Song Xingjia swept him a cold glance.
Song Yin took a step back, his heart beginning to flutter.
He had known since he was a child that his uncle, while appearing gentle, was actually much harder to deal with than his father.
He subtly pursed his lips, lowering his head and not daring to speak further.
Song Xingjia did not elaborate on Song Yin’s current predicament within the Song family.
Many people were watching Song Yin, eager for him to fail so they could legitimately seize control of the Song Corporation.
Never mind, he was still just a child, with the whims of youth. What could he possibly understand? Song Xingjia mused to himself.
He rubbed his forehead and patiently said, "Song Yin, even if you don't want to study, you have to finish your compulsory education. Do you understand?"
Others speaking to him so kindly would only encourage him to push his boundaries, but with Song Xingjia, Song Yin dared not.
He nodded obediently, "Understood, Uncle."
"I'll have Song Yan take you to the hospital to see your father. After you're back, do your homework. Tomorrow, I'll take you to school, and you'll have to apologize to the teacher. Do you hear me?"
Song Yin: "Understood."
The door closed.
Song Xingjia shifted his gaze from the computer. He had not forgotten that a movie was about to be released.
Song Xingjia unlocked his phone and opened his work WeChat, only to find over 99+ unread messages.
He located the pinned conversation and tapped on Jiang Mian's chat box.
"Very busy. Happy New Year in advance."
He then exited WeChat and opened Weibo.
Song Xingjia v: "On the first day of the Lunar New Year, remember to watch Xing Yang and Chen Wenjing."
After posting this, he retweeted three promotional posts from the official Weibo account.
Some fans saw in the super topic that Song Xingjia had only been online for a few minutes. And within those few minutes.
He first posted on Weibo, then liked Jiang Mian's latest Weibo post, and finally retweeted the official Weibo account. Then he went offline.
It was evident that not a second was wasted, and he had used his actions to refute the rumors that Song Xingjia was not invested in this movie.
Jiang Mian saw the message just as she was finishing a photoshoot.
She quickly replied, but there was no further response from the other side.
When she returned home, Ji Zhixiu was also there.
The man was trimming the nails of a dried fish snack. Seeing her return, he gently called out, "Come here."
Jiang Mian snuggled into his embrace, her bright eyes looking up, "You said you could help me find my mother’s whereabouts, right? I want to know."
Ji Zhixiu stroked her slightly cool hair, lowered his head to meet her gaze, "Alright, I'll have Fan Cheng look into it. I'll tell you the news in a few days."
Jiang Mian hummed, unconsciously swiped her phone screen a couple of times, and then asked him, "Time flies, it's almost New Year again. Are we eating New Year's Eve dinner at the old house this year?"
A pang of pain suddenly struck Ji Zhixiu's heart because of the girl's thoughtfulness.
Her pretense of being fine was the most heartbreaking.
Ji Zhixiu paused, then replied, "Yes, will you accompany me after dinner?"
Jiang Mian pursed her lips, her gaze fixed on her phone, though she wasn't actually taking in any of the content.
She never brought it up not because she didn't want to, but because she didn't want to make things difficult for Ji Zhixiu.
She turned her cheek and softly hummed, "It's not the first time anyway."
Ji Zhixiu heard the stubbornness and disappointment in her voice.
The tip of his finger rubbed her cheek, and he said gently, "Wait a little longer, it won't always be like this. Give me a little more time, okay?"
Sooner or later, he would take the girl back to eat reunion dinners with him.
Jiang Mian hugged his waist and softly agreed, "Okay."
...
New Year's Eve.
Ji Zhixiu returned to the Ji residence.
Elder Ji was getting old and was happier than anything to see the family reunited.
At the dinner table, Mrs. Ji served Ji Zhixiu a couple of bites of food, "Brother Xiu will be thirty next year. Shouldn't his marriage be put on the agenda?"
Ji Zhixiu's hand, holding chopsticks, paused. He looked up and said, his voice devoid of emotion, "I'm not thinking about it for now."
Father Ji chimed in, "If our son doesn't want to, why are you forcing him?"
Ji Zhilan snorted, "This time I'm on Mom's side. Brother is almost thirty, and Brother Changqin already has children. Brother can't keep dragging this out."
Ji Zhixiu glanced at her with a half-smile.
Receiving his sharp look, Ji Zhilan immediately felt guilty. She lowered her head and took a few bites of rice.
Although Elder Ji also wanted great-grandchildren, he respected his grandson's opinion more.
"Xiu'er knows what he's doing."
Mrs. Ji looked at Elder Ji, "Dad, Xiu'er has had very few girlfriends in his life. How can I not be anxious? I'm not asking him to get married immediately, just to start dating."
"You know Miss Jing, she's a top graduate from a prestigious overseas university and has returned to develop her career in the country. I'd like to find some time for them to meet."
Ji Zhixiu knew his mother would inevitably bring this topic up at the dinner table. He pondered for a moment and said, "If it's just a meeting, then I agree. If you're not satisfied, I hope Mom won't force me."
His mother was satisfied that he had agreed. She nodded repeatedly, "Okay, if you don't like her, Mom will never force you."
After dinner, Ji Zhixiu looked at his watch, "I'm leaving."
Mrs. Ji had just brought out the fruit. Upon hearing this, she said, "Aren't you staying the night? Why are you going back alone? It's the New Year, aren't you feeling too lonely?"
Ji Zhixiu, with a poker face, blurted out, "Lu Cong called me out for a drink."
Ji Zhilan grabbed her bag from the sofa, "I'm coming too, brother. Give me a ride. Tingyu called me to go with her."
Ji Zhixiu looked at her expressionlessly, "Drive yourself."
With that, he left, turning his back on her coldly and heartlessly.
