Chapter 311: Chapter 311: Beating a Retreat
After listening to what the Old Madam had said, Mrs. Wan became even more fond of An Mi.
This is simply a match made in heaven.
At this moment, the Old Madam looked at An Mi and introduced Mrs. Wan, saying, “Girl, Mu Ling is Mu Qi’s mother.”
Mu Qi?
An Mi murmured to herself internally.
In a flash of lightning!
Her mind exploded with a bang.
This aunt turns out to be Mr. Wan’s mother!
An Mi’s whole body instantly froze on the spot.
Mrs. Wan stood up, took a step forward, grabbed her hand, and said kindly and gently, “Mimi, I’m sorry for not revealing my identity to you earlier, I was worried it might scare you.”
An Mi was now a bit at a loss, “Auntie, it’s….it’s okay.”
Mrs. Wan is now like a mother-in-law, looking at her prospective daughter-in-law, the more she looks, the more she likes.
She wishes her son would hurry up and marry the girl and bring her home.
She is even getting a bit impatient, maybe she should just kidnap her and keep her at home for now.
The Old Madam watched from the side and understood Mrs. Wan’s thoughts completely.
“Ah Ling, this girl is just nineteen years old, don’t scare her,” said the Old Madam.
Mrs. Wan naturally understood what the Old Madam meant.
But An Mi didn’t understand.
Mrs. Wan said with a smile, “Aunt Min, I get along very well with this girl, and the more I see her, the more I like her.”
An Mi: “…”
Mrs. Wan intended to leave after a while, but now that An Mi was here, she didn’t want to go anymore.
This day, the Jiang Family Mansion was very lively.
Mrs. Wan even sneakily sent a text to Wan Muqi, asking him to come to the Jiang Family Mansion to pick her up in the afternoon.
When Wan Muqi saw the text, he only replied with one sentence: [I’m busy, I’ll send my assistant to pick you up.]
Mrs. Wan: [Never mind then, I’ll just go back with An Mi in her car.]
This time, the other party quickly replied to her: [I see, what time?]
Mrs. Wan looked at this message, clicked her tongue, put away her phone, and didn’t plan to reply with a time.
“That little rascal, putting on airs with me, hmph!”
“…”
6 o’clock in the afternoon.
Wan Muqi appeared at the Jiang Family Mansion.
At the same time, Jiang Yan and Su He also arrived.
The three of them met outside the main entrance.
Jiang Yan looked at him and asked, “Why are you here?”
Wan Muqi hadn’t expected the couple to be here as well.
He replied calmly, “My mom came to visit Granny Jiang, and asked me to pick her up.”
The couple heard him and didn’t say anything else.
The three of them then went inside together.
In the living room.
An Mi was chatting with Mrs. Wan, and after half a day’s company, An Mi had gradually gotten used to Mrs. Wan’s warmth.
“Mommy, Daddy, you’re here~”
The little one noticed them first.
“Oh, Uncle Wan, you’re here too,” said the little one sweetly.
An Mi was with her back facing the doorway and did not see the person who had entered.
Only after hearing Su Baobao’s voice did she turn her head around.
When she saw Wan Muqi, her entire being was stunned.
Why is he here?
“Grandma.”
“Granny Jiang.”
Three people walked in, calling out to the old madam.
Jiang Yan looked at Mrs. Wan and also politely greeted, “Aunt Ling.”
Su He had not met Mrs. Wan before, but followed suit and called out, “Aunt Ling.”
Mrs. Wan looked at Su He and seemed to like her quite a bit.
“So you’re Ah Yan’s wife, you’re really pretty, a perfect match for Ah Yan. No wonder the child you had is also so good-looking,” Mrs. Wan said with a smile.
Su He was stunned for a moment, but then also smiled, “Aunt Ling, you are also very beautiful and young.”
This remark was not merely a compliment from Su He.
Mrs. Wan really did take good care of herself, with skin that was neither sagging nor loose, and a figure that hadn’t gone out of shape; overall, she didn’t look her age.
Wan Muqi couldn’t bear to watch his mom, who in reality, is just obsessed with looks.
What Mrs. Wan liked the most was being told she looked young.
“It seems that Mimi’s sweet-talking is hereditary,” she said cheerfully.
Only now did Su He turn her gaze towards An Mi, who was sitting beside Mrs. Wan, their hands clasped as if they were quite familiar with each other.
Su He just glanced and didn’t say anything.
Was this considered meeting the parents in advance?
Only now did she realize that her little bunny seemed to have already caught the attention of the Wan Family.
Old Madam spoke up: “Since everyone is already here, why not stay and join this old lady for dinner.”
“…”
Even with Su He present, Mrs. Wan did not hide her affection for An Mi.
She even proactively told Su He that she really liked An Mi and wanted to take her as a goddaughter.
Hearing this, Wan Muqi on the side felt a surge of frustration, but couldn’t say anything.
