Chapter 25 What to do? Ningning is getting cuter and cuter...
Chapter 25
Wen Yining noticed that Li Changjing had cut his hair after not seeing him for a few days. It was noticeably shorter than before, making his features appear even more handsome and refined. His black hair and dark eyebrows made his face look as white as jade.
At least from his appearance, his refined and inscrutable demeanor has been somewhat diluted, making him look less like a politician and more like an ordinary young nobleman.
The seemingly gentle yet distant aura emanating from him seemed to have faded, making him appear much closer to the world.
She used to think that he was right beside her, smiling at her, but he often seemed very distant to her.
Wen Yining stood in the house, watching Li Changjing walk through the sunlit, lush courtyard and into the entrance hall with almost no blinking.
Upon closer inspection, it still looks the same as before.
It's both difficult to understand and feels distant.
"What are you thinking about?" Li Changjing smiled and took a few steps closer to her. "Why that expression?"
Wen Yining shook her head. "I was thinking the weather forecast said it would rain tonight."
“You’re lying.” He raised his hand to touch her hair.
Wen Yining suddenly heard a sound behind her, subtly dodged him, and turned her head to look.
Hearing the car, Aunt Liu came out of the inner room with a broom. "Jing-ge'er is back. The piano is tuned. That person told you to test the sound before he left."
Li Changjing put his hand down, hummed in agreement, and didn't say anything in front of Aunt Liu, only looking at the bag in her arms, "Go to the music room and wait for me."
It had indeed been many days since they last met. Wen Yining calculated the time and realized there was still time, so she nodded and followed Aunt Liu to the music room.
The room was neat and spacious, with only a large black piano in front of the floor-to-ceiling window and a row of wooden cabinets against the wall behind it, filled with books. The air was filled with a faint scent of wood and paper books, which smelled very comforting.
Aunt Liu bent down to clean up the mess left by the person who came to repair the piano, muttering, "This child has always loved cleanliness since he was little, and can't stand any mess or dirt."
Wen Yining actually liked hearing Aunt Liu mention Li Changjing in that tone, as it made him seem more human. She put down her schoolbag to help, but Aunt Liu firmly refused, so she had no choice but to give up. She walked to the piano and stopped, not daring to touch it, but just looking at the piano with curiosity.
It was very tall and very big, much bigger than any piano she had seen at school before. Its black surface shone with a smooth, bright luster, making the old, worn-out piano at school seem cheap and inferior.
She casually remarked, "Li Changjing can also play the piano."
Aunt Liu bent over, her tone full of the undisguised pride and joy an elder can muster when talking about a younger generation. "He can play not only the piano, but also violin and other instruments. His family has high standards, and he himself is very competitive. He can play seven or eight instruments. However, he hasn't taken any exams. His family doesn't care about those formalities. It's enough for him to learn a few and understand them a little."
Wen Yining nodded; such families and backgrounds do indeed tend to focus on nurturing their children.
Aunt Liu seemed to be recalling the past, "Don't look at the family background. Outsiders who don't know say that children from such families are good-for-nothing spendthrifts. In fact, the higher the requirements are, the more they want their children to learn everything and to learn it well."
Aunt Liu was immersed in her memories of the past. "When he was a child, he could study until after 1 a.m. He was smart and hardworking, much less troublesome than Liu Hengheng. Fang Qi was naughty when he was a child and got beaten every day. I heard Xiao Qi's grandma say that he was not as naughty as Jing Ge'er, so Xiao Qi hated him when he was a child."
Wen Yining stood in front of the piano, listening with a slight smile as her aunt recounted trivial matters from his childhood, as if she had already sketched out what Li Changjing looked like as a child in her mind.
I suddenly felt much closer to him.
Xiao Qi, probably referring to Fang Qi, seems to have a good relationship with them now, but it's surprising that they were enemies when they were children.
After cleaning up the trash and mopping the floor, Aunt Liu started disinfecting the room. After she finished, she left. Wen Yining waited for a while, and then Li Changjing came in from outside. He looked like he had just taken a shower, changed his clothes, and his hair was slightly damp.
Wen Yining snapped out of her reverie, glanced at Li Changjing, and suddenly became curious about his major. "What did you major in college?"
He sat down on the stool in front of the piano, "Law and Management at T University."
T University is not far from her school and is one of the top universities in the country.
Li Changjing raised his hand to test a few notes, then gestured for her to sit down.
Wen Yining looked at the stool, then at the piano in front of him, "But I can't play the piano."
He nodded, lowered his eyes, and pressed the black and white keys of the piano, casually playing a test piece. The beautiful melody filled the room. "So standing there isn't tiring."
"..."
Wen Yining carefully sat down next to him, watching his fingers move across the black and white keys.
She couldn't help but say, "You speak so well."
