On the eve of the fall
Thinking of this, Jiang Xiao didn't hesitate too much and called Zhou Qishen directly.
The silence on the other end of the phone did not last long. Soon, a deep voice came through the screen: "Xiao Xiao."
Jiang Xiao held the phone, cleared her throat, and then got straight to the point: "I have something to tell you."
Hearing her rather serious tone, Zhou Qishen paused flipping through the documents and was silent, thinking about what she wanted to say, but he had no clue.
After a moment, he said, "Go ahead."
Jiang Xiao looked out the French window at the scenery, the white clouds and blue sky, the weather was very good, her fingers could not help but play with the corners of the pillow, she murmured: "The crew will go to Suzhou to shoot in two days, I want to go visit my grandpa."
So that's what it was.
"Mr. Xu?" Zhou Qishen whispered knowingly, half leaning back in the boss chair, turning around and changing his position, his deep gaze falling on the blue sky outside the window, his eyes focused with no one knowing what he was thinking.
Jiang Xiao raised her eyebrows: "Do you know my grandpa?"
Zhou Qishen chuckled: "How could I not know him?"
Mr. Xu is a famous Chinese painter, especially in flower and bird paintings, and landscape paintings. His skills are unique, vivid and moving. He has had a wide influence in the art world and has brought out many painters who have become famous in the industry.
When Jiang Xiao was asked this question, she immediately thought of her grandfather. Although he was an old man who was not very serious, he had a great reputation among the people. Many people paid high prices to ask him to paint for them or to become his apprentices.
The topic went off track. Jiang Xiao pursed her lips and returned to the main topic: "I called you because I want you to accompany me to Suzhou."
Zhou Qishen was stunned, "I'll accompany you?"
"Yeah, if you don't go with me, who will go with me..." Jiang Xiao heard the flash of surprise in his tone, her eyebrows jumped in the middle, frowned slightly, and the ending of her voice fell: "I'm accompanying you to meet your parents, don't you want to accompany me?"
Seeing that she had strayed from the right path, Zhou Qishen quickly held his forehead and explained, "It's not that I don't want to go, I'm just wondering in what capacity I should go."
"What identity? You are my husband, of course it's..." Jiang Xiao held back and didn't say the rest of the words, but that was the meaning, and Zhou Qishen should understand.
After pausing for two seconds, Jiang Xiao thought about it carefully for a while, and suddenly realized that he seemed to have other hidden meanings.
She suppressed the emotions surging in her heart and asked, "What do you mean?"
Zhou Qishen rubbed the spot on his forehead. He was wondering whether he should confess now or wait for Jiang Xiao to remember it herself. But looking at her like this, it seemed that she couldn't remember anything from the past.
After two seconds of silence, Zhou Qishen sighed slightly, stood up from his chair, and took two steps towards the window. His tone was nonchalant: "Nothing, give me two days to arrange the work, and then we'll meet in Suzhou?"
Hearing this, Jiang Xiao knew that he had agreed, so she didn't dwell on that inappropriate remark any further. A light smile appeared on the corner of her mouth: "Okay, okay, I know you're busy with work, so let's meet in Suzhou."
After hanging up the phone, Zhou Qishen took a leisurely look at his own shadow reflected on the glass window, then shook his head helplessly and sneered, "Is it really so hard for you to remember me? You mentioned Suzhou, but you still haven't thought of me."
His murmurs were casual and leisurely, as if he was mocking himself, but also as if he was complaining with a bit of grievance.
*
The river is picturesque, the mist and rain are like silk, and it feels refreshing when it falls on your body.
The Su-style architecture blends into the hazy water, naturally simple, giving people a sense of elegance and simplicity.
A woman in a light blue cheongsam was holding an umbrella and walking familiarly through the ancient alleys that had existed for thousands of years. Every time she walked a certain distance, she would glance to the side to see if her umbrella was tilted.
The tall man next to her was carrying two suitcases. The wheels scraped across the bluestone slabs, making a series of harsh sounds. His right shoulder was slightly wet from the rain.
Seeing this, Jiang Xiao felt bad and kindly wanted to take one of the suitcases, "It's not far, I'll take the luggage myself."
"No need." Zhou Qishen refused. It was just a drizzle.
Seeing that he insisted again and again, Jiang Xiao thought that it was his first time visiting and wanted to perform well, so she didn't say anything else and concentrated on finding the way.
The buildings around here are quite old, and the alleys are of varying widths. Coupled with the government's commercial development and renovation this year, the surrounding environment has changed beyond recognition. There are warning signs and construction teams everywhere, and even some roads have been closed.
Listening to the annoying noise, Jiang Xiao frowned, thinking that when she met her grandfather later, she would have to persuade him to move as soon as possible. After all, once the tourism industry developed, her daily life would be affected.
After walking for a while, Jiang Xiao saw the familiar store become unfamiliar and was at a loss at a fork in the road. Although she had lived here for a period of time when she was a child and during the summer vacation of high school, she was basically a stay-at-home mom. After that, every time she came here, her grandfather would come out to pick her up personally, so she didn't remember the roads around here very well.
