Chapter Ninety-Six Afternoon Time

"Dear Philip, could you please prepare a set of painting tools for me?" While everyone was taking their lunch break, Sheng Jiaoyang asked the housekeeper, Philip.

Philip smiled and replied, "No problem, you'll see what you want this evening."

"Thank you!" Sheng Jiaoyang thanked him sincerely.

"You're welcome, it's my duty," Philip returned the gesture politely. While

everyone else was taking their lunch break, the energetic Sheng Jiaoyang was quite alert. It was a pity that her dog, Xiong Zai, had gone with his wife—the pure white Samoyed she'd seen earlier—otherwise, she could have played with Xiong Zai.

Bored, Sheng Jiaoyang borrowed a laptop from Philip, nestled on the living room sofa, ate pieces of fruit from the fruit bowl, and began writing a proposal for a poverty alleviation fund project in impoverished mountainous areas. Her understanding of impoverished mountainous areas came only from Xu Qing's descriptions and photos. She would like to visit sometime, but this lack of knowledge didn't hinder her from writing the proposal; after all, she understood the operation of a fund, though perhaps the details were lacking.

Actually, there are quite a few public welfare funds in China, but there are far more people in need of help, so there are always some places and people who are not taken care of. Generally speaking, the more public welfare funds, the better, so that more people in need can receive help. Sheng Jiaoyang never forgets what her mother once taught her: only with a kind heart can one see more beauty, and in life, besides pursuing one's own dreams and happiness, one must also have a heart that considers others.

Of course, this "others" does not include those who have hurt her! She is not the kind of person who turns the other cheek after being slapped on the left. If someone tries to hit her, she will definitely beat them up first. If she is hit, she will find a way to retaliate. The concept of repaying evil with kindness does not exist in her dictionary.

By the time everyone's lunch break was over, Sheng Jiaoyang's plan had basically been outlined.

"What are you doing? Didn't you rest at noon?" Ning Xiaoruan approached Sheng Jiaoyang from behind without any politeness to look at the computer screen.

Before Sheng Jiaoyang could close the document, Ning Xiaoruan saw it, and sure enough, this girl started yelling again.

"A scholarship fund? You're writing a scholarship fund establishment plan?" Ning Xiaoruan's eyes widened, her face showing a "what?" expression.

Her curious cousin also came over to take a look, but Sheng Jiaoyang had already closed the document.

"Wait, let me see!" Ning Xiaoruan snatched the entire computer away.

The document was on the desktop, and Ning Xiaoruan found it immediately.

Sheng Jiaoyang gritted his teeth. This idiot! Although it wasn't a secret, snatching it without permission—did they really have that good a relationship?

At this moment, the Ning couple, who had come downstairs, saw the cousins ​​huddled together looking at the computer and couldn't help but be curious: "What are you looking at?"

"Xu Jiaojiao, you're quite capable! It's written flawlessly!" Ning Xiaoruan didn't bother to answer, only exclaiming in amazement.

"Did you copy it from somewhere?" her cousin asked suspiciously.

"What did you write?" Mrs. Ning asked again.

"Xu Jiaojiao wrote a scholarship fund establishment plan, and it's entirely in English," Ning Xiaoruan said.

"A scholarship fund establishment plan? Are you sure it's not a scholarship fund application report?"

Ning Xiaoruan exclaimed as if her tail had been stepped on, "Please, do you think I, a Harvard graduate, can't even figure this out? Dad, you underestimate me! See for yourself!" She handed over the computer.

Clearly, he was underestimating her! Sheng Jiaoyang popped a chilled lychee into her mouth, suppressing her annoyance.

"Did you write this yourself?" Mr. Ning looked at Sheng Jiaoyang with a scrutinizing gaze.

"Yes, Uncle." Sheng Jiaoyang smiled, but inwardly she thought she had never smiled so forcedly before.

"You're still a student, how could you write this?" Mrs. Ning also asked.

"My idol has run a charity foundation, so I looked into it. My mom's boyfriend wanted to set up a charity foundation to help children in impoverished mountain areas, so I tried writing it."

"Idol? Who's your idol?" Mrs. Ning asked in surprise.

Sheng Jiaoyang lowered her head and chuckled, then said in an extremely narcissistic tone, "Sheng Jiaoyang!"

