Chapter 4: Let’s Have a Meal Together

“Li Li, you’re back!“

As Ji Xueli stepped into the house, her parents, Ji Father and Ji Mother, immediately walked over. They couldn’t seem to get enough of her, gazing at her with fondness. Even as she changed her shoes and took off her coat, they watched her with adoration.

“Mom, Dad, what’s this all about?” Ji Xueli smiled helplessly.

“You’ve just come back from abroad, and now you’re going out again in the evening. We haven’t seen you much.” Ji Mother looped her arm through Ji Xueli’s, giving a small huff.

Ji Xueli replied, “I just wanted to get familiar with the country a bit.“

“What’s there to get familiar with? You’re the daughter of the Ji family, who would dare say anything to you?” Ji Father said.

“Alright, I won’t go out anymore. I’ll stay at home with you. Is that good?” Ji Xueli coaxed, trying to please them.

“That’s better. Li Li, why don’t you just stay away from the entertainment industry? Let your father send you to a subsidiary instead.” Ji Mother suggested.

The entertainment industry isn’t an easy world to break into. Even though she came from a prestigious family, she wouldn’t be spared from all the slander.

“I’ve studied abroad for so long, how could I easily give up? Don’t worry, Mom and Dad, I know what I’m doing.” Ji Xueli shook her head.

She still wanted to maintain her image as a female star, to continue to make her presence known on television. It was something she was quite interested in experiencing.

Ji Mother sighed but gave in, “Alright, fine. In a few days, we’ll have a meal with the Ji family. You haven’t seen Yanzhou in a long time, right?“

They knew about her past relationship with him, but the outcome wasn’t great, so they didn’t want to bring it up again to avoid causing any heartache. But, they still secretly hoped they could reconcile.

Ji Xueli was looking at her phone, her friend request still pending approval. She only half-listened to her mother’s words, “Hmm, let’s have a meal together.“

“Mom, Dad, I’m going upstairs to rest, I’m a little tired.“

They watched her go upstairs, her head down looking at her phone, thinking she might be hurt by their words.

Ji Father muttered a bit, “They broke up, why still have a meal together? You can tell Xueli’s forcing herself. Does she really want to eat with him?“

“Well, their breakup was messy, but they clearly still have feelings for each other. Isn’t it a good chance to clear the air?” Ji Mother said with a soft sigh.

“But she left for abroad the very next day, no contact for so long. Maybe her feelings have faded.” Ji Father replied.

“Let’s see. You didn’t see how Yanzhou looked after Xueli left. He was in such a bad state, I really couldn’t bear to watch…“

Meanwhile, Ji Xueli, who had no idea her parents were already debating about her, was lying on her bed, staring at her phone.

Why hasn’t Duan Qingyu accepted yet? Could it be that he hasn’t seen the message? Maybe I should send it again?

Ji Xueli bit her fingers in frustration and turned over on the bed. Just as she was about to send another friend request, she saw the notification that he had accepted.

She immediately sat up excitedly, looking at his pure black profile picture. Without hesitation, she clicked into his Moments.

It was empty…

What? Did he set it up so she couldn’t see, or did he actually not have anything posted?

Ji Xueli furrowed her brow.

She then checked her own Moments. It was quite cluttered, filled with posts about her performances from her study abroad days.

Forget it, she thought, sitting up and sending her name over to him.

He responded quickly: “Mm.“

Ji Xueli shrugged it off, putting her phone down and heading to the bathroom. It was only the first day—no need to rush. After all, the saying goes, “slow and steady wins the race.” Chatting on the phone wasn’t as useful as meeting in person.

But wait, who did my mom say we’re having dinner with…?