Chapter 8: Subst.i.tution (5)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Time could always soothe the pain in one’s heart. In the blink of an eye, another month pa.s.sed.
With Fang Mu’s company and guidance, Second Miss Qiao gradually accepted the fact that her ‘elder sister’ had pa.s.sed away. She slowly recovered from the grief of losing her family.
That evening, Fang Mu sent her a message.
[Get ready. We’re going out for dinner tonight.]
This surprised Qiao Jiuyin. Is this a date?
Seeing that it was already five o’clock, Qiao Jiuyin hurriedly went upstairs to her room and took a shower. After changing her clothes, she looked forward to the date.
Fang Mu parked the car in front of his house. Leaning against the front of the car, he smoked a cigarette and kicked the small stones on the ground. Then, the iron gate in the courtyard creaked. Fang Mu looked up and saw a beautiful orange scene.
In the past month or so, Qiao Jiuyin would always dress very plainly. Since he was seeing her properly dress up after a long time, Fang Mu’s eyes lit up.
Qiao Jiuyin had worn a white long-sleeved s.h.i.+rt paired with an orange maxi skirt. The weather was still a little cold, so she had put a light blue thin windbreaker on her shoulders. It was a simple outfit, but it seemed Qiao Jiuyin was wearing a luxury brand.
The Qiao sisters’ beauty was dazzling and eye-catching. Whenever they walked on the streets, both men and women would sneak a few glances at them.
Qiao Jiuyin was satisfied when she saw the infatuation that flashed past Fang Mu’s eyes.
It seemed that she had dressed correctly.
Unlike Qiao Jiusheng, who liked to wear bright clothes, Qiao Jiuyin preferred plain clothes. However, she always remembered that she was ‘Qiao Jiusheng’ now, so she naturally would not screw up on her clothes.
Fang Mu opened the car door for her, and Qiao Jiuyin sat in the pa.s.senger seat. Her lips curled into a faint smile. “Where are we going?”
Putting down the cigarette, Fang Mu drove the car out of the Fang residence.
“Just wandering around,” he said.
Qiao Jiuyin nodded and did not ask further.
She glanced at her seat, and her thoughts drifted away. She had sat in Fang Mu’s car before because of her sister. However, at that time, the pa.s.senger seat beside Fang Mu belonged to Xiao Sheng. As for Qiao Jiuyin, she would always sit in the back row. She could only try to reduce her presence and silently watch Fang Mu and Qiao Jiusheng flirt.
The car stopped at the fountain square in front of Binjiang University.
Qiao Jiuyin looked at the familiar square in front of her and cast her puzzled gaze at Fang Mu. “Brother Mu, here…”
“Remember?” he said. “This is where we first met.”
When Qiao Jiusheng went to university, she was 17 years old, and Fang Mu was already a fourth-year student. He had always been an influential figure in the university; he had even entered his company for an interns.h.i.+p in the second semester of his third year. On the first day of the new term of the university, he was invited back to give a speech for the new students.
This was the first time Fang Mu had met Qiao Jiusheng. At that time, she had been beating someone up.
Qiao Jiusheng was a bold and arrogant girl. She had b.u.mped into a sc.u.mbag who was cheating on his girlfriend. Moreover, this sc.u.mbag had knocked up his girlfriend but refused to acknowledge the child as his own. He even slandered her for being indecent. Qiao Jiusheng had witnessed the argument between the two of them, and she understood the sc.u.mbag nature of the man. Without thinking, she had jumped and kicked the sc.u.mbag’s face.
Can you imagine the scene of a beautiful 17-year-old girl kicking a jerk?
Fang Mu did not know what others thought when they saw that scene, but he was really attracted to Qiao Jiusheng.
This girl was really unyielding.
As he recalled the first time they met, Fang Mu’s usually cold face turned soft again.
