out.

Her knee had a large bruise, but such minor bumps were nothing to her. The next day, she still went to work as usual.

If it weren’t for Fu Yingcheng being involved in this incident, she would have long forgotten about it.

But.

The next day during her lunch break, Ji Fanling quickly finished her boxed meal and lay on her desk, intending to use her arms as a pillow for a short nap. Yet no matter how much she tossed and turned, she couldn’t fall asleep.

Her mind kept replaying the scene of Fu Yingcheng handing her the glass of milk.

Behind him was the minimalist, cold-toned wall. The man stood in front of the sofa, his usually pristine white shirt soaked and clinging to his body, revealing the lean, powerful lines of his frame.

He handed her the cup, his gaze averted, his face expressionless, as if he were merely passing her a tissue.

The milk was warm, with honey added.

Ji Fanling licked her lips.

It felt as though the sweetness still lingered on them.

…

Thinking back carefully, this time, and the last time when she had stomach pain and went to the hospital—

Fu Yingcheng seemed to treat her quite well.

In fact, almost too well.

Her phone buzzed with a notification. Zhou Sui had sent a message:

【Did you see the news?】

【Isn’t this Fu Yingcheng?】

【Breaking News | Congratulations to our city’s outstanding entrepreneur Fu Yingcheng for winning the National Charity Award once again!】

Since she couldn’t sleep anyway, Ji Fanling sat up and clicked on the link.

《“Mr. Fu Yingcheng, founder of Jiuzhou Medical, has been awarded titles such as ‘Top Ten Philanthropists in the Nation,’ ‘National Outstanding Entrepreneur,’ and ‘Outstanding Individual of Beiwan City.’ His scholarship program, the Wind Chime Initiative, donated 320 million yuan in 2022 alone to support education. The program established 47 Hope Primary Schools and provided aid to 34,000 students from underprivileged families…”》

Ji Fanling: “…” Holy crap, 320 million.

She knew Fu Yingcheng was wealthy. Without money, he wouldn’t be able to afford a chauffeur-driven Maybach.

But she hadn’t known Fu Yingcheng was this rich.

The accompanying photo showed several students from impoverished mountain areas, who had been admitted to B University with his financial support. They stood on a red carpet in front of an auditorium, posing for a group photo with Fu Yingcheng.

They were holding a string of wind chimes—a gift imbued with gratitude. It had been handcrafted by students from various regions, who had collected shells or jade from their hometowns to design and create it for Fu Yingcheng.

Ji Fanling zoomed in on the photo and examined it carefully.

…No doubt about it, it was the exact same wind chime hanging in the corner of her bedroom.

She’d previously lain in bed, listening to the soft tinkling of the wind chimes, and had a fleeting thought, marveling that Fu Yingcheng would even bother decorating his home.

Little did she know it wasn’t just a decoration, but it was, for crying out loud, a luxury item.

A luxury item worth 320 million.

Zhou Sui: 【I never would’ve imagined back then that Fu Yingcheng would be so passionate about charity.】

【You know, he wasn’t like Chen Jun, who loved going around helping people with their studies.】

【He didn’t like interacting with others, was very aloof, a bit withdrawn, and always kept to himself.】

【Now I feel like I really misunderstood him.】

Ji Fanling had been a little surprised when she first saw the news.

But now, everything made sense.

Fu Yingcheng let her stay at his place, taking her to the hospital in the middle of the night, and rushing into the bathroom to carry her out. All of it was, to him, just another act of charity.

In his eyes, she was just another version of a child from the mountains, someone he likely never even expected to pay him back.

It had never been about mutual help between old classmates.

It was just him, unilaterally…

Pity.

Ji Fanling pressed her lips together, suppressing the subtle emotions in her heart, and changed the subject.

None of Your Business: 【Speaking of awards, I remember back when I nearly died, the school was nominating students for the City-Level ‘Three Good Student!’ Award.】

None of Your Business: 【Did he end up getting it?】

Sui Sui Ping An: 【No.】

Sui Sui Ping An: 【In the end, it went to Li Bohang from Class One.】

Ji Fanling’s lowered lashes trembled silently. 【It doesn’t really matter.】

Sui Sui Ping An: 【Yeah, not to the Fu Yingcheng of today.】

Sui Sui Ping An: 【All those criticisms and opposition back then must seem like a joke in hindsight.】

*

At 10:30 PM, Zhao San’s Skewer Food Stall closed on time, and Ji Fanling was sweeping up the garbage in the outdoor tent for the final cleanup.

