dessert

A maid brought in tea and snacks, placing them on a small table in front of the French windows. The sweet, rich aroma immediately filled every corner of the room. Mosa, who had been lying on the sofa, immediately sat up upon smelling the aroma.

After stretching, Mosa picked up her cup and took a sip of her brown sugar macchiato. As she looked up, she saw the scarf on her bedside table.

She asked, "Why are there two scarves?" Generally speaking, even if the colors are different, people wouldn't buy two scarves of the same style.

Mentioning the two scarves, Wen Yan's heart clenched again. She took a sip of tea and calmly said, "My mom bought them. One is for me to wear, and the other is a gift."

Sanno excitedly walked over and picked up the scarf. "Are you giving it to me?"

Mosa pouted, "If anyone's going to give something away, it should be to me, okay?"

The two exchanged a few words, then folded the scarf and put it back in its place. They were just joking; whether it was Wenyan or the three of them, gifts were usually prepared in triplicate, and one scarf was hardly enough for the three of them.

After the family dinner, the usual after-dinner activities took place at home—playing cards and chatting.

The crisp sound of mahjong tiles clashing mingled with the joyful laughter of family members, and Wenyan was also immersed in it, briefly forgetting her worries.

At night, memories of the past flooded back, disturbing his sleep.

He sat up, patted his face, and said calmly, "Since Su Jibai can remember the first time, he can remember the second and third time. There's no need to be anxious. The most important thing right now is to find out Ji Weixuan's location."

Since Ji Weixuan escaped from the sanatorium, he has vanished without a trace. Long Lingtian felt indebted to everyone and secretly sent people to search for him. Almost all of the Long family's bodyguards were mobilized, but they still found nothing.

Wen Yan had also wondered if he was lurking near Liu Xirou again, but Liu Xirou said that the area around her house was full of bodyguards from the Long family, and told him not to worry.

He'd been in contact with Liu Xirou these past few days, so he figured the protagonist's memories wouldn't be affected; Liu Xirou still remembered everything that happened before. Thankfully, otherwise, if they had to start all over again, Wen Yan would probably have died from vomiting blood.

Seven days ago, Ji Weixuan waited outside the Wen Group building, preparing to drive and deliver a fatal blow to Wen Ling.

Half an hour passed, but he didn't see Wen Ling's hateful face appear. Instead, Long Hui's men appeared first and took him to the outskirts to recuperate.

The secretary wore a gentle smile. "Young Master, Madam asked me to take you back. Long Lingtian is already looking for you. Let's leave before his men arrive."

A ruthless glint flashed in Ji Weixuan's eyes. Long Lingtian, ha, he would kill this hypocritical, profit-driven man sooner or later.

Ji Weixuan got into his car, which headed towards the outskirts. The scenery outside the window grew increasingly desolate, and he frowned. "Aren't we going to Lijing?"

Lijing is where Long Hui usually resides.

"Madam said that Long Lingtian's men have been watching her place," the secretary explained from the passenger seat, turning around. "She only asked me to take you to a house in the suburbs."

Ji Weixuan closed his eyes, exhaled, and thought, "Fine, as long as I can break free from the Long family's control, I can contact people from their family."

After getting out of the car, Ji Weixuan was about to go upstairs to rest when he suddenly stopped and said to his secretary, "Give me a cell phone that can make international calls."

The secretary understood that he wanted to contact the mafia in Country Y, and quickly advised, "Long Lingtian has been closely monitoring the flight information and ship schedules from Country Y. Contacting them now might alert them."

“You don’t need to worry about that.” Ji Weixuan walked up the stairs, his expression hidden in the shadows. “I’ll bring my phone to my room before I wake up.”

The secretary reported his request to Long Hui.

Long Hui had just been scolded by Long Lingtian and was having a headache. Thinking of her eldest son, who was always causing trouble, her head suddenly felt dizzy and lightheaded. When she looked up and saw her youngest son smiling brightly in the photo, she hardened her heart and said, "Let him be."

