Give up already

Li Lanni's eyes narrowed.

Again?!?! 

A chill ran down her back. Just who was this person? Wasn't he tired of messing with her yet?

If this was some sort of prank, It was not funny at all! 

The worst part was that the messages would always disappear soon after she read them.

She tossed her phone aside and closed her eyes. Whatever, stalker! Stalk all you want. I'm not afraid of you! Really, I'm not.

Not long after, Li Yuming came into her room. She skimmed her all over. "Honey, are you alright? Luckily you took the subway. I don't know what I would have done if anything really happened to you!" 

Li Yuming looked worried, her hands were still trembling. 

Li Lanni sat up in confusion. "What happened?" 

"Those bastards! I have treated them very well for many years. How dare they collude with someone to hurt you? If that lad from the Ji family didn't warn me, I would never have known."

Li Lanni was shocked. So there was really something wrong with that bodyguard! Luckily she had followed Cheng Yu. She didn't want to ask what had happened to the bodyguard in the end.

"Wait, wait... how is this related to that pervert?!" 

Li Yuming held her daughter's hands and had a meaningful glance. "Will you stop calling him a pervert already? He has already proved that not only does he not want to harm you, he wants to protect you too. Right. I called him back for dinner. Freshen up and come down, okay?" 

Li Lanni was still lost in thought. Cheng Yu found out that something was wrong and so did Ji Xiehan. Heh, Ji Feifei wasn't so careful this time, was she? 

But after thinking about it, Li Lanni didn't find it too surprising. He was Ji Feifei's brother after all. She just couldn't understand why the hell Ji Feifei's brother would go against her. Weren't they brother and sister and hence supportive of each other? 

Or could he be using this incident to gain her and her mother's trust? 

Thinking about it, such a thing was possible.

In real sense, Ji Xiehan only found out what was happening because he had asked Qiao Luna to report Ji Feifei's every move. 

Between warning Li Lanni who was wary of him  to the point of hatred and Li Yuming who liked and trusted him, surely even an idiot would know what to do. 

...

At the dining table, Ji Xiehan sat opposite Li Yuming. 

"Xiao Han, how is your mother? Is she doing alright?" Li Yuming asked to strike up a conversation. 

"She's alright." 

"That's good, that's good... I heard bits about what happened to Feifei. That girl, you must not misunderstand her. I have watched Feifei grow up and I know she's not that kind of person. As her brother, you should help her bring the truth to light." 

Ji Xiehan nodded but remained silent. 'My dear aunty, I'm afraid the truth is right before you.' He thought. 

Li Yuming saw that Ji Xiehan wasn't very happy so she stopped talking after some little questions. 

Amid their chatter, soft footsteps resounded as Li Lanni walked in. 

She walked over and sat beside her mother, only distantly greeting the man on the other side. 

Li Yuming sighed. Her daughter was still too paranoid. 

Unbeknownst to the two of them, Li Lanni was currently making another connection in her mind. 

She had not realized this before but every time that weird stalker sent a message or letter, she would meet Ji Xiehan!

Her gaze narrowed as she observed the man opposite her. Could he be related to that stalker? 

Or perhaps he was the stalker himself? 

Wait. He was the young master of the Ji Family. He shouldn't stoop that low, right? 

But then again, he was a pervert. That was definitely one of the things perverts were capable of doing. 

Ji Xiehan felt uncomfortable under the girl's piercing gaze. What had she misunderstood this time? 

Damn it. It was hard enough to simply have a meal with one's future mother-in-law! 

___

Finally, it was the day of the art competition. Li Lanni's mouth twitched when she saw the new notice in the art class forum. The rules for that damned competition had actually changed. 

All the previous years, the judges would decide on the winner at the end of the competition. 

This year, however, the organizers had added new rules. 

At the end of the competition, the students from all the participating schools would be allowed to vote for three hours. 

Not only that, the paintings would be submitted anonymously. This way, the students would vote for the painting they genuinely liked. 

"Why are you still here? We will be late if we don't go to Hall of Legends right away." 

Li Lanni turned back to see an extremely anxious and nervous Cheng Yu. Her 'special' hairstyle was still on, maybe the palm print on her face was yet to fade. 

"You..."

"Talk later! Let's go!" She practically dragged Li Lanni away. 

After being persuaded by Cheng Yu for days, she had decided to join the contest for fun. 

However, her arrival was not a laughing matter to other students. 

"What did you say?! Li Lanni is here too?!!" 

"Perhaps you're mistaken?" 

They looked like they had just lost their souls.

"I really wish I was but absolutely not!" The short haired girl was on the verge of tears. 

"Urgh... I was just starting to hope that I'd win." A disappointed lad complained. 

Ah Chen found them comical. "Forget it already. You should have aimed for second place from the start. What makes any of you think you would beat Li Yuming's daughter in painting? Even those punks from Hun He Art School can't achieve such a feat, okay?" 

This is the first thing Li Lanni heard when she arrived with Cheng Yu. 

She had an interesting expression. "Senior Ah Chen, what do you mean by that? What's my mother got to do with this?" 

Everyone looked at Li Lanni like she was an idiot. 

Ah Chen coughed to explain. "Isn't it obvious? You're the legend's daughter. Of course you're a legend." 

Li Lanni laughed at their exaggerated attitude. "Don't exaggerate." 

Ah Chen's expression changed. He instantly transformed into a love-struck fool. "Eh? Goddess, I was lost in thought just now and didn't realize it's you! Do you think we could..." 

Li Lanni shot him a disdainful glare. "Ah Chen, not now."