The supervisor, Huang Lili, stood to the side, twirling her keyring with her fingers. “Hurry up, hurry up, I need to lock the door!”

Lu Yan ran over, taking the broom and dustpan from Ji Fanling’s hands. “Let me do it. Why don’t you head off first? You seem a bit off.”

Ji Fanling paused for a moment and said, “It’s nothing, I just bumped into something yesterday.”

She started stacking the plastic stools nearby and carrying them back inside. Just as she was nearly finished, the roar of a heavy motorcycle engine echoed from the end of the street. A black motorcycle came to a stop by the roadside near the food stall.

Ji Fanling caught a glimpse of the figure on the bike, and a flash of irritation surged through her. She turned to Lu Yan, and said, “I’ll head off first, you can finish up tomorrow.”

Lu Yan said, “No need to be so polite.”

Ji Fanling took off her apron, fuming with anger, and ran toward the roadside. The man sitting astride the motorcycle removed his helmet, stood by the road with a cheerful smile, and took a couple of steps forward, reaching out his hand to catch her.

From a distance, the scene appeared somewhat dreamy under the night haze: two people running toward each other, with the man ready to embrace her fully.

If Ji Fanling hadn’t thrown the bracelet at his face.

“Stop showing up in front of me.”

Ji Fanling said coldly, “This is the last time I’m returning your stuff. If there’s a next time, I’ll throw it away directly.”

Cheng Jiali, both amused and helpless, took the bracelet off his head. “You don’t like it?”

Ji Fanling said, “Do you not understand human language?”

The sharpness in her words was completely unrestrained. Cheng Jiali stared at her for a moment, then shrugged helplessly. “Can you at least tell me what I did wrong? I’ll apologize.”

“Apologize? Sure,” Ji Fanling sneered. “Why don’t you just create a group chat with me and your wife?”

“…..”

Cheng Jiali paused for two seconds, then shook his head with an amused smile, the kind of smile that suggested he had finally figured out what little tantrum she was throwing. “You, ah, you…”

Ji Fanling: “???”

“Jingyun is Jingyun, and you are you.”

Cheng Jiali bent down slightly, his voice soft and coaxing, as if talking to a child. “My relationship with her isn’t what you think it is. It’s a marriage arranged by our families, dictated by our parents. She’s older now, and you’re different from her…”

Ji Fanling couldn’t bear to listen any longer and turned to leave. “It’s not just her age showing, looks like you’ve lost your brain too.”

Cheng Jiali laughed and grabbed her wrist. “Alright, alright, I’ve got no brain. Does a brainless person offer to take you home?”

Ji Fanling angrily shook him off. “Don’t touch me.”

Cheng Jiali was unwilling to let her leave and wanted to coax her into a better mood, while Ji Fanling, unable to break free, felt her anger boiling over, old grudges mixing with new ones. She seriously considered throwing him over her shoulder.

As they struggled, the black car that had been parked silently in the shadows across the street suddenly came to life. Its horn blared, the engine roared, and it swung into a sharp turn.

The car’s headlights cut through the darkness like swords, casting a blinding beam that illuminated the two of them.

At that moment the car came to a stop.

Cheng Jiali tightened his grip on Ji Fanling’s hand, and Ji Fanling was holding onto Cheng Jiali’s arm. The scene was illuminated, clear as day.

While squinting her eyes, Ji Fanling recognized that it was Fu Yingcheng’s car.

Beyond the blinding lights, through the windshield, she could only make out the man in the driver’s seat, his face expressionless.

Even though she couldn’t see clearly, she inexplicably felt that the gaze behind the car window was unfathomably dark.

The high beams in front of the car dimmed, and the vehicle turned sharply, coming to a stop sideways in front of the girl, nearly knocking over the motorcycle parked ahead.

A voice that was so cold and devoid of warmth, commanded: “Get in.”

Author’s Note:

Next chapter, we’ll witness Mr. Stubborn losing his composure and going crazy online.

Tomorrow night, there will be a lucky draw for all full subscribers! A hundred red envelopes will be given away! Don’t forget to join! I love you all so, so much!!