Hearing Xu Mi Yu’s questions, her brother-in-law impatiently retorted: “Old Three, don’t pretend to be confused! Of course you need to go talk to Nie Yu Cheng and help us out. We’re all family, and you need to stand up for your older sister and me since we got schemed against. You gotta go plead our case with him!”
Xu Mi Yu laughed, her smile full of mockery.
“You want me to go to Nie Yu Cheng? Why would I have any sway over him? We’re divorced, why would he still listen to me? And on what basis are you making such a ridiculous and shameless demand of me?”
Her brother-in-law slapped the table: “What’s ridiculous or shameless about this? After all, you and Nie Yu Cheng slept in the same bed for so many years. Even though you’re divorced now, there must still be some feelings left. I saw it clearly when you two were getting divorced – he still cares for you. So for this matter today, you’re the one who’s gotta go talk to Nie Yu Cheng and put in a good word for us. We’re family!”
Xu Mi Yu laughed coldly to herself. Yes, he still cared for her – cared enough to immediately marry the woman who schemed against them after the divorce. Some deep feelings indeed.
She heard some rustling of newspapers behind her. Xu Mi Yu ignored it, focusing on the two “relatives” before her.
Xue Rui almost couldn’t stand listening to that man speak anymore, especially when he mentioned them sleeping in the same bed for years. He couldn’t help muttering “disgusting” under his breath.
He heard more crinkling from the newspaper beside him. Glancing over, he saw Ji Feng’s hands clenched tightly around the paper, crumpling it up.
Xue Rui immediately understood Ji Feng couldn’t stand hearing intimate matters between men and women described so crudely.
The next second, he heard Xu Mi Yu coldly say to her brother-in-law: “Watch your mouth! And what makes you think you can order me around? Who do you think you are?”
Her brother-in-law’s face changed color at her retort, looking like he was about to slam the table and get up.
Xue Rui tensed his muscles, preparing to come to her aid if needed.
But just as he braced himself to help, he sensed an undeniable aura of tension beside him.
Glancing over, even Ji Feng seemed poised for action, his shirt sleeves bulging from his tensed arms.
Xue Rui marveled to himself. It really took someone exceptionally aggravating to provoke any extra emotion from Ji Feng. Xu Mi Yu’s relatives were certainly a piece of work.
Xu Mi Yu’s older sister quickly stopped her husband’s impending outburst.
She spoke gently to Xu Mi Yu, cajoling her: “Little Three, if you can’t help us out with Nie Yu Cheng, then we really can’t keep our jobs at the travel agency. I see you’re doing quite well for yourself, being promoted to supervisor so quickly. Why don’t you pull some strings and get us jobs at your hotel too!”
She leaned forward, expression turning mysterious and suggestive: “From what Mom said, it sounds like you and your boss had something going on before. Just whisper in his ear, it shouldn’t be too difficult!”
Xue Rui nearly threw down his newspaper upon hearing this.
Xu Mi Yu had clearly been harassed by her former boss, yet in her mother’s mouth it had become an illicit tryst she could take advantage of? How could a mother and older sister think this way! There really were such unscrupulous mothers and sisters in the world!
He glanced over at Ji Feng and saw his face looked about two meters long, the newspaper edges nearly shredded beneath his fingers.
Xue Rui thought, it seemed Ji Feng hated hearing such talk even more than he did.
Having listened to Xu Mei Zi’s words, Xu Mi Yu felt utterly disheartened. She turned and gazed out the floor-to-ceiling windows of the lobby.
Ji Feng and Xue Rui quickly lifted their newspapers to hide their faces upon her sudden turn.
Outside the hotel was lush greenery, flowers in bloom, and a continuously spraying fountain. Bathed in sunlight, it was a clean and vibrant scene. This was the kind of life Xu Mi Yu aspired to.
Looking outside, she sighed. Then she smiled, a beautiful yet powerless, mocking smile.
Sunlight slanted across her profile through the glass. Her long lashes fluttered faintly, her eyes clouded with a touch of world-weary sorrow. Her tall nose carved the interplay of light and shadow cast by the sun, while the upturned corners of her lips were like a lamp switch, lighting up her entire countenance with a smile.
Compared to her usual smiles, this one contained a unique poignant beauty, like something on the verge of shattering yet still standing strong. It drew the eye and captured one’s gaze.
Xue Rui ducked his head to grab his phone, wanting to capture Xu Mi Yu from this angle. It was a perfect composition heaven-sent for his photography portfolio.
But when he glanced up, he was surprised to see Ji Feng staring straight at Xu Mi Yu’s profile.
Xue Rui grew excited – it seemed for once their aesthetic taste aligned, both finding Xu Mi Yu’s smile beautifully captivating.
