Ji Zhi Xiu walked downstairs slowly.
Jiang Mian swallowed her wontons and looked up, "Meeting adjourned?"
"You like younger ones?" he asked, not answering her question.
This abrupt question was rather baffling. Jiang Mian licked her lips, confused, "Like younger ones, what do you mean?"
Just then, Aunt Song brought in a plate of strawberries.
Jiang Mian picked up a strawberry and put it in her mouth, "So sweet."
She was completely engrossed in the delicious fruit.
Ji Zhi Xiu walked to her side, poked her cheek with his fingertip, and asked with a hint of grievance, "Am I very old?"
The abundant juice almost choked Jiang Mian, and she coughed a few times.
Finally, she understood what he was upset about.
She looked up and tried to placate him, "Not old, not old, this is called a mature man—"
"Do you like it?"
Jiang Mian stuffed two strawberries into her mouth, her cheeks puffed out like a hamster's, and mumbled indistinctly, "Like it."
"Is it sweet?"
Jiang Mian picked up a strawberry and put it in his mouth, "You try."
"Not as sweet as you."
"Just a strawberry and you're appeased? Nothing more."
"Your Majesty's reprimand is correct." He said with perfect diction.
Jiang Mian jumped up from her chair, her eyes wide with surprise, "You watched it?"
This was one of the lines from the character she played in "Lock Heart Chronicles."
She hadn't expected Ji Zhi Xiu to know the second half of the line.
Ji Zhi Xiu nodded, "I watched it at double speed."
Jiang Mian felt a warmth spread through her chest. His time was precious, and it was good enough that he was willing to spend time watching her work.
The playback speed didn't matter.
She hooked her arm around his shoulder, "Then does President Ji have any advice?"
"Advice is too much to say."
He estimated that based on this drama, Jiang Mian might win an award.
Seeing the girl's happy expression, Ji Zhi Xiu didn't say everything, deciding to keep it as a surprise.
...
The next day, the two returned to the old house for a meal.
Jiang Mian had prepared gifts for everyone. Although Mother Ji was still unhappy, she didn't say anything in the end.
After everyone had received their gifts, even the household staff.
Ji Zhi Lan couldn't hold back any longer and spoke up, "What about mine? Why do Mom, Dad, and Grandpa all have one, but I don't? Jiang Mian! You're targeting me!"
Jiang Mian blinked, "Because I didn't know what you liked, and I thought you might not like what I bought. So I..."
"Good! You're not even pretending anymore?" She stood up, thinking she had found Jiang Mian's weakness, "You've finally shown your true colors! You just don't want to buy me anything!"
She turned to complain, "Grandpa! Look!"
Jiang Mian swallowed the milk candy in her mouth, "I haven't finished speaking. I thought you wouldn't like the gift I picked. So I thought about letting your brother restore your allowance."
Ji Zhi Lan looked at her in disbelief, "You can be this kind?"
Jiang Mian smiled, "Originally, that's what I thought. But now it seems you don't need it, so let's forget about it. Pretend I didn't mention it. What do you say, husband?"
Ji Zhi Xiu put a piece of sweet and sour pork into her bowl without looking up, "You're right."
Ji Zhi Lan was furious, stamping her feet twice, "Brother! You're family! Am I the only outsider?"
Old Master Ji tapped the table, "Alright, stop arguing and eat."
With Old Master Ji's words, Ji Zhi Lan had to behave.
She shot Jiang Mian a few fierce glares.
Jiang Mian smiled, not angry at all.
After the meal, Mother Ji arranged to play mahjong with some friends.
Ji Zhi Xiu went upstairs to play chess with Old Master Ji.
Only Jiang Mian and Ji Zhi Lan were left in the living room.
Ji Zhi Lan let out a few snorts, "I don't know how you managed to charm my brother."
Jiang Mian was surprised, "It seems your brother didn't teach you a deep enough lesson."
"You!" Her expression changed, and she suddenly snorted, whispering, "You won't be happy for long anyway!"
Her voice was very low.
Jiang Mian didn't hear clearly and shrugged, "I'm going for a nap, do as you please."
Damn it!
How could this woman act so casually in her own home as if it were her own!
Ji Zhi Lan gritted her teeth and watched her go upstairs.
Jiang Mian, enjoying a rare moment of leisure, slept for a while and then woke up.
It was only four in the afternoon.
Mother Ji was still playing mahjong.
The sounds of mahjong tiles clattering could be heard from the living room.
Jiang Mian leaned against the stair railing, too lazy to move.
Ji Zhi Xiu came out of his room and saw her leaning lazily on the stairs.
He walked over and hugged her from behind, "What's wrong?"
Jiang Mian turned her head, "When you're done with your work, can we have a baby?"
Ji Zhi Xiu kissed her nose, his warm breath escaping, "Okay."
"Do you like boys or girls?"
"Why not both?"
"That depends on my mood."
"Either way is fine, I'll like them. If it's a daughter, she'll be as cute as you. If it's a son, he can protect you with me."
Jiang Mian's lips curved up, her smile undisguised, "President Ji, you're getting better at sweet talk."
She used to be very fixated on not having a complete family.
But now she didn't think so. She could give their future child a complete family with Ji Zhi Xiu.
"Just stating the facts."
He was indifferent about having children.
Two people were good, and three could also be good.
As long as it was with her.
Half a month later.
Jiang Mian completely finished all her work and schedules.
And "Jiu Li" officially entered the post-production stage.
"Lock Heart Chronicles," due to its excellent ratings, was replayed in the prime time slot on Kyoto Television.
This gave Jiang Mian even more topics of discussion.
Since the broadcast of this drama, it had been a genuine word-of-mouth success, conquering every viewer with its quality.
At the same time, some rumors began to circulate online.
