Zhou Yunlian had been abroad all year, and he hadn’t seen Jiang Jingyuan for a long time. When their families arranged the marriage alliance back then, it was settled with just one phone call.
That day, Jiang Jingyuan said on the phone that he wanted to introduce a marriage candidate to his son.
He half-joked, “If the in-laws are you, I’ll consider it.”
Jiang Jingyuan replied, “The one I want to introduce is actually my daughter.”
He laughed for a long while and asked if Jiang Jingyuan had been drinking too much.
Jiang Jingyuan said from the other end, “Not drunk. It’s my daughter with Zhong Zhuohua.”
The shock he felt at that moment remains vivid to this day.
He was silent for a full half-minute.
Besides the shock, he worried, “You know how Shiyi is. He won’t even look at anyone I introduce.”
Jiang Jingyuan said, “No problem on Shiyi’s side. I’ll go find him.”
He warned Jiang Jingyuan, “If Shiyi agrees to marry your daughter, get them to marry quickly. Otherwise, he might change his mind in a few days. Last year, the one Old Yeye introduced—he was satisfied at first, but for some unknown reason, it ended without a conclusion.”
Jiang Jingyuan said, “I’m introducing her. He won’t back out. But the wedding does need to be soon; May 19th is a good date.”
Thus, the wedding date was set for two young people who had yet to meet.
Zhou Yunlian only recently found out that the girlfriend his son had dated years ago was Zhong Yì.
At the roadside, the Bentley pulled up, and Jiang Jingyuan stepped out first, followed by mother and daughter.
It was the first time he had met Zhong Zhuohua in person.
Jiang Jingyuan approached and sized up his in-law: “You look younger than last time you came back.”
Zhou Yunlian laughed heartily. “Compared to you, I’m still a bit behind.”
They patted each other on the shoulder.
Old friends meeting didn’t need small talk.
Zhong Yì greeted her future parents-in-law. Since their parents were acquainted, she felt no nervousness of meeting them for the first time.
Zhou Yunlian said to his friend, “Xiao Yì looks nothing like you two. She looks more like your sister.”
Jiang Jingyuan retorted, “My daughter does look a bit like me.”
The two mothers ignored their banter and linked arms, walking ahead into the courtyard.
Zhong Yì and Zhou Shiyi followed closely behind their mothers.
The two fathers trailed awkwardly at the back.
Finally meeting, Zhou Yunlian scolded his friend, “I told you years ago, it would’ve been great if you had a daughter so we could be in-laws.”
“And back then, you didn’t say a word! You hid the fact you had a daughter from me! You told Old Yu but not me! You don’t like my family, huh? Otherwise, the two kids would’ve been married ages ago!”
Jiang Jingyuan gave him some face, “I was afraid of overreaching.”
“Come on!”
Zhou Yunlian said, “I know you look down on me.”
Jiang Jingyuan: “If you know I look down on you, why do you still ask?”
Zhou Yunlian was left speechless but laughed quietly.
He considered himself to have a decent reputation, “You know, I raised my son. At least I’m a good father. How bad could my reputation be?”
Jiang Jingyuan said bluntly, “It’s precisely because you raised him that I don’t trust him.”
The conversation was impossible to continue.
Jiang Jingyuan went on, “Whether you’re a good father or not, Shiyi should say. I see your father-son relationship is just so-so, unlike me and Zhong Yì.”
Speaking of father-son relationships, Zhou Yunlian sighed, “Precisely because I raised him alone and was strict, he doesn’t listen. Enough of that—when are we going to play ball?”
Since his wife’s break, Jiang Jingyuan hadn’t been to the golf course. He tilted his head to glance at his friend, “You, Mr. Busy, have time to play golf?”
Zhou Yunlian: “I’m home before the kids’ wedding.”
As for whether Shiyi would stay in Beicheng after the wedding, he hadn’t decided yet.
If he didn’t take over the group, Shifanyin would surely clash with him until the end.
His father-son relationship with Shiyi would become strained.
But even if he took over, life wouldn’t be easy.
The younger generation at home would surely drive him half mad.
***
That morning, he had chatted with his older brother for two to three hours. His brother said both Zhou Sujin and Zhou Shiyi were too domineering for most people to handle.
So taking over or not was like riding a tiger—either way, a difficult situation.
As they spoke, they entered a private room.
Zhou Yunlian pointed to two empty seats on the right, “Let’s sit there.”
Jiang Jingyuan: “I’ll sit beside my daughter.”
“Fine, then you go.” Zhou Yunlian resigned to sitting beside his wife.
Shifanyin leaned close and whispered, “Drink less tonight, we’ll settle accounts later. You should thank me for keeping the North American schedule, so you don’t have jet lag.”
Zhou Yunlian looked at his wife, “Then I really should thank you.”
Shifanyin smiled: “No need.”
With that, she straightened up.
That morning, their son’s words on the phone—“What about you? Haven’t you had anyone to care about all these years?”—set off alarm bells in her heart.
At that moment, the head waiter came in to ask about the dishes.
Shifanyin said, “Let the young people order, we’ll follow along.”