Xu Mi Yu’s random smile unsettled her older sister and brother-in-law.
“Little Three, what are you smiling about?” Xu Mei Zi asked her. “To be honest, your second sister and I both feel like you’ve changed and are not behaving properly. Did something happen to you? Refusing to care for our parents, siblings – you’re acting like you don’t recognize family! We can accept you not helping us out, but not even caring for Little Bao? You must be bewitched – he’s the precious only grandson of the Xu family! Hey, are you listening to me? What’s with that weird smile of yours?”
Xu Mi Yu turned back around, still smiling that way. “I’m laughing because now that I’ve broken free of my former self and can look at me and you – our so-called ‘family’ – from the outside, I’ve realized that person was completely right all along. My biological family really is just a pile of mud, and I’m struggling to find a sense of existence, recognition, and attention within it. I must have been terribly starved of love.”
Xue Rui glanced over at Ji Feng after hearing this. He seemed to be listening closely, the newspaper now completely lowered.
Xu Mi Yu paused, then solemnly continued, “Thank you, older sister, brother-in-law. This is probably the last time I’ll address you as such. Thank you for your selfishness, along with Madam Jiao’s. It’s helped me firmly resolve starting from today to love myself better. From now on, rely on yourselves for everything. If you both lose your jobs next week, go find your own work, don’t contact me again. I won’t answer your calls or help you with anything anymore. Don’t try to pressure me into compromising like the Madam Jiao – if you dare try, I dare to retaliate twice as hard. You’ll definitely be worse off than me. That’s all I have to say.”
In the past, she had hoped to give Xu Mei Zi and her husband a hand up, to help them break free from the brainwashing of their patriarchal family mindset too.
But now she saw it was pointless. They had already become as selfish as Jiao Xiu Mei.
Growing up, she had always felt her older sisters were better off than her since their parents doted on them more.
But looking back now, were her older sisters really better off? No, they only seemed better off because they unconditionally accepted the brainwashing.
Not like her – although she seemed weak, she had silently resisted, however feebly. She wanted equal treatment with her brother. She had to go to college. From young till now, it was because of this resistance that their parents disfavored her even more. Only now did she joyfully realize she wasn’t as hopeless as she thought – the desire to save herself had always lurked deep in her bones, only she hadn’t found the right methods and direction before.
As for her older sisters, they accepted everything and were becoming just like Jiao Xiu Mei – raised under patriarchal oppression and now propagating it themselves. Once victims, now fellow perpetrators.
Xu Mi Yu used to feel pitiful, but now she realized her sisters were the truly pitiable ones. Not only pitiable, but oblivious to it. They willingly played the role of supporting their brother, even viewing her, who had broken free of that brainwashing curse, as an unfilial anomaly.
They were gradually transforming into another incarnation of Jiao Xiu Mei.
Xu Mi Yu was glad she had escaped that kind of family. She had succeeded in saving herself. But her older sister seemed destined to remain delusional forever.
Then so be it. From now on, they would make a clean break and live their own lives separately.
Xu Mi Yu was about to get up and leave after making herself clear. But another thought occurred to her, so she stayed seated. Staring solemnly at Xu Mei Zi and her husband, she said: “Also, I struggled my way out of the muck of my family and climbed to where I am now entirely on my own efforts, not by using any illicit trysts as leverage. Watch what you say, and retain some decency.”
Having said her piece, she immediately stood up, ignoring the ugly expressions on Xu Mei Zi and her husband’s faces as they prepared to hurl absurd condemnations at her.
She turned away, intending to return to the lobby and resume work. But she was brought up short after turning around.
Because there in the corner, the raised newspapers had been lowered. Sitting there were none other than Ji Feng and Xue Rui.
Seeing Ji Feng, she thought back to Xu Mei Zi’s earlier insinuations about her ambiguous relations with a superior. An overwhelming discomfort swept through her. There was nothing between her and that scumbag Feng Kai Xin. But between her and Ji Feng, her current boss and owner…there had been that one unexpected night of passion. And her promotion to supervisor was also Ji Feng’s doing…Would he misunderstand Xu Mei Zi’s words as referring to him?? He had already been suspecting her of trying to seduce him lately, and this would only make her seem even more questionable…
Utterly mortified, she quickly lowered her gaze, clutching her skirt as she scurried past them.
Xu Mi Yu’s resolute rebuttal had stunned Xu Mei Zi and her husband. Her fierce, decisive aura made them realize she was no longer the pushover she once was. They could no longer trifle with her so easily now.
Glowering resentfully at her retreating back, they spat a few curses like “she must be crazy, an unfilial wretch who doesn’t recognize family!” before dejectedly taking their leave as well.
