Call This Number From Now On

Lili.

Everyone was stunned into silence upon hearing that.

Both Su Yuan and Ye Ci turned to look at Ning Li subconsciously.

Lu Huaiyu had such an endearing nickname for her after seeing her twice?

It was as if they had known each other for a long time. 

Ning Li seemed slightly surprised as well.

What was Lu Huaiyu...

"I happened to pass by Yunzhou Second Senior High School and gave her a lift. It's not really safe for a young girl like her to walk home alone at this time of the night."

His tone was distant when speaking to Su Yuan, not unlike his usual elegant indifference.

It was completely different from the casual, friendly tone he spoke with when he first answered the phone.

Su Yuan felt perspiration forming on the hand that was holding the phone.

She was certainly a senior to Lu Huaiyu who was only 21 this year. However, for some reason, she could not help feeling like an invisible weight was on her shoulders when she spoke to this man.

An awkward burst of laughter escaped her lips.

"I see, Second Master Lu. Hearing that she was with you earlier gives me some reassurance. This child has only moved to this place a few days ago. She didn't inform us that she was coming home late and that's why we were—"

"She's new to this place yet Madam Ye isn't concerned about letting her walk home alone. The Ye family must be so busy lately that you can't even give her a ride."

Lu Huaiyu simply said.

A flurry of emotions chased across Su Yuan's features.

Indeed, she had to be more thoughtful since it was only Ning Li's first day at school. Well, she had sent the driver over to pick up Ye Ci.

Besides, the girl proposed to go home alone. How could this be their fault?

It sounded as if Lu Huaiyu was blaming them for being bad parents.

"Second Master Lu, there was a miscommunication today. Most importantly, it's because Lil Ci…" Su Yuan lifted her eyes to look at Ning Li and quickly frowned. "I'll send someone over to pick her up at the right time starting tomorrow. Anyway, sorry to have troubled you today, Second Master Lu."

Frankly, she was not bold enough to challenge Lu Huaiyu.

The man smiled.

"It's no trouble at all."

Ning Li took her phone and thanked the man before ending the call.

She threw a nonchalant glance at Su Yuan.

"Do you have other questions? If you don't, I'll head upstairs."

Su Yuan felt a tightening feeling in the chest.

She came to realize that Ning Li did not respect her as a mother at all. It appeared the girl had taken on the mission to go against her in everything.

Evidently, the girl was not actually asking for her permission. She left the living room before waiting for Su Yuan to answer.

Upstairs, Ning Li was walking past Ye Ci.

Suddenly, the former paused in her tracks and said flatly without looking back.

"Remember to get the full picture in the future. It can save you from embarrassment."

All color was drained from Ye Ci's face.

By then, Ning Li had already returned to her room.

Su Yuan was enraged.

"Where did she get that poor temper from?!"

Ye Ci remained silent as she stared at the closed door. Emotions washed over her like waves.

Perhaps it was just her imagination, but it seemed like Lu Huaiyu… was protective over this elder sister of hers who had appeared out of nowhere.

…

After entering her bedroom, Ning Li had just sat down when her phone vibrated.

Out of her expectation, Lu Huaiyu was calling.

After a brief moment of hesitation, she picked up the call.

"Second Master Lu, how can I help?"

The man looked out of the car window.

The streetlights illuminated his eyes, revealing their mysterious intention.

He curled his thin lips into a smile.

"Nothing much. I just forgot to ask you something earlier."

"What is it?"

Ning Li was baffled. She thought everything had been sorted.

The man chuckled softly.

It sounded as if he had laughed right next to her ear. She could not help rubbing her ear to relieve the ticklish sensation.

Then, she heard him asking casually. 

"How did you get my phone number?"

…

Ning Li froze in her movements. A heavy silence fell upon the room.

She did not answer right away. Lu Huaiyu waited patiently on the other end of the phone.

The rhythm of their breathing was the only noise that entered the speaker.

This was the first time she experienced unease after being reborn.

How could she have forgotten this?!

Lu Huaiyu gave her this phone number in her past life.

It completely slipped her mind when she naturally phoned him earlier.

What should she reply?!

The man was admiring the scenery outside the window.

It was not difficult for him to imagine the embarrassment on her face right now.

Silently, his lips formed a smile as his brows softened.

"Alright, from now on, remember to call this number first if you need anything."

She seemed a little distracted.

It was not the first time she had heard him say this.

The only difference was she thought he was just being polite the last time. That was why she had only called the number once until the day she died.

However, given what happened today, it seemed that… Lu Huaiyu was being serious?

He had surely helped her many times.

Even if they were just acquaintances.

Ning Li felt she should not always trouble the man, especially after she had received so much assistance from him before.

Nonetheless, she had to reply to the man.

"Okay."

…

Satisfied, Lu Huaiyu put his phone away. 

He turned over his head to meet Cheng Xiyue's curious gaze.

He raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

Cheng Xiyue raised his chin slightly.

"So? How did she get your phone number?"

He had been eavesdropping but still could not figure that part out.

Lu Huaiyu stretched his long legs, raised his eyebrows, and smiled.

"I gave it to her, of course."

"..."

Cheng Xiyue was speechless.

'So why did you ask her then?!

'How did I not realize this man is so annoying before?'

He considered this briefly.

"Hang on, I was there both times you met this Ning Li girl. How could I not have noticed when you gave out your number?"

Not to mention that Lu Huaiyu had given out his private number.

The man could not be bothered to reply.

Cheng Xiyue noticed the joy in his friend's eyes and silently felt bad for all the socialites and young ladies in the capital.

Upon thinking that Lu Huaiyu had gone to Xiaosong Hill with him today, he loosened his tie.

"Old Master Lu gave me an order. No matter what happens, I'm to bring you to Doctor Gu when he arrives at Yunzhou tomorrow."

Lu Huaiyu had refused the last time, but Old Master Lu was equally stubborn too. The latter had insisted the doctor come over and instructed Cheng Xiyue to bring his grandson over no matter what.

Cheng Xiyue did not think to take this seriously, but he became extremely concerned after what happened with Lu Huaiyu today.

If his condition continued to worsen…

Lu Huaiyu closed his eyes. His slender finger tapped on the black hair tie around his wrist. 

A faint fragrance filled his nostrils.

"No one knows my health better than I do."

Besides, he had already found the cure.

…

Ning Li dreamed again tonight, thanks to the last phone call with Lu Huaiyu.

In her dreams, countless fragments of memories came flooding her mind without making much sense.

When she woke up the next morning, she plopped herself on the bed for a while to collect her thoughts.

After changing into the school uniform, she subconsciously reached out to grab her backpack.

Out of the corners of her eyes, she saw the stack of reference books she had removed from the backpack last night. She remained silent for a brief moment. Finally, she gave in to fate and put the books back into the backpack.

…

Ning Li and Ye Ci walked into the room one after the other. The noisy classroom suddenly fell silent.

The former came to her assigned seat. She was pushing her backpack inside the desk drawer when she felt something on the inside. 

Startled, she reached in to take out whatever was inside. 

Out came a stash of love letters.