Tang Moling had originally thought that because he had been engaged to Mu Xue, and Mu Jingzhe’s current situation was so special, he’d need to make some effort. However, in the end, he’d fallen flat on his face the moment he’d confessed.
He would never have thought that things would end up like this. This made him feel even more depressed than a simple rejection. He was the dignified Tang Moling, and this was the first time in his life that he had confessed his feelings so sincerely. How had he ended up like this?
Tang Moling took deep breaths and tried his best to calm down. “Mu Jingzhe, I know you’re probably startled. I won’t force you. Calm down and go back to think about it. Please believe that I’m sincere.”
He’d give Mu Jingzhe time to calm down and accept him. He thus raised his hands and stepped back.
“You should reconcile with Mu Xue as soon as possible. Stop saying you’re sincere about me.” Mu Jingzhe ran off after shouting.
It was impossible for her to believe him. It was also impossible to remain calm, but she could wait.
She could wait until Tang Moling and Mu Xue’s conflict was over. In any case, she would rather die than be cannon fodder, lest they take revenge on her in the future.
When she got home, Mu Jingzhe told the children to stay away from Tang Moling in the future. Although the children were curious, they agreed obediently.
When Mu Jingzhe returned to the village, she inevitably met Mu Xue. When she saw that Mu Xue had lost weight, she couldn’t help but feel pity for her. She sighed in her heart. This was originally a novel about sweet, doting love, but now, it was a little sad.
Because Mu Xue’s gaze was so cold, Mu Jingzhe didn’t approach her. She was speechless and vexed. This time, she felt wronged. She really hadn’t done anything to snatch Tang Moling away.
Mu Xue watched as Mu Jingzhe’s figure disappeared into the distance. She subconsciously exerted strength with her hands, and when she regained her senses, she saw a few nail marks on her palm.
She had wanted to visit Mu Jingzhe countless times to ask her why she had ruined her happiness, but she was way too proud to do such a thing. She also didn’t want the villagers to laugh at her.
Now, she was already a joke. People said that she was picky and had ended up being a spinster. After getting engaged, she had still been rejected. They said that she had no self-awareness and wanted to marry a rich person. No wonder she’d fallen flat on her face.
They had no idea that Mu Jingzhe was involved in this.
Mu Jingzhe had been startled by Tang Moling and had already finished all the work she needed to do, so she didn’t go out for the next few days and stayed in Great Eastern Village to tutor the children.
They had not given up on skipping grades. They were still working on it hard.
It was rare for them to have a few peaceful days. It was only during the weekend, when it was time to study at the art school and exchange books at Ji Buwang’s house that Mu Jingzhe took the children out.
There seemed to be new books every time they went to Ji Buwang’s house. The five kids were already used to going to his house to read and borrow books. They treated the Ji Residence as a real library.
Of course, it was even better than a library. They could read anything they wanted, and there was also a soft sofa. They could eat snacks when they got hungry and have soft drinks when they got thirsty.
Initially, Mu Jingzhe thought that the Ji Family simply had a lot of books, but through observation, she could tell that something was wrong. It seemed like Ji Buwang was constantly adding more books.
Recently, even foreign language books had appeared. Furthermore, these foreign language books seemed carefully chosen. To be specific, they were books on the two foreign languages that the kids had learned. The books were also similar to fairy tales; the text was short, and there were pictures. Even Xiao Wu could read them.
The five kids were very happy when they saw this. “Teacher Ji, can we borrow these books?”
“Of course.” Ji Buwang nodded.
The children smiled and gathered together to look. Mu Jingzhe looked at Ji Buwang with a complicated expression. “Those are new, right? You added new books to the existing collection, right?”
Previously, Ji Buwang had confessed his feelings and said that they could raise the children together. After that, Ji Buwang hadn’t spoken about his feelings for her again or insisted.
However, these days, he seemed to indeed be keeping his promises step by step. He wanted her to see if he was worthy of her trust and if he was genuine about wanting to take care of the five kids.
Ji Buwang didn’t deny it. “Yes, it’s rare for them to like something so much, so we naturally have to show them more. It’s good to read more books. Many parents would be thrilled to have kids who love to read.”
Ji Buwang explained about the foreign language books. “I saw that they were learning pretty fast, and their vocabulary has already reached a certain level. They also dare to speak the language, but their writing and reading capacity are relatively poor. The teachers at the art school said that increasing their reading capacity would be good for them. Compared to reading the translated version, reading the original version is more helpful when it comes to learning, so I added these books.”
“Was it too much trouble?” Mu Jingzhe was a little embarrassed, as she felt that she wasn’t doing enough.
“It was no trouble. I just bought a few books. The people close to me do go overseas every now and then,” Ji Buwang said casually. In reality, he had specifically asked someone to go overseas to purchase these books. They were all suitable for local elementary and high school students.
He had specifically applied for a visa to leave the country for the sole purpose of buying these books. It might sound unbelievable, but that was exactly what he had done. Once he got familiar with the country, he would be able to find a good channel.
Though Ji Buwang made it sound breezy, Mu Jingzhe wasn’t a fool and knew it couldn’t have been simple.
“Thank you so much. I don’t even know what to say.”
Ji Buwang said frankly, “You’re welcome. I want to get along with them, and the effect is not bad. Their attitude toward me has become much better.”
At this point, Ji Buwang paused. “Of course, it would be even better if I could make you look at me in a different light.” He was proving his sincerity to Mu Jingzhe.
Mu Jingzhe laughed. “Yes, I’m looking at you in a whole new light.”
“That’s good. I’ve achieved my goal then.” Ji Buwang spread out his hands. “Since you’re now looking at me in a different light, you can stay for dinner before going back. I’ve asked you before, but you’ve always refused.”
The reason Mu Jingzhe had rejected his offer before was because she felt that she hadn’t accepted Ji Buwang yet. They were causing him enough trouble, and she had felt that it would be too thick-skinned of them to actually stay for dinner.
However, since Ji Buwang had already done so much for them, in the end, she couldn’t bring herself to say no.
When she agreed, a sumptuous meal was served in less than half an hour. There were some dishes that Mu Jingzhe liked to eat, and there were also some that the children liked to eat. They had all been prepared by Ji Buwang himself after gathering intel.
This was the first time the children were staying for a meal, but because these were their favorite dishes, they thanked Ji Buwang and ate freely.
Mu Jingzhe had mixed feelings as she ate. The children might not have thought of this, but when she saw the dishes get served so quickly, she realized that these dishes must have been prepared beforehand.
But Ji Buwang had not mentioned this beforehand. What if she had refused? Wouldn’t the dishes have gone to waste?
Or did Ji Buwang prepare a meal in advance for them every time they went and he invited them to stay for dinner, just like today?
Normally, when a guest was asked to stay for a meal, the host would tell them if he had prepared the food beforehand, thus making it difficult for others to say no. However, Ji Buwang had never done that.
If Mu Jingzhe had refused today, she might not have known this.
Mu Jingzhe didn’t ask Ji Buwang to confirm this, but for the first time, she seriously considered whether she wanted to date a man.
