Chapter 35: Enjoy Life Without Worrying About The Outcome

As Ji Zhen Tang lay on the small bed in her room, looking at her empty fingers, she thought of the heavy blue sapphire. Regretfully, she hadn’t had a chance to take a closer look; she had personally pushed it back.

Ji Zhen Tang truly felt that she wasn’t worthy of that diamond, even though Zhong Yu Bai always earnestly told her that these treasures were meant to adorn her. However, she chose to believe her aunt’s words: how much ability does one need to deserve such expensive jewelry?

Perhaps one day, when she became as capable as Zhong Yu Bai, when she could easily obtain such fame and wealth, only then could she wear the sapphire with peace of mind.

Just as she couldn’t treat Zhong Heng as an ATM, she couldn’t differentiate and treat Zhong Yu Bai differently either.

Is there any fundamental difference? It’s hard to discern. Zhong Yu Bai claims to think deeply, but he never shows it on his face. He also teaches her to be cautious, so she remembers to keep her guard up with people.

He says when he’s crazy, he looks like this, and when he’s happy, it’s also like this.

The realm of such people must be quite high, almost reaching enlightenment.

Whether he says he’s crazy or happy, it’s all just to please her.

But what’s the rush? Being able to rely on one step at a time, without worrying about the outcome, enjoying the moment, is an essential attitude in life nowadays.

Being with him, as long as she’s happy, is good. There’s a positive phrase that fits well, “Why not do it?”

As soon as her head hits the pillow, she dreams sweet dreams.

The next morning, while rinsing her mouth and wiping her face with a towel, Ji Zhen Tang touched her lips with her fingers and suddenly smiled foolishly in the mirror.

After a night’s sleep, the feeling had faded, but with a slight sip, it seemed like she could still savor the sweetness.

Ji Xinhe called her downstairs for breakfast.

Early in the morning, Ji Zhen Tang cautiously watched her aunt’s expression, afraid she might notice something. They had to bow their heads under someone’s roof. If they had a dispute, regardless of right or wrong, Ji Zhen Tang had to learn to take the blame.

Finally, Ji Xinhe brought it up: “Did you go out to dinner with him yesterday?”

Ji Zhen Tang trembled with uneasy, gauging her aunt’s expression, but she remained silent, only pleading after a long time: “Can you not tell my dad about me and Zhong Yu Bai yet?”

Ji Xinhe looked at her.

“There’s nothing to hide. I’m just afraid my dad will speculate randomly and give me all sorts of warnings. If the time is right and the relationship has matured, I’ll tell him myself.”

After a moment, Ji Xinhe said, “I heard early on that he’s not a good person, you should know that too.”

“How do you judge if someone is good or bad? Who decides that?” Ji Zhen Tang asked.

This question left Ji Xinhe stunned. She sighed softly, “Alright, I won’t interfere with you.”

Ji Zhen Tang nodded, feeling a slight sense of relief.

—

On New Year’s Eve, the Zhong family mansion was brightly lit, but there wasn’t much festive atmosphere. In a family where hearts were scattered, there wasn’t much warmth to be found. Unlike the aunt who was still trimming branches, looking at her handiwork with satisfaction, saying that the plum blossoms this year were growing nicely.

Zhong Yu Bai sat on the balcony of the study, smoking. Watching the aunt downstairs, he eventually told her to put down her work and go home early to celebrate.

Zhong Heng was also there today, helping his half-sister with her homework.

His temper was not easy to deal with. Every three to five minutes, he scolded her, “I really can’t believe it, how can you be so stupid? Quickly go and check if you’re really a Zhong family descendant, you’re incredibly dumb.”

The little girl’s voice was sharp, and with a cry, she burst into tears.

Zhong Heng: “Shut up!” He had a strong aversion to stupidity and disliked children.

Zhong Yu Bai extinguished his cigarette in the ashtray, closed his eyes, and slightly tilted his head, listening to their argument.

Chi Ying intervened to ease the situation: “If you can’t do it, you can’t do it, it’s just a math problem, what’s the point of arguing on such a big holiday?”

As she spoke, she picked up her daughter and comforted her, “Alright, alright, don’t cry, let’s go back to the room and watch the New Year’s Gala later.”

While comforting her daughter, she cast a sharp glance at the nearby boy.

Zhong Heng sat with his legs crossed, occupying the sofa, not giving a glance to the mother and daughter beside him, his forehead showing signs of irritation.

