Chapter 2 Enrollment: Like a Companion Who Came to a Foreign Land with Her…

Chapter 2 Enrollment: Like a little companion who came with her to a foreign land…

Dinner was booked at a restaurant on Finance Street in Central.

The restaurant had two full walls of glass overlooking the glittering Victoria Harbour.

Ji Yitao, graceful and charming sat beside He Yingzhen, holding a French menu with one hand. Anyone seeing him would naturally assume he was paying. Before they left, he told Ji Yuewei to change into a dress. "That white dress from last time's art exhibition." He had a natural knack for adapting to things. When He Yingzhen said they were going out to eat, he quickly changed into a sharp suit that clearly cost a fortune, and he didn't miss a beat looking after his daughter either.

Across the table, the two chatted intimately and barely ate.

He Yingzhen's laughter and Ji Yitao's jokes blended right into the atmosphere.

Golden lights, delicate dinnerware, polished tiles underfoot, and smooth, refined tables and chairs around them. The air felt light, misty like vapor—everything seemed tangible, yet not.

Ji Yuewei sat motionless. The steady, dull cramps from her period were dulled by the bone-chilling air conditioning. She was almost silent. She handled the knife, fork, and plate with precise control. This was not difficult for her. Often, she had to watch her manners and words while trying to eat enough.

He Yingzhen brought up Ji Yuewei starting high school.

Ji Yuewei set down her utensils.

Ji Yitao gave a slight smile and said to He Yingzhen, "I reached out to a few schools. I'll take her to check them out tomorrow and see which one she likes."

"What about Peihua High School? I know someone on the board. Tomorrow or the day after, maybe we can all go see it together?"

He Yingzhen turned to Ji Yuewei for that last sentence.

Ji Yuewei was stunned. She wasn't used to He Yingzhen being sincere, or maybe she was just unfamiliar with this kind of expectation.

She suddenly felt much warmer. Like a little animal that had been hiding deep in its cave all winter suddenly coming across a spark—that was exactly how she felt.

Ji Yitao was overjoyed, his handsome face lighting up with a charming smile. He softened his voice, speaking tenderly: "Peihua—it’s a famous school, I knew about it before we came. Good, good... day after tomorrow, no rush."

Feeling his thoughtfulness, He Yingzhen's brows curved, and she tilted the wine glass in her hand, lightly clinking it against his.

Ji Yuewei caught Ji Yitao’s look, snapped out of it, and thanked her sincerely.

He Yingzhen reached out and touched Ji Yuewei’s cold hand. "Xiao Yue, don’t be so formal. Just focus on your studies and don’t worry about anything else." Ji Yuewei nodded and thanked her again.

He Yingzhen watched her, a hint of curiosity and assessment flickering in her eyes. She didn’t say anything else, just squeezed Ji Yuewei’s hand and let go.

It was midnight by the time they returned to the mansion.

A small dance party started late that night at the restaurant. He Yingzhen was obviously the center of attention. She moved gracefully, like a colorful mermaid swimming freely across the dance floor. She knew everyone there by name. Ji Yitao, on the other hand, grew awkward. Even in his sharp outfit, he stood at the edge of the crowd like a waiter. Ji Yuewei watched, thinking her poor father was probably worried that Miss He, after a few too many drinks, would forget to take him home. The thought surfaced, and Ji Yuewei felt a deeper panic rise inside her, making her shiver uncontrollably. Luckily, the gracious Miss He didn’t forget her father. They left together, arms linked.

That first night in the dark, empty villa, Ji Yuewei slept especially deeply—probably because her body was completely worn out.

When she woke the next day, sunlight was streaming through the heavy curtains and it was already late. Startled, she scrambled out of bed and nearly fell because the mattress was so high.

But contrary to her fears, from the third floor where she was staying down to the first, every floor was silent.

Standing on the second floor, through that massive glass window that had impressed her so much the first time, she could see Elle and a few servants setting up in the sunny garden.

Back in her room, she stood in the big, bright bathroom. The mirror showed the deep walk-in closet. On the floor, her unzipped suitcase and schoolbag sat side by side, like little companions who had come with her to this foreign land.

Ji Yuewei carefully organized her clothes and things. She didn’t use the built-in cabinets in the closet. She placed her little companion by the wall, left it open, and soon it was neat and tidy.

Breakfast was on the second floor. During the meal, Elle came over to measure Ji Yuewei’s height and clothing size, and asked what she liked to eat. Ji Yuewei said she didn’t have any dietary restrictions. Elle laughed. She was tall and always had a smile on her face.

Elle said, "Restrictions aside, what do you like?"

Ji Yuewei blushed under Elle’s gaze and, after a moment’s hesitation, said she liked egg tarts. Elle laughed even more brightly.

Around three o'clock, Elle knocked on the door and brought a tray of freshly baked egg tarts, golden and crispy. Elle urged her to eat them while they were still hot. Ji Yuewei blushed and thanked her several times. Elle laughed again as she left. Ji Yuewei ate the whole plate of egg tarts and got a little sick of the sweetness. Fortunately, there was plenty of water to drink.

It wasn’t until four in the afternoon that Ji Yuewei heard He Yingzhen’s shuffling footsteps.

Her voice seemed to own the house. Only when it rang out did the house come alive with more noise.

Ji Yuewei had been in her room all day, memorizing vocabulary and working on math problems.

After coming back the day before, she had looked up Peihua’s transfer entrance exam.

Peihua uses a dual IB and DSE curriculum.

For the transfer exam, Peihua typically uses the same subject modules as the DSE—Chinese, English, and Math—for placement.

They also have supplementary exams in Math and English that are harder. If you don’t pass those supplementary papers, even getting five stars in the main subjects won’t help. Peihua is among the top five in Hong Kong’s Band 1 rankings—the cream of the crop. Getting into Peihua meant one foot in the door of Hong Kong’s "Big Eight" universities.

Whether because of its demanding academic culture or not, most online info about Peihua stopped there.

From her window, she could see the clear blue bay.

It was just a narrow strip, squeezed between layers of mountains and countless high-rises.

A little after six, Elle knocked on her door to invite her downstairs for dinner.

He Yingzhen was surprised she hadn't seen her all day. Ji Yuewei said she’d been studying. He Yingzhen looked a little surprised and said with a smile, "Yu Sheng was the same when he was studying for exams—stuck in his room all day." Ji Yitao chuckled at that but didn’t say much.

Speak of the devil—they heard a noise on the second floor. He Yingzhen got up, walked to the top of the stairs, and leaned over to ask the person below, "Have you eaten?"

"You’re rarely home. You finish here and then you’re off again. Come eat with us. Mr. Ji is a good guy. Just think of it as meeting a friend of your mom’s."

Ji Yitao set down his chopsticks, walked over to stand beside He Yingzhen, and chuckled at the newcomer.

Left alone, Ji Yuewei also put down her chopsticks.

Staring at a table full of exquisite dishes, she suddenly remembered sitting alone at her desk eating egg tarts.

Soon, Ji Yitao walked He Yingzhen back to the table, laughing and joking, not even glancing at her. Ji Yuewei picked up her chopsticks.

A moment later, Elle quickly and smoothly set a place setting beside her.

Ji Yuewei realized she couldn’t eat the same way anymore.

She couldn’t help wondering what the original seating arrangement was at this table. Were she and Ji Yitao taking someone else’s spots? Would their presence make the table feel crowded?

Fortunately, Liang Yusheng didn’t seem to care or even notice.

It was like he was totally fine with a stranger sitting next to him and eating dinner.

Ji Yuewei let out a sigh of relief.