“Miss had already shown extraordinary talent before she even developed a spiritual root.”
Liuli wore a solemn expression.
“On the very first day of training, Senior Brother looked at Miss with immense admiration. He must have never seen anyone as talented as her before.”
Ji Yingjin and Liu Dazhuang exchanged a glance, delighted beyond words.
As expected of their daughter!
Liuli held her notebook, frowning as she continued, “Miss is so outstanding, and she works so hard. Senior Brother spends every day with her, so it was only natural that he would fall for her.”
In Liuli’s heart, everyone ought to like Miss. Anyone who claimed otherwise was simply being stubborn.
Ji Yingjin and Liu Dazhuang nodded in agreement.
Xixi was naturally wonderful.
It was just that, in the past, only members of the Ji family had recognized this. They had never expected that after one trip to the Tianjue Sect, everyone would know it too.
Liuli lowered her voice and said mysteriously, “Madam, Sir, I actually noticed something else…”
Ji Yingjin and Liu Dazhuang leaned over eagerly, ready for gossip.
The corners of Liuli’s lips lifted. “Liu Fuyin likes Miss too!”
Ji Yingjin and Liu Dazhuang stared at her in disbelief.
“Liu Canfu’s daughter?!”
Liuli nodded proudly. “I noticed that she’s always sneaking glances at Miss. She’s always raising her eyebrows at Miss too. Most importantly, whenever she sees Miss together with Senior Brother, her expression becomes very strange. She gets jealous!”
Liu Fuyin had hidden it so deeply, yet Liuli had still managed to discover the truth.
Ji Yingjin looked unconvinced. “Liuli, you’re talking nonsense. How could that be? The Liu family’s daughter and Xixi have never gotten along since they were little.”
When they were children, Xixi had merely said once that Liu Fuyin’s silkworms were frightening, and Liu Fuyin had held a grudge against her ever since.
Liu Dazhuang shouted, “How is that nonsense? I say that girl really does like my daughter. Xixi is so wonderful—of course it’s perfectly normal for her to fall for Xixi.”
Ji Yingjin’s lips twitched, and she went back to chopping vegetables.
She had believed everything Liuli said up until that last part. She did not believe that at all.
If she went outside and announced that Liu Canfu’s daughter liked her own daughter, the girl would certainly storm over to demand an explanation the very next moment.
Night had fallen, but people still came by from time to time to ask about the meat. The table in the middle of the main room had been wiped until it gleamed, while the oil lamp cast a warm, gentle glow.
Ji Yingjin sat beside Ji Zhaoxi, constantly putting food into her bowl.
“Didn’t you eat well at the Tianjue Sect?” Ji Yingjin asked, frowning as she studied Ji Zhaoxi’s face.
Her face had gotten thinner from hunger.
Ji Zhaoxi ate enthusiastically as she protested, “Mother, the meat at Zuixian Restaurant was pretty good too.”
Ji Yingjin snorted. “Zuixian Restaurant, Zuixian Restaurant. Their meat definitely can’t compare with ours. Who knows what kind of pigs they raise?”
Ji Yingjin pinched Ji Zhaoxi’s arm. She had just been about to complain about how thin and delicate her daughter’s limbs were when her fingers closed around the girl’s arm, and she fell silent.
Her daughter had actually built up some muscle at the Tianjue Sect…
Liuli had eaten until she was completely stuffed. She was currently leaning back in her chair to rest, planning to continue eating after she had recovered.
Liu Dazhuang drank as he bragged to Wen Shubai. “Shubai, Xixi has been clever since she was little. She’s always been good at everything she does. I’ve always believed she was a genius.”
Liu Dazhuang’s face was flushed from the alcohol, and his tongue was thick. Ji Yingjin clicked her tongue and smiled at Wen Shubai. “Shubai, have some vegetables. These baby bok choy are very fresh.”
After all, Wen Shubai had been abstaining from ordinary food for so long. They couldn’t force him to eat meat the first time he visited their home.
Wen Shubai said softly, “Thank you, Auntie. The baby bok choy is delicious.”
Ji Zhaoxi hurriedly added, “I stir-fried it a few times too.”
A trace of amusement flashed through Wen Shubai’s eyes, and he let out a quiet laugh. “Then thank you as well, Junior Sister.”
