Mommy, don't be afraid, I'll bring you blind boxes and scam you out of a wealthy family to

Boss Shen almost jogged over, his face beaming with smiles, his back bent slightly.

He held the wine glass with both hands, his tone enthusiastic and ingratiating: "Speaker Ji, what a coincidence, you're here too!"

Ji Zhenglin, dressed in a Tang suit, with handsome features, nodded slightly: "President Shen."

This address immediately put Boss Shen at ease.

Sure enough, the Ji family still remembered that favor from back then.

Speaker Ji has a beloved nephew, as everyone knows; however, few people know his name, what he looks like, or where he goes to school.

Boss Shen happened to be one of the few who knew the truth about this child.

Shortly after Young Master Ji's incident, some media outlets somehow obtained the information and prepared to make a big fuss about it.

He received advance warning and secretly used his connections to suppress the news.

At that time, he didn't mention anything or ask for anything.

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All for today.

Mr. Shen smiled sincerely: "I've been wanting to visit you for a while, but I was afraid of bothering you. Have you been busy with work lately?"

"fine."

"How is Xiaohui feeling?"

"I'm feeling much better."

Ji Zhenglin's answer was brief, but he did not show any impatience.

The fact that such a person would reserve time for casual conversation proves that the Shen family's "helping hand" back then was no ordinary act of kindness.

After being reassured, Boss Shen exchanged a few perfunctory pleasantries and then casually steered the conversation back to himself.

"The company has run into some trouble lately... Business is full of ups and downs, that's normal. It's just that sometimes, small misunderstandings are blown out of proportion by those with ulterior motives..."

He sighed with deep regret: "In the end, it's because our small businesses sometimes can't withstand a single word from someone else."

Although his words seemed restrained, they all pointed to the same person.

Ji Zhenglin neither responded nor interrupted, as if the information gathered at the moment was insufficient to make a judgment.

Seeing this, Boss Shen added with a wry smile, "Actually, it's partly my fault. It was just a little squabble between kids, nothing serious. I never expected it to escalate like this..."

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of a familiar figure.

Not far away, Duan Hetong was holding Wen Li and introducing her to people.

A hint of resentment flashed in Mr. Shen's eyes, but his face grew increasingly helpless: "You see, it's that child who's been ostracizing my daughter at kindergarten. Normally, a little conflict between kids isn't a big deal, but it's escalated too much, and our Shen family..."

Before he could finish speaking, Duan Hetong seemed to have seen them as well.

When Boss Shen saw Duan Hetong's line of sight, he instinctively shuddered, like a mouse seeing a cat.

Duan Hetong said something to the child in his arms.

Milk Dumpling looked over as well, her eyes lighting up immediately.

Duan Hetong bent down and put her down. She lifted the hem of her horse-face skirt and hurriedly ran this way.

"Uncle Ji—"

The clear, bright voice of a child penetrates the messy social barriers of adults.

Ji Zhenglin, who had been indifferent, suddenly smiled gently.

He leaned down slightly and opened his arms in advance until the little guy buried his head in his arms.

"Long time no see, little girl."

Wen Li wrapped her arms around his neck familiarly and called out again in her childish voice, "Uncle Ji!"

The two, one big and one small, oblivious to everyone else, whispered intimately to each other.

Finally, Ji Zhenglin patted her little head and said, "Okay, okay, Uncle will come to see you more often, alright?"

Milk Dumpling nodded in satisfaction.

From beginning to end, no one ever glanced at Boss Shen.

It was as if his complaints were nothing more than a trivial breeze that would blow away and disappear.

Mr. Shen stood there, stunned, with only one thought in his mind:

them……

know?

No, it's more than just knowing each other.

Such natural affection, such undisguised doting, clearly went far beyond ordinary acquaintances, as if they were family.

Just now, in front of Ji Zhenglin, I indirectly complained about the Duan family.

They filed a complaint against Wen Li.

...Oh God.

What have I done?!

If a hammer fell from the sky right now, he would really like to nail himself into the ground immediately.

"Zheng Lin."

Duan Hetong also came over and nodded to Ji Zhenglin.

"You're here." Ji Zhenglin hugged Wen Li. "I just heard from Elder Wu that you were here, and I was wondering where you were."

"Did you come alone?"

"Yes. Unlike you, you always have your whole family with you wherever you go, it's truly enviable."

The two chatted casually about the birthday banquet and their recent lives, their tone ordinary, like old friends meeting.

Wen Li didn't even ask her father to hold her. She stayed comfortably in Uncle Ji's arms, looking at this and that, occasionally interjecting with a childlike remark that made Duan Hetong and Ji Zhenglin laugh.

The two men at the pinnacle of power in Tan City, two figures shrouded in legend and adorned with accolades.

At this moment, they are nothing more than adults who dote on their children.

From beginning to end, the Duan father and daughter never once looked at Boss Shen.

It was as if he never existed to them.

……

Mr. Shen didn't know how he walked away.

When I came to my senses, I was already in the corner.

Mrs. Shen handed the champagne glass to the waiter and hurried over, her eyes full of anticipation: "How was it? Did you run into anyone? I think I just saw Speaker Ji!"

Boss Shen opened his mouth.

His throat felt like it was glued shut, and he couldn't utter a single word.

He glanced back at the lawn.

Laughter, clinking glasses, elegant attire, and swirling conversation filled the air. The most elite figures in the entire city of Tan were all gathered here.

An invitation to a birthday banquet is itself a ticket to high society.

Even though no one was driving him away, Boss Shen suddenly realized that he no longer had the right to go back in.

He closed his eyes, and only one thought remained in his mind.

The Shen family.

It's completely over.

-

The Wu residence is also built in the pure Chinese style that Mr. Wu prefers, with pavilions and towers hidden among the green trees, winding corridors connecting the buildings, and festive red lanterns hanging under the eaves.

Wu Shuo was lost in thought. Too many people had come to his house today, and the noise and bustle made him feel a little suffocated.

Looking at the corridor, he suddenly thought, wouldn't it look nice if some windmills were placed here?

At the same time, Qin Zhiyuan, holding Wen Li's hand, also came over: "Those grandmas and grandpas have been wanting to meet our Lili for a long time. Lili, why don't you go and meet them?"

"Okay~~" the little dumpling replied obediently.

Just a second before the two were about to meet, Wu Qiming's voice came from the end of the corridor:

"My grandson doesn't like to play with others. He prefers to read books and build models by himself..."

Wu Qiming spoke slowly and deliberately, with a hint of pride in publicly praising his own child.

"Hey, there it is—Xiao Shuo! Come here!"

The boy heard his grandfather calling and obediently went over.

On the other side, the little dumpling suddenly stopped and looked up at her: "Grandma, what kind of flower is this?"

At the end of the long corridor, near the moon gate, clusters of flowers are in full bloom.

Blue, purple, and pink, they huddled together like soft, fluffy clouds.

Qin Zhiyuan leaned closer and patiently explained to her.

The children brushed past each other from either side of the moon gate.

No one knows who is on the other side of the full moon.

The wind blows through the long corridor, past the blooming flowers.

It also scattered the two small figures that were gradually moving away.

We were still a little short of meeting for the first time.