Chapter 312: Chapter 312: It’s Like Coming to Propose
“No need; you’re too enthusiastic. She’s timid, I’m afraid you might scare her away.”
With the man’s rejection, Jiang You became even more eager.
“Among the people I know, if I remember correctly, there shouldn’t be anyone who is timid.”
“Other than An Mi who’s introverted, everyone else is quite open.” She turned to look at An Mi, but didn’t suspect anything.
“…”
An Mi felt that she couldn’t let her continue speaking.
“Jiang You, my stomach hurts a little, let’s hurry home.”
She didn’t even want the necklace anymore and was pulling Jiang You towards the exit.
“Hold on, I’ll just pay real quick, it won’t take long.”
Jiang You wouldn’t let her gossipy behavior delay her determination to pamper her little sister.
It didn’t even take a minute, she took care of it.
“Here, take this, your New Year gift.”
She took the gift bag from the sales associate and handed it to An Mi.
An Mi obediently accepted it and thanked her.
Jiang You turned to Wan Muqi: “Then, Mr. Qi, we’ll head off first. Let’s get together after the New Year, and I’ll ask then.”
An Mi also said, “Mr. Wan, Mr. Qin, goodbye.”
After the two left, Qin Mi finally spoke up: “Are you still in the mood to pick gifts with me?”
Seeing him like this, her spirit seemed almost taken away by An Mi. She guessed he might not have the heart to accompany her shopping anymore.
Qin Mi then said, “Mr. Qi, to be frank, you and An Mi have a big age gap. Do you think you can make it work? Your topics of conversation might not even match, right?”
She meant no offense; she was merely stating the facts.
Wan Muqi responded with an indifferent and somewhat serious demeanor: “Qin Mi, this is none of your concern.”
Qin Mi was taken aback for a moment, then laughed and said: “Indeed, I’m being nosy. But don’t worry, I am not the kind to cling on desperately. Since you have someone you like, then I will stop liking you. You don’t have to worry about me giving An Mi a hard time at school. I disdain such petty actions. After all, there are plenty of men in this world, and you’re not the only one.”
Wan Muqi had indeed been worried that Qin Mi would hurt An Mi, but her words today made it clear that the one being petty was him.
Qin Mi saw him staring at her without speaking and continued: “Be assured, I’m speaking the truth. Before I returned, I truly admired you, and at this moment, I still like you.”
She had just finished speaking when she saw him frown.
“But, it’s just a liking, and I’m not sure if it’s even the romantic kind. However, one thing I can be certain about is that I might just like your profession more, because I think lawyers are really cool.”
“Mr. Wan, you are truly outstanding and definitely one of the most desirable partners for many girls. But just one among many, after all, there’s more than just you who are lawyers, right?”
Wan Muqi’s expression relaxed, Qin Mi’s values were indeed upright.
He said, “Qin Mi, it was narrow-minded of me, I apologize.”
Qin Mi smiled carelessly, “If we can’t be lovers, we can still be friends, right?”
Wan Muqi, uncharacteristically, didn’t give her a cold face, “Yes, if you have any legal troubles in the future, you can always ask me for help, for free, no charge.”
Qin Mi: “No, that’s not necessary, don’t jinx me.”
“However, I reckon you’ll need more than just a little time if you want to pursue An Mi.”
Although Qin Mi hadn’t known An Mi for a long time, she could sense, perhaps that’s a woman’s intuition.
Wan Muqi: “…”
Why does everyone say that?
Although he himself also mostly thought the same.
“Good luck, if there’s anything you need help with, just say the word,” said Qin Mi.
“…”
In a blink of an eye, it was New Year’s Eve.
This year, the Jiang Family was more lively than any year before.
Su He invited An Chengyuan and An Rui, and An Mi to join the Jiang Family for the New Year’s Eve celebration.
Both families weren’t very traditional, and the Old Madam was very approving of it.
Actually, An Rui and An Mi had seldom experienced such a lively and festive New Year’s Eve.
In the past, at the An Family, New Year’s Day was the quietest, devoid of any festive atmosphere, with no laughter.
Moreover, their father would almost never come home.
Even when grandma forced her to come back, she would have a cold expression on her face, and after dinner, she would find an excuse to leave.
So, this year, for An Rui and An Mi, it was the most authentic New Year they’d ever had.
Old Madam Jiang and Mr. An sat on the chairs in the courtyard, watching the children in the yard set up the barbecue equipment, everyone chatting and laughing.
For them, who were half buried in the yellow earth, this scene was the most precious and happiest moment.
This barbecue proposal was made by Jiang You. She felt that previous New Year’s Eve celebrations were too casual and boring.
So, she came up with this idea.
This year, there were more young people in the family, apart from Jiang Yan not liking it, no one else had any objections.
Of course, his opinion wasn’t important to them.
It wasn’t like he was the one calling the shots at home.
