CA | Chapter 3

◎There was still true affection in the world.◎

She carefully protected her wounds. As hot water poured down over her, it was the most comfortable shower she had taken in nearly a month.

Right then, she decided to stay, to stay at Shen Yicheng’s home.

She did not know why she had made that decision.

Maybe it was because he had smiled at her that morning. Maybe it was because he had pulled her out of the mud and held her in his arms.

Ning Jia no longer had much to lose. Maybe if she thickened her skin a little, she could gain his shelter and affection.

In truth, she was not even sure how close he and her father were. She only knew that Ning Guoqiang liked him very much. Ever since she was little, she had heard her father talk about Shen Er, Shen Er, even though Shen Yicheng had not visited their home often.

She guessed it was because Shen Yicheng seemed easier to talk to than the other socialites, a little more laid-back, a little more indifferent. Ning Guoqiang was not a local. He had made a little money reselling materials, and when he came to Beishi, he met his first wife. She came from a good family and had helped him somewhat, but she had died from complications in childbirth, and she was the biological mother of Ning Jia’s older brother, Ning Yu. From that day on, the late wife’s family cut off all contact with Ning Guoqiang, and Ning Yu was taken away as well.

As for Ning Jia’s own mother, she had been brought over from a rural village by Ning Guoqiang. She knew only a few characters, but she was gentle and beautiful, and much of Ning Jia’s looks came from He Hui. But honestly, she could feel that the old-money families and capitalists in that circle all looked down on her father, the kind of man who had made his fortune as a roughneck boss.

The bathroom had Shen Yicheng’s usual toiletries. Ning Jia used some, and they had the faint scent of plants.

Then she suddenly remembered that her clothes were already soaked through. She had nothing to wear, only his coat would do.

When she opened the bathroom door, a clean towel had been left outside, along with Shen Yicheng’s clothes.

Auntie was put in a difficult position too. There was no way Ning Jia could wear anything in this house, so she could only let her wear Shen Yicheng’s clothes temporarily.

Ning Jia picked them up and shook them out. It was a white shirt. She barely managed to put it on, but she did not feel right going out like that, so she added his suit jacket over it.

Shen Yicheng was still downstairs. He had drunk some hangover soup. He had been socializing for a long time tonight and had drunk quite a lot, so he felt dizzy. He glanced up by chance and saw her peeking out from the stairway, exposing a pair of legs wrapped in bandages, her feet not knowing where to go.

Shen Yicheng looked at Auntie. “Get the guest room ready for Miss, and heat up some milk.”

“Okay.”

After he spoke, he called someone to pick him up. Ning Jia watched him leave, and with only Auntie going upstairs, she suddenly grew a little nervous.

Auntie did not like her.

Ning Jia did not say anything. She followed behind Auntie into the guest room. The other woman only made the bed up simply, took out a blanket, and then left.

Ning Jia was actually half naked, with nothing to wear, so she could only crawl under the blanket. Not long after, a cup of hot milk was placed on the bedside table. She sat up and said softly, “Thank you, Auntie.”

Auntie shook her head and sighed to herself.

Ning Jia held the cup in both hands and gulped down the milk. Soon, Shen Yicheng came back. He had gone out to buy a set of pajamas, and the rest of the things at home were already stocked as backups.

Ning Jia was still hiding under the blanket when Auntie brought them up to her. Ning Jia took them and opened them to look. It was a nightdress with little strawberries on it, and there was also a set of girlish underwear inside. Her cheeks immediately turned red.

He probably had not chosen it himself, right? He had a female assistant.

Ning Jia changed slowly, then went downstairs to find him. Shen Yicheng was sitting in the living room looking at something. Seeing her come down, he gave a light laugh. “Why aren’t you sleeping?”

“I am going to sleep now… Uncle, thank you.”

“No need to thank me.”

His tone carried a touch of distance.

Ning Jia did not want to disturb him, so she went back upstairs. She heard Shen Yicheng downstairs instruct Auntie to take good care of Ning Jia, and not let the kid go hungry. At that, Ning Jia’s ears turned eight shades redder.