He continued pressing the piano keys, casually saying, "You're on vacation now, you have time during the day, I'll find someone to teach you."
Wen Yining shook her head repeatedly, "No, no, I still have to work."
"You're back to work right after your holiday? Why don't you rest for a few days before starting?"
Wen Yining paused for a moment.
Look at the piano in front of you, and Li Changjing standing in front of it.
She knew that Li Changjing knew everything about her family situation even before they met, so he didn't ask her if she could play the piano or why she wanted to work.
The differences between her and him have always been clear. These things don't disappear just because they aren't mentioned; on the contrary, they emerge from various unintentional details.
It's something I never thought much of before, but now I feel a little awkward in front of the person I like.
The two had never discussed anything related to "money".
When the word "love" is mentioned, it seems to be something detached from worldly affairs and the mundane realities of life. Bringing up such a thing in front of someone you like, who is vastly different from you, is like tearing apart the romantic clouds floating in the sky and then falling straight down into the bustling world.
But after only a moment's pause, Wen Yining said frankly, "My grandmother is sick and I borrowed some money, so I want to make as much money as possible this month. Besides taking care of myself, I also want to pay back some money for my parents."
The music paused for half a second. Li Changjing turned his head, opened his eyes, glanced at Wen Yining, and then continued playing the beat from where he had paused.
At her age, she has just emerged from the sensitive, fragile, and prideful stage of adolescence.
He has seen many people in their twenties who are still vain and concerned about their image.
But she was so natural.
He had already thoroughly investigated her family situation beforehand.
He hadn't thought much of it before, but somehow, now that he heard her say those words in such a natural and frank way, Li Changjing couldn't help but frown.
Li Changjing lowered his head and pressed the piano keys, not continuing the topic. "Then I'll take you back later."
"good."
On the way, Li Changjing received a phone call. "Have Brother Yang deliver it to my office tomorrow."
He glanced at the street scene outside the window. "No need, I'll go back and get it now."
After hanging up, he told Yue Feng to go home.
As the street scene outside the car window grew increasingly unfamiliar, it wasn't until the car turned into a residential area and drove in that Wen Yining realized he really meant "going home" when he said "going home."
His family's home.
Thinking of his family, his grandparents, his parents, or his other siblings...
The thought that the old man she only saw on TV was actually so close to her made Wen Yining take a deep breath. Her heart began to race and beat erratically, and her palms started to sweat uncontrollably.
I'm so nervous...
It feels like a dream, so unreal!
She instantly understood what Gu Lingling meant by "screaming with nervousness," a phrase she often used.
Only now did she truly feel the connection between Li Changjing and that name.
According to etiquette, shouldn't she go down and say hello? But their family situation is so complicated... she shouldn't need to go down, right?
Thinking this, Wen Yining still couldn't help but look at herself in the mirror and tidy her hair. She felt a kind of nervousness, like when she was entering the principal's office in elementary school, no, much more nervous.
This tension wasn't just for him, but also stemmed from the deep respect she felt for him.
In the blink of an eye, she met Li Changjing's smiling eyes in the mirror, and she felt a little embarrassed. She coughed and sat back down.
Unable to contain her curiosity any longer, she turned to look at Li Changjing, carefully considering her words before asking a question that shouldn't violate any "leadership security and confidentiality taboos," "...Is your grandfather serious?"
Wen Yining looked nervous, but her eyes were sparkling, showing a mixture of nervousness, fear, and anticipation.
He had never seen her so nervous before, and Li Changjing suddenly wanted to tease her. "It depends on whether he wants the other person to feel serious, but he likes neat and clean people the most."
"Neat and clean? What exactly does that mean?"
"Let me see." Li Changjing leaned back casually in his chair, his gaze fixed on her face. But then he suddenly stopped smiling, sat up straight, and looked at her forehead, as if there was something there. At the same time, he reached out and said seriously, "Don't move."
His gesture means... she's really going to go in later?!
But how do you describe their relationship?
The name behind him was so prominent that Wen Yining only just realized—did this count as meeting the parents? Wasn't it a bit too intimate…?
Wen Yining froze instantly, holding her breath as Li Changjing placed his warm hands on her forehead and cheeks. He looked intently at her hair, seemingly tidying it up for her. His movements were very gentle, causing a slight tickle. His warm fingers touched her skin, and the areas he touched felt like they were being electrocuted, a tingling, itchy sensation spreading throughout her body.
The feeling was unfamiliar and uncomfortable, making her heart flutter. Wen Yining subconsciously wanted to escape this feeling, so she turned her face away from his hand and sat a little further away. Looking at herself in the mirror, she said, "My hair is perfectly fine. You must have been lying to me just now!"
Li Changjing withdrew his hand, leaned back in his chair, and smiled, "I wasn't lying to you."
Wen Yining looked at herself in the mirror repeatedly.
