The busy afternoon work momentarily made Yu Bai forget about this matter.
However, when Yu Bai saw Ji Rongyu again, he couldn’t help but recall the intimate young female voice he heard on Ji Rongyu’s phone during their conversation this morning.
This led Yu Bai to speculate: What kind of relationship does Ji Rongyu have with “her”?
In Yu Bai’s impression, Ji Rongyu was an only child, so “she” definitely couldn’t be a relative of Ji Rongyu. Could “she” be a relative of Ji Rongyu? Or perhaps, “she” is Ji Rongyu’s potential romantic interest?
Is Ji Rongyu really just on a business trip this time?
“Yu Bai…”
Seeing Yu Bai’s movement of stepping back, Ji Rongyu felt a sense of panic. His hand, suspended in mid-air, reached out again toward Yu Bai.
From his previous lifetime to this one, the number of “friends” around Yu Bai has always been few, and the majority of them were ordinary friends with occasional interactions, not those he could confide in.
Yet, Yu Bai had always believed that quality mattered more than quantity when it came to friendships.
In his previous life, he was fortunate to have encountered a boss who resonated with him as a friend.
In this life, Yu Bai believed his luck would continue.
Ji Rongyu bore a striking resemblance to Yu Bai’s previous life boss. They both had a unique insight into Yu Bai’s cooking, and their expressions relaxed and immersed when tasting his dishes… They genuinely savored every dish he prepared.
Perhaps Ji Rongyu carried the shadow of Yu Bai’s previous life boss within him.
In just a few short months of interaction, Yu Bai had come to regard Ji Rongyu as a kindred spirit in this lifetime.
Unfortunately, even though Ji Rongyu might carry echoes of Yu Bai’s previous life boss, Ji Rongyu was still Ji Rongyu, and the boss was the boss – they would never be the same person.
In Yu Bai’s previous life, when he knew his boss, the boss had already settled down with a family, even having a lovely pair of children. Besides getting along well with his boss, Yu Bai also had a harmonious relationship with the boss’s wife and children. To his boss, Yu Bai was both a friend and a son-like figure.
However, Ji Rongyu now was still very young. Ji Rongyu wasn’t married, didn’t have children, and had no romantic partner. Ji Rongyu’s life was such that a third or fourth person could enter at any time.
It was only after having Xing Xing that Yu Bai understood how precious family was. No matter how good a friend was, they couldn’t replace the significance of the word “family.”
If Ji Rongyu formed a family with someone else, if his heart harbored affection for another, then their close friendship could be disrupted.
Yu Bai may appear gentle, always treating people with a smile, his personality as soft as a warm spring. However, he wasn’t someone who simply accepted whatever came his way.
Yu Bai was accustomed to having control in his hands.
Rather than passively waiting for their relationship to break, he chose to proactively create distance between himself and Ji Rongyu.
After all, they were just friends. He couldn’t replace Ji Rongyu’s family or occupy every moment of his time.
Ji Rongyu probably needed ample time to bond with his future “family.”
Yu Bai believed he should honestly share his thoughts with Ji Rongyu.
However, perhaps a hint of selfishness played a role, or maybe he worried that their few months of friendship, untested by storms, might break due to this. Yu Bai ultimately swallowed the words “Have a talk.”
“Alright, come in,” Yu Bai lowered his head and unlocked the door downstairs, “Next time… before you come, let me know in advance. We’re pretty close friends, right? Do you really need to notify me before coming to my place? Is there something secretive in my house?”
Yu Bai and Ji Rongyu were standing very close, as if there was only a thin, almost imperceptible layer of air between them.
Ji Rongyu’s warm body temperature, gentle breath, and deep voice… Yu Bai could feel them distinctly.
The chill of March seemed to have passed, and the wind carried faint traces of warmth that gently brushed against Yu Bai’s cheeks.
Yu Bai’s cheeks felt slightly warm.
It must have been the wind.
Yu Bai took a deep breath, suppressing his restless heart.
He lifted his head.
At this very moment, the last rays of the setting sun were swallowed by the horizon, giving way to the arrival of the night. The soft moonlight and starlight illuminated the world.