“Sister-in-law, have you scheduled your plan for having a second child with my brother?” Jiang You asked Su He while skewering meat.
She was very concerned about when her little niece would come to the Jiang Family.
Now that they had a nephew, she also wanted a cute little niece.
Su He: “… Can’t we discuss something other than this during the New Year?”
Jiang You: “The New Year is meant for discussing these topics.”
“Right, An Mi?”
After saying this, she turned to An Mi, who was earnestly skewering kebabs.
They could have asked the house servants to do these tasks, but Jiang You insisted that doing it themselves would feel more joyful.
An Mi was deep in thought and thus didn’t hear their previous conversation.
“Huh? What?”
“I’m asking if you want to be an aunt again,” said Jiang You.
An Mi blinked and looked at Su He, “Sister, are you pregnant?”
Su He was embarrassed: “That’s not true, don’t listen to Jiang You’s nonsense.”
An Mi blinked again: “Oh.”
Jiang You kept nagging: “Sister-in-law, don’t dodge my question. I really want another little niece, don’t worry, when she is born, I’ll take care of her and it surely won’t affect your career.”
Su He: “If you want one so much, why don’t you have one yourself?”
“I heard from your brother that you told Gu Beiyan you want to have two kids with him. When can I drink at your wedding? When can I become an aunt?”
Jiang You: “… How did this conversation turn to me?”
Su He: “Didn’t you say that we should discuss these things during the New Year? My matters are not that important. The most important thing is your marriage. I believe grandma would also very much like to know.”
“Right, Grandma?”
Su He suddenly turned her head and called out to the Old Madam.
The Old Madam’s hearing was quite sensitive. Although she did not know what Su He was talking about, she still replied: “Yes, that’s right.”
Su He looked towards Jiang You, raising her eyebrows and eyes.
Jiang You: “…”
“Grandma, my sister-in-law didn’t say anything and you agreed so hastily, aren’t you being a bit too rash?”
She also called out to the Old Madam.
The Old Madam cheerfully replied: “Whatever your sister-in-law says is correct.”
Jiang You was instantly speechless: “…”
“Grandma, am I no longer your most cherished granddaughter? You don’t love me anymore, do you?”
“Silly girl, you’re even jealous of your sister-in-law? It’s true that I love her, but that doesn’t mean Grandma doesn’t love you.”
Then, the Old Madam added: “If you could marry out next year, Grandma would love you even more.”
Jiang You: “…”
Su He quietly said: “You see, Grandma and I are on the same wavelength.”
Jiang You responded to the Old Madam: “I’ll do my best, Grandma.”
She wasn’t just brushing her off.
Su He noticed too, “What, has Gu Beiyan proposed to you?”
Jiang You seriously replied: “Who says that only men are allowed to propose?”
Su He was slightly surprised, but then laughed: “You’re really something else, amazing!”
Jiang Yan just happened to bring a cup of water over for Su He to drink, right when he overheard his little sister’s bold declaration.
“Jiang You, behave with a bit more dignity, look at yourself, where is there any semblance of a young lady?”
The man’s deep voice, laced with a thread of seriousness, rose behind the two of them.
Jiang You turned her head and looked up, facing her own brother who stood at 189cm tall.
“Brother, I think I quite resemble a girl, look at how beautiful I am, with skin as fair as porcelain, I’ve got the bust, and I’ve got the figure, I have all the features a girl should have, how can you say I don’t look like one?”
Jiang You retorted at a rapid pace.
Jiang Yan: “…”
“If you dare to propose first, then you better not tell anyone I’m your brother in the future.”
He finds it embarrassing!
“Bro, your son is right, you really are an Old Antique, it’s the 21st century already, how can your thinking be so outdated?”
“Why can’t a woman be the one to propose?”
“This is called securing my own happiness, if I don’t take the initiative, and someone else beats me to it, then I’ll have nowhere to cry; I won’t do something that foolish.”
“You have the cheek to criticize me, didn’t you take the initiative with the sister-in-law too? As soon as she was of age to get the marriage certificate, you had her marry you. You could do it, I’m of legal marriage age now, why can’t I?”
“…”
Jiang Yan couldn’t win the argument with her, and was too lazy to quibble with her over these trivial matters.
“Alright, you make sense, I’m not going to bother with you, and I can’t really control you either.”
With that, he passed the cup of water in his hand to Su He.
“Have some water.”
His tone suddenly became much gentler.
Jiang You clicked her tongue, “Brother, you really are a hypocrite, got a wife and forgot your sister.”
Jiang Yan glanced at her, “You have a man yourself, let him pour it for you.”
“…”
She did want to call him, but it’s New Year’s Eve now, and Gu Beiyan had to return to the Gu Family Mansion to accompany Grandpa Gu and Granny Gu.
“Brother, if you don’t cherish me now, when I’m married, I won’t be home to celebrate New Year with you anymore.”
