Joyful Reunion (Part Two)
"Be careful, someone has tripped here before," Ji Qingzhou said casually.
The two walked side by side through the corridor, and Ji Qingzhou took An Yi's hand at a corner.
Her fingers twitched uncomfortably.
“I can see.”
Ji Qingzhou lowered his head. An Yi's footsteps followed his rhythm, one after the other.
The lights aren't bright here, but it's not so dark that you can't even see the road.
An had tried to book a hotel before setting off that morning, but Ji Qingzhou stopped her.
He said he would arrange the hotel.
Entering a small building, which was not tall and had no elevator, Ji Qingzhou led her to a room at the end of the building after going up one floor.
An has already gone inside; all the luggage she brought is here.
She asked curiously, "Is it still safe to stay here?"
She thought this was just a place to eat.
"Yes, we have a few rooms."
She packed her things. "Shall we share a room?"
Ji Qingzhou asked, "Is it inconvenient?"
She shook her head.
We've all lived in the same house before, so there's no need to be so particular about these things when we're out together.
Ji Qingzhou said, "There aren't many rooms, and they're all full."
"knew."
An has taken her things to the bathroom to wash up.
Ji Qingzhou went to the inner room to take a bath.
The room was filled with the sound of rushing water.
An was brushing her teeth, and after a while, she leaned against the wall and stared blankly.
My mind is a jumble of random thoughts; I don't even know what I'm thinking.
Ji Qingzhou took a quick shower and came out in a few seconds, while An Yi hadn't even finished brushing her teeth yet.
The bathroom door opened, and Ji Qingzhou slowly appeared in the mirror.
He wasn't wearing any clothes, only a towel tied around his waist.
She had washed her hair, but the strands on her forehead were still dripping wet. The water droplets on her chest, which hadn't been dried, quickly rolled down, disappearing into the towel through her abdominal muscles.
An glanced at it only once before looking away.
Why wasn't she wearing any clothes? She had never seen such a sight at home.
An has sped up her brushing; Ji Qingzhou seems to be acting differently these past few days.
Her cheeks felt hot, so she splashed water on her face to wash it.
Ji Qingzhou walked out from behind An Yi. When she came back in, she had already put on her pants and was holding a white T-shirt.
Didn't you hear me when I called you?
"Huh?" she replied, bewildered.
Ji Qingzhou saw An Yi in the mirror, smiled gently, and put on a T-shirt.
He picked up the toothbrush he had prepared and brushed his teeth next to An.
"I forgot to bring my clothes inside."
An had finished washing up, and Ji Qingzhou asked the waiter to bring two glasses of water.
An has already gone to the door to get it.
After closing the door, she paused for a moment, then chased after the door to find a waiter.
When Ji Qingzhou returned to her room, she was walking towards the door.
"What's wrong?" Ji Qingzhou asked when she suddenly ran out.
"The waiter just said—" she began, then hesitated.
When Ji Qingzhou said there were no rooms available, it could have been a casual remark, or it could have been that he was actually planning something.
She still didn't want to think about these things in detail, much less bring them up in the open.
She changed her tone, "The waitress said she almost made two cups of tea. If that's the case, neither of us will be able to sleep tonight."
Ji Qingzhou lowered her eyebrows slightly. "Yes, thankfully not."
Ji Qingzhou was reading a book on the sofa.
An was half-lying on the bed, browsing her phone, when she remembered Ji Wen's words, "Your brother wants me to talk to you."
Ji Qingzhou raised an eyebrow. She knew without asking what Ji Wenrang was trying to persuade her about.
He turned to the next page. "Not yet."
He read two lines, then looked up and began to talk about Ji Wen's background, "Actually, Ji Wen is not my biological brother."
An didn't know why he suddenly brought this up, but it piqued her curiosity.
Ji Wenming clearly seemed to have a very good relationship with him.
He continued, "My parents only had one child, which is me."
Ji Qingzhou smiled at An Yi's eager eyes; perhaps An Yi had already woven a magnificent tale of love and hate within a wealthy family into her mind.
He smiled and said in front of the tower, "What are you thinking about?"
“Ji Wen is the grandson of my grandmother’s friend. His parents died in an accident when he was young, so he lived with his maternal grandmother. His maternal grandmother was in poor health and also passed away early.”
"Before his grandmother passed away, the person she was most worried about was Ji Wen, so she entrusted him to his grandmother."
An nodded slowly, acknowledging Ji Wen's unusual background.
The Ji Wen she saw was sunny and cheerful; she had no idea he had such an unfortunate past.
An said, "You should treat him very well."
Ji Qingzhou nodded, "Grandma treats him the same way she treats me."
What he said was true; in order to prevent the Ji family from having a bad opinion of Ji Wen, his grandmother even changed his surname.
Of course, this was changed after obtaining Ji Wen's consent, and his original surname was still retained after the surname Ji.
“Our family situation is not complicated. I have an older brother, and there is no one else.”
She recalled the name Ji Wen had mentioned and said, "Ji Yang?"
Ji Qingzhou leaned back in her chair.
"Yes, he is my uncle's son."
Ji Qingzhou pondered for a moment and said, "If we must have an heir, I am indeed the best candidate," and added, "Of course, Ji Yang doesn't think so."
Ji Yang is slightly older than Ji Qingzhou and is determined to further expand "Zheyun".
Ji Yang joined the company a long time ago and is very familiar with its business model and operations.
He did not shut down the oil-paper umbrella industry.
It wasn't because I listened to my grandmother, but because I felt that oil-paper umbrellas actually had a much wider scope.
