She didn't know why, but she was certain she wouldn't get sick again.
The feeling that had been bothering her for some time, the one trying to drag her into depression, had suddenly vanished.
She remembered the beauty of life again and transformed back into her former self, Zhan Jingchun, her mind active and eager to sit up and paint.
Peng Fei, despite his harsh words, still found a pair of gloves to wear the next morning to avoid any embarrassing sights.
Everyone was in the yard for morning exercises, running and doing various exercises while chanting slogans. Peng Fei joined them.
It was like military training, quite impressive.
Zhan Jingchun was woken up early by the commotion and rushed to the window upon hearing the rhythmic shouts outside.
From this angle, she could see every move Peng Fei and the others made.
Seeing someone being scolded or kicked by Peng Fei now and then, but no one dared to resist, made her burst into laughter.
Peng Fei occasionally glanced in this direction, and when their eyes met, though he couldn't see her expression clearly, he could feel that Zhan Jingchun was happy. This made him even more eager to perform, forcing everyone to do an extra half hour of exercise.
Everyone was exhausted and inwardly cursed him, wondering where Xiang Si Yuan's mother had found such an oddball!
However, that wasn't all; stranger things were yet to come.
To keep seeing Zhan Jingchun openly, and also to let her see him, Peng Fei moved the dining table to the lawn after breakfast, making everyone do their homework in the yard.
Everyone felt like they were back in school, sitting one-on-one, with him acting as the teacher.
He could sit or stand as he pleased, supervising their homework.
It was winter, for goodness sake! Why did they have to do homework outside?
Fortunately, winter in Nan Cheng was relatively warm, and there was sun in the sky, otherwise, they would have frozen to death.
Everyone wanted to resist, but Peng Fei was strong and imposing. With just a glare and a raised eyebrow, no one dared to speak.
Zhan Jingchun went downstairs for breakfast in a great mood. Back in her room, she set up her easel, ready to paint by the window.
Looking down, she saw the comical scene and couldn't help but laugh heartily.
He truly had a way, coming up with such an idea to supervise homework!
She hadn't known what to draw anyway, so she decided to paint them.
They became Zhan Jingchun's models, standing still for her to add color.
Peng Fei occasionally looked towards the window, seeing Zhan Jingchun set up her easel and facing him as he painted. He even started to be conscious of his appearance.
He struck one pose after another, afraid he wasn't handsome enough.
As they were interacting across the distance, Zhan Jingchun looked up again and suddenly saw a car driving up the small road in front of the villa.
The car, a red Ferrari, was heading straight for the Chen family's residence, and she was very familiar with it.
Chen Jiao Jiao had arrived.
Normally, her arrival would be unremarkable, but these were special circumstances!
They had just caused trouble yesterday, and the house hadn't been tidied up yet. What if she saw it and got angry...
Zhan Jingchun didn't realize how concerned she was. Fearing it would be too late to stop her if she ran downstairs, she quickly grabbed her phone and called Chen Jiao Jiao.
Chen Jiao Jiao had stopped her car and was looking for her house key when she saw Zhan Jingchun's call, which wasn't unexpected.
Chen Jiao Jiao had also been very worried during the time Zhan Jingchun was missing and had contributed a lot to the search efforts.
After returning, when she heard from Jiang Nan Fang that Chun Chun wasn't in good condition, she worried even more.
However, due to the age gap between them, she wasn't able to talk much with Zhan Jingchun, unlike Tian Tian and Ge Er.
She had always spoken without much consideration, and fearing that Zhan Jingchun wouldn't be able to handle it, she had hesitated to contact her.
This girl was actually reaching out to her?
Chen Jiao Jiao quickly and warmly answered, "Chun Chun, long time no see! Why are you calling me?"
Zhan Jingchun also smiled on the other end of the phone, "I see you, Auntie Jiao Jiao. I'm at the villa now too. Why are you here today?"
"Long time no see. It's so boring living alone here. Can you come and visit me?"
Chen Jiao Jiao took a couple of quick steps forward, looked up at the window, and saw the little girl leaning on the windowsill, smiling and waving at her.
"Hey, when did you move here? Are you bored? Aren't your parents with you?"
Zhan Jingchun replied, "It's a long story. I'll come downstairs to pick you up. We can chat when we meet."
She hung up the phone and ran downstairs to the living room. Chen Jiao Jiao had already come inside.
The two hugged and exchanged pleasantries, with Chen Jiao Jiao observing her expression.
"You're looking well lately. Your complexion is great. You're so young; look at this tender skin, I'm so envious."
"Even though I go to beauty salons every day and pour all my money into this face, I still look inferior standing next to you. Oh, I really wish I could turn back time twenty years and live my life again."
Zhan Jingchun said, "Not at all, Auntie Jiao Jiao looks so young. If you didn't say it, no one would think you're Xiang Si Yuan's mother, let alone his older sister!"
"Oh, come on, your little mouth is just trying to sweet-talk me. By the way, Xiang Si Yuan has also moved in, living next door to you. Do you know that?"
Zhan Jingchun lied, "I don't go out much usually."
"I originally thought I needed some peace and quiet and wanted to come here to reflect, but I couldn't stand the loneliness for less than a week. However, I'm too embarrassed to admit it to my parents. I know Auntie Jiao Jiao dotes on me the most, so can you take me out to play? I haven't had a facial in several months, and I want to get some pampering at your place."
Seeing that she was genuinely joking and smiling, in great spirits, Chen Jiao Jiao was overjoyed for Jiang Nan Fang.
She instantly forgot about her problematic son.
"Of course, why not? You're right, Auntie Jiao Jiao dotes on you the most."
"Not only haven't I had a facial in months, but I haven't gone out for a good outing in months either. Let's go, let's go! Follow Auntie Jiao Jiao today, eat the best food, drink the best drinks, buy a few good outfits, get a facial, and let's have a girlfriends' day out, how about it?"
"That would be wonderful. Thank you, Auntie Jiao Jiao."
Zhan Jingchun sweetly kissed her on the cheek, and Chen Jiao Jiao hugged her as they walked out.
As they reached the doorway, Chen Jiao Jiao somewhat awkwardly said to Zhan Jingchun,
"Chun Chun, can I discuss something with you?"
"Do you need to discuss anything with me? Just say it, Auntie Jiao Jiao."
"Can you call your mom to join us too? I haven't seen her in a long time, and she has good taste; people praise the clothes she picks out."
Zhan Jingchun knew what she meant. Touched by her concern for their mother-daughter relationship, she tightened her arm around Chen Jiao Jiao and said,
"Of course, she's my mother. How could I have a rift with her? I would have called her even if you hadn't mentioned it."
"That's great! With both of you paying, I'm going to raid the major shopping malls in Nan Cheng today!"
Peng Fei, distracted for a moment, looked back and found Zhan Jingchun was gone.
He thought she had gone to the restroom and struck a pose, waiting for her.
However, after a minute, and another minute, and another minute, she still hadn't appeared.