Chapter 21

As night fell, the post-wedding dance was held in the restaurant, another occasion requiring social interaction.
The band played music, and guests danced gracefully in the ballroom.
However, the protagonists of today's wedding had disappeared after only the first dance.
In the private lounge, the double doors were pushed open, letting in the music from downstairs into the luxurious room. Once the doors closed, all sound was blocked out.
"Dad." Ji Linyu stood at the door, looking at his father's back.
Ji Qian turned around, walked from the window to the sofa in front of the coffee table, and sat down. He waved to Ji Linyu, signaling him to come sit.
Ji Linyu sat opposite him.
On the coffee table, an exquisite tea set was arranged, accompanied by several plates of delicate Chinese pastries.
Ji Qian’s suit jacket was draped over the armrest of the sofa as he rolled up his shirt sleeves to pour tea for his son.
He and Ji Linyu shared an identical pair of jet-black eyes, and their facial features were about fifty to sixty percent similar. When they stood together, no one would doubt their father-son relationship. However, their personalities and temperaments were vastly different.
When Ji Qian smiled, the laugh lines at the corners of his eyes were prominent, it was the kind of smile that felt warm and approachable at first glance. It was similar to Ji Qingyuan’s, yet subtly different.
In terms of personality, Ji Qingyuan took after him more.
"It’s been a long time since we, father and son, had a chance to talk alone." Ji Qian poured a cup of tea for Ji Linyu first, then one for himself.
Ji Linyu silently lowered his gaze, staring at the cup of tea steaming with white mist.
After Ji Linyu’s mother passed away, he was raised by his grandfather. Ji Qian spent most of his time managing the overseas operations of the Jin Huan Group. Every time Ji Qian returned to the country, he would end up arguing with his father after just a few words. Not wanting to upset the old man, Ji Qian simply stopped coming back even for holidays. As a result, his father would call him overseas to scold him, asking why he didn’t return for the holidays to see his son.
Ji Linyu was right beside his grandfather at the time and heard it clearly when his father said, "Which son are you asking about? The son I want to see, can you let me see him?"
His grandfather cursed angrily, telling him to stay abroad and never come back.
That was the first time Ji Linyu asked his grandfather why his father didn’t return, and it was also the last.
After that, he spent New Year’s Eve with his grandfather and the first day of the New Year with the Lu family. It wasn’t so bad.
"Qingyuan said you’ve helped him a lot. Seeing you two brothers getting along so well puts my mind at ease." Ji Qian picked up the teacup from the table and gently inhaled the aroma of the tea.
Ji Linyu didn’t drink the tea. Instead, he lifted his gaze to look at Ji Qian.
Ji Qian seemed to be in high spirits. After all, today was the day he had been waiting for over a decade, the day he could finally be openly with the person he loved.
Ji Linyu’s emotions were usually steady, but when he saw the sheer joy on his father’s face, he couldn’t help the sharp pang in his heart.
He wanted to ask his father, at the moment his grandfather was confirmed dead, was he grieving his father’s passing, or was he rejoicing that he could finally go public?
"...Why aren’t you drinking? This tea is quite good." Ji Qian noticed that Ji Linyu’s mood seemed off. Throughout the day, Ji Linyu had behaved impeccably. Even when someone mentioned the Lu family in front of him and asked why his uncle hadn’t come, he responded politely and gracefully, showing no sign of dissatisfaction with the wedding.
Ji Linyu picked up the teacup. The heat from the cup stung his fingertips, jolting him back to reality.
Still, he didn’t drink. He set the cup back on the table.
"If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave." Ji Linyu stood up to go.
Ji Qian frowned. "What do you mean by that? You’re my son. Can’t you even stay for a cup of tea with me?"
Ji Linyu pressed his lips into a thin line, turned around, and said, "If Father wants to test whether I’d harm Ji Qingyuan, there’s no need to beat around the bush.
"I’ve always been fair and impartial, I don’t take my anger out on others. Ji Qingyuan is innocent, and so is his mother. Since Ji Qingyuan is working under me, whether as my employee or my younger brother, I won’t treat him unfairly."
Ji Qian caught the implication in his words, that everyone except him, the father, was innocent.
It was almost like pointing a finger right at his face and scolding him.
Furious, Ji Qian grabbed a teacup from the table and hurled it at him!
Ji Linyu didn’t dodge or flinch. The cup struck him directly near the corner of his eye, and warm tea trickled down his face and jawline, dripping onto the carpet.
Ji Qian froze for a moment. He had expected Ji Linyu to evade it and was taken aback that the cup had hit his face directly. He instinctively reached out as if trying to undo what had happened, but it was too late, such a gesture would only come off as hypocritical.
Ji Linyu said nothing. He could even manage a faint smile, giving Ji Qian a cool glance before turning and walking away.
Outside the dining hall was a garden with a fountain. At that moment, all the guests were socializing inside, and the faint sounds of music and chatter from the hall only made the garden feel even more tranquil.
Zhu Xinyue sat in the garden pavilion, watching the fountain’s water jets rise and fall, shifting into various shapes.
She didn’t know how to dance and didn’t enjoy socializing, so she planned to hide here until Zhu Shilang noticed she was missing and then return to the dining hall.
The moonlight was bright, and the fountain’s surface shimmered with a dreamlike glow.
Zhu Xinyue took her phone out of her clutch, opened the camera, and captured the moment.
