Ning Jia stared at Bo Wen in shock. She had never imagined her brother would speak to her in that tone, and a mist of tears immediately welled up in her eyes.
Bo Wen struggled to soften his voice. "Go on, Jiajia. Be good." Then his speech abruptly quickened. "The bookcase at the very back of the library. Bottom shelf, first gray-brown notebook on the left. Hurry!"
Hearing the urgency in her brother's voice, Ning Jia bit her lip and fought back her tears. She murmured her assent, then dashed out of the bedroom. She understood what mattered most. Unless it was something terribly important, her brother would never have forced her like this. In all her years growing up, he had never forced her to do anything.
"Jiajia, why aren't you asleep at this hour?" The sound of the door opening woke Ning Jia's mother, and she called out.
"My brother wants me to find something for him." Leaving those words behind, Ning Jia ran out without looking back. Her mother's complaints followed her. "Honestly, that Bo Wen! Making Jiajia look for something so late at night. I'll give him a talking-to when he comes home."
A long corridor led to the library. It was silent and deserted at this hour, one of the most tightly guarded places in the Dongxing Ning Family's estate. Security was strict outside but relaxed within, where not a soul could be seen. Hurried footsteps broke the silence as Ning Jia ran along, holding up her nightdress without the slightest regard for decorum.
Her delicate brows drew together, anxiety written all over her face. Her earlier hurt had already taken wing and vanished; now she worried only about her brother. She knew exactly what sort of person he was. Normally, he would not flinch