But Sister Ning didn't pay attention at first. It was normal for popular people to attract gossip.
Until an anonymous poster on Douban posted a thread titled [Exposing the Life Behind That Popular Star].
The post didn't explicitly name anyone, but every sentence alluded to Jiang Mian.
Every characteristic mentioned matched Jiang Mian.
The poster directly accused Jiang Mian of being an illegitimate child with a powerful backer, which was why she had such good resources after her comeback.
Many of Jiang Mian's fans started arguing in the thread, and the comments quickly piled up.
This stirred up a storm and also firmly occupied the trending search list.
When Jiang Mian saw it, she was still a little confused.
Illegitimate child, was it talking about her?
She didn't want to jump to conclusions.
But she was from the 21st graduating class of Kyoto University, had just finished filming a Xianxia female lead drama, and had recently been getting a lot of attention.
These clues pointed to her, didn't they?
Her heart was beating fast, and she couldn't help but click into the original post to read.
Poster: [It's okay if you don't believe it, I'm just telling the truth. As far as I know, this sister doesn't have many relatives and was raised by her maternal grandmother. She's an illegitimate child, unwanted by anyone.]
Comment 539: [You can say anything without proof. I can also say you're an idiot for being online.]
Comment 880: [Why are you suddenly exposing her details?]
Comment 1800: [So what if she's an illegitimate child? The poster is as disgusting as a rat in a sewer.]
Comment 2100: [Any proof?]
Poster: [Let me add a few more details. Back when this sister hadn't entered the industry yet, her mother brought her to Kyoto to acknowledge her father, but she was rejected. Her mother couldn't bear the blow and committed suicide. It was reported in the news. You can look it up if you're interested.]
When Jiang Mian saw this, she suddenly froze.
Her head felt like it had been hit by a heavy object, making her dizzy, and she almost lost her balance.
She bit her lip, and vaguely, she had a blurry memory.
She opened her phone and started searching for keywords.
...
When Ji Zhi Xiu returned home from work, the house was unusually quiet.
He glanced at Aunt Song in the kitchen, "Aunt Song, where is Madam?"
Aunt Song peeked out, "Madam said she was going out, I don't know where."
"How long has it been?"
"About three or four hours."
Three or four hours? Ji Zhi Xiu frowned.
He called Jiang Mian, "Hello, the number you have dialed is switched off..."
He hung up and fell into thought.
As he was thinking, his phone rang. He answered.
Sister Ning's voice came from the other end, "President Ji, this trending search is hard to suppress! It's not a big deal, really. The rumors about Mianmian's identity are not important. It's just the rumor that she's being kept. Do you think we should clarify?"
Ji Zhi Xiu pinched his eyebrows, "You don't need to worry about it anymore. Leave it to me."
"Alright," Sister Ning nodded. With Ji Zhi Xiu saying this, she felt reassured.
"By the way, is Jiang Mian with you?"
"She didn't come to the company today."
Ji Zhi Xiu's heart sank inexplicably, "I understand."
After hanging up, Ji Zhi Xiu called Fan Cheng, "Find out where Madam is right now."
"Yes, President."
He had intended to suppress the matter so the young lady wouldn't see it. He hadn't expected her to see it after all.
The matter he had tried so hard to hide would still be known to her.
He let out a soft breath, his mind racing. Not at home, where could she be?
School? She probably wouldn't go.
Her roommates? If she specifically left the villa, she probably wouldn't go to see people.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him, there was one more place!
Ji Zhi Xiu drove to Sheng Shi Hua Ting.
Since they had moved back to Xiu Shui Villa, he had hardly come here.
He went upstairs and opened the fingerprint lock.
The living room was neatly arranged, just like yesterday.
There was no sign of anyone having been there.
Ji Zhi Xiu felt a little annoyed. Was he wrong?
Or perhaps, had Mianmian returned to Jiangnan? But Fan Cheng had checked, and there were no travel records for her.
This meant she was still in Kyoto.
He closed his eyes slightly and thought quickly.
Then he opened his eyes, walked to the master bedroom, grasped the doorknob, and gently turned it to push the door open.
The empty room was still clean and tidy.
The pillows and covers on the bed were covered with dustproof covers.
On the dressing table, there were still cosmetics that the young lady hadn't taken away.
"A Xiu, I have class tomorrow, don't pick me up!"
"President Ji is such a busy person."
"Our professor made us watch performance appreciation class all afternoon today!"
Past events replayed in his mind like vivid scenes.
Her lively, angry, and pouting moods, every expression, was deeply etched in his heart.
Ji Zhi Xiu's heart ached uncontrollably.
He couldn't imagine how sad she would be when she learned her identity.
He turned and opened the second bedroom, the guest room, and the study, each door. kuAiδugg
But in none of the rooms was that familiar figure.
Ji Zhi Xiu leaned back on the sofa, his usually calm and steady face showing a rare hint of regret.
Mianmian, where on earth did she go?
He took out his phone and dialed that number again.
This time, the prompt was still that the phone was switched off.
Ji Zhi Xiu rubbed his forehead and called the villa, "Aunt Song, has Madam returned?"
"No, sir. Don't worry, young master, I'll let you know as soon as Madam returns."
"Okay."
He put down his phone and suddenly stood up. In the trash can of the master bedroom just now.
He had seen two tissues, used to wipe away tears!
When they moved out of this apartment, all the garbage in the house had been cleaned up.
Therefore, she must have been here.
Ji Zhi Xiu suddenly felt he was getting warmer.
There was one more place he hadn't checked, a place he had almost overlooked.
He stood at the bathroom door and listened carefully.
It was very quiet inside, with no sound.
Ji Zhi Xiu closed his eyes slightly, his emotions churning.
He placed his palm on the doorknob, time seemed to freeze.
If she really wasn't here, then where else could he find her?