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The family dinner was set for the next day.
Ying Jing wasn’t idle that morning. He slipped away from school and wandered around Wangfujing shopping mall. In earlier years, before his sister got married, she often forced him to do hard labor, making him intimately familiar with all the malls in Xingcheng. This habit was thus cultivated. He could navigate both the men’s and women’s sections with ease. A glance at a counter, and a single silk scarf could cost four digits.
Ying Jing stared at the silk scarf for a long time. The sales associate was friendly: “Is there anything I can help you with?”
“Does this come in other colors?”
“Yes, mist blue.” The clerk took it out for him to see.
Comparing the two, Ying Jing found it hard to decide.
The sales associate asked, “Are you buying it for your mother?”
“No,” he paused, “Well, sort of.”
“If her skin is fair, you could try the blue. It’s a very popular color this year and looks very elegant.”
Chu Ning was so fair, her mother should be fine too.
“Then I’ll take this one.”
Next, it was time to pick something for the men.
Gifts for men don’t offer a wide range of choices; it’s always the same few things. But it’s still hard to choose. Ying Jing hesitated for a long time, unable to make up his mind. He bought an ice cream and called his sister while munching on it.
“What’s her father’s style like?”
“He’s a businessman. And she has an older brother who seems hard to get along with. A domineering CEO, definitely.”
Ying Chen laughed and cursed, “What a terrible description.” Then she returned to the main topic, “For the elders, you can choose something conventional and safe. As for the brother, why don’t you ask Chu Ning?”
Ying Jing thought that was a good idea. However, on the other end of the phone, Chu Ning had quite a few complaints:
“You have too much money? Buy something for him? Come on, he’s a picky snob. Save yourself the trouble, honey, if you really have to buy something, turn left out of the door to the fruit wholesale market. After 6 PM, they have a big sale. Bananas are ten yuan for four catties; just get him a bag.”
Of course, Ying Jing didn’t listen to her. He targeted a niche foreign brand and bought Zhao Mingchuan a pair of cufflinks.
________________________________________
At 5:30 PM, Bai Family Grand Courtyard.
Ying Jing, being polite and also nervous, arrived fifteen minutes early. He opted for a minimalist style today: a short, work-style jacket that instantly accentuated his broad shoulders and narrow hips. His black trousers were perfectly creased, his legs straight, his back upright, and his spirits high.
The Bai Family Grand Courtyard was a dining establishment styled after a Qing Dynasty garden, renowned for its imperial cuisine. It was once indeed a princely mansion. The front courtyard was open for dining and tourist visits, while the back courtyard housed a rare number of VIP rooms, generally not open to the public.
Upon entering, maids in Qing Dynasty-style qipaos greeted him with a chorus of “Wishing you good fortune,” smiling gently, perfectly complementing the garden scenery. Ying Jing had only visited Meifu Family Banquet, another old Beijing-style restaurant, which he had gone to with his sister when she was in Beijing for a business trip. The ambiance and style were largely similar, so Ying Jing felt relatively at ease.
The location had been communicated earlier. Ying Jing walked towards the west side and, upon stepping in, paused.
Was there someone in the hall?
Did he go to the wrong place?
No, he hadn’t.
He saw a back facing him, elegant and refined, clad in a dark gray, mid-length woolen overcoat. Its simple cut and flowing fabric, under the flickering candlelight of the antique lanterns in the hall, reflected a faint sheen, giving it excellent texture.
Zhao Mingchuan was interested in a landscape painting on the wall, his hands clasped in front of his chest, quietly observing. Sensing movement, he instinctively turned his head, and his gaze met Ying Jing’s.
Ying Jing was surprised. Oh, someone even earlier than him.
Zhao Mingchuan certainly wouldn’t admit it, offering a cover-up: “Just happened to be passing by.” His tone was light, his posture lofty.
Ying Jing understood. Regardless of any skewed prejudices he might have had before, at this moment, this was a key figure within the enemy’s ranks!
With a grin, Ying Jing cheerfully called out, “Big Brother, good morning!”