Qiao Jiuyin was the best at reading people’s expressions. When she saw that Fang Mu was immersed in his memories, she quickly said, “Of course I do.” Qiao Jiusheng had never kept any secrets from her sister. Qiao Jiuyin knew almost everything about her sister’s relations.h.i.+p with Fang Mu.
Looking in the direction of the fountain, Qiao Jiuyin said, “You were looking at me from afar and even frowned at me. I thought you were judging me, so I scolded you.”
She then smiled and asked Fang Mu, “Do you still remember what I said to you?”
Fang Mu chuckled. After laughing, he calmly said, “Where are you looking at, you sn.o.b?” This was the first sentence Qiao Jiusheng had said to Fang Mu. And the first thing Fang Mu said to Qiao Jiusheng was—
“Next time you kick someone, remember not to wear a dress.”
Upon hearing that, Qiao Jiusheng had momentarily frozen, then scolded Fang Mu.
Qiao Jiuyin smiled along with Fang Mu, and her gaze never left his face. Fang Mu looked especially good when he smiled. Qiao Jiuyin greedily gazed at his smiling face, unwilling to look away.
It was always like this. Fang Mu usually did not show much expression on his face, but whenever he faced Xiao Sheng, he was always generous with his gentleness and smile. Qiao Jiuyin’s chest felt a little stuffy. Will he smile at me like this one day?
Not for Qiao Jiusheng, but for me.
The two of them walked around Binjiang University. Fang Mu then carried Qiao Jiuyin to a villa that she had never been to before. Once they entered the house, Fang Mu put on an ap.r.o.n and personally went into the kitchen to make two servings of Wellington steak.
He did not allow Qiao Jiuyin to help, so she could only lean against the kitchen door and watch him do the work.
Qiao Jiuyin was surprised that a child born in a family like Fang Mu’s knew how to cook. Before today, Fang Mu had never cooked a meal for Qiao Jiusheng. Finally, he had done something only for Qiao Jiuyin.
Qiao Jiuyin looked at Fang Mu’s tall figure in a daze.
“Done.”
After bringing the steak to the table, Fang Mu washed some fruits and placed them on the table. He even lit two candles.
Qiao Jiuyin stared at the two candles in a daze. An unbelievable thought quietly spread in her heart.
There was no romantic conversation while she ate with Fang Mu, but Qiao Jiuyin felt happy.
Fang Mu ate very quickly, but the way he chewed the food gave people the impression that he was very well-mannered. He waited until Qiao Jiuyin was full before putting down the knife and the fork in his hand. Then, Fang Mu took out a velvet box that he had prepared beforehand.
Qiao Jiuyin’s eyes narrowed as she stared at the velvet box. Her breathing quickened a little.
“Xiao Sheng.” Fang Mu placed the box in front of Qiao Jiuyin’s finger. He stared at Qiao Jiuyin’s face for a long time. Seeing her nervousness, he tried to soften her gaze. “We’ve known each other for six years. I promised that we would get married once you graduated from university.”
The word ‘married’ made Qiao Jiuyin’s breathing even more uncontrollable.
She could hear her heart beating faster and faster as if it were about to jump out of her chest. The scene that she had been antic.i.p.ating for a long time had finally played out before her eyes. How could Qiao Jiuyin not be excited? Her eyes became a little hot, and the flames of the candle flickered before her eyes. In Fang Mu’s eyes, she was even more moving than the candlelight.
“Xiao Sheng, Ah Yin has left. I’ll accompany you in the future. Give me a chance to be your husband.” As he opened the box, a sapphire blue gemstone ring brightly shone.
Fang Mu picked up the ring and raised it in front of Qiao Jiuyin. When he spoke again, his voice became a little hoa.r.s.e. “Xiao Sheng, will you marry me.”
The teary-eyed Qiao Jiuyin slowly nodded.
“I will.”
The sapphire blue color was Qiao Jiusheng’s favorite color.
As she put on the gemstone ring, Qiao Jiuyin’s smile was both happy and melancholic.