The next morning.
Qi Mu slept until he woke naturally, then drove to the villa.
The courtyard gate was open. When Fu Yun saw him return, she called out happily, “Xiao Mu.”
Qi Mu walked in. “Mom, Dad.”
The housekeeper was preparing the Lunar New Year’s Eve dinner in the kitchen, but his parents were not sitting idle either. Fu Yun insisted on making dumplings herself, with Qi Xiang Ming helping beside her. His dumplings came out in all sorts of strange shapes, earning him a scolding every so often.
Qi Xiang Ming could only grin ingratiatingly and take it.
Qi Mu washed his hands and walked over with a smile. “I’ll help too.”
A little flour clung to his fingertips as a thin dumpling wrapper lay across his palm. He folded the soft wrapper around the filling and quickly produced a beautiful dumpling.
The moment Fu Yun saw it, she rewarded Qi Xiang Ming with an eye-roll. “Look at that. You can’t even catch up to your son’s heels!”
Qi Xiang Ming laughed awkwardly. “That’s all thanks to you for giving birth to such a capable son.”
Fu Yun snorted. “Sweet talker.”
A helpless smile appeared in Qi Mu’s eyes.
With all three members of the family working together, the dumplings were soon finished.
But once the whole pile was placed together, it was obvious at a glance who had made which ones. Fu Yun liked to tuck the wrapper toward the left, while Qi Mu habitually folded toward the right. Both of theirs looked quite good. The oddly shaped ones left over were all Qi Xiang Ming’s.
The dumplings went into the pot to cook.
The Lunar New Year’s Eve dinner was brought to the table as well.
Since it was Lunar New Year’s Eve, Fu Yun had given the housekeeper the rest of the day off, so she left as soon as she finished cooking.
There were only three of them and not many dishes or bowls to wash. They could handle the cleanup themselves afterward.
The table was covered with an abundant spread. In front of each person sat a bowl filled with the dumplings they had just made. Since they had all been cooked in the same pot, they were mixed together, with an occasional ugly dumpling lurking among the pretty ones.
Although Fu Yun had criticized them in every possible way earlier, she ate every ugly dumpling that ended up in her bowl without the slightest trace of disdain.
The Lunar New Year’s Eve dinner was warm and cheerful.
The three of them chatted as they ate.
Qi Mu asked his parents where they had traveled and what interesting things they had seen, while his parents asked about his work.
Qi Xiang Ming said, “The company gained quite a lot this year. I knew my son was the best. Letting you take over was the smartest decision I ever made.”
Fu Yun said, “That goes without saying.”
Qi Mu smiled. “A lot of things are only just getting started.”
Qi Xiang Ming said, “Look how modest our son is! Other people brag if their kids simply manage not to cause trouble outside, while my son is this outstanding and still so modest and level-headed!”
Fu Yun agreed, then said to Qi Mu, “You don’t have to be modest all the time. It’s fine to be a little proud once in a while.”
The couple praised Qi Mu enthusiastically for a while, then abruptly changed the subject and turned to his personal life.
Qi Xiang Ming asked, “How are things going with Old Yang’s daughter?”
He meant Yang Ke, the woman Qi Mu had gone on a blind date with before.
Qi Mu had almost forgotten about that entirely.
He coughed lightly. “Work’s been busy. I haven’t had time to keep in touch.”
In other words, nothing had come of it.
The couple let out a long sigh together.
Fu Yun looked at him worriedly. “There’s always more money to be made. Work is work, but you can’t completely neglect yourself, can you? With you living like this and no one by your side to look after you, how am I supposed to feel at ease?”
Here came the familiar lecture again, the standard holiday routine. Usually Qi Mu would definitely have argued back, but this time he fell silent instead.
He even felt a little guilty.
He couldn’t exactly say that there was already someone by his side, someone who took pretty good care of him, could he?
The only slight problem was… that person was a man, and a Long Aotian at that. He was afraid saying it aloud might give his parents a fright.
Qi Mu looked away. “I’m perfectly fine on my own.”
Qi Xiang Ming disagreed. “You’re still young now. When you’re old, you’ll understand that it’s better to have someone beside you.”
Qi Mu said, “Then I’ll worry about it when I need someone.”
Afraid his parents would cling to the subject, he immediately seized an opportunity to change topics.
After dinner, Fu Yun stood up to clear the table.
Qi Xiang Ming immediately put a hand on his wife’s shoulder, solicitously escorted her to the sofa, and smiled. “Our son and I will clean up. Don’t busy yourself. Sit here and rest.”
