Ji Shulang sighed as he spoke. "Actually, it was an opportunity for him. If Wen Cheng had lived long enough to make a will, who knows how much Wen Shaoyu would have gotten?"
"So in the second half of his freshman year, he fought tooth and nail to transfer to information engineering. Starting sophomore year, he took two years' worth of专业课 in one year. Later, his dad took his stepmother abroad for rehabilitation. Before leaving, he made a deal to place Wen Shaoyu in the company, with his former assistant mentoring him. For the rest of college, Wen Shaoyu shuttled between school and the company."
"Wen Cheng knew it himself—anyone smart in the company wouldn't stay put. Once he left and Wen Shaoyu wasn't up to the task yet, some shareholders naturally took the chance to sell their shares and leave, taking a bunch of technical骨干 with them to start their own companies. Wen Shaoyu was young and new to the workplace. He had to handle both operational pressure and technical research. He often went entire nights without sleep. A guy over 1.8 meters tall got so thin that his suits didn't fit him anymore. Back then, he probably weighed less than Lizi."
Ji Shuhe bit her lip. So one bad thing had followed another. The kite carrying her wishes for him hadn't flown far—it had barely taken off before rain soaked and broke its wings.
Sure enough, the expectations of youth always fell short. Wishes never came true. All beautiful dreams remained just dreams. Their lives hadn't gotten better.
Neither his nor hers.
Ji Shuhe felt an indescribable ache, a dull, persistent pain. It was probably pity—the same pity she had felt for the young Wen Shaoyu whenever his father punished him.
Though the time and circumstances were different, Wen Shaoyu was still the one abandoned by family. The transfer of shares was conditional. His father used and threatened him.
No wonder. No wonder she found Wen Shaoyu so cold and unfamiliar. No wonder he was so different from the boy who had worn his emotions on his sleeve.
Because in the years she hadn't been part of his life, Wen Shaoyu had been forced to turn into stone. Nothing could move him anymore.
Ji Shuhe licked her dry lips, feeling a slight sting.
She stared at the bare-branched sycamore trees outside the window, thinking that winter in Xinhai seemed particularly dry this year. Even without a spark, the parched, withered wood might spontaneously combust.
Seeing Ji Shuhe fall silent, Ji Shulang glanced at her serious expression and quickly changed the subject. "But it's okay. We made it through."
"I'm not telling you this for any other reason. His life these years has been hard, but at least he had me to talk to. You were alone abroad, and with your mom... Well, anyway, it couldn't have been easy for you either. I know that, and Wen Shaoyu knows it too. He's just, just..."
Ji Shulang wanted to defend Wen Shaoyu, but after much thought, he couldn't come up with a reason. He slumped his shoulders in resignation. "Just think of him as sick. Who knows what's going on in his head."
Ji Shuhe smiled ruefully. Her brother was still her brother—exactly the same as before.
"I know," she said softly.
After Stella's点拨, she understood what Wen Shaoyu was upset about. He was upset about her breaking her promise, about her sudden disappearance without a word. Maybe every sleepless, painful night, whenever he remembered her promise, he resented her a little more.
"I've never quite figured out the history between you two, so I don't plan to interfere now. But your brother knows that too much time has passed. People's thoughts and feelings always change."
Ji Shulang had been awakened by Wen Shaoyu's words. Ji Shuhe would always be his sister—that was a bond of blood. But Wen Shaoyu? If years later, Ji Shuhe had fallen for someone else, then no matter how much Wen Shaoyu couldn't let go, he could only retreat to being a friend, or a former neighbor.
"But I still hope you two can have a proper talk. When the chance comes, I'll definitely 'tie up' that tsundere Wen Shaoyu and bring him out. The three of us lived together for two years. Our childhood bond was real. At least we can be friends, right?"
"Don't worry. Brother is definitely on your side. If it doesn't work out, tell Wen Shaoyu to get lost. You were the one who had it hardest back then. What's he putting on airs for?" Ji Shulang patted his neatly dressed chest, his words hearty and straightforward, full of protection for Ji Shuhe.
This was the kind of protection Xia Chun had never given her. Only back in Xinhai, back by the side of her recognized family, could her feelings and situation be noticed and understood.
Ji Shuhe nodded. The brighter personality she had painstakingly developed over those two years had regressed due to the wear and tear of recent years. She smiled, gentle and warm, but with a hint of worry in her brows. "I'll be staying in Xinhai for a while. There'll be a chance."
Ji Shulang frowned at this. There was much he could ask, but he held back.
Forget it. Xiao Shu had just come back. No need to rush.
Ji Shuhe had always been particular about etiquette. She couldn't visit her elders empty-handed. She and Ji Shulang spent a long time shopping at the mall, buying gifts for everyone before heading to the restaurant on the fifth floor.
Ji Xiangjiang now lived in Xinhai permanently, with a new family and new loved ones. But they were all middle-aged now, and cooking for a group of eight or nine was no easy task, so they had opted to eat out for convenience.
