Jiang Mian thought he was still thinking about that matter at this time. Her delicate hand pushed against Ji Zhixiu's chest, and she lowered her gaze, "I'm on my period!"
"So?"
"So we can't sleep together."
As she spoke, Ji Zhixiu took the water glass from her hand and placed it on the bedside table, then leaned over and placed her on the soft large bed.
A playful smile played on the man's lips as he closed the distance between them, "What are you thinking about in that little head of yours?"
Her head buzzed, and Jiang Mian immediately understood that she had been tricked by this man. She bit her lip and glared at Ji Zhixiu, then huffed and rolled over, pulling the quilt over herself.
Ji Zhixiu's long arm then wrapped around her, pulling her back into his embrace. Jiang Mian's palms pressed against his broad chest, her upper body propped up slightly, her cascading dark hair playfully slipping over Ji Zhixiu. "What exactly do you want?"
He closed his eyes and said concisely, "Sleep."
She lay down indignantly, deliberately speaking loudly, and turned off the night light with a click.
Jiang Mian was very sleepy. Although she was angry, she couldn't resist the overwhelming drowsiness and fell asleep.
As she slept, her head unconsciously tilted into Ji Zhixiu's embrace.
Ji Zhixiu looked down at her, satisfied.
The next day, Jiang Mian woke up to a pleasant aroma.
She didn't need to open her eyes to know that Ji Zhixiu was making breakfast.
She didn't want to get up, but the scent was too enticing. As she got up to leave the room, her phone on the bedside rang. She grabbed it.
"Mianmian, when I finished filming today, I found a pendant of yours had fallen on set. Shall I mail it back to you?"
Jiang Mian shook her head, "No need, you can bring it to me next time we meet."
Song Xingjia chuckled, "That works too, it's just a small thing."
"By the way, I have something else I wanted to ask you..." Jiang Mian said hesitantly.
Song Xingjia heard the hesitation in her voice, "Don't hesitate to speak."
"Is your Weibo managed by your assistant?"
Song Xingjia nodded, "Yes, why?"
He barely looked at Weibo; it was all managed by his staff.
"My roommate said she sent you a private message, but the reply was an invitation to meet in private. I believe you're not that kind of person, so I hope you can investigate. Perhaps there are other victims."
She said it delicately, but Song Xingjia understood.
Song Xingjia tapped his fingers lightly on the table and said with a serious expression, "Could you ask your roommate to provide me with screenshots?"
Jiang Mian nodded, "Of course, I'll forward your WeChat to her, is that convenient?"
"It is," he said softly, "I will investigate this matter thoroughly and give your roommate and everyone else an explanation. Don't worry."
"Mm, I believe you."
Song Xingjia smiled slightly, "I'm going to work now, talk later."
After they ended the call, Jiang Mian sent a message to Ji Lanruo and then forwarded Song Xingjia's WeChat to her.
As soon as she looked up, she saw Ji Zhixiu standing at the doorway, holding a spatula. Combined with his stern expression, he looked quite comical.
"Finished? Come and eat," he said coldly.
Jiang Mian secretly rolled her eyes and shuffled out in her slippers.
On the table was a bowl of small wontons and a plate of xiaolongbao.
Jiang Mian's eyes lit up. This kind of small wonton was made in the Jiangnan style. The clear wonton broth was garnished with dried shrimp and seaweed, and the wonton wrappers were translucent but not boiled to pieces.
She hadn't eaten them in a long time, at least not in this style in the capital. Seeing them now, she felt a pang of longing.
Seeing her enjoyment, Ji Zhixiu felt the morning had been worthwhile.
Jiang Mian sat down and eagerly scooped up a spoonful of soup with her spoon.
"It really is this taste..." She looked up at Ji Zhixiu and hesitated, "You made this?"
Ji Zhixiu stood opposite her with his arms crossed, his eyebrows raised, "Anyone else?"
Jiang Mian lowered her head, "Suddenly I don't feel like it's that delicious anymore."
Ji Zhixiu pulled out a chair and sat down, "Let's talk."
"You speak, I'm listening."
"Is it because Shen Tingyu is upset with me?"
Jiang Mian stopped eating her wontons and looked up at him earnestly, "It's not entirely because of her. It's because there are too many problems between us, don't you understand?"
Ji Zhixiu frowned slightly, "Jiang Mian, didn't I tell you not to get upset with me?"
"So what? You still don't understand why I'm unhappy. I think we need time and space, to be apart and clear our heads."
As she spoke, her voice grew calmer, and the moment of softness she felt upon seeing the breakfast had vanished without a trace.
Jiang Mian didn't look at him again after speaking. She buried her head and finished her wontons, then took a napkin to wipe her mouth.
"Have you considered it?"
It had been a long time; she thought he would have had enough time to think.
Ji Zhixiu tilted his chin up, looked at her, and coldly spat out a few words, "I'm not considering it."
Jiang Mian shrugged, as expected. She pushed the bowl towards him, "Do the dishes!"
...
Chang Qingqing announced her happy news three months later.
Mother Chang was overjoyed and could finally share the good news with others. She suggested, "Why don't Qingqing stop going to the hospital? She can rest at home, and I can take care of her?"
The person who understood Chang Qingqing best in this world was always Chang Qin. Before Chang Qingqing could speak, Chang Qin shook his head, "Mom, Qingqing is still early in her pregnancy. Let her move around more; it's good for expectant mothers. We can talk about it later when she's in her third trimester."