This family couldn’t give him any good feelings at all.

Zhong Yu Bai stood on the second-floor corridor, quietly observing for a moment, then called him.

Zhong Heng looked up at him, and half a minute later, he appeared in the study.

“You looking for me?” Zhong Heng asked.

Zhong Yu Bai sat at the desk, gesturing for him to sit in the adjacent seat.

“What’s up?” Zhong Heng asked.

“How have you been lately?” Zhong Yu Bai asked him.

“Pretty good.”

“Did the admission list for your graduate program come out?”

“Not yet, I don’t know how many my supervisor will recruit this year.”

Zhong Yu Bai lowered his eyes, thought for a moment, then nodded slightly, indicating he understood.

“What about your love life?” he asked again.

Zhong Heng smiled, “Single, do you want to introduce someone to me?”

Zhong Yu Bai didn’t have that intention, but since he asked, there was no harm in it: “Do you need one?”

“If you think I need one, then I need one.” He seemed to still be in his rebellious phase, every word and expression when talking to elders was sharp, meant to make both parties uncomfortable. Hurting others, hurting oneself, that was all there was to it.

It was a kind of behavior that consumed a lot of mental energy.

Zhong Yu Bai, seeing him being so provocative, didn’t argue, nor did he show any signs of discomfort.

He remembered Zhong Heng’s past conflicts with Zhao Siqi, remembered his aggression, and also his persistence, and contemplated calmly.

Zhong Yu Bai didn’t particularly like to dictate in front of the younger generation, using grand principles and authority to coerce. He believed that if it was for education, it didn’t have to be done like this. But sometimes, it was necessary to say: “Face every loss, take what you can’t get as a lesson in self-cultivation, and it’s all part of life’s journey.”

Zhong Heng looked at him puzzled.

He condensed it into one sentence: “Don’t be obsessed with regret.”

Zhong Heng looked confused, apparently still not understanding. Zhong Yu Bai didn’t care whether he could read between the lines or not, but he wanted him to remember the principle.

Zhong Heng couldn’t be bothered to guess, he changed the subject: “My brother emailed me, he’s in Zurich now.”

Zhong Yu Bai raised an eyebrow, pondering the meaning behind his words. Immature and arrogant, these two words were the most fitting labels for him, even to the point of being childish and somewhat ridiculous, his thoughts were written all over his face.

He just nodded, without further comment.

“Do you not want to know what he said?” Zhong Heng couldn’t tolerate his indifference.

Zhong Yu Bai brushed off the cigarette ash lightly, saying, “Since you’re curious about my thoughts, then read it a few more times on my behalf.”

“……”

Clearly, he truly didn’t want to know.

Unperturbed by him, Zhong Heng’s heart burned with anger.

He was about to make a sarcastic remark when the phone placed on the table suddenly lit up. Zhong Yu Bai picked it up to look, and Zhong Heng, quick-eyed, glanced at the string of numbers on the screen, recognizing a few digits, but before he could dwell on it, his contemplation was interrupted.

Zhong Yu Bai said, “Go out.”

At the door, they found Chi Ying eavesdropping by the wall.

Zhong Heng was startled when he opened the door, glaring coldly at her. “Such despicable tactics.”

Chi Ying followed up, whispering, “I heard that your uncle has recently taken on a mistress outside, and she’s a young girl.”

Zhong Heng was taken aback for a moment, then looked at her with genuine curiosity. “Really?”

Chi Ying whispered, “I heard it from someone else, quite surprising.”

People often gather together because of gossip. Zhong Heng stomped his foot, then finally glanced at the tightly closed study door, instructing her to tell him the whole story in detail.

—

In the new semester, Zhao Siqi didn’t show up at school.

It was quite strange. Ji Zhen Tang initially thought he might have been expelled, but upon checking the teacher’s attendance roster, she found his name still listed. However, for these past few days since the beginning of the semester, the attendance column remained empty.

Ji Zhen Tang didn’t think much about it. Delaying the start of the semester wasn’t uncommon, and for privileged students like him, there was even less to investigate.

The second strange thing was that the school’s forum was blocked, with the URL leading directly to a 404 error page. Recalling recent events, she couldn’t recall any earth-shattering incidents, and the atmosphere within the school seemed quite peaceful.

