The cellphone on the balcony rang for a long time before finally stopping since no one answered the call. The air outside the window was chilling to the bone and the gust of wind that blew in was goosebumps-inducing.
Ji Anyao looked up at the clock on the wall and realized that her cellphone had rung for a good seven minutes.
It was the first time that Gu Mingyuan had ever been that patient to call her for such a long time.
However, his purpose... was to reprimand her.
Somehow, Ji Anyao did not feel upset at all. Instead, she was rather amused and remembered that Gu Mingyuan used to dote on her like she was a precious gem when she was a child. At that time, she never expected that one day... her relationship with her father would become terribly strained.
What goes around comes around. One day, Gu Mingyuan would suffer the retribution for his misdeeds!
Bai Siyu was seated by the dining table behind her, not minding the fact that she had stirred and messed up the dishes and was eating comfortably. His side profile was rather elegant too.
Having bottled up her feelings for the entire day, Ji Anyao finally couldn't help but pop the question.
"What exactly did you tell Han Yi? I know him too well, he wouldn't have left without doing anything..."
Resting his elbows on the table, Bai Siyu swirled the wine glass in his hand and turned around with his long and narrow eyes arched ambiguously when he heard her words.
"Why don't you go ask him?"
Seeing that he was refusing to answer, Ji Anyao decided not to probe further. Instead, she got up and walked towards the balcony with her cellphone, feeling a little hesitant. Before she could even figure out what to say, her cellphone began ringing again.
Ji Anyao was in a trance and got startled by the ringtone. She looked down at the screen to see that it was Han Yi who called this time.
Naturally, she had to pick up.
Moving the strands of hair draping by her cheeks, Ji Anyao placed her cellphone by her ear and called out softly, "Han Yi."
"Anyao, where are you?"
Han Yi's voice was a little hoarse and he seemed to have had alcohol as he sounded a little tipsy.
Ji Anyao hung her head low and looked at the crowded streets that were full of cars and people. The colorful skyline of the bustling city at night was reflected in her pitch dark eyes which were filled with some inharmonious loneliness.
"I'm having dinner outside. How about you?"
Han Yi paused for a moment before proceeding to answer her.
"I'm at... your home now."
A look of bewilderment formed on Ji Anyao's face when she heard his words, and she couldn't help but raise the pitch of her voice.
"Why are you at my place? Are you there to see me? Haven't I already told you... I'll be sleeping over at Mei'er's tonight and I won't be home for the next few days."
"Come back, Uncle Gu has already promised me that he won't reprimand you."
"You've met Gu Mingyuan? What did you tell him?"
"Uncle Gu said that we will get engaged as long as you agree..."
Greatly taken aback, Ji Anyao subconsciously wanted to refute.
"But I haven't..."
"Anyao," Han Yi interjected. Not giving her a chance to decline, he continued, "I've told you before... I love you and I want to take care of you, so...will you give me a chance? Don't be so quick to turn me down and don't push me so far away from you..."
In Ji Anyao's memory, Han Yi had always been excellent, stellar, and outstanding… But now, he was speaking to her in such a humble manner and was even pleading with her while pouring his heart out to her to make her understand his true feelings and wishes.
Ji Anyao was a little lost and confused but sympathetic towards him as she could not bring herself to turn him down all of a sudden.
She could not turn down Han Yi when he was in such a state.
While hesitating, she felt a large pair of hands holding her waist tightly and pulling her in, causing her to fall onto his toned chest. His masculine aura came swarming towards her, lingering around her body.
"Isn't it a little too insincere to be proposing over the phone?"
He spoke in a flat tone, but he was deliberately directing those words at Han Yi who was on the other end of the line.
Han Yi was immediately alarmed.
"Anyao, who's beside you!?!"
"You've misheard. The person who spoke is a patron who's seated at the table beside mine... Let's put this matter aside for the time being. We'll talk again when I go home. You should get going too! I don't want to implicate you in my affairs anymore... Ah, my cellphone is running low on battery, I'll hang up now!"
After saying those words hurriedly, Ji Anyao quickly hung up and switched off her cellphone without waiting for Han Yi to speak again.
Ji Anyao heaved a long sigh of relief only when her screen turned completely dark. She then raised her arm in a bid to push Bai Siyu away.
"Why'd you come over? Are the members of the Bai Family so ill-mannered? Don't you know that you shouldn't interrupt someone when they're in the midst of a phone call?!"
"No." Bai Siyu tightened his grip and continued to say some shameless things with a suave expression on his handsome face, "The people of the Bai Family are all very well-mannered. I'm the only one who's particularly rude."
Defeated by his boundless shamelessness, Ji Anyao was speechless. She had no choice but to secretly push him, competing with the imposing man behind her who was clearly much stronger.
Indeed, men and women are never equal. Despite the fact that she was gritting her teeth and pushing as hard as she could, she could not resist Bai Siyu's strong arms. He easily managed to clamp down on her and slide his hand across her waistline while walking towards her front.
"You've eaten too much," remarked Bai Siyu casually.
"Your belly is a little round and pudgy. If the reporters catch you like this, they're going to say that I got you pregnant... but that's good too. Since I can't take the blame for nothing, I'll have enough reason to truly knock you up. Mhm, what a good idea..."
"Dream on!"
Ji Anyao furiously nudged him hard in his chest with her elbow and pushed him away before taking a dash for the room while he was distracted by the pain.
'What sin have I committed to run into such a shameless and despicable beast!?'
He had given her a new definition of a hooligan!
"You went really hard on me... Are you still a woman at all?"
Rubbing his chest, Bai Siyu entered after her while muttering to himself aggrievedly.
Ji Anyao ignored him.
Not wanting to spend time with him alone at all, she looked up at the time and urged him.
"When are we leaving?"
"It's still early… but you can get changed. It has just rained and the air is very fresh. I can take you out for a spin."
"Get changed? Why should I? I'm comfortable with this."
"You're my female partner for the night. If you go out in this...you'll be embarrassing me."
As he spoke, Bai Siyu turned to look at the shopping bags on the table and shot her a glance to hint her.
Ji Anyao walked past him and went forth to grab the bags, only because she wanted to get it over and done with. She strutted to the bedroom in her high heels and slammed the door shut with a loud bang, causing the air to vibrate violently because of it.
After a moment, the door of the bedroom was swung open before everything calmed down again. Ji Anyao grabbed her skirt and shook it a little with a look of resistance on her face!
"How do you expect me to go out dressed like this!?"