Zhao Mingchuan thought to himself, Who’s “good morning” with you? It sounds like I’m even more eager, hence my early arrival.
His expression was bland, and he grunted a perfunctory acknowledgment.
Silence fell.
Zhao Mingchuan was a man with strong objectives, not bothering with minor details. His gaze directly scrutinized Ying Jing. He looked energetic, tall with long legs, and when their eyes met, he could meet his gaze without flinching or fear.
After a long moment, “Have a seat.”
Zhao Mingchuan said.
Ying Jing walked over, stood beside him, looked at the painting he had been interested in, and asked, “Brother Zhao likes Huang Shen?”
Zhao Mingchuan subtly stiffened. “You recognize it?”
Ying Jing looked up, from the top of the frame downwards, then surveyed the four sides, and then smiled, “He’s one of the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou, skilled at outlining with light ink and dotting with dense ink to emphasize. His painting style is elegant, with varied layers. Look at the third small peak there, drawn with a single stroke that connects directly to the waterfall. Doesn’t the artistic conception of towering mountains and distant waters come alive?”
Zhao Mingchuan didn’t extensively research antiques and calligraphy. Occasionally, he attended charity auctions where organizers featured works by masters, and there were indeed some exquisite pieces. But his appreciation was limited to what pleased or displeased his eye. To articulate the meaning behind them, he would genuinely need to exert some effort.
Ying Jing’s “measure” was also well-managed. If he were to talk endlessly, it would simply become a show-off. He stopped at the right point, using common language. In just a few sentences, Zhao Mingchuan could tell that this young man was someone who knew how to act appropriately.
Thus, the conversation naturally opened up.
“Where are you from?”
“Xingcheng.”
“How many years have you been in Beijing?”
“Four years.”
“Do you have siblings?”
“I have an older sister, she’s married.”
Zhao Mingchuan wasn’t one to beat around the bush. In this role today, he was naturally on Chu Ning’s side. Judging by that cheeky girl’s demeanor, she might truly be in a serious relationship with Ying Jing. Dating was one thing, but when it came to marriage, the practicalities of life needed to be addressed.
The questions, though a bit presumptuous, were direct and effective.
Not bad, the family background isn’t too shabby.
Zhao Mingchuan took a seat first. With a lift of his hand, a waiting maid in Qing attire came to pour tea. Zhao Mingchuan slowly took a sip, his tone lightening. “I watched that competition. You performed well.”
Ying Jing had no reason to be humble. “I thought so too.”
Zhao Mingchuan raised an eyebrow and smiled.
Ying Jing proactively offered to pour tea for him, but his hand was stopped halfway.
“No need for that, I can do it myself.”
Zhao Mingchuan slowly refilled his tea and stopped chatting.
Ying Jing thought to himself, Chu Ning usually describes this brother as a piece of dog shit, but that’s really an exaggeration. Cold on the outside, warm on the inside; he looks aloof, but he’s actually quite good.
Ten minutes later, a voice called out from outside, “Wishing you good fortune, please come in.”
Chu Ning, holding her mother Chen Yue’s arm, stepped in first.
Ying Jing quickly straightened his back and politely greeted, “Hello, Auntie.”
Zhao Peilin walked in behind, having just finished a call, his phone still in hand, when he heard a clear, resonant voice: “Hello, Uncle!”
He looked up, his eyes calm, and nodded in response.
Ying Jing exuded a sunny disposition, his 1.85-meter height quite eye-catching. He was vibrant and energetic, easily making a great first impression. Zhao Peilin, with the broad-mindedness of an elder, briefly shook his hand. “Hello, Xiao Ying, finally we meet. Please sit.”
Chen Yue was cold and indifferent, ignoring Ying Jing’s smiling face.
Chu Ning found this elder a headache. She hinted several times during the meal, but Chen Yue pretended not to notice.
However, with Zhao Mingchuan present, this meal wouldn’t be awkward.
He casually started a topic, extending it from the dishes of the day to Chinese cuisine, then to the origins of ingredients, then to countries visited, scenery, culture, and history. Ying Jing could chime in on several points.
