Chapter 11 He didn't seem too happy this time.
Chapter 11
My mood improved a lot after a good night's sleep.
Wen Yining has a delicate, fragile face that suggests she's prone to tears, but in reality, she rarely cries; the number of times she's shed tears throughout her life can be counted on one hand.
While brushing my teeth in the bathroom, looking at the bright morning light outside the window, I recalled the emotional outburst and tears I had shed in Li Changjing's car yesterday evening. I could hardly believe that I had done such a thing.
As before, she got up early, washed up, and went to the library.
Wen Yining loved the campus in the early morning when it wasn't fully awake yet. There were only a few people around, and the sun was just rising from the treetops. The teaching buildings and small gardens were shrouded in a hazy, yellowish light, and the fresh air smelled of evaporating dew.
No matter how angry I am, I still have to go to work.
She couldn't afford the penalty for breach of contract.
Wen Yining managed to find a blue bicycle downstairs, put on her earphones, listened to English listening exercises, and rode out the gate with the flow of people.
From afar, she saw the bodyguard who often followed Li Changjing standing at the door wearing sunglasses. His posture seemed casual, but there was a deliberate training, a deep-rooted uprightness and vigilance, which was very different from the classmates next to him. He looked like he was about to draw his gun at any moment.
With the bodyguard here, Li Changjing must be nearby, probably watching her from some car by the roadside.
She subconsciously looked up to look, her eyelids lifting halfway before she instantly looked away.
She hesitated for a moment, wondering whether to turn around and take another route, but the thought was quickly dismissed, and she rode off as if she hadn't seen anything.
Even Wen Yining, an ordinary person without any training, saw him, let alone the other party's alertness, who had already noticed her long ago.
The bodyguard stopped her. "Miss Wen."
Wen Yining braked and stopped.
The bodyguard wore a polite smile, but his tone left no room for argument: "Get in the car."
Wen Yining has long legs, and she easily put one foot on the ground to support the bicycle. Her two fair hands hold the black handlebars. She sits on the bicycle with her schoolbag on her back and looks at the bodyguard very seriously with her pretty, delicate and well-behaved face. "What car should I get in? Master, I didn't call a ride-hailing service."
bodyguard"……"
The bodyguard's expression was indescribable. He subconsciously raised his hand to put on his black earpiece, then turned to look at the black sedan parked quietly by the roadside behind him.
Wen Yining didn't go to look, but she immediately knew that Li Changjing was in the car.
The road in front of the school is not narrow; it could easily accommodate another car. Wen Yining seemed not to notice and rang the bell for the bodyguard.
Inside the car not far away.
"No, Young Master Qing, what are you laughing at?"
On the phone, Fang Qi recalled his words with a puzzled look: "I didn't say anything, just that Lao Gao was forced to go on a blind date by his father. That's not funny, is it?"
The bodyguard waited a while, but there was no response from the other side, so he took a step to the side.
Wen Yining stepped onto her bicycle, walked around the bodyguard, and rode forward. When she reached the road, she saw several cars parked on the side of the road out of the corner of her eye, but she lowered her eyes and resolutely refused to look at them. She sped up and rode away.
Li Changjing glanced out the window as Wen Yining rode her bicycle past the car without looking to the side.
He didn't say anything; the girl was angry, and he didn't want to push her too far.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves of the tall, lush locust trees along the roadside, casting deep, cool shadows on her smooth black hair and schoolbag.
Li Changjing listened to Fang Qi rambling on the phone and, unusually, didn't interrupt him.
Fang Qi paused, then asked in surprise, "You seem to be in a good mood today?"
Li Changjing watched Wen Yining's retreating figure and said, "Not bad."
*
Wen Yining parked her car by the wall and walked towards the gate with her schoolbag on her back.
Ever since she learned that this was Li Changjing's house, she had a strange feeling every time she came here.
She tried desperately to get away from him, and now look what happened—she went straight to his house.
Looking around, the place was empty. Li Changjing's car wasn't there; it seemed he hadn't returned yet. Logically, he should have arrived earlier than him.
He was no longer as relaxed as Wen Yi Ning Le.
