Pampered by My Ex's Cousin

Chapter 457 - 449 Transformation (Part 12)

Having stepped out of the apartment door, Ji Chicheng turned around, pointing his finger at Qi Helian, who was following him, and warned, "Qi Helian, don’t follow me."

"Then..." Qi Helian glanced at Ji Anning walking ahead of him, hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "Okay, I won’t follow you. Just be careful on your own."

Ji Chicheng paid no attention to Qi Helian’s words and walked into the cold wind along a twisted path.

Qi Helian, uneasy, stood still, frowning as he watched Ji Anning’s petite, indifferent figure, memories flooding back like a fine vintage wine.

The more you savor it, the richer it tastes.

The more you think, the clearer it becomes.

Only when Ji Anning’s figure had disappeared did he sigh deeply and helplessly, "Little girl, you are clearly so stubborn, so persistent..."

...

It was just after the Lunar New Year, and the night temperature was still below zero.

Ji Anning was wearing a dress meant for socializing, her legs thinly clad in stockings against the cold. She hugged her arms tightly around her shivering body.

The footsteps of a man, sometimes light, sometimes heavy, trailed behind her.

Clearly unsteady, with every heavy step, her heart would skip a beat, worried that he might have fallen.

She wanted to walk faster, but her feet uncontrollably followed the man behind her.

She also had to endure the agony of not turning back; every second was torture, and whenever she wanted to cry, she held her breath.

Finally, she reached the main gate of the complex, pressed the buzzer, pulled open the heavy electronic door, and walked out.

A gust of cold wind blew her way; she closed her eyes, released the hand that had opened the door, and let the electronic door close automatically. She and he were finally separated by a door.

Quickening her pace, she walked briskly to the roadside, flagged down a taxi, opened the door, and quickly got in and shut the door.

Turning back, she saw the stumbling figure of the man emerging from the complex.

She couldn’t look; he was your uncle’s husband; you shouldn’t look...

"Driver, let’s go."

Having hailed the taxi driver, Ji Anning could no longer control herself and covered her mouth as tears streamed down freely.

"Ha... "

Watching the taxi disappear from his sight, Ji Chicheng looked up at the sky and laughed foolishly, his steps faltering as he leaned back against the gate of the courtyard.

A pair of hands held the iron bars of the gate.

The thin shirt on his body provided no protection against the cold.

Yet, as the cold wind blew in gusts, chilling to the bone, he still didn’t want to wake up, didn’t want to admit that she... really didn’t love him.

...

Unable to sleep at night, unable to wake during the day, that had been Ji Anning’s state for the past few days.

Not knowing what time it was, just knowing she was still very sleepy. She didn’t want to open her eyes, but the damn ringing phone wouldn’t let her be.

She reached for her phone on the bedside table, answered it, and lazily said, "Hello?"

"Anning, is it true?"

It was Jin Yuanyuan’s voice, her tone of surprise tinged with a hint of excitement.

Ji Anning frowned impatiently, "What is it?"

"You and Qi Helian, are you really together?"

Her and Qi Helian? Together?

Ji Anning became slightly more alert, rubbing her sleepy eyes, and asked Jin Yuanyuan puzzledly, "Why would you ask if I’m with Qi Helian?"

If not for her uncle’s husband, she and Qi Helian wouldn’t even be connected at all, okay?

"What time is it and you’re still in bed? You and Qi Helian are all over today’s entertainment news headlines, saying you two are together. You’ve done a pretty good job keeping it a secret from me, saying Qi Helian is just close to your Ji family."