Only Ji Feng and Xue Rui were left in the café.
Xue Rui watched Ji Feng also turn to gaze out the lobby’s floor-to-ceiling windows in the direction Xu Mi Yu had looked earlier. The corners of his mouth seemed to lift in a faint smile.
He appeared somewhat lost in his own world.
Xue Rui gauged the atmosphere, debating whether or not to break Ji Feng’s reverie.
In the end, he couldn’t resist calling softly: “Boss?”
“Hm?” Ji Feng spared him a sidelong glance, lazily responding as he continued looking outside.
“Your phone’s been buzzing for a while now, it’s your mother calling…” Xue Rui said.
Ji Feng turned back around and glanced down to see his phone insistently vibrating atop the table.
He was mildly surprised he hadn’t noticed the vigorous, sustained vibration today.
Picking up, he patiently listened to his mother talk on the other end.
Hanging up after she finished, he was immediately met with Xue Rui’s wide, probing eyes.
“Boss, what were you thinking about while looking outside just now? You seemed to be smiling!”
Ji Feng glanced coolly at him and flatly said, “Keep prying like that and I’ll send you to that chaotic travel agency they mentioned.”
Xue Rui promptly shut his mouth.
Ji Feng got up and told Xue Rui, “Come upstairs. Get ready, I need to head out later.”
In the elevator, Ji Feng watched the floor numbers steadily climb as he pondered Xue Rui’s question.
What had he been thinking about while gazing outside earlier?
Nothing much really. Perhaps just feeling a slight gratification at the changes in an unrelated woman’s life.
After going upstairs, Ji Feng informed Xue Rui to ready the car because he needed to go to the airport in two hours.
Just now downstairs he had received a call from his mother, Xue Yuan Lan. She told him she would be landing at Xing City Airport in two hours and to pick her up to bring her home.
Ji Feng didn’t ask when she had left or where she went. He was just glad she was getting out for a change of scenery.
He hoped his mother would take more impromptu trips like this in the future.
After handling some business, the time came and he headed downstairs with Xue Rui.
When the car arrived at the airport on schedule, Ji Feng called his mother Xue Yuan Lan to ask which arrival passage she would be coming out of.
Only then did Xue Yuan Lan confess the full truth: “Actually, I didn’t ask you to come to the airport to pick me up, I’m still at home. I wanted you to pick up the daughter of your father’s old friend. She just returned from overseas, and her family background is excellent – a perfect match for us. She’s a wonderful, outstanding girl with the pretty name Jiang Zhe Chun. Just 24 this year, young and beautiful of course, but also smart and capable. She’s been studying music abroad and already held worldwide tours despite her youth. She’s taking a break from touring to spend some time at home now. She really is a perfect young lady, right in line with your criteria for a partner!”
Ji Feng listened with a frown to his mother’s enthusiastic sales pitch. Being tricked into this quasi-matchmaking date put him in a bad mood.
The call was still connected when he instructed Xue Rui up front, “Turn around, we’re going back to the hotel.”
An anxious voice came through the phone: “Wait! Don’t leave yet! Son, you’re already at the airport, just do me a favor and give her a ride back. She was told you’d be picking her up, and her family didn’t arrange their own car, so if you just left, she’d be stranded there waiting all alone – that would be too pitiful. If you don’t like her, just treat this trip as simply driving her home, I promise I won’t force you two together after this!”
Afraid he would really turn the car around, Xue Yuan Lan spoke rapidly.
Ji Feng heaved a silent sigh and told his mother, “Just this once. Send me her contact details.”
He hung up and informed Xue Rui to hold off on returning to the hotel for now. His mother then sent over the girl’s number.
He directly passed his phone to Xue Rui up front. “You contact her and let her know where our car is parked, tell her to come find us.”
Accepting the phone, Xue Rui secretly tsked to himself.
What an unromantic brute, making the poor girl lug her suitcase over herself.
After dialing the number, a pleasant female voice answered after a few rings.
Xue Rui introduced himself first, then asked: “Do you have a lot of luggage, miss?”
The girl’s voice was sweet as she replied, “Not much, just one suitcase. I don’t bring a lot when traveling.”
Xue Rui told her: “Then Miss Jiang, I won’t come fetch you. Just come out and find us directly, I’ll send you the location and license plate shortly.”
The other end seemed to pause before responding: “Alright then.”
After hanging up and sending the meetup details, Xue Rui felt a bit bad. He couldn’t help asking Ji Feng: “Boss, aren’t we being a little less than gentlemanly like this?”
Ji Feng glanced at him and calmly said: “Clearly this is meant to set me up with her. If I’m too considerate and gentlemanly, won’t it give her the wrong idea and make things more complicated? Better to be cooler from the start, so she doesn’t get any funny thoughts.”
