After Being Scummed – Chapter 15

Oh no, Zuo Jingyou

On Saturday, finally, the two neighboring kids had some free time and came over to play with Yin Bai.

When Yin Bai opened the door and welcomed the two kids inside, she jokingly said, “Are you two so idle? Don’t you have to go to school?”

Wen Wen was holding a box of Chinese Checkers and followed alongside Yin Bai, her little legs trotting as she said, “I’m in the second grade now. School has weekends off. Tong Tong is still in kindergarten, but on weekends, we can choose not to go, so we came over to play with you.”

Wen Wen spoke for a while in one breath, then looked up at Yin Bai cautiously and asked, “Fairy Sister, do you not have any free time today?”

Before Yin Bai could respond, Tong Tong, like a stand-up comedian, chimed in, “Fairy Sister definitely has time, or else how could she have opened the door to welcome us?”

Tong Tong looked up, tilted her head, and sweetly smiled at Yin Bai. “You’re right, Fairy Sister.”

Yin Bai thought to herself that the little one was quite clever. She extended her finger, tapped Tong Tong’s face, and replied with a smile, “Hmm, the little smarty-pants is correct.”

Wen Wen, holding the Chinese Checkers, breathed a sigh of relief and said, “That’s good, that’s good.” She then raised the Chinese Checkers and said to Yin Bai, “I brought toys today, especially to play with you. Let’s play together!”

In the past, she and Tong Tong always played games at home, just the two of them. But now, things were different. There was a big friend living next door, so they had one more playmate, and there were so many things to play with.

Yin Bai raised an eyebrow but didn’t reveal the fact that they had come to play with her because there were no other kids to play with. She nodded and happily accepted Wen Wen’s suggestion, saying, “Sure, would you like to have something to eat? I have lots of delicious snacks at home, like mini-cakes, pudding, ice cream… you name it!”

Tong Tong’s eyes lit up, and she exchanged a glance with Wen Wen, then they both looked up at Yin Bai and asked in unison, “Can we have all?”

Yin Bai playfully tapped their foreheads with her fingers and said, “You little greedy ones, each of you can only choose one!”

“Okay,” Wen Wen hung her head and finally chose ice cream.

Yin Bai turned to Tong Tong and asked, “And what about you, little cutie? What would you like?”

Her little cutie hesitated for a moment but quickly gave an answer, “Then I’ll have the pudding!”

After her little companions had placed their orders, Yin Bai sent a message to Song Qing, asking her to get the guest lounge on the second floor ready. She also called for Zhang Yu. The four of them gathered happily to play Chinese Checkers together.

As a result, after Zhang Yu arrived, she remembered Xiang Qiu, who had been idle lately, and invited her over as well. This group of three adults and two children spent the whole afternoon playing Chinese Checkers on the second floor.

This marked a very friendly beginning, and from then on, the kids from next door would come over to visit her from time to time.

Yin Bai had limited mobility due to leg issues, so she couldn’t join in on physically active games. Instead, she usually played educational games with the children. When they got bored, she even taught them games like Go, chess, and more.

Playing with friends was a quick way to dispel negative emotions. Besides, Yin Bai’s energy level was not much different from that of the kids, so everyone had a great time when they got together to play.

It was just that Zhang Yu and Xiang Qiu found themselves worn out by hanging out with this group of people, and after over a month, they even felt more tired than when they were on business trips.

Of course, Yin Bai didn’t always engage in games with the kids. Sometimes, she would watch cartoons with her little companions.

To be able to watch cartoons together with her friends, Yin Bai even had a super large TV screen installed in the guest lounge on the second floor.

Wen Wen and Tong Tong watched Rainbow Ponies and Peppa Pig with her, while Yin Bai shared her favorite animated movies with them, such as My Neighbor Totoro and The Little Prince musical.

During their interactions, Yin Bai discovered that both of her little companions had good spoken English skills—after all, they attended expensive bilingual schools and had tutors at home.

Adhering to her principle of not influencing her little companions negatively, when they played together later on, Yin Bai communicated with them in English. In addition to English, the two children also became interested in the language because they had heard Yin Bai occasionally recite lines from The Little Prince in French.

With time to spare, Yin Bai took the opportunity to teach them French.

