Chapter 2 Reunion

Night had fallen, and a chilly autumn wind swept by, swirling up the fallen sycamore leaves. Yu Bai, dressed in thin clothes, couldn't help but sneeze.

Jiang Jizhou took off his windbreaker and handed it to Yu Bai.

Yu Bai shook her head and said softly, "I don't want to."

Yu Bai didn't want to have any further contact with him, and naturally didn't want his clothes either.

"Put it on." The tone left no room for argument.

Yu Bai resolutely refused to reach for his clothes, and Jiang Jizhou's hand remained frozen in mid-air, as if time had stood still.

Nan Kui sized up the roguishly handsome man in front of her. His face was both passionate and indifferent, exuding an aura of being able to dabble in a sea of ​​flowers without being tainted by a single petal. He seemed to be from a different world than the gentle and calm Yu Bai.

With her keen intuition honed over years of experience in the underworld, Nan Kui sensed the subtle tension between them; their relationship was definitely more than just acquaintances. Although neither of them had answered when she asked if they knew each other.

Time passed second by second. The wind blew, ruffling the stray hairs on Yu Bai's forehead and obscuring her cold and stubborn eyes. Jiang Jizhou's heart was pierced.

Seeing that Yu Bai was uncooperative and determined to distance herself from him, Jiang Jizhou took a step forward and draped his clothes over Yu Bai's shoulders. Yu Bai stepped back and tried to dodge, but Jiang Jizhou grabbed her wrist and wouldn't let her move.

Jiang Jizhou's hands were warm, and the intense heat traveled through Yu Bai's skin into her blood vessels. Yu Bai felt the skin touching hers burning, and her heart, which she forced to remain calm, felt as cold as winter snow. This sensation of both ice and fire stung Yu Bai's eyes and brought tears to her eyes.

"You can throw it away if you don't want it."

Jiang Jizhou released her hand, took one last deep look at Yu Bai, suddenly leaned close to her left ear, whispered something, and then turned and left.

After taking off his windbreaker, he was left with only a thin black t-shirt, which billowed in the wind. His tall, thin figure gradually disappeared into the night, tinged with a sense of loneliness.

The warmth still lingered by my ears, a lingering heat that made me shiver.

"What did he say?" Nan Kui asked, puzzled.

Yu Bai lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes motionless. "I can't hear you."

Her voice was very soft and vanished in the wind in an instant.

Only the biting wind howled past, its "whooshing" sound like a sobbing cry.

Nan Kui was freezing cold, and after this incident, she lost her appetite for barbecue. Instead, she dragged Yu Bai to eat hot pot to warm her stomach.

In the hot pot restaurant, Nan Kui asked Yu Bai about Jiang Jizhou.

At first, Yu Bai didn't say anything. Later, she summarized it with Nan Kui in one sentence.

“I used to have a crush on him, but he thought I was the daughter of his father’s mistress and was toying with my feelings.”

"Ah!" Nan Kui was so shocked she almost choked. She took a sip of water and cursed, "He looks so respectable, but he's a total scumbag!"

Then, Nan Kui tentatively asked Yu Bai, "Were you two ever together?"

Did they even have a proper conversation? It started with deception and ended with trampling on her sincerity.

"The mistress's daughter, just for fun."

Jiang Jizhou's humiliating words are still vivid in her mind.

Yu Bai picked up a piece of tripe, a mocking smile playing on his lips. "No."

Seeing the hatred on Yu Bai's face, Nan Kui fell silent. No wonder Yu Bai had never mentioned this person, and hadn't even dated anyone in college. It was because she had been hurt by this scumbag.

She gave Yu Bai an encouraging smile and said, "It's okay, Bai Bai. Just think of it as being bitten by a dog. Let's look forward and stop thinking about him."

Yu Bai nodded heavily, "Yes!"

Amidst the rising steam from the hot pot, Yu Bai's gaze towards Nan Kui was resolute and unwavering.

But fate had destined Yu Bai and Jiang Jizhou to be entangled together, because Yu Bai could hate Jiang Jizhou, but he couldn't hate Jiang Jizhou's father, Uncle Jiang.

During her senior year of high school, Yu Bai's mother had to go on a long business trip abroad, so Yu Bai stayed at the home of her mother's friend, Uncle Jiang, whom she regarded as her own daughter.

Because of Jiang Jizhou, Yu Bai had not returned to Nancheng for seven years. This time he returned, half a year had passed, and Yu Bai had not returned to the Jiang family.

