Inside room 888, Xueyan watched the raindrop, coming down bits by bits from the sky...
Her phone beeped and she looked down to see that she had received a message.
It was a text from Feng Jiuwen,
She thought for a while and replied with an ok.
When Feng Jiu received the response she smiled. 'let's have fun Xue.'
Thirty minutes later, the school bell rang.
Feng Jiu went straight to Qingran's class to pick the little girl. "I will take you home today, is that alright with you?"
Qingran nodded in approval and followed Jiu out of the school building.
Outside,
Zhihao looked around for Feng Jiu. He turned around to see her walking out with a little girl almost his age following her...Is that aunty Jiu's daughter?
When they got close he narrowed his eyes at them, he then watched the little girl... Then looked up at Feng Jiu.
Feng Jiu didn't expect him to be quiet. She watched as the little boy looked at the girl and then back at her. She crouched on one leg, now almost the same height as the two children then smiled. "Zhi, this is Qingran. And Ranran, this is Zhihao..."
"Who?" Zhihao asked again.
"... Qingran." Jiu answered.
"You daughter?" The little boy asked, not sure.
"...No, my friend's child. Bai Qingran."
"Your friend's name is Bai Qingran and her daughter's name is Qingran..."
Jiu showed a face of surprise, "No, my friend's name is Xueyan and this is her child..."
"Ok?"
Jiu smiled at him, "We will drive her home."
He frowned, then nodded. "Ok. But why doesn't she talk?"
Qingran frowned upon his question, "I talk. I can talk. Why do you think I can't talk?"
Jiu looked at her then back at Zhihao.
Zhihao said nothing again and strode towards the car.
Jiu lips couldn't help but curve... Zhihao' father loves Qingran's mother... They both need to have a good relationship then the parents wouldn't need to worry.
"Let's go." She said to Qingran and held out her hand to the little girl. Qingran put her little hand inside Jiu's big hand and hopped beside Jiu. They got to the car and drove away, with Zhihao sitting in front and Qingran at the back.
As they drove away a car not too far away from the school gate wound down the window. After that the car drove away.
Fifteen minutes later, Feng Jiu dropped Qingran off at her home and waved a bye at her.
"She lives inside the hotel... How come?" Zhihao asked with a surprised filled tone.
"Yes,"
He didn't say anything again.
When Xueyan returned, Qingran told her that Aunt Jiu had brought her home after giving her sweater and windbreaker in school.
Xueyan smiled, she had been worried sick... But thankfully Jiu arrived in time and saved her little princess...
"Good, good. Did you say thank you to aunty?" Xueyan asked brushing Qingran's hair softly.
"Yes," she didn't talk about the little boy, because she saw no need to and he would make no importance.
Xueyan chuckled, "Good," she said and tucked Qingran to bed. "Sleep, okay?"
Qingran head bobbed.
"Mummy will be back."
Qingran's head bobbed again.
Xueyan left and closed the door behind her.
In the sitting room, she saw Yuxi busily typing away on her personal computer and Shihuan staring into his phone... They both put on a serious look.
Her lips formed a thin line, "I will be heading out."
Yuxi gaze didn't break from her laptop but she waved at her.
Shihuan looked up, "Ok. Be careful on your way,"
"Thank you." Xueyan went out from the warm house to meet the cold wind blowing around.
She got to the 24/7 café after fifteen minutes.
The café was two floor building and Jiu was on the second floor.
She got there and looked around but Jiu was no where to be found. Xueyan sat on an empty table she saw, and waited for Jiu.
Two minutes later her phone lit up, she looked down to see that it was a message from Jiu.
A waiter came to ask what she wants, she told him that she will order in some minutes.
Meanwhile, on the first floor. Zhaolin strode into the café and looked around for Jiu.
He didn't see her and beckoned on a waiter, the waiter directed him upstairs.
Immediately he got there, his eyes widened. The second floor now had few people, so he could clearly see all the tables and the people.
He swallowed and backed away a bit into the dark hallway and called Jiu but no one answered.
I wondered why she invited me out. This was her plan.
He decided to walk up to the person seated at the far end.
A shadow covered Xueyan, at first she thought it was someone heading to the table behind her but the shadow didn't move. She looked up only to see that familiar face... Zhaolin? What is he doing here? Her brain connected instantly, Feng Jiuwen!
"What are you doing here?" Zhaolin implored.
She didn't want to talk to him, he noticed after two minutes of not answering him.
Xueyan abruptly stood up from the chair and made a beeline for the door.
At the door she bumped into someone, "There, be careful."
Xueyan recognized the voice, "Jiuwen,"
Jiu smiled, "Yeah, yes." Her tone filled with excitement. "I invited you out, tell me where are you going? Leaving already?"
"Yes." Xueyan gave a straight answer. "You could have told me you were inviting someone else..."
"Oh," Jiu acted surprised by her statement. "Who did i invite? Zhaolin? Come, come, let's go." Jiu said and pulled her back to their table.
Zhaolin watched the young woman, she didn't look at him again after she looked up to see it was him. Now his sight annoys her...
"I will be leaving first," Zhaolin said to Jiu.
"What? Why?" Jiu held onto his wrist and pinched him, Zhaolin eyes shook. He looked down at his wrist then back at her, she was pleading with him, her eyes... But...
"Zhaolin... Don't leave now, alright? It's very early. You really don't care about me anymore, that's why you want to leave so early..." Jiu whined, "Xue?" She turned to Xueyan. "Please help me tell him to stay... Please."
Xueyan was surprised, "Me?"
"Yes," Jiu nodded.
"I bet he must be busy, he is a big CEO and will have a lot on his desk, why don't you just let him leave..."
Jiuwen was flabbergasted, she had made the wrong choice by asking Xueyan for help.
"No, no. He is always busy, I want him to relax a bit. He shouldn't kill himself because he's the CEO... Right?" Jiu tilted her head at Xueyan, Xueyan looked away. If she say she didn't know what Jiu was playing at then she would go back and start over from kindergarten.
Zhaolin eyes didn't leave her for a second. No emotion could be detected from his eyes. His expression stoic.
Zhaolin turned around to leave, Jiu didn't want her hard work of convincing him to go out in vain, so she blocked his part. Her eyes pleading. He didn't want to leave, but Xueyan didn't want him to stay either, so it's better if he left.