Chapter 155 Meeting but Not Recognizing Each Other

Jiang Zhizhi was lucky to stop in time and avoid bumping into the person coming in.

The main issue is with the door; because the weather is getting cooler, a cotton curtain has been hung up.

I was in a bit of a rush and forgot that someone might suddenly lift the curtain and come in.

Jiang Zhizhi looked up: "I'm sorry."

The man's temples were streaked with gray, yet he possessed an extraordinary air about him. Despite his refined appearance, his eyes were sharp and serious.

When the middle-aged man saw Jiang Zhizhi, a fleeting look of surprise crossed his face. His emotions surged, and he wanted to take a step forward, but he forced himself to hold back: "It's okay, I opened the door too quickly."

Jiang Zhizhi took two steps back: "You go first."

The middle-aged man nodded expressionlessly and walked inside, followed by two or three staff members. The group walked to the back and went up to a private room on the second floor.

Jiang Zhizhi didn't take the brief encounter to heart and hurriedly went to the restroom before returning.

Zhou Xiye and Song Dong were already waiting for her outside the door.

Jiang Zhizhi was a little curious about the identity of the person she had just met: "Who was that person I almost bumped into? He seemed to be someone important."

Zhou Xiye and Song Dong had both noticed this earlier, and Song Dong spoke first: "Vice Minister Shang Shiyi."

After speaking, she looked at Zhou Xiye with some curiosity: "It seemed like Vice Dean Cheng and his group were following behind him just now. Could it be that Vice Minister Shang also attended your meeting?"

Zhou Xiye wasn't sure: "I don't have the meeting list here. I'll find out when we get there."

Jiang Zhizhi was amazed. Was that Shang Xingzhou's biological father? He looked quite imposing. No wonder Shang Xingzhou was so afraid of his father.

Zhou Xiye asked Song Dong to take Jiang Zhizhi back, since it wasn't far from his place and he could walk there.

Jiang Zhizhi was too shy to say anything flirtatious because Song Dong was there, but she looked at Zhou Xiye with bright eyes and said, "I'll be waiting for you at home."

With the simple words "I'm waiting for you at home," Zhou Xiye's expression revealed a visible tenderness.

Watching from the side, Song Dong clicked his tongue inwardly once again. The quietest and most aloof kid in the compound? Well, he's got quite a range of expressions.

...

When Jiang Zhizhi arrived home, Fang Hua was in the yard tinkering with a brand-new black 26-inch bicycle, with a large red flower made of gauze tied to the handlebars.

Seeing Jiang Zhizhi enter, Fang Hua quickly waved: "Come and see, I bought you a bicycle. You can ride it to school when the weather is good. If it snows and the roads are difficult to travel, I'll call a car to pick you up."

Jiang Zhizhi was somewhat incredulous: "You bought this for me?"

Fang Hua patted the handlebars: "Yeah, look, this is a women's bike, who else would I give it to if not you?"

After she had vented her anger at Chen Limin's place in the morning, she ran into Qiu Shuyan, who said she was going to buy a bicycle for her daughter.

Upon hearing this, Fang Hua immediately decided to buy Jiang Zhizhi a bicycle as well. After going around the compound, half of the residents knew that Jiang Zhizhi was going to university.

She did it partly to show off, and partly to vindicate Jiang Zhizhi.

It's not that she particularly likes Jiang Zhizhi, but her son does, and since they're already married, they definitely can't get a divorce.

Since that's the case, she didn't want people to gossip behind her back that Zhou Xiye married a woman who was only pretty but had improper behavior.

Jiang Zhizhi excitedly touched the handlebars and then the seat. Owning such a brand-new bicycle was just as luxurious as owning a Ferrari sports car later on.

"Mom, you're spending too much. I saw a bicycle in the storeroom."

Seeing that Jiang Zhizhi was happy, Fang Hua was also pleased: "Those bikes are all too old, and the one that Xiao Chuan rode was noisy everywhere except for the bell. Girls should ride women's bikes."

Then he called Jiang Zhizhi to go for a ride around the yard.

Jiang Zhizhi felt a little embarrassed. The sun was shining brightly, and it was lunchtime, so there must be a lot of people in the courtyard.

She didn't want to be a clown.

Seeing Fang Hua's smiling face and his already starting to push the cart, she thought to herself, "Forget it, being a little thick-skinned is good for maintaining family harmony."

Jiang Zhizhi rode around the road for a while, while Fang Hua stood by and watched. He even chatted with some of the passersby.

Passersby were also quite puzzled, as Fang Hua was not an easy person to get along with; she was very picky.

Before Zhou Xiye was single, many people in the compound wanted to marry their daughters to him, as well as people from other compounds, but Fang Hua rejected them all, finding fault with everything he did.

The reasons were all similar: it was too good-looking, and Zhou Xiye was rarely home and couldn't keep an eye on him.

Someone without education won't do; they won't have anything in common with Zhou Xiye. Someone without a job won't do either; we can't let Zhou Xiye support the family alone in the future.

Also, someone who's too delicate won't do; their family doesn't want to marry a princess.

Looking at it now, Jiang Zhizhi has all of these qualities, and Fang Hua is still happily serving her.

Chen Limin was upstairs, watching Jiang Zhizhi happily riding her bike on the road, with Fang Hua standing by the roadside chatting and laughing with someone. It hurt her eyes to watch, and she angrily slammed the curtains shut.

Turning to look at Song Man, who was sitting at the table reading a book, she said, "All you do all day is stay at home reading. You're already twenty-seven. Are you going to stay at home and be an old maid for the rest of your life?"

Song Man said helplessly, "Mom, I finally got a day off after working overtime these past two days. Just let me read a book in peace."

Chen Limin got angry when she saw her daughter's expression: "Reading books, reading books, what's the use of reading books? If you don't get married soon, all the good ones will be taken. Are you planning to marry a divorced man and become a stepmother?"

"Look at you, you always look so gloomy when I talk about it. I'm asking you to get married for your own good. If you stay an old maid your whole life, who will take care of you when you're old?"

"Since you like Zhou Xiye, I told you to write to him first. Wouldn't you have gotten to know him if you had exchanged letters? Why are you so stubborn and refusing to do it? Why are you crying?!"

Song Man was embarrassed and annoyed. She had a crush on Zhou Xiye and wrote about it in her diary, but Chen Limin found out and kept urging her to write to Zhou Xiye and try to win Fang Hua's favor.

But she couldn't do either of those things. She secretly kept tabs on him, felt happy for him, and shed tears of worry for him.

After learning that he and Jiang Zhizhi were getting married, she kept all her feelings to herself and sincerely wished Zhou Xiye and Jiang Zhizhi a happy life together.

She felt that her crush was respectable, but her mother just wouldn't let her go.

Seeing her daughter with red eyes and tears, Chen Limin became even angrier. She grabbed Song Man's arm, dragged her to the window, and pulled back the curtains to let her see: "Look at you, if you had a personality like Jiang Zhizhi, would Zhou Xiye not like you? You're so lifeless at home every day, what man would like that?"

Looking at Jiang Zhizhi, who was full of energy in the sunlight, Song Man felt a little envious.

Chen Limin was still angry as she said, "Now that Zhou Xiye is married, you should go on a blind date. I'll arrange it in the next couple of days. You should also get ready. Don't make me feel ashamed in this compound every day."

For a fleeting moment, Song Man considered pushing open the window and jumping out to end it all!

Finally, he turned around, left without saying a word, and went downstairs.

Chen Limin called out from behind, "Where are you going? You're going on a blind date for me tomorrow, do you hear me?"