Maple Hotel.

Lin Gaoyuan had already prepared a welcome banquet in advance. After hearing that Director Li of Qitian Animation was also on the return convoy, he asked the waiters to add three more sets of bowls and chopsticks.

During the journey, Li Weiya called Wang Ming and asked him to have dinner at the Maple Hotel that evening.

After hanging up the phone, Shen Ying looked at Wang Ming and asked, "Around when will Aunt Li arrive?"

"She's in Uncle Jiang's car now. She'll probably get off the highway soon and then go out to eat with them," Wang Ming said.

Are you going too?

After hesitating for two seconds, Wang Ming nodded slightly. He had originally planned to cook dinner and wait for his mother to come home, but now it seemed unnecessary.

But what about Shen Ying? They all went out for a big meal, while Shen Ying was all alone. She felt uneasy.

"In that case, I'll go home. Dinner should be ready by now." Shen Ying finished her hot tea and stood up.

She wore a faint smile, but it seemed like a mask concealing her true feelings, making it impossible for anyone to discern her inner thoughts.

"Let's go together," Wang Ming suddenly said.

Shen Ying paused for a moment, then smiled and shook her head: "Forget it, you guys go ahead and get together. Anyway, winter break is still long, and there's always another chance."

She saw it very clearly: Jiang Xia and Yan Wan were definitely going to get married in the future, and their two families would be in-laws. Aunt Li was their godmother, so this was actually a family gathering, and it was inappropriate for her, an outsider, to go.

"Wang Ming, when you see Yan Wan and the others, remember to say hello for me, thank you." Shen Ying smiled.

Just as he was about to nod, Shen Ying's phone suddenly rang. He took it out and saw that it was Lin Yanwan calling.

The first thing I heard after the call connected was my best friend's happy laughter: "Yingying, I'm back! Let's have dinner at the Maple Hotel tonight. I haven't seen you in so long, I missed you so much!"

Shen Ying instinctively wanted to refuse, but seeing Wang Ming's expectant gaze, her heart softened, and a hint of emotion welled up in her eyes.

"Okay." After a pause, she said, "I miss you too, Yanwan."

"It's a deal then! See you there!"

After hanging up the phone, Shen Ying took a couple of light breaths and looked at Wang Ming with a slow smile: "Let's go to the Maple Hotel to welcome Yan Wan and the others home."

Wang Ming blinked. "Hey, what a stroke of luck!"

The two tidied up a bit, and looking at the spotless house, Wang Ming slowly closed the door.

On the way, Shen Ying called home to tell her that her good friend had returned from out of town and wanted to have dinner together, so she didn't need to wait for her.

Upon arriving at the Maple Hotel, Wang Ming immediately spotted Lin Gaoyuan, who was frequently looking around at the hotel entrance.

He had met Lin Yanwan's father a few times before.

"Hello, Uncle Lin." Wang Ming stepped forward and greeted him.

Lin Gaoyuan turned his head to look at the boy in front of him. He didn't remember him. After a few seconds of stunned silence, he realized, "You must be Director Li's son?"

Wang Ming nodded: "Yes, Uncle Lin, my name is Wang Ming. I am Jiang Xia and Yan Wan's classmate. Her name is Shen Ying. She is Yan Wan's best friend."

"Hello, Uncle Lin." Shen Ying also behaved very politely.

"Hello, hello."

Lin Gaoyuan laughed. Now all that's left is for Yan Wan and the others to come back, and then everyone will be here.

His gaze fell on Wang Ming, and he asked, "I heard from Yan Wan that you studied at the Central Academy of Fine Arts?"

Wang Ming scratched his head: "My college entrance exam scores were a bit worse than theirs, otherwise I would have gone to Tsinghua University and become their classmate."

"Haha, don't say that. The Central Academy of Fine Arts is one of the top art academies in the country, it's not bad."

Lin Gaoyuan laughed and then looked at Shen Ying: "I've heard Yan Wan mention you before. Are you studying at a university in Chongqing now?"

Shen Ying replied weakly, "My grades aren't as good as theirs, and I only went to a second-tier university."

"Don't underestimate yourself. The quality of the school you attend doesn't determine your future. Ultimately, it's yourself who influences the outcome," Lin Gaoyuan said with a smile.

Now that he's a relatively successful entrepreneur, he doesn't just look at a person's academic qualifications; he pays more attention to their inner character and moral cultivation.

Moreover, Shen Ying has a good relationship with Yan Wan, Jiang Xia, and Wang Ming. As long as they are not the kind of people with bad personalities, he has no reason to treat them differently.

"Yes, yes! I will try my best."

Not long after, the two cars slowly stopped in front of the Maple Hotel. Lin Yanwan rolled down the car window and waved frantically to Shen Ying.

"Yingying~"

The three of them immediately went forward. Lin Yanwan opened the car door and got out, called out "Dad!" and then gave Shen Ying a tight hug.

"It's been a long time, Yingying."

"At least the three of you still see each other often, but I haven't seen you in ages." Shen Ying smiled happily.

The two sisters went to the side to catch up, and Jiang Xia got out of the car and shamelessly called Lin Gaoyuan "Dad".

"You little rascal, you've grown quite a bit in the last six months," Lin Gaoyuan said with a laugh. "How tall are you now?"

"Exactly 1.8 meters tall."

"Not bad, not bad."

Lin Gaoyuan nodded with a smile. With Jiang Xia and Yan Wan's genes, his future grandson would definitely be extremely outstanding.

Jiang Xia turned her gaze away from the two best friends, lightly punched Lao Wang, pulled him aside, and teased in a low voice, "Did you confess?"

"Not yet." Wang Ming shook his head. In the past few days, he had wanted to confess his feelings to Shen Ying many times, but he held back, feeling that it was not the right time.

"You two seem to have a really good relationship now, it's beyond what's been seen before, isn't it?"

Wang Ming blushed. The turning point in their relationship was the night he went to the school to find Shen Ying. Later, they went home together and chatted more and more, talking about everything. Today, she went to his house to help with the cleaning, and their relationship deepened further.

"She came to my house today to help with the big cleaning," Old Wang said.

"Oh?" Jiang Xia raised an eyebrow. The two of them were developing faster than he had expected. Was this what they called "distance makes the heart grow fonder"?

"Not bad, not bad, keep it up. Success is just around the corner. I have high hopes for you, young man." Jiang Xia patted him on the shoulder.

Li Weiya then got out of the taxi, and Lin Gaoyuan quickly walked over, extended his hand and smiled, "Director Li, you must be tired from your long journey."

"Mr. Lin, you're too kind." Li Weiya smiled and shook hands with him.

She then looked at her son, only to see Shen Ying walking over.

"Aunt Li, welcome back." Shen Ying smiled sweetly.

"Yingying, it's been a long time." Li Weiya smiled slightly. "When did you come back?"

"Yes, I came back with Wang Ming a few days ago."

Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise appeared in Li Weiya's eyes. The two of them were separated by a great distance, one in the capital and the other in Chongqing, how could they go home together?

She glanced at her son unconsciously. The boy had said he wanted to come home early to do the cleaning, but the real reason seemed to be more complicated than that.

Could it be...?

End of this chapter