Chapter 7 Why don't you ask me how I am?
Chapter 7
Wen Yining turned her head to look at the dormitory behind her, walked to the window, took a deep breath, lowered her voice, and said earnestly, "Mr. Li, thank you so much for finding a doctor for my grandmother."
Even though she knew Li Changjing's purpose, she still couldn't resist him; his open scheme was simply too successful.
How is Grandma?
Li Changjing spoke naturally, without any prefix, sounding as if he were asking about their shared maternal grandmother. It was intimate and ambiguous.
Suppressing her slight unease, Wen Yining said seriously, "Dr. Wang's medical skills are superb. My grandmother is recovering very well and has already been discharged from the hospital."
Li Changjing asked a few more questions. He asked them seriously, his tone was indifferent, and he gave her a feeling of seriousness and authority, a completely different kind of pressure from when he usually spoke to her in an ambiguous way.
Wen Yining unconsciously became serious and straightened her posture without thinking.
He asked her a question, and she answered honestly, each answer either "Mr. Li" or "you," just like a student answering a teacher's question in a very formal and structured manner.
Li Changjing laughed, casually playing with the metal lighter in his hand.
"Ningning, you might as well call me uncle."
"..."
She choked.
Suddenly, everything went quiet. The voices of my roommates and the faint laughter of a few classmates walking under the streetlights not far downstairs became clear.
Wen Yining opened her mouth, about to speak, when she suddenly heard his deep voice ask again, "Grandma is fine, how are you?"
Wen Yining was stunned, and her heart seemed to skip a beat for a moment.
Her slender, pale fingers unconsciously tapped the windowsill, and she fell silent.
I can't answer.
Having not seen him or heard him speak for almost a month, she had almost forgotten how "tricky" it was to get along with Li Changjing. His aggression and oppression always appeared in a gentle manner, yet they were omnipresent, as if if she relaxed her guard, she would be invaded and broken down, utterly defeated.
He held a high position of power and was unpredictable, so she couldn't afford to offend him; however, she owed him a favor and couldn't afford to offend him either.
Wen Yining took a breath, feeling a chill run down her spine. The person who had spoken on stage countless times turned into a helpless, speechless fool in front of him.
She gripped the windowsill tightly, her tone serious as if reporting a task: "Thank you for your concern, I'm fine."
If he's being ambiguous, she'll use her tone to create distance and resolutely refuse to engage with his flirtation.
Li Changjing hummed in agreement. "Then why don't you ask me if I'm alright?"
"..."
Wen Yining gripped the windowsill even tighter.
She paused for a few seconds, then held the phone away from her ear. "Hello? Hello? Mr. Li? The signal is so bad, can you hear me, Mr. Li?"
The girl's voice was soft and calm, and when she spoke, her tone unconsciously carried a hint of seriousness and obedience from her personality. So she deliberately used this soft, calm, serious, and obedient tone to respond to him with clumsy lies.
Li Changjing couldn't help but laugh again. His deep, pleasant laughter traveled through the electricity to Wen Yining's ears, making her heart inexplicably go numb for a moment.
Wen Yining pursed her lips. She knew this trick was old-fashioned and idiotic, and she knew he could see through it at a glance.
She did it on purpose, deliberately using this method to express her refusal.
She also knew that he understood the unspoken meaning behind her words.
only……
It seems like every time I see him, he smiles at me a lot. Is he that easily amused?
Perhaps it was the spring breeze that made her lose her mind, perhaps it was because they hadn't seen each other for a long time that her fear had faded, or perhaps it was because she was on the phone that she became bolder. Wen Yining said, "Mr. Li, shall I tell you a joke?"
She thought for a moment, "Someone as busy as Li Changjing probably doesn't surf the internet often, right?"
She lowered her voice and deliberately spoke each word with malice: "The eldest brother spent his whole life in seclusion on the mountain practicing Iron Head Kung Fu. The day he finished his training, he was sucked away by a magnet as soon as he came down the mountain."
