Fan Cheng had no response to this. He had said all he could. He nodded, "Understood, President."
He exited the office.
Ji Zhi Xiu's eyelashes drooped slightly, his gaze falling on a sensitive plant on his desk. In its pure white, wavy-patterned pot, the plant bloomed vibrantly.
This was sent by the young lady, who said more greenery in the office was good for the eyes.
It was meant to remind him to relax his body during work breaks.
Ji Zhi Xiu picked up his phone from the desk and dialed Jiang Mian.
After only a few rings, a soft, gentle voice came from the other end, "A Xiu."
Ji Zhi Xiu hummed in response, "Are you at home?"
Jiang Mian: "Yes, but I have a work engagement soon, I need to go to Linhai. I was just about to tell you, my flight is this afternoon."
Jiang Mian was packing at home. Recently, with "Suo Xin Chuan" airing, Linhai Television invited their crew for a program recording.
The invitation was sudden, and Jiang Mian had been preparing since receiving the news.
Ji Zhi Xiu propped his forehead with one hand, his tone unconsciously softening, "Message me when you arrive."
Jiang Mian nodded unconsciously, only realizing he couldn't see her after she had nodded.
She hummed a firm "Yes," "I know!"
She bent down and packed some small makeup samples into her suitcase.
"By the way, regarding the collaboration with Ji's, when can I see the finished product?" she asked.
Ji Zhi Xiu's eyes dimmed slightly, his tone unchanged. "Mian Mian."
"Hm? What is it?"
"I've already seen it."
"Then, are you satisfied?" Her voice carried a trace of imperceptible nervousness.
Even her movements slowed.
"I'm satisfied, but I don't like the shoulder-baring shots. I've asked the department to re-edit them."
Jiang Mian knew what Ji Zhi Xiu was referring to. She was silent for two seconds, then responded, "I know. I'm running out of time, I need to pack."
With that, Jiang Mian hung up.
Ji Zhi Xiu looked at the disconnected phone screen, his brow furrowed, feeling inexplicably annoyed.
He tugged at his tie and called again.
Jiang Mian glanced at the caller ID, pursed her lips, and answered, remaining silent.
"Mian Mian."
Jiang Mian's tone was as usual, "Tell me."
"When are you coming back?"
He wanted to have a good talk with the young lady when she returned.
"It shouldn't take too long, two or three days," she mused.
"Okay, then I'll wait for you to come back."
Kyoto to Linhai was not far, only about two hours by plane.
With a slight delay in the flight, it was just dusk when Jiang Mian and Li Zhuyi arrived in Linhai.
The two took a taxi to the pre-booked hotel.
Jiang Mian put down her things and collapsed onto the bed.
Li Zhuyi asked cautiously, "Sister, are you in a bad mood?"
Jiang Mian's movements paused. "Why do you say that?"
"You seem unhappy."
Having spent a lot of time with Jiang Mian, Li Zhuyi had come to understand her a little.
Jiang Mian raised her hand to cover her eyes, unsure how to explain.
"Did you have a disagreement with President Ji?"
"No."
She was simply unhappy.
Her scenes were cut before she had even seen the finished product.
Jiang Mian sat up from the bed and looked at Li Zhuyi seriously. "He cut a scene from the advertisement."
"What scene?"
"The shoulder-baring one."
Li Zhuyi knew which one she meant; she had been there the whole time.
Hearing this, Li Zhuyi pulled up a chair and sat down, facing Jiang Mian. "Sister, President Ji must be jealous. He doesn't like others seeing you like that."
"But this is my profession."
"Forget it," Jiang Mian pouted and muttered softly, "He's my client, after all."
Li Zhuyi was amused. "If you're unhappy, why don't you talk to President Ji about it? Discuss it."
"I won't," she said firmly.
"But you can't just be upset by yourself."
"I'm not upset," Jiang Mian denied. It wasn't anger, but she wasn't happy either.
Seeing Jiang Mian's lack of enthusiasm, Li Zhuyi took out her phone and searched. "Let's go out for a bit, Sister. Linhai cuisine is very famous. I checked, and this hotel I booked is not only close to the TV station, but there are also two university towns nearby with a food street. It looks like there are so many delicious things!"
Jiang Mian never refused good food. The airplane meal had been terrible.
She stood up, "Let's get ready to go."
The climate in Linhai was cool, the opposite of Kyoto's current season.
Jiang Mian changed into a milky white Peter Pan collar dress, layered with a knit vest, and chose a bag to carry.
The two put on their masks, took a taxi, and soon arrived near the university town.
There was not only a food street but also a food court.
The crowd was bustling, full of youthful energy.
Li Zhuyi stayed close to Jiang Mian, looking around. "Sister! They have stinky tofu here!"
Jiang Mian squeezed in with her. "Two portions! One without green onions and cilantro!"
Eating good food made Jiang Mian feel a little better.
Li Zhuyi couldn't help but laugh. "If Sister Ning knew I brought you to eat this junk food, she'd scold me."
Jiang Mian's eyes curved. "It's okay, I eat it often too."
This reminded her of her school days when she and her roommates would go out whenever they had free time.
