The holidays always saw Ji Zhixiu returning to the old Ji family residence for a brief appearance before rushing back to accompany her.
It was good, and yet, not so good.
There was always a feeling that her heart couldn't quite settle.
Ji Zhixiu switched the television to the finance channel. "No need. I've asked Xiang Long to look after her, to prevent her ex-boyfriend from bothering her again."
As expected, Jiang Mian showed no sign of disappointment. "Oh."
She picked up her phone and took a picture of her freshly done nails, uploading it to Weibo.
"Jiang Mian v: My new nails, do they look good?
Someone commented quickly after she refreshed the page.
"A River of Spring Water Flows East: Looking good, wife! More updates please!"
"Loving the Whole World: Wife, when will you return to acting?
"Oh Yeah Oh Loo: They suit you well. Whose jacket is that next to you?"
Jiang Mian saw this comment and thought how sharp this person's eyes were.
When she had taken the photo earlier, Ji Zhixiu's jacket had accidentally appeared in the frame. Too lazy to edit it, she had simply sent it with one click.
Letting others speculate, Jiang Mian put down her phone and turned to hug Ji Zhixiu. "Husband."
Her voice was soft and delicate, deliberately acting spoiled, with a hint of sweetness. Ji Zhixiu raised an eyebrow. "Hmm?"
"Today, who was it that asked Shen Tingyu to come over?" she asked, as if casually.
Ji Zhixiu froze for a second, then answered truthfully, "Lu Cong asked her to come. I've already spoken to him."
Ji Zhixiu had wanted to say that there wouldn't be another chance to run into each other, but with their circle being so small, such words were difficult to speak so casually.
He composed himself. "Shen Tingyu is Shen Uncle's stepdaughter. His family has some connections with our Ji family. Shen Tingyu's mother married into the Shen family with her when Shen Tingyu was eighteen. We all know each other."
Ji Zhixiu didn't mention his past with Shen Tingyu.
To him, it was all in the past.
Jiang Mian nodded her head.
Oh, so it wasn't Ji Zhixiu who asked her to come.
Her heart suddenly felt clear, as if brilliant and spectacular fireworks had bloomed.
A pair of slender arms rested on the man's shoulders. They were only a few centimeters apart, their breaths mingling. Jiang Mian's heart inexplicably began to beat faster.
"From now on, you're not allowed to see her alone." Her face held a hint of possessiveness, and her words were incredibly domineering.
Ji Zhixiu liked her like this very much. The young woman was leaning too close, her pajama collar open, revealing a patch of smooth, delicate skin.
Ji Zhixiu's breath hitched. His gaze deepened as he stared at her chest, and he replied, "Okay."
...
The next day, Jiang Mian slept until she woke up naturally.
Last night, the man had been in a beastly mood, tossing and turning and making love to her multiple times.
He was in a better mood, but Jiang Mian was annoyed, having occupied one corner of the bed herself in the latter half of the night, wishing she could be miles away from him.
In the end, she was pulled back into Ji Zhixiu's arms, falling asleep in a daze.
Daylight streamed in. Jiang Mian felt for her phone and checked the time. It was 9:30.
She got up, washed, and sat down at the table. A sticky note from the man was there.
In his signature scrawling handwriting: "The porridge is in the pot, help yourself."
Jiang Mian rubbed her sore waist, tore off the note, and placed it in the box on top of the refrigerator.
Then she went to the kitchen to serve herself a bowl of the millet porridge the man had cooked for her.
Still steaming were the steamed buns in the steamer basket.
She brought them both to the table, took out her phone, snapped a photo, and sent it to the man via WeChat.
Ji Zhixiu had just arrived at the company and was preparing for the morning meeting.
When he heard the notification sound, he took out his phone and looked at it.
In the photo, the young woman's face was a little blurry, holding a bowl of porridge next to her face.
Her small face seemed to be no bigger than the bowl.
Ji Zhixiu's lips curved into a smile. He replied: "Is it delicious?"
After sending the message, he reopened the image and long-pressed to save it.
Fan Cheng followed behind him when the man suddenly stopped.
Fan Cheng looked up, puzzled, and saw the lingering smile on Ji Zhixiu's lips.
Well, he didn't need to ask; it must have been a message from madam.
"It's not bad."
Ji Zhixiu replied instantly, and Jiang Mian also replied instantly.
But after this message, there was no further reply from the other side.
Jiang Mian put down her phone and ate the porridge cleanly with her head down.
After eating, she was contemplating whether to ask Chang Qin for some information when Chang Qin called her. "Sister-in-law."
Lu Cong was sitting next to him, mouthing: "Did she—answer—yes—?"
Chang Qin glared at him and moved the phone away. "Stop yapping."
He then leaned back into the microphone. "Sister-in-law, are you free this afternoon? Qingqing said she misses you and asked if you're free to get together?"
Jiang Mian knew that Chang Qingqing was Chang Qin's wife.
They had met a few times; they weren't particularly close, nor were they particularly distant.
Jiang Mian curved her lips. "Okay, I'm free. Can you send me the address?"
"Alright, I'll send the address to your WeChat later. See you this afternoon then."
After hanging up, Lu Cong eagerly asked, "How was it? Did sister-in-law agree?"
Chang Qin crossed his legs. "Of course she agreed. I'm the one who asked. And you, you idiot, what were you thinking inviting Shen Tingyu over?"
Lu Cong felt extremely wronged. "How was I supposed to know Brother Xiu would bring sister-in-law? He kept her so well hidden. Besides, Shen Tingyu begged me. Ah, when a beautiful woman begs me, I tend to soften."
Chang Qin rolled his eyes. "I just don't like Shen Tingyu. All these years, I've always felt she was too fake."
