Rain Bell (Part 1)
Kong Yue opened the door and met Ji Qingzhou's gaze. An was already sitting on the sofa, momentarily at a loss for what to do.
Kong Yue used to come to An Yi's place whenever she wanted, without the habit of greeting anyone.
This time, they caught us completely off guard.
Ji Qingzhou smelled of ointment. He had never seen Kong Yue before, but he could easily guess what she looked like: "Hello, Auntie."
Before Kong Yue came in, he was applying ointment to An Yi. He didn't trust the ointment that An Yi had just applied haphazardly.
Kong Yue glanced at An Yi on the sofa, then turned to Ji Qingzhou and asked, "Who are you?"
Ji Qingzhou glanced at An Yi and downplayed the issue, saying, "I am An Yi's friend."
Kong Yue remained skeptical of his words, as An Yi generally wouldn't get close to people she didn't know.
The stimulating taste made her stop thinking about it.
She disliked the smell of blood mixed with animal fur.
Kong Yue nodded and smiled.
She took a deep breath at the door and went inside.
Ji Qingzhou returned to An Yi's side, knelt on one knee, and held her ankle to continue applying the ointment.
An had quietly gripped the sofa beneath her hands.
Recently, Ji Qingzhou has been unusually close to her in terms of physical contact. Firstly, he took advantage of her during the team building event, and secondly, he always gets very close to her under the pretext of taking care of An Yi.
Not to mention her mother didn't believe it, she didn't believe Ji Qingzhou when he said they were friends.
Kong Yue glanced at Ji Qingzhou and said, "Huai Chuan heard you were injured and asked me to bring you some tonics."
She placed her things on the table and sat down next to An. An had requested personal leave and explained the reason for it.
During our brief chat that day, Huaiqian mentioned that he had previously worked there as an assistant to a high-ranking executive. Apparently, someone he knew at her company told him this.
He said he was worried about you because you didn't reply to his messages.
An no longer knew what he should worry about about himself.
She said casually, "I didn't look at my phone."
Kong Yue was very dissatisfied with An Yi's attitude.
She said, "Do you know that Huai Chuan was the one who contacted me first when I introduced you to a blind date? I could tell he really liked you."
Regardless of who Ji Qingzhou is, Kong Yue is now very satisfied with Huai Chuan.
This was something she didn't know, and An's eyes showed confusion. "So?"
"So you at least have to respond, right?"
An Yi said, "So since you care so much, please tell him for me that I don't like him."
She didn't want to offend Kong Yue, so she only accepted going out to have a meal or watch a movie with other people.
She never maintains a relationship after meeting someone.
Seeing that her tone was deviating further and further from her intended course, Kong Yue changed the subject and inquired about An Yi's condition.
She sighed halfway and sat down next to An Yi, her eyes falling on An Yi's ankles.
What did the doctor say?
An Yi said, "It's a minor injury."
How did you get injured?
"I twisted my ankle."
Kong Yue choked up; she was asking about the details of her injury.
Ji Qingzhou applied the medicine and then massaged the area; he had just learned this technique online.
The hand kept rubbing and kneading, which annoyed Kong Yue.
Kong Yue retorted, "Why didn't you tell me you were injured?"
An said casually, "It's nothing serious."
She had told her when she was injured that Kong Yue wouldn't care for her or take care of her like other mothers would.
She would only coldly ask if I needed to go to the hospital. If not, it was usually not a big deal, and there was no need to waste her time.
After a moment of silence, a face from her memory finally emerged clearly through her efforts.
Kong Yue asked in surprise, "Are you Ji Qingzhou?"
Although Ji Qingzhou is the general manager of Zheyun, he doesn't often appear in public like Ji Yang, so it's normal that his face is blurry.
Ji Qingzhou withdrew her gaze from An Yi, who remained silent.
An replied, "Mom, yes."
He finished pressing the last circle and put away the ointment.
Ji Qingzhou nodded and retreated to the bedroom, giving the mother and daughter some space.