Ji Weixuan wasn't raised by her, and they weren't close. Over the years, she tried everything to make up for it, even handing over the company she had painstakingly built to him, and offending all sorts of families for him. She believed that her mother had done everything she could.

Long Hui is not only his mother; she also has a younger son, and she cannot ruin another son's future for his sake.

As for Ji Weixuan, his life or death depends on his own abilities. Even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake; if he has the self-awareness to return to Y country, he can still live a life of wealth and honor.

After a heavy snowfall, a rare sunny day arrived. The snow and the sky reflected each other, creating a myriad of changing scenes. People strolled leisurely along the road with smiles on their faces.

Long Chen zipped up his windbreaker and asked the person next to him one last time, "You really aren't called Wen Yanqu?"

On a fine sunny day, Long Chen, having nothing to do at home, decided to go to the neighboring city to climb the snow-capped mountains and invited Liu Xirou and Su Jibai along.

Liu Xirou looked at Su Jibai in surprise. She had thought he would tell Wen Yan, so she hadn't contacted Wen Yan.

Su Jibai inspected the equipment. "Why did you send him? Don't you dislike him?"

Long Chen coughed. "I didn't like him before, but he's changed so much... You don't need to bring up the past, do you?"

Su Jibai looked at Long Chen with a puzzled expression. "Then why didn't you invite him?"

This is your boyfriend!

Long Chen's eyes widened, and he was about to speak when Liu Xirou tugged at his hand and whispered, "Did they have a fight?"

Long Chen calmed down and thought about it carefully, but something still felt off. Su Jibai didn't seem like the kind of person who acted impulsively. What was wrong with these two?

On the highway, vehicles sped by, green belts flashed by, and Su Jibai stared at the distant mountains, gradually becoming lost in thought.

A week ago, his mother and Wenyan's mother, Luo Heng, had not seen each other for a long time. Knowing that she had returned, they wanted to catch up.

He and Wenyan didn't see eye to eye and rarely communicated; his mother knew this.

Why did his mother ask him to go to Wen Yan's house with her? What's even stranger is that he had already arrived at Wen Yan's house by then.

That day, Su Jibai's vision suddenly went black and then gradually cleared. He looked at the gate of the Wen family in front of him and felt a strange, indescribable feeling in his heart.

Nan Qin turned to look at him. "What's wrong, Ji Bai? Come in with me."

"No," Su Jibai paused for a moment, "I'd better go home."

Nan Qin laughed and said, "What's wrong with you today? You were holding a gift for Wen Yan, and now you're saying you're not going? Do you want me to take the gift for you?"

Su Jibai suddenly looked down and found a box of pastries in his hand. The transparent box had no patterns, and the pastries inside were somewhat rough in shape—he had made them himself.

Why would he personally make desserts for Wenyan? He never goes into the kitchen.

Su Jibai felt even more flustered and immediately opened the car door and got in, saying, "No need, Mom, you can go by yourself."

When he got home, he received a call from Wenyan.

He asked, "Is there something you need?"

After a long pause, a voice came from the other end of the line, "Weren't you supposed to come to my house with your mother today?"

After hanging up the phone, Su Jibai looked at the pastries in his hand again. Did he really have an appointment with Wenyan?

The female announcer repeated the flight information clearly and distinctly, and the passengers sitting in their chairs got up and carried their luggage inside.

Wen Yan came to see him off at the airport. "Why are you leaving in such a hurry?"

Ke Shuyao smiled and said, "They really came and went in a hurry."

Lin Jiapeng ignored Ke Shuyao's teasing and gave Wen Yan a very faint smile. His lips curved slightly, but his eyes held a complex mix of emotions, as if he had a thousand words to say.

Wen Yan blinked. "What's wrong?"

Lin Jiapeng stepped forward and hugged Wen Yan, who raised her arms to hug him back, saying, "Goodbye, Coach."

Lin Jiapeng chuckled, his eyes almost welling up with tears. This was the first time Wen Yan had called him coach since his identity was exposed by his uncle.

"Goodbye, remember to practice your boxing well, I'll come back next year..." Lin Jiapeng suddenly choked up, he didn't want to come back next year.

