Translator: 549690339
Xiaochi? Xiaochen?
Xu En nodded. He didn’t care who this Xiaochi or Xiaochen was, as long as the atmosphere wasn’t awkward.
“Alian got 450 on her monthly exam,” Ji Heng began slowly, “She switched from liberal arts to science, and her teacher said she has a lot of spirit. You don’t need to worry about this matter.”
450?
Xu En nodded without saying anything. He was surrounded by geniuses; saying words of praise for a score of 450 would just be too insincere.
But since the elder was so happy,
he didn’t say anything.
“I’m going to see why the dishes haven’t arrived yet.” Xu En smiled as he stood up, leaving the private room to the father and daughter.
After he left,
Ji Mulan, clutching the bag, spoke in a somewhat hoarse voice: “Dad.”
“Hmm,” Ji Heng said, lowering his head as he slowly folded the report card and put it in his pocket, “Is Xu En’s family even better off than the Bai Family?”
Although it was phrased as a question, he was already certain of it.
Ji Mulan came back to her senses, quickly wiping her eyes.
She regained her savvy and beautiful appearance, “Yes, his family has many connections, so I thought of taking Alian…”
“Let Alian stay in Xiangcheng,” Ji Heng lit his tobacco and took a rough drag.
Smoke blurred his face.
“Dad, you—” Ji Mulan was sparked at once.
She had come back this time for Bai Lian.
But Ji Heng raised his hand, interrupting her, “As you said, Xu En’s family is well off, and he’s surrounded by capable and outstanding people. What kind of life could our Alian lead there? There are barriers between Xiangcheng and Jiangjing.”
Ji Mulan paused.
“Also,” Ji Heng sighed, “his family doesn’t agree with your marriage, does it? If you take Alian there as well, to what extent do you two plan to live at the mercy of others?”
That silenced Ji Mulan completely.
The Xu Family actually supported many people; taking in one more person was not a big deal for them. But among those they supported, who wasn’t talented? To Mrs. Xu, Bai Lian might be less important than even the dogs she raised.
Did she really want to take Bai Lian to live such a life?
“Then my marriage to Xu En…” Ji Mulan opened her mouth.
Ji Heng took another drag of his cigarette, looking down, “We will go.”
“Great, great,” Ji Mulan unavoidably became emotional. It was the first time she spoke calmly with Ji Heng, and he was willing to attend her wedding, “I’ll have someone come to pick you up when the time comes.”
“We’ll talk about it later.” Ji Heng shook his head.
The three of them finished their meal in peace.
After escorting Ji Heng away, Ji Mulan finally confirmed with Xu En that they would not be bringing Bai Lian back to Jiangjing.
“Not going back?” Xu En glanced at her. Although he was surprised, he didn’t ask much.
He didn’t try to persuade Ji Mulan to bring Bai Lian back to Jiangjing. After all, Bai Lian wasn’t some irreplaceable lab talent, not yet to the point where he’d be troubled.
“Go and find out what Mr. Chen’s recent likes are,” Xu En instructed his assistant, “and present my card of respect.”
Monday.
After lunch with Pu Xiaohan and Yang Lin, Bai Lian returned to the class.
Passing by the office, Lu Lingxi hadn’t left yet.
She was arguing with the principal, “You must be joking. Having Zhang Shize apologize to her? Let me ask you: what did he do wrong? I haven’t even dealt with you yet about Ren Wanxuan, Chen Zhu, and Chen Wei tricking our class’s Longsword. And you have the nerve to speak up!”
The principal helplessly tried to appease Lu Lingxi, “We should focus on the big picture. Don’t you want to complete the task given by the Bureau of Culture and Tourism? It wasn’t Ren who said it, it was decided by Mr. Ren and his secretary-general.”
The principal hadn’t expected Lu Lingxi to react so strongly over just an apology.
Lu Lingxi knew that getting angry with the principal was pointless.
She fell silent for a moment, then called the secretary-general.
The phone was answered after just two rings.
Lu Lingxi politely recounted the entire sequence of events, emphasizing Longsword, and finished by saying, “This publicity won’t harm Ren’s reputation. In the future, Ren will also be a spokesperson for Xiangcheng.”
The secretary-general naturally knew this.
More so, he was more aware of the situation than the school; the development was initiated by Mr. Chen.
From beginning to end, the secretary-general hadn’t planned for Ren Wanxuan to step down. His tone remained calm, “Do you think our Ren Family would care about this?”
Lu Lingxi pressed her temples, “This is also a request from the Bureau of Culture and Tourism. You wouldn’t want to cause them embarrassment, would you?”
“So?” The voice from the phone, while the secretary-general glanced at the conference room’s Ren Qian, revealed a smile, “Why should the Bureau come to us about something concerning your Miss? Unless there’s an apology, apologize, forgive our Miss for not cooperating.”
He hung up the phone with a “click.”
Office.
The principal looked helplessly at Lu Lingxi, and then sighed, “Then should we just let Zhang Shize apologize?”
Outside the door, Bai Lian heard everything loud and clear.
She was dressed in a white shirt, casually holding her school jacket, her black eyes narrowed slightly, a lock of hair lazily resting across her brow as she raised a hand, “Do they have to have her?
The principal and Lu Lingxi were both startled.
They turned around.
Bai Lian looked at them, tilting her head slightly, “Or is anyone who knows Liang-style calligraphy alright?”