Before Ai Zhiyi left the orphanage, he advised Chu Baiyu first very carefully, while the little boy just nodded his head. He even looked like an obedient child, but how he looked now was unnatural.
Ai Zhiyi knew clearly that Chu Baiyu didn't take his words seriously at all. Chu Baiyu just kept his focus on the child named Jian Yu and smiled at him non-stop
Ai Zhiyi watched Chu Baiyu gestures secretly but he was tired of reprimanding the little boy over and over again.
Until he realized that his ten minutes had just been wasted, so he stopped, then quickly left this place.
Jian Yu was still blushing. He didn't dare to look at Chu Baiyu before him. Still, as soon as Ai Zhiyi left them, he made a voice, telling Chu Baiyu sincerely, "You have to listen to your father's words. Don't ignore him."
Chu Baiyu nodded excitedly. "Sure. He's my father, so I'll listen to what he says even if I don't quite understand his words, though."
They both get along pretty well. Chu Baiyu became a very considerate person and Jian Yu seemed to start talking to anyone.
People who saw them wondered about their sudden closeness as Chu Baiyu was an unruly child, while Jian Yu was a shy child. However, it was also undeniable that such a sight looked admirable.
Elsewhere, Ai Zhiyi took the train to the next station.
During the trip, Ai Zhiyi couldn't stop smiling. He was amused by Chu Baiyu's mischievous yet adorable behavior. Although Ai Zhiyi always scolded him, he knew clearly that the anger he was showing was how he loved the boy.
Ai Zhiyi tolerated children's misbehavior. He thought that everyone had their own childhood and they would likely not be the same when they grew up. Some were quiet and became rioters when they grew up and vice versa. All times were diversions to let children find their own identities one day.
When Ai Zhiyi arrived at the station, he walked a few minutes to arrive at a mansion.
The guards immediately recognized him, so they quickly opened the gate.
As usual, Ai Zhiyi waited in the living room. He opened his cell phone to pass the time.
When he was about to open WeChat, his thumb accidentally pressed the phone menu, immediately bringing up several histories of incoming and outgoing calls.
Ai Zhiyi frowned. In the first history list, there was an outgoing call at half-past eight this morning. He tried to remember when he called Chu Xinian this morning, but he couldn't remember anything other than how Chu Weixu teased him.
He wondered if he pressed the call button by mistake.
However, before he could find the answer, a woman's voice was heard greeting him from behind.
"Mr. Ai, you're here. It's earlier. It's not even ten o'clock yet."
Ai Zhiyi looked back and smiled, seeing a woman who was around forty years old standing gracefully.
The woman was wearing a knee-length red dress; her hair hanging over her shoulders and with makeup on her face. Judging by her appearance, Ai Zhiyi could guess that the woman was going to attend a certain event.
Then, Ai Zhiyi immediately got up from his seat, saying, "Mrs. Hua, I was meeting someone earlier, so after that, I decided to come here early."
Hearing Ai Zhiyi's words, the woman smiled gently, saying kindly, "Then don't wait here. You'd better go up to Jinjing's practice room which is on the second floor. Jinjing will be there as soon as she finishes her homework in her room."
"Oh, fine then."
The woman nodded her head very gracefully.
Ai Zhiyi waited for the woman to disappear from his sight before going up to the second floor.
The woman was Hua Yue, one of the well-known businesswomen in this city. Even though she was single after the death of her husband, she didn't give up to kept fighting for her children.
Apart from that, his life was also a bit easier. During her lifetime, her husband was a successful businessman who had many assets. So, as the woman was good at business after years of following her husband, the assets left by her husband could be developed well.
Ai Zhiyi admired the woman secretly. Hua Yue was very friendly to him and Ai Zhiyi was sure that she did have a good personality towards everyone. The woman was also easy to get along with anyone else as if she brought pure warmth to share with those around her, thus anyone could stay.
Shortly after, a little girl who looked to be twelve years old entered the room. As soon as she saw Ai Zhiyi standing at the piano, she shouted in a high-pitched voice with joy, "Teacher! I can already play the song!"
Bai Jinjing approached Ai Zhiyi. She brought a lot of sweets, then scattered them all on the table.
As soon as Ai Zhiyi heard the little girl's words, he smiled. "Good. I can't wait to see you play the song."
Bai Jinjing was his guidance child in private violin lessons for almost a year. Her parents knew Ai Zhiyi when Ai Zhiyi was bringing his guidance students to perform in Beijing. At that time, they were amazed by the performance of the students, so the Bai Family immediately contacted the principal to inform Ai Zhiyi.
After negotiations, Ai Zhiyi agreed with the agreement that they would practice three times a week, following Ai Zhiyi's time off in music class.
According to Ai Zhiyi, Bai Jinjing was a genius girl. She could understand the explanation quickly and remember it very well. If Ai Zhiyi gave a difficult scale, Bai Jinjing could master it in just two to three weeks.
Unfortunately, the little girl's body was too weak. She fainted several times when they practiced, so Ai Zhiyi couldn't bear to force her to practice according to the schedule they had set.
However, Ai Zhiyi was paid by the Bai Family, and reducing their schedule of practicing time was unfair. He didn't want to earn more usury from incompetent work. It was tantamount to him stealing from them.
The little girl sat on the swivel chair and smiled broadly, making her round face even rounder like a melon, almost drowning her slanted eyes.
Seeing that the little girl was more cheerful than before, Ai Zhiyi couldn't help but ask, "What did you get today? You look happy."
The little girl jumped off the chair, ran to the sofa, and climbed on top of it. He jumped up and down on the sofa, spun around a few times, and replied happily, "My big brother is coming home tomorrow, so I'm very happy! I can't wait to see him!"
As soon as she finished her words, the girl immediately sat down on the sofa, patting the space beside her, asking Ai Zhiyi to sit down nearby, "Teacher, our schedule starts in thirty minutes, right? So let's talk for a bit. I want to share something cheerful today."
Ai Zhiyi obeyed her helplessly. He sat down next to the little girl and began to listen to how happy she was after her brother told her that he was coming home from abroad and spending his holiday here.
Until Ai Zhiyi curiously asked, "Does your brother work abroad?"
The little girl shook her head quickly, replying, "No. He's studying at a university. He's still nineteen years old, though."
Before they practiced, the little girl shared some pictures of her brother with great enthusiasm and pride.
By all that, Ai Zhiyi could conclude that how close both of them were and how much her brother loved Bai Jinjing.
Ai Zhiyi smiled quietly.
***