Chapter 35.2

Until one day after he was found by the Ji family, when he and Ji Linyu weren’t very close yet, Ji Linyu came to Nancheng City to pick him up to return to Tianze City and received a work call.

Ji Linyu said, “Just do it, and leave the rest to me.”

That sentence structure sounded very familiar.

Of course, it might also be Ji Qingyuan overthinking, but when he was preparing to sign with a company for his debut, he unexpectedly found out that Jinhuan Group had entered the film and television industry during his first year in high school. 

Shortly after he had hinted on his secret Weibo account that he wanted to enter the entertainment industry as an actor, Jinhuan Group established a subsidiary – Jinhuan Entertainment, signing its first artist.

Could it be that at that time, his brother had already been paving the way for him?

Ji Qingyuan couldn’t help but think more, so he began to subtly inquire from his mother’s side why she suddenly changed her attitude back then and didn’t stop him from becoming an actor.

His mother said, because she confirmed his safety.

At that time, Ji Qingyuan didn’t understand, but after returning to the Ji family and knowing the background of his brother, it seemed like he understood a little.

His mother had always worried that Grandpa Ji or Ji Linyu’s maternal family would threaten Ji Linyu’s status, which would be detrimental to him.

Ji Qingyuan no longer pursued the true identity behind the gibberish account. Since the other party had deleted the account after doing a good deed and didn’t want him to find out, Ji Qingyuan hid his gratitude deep in his heart.

His elder brother is truly a very good person.

Once he classifies you as one of his own, all that’s left is peace of mind.

Ji Qingyuan now knows that Ji Linyu and Zhu Xinyue are together, and for a moment he doesn’t know who he is jealous of.

The elder brother, who has always been good to him, and the childhood sweetheart, who has always supported him, are together now…

Scenes of Zhu Xinyue and Ji Linyu together flash through Ji Qingyuan’s mind.

Especially that day in the hospital, when he went to visit the blind Zhu Xinyue. Despite his efforts to cheer her up, he was well aware that if Ji Linyu wasn’t there, Zhu Xinyue would not be so relaxed.

They have a strange sense of harmony between them.

It’s complete trust.

Zhu Xinyue believes that Ji Linyu won’t hurt her, just as Ji Linyu completely trusts her. He can firmly say to him, “She’s not the kind of person you described.”

If they were together…

They would indeed be a very compatible couple.

Ji Qingyuan’s feelings are complicated, but that doesn’t stop him from wishing them happiness.

Since that accident on set, Ji Qingyuan has confirmed that no matter what happens, Zhu Xinyue will always stand by his side. Their relationship isn’t romantic, more like family or a very deep friendship. He is certain that this kind of affection can last longer than ordinary romantic love.

What Ji Qingyuan should worry about now is, if one day his brother and Zhu Xinyue argue, whom should he side with… no, whom should he support?

Approaching the Spring Festival, Ji Linyu has arranged his work schedule and specially cleared a few days off.

Zhu Xinyue also gave her team members time off to go home early for the New Year to avoid the rush of the Spring Festival travel and traffic jams.

On New Year’s Eve, Zhu Xinyue got up early. She originally planned to make breakfast for Ji Linyu, but she found that he was up even earlier than she was.

The servants at the Lishan villa also had days off these days, so apart from her and Ji Linyu, there was no one else around.

Ji Linyu was frying eggs in the kitchen and heard her footsteps. He turned to look at her and said, “Morning.”

Seeing him in a gray-white home outfit, with an apron tied around his waist, sleeves rolled up, holding kitchen utensils, and skillfully flipping eggs and bacon in the frying pan, the smell of food completely awakened her.

“Boss Ji, what’s the plan for today?” Zhu Xinyue was already prepared to go out shopping and even decided what to wear.

However, Boss Ji gave an unexpected answer: “Mountain climbing.”

Zhu Xinyue fell silent for a moment.

Who goes mountain climbing on New Year’s Eve?! Doesn’t the scenic area close for the holiday?!

As it turns out, it doesn’t close.

Zhu Xinyue’s physical fitness is still good. After all, she had undergone the grueling training of the “Peach Blossom Spring” crew. After that, to maintain her figure, whenever conditions permitted, she would go to the gym for exercise. Moreover, there was a gym in the Lishan villa, which made it even more convenient for her to exercise indoors.

So at the beginning, Zhu Xinyue could still chat with Ji Linyu as they walked.

“Why did you think of going mountain climbing?” Zhu Xinyue was curious.

