"I'm picking someone up at the airport."
The unspoken meaning was that he wasn't going back yet.
Shen Tingyu's eyes widened in surprise. Picking someone up? Who? Could it be Jiang Mian? She lowered her gaze, concealing the fleeting flicker of light in her eyes, and looked up again. "Zhi Xiu, I can wait with you."
"No need."
His word was final.
Xiang Long had already stopped the car, his expressionless face mirroring Ji Zhi Xiu's indifference. "Please, Miss Shen."
Shen Tingyu gritted her teeth, silently registering the humiliation.
Jiang Mian, it's all because of Jiang Mian!
She forced a smile. "Then please be careful. Oh, right. I haven't thanked you properly for what happened last time. My hand is all better now. Would you like to have dinner with me?"
"Sure," Ji Zhi Xiu replied quickly.
Shen Tingyu smiled softly, picked up her things, and got out of the car. "See you."
The car sped away.
As Jiang Mian exited the airport, she saw the same round-faced entertainment reporter from last time. He was on the ground, wearing a work ID and searching for something.
He looked comically earnest.
Jiang Mian walked over and gently patted his shoulder. "What are you looking for?"
The reporter turned and stood up, seemingly surprised it was her. "Jiang Mian!"
Jiang Mian teased, "Good memory. You still remember me."
Yu Ji scratched his head. "Actually, I always remembered you, I just had trouble with your name. When you said it last time, I remembered it. By the way, my name is Yu Ji."
Li Laidi asked curiously, "What are you looking for? You're crawling on the ground like a dog."
Yu Ji looked a bit embarrassed. "My editor just told me to come to the airport to take a picture of Shen Tingyu, but there were too many people, and I lost my work ID before I could even get a shot."
Before Jiang Mian could speak, Li Laidi chimed in, "Then take pictures of our Mian Jie. You can report back to your editor, and it'll give our Mian Jie some exposure too."
Yu Ji thought of his editor's temper. He wouldn't be able to get away with nothing. He immediately looked at Jiang Mian. "Okay! Can I take the pictures then?"
Yu Ji was a seasoned pro when it came to this. He knew how to make people look natural and unforced.
Jiang Mian was photogenic, and after a few shots, he was very satisfied. "I've already thought of the headline. Thank you both, I'm off."
He flashed a smile, revealing a row of pearly white teeth. "I'll praise you both more on our official Weibo later."
After he left, Li Laidi asked, "Mian Jie, shall we go?"
"No, waiting for someone."
He said he'd pick her up today, so why wasn't he here yet?
Jiang Mian pouted, her displeasure evident beneath her mask. She took out her phone and called the man.
"President Ji, where are you?"
The man's deep voice replied, "Look to your front left."
Jiang Mian followed his gaze. Ji Zhi Xiu's license plate was too distinctive. Once she confirmed it was him, she sprinted over.
Li Laidi trotted behind her.
Xiang Long quickly opened the car door for her, and Jiang Mian slipped inside. The man's large hand embraced her waist and he said to the person behind her, "Get in."
Li Laidi hesitated, unsure whether to get in. It seemed this man had a close relationship with Mian Jie.
Hearing this, her first reaction was to look at Jiang Mian, who nodded. "Lai Di, you can sit in the front passenger seat."
Li Laidi nodded repeatedly. "Okay."
That was good. She didn't want to sit in the back anyway. She felt a strange sense of unease around this man.
Xiang Long slowly raised the partition between the front and back seats, separating them.
Li Laidi sat obediently, gazing out the window.
Xiang Long glanced at her. Being a man of few words, he didn't say much.
The two of them were remarkably quiet.
As soon as Jiang Mian got in, she was enveloped in the man's embrace.
It had only been a few days since they last saw each other, yet it felt like ages. Ji Zhi Xiu held her hand, warming it, and kissed her nose. "You didn't tell me you were leaving."
Mentioning this made Jiang Mian feel wronged. "I waited for you all night. You said you'd have dinner but didn't come back."
"It won't happen again," he murmured, kissing the girl's eyelids, his eyes filled with deep longing.
Jiang Mian missed him too. The man's hot breath wafted into her nose. Jiang Mian curved her lips slightly and tilted her head up, kissing his Adam's apple.
Although she had said it on the phone once already, in front of him, Jiang Mian repeated it, "A Xiu, I passed my audition!"
Ji Zhi Xiu's fingertips massaged her smooth earlobe. "I know."
Jiang Mian knew him too well. She let out a slight gasp, "Don't... we still need to take my assistant home..."
As they drove into the city, Xiang Long asked Li Laidi, "Where do you live?"
Li Laidi blinked. "You can just drop me off at Mian Jie's company."
Her home was in a slum far from here, and she couldn't bear to make him drive her back. Besides, if her father saw her being dropped off by a man like this, he might think she was dating a rich man.
Xiang Long nodded. "Okay."
When they arrived at the entrance of Jiang Mian's company, Ji Zhi Xiu said, "Your little assistant needs to get out."
Jiang Mian called out, "Wait! Her things are still in the trunk."
"Xiang Long will get them for her."
Outside the car, Xiang Long handed her luggage to her. Li Laidi stood up straight and bowed. "Thank you, sir."
Xiang Long was taken aback. "You're welcome."
He was actually only twenty this year, the youngest in the bodyguard team. Being called "sir" felt quite strange.