Only then was Ji Zhaoxi satisfied.
Watching this scene, Ji Yingjin grew more and more pleased.
This Senior Brother didn’t seem cold and heartless at all. He even blushed and knew how to coax people. He was quite suitable for her daughter.
She wouldn’t like a man who was cold and aloof.
Her daughter shouldn’t have to coax him all the time in the future.
Ji Yingjin kept telling Wen Shubai stories about Ji Zhaoxi’s childhood. Once she started, she showed no sign of stopping.
“Back then, that private school refused to accept her, saying she wouldn’t be able to keep up. But in the end, didn’t Xixi still get excellent results?”
Liu Dazhuang was already drunk out of his mind. He shouted, “We really ought to learn from Liuli in this regard. That girl has been able to see Xixi’s strengths since childhood. The rest of us still occasionally doubted Xixi.”
Liuli gnawed on a pork knuckle and said excitedly, “Exactly!”
No one had understood her all these years—not even Miss. She was truly so lonely!
Wen Shubai listened attentively as the Ji family recounted those stories. His eyes were filled with gentleness. As they spoke, it was almost as if he had personally experienced his Junior Sister’s childhood.
He listened to how she had competed with the other children, and to the grudge between her and the Liu family…
Just then, a hand suddenly covered his own and slipped between his fingers.
Wen Shubai’s fingertips trembled. His breathing instantly grew uneven, and the bowl made a crisp sound against the table.
His body grew even more rigid. He had to maintain a gentle smile and pretend to listen attentively.
“We were actually worried that Xixi might really get into that school.”
“But looking at her now, it turned out pretty well…”
Wen Shubai had no choice but to move their joined hands beneath the table. He held the mischievous hand firmly, not using much force, but keeping it completely under control.
He gently squeezed her hand, the gesture carrying a hint of pleading.
As Ji Yingjin continued speaking, she suddenly noticed that Wen Shubai’s face had turned red. She looked puzzled. He hadn’t been drinking—so why was he blushing?
Then she glanced at Ji Zhaoxi, who was sitting beside him with an utterly pleased expression, and immediately understood.
The corners of Ji Yingjin’s lips twitched. Pretending not to have noticed anything, she continued chatting about other things.
Under the cool moonlight, the night seemed to glow with a faint blue hue. The wind blew incessantly outside. After the main room had been cleaned up, it took quite a while before the Ji household finally fell completely quiet.
Ji Zhaoxi carried a lantern and led Wen Shubai into the east side room.
A brazier sat inside, mingling with the dry fragrance of wood. The chill in the room dissipated at once.
Ji Zhaoxi keenly sensed the gaze beside her. She placed the oil lamp on the small wooden table and immediately tried to slip away.
“Senior Brother, you should get some rest. I’ll be going back now!”
The moment she turned around, a strong hand caught her.
Wen Shubai skillfully pulled her into his arms and chuckled. “I thought my Junior Sister would have a few more things to say.”
During the day, when he had been washing vegetables, and again at the dinner table…
He reached back and closed the door with a click.
Ji Zhaoxi looked up at him anxiously. “Senior Brother, are you angry? I only acted that way because I like you.”
During the day, she had been relying entirely on the fact that her parents were present, certain that Senior Brother wouldn’t dare do anything to her.
Wen Shubai’s eyes were full of laughter, but he still didn’t release her. Instead, the arm around her waist tightened more and more.
Ji Zhaoxi instinctively shrank back until her spine pressed against the door. She stammered, “Senior Brother, it’s… it’s late at night. My mother is a light sleeper…”
Wen Shubai said nothing. He merely bent down slightly and kissed her lips several times—gently, yet with a hint of punishment.
Each kiss lasted only a moment, yet every brush of their lips sent waves of tingling through her.
Seeing her flushed earlobe, Wen Shubai couldn’t resist kissing it again. In a gentle, coaxing voice, he said, “Xixi, could you please stop bullying me tomorrow…?”
He pressed one light kiss after another to the shell of her ear.
“Please, Xixi…”
Ji Zhaoxi’s ears grew redder and redder, and a misty look gathered in her eyes. She gave a small cough and said awkwardly, “All right, then.”
Since he was asking her so pitifully, she wasn’t the sort of person who enjoyed making things difficult for others.
