The Glamorous Comeback of the Ousted Heiress

“Research paper?” Even though it was a stack of English printouts, Xu Nanjing instantly recognized the website identifier, and said to Xiao Bingwen, “I can’t understand any of these kinds of documents.”

Xu Nanjing realized it was a physics research paper and complained a bit to Xiao Bingwen.

“I don’t understand it either.” Xiao Bingwen had never published in that journal, and it was only after Xu Nanjing mentioned it that he learned of it, inevitably recalling what he had seen at Bai Lian’s place last time.

Was she actually reading scientific research literature?

**

Because of exams, Bai Lian didn’t bring any books today, and planned to read the new review articles published by Academician Ma in the afternoon.

She watched Jiang He lying on the small bed, her hand curled around the literature.

Jiang Fulai stood to the side, watching her, and suddenly said, “Do you want to take a noon rest?”

Bai Lian didn’t nap because she basically couldn’t fall asleep, except for that half hour in the library last time.

Upon his mentioning it, she also hesitated a bit.

“Is there another room here?” Her gaze shifted towards Jiang Fulai, remembering correctly, Xu Nanjing lived here.

“I don’t sleep at noon.” Jiang Fulai turned around calmly, opened his own room, dressed in black cotton-soft home attire, his delicate profile highlighted in a soft haze under the light streaming through the window.

Bai Lian looked up.

His room was laid with grey flooring, it was a large room with a grey bed in the center, and a desk under the windowsill, all in a very cold color tone.

The temperature was much lower than that in Jiang He’s room.

“If you want to rest, you can come here. I will work on my project.” Jiang Fulai left the door half-open, his slender and jade-like fingers resting politely on the iron door handle.

Bai Lian walked in to take a look, nodded lightly, and said, “Okay.”

Nighttime.

Jiang Fulai took Bai Lian back to Purest Street.

Ji Heng and Director Chen had caught quite a lot of fish today, but the courtyard was not as lively as before.

Director Chen helped Ji Heng cook in the kitchen.

That evening, Ji Heng invited Jiang He and Jiang Fulai to stay for dinner.

When Jiang Fulai returned, his room was still tidy, but on the desk by the window, there was a new piece of paper with a half-completed physics thought map.

The handwriting on this paper was very neat.

Jiang Fulai looked down at it for a while, then carefully folded the paper.

She hadn’t slept there, but she had read for a long time and written for a length of time.

**

After the people in the courtyard had left, only Bai Lian and Ji Heng remained.

Ji Heng hung the fish outside, planning to make dried fish.

He did not embroider today but took out paper and a pen to sketch the designs for the graduation outfits for males, who didn’t have many requirements, but Ji Heng had high standards for himself.

Under the bright light, his head bowed slightly as he dropped a gentle stroke of the pen.

Occasionally, he would glance at Bai Lian sitting under the tree.

“Grandpa, if you have something to say, just say it.” Bai Lian’s fingers rested on the piano strings, her head not even lifting as she tuned.

Ji Heng was silent for a moment, “You…”

Seemingly finding it hard to say, he thought for a long while before hesitantly speaking, “You might be getting a sister or a brother.”

Ji Mulan was pregnant.

Ji Heng had known this news since Friday, but since Bai Lian had exams this week, he hadn’t mentioned it.

In fact, for the first decade plus of Bai Lian’s life, she had always been the only child of the Bai Family, and Ji Mulan felt that Bai Qiming had made it clear she was the heir.

Who would have thought Bai Shaoqi and Bai Shaoke would come along later, and that’s when Ji Mulan realized Bai Qiming had a backup plan.

Ji Heng knew Bai Lian had been the only child for many years, the incident with the Bai Family had already saddened her into returning to Xiangcheng, and now here came this news about Ji Mulan…

“Oh.” Bai Lian set her hand on the table, her tone nonchalant.

She showed none of the sadness Ji Heng had anticipated.

Which only made him more silent.

Ji Heng looked at her a while longer, sighed slightly, and resumed his drawing.

He didn’t know if Ji Mulan would seriously raise the child, he just felt she was carefully preparing her next masterpiece.

**

A few streets away was a small courtyard.

Inside, the lights were dim, and from a corner room came a continuous low coughing.

The middle-aged man in a black coat had his eyebrows furrowed, a cigarette unlit in his hand, watching the old man on the sick bed with a frown.

Ning Xiao sat at the bedside, adeptly helping her grandmother breathe smoothly.

Grandma Wang’s coughing had quieted down a lot, and sleepiness appeared to loom over her.

As Wang Youfeng watched Grandma Wang’s eyelashes slowly close, the weight in his heart lifted, but just then his phone in his pocket rang.

Fearing that Grandma Wang would awaken, Wang Youfeng quickly hung up and stepped out into the courtyard.