His son refuted her suggestion, but Mother Chang didn't get angry. She smiled and nodded, "Alright, we'll listen to you. What do you want to eat tonight? I'll cook for Qingqing."
Chang Qingqing's face was gentle, "I'm not picky, Mom. I like everything you cook."
Mother Chang got up from the sofa, "Then I'll stew you some soup! I'll go make it now!"
Father Chang shook his head, "Look at your mother, she's so happy. She didn't even go to play mahjong today."
Chang Qin lowered his head and gently stroked Chang Qingqing's pregnant belly with his palm. Although he couldn't feel the baby move yet, he felt a warmth spread through his palm, "We are all very happy."
Jiang Mian was also very happy when she found out. She thought for a moment, unsure of what to give the baby, so she decided to buy some baby clothes, which would always be a safe bet.
She took a taxi to the mall and went directly to the 16th floor, to a maternity and baby store.
As she watched Jiang Mian enter the maternity and baby store, Ji Zhilan followed behind, her eyes narrowed. She secretly took a photo with her phone and sent it to Shen Tingyu, typing: [Is this the woman by your brother's side you mentioned?]
A quick reply came back, [Yes, how did you meet her?]
Ji Zhilan put away her phone and didn't reply to Shen Tingyu. Her heart was in turmoil. This woman! She was even having a child with his brother! Her brother was so bold to do something like this behind their family's back!
Jiang Cheng nudged her shoulder, "What are you looking at? Are we going or not?"
They were also here to buy baby supplies.
Finally, she took one last deep look at Jiang Mian, who was browsing clothes, and Ji Zhilan withdrew her gaze, "Let's go."
Inside the store, Jiang Mian held up a piece of clothing and examined it closely. A baby's skin is delicate, so intimate apparel must be made of pure cotton. Jiang Mian carefully selected items, never expecting that baby items would be so adorable.
Looking left and right, Jiang Mian pointed, "This, this, and that one, pack them all up."
"Certainly, madam, please wait a moment."
Jiang Mian opted for direct delivery service to Chang Qin's home.
Chang Qingqing was both surprised and delighted when she received such a large bag of newborn clothes.
She took out her phone and sent Jiang Mian a message: [Thank you for the gift, I received it, and I love it.]
Jiang Mian: [Looking forward to the baby.]
Chang Qingqing: [If you like it, you should consider having one yourself.]
Jiang Mian was stunned when she saw the message. Have a baby? Given her current situation with Ji Zhixiu, it was probably impossible.
Ji Lanruo patted her shoulder from behind, "What are you thinking about? Did you finish your thesis?"
Jiang Mian snapped back to attention, "I finished it and have already submitted it."
Ji Lanruo winked, "Ahem, did my brother say anything to you?"
Her tone was a bit indescribable, "I didn't tell my brother that you got married. I advised him to give up, but he just wouldn't listen."
Jiang Mian pursed her lips, "It's okay, we can still be friends."
Seeing her like this, Ji Lanruo knew there was no hope for her brother at all and sighed for her foolish brother.
"Anyway, I don't want to call you sister-in-law, so it's better to be friends."
"By the way, have you added Song Xingjia?" Jiang Mian asked with concern.
"Add... added..." Ji Lanruo stammered.
"What's wrong?"
"It's Song Xingjia! He wants me to send him the screenshots! Even what I sent in my private message!" Ji Lanruo was furious; she had never been so embarrassed in her life.
If she had known, she wouldn't have sent Song Xingjia a private message to confess her feelings. She hadn't expected him to see it at all.
Who knew it would turn out like this?
Thinking about her confession, which was like a self-indulgent long essay, Ji Lanruo felt so grief-stricken that she wanted to die.
It was all Weibo's fault for setting it up so that private messages could only be sent once before the recipient replied, so she had put all her thoughts into a single private message.
Jiang Mian suppressed a smile and comforted her, "It's okay, Song Xingjia is not just anyone, it's fine. You were going to send it to him anyway, and the person himself saw the fans' declaration of love, isn't that perfect?"
Ji Lanruo covered her face, "It should be, anyway, he didn't respond after reading it."
Thinking of this, she gritted her teeth, "This cold old man!"
Jiang Mian knew she was angry and didn't defend Song Xingjia anymore. She changed the subject, "I'm hungry, shall we go to the cafeteria to eat?"
They were graduating soon, and it was a case of eating one less meal.
Ji Lanruo grabbed her arm, "Let's go."
...
Ji Residence.
Ji Zhilan finished speaking and observed Mother Ji's reaction.
Mother Ji's expression was solemn, and she confirmed again, "Are you sure it's true?"
Ji Zhilan had sent Jiang Cheng home after buying the items and came directly to report this big news to her mother.
Upon hearing this, she took out her phone, "Look, I took this. Can it be fake?"
The photo she took was of the back, so Jiang Mian's face was not clear. Only her presence in the maternity and baby store was visible.
Mother Ji frowned and looked closely, zooming in and out, "You didn't capture her being pregnant. How can you be sure she's pregnant?"
Ji Zhilan rolled her eyes, "Mom, look carefully. She went to a maternity and baby store. Why else would she go to a maternity and baby store if not to buy clothes for a baby? Buying baby clothes means she's pregnant and preparing in advance?"
Mother Ji shook her head, "I still don't believe your brother would do something like this behind our backs."