This was the first time she encountered such a situation since enrolling, where she was unknowingly stripped of her traces and right to speak. It was a chilling thought. However, ultimately, it had nothing to do with her. Ji Zhen Tang rarely frequented the forums, and much of the gossip was hearsay.

This blockade effectively dispersed the gossip hub.

The courses for the third year of the spring semester were fewer. Ji Zhen Tang picked a leisurely afternoon to go to the pedestrian street near the school to buy spring clothes. Because Ji Huan’s business was booming, he had given her a big red envelope during the New Year.

Carrying a basket of skirts to try on, she finally picked one of moderate price. She said to the salesperson, “I’ll take this one.”

“No need to pick, all the ones here are yours.” The salesperson smiled and pointed to her basket of skirts.

“Huh?” Ji Zhen Tang was surprised.

“Since you like them, just take them all. It’s just a few pieces of clothing, consider it a treat.” The salesperson, a young girl, tilted her head mischievously, as if quoting someone, then raised her hand in a gesture as if receiving a phone call, implying that someone had already instructed her. “Mr. Zhong has already paid for you, and I’ll wrap them up for you. Are there any sizes that don’t fit?”

Ji Zhen Tang shook her head with a smile, imagining his expression as he said those words.

Walking out with seven or eight paper bags, she had never felt like such a wealthy person before. Even when wearing sapphires on her hand, she felt the affluence bestowed upon her was illusory.

It was only now, with these beautiful dresses, one after another, piled on the little trolley, that she truly felt a sense of grandeur.

In the past, coming to such shops and buying one item per quarter was considered a luxury.

Stopping at the non-motorized lane, she inserted the key to her bike, and in her peripheral vision, she noticed a black car with its windows tightly closed nearby.

Ji Zhen Tang smiled, pretending not to see it, and rode her bicycle in the direction of the school.

In the rearview mirror, the car slowly approached, neither too close nor too far, maintaining a steady pace.

A rose was tied to the right headlight of his car. It was very vibrant, as if emitting fragrance.

Arriving at the school gate, Ji Zhen Tang entered through a small path, and at the same time, the barrier at the motorized lane lifted.

Someone’s luxury car effortlessly entered the campus, slowly catching up to the little snail in front.

“Long time no see.” Zhong Yu Bai lowered the car window, and from inside the car came a very faint and pleasant scent, a mixture of sandalwood and amber, as elegant and cold as his voice.

On the narrow tree-lined path, she rode by the curb, and he drove in the middle, careful not to get too close to her, intentionally keeping some distance.

Ji Zhen Tang looked ahead, ignoring him, and accelerated the bike to about 30 kilometers per hour. “I don’t want to hear pleasantries. Next time, don’t be so icy.”

Zhong Yu Bai matched her speed at 30 kilometers per hour and asked, “What do you want to hear?”

She glanced sideways at him, giving him a reproachful look as if to say, “Do you really need someone to teach you?” and said, “Normal people would say: Darling, honey, I miss you so much, kisses and hugs, I love you. But what about you? All you ever say is ‘long time no see,’ ‘get well soon,’ ‘take care.’ Anyone who didn’t know would think you were about to discuss business!”

At her words, Zhong Yu Bai chuckled.

He didn’t say anything, just pointed to the rose and said, “The flower is for you.”

Ji Zhen Tang glanced at the rose tied to his car’s side mirror, reached out a hand, and swiftly plucked it. “Alright, I’ll give you credit for being a bit considerate.”

She lowered her head to smell it, smiling happily. “I like it, I like it, it’s so fresh.”

Zhong Yu Bai accompanied her for a while longer, then as they neared the building, he informed her, “I’ll be at the usual place, waiting for you after class.”

Ji Zhen Tang elongated her voice in acknowledgment, tossing the flower into the front basket of her bike. “After class, then what?”

Zhong Yu Bai pondered her question for a moment, then fell silent for a while before saying, “Find a room, and let me watch as my darling tries on each new piece of clothing.”

“…” Ji Zhen Tang twisted the handlebar of her bike all the way, and in a flash, she sped far ahead, muttering something like “old pervert” or some other sarcastic remark under her breath.

Although her expression couldn’t be seen clearly, it wasn’t difficult to deduce that her head was turning into a steamed bun of embarrassment.

Zhong Yu Bai smiled quietly without saying a word, finding his words a bit odd but also quite amusing to see her reaction.

Previous

Next