The name sounded familiar. The Ning couple exchanged glances.

"I've never heard of this person before?" The suspicious cousin thought this was definitely a fabrication.

"There are plenty you haven't heard of," Sheng Jiaoyang replied with a smile.

Not to be outdone, the cousin found a pretext: "Isn't this scholarship fund supposed to help impoverished children in our country? Why is it written in English? I bet you copied it from a foreign website."

Sheng Jiaoyang, whose English was even more fluent than her Chinese, choked for a moment. She turned her head, raised her chin, and said, "I majored in English. Can't I practice writing in English?"

The cousin was clearly defeated by this rather shameless remark.

"I think your English is quite good; you could graduate directly," Ning Xiaoruan said.

"Who knows if it's translated from the internet?" The cousin muttered under her breath, pouting.

"Yunqian," Madam Ning gave her cousin a disapproving look.

Upon hearing her particularly ladylike name, the cousin realized she had strayed from her persona, silently pulling herself back from the wrong path and falling silent.

“The sun isn’t so strong now, it’s perfect for playing on the beach,” Madam Ning said, looking at Shen Zhining who had just come downstairs. “Zhining, want to come along?”

Shen Zhining naturally wouldn’t refuse his aunt’s rare invitation, and as for Sheng Jiaoyang, who was supposed to be his shield against unwanted suitors, there was even less reason to refuse.

One side of the island had a beach, and this beach was particularly beautiful, with golden sand blending seamlessly with the azure sea, sky, and floating white clouds, as beautiful as a vividly colored oil painting.

Sheng Jiaoyang lay on a wicker chair under a parasol, listening to the playful sounds of her cousins, Ning Xiaoruan and Ning Zhining, splashing in the water. Her gaze drifted aimlessly, following the distant, moving clouds, until the light dimmed and she looked up to see Shen Zhining standing before her.

"What's wrong?" Her eyes were involuntarily drawn to his sculpted physique glistening with water.

"Are you feeling unwell?" Shen Zhining looked her over, noticing her radiant complexion.

Not far away, Mrs. Ning, soaking in the warm water, called out, "If you're not feeling unwell, come join us!"

What an enthusiastic aunt… but as a non-swimmer, she couldn't handle such enthusiasm.

"Could you ask Philip to find me a… lifebuoy?" Sheng Jiaoyang asked softly.

Shen Zhining gave her a surprised look but didn't agree. "You should stay in the shallow end."

Sheng Jiaoyang pouted; she should have said she was on her period.

As soon as she entered the water, which barely reached her knees, Sheng Jiaoyang stopped. A splash of salty seawater hit her face, wetting her glasses and affecting her vision.

She heard the sound of splashing water, and suddenly a pair of hands shoved her forcefully from behind. Caught off guard, she fell into the sea, seawater rushing into her mouth and nose. The salty, bitter taste made her cough and her face turn red as she struggled to her feet.

"Brother Ning, your girlfriend's being bullied!" her cousin's cheerful voice rang out.

Judging by the distance of her cousin's voice, Sheng Jiaoyang immediately knew who had pushed her.

"Ning, Xiao, Ruan!!!"

"Don't be angry, I was just joking. I wasn't angry when I fell into the sea because of you last time, you just tripped and fell. Come on, come on, let's go swimming with brother~" Ning Xiaoruan pulled Sheng Jiaoyang towards deeper water.

"I'm not going!" Sheng Jiaoyang tried to shake off Ning Xiaoruan's hand, but this girl was much stronger than before, and she couldn't break free.

Ning Xiaoruan continued to drag him forward, her tone quite smug: "Haha, this time you can't shake my hand. I haven't been working out for nothing."

The Ning couple exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of helplessness in each other's eyes. When would their son become more mature? Besides, Zhi Ning was still there. What was this brat doing dragging someone's girlfriend swimming?

Mrs. Ning organized her thoughts and said to Shen Zhi Ning, "Zhi Ning, you go over and keep an eye on things. I'm afraid Xiao Ruan will cause trouble. Your Jiao Jiao doesn't seem like she can swim very well; I don't want anything to happen."

Shen Zhi Ning fastened his goggles, plunged into the water, and swam towards the other side, his agile figure appearing and disappearing on the undulating sea.