Chapter 67 is like a lover escaping the hustle and bustle of the world.
On New Year's Eve.
Jiang Qingying and Lu Jinyuan stayed at home; they didn't go to the Lu family's old residence or the Jiang family's home.
Jiang Qingying was enjoying a leisurely life without having to travel around. She slept until she naturally woke up every day, sometimes at nine in the morning, and sometimes she would procrastinate and stay in bed until lunchtime before leisurely getting up.
Today was one such day. After lunch, she wasn't sleepy at all. She played games for several hours and exhausted herself by four o'clock before sleepiness gradually crept in.
She also disregarded any schedule, treating herself like a baby, going to sleep whenever she was tired.
Lu Jinyuan was busy working in his study, without fail, and Jiang Qingying didn't even bother to say anything to him.
At dinner time, Lu Jinyuan went downstairs but didn't see Jiang Qingying. He asked Aunt Mei about her.
Aunt Mei brought the last dish of the New Year's Eve dinner to the table. Hearing his question, she replied, "It seems that Madam got tired of playing games in the living room and went upstairs to rest."
Lu Jinyuan: "How long did she play?"
Aunt Mei estimated the time and answered conservatively, "We played until almost four o'clock."
Lu Jinyuan frowned, disapproving of his wife's behavior. "I'll go up and check on her."
Upstairs in the bedroom, Jiang Qingying was fast asleep, replenishing her energy.
Lu Jinyuan slowed his pace and sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the person sleeping soundly. He glanced at the time; it was 7 o'clock. She should have slept enough, otherwise she wouldn't be able to sleep at night.
Just as she was about to wake her up, her phone vibrated a few times. She seemed to be disturbed from her sweet dream and frowned in annoyance.
Lu Jinyuan picked up the phone; the lock screen displayed several messages from Jiang Xu.
The notification bar refreshed very quickly, and he only caught the last sentence—"You actually became a mother?"
Suddenly, I became interested.
Jiang Qingying's phone only used a numeric password, which he unlocked after trying it once.
Four eights.
Money-grubbing nature.
The simplest way is often the safest.
Jiang Xu: [Mom said you're pregnant?]
His reply was very simple.
Jiang Qingying: [Mm.]
Jiang Xu: [Good heavens! You're a mom?! How did you progress so fast?!]
Lu Jinyuan raised an eyebrow. He used the word "surprisingly," thought for two seconds, and replied in accordance with Jiang Qingying's habit.
Jiang Qingying: [...]
Jiang Qingying: [It was somewhat unexpected.]
The other party replied instantly.
Jiang Xu: [! I don't know why Lu Jinyuan is in such a hurry.]
Lu Jinyuan saw his name as he wished, a smile curving his lips as he quickly typed a few words on the screen.
Before I could send it, the other side sent another message.
Jiang Xu: [But then again, that old man must be over thirty.]
Lu Jinyuan paused his fingertip in front of the send button and snorted coldly.
Age-based attacks are pointless.
I had intended to engage in a few more rounds of back-and-forth with Jiang Xu, but now it's more effective to strike at her heart.
He deleted the original line and retyped a few words.
Jiang Qingying: [I am the old man you mentioned. Your sister is sleeping.]
Jiang Xu: [...]
You could almost feel the awkwardness on the other end.
Lu Jinyuan was just in the mood for this and continued to provoke Jiang Xu.
Jiang Qingying: [My brother-in-law is 27 this year, right? He'll be 28 after tonight. A man should be established by 30. If you're not in a hurry, don't let your nephew start elementary school while you're still a single old dog who's never even held a girl's hand.]
Jiang Xu laughed in exasperation. It was the first time he had ever heard this old man talk to him so much, so he retaliated.
Jiang Xu: [As expected, you probably got a severe beating from my sister.]
Lu Jinyuan didn't take it to heart; instead, his face was full of smugness.
Jiang Qingying: [So what if it is? The result is that I became a father, much faster than you.]
Jiang Xu: [Get out!!!]
Lu Jinyuan seemed to sense someone's anger from those exclamation marks. Feeling relieved, he turned off his phone and saw the person who had been sleeping earlier looking at him with their eyes open.
"I'm awake." He showed no embarrassment at being caught.
Jiang Qingying stared at him. "What are you doing with my phone?"
