Bai Yiqian put down his spoon: "You are willing to let her stay overnight, yet you won’t allow me to say a few words? This is like expecting the officials to be able to set fires while forbidding the commoners to even light a lamp. If you ask me, if you really have no feelings for her, you’d better clarify things sooner rather than later. Young girls these days are fierce. Wait until she’s deeply stuck in the mire, and if you’re unwilling to take responsibility, be careful that she’ll forcefully take you into her arms and imprison you."
"The more you talk, the less sense you make. She’s still in the house, don’t let her see you with this hooligan-like demeanor."
Returning from the washroom, Tang Li heard Bai Yiqian’s voice as she approached the corner: "I’m the ruffian for speaking the truth? Alright, you’re the honorable gentleman. Keep on playing that role, and when the meat by your mouth gets snatched away by someone else, you’ll be the one feeling uncomfortable."
Tang Li didn’t hear Song Baiyan replying to this sentence.
Bai Yiqian then said, "I just found a song, pretty good."
He placed his cellphone on the dining table.
Soon after, a cheerful and festive song started playing in the dining room.
[Uncle, uncle, I love you, I’ll never regret it in my lifetime. Uncle, uncle, I miss you, miss you to the point of tears. Uncle, uncle, I love you, love Absolute Obsession. Please never let me be heartbroken... Even if you’re 12 years older than me, as long as you can cherish and love me, nothing else matters...]
Listening to the lyrics, Tang Li felt her cheeks getting hot.
Even if she found it cheesy, she still felt embarrassed as if the song struck a chord with her.
In the dining room, the music abruptly stopped.
"Why did you turn it off?" Bai Yiqian’s attempt to stop it was too late: "Aren’t the lyrics quite fitting for the season? The girl’s feelings for you are not much different from this song. I’m just singing out her inner thoughts for her."
"She’s still a young girl."
Finally, Tang Li heard Song Baiyan speak, his voice deep and solid: "I’m quite a bit older than her. The decisions she makes now, she may regret them in the future. Technically, I’m also a senior to her. The more it is , the more I should approach certain issues rationally."
"Being too rational can lead to a lack of joy in life." Bai Yiqian clicked his tongue: "By being so considerate of her, be careful she doesn’t appreciate your kindness."
Hearing this, Tang Li’s left hand, which was resting on the wall, tightened slightly.
Song Baiyan continued, "It’s okay if she doesn’t appreciate it. Better that than her having future regrets."
"You just reminded me. The person you were previously engaged to was the niece of Lai Wenyan’s mother, and if it weren’t for Fang Qi’s early death, the girl would really have to call you ’Uncle’."
Bai Yiqian, refusing to give up, asked, "Maybe that girl truly has taken a liking to you?"
Suddenly, Tang Li no longer wanted to know the answer.
She walked out from the corner, looking down and rummaging through her backpack, "Where did the crew’s pass go? Why can’t I suddenly find it?" Before she finished speaking, she looked up at the two men in the dining room: "It seems I’ve left the pass in the guest room, I’ll go upstairs and have a look."
Having said that, Tang Li walked towards the staircase.
Bai Yiqian retracted his gaze and turned to look at Song Baiyan: "She might have heard us."
After breakfast, Tang Li left with Bai Yiqian.
Song Baiyan watched Bai Yiqian’s sedan drive into the dense woods and then turned to head upstairs, but his cellphone in his pocket vibrated. It was a message from Tang Li.
She said, "I will prove it."
— Prove that my reliance on you is not just fleeting.
After descending from Fengyun Mountain, Tang Li did not receive any reply from Song Baiyan.
Bai Yiqian, who was driving, glanced at the rearview mirror and spoke, "The year-end is approaching fast; the mid-month will be the start of the election for the change of office."