Chapter 49

Ji Wenchen naturally wanted to rank among the top 100 in his grade.

However, Ji Kunxiong accidentally fell in the courtyard, injuring himself badly enough to be hospitalized. Early in the morning, the family’s housekeeper, Aunt Yang, called Ji Wenchen with a worried tone.

He hurriedly left school and took the family car to the hospital.

When he arrived, Ji Kunxiong was still in a deep sleep. Ji Wenchen stepped out of the hospital room and swiftly summoned the servants from the house where his grandfather lived to question them.

He found nothing suspicious.

“Is Wenchen here…?”

Ji Wenchen turned back into the room. “Grandfather, did I wake you?”

“No,” Ji Kunxiong slightly raised his left hand and waved it. “I… already got enough sleep. Have you had… breakfast yet?”

Ji Wenchen sat down on the soft chair closest to the bed. “Please speak less.”

“Ah, it’s just an old ailment, nothing serious.” Ji Kunxiong attempted to sit up.

Ji Wenchen leaned forward carefully to help him up.

“You haven’t had breakfast, have you? Yang Ling—” Ji Kunxiong started coughing heavily.

Ji Wenchen quickly helped him regulate his breathing.

After coughing for a while, Ji Kunxiong waved it off. “Ah, it’s nothing,” he said, instructing Aunt Yang, who had just entered the room, “Prepare a breakfast for Wenchen.”

“Yes, Mr. Ji,” Aunt Yang replied. Having worked for the Ji family for many years and knowing that Ji Wenchen often visited the old residence, she was well aware of his taste preferences and didn’t need to ask.

The closed curtains were a pale moon-white, the walls an off-white shade. On the grayish bedside table sat a simple, rustic ceramic vase holding a few plum blossoms… Ji Wenchen’s gaze quickly shifted away.

“Today,” Ji Kunxiong spoke with some difficulty, “I won’t let that person come to visit.”

Ji Wenchen stared at the light-colored patterns on the blanket covering Ji Kunxiong.

“Wenchen, you’re an adult now. It’s time for you to start learning how to handle matters. Later, Pan Fenglin and the others will come over. From today onward, you’ll follow them and learn.”

“Grandfather,” Ji Wenchen raised his eyes and saw the additional wrinkles and dark spots on Ji Kunxiong’s face that he hadn’t noticed before. His jaw tightened slightly. After a moment, he said, “…I’ll do as you say.”

The phone was running low on battery.

Ji Wenchen sent another message to Qin Xiaoxiao and then held the phone, staring silently at the WeChat chat box for a while.

Ji Kunxiong’s assistant and the key managers of the enterprise arrived.

Ji Wenchen put down the phone to charge it.

…

Back in the dormitory, Qin Xiaoxiao turned on the phone she had retrieved.

After charging the entire morning, it was only at 82% battery.

“Such a rip-off!” Yang Min, who was beside her, pouted. “The auntie probably didn’t charge it for long.”

“Maybe,” Qin Xiaoxiao replied.

“If you ever need to charge your phone, Xiaoxiao, just come to me,” Yang Min said, patting her chest confidently.

Qin Xiaoxiao smiled. She figured she might not bother charging it as much in the future.

That aside, ever since she asked her cousin about that matter the other night, Yang Min had been acting the same as usual over the past two days… which was great.

“Help me charge my phone tomorrow,” Dong Yunfang said as she changed her shoes by the bed.

“Sure, special friend rate: 2.88 yuan per charge.”

“Tch.”

“Alright, alright, back to your dorm. Our dorm needs to rest now.”

“What the heck, Dong Yunfang? You’re kicking your friend out so quickly?”

“I don’t have friends as stingy as you.”

Yang Min and Dong Yunfang started bickering again as Qin Xiaoxiao changed her shoes and headed to the bathroom to freshen up.

While brushing her teeth, she turned on the mobile data switch on her phone.

The notification bar at the top displayed: “You have received a WeChat message,” followed shortly by another: “You have received a WeChat message.”

Ji Wenchen: 【Grandpa is sick. I’m going to see him.】 (Yesterday 06:37)

Ji Wenchen: 【Something has come up at home. I won’t be able to go to school for the time being.】 (Yesterday 08:57)

Hmm.