Lu Cong pouted. "I think you're so devoted to Qingqing that you can't tolerate anyone else."
"That's natural. Someone like me, who has a wife, is naturally incomparable to a single dog like you."
Chang Qin clicked his lighter, lit a cigarette. He had a heavy smoking habit.
Lu Cong stopped arguing with him. "Alright, alright, thank you anyway. I'll treat sister-in-law tonight to apologize, and I'll cover all the expenses."
After eating, Jiang Mian read a book by the floor-to-ceiling window for a while.
She placed a bookmark halfway through the book, did some yoga, and finally opened her phone to live stream with her fans for a while.
Although she hadn't acted for several years, she had always shared her daily life on Weibo and didn't do any product endorsements. Her fan base had only grown.
"Please, sister, don't waste your stunning beauty! Come back to acting!"
"Sister's figure is amazing!"
"Several years as a fan here, is there still any chance to see you in another drama?"
The barrage of comments scrolled by.
What all her fans cared about most was why Jiang Mian had retired from the entertainment industry. The few dramas she had acted in before showcased both her acting skills and her beauty.
If she had continued to develop, she would likely be a huge star by now.
Jiang Mian looked at the camera without using any filters, zooming in on her face. "Thank you all. If there's a good script, I'll consider it."
"Ahhhhhh! Milky skin!"
"Wife is so beautiful!!"
"Luo Fei has sent a Carnival to your live stream!"
Jiang Mian glanced at the screen and decisively turned off her phone, ending the stream.
In the office.
Luo Fei watched the now-offline live stream, rolling his tongue against his jaw. He felt his heart being tickled more and more.
"Jiang Mian, you're quite interesting."
...
The address Chang Qin sent was a bar, not far from Shengshi Huating.
Looking at the weather for the day, Jiang Mian chose a black coat, wore a pair of knee-high boots, put on light makeup, and was ready to go out. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
She took a taxi to her destination.
This bar was called "Seattle."
As Jiang Mian approached the entrance, a doorman immediately stepped forward. "Are you Ms. Jiang? Please follow me."
Jiang Mian followed him inside.
Soft music was playing. There was a large stage in the center, where someone was tuning their strings.
It was only four or five in the afternoon, so there weren't many people. A few scattered individuals sat around, all of them staff.
Behind the U-shaped bar was a full redwood display cabinet, very elegant, with vintage wines displayed on it.
Further inside was a long corridor, with dazzling lights cast on the luxurious carpeted floor.
The doorman, following instructions, led her to the door of a private room. "Ms. Jiang, Mr. Chang and the others are waiting for you inside."
Jiang Mian nodded slightly. "Thank you."
She pushed open the door.
Chang Qin called out, "Sister-in-law!"
Lu Cong said meekly, "Little Sister-in-law."
Chang Qingqing peeked out from behind Chang Qin, a small face appearing. "Mianmian jie."
Jiang Mian put down her bag. "Qingqing, Chang Qin, and Little President Lu."
Lu Cong met her sparkling gaze. "Little Sister-in-law, please don't call me President Lu or anything like that. It sounds too formal. Brother Xiu calls me Lu San, you can call me Lu San too."
Among these brothers, Lu Cong was the third oldest, and in the family hierarchy, he was also ranked third.
Jiang Mian smiled sweetly. "Okay, then I'll call you Lu San from now on."
Chang Qingqing was a bit socially awkward, but she didn't dislike Jiang Mian.
On the contrary, she had watched several of Jiang Mian's dramas and liked Jiang Mian very much.
Seeing her in person now, she smiled shyly. "Mianmian jie, come sit here."
Jiang Mian knew about Chang Qingqing and Chang Qin's love story.
Their journey had also been quite bumpy.
Chang Qingqing was the adopted daughter of the Chang family and had grown up with Chang Qin.
They were not blood-related, so marriage wasn't an issue. The difficulty was that not a single person in the entire Chang family agreed.
Jiang Mian even remembered the young girl's dejected expression when she had first met her a few years ago.
Later, Chang Qin had gone ahead and married Chang Qingqing without prior approval. The old master of the Chang family had decreed that if the children liked each other, so be it.
Only then was their relationship openly accepted.
Jiang Mian sat beside her and whispered, "Qingqing, what shade is your lipstick today? It looks really good."
Pleased by the compliment, Chang Qingqing's small round eyes lit up. "Really? It's a new one from Van Cleef & Arpels. I have another one, I'll give it to you later."
"That's great. Didn't I see you asking on WeChat if anyone had a personal shopper for that Chopard watch? I have a personal shopper in my WeChat who just posted that hers has arrived. Should I recommend her to you?"
Chang Qingqing nodded repeatedly.
Chang Qin's birthday was approaching, and she had looked at many birthday gifts but hadn't found anything she liked.
She had fallen in love with that watch at first sight, but when she inquired at the domestic boutique, they said it hadn't arrived yet.
Jiang Mian's words were undoubtedly a great help.
The two young women were whispering to each other when Lu Cong coughed to interrupt them. "Ahem, excuse me, two little sisters-in-law."
Jiang Mian looked up. "Yes?"
"Well, little sister-in-law. I was the one who invited Shen Tingyu that day. I really didn't mean to. She said she had something to discuss with Brother Xiu, so I let her come. Please don't argue with Brother Xiu over this. That would be a great sin on my part."
He clasped his hands together, his expression earnest, genuinely afraid she would quarrel with Ji Zhixiu over this.
If Brother Xiu wasn't doing well, would they have good days?
Lu Cong found the thought worrying.
Jiang Mian maintained a stern expression, looking truly displeased.
Lu Cong thought, "It's over. Have they already fought..."
"Well... little sister-in-law, listen to me. Shen Tingyu is absolutely no match for you. Really..." he stammered.