Just What I Had in Mind

Li Zhaoxi bundled all three recordings and sent them to Yan Wen. [These recordings should be enough, right? Do you want me to get a few more?]

Yan Wen was munching on a chicken wing when the message arrived. He replied, [Three are enough. Just leave the rest to me.]

[Thank you. I really don't know how to thank you.]

[Don't mention it. If you really feel bad, buy me some crayfish later as a thank-you.]

Tang Yun leaned over curiously. "Who is it?"

"No one special. A senior I know. She asked me for help."

"Who is she?"

"Li Zhaoxi."

Gao Yuyang spat out a bone. "I know her. She's in Class Thirteen. It's strange, actually. Her grades are excellent, and she gets a scholarship every year, but when her advisor offered to transfer her to the Top Three Classes, she refused."

Yan Wen asked curiously, "How do you know that?"

Gao Yuyang rubbed his nose and smiled. "Actually, I knew her long before she returned to the Tao Family. My school once organized a trip to the countryside to sketch, and we went to the village where she lived. I even ate at her house."

"Whoa! So you know all about her situation?"

"Yeah, but we lost touch after she returned to the Tao Family. I only found out a couple of days ago that she goes to this school too. She's graduating soon, right?"

Tang Yun nodded. "In the second half of this year."

Yan Wen suddenly lowered his voice conspiratorially. "How about I take you guys to watch some drama soon? It's going to be juicy."

"I'm in, I'm in! I can skip a meal, but I can't miss juicy drama."

"Me too!"

"Then it's settled. I'll take you guys when the time comes."

"When?"

"The date hasn't been set yet."

Hospital room

Tao Niannian lay pale-faced in a hospital bed, dressed in a hospital gown. Her mother sat beside her, her eyes red with distress.

Tao Jingcheng's brow was tightly furrowed. "Li Zhaoxi went too far this time! Thank goodness Niannian is all right, or I'd kill her!"

Tao Niannian coughed twice. "Jingcheng, she's your biological sister, no matter what. Don't say that. She'd be hurt if she heard you."

"You're the only sister I recognize. Who the hell does Li Zhaoxi think she is?"

Pretending to be in great discomfort, Tao Niannian rested her head against her mother's stomach, hiding her face from everyone else. Then she smiled.

Tao Jingxing said, "At Niannian's birthday banquet next month, we'll make Li Zhaoxi apologize to her in front of everyone."

After the end-of-month break ended and another week of classes passed, the weekend finally arrived. Although they couldn't leave campus, it had everything they needed, and the two days would pass in the blink of an eye.

The sunshine was pleasant that day, so Yan Wen invited Tang Yun and Gao Yuyang to go running on the track.

Yan Wen had just finished two laps and stopped for a drink of water when Xie Yunshu called.

"Xiao Wen, are you busy?"

"No, Mom. What's up?"

"The Tao Family is holding a birthday banquet next month, and they sent us an invitation. I thought you might need it, so I called to ask."

Yan Wen said excitedly, "Yes! I really need it! Mom, you're the best!"

Xie Yunshu could barely contain the excitement in her voice. "Then I'll accept the invitation. Oh my, we're going to get quite a show!"

Yan Wen messaged Li Zhaoxi to ask about it. She replied, [It's Tao Niannian's birthday banquet. They can't remember their biological daughter's birthday, but they throw a banquet for their adopted daughter every year.]

Yan Wen suggested, [Why don't you hold your Family Severance Banquet that day too?]

[Just what I had in mind.]

Yan Wen then contacted Xie Yunshu and asked her to help arrange the Family Severance Banquet, with the venue set right next door to the Tao Family's birthday banquet.

Xie Yunshu said, "That poor girl. She finally returned to her biological parents, only to suffer through something like this. I hope she can escape all this misery without a hitch. If you need my help with anything, just ask, all right?"

"I will, Mom. She asked me to thank you for her. She'd like to treat you to a meal once it's over."

"I've hardly done anything. It's no trouble at all. I'll go talk to your dad about this."

"Okay."

Tang Yun ran over and clapped Yan Wen on the shoulder. "Oh my god, I'm exhausted! Was a ghost chasing you or something? Why were you running so fast?"

Yan Wen smiled sheepishly. "It's been so long since I last ran. I got a little excited."

Gao Yuyang followed close behind and stopped beside them. "The last time I ran was in high school, when I did the three-thousand-meter race at sports day. Running out of nowhere like this is... is really a bit much."

Yan Wen laughed. "Then you two need more exercise. You're already panting like this after only two laps."

"That's because I was trying to catch up with you! You were running so fast, anyone who didn't know better would've thought you were going for gold."

"Then I'll run slower next time."

Gao Yuyang asked curiously, "Yan Wen, you don't look like someone who exercises regularly. How is your stamina so good? What exactly do you train in?"

Yan Wen put one hand behind his back and turned his other wrist, palm up, in an inviting gesture. "How about eight years of martial arts?"

The two wore matching looks of shock. "Holy crap!"

After finishing their workout, the three went to a drink shop for milk tea.

Tang Yun took a sip of his milk tea and leaned back in his chair, looking content. "Now I finally understand why girls like having a glass of iced juice after exercising. This is bliss."

Yan Wen stirred his straw, making the ice cubes clink softly against one another. "If I finish the juice before the ice melts, then once it turns into water, wouldn't I get a free glass of ice water?"

Tang Yun gave him a thumbs-up. "You're the clever one. Who else would've thought of that?"

Gao Yuyang suddenly made a couple of noises to catch their attention, then said quietly, "Isn't that Mu Huai'an?"

Tang Yun looked over, then turned back. "It is. A Yan, Mu Huai'an hasn't been causing you trouble lately, has he?"

Yan Wen looked at him as though he were an idiot. "Aren't you with me every day? Wouldn't you know if he came to cause trouble?"

"Oh, right. Mu Huai'an's been pretty well-behaved lately. Looks like he's learned his lesson."

Yan Wen looked toward Mu Huai'an, the corners of his mouth lifting. "Not necessarily."

"By the way, the Tao Family is holding a birthday banquet next month. My mom got an invitation. Do you guys want to come along and join the fun?"

Tang Yun nodded. "If you're going, of course I'm going too."

Gao Yuyang thought for a moment. "She should be there that day too, right? It'll be a good chance to see her. It's been so long, I wonder if she still remembers me. During that month we spent sketching in the countryside, I went to her house to freeload meals every day."

After saying that, Gao Yuyang laughed sheepishly.

Yan Wen asked, "Yuyang, your family is choosing a new heir now, right? My dad said that, given your family's current situation, you're the best candidate."

Gao Yuyang nodded and sighed. "Being an heir sounds like such a hassle. I don't want it at all. I just want to be a carefree rich kid whose only worry when he opens his eyes each morning is where to go have fun tomorrow. I don't want to think about anything else."

Yan Wen raised an eyebrow. "That's quite an ambitious goal. So far, no one's managed to do nothing but have fun from the moment they open their eyes."