When she went in, Liu Hengheng was kicking his newly bought ball in the yard. When he saw her, he told her that Aunt Liu had gone to the hospital to visit a patient and wouldn't be back until the evening.
Wen Yining nodded. She had mixed feelings about Aunt Liu. She wasn't angry with her, but she felt a knot in her heart.
She didn't think too much about it. When it was time, she took Liu Hengheng back to her room, took out teaching aids from her schoolbag, and focused on the lesson.
Perhaps because Aunt Liu was no longer around to keep him in check, the little boy was distracted and kept glancing at his ball. Halfway through the class, Liu Hengheng suddenly looked out the window and whispered like a thief, "Uncle Li is back!"
The classroom was on the first floor, with a floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the courtyard, offering an unobstructed view. Wen Yining subconsciously looked up as Li Changjing walked through the courtyard. He had broad shoulders, long legs, extremely black hair, and a pale face. He possessed an unassuming yet imposing aura. Two steps behind him, his bodyguard dutifully followed.
Wen Yining lowered her eyes, tapped the test paper with her ballpoint pen, and said, "Look at the questions."
Liu Hengheng's eyes darted around, and he leaned on the table, staring at Wen Yining with his big eyes. "Teacher, do you know Uncle Li? I heard him call you Ningning yesterday!"
Wen Yining: "..."
You misheard me.
“I didn’t mishear! I even saw him offering to take you home!” Liu Hengheng vehemently retorted. “He’s never driven me or Grandma home; Uncle Luo always did!”
Wen Yining "..."
She changed the subject, "Going home? Don't you live here?"
Wen Yining responded with an "oh".
In fact, she had always had a stereotype of second-generation rich kids like Li Changjing, thinking that they would live in military compounds like in TV dramas, surrounded by nannies and pampered by everyone.
Wen Yining continued to change the subject, "Do you live far away?"
"It's not far, it's in the beautiful city of Jinxiu."
Wen Yining could tell that Aunt Liu had probably taken care of Li Changjing for a long time, and she felt a sense of closeness to him as if he were a younger family member. Li Changjing was also very good to Aunt Liu.
Although they didn't have much contact, she could clearly sense that Li Changjing wasn't an easy person to get along with; he seemed all smiles, but was actually cold-blooded.
It was quite surprising to suddenly see a touch of human warmth in him.
Having successfully changed the subject, Wen Yining immediately launched into a conversation, "Tell me why you chose C for this question?"
"..." Liu Hengheng wailed, "Teacher, why do you look so much like Uncle Li!"
Wen Yining ignored his complaint, "Then why did you choose C?"
Liu Hengheng was forced to pick up a pen and start the lesson, but he was still not focused. While listening to her lecture, he would occasionally pick up his pen and twirl it around.
He probably didn't tighten it properly, because as he moved, the pen separated, ink splashed, and Wen Yining got her hand splattered with black liquid while writing formulas.
"I'm sorry, teacher." Liu Hengheng hurriedly grabbed some paper.
Wen Yining sighed and put down her pen. "It's nothing."
Fortunately, the contamination didn't spread anywhere else. After quickly wiping up the "contaminated" items on the table, Wen Yining stood up and went to wash her hands.
She hurried to the bathroom, opened the door, and stared at the person inside for a moment, gripping the doorknob.
Li Changjing was wiping his hands at the sink when he heard a noise. He looked up and saw her eyes in the mirror.
Wen Yining stared at Li Changjing in the mirror for two seconds, hesitated, and let go of the handle to leave. She had just taken a slight step back when Li Changjing moved aside and gestured for her to come over.
Wen Yining hesitated for a moment, but did not close the door. She even opened the door a little wider, then lowered her eyes and walked calmly to the sink as if she had done nothing.
Li Changjing watched her little actions with interest, raised his eyebrows, and threw the paper in his hand into the trash can.
The faucet was automatic; Wen Yining reached out her hand, and clear water flowed out as she bent down to wash her hands.
Li Changjing didn't leave; he stood beside her, watching her. Wen Yining could see Li Changjing's shirt and black trousers out of the corner of her eye.
The whole house was quiet, as if time had slowed down. In this silence, one's five senses were amplified. One could hear the melodious birdsong in the yard, smell the very faint scent of tobacco on him, and feel his presence and gaze, starkly fixed on her.