And not just superficially; he truly understood.
Zhao Peilin, at his age, had a special affection for that era. Ying Jing’s upbringing naturally instilled in him a deeply rooted, upright character. He also held a very devout reverence for soldiers and history.
The old and the young, they conversed joyfully.
Even more joyfully than with Zhao Mingchuan, his own son.
Ying Jing didn’t forget the female guests either. Every time a new dish was served, he stood up, bowed slightly, and offered the first bite to Chen Yue. Although Chen Yue had her emotions, she maintained her etiquette and politeness perfectly, smiling and saying, “That’s thoughtful.”
Only Chu Ning, observing, noticed that the dishes Ying Jing served her mother were pushed aside and not eaten at all.
________________________________________
Mid-way through the meal, Chen Yue went to the restroom. Chu Ning, feigning an excuse, followed her out.
As soon as the door closed, the mother and daughter were at loggerheads again.
“Mom, can’t you be a little more polite to him?” Chu Ning frowned, already displeased.
“When was I impolite? Did I scold him? Did I give him a bad look?” Chen Yue snorted.
“Why didn’t you eat the food he served you?”
“I’m allergic to chicken.”
“What about the vegetables?”
“Allergic to those too.”
“You’re doing this on purpose!”
Chen Yue glared at her. “What kind of scene are you making here? If it weren’t for your big brother setting this up, I wouldn’t have come!”
Chu Ning retorted, “What kind of tough act are you putting on? If you’re so tough, no matter who set it up, you shouldn’t have come.”
These words indirectly hit Chen Yue’s sore spot.
She was afraid of Zhao Mingchuan, no, afraid of every member of the Zhao family.
Afraid of them finding fault, afraid of them looking down on her, afraid of them gossiping behind her back, afraid of them resenting her as an outsider who could never truly integrate into their social class.
After more than a decade of being cautious, she was tired too.
But compared to losing everything, these things were insignificant.
She didn’t know what was wrong today, but Chu Ning’s words stung Chen Yue so much that she couldn’t bear it. Her emotions collapsed, and she actually started to cry.
Chu Ning was startled. “What are you doing? I haven’t even cried, and you’re already feeling wronged.”
“Shut up, you disobedient child, what good is it for me to have raised you?” Chen Yue sobbed, her voice distorted.
Chu Ning pulled out a few tissues and haphazardly wiped her face, feeling vexed.
Chen Yue pushed her hand away, tears streaming down her face: “It’s not that I don’t want you to marry, I just hope you marry someone better. This one outside, yes, I admit he’s good, but he’s younger than you and hasn’t started working yet. You say he won some first place, can that put food on the table? It’s just temporary glory, what about later? I’m not saying he can’t support you, but without three to five years of transition, he won’t mature. As a girl, can you afford to wait?”
Chu Ning said indifferently, “I can afford it. I’ll support him for those three to five years.”
Chen Yue sobbed: “Those people in the Zhao family are impatiently waiting to make fun of you, letting others gossip behind your back. Are you happy about that?”
“Their mouths are on their faces, I can’t stop them,” Chu Ning genuinely didn’t care.
With these high-sounding excuses failing, Chen Yue suddenly broke down: “If you leave, if you get married, Mom will be all alone!”
Chu Ning was stunned, looking at her tear-streaked face, the lines around her eyes and mouth, all traces of time.
In that moment, Chu Ning seemed to understand the true reason for Chen Yue’s intense resistance.
It was fear that her daughter wouldn’t fare well, that she would be wronged in another family, overwhelmed by the mundane struggles of life, unable to care for herself, let alone her mother.
Chen Yue was afraid. She had a husband, an enviable family background, and an excellent daughter. When she went out, everyone respectfully called her “Mrs. Zhao.” But she still couldn’t shake the inner insecurity. Why? Because none of these things were truly hers. If they were gone one day, they were just gone.
Chu Ning quietly listened to her vent, then said, “Mom, a sense of security, you give that to yourself.”