After a few seconds of silence, Li Changjing smiled again. He smiled for a long time, using that indulgent and doting tone he used when speaking to a child, "Ningning."
Even the little girl's counterattacks were subtle and weak.
Wen Yining suddenly felt a guilty sense of being seen through.
For a moment, he couldn't tell if he was laughing at a joke or at her.
Suddenly I felt like a ridiculous joke.
Wen Yining composed herself and spoke seriously, "Mr. Li, I am truly, truly grateful to you for finding a doctor for my grandmother. I really want to do something, but..."
But no matter how she looked at it, there was nothing she could do to help him. She wanted to invite him to dinner, but he didn't need a meal, and she didn't have any money. She was also worried that he wouldn't have time, and besides, his... identity was sensitive, and she wasn't sure if Li Changjing could go to certain places.
Wen Yining was truly bewildered. Regardless of whether he was sincere or had ulterior motives, this favor was too great, and she didn't know how to express her gratitude.
The only thing he wanted her to do was something she couldn't do.
She was terrified of owing others, especially to a powerful and wealthy young man who was ambiguous in his attitude towards her and whose intentions were unfathomable. She was almost desperate to pay him back and then stay far away from him.
Li Changjing always had a good grasp of what emotions to express at any given time. When she was serious, he also lowered his voice.
“I would help anyone else with this, let alone you. Ningning, it’s just something I can do, don’t put such a burden on yourself.”
Wen Yining lowered her eyes and thanked her earnestly, "But really, thank you so much."
Li Changjing stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the night sky as he casually turned a lighter. The black lighter emitted a blue flame, casting a shadow of his tall figure on the glass.
Suddenly, she said, "Wen, do you know how long it's been since I last saw you?"
"If you feel bad about it, come out for a walk with me in a few days."
The thought of seeing him again made Wen Yining nervous, and her throat tightened. "When?"
Halfway through his speech, the music on Li Changjing's end suddenly became louder, accompanied by a noisy commotion, like a group of young people cheering and jeering.
Li Changjing paused, then fell silent.
Wen Yining's breath hitched inexplicably.
The other end of the phone was both noisy and quiet. Li Changjing seemed to say to someone, "Tell them to be quiet over there."
Nearly a minute later, the music was still deafening and jarring.
Li Changjing remained silent, but the music, which had been muffled by a layer of noise, grew clearer and clearer until Wen Yining frowned and couldn't help but move her phone a little further away.
Another ten seconds or so passed.
"Bang"
A loud bang.
Wen Yining felt a jolt through the phone, her heart pounding. Instantly, panicked shouts and curses came from the other end of the line, but the next second the panicked shouts and curses were silenced as if they had been choked, leaving only deafening but deathly quiet music.
The strange and tense atmosphere seemed to penetrate her heart through the phone. Wen Yining gripped the phone tightly, her eyes widened slightly, and she unconsciously held her breath.
I wonder what happened over there?
She hesitated, wondering whether she should hang up the phone quickly.
A few seconds later, the music on the other end stopped.
The surroundings became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
"Wenwen, weren't you on the phone? What was that sound just now?"
In the ensuing silence, Gu Lingling, who was taking a break from the game, suddenly shouted something at the top of her lungs, which echoed like thunder in the deathly silence.
"!"
Wen Yining gasped, her heart pounding, and she instinctively covered the phone receiver.
I can't even imagine if the crowd on Li Changjing's side heard it all clearly...
She didn't dare answer. She didn't know what had happened over there, but it was clearly not a good atmosphere.
I regret it so much! I should have hung up right away.
"Sorry to bother you all, please don't mind, please continue." Li Changjing's clear voice was gentle and unhurried, revealing no emotion.
"I'm so sorry, bro, we didn't know you were on the phone..."
"Everyone, please disperse!"