Faced with Mrs. Wan’s enthusiasm, Su He was also somewhat at a loss.
Although she was not introverted, she tended to be cool by nature and was somewhat socially awkward when faced with enthusiastic people.
But Su He didn’t expect Mrs. Wan to like An Mi so much.
From what she said just now, it seemed she had only met An Mi twice.
Mrs. Wan suddenly declared, “If Mimi marries into our family in the future, I’ll definitely spoil her like a princess.”
The people present: “…”
Wan Muqi sighed, “Mom, what nonsense are you spouting!”
Mrs. Wan retorted, “How is this nonsense? Don’t you want to marry her, then?”
“…”
An Mi, sitting on the side, was even more at a loss.
Su He looked at Jiang Yan as if asking, “Has Aunt Ling always been like this?”
Really, always saying shocking things…
Jiang Yan gently shook his head, indicating he was unaware as well.
…
After having dinner at the Jiang Family Mansion, Mrs. Wan didn’t even want to leave.
Outside the front door, she held An Mi’s hand, “Mimi, if you have time, come keep Aunt Ling company. It’s quite boring at home by myself, all right?”
An Mi looked at the man standing beside Mrs. Wan.
Thinking she was worried her own son would disapprove, Mrs. Wan added, “You don’t need to look at him, his opinion doesn’t matter.”
Wan Muqi: “…”
He hadn’t said anything, okay…
An Mi, unable to refuse Mrs. Wan’s warmth, replied, “Okay, Aunt Ling.”
“Good child.” Mrs. Wan raised her hand to caress her soft cheek, “Aunt Ling is growing fonder of you. How great it would be if you were my daughter. But no matter, having a daughter-in-law is pretty good too, it’s like having half a daughter.”
An Mi: “…”
She had already heard this many times today, still not knowing how to respond.
All she could do was smile with her lips curled.
Wan Muqi coughed slightly and said, “Mom, if you don’t go back soon, dad might call the police out of worry.”
Tonight could be the first time in history that Mr. Wan had dinner alone at home without Mrs. Wan’s company.
Mr. Wan didn’t dare to ask Mrs. Wan when she would return, so he could only send messages here. In just these few hours, Mr. Wan has sent him dozens of WeChat messages.
He didn’t even bother replying later, because the questions were all the same:
“When is your mom coming back?”
“What time will your mom get home?”
“Why hasn’t she come back yet?”
Mainly, Wan Muqi didn’t want his mom to say another word to An Mi.
He felt that Ms. Mu was more of a hindrance than help; with her enthusiasm, she almost scared the girl away.
After saying this, he didn’t care about her previous look anymore and just shoved her into the car.
Mrs. Wan: “…”
After closing the car door, he turned to look at An Mi, who was still standing there.
He walked up to her, his gaze gentle as he said, “You don’t have to take my mom’s words to heart, don’t pressure yourself. Although what she said, is also what I’ve been thinking, but as I’ve said, I won’t force you to be with me. I have plenty of time to wait for you to like me, but I hope you can try to give me a chance, try to like me, but without forcing yourself. I always want to see you carefree and untroubled.”
Wan Muqi’s words were thoughtfully crafted and perfectly articulated.
An Mi was listening very seriously to him.
A warm current flowed through her heart, that strange unfamiliar feeling surfaced again.
A man’s gentlemanly demeanor and gentleness is what most likely shatters a woman’s heart.
The man in front of her had been gentlemanly and gentle to her from beginning to end.
But, she still wasn’t considering dating yet.
“Um, Mr. Wan, I’m sorry, but I don’t have that idea right now.” An Mi said somewhat apologetically, with her head slightly bowed, “But I’ll remember what you said.”
Wan Muqi smiled, his voice carrying a hint of a spring breeze’s warmth: “Silly girl, you never have to say sorry to me.”
At this moment, on the second-floor balcony of the Jiang Family Mansion, Su He was standing there.
From this spot, she could see everything happening outside the main gate.
“What are you watching?” A man’s deep and magnetic voice came from behind.
Jiang Yan walked over and lightly embraced her shoulders.
As he glanced up, he just saw outside the main gate, Wan Muqi suddenly reached out to touch An Mi’s head.
This was a rather intimate gesture, tinged with a hint of ambiguity.
But if a brother does that to his sister, it’s affectionate; for a pair of strangers, it’s a different matter entirely.
He instinctively looked at Su He beside him, noticing her calm demeanor, showing no signs of anger.
“Wife, what do you feel seeing this scene?” he asked.
Upon hearing his question, Su He turned her head, lifted her gaze, and glanced at him.
“What do you think I should feel?”
“Nothing in particular.”
Su He turned her head back to look outside the gate, saying, “As long as she’s happy, that’s good.”
Jiang Yan leaned in to kiss her ear, his deep voice filled with endless tenderness: “The ones you love, the ones you want to protect, they will all be happy.”