Chen Yue maintained her elegant posture, holding back tears.
“When I was little, you taught me well, but you never taught me what independence was. But in this society, without independence, everything is superficial,” Chu Ning said calmly, having long understood this truth. “I’m not saying men are unreliable, I’m saying anyone can be unreliable. Besides, I have hands, feet, and a brain. Why should I demean myself? I’m not weak; I can earn a good future for myself.”
Chen Yue turned her head away, her words stuck in her throat.
Chu Ning also lowered her voice, “Mom, when I graduated, I refused the good job Uncle Zhao arranged for me and chose to start my own business. This path, I chose myself. You think I didn’t suffer outside? You think I never cried? But even if I knelt, I would crawl to the finish line. This still holds true now—the man out there, I chose him myself too.”
The latter half of the sentence was left unsaid.
Chen Yue stared blankly at her daughter, having to admit that she was like a wild rose blooming on a cliff.
Resilient and beautiful.
Chu Ning suddenly frowned, placing an arm around her shoulder and squeezing it. “You just love hearing these sentimental words, don’t you? What, will I really not care for you anymore? Always thinking about useless things, honestly!”
Chen Yue sniffled, quite stubbornly: “You just focus on living your own life first. He’s four years younger than you, do you understand what that means? He’s twenty, you’re thirty; he’s forty, you’re fifty.”
“Why don’t you exaggerate more? Why don’t you just say I’ll be in the coffin when he’s just born?”
“Pah!” Chen Yue became agitated. “How can you curse yourself like that?”
Chu Ning chuckled, “I’m open and honest, not like you, with a sharp tongue but a soft heart.”
Chen Yue didn’t retort, letting out a sigh. “Are Ying Jing’s parents retired veterans? Is their pension high? Are they in good health?”
Nothing else, just worried about adding burden to Chu Ning.
“Alright, alright, touch up your makeup. Don’t go out and let people laugh at you.” Chu Ning pushed her.
They went into the restroom with a barrage of words and emerged from it with guns silenced.
“Why were you two gone so long?” Back at the table, Zhao Peilin glanced at them.
“Lots of people,” Chu Ning smiled, sitting next to Ying Jing. She lowered her head, whoa! Goodness, there were seven or eight perfectly peeled crayfish tails in her bowl.
Ying Jing was composed and looked straight ahead, but his hand under the table was restless. It moved to the side, directly covering Chu Ning’s hand. But,
The touch felt a bit off.
The thought had just popped up when Zhao Mingchuan’s voice came coldly: “Why are you holding my hand?”
Ying Jing froze for a moment, then immediately let go as if his hand had touched a hot potato.
Zhao Mingchuan: “............”
Yesterday, he shamelessly went to Zhao Xi’s place and got a whole load of rejection. Being disliked by a woman was one thing, but today, he paid for dinner and was still disliked by a man.
Damn it, what kind of world is this!
________________________________________
The dinner concluded, and the Zhao family’s driver was waiting outside. Ying Jing and Chu Ning exchanged a glance, a silent understanding passing between them. They hadn’t slept together in over a month; tonight, it was unspoken.
Ying Jing politely saw Zhao Peilin and Chen Yue into the car, his mouth full of auspicious wishes, “Uncle, Auntie, get some rest early when you get back. I’ll visit you again another day.”
The ending was perfect. Then, Zhao Mingchuan, standing outside the car, suddenly said, “You’re going back to school tonight, right? Ride with me, it’s on the way.”
“?”
“Isn’t winter break over yet? Does your school allow you not to return to campus?”
“...”
To make matters worse, Zhao Peilin and Chen Yue were still listening and watching from inside the car. Ying Jing couldn’t refuse, nor could he agree. They had just met the parents. If he didn’t get in the car, what would they think?
Ying Jing let out an “Eh,” then, “Alright! Then I’ll trouble Brother Zhao.”
Zhao Mingchuan, the old fox, still wore a non-troubled expression, smiling, and enthusiastically opened the car door, making a “please” gesture.
