Chapter 27: Going Along with It (Part 1)

Liu Shuan initially thought that by the next day, the young miss would be in a fierce quarrel with Brother Yu. So, nervously, he went to the dining room, only to find the young miss leaning against Zhao Yu, playing with a Rubik’s Cube. She even greeted him.

“Good morning!”

“Good morning, Miss Ji.”

One by one, everyone gathered at the table. Zhao Yu nudged Dai Ning’s head off his shoulder and invited everyone to start eating.

They all ate, but Dai Ning didn’t pick up her chopsticks once.

Du Tian couldn’t help but wonder. Ji Dai Ning hadn’t eaten in nearly two days, yet she didn’t seem fazed at all.

The chef had put extra effort into breakfast today, adding a chewy little matcha mochi to each plate.

Since Dai Ning usually didn’t eat, there wasn’t one for her. She stared intently at the little mochi in Zhao Yu’s bowl, stopping her work on the Rubik’s Cube.

With so many people around, Zhao Yu couldn’t exactly feed it to her.

After everyone else had left, he brought the untouched mochi to her lips. Dai Ning bit into it, beaming at him with her eyes curved into crescents.

In a low voice, Zhao Yu said, “Chief Kang and County Chief Zhuang will be here soon. Don’t wander off, understand? Once we’re done, I’ll make lunch for you.”

She nodded, looking adorably well-behaved for once.

Sure enough, before long, Chief Kang and his entourage arrived in full force. Besides Zhuang Hongxiu, Lan Rongrong and Lan Lingyun had also come.

Each person had a different purpose for being there. County Chief Zhuang and his family had come solely to check on Zhao Yu.

Chief Kang had a bit more on his mind: “Here’s the thing. The bounty money has been approved, and I’ve deposited it in this card for you. Also, I could use a bit of help, Xiao Zhao. The Shen family’s influence in Huan County hasn’t been fully eradicated. We’re hoping you could help draw them out.”

Apparently, they knew Zhao Yu was the key figure in the capture of Shen Tuo She, so their hatred was particularly intense.

Chief Kang added, “These people used to be the local tyrants in Huan County, so it won’t be easy to clear them out. They’re fixated on you, Xiao Zhao, since you were the one who captured Shen Tuo She. Their desire for revenge is strong, and as long as they’re out there, you’re all at risk. If you agree, we’ll do everything we can to keep you safe. But it’s perfectly fine if you don’t want to; nobody would fault you.”

Dai Ning thought this old guy was sly. He dressed his words up nicely, but they could be summed up as, “If you refuse, you might face retaliation.”

She looked at Zhao Yu, who remained expressionless. “All right, Chief Kang. I’ll go alone. But could you arrange for some people to escort my friends back to the village?”

Liu Shuan immediately protested, “Brother Yu!”

Chief Kang, overjoyed, replied, “Not a problem. Tonight, I’ll secretly arrange for their return.”

“Thank you.”

Upon hearing this, Lan Rongrong offered, “Zhao Yu, I have some people who could be of use to you. It would make things safer for you.”

Having discussed this with her the day before, Zhao Yu did not refuse. “All right.”

With the plan to lure them out decided, the group began discussing their strategy. Dai Ning found them dull, so she left the table and curled up on the couch to continue playing with her Rubik’s Cube.

While everyone else was focused on the task at hand, Lan Lingyun was there for a different reason. His eyes were glued to the young miss, and he quickly followed her, asking softly, “Ning Ning, is there anything you want?”

Dai Ning looked up.

The young master was watching her with a mix of nervousness and hope. Curious, Dai Ning asked, “Aren’t you upset that your sister assigned your family’s people to help Zhao Yu?”

Lan Lingyun, crouching by her feet, replied naturally, “Rongrong said Zhao Yu could help us acquire the Shen family’s assets, so I figured I’d let him try.”

“Oh.” Dai Ning couldn’t be bothered to tell him he was naive. The Shen family’s real power lay in their connections; it wouldn’t be so simple to acquire.

She fished a milkshake candy out of her pocket. It was from yesterday, bought by Lan Lingyun. Without offering him any, she slowly savored it as she toyed with her Rubik’s Cube.

Being stuck inside was incredibly dull. She had previously looked down on simple toys like the Rubik’s Cube but now used it to pass the time.