The car slowly stopped in front of a two-story building. Wen Yining turned her head and looked at it. The brilliant afterglow of the setting sun shone on the light gray walls of the building, giving it a square and serious look. Her heart pounded wildly. "Do I really have to get out?"
Li Changjing finally couldn't help but laugh and ruffle her hair. "He doesn't live here, you idiot."
Wen Yining then realized he was lying to her, "How can you be so childish?"
But what surged through my heart in that instant was a mixture of disappointment and relief.
Wen Yining sat in the car waiting, watching the few people and cars passing by outside, most of them green military off-road vehicles.
Li Changjing went inside and didn't come out for more than 20 minutes. Summer days are short, and the setting sun was leaving only the last rays of light. As dusk settled, the small streetlights at the entrance were lit up.
He walked out of the gate carrying a suitcase and had no expression. Yue Feng immediately got out of the car to pick him up, but he waved his hand, so Yue Feng stopped and opened the car door for him.
After getting into the car, Li Changjing placed the suitcase on the seat next to him, took out a wet wipe, and wiped his hands with his eyes downcast. His profile was delicate yet sharp, and he looked a little cool.
The smile on his face when he got out of the car had vanished without a trace. Although he didn't seem angry, Wen Yining inexplicably felt that he was very unhappy about going home.
She leaned closer and tentatively called out to him in a soft voice, "Li Changjing."
He wiped his hands without looking up. "Hmm?"
After hesitating for a moment, Wen Yining asked softly, "Are you unhappy?"
Li Changjing stopped wiping his hands and turned to look at her.
His face was clearly reflected in the little girl's bright black and white eyes, and she looked at him with concern.
She probably didn't even realize it herself, but when she looked at people, her eyes were always serious and sincere, as clear and bright as crystal, as if she wanted to show everyone her whole heart.
He had heard many people speak to him, saying all sorts of things, some indirectly and some directly, trying to get all sorts of information from him.
It's as if his happiness or unhappiness is a major event that needs to be specifically determined.
Li Changjing disliked showing his emotions and didn't like others guessing his feelings, but looking into her eyes at this moment, he suddenly smiled and said in a casual tone as if he were joking with her, "I'm not very happy, Ningning, do you want to comfort me?"
His tone sounded too casual and joking; Wen Yining couldn't tell if he was admitting something or teasing her.
He didn't express his emotions or explain why, so she didn't ask. But she didn't know how to comfort him. After thinking for a moment, Wen Yining said, "How about I tell you a joke?"
Li Changjing chuckled in surprise, tossed aside the tissue, and looked on with interest as he waited for her to speak. He had a smile on his face, but his eyes revealed no trace of his true emotions.
Wen Yining had a feeling that he was still unhappy, but he was smiling as if nothing was wrong, which confused her again.
Wen Yining's jokes were all lame jokes. Whenever Gu Lingling and Jiang Fengqing were unhappy, she would tell them jokes. She usually found them quite funny, but today, looking at Li Changjing's beautiful yet deep eyes, she herself felt they were truly "lame jokes".
After she finished speaking, she and Yue Feng, who was driving in the front seat, both fell silent. She nervously glanced at Li Changjing's reaction.
Li Changjing's reaction was as if what she was saying was very funny.
Even though she thought his smile might be fake, Wen Yining was still relieved to see that he hadn't made her feel awkward.
"cough."
Wen Yining coughed, and thinking about what she was going to say, her face started to get hot in advance. She rubbed her face with the back of her hand, feeling embarrassed.
She felt embarrassed to look at Li Changjing's face, so she glanced at the dim street scene flashing by outside the window next to him.
"Actually, I know that telling jokes doesn't make people happy, but what I mean is..."
Wen Yining took a breath and paused, feeling her face getting hot. Luckily, it was dark and she probably couldn't see clearly. She pursed her lips and blurted out in one breath, "What I meant was to express that someone cares about you and wants to make you happy."
After saying that, she fixed her gaze on the window, too embarrassed to look at him.
The car was quiet. Li Changjing didn't speak, unusually not flirting with her as he had before.
But she felt his gaze on her, and he stared at her for a long time.
Wen Yining finally couldn't help but turn her gaze to look at him. In the dimly lit car, by the last rays of the setting sun, she saw Li Changjing quietly watching her. He didn't fake a smile, didn't speak, and his gaze and expression were very calm.
She had never seen him look like that before. It was as if the moonlight shone in the stillness of the night, and in a fleeting moment, she felt as if she were "seeing" Li Changjing for the first time.
The thought arose inexplicably; she didn't understand what it meant, it was just a sudden feeling.
The next second, she was suddenly embraced by Li Changjing, who held her quite tightly.
After a while, he gently pinched the back of her neck, seemingly sighing, "What to do, Ningning is getting cuter and cuter."
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