A few days ago, Uncle Jiang personally called Yu Bai and said he missed her and wanted Yu Bai to visit her. They arranged to meet on the weekend, which is tomorrow.

Yu Bai felt very guilty towards Uncle Jiang, and she didn't want to be an ingrate, so she agreed to visit Uncle Jiang.

There's a high probability that Yu Bai will see Jiang Jizhou again tomorrow, but he has no other choice.

It's okay. She has chosen to move forward. The past must be faced sooner or later. She can just treat him as an unimportant person from the past.

The next day, Yu Bai put on her spare hearing aid and went to Uncle Jiang's house. She changed her clothes and dressed simply, in a light purple sweater and slim jeans, which made her look like a graceful flower.

Yu Bai got her driver's license in college and bought a BMW with her earnings from work and her parents' sponsorship after graduation. However, after coming to Nancheng, the magazine where she worked was only a few hundred meters away from her rented apartment. She was too lazy to drive it, so the car was left to gather dust.

Uncle Jiang's home is in the Yunjing Scenic Villa area of ​​Baiyun District, which is far from where she lives in Su'an District, so Yu Bai decided to drive there.

After arriving at his destination, Yu Bai parked his car in the garage and came out. He saw the black Rolls-Royce next to his car and Yu Bai had a feeling that it probably belonged to Jiang Jizhou and that he had gone home.

What must be faced must be faced. Between them, Jiang Jizhou owes her something, so why should she hide?

Even so, Yu Bai still couldn't be rational about Jiang Jizhou. Perhaps she still hated him in her heart, and she could never forgive him.

From afar, Aunt Chen from Uncle Jiang's family saw Yu Bai walking over. Although many years had passed, Yu Bai's appearance had not changed much. She had just put on makeup and become more mature and beautiful. Her temperament was no longer as timid as when she was in school, but more calm and reserved. Every move she made was graceful and poised.

Chen Ma hurriedly came over and took the gifts from Yu Bai's hands, her voice choked with emotion, "Bai Bai is back. It's been so many years since I last saw you. You're still as beautiful as before. You never come back to visit. Your Uncle Jiang has been looking forward to your visit."

Yu Bai's eyes were red and swollen. Aunt Jiang had passed away early, leaving behind only her son, Jiang Jizhou. When she was staying at their home, Uncle Jiang and Aunt Chen treated her like their own daughter. But because of Jiang Jizhou, she had left home for many years and had never returned.

"I'm sorry, Aunt Chen." Yu Bai's tears were almost falling.

Chen's mother reached out and hugged her, saying affectionately, "What nonsense are you talking about? It's good that you're back."

The two entered the living room, where Uncle Jiang was sitting on the sofa. Upon seeing Yu Bai, he immediately got up to greet him. Due to his busy career in his early years, he had developed many health problems, and his health was deteriorating, making him look much older.

Yu Bai hugged Uncle Jiang, "I'm sorry, Uncle Jiang, I haven't been back to see you all these years."

Like Aunt Chen, Uncle Jiang wept with joy, repeatedly saying, "It's alright, it's good that you're back, it's good that you're back."

Returning to the place where he had lived for a year, Yu Bai looked at every corner with a mix of emotions, and memories of his past with Jiang Jizhou flashed through his mind.

She glanced at the photo on the wall; it was a family portrait of her, Jiang Jizhou, and the others.

In the photo, she and Jiang Jizhou stand side by side, both smiling brightly. She is holding a rabbit doll in her arms, a gift from Jiang Jizhou for her birthday...

Yu Bai dared not think any further. Chen Ma pulled him to sit on the sofa and stuffed a lot of fruit into his hands.

The group sat on the sofa reminiscing. Two elders in their fifties or sixties held Yu Bai's hands on either side, chatting away. Yu Bai felt a warm glow in his heart. They were more like parents to him than his own parents, giving him the warmth of a home.

But I haven't seen Jiang Jizhou since I returned here. Could it be that he didn't come back? Yu Bai breathed a sigh of relief.

But then Uncle Jiang said, "Your brother is cooking in the kitchen himself. He misses you so much and keeps asking when you're coming back."

Uncle Jiang knew some of the entanglements between Yu Bai and Jiang Jizhou, but not much about them. He only knew that the two had a good relationship when they were in school, and were even quite intimate. He had even started to consider making Yu Bai his daughter-in-law. But then Yu Bai suddenly insisted on leaving. He didn't know that Yu Bai and Jiang Jizhou had already become enemies.