Qin Xiaoxiao silently acknowledged the message in her heart.

Then, with the toothbrush still in her mouth, she typed a reply. After writing a sentence, she thought about it, deleted it, and replaced it with a single word: 【Hmm.】

Her mouth was filled with the cool, minty foam of toothpaste.

Qin Xiaoxiao spat out the foam in her mouth, placed her phone into her clothes pocket, and continued brushing her teeth.

She seemed a little distracted.

…

The temperature had risen slightly, but the sun still seemed reluctant to make an appearance. The sky looked as though it was submerged in a lifeless pool of water.

Day by day, time moved forward, whether people liked it or not.

More students stayed in the classroom during lunch breaks, and more worked through practice problems on their own during class.

The Chinese and biology teachers had advised the students: at this stage, they should follow the teacher’s pace, stay with the group, and focus on solidifying their foundational knowledge.

Yet, there were always some students who insisted on doing things their own way.

During the break, Qin Xiaoxiao left the classroom with an empty water cup.

The line at the water dispenser stretched so long it turned the corner—one of the other water dispensers on this floor had broken, forcing students from several classes to gather here for water.

Realizing it would take quite a while for her turn, Qin Xiaoxiao decided to stand by the corridor and enjoy the view, relaxing her eyes.

In the line, a few students from other classes occasionally stole glances at Qin Xiaoxiao.

Bi Chun couldn’t help but sneak a few glances at her as well.

Today’s wind wasn’t very strong. It wasn’t biting, but it was sharp enough to clear the mind.

Qin Xiaoxiao’s gaze shifted from the sparse treetops nearby to the scattered green patches in the distance, and her eyes seemed noticeably clearer.

“Xiaoxiao…” A soft and faint voice, nearly drowned out by the nearby chatter.

Qin Xiaoxiao turned her head.

“Xiao…” Bi Chun, who was about to raise her voice to call again, glanced at the ground instead. “I’ll help you get some water…”

There were only two more students ahead of Bi Chun in the line.

Qin Xiaoxiao’s face remained expressionless. “Thank you, but I’m not in a hurry.”

“Mm… alright…” Bi Chun hugged her water cup and moved forward with the line.

Qin Xiaoxiao felt, on one hand, that giving her water cup to Bi Chun would, in a way, be cutting in line, which wouldn’t be fair to the students behind Bi Chun. On the other hand, she wasn’t keen on accepting Bi Chun’s help.

For the past half a month, Qin Xiaoxiao and Bi Chun had had no interaction whatsoever.

But she hadn’t forgotten about this person.

After all, Bi Chun was the heroine of the original story.

To be fair, even though Bi Chun had tattled on her before, Qin Xiaoxiao still didn’t think she was an unpleasant girl. That said, Qin Xiaoxiao couldn’t bring herself to like her either—for reasons she couldn’t quite pinpoint.

Even back when she was reading the original novel, she found the author’s storytelling skills to be decent, but she couldn’t quite understand what made Bi Chun, as the heroine, stand out. Still, it didn’t stop her from continuing to read—it was, after all, a novel recommended by a friend and one she had fully subscribed to with a single click.

Qin Xiaoxiao walked to the end of the line and patiently waited for her turn.

In reality, it didn’t take very long.

Probably because the students ahead didn’t need to wait for the water to boil, they quickly filled their bottles, and in less than three minutes, it was Qin Xiaoxiao’s turn.

—In fact, upon realizing that Qin Xiaoxiao was behind them, the boys in front all consciously sped up their actions, worried that she might have to wait too long.

The water dispenser was heating up, and Qin Xiaoxiao, wanting warm water, turned her head to glance back. There were still two students behind her. She politely asked, “If you’re not getting hot water, you can go ahead and fill yours first.”

“N-no need,” stammered the boy at the very end of the line.

The girl behind Qin Xiaoxiao also courteously declined, saying it wasn’t necessary.

Qin Xiaoxiao felt too self-conscious to wait until the water dispenser light switched to “Keep Warm.” After standing there for about half a minute, she filled her cup halfway and left.

As she walked away from the water dispenser, Bi Chun, who had been waiting nearby, called her again, “Xiaoxiao…”

“What is it?” Qin Xiaoxiao asked as she screwed the lid onto her cup.

