Chapter 16 Didn't you not want him to take responsibility...?

Chapter 16

Fang Qi drove the car to the school gate according to the navigation set by the bodyguard. He was used to being arrogant. "Li Er is too inconsiderate of girls. Why don't we just go in when we're already at the gate? It's still a long way from the dormitory."

Before Wen Yining could even speak, Fang Qi started honking his horn like crazy, and the quiet night was suddenly filled with a deafening, ear-piercing horn sound.

"No, no, no, don't press that button!!!"

Wen Yining was almost going crazy. She grabbed his arm without thinking and pleaded, "It's 3 o'clock! All private vehicles are prohibited from entering the school at night."

"I know," Fang Qi said matter-of-factly. "Just call the school and register."

Judging from his tone, he probably does this a lot when flirting with young girls.

Wen Yining took a deep breath and suddenly missed Li Changjing. He was much more considerate and disciplined in his actions. He probably knew that she didn't want to be seen by others, so he always took care of that and would stop far away when dropping her off or picking her up.

His friend...

She practically spat out through gritted teeth, "It's okay, I'll just get off here."

Fang Qi raised an eyebrow. "Alright then, but he can't blame me for not being a good host."

"No, really no."

Wen Yining first looked outside. The old man in the security room didn't come out. After checking around, she found that at this time, only the bodyguards were parked behind her in a black sports car. Only then did Wen Yining feel at ease and get out of the car.

Walking through the quiet campus, Wen Yining breathed a sigh of relief. Getting away from Fang Qi felt like getting away from a bomb that could explode at any moment.

Lying on the narrow, hard bed in the dormitory, staring into the darkness, my mind finally had time to recall what had happened that night. At the time, it didn't seem like much, but now that I'm quiet, I realize how terrifying it all was.

If that person hadn't been Li Changjing, who knows what would have happened? He didn't know what the relationship was between the person in the private room and him. He actually encountered workplace bullying and a plot from a TV drama, and suddenly met several female celebrities that he only saw on TV, as well as Li Changjing's friends.

My mind is filled with a jumble of thoughts.

After a hectic and non-stop night, my body was exhausted, but my mind was on edge, and I couldn't fall asleep no matter how much I tossed and turned.

Helpless, she opened her phone and saw that her salary had been deposited into her account. Xu Yi replied to her message, but she didn't dare to look at it for fear of not being able to sleep.

I don't know what time it was, I just tossed and turned and didn't fall asleep until dawn.

Because of this delay, by the time she woke up it was already past midnight, and the two night owls in the dorm were already up.

Jiang Fengqing, wearing a hair tie, sat in front of the mirror applying skincare products. "What time did you get back last night? You must have worked so hard. I was already asleep and I hadn't seen you come back yet. You still had to tutor after you woke up, and your classes are usually so full."

Gu Lingling suddenly appeared on the top bunk, wearing pajamas and with messy hair, speaking in a broken dialect: "Every day I wake up and go to work, then come back to sleep, then wake up and go to work again."

They started laughing after they finished speaking.

I didn't understand.

I have a vague feeling that this is some kind of meme.

But, it's so touching! Hearing that made me feel an excited surge of emotion.

She hurriedly got out of bed to wash up, ate, and then rushed out to the subway station under the scorching sun.

It's already the height of summer, and it's too hot to ride a bike anymore, so I have to take the subway for several stops.

When she reached the door, she was still sweating profusely. Wen Yining squinted and shielded her eyes from the glaring sun with her hand, casting a shadow in front of her.

As she entered, she inexplicably turned her head to look at the parking spaces by the entrance.

The green belt encloses a circle of parking spaces, and grass grows out from the cracks in the stone bricks.

It was empty.

Li Changjing's car was not there.

During the break between the first and second classes, Wen Yining went to the restroom.

The building was unusually empty and quiet today, and the sound of water was unusually loud. She could even hear her own footsteps and the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves outside.

After washing her hands and opening the door, she saw the glaring, scorching sunlight shining on the spotless floor; just by looking at the light, one could imagine the burning heat.

There was a noise in the kitchen. Looking up, Aunt Liu came out of the kitchen carrying cut fruit. Seeing her staring outside, she glanced at her as well and sighed, "It's gotten hot so fast this year. It's only the beginning of the dog days and it's already this hot. What will it be like in the middle of the dog days? Experts online are saying that the weather will become polarized, with summers getting hotter and winters getting colder. Oh dear, the north of the city is already very hot in the summer and very cold in the winter. Now it's going to turn into the Flaming Mountains of Antarctica."

Aunt Liu spoke with a thick, authentic northern accent, and her words were inherently humorous, which made Wen Yining smile.

The two walked towards the room.

After going inside, Aunt Liu casually remarked, "It's so hot today. Thank goodness we have air conditioning and heating. Jing'er has been busy all day and hasn't been home at all. Sigh, there's so much to do at work. He's always on his feet. Judging by this, he probably won't be able to come home today."