Lu Jinyuan handed her his phone and said with a smile, "I chatted with Jiang Xu for a bit."
Jiang Qingying asked suspiciously, "You two still have things to talk about?" She then opened her phone, wanting to see what kind of sparks the two, who usually didn't exchange many words, could come up with.
She looked at it for half a minute and summarized it in two words.
boring.
childish.
"Let's go downstairs for New Year's Eve dinner," Lu Jinyuan said. "I had someone buy some fireworks, and we'll set them off in the yard after dinner."
Jiang Qingying's eyes widened slightly. "You actually have such leisure and refined tastes."
Lu Jinyuan laughed: "I'm not afraid you'll get bored."
With the New Year approaching, my mood has become more relaxed.
After the New Year's Eve dinner, Jiang Qingying, dressed in a thick cotton-padded coat, scarf, shoes, and hat, all bundled up tightly, went to play in the yard.
The butler and several servants who remained in the house were setting off fireworks in the distance.
Lu Jinyuan handed her a few sparklers.
"Let me light it for you." He held the lighter in his hand, glanced at her, and said, "Pull your scarf up a bit so you don't smell the smoke."
Jiang Qingying obediently pulled her scarf up and saw him light the sparkler. Even with only half his face visible, she could still see a bright smile. She held the sparkler in both hands and twirled it around a few times.
The usually domineering female CEO is now back to her true self, playing like a child.
The sparkler's flames shone brightly, and smoke swirled around the two, creating a hazy, dreamlike atmosphere.
Jiang Qingying looked at Lu Jinyuan through the wisps of smoke. The flickering firelight blurred his features, and through her hazy vision, she saw the affection in his slightly curved smiling eyes.
She smiled at him.
He said, "What's wrong?"
Jiang Qingying's red lips curled up in a wild smile. Just as the fairy wand in her hand was about to burn out, she parted her lips slightly and silently mouthed a sentence.
The next second, the sparkler burned to ashes, leaving only scarlet embers on the wooden stick. The smoke dissipated in the evening breeze, and the light was no longer hazy.
"What did you just say?" Lu Jinyuan didn't see it clearly.
Jiang Qingying smiled and shook her head, her expression meaningful, as if she was determined to keep the secret to the death.
Lu Jinyuan pulled her into his arms, his smiling eyes lowered, his gentle gaze falling on her fair and rosy face. "Will you tell me or not?"
"I won't say." Jiang Qingying remained tight-lipped.
Lu Jinyuan took out a red envelope from his coat and waved it in front of her. "How about this?"
"Bribing me won't work." Jiang Qingying was confident that she would get the red envelope whether she said it or not.
Lu Jinyuan had no choice but to hand her the red envelope. "Why are you being so mysterious?"
"I'm not going to tell you, I'm just going to make you itch with curiosity." Jiang Qingying took the red envelope, felt around through the red paper, but couldn't figure out what it contained.
Upon opening it, I found a red string bracelet with a safety buckle inside.
"You haven't been feeling well lately, so I went and begged for this."
Lu Jinyuan uttered a sentence in a nonchalant tone.
Jiang Qingying recalled that a few days ago, Aunt Mei said that he had left before dawn without saying where he was going.
She had also heard that the first person to receive a blessing at a temple was the most effective.
"You don't seem like someone who believes in gods or Buddhas."
"Hmm, I don't believe it." Lu Jinyuan took her wrist and put the red string on her wrist. "But when I prayed, my heart was sincere. I only hoped that you would be safe and sound."
Lu Jinyuan squeezed her hand and said, "I also established a charitable foundation in your name, all to pray for your well-being."
Jiang Qingying looked up at him, her throat warm and choked with emotion, a soft spot in her heart. She held his shoulders, stood on tiptoe and gave him a kiss, "I didn't prepare a New Year's gift for you, now I only have a kiss to give you."
"That's a bit perfunctory." Lu Jinyuan held her waist, pulled her into his arms, and deepened his kiss.
At the same moment, a series of loud bangs rang out not far away.
She said, "To watch the fireworks."
He said magnanimously, "No problem, I bought a lot of fireworks, enough to set off."
The bright moon and the stars keep them company, and dazzling fireworks soar into the sky, exploding into colorful sparks. Amidst the festivities, they embrace and kiss, like lovers escaping the hustle and bustle of the world, with only each other in their entire being.
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