Chapter 81.2: Were You Playing Me All This Time? (2)

Bai Zhou shot a glance at Li Xiaoxing before turning back to ask Ji Fanyin, “Did he treat you as a stand-in as well?”

Ji Fanyin didn’t answer that question.

Bai Zhou clenched his jaws hard before finally asking the more important question weighing down his heart, “Everything you’ve told me during your time as a stand-in, were they all lies?”

“Everything you wanted to hear from me was a lie,” replied Ji Fanyin.

“When I confessed…”

“The person you confessed to doesn’t exist.”

“… Do you hate me?”

“There’s no reason for me to.”

“What about our promise to watch the sunrise in Greece together every year?”

Ji Fanyin laughed. “That was a lie.”

“…”

With that, Ji Fanyin finally turned away and began making her way toward Li Xiaoxing. A few steps later, she suddenly turned around as if she had just recalled something. “Right. I ought to tell you, my birthday isn’t on the same day as Ji Xinxin’s.”

Those words stirred Bai Zhou’s memories of their time in Greece, and his eyes slowly widened in horror. 

…

Upon reaching Li Xiaoxing’s side, Ji Fanyin couldn’t resist the temptation to direct another glance toward Bai Zhou. 

The little fool had crouched onto the ground and buried his face into his arms. His shoulders were trembling ever so slightly. It seemed like he was crying. 

This should be a satisfactory outcome for Mrs. Bai.

Li Xiaoxing called out, “Ji Fanyin…”

“Give me a second. I have a phone call to make,” said Ji Fanyin with an apologetic smile. She whipped out her phone and dialed Mrs. Bai’s number.

Secretary Fan glanced at his boss’ displeased expression and quickly interjected, “Miss Ji, would you mind us moving to a more private location while you make your call?”

Ji Fanyin nodded.

Secretary Fan began leading the way. He seemed to have already familiarized himself with the hotel’s floor plan. 

Not a single word was spoken between them along the way, but Ji Fanyin could sense Li Xiaoxing’s intense gaze lingering on her. 

Ji Fanyin simply ignored Li Xiaoxing and patiently waited for Mrs. Bai to pick up the call. When the call finally connected, she concisely reported the situation to her. 

Overall, it was a job well done. 

Bai Zhou first learned that his first love had impersonated someone else to marry another man before being dumped a moment later. The double blow he suffered today would teach him to be warier when dealing with women in the future. 

This was exactly what Mrs. Bai asked for.

Mrs. Bai patiently listened to Ji Fanyin’s report before replying with an ambiguous tone that made it hard to tell whether she was satisfied with the outcome. “Good job, but I’ll have to ask you to continue your work for a while longer.”

Ji Fanyin caught the drift right away and asked euphemistically, “Are things on your side not resolved yet?”

“Soon,” replied Mrs. Bai ambiguously. “I’ll be troubling you to take care of Bai Zhou for a while longer. I’ll remunerate you accordingly.”

Ji Fanyin took a moment to consider Mrs.Bai's proposal before replying, “Alright. I’ll wait for your instructions.”

Considering that it was a rare request from a generous client, she didn’t mind taking on the additional trouble. It wasn’t a big deal for her to continue taking care of Bai Zhou on Mrs. Bai’s behalf anyway.

“One more thing.” Mrs. Bai paused for a brief moment before continuing, “How is he now?”

“Depressed,” Ji Fanyin answered honestly. “It’s my first time seeing him cry.”

There were two seconds of silence before Mrs. Bai remarked, “… Is that so?”

She hung up the phone right after.

That was all she could say whenever they approached a sensitive topic relating to Bai Zhou. It was as if she knew of no other way to express her feelings.