Chapter 115
This performance left a particularly deep impression on me.
Whether in a setting, on a dazzling stage, or in a forgotten corner, they respond across an entire youth to words they thought the other had long forgotten.
What happened in the past, what happens in the present, and what will happen in the future?
This has nothing to do with them; they love each other as individuals, not the ever-rushing pace of time.
Time may change things, but love will not.
Love is about maintaining your original intention and remaining eternal over time.
A moment later.
A woman's voice came from halfway upstairs, dramatically covering her eyes and spreading her fingers, exclaiming as she looked, "Oh my God, my eyes, my eyes!"
Following the sound, Guan Nan recognized Jiang Siyao.
She saw another woman pat Jiang Siyao on the shoulder, signaling her to calm down and not to overreact.
After they came down.
Jiang Li called out, "Dad, Mom."
Then, Jiang Li gave them a brief introduction to each other: Mom, Dad, Sister, and Brother-in-law.
Wife.
The moment her identity was revealed, Guan Nan's mind went blank. She mechanically uttered polite words and put on an official smile.
Sister Wen handed over the flowers and gifts that President Jiang was holding: "It's our first meeting. I heard from Jiang Li that you like cake decorating, so I prepared a small gift for you. It was a bit rushed, so please don't mind. It's all that brat's fault for notifying me at the last minute that you're here."
In the end, Sister Wen was still a little annoyed, and she raised her hand to punch Jiang Li.
Jiang Li neither dodged nor flinched, taking the blow squarely.
"Thank you, Auntie." Guan Nan accepted the gift, flattered.
I heard—
As soon as Sister Wen finished speaking, she was interrupted by Jiang Siyao, who was standing next to her. The small, dimly lit space was quite uncomfortable, so she suggested that they go outside to talk.
“Yes,” President Jiang squeezed Sister Wen’s hand and echoed, “It’s pitch black here, inconvenient to walk around, and there’s no light. Let’s talk outside.”
They went through the back door and left one after the other.
I was caught off guard when I met the parents.
It was Jiang Li who invited them.
Looking at the bouquet in her arms, Guan Nan felt a little flustered for no reason. She tugged at Jiang Li's clothes and stuffed the bouquet into his hands, her face conflicted and depressed.
"What's wrong?" Jiang Li slowed down and asked her in a low voice.
Guan Nan frowned: "Why didn't you tell me?"
Jiang Li countered, "What did you say?"
"Yes, yes," Guan Nan stammered, unsure how to begin, "m...you, Mom and the others..."
“It’s also you—” Jiang Li paused abruptly at this point. Teng Kaihua grasped her hand and said in a lower voice, “Call me Auntie first, no rush, take your time.”
Before stepping out the door, Guan Nan grabbed Jiang Li's hand, stopping him halfway in and halfway out.
The performance behind me was still going on, and beyond that small patch of gloom, just across the threshold, lay a dazzling light filled with boundless hope.
Guan Nan visibly tensed up and fell silent.
Before this, her concept of a complete family was still based on her age of ten and above. But as she grew older, everything from before that collapsed and little remained.
This was no ordinary drinking party; everything had begun as a prelude to a collaboration, a tug-of-war involving the mind, spirit, and words. Now, he was meeting his parents.
As for what to say and how to behave when they meet later, no one has taught her, and she has no idea. Then she looks at the gift she is carrying and the look in Sister Wen's eyes when she patted her head before leaving.
It was a long-lost tenderness and pity that she had never forgotten yet could not recall.
Guan Nan panicked immediately and instinctively tried to escape.
But this hurdle had to be overcome sooner or later, since they still had to live their lives together. Thinking this, Guan Nan forced herself to calm down, then turned to look at Jiang Li and hurriedly asked, "Is Auntie good-tempered?"
“Occasionally,” Jiang Li said lightly, a slight smile playing on his lips.
Upon hearing this, Guan Nan instantly felt uncertain.
Jiang Li lowered his eyes and, seeing her stiff expression, deliberately feigned ignorance and asked, "What's wrong?"
After a two-second silence, Guan Nan tossed her hair aside and said softly, "How about next time?"
Jiang Li raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of a smile on her face, and said lazily, "Don't worry, she doesn't eat people."
“…” Guan Nan said with a straight face, “That’s not what I meant.”
