Ren Wanxuan never wanted to speculate about others with malice, but—
She knew what Xiangcheng was like. The teaching intensity at Xiangcheng Middle School was average, but the Ren Family would hire the best private tutors for her.
However, those with even a slight connection mostly transferred to places like Beicheng to attend school.
Who would want to come back?
Just as Ren Wanxuan finished typing, Ji Heng suddenly looked towards the door, "Alian is back."
Ji Shaorong paused, turning his body to look at the courtyard gate.
A girl pushed the door open and entered.
As the girl entered, it was as if a flash of lightning had suddenly streaked across the dark sky.
She was wearing a light blue top with neat, orderly buttons, and the three-quarter sleeves were slightly wide with a white auspicious cloud pattern on the cuffs. Below, she wore beige casual pants that reached her ankles, embroidered with lifelike pink apricot blossoms that seemed to surge with her every step.
In her hand, she casually toyed with a pair of white headphones, and a touch of red on her wrist was like a red plum in the snow.
Ji Shaorong's gaze fell on her clothes, and he instantly recognized that the meticulous stitches were the work of Ji Heng's hand...
Ji Mulan really did give birth to a well-behaved daughter.
"This is your second uncle," Ji Heng introduced, pointing at Ji Shaorong with his tobacco pipe for Bai Lian.
Ren Wanxuan didn't look at the so-called cousin; she was still thinking about matters, so her expression was somewhat indifferent.
When she noticed Ji Heng once again pointing at Ji Shaorong with his tobacco pipe, she frowned slightly.
She had been taught etiquette by instructors hired by the Ren Family since she was young, learning the aristocratic etiquette of Jiangjing. Pointing at someone with a tobacco pipe was simply too vulgar; even a servant in the Ren Family wouldn't commit such a crude act.
When she first saw Ji Heng take out a chipped blue-and-white porcelain bowl as a child, Ren Wanxuan told Ji Heng that it was too dirty and unhygienic.
She was severely scolded by Ji Shaorong.
After that, Ji Heng never used that bowl to entertain her again and bought a clean white porcelain bowl instead.
But Ren Wanxuan also didn't dare to speak out of turn anymore. Today she could only suppress her feelings, then go home and complain to her mother, who rarely let her visit the Ji Family.
Bai Lian clasped her headphones, glanced at the second uncle Ji Heng had mentioned, and curved her lips into a smile, brimming with amiability, "Hello."
She didn't call him second uncle.
Her voice was like the clear and spirited tone of a gently pressed piano key, and Ren Wanxuan subconsciously turned her head.
She saw a pair of extremely beautiful eyes, clear and sharply contrasted between the black and white.
Looking further down at the vintage clothing, Ren Wanxuan had not thought before seeing her that such outdated fashion could look so attractive on someone?
Even if Ren Wanxuan didn't want to admit it.
She clenched her phone.
**
"It's rare for you to come back," Ji Heng said, not one for many words. He broke the silence, telling Ji Shaorong, "Dinner here tonight."
Ren Wanxuan took her gaze back; she stood up, her behavior very cultured: "Dad, I still have a private tutor class and can't be home too late."
She glanced at the well in the courtyard from the corner of her eye.
The Ji Family used water from here. Though the well looked clean, she really didn't want to touch the water from this place.
So every visit was brief, and she never drank the water Ji Heng offered her.
Though Xiangcheng was off the beaten path, most of the area close to Xiangcheng had been re-planned long ago, and the community had been equipped with sterilized tap water. Meanwhile, Purest Street remained the same year after year, with no construction, and the residents still used well water.
Ren Wanxuan had never seen people using well water in this day and age.
Ji Shaorong glanced at her, "Then you go back first; the driver is still waiting for you outside."
"Oh, by the way," Ji Shaorong seemed to remember something, "Xuanxuan, this is your cousin. She's also in her senior year and is about to switch from arts to sciences. You two should exchange contact information."
Saying this, he looked towards Bai Lian, "Alian, Xuanxuan is also studying science, and her grades are excellent. You can ask her if you have any questions."
Bai Lian lowered her head, studying the headphones.
She decided she would take them apart to see how they worked as soon as she got back to her room.
After being called out, she lifted her head to look at Ren Wanxuan and slowly attempted to take out her phone from her pocket.
Ren Wanxuan pinched her phone, holding the power button down to turn it off.
"Dad, I'm two years younger than her; I'm seventeen this year," she paused, then said, "I've been playing games just now, and my phone is dead."
"Hello," Ren Wanxuan faced Bai Lian squarely, very politely, and took out a certain fruit-branded phone, her manner graceful, "Then, let's add each other as friends next time."
Bai Lian quirked her brow and withdrew her hand from reaching for her phone.
"Sorry," Ji Shaorong also fell silent for a moment, then spoke softly to Ren Wanxuan, "You're in your senior year, don't play games every day."
Ren Wanxuan didn't respond but nodded casually and then bid farewell to Ji Heng.