Led by the tall man, Mother Jiang and Jiang Yumo went to the parking lot, where someone else carried their luggage and backpacks.
However, upon arriving at the parking lot, Jiang Yumo once again felt the difference between an ordinary family and a wealthy family.
Several cars were parked in a row.
The tall man sought their opinions and asked which car they wanted to ride.
Jiang Yumo : “…”
Why is Zhou Ji so exaggerated like this!
In the end, they chose a relatively low-key car. Although the driver was not a Yanjing local, he had been living there for twenty years and was definitely familiar with the place.
Sitting in the car, Mother Jiang quietly said to Jiang Yumo, “When we return to Ningcheng, you should thank your friends properly. Invite them to our home, and I’ll take charge of cooking and treat them to a meal.”
“Sure.” Jiang Yumo readily agreed, “But I have quite a few friends, there are seven of them!”
Mother Jiang replied, “That’s quite a lot, indeed.”
She smiled and patted her daughter’s hand, “But Mom is happy that you have so many friends. Don’t just invite seven, even if it’s seventeen, let them come!”
“Okay, by then, Mom and Dad will be really busy~”
“Busy but happy. My precious baby has such great social skills. When you come to Yanjing, there a friend who arranged everything for you. It’s much better than being with your Dad and me.” Mother Jiang remembered something and asked softly, “But what’s the background of this friend of yours?”
Just by looking at this arrangement, you can tell he’s not an ordinary person.
Jiang Yumo smirked, “He’s the overbearing CEO you often see in the TV dramas, and he is the future CEO Zhou.”
The future overbearing CEO, Zhou Ji, was checking his phone calendar.
He remembered something very important; their high school senior year was almost over, and they were about to have a break.
He also needed to return to Yanjing for a while, and coincidentally, Jiang Yumo would be there for the school entrance exams. So…
That night, Jiang Yumo received two phone calls.
One was from Duan Ye, and the other was from Ning Zhiyu.
Both calls conveyed the same message—Zhou Ji had been restless all day, boasting about how amazing Yanjing was. It was as if this trip would be the greatest imperfection and regret in their lives if they didn’t go with him. They could already predict that if they didn’t agree, with Zhou Ji’s annoyance and nagging, he would probably keep mentioning this matter forever.
Therefore, they were seeking her opinion.
In the phone call, Jiang Yumo complained to Duan Ye, saying, “I see you guys are trying to shift the blame onto me. If you don’t come, Zhou Ji will think it’s because I don’t want you to come, and then I’ll be the one annoyed by him every day.”
“What about you?” Jiang Yumo gripped her phone tightly. She had answered the call while her mother was in the bathroom taking a shower. Now, hiding under the blanket, she almost whispered as she asked him, “Do you want to come?”
Duan Ye was also lying in bed. He was young and full of energy, so he wasn’t afraid of the cold. Despite the low temperature in Ningcheng at midnight, it didn’t have heating like the northern regions. He didn’t even cover himself with a thick comforter; only a relatively thin one, and he didn’t feel cold. On the contrary, he occasionally felt a bit hot.
“I’m fine with either choice,” Duan Ye replied in a low and calm voice, “It’s up to you.”
Blushing with embarrassment, Jiang Yumo said, “…It’s up to me? Then you should come.”
Duan Ye didn’t hear the last sentence clearly, “What?”
“Forget it if you didn’t hear it.”
They chatted about other topics for a while, but when Jiang Yumo heard the sound of water in the bathroom stop, she hurriedly said to Duan Ye on the other end of the phone, “My Mom is coming out now, I won’t talk to you anymore.” Before hanging up, she quickly added, “If you want to come, just come!”
After saying that, she pressed the hang-up button.
At the other end of the phone, Duan Ye heard the busy tone and smiled.
If he didn’t want to go, he wouldn’t have called her.
In the end, both Duan Ye and Ning Zhiyu decided to go to Yanjing with Zhou Ji. After spending a few days there, they would return together with Jiang Yumo.
After the morning self-study, the seven of them still gathered in the cafeteria.
Zhou Ji was in high spirits as always on joyous occasions, and he generously said to the others, “Anyone else who wants to join can sign up. I’ll take care of all the arrangements for food, accommodation, and travel. My service is much better than any travel agency, a hundred times more considerate!”
They were all seventeen or eighteen-year-old youngsters, naturally interested in going to Yanjing, which they had never been to before. But…
Sun Mengting shook her head. “My parents won’t agree. They found a second year college student to give me extra lessons.”
“Poor child,” Guo Shichao sighed. “The winter vacation in the third year of high school is only half a month, and we still have to take extra classes.”
Yan Qing also said weakly, “I’m not much better than Mengting. I have a lot of relatives on both sides of my parents. To be honest, I’d rather take extra classes than attend these family gatherings. Adults care more about their children and jobs. When I was younger, they would even make me perform shows in front of everyone. Of course, now they want me to prepare congratulatory messages. The Ningcheng you are standing on now is basically made up of the toenails I scratched off over the years.”