It’s often said that interest is the best teacher, and for children aged five or six, it’s an excellent time to learn a language. The two children progressed rapidly and could engage in everyday conversations with Yin Bai in their daily interactions.

Guiding her young companions to become even more proficient gave Yin Bai a strong sense of accomplishment and gradually helped her emerge from the shadow of heartbreak.

In the blink of an eye, the hot summer had passed. Soon, the “autumn tiger” chased across the sky, pursuing the cool autumn air, quietly arriving in the city.

In mid-December, as Yin Bai nursed her wounds alone in her cave, she emerged once again from her villa when her injuries slowly began to heal.

Winter in Haicheng was actually quite mild, and today was no exception, with bright sunshine. Thanks to this fine weather, Yin Bai, who had initially been reluctant to venture outside, ultimately took a step out of her nest.

Today, she was attending the wedding of a wealthy tycoon’s daughter in Haicheng. The tycoon’s family was involved in shipping, and overall, they were considered one of the more conscientious capitalists, which was why Yin Bai generally preferred to work with them.

The wedding was taking place at the Songshan Mansion in the East District. Yin Bai arrived there by car, and from a distance, she could see a red carpet laid out in front of the mansion, along with a large group of media reporters, each holding cameras and aiming them at every person getting out of their cars, clicking away frantically.

Sitting in her car, observing the scene outside, Yin Bai tightened her grip on her cane and frowned in annoyance, “What’s going on? Why are there so many reporters?”

Sitting across from her, Xiang Qiu pushed up her glasses and promptly explained, “Here’s the deal, Miss Li is a very famous fangirl. Today’s wedding is between her and Chen Ran, a second-tier actor who has won an award in the industry.”

“Mr. Li, in order to make his daughter happy, has invited half of the entertainment industry.”

Yin Bai furrowed her brow as she recalled hearing something along those lines. Miss Li, the wealthy tycoon’s daughter, was an unabashedly fervent fan of celebrities. She had even asked to arrange a private meeting with Xiao Nian in the past.

Yin Bai nodded in understanding, “I remember. Contact these media outlets later. If they capture any photos of me, make sure they delete them.”

Xiang Qiu adjusted her glasses and replied, “Got it.”

The car quickly arrived at the red carpet. Xiang Qiu hurriedly got out of the car and opened the door for Yin Bai. Yin Bai retrieved her cane from the car and used it for support as she stepped out.

The moment the cane appeared, the cameras on-site briefly paused. However, as Yin Bai emerged from the car, the paused clicking of cameras erupted like a frenzy of crashing waves, surging toward her.

Yin Bai stood upright and, seeing the approaching camera flashes, was momentarily taken aback.

What the heck? She wasn’t a celebrity, so why were they photographing her?

Yin Bai frowned and, with her cane in hand, resolutely lowered her head and continued walking forward, the sound of her cane tapping rhythmically with each step.

As a result, she had barely taken a couple of steps when she heard a commotion behind her.

“Zuo Jingyou! Zuo Jingyou!”

“It’s Sister Jingyou! Sister Jingyou is here too!”

“Mr. Li has quite the connections!”

“Quick, take pictures, hurry!”

Whispers erupted behind her, causing Yin Bai to pause with her cane and turn to look behind.

Less than ten meters away from her, Zuo Jingyou, dressed in a white shirt and a green skirt with a flowing hem, descended from her car in high heels.

She held a matching handbag in her hand, her long hair elegantly styled to reveal a beautiful necklace adorning her neck and earrings hanging from her earlobes.

Yin Bai watched as she calmly walked in front of numerous cameras, wearing a poised smile, and warmly engaging with every excited member of the media.

Oh wow, Mr. Li was indeed quite influential!

As Yin Bai thought this, observing Zuo Jingyou’s elegant and poised presence that resembled a superstar among the crowd, she raised an eyebrow, turned with her cane, and started to walk away.

Just at the moment when Yin Bai turned, Zuo Jingyou lifted her gaze and caught sight of Yin Bai’s figure with the cane. Her eyes immediately lit up. She quickened her pace, weaving through the layers of surrounding media personnel, and headed straight toward her.

The author has something to say:

She’s here!