Today, she was wearing a white sports suit. To block the wind, the zipper of her jacket was pulled up to the top, covering half of her face. The cold wind blew through her ears, making her ears turn red, so she put on her hat again, covering herself tightly, leaving only her eyes exposed.

Ji Linyu wore the same style but in all black. He wasn’t afraid of the cold. The wind blew his bangs up, revealing a full forehead, and his deep brows and eyes looked towards the woods.

On both sides were towering trees. Most of those who came to climb were older adults, and there were also some young people, but not many. The road was wide open.

The sunlight shone through the gaps in the trees, falling on him. He slightly tilted his head up towards the direction of the sunlight and smiled.

Their pace was similar, walking side by side. She could see the patches of light on his face moving with their steps, appearing and disappearing, like stars blinking.

“My grandfather used to like taking me mountain climbing. Maybe he was afraid that I would miss my family during the New Year, so we generally didn’t stay in Lishan on New Year’s Eve.”

Thinking of Ji Linyu’s family, Zhu Xinyue reached out and held his hand.

“What about you? What do you usually do on New Year’s Eve?” Ji Linyu interlocked his fingers with hers, feeling how cold her hand was, so he put it in his pocket.

Feeling the warmth coming from his palm, Zhu Xinyue felt comforted.

“Put on new clothes, wait for the New Year’s Eve dinner, adults give me red envelopes, we compete in acting skills, and then accept the red envelopes. This is the most anticipated time of the year for me. I can just wait for money to come into my pocket without doing anything. It’s really nice!”

Ji Linyu chuckled. This answer was not surprising at all.

“Kid.”

Knowing that he was laughing at her for acting like a child, Zhu Xinyue reached out with her other hand and touched his neck, making him shiver.

Ji Linyu was about to grab her hand, but Zhu Xinyue quickly ran away, walking briskly ahead, afraid that he would retaliate against her.

That white figure quickly moved forward, passing by the pedestrians ahead and running far ahead before looking back.

Not seeing Ji Linyu, Zhu Xinyue thought to herself, wouldn’t he be so slow that he hasn’t caught up yet? Just as she was about to turn back and look for him, she heard a voice from beside her.

“Hello, are you Zhu Xinyue?” Even though only her eyes were visible, her die-hard fan still recognized her.

Zhu Xinyue looked towards the source of the voice. It was a mother and daughter. The daughter looked like she was just in middle school, clutching her mother’s coat, seeming a bit embarrassed. Her mother had a friendly smile and helped her daughter ask if she was Zhu Xinyue.

“Happy New Year.” Zhu Xinyue smiled and greeted them.

The mother was very enthusiastic. She said, “My daughter and I really like your variety show “One Moment One Scene”. Do you know Xie Zhuguang? Is he as handsome in person as he is on TV?”

Daughter tugged on her mother’s sleeve, looking apologetically at Zhu Xinyue, afraid her mother’s questions might offend Zhu Xinyue.

“Yeah! Teacher Xie is really handsome! Are you two also here to climb the mountain? The weather is nice today,” Zhu Xinyue, not particularly skilled at small talk with strangers, had to resort to awkward conversation mode.

The daughter couldn’t help but giggle, sensing Zhu Xinyue’s discomfort, and asked, “Are you here to climb alone?”

Zhu Xinyue glanced back, looking for Ji Linyu’s figure. She saw him walking slowly towards her with his hands in his pockets, stopping a few steps away, seemingly waiting for her to finish talking.

He didn’t look in their direction, just stood quietly aside on the path, not interfering with other climbers, blending into the background.

“I came with my boyfriend,” Zhu Xinyue replied, retracting her gaze and smiling at them. “He’s walking slowly, still behind me.”

My daughter is a die-hard fan of Zhu Xinyue and has known for a long time that she is not single, but she didn’t expect to get some melons while climbing the mountain today.

But curious as she was, she didn’t press further, maintaining the perfect distance between fan and star.

“Happy New Year! I hope you become even more famous this year!” The daughter wished Zhu Xinyue sincerely before blushing and pulling her mother away.

After they left, Zhu Xinyue walked back and joined Ji Linyu.

“Sorry,” Zhu Xinyue felt guilty. They came together, he was her boyfriend, but they couldn’t be seen together in public.

Ji Linyu took Zhu Xinyue’s hand.

“It’s okay, I’ll wait for you.”

Wait for the day she could be open about them… Ji Linyu’s thumb gently rubbed her ring finger.

Their wedding date could finally be set.