The Abused Novel Heroine Became a Clingy Sweetheart [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 18

Freedom, for Bai Nianzhao, was an extreme luxury.

When she was in the Bai family, she was a bird in a cage.

When she arrived at the You family, she was still living under someone else’s roof.

And now, You Ting told her that she was free.

The wind carried an unknown delicate fragrance.

Sunlight passed through the gaps between her strands of hair, casting a light, thin layer of pale gold on everything it touched.

The sound in her ears was very soft, yet it felt heavy, compressed and stacked together, finally bursting with a “pop” like a soap bubble.

Bai Nianzhao belatedly realized that it was the sound of her heartbeat.

Sometimes fast, sometimes slow; sometimes light, sometimes heavy.

After gaining freedom, what should she do next?

The silhouette of the person in front of her clearly fell into her eyes, radiating light and leaving a deep imprint.

Her fingers couldn’t help but lightly curl, as if trying to grasp something.

Seeing her dazed, You Ting asked, “What’s wrong?”

Bai Nianzhao parted her lips, but in the end, she shook her head and didn’t say anything.

How should she speak? She wanted to try.

Try to catch a ray of light.

After sending Bai Nianzhao back to Dreamy Jiangnan, You Ting was afraid that Song Zhiqiu and You Aofeng were still scheming, so she instructed Uncle Mo to find more bodyguards to guard the surrounding area.

She herself drove to the company.

You Father had seen her leisurely slacking off for the past few days and probably thought she wasn’t much of a threat, so his expression towards her had become somewhat amiable.

However, You Ting thought that You Father’s good mood wouldn’t last long.

Sure enough, as soon as she entered the company, she sensed an unusually gloomy atmosphere. The staff members looked worried; clearly, something bad had happened.

Back in her office, You Ting took out her phone and scrolled through it.

The trending news that dominated the screen was about another company that had just secured a large project in collaboration with the government, causing its stock to soar.

And this company just happened to be You Corporation’s most formidable competitor in the industry previously.

You Corporation’s failed bid for this project, coupled with several clients recently withdrawing capital, meant that its stock market was now plummeting.

When a company is in trouble, the employees at the bottom couldn’t possibly fare any better, and a wave of layoffs was likely approaching.

You Ting’s face showed no sign of surprise. After closing the news, she opened the call page, found one of the phone numbers, and dialed it.

After a few beeps, the call was quickly answered.

The person on the other end was probably surprised to receive her call, and their tone was quite delighted: “Tingting?”

The use of reduplicated words suggested a certain unfamiliar intimacy. You Ting frowned slightly, feeling a bit unaccustomed to it, but quickly relaxed.

“It’s me,” she replied.

Yan Rong’s tone was cautious yet hopeful: “Is there something you need to speak to your uncle about?”

You Ting paused, then stated frankly, “You family’s stock has plummeted. You can start buying it in according to the plan.”

Yan Rong merely said “Oh,” clearly somewhat disappointed.

He then asked, “Tingting, are you free this weekend? The old man misses you very much.”

You Ting originally intended to refuse, but for some reason, she finally agreed: “Alright.”

After a pause, she added, “I’ll bring a friend with me.”

“Good, good, good!” Yan Rong’s voice was clearly excited. “You can bring anyone you want, as long as you come!”

After thinking for a moment, he quietly mumbled, “No one from the You family.”

You Ting couldn’t help but curl her lips, “Don’t worry, I have no interest in anyone from the You family.”

The call ended. She leaned back in her office chair in a casual posture, picking up a fountain pen to fiddle with.

The smooth pen body deftly rotated between her slender fingers. You Ting closed her eyes, contemplating You Father’s next reaction.

Suddenly, she heard a “ding-dong.”

She opened her eyes and looked down; the phone screen displayed: Received a message from Bai Nianzhao.

She swiped the screen open, and a photograph jumped into view.

It was a classroom at a training center. The textbook spread out on the desk was covered with earnest annotations, and in the bottom right corner of the screen, a few fair fingers holding a pen were visible.

You Ting recognized them as Bai Nianzhao’s hands.

She raised an eyebrow.

This child really had a carefree attitude. She had been frightened by Song Zhiqiu bringing her back to the You family only this morning, and this afternoon she was already diligently going to class.

The corners of her lips unconsciously lifted.

She thought for a moment and quickly typed a few words in reply.

“Listen well in class.”

The other side quickly responded with a little rabbit emoji holding a carrot.

The little rabbit made a claw into an OK sign, and a small box popped up in the upper right corner, with the word “Received” written inside.

You Ting’s eyes softened, and she closed the chat window.

You Father was deliberately keeping her at a distance, so You Ting had nothing much to do in the office. She stood up and walked around aimlessly.

The office was designed with a floor-to-ceiling window, offering an unobstructed view of the scenery outside.