Zheyun already has a century-old brand; if it can capture the global market, its value will be immeasurable.
He intends to modernize the oil-paper umbrella production line and expand production through a series of reforms, which will require sacrificing technology and tradition to cater to broader market demands.
Ji Yang firmly believes that in a rapidly changing market, maximizing profits is the mission of oil-paper umbrellas.
With this philosophy, he garnered considerable support within the company.
Ji Yang's philosophy runs counter to his grandmother's hopes for inheritance and excellence.
Ji Qingzhou was also unwilling to see the umbrella business that her grandmother had built up destroyed by Ji Yang. The oil-paper umbrella was something that Ji Yang could easily discard.
Ji Qingzhou had previously worked as a product manager, but she didn't pay much attention to it at the time because of her studies.
After he returned, he also learned about Ji Yang's past and present actions.
He believed that businesses should not follow Ji Yang's path.
Convincing Ji Yang, or even standing up to him, is not a task that can be accomplished in a day or two.
He told An Yi everything, and since she asked, he told her everything clearly.
It seemed that the more he said, the more An knew, and the closer their connection became.
Ji Qingzhou gazed into An Yi's eyes. "So, how would you advise me?"
His ambition wasn't in business; this statement was a question to himself, but it seemed more like a question to himself.
An shook her head and said, "I won't try to persuade you."
He should have the answer in his heart, sooner or later.
She didn't need to persuade him.
She wasn't worried.
Ji Qingzhou lowered her eyes, her gaze returning to the book.
An had spent a long time digesting Ji Qingzhou's words.
At first, Ji Qingzhou presented herself to a graduate student with strong academic and research abilities.
A very excellent student with a bright future.
Later, she learned that he was going to pursue a doctorate and study abroad.
She admired him and had been unintentionally attracted to him several times.
But I never imagined we'd have this kind of relationship.
Even when she said she liked someone, she hadn't thought about it.
It wasn't that she thought Ji Qingzhou was unattainable; she didn't care about things in a worldly sense.
Her thinking has always been simple: if she likes someone, she likes them; if she doesn't, she doesn't. If she likes someone, they'll be together; if she doesn't, they won't. Ji Qingzhou is an exception she doesn't understand.
She simply felt that he had a broader horizon and a more meaningful future.
There's no need to be content with just her.
An was already lying in bed, reflecting on the information Ji Qingzhou had just shared, and felt even more that Ji Qingzhou had a bright future ahead of him.
An had tucked the blanket in, trying to stop herself from thinking about it anymore.
Through the carved and openwork screen, An had already seen Ji Wen lying on the sofa.
One hand was resting on her head, and the other was on her lap, occasionally making a soft rustling sound as her clothes rubbed against the sofa.
This bed is much bigger than the one at home, but Ji Wen is already lying on the sofa.
"Senior brother."
Ji Wen paused for a moment, then propped himself up and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Come and sleep in the bed," she said, pausing for a moment, the timing and location making it seem as if she were inviting him.
Actually, she couldn't sleep.
An was already used to sleeping in unfamiliar beds and tossed and turned for a long time without falling asleep. Ji Qingzhou was not comfortable lying on the sofa.
It's much better for one person to be unable to sleep than for two people to be unable to sleep.
Ji Qingzhou asked, "Is the bed big?"
He knew perfectly well whether the bed was big or not; he was just asking An to reconsider.
An already said, "Very big."
Ji Qingzhou walked inside and saw her long hair spread out behind her.
An had her eyes open, but she wasn't looking at him; instead, she seemed quite interested in the flowers on the screen.
Ji Qingzhou walked to the other side and lay down on the bed.
He asked, "Can't sleep?"
An had her back to him. "No, I'm sleeping."
"Interested in the screen?" Ji Qingzhou saw through her act and said, "If you like it, take it home tomorrow."
An closed her eyes and thought that Ji Qingzhou had some domineering CEO vibes.
Ji Qingzhou couldn't sleep either, and her thoughts were somewhat the same as An's.
He recalled An Yi's earlier address, "Why did you call me senior brother?"
An no longer frequently calls for Ji Qingzhou; if needed, she can simply say so directly.
She confirmed what he was called at the airport.
When I was in school, I called him "senior brother," so that was the only way I could think of to address him.
"Because that's what it's always been called."
He said, "From now on, just call me by my name, Ji Qingzhou."
An had turned over and was now face to face with Ji Qingzhou.
It was as if he had been watching her the whole time.
He was still wide awake, not sleepy at all, his eyes filled with a gentle tenderness as he looked at An Yi, as if bewitching her, as if waiting for her.
An had no other choice. "Ji Qingzhou."
Ji Qingzhou's smile deepened, and he read, "All is well."
An's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she closed her eyes again, saying, "Turn off the lights."
It's just a name, yet it sounds like a couple in bed, whispering sweet nothings to each other.
When they woke up in the morning, neither of them looked like they had slept well.
After a quick breakfast, Ji Qingzhou arranged for a car to take An to the company.
An can finish her work in the morning.
Ji Qingzhou made a promise with her to go home together at noon.
Before leaving Zhushui Courtyard, Ji Qingzhou quietly called over the waiter who had delivered water the night before.
What did she say to you yesterday?
The waiter recalled, "Miss An asked me if the rooms were full."
It felt like I was back in school, not telling anyone.
If no one says anything, it's as if nothing happened.
Ji Qingzhou lowered her eyes and walked out the small door.
An is still waiting for him.
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