Lin Jiapeng looked at Wen Yan, whose clear eyes smiled at him. Recalling the first time he met Wen Yan, Lin Jiapeng felt quite sentimental and hugged Wen Yan tightly one last time.

"They're gone."

Ke Shuyao quickly went up and hugged him, muttering, "He's really all about looks..."

Lin Jiapeng nudged him, and Ke Shuyao fell silent.

Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows is a wide tarmac. The plane is slowly pushed toward the jet bridge by a guide vehicle, and a few minutes later, a plane roars into the sky.

Wen Yan's eyes were slightly red, and she didn't turn away until the plane disappeared into the clouds.

The icicles hanging upside down gradually melted, new buds sprouted on the bare branches, and the spring chill lingered. The students changed their cotton-padded coats into light jackets.

Wen Yan walked into the classroom and headed straight to her seat without looking around. Out of sight, out of mind; if she couldn't see it, she wouldn't think about it.

A male classmate smiled and said, "Good morning! You're here really early."

Wen Yan stiffened and sat down.

Su Jibai's gentle voice came from behind, "Good morning."

Wen Yan lay on the table, sighing. It turns out that even without seeing, one can still think.

"Hi, Ayan, long time no see." Liu Xirou also arrived.

Wen Yan turned her head and smiled, "Long time no see, where did you go for winter vacation?"

Liu Xirou was slightly taken aback. She had only gone out once during the winter vacation, which was to climb a snow mountain. She didn't know whether she should say it or not... Maybe they had already made up? After all, so much time had passed.

She said, "I only went to the neighboring city to climb a snow mountain once, and the rest of the time I stayed at home."

"Snow mountain? You climbed it with Long Chen?" Wen Yan suddenly realized, and asked with a smile, "There weren't just the two of you, were there?"

Liu Xirou's heart skipped a beat, and she forced herself to say, "Mmm..."

The three people behind frowned and asked when Yan and Liu Xirou's relationship had improved, as they were actually chatting and laughing.

A strange feeling suddenly arose in their hearts. They looked at each other but remained silent, each harboring their own thoughts.

At lunchtime, before leaving the classroom, Liu Xirou glanced back at Wen Yan, who was still in her seat, and asked, "Su, haven't you made up with Wen Yan yet?"

Su Jibai gave her a strange look. "Make up? Were we ever really friends?"

Long Chen laughed and patted Su Jibai on the shoulder, "How come I never noticed before that you had the potential to be a scumbag?"

Liu Xirou did not smile, but walked forward with a solemn expression.

Su Jibai was completely confused, not understanding how this word could be associated with him. Strangely, Liu Xirou would call Wenyan "Ayan". Didn't Wenyan often bully her before?

After that day, when he seemed to wake up as if from a dream before asking Yan Jia, he seemed to have forgotten something and was completely bewildered by their current relationship.

Following the clues in their conversation, Su Jibai realized with a start that his relationship with Wen Yan might really be unusual.

After school in the afternoon, Wen Yan suddenly walked up to Su Jibai, said, "I need to talk to you. Go to the rooftop," and left first.

Long Chen, standing to the side, gave a mysterious smile and said, "Good luck."

Su Jibai stepped onto the steps and looked at the white iron gate in front of him, feeling a sense of familiarity.

He pushed open the door, and the sight of the boy leaning against the railing, smiling at him, stirred deep ripples in his heart.

It's a strange feeling.

Su Jibai walked up to him and asked, "Is there something you need?"

Upon hearing his words, Wen Yan's eyes were filled with confusion. "You still haven't remembered?"

During afternoon class, Su Jibai kept staring at him. If he hadn't stared for so long, Wen Yan wouldn't have noticed. He thought Su Jibai had remembered something, even if it was just a little bit.

Su Jibai: "What are you thinking about?"

Wen Yan suddenly smiled, a sly glint in her eyes, and beckoned to him, "Come a little closer."

Su Jibai hesitated for a few seconds, but still went over.

The next second, he was pushed on the back of the head and fell onto Wen Yan.