CHAPTER 4: Ji Jing’s Sudden Restlessness

Though Old Su didn’t like Ji Jing, how could an arm twist the thigh?

Su Jiasui held out her palm, looking exactly like a debt collector. “Then give me money. We’ll go stay at a hotel.”

Staying at home was one thing—checking into a hotel was another. There was no way Old Su would let his daughter do that with that punk. But giving in outright would be a loss of face.

Ms. Sun, as always, acted as the buffer. She pulled Old Su toward the little room. “Look here—our house is going to get lively. Sister Jiang’s nephew is transferring to Xinghai High and staying with us.”

Old Su couldn’t keep scowling now without seeming rude to their guest. Swallowing his anger, he said, “Yeah, real lively. Enough people for mahjong.”

“You look more like a mahjong tile. Hurry up, go wash up and change.”

“I saw the weather forecast. There’s supposed to be showers tonight. Don’t forget to move the car inside—I just washed it today.”

“Okay, okay, got it. Why does it always rain after you wash the car?”

As Ms. Sun spoke, she winked at Su Jiasui. Su Jiasui got the message and quickly clung to her father’s arm. “Daddy, I’ll get your slippers. What’s the point of raising a daughter, huh? Raising a son is—”

Old Su reflexively answered, “To care for you in old age.”

“Exactly! And I still have to study hard, get into a good college, bring honor to the Su family. When I start working and making money, it’ll be my turn to take care of you. You won’t have to lift a finger—just fish, play mahjong, and travel whenever you want.”

Old Su’s face slowly lit up until his smile reached his ears.

Watching the father-daughter pair happily enter the house, Ms. Sun couldn’t hold back her laughter anymore.

Aunt Jiang smiled too, though her perspective was a bit different. “You and President Su are really open-minded. Aren’t you worried about Sui Sui’s early romance affecting her studies?”

Ms. Sun smiled and said, “My Sui Sui? I’m not worried at all. Even if the sky fell, she’d still get her studying done.”

Aunt Jiang didn’t hold back on the praise. “That’s what you call being blessed.”

“What blessing? I’ve still got Jiahe giving me headaches.” Ms. Sun sighed, then grabbed Aunt Jiang’s hand, her tone taking on a hint of pleading. “We’ll really have to trouble your Xiao Jiang from now on.”

Aunt Jiang smiled and agreed.

Ji Jing slept all the way until nightfall. When he opened his eyes and glanced around, he didn’t see his girlfriend. After a brief hesitation, he took out his phone and made a call.

“Moshi moshi.”

“How’s the weather over there?” Ji Jing replied in Japanese too.

“Currently, sunny skies and gentle breeze.” Su Jiasui had learned her Japanese from Ji Jing, and she was far less fluent—her words came out haltingly: “Dinner’s ready. You need to come down.”

“……”

“When all under heaven is in chaos, only then can it be governed. Escaping from the world in despair—such is not the way of a true man.”

“My face has been wounded, my pride depleted. I have no words to respond. I have no face to meet the world.”

Su Jiasui burst into laughter. Especially when she saw Old Su pricking up his ears to eavesdrop but barely able to understand a word—his expression practically shouting “Can you two speak human language?”—she couldn’t stop laughing.

She took a deep breath and forced herself to sound serious. “Alright now, come down for dinner. Our Old Su has the broadest heart in the world—he’s not really going to hold a grudge against a kid like you. If he did, how would he be any different from your bastard dad?”

After countless rounds of battling like a mouse with a cat, Ji Jing had his fair share of experience. He knew that with these words from his girlfriend, at least tonight he could pass safely. Letting out a long sigh of relief, he said, “I’m coming down right now.”

As soon as Ji Jing came downstairs, Old Su’s dagger-like gaze sliced toward his face.

“Uncle…”

“Hmph.”

Old Su leaned against the sofa, legs crossed, holding an unlit cigarette between his fingers.

Without the slightest hesitation, Ji Jing walked to the coffee table, picked up a lighter, and respectfully lit the cigarette for him.

What Old Su resented most was that time he’d bent over to light a cigar for Ji Hanhua. Now Ji Hanhua’s son was lighting a cigarette for him. It wasn’t exactly something to be proud of, but it gave him a sliver of satisfaction.

In the swirl of smoke, the thunder and lightning on Old Su’s face gradually faded to cloudy skies.

Seeing that Ji Jing had successfully passed the checkpoint, Ms. Sun hurried over to drag him to the dining room. “Come, time to eat. You kids eat first. Afterward, take advantage of the cool weather and go get some exercise.”

Su Jiasui bumped Ji Jing with her hip and secretly gave him a thumbs up.

Ji Jing smiled. In truth, he wasn’t actually afraid of Old Su, nor did he find it humiliating to flatter him. But if he acted a little pitiful, his girlfriend and future mother-in-law would feel compelled to compensate him, to shower him with more love and affection.

“Xiao Jing, have some ribs.”

“Thank you, Auntie…”

After finishing his cigarette, Old Su came over to eat. Ji Jing immediately put down his chopsticks and got up to pour him a drink. His manner wasn’t that of a nervous future son-in-law—it was like that of a well-trained server in a high-end hotel.

Under the intense stares of his wife and daughter, Old Su started to feel something was off. He cleared his throat and waved at Ji Jing. “Sit down and eat.”

Ji Jing sat down and ate carefully.

Old Su felt like he was sitting on pins and needles, while Little Su across the table was practically grinding his teeth.

As the saying goes, “The onlooker sees more clearly than the one involved.” Su Jiahe immediately saw through Ji Jing’s act and was frustrated at Old Su’s muddle-headedness.

