Li Junchen didn't understand why Shen Chi Yan, who clearly disliked their mother and son and didn't care for Shen Zhenghao, would still come to celebrate Shen Zhenghao's birthday.
Yet, Shen Zhenghao thought they could get along peacefully and kept trying to foster a family bond.
Seeing Song Qi Nian with her head lowered, acting as if she were invisible, Li Junchen cast a cold glance at Shen Chi Yan, then curved his lips into a smile. "Since Father insists, I will naturally accompany him for a few drinks."
As he spoke, Li Junchen put his arm around Song Qi Nian's shoulders and smiled at her tenderly, "Wife, it's Father's birthday today. I'll have a couple of drinks with him."
Li Junchen's words seemed like a report to Song Qi Nian, presenting himself as a good husband.
Song Qi Nian forced a smile and nodded, "As long as everyone is happy."
Shen Chi Yan watched their interaction, his dark eyes growing colder. Ever since he entered, Song Qi Nian hadn't looked at him.
*Heh... afraid he's here to cause trouble?*
*Or afraid he would disrupt their happy and warm family time?*
After watching the three of them for a moment, Ji Luofei smiled and said, "Junchen, you never even listened to me when you were little. Now that you're so grown up, you actually listen to Nian Nian so much."
Li Junchen's eyes were filled with gentle indulgence as he looked at Song Qi Nian. "Nian Nian is my wife. I must get her approval for anything I do."
Ji Luofei snorted lightly. "I think you've got a wife and forgotten your mother."
Li Junchen smiled and offered no rebuttal.
The mother and son's words were designed to provoke Shen Chi Yan. Shen Chi Yan didn't immediately lose his temper, not because of his immense patience, but because he hadn't yet achieved a more important objective.
The three raised their glasses together. Song Qi Nian and Ji Luofei, however, were drinking freshly squeezed juice.
At this moment, Song Qi Nian felt as if she were sitting on pins and needles, with a lump in her throat. Never before had she felt such a strong desire to escape.
The other four wore faint smiles. While Shen Zhenghao was genuinely happy, the smiles of the other three were tinged with insincerity.
Song Qi Nian desperately wanted to find an excuse to leave, but Ji Luofei seemed to have guessed her intention. She smiled slightly at Song Qi Nian. "Nian Nian, while these three men drink, why don't we take a stroll in the garden outside?"
Song Qi Nian was eager to leave the dinner table and immediately followed Ji Luofei to the garden.
As soon as she stepped out of the main hall, Song Qi Nian felt the air outside become fresher. She took a deep breath, feeling a little more at ease.
Ji Luofei loved to tend to flowers and plants, a trait that was strikingly similar to Gu Zhi Yan.
Shen Zhenghao truly doted on Ji Luofei. The villa was designed according to Ji Luofei's preferences, with a resting pavilion in the garden and a swing decorated with flowers.
The entire courtyard was filled with roses planted by Ji Luofei, a fiery red expanse that exuded a rich fragrance as one approached.
Ji Luofei held a pair of pruning shears, wearing gloves, and snipped a few rose branches.
As she pruned the roses, she hummed a melodious tune. Her shears cut through the branches with no hesitation.
Holding the branches she had cut, Ji Luofei smiled at Song Qi Nian. "Nian Nian, do you think these flowers are beautiful?"
Song Qi Nian nodded. "Beautiful."
Ji Luofei brought the flowers to her nose and, after a few seconds of enjoyment, asked Song Qi Nian, "Are you perhaps wondering why I'm cutting them when they're blooming so well?"
Song Qi Nian did have that question, but her relationship with Ji Luofei wasn't close enough to ask such a thing, so she remained silent.
She hadn't expected Ji Luofei to read her mind.
"I nurture these roses. If it weren't for me, they wouldn't be able to bloom so vibrantly here, with enough fertilizer and such fertile soil. Therefore, whether they become ornamental pieces in a vase or petals for my bath is my decision."
Song Qi Nian understood that Ji Luofei's perspective wasn't wrong, but she hadn't forgotten what Gu Zhi Yan had once said.
"Flowers are like people; they have no choice in their birth. We can't choose whose daughter or son we become. Flowers can become wild blooms in the mountains, domestic flowers planted in homes, or decorative centerpieces at grand social events; they cannot choose. However, flowers are more tragic than people because people have consciousness. People can break free from their current predicament through their own efforts. The more flowers try to bloom and be seen, the faster they die. Therefore, we should cherish flowers. Since they were fortunate enough to be cultivated by you, it means they have a connection with you, and you should let them see their life through."
Gu Zhi Yan appeared aloof and unapproachable on the surface, but her heart was actually very soft and sensitive. In contrast, Ji Luofei gave Song Qi Nian the impression of being outwardly delicate and gentle, yet inwardly complex and unfathomable, much like her son, Li Junchen.
Seeing Song Qi Nian's silence, Ji Luofei smiled again. "I heard that Gu Zhi Yan gave you a fashion brand and that you're also the female lead in her movie, is that right?"
Song Qi Nian didn't know why Ji Luofei was asking, but since she had already found out, there was no need to hide it. "Yes."
"In your eyes, am I a shameless mistress who snatched someone else's husband? Do you perhaps feel indignant on behalf of Gu Zhi Yan, and that's why you're so cold to me?"
Song Qi Nian frowned. Before she could speak, Ji Luofei answered for herself, "But when Zhenghao and I got back together, he was already divorced from Gu Zhi Yan. Moreover, by calculation, Zhenghao and I knew each other before Gu Zhi Yan. I am not a third party."
Song Qi Nian had no interest in the romantic entanglements of the older generation. Her only wish now was for Gu Zhi Yan to find someone who truly cherished her, as life was still long, and a single hurt shouldn't be allowed to ruin a lifetime of happiness.
"Nian Nian, do you know why I didn't choose to be with Zhenghao after giving birth to Junchen, and instead left him?"
Ji Luofei seemed to be confiding her innermost thoughts. Regardless of whether Song Qi Nian was curious or not, she continued on her own, "Actually, it wasn't that Old Madam Shen didn't want me to be with Shen Zhenghao, but rather that I no longer wanted to be with him."
Song Qi Nian was taken aback. The version she knew was that the old madam didn't approve of Ji Luofei and had ordered Shen Zhenghao to break up with her, or face disownment.
Was the truth not like that?
Seeing Song Qi Nian's surprised expression, Ji Luofei smiled. "Old Madam Shen truly loved her youngest son dearly. To prevent her son from being heartbroken, she chose not to let Shen Zhenghao know the truth, even if it meant being misunderstood by her own son."
Ji Luofei placed the flowers on the table in the pavilion and then pulled Song Qi Nian to sit on a chair. "I'm in a good mood today, so I'll tell you about Zhenghao and me."