Joyful Reunion (Part 3)
The phone kept flashing with incoming calls on the screen. Ji Qingzhou paused for a moment, then stood up and pressed the answer button.
"Qingzhou, are you free this afternoon? Would you like to have lunch with your mother?"
"Is tomorrow okay?"
Su Xi paused for a moment, "Mom has a friend who wants to meet you, and I've already made plans with her."
He said in a deep voice, "Mom, I have a girlfriend."
A surprised sound came from the other end of the phone; it was Su Xi's unexpected voice.
Su Xi raised her voice, "Which family's daughter is she? I've never heard you mention her before."
"It's okay if we haven't mentioned it before; we'll bring it up more often in the future."
He came back to resolve this matter.
The person on the other end asked hesitantly, "Are you serious?"
Ji Qingzhou said, "Am I an unserious person?"
Su Xi knew that her son either didn't care or he cared deeply.
She asked again which family's daughter it was.
Ji Qingzhou knew what her mother was thinking. The Ji family was a large and powerful family, so the friend she had met today must have commercial value.
Ji Yang was quite influential in the company, and his mother hoped to use this marriage to help him build connections.
However, he has not yet agreed to take over the company.
However, Ji Yang is currently undertaking sweeping reforms within the company.
He was only interested in profit and pursued only immediate gains. In order to achieve maximum efficiency, he repeatedly changed traditional and excellent production processes and company traditions.
There was no point in saying more, so Ji Qingzhou quickly hung up the phone.
Su Xi wouldn't be easily fooled. She made one last request: that Ji Qingzhou bring An home for dinner that afternoon.
Eating is just an excuse; seeing Anji in person is the real purpose.
Although Su Xi is not in Zheyun, she cares about it very much.
She always believed that this belonged to her son, and the old lady had no better choice than to leave the company to him.
And her son will inevitably become a successful businessman like her, with an even larger business empire than she did.
Su Xi is a well-known and powerful woman in Yuncheng, and she hopes that her son can inherit her ambitions.
If he could have a woman lend him a hand on this path, that would be the icing on the cake.
If Ji Qingzhou doesn't agree this time, she will keep pressing her in the future.
It's not impossible that they would rush into An's house.
After a brief consideration, Ji Qingzhou agreed.
An was already in Yun City, so she didn't need to make a special trip.
However, it still depends on her opinion; if she doesn't want to go, then she won't go.
As Ji Qingzhou imagined telling An Yi about this, he already had An Yi's answer in his mind.
He picked up An Yi, but it was already past lunchtime, and An Yi hadn't eaten yet.
He then took her back to Zhushui Courtyard.
An was already sitting in the car, resting with her eyes closed.
"So busy today?" Ji Qingzhou frowned.
He barely opened his mouth when he spoke, his voice muffled, "The company is undergoing a major restructuring, there's a lot going on."
She adjusted her posture, and finally all the cells in her body relaxed.
Ji Qingzhou stopped bothering her.
Before long, An Yi's breathing became even.
I didn't sleep well last night, and after a long, intense morning, I fell asleep soon after.
Her head was tilted to the side, and sometimes it would sway back and forth with the movement of the car.
He shifted his position and sat down next to her, supporting her head on his shoulder.
The driver also slowed down.
When they arrived at Zhushuiyuan, An was still unconscious.
An was sleeping peacefully, her face serene and her sleep extremely sound.
I've never seen her sleep so much before.
Ji Qingzhou turned to the side to examine her, as if carefully copying her appearance.
The waiter was already waiting at the door.
He made a shushing gesture and carried An out of the car.
It's the same room as last night.
He placed An on the bed, settled her in, and then put a glass of water by the bedside.
Ji Qingzhou tiptoed out of the door and told the waiter, "Keep the food warm for now, and bring it up when needed."
Ji Qingzhou leaned against the doorway and checked the time.
It's too late to make it to the agreed time.
Su Xi replied that she would wait.
Ji Qingzhou often admired his mother's persistence.
For example, even if I tell her she can't go now, she has to wait. For example, when she divorces her father, I will definitely not consider him.
Ji Qingzhou sat at one end of the sofa, separated from An by only a screen.
The carved screen obscured her face.
Her face was partially visible behind the screen; one had to move around to find the right spot to see it.
Through a hollowed-out flower petal, Ji Qingzhou saw An Yi's closed eyes.
Her eyelashes were curved and occasionally trembled.
Further down, past the petals, past the stamens, past a fluttering butterfly.