Ning Jia did not sleep very well at Shen Yicheng’s house. Staying in someone else’s home always felt awkward, especially in this outfit she was wearing, all soft and babyish, as if they had treated her like a ten-year-old.

But Shen Yicheng had generously helped her, so Ning Jia wore it gratefully.

The next morning, Ning Jia woke up very early. She had intended to go help in the kitchen, but she did not know how to cook, so she ended up standing stiffly behind Auntie. Auntie asked, “Hungry? What are you getting up so early for?”

Ning Jia said, “I wanted to help.”

Her little hands had never touched hard labor… Auntie shook her head and told her to sit nearby and wait.

Shen Yicheng came downstairs right on time when breakfast was nearly ready.

He liked wearing formal clothes, and today was no exception. He looked a little tired, and Ning Jia initially thought he had not slept well. Who knew Auntie would chide him instead? “It was already twelve and you were still watching a movie. If you’re sleepy, just endure it.”

Shen Yicheng smiled. “Not next time.”

His voice was low and clear, not dull at all, not at all like someone about to turn thirty. To outsiders, he might even seem a little flirtatious. If not for how steady his outfit was, from his bearing alone, he still looked quite young.

She had once thought this Uncle Shen was a smiling Buddha, but up close, he looked more like a smiling tiger.

He wore a shirt, with his suit jacket draped over the back of the chair. Ning Jia greeted him. “Good morning, Uncle Shen.”

“Morning.” His tone was flat.

Shen Yicheng did not seem to care much about her, as if he had picked up a stray kitten in the middle of the night.

Not caring was fine. The food, the drink, the place to stay, those were all real enough. Her face was not so thin.

After Ning Jia finished eating, she arranged the bowls and chopsticks neatly, looking properly restrained and dependent. Shen Yicheng ate a little too, glanced at his watch, and then picked up his coat and stood.

Ning Jia’s school uniform had long since dried, and so had her soaked backpack. Even the things inside were dry. She picked up her bag and thanked him. After Shen Yicheng left, she also headed out for school.

She was walking along the small path when Shen Yicheng’s black sports car stopped beside her. He lowered the window and smiled. “In a hurry?”

“Not really…” She could not make sense of him for a moment.

“Then why didn’t you wait for me to get the car?”

Ning Jia suddenly understood.

She immediately got into the passenger seat.

It was only a few steps anyway. He dropped her off at the school entrance. Before getting out, Ning Jia secretly lifted her eyes to look at him.

His jawline was beautiful, as if it had been carved by hand. He was still wearing gold-rimmed glasses today, both hands on the steering wheel, turning his head to meet her gaze.

“Not in a hurry anymore?”

Ning Jia shook her head.

“Still going to class?”

Ning Jia nodded.

Shen Yicheng did not speak again.

He was waiting for her to get out.

Ning Jia slowly unfastened her seatbelt. Under her turtle-like pace, Shen Yicheng finally spoke. “Want to say something?”

Ning Jia looked at him.

He leaned back in his seat, one finger lightly tapping the steering wheel, with no trace of impatience. It felt more like he was leisurely teasing someone else.

“Uncle Shen…” Ning Jia hesitated, “will you be home all the time lately?”

“I will be, for now.”

She asked next, “Living here?”

“Mm.”

He was very patient.

Ning Jia was moved by that patience. She did not beat around the bush and asked directly, “Do you need a daughter?”

The tapping stopped.

“What do you think of me?” Ning Jia promoted herself. “I’m very obedient, and my grades are decent, and I don’t look too ugly…”

“So?”

“Please take me in for a while.” Ning Jia clasped her hands together in supplication. “Uncle Shen, just let me stay until I get to university. Once I’m in college, I can support myself… I’ll take care of you in the future.”

He gave a low laugh. “I don’t need a daughter.”

Ning Jia’s eyes immediately went red.

It was as if a silver thread had lowered from hell, thin and bright like moonlight. Ning Jia was afraid to break it. But when she reached out to test it, the silver thread withdrew at once.

“But I can take you in.”

Ning Jia froze, then broke into a huge smile.

“Go on.”

Ning Jia nodded and hopped out of his car.

There was still true affection in the world!