Listening to Aunt Liu's words, Wen Yining inexplicably turned her head to look at the path in the yard. The lush white magnolias created a dense shade in the yard, and the leaves swayed gently, with the afternoon sun shining on them and making them shimmer.

The courtyard was both vibrant and empty.

She said "oh".

*

Not long after returning to the dormitory, Xu Yi came in. "Yi Ning, has your salary arrived?"

"We've arrived! Didn't we arrive yesterday?"

"Yesterday? Aren't they supposed to arrive the next day? I only arrived this afternoon."

Wen Yining paused for a moment as she put away the clothes, realizing why her salary had arrived so quickly.

"Oh, maybe something came up on your end, so you settled it first," Xu Yi guessed.

Wen Yining told her yesterday that the reason she went back was because there was a drunkard causing trouble on the top floor.

Judging from her seemingly clueless expression, it seems the manager was indeed very strict about what happened yesterday; the employees upstairs and downstairs didn't hear a thing.

"You don't know, there are a lot of things going on over there too. There are drunk people acting crazy and harassing the waiters, and there are people passionately kissing in the hallway. The first half of the night was okay, but it got really chaotic later on."

Wen Yining wholeheartedly agreed, nodding vigorously like a chick pecking at rice.

She still vividly recalls the thrilling and tumultuous emotions of last night.

Xu Qing asked, "Are you still going next Friday?"

Wen Yining shook her head. "It's too chaotic."

Xu Qing nodded. "That's what I think too."

Classes continued the next day as usual.

Wen Yining walked in along the path in the community. As she entered, her neck seemed to have a mind of its own, and she inexplicably turned to look at the parking space again.

It was still empty and desolate. The glaring sun made the stone bricks look white, and the green grass in the cracks of the stones drooped listlessly.

She looked away and walked into the yard, feeling inexplicably empty inside, as if something was missing. The whole world, including the sunlight and the breeze, seemed to have fallen silent.

Time flew by. Wen Yining had been talking to Liu Hengheng about a problem until 6:10, when she noticed he was becoming increasingly distracted and frequently glancing at the clock on the table, so she had to stop.

"That's all for today. If you encounter similar questions in the next few days and can't figure them out, just ask me via [redacted]."

Liu Hengheng nodded.

Wen Yining stood up, tidied up the books, and prepared to put them in her bag to go back. Suddenly, as if sensing something, she looked up and saw Li Changjing returning from outside in the courtyard. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, falling sparsely on his neck and face, dappling his features.

Wen Yining looked down quickly as if she had been blinded by the light, and stacked the textbooks in her hands together.

After tidying up, she put the things into her bag and zipped it up.

"Knock knock knock!"

A knocking sounded unexpectedly at the quiet door.

She jerked her hand so hard she almost ripped the zipper off.

"Xiao Wen, have you finished class?" Aunt Liu's voice rang out at the door.

"get out of class is over," Wen Yining replied in a soft voice, raising her voice.

"Okay, then hurry up and get ready. Qing-ge'er is back. He'll come down later and drop you off."

"Huh?" Wen Yining panicked for a moment, not knowing how to answer. Looking at the door, she said, "No, there's no need to trouble you, Auntie. I can go back by myself."

"He just told me this, come out quickly."

Wen Yining had no choice but to go out, sit on the sofa, put her schoolbag on her lap, and wait for Li Changjing.

The cicadas outside were chirping loudly and energetically.

She suddenly remembered that Aunt Liu always called his "Jing" "Qing".

Not long after, Li Changjing came downstairs. Wen Yining stood up, holding her schoolbag in both hands. He looked like he had changed his clothes and was dressed very formally, as if he was preparing to attend some occasion.

Wen Yining's gaze lingered unconsciously on the glasses. Recalling the feeling of those glasses on her nose, she felt a tingling sensation in her ears and nose, and quickly looked away.

As Li Changjing hurried downstairs, he looked at her and chuckled, "Why are you acting like a little kid?"

?

She looked down at herself while holding her schoolbag, and retorted in a low voice, clearly unconvinced, "How am I similar? I think I'm very mature."

She always secretly felt that she was much more mature than her classmates and friends, and she had been said to be precocious and mature since she was a child.

Li Changjing walked towards the door, saying, "Liu Hengheng thinks so too."

...It seems that's really true...

Could it be that she was simply too close to the mountain to see the forest?

The bodyguard drove, and the two sat in the back seat. Wen Yining was close to the door, and there was plenty of space between them.

As soon as Li Changjing got into the car, he asked, "You resigned?"

Wen Yining nodded, and seeing that he was looking ahead and not at her, she said, "Yes, I resigned."

He turned his head and looked down at her: "Will you go running around like that again next time?"