Over the years, she’d gotten used to catering to the children’s tastes.
Zhong Yì flipped through the menu and ordered several signature dishes, then handed it to the man beside her.
Zhou Shiyi didn’t take it, signaling her to order.
Zhong Yì said, “Your tastes have changed. What if you don’t like what I order?”
Shiyi knew that when she had specially asked him about how he came to like Yutou Su at the Jiangcheng tea restaurant, it meant she cared.
Sure enough.
He said, “No change. Same as before.”
Zhong Yì wasn’t one to nitpick, just giving an example: “You didn’t eat Yutou Su before.”
Shiyi met her gaze: “Now I don’t eat it either.”
It was just a few dishes; no need to make her unhappy.
A flicker of surprise passed through Zhong Yì’s eyes.
Then she recalled his unfinished salty Golden Thread Taro Pastry at the Jiangcheng tea restaurant.
Shiyi gestured again with his chin, “You order whatever you want; I’ll eat it.”
Since he was already so accommodating, Zhong Yì no longer refused and lowered her head to look at the menu.
Shiyi tilted his head slightly, his eyes scanning her long skirt before settling on her hair.
After two months together, he was finally getting used to her short hair.
That day, when he held her in his arms, he instinctively wanted to stroke her long hair—but found nothing but air.
Their parents chatted casually, paying no special attention to them.
After ordering, Zhong Yì leaned close to him and asked in a breathy voice, “Are your parents arguing?”
Since entering the private room, she had sensed an awkward atmosphere between her in-laws.
Zhou Shiyi said, “My mom is settling accounts with my dad.”
Zhong Yì nodded. Though curious, she didn’t ask what the accounts were about.
They sat too close, their breaths mingling. She said no more and slowly straightened up.
Only then did she hear what the two mothers were talking about.
“I looked at Xiao Yì’s wedding dress. So ethereal and beautiful. I didn’t pick a good dress when I got married.”
Shifanyin still felt some regret thinking about her own wedding.
Zhou Yunlian glanced at his wife. She hadn’t failed to pick well—she simply didn’t want to choose and had settled on something just to get by.
When she heard about the marriage alliance with him, she had been upset for several days.
Zhong Zhuohua, shelling nuts, said, “The first time I saw their wedding photos, I thought the style was special. A few days ago, Shiyi had the dress sent over, and the real thing was even more stunning.”
“Their wedding is so rushed,” Shifanyin lamented. “I had my eye on a wedding dress that would’ve been perfect for Xiao Yì, but there wasn’t enough time to customize it.”
That gown was entirely handmade, with complex procedures. Even working overtime, it would take at least five to six months to complete.
She could only comfort herself this way: there are plenty of beautiful wedding dresses. It’s impossible to wear every one.
She turned to Zhong Zhuohua, “When you hold your wedding ceremony, be sure to leave enough time so there are no regrets.”
Zhong Zhuohua waved her hand quickly, smiling, “At our age, why bother with a wedding? People might think we’re in a twilight romance.”
Jiang Jingyuan said, “What do you mean ‘old’?”
Shifanyin pointed at the man beside her, “He and I are the real twilight couple. Not even counting romance.”
Zhou Yunlian: “He’s not that old yet.”
Jiang Jingyuan took the opportunity to say to his wife, “After we finish the two kids’ weddings, let’s hold one too. Let our daughter help pick the place.”
***
This time, it wouldn’t be just asking for her opinion.
Zhong Zhuohua didn’t respond.
Whether to spare him face in front of his in-laws or because she secretly wanted a wedding, no one knew.
She changed the subject and looked at the daughter and son-in-law, “I heard the wedding process is complicated. You’d better rehearse in advance.”
Zhou Shiyi nodded, “Okay.”
It wasn’t complicated to him. The butler had already gone over every detail with him several times.
Shifanyin set down her glass and thought some words would be more effective said now than alone with her son.
She spoke earnestly, “You and Zhong Yì both had a hard time. Being apart for three years and then getting back together means you’ll need time to adjust.”
“Matters of the heart, we outsiders can’t fully empathize. But Mom hopes that even if all the knots aren’t untied yet, on your wedding day, you’ll put them aside. Don’t let the wedding have any regrets.”
“Your father, your father-in-law, and I—we’re all examples. We can’t go back to being young.”
“Besides, you two aren’t like your father and me, who married purely for interest.”
She turned to Zhong Yì with a smile, “Mom can already imagine how beautiful you’ll be in your wedding dress. Do it your way and don’t let anyone spoil your mood.”
Half-joking, “Settling accounts isn’t urgent. You can do it anytime—even thirty years from now.”
Zhong Yì smiled, “Thank you, Mom.”
Turns out her mother-in-law was settling accounts with her father-in-law from thirty years ago.
After that, they no longer talked about the wedding and instead chatted about a recently released movie.
The whole meal was lively and joyful.
After dinner, the mothers bought tickets to the movie, and the fathers arranged to go to the club to play cards.
Zhou Shiyi opened the car door and asked her, “Where do you want to go?”
Without thinking, Zhong Yì said, “Take me home.”