That day of the reunion, Wen Shaoyu hadn't said a word. He had only left her Ji Shulang's address. After getting in touch, he had been busy with work and hadn't even gone to see Grandma and Uncle.
Ji Shuhe walked beside Ji Shulang. The warm yellow lights of the restaurant's vintage décor flickered across her brows and eyes, and her heart began to flutter nervously.
She could imagine how ugly the scene Xia Chun had caused back then must have been, even without Ji Shulang's retelling. Of course, she worried whether Grandma and Uncle still resented the past, and whether, after so many years apart, they could still interact as they once had.
The hostess led them to the private room door. Ji Shuhe took a deep breath before stepping inside.
The round table took up most of the modest room. At the head sat Grandma Ji. She had visibly aged and lost weight over the eight years. She was turned sideways, talking to Chu Yue beside her. When she sensed someone enter, she immediately looked up. The moment she saw Ji Shuhe, her eyes reddened.
"Is it our Xiao Shu?"
"Grandma!" Ji Shuhe rushed forward and hugged the elderly woman, who was trembling as she stood up. "It's me. I'm back."
Grandma Ji bent over, pulling Ji Shuhe into her thin arms. She pulled back to look her over carefully, then hugged her again. "You've grown up, grown up. Our Xiao Shu has become so beautiful."
"Grandma... I wanted so badly to come back, to see you all. But in the UK, I couldn't contact you at all..." Ji Shuhe couldn't hold back anymore. As she leaned on Grandma Ji's shoulder, her words turned into sobs.
Grandma Ji patted her back tenderly. "Grandma knows. We all know."
The elderly woman's cashmere sweater carried a familiar, musty smell of camphor wood chests and mothballs, so familiar that it made Ji Shuhe cry even harder.
Ji Shuhe wasn't one to cry easily.
But when she first arrived in the UK, she had cried often. A completely unfamiliar environment, a life filled with English that even the locals sometimes couldn't understand, and being unaccustomed to carrying cards or cash so she'd have to go back for them when she couldn't pay. Occasionally, she'd get lost on similar-looking street corners.
Later, she got used to it. She grew up. She learned that no one would show her mercy just because she was weak. After venting her emotions, she still had to carry on, so she forced herself to swallow those negative feelings.
But now, in Grandma's arms, with Chu Yue gently patting her shoulder, she couldn't stop the tears.
Grandma Ji wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "It's okay. What matters is that you're back now. You're back. I can finally see you with my own eyes and rest easy. When I see your grandfather, I can tell him too."
"Mom, let's not talk about that on a happy day." Chu Yue pulled a tissue from the table and wiped Ji Shuhe's tears. "Xiao Shu is back. Our family is reunited. This is a wonderful thing. Let's stop crying."
Ji Shuhe took the tissue, embarrassed, and wiped her face. Chu Yue led her to sit beside Grandma Ji, asking her in detail about everything from her studies to her work.
After listening, Chu Yue sighed softly. "What a coincidence. It was because you ran into Xiao Yu."
She then turned to Ji Shulang. "Ji Shulang, why didn't you bring Xiao Yu along?"
Ji Shulang had been studying the menu. Hearing this, he immediately sat up straight. "I invited him. But our President Wen is a busy man. Too busy to even eat. He asked me to send his regards to the elders and said he'll come another time for sure."
Ji Chenghai, sitting to Ji Shulang's right, kicked him. "Xiao Yu knows his manners. Not like you. You're two months older than him, but you have no sense of propriety."
"Don't compare me to him. I'm quite successful in my career too, you know." Seeing the topic revolve around Wen Shaoyu, Ji Shulang worried Ji Shuhe might feel awkward. He pretended to look outside the private room. "Speaking of which, why isn't Uncle here yet? Dad, did you tell him Xiao Shu is back? If he's late, he's covering the bill today!"
Ji Chenghai retorted, "Of course I told him! It's such great news!"
"You, child." Chu Yue interrupted, frowning in disapproval. "We're all finally gathered together. What's wrong with you treating for once..."
Before she could finish her scolding, the private room door opened again.
The hostess appeared first, bending slightly to usher the guest inside. Ji Shuhe's heart tightened. Before she could prepare, Ji Xiangjiang entered the room. Behind him, besides an unfamiliar middle-aged woman, was a young girl of about ten.
Ji Xiangjiang had remarried. He had a new wife and accepted a new child.
Ji Shuhe knew all this.
She stood up woodenly, her eyes fixed on the family of three. Out of politeness, she felt she should go over and greet them.
But Ji Xiangjiang's eyes met hers first. A long-lost father, a long-lost gaze. Indescribable emotions flooded her mind. Her mind went blank. She couldn't say a word.
Ji Xiangjiang opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, a cheerful, light young girl's voice rang out first.
"Dad! Is this the sister from your side?"
Author's Note: [Let me see] A VIP seat at the main table.