“I…” Bi Chun hesitated, unsure of what she wanted to say.

Aside from that brief episode in late November where things felt off for a few days, there was another instance. When she saw the title of a thread on the school forum, a new, inexplicable scene flashed through her mind. As usual, it was about her and Ji Wenchen… but that time, it was very brief, lasting less than a minute.

She couldn’t even recall the details now. All she remembered was something like: Ji Wenchen was sleeping in the classroom, and she placed her homework on his desk…

Seeing those strange visions left Bi Chun feeling a bit unnerved. She told her aunt about it, and her aunt took her to the hospital for a brain scan, which showed nothing unusual. Bi Chun even visited a famous temple in Guangjian City, offered incense, and consulted a so-called expert, but she couldn’t get any clear answers.

She returned with a red string bracelet strung with beads, which she now wore on her wrist.

She wasn’t sure if it was the bracelet that worked, but Bi Chun’s mind hadn’t experienced any more “abnormal” episodes.

During this time, Bi Chun really wanted to mend her relationship with Qin Xiaoxiao.

However, she neither found the opportunity nor dared to approach Qin Xiaoxiao’s seat to talk to her…

“Xiaoxiao, can I… still come to you for help with questions?”

Qin Xiaoxiao was a little surprised by her words. After a moment of hesitation, she nodded. “If I’m free, sure.”

“Mm…” Bi Chun nodded vigorously.

That’s great, Xiaoxiao was still willing to talk to her.

…

That afternoon, Ji Hui arrived earlier than usual to visit Ji Kunxiong.

As always, he didn’t bring Xu Yilan with him.

When he entered the hospital room, he saw that his son was still there.

Ji Wenchen had moved from the chair by the bed to the sofa by the window. He was leaning sideways with his chin propped up on one hand, while the other hand held a stack of paper materials.

Ji Hui wanted to reprimand his son for acting as if he hadn’t seen him, but with his own father present, he didn’t dare lose his temper.

“Dad, this is…” Ji Hui placed the small insulated container he had personally carried on the grayish bedside table. “Something freshly made at home.”

He glanced at the ceramic vase and noticed that the flowers in it were ones he didn’t recognize, not the plum blossoms that Xu Yilan had specifically arranged before.

“I’m not drinking that.” Ji Kunxiong frowned, the deep wrinkles on his face becoming more pronounced. “I already have plenty to eat and drink here. There’s no need to bring me anything. Besides, you don’t even know who cooked this—I’m not drinking it.”

Ji Hui quickly responded, nodding repeatedly. “Yes, yes, of course. You won’t drink it. I’ll take it back later.”

Ji Kunxiong let out a lukewarm snort. “Why are you here so early today?”

Ji Hui replied, “There wasn’t much to do today. I came after finishing up.”

After work, he had first gone home to change clothes. Xu Yilan had told him she’d made soup, packed it, and asked him to bring it for the elderly man to drink.

He should have anticipated this outcome for the soup.

His father didn’t like Xu Yilan—Ji Hui had always known that.

But having lived over forty years, Ji Hui wasn’t willing to follow his elders’ wishes in everything.

The first time Ji Hui got married, his spouse was a strong-willed woman of equal social standing. Initially, they treated each other with cold civility, followed by a brief period of harmony. But later… they coexisted like adversaries. After having children, the nominal marriage no longer mattered to him, and Ji Hui divorced her.

Bringing Xu Yilan into his life happened due to an accident.

Perhaps there was a touch of human intervention in that “accident.”

But that didn’t matter. What Ji Hui wanted was a woman who was understanding and tactful, someone who could satisfy him, care for him, and tend to him with gentleness…

In some ways, Ji Hui was no different from an average man.

The somewhat chauvinistic Ji Hui believed that marrying Xu Yilan did not in any way diminish the importance of his father and son in his heart.

To him, his child could only ever be one and no more.

“I heard you hired a tutor?” Ji Hui asked, glancing at his son as he remembered this matter.

Aunt Lin had reported to him that this boy had hired a male tutor to come to the house. Every night, after returning from the hospital, he would have these tutoring sessions, studying for several hours straight, often until eleven or twelve at night. Then, the next morning, he would head out early again to either the hospital or the company. This had been going on for several days now.