“Oh,” Jiang Li stared at her face, asking with interest, “So what do you mean?”
Guan Nan hesitated for a moment, then said in a very tactful yet serious tone, "Your mother knows we got our marriage certificate, and that I... um... coerced you into it. Won't she be angry? You even gave me all of that stuff and wrote a will."
“It’s a will,” Jiang Li corrected her.
“Ugh,” Guan Nan said sullenly, “He even made a will. If this were my son, I wouldn’t even want to see him.”
Jiang Li was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this, then laughed and said jokingly, "Looks like one won't be enough in the future, we'll have to have two, and then we'll take our numbers and wait in line."
These words immediately reminded Guan Nan of the initial "getting a number" incident, and she blushed: "Who wants to have a child with you!"
"If you don't want to have a child with me, who do you want to have one with?" Jiang Li gave her a meaningful look.
"·····"
Before they knew it, the two of them had already left the house after a few words.
By the time Guan Nan realized what was happening, they went out the back door, got in the car, got out again, and walked to the entrance of a restaurant. It was just time for dinner.
Just before entering the room, after countless attempts to compose herself, she suddenly felt Jiang Li tighten his grip on her hand. Then she heard him call her name: "Guan Nan."
"Hmm?" Guan Nan stared at him.
“From childhood to adulthood,” Jiang Li said, “no matter what I don’t want to do, no one can help me.”
"No one can change my mind once I've made a decision."
As he said this, he had a casual smile on his face, as if he were just stating his principles casually, as if he had given her a shot of adrenaline.
Guan Nan was taken aback, and with her mind filled with a myriad of thoughts, she didn't even have time to notice the expression on his face.
The two walked inside.
They had booked a private room, but the door wasn't closed properly. Before they could even pull it shut, they heard a tense and worried conversation coming from inside. Sister Wen was afraid that being too enthusiastic would scare them off, and she was also worried that if Jiang Siyao seemed too distant, her daughter-in-law wouldn't like her. Finally, she was worried that Jiang Siyao's over-the-top behavior would annoy them, and they might end up disliking them even while sitting down.
Jiang Siyao refused to accept it: "You always blame everything on me. Why don't you say it was my dad who scared me?"
"Hey," President Jiang said, his eyes wide with anger, "Why are you trying to pin this on me again!"
"There's nothing I can do, you gave birth to her." Jiang Siyao said matter-of-factly.
Did you give birth to him?
In the relaxed and harmonious family atmosphere, Guan Nan, who was standing at the door, suddenly raised her head and looked at Jiang Li beside her, a big question mark slowly appearing on her head.
Even though she had a lot of questions, she didn't have a chance to ask them.
"What are you standing here for?" Qu Qinghuai said with a smile when he returned and saw them. "Why don't you go inside?"
Jiang Li pulled her wrist down slightly, "Go in."
The moment the door opened, the people who were already seated immediately stood up, while the empty seat in the middle seemed to be saying, "Today's protagonist is someone else."
Before Guan Nan could react, Qu Qinghuai pulled her away from Jiang Li with his arm around her shoulder. At the same time, Jiang Siyao came forward and naturally led her over, saying the same thing to her.
Before she knew it, Guan Nan was sitting in the main seat, with Jiang Li beside her.
Sister Wen is not only youthful but also eloquent. Her every move exudes elegance and composure. Her behavior and word choice are just right, making people let down their guard without them even realizing it.
In contrast, although President Jiang was taciturn and possessed an imposing presence that commanded respect, inexplicably intimidating people, he was incredibly attentive to Sister Wen's needs, as if he knew what she required with just a glance or a gesture.
Jiang Siyao and Qu Qinghuai served as the atmosphere-maker.
"Over the years, not to mention that he has no talent in music, it's a miracle that you've taken a liking to him. I was just telling President Jiang the other day that with Jiang Li's personality, even when he's seventy or eighty, he might not find anyone who would like him." Sister Wen said, both angry and amused. "Do you know what he said? He said it's no big deal, he'll just buy a piece of land next to us and bury him there."
President Jiang smiled faintly and said, "I would say that he's the kind of person who makes us worry even when he's alive, and he won't let us have any peace even when he's dead."
"You," Jiang Siyao rolled her eyes at President Jiang and scolded him bluntly, "Really. You can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want, okay? Don't you know what day it is today? If you're not going to eat, then go home."