…
Half a month later.
The bustling streets were decorated with festive lights to welcome the New Year.
Three days before the Spring Festival.
Nan Jia returned, and she took Su He out to make New Year purchases again.
But this time, it was Su He choosing, while she just watched.
Occasionally, she would even praise her.
“You really are a quick learner. I only taught you once and you can already shop for the New Year goods yourself. It seems that in the future, you won’t need me to accompany you.”
Su He said, “Auntie, don’t say that. I still have a lot to learn; I’m just copying what I’ve seen.”
This year, she brought Jiang You and An Mi out with her as well.
However, Jiang You took An Mi to a jewelry store to pick out jewelry.
Jiang You isn’t the type to calmly accompany her shopping for New Year goods, but having her accompanying An Mi is good too.
In the past half a month, that girl’s personality indeed hasn’t been as reserved as before.
After all, every day, she has Su Baobao, the little chatterbox, for company.
“Jiang You, this is too expensive, let’s not.”
Jiang You saw a pink heart-shaped pendant necklace that she thought suited An Mi perfectly, and wanted to gift it to her.
But An Mi was deterred by the price.
She knew Jiang You didn’t lack money, but she just felt that the gift was too expensive.
“It can’t be helped, the gift I want to give must be given, and you can’t refuse me.”
Jiang You had quite the demeanor of a domineering female CEO.
In the past, she always thought of herself as the youngest, so everyone doted on her, and she rarely had the chance to play the role of an elder sister.
Now, there was finally someone younger and so beautiful as this little sister.
How could she not show some love!
Jiang You’s personality was somewhat impetuous, which, when compared with An Mi, became particularly evident.
“Mimi, you can refuse others, but you absolutely cannot refuse the love I, your sister Jiang You, have for you, understand?”
Jiang You touched her fair and soft face with seriousness.
An Mi: “…”
Why did she find that they all liked to touch her face?
Was her face that nice to touch?
She touched her own face, but didn’t find anything special about it.
At this moment, Jiang You had already instructed the clerk to wrap the necklace.
Just as Jiang You was pulling her towards the checkout counter, two people walked in through the door.
“Mu Qi, come with me to pick a piece of jewelry. I plan to give it to your mother, and you might as well give me some advice. You know her taste better than I do, I’m afraid of making the wrong choice,” said Qin Mi.
And thus, the four of them encountered each other unexpectedly.
Qin Mi and Wan Muqi both paused when they saw An Mi.
An Mi hadn’t expected to meet them here either.
Seeing the two of them standing together, An Mi felt they actually looked quite compatible, a handsome man and a beautiful woman.
But for some reason, she felt uncomfortable.
She didn’t really want to see them standing together.
“Hey, Mu Qi, what a coincidence!” Jiang You greeted them quite warmly. She glanced at Qin Mi standing beside him and, finding her somewhat unfamiliar, casually asked, “Mu Qi, is this beauty your girlfriend?”
It was the first time Jiang You had seen Wan Muqi shopping with a female friend.
Qin Mi didn’t seem like someone from the Wan Family.
She almost knew everyone from the Wan Family.
The probability that he would go shopping with someone other than family was high if it was a girlfriend.
But she seemed to recall that her brother Beiyan hadn’t mentioned anything about it.
Surely a well-kept secret!
And Jiang You was also unaware of Wan Muqi’s interest in An Mi.
When Jiang You asked this question, the smile on An Mi’s face gradually faded, and she even looked at Wan Muqi nervously.
Qin Mi also turned her head to look at him.
Wan Muqi said composedly, “No, we are just ordinary friends.”
His gaze inadvertently shifted to An Mi and then he explained to Jiang You, “I have someone I like, so don’t go spreading rumors about me.”
Jiang You was slightly taken aback.
“What? Mu Qi, you have someone you like? Who is it? Do I know her?”
Jiang You seemed very excited.
An Mi pulled Jiang You and quickly said, “Jiang You, let’s just checkout quickly and go find my sister. She must be getting anxious waiting.”
She was worried that Wan Muqi might slip up soon.
Jiang You: “There’s no rush at this moment.”
“Mu Qi, who do you like? Do I know them? Have you won them over? If you haven’t, and if I know them, I can help you out,” she said.
Wan Muqi looked at An Mi’s somewhat flustered appearance, smiled, and said very frankly, “Not yet, you do know her, but now is not the time to tell you.”
Jiang You was unhappy: “Why can’t you say it? If you haven’t won her over, it must be because you have no one to help you, I’m quite free recently, I can offer you some strategies.”
“I have a lot of experience to share, and I won’t charge you.”
An Mi: “…”
Meanwhile, Qin Mi was just ignored.
From the moment Wan Muqi stated outright that she and he were just ordinary friends, she knew that she and he were destined to be unrelated.