As the camera followed her movement, a familiar figure suddenly appeared on the screen.
He was alone, walking along the path with his suit jacket draped over his arm, wearing a shirt and vest. His handsome face showed no expression, it was cold and detached.
Moonlight fell on him but couldn’t reach his eyes, just like the chill she had seen in his dark gaze the first time they met.
Now, Zhu Xinyue understood, that chill was loneliness.
She put her phone away and watched Ji Linyu’s direction. She could tell he was in a bad mood, and it was best not to disturb him.
The moonlight was obscured by clouds, and the faint glow that had illuminated him moments earlier grew hazy. He stepped into the shadows and continued toward the staircase.
But…
Her reason told her that as a mature adult, he might want to be alone when he was upset. Yet her emotions insisted that he shouldn’t be by himself, that someone, anyone, should be with him.
The clouds soon drifted away, and moonlight bathed the long staircase once more.
Only the two of them walked on the staircase, one in front and one behind, not disturbing each other.
He passed by a streetlamp, and she walked past the same streetlamp he had just passed.
Their shadows appeared separately under the circular glow of the light.
Zhu Xinyue followed him quietly, gazing at his back.
His pace wasn’t fast, yet he didn’t notice her behind him. Perhaps he had long grown accustomed to walking this nighttime path alone.
The long staircase was divided by a central landing, and the flowerbeds alongside it had been replanted with different varieties. When the wind blew, petals drifted down, and some even fell to the ground as whole flowers.
The figure ahead suddenly stopped.
Zhu Xinyue took two more steps, thinking he had noticed her, and halted as well. Leaning on the stair railing, she stared intently at his silent back.
He merely took a step to the side before continuing downward.
What had he avoided?
Curious, Zhu Xinyue followed his steps to the spot where he had paused and saw a complete flower lying quietly on the patterned tile floor of the staircase.
She bent down, picked up the peach-colored flower, and cradled it in her palm. She couldn’t help but think, Ji Linyu… is actually quite adorable.
The surroundings were so quiet that only the sound of the wind rustling the leaves and flowers could be heard. After she stopped, the footsteps ahead also disappeared.
Zhu Xinyue seemed to sense something and looked down.
Ji Linyu stood at the bottom of the staircase, looking up at her.
Their eyes met. The evening wind quieted, and the light seemed to fall into his eyes, reflecting her figure.
Under the vast night sky and above the earth, everything else vanished, leaving only the two of them.
Zhu Xinyue remained motionless, unsure if her presence here was a mistake to him.
Her breathing slowed as she watched him silently.
The wind picked up again, swirling the petals at her feet and carrying them down the stairs.
The nearby streetlamp flickered, like a signal to snap back to reality.
Ji Linyu reached out and caught a drifting petal. It landed softly in his large palm, delicate yet undeniably real.
He looked up again and saw her still standing motionless in the same spot. Suddenly, he smiled.
It was like ice melting and spring blossoms blooming.
Zhu Xinyue let out a subtle sigh of relief and descended along the stair railing. Her fingertips danced lightly on the handrail, like a bird alighting on a branch.
She practically skipped down the steps, each movement striking a chord in his heart, until she reached the final step and stood before him.
"Here." Zhu Xinyue extended the flower in her palm toward Ji Linyu.
It was as if she had come specifically to give him a flower, one she had picked up from the ground.
The small flower, no bigger than the palm of her hand, looked strikingly vibrant against her fair skin.
Ji Linyu didn’t take it. His gaze shifted from her palm to her face, fixing intently on her eyes as he asked, "Why haven’t you gone back? The dessert buffet at the restaurant is made by a master pastry chef."
"I don't know how to dance. I’d have to dance when I go back," Zhu Xinyue said matter-of-factly. Seeing that he hadn’t taken the flower from her hand, she thought he might find it dirty. Right in front of him, she inspected the flower in her hand, then turned slightly and blew gently on the petals, brushing away the dust that had settled on them. She offered it to him again. "It’s clean."
Ji Linyu took the peach-colored flower from her palm and lowered his head to look at it.
The same flower, why did it seem less beautiful in his hand than it had in hers?
While he was looking down, Zhu Xinyue noticed a reddish mark at the outer corner of his right eye. Because his skin was fair, that bit of redness stood out starkly.
"What happened here?" she asked.
Ji Linyu lifted his head and saw her pointing to the corner of her own eye. Remembering what had happened earlier in the break room, his eyelashes trembled slightly.
"Nothing, just got hit a little."
Zhu Xinyue heard the lightness in his tone, but his expression told a different story.
He seemed deeply upset.
"Who would dare hit our big boss? I’ll go settle the score with them," Zhu Xinyue said through gritted teeth, as if she were even angrier than he was.
Ji Linyu followed her lead and asked, "How would you settle the score?"
Zhu Xinyue curled her hand into a fist, coughed lightly against her lips, and turned her back toward the restaurant as if conspiring with him about some grand plan. She lowered her voice. "Bag him and give him a beating."
Ji Linyu laughed.
"Would that work?" he asked.
Zhu Xinyue replied, "Heaven knows, earth knows, you know, and I know. What others don’t know can be treated as if it never happened."
Ji Linyu’s smile widened.
Zhu Xinyue didn’t understand why he was so happy, but seeing him laugh made her grin foolishly along with him.
But Ji Linyu knew, his joy wasn’t because of her far-fetched suggestion, but because she was trying to cheer him up.