Chu Ning stood by, silently fuming, her dagger-like gaze directed at Zhao Mingchuan.
Zhao Mingchuan was good-tempered, only saying, “That eye-roll was pretty good. Can you hold it for five seconds?”
“Why?”
“The restaurant was stuffy; I need to clear my head.”
Chu Ning truly wanted to kick this black-hearted bastard to death!
They parted ways.
The black Porsche elegantly turned left, while the white BMW, feeling depressed, turned right.
Zhao Mingchuan rolled down the car window, one hand on the steering wheel, the other tapping a rhythm on the window frame, humming lightly along with the radio song. His mood suddenly improved, and he became more talkative.
“What was the admission score for C Aviation last year?”
“658 points.”
“What was your college entrance exam score?”
“670.”
Zhao Mingchuan raised an eyebrow. “Then why didn’t you go to Tsinghua?”
“Didn’t get in.”
“Right,” Zhao Mingchuan laughed, his expression tender. His sharp eyebrows and starry eyes, with a perfectly placed wrinkle at the corner, added to his mature masculinity.
He actually dared to laugh so heartily.
Ying Jing was truly puzzled; Brother Zhao’s sense of humor was truly enigmatic.
Halfway there, Chu Ning sent him a voice message. He opened it, and whoa! it was a mighty roar: “Zhao Mingchuan, you just can’t stand to see others do well!”
He coolly replied, “Exactly.”
“With your character, no wonder Sister Xi didn’t want you.”
“You f***ing try saying that one more time?”
“Didn’t want you, didn’t want you, didn’t want you!”
“Chu Ning, you’re asking for it! Tonight’s dinner cost three thousand six. Transfer the money back to me, immediately! Right now! Now!” He finished a long rant into his phone, then released his thumb—
The other party is not yet your friend. Message cannot be sent.
Zhao Mingchuan was furious: “Stinky girl!!”
She had blocked him.
With nowhere to vent his anger, he fumed at Ying Jing: “See that? That’s her character, utterly malicious. She’s just wishing me bad luck. She’ll make me sick even if I’m healthy. Break up with her, immediately! Right now! Now!”
Ying Jing silently thought, Actually, you two are two peas in a pod.
You’re both difficult ancestors!
________________________________________
Meanwhile.
After Zhao Peilin and Chen Yue arrived home, they sat on the sofa, chatting idly.
Speaking of Ying Jing’s performance today, it was indeed remarkable: polite, proactive, well-mannered, intelligent, and strikingly handsome. Regardless of whether he was Chu Ning’s boyfriend, Zhao Peilin liked the young man.
Chen Yue felt uneasy and wouldn’t defy her husband in front of him. However, Zhao Peilin’s words undoubtedly solidified her improved impression of Ying Jing.
On the table were several boxes of gifts. They were Ying Jing’s见面礼 (jiànmiànlǐ, gifts for the first meeting), which they had put in the trunk before leaving.
Chen Yue didn’t think much of them, even finding the packaging rather simple and probably just ordinary nutritional supplements. Zhao Peilin took them out and saw a few packs of cigarettes and a few bottles of liquor. The outer boxes were plain, without even production batch numbers or origins.
“Oh, he doesn’t check what he buys, this child. Was he tricked?” Chen Yue even felt a pang of pity for him.
Zhao Peilin looked at them for a few moments, then steadily set them down, his voice calm, saying, “These can’t be bought outside.”
Chen Yue didn’t understand.
“Military-supplied special goods. I saw them once when I was talking business with Vice Mayor Chang,” Zhao Peilin picked them up again and examined them closely. “Things from state banquets, discontinued items.”
Chen Yue hesitated. “Ying Jing’s parents are retired veterans, aren’t they?”
“Veterans?” Zhao Peilin let out a cold scoff, and calmly spoke a single sentence.
Chen Yue spent a long time trying to figure out what the official rank in his words meant. Zhao Peilin then took a call and went to his study. Chen Yue took out her phone, laboriously typed, and looked it up.
Her heart exploded.
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