As autumn was turning cooler, she wore a pair of orange-yellow scrunched socks today, which wrapped around her ankles, leaving her fair, delicate calves exposed. Seeing she wasn’t paying him any attention, Lan Lingyun asked carefully, “Ning Ning, aren’t your ankles cold with your socks like that?”

She hadn’t felt cold until he mentioned it, but now she did.

With her wet, doe-like eyes blinking, she nodded.

Lan Lingyun quickly took off his jacket and draped it over her legs. “All right, now you can play like this.”

Honestly, the atmosphere in the room was heavy with talk of dealing with the Shen remnants, yet these two seemed detached, huddled together to chat about games, drawing all eyes to them.

Lan Lingyun then took out a dish of shelled walnuts and began cracking them to feed Dai Ning.

She instinctively opened her mouth, only to hear Qingtuan shouting frantically in her mind.

“Ahhh! Ji Dai Ning! Stop! Don’t open your mouth!”

Startled, Dai Ning jumped. “Are you nuts?”

Qingtuan replied, “Zhao Yu is watching you. Did you forget what you promised him last night?”

Dai Ning rarely took promises seriously, but with Qingtuan’s reminder, she looked over. Sure enough, Zhao Yu was watching her from the conference table with an icy gaze.

Immediately, she looked away and resolutely declined Lan Lingyun’s offer, “I’m not eating that.”

Lan Lingyun assumed she didn’t like it. “I saw glutinous rice dumplings outside. Should I get some for you?”

Dai Ning was tempted. Maybe she could sneak outside to eat it quietly, then come back without telling Zhao Yu. He wouldn’t find out.

Qingtuan, however, screeched in her mind, “No! Ahhh!”

It was so noisy that it gave Dai Ning a headache. She had no choice but to kick Lan Lingyun and say, “I’m not eating, not eating anything. Go away.”

Disappointed, Lan Lingyun sat nearby, watching her play.

Dai Ning’s Rubik’s Cube strategy was entirely random. The proper approach was to follow algorithms, turning each side in a calculated way to quickly align all six colors. But she twisted it at will, even undoing the blue side that had been correctly aligned.

Determined, she tilted her head and concentrated on studying the little puzzle in her hands.

Lan Lingyun offered eagerly, “Want me to try?”

She handed him the Rubik’s Cube and watched him perform. Lan Lingyun managed to get the first and second layers aligned, but he couldn’t remember the rest of the formula. After a few mistakes, the young miss grew impatient, “Give it back.”

“Ning Ning, don’t worry. Let me give it another shot.”

The meeting on the other side of the room was wrapping up. Though Lan Rongrong didn’t like her brother, she disliked even more how he was groveling to please Dai Ning.

She grabbed Lan Lingyun, returning the Rubik’s Cube to Dai Ning. “Brother, it’s time for us to go.”

Lingering, Lan Lingyun’s gaze remained fixed on Dai Ning. “Ning Ning, are you doing well here? Should I…”

Unable to bear her brother’s smitten look any longer, Lan Rongrong forcibly dragged him away.

The siblings stepped outside, and Lan Lingyun finally snapped out of it, looking at Lan Rongrong with a hint of dissatisfaction. “What’s the rush? I haven’t even asked Ning Ning what style of dress she likes.”

Lan Rongrong, exasperated, replied, “How long have you even known her? She’s just a girl from a rural village, wearing clothes sent by our aunt. You’re practically ready to kneel down and put her shoes on for her!”

Lan Lingyun’s face darkened. “Watch your words. Who are you calling a ‘girl from the village’? If she’d let me, I’d gladly help her put her shoes on.”

Though Lan Lingyun hardly knew Dai Ning, he had been captivated by her from the first moment, when she appeared hungry. It didn’t matter what she said or did; to him, everything she did was charming. He couldn’t care less about whether she was poor or wealthy. Her occasional temper was cute in his eyes. Even knowing only her name, he still wanted to treat her well.

Lan Rongrong found it unimaginable that he could speak like this. She pointed at him, exasperated. “You’re absolutely bewitched!”

He’d dated before, but never had he seemed so completely smitten.

Thinking of Zhao Yu’s attitude, Lan Rongrong’s dislike for Ji Dai Ning grew even more.

—

Dai Ning was preoccupied with her lunch. Seeing that everyone had finished their discussion, she happily followed Zhao Yu.

The jacket Lan Lingyun had draped over her legs slid to the floor as she got up.

Zhao Yu eyed the jacket.