Unlike Zhou Yu yuan, who was still just a child, Shen Yicheng was an adult. Whatever he did, no one would gossip or point fingers. And Shen Yicheng was already someone who did charity work, so he probably was not that bad at heart. Even if he was, Ning Jia could endure it. Gratefully, she watched him leave.

With a great tree to lean on, Ning Jia floated lightly into the school. After reaching her seat, she wanted to check whether her card had been left in the desk drawer. When she lowered her head, she saw her transit card, or rather, the corpse of the card.

She took out the card that had been torn to shreds and also found two hundred yuan cash that had been crumpled into a ball.

Maybe the other person also thought ripping up money was cruel and too likely to trigger the law, so they spared the crisp two-hundred-yuan bill.

Ning Jia looked around. Some people were memorizing, some were whispering, and some were secretly looking at her. Ning Jia picked up the things and stood, went to find the homeroom teacher, and had the security footage checked.

Not long after, Duan Jingjing was called to the office. The homeroom teacher scolded her a few times and made her compensate Ning Jia for the transit card, and that was the end of it.

Ning Jia did not pursue the matter either, because she had reported an extra two hundred yuan for the fare, and Duan Jingjing paid her four hundred on the spot.

In the past, she had never cared how much money she had.

Now she saved every single cent. That was all she could rely on. Even if her favorite things were not paper bills, but brilliant gemstones.

On the way back, Ning Jia put the money in her jacket pocket and told her, “Don’t let there be a next time.”

Duan Jingjing rolled her eyes at her.

Like every disposable supporting character in a story, Duan Jingjing did not have the self-awareness to listen to the heroine. While Ning Jia was eating, she took out Ning Jia’s textbooks and wrote pages and pages of profanity in black marker.

Even their classmates could not stand to watch anymore. After all, even a rabbit would bite when pushed too far, and there were only a few days left until the college entrance exam. The class monitor stood up first and told Duan Jingjing to stop, saying that if she kept this up, it would affect the whole class atmosphere.

When Ning Jia came back, she saw everyone gathered around her desk. She walked over, opened her Chinese textbook, and when she turned to the pages full of murderer, the onlookers’ faces all darkened.

Ning Jia closed the book and walked calmly to Duan Jingjing’s side. “You have a problem with me, we can talk outside. Don’t affect other people here.”

The class monitor agreed. “Ning Jia, if you have something to settle, do it outside. The college entrance exam is almost here, don’t stir up conflict in class.”

Duan Jingjing slapped the table and stood up. “Who’s afraid of who?”

The girls’ restroom at school was mostly a place for trouble, and something probably was going to happen today. A few busybodies came over to watch. Duan Jingjing kicked the restroom door open, crossed her arms, turned around, and said with high-handed arrogance, “Don’t bother Zhou Yi anymore. Just what kind of person are you…”

Smack.

Ning Jia slapped her.

Duan Jingjing had not even reacted before she got another slap, which sent her crashing to the floor.

Ning Jia kicked her again and said coolly, “Zhou Yi isn’t good enough for me. He’s just right for a trashy thing like you.”

Duan Jingjing was furious and frantic. She struggled to get up, only to be kicked back down by Ning Jia.

When she was young, she had studied taekwondo. Though her body was weak, dealing with another delicate little thing like Duan Jingjing was still more than enough.

The crowd watching was stunned. After all, Ning Jia was the school’s famous good girl, the sort who could not lift a shoulder or raise a hand. The boys gathered around her were like diligent bees, volunteering to do everything Ning Jia should have had to do. No one had expected her to be able to fight.

The grade director got wind of it and came over with several female teachers, only to see Duan Jingjing sitting on the floor wailing, while Ning Jia leaned in the corner with her arms crossed, saying nothing.

When it came time to call the parents, Duan Jingjing’s mother arrived early, while everyone knew that Ning Jia had no parents.

She did not speak, and she did not shed tears. She just kept her head down. To Duan’s mother, she was a harbinger of bad luck. Especially when the teachers asked her to explain what had happened, Ning Jia still would not open her mouth. It was only Duan Jingjing crying and complaining the whole time, which made the atmosphere even stranger.

