The evening breeze blew in from the balcony as a few drops of rain fell, bringing the coolness of fall into the apartment.
Ning Li glanced over.
“Is it raining?”
Fall in Yunzhou was always rainy and cold.
It would be winter soon.
Ning Li walked over to lock the sliding door to the balcony.
Once she was farther away, her sweet scent dissipated. Lu Huaiyu tilted his head slightly and tugged on the collar of his shirt.
Ning Li turned around and felt a little awkward when she saw that.
“Second Brother, are you feeling hot?”
She felt that the room was quite chilly.
Lu Huaiyu replied, “Mm, a little.”
He glanced out the window.
“Are you going home?”
Ning Li nodded, put on her school uniform, and zipped up her jacket.
“Yeah.”
The light rain outside would not cause any delay.
She had come over today without any plans to spend the night here.
Lu Huaiyu nodded and said, “I’ll send you home then.”
…
It was a rainy night in Yunzhou. Falling leaves covered the streets that were lined with Chinese parasol trees.
Light rain fell on the car window, which blurred the view outside.
Ning Li looked outside for a while before she withdrew her gaze to look at Lu Huaiyu, who was sitting beside her.
He had closed his eyes and rested in the car, so he did not talk much.
‘Was he tired from waiting for nearly two hours downstairs?’
Thinking of this, Ning Li felt a little guilty.
“Second Brother,” she spoke softly.
Lu Huaiyu’s eyelashes fluttered as he opened his eyes and looked over.
The car was very dark and was lit by the streetlights outside the window. The light flashed past on her beautiful and perfect face, making her eyes inscrutable.
Ning Li handed over something to Lu Huaiyu. “This is for you.”
Lu Huaiyu looked down and saw a key on her palm.
This was the key to her house.
He raised his eyebrows slightly. “For me?”
Ning Li nodded her head.
Her things were mainly kept in the master bedroom anyway, so it did not matter if she gave Lu Huaiyu a key to the front door.
Lu Huaiyu smiled and said, “Are you sure? Do you have that much trust in me?”
“Didn’t you also give me the password to Yunding Fenghua?”
That downtown mansion alone was enough to buy multiple three-bedroom apartments like hers.
Not to mention, her apartment was rented.
“As long as you don’t feel like you got the worse end of the bargain.”
Lu Huaiyu looked at the girl’s bright and clear eyes with her immense trust in him.
He felt it necessary to remind the girl to be more vigilant around him.
“Lili, hasn’t anyone ever told you that it’s easier to get cheated if you trust people too easily?”
Ning Li blinked.
“Then…will you be deceiving me?”
Lu Huaiyu smiled. “No one can say for sure…”
Ning Li frowned as she had not expected Lu Huaiyu to say such words.
‘So does he not want the key anymore? Or…’
Ning Li curled her fingers slightly to take it back.
Halfway through, she suddenly paused and handed it over again.
Lu Huaiyu saw her firmness and felt a little strange.
He had only been teasing her earlier about not having a key.
Lu Huaiyu knew very well that this apartment was not just a temporary place to stay for Ning Li.
Thus, although he wanted to take another step closer, he had stopped outside, respecting her boundaries.
Whatever she wanted to do was up to her.
If she did not want anyone to know, then he would not pry.
He had not thought that Ning Li would actually give him a key.
Lu Huaiyu’s gaze fell on her hand.
“You can’t regret it later once you’ve given it to me.”
Ning Li nodded.
Lu Huaiyu helplessly rubbed his brow and let out a low chuckle.
“Why do I feel that if you were ever abducted and sold off, you would help your abductor count his earnings?”
Ning Li froze a little and muttered, “You’re not just anyone…”
She owed Lu Huaiyu too many favors, so a key was nothing in comparison.
Moreover, with Lu Huaiyu’s wealth, selling her would not even be enough for his pocket money.
He would not need anything from her.
Lu Huaiyu looked at her and averted his gaze.
After a long time, he smiled.
‘At least she’s highly self-aware, so it’s not entirely for nothing.’
“Okay then.”
He reached out and took the key. His fingertips grazed her palm, which felt scorching to the touch. Luckily, it passed instantly.
“It’s mine now that you’ve given it to me.”
….
The Ye family.
It was already past 11:00pm by the time Ning Li had returned.
Aunt Zhao and the others were already used to Ning Li’s behavior and did not ask any questions when they greeted her.
The villa was quiet.
Ning Li went up to the second floor.
Just as she reached the corridor, she saw that Ye Ci’s bedroom door was ajar.
She walked over and caught a glimpse of Su Yuan tucking Ye Ci into bed.
Su Yuan was wearing her pajamas and a cashmere shawl, so she had probably fallen asleep and gotten up again.
Ning Li looked on with a mocking glare. Her eyes were cold.
Su Yuan was very caring towards Ye Ci.
They had been together since Ye Ci was seven years old, so how could she not have any feelings after raising her as her own daughter?
Su Yuan had spent a lot more time with Ye Ci compared to Ning Li.
No wonder she was always biased toward Ye Ci.
In her previous life, whenever Ning Li saw scenes like this, she had always thought that as long as she was well behaved and obedient enough to meet their expectations and hopes, she would also receive the same treatment as Ye Ci. Eventually, she had realized that a person’s time, energy, and love were limited.
Su Yuan had used up all of her time, energy, and love on Ye Ci and Ye Cheng, so there was no room for her.
Ning Li should not have had this fantasy from the start.
She turned around and went to her room.
However, just as Ning Li had taken a few steps, Su Yuan heard the movement and looked her way.
Su Yuan straightened up and came out of Ye Ci’s room. She gently closed the door behind her and pulled her shawl. She then called out, “Ning Li, wait!”
Ning Li paused in her footsteps and turned back.
Her expression was as calm and indifferent as ever.
Every time Su Yuan saw Ning Li like this, she felt uncomfortable.
Ning Li came and went as she pleased. ‘Does she really think that my house is a hotel?’
“You…”
Su Yuan opened her mouth and thought of Ye Ci, who had already fallen asleep, so she lowered her voice again.
“How was your exam today?”
Su Yuan suddenly asking this question at this late hour indicated to Ning Li that Su Yuan was not actually concerned about her results.
Looking at Su Yuan’s scrutinizing and suspicious eyes, Ning Li guessed what was happening and nodded. “Pretty good.”
Su Yuan was stunned.
Ning Li rarely used this tone to talk about her grades, so it seemed to indicate that she had done well in the exam this time.
“Lil Ci said that there were several questions she saw in your notes that had come out in the exam.”
Ning Li’s smile gradually grew.
‘Several? It seems that Ye Ci’s pretty reserved this time, huh?’
“Yeah, it seems like it. What’s wrong?”
Su Yuan felt more uneasy the more she thought about it.
“Nothing…it just seems a bit too coincidental, doesn’t it? Ning Li, tell Mom the truth. Did you see this exam paper beforehand?”