Not only did she have to eat, but she also had to take pictures so she would have something to post on Weibo.
Because "Suo Xin Chuan" was airing, Jiang Mian had been posting more frequently about her daily life recently.
Her fans exclaimed, "More, more!"
The two wandered for a while, their hands full of food. Jiang Mian naturally wouldn't take off her mask to eat in a place like this.
If it caused fans to gather and block their path, that would be a minor issue; a stampede would be a major problem.
After walking around, they found a restaurant.
The two sat down to rest. Jiang Mian took out her phone and realized that Nightwing had messaged her half an hour ago, asking where she was.
Jiang Mian: [Where else could I be, but in Linhai.]
Nightwing: [I asked for your specific location.]
Jiang Mian: [Linhai University's university town.]
Nightwing: [Wait for me, I'll be right there.]
Jiang Mian frowned. There were so many people here, so many that she had to queue for a long time just to buy snacks.
She had even gotten separated from Li Zhuyi once; it was the kind of place where if you weren't paying attention, a person could disappear.
She had no idea how Nightwing would find her in this unfamiliar sea of people.
She dialed his number, but no one answered.
Jiang Mian waited distractedly in the restaurant.
Then, she suddenly realized that she hadn't informed Ji Zhi Xiu after landing.
And Ji Zhi Xiu hadn't sent her any messages yet.
She stared at the chat window for a long time.
Their conversation window was still from two days ago.
Jiang Mian: [Are you coming home for dinner tonight?]
Xiu: [Yes, wait for me obediently.]
She exited the interface.
She dialed Nightwing again. This time, he answered quickly.
Jiang Mian: "Where are you? I'll come find you, there are so many people here."
"How many is 'so many'?"
"Stop joking. Tell me where you are, and I'll come find you."
Jiang Mian's voice rose slightly, her displeasure evident.
She didn't want to waste time here, especially with so many delicious things to eat.
They would get cold and lose their flavor.
Nightwing chuckled softly, unhurriedly. "Do you believe me if I say I can find you?"
"How will you find me? Do you know how many people are here?" She stood up from her chair, truly angry now.
Annoyed by Nightwing's casual attitude.
She might not even recognize the way back if she tried to retrace her steps, and she had only told him she was in the university town, not which specific restaurant.
How could he possibly find her?
Nightwing slowly exhaled, a smile playing on his lips. His voice was exceptionally clear in the night air, natural and unhurried. "If you want me to, I can appear."
"Alright, I want you to appear now, so appear!"
As soon as the words left her mouth, Jiang Mian realized she was truly blinded by anger at Nightwing.
Her original intention was not to argue, but simply to avoid them missing each other and being unable to find one another.
There was a few seconds of silence on the phone. Jiang Mian said, "No..."
"Turn around," Nightwing interrupted her unfinished words, a smirk on his lips. His smile was wicked and self-satisfied, his eyes shining brilliantly.
The words "Turn around" struck Jiang Mian's ears clearly and forcefully.
She turned her head stiffly, as instructed.
This was a chain fast-food restaurant.
Through the transparent glass window was the bustling food street.
Her eyes immediately landed on Nightwing standing on the steps.
Behind him, people came and went, with couples being the most common sight.
The two would whisper secrets or feed each other intimately.
But Jiang Mian saw and heard none of it.
She only saw Nightwing.
He was wearing a very simple, ordinary black t-shirt with letters on it, which seemed out of place in this weather. He wore a bone necklace.
One hand was behind his back, the other held his phone to his ear.
His expression was a little roguish and charming, with a hint of proud anticipation of praise.
His eyebrows were slightly raised, his eyes shining brighter than the streetlights.
Then Jiang Mian saw him say something into the phone.
This sentence was clearly transmitted to her ears through the phone.
He said, "You're so happy to see me you can't speak? Come out."
Jiang Mian couldn't help but smile.
She hung up the phone and walked out. The two stood facing each other, separated by a step, but their gazes were still level.
She wanted to ask, why are you in Linhai too?
She also wanted to ask, how did you find me?
And also, aren't you cold dressed like that?
But Nightwing didn't give her a chance. He revealed his right hand from behind his back and extended it towards her, his voice eager, "Eat them while they're hot."
Jiang Mian looked down. "Candied chestnuts!"
Nightwing raised his head proudly. "How is it?"
Jiang Mian had seen them earlier too, but the long queue had made her give up.
She took the brown paper bag, her palm feeling a warmth.
Then she looked up and said, "Thank you."
Nightwing hummed in response, calling her, "Mian Mian."
"Mm," she replied with a nod.
"Tell me, do you think we're fated?"
Otherwise, why would he have run into her and Shen Tingyu fighting over hair at the Shen family's place?
If they hadn't met, he wouldn't have paid attention.
If he hadn't paid attention, he wouldn't have liked her.
He said he was coming to Linhai too, and Ye San had called him idle.
But Nightwing knew he wasn't idle; he was very busy.
There were endless tasks and games to play every day.
But why had he come?
Nightwing had thought for a long, long time before realizing it, he wanted to see Jiang Mian...