It was her lips.
She was not wearing lipstick or any other makeup.
Ji Qingzhou stayed there.
She didn't say much, but before I knew it, I couldn't take my eyes off her.
Ji Qingzhou lowered her head and laughed at her own rudeness.
They were so brazen while she was asleep.
An had slept for more than two hours before waking up.
She woke up with a dry mouth and throat, and the warm water on the table had been replaced with a fresh cup.
Ji Qingzhou handed it to her.
An looked around as she drank water.
"How did you get here?" she asked.
Ji Qingzhou sat on the chair by the bed. "You're sleeping too soundly."
She opened her phone and was startled by the time. She murmured, "I really slept for a long time."
She felt weak all over and didn't want to move. She forced herself to sit up and asked Ji Qingzhou, "Why didn't you call me?"
She doesn't absolutely need to sleep with him.
"Aren't you free this afternoon? No rush."
Ji Qingzhou asked again, "Are you hungry?"
An shook her head slightly. It was long past mealtime, and she had already passed the hunger pangs, but her stomach was empty and she felt a little uncomfortable.
Ji Qingzhou still had the waiter set out the food in the outer room.
"Going out for dinner?"
"I don't want to eat."
It feels so comfortable lying in bed like this after waking up. An is feeling lazy, doesn't want to eat, and doesn't want to get out of bed.
Ji Qingzhou went outside to get a bowl of porridge and brought in a few plates of side dishes.
"Then let's eat here."
An waved her hand in refusal.
She doesn't eat in bed.
As a child, she was willful and would only eat in bed, which caused her a lot of trouble with her mother.
The porridge was at the perfect temperature, and he scooped a spoonful and brought it to her lips.
An already felt it was inappropriate and raised her hand to take it, saying, "I'm not a patient, I don't need it."
Ji Qingzhou didn't go along with her wishes, "Eat quickly, didn't you wash your hands?"
He dodged An Yi's hand, as if tempting her, "Just eat a couple of bites, just enough to fill your stomach."
An had no choice but to eat some food from Ji Qingzhou's hand.
During this time, Ji Qingzhou told her about Su Xi's desire to see her.
An was secretly surprised. She had thought that he had only told Ji Wen about her existence, but now it seemed that quite a few people in his family knew about her.
“You don’t have to go,” Ji Qingzhou said.
An actually didn't want to have too much contact with his family.
At the beginning of the relationship, she thought it was just a matter between the two of them, and that when they broke up, they would agree to go their separate ways.
No one owes anyone anything, and no one will wrong anyone.
But things are not developing as she expected.
She took a couple of bites and then didn't want to eat anymore. She pushed Ji Qingzhou's hand away and looked out the window.
"If...we break up then, won't that be a lot of trouble?"
Ji Qingzhou paused as she put the bowl away. "Why did we break up?"
"Then let's go." An had been silent for a while before turning her gaze away.
If she wants to leave later, she won't change her mind because of them.
Since his mother brought it up, she must be determined to meet him.
It's just a matter of time.
An and Ji Qingzhou had thought of the same thing.
"What time is it? I'll get ready." She ran her fingers through her hair a couple of times, then got up and headed for the bathroom.
"You can leave once you're all packed."
Ji Qingzhou didn't tell An that she had missed the original time; she only told Su Xi that she had been delayed by something.
However, going back at this time would allow us to catch the dinner at the old house.
The old house is located on the edge of the other end of the city center.
The car entered a quaint building, and the scenery inside the courtyard was extremely elegant, like the gardens she had visited.
The pavilions and terraces, with their white bricks and black tiles, create an extremely simple and elegant landscape.
It's a large place, and you can see people coming and going doing their jobs.
After getting off the car, Ji Qingzhou led An into a three-story building.
Su Xi was already waiting inside, sitting on the sofa with her grandmother, chatting idly.
Grandma would glance towards the entrance every now and then.
Not long ago, Ji Qingzhou called her back specifically to tell her that he was bringing his girlfriend home.
The old lady was overjoyed.
When she was worrying about Ji Qingzhou's marriage, Ji Qingzhou told An Yi about his existence.
However, he was abroad at the time, so she couldn't ask Ji Qingzhou to bring him back, and it was even more inappropriate for her to go to his house without permission.
Although she had always been very curious about this girl.
Grandma smiled happily when she saw the two of them come in side by side.
Grandma's eyesight is poor, and she can't see people clearly when they are too far away, but she doesn't care. As long as she sees that it is a girl, she is very satisfied.
