The next morning, sunlight spilled into the room through a gap in the curtains. Lu Xiaoxiao had only just woken up and was still hugging her quilt, reluctant to get out of bed, when the phone beside her pillow rang.
She fumbled for it and saw "Ji Yunhuai" flashing on the screen.
Lu Xiaoxiao answered. Before she could speak, Ji Yunhuai's voice came through, tinged with a lazy smile. There seemed to be faint traffic noise in the background, as though he was on the road.
"Just woke up?" he asked, amusement in his voice.
"Mm-hmm, just woke up." Lu Xiaoxiao gave a little yawn, her voice still slightly husky from sleep. "Are you out? Are you coming back today?"
"Yes, I'm on my way to the airport now," Ji Yunhuai replied. "I'll be back this afternoon. Just letting you know, Gu Sipei arranged dinner for tonight. Seven o'clock at Cloud Summit."
Lu Xiaoxiao blinked, taking a second to remember what he meant.
Oh, right. This was Gu Sipei's apology dinner for forcibly "inviting" her over for a "chat." So much had happened over the past couple of days that she'd almost forgotten.
Ji Yunhuai had mentioned it to her back in Seacity, and the two of them had wondered what Gu Sipei was really up to.
But who cared? A free meal was a free meal. Why pass it up?
"Sure, got it." Lu Xiaoxiao agreed readily, then her tone turned eager, brimming with mischievous excitement. "I'd better get properly prepared! I'll put on makeup that screams 'don't mess with me' and look down my nose at him the entire time! Let him really show how sincere his apology is!"
Her eagerness seemed to amuse Ji Yunhuai. He gave a low chuckle, his voice indulgent. "Whatever makes you happy.