Fu Yun gave him a look. “How considerate of you today.”
Qi Xiang Ming protested, “When am I ever not considerate?”
With that, he turned around and cleared the dining table together with Qi Mu.
The two carried the dishes into the kitchen.
The villa’s open-plan kitchen had a large island, more than enough room for two grown men to stand there washing dishes.
It was some distance from the living room, and with the running water as cover, nothing they said could be heard from there.
Qi Xiang Ming nudged his son with an elbow and said quietly, “Don’t blame us for nagging. We’re away most of the year, and your mother really can’t stop worrying about you.”
Qi Mu lowered his eyes. “I won’t.”
Qi Xiang Ming snorted. “As if I don’t know you? You only look obedient. You’re stubborn to the bone. Otherwise, after all these years, how have you never dated anyone?”
Qi Mu: “…”
Qi Xiang Ming paused, then sighed helplessly. “Forget it, I won’t rush you. No point making things unpleasant over the Lunar New Year. You can’t force matters of the heart, and you can’t just grab some random person, right?
“I’m only telling you this: if you really meet someone suitable one day, don’t be so quick to reject them. Spend some time together and give it a try.
“How will you know whether they’re right for you if you never try? Giving someone else a chance is also giving yourself a chance.”
Qi Mu listened in silence.
The sound of running water and his father’s rambling filled his ears.
Qi Xiang Ming wandered farther and farther off topic until his expression turned reminiscent. “Your mother and I fell in love at first sight and got together right away, but I’ve always felt guilty. Back then I was so busy starting the company that I neglected the family. She practically raised you by herself and went through a lot.
“What happened in the past can’t be changed. All I want now is to make it up to her as much as I can, and spend the time we have going with her to the places she wants to see.
“So if you really meet someone you like in the future, don’t always put all your attention on work. You can’t neglect your family either. Don’t wait until you’re old to regret it.”
Qi Mu gave a quiet “Mm.”
He remembered that when he was little, it was often only his mother at home. His father rarely came back, and sometimes he was so busy that Qi Mu would not see him for several days.
In truth, both his father and mother had worked very hard.
That was why, when his father eventually handed the company to him and went traveling around the world with his mother, Qi Mu had willingly taken on the burden of the company so his parents could have lives of their own too.
After all, he was alone.
Other than working, he did not really have anything else to do.
He had never before imagined being with another person.
But this time, someone’s figure flashed through his mind.
That person had spoken to him in the darkness of night.
He had told Qi Mu he would be back very soon.
Could Jiang Shao really be the person who would spend the rest of his life with him?
At the thought, Qi Mu went absentminded for a moment, then laughed at himself.
He rinsed the bowl in his hands clean and placed it in the drying rack. He really must be thinking too much to have come up with such an absurd idea.
＊
Hundreds of kilometers away, in the capital.
Inside an old-fashioned courtyard residence.
The Jiang family was preparing for their Lunar New Year’s Eve dinner.
Unlike the simple warmth of the Qi family, the courtyard residence was brilliantly lit and bustling. Every close relative of the main Jiang family who could come had come.
But even on Lunar New Year’s Eve, there was no shortage of scheming and intrigue.
Quite a few people stood chatting in the courtyard.
Li Xin was there too.
A boy who looked like he was still in high school saw him and mocked, “This is the Jiang family’s Lunar New Year’s Eve dinner. What are you doing here? Why don’t you change your surname while you’re at it?”
Li Xin was thick-skinned. He was several years older than the boy and smiled magnanimously. “We’re all family. Why draw such strict lines between us?”
The boy sneered. That face of his is disgusting.
Who doesn’t know Li Xin is just trying to latch onto the Jiang family?
He had always loved hanging around here before. Now that such a massive scandal had hit the Li family and no one knew whether they could survive it, the boy looked down on Li Xin even more.
Seeing this, the other elders hypocritically scolded the boy a couple of times and told Li Xin not to take it to heart.
Li Xin hated these people bitterly. What’s so impressive about any of you? But he did not dare let it show on his face.
He had lost Hanxing Automotive through the valuation-adjustment agreement, infuriating both his aunt and his father, and had been forced to return to the Li Group to take an idle post. He had not expected the Li family to be thrown into crisis almost immediately afterward. Now all he could do was hope his uncle by marriage would step in.
When Li Xin saw Jiang Qin come out, he immediately went over ingratiatingly and greeted him warmly. “Cousin.”