On the way back, there were many large building advertisements along the road.
Kuncheng Motors’ latest commercial had been launched on all channels since last week.
Zhong Yì stared at the sleek, expansive shots in the commercial, focusing on the new car’s performance displayed in the ad.
Zhou Shiyi also glanced at the screen, first noticing the person driving in the commercial.
The day the marriage was agreed upon, his mother had asked him: if Zhong Yì’s first love was just an ordinary person, not a top celebrity, could they have stayed together?
An exclamation mark.
The study.
Because of that ordinary ex, perhaps they would never have met each other in a lifetime. Nobody could know whose existence would have been missed.
But celebrities were different. Even if you didn’t follow them, related news would catch you off guard.
Seeing the car ad featuring Lù Chéng, Zhou Shiyi remembered his mother wanted to attend the concert.
He messaged Du: [Save me two box seats for the Lù Chéng concert in Beicheng.]
Du was increasingly puzzled. The boss attended every concert but refused to face anyone in person!
He even asked his daughter at university, thinking young people might understand such psychology.
His daughter said, “If you like someone, you don’t disturb them. Just watch from afar.”
He:
His daughter then asked, “Is your secretary also a Lù Chéng fan?”
He said, “Not the secretary. She’s an executive on our board. Facing each other isn’t the same as running into someone in public. It’s not disturbing.”
This time, his daughter was silent.
Clearly, even star-chasing youngsters couldn’t understand their boss’s behavior.
Fortunately, he had become immune to his boss’s baffling actions.
Du replied to Zhou Shiyi: [Okay.]
The boss seemed in a good mood lately. That night, he sent three emails in a row. Unexpectedly, the boss’s replies were calm and, for once, without exclamation marks.
On the phone, Zhou Shiyi switched to Zhan Liang’s chat window: [Have the posts about Zhong Yì stirred up any trouble online?]
Zhan Liang: [Public opinion monitoring shows discussion is currently low, no keyword trending.]
Zhou Shiyi instructed: [All negative discussions related to Zhong Yì, preemptively manage them on all platforms.]
Zhan Liang: [Understood.]
Along with Jiang Dong’s PR plan, they should be able to keep the heat to a minimum.
Zhou Shiyi put away his phone and glanced at Zhong Yì, who was editing a document. Thinking she was working, he didn’t ask further.
Until the Maybach stopped in the villa courtyard. Zhong Yì saved her document and tilted her head, saying, “I asked the butler to pack some things. You can take them in first.”
Zhou Shiyi nodded, “Okay.” Then added, “You don’t have a separate study; you’ll share one with me.”
Exactly what she wanted.
She had worried that with both of them busy during the day and working late at night, they’d have no chance to communicate.
Sharing a study removed that concern.
The butler followed her instructions, organizing the items she had brought from abroad, packing the walk-in closet’s contents too, into two suitcases—a large one and a medium one—placed side by side by the sofa.
Zhong Yì politely asked, “Tea?”
Zhou Shiyi: “No thanks.”
He gestured at the two suitcases, “Go unpack.”
The large suitcase felt light, while the medium one was heavy to lift.
Back home, Zhou Shiyi told Jiang Bo to put Zhong Yì’s two suitcases in the study.
As for what was inside, he had no idea.
Jiang Bo knew Zhong Yì’s tastes well. In their Boston home, all the ornaments Zhou Shiyi had bought for her were arranged by Jiang Bo.
Zhong Yì always approved of his taste.
Zhou Shiyi had just sat at the desk, about to turn on his computer, when he heard Jiang Bo say, “Huh?”
He looked over. Jiang Bo had opened the medium suitcase.
“Aren’t these the ornaments from your Boston study? They’re all still here.”
Jiang Bo’s face lit up with relief.
Zhou Shiyi stared at the suitcase for a long while. Seeing all the gifts he had given her, the smashing of wedding photos and deleting of all videos suddenly felt less significant.
Even if the hundreds of other wedding photos could never be restored, it didn’t matter as much.
Jiang Bo looked around the study—the entire wall of bookshelves and the low cabinet by the floor-to-ceiling lattice window were luckily designed following the Boston study layout, so every ornament had its place.
Even the Fengche Oil Painting hung in the same position.
He knew exactly where each item belonged.
Zhou Shiyi didn’t turn on his computer but came over to help arrange things.
Whenever he traveled for work, he either brought her chocolates or picked local specialty gifts.
Her suitcase contained treasures from all over the world.
After arranging everything in the medium suitcase, Jiang Bo carefully placed the large suitcase flat on the floor.
He had guessed from its weight that it might be calligraphy or paintings. Otherwise, it wouldn’t need such a big suitcase.
Opening it, Jiang Bo was stunned. “I wondered why it wasn’t heavy.”
Inside were clothes.
Two sets of men’s custom suits, with dust covers made of exquisite fabric, exuding luxury and elegance.
Zhou Shiyi opened the dust covers—one gray, one black.
At the bottom of the suitcase, Jiang Bo found two ties.
“These suits were probably made for your wedding. But by the time they arrived, you two had already broken up.”
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