Zhao Zheng was amused and burst into hearty laughter. He already had a naturally loud voice, and now, laughing loudly, he attracted the attention of other students in the cafeteria.
“Who told you to be a Young Lady?” Zhao Zheng always teased her like this. “All the Young Ladies on TV are like that.”
“Get lost!”
Zhou Ji looked at Zhao Zheng and Guo Shichao, “They can’t go, what about you guys?”
The more people, the merrier, and the more fun it will be.
Guo Shichao waved his hand, “I can’t go either. My family is relocating the graves this year, so I can’t leave.”
Zhao Zheng also said, “My cousin is getting married during this time, and I have to attend as a groomsman.”
Everyone wanted to go, but even as adults, it was impossible to go wherever they wanted. There were always things at home that couldn’t be put aside.
The day before they left, Jiang Yumo’s school exam happened to be over. With the experience of the provincial entrance exam, she felt unusually relaxed and calm this time, far from the nervousness of the last time. Perhaps because she didn’t think she could pass, she considered it as accompanying her friends and gaining some valuable experience. She didn’t put too much pressure on herself, as long as she performed at her normal level. Sometimes attitude really mattered, and because she was so relaxed, she unexpectedly performed even better than before, which was a pleasant surprise.
After the exam, Mother Jiang took Jiang Yumo to eat barbecue. The atmosphere was just right, and Jiang Yumo took the opportunity to say, “Mom, our school officially started the holidays today. My friend Zhou Ji, he’s the one from Yanjing, he’s also coming back for the New Year, and Ning Zhiyu and Duan Ye will come too… We plan to stay here for a few days before going back together. Do you think it’s okay?”
Mother Jiang picked up a piece of pork belly for her daughter and glanced at her. “Didn’t you already plan all this?”
Jiang Yumo: “…”
“The soundproofing in the restroom is not good.” Mother Jiang paused, “Momo, you’ve worked hard during this period, just go and have fun with your friends. It’s perfect timing, and I also have some old classmates in the neighboring Weicheng.”
Jiang Yumo slightly surprised, said, “You have old classmates in Weicheng??”
Since she was sensible, she had never seen any of her mother’s old classmates, only her mother’s mahjong friends and colleagues.
“What? You can have classmates and friends to chat with, but your Mom can’t?” Mother Jiang beamed, “I also have some old classmates and friends with whom I had great relationships. Back when we were having a blast, you weren’t even born yet.”
Jiang Yumao continued, following her words, “Well, I hadn’t been reincarnated into your belly at that time.”
“This time, when I brought you to Yanjing, I was worried that being unfamiliar with the place might inconvenience you. So, I contacted a few of my old classmates. When they heard that I was in Yanjing, they insisted that I visit Weicheng and have a classmate reunion.” Mother Jiang looked nostalgic, “It’s been over twenty years since we graduated from high school.”
Jiang Yumo nibbled on her chopsticks, watching her Mom’s nostalgic expression, and couldn’t help but wonder how her own group of friends would be after over twenty years.
“While you hang out with your friends and classmates, I’ll also meet my old classmates,” Mother Jiang continued, “I’ll come back in a few days to take you all back. How does that sound? Isn’t your Mom open-minded?”
“Yes, yes!”
“Well, it’s not just being open-minded…” Mother Jiang muttered to herself before looking at her daughter again, “I believe in Xiao Ning, in Student Duan, and of course, I believe in you the most.”
That night, the mother and daughter lay on the same bed, whispering to each other.
Jiang Yumo was genuinely curious about her Mom’s past, “Mom, you mentioned before that you had boyfriends when you were my age… Will he also come this time?”
“…” Mother Jiang chuckled, gently running her fingers through her daughter’s hair. “If he’s going, then I definitely won’t go. However…”
Mother Jiang’s tone suddenly became lively, as if she had returned to her seventeen or eighteen-year-old self. “The most handsome boy in our class at that time was also going. It might be quite lively. I contacted some people, and there might be more than ten of us going to the gathering.”
“Wow!” Jiang Yumo’s eyes lit up, excitedly asking, “The most handsome boy? How handsome was he?”
Mother Jiang mentioned a well-known male celebrity1, who was also Jiang Yumo’s childhood crush.
Jiang Yumo sounded skeptical, “I don’t believe someone could be that handsome. So, Mom, why didn’t you manage to win him over back then?”
“…If I had won him over, then I wouldn’t have you.”
Jiang Yumo pouted, “True.”
Mother Jiang sighed, “Now, I just hope he hasn’t gained weight or gone bald.”
“…” Jiang Yumo hugged her mother tightly. “So, all these years, when you said you wanted to stay in shape, it was all for this day, right?”
“Of course,” Mother Jiang boasted. “I used to be the class flower back then. Many people were chasing me.”
- the classmate was as handsome as the celebrity, not the celebrity himself ↩︎