Jiang Qin was polite to everyone. Although young, he carried himself with excellent composure and manners, very much like the well-bred son of an eminent family.
In truth, he did not think much of Li Xin either. But Li Xin was his maternal uncle’s son, had been close to him since childhood, and most importantly… was obedient enough to do what Jiang Qin told him.
Jiang Qin smiled at Li Xin. “Cousin, don’t stand outside. Come sit inside.”
Those words immediately made Li Xin feel vindicated. He shot the boy a cold look and followed Jiang Qin into the house.
It was a traditional residence arranged around three successive courtyards.
The front courtyards were crowded and lively, but the study at the rear was quiet.
Jiang Zong Chao had not gone out either. Li Yueting straightened his collar and said gently, “Don’t worry. I heard Xiao Qin say Jiang Shao will come back for Lunar New Year.”
Jiang Zong Chao snorted. “He can come back or not as he pleases.”
Li Yueting’s gaze shifted slightly. She did not continue talking about Jiang Shao and instead said as though casually, “I heard the investigation team will enter the Li Group before Lunar New Year. I remember the head of the ministry’s investigation team is an old classmate of yours. Could you say a word to him…?”
Jiang Zong Chao’s expression chilled, and he frowned unhappily. “You want me to interfere at a time like this? Do you know how many people are watching?”
Li Yueting said, “You don’t have to interfere. You only need to say a word.”
Jiang Zong Chao grew angry, which was rare for him. “If that useless brother of yours had handled things even slightly competently and not given people something to use against him, how would things ever have reached this point?”
Li Yueting said self-reproachfully, “I already scolded him, but what’s happened has happened. We still have to think of a way to salvage things. If we ignore it, we may be dragged down too…”
Jiang Zong Chao frowned impatiently. “We’ll talk about it after Lunar New Year.”
With that, he pushed open the door and walked out.
Li Yueting watched Jiang Zong Chao’s retreating figure, her expression turning ugly.
It’s all because of that little bastard Jiang Shao!
The dog that bites really doesn’t bark.
I underestimated him before.
Li Yueting concealed the hatred in her eyes, composed her expression, put on her gentle and gracious facade again, and walked out.
The buildings inside the courtyard residence still retained their plain, old-fashioned appearance.
The large round rosewood table in the dining room could seat more than twenty people. Everyone allowed to join the Lunar New Year’s Eve dinner here was a relatively close relative from the main family line.
Jiang Zong Chao was currently the head of the Jiang family and held the highest status and prestige. Everyone waited until he had taken his seat before gradually sitting down themselves, all of them treating him with great respect.
Jiang Zong Chao and Li Yueting sat in the seats of honor, with Jiang Qin beside Jiang Zong Chao.
Thanks to Jiang Qin, Li Xin had a place at the table too, seated near the lower end.
He did not need to care what anyone else thought. Jiang Qin’s approval was enough.
It was nearly time to begin.
But Jiang Shao was still nowhere to be seen, and Jiang Zong Chao’s expression darkened slightly.
Li Yueting understood Jiang Zong Chao better than anyone. She knew that as the head of the family, he placed great importance on having the entire family reunited for Lunar New Year, so she thoughtfully asked in a low voice, “Should we wait a little longer?”
It would have been better if she had said nothing. The moment she spoke, Jiang Zong Chao grew even more dissatisfied. Was this entire table of people supposed to wait for that unfilial son?
How improper would that be?
Jiang Zong Chao said heavily, “We’re not waiting.”
Everyone lowered their eyes and minded their own business, pretending they had seen nothing.
Once Jiang Zong Chao picked up his chopsticks, everyone began eating with smiles and raised their cups to toast him one after another.
They drank alcohol, while Jiang Zong Chao drank tea.
The atmosphere at the table grew lively. Steam from the hot pot, the fragrance of food, and the aroma of wine filled the room.
They looked exactly like a harmonious extended family.
Jiang Qin stood and raised his cup to Jiang Zong Chao. “Father, may every year bring days as happy as this one, and moments as joyful as today. I wish you good health and that everything goes your way.”
Jiang Zong Chao looked at his sensible younger son, his expression warm and gentle.
He lifted his teacup.
Suddenly, the front doors were shoved open from outside.
A howling gust of cold wind swept in.
It seemed to freeze the warmth and cheerful chatter inside along with it.
Everyone instinctively turned to look.
Jiang Shao stood in the doorway, travel-worn from his journey.
His mocking gaze swept across everyone in the room. He raised a brow and drawled lazily, “Why did you start without waiting for me?”