The homeroom teacher had no choice. She called in the class monitor and confirmed from the surveillance footage that Duan Jingjing had started it, but Ning Jia’s actions were far too extreme. The grade director was already thinking of expelling her.

“How about you go home and calm down for a few days? The school will keep your student record, and you can come back for the college entrance exam. How does that sound?” the grade director suggested tactfully.

Ning Jia did not speak.

The homeroom teacher said, “Ning Jia, if you don’t talk, we can’t solve the problem.”

Ning Jia leaned against the wall, head lowered and staring at her toes, just like she had been on the day Ning Guoqiang died, back at the police station. A stream of police cars entered her home, and two nurses pulled her up and placed her in an ambulance. For a very long time, she could not make a sound.

Ning Jia might have been having a stress response.

Back then, no one blamed her, and Ning Jia had no way to explain the truth to anyone. Even if the police had not listened to her statement, they could still tell what had happened from the crime scene.

He Hui had killed her husband, Ning Guoqiang, and then killed herself.

The matter caused an uproar all over Beishi. Aside from her parents, Ning Jia had no relatives at all. She even stayed in the police station for three days.

Then Ning Yu came back, took her away, arranged the funeral for Ning Guoqiang and his wife, and managed everything in perfect order.

The homeroom teacher had no choice. She opened Ning Jia’s roster and found the phone number that Ning Jia had written down when Ning Yu had spoken to her on the phone back then.

After the homeroom teacher dialed it, Ning Yu’s cool voice came through. When he heard that Ning Jia had caused trouble and fought with someone, Ning Yu only said, “Let her be.”

The whole office fell silent.

She could see everything before her turn blurry, and large tears fell to the floor one after another.

Everyone thought Ning Jia’s life was definitely ruined. Ning Jia had thought so too at that time.

*

Ning Yu ended the call. Shen Yicheng turned his head to look at him and blew out a stream of smoke. “Busy?”

“Not busy, it’s a call from the school.”

“Strange. Why would the school call you?” He reacted quickly, realizing it was about Ning Jia.

“The kid got into a fight.”

“Aren’t you going to fish her out?”

Ning Yu was a very cold person. He looked at Shen Yicheng. “Do I look very free?”

Shen Yicheng sighed and stood up. “Then the free man will go.”

Ning Yu frowned. “What are you butting in for?”

“I love butting in the most, and I also like picking up things other people don’t want.”

“Do what you want. Anyway…” Ning Yu returned to his own matter. “She isn’t anything of mine.”

Shen Yicheng pinched out his cigarette, pressed a hand to Ning Yu’s hair, and turned to leave.

*

Things were still at an impasse on this side. Ning Jia kept her head lowered. She did not sniffle, and no one could make out her expression. Time stretched endlessly until Shen Yicheng’s voice rang out.

At that moment, Ning Jia felt that he must have been a bodhisattva sent down from heaven to save all living beings. No, on this day, he had only saved one person.

“Keep her student record,” Shen Yicheng said. “Jia Jia, apologize to your classmate.”

Ning Jia wiped her tears and said hoarsely, “I’m sorry.”

“Classmate, will you forgive Jia Jia?” Shen Yicheng’s voice was gentle, but it carried a hint of coercion.

Duan Jingjing was somewhat unwilling to let it go, and she did not catch Shen Yicheng’s intent. Duan’s mother had intended to explode in anger and demand an explanation, but since the person standing there was Shen Yicheng, she did not dare ask for anything more and swallowed her anger.

“We’ll forgive her,” Duan’s mother said. “Pay the medical bills too. It was all just minor squabbling.”

“Of course.” Shen Yicheng was very straightforward. He gave Duan’s mother twenty thousand, and the transfer went through immediately.

“Then the classmate should also apologize to Jia Jia.”

Duan Jingjing was extremely unwilling, and only after Duan’s mother shoved her did she say an irritated sorry.

The homeroom teacher spoke to both sets of parents separately. When it was Ning Jia’s turn, Shen Yicheng said with a smile, “I’m her second uncle.”

Ning Jia looked up at him through tear-blurred eyes and grabbed his clothes, pressing her face close to his arm.

All was silent, and only the warm touch of his hand holding hers was especially clear.