Xue Rui considered his words and realized he had a point. Many of Ji Feng’s seemingly unsentimental actions were actually judicious rather than indiscriminately affectionate, which was much wiser.
As they were speaking, a girl dragging a suitcase came striding over, skirt fluttering, toward them.
Xue Rui pointed her out to Ji Feng: “Boss, look!”
Ji Feng turned to look outside the car.
He was suddenly struck by a sense of surprise.
His mother wasn’t wrong about one thing – in both temperament and appearance, this girl truly seemed tailored to match his criteria for a partner.
Young, pretty, pure, elegant. The girl was clad in a pale yellow dress. Step by fluttering step she approached, complementing the blue sky and white clouds behind her, looking like a living painting.
Letting her haul her own luggage to find them, and here she was hauling her own luggage over. She seemed quite independent, not too delicate or frail.
Earlier his mother said she studied music and had already held tours abroad despite her youth. She also said the girl was taking a break from touring to spend some time at home now.
So it appeared she really was a very capable and outstanding young woman.
Considering it all, she did seem like the perfect future partner specially prepared for him by fate.
She was also the complete opposite of a certain someone in every way.
This thought jolted Ji Feng with a start.
Why had he thought of that woman at a time like this?
Quickly suppressing these inexplicable thoughts, he got out of the car as Jiang Zhi Chun drew near and came to a stop before him.
“Hello, I’m Ji Feng,” he said coolly.
Jiang Zhe Chun looked up at him, eyes instantly widening. Then a blush suffused her cheeks as she composed herself to return his greeting. “Hello, I’m Jiang Zhi Chun!”
Ji Feng had her get in the car. They sat together in the backseat.
All the way, Ji Feng keenly sensed Jiang Zhe Chun sneaking glances at him.
Abruptly he turned and caught her ogling, asking what she was looking at.
Jiang Zie Chun’s face grew even redder. She looked at Ji Feng shyly and said, “I’m just thinking you’re far too handsome. Although my mother already told me you were good-looking, I didn’t expect you to be this handsome in person…”
Ji Feng’s brows ticked up at her words.
He was aware of his own good looks, so should he acknowledge her or compliment her perception in return? He was momentarily unsure how to respond.
Just then, he heard Jiang Zhi Chun suddenly ask him: “Do you believe in love at first sight?”
She blinked at him like a little doe, awaiting his answer expectantly.
Seeing how crimson Jiang Zhi Chun’s face was, Ji Feng shook his head and told her: “Love at first sight? That’s too childish, something between little kids.”
Jiang Zhi Chun let out a soft “oh”, lowering her head.
The blush still adorned her cheeks as she said quietly: “Then I’m still a child now.”
After speaking, she smiled secretly to herself.
Ji Feng observed her by his side.
This girl was quite special, embodying both bashfulness and initiative. Either she was extremely innocent, or extremely cunning.
He hoped it was the former – that would make her truly suitable as his future partner. An open, forward personality suited his preferences.
He detested reticent, self-conscious women, like a certain someone used to be.
Sensing his thoughts about to stray toward that woman again, he swiftly suppressed the urge. He told himself there was no need to keep comparing someone to a potential match, as that implied denigrating the former.
Ji Feng asked for Jiang Zhi Chun’s address and had Xue Rui set up navigation to directly take her home.
It was an exclusive villa district in the city center – his mother was right about their families being well-matched. Aside from individual compatibility, their backgrounds were perfectly aligned too.
When the car stopped outside the gates, Jiang Zhi Chun didn’t hurry to go inside.
Instead, she bent down and tapped on the window.
Ji Feng rolled it down and looked at her questioningly.
Jiang Zhe Chun’s cheeks started reddening again. She gazed brightly at Ji Feng and asked: “Can I come find you tomorrow?”
Ji Feng considered it. Since she seemed a fitting match, he was willing to explore the possibility further.
So he replied: “If nothing urgent comes up, I should be at the Sui Hotel penthouse tomorrow.”
Jiang Zhi Chun said shyly: “Okay, I’ll let you be tomorrow then. No need to send anyone to fetch me, I’ll have our driver bring me over.” She paused, then blinked and asked, “What time tomorrow can I come by?”
Ji Feng’s brow quirked. “Anytime is fine,” he answered.
Jiang Zhi Chun immediately beamed at him, smile as brilliant as the sun against her pale yellow dress: “See you tomorrow then!” After the farewell, she skipped off cheerily dragging her suitcase inside.
Yet as Ji Feng watched her retreating back, he critically thought her radiant smile lacked a certain captivating quality.
Like…
He forcibly halted that thought and turned to tell Xue Rui up front, “Let’s go, back to the hotel.”
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