And this time, because she wanted to bring Zhou Qishen to meet her grandfather, Jiang Xiao thought about it and decided to act first and report later, so she came without saying hello. Who knew that she would encounter construction, and the distance that should have only taken three minutes to walk took an extra five minutes, which made her a little confused now.
After hesitating for two seconds, Jiang Xiao murmured: "It seems to be turning right..."
"Turn left." Zhou Qishen said firmly.
Hearing his firm tone, Jiang Xiao pushed down her sunglasses and recalled carefully for a while. She seemed to remember that it was indeed a left turn, but how did Zhou Qishen know? This should be his first time here.
Thinking of this, before she could ask the question, a male voice behind her interrupted her thoughts with a mixture of surprise and temptation.
"Jiang Xiao?"
Jiang Xiao turned around and met a familiar face. The man had several large cardboard boxes in his arms, which almost buried him completely. Only half of his face was exposed, and his lines and facial features were tough and handsome.
They recognized each other at a glance, and Jiang Xiao subconsciously called out, "Chen Zhijing?"
"Jiang Xiao, it's really you. Why are you here at this time?" Chen Zhijing was overjoyed to see that he had not recognized the wrong person, and a bright smile broke out on his face.
"I'm filming in Suzhou, and I came to see my grandpa." Jiang Xiao explained simply, unconsciously infected by his smile, and couldn't help but smile. Seeing that he didn't hold an umbrella, she asked curiously, "What are you doing?"
"Isn't it summer vacation? I'm back to help out for a few days. These are new ice creams. Would you like some?" Chen Zhijing raised his chin to signal them to help themselves if they wanted some.
Chen Zhijing is a doctoral student at Beijing University. He took advantage of a few days of free time during the summer vacation to come back to visit his family and help out. He didn't expect that he had just arrived home yesterday and today he would run into his childhood friend Jiang Xiao, whom he hadn't seen for a long time.
The hot weather made people sweat. Jiang Xiao's fair and flawless skin turned a faint pink. She shook her head and declined: "No."
Chen Zhijing didn't force it, so she glanced at the strange man next to her, her brows moving slightly. This was the first time Jiang Xiao brought a man back, so the relationship between the two was naturally self-evident.
Although he was curious about the identities of the two, he did not rashly ask for answers. He maintained an appropriate distance as if they were old friends meeting again, and did not pester them any further: "I'll put the goods back in the store first, and then I'll go to visit you at Mr. Xu's place later."
Jiang Xiao nodded and agreed. She was very happy as she hadn't seen her old friend for a long time. It would be nice to catch up with the past.
Chen Zhijing watched the two leave, and his eyes involuntarily swept over the handsome man standing next to her. Because of Jiang Xiao's presence, he couldn't get a close look at what the other person looked like, but he always felt that he looked familiar, as if he had seen him before.
But when I think about it carefully, I have no clue for the moment.
A drop of rain fell on Chen Zhijing's eyelashes, awakening him. He glanced at the several large boxes of ice cream in his arms, afraid that the ice cream would melt if he delayed any longer, so he immediately ran quickly towards his shop.
Turning left as Zhou Qishen instructed, they quickly found Jiang Xiao's grandfather's home along the alley.
Looking at the familiar door in front of her, Jiang Xiao breathed a sigh of relief. After ringing the doorbell, Jiang Xiao turned her head and glanced at Zhou Qishen, who had not spoken since Chen Zhijing appeared.
Jiang Xiao blinked and asked for something to say: "How did you know to turn left just now?"
Zhou Qishen stood under the eaves, put the suitcase in place, and replied casually with two words: "Intuition."
Jiang Xiao didn't doubt him, thinking that his intuition was quite accurate, and then raised his finger and pointed to a building across the street: "That's Chen Zhijing's home. His grandfather and my grandfather have been neighbors for many years. His family runs a small store. Because he and I are the same age, we played together when we were young and have a good relationship."
Zhou Qishen sneered with an ambiguous tone, tilted his head, and said with a hint of amusement: "Childhood sweethearts?"
It was obviously a normal tone, but Jiang Xiao felt inexplicably a chill. She belatedly noticed his subtle little emotion and was about to say something when the door happened to open. The person who came in was Aunt Huang, the nanny who had taken care of Mr. Xu for many years.
When Aunt Huang saw Jiang Xiao, she was stunned at first, then she laughed happily, and the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes wrinkled together: "Xiaoxiao, why are you back?"
Jiang Xiao greeted him and repeated the reasons she had just given to Chen Zhijing.
Aunt Huang showed an expression of "I see." Her smile almost reached her ears. "Mr. Xu just mentioned you this morning, Xiaoxiao. Who would have thought that you would come this afternoon? We are really in tune with each other."
"Hey, this is..."
After saying that, Aunt Huang's eyes fell on Zhou Qishen who was standing next to Jiang Xiao. A hint of doubt flashed across her brows, and then turned into shock: "Isn't this Xiao Zhou? Why are you here too?"