A muffled apology came from the other end, then the voices became increasingly indistinct, and finally, complete silence returned to my ears.
"Ningning?" Li Changjing's voice came through.
Wen Yining immediately gave a careful "hmm," not daring to ask what had happened, much less to correct the ambiguous address that had made her feel awkward for so long.
"I'll contact you in advance. It's getting late, so get some rest."
Wen Yining nodded: "Okay."
Li Changjing hung up without a second thought, and she didn't even have time to ask where he was going.
Wen Yining looked out the window at the campus in the night and sighed silently.
Simply walking with him wouldn't be enough to repay such a huge favor, but there was nothing else she could do for him.
Looking at the number on the screen, Wen Yining thought for a moment and decided not to save it as a contact.
—
Li Changjing did not contact her again after that phone call.
A few days later, on a weekend morning, Wen Yining received a text message from him at the library.
In April, the bare branches sprouted green leaves, pedestrians changed into spring clothes, and the afternoon sun began to feel warm.
Wen Yining arrived 10 minutes early and saw a black sedan with its hazard lights on parked on the side of the road at the intersection. The bright sunlight shone on the spotless black car, reflecting light. It was very low-key, unlike the grand display she had made before.
She kept an eye on the flow of people as she walked, glancing at the car every now and then to guess if it was the right one.
As she approached, the car honked twice, then the driver's side door opened, and a somewhat familiar man in a black suit got out, closing the door with one hand while looking at her.
It really is this car!
Her heart, which had been steady, suddenly started pounding wildly with tension. Wen Yining subconsciously clenched her fists and quickened her pace.
The closer I got, the faster my heart beat. Only when I got closer did I realize that the man who got out of the driver's seat was the bodyguard-like person I had seen at school.
He opened the back door, and Wen Yining nodded her thanks, feeling a little uncomfortable. She lowered her eyes and got in. The car was much quieter than any she had ever been in before, completely shutting out the outside noise. She could almost hear her own heartbeat.
Li Changjing, contrary to his usual behavior, did not speak to her, which made her slightly relieved. However, she knew that he was sitting right next to her, and in such a small space, she could clearly feel the powerful aura emanating from him that was impossible to ignore.
She dared to joke with him on the phone, but she hadn't forgotten how unpredictable and difficult his personality could be.
Sitting stiffly in her seat, maintaining the same angle as when she got into the car, she watched the bodyguard-like man board. She quietly clenched her hands before mustering the courage to turn her head to the side.
She then realized that Li Changjing wasn't looking at her. He was leaning back in his seat with his eyes closed, seemingly not even opening them when she got into the car, as if he hadn't heard her.
He was wearing a black suit today, with broad shoulders and long legs, and an extremely superior physique, as if he had just attended some formal occasion. His shirt and tie were tied meticulously, giving him an air of more serious authority than usual, making people inexplicably afraid to be presumptuous.
Li Changjing is very fair-skinned, fairer than most people Wen Yining has ever seen, but he would never be associated with the word "pretty boy." His fair skin is a cool and clean white, with a porcelain-like texture like jade.
Sunlight streamed through the car window, illuminating his refined and handsome profile. His cool and aloof demeanor made him seem incredibly distant, unattainable, and unreachable.
He looked a little tired, and Wen Yining didn't have the heart to wake him up and ask him where he was going, so she moved even more quietly and dared not make any noise.
Not long after the car drove off, a phone rang inside.
Li Changjing slowly opened his eyes, glanced at his phone screen, but didn't answer. Instead, he looked up at the rearview mirror in the car, where the bodyguard met his gaze.
The car slowly pulled up to the side of the road. Wen Yining watched, puzzled, as the bodyguard got out and walked towards her. He then opened her car door and said in a gentle yet assertive tone, "Miss Wen, would you mind coming with me to buy a bottle of water?"
Wen Yining immediately realized that this was a call she couldn't answer.
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