Ji Zhilan stomped her foot in anger, "Am I not your sister?!"
Jiang Mian was alone at home, so she invited Aunt Song to have dinner with her. After all, it was the New Year, and the more lively, the better.
After dinner, Sun Shu came over and asked her, "Madam, would you like to set off some fireworks?"
Jiang Mian's eyes lit up, "Fireworks?"
"Yes, the President had me prepare a lot. It's New Year's Day today, the perfect time for fireworks," Sun Shu said with a smile.
"Set them off, set them off!"
Sun Shu, along with Xiao Hei and a few others, brought out fireworks from the warehouse and arranged them in the courtyard.
Jiang Mian stood a little further away and instructed them, "Light them up, light them up."
Several people approached together, lit their lighters, and the fireworks shot up into the sky, then quickly retreated.
The huge commotion made Jiang Mian involuntarily look up.
The fireworks bloomed in the air, colorful and extremely beautiful.
She retreated a few more steps until she bumped into a wall of flesh.
"Be careful," a pleasant male voice sounded from above.
Jiang Mian looked up in surprise, "Xiu, you're back!"
Ji Zhixiu hugged her waist, "Mm, setting off fireworks?"
It was still early. Jiang Mian hadn't expected him to return so soon. Hearing him, she nodded, "Yes, want to watch together?"
Without waiting for his reply, Jiang Mian grabbed his hand and led him upstairs to the second-floor window, "This is the best viewing spot."
The girl's voice was filled with joy, not a hint of unhappiness.
Ji Zhixiu raised his hand and pinched her cheek, asking with concern, "What did you eat tonight? Was it good?"
Jiang Mian's eyes were fixed on the fireworks as she nodded, "It was delicious. Aunt Song made a table full of dishes, all my favorites."
Ji Zhixiu nodded, "Your movie is releasing tomorrow. Shall we go together?"
Jiang Mian blinked, "We're going to the cinema to watch it together?"
Ji Zhixiu hummed, "I've already asked Fan Cheng to buy tickets."
As a New Year's film, "Class Three High School" had unparalleled popularity, especially with Song Xingjia as the lead.
The cinema had a decent number of showtimes, but the popularity was so high that tickets for New Year's Day had already sold out.
"Class Three High School" was Jiang Mian's debut film and her collaboration with Song Xingjia, giving it a special significance.
Even if Ji Zhixiu hadn't mentioned it, she would have gone to the cinema to watch it.
Hearing Ji Zhixiu say this now, she couldn't help but feel touched.
Her eyes sparkled, her face alluring. She stood on tiptoe and imprinted a kiss on Ji Zhixiu's cheek, "Okay! Let's go watch it together tomorrow!"
Ji Zhixiu tucked her scarf in, his palm feeling warm. Their breaths mingled, their intimacy deepening, and his voice was low, "Happy New Year. I hope the new year brings you peace and joy."
Stay by my side. This last part, Ji Zhixiu didn't say aloud, but murmured in his heart.
Jiang Mian nodded her head, her entire being radiating festive cheer, "Happy New Year!"
Ji Zhixiu raised an eyebrow, "Perfunctory. No blessing?"
Jiang Mian's earlobes turned red. She leaned close to his ear and whispered something.
Hearing this, Ji Zhixiu's eyes deepened, and he said, "You said it yourself, no taking it back tonight."
"Am I that kind of person?" Jiang Mian mumbled softly.
Thinking of the outfit she had prepared in the wardrobe, Jiang Mian felt a little shy. But since it was the New Year, she considered it a New Year's gift for him!
Ji Zhixiu leaned down and whispered in her ear, "I wish time would just fast forward to tonight."
Jiang Mian shot him a playful glare, her coquettish gaze making Ji Zhixiu's heart burn.
That evening, both Ji Zhixiu and Jiang Mian's phones were bombarded.
New Year's greetings poured in from all sides. Jiang Mian opened WeChat and saw a message from Song Xingjia sent half an hour ago.
"Happy New Year's Eve. Tomorrow is the day to see the results. Are you nervous?"
Jiang Mian could almost imagine how gently this man had asked the question, and then how he had typed these words with a smile.
Jiang Mian: "Happy New Year's Eve. Have you been very busy lately? I haven't seen you make a public appearance in a long time. I'm a little nervous, but not too nervous. Will you be going to the cinema to watch tomorrow?"
Song Xingjia had just finished his New Year's Eve dinner. The Song family's holiday was not going well.
The atmosphere was rather somber. His elder brother was still ill, and his sister-in-law wore no smile. Only Song Yin was beaming, oblivious and happily oblivious, living each day with simple joy.
On New Year's Eve, Song Xingjia was still busy with projects.
He was now taking a moment out of his busy schedule to message Jiang Mian. Seeing her reply, Song Xingjia curved his lips into a smile.
"I will. Naturally, I have to contribute my part and help boost the box office."
Jiang Mian was amused, "I'll be going to the cinema to watch tomorrow too!"
Song Xingjia: "I'll probably be retiring from the entertainment industry."
He no longer had the energy to continue acting and couldn't focus on two things at once. The Song Corporation wasn't just his elder brother's.
For so many years, he had loved this profession, flying back and forth between Hong Kong and the mainland, often away from home. His elder brother had never said anything and had always supported him silently.
Now that his elder brother was in poor health, he naturally had to step up and protect the Song Corporation.
Jiang Mian was stunned when she saw the message, almost thinking she had misread it.
If this news were to get out, it would be equivalent to dropping a bombshell into the water, and the entertainment industry would undoubtedly be in an uproar.
She had never imagined that the famous actor Song would one day retire. Everyone could see how much this man loved his profession.
And now, he was saying he would retire?
"Did something happen to you?"
"Please reconsider. It's okay if you don't work for a while, just treat it as a vacation."