Upon hearing this, Yu Bai looked somewhat awkward and didn't know how to respond.

Jiang Jizhou happened to come out of the kitchen and overheard their conversation. He was still wearing his apron and standing against the wall. As if his secret had been exposed, he forced an impatient smile and said, "Dad, when did I nag? You're the one who nags me every day."

He approached, his tone suddenly softening as he said to Yu Bai, "Bai Bai, dinner will be ready soon. I made your favorite spicy diced chicken."

Spicy diced chicken was a dish Yu Bai used to love. Jiang Jizhou, who used to be a pampered young master who never lifted a finger in the kitchen, specially learned to cook for her, and the first dish he made was spicy diced chicken.

She was afraid of spicy food but loved eating it. She cried and had a runny nose while eating, which made Jiang Jizhou laugh at her and bring her water and tissues.

But later, she stopped liking spicy diced chicken.

In front of Uncle Jiang and Aunt Chen, not wanting them to have to worry at their advanced age, Yu Bai didn't break ties with Jiang Jizhou. Instead, she maintained a facade of harmony and smiled faintly, "Thank you, brother."

Hearing Yu Bai call her "brother" again, Jiang Jizhou was stunned for a moment, her heart aching. She had given him her whole heart, but he didn't want it, and now she was in this situation.

At the dinner table, Uncle Jiang put a lot of spicy chicken pieces on Yu Bai's plate.

Yu Bai took a bite; it was still the familiar taste. She lowered her eyes, but it was no longer made by the person she loved before.

"Does Bai Bai have a boyfriend?" Like many elders, Uncle Jiang is keen to know about the romantic and marital status of young people.

Yu Bai looked up and noticed that Jiang Jizhou had been glancing at her subtly. After hearing Uncle Jiang's question, he stared at her even more openly.

Yu Bai swallowed the rice in his mouth and said casually, "I've got it."

Yu Bai saw that Jiang Jizhou's face, which always had a playful and roguish smile, seemed to have cracked like a delicate mask, and he could hardly maintain his expression.

Uncle Jiang sighed. He had originally intended to matchmake Jiang Jizhou and Yu Bai, but seeing this, he could only smile and say, "That's good. What do boys do? Bring them back sometime so your brother and I can give them our approval."

Yu Bai made up the story about having a boyfriend; how would she know what he did? So she had to make one up on the spot, and thankfully she managed to fool everyone in the end.

Jiang Jizhou's eyes were like arrows flashing cold light in the dark, closely following Yu Bai's every move, especially when Yu Bai talked about her boyfriend, the cold light became even more dazzling.

Yu Bai was restless and uneasy.

After finally getting through the long wait, it was time for Uncle Jiang to rest. Yu Bai reluctantly said goodbye and said he would come to see him again in a few days when he was less busy with work.

Chen Ma needed to take care of Uncle Jiang so he could go to sleep, so she asked Jiang Jizhou to see Yu Bai off.

Jiang Jizhou walked in front, and Yu Bai followed behind. The two of them walked out of the villa in silence and went to the garage.

Yu Bai reached for the car door, and Jiang Jizhou called to her, "Bai Bai."

Yu Bai frowned. "Jiang Jizhou, just call me Yu Bai."

Jiang Jizhou felt a pang of pain in his heart, but smiled outwardly, "Aren't you my brother now?"

Yu Bai ignored him, opened the car door, and got in.

Jiang Jizhou asked her, word by word, "Do you really have a boyfriend?"

Yu Bai fastened his seatbelt, glanced at Jiang Jizhou speechlessly, and said, "What's it to you?"

Jiang Jizhou gritted his teeth, "I'm asking you, is it true?"

Yu Bai raised an eyebrow, as if deliberately trying to provoke him, "Hmm."

“It’s all in the past, Jiang Jizhou. I no longer hate you, and you don’t need to compensate me for anything. We owe each other nothing.” Yu Bai sighed lightly. “If I could, I would rather never see you again.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Jizhou's eyes instantly reddened, and his tone became stubborn, "Don't even think about it."

Yu Bai sighed again, his eyes filled with helplessness, relief, and determination, but he didn't care at all.

Yu Bai inserted the key, started the car, and drove away. Amidst the roar of the engine, she saw Jiang Jizhou in the rearview mirror, one hand in his pocket, looking at her from afar, as if he were strategizing and had everything under control.

"Bye-bye, we'll meet again someday."