That brat is dating your daughter behind your back! And now he’s shamelessly eating at your table! How can you let him seize the moral high ground? Foolish! Utterly foolish!

Su Jiahe wanted to speak up, to help his clueless father save face, but before he could open his mouth, Su Jiasui dropped a piece of fatty meat he hated into his bowl. “Jiahe, you’re still growing. Eat more.”

Su Jiahe could feel the warning and remained silent.

With Ji Jing playing the humble card, Su Jiasui holding the fort, and Ms. Sun mediating with ease, this dinner—despite the undercurrents—passed without incident.

After dinner, a light drizzle began to fall outside. Judging by the thick clouds in the sky, the rain could get heavier at any moment.

The plan to go out and exercise had to be canceled. Su Jiasui pulled Ji Jing onto the living room sofa to watch a movie, and Su Jiahe, not wanting to be left out, squeezed in as well.

Ms. Sun loved a lively atmosphere. She enjoyed watching the kids playing harmoniously together, so she specially cut up a large plate of fruit and laid out all sorts of snacks and yogurt on the coffee table.

Aunt Jiang was washing dishes in the kitchen, occasionally peeking out the window.

After finishing her chores, Ms. Sun turned around and saw Aunt Jiang’s face filled with worry and anxiety. Suddenly remembering that her nephew was arriving tonight, she exclaimed, “Oh no! What time does Xiao Jiang arrive? I’ll drive over and pick him up.”

“He should be off the train already. I gave him the address—he’s taking a cab over.”

“It’s usually easy to catch a cab near the station.”

“Yes, yes.”

Aunt Jiang had no way to tell the carefree Ms. Sun what was troubling her. After all, Ms. Sun had already done more than enough for her—she couldn’t bring more trouble to this family. But it was getting late, it was raining, her nephew was from out of town, and the taxi drivers would likely try to overcharge him. Given his stubborn nature, he’d insist on comparing prices before getting into any car. Who knew how long he’d end up standing in the rain?

Aunt Jiang couldn’t help but glance over at the three teens sitting side by side on the sofa. They were all so pretty, clean, and presentable. Even the “little son-in-law” lounging and flopping around despite being covered in bruises gave off a kind of effortless nobility.

Thinking about her own unfortunate nephew, Aunt Jiang felt a pang in her chest.

It was raining in the movie, too.

The Classic was playing the scene where Son Ye-jin and Jo In-sung were running through the rain.

“This actress is so pretty, don’t you think?” Su Jiasui poked Ji Jing.

“Mm.” Ji Jing stared at the screen. “Her pink knit vest is nice too. Do you like it? I can knit one for you. If I start now, it’ll be ready just in time for the cold weather.”

Su Jiahe’s expression instantly shifted from schadenfreude to disbelief: This guy’s got skills.

“You might as well use that time to memorize more vocabulary,” Su Jiasui said, clearly touched by the gesture. She was smiling so hard her eyes turned into crescent moons.

“I’ll knit it for you after the college entrance exam, then.”

“Okay. Here, have some watermelon—it’s super sweet.”

Ji Jing scored some serious points, leaning on his girlfriend’s shoulder while enjoying fruit. If not for the radiant glare of Su Jiahe beside them, this would’ve been a picture-perfect romantic evening.

“Hey! That must be Xiao Jiang!” Ms. Sun spotted a taxi pulling up outside and quickly called out to Aunt Jiang, who was still tidying up in the kitchen.

Aunt Jiang had already prepared an umbrella. She didn’t even bother to change her shoes, grabbed her wallet, and rushed out the door.

Not long after, she returned with her nephew—he didn’t live in the villa, but it was only proper to greet the host.

The moment Ms. Sun laid eyes on the so-called “Xiao Jiang” from the rumors, her heart gave an inexplicable jolt.

Xiao Jiang was handsome. Even dressed plainly and soaked through, looking rather pitiful, his good looks were hard to hide. Judging by his height, he didn’t seem much shorter than Ji Jing either. Ms. Sun had assumed a kid from the countryside, with a poor family background, would be a little more… rough around the edges.

But instead, she sensed a subtle, unsettling air about him. Still, the boy was already here—she had to show some enthusiasm. “Oh my, you’re completely drenched. Jiahe, go grab a towel, quick.”

Su Jiahe was in the middle of an intense movie and didn’t want to move. He pretended not to hear.

But Ji Jing couldn’t just ignore his future mother-in-law’s instructions. Without a word or even turning his head, he immediately stood up, walked quickly to the bathroom, and fetched a fresh towel.

“Auntie,” he jogged over to the entryway, eyes landing on “Xiao Jiang,” and said, “…Here, a towel for you.”

Jiang Yan took the towel and thanked him, but his gaze passed over Ji Jing and drifted toward the living room. It wasn’t out of rudeness—Aunt Jiang and Ms. Sun were both looking in that direction too.

On the sofa, Su Jiasui was in the middle of “punishing” Su Jiahe. On the surface, she looked elegant—sitting sideways with her legs crossed, holding down his ring finger and bending it into a soft yet stiff arc. Su Jiahe looked like a boiled shrimp—his face flushed, twisted in pain, and he wailed, “Jie—Jie—I’m sorry! I’m really sorry!”

“All right, all right, Jiahe, hurry and come say hello.”

Su Jiasui let go, and the two siblings turned their heads at the same time.

Two pairs of clear, dark eyes stared straight at Jiang Yan, unblinking.

Ji Jing, for some reason, felt a flicker of irritation.