Chapter 106 I Will Always Be With You

Jiang Mian rested her forehead on her hand and said softly, "Next time, be good."

Her voice was gentle, and Ye Yi's heart fluttered. He insisted, "Then I'll come to your place for dinner?"

Jiang Mian smiled playfully, "You come, if you dare to come, I dare to treat you to a meal."

Ye Yi was just saying it; he would never meet Ji Zhixiu. "It's boring. My heart is broken, and it can't be mended."

"It's fine, then let it be cracked."

"Heartless woman."

"Thank you for the compliment."

"I like you even more."

"..."

Seeing that she was speechless, Ye Yi felt better.

Company.

After not seeing Sister Ning for a long time, the two embraced first.

Sister Ning sat down and said, "I want to arrange a reality show for you, are you interested? After all, your works are constantly being broadcast, and your state in private is also something fans would be interested in."

Jiang Mian naturally didn't object, "It's all up to you."

Sister Ning nodded, "We'll discuss the rest on WeChat. I won't keep you, hurry back and find President Ji."

Jiang Mian said generously, "Okay, then I'll be going back. It's been a long time indeed. I miss him very much."

Sister Ning shook her head, "Tsk tsk tsk, hurry up."

Jiang Mian didn't greet the man when she returned; she wanted to surprise Ji Zhixiu.

When she returned to Xiushui Mountain Villa, Xiao Bai was on duty.

He had good eyesight and saw Jiang Mian from afar. He stepped forward and greeted her joyfully, "Young Madam is back!"

Jiang Mian smiled at him, "Is he home today?"

Xiao Bai nodded, "Yes, the CEO didn't go to the company today."

Jiang Mian nodded to show she understood and handed him her luggage.

At first, she walked slowly, but at some point, Jiang Mian's pace gradually quickened. Xiao Bai gradually fell behind her.

Finally, she started to jog, the breeze lifting the hem of her skirt and brushing against her hair. Jiang Mian was eager to see this man.

She rounded the nine-turn fountain and walked along the path. When she finally stood at the door, she was still out of breath, but she saw the man at a glance.

In front of a huge, transparent floor-to-ceiling window, the man stood tall and straight.

His nearly two-meter-tall stature made him hard to ignore. The weather in Kyoto wasn't that cold today, or perhaps the living room was heated.

The man was only wearing a white shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to reveal a section of his excessively white wrist. He wore dark suit pants, which made him appear even taller and his legs longer.

It seemed he wasn't planning to go out today, so he wasn't even wearing a tie.

At this moment, one hand was in his suit pants pocket, and the other was holding his phone, talking on the phone.

From here, the man's features were indifferent, his sharp features extremely imposing. When he wasn't smiling, he always exuded a captivating aura of pressure.

Jiang Mian saw his thin lips move and his brows furrow. She knew this was his usual gesture when he was impatient.

Soon, the man's gaze shifted slightly from the scenery in front of the floor-to-ceiling window to the left. A familiar figure caught his peripheral vision, and he paused almost imperceptibly.

The corners of his lips curved upward unconsciously, and his heart was overwhelmed by immense surprise.

Immediately after, Ji Zhixiu said to his partner on the other end, "Come back to me when you think it over."

With that, amidst a flurry of exclamations from the other side, he hung up the phone directly.

Jiang Mian knew that the man had seen her.

The corners of her lips turned up, and her face was filled with uncontrollable smiles. Then she stepped onto the stairs.

Ji Zhixiu walked around the sofa. Taking advantage of his height and long legs, he strode to the door, finally seeing the little girl he had been thinking of day and night.

She was standing right in front of him.

Jiang Mian rushed over, and the man opened his arms to catch her, lifting her horizontally.

Jiang Mian had to wrap her arms around his neck. Their warm breaths intertwined. Ji Zhixiu stared at her face, his gaze calm and restrained.

After a long moment, the man uttered two words, "You've lost weight."

Jiang Mian couldn't help but laugh and affectionately rubbed his chest, "I want to eat the food you make."

"Okay," he agreed quickly.

It seemed that no matter what Jiang Mian said, he would agree.

"What do you want to eat?"

"Braised pork belly, corn and pork rib soup, stir-fried green beans, and braised pork ribs," she listed four dishes, all common home-cooked meals in Jiangnan.

Ji Zhixiu nodded slightly, "Wait, I'll make them now."

Jiang Mian jumped down from him, "I'll help you."

Back when they lived in Shengshi Huating, Ji Zhixiu always cooked, and Jiang Mian enjoyed it with peace of mind, rarely offering to help.

So at this moment, Ji Zhixiu raised his eyebrows, his gaze filled with undisguised doubt, "Just got off the plane, go rest for a while?"

"I slept on the plane, I'm not sleepy now."

"Then go watch shows?"

"There's nothing I want to watch recently!"

"Go play with the cat?"

"The cat has been sent for grooming."

"Then why are you saying that?"

Ji Zhixiu paused, which was rare.

Jiang Mian tiptoed closer to him and asked suspiciously, "President Ji, are you scared?"

Ji Zhixiu replied calmly, "No."

In fact, Jiang Mian had cooked before. Her gaze drifted into reminiscence.

After all, she had wanted to win this man over from the very beginning.

Moreover, her grandmother said her cooking was delicious, so could that be false?

So when she started living with Ji Zhixiu, she personally cooked a meal for him to show her qualities as a good wife and mother.