Dim streetlights by the roadside also lit up, casting an indistinct light on Yu Bai’s face.
A smile tugged at the corners of Yu Bai’s mouth, “Who knows, my house might indeed have something unsightly.”
As he spoke, his fingertip lightly poked Ji Rongyu’s chest.
Stiff.
Yu Bai withdrew his finger, “We’re too close, I can’t open the door.”
Though separated by layers of clothing, Ji Rongyu felt a faint “spark” where Yu Bai’s fingertip had touched, a noticeable warmth that spread from the point of contact, gradually spreading through his body.
Ji Rongyu slowly took a step back, and Yu Bai bent down, picking up Xing Xing from the ground before heading upstairs.
In Ji Rongyu’s narrow, enigmatic eyes, a flicker of complex emotions was evident.
Pleasure mingled with mild displeasure.
It wasn’t until the iron door in front of the stairs was about to close that Ji Rongyu reached out, grabbed the door, and then with a swift stride, caught up.
—
Once the three of them were back home, Yu Bai went to the kitchen to prepare dinner on his own.
Knowing that Ji Rongyu’s presence in the kitchen would only disrupt things, Yu Bai had asked him to stay in the living room and watch over Xing Xing, just as he usually did.
Xing Xing sat on a small stool in the living room as usual, playing with building blocks at times and watching early education videos at others, appearing quite engrossed.
Sitting on the sofa, Ji Rongyu appeared to be engrossed in his phone, but in reality, his peripheral vision often sneakily glanced at Xing Xing.
Xing Xing, who was playing with building blocks, could always sense a pair of eyes fixed on him as if they were shadows. How could he continue playing under such scrutiny?
So, Xing Xing turned his little head, catching Ji Rongyu red-handed in his covert observations.
Ji Rongyu cleared his throat, putting on an innocent facade, and continued fiddling with his phone.
However, Xing Xing decided to take the initiative and speak up.
Xing Xing: “Why were you staring at me?”
Ji Rongyu’s gaze remained firmly on the phone screen, “Me? Staring at you? I haven’t been looking at you, I’m looking at my phone.”
Xing Xing let out a soft “hmph” from his nose, “Clearly, I caught you! Still won’t admit it… You must have some bad intentions!”
He wasn’t going to let the sneaky uncle get away with whatever bad intentions he had. No way!
Ji Rongyu: “What bad intentions could I possibly have? Your dad and I are best friends, you know.”
Xing Xing squinted his round eyes into half-moons, a suspicious glint in his gaze as he sent imaginary daggers toward Ji Rongyu.
Ugh! His dad might be great in every way, but he was just too kind, too easily fooled by bad people! How could his dad not see that the bad Uncle was up to no good? And he even befriended the bad Uncle… Ugh, really!
Xing Xing’s dark eyes rolled around for a moment before he muttered softly, “Who knows, maybe you’re plotting something against me and Dad!”
Children, they change from day to day.
Ji Rongyu hadn’t spent much uninterrupted time alone with Xing Xing lately, and he noticed that this little one was becoming even more clever.
Ji Rongyu, somewhat guessed by Xing Xing’s almost-accurate reading of his thoughts, changed the subject with a smile, “Well, well, using the word ‘plotting,’ are we? Quite a vocabulary for someone so young.”
Xing Xing lifted his chubby little face, full of pride, “I learned these words from videos! I’m really smart!”
Soon, almost getting carried away by Ji Rongyu’s “praise”, Xing Xing snapped back to reality and gave Ji Rongyu a stern little expression.
Oh no! Why was he so happy about the bad Uncle’s praise? Who knows, maybe the bad Uncle’s compliments were just to lull him into a false sense of security, get information from him, and then plot something bad!
Remembering the painful lesson he had learned from being “tricked” by Ji Rongyu before, Xing Xing, who had gained wisdom from that experience, chose to cut his losses in a timely manner.
He turned his chubby little body around and continued playing with building blocks and watching videos.
He paid no attention to the bad Uncle; the Bad Uncle couldn’t trick him!
Little did he know, before he could play with the building blocks for long, Ji Rongyu’s voice echoed once again.