“That’s perfect, I can worry less, so hurry up and get married.”
Jiang You: “…”
He really is her real brother!
Before, he was so proactive in preventing her from being with Beiyan, but now, he can’t wait for her to marry off.
…
At 11:30 PM, Jiang You received a call from Gu Beiyan, didn’t even watch the Spring Festival Gala, and directly went back to her room with the phone.
Shortly after that, An Mi also received a call.
She initially didn’t want to answer it, since her sister was right beside her.
But just as she hung up, it rang again.
Su He then said, “The phone is ringing, why aren’t you picking up?”
An Mi pouted, “Oh, then sister, I’ll go answer the call first.”
Su He responded with a “Hmm.”
An Mi walked out to the courtyard before she answered Wan Muqi’s call.
“Hello, Mr. Wan, is there anything you need from me?”
On the other end of the line, Wan Muqi chuckled, planning to tease her: “Can’t I call you if there’s nothing wrong?”
An Mi: “No… no, I didn’t mean that.”
Wan Muqi: “Alright, just kidding. I want to say something to you the moment the New Year bells ring, do you have time to chat now? Or I can call you later as well.”
There are still thirteen minutes until midnight.
An Mi subconsciously replied: “I have time.”
After she said that, she realized she had replied too quickly.
But once the words were out, like water spilt, they couldn’t be taken back.
“Actually, watching the Spring Festival Gala is pretty boring.” She casually added another sentence.
But she spoke the truth, she really wasn’t very fond of watching performance shows.
Wan Muqi didn’t say much, just followed her lead and said, “Hmm, actually, I don’t really like watching it either.”
An Mi took the initiative to ask, “So, what do you usually do on New Year’s Eve then?”
Wan Muqi seriously began to tell her, “In the past, before Ah Yan got married, a few of us would go out for a get-together after we had our New Year’s Eve dinner at home, chat and have some drinks. These past few years, everyone has been busier so we haven’t gathered much. After the dinner, I would just go back to my study to work.”
An Mi listened to him attentively.
“You even work on New Year’s Eve.” She sighed and said, “No wonder you’ve become the king of the legal world.”
“And what about you?” Wan Muqi asked with a smile.
“Me?” An Mi thought for a bit before speaking, “You might not believe it if I told you.”
Wan Muqi: “Tell me, and I will believe.”
An Mi: “It’s pretty much the same for me, just maybe a different nature.”
Wan Muqi: “You go back to your room to read?”
That was the answer that flashed through his mind because it was the most consistent with her character.
An Mi nodded her head, then realized that Wan Muqi couldn’t see her, and finally spoke up, “Mhm.”
“That’s quite fitting for your character.” He said, “An Mi, in the future, you don’t have to just go back to your room to read after dinner.”
An Mi asked in confusion, “Then what should I do?”
This year was somewhat special as her sister had brought them over to the Jiang Family Mansion to spend New Year’s Eve, and with more people, it was livelier. Although she wasn’t fond of the New Year’s Gala, she didn’t just go back to reading after eating her fill.
Therefore, this one year, just this year, was the most special.
Wan Muqi said, “Isn’t it nice just like how it is now?”
Although he didn’t spell it out, An Mi, despite being slow to pick up on matters of the heart, grasped his meaning instantly.
Wan Muqi didn’t hear her reply, knowing she must have been startled again, not sure how to respond.
“An Mi, Happy New Year.”
A man’s deep, magnetic, and gentle voice came through her ear.
An Mi hadn’t even realized—was it already midnight?
Suddenly, a loud “boom” resonated from above her head.
She looked up to see fireworks bursting forth, illuminating the entire sky.
Immediately after, sparks fell straight from the sky like shooting stars.
“Happy New Year.”
Her voice was pleasant to the ear, soft, yet clear and melodious like a songbird.
Although the conversation was over the phone, Wan Muqi couldn’t help but imagine her smiling face at that moment in his mind.
He unconsciously curved his lips into a smile.
After hanging up.
An Mi received several red envelopes sent to her through WeChat.
She wasn’t pretentious and accepted each one.
Then, Wan Muqi’s red envelope came through.
An Mi thought about it and accepted it anyway.
The largest red envelope of the day was from her sister, who always transferred money directly for red envelopes.
…
On the fourth day of the New Year.
Mr. and Mrs. Wan came to the Jiang Family Mansion with gifts.
Jiang Yan and Su He originally planned to take Su Baobao, An Mi, and An Rui back to Beijing.
Since that incident, she hadn’t brought An Mi and An Rui back to visit their grandparents.
They were just about to leave when Mr. and Mrs. Wan arrived with a group.
So, they had to stay.
“Oh my, Mimi is here too, what a coincidence,” Mrs. Wan happily exclaimed upon seeing An Mi.
The smile on her face was like a blooming sun, radiant, as if she had seen some treasure.
It almost seemed like Mrs. Wan came to propose a match.