Zhong Yi hugged her father’s arm, swinging it habitually: “How was the trip with Zhong Jie this time?”
“Not bad.”
When his wife was happy, she stuck to him somewhat. But when chatting with Shi Fanyin, she almost forgot he was there.
He told his wife not to be glued to her phone, to talk with him more. She said: “You call that little rascal to see if she’s eating properly.”
You can’t ask your daughter all day if she’s eaten.
At that moment, Ning Que came out of the building, wearing a freshly ironed shirt.
It was his first time dining with such legendary figures; he was a little nervous.
Years ago, when China’s semiconductor industry wasn’t favored, Jiang Jingyuan had already started investing.
Over more than a decade, his investments soared, becoming leaders in their respective fields.
His investments in semiconductor materials and packaging testing had created legendary returns, multiplying a thousandfold.
Ning Que hadn’t expected the third son of the Jiang family, who frequently made venture capital legends, to be such a super dad.
“Director Jiang, it’s an honor.”
He hadn’t had the chance to properly introduce himself at the wedding.
Jiang Jingyuan smiled politely: “Sorry for the poor reception last time.”
“No, no.”
“Understandable—the feeling of marrying off a daughter.”
Zhong Yi linked her arm with her father’s: “Let’s go to the cafeteria, you can talk on the way.”
Jiang Jingyuan said: “Wait two more minutes. Your mom is almost here. She said she just turned onto your Park’s street.”
“Mom’s coming too?”
“Mm. She said it’s her first time in your Park, and the first time having dinner with Ning Que. She insisted on going home to change into formal clothes.”
Ning Que was flattered—Director Jiang and the top actress specially invited him to dinner.
As they chatted, Zhong Zhuohua’s car arrived.
Zhong Yi immediately released her father and hurried over.
Mom usually liked dresses with bold colors and unique styles, able to pull off any look. Today, she wore a white shirt with light gray slacks, tall and neat, exuding elegance.
Mom often wore suits for events, but this was the first time Zhong Yi had seen her like this in daily life.
Approaching, Zhong Zhuohua pulled her daughter into a hug: “Congratulations, my baby, you’re amazing!”
Ning Que had spoken only briefly with Zhong Zhuohua at the wedding and didn’t make much small talk.
The group chatted as they headed to the cafeteria.
“I thought your cafeteria would be like other companies’—just a bigger space.” Zhong Zhuohua sighed, “Isn’t this basically a food complex? It has everything.”
Zhong Yi: “There are tens of thousands of people in the Park—it’s like a community. Fast food alone can’t satisfy everyone’s needs.”
Ning Que didn’t like Western food, so they chose a Sichuan restaurant.
Zhong Yi knew his tastes and ordered spicy chicken and grilled fish for him.
Zhong Zhuohua sat with her daughter on one side, resting her chin on her hand with a faint smile as she looked at her husband: “You should love Sichuan food too, right?”
“How could I love it?”
Zhong Zhuohua just smiled silently.
Since Ning Que was sitting beside her, Jiang Jingyuan didn’t say much.
Ning Que pretended not to hear and told Zhong Yi to order fewer dishes to avoid waste.
Jiang Jingyuan looked away from his wife and signaled the waiter to open wine.
He toasted Ning Que: “Over the years, you’ve taken such good care of Zhong Yi, I don’t know how to thank you.”
“You flatter me. Zhong Yi and I are schoolmates; it’s only right. Besides, I didn’t take care of her that much.”
“Zhong Yi said you were the only one in college who didn’t mind her cold face and few words, always inviting her to gatherings.”
“At work, too, she wasn’t good at socializing, and you handled team communication for her. She wouldn’t be who she is today without your support.”
“Zhong Ayi and I have always wanted to thank you but never had the chance.”
Ning Que was embarrassed by the praise: “Director Jiang, you’re too kind.”
He hadn’t realized before that every industry meeting, Min Ting brought him along.
At Jinghe, he didn’t have to report to the vice director in charge; he dealt directly with Min Ting, saving a lot of trouble—surely Jiang Jingyuan’s arrangement.
Zhong Yi looked at Ning Que: “Back in college, why did you take care of me so much?”
“Remember that summer break of your freshman year? I ran into you at school and asked when you were going home. Do you remember how you answered?”
“Don’t remind me.”
Ning Que laughed.
Zhong Yi smiled, of course she remembered.
She said the plane ticket was too expensive, so she wasn’t going home.
“I felt bad hearing that.”
He knew Zhong Yi’s personality—she wouldn’t accept a plane ticket from him.
“Coincidentally, you always carried a canvas bag. I thought your family wasn’t well off, so I wanted to introduce you to more people. Having connections would help with projects. If you joined the project, you wouldn’t have to miss going home because of expensive tickets.”
Zhong Yi clinked her glass with his: “Thank you.”
No wonder Ning Que had started taking her to alumni gatherings from the start of sophomore year.
Zhong Zhuohua hadn’t known about this and felt even more grateful to Ning Que, raising her glass in toast.
Jiang Jingyuan tilted his head: “Our family will all toast you together.”
Ning Que thought, what did he do to deserve this?
***
Glasses clinked. Just as Jiang Jingyuan was about to drink, his gaze fell on two approaching figures.
Seeing who they were, he was stunned.