She thought about it day and night, fearing that this person was just a fabrication by Ji Qingzhou to appease her.
Grandma stood up and waved in An Yi's direction, "Good child, come to Grandma quickly!"
An had already taken two quick steps and turned back to look at Ji Qingzhou with a questioning gaze.
After exchanging glances with An, Ji Qingzhou called out, "Grandma!"
Once confirmed, An immediately called out.
Grandma laughed and said, "Oh, good child."
An had already entered. Grandma saw her clearly. She didn't know anything else, but her eyes met and she closed them.
Grandma pulled An down to sit and introduced her to Su Xi.
"This is Ji Qingzhou's mother."
An Yi greeted Su Xi with a smile, "Hello, Auntie, my name is An Yi!"
She had noticed her earlier; she was well-dressed and had a dignified demeanor. Combining this with what Ji Qingzhou had relayed about Su Xi's request, it was easy to guess her identity.
There was no one else present.
Su Xi smiled back and said, "Hello."
Su Xi wasn't as enthusiastic as her grandmother; she hadn't meant it that way in the first place.
Fortunately, they were polite and considerate.
She had been observing this girl for a while; she was far inferior to the girl she was going to introduce to Ji Qingzhou.
Su Xi was adept at navigating the business world and could immediately discern An Yi's material wealth.
She didn't consider herself a snob; she just felt that the most suitable person for Ji Qingzhou at this time was someone who could help him in his career.
The person in front of her clearly did not meet her requirements.
To Su Xi's surprise, her grandmother seemed to really like An Yi.
Grandma pulled An Yi to sit down next to her, and Ji Qingzhou sat between Su Xi and An Yi.
Grandma was very happy and kept asking me questions and greetings.
Where is my hometown? Where do I work? Where did I study? How many people are in my family?
An answered patiently one by one. When asked how many people were in her family, she said, "There are two people. My parents are divorced, and I live with my mother."
It was only then that Ji Qingzhou learned that An Yi was from a single-parent family.
I've never heard her mention it before, and she hasn't brought it up herself.
When Grandma heard this, she glanced at Ji Qingzhou.
Grandma said, "It's such a pity that your father isn't here on such a lively day."
Su Xi's gaze, which had been on An Yi, shifted elsewhere.
Ji Qingzhou's parents were also divorced.
Both Su Xi and Ji Qingzhou's fathers are workaholics with their own careers.
Because they both focused on their careers, they rarely interacted and didn't act like a married couple at all. It was enough for them to know that the other person existed.
When Ji Qingzhou was two years old, Su Xi suddenly felt that this kind of life was meaningless.
Because of marriage and raising children, Ji Qingzhou hadn't been able to focus on her work for several years, even though she clearly wasn't the kind of woman who wanted to just be a wife and mother.
Since neither of them were family-oriented, there was no need to be bound by marriage, so they filed for divorce.
Ji Qingzhou's father readily accepted.
The person who most opposed their divorce was the grandmother, who doted on Ji Qingzhou.
They can get divorced if they want, but Ji Qingzhou is still young and hasn't even experienced fatherly or motherly love yet, and they're already getting a divorce.
The two insisted on leaving, and the grandmother had no choice but to ask Su Xi to promise that she would still consider this place her own home and come back to visit her son often.
Grandma was dissatisfied with her son, who was obsessed with business, and her ex-daughter-in-law.
Su Xi naturally agreed; her marriage was one thing, and Ji Qingzhou's was another.
Therefore, even after their divorce, they still fulfilled their responsibilities and obligations. However, Su Xi gradually focused her attention on her beloved career, and the idea of her coming back to visit often became just empty words.
Ji Qingzhou's father was rarely seen.
Therefore, Ji Qingzhou had parents, but it was as if he had no parents at all.
Learning that An had a similar experience to Ji Qingzhou made the grandmother feel even more pity for her.
She had already talked to An for quite a while, but Ji Qingzhou interrupted her.
Su Xi also said: It's time to eat, everyone can eat and chat at the same time.
She was the one who invited An to come first, but she barely said a few words to her.
Su Xi glared at Ji Qingzhou, seeing the mess he had made. He was afraid that she had treated his girlfriend badly in the slightest, so he even informed her grandmother without her knowledge.
She said the old lady was in such a good mood today, instead of staying in her flower-filled yard, she came here.
Ji Qingzhou ignored Su Xi's gaze, stood up and made room for Su Xi to walk in front.
The old lady refused to be helped and led An ahead.
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