“Are building blocks fun?” Ji Rongyu asked, “It looks like this time you’re building… a house?”
Due to the limited number of building blocks Xing Xing had before, he usually only built small objects that could be disassembled after use, allowing for repeated building.
However, with the success of Yu Bai’s business and their improving life, the number of building blocks Yu Bai bought for Xing Xing increased significantly. Coupled with the ones Xing Xing already had and the ones Ji Rongyu had given him, Xing Xing now had a substantial collection of building blocks.
Lately, Xing Xing had been using his little brain, trying to construct larger things that required a lot of building blocks.
Like a big house.
Xing Xing had been working on this big house for several days, and it had finally taken shape over the past two days.
Ji Rongyu: “This house you’re building looks pretty good. It has doors and windows… and there’s even a little bridge and some trees next to it. The scenery looks nice.”
Xing Xing pursed his lips, his little hand tightly gripping the next piece of building block about to be placed.
Oh no! The bad Uncle was so annoying!
Ji Rongyu had been praising Xing Xing the whole time, almost making it impossible for Xing Xing to contain his growing sense of pride and respond to Ji Rongyu.
No, no! He couldn’t fall for the bad Uncle’s tricks again or be swayed by the bad Uncle’s compliments!
Xing Xing’s snowy-white cheeks turned crimson from holding back his emotions.
Just as Xing Xing was about to burst, Ji Rongyu changed the subject.
“However, your doors and windows are from the older model of building blocks that are non-movable and non-dismantlable. A couple of days ago, I saw a new type of building blocks online that comes with various styles of doors and windows built in,” Ji Rongyu said, handing his phone over to Xing Xing, “These doors and windows can rotate and be dismantled at any time. Look, when you rotate them, can you see everything inside the house?”
Poor Xing Xing resisted Ji Rongyu’s praise but ultimately succumbed to the temptation of the “new model building blocks.”
As he looked at the phone screen, seeing the beautifully designed, rotatable, and conveniently detachable doors and windows on the blocks, Xing Xing’s round eyes lit up as if ignited by a spark, becoming shiny and bright.
Wow! These new model building blocks are so amazing! If he could bring them home and install them in the big house, the big house would definitely become really beautiful!
So enticing!
“If you want, I can send the link to your dad,” Ji Rongyu said, his eyes and brows curving into a cunning smile, “He’ll buy them for you, won’t he?”
As Ji Rongyu spoke, the light in Xing Xing’s eyes dimmed instantly.
During the New Year, Dad had already bought him a lot of building blocks. After the New Year, Dad had been busy with the store’s affairs, and the money saved at home had been invested in the store.
Although the store had only been open for a few days, and Dad was making a lot of money every day, that money was limited and earned through his father’s hard work from early morning to late at night.
Always feeling sorry for Yu Bai, how could Xing Xing let Yu Bai spend money on buying those expensive little building blocks?
Xing Xing pinched his tiny hand.
It’s just building blocks! He could buy them for himself when he grew up! He didn’t want to spend his dad’s money!
Xing Xing turned his little head, placing the building block in his hand onto another one.
“Ordinary doors and windows are nice too! I… I don’t need Dad to buy me new building blocks,” Xing Xing’s ink-black eyes focused on the “big house” he had built, “Don’t send the link to Dad!”
“Is that so?” Ji Rongyu said, “But I think if you put on beautiful doors and windows, the house will look even better.”
Xing Xing’s pristine white teeth bit onto his soft, rosy lips, remaining silent.
Bending down, Ji Rongyu whispered softly into Xing Xing’s ear.
“How about this, I’ll buy you a set of these blocks?”
Xing Xing immediately looked at Ji Rongyu, his round ink-black eyes blinking rapidly, his little heart beating frantically.
He really wanted the blocks from the bad uncle’s phone!
Xing Xing held onto his last bit of rationality, “Why… why would you buy me building blocks? These blocks aren’t cheap!”
Xing Xing was clever. Ji Rongyu knew this, and he was well aware that trying to fool Xing Xing with tricks that might work on other kids would likely backfire.
Ji Rongyu decided to be honest.