Kong Yue's face and eyes darkened, but she quickly returned to normal.
When she was looking for a marriage partner for An, she learned about many people, including those she couldn't contact, including Ji Qingzhou.
However, he was quickly and unilaterally eliminated by Kong Yue. The reason was that he was pursuing a doctorate and was in the same boat as An Yi's father.
Actually, she thought highly of Huai Chuan, and thought he was more suitable for An Yi than anyone else before.
Ji Qingzhou was still there, so she couldn't say it directly.
She couldn't stay any longer and left after a short while.
Kong Yue's arrival today was something An hadn't expected. She knew Kong Yue had most likely guessed it.
She didn't know what Kong Yue was thinking, but based on her understanding of Kong Yue, she guessed that Kong Yue would wait for Kong Yue to confirm before asking her to break up with Ji Qingzhou.
When An Yi was with Ji Qingzhou, she never wanted their relationship to be known.
An's mind was in complete turmoil.
It seems that what was originally a simple thing has become increasingly complicated.
An frowned and withdrew her foot, shrinking into the sofa as she pondered which step she had taken wrong.
After Kong Yue left, the small room fell silent.
Ji Qingzhou poured An a glass of water and placed it next to her, and also brought her the computer and two books she had recently been reading.
Ji Qingzhou, in An Yiyu's peripheral vision, said, "That's why I didn't tell my mom you were my...boyfriend."
He smiled slightly and said, "I understand."
He brought his laptop and sat near An, and the two of them went about their own business.
An had already thought of that dream, and the fragmented images that flashed through her mind.
The year she met Huai Chuan was the year she first had this dream. In the dream, she asked the young general his name, and the young man said the two words "Huai Chuan" before the dream ended.
Therefore, she guessed that the answer lay with a classmate who shared the same name as the boy.
She observed him for a long time, but unfortunately, apart from the name, she found no other similarities.
"It's alright," Ji Qingzhou called out.
She stared at him blankly, as if lost in a deep space of time.
He called her several times before she came to her senses.
"Um?"
"What's wrong?"
An picked up her water glass and took a small sip. "Huai Chuan is just my high school classmate, before and after."
When Ji Qingzhou carried An into the old house, Grandma was heartbroken.
An patted Ji Qingzhou's arm.
Even though she could walk, he insisted on carrying her, because his grandmother was already old and he didn't want her to worry.
It's all his fault; he told Grandma she sprained her ankle.
Ji Qingzhou understood what she meant and explained, "I can't lie to Grandma."
His grandmother often asked him about An Yi's situation, and he always told her the truth.
When Grandma learned that An was injured, she quickly asked Ji Qingzhou to bring her back so she could see her in person and feel at ease.
An hurriedly said, "Grandma, it's just a minor injury, it'll be fine in a few days."
Actually, she can walk at home.
However, after getting out of the car, Ji Qingzhou said that the road was too far and wouldn't let her walk.
Grandma said, "I asked the kitchen to make kelp and beef bone soup. They say you are what you eat, so you must eat more of it later."
After dinner, Ji Qingzhou went to the study to handle company matters.
An Yi sat with her grandmother in the yard, enjoying the scenery.
There was a stone arch bridge in front of the courtyard, and a group of people were gathered around it, looking quite lively.
A girl suddenly ran into the yard and anxiously told her grandmother that an actor had suddenly developed laryngeal edema and had been taken to the hospital.
Grandma breathed a sigh of relief.
Before the girl could say anything more, her grandmother raised her hand to interrupt her and shook her head.
"Don't bother me with work-related matters."
The girl looked conflicted.
They were filming a promotional video for oil-paper umbrellas. Ji Yang said that the filming of the old house segment had to be completed today so as not to disturb his grandmother.
Her name is Qin Xin, and she was sent by the company to assist with the filming.
She looked at An Yi working in the chair, and a flash of inspiration struck her.
She had originally intended to ask her supervisor for a two-day extension, but now it seemed unnecessary.
She first praised An Yi's appearance, then her figure, and didn't even miss a single hair.
