Afterward, Sheng Tianqi leaned against the headboard, one arm around Ji Mingyue’s shoulders. His fingertips brushed absently over the hollow of her shoulder.
“Mingyue,” he murmured, his voice low and languid with satisfaction. “In a couple of days, they’re going to announce the marriage alliance between Shengshi Group and Ji Group. When will you be willing to come home with me and meet everyone?”
Ji Mingyue nestled against him, her long hair spilling over her shoulders. A hint of grievance and discontent showed on her face.
“Tianqi, it’s not that I don’t want to go back with you and make our relationship known right now.”
She looked up at him, her eyes glistening.
“Who wouldn’t want to stand openly beside the person they love?”
Her voice softened.
“But, Tianqi, my father only has eyes for the pair of siblings my stepmother gave birth to. He’s long since forgotten I exist.
If I go back now, I’m afraid he’ll try to stop us and replace me with Ji Mingyu.”
She glanced up at Sheng Tianqi out of the corner of her eye.
At the mention of “Ji Mingyu,” Sheng Tianqi’s brow furrowed slightly.
A flicker of smugness passed through Ji Mingyue’s heart.
Ji Mingyu, I’ll gladly take the loyal husband you had in your past life.
She lowered her lashes, and the smugness quickly vanished from her eyes, replaced by that same pitiful, helpless look.
“Tianqi, didn’t you say before that you’d announce our engagement on Grandpa Sheng’s birthday? Let’s make it public that day.”
“What we said before was that Shengshi Group and Ji Group would form a marriage alliance—but we never said which Ji daughter it would be.
Everyone just knows Ji Mingyu. They don’t know about me, the real eldest daughter of the Ji family, Ji Mingyue.”
She smiled to herself.
Ji Mingyu, I’m going to make you a laughingstock among Nanzhou City’s elite on the day of the engagement announcement.
Don’t you love taking what’s mine?
You’ve taken my father and my status as the Ji family’s eldest young lady, one by one.
If that’s how it is, I won’t hold back either.
Sheng Tianqi looked down at the thin sheen of tears in her eyes, and tenderness rose in his heart. He bent to kiss her forehead, tightening his arm around her.
“All right. We’ll do it your way.”
His voice was low and sure.
“With me by your side, I won’t let anyone bully you again.”
In her previous life, just because Ji Mingyu was forming a marriage alliance with Shengshi Group, she had been able to persuade their father to interfere in Ji Mingyue’s marriage as he pleased—and he had even begrudged her a dowry.
She had endured endless difficulties in her husband’s family, with no one willing to stand up for her.
Early the next morning, Ji Mingyu stood before the mirror in the dressing room, considering her reflection for a long while before finally choosing a simple, fitted, mid-length satin dress.
Professor Zhou had told her to dress up, but she suspected he was taking her to a cultural exchange or some kind of salon. Anything too flashy would only look cheap.
Satisfied with what she saw in the mirror, she picked up her bag and left.
Her white Porsche pulled out of the Ji family home and headed toward Nanjing University.
As she passed Yuzhenzhai Pastry Shop, she slowed down.
The shop was famous in Nanzhou City. It didn’t offer delivery, so if you wanted its pastries, you had to stand in line.
The last time she’d visited Professor Zhou’s home, she’d happened to hear Grandma Liu—Professor Zhou’s wife—mention in passing how difficult it was to get pastries from Yuzhenzhai these days.
Ji Mingyu had remembered.
This time, she’d arranged for someone to queue in advance and bought a box.
She drove into the Nanjing University staff residential compound, parked, and carried the pastries up to the third floor.
Liu Wenxin was standing at the door. The moment she saw Ji Mingyu, she smiled. “Oh, Mingyu’s here! Come on in, come on in. Your teacher’s been talking about you.”
Ji Mingyu smiled as she stepped inside. “I’m sure he wasn’t saying anything nice about me. Grandma Liu, you’ll have to stick up for me.”
Then she handed over the pastries.
“Grandma Liu, these are from Yuzhenzhai. I happened to hear you mention them last time, so I thought you must like their pastries.”
Liu Wenxin accepted the box, her smile widening.
It wasn’t about saving money. It was that someone had taken the time to remember what she liked. Being thought of always made a person happy.
“Oh, Mingyu, you’re so thoughtful.” She patted Ji Mingyu’s hand. “I only mentioned it in passing, and you remembered.”
Zhou Chongli came out of his study just in time to see them.
He gave a snort.
“You never get any real work done. All you know how to do is this sort of thing.”
He came over and looked Ji Mingyu up and down.
“When are you going to put this energy into your studies? I don’t want one of my students taking an extra year to graduate.”
Ji Mingyu smiled, completely undaunted.
“Teacher, how can you call this neglecting my studies?”
She blinked.
“I’m currying favor with Grandma Liu so she’ll say nice things about me.”
Zhou Chongli was momentarily stumped. He glared at her, but the corners of his mouth still crept upward.
Liu Wenxin laughed and nudged Zhou Chongli.
“Enough, enough. The girl’s being thoughtful, and you’re still picking on her. Hurry up and go; don’t waste time.”
In the car, Zhou Chongli leaned back in the passenger seat and explained the day’s event in an unhurried tone.
“This is a project jointly developed by the Nanzhou City government and the Culture and Tourism Group: the development of the old city in the western district and its historic streets.”
He turned to glance at Ji Mingyu.
“Today is just an introductory meeting. Watch and listen; just don’t speak out of turn. The rest… is up to you.”
“There’ll be plenty of people from the cultural sector, along with quite a few well-established companies. With so many outstanding young people around, we can take our time choosing.”
The little girl didn’t know anything yet. Once she got out and saw more of the world, she’d understand.
The car came to a stop.
Ji Mingyu followed Zhou Chongli out.
As soon as they entered the venue, someone came over to greet them.
“Professor Zhou, you’re here!” A middle-aged man stepped forward with a broad smile. “Please, come right in.”
His gaze fell on Ji Mingyu, taking her in with measured interest.
“And who is this?”
Zhou Chongli turned slightly toward her, a hint of affection in his voice. “This is my doctoral student, Ji Mingyu. I’ve watched her grow up.”
The moment he finished speaking, the expressions of several people nearby changed.
Nanzhou City’s upper circles were neither especially large nor especially small.
Most of those present had heard of Ji Mingyu. She was the young lady of Ji Group, after all.
But she had rarely appeared in public before.
People had privately speculated that she must not be much to look at, and was too embarrassed to show her face, relying on her advanced degree to make up for it.
Now that they were seeing her in person,
quite a few of them were secretly impressed. Her misty-blue satin dress was cleanly tailored, its fitted waist accentuating her slender figure. Standing beside Zhou Chongli, she carried herself with calm, easy confidence.
Some were already wondering whether they had any eligible young relatives in their own families.
Ji Mingyu stayed behind Zhou Chongli, quietly serving as the eye candy. When people greeted her, she paused to exchange a few words with them.
When no one approached her, she didn’t mind.