Chapter 38：Reconciliation

For a long time, Ji Xiaonian was oblivious to her surroundings after witnessing Bai Yan and Fang Miaoling departing together.

She would have stayed there motionless and continued zoning out into the distance if her dorm mate had not called out to her. She was naïve to think that Bai Yan would offer her a ride home.

However, the harsh reality struck her with a deadly blow.

After she finished packing up the things in her dorm, she sat down in the empty room and called Lu Yifei on the phone.

She wanted to ask Lu Yifei for a lift home but the person on the other end of the phone refused. "Xiaonian, I'm not at the university at the moment because of personal matters. Try a taxi!"

When troubles come, they come not single spies but in battalions.

Disheartened, she hung up the call. Ji Xiaonian dragged the suitcase behind her and finally hailed a taxi by the gate of Ning University. She could do better than longing for Bai Yan to pick her up like an idiot. 

Perhaps, the man had long forgotten about her existence in this university.

She appeared crestfallen when she arrived home. The girl left her suitcase in the living room and headed upstairs right away to lie down. Halfway up the stairs, an extraordinarily soft and melodious voice entered her ears all of a sudden.

"You're home? I've made some desserts, Do you care for a bite?"

Ji Xiaonian froze and turned around slowly…

The sight of an extremely handsome, upbeat youth with a slender figure entered her eyes. He was wearing an exceedingly kawaii apron and greeted her with a cute smile while holding up a plate of dessert.

Ji Xiaonian turned pale with fright when she discovered the man at her house. "Why are you here at my house again?"

Oh goodness, why did his soul refuse to leave her alone?

She thought that she had successfully shaken him off at the university. Turned out, here he was again, at her house. 

What the hell did he want?

"What do you mean that I'm at your house again?"

Yu Shengjie approached with the dessert and an enchanting smile hung on his face. "Your Elder Brother said that this is my house, too. Besides, I'm here to take care of you. Don't you want me here?"

Confused, Ji Xiaonian stepped down from the stairs. "Yes, your appearance displeases me. Please leave."

She pushed him towards the door while she spoke.

Yu Shengjie resisted. He lifted the dessert in his hand and grabbed Ji Xiaonian by the arm as he explained, "Elder Brother's gone abroad and he wouldn't return for the time being. I've dismissed the housemaid so are you sure you don't want me to stay? If so, who's going to prepare your meals, do your laundry or clean the house?"

"Ji Xiaonian, I've said that I'm here to take care of you. If I'm more than happy to take up the role, why are you still unwilling to accept the fact?"

After hearing that, Ji Xiaonian retreated several steps backward and stared at him in disbelief. "My brother's out of the country?"

Could that be possible? He would not have gone abroad without notifying her, would he?

"What else do you think? If he hadn't gone abroad and left you behind all by yourself, I wouldn't have the chance to come over to look after you!"

Despite the harsh behavior the little girl directed at him, Yu Shengjie always returned the unkindness with gentle smiles.

It was as if he could never be furious at her.

Ji Xiaonian did not believe her Elder Brother would leave without letting her know. She retrieved her cell phone immediately and dialed his number.

As soon as the other person answered, she questioned hastily, "Hey, Elder Brother, where are you? Are you coming home for dinner tonight?"

Ji Chen's voice was heard from the other end. "Xiaonian, it's an urgent matter and I didn't have the time to inform you. Don't worry, Shengjie will be home with you and you can ask him for help if anything happens."

"Eh? What happened? Why did you leave so abruptly?"

"It's nothing serious, really. I'll be back soon."

For fear that his little sister would be mean to Yu Shengjie, Ji Chen exhorted once more, "Xiaonian, Shengjie's family has gone bankrupt. His father is in jail and his mother passed away not long ago due to a heart attack. He's all by himself so we should treat our guest warmly."

"It's just the two of you now that I'm not home anymore. You better not lose your temper at him."

"..."

After listening to her Elder Brother, Ji Xiaonian subconsciously shifted her attention to the person next to him.

As usual, she was greeted with a warm grin. She felt a pang of pain in her heart and her chest felt heavy suddenly.

She thought this person in front of him was wild and intractable. How could he put on a jovial pretense when his life had fallen apart? 

"Oh, okay, got it. Take care of yourself, Elder Brother, I'll hang up now."

"Alright."

By the time she turned around and came face-to-face to the grinning man, the anger and unpleasantness in her heart dispersed.

She had also experienced the pain of losing her parents, hence she understood that kind of agony that was difficult to express in words. 

This was why she could not bring herself to be angry at Yu Shengjie again.

He was still grinning from ear to ear, then showed her the beautifully made dessert once more. "I remember that you love eating desserts when you were younger so I learned to make some. Here, try it and tell me if it's up to your standards."

Ji Xiaonian lowered her head to check out the exquisitely made dessert on the plate. She was reminded about the misfortunes met by Yu Shengjie's family and decided she would not be crossed with him again. 

She received the plate of dessert and questioned the man, "Why did you dismiss my housemaid?" She deliberately avoided talking about his family's unfortunate events. 

Yu Shengjie replied with a beam, "How could you keep her around to serve you when, at her age, she should be enjoying a delightful life at home? Don't worry, I know how to do the laundry, cook, and even clean. Starting from today, I'll take care of all the chores in the house and promise my presence will not bring you any inconvenience."

He was slightly confused because he felt the little girl's attitude towards him had changed. 

Did Ji Chen say something during the phone call earlier?

Without saying anything else, Ji Xiaonian scooped a huge spoonful of dessert and shoved it into her mouth. She pursed her lips in satisfaction as the food was to her taste.

"How is it? Is it nice?" Yu Shengjie looked at her with expectant eyes.

Savoring the sweetness that dissolved in her mouth, Ji Xiaonian nodded in excitement. "Yes, it's really delicious. Did you actually make it yourself?"

"Of course."

"I like it. Will you make more for me tomorrow?"

"No problem." 

Elder Brother was right. They should take good care of him since he had reached out.

It was just like that time her Elder Brother brought her over to Australia for a holiday when they were little. 

Ji Xiaonian devoured the dessert in one go. Finally satisfied, she laid down on the couch and started reading.

Yu Shengjie prepared a plate full of fruits and brought it over to her. "Help yourself to some fruits. Besides, I suggest you go for a little walk if you don't want to gain weight."

Ji Xiaonian rose to her feet abruptly once she heard the mention of weight gain. "I want to maintain my slender figure. Let's go out for a stroll."