“These days, I’ve been busy with work and haven’t been able to come to your house much, so I haven’t had much time to talk to your dad,” Ji Rongyu explained, “You’re smart, and I think you might have noticed that your dad’s attitude towards me today is a little colder than before…”
Hearing the praise of being “smart” again, Xing Xing puffed out his little chest.
Hearing the second part of Ji Rongyu’s sentence, Xing Xing’s round eyes blinked rapidly once more.
When they were downstairs earlier, as an “observer” on the side, he did indeed notice that Dad seemed a bit less enthusiastic in his interactions with the bad uncle today compared to before.
Although Xing Xing didn’t quite understand why Dad’s attitude towards the bad uncle was sometimes hot and sometimes cold, he knew that… the less Dad liked the bad uncle, the happier he was!
Ji Rongyu continued, “So, I wanted to ask if your dad has encountered something recently. Heard something? Or… does your dad have someone he likes?”
Xing Xing pouted, “Dad likes me the most!”
Ji Rongyu responded, “Aside from you.”
Xing Xing’s long and curled eyelashes flickered, “Um…”
Ji Rongyu’s heart tightened suddenly, “What is it?”
…
After a brief silence, Xing Xing’s voice resounded.
“Money first, then the goods.”
Xing Xing’s two little eyebrows lifted high, “Give me the building blocks, and then I’ll tell you!”
Hmph! Clever as he was, he wouldn’t let the bad uncle freeload!
In the evening, during this dinner at Yu Bai’s house, Ji Rongyu felt a heaviness in his heart.
He was eager to know what had happened to Yu Bai during the days he was away. Why had his attitude towards Ji Rongyu changed so significantly?
Could it be that Yu Bai had actually found someone he liked? Was all of Yu Bai’s energy focused on this person, leaving Ji Rongyu feeling bothersome and unwanted?
“Is the dinner I made not tasty?” Yu Bai, noticing the slightly pained expression that occasionally appeared on Ji Rongyu’s face as he ate, asked in confusion.
Ji Rongyu replied, “The dinner you made… is delicious.”
To be honest, Ji Rongyu, who was completely engrossed in pondering why Yu Bai was distant towards him, didn’t pay much attention to the taste of the meal.
Saying it was delicious was the right thing to do.
After all, in all the times Ji Rongyu had eaten at Yu Bai’s place, he had never witnessed Yu Bai making a culinary blunder.
“Then why…?” Yu Bai started to ask, but then stopped himself mid-sentence, swallowing the rest of his words. He bent down and continued tidying up the table.
The familiarity and intimacy between them that couldn’t be expressed in words made Yu Bai instinctively want to express his concern for Ji Rongyu.
However, they were just friends.
Yu Bai didn’t have many friends, but he understood that even between the closest of friends, it was important to maintain a certain distance.
His excessive closeness and concern might overstep the boundaries of “friendship.”
Ji Rongyu asked, “Why the hesitation? What did you want to say?”
Shaking his head, Yu Bai responded, “It’s nothing.”
A frown appeared on Ji Rongyu’s brow, “Why do you start saying something and then stop halfway? If you have something to say, just say it…”
Yu Bai paused in his actions of wiping the table, looking at Ji Rongyu.
This should be the first time today that Yu Bai looked directly at Ji Rongyu.
Yu Bai’s round, shining eyes, resembling those of Xing Xing’s, had a hidden depth within them, a light that faintly unsettled Ji Rongyu.
Yu Bai: “Have you finished dinner?”
Ji Rongyu nodded.
“In that case, you should head home. There’s nothing else for you here,” Yu Bai continued wiping the table. “You should go back early. Don’t wait until it’s late, it’s not safe on the road.”
Yu Bai… Is he asking him to leave?
Ji Rongyu’s narrow eyes involuntarily widened. When he looked at Yu Bai, his expression was filled with disbelief.
For the first time, in Yu Bai’s home, he was given a clear signal to depart.
Inside the house, the heating was set to a comfortable temperature.
But Ji Rongyu’s heart felt like it had plunged into an icehouse, chilling him to the bone.
Author’s Note:
PS: There will be another update.
