Chapter 305. She’s gone (first update)

The night was deep and silent, a blue figure emerged from the hotel. Under the dim light of the streetlamp, one could barely make out that it was the outline of a man.

A cold wind blew, accelerating the man’s footsteps.

He raised his hand to press down on his hat, striding quickly towards the black car under the tree.

"Thump thump—"

The sound of knocking on the car window was dull and hurried.

The next second, the car window automatically rolled down, and the man took an envelope from his pocket and handed it in through the window.

"The money has been transferred to your account. You know what to do, I don’t need to tell you, right?" a dark voice came from inside the car.

"I’ll leave the capital tonight," said the man in the blue clothes, his tone obsequious.

Soon after, the car window closed, and the black sedan drove off into the distance.

...

The autumn grew intense, and the parasol trees at Beisen Academy turned a deep red.

Ye Jiuliang hadn’t been back to Beisen for a long time, and her return stirred up excitement.

Especially among the teachers, who smiled so broadly they looked like they were about to split their faces.

Good students were liked by every teacher, after all.

Ye Jiuliang was sprawled on her desk, her eyes half-closed and misty, with traces of sleepiness lingering around her brows and eyes.

She wasn’t blind to the constant glances thrown her way, but she had no interest in paying them any mind.

She really was... so, so tired!

All thanks to Mohan, that immensely tiresome devil.

The invigilator hadn’t arrived yet, and everyone still had smiles on their faces, whispering to each other from time to time.

The topic discussed most was still Ye Jiuliang.

"Do you think Ye Jiuliang can still keep her rank as first in the grade after being away from class for so long?"

"Ha, she used to come to class every day only to sleep or play games. When have you ever seen her paying attention in class?"

"That’s true."

Hearing the subdued murmurs behind him, Ye Miao’s pen-twirling fingers paused, and his eyes gradually darkened.

He glanced sideways at the figure by the window—the girl sprawled out on her desk, napping without any sign of the stress of an exam looming over her.

Just then, Xu Li entered, holding a large stack of test papers in his hands.

In an instant, all the whispering in the classroom ceased.

It was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop.

Xu Li stepped onto the podium and glanced in Ye Jiuliang’s direction, a satisfied smirk curling his lips.

She had at least remembered to come for the exam.

For the final exam, paper’s difficulty was naturally beyond mention.

When they received the papers, everyone’s faces were ashen.

Ye Jiuliang looked at the test placed on her desk and barely lifted her eyelids.

She reached into her drawer, fumbled around, and finally grabbed a pen.

Twenty minutes later, Ye Jiuliang left the classroom to the horror-filled gazes of everyone there.

There were no tests in the afternoon, so naturally, Jiuliang wouldn’t stay in Beisen; she hopped on her motorbike and coolly made her exit.

The bustling streets were filled with the faded yellow of drifting leaves every day.

Emerging from the ice cream shop, Ye Jiuliang’s hand now held a box of ice cream, as she scooped and ate with a small spoon.

The cool sweetness spread through her mouth, turning her clear eyes into crescents.

Ye Jiuliang sat on the motorcycle, in no hurry to go; if Li Mochan saw this ice cream, it would only end up thrown in the trash.

She casually observed her surroundings when suddenly a figure caught her eye.

The man came out of the supermarket, his hands carrying shopping bags.

With a smile, she was about to look away when the man looked over at her.

Their gazes met in the air, the man smiled slightly, put the bags in his car, and then walked towards her.

"I didn’t expect Director Ming to do his own grocery shopping," Ye Jiuliang teased.

Mingchong chuckled softly, "Directors are ordinary people too; we need to eat and live."

While speaking, his gaze landed on the ice cream in her hand, "Why are you sitting here eating ice cream? Don’t you have classes to attend?"

"We had exams today," Ye Jiuliang replied casually.

"Do you have some free time?" Mingchong looked at her with a smile in his eyes, "I’ve been meaning to invite you to sample my cooking, but never found the time. Today I’ve bought groceries; how about visiting my home?"

Ye Jiuliang said, "Thank you for the kind offer, Director Ming, but I don’t want to trouble you."

"Really, it’s no trouble. Today is the birthday of someone very important to me; she’s no longer here, and eating alone is rather boring," he said, his warm voice tinged with melancholy.

Sensing his sorrowful tone, Ye Jiuliang couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sympathy for him.

The first time she saw him at the resort, she inexplicably felt a certain warmth towards him.

Especially when he smiled, it was as if she had seen it somewhere before.

Previously, Feng Yi mentioned that Mingchong had been an orphan since childhood, growing up in an orphanage before a relative finally took him in, though that relative was not kind to him, either with abuse or scolding.

One could say that Mingchong’s journey to his current success, owning such a large company, was completely self-made, and he had always kept a clean reputation in the business world, renowned for his integrity and still unmarried to this day.

Bringing her wandering thoughts back, Ye Jiuliang curved her lips into a smile, "Then I shall look forward to Director Ming’s cooking."

Before she finished speaking, Mingchong’s eyes brightened, and his face showed excitement, his mind already planning today’s menu.

"Let’s go. You lead the way, and I’ll follow on my motorcycle," Ye Jiuliang tossed the half-finished ice cream into a trash can and pulled out her keys from her pocket.

Mingchong nodded, his smile too brilliant, as if he had won the lottery.

Watching his figure stride across the street, Ye Jiuliang’s eyebrows lifted.

Was he that happy?

Along the way, Mingchong occasionally looked up at the rearview mirror, making sure Ye Jiuliang’s motorcycle was following, fearing she might change her mind and leave.

Mingchong’s residence was in a villa area in the city center.

He stopped the car two meters from the steps, exited the car with a smile that lingered on his face.

Taking out the shopping bags from the car, he turned to Ye Jiuliang, who had parked her motorcycle, "Jiuliang, this way."

Ye Jiuliang looked at the overtly joyous person, her lips twitching uncontrollably.

Wasn’t his happiness a bit too much?

Ye Jiuliang shook her head, stepped up the stairs, and followed him into the house.

"Jiuliang, make yourself comfortable, no need to stand on ceremony, just think of this as your own home," Mingchong said warmly, as he carried the bags into the kitchen.

Ye Jiuliang sat on the couch, taking in her surroundings out of habit whenever she was in a new environment.

The decor was simple and elegant, and a glance around revealed that many decorations were sky blue, indicating the owner’s preference for this color.

The French windows were open, revealing a mini-lake outside.

Ye Jiuliang got up and walked over, the green grass was covered with sunflowers, and there were several koi in the mini-lake.

Footsteps approached from behind, and Ye Jiuliang turned back as Mingchong offered her a bottle of juice.

Ye Jiuliang took it, said thanks, and then unscrewed the cap, sipping the juice lightly.