Jiang Xiao's words of introduction were choked in her throat. She glanced at Zhou Qishen beside her with disbelief. From Aunt Huang's tone, it seemed that they had known each other for a long time, but Zhou Qishen had never revealed this to her before.
Seeing Jiang Xiao's confused look, Zhou Qishen avoided her gaze for a moment and curled his lips towards Aunt Huang: "Aunt Huang, long time no see."
Aunt Huang didn't notice the subtle atmosphere between the two people. She just thought they happened to bump into each other. She invited them into the house to talk and wanted to take one of the suitcases from Zhou Qishen's hand. However, Zhou Qishen refused and said, "I can do it myself."
Aunt Huang didn't force it any more. She suddenly remembered something and asked, "Did you ask someone to deliver those gifts this morning?"
Zhou Qishen nodded slightly, as a sign of agreement.
Seeing this, Aunt Huang scolded, "Didn't the old man tell you to just come and not send gifts? It's a waste every time."
Zhou Qishen glanced at Jiang Xiao's murderous eyes and replied calmly, "This time is different."
Walking through the front yard, in the vibrant greenery, Mr. Xu, who had heard the noise, was standing under the eaves. When he saw the person coming, he stopped fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan.
Aunt Huang was still pondering the meaning of Zhou Qishen’s words. What did he mean by “this time is different”? What could be different? As soon as she raised her eyes, she noticed Mr. Xu and quickly called out, "Mr. Xu, Xiaoxiao and Xiao Zhou are here!"
Jiang Xiao, who had originally focused her attention on Zhou Qishen, immediately shifted her gaze upon hearing this. After seeing Mr. Xu, the corners of her mouth curled up and she quickened her pace.
Regardless of the slippery road caused by the rain, she quickly rushed to Mr. Xu's side and hugged him coquettishly, "Grandpa, I missed you so much."
"You girl, there are people here." Old Mr. Xu seemed to have expected this. He said words of reproach, but he reached out and caught her steadily, with a smile on his face that he couldn't hide.
After the grandfather and grandson finished talking, Zhou Qishen said hello at the right time: "Teacher Xu, long time no see."
Old Mr. Xu had noticed Zhou Qishen a long time ago. He nodded in response. His eyes moved down and fell on the two suitcases in his hands, one black and one white. It was obviously not just his luggage. He keenly sensed something was wrong.
In the past, when Zhou Qishen came to visit him, he would just stay for tea and a meal at most, and would not stay overnight. Even if he came to give him a gift, he would ask someone to deliver it in advance like he did today, instead of just coming over with a suitcase.
Besides, he never came over without saying hello.
Suddenly, Mr. Xu seemed to have thought of something. He turned his head to look at Jiang Xiao who was holding his arm. He looked at her evasive expression and frowned: "When did you two meet?"
These two people have met before, but there should be no intersection between them.
Jiang Xiao was full of questions at the moment. From the brief conversation between Zhou Qishen, Aunt Huang and her grandfather, it was not difficult to guess that Zhou Qishen should be her grandfather's student. But if he was her grandfather's student, why did he hide it from her? This is not something shameful.
But now is not the time to ask Zhou Qishen for an explanation. Instead, she should think about how to tell her grandfather about her relationship with Zhou Qishen. After all, the purpose of coming here is to introduce Zhou Qishen to her grandfather.
What she didn't expect was that Zhou Qishen and her grandfather had known each other for a long time and was his student.
Jiang Xiao forced her lower lip, raised her eyes and looked into Zhou Qishen's eyes, then secretly winked at him, signaling him to speak.
Zhou Qishen understood what she meant. Facing Mr. Xu's probing gaze, he considered his words and spoke respectfully, "I came here to accompany Xiaoxiao to visit you."
Mr. Xu's breathing stagnated. Even if Zhou Qishen didn't continue speaking, he guessed what the other party wanted to express.
His slightly frowned brows tightened even more. He glanced at his granddaughter and his students, who had kept the secret from him and never revealed any information, and snorted, "You guys kept it a secret."
Jiang Xiao felt guilty, smiled awkwardly, and looked away panickedly, fearing that she would be lectured and scolded.
Mr. Xu's anger did not last long. In his opinion, although the news was a little unexpected for him, it was not difficult to accept.
After all, one is his granddaughter and the other is his student. He knows their temperaments best and they are a good match. He had thought that if Jiang Xiao didn't find a partner in two years, he could act as the matchmaker to bring them together.
Now it seems that he is no longer needed to act as a matchmaker. The fact that they can come together means that they get along well.
Mr. Xu acted like an elder and began to ask the usual questions: "How long have you been together?"
"It's been a few months, right?" Jiang Xiao couldn't help but interrupt.
Hearing that the two had only been together for such a short time, Mr. Xu couldn't help but make a joke: "It's only been a few months and you brought her back? You don't even bother to observe her?"
Jiang Xiao bit her lower lip and replied in the same joking tone: "It's because we have already obtained the marriage certificate..."
This answer was like a thunderclap, which froze Mr. Xu's smile on his face.
The surroundings suddenly fell into an eerie silence, so quiet that one could almost hear the sound of raindrops dripping into the puddles.
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