That day... Jiang Mian thought carefully. Clearly, this man had also said it was delicious!

Thinking this, Jiang Mian became even more confident. It had been a long time since she had cooked.

"How about I cook?" she blinked her peach blossom eyes.

"Didn't you just say you wanted to eat what I made?"

"Then okay," Jiang Mian shrugged, feeling quite regretful. "Then hurry up and make it, I'll wait for you in the living room."

Hearing her say that, Ji Zhixiu breathed a sigh of relief, "Good girl."

When Ji Zhixiu brought all the dishes to the table, Jiang Mian was almost drooling.

She sat at the table, her bright eyes fixed on Ji Zhixiu, "Husband, you're amazing!"

Ji Zhixiu's gaze deepened, perhaps thinking of something. He responded faintly, "Eat quickly."

Jiang Mian ate this meal with immense satisfaction.

Staying in the mountains was truly painful. All the crew members, including her, had indeed lost several pounds.

Because it was a tribute drama, everyone dared not complain loudly.

The actors' salaries were pitifully low, so it was no wonder no one was willing to film it.

Sister Ning had said that this drama was purely for Jiang Mian to hone her skills.

Jiang Mian had always trusted Sister Ning, so she agreed without hesitation when Sister Ning asked her to take it on.

Now, after tasting Ji Zhixiu's cooking, Jiang Mian felt an overflow of happiness.

Ji Zhixiu's culinary skills were excellent. He made Jiangnan cuisine that looked beautiful, was fresh and not greasy, and tasted just right.

When she was studying, he had once made Jiang Mian gain several pounds.

It wasn't until the man became busy with work and couldn't cook every day that Jiang Mian gradually lost weight again.

After the meal, Jiang Mian touched her belly and slumped in her chair, smiling happily, "So delicious..."

Ji Zhixiu frowned, took a wet wipe, leaned over, and wiped away the remaining grains of rice on her cheek. His movements were gentle, "I told you not to eat so much, to avoid indigestion."

His tone wasn't heavy, and Jiang Mian heard the concern in his words, and said seriously and charmingly, "It's what you made, I don't want to waste it."

The seriousness in her eyes moved Ji Zhixiu slightly.

"By the way, how is the investigation into my mother's affairs coming along?" Jiang Mian asked.

Ji Zhixiu withdrew his hand and said naturally, "I've already asked Fan Cheng to investigate. There's no result yet, so please wait a little longer."

"Indeed, after all, there's been no news for so many years," Jiang Mian nodded, showing no sign of disappointment on her face.

"Do you miss her?" Ji Zhixiu asked.

"I've thought about it," Jiang Mian was stunned.

She grew up with her grandmother, who occupied her entire childhood. Her impressions of her mother were very few, and she couldn't even imagine her face clearly in her mind.

But she never felt that she was any less than other children. Her grandmother would buy her whatever others had.

It was just that her grandmother often blamed herself, feeling guilty for not giving Jiang Mian a good upbringing.

It was her fault for not letting Jiang Mian grow up in a complete family.

Jiang Mian, at such a young age, didn't know how to refute her grandmother, but she knew it wasn't her grandmother's fault.

Her grandmother's love for her was no less than anyone else's. If it weren't for her grandmother, she would truly have been homeless.

It was her grandmother who gave her love, who gave her everything. She was the most important person in Jiang Mian's life.

So, compared to her nominal mother, what Jiang Mian found most unbearable was her grandmother's passing.

For a long time after her grandmother passed away, Jiang Mian was in a daze, unable to accept it.

She resisted everything related to her grandmother, subconsciously not looking, not listening, and... not daring to think about it.

It wasn't until many years later, when Jiang Mian and Ji Zhixiu returned to their old haunts, that she had the courage to face it.

Seeing the young girl lost in memory, a hint of confusion and vulnerability appearing on her face, Ji Zhixiu's eyes showed a trace of heartache. He regretted asking the question.

He stroked the girl's warm cheek with his fingertips and said in a deep voice, "I'm here, I'll always be with you, Mian Mian."

The man's gentle voice pulled her back. Jiang Mian came to her senses, smiled, and hooked her small hand around his shoulder.

"I will always be with you too, Mr. Ji."

The young girl's expression was serious, as if she were making a vow.

Ji Zhixiu's heart melted. How could she be so adorable?

Cupping her face in his palm, Ji Zhixiu couldn't hold back any longer and lowered his head to kiss her full, enticing red lips.

"Mmm..."

Jiang Mian's lips parted slightly, inviting him to plunder, their lips and tongues mingling. The man's unique scent enveloped her.

Jiang Mian's small hands drooped powerlessly, and were then caught steadily by the man.

Only when Jiang Mian's face and earlobes were flushed red did Ji Zhixiu release her. At the same time, he kept his arm around her waist and looked down, only to find that the hem of his shirt was already disheveled.

"Can't take it so quickly?" his teasing voice sounded.

Jiang Mian bit her lip. Her watery eyes sparkled, and her breathing quickened. She glared at him coquettishly, "Who said that?"

With that, she pressed herself fiercely against him, like a little wolf eager to prove herself.

The man naturally wouldn't refuse, and was even happy to see it.

Ji Zhixiu's eyes deepened. Jiang Mian looked stunningly beautiful like this.

It made him want to hide her away, to be his alone.