Wen Yining was still shaken and shook her head frantically, "I'll never go there again!"

He looked down at her shaking her head like a rattle drum, and then smiled. When he smiled, he looked gentle and doting, and his eyes seemed to be full of infinite tenderness.

He suddenly took off his glasses, holding them in one hand, and pressed down on her shoulder with the other, feeling the warmth of her clothes.

Sensing what he was about to do, Wen Yining stiffened and closed her eyes tightly. She then felt a warm, smooth touch gently brush across her face and onto her ear, followed by a weight on the bridge of her nose.

His movements were very gentle, without disturbing her hair at all.

For some inexplicable reason, he put the glasses back on her face, then let go of her and sat back down.

Wen Yining felt a slight burning sensation in her ears, so she quickly opened her eyes, reached out to steady them, and looked at him through her glasses.

He leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and pinched the corner of his eyebrow, only now revealing a hint of fatigue. "Study hard and do well on your exams. Teaching and educating people is very suitable for you. Don't try to be like those people and try to get into academia. It's all a game of acquaintances. The deeper you go, the darker it gets. In the end, you'll be left with nothing but bones. It's not suitable for you."

This was the first time he had talked to her about such a serious topic. Wen Yining had also heard about the intricacies of it from a senior she knew, so she nodded.

Li Changjing suddenly said, "Fang Qi has always been like that, never serious. Next time you see him, just ignore him and say I let him have his way."

I guess the bodyguard told him.

Wen Yining nodded. "Okay."

"Ningning, who gave you the name 'Curly'?"

How could he still remember?

"My friend."

He never asked her anything. Li Changjing's attention was only focused on her as a person. He didn't ask about her friends or his life, nor did he talk about it, nor was he curious or interested in it.

He didn't ask any questions at that moment.

"Wen Juanjuan?"

Wen Yining was a little embarrassed, "It's necessary for work."

Halfway through the journey, the car was suddenly involved in an accident when it was bumped by an elderly man driving a motorbike.

It was all the fault of the Mercedes in the back seat honking its horn incessantly. The old man accelerated as he turned, and ended up scraping the front of the car on the driver's side.

The bodyguard opened the door and got out of the car to check. The old man also hurriedly got out of the car. When he saw the eye-catching license plate on the front of the car, he squatted down and silently smoked.

Wen Yining held her glasses with one hand and the seat in front of her with the other, craning her neck to see what was happening outside.

According to the division of responsibility, the other party is definitely fully responsible. She doesn't know how much the old man will have to pay, but the car is so expensive that even a simple paint job would cost a lot. She also doesn't know if the old man has insurance for his car, judging from his worried look, it seems like he hasn't.

If Wen Yining put herself in her shoes, she would have to pay such a large sum of money... No, if it were her, she wouldn't have enough money in all her possessions to pay it.

Look at the old man's old, dilapidated car that looks quite old, and his hunched back.

Wen Yining frowned, feeling anxious.

I couldn't help but think, "If only it were her car, if only she had money."

She secretly glanced at Li Changjing; he was looking down at his messages, not even glancing outside, indifferent like a passerby.

The bodyguard and the old man stood at the front of the car, looking at the damaged area and talking to each other. The old man seemed to be an honest and simple person, just smoking and pointing to the road ahead and behind, seemingly apologizing while explaining the situation to the bodyguard.

An elderly man's electric scooter crashed into a luxury car, and passersby couldn't help but take a look.

Wen Yining wanted to get out and see what was going on, but it wasn't appropriate. So she could only hold onto the front seat with one hand, crane her neck to look at the situation outside, and open the car window to listen to what was being said outside.

Suddenly, Li Changjing rolled down the car window. "Yue Feng, drive."

Wen Yining was startled, and turned to look at him while clinging to the seat.

The setting sun shone through the window and fell on Li Changjing's shoulder and delicate profile, giving his pale, somewhat icy skin a faint warm glow.

He rolled up the car window. "Why are you looking at me? Didn't you say you didn't want him to take responsibility?"

He said casually, "And it's not that bad."

Wen Yining was stunned for a moment, and the meaning of his words slowly unfolded in her mind.

Didn't you not want him to take responsibility?

It felt like a "thump," and my heart started beating suddenly and irregularly, like I was about to have a heart attack.

Yu Guangli was still thanking Yue Feng repeatedly. Outside were the streets of the northern city, and along the streets were ancient buildings with gray walls and gray tiles that had the flavor of the northern city.

Li Changjing opened his phone to check messages.

Wen Yining adjusted her glasses and turned to look at the street scene outside her window.

Then, I felt my ears slowly turning red.

Author's Note: Has anyone noticed that Young Master Li is deliberately using physical contact to test Ningning's attitude? [Let me see] Step by step, he went from being a very gentlemanly person who avoided physical contact at the beginning to now subtly testing her.