Hearing this, Guan Nan was clearly taken aback and subconsciously looked at President Jiang. Unexpectedly, President Jiang nodded slightly and made a gesture of invitation, smiling and saying, "Alright, alright, I won't say it, you all speak, you are all the bosses."
The image of a cold face and a glare did not come to mind, and the notion of smashing chopsticks and breaking bowls was utter nonsense.
Guan Nan stared blankly, then silently turned her head to look at Jiang Li again. Jiang Li silently opened his lips.
—See?
"·····"
Seeing this, Guan Nan slowly withdrew her eyes and listened quietly to Sister Wen's words, occasionally echoing her and occasionally exchanging brief conversations. Everything was relaxed, warm, and harmonious, without any of the difficulties, pressure, or harassment she had imagined.
As if they had known beforehand, the word "parents" was never mentioned or heard at the dinner table that evening.
Guan Nan found it very novel; she had never imagined that there could be such a family dynamic in the world, like close friends, progressing from simple to deep, from eye contact to hands-on work, from nodding acquaintances to sharing baths and beds.
During the meal, Guan Nan felt as if she had once again received a baptism of maternal love that was both familiar and unfamiliar.
After finishing their meal, before parting ways, the group planned to see the two off.
Just then, Sister Wen received a phone call. The person on the other end was yelling and banging pots and pans, like they were fighting. It was so fierce that it hurt your ears.
As soon as she pulled away, Jiang Siyao put the phone on speakerphone, and a sobbing voice came from the other end: "He Wenwen, I want a divorce! I want to divorce this bastard!"
"Godmother, you've said this a million times, at least do something about it." Jiang Siyao was used to this kind of thing and didn't mind watching the drama unfold.
He Wenwen patted her arm, gave her a warning look, and then turned to Guan Nan and said, "Auntie is taking a call, you guys sit for a while longer."
"Okay." Guan Nan nodded.
After He Wenwen left, Jiang Siyao immediately launched into a rant, criticizing her godmother's various bizarre deeds, and finally came to the conclusion that she would definitely go to Bihai Bay tonight.
Although President Jiang disagreed with Jiang Siyao's words, he kept glancing outside and couldn't stop her.
"I told you we should have let Jiang Li cause a scene back then, and none of this would have happened. Look at the way she got married, it's a complete joke," Jiang Siyao said disdainfully.
President Jiang glanced at her: "Why are you talking so much? Didn't I say anything to you?"
The space, which had been filled with Fang's dissatisfied words and emotions, fell silent in that instant.
However, the speaker may not have meant anything by it, but the listener took it to heart.
In those few words, half of the knot in his heart, which had been untied for many years, was quietly untied, while the other half seemed to teeter on the edge in Jiang Li's dark eyes.
The wait had been a bit long. President Jiang glanced at his watch, then at his awkward and restrained daughter-in-law, and waved his hand, saying, "We have a long phone call to make. You two should go first. It's getting late, so don't get stuck in traffic."
After he finished speaking, he said he was going to the restroom first and hurriedly headed towards He Wenwen.
Jiang Siyao, who had just been intimidated by a glare, was now energized again. "Tsk tsk tsk, time to go after my wife. If I don't go soon, she'll probably start asking for a divorce."
"You should say less." Seeing her sullen expression, Qu Qinghuai patted her head.
"Why?" Jiang Siyao retorted, her brows furrowed. "You're helping him!"
The water that was poured out was still warm, and just as Jiang Li looked up, mist filled his eyes and brows.
Guan Nan met Si's eyes.
Without watching them bicker any longer, Jiang Li put away his phone and, half a minute after President Jiang left, leaned over to ask her if she had eaten enough. After getting the answer, he took her hand and led her out of the private room.
Guan Nan was led away by him, feeling dazed and somewhat unreal.
The bag I was carrying was also quite heavy.
Reaching the park's roundabout, the two sat down to rest under the shade of tall trees, watching the people busily and excitedly preparing for the New Year.
“Jiang Li,” Guan Nan called his name and said softly, “Your mother is so kind.”
Jiang Li breathed a sigh of relief, pulled the person into his arms, and whispered, "I told you, she doesn't eat people."
“But—” Guan Nan raised her head, her eyes clear and bright.
"Hmm?" Jiang Li lowered his eyes and looked at her.
Why did you lie to me?
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