But this was his home, and she couldn't just kick him out. Wen Yining began to regret coming in to wash her hands earlier.
The ink dried on her hands, and she had to rub it off with great effort.
Thinking that there were only the two of them in the house, along with Liu Hengheng, a minor who knew nothing, she didn't even bother to dry her hands after washing them. She turned around to leave, but just as she was about to walk out, an arm suddenly came across in front of her.
With a "bang," Li Changjing slammed the door shut.
The sounds and sights outside were immediately shut out through the door, leaving only the two of them in the enclosed bathroom, where their quiet breathing could be heard.
Wen Yining immediately took two steps back and looked up at Li Changjing warily.
Li Changjing was much taller than her. He tilted his head and looked down to meet her gaze. Seeing her wary look, his usually deep, narrow, and sharp-featured eyes curved slightly, giving off a gentle illusion. "Looks like you're quite angry. You didn't even call me 'Mr. Li' today."
Wen Yining turned her face away and stared at the marble wall next to her without saying a word.
He seemed to sigh, bent down slightly in a sincere manner, looked her in the eye, and coaxed her softly, "Okay, Ningning, don't be angry anymore, okay? I'll apologize to you."
The faint scent of tobacco emanating from him, along with the unique, cool, and profound aura of Li Changjing, was incredibly alluring, drawing people in and making them want to linger and explore further.
Wen Yining's eyelashes trembled, and she took two steps back again, looking away from him with a stern face. "Men and women shouldn't touch each other. Please call me by my name. My students are waiting for me to start class. If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving now."
She thought Li Changjing was going to say something to coax her, and was thinking of ways to refuse when he straightened up and readily asked, "Teacher Wen, what happened to your hand? Did your student misbehave?"
She almost forgot that he always had a perfect grasp of her emotions. On the first day they met, he had someone wait for her outside the "palace," and when she turned and ran, he didn't have anyone chase after her. Once at school, once outside of school, he always pushed her to the edge of her emotions. Just when she was about to give up and explode, he gently stepped back, stopping just in time so that she felt that her thoughts were transparent to him.
Thinking of how Liu Hengheng was afraid of him, Wen Yining hurriedly said, "I did it myself, it has nothing to do with anyone else." She couldn't help but add, "Liu Hengheng is just a child, he's already being very well-behaved."
He looked down at her and said, "You're only a few years older than him, so aren't you a child too?"
She retorted, disagreeing, "I'm not a child."
He looked at her meaningfully, "You're definitely not a child anymore."
Wen Yining's eyelids twitched; the thick ambiguity and aggressiveness in his words made her uneasy.
She said coldly, "Liu Hengheng is still waiting for me to start class. I have to go out now."
He didn't move, looked at her for two seconds, and then suddenly asked, "If I had given you the contract to sign back then, would you have signed it?"
Wen Yining, who never answers directly, gave a firm reply this time: "No."
Li Changjing, who hadn't laughed until then, suddenly burst into laughter after hearing this. His laughter was gentle and refined, but there was a hint of coldness in his eyes.
"It seems you're not just angry that I tricked you into signing the contract, but also angry to see me. So you really didn't want to see me, Teacher Wen."
It took Wen Yining half a second to realize that the two unrelated questions and answers were related, and she looked up at him strangely.
He's a strange person; instead of directly asking her what she was angry about, he went around in circles to get the conclusion.
She inexplicably felt that Li Changjing was not happy after hearing her answer.
But wasn't this something he already knew? He never reacted to it before.
Wen Yining hesitated for a moment, looked into Li Changjing's eyes, and this time she was inexplicably hesitant to answer. After a moment of hesitation, she nodded.
Li Changjing smiled again, said nothing, stepped back, and made way for the exit.
Wen Yining glanced at him, then at the door, and cautiously walked over, opened the door, and quickly went out.
Halfway there, she seemed to sense something and turned her head.
The dark door was half-open, the window was open, and the green trees outside swayed in the breeze. Li Changjing stood tall and elegant in the doorway, his face expressionless, his gaze fixed intently on her back.
Wen Yining turned and ran away as quickly as if she had been electrocuted.
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