She walked to the window, looked down, and her gaze suddenly narrowed.

There were quite a few cars parked downstairs, but she spotted a very familiar sedan among them.

A car belonging to the You family.

The car body had been repainted, making it very noticeable.

You Father had his own car, and it wasn’t this one.

Such a flashy design clearly indicated You Aofeng’s taste.

You Aofeng came to the company?

It was sooner than she had expected.

A glint of interest flashed in her eyes. She suddenly felt that the afternoon might not be so boring anymore.

Before long, a knock sounded on You Ting’s office door.

The assistant peeked in slightly and said, “CEO You said he needs to discuss something and asked you to go upstairs.”

You Ting nodded: “Got it.”

She stretched, casually tousled her long hair, picked up her jacket, and left the room.

When she arrived at You Father’s office, You Aofeng was already waiting there, looking relaxed and composed.

Seeing You Ting enter, he snorted lightly.

You Father’s face was grim, likely because he knew she had splashed his precious son with hot water.

“You’re here,” You Father said in a rigid tone, adopting a completely business-like attitude. “I called you up here to inform you of something.”

“Xiao Feng’s injuries have stabilized, and he can return to the company to help. There’s a project recently; you will act as his assistant.”

This pile of nonsense was automatically filtered in You Ting’s mind, leaving the essential implied meaning:

Hurry up and work your fingers to the bone for my precious son, and let him vent his anger!

In the original plot, there seemed to be a similar incident. You Aofeng injured his leg and needed someone to look after him everywhere he went.

Yet, he was headstrong and refused to be looked down upon, strongly demanding to return to the company to take over an important project.

So You Father arranged for Miss You to become You Aofeng’s little follower.

She ran back and forth, exerting effort, only for him to ultimately frame her with a low-level mistake like forgetting to bring documents, highlighting You Aofeng’s ability to remain calm in an emergency.

The credit, naturally, all went to You Aofeng alone.

You Ting looked at You Father and asked, “Is this a decision made by the board of directors?”

This project was very important to the current You Corporation. Handing it over to You Aofeng wasn’t something You Father could unilaterally decide.

You Father unnaturally turned his body, avoiding You Ting’s gaze, “The board meeting will be held tomorrow.”

He then looked at You Aofeng reassuringly, “Don’t worry, Xiao Feng’s ability is evident to all; there won’t be any mistakes.”

You Ting’s eyes narrowed slightly, and she said calmly, “I hope so.”

After clocking out on time as usual, You Ting left the company without a second thought.

Judging by the time, Bai Nianzhao should be finishing her class soon.

She drove to pick her up, passing a newly opened flower shop on the way.

The car quickly drove past, and after a while, it slowly backed up.

You Ting stopped the car and walked into the flower shop.

A shop assistant warmly greeted her, “Hello, what kind of flowers would you like to buy?”

You Ting glanced around casually, finally stopping at a bouquet of orange-red flowers, “I’ll take this one.”

She didn’t really know much about these flowers, but she just thought this bouquet with its brilliant color looked the best.

The shop assistant looked at it and smiled, “Ah, these are tulips. They are very beautiful, perfect for giving as a gift.”

She skillfully packaged them and handed them to You Ting, “Welcome to visit again!”

The scent of the tulips was lighter than that of roses. You Ting placed them on the passenger seat and continued driving toward the building where the training center was located.

She arrived just as the training class ended.

You Ting walked over holding the bouquet, attracting the attention of many people along the way.

The crowd was bustling, yet she spotted Bai Nianzhao instantly among them.

The young girl looked sweet and well-behaved, with a clean and fair face.

With a book bag on her back, she looked like an adolescent student who hadn’t fully shed her childishness.

She saw You Ting as she was coming downstairs, and her eyes immediately lit up. She waved cheerfully.

As if she felt she was a bit too excited, her cheeks flushed slightly, and she quietly lowered her hand again.

She hurried her steps to You Ting, raised her eyes, and called out, “Jie-jie (Older Sister).”

The final note of her voice lifted, as if imbued with a touch of sweetness.

You Ting acknowledged her with an “Mmm,” her eyes softening slightly. She handed over the bouquet in her hands, “This is for you.”

Bai Nianzhao accepted it with surprise.

The vibrant red petals reflected against her snow-white skin. She held them happily and carefully, “So beautiful.”

She looked up at You Ting, “Thank you, Jie-jie!”

After a pause, Bai Nianzhao asked with a little confusion, “Jie-jie, why did you suddenly decide to give me flowers?”

You Ting shrugged, a carefree smile playing on her lips.

“I don’t know,” she couldn’t even explain it herself, “I just felt like giving them.”

Perhaps it was because… You Ting liked the color red, and she wanted to share that affection with Bai Nianzhao.

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