After dropping off Li Laidi, Jiang Mian and Ji Zhi Xiu returned to the villa.
From a distance, they saw Xiao Yugan wagging its tail and rushing towards them. Jiang Mian exclaimed, "I think it's gotten fatter recently."
"It was quite sad after its neutering. Then Aunt Song made a lot of good food for it, probably channeling its sadness into its appetite. That's how it became like this," Ji Zhi Xiu said with a smile.
Jiang Mian hugged Xiao Yugan tightly. "Baby, Mommy missed you so much."
Xiao Yugan wriggled excitedly in her arms, not even glancing at Ji Zhi Xiu.
Jiang Mian secretly rejoiced. If she had known neutering Xiao Yugan would be so effective, she would have done it much earlier.
Entering the living room, Aunt Song had already prepared dinner.
Seeing Jiang Mian holding Xiao Yugan, Aunt Song smiled. "Young Madam, let me hold him. Xiao Yugan has been shedding a lot these past few days, be careful he doesn't fly into your bowl."
Jiang Mian nodded and handed Xiao Yugan to Aunt Song. "Thank you, Aunt Song."
As they were eating, Xiao Hei ran over to report that Shen Tingyu had arrived.
Jiang Mian looked at Ji Zhi Xiu with a half-smile. Ji Zhi Xiu frowned, unsure why she was here.
Jiang Mian smiled. "Should I excuse myself?"
"You go upstairs first."
Jiang Mian hummed in agreement, her expression betraying no hint of jealousy.
She called Aunt Song to clear away her dishes and then went upstairs.
Xiao Hei led Shen Tingyu in.
"Zhi Xiu, I heard from Zhi Lan that you were living here, so I came to visit today."
"Mm, have you eaten?"
Shen Tingyu smiled. "Not yet."
"Aunt Song, please add another set of chopsticks and a bowl."
Aunt Song responded and got a set of dishes for Shen Tingyu.
Shen Tingyu sat in the seat Jiang Mian had just vacated. Ji Zhi Xiu frowned. "Don't sit there."
She looked confused but still meekly stood up. "What's wrong?"
"Sit somewhere else."
Shen Tingyu didn't understand why, but she obediently moved to another seat. She looked at the dishes on the table.
Stir-fried amaranth, blanched shrimp, four happiness meatballs, corn and pork rib soup... all rather bland dishes.
Shen Tingyu picked up a piece of amaranth with her chopsticks and immediately spit it out. "Zhi Xiu, I remember your taste wasn't this bland before. There's no flavor at all. How can you eat this?"
These were all dishes Jiang Mian liked. Hearing this, Ji Zhi Xiu lost his appetite. He put down his chopsticks. "People change."
After spitting it out, Shen Tingyu regretted it. It wasn't that the food was bad, but she was from Sichuan province and was used to spicy food. These dishes truly tasted bland to her.
However, she shouldn't have spit it out in front of Ji Zhi Xiu.
A flicker of annoyance flashed in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Zhi Xiu. I didn't mean it like that."
"It's alright, if you don't like it, you don't have to eat it."
"I like it, I like it," she replied, picking up a piece of white radish. "I've had a slight cold recently, which has affected my taste. The flavor is actually perfect, not bland at all. Aunt Song's cooking is naturally the best."
Aunt Song, who overheard this, smiled.
Shen Tingyu took a couple more bites, but she really couldn't eat any more. She had already eaten before coming, but she hadn't expected Ji Zhi Xiu to still be eating, so she lied and said she hadn't.
She put on a show of dieting. "I'm full. I need to watch my weight. It's a shame I can't try all of Aunt Song's delicious dishes."
"Then don't eat," Ji Zhi Xiu said indifferently. "Is there anything else?"
"No, I just wanted to see you. Zhi Xiu, my brother said I should visit you often and that I can come to you if I need anything. He said you and Lu Cong are his best brothers. Now that I'm back in the country, I thought it would be nice for our group to get together. Is it convenient for you to pick a date and time for dinner?"
She also knew that Chang Qin didn't particularly like her, so she added, "If you come, Chang Qin definitely won't refuse."
"Sure, let me know the time and place." He agreed.
Shen Tingyu nodded happily. "Okay, I'll call you when I've decided. Oh, A Xiu, there's one more thing I wanted to tell you..."
As she was speaking, she suddenly felt something furry tickling her feet, as if something was scratching her. Shen Tingyu's hair stood on end; the sensation made her feel uneasy.
She instinctively kicked out hard. A sharp meow was heard, followed by a heavy thud on the floor. Aunt Song called out, "It's Xiao Yugan!"
She saw Ji Zhi Xiu's eyes narrow. He pushed his chair back and rushed towards the cat.
Shen Tingyu had a sudden feeling that something had gone terribly wrong.
She followed, looking innocent and pitiful. "I'm so sorry... I didn't know it was a cat. I didn't mean to..."
Xiao Yugan lay on the floor, its tail drooping weakly. It let out a feeble meow, which broke Aunt Song's heart.
Normally, while Aunt Song was busy in the kitchen, Xiao Yugan would often keep her company.
When Jiang Mian was away, Aunt Song also fed Xiao Yugan.
If anyone apart from Jiang Mian and Ji Zhi Xiu had the deepest feelings for it, it would be Aunt Song.
Ji Zhi Xiu's eyes were cold, and his aura was menacing. He said, "Get out."
This was a birthday gift he had given to Jiang Mian, and a member of their family.