She had heard some gossip about President Ji. She happened to pass by them when Ji Qingzhou took An Yi to the company that day.
An was overwhelmed by the praise. Grandma, on the other hand, grew increasingly pleased, urging her to speak quickly.
The young girl took a step closer to An Yi, bent down slightly, and asked, "Could you do me a favor and act as one of our actors?"
Ji Qingzhou went into the courtyard and happened to hear this: "Sorry, she's not available."
When the girl saw that it was Ji Qingzhou, she stammered, "We don't have anything big going on, we just need to take a picture of our backs."
Ji Qingzhou politely declined, "If needed, I can help you tell President Ji to submit the video later."
Qin Xin's shoulders slumped.
An Yi said, "I can help you."
Ji Qingzhou glanced at An Yi, then her gaze fell on her ankles, but she didn't say anything.
Qin Xin smiled happily and immediately ran out to get her clothes.
Ji Qingzhou took Qin Xin's cheongsam, picked An up by the waist, and carried her to the nearest guest room.
He wanted to follow An inside after An had gone in to change his clothes.
An had already slammed the door shut.
She had only sprained her ankle, not broken it, but she was very upset about Ji Qingzhou treating her like a disabled person.
Ji Qingzhou touched his nose, which he had almost bumped, and chuckled to himself.
After a while, An opened the door.
The moment the door opened, a look of amazement flashed in Ji Qingzhou's eyes.
The cheongsam, made for filming, didn't fit perfectly, but it looked just right on her.
The pomegranate red cheongsam was not glaring; instead, it accentuated An Yi's cool demeanor and unique feminine grace.
Feeling a little uncomfortable being stared at, An asked, "What's wrong?"
Ji Qingzhou shook her head. "It's beautiful."
"Beautiful" is not enough to express his meaning. He said, "I study physics and I don't know how to say you are very beautiful. At this moment, words are pale and I can't describe it."
An pursed her lips.
Perhaps remaining silent is the greatest expression of sincerity at this moment.
Ji Qingzhou continued to hold An Yi until they reached the stone arch bridge before putting her down.
Grandma's eyes lit up when she saw An Yi. At first glance, she was very satisfied with An Yi, and upon closer inspection, she was still very satisfied with An Yi.
Grandma patted Ji Qingzhou on the shoulder and said, "I really like this girl."
Ji Qingzhou helped her grandmother sit down. "Grandma, you already said that before."
Grandma laughed heartily.
The girl had already taken a spot, so she took a hairpin and tied her long hair to one side, then gave her a white oil-paper umbrella with flowing clouds.
The umbrella is nice, but it doesn't quite match the color scheme of An Yi's clothes.
Ji Qingzhou had someone fetch a brush and ink, and with a few strokes, he sketched a sunrise landscape on the umbrella with a red background.
An exclaimed in surprise, "You can paint too?"
Ji Qingzhou returned the oil-paper umbrella to her and reached out to straighten the hairpin that had slipped out slightly. "It's just basic skill."
Grandma just smiled and didn't say anything. When she was little, whenever she was asked to draw, the things she produced looked like scribbles. Today, she finally got to use them.
An was already holding an oil-paper umbrella and standing at the back of the line to make up the numbers.
She walked slowly with the group, leaving behind only her back view.
Like a beautiful woman who has seen it all, she walks through the landscape of Jiangnan with an oil-paper umbrella, leaving behind only a mysterious silhouette for posterity to ponder.
Ji Qingzhou's eyes lingered on it for a long time.
"Qingzhou, what do you like about An Yi?" Grandma asked.
Yes, what is it about her that I like?
Ji Qingzhou said, "She is like a jar of wine placed on the street. At first sip, you can only smell the faint aroma of the wine, but after a second sip, you will find yourself drunk without even realizing it."
Just like when he first met her, he only treated her as an ordinary junior sister.
Later, I couldn't help but get close to her again and again after a long period of no contact.
Even though she considered him an old friend, he still wanted to be with her.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com