Though he was seasoned in the business world, used to maintaining composure, his mind went blank in that instant.
His disarray wasn’t because he saw Yang Jiayuan, but because he was shocked she was in the Jinghe cafeteria.
Even more surprising was the girl linking arms with her, resembling her somewhat, wearing a Jinghe work uniform.
At Zhong Zhuohua’s place, he was at a loss for words.
Jiang Jingyuan’s unusual reaction in just a few seconds was noticed by his wife, daughter, and Ning Que. They all followed his gaze.
Yang Jiayuan saw Jiang Jingyuan and wanted to switch restaurants, but it was too late—Zhong Zhuohua and Zhong Yi had already seen her.
Leaving now would look suspicious.
Jiang Jingyuan put down his wine glass and stood up. This was their second meeting since the breakup, but over twenty years had passed; none were the young people they once were.
“I thought I had mistaken you for someone else.”
As the mother and daughter approached, he reached out his hand.
Yang Jiayuan smiled: “Quite a coincidence. Didn’t expect your whole family to be here too.”
After this brief but chilly greeting, she turned to Zhong Zhuohua.
Zhong Zhuohua also stood, shaking her hand briefly.
“Thanks for clearing things up for me back then. Finally have the chance to thank you in person.”
Yang Jiayuan: “It’s what I should have done; it never involved you.”
Explaining why she was at Jinghe Park: “My child didn’t know about this at first and came here with her boyfriend. I didn’t interfere with how young people choose, but who knew old baggage would resurface?”
She left it at that: “I happened to be on vacation, so I came to see my daughter. She’s been so busy she just got here for dinner.”
Zhong Zhuohua smiled: “Same here, mine’s been too busy to eat at home and can only come accompany her here.”
Yang Jiayuan: “You two go on, we’ll find a table.”
She nodded slightly at Jiang Jingyuan and led her daughter inside.
The meeting ended gracefully.
Ning Que looked at the spicy chicken just served; this meal would likely go to waste—he no longer had the appetite.
Jiang Jingyuan explained to his wife: “I didn’t know her daughter worked at Jinghe.”
Zhong Zhuohua: “That’s not important. Your heart was racing just now, right?”
Ning Que:
Ignoring that he was a stranger present, she directly settled the score.
Jiang Jingyuan looked at his wife: “It was fast—I was worried you’d be uncomfortable.”
“Am I that important to you?”
Jiang Jingyuan: “If you’re not important, then who is? Aside from Zhong Yi, it’s you.”
Zhong Zhuohua looked straight at him, not treating Ning Que as an outsider, voicing a decades-old wound: “Not as important as the person you loved when you were young.”
Ning Que felt uneasy and glanced at Zhong Yi, who was eating the spicy chicken.
He also picked up his chopsticks and grabbed a piece of chicken, pretending he didn’t exist.
Jiang Jingyuan: “It’s not like I only got with you in my thirties—when we had our daughter, I wasn’t even thirty.”
“I’m talking about passion, not age.”
His passionate feelings were something she had never truly experienced.
The only time she could barely count was when he appeared at her set.
But she wanted his passionate love.
They locked eyes for several seconds.
Jiang Jingyuan: “In your eyes, giving up my career to make you comfortable on set isn’t passionate? I always thought it was.”
“All these years, I rarely went to social events—not because I’m low-key, but because I wanted more time with you and the child. Even now, with you staring at me so long, I still can’t handle it. Doesn’t that count as passion?”
“If none of that counts, what about how much you love Hong Kong-style dim sum? Over the years, how many times have I gotten it early morning from the island and delivered it to your set?”
Zhong Zhuohua was momentarily stunned.
Zhong Yi picked out several pieces of fish meat, putting them on a plate, carefully removing bones.
Ning Que took his time picking out fishbones too. Once the fish was bone-free, he finally understood why Director Jiang confessed in front of him and Zhong Yi.
It was probably because no one knew their true feelings as a couple; Zhong Zhuohua always felt Jiang Jingyuan’s feelings for his first love were special.
Jiang Jingyuan explained again: “Believe it or not, I truly didn’t know Yang Jiayuan’s daughter was at Jinghe.”
“I had no reason to lure her daughter here with a high salary. If I really cared about my first love’s child, how could I let my own daughter suffer?”
Zhong Zhuohua picked up her chopsticks, tasted the grilled fish, and asked: “Which department is her daughter in?”
Ning Que: “Tang Nuoyun, a chip architect.”
Zhong Zhuohua nodded: “Like our Xiao Yi—very smart.”
Ning Que: “Indeed, very smart.”
Zhong Yi handed the deboned fish to her mother: “She used to be on the Kuncheng Project team. After a hot topic exposed the truth, she found out who her mother’s first love was and quit.”
Zhong Zhuohua: “What does it matter to your children? This is your father’s doing.”
Jiang Jingyuan:
Zhong Zhuohua could understand Yang Jiayuan’s feelings—it was an unwarranted disaster for her daughter.
As a fellow mother, hearing Zhong Yi was rejected by Yan Tinglin, she had lost the mood for her trip and hurried back.
She told her daughter: “Tell Yan Tinglin, if Tang Nuoyun wants to join the project and contacts him, he should handle it however he sees fit. I don’t mind.”