Rebirth: CEO's Sweetheart Reaches the Life Pinnacle!-Chapter 707 - 624: Who Might This Be?

Li Si wandered casually through the banquet hall and happened to bump into Mr. Leng and Mrs. Leng, exchanging a few pleasantries.

After making half a circle around the venue, she didn’t see any sign of Xu Er or Bai Shasha.

Who knows—maybe they found some secluded spot to enjoy their romance, or perhaps Bai Shasha’s occupational habits kicked in, dragging him off to sniff out some juicy news?

Instead, she ran into a few acquaintances with whom she exchanged some polite small talk.

Li Si strolled over to the dining area of the banquet. She wasn’t the least bit hungry; she was just bored and admiring the beautifully crafted delicacies on display.

Just then, Jin Jiachao approached her with a warm smile and greeted her, "Li Si! I haven’t had the chance to congratulate you in person yet!"

His eyes held a trace of both regret and admiration. How good it would have been if this child were truly his sister’s granddaughter.

To be honest, her father actually looked more like his sister’s son.

But life is full of surprises; in the end, it was all just an empty hope.

Thinking back now, though, it might have been a blessing in disguise.

Perhaps his son and daughter-in-law’s marriage would have faced even more obstacles otherwise.

With Leng Qiankai’s stubborn nature, he’d never have agreed to it.

Li Si replied with a polite smile, "Thank you, Mr. Jin! Is Xiao Ning and Yichen back from the Maldives soon?"

After attending Bai Shasha’s wedding in North City, Leng Ning had gone straight to the Maldives with Jin Yichen.

These past few days, Li Si had been annoyed with Leng Mochen, so she hadn’t really paid much attention to Leng Ning’s movements.

Mrs. Leng had visited her home earlier today and didn’t mention anything about it either, which was why she casually asked Jin Jiachao after seeing him.

"Those kids are having too much fun—they said they wanted to stay a bit longer!" He laughed briefly before changing the subject, "Li Si, how’s Buding doing lately? Has the little guy started walking yet? Ah, I miss that child so much.

Not long ago, I was overseas and brought back a gift for him. I’ll drop it off sometime when it’s convenient!"

When mentioning Buding, Jin Jiachao’s gaze was full of affection. He had seen many children before, but none had captured his fondness quite like Li Si’s son Buding.

However, he held back—before, when he thought they might have a blood relationship, it was fine; but now, being Leng Ning’s father-in-law, he had to show restraint and keep things from appearing overly close.

At the mention of her son, Li Si couldn’t help but laugh, "Mr. Jin, he’s only eight months old—he hasn’t started walking yet! He’s just crawling for now! But you’re being way too polite. Whenever you have time, just come on over!"

Then, smiling and shaking her head, she added, "See how muddleheaded I am—the little guy hasn’t even turned one yet!" 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

With a gentle smile, Li Si continued, "Mr. Jin, honestly, you don’t need to feel so reserved. Although by blood we’re not one family, because of Xiao Ning, we’re practically family now, aren’t we?"

She had already picked up on Jin Jiachao’s thoughts, so she decided to lay it all out clearly.

Actually, she had secretly breathed a sigh of relief when she found out they weren’t related by blood.

Not for any particular reason—simply because of Leng Ning and Buding, she preferred it that way.

Thankfully, it really wasn’t the case!

Still, she could see regret in Jin Jiachao’s eyes.

But she would rather it be this kind of regret than the awkwardness that could come later.

Thus, she didn’t mind letting him indulge his fondness for Buding.

Jin Jiachao’s smile grew wider, accompanied by hearty laughter. He excitedly echoed her sentiment twice, "You, girl, you sure know how to talk! Yes, we’re family! It seems this old man could learn a thing or two from you young folk about being open-minded.

Alright, from now on, I’ll treat Buding like he’s my own grandson."

Previously, he had hesitated, but Li Si’s words suddenly made everything clear to him.

Indeed, through his daughter-in-law Leng Ning, wasn’t he fully qualified to have Buding call him Grandpa?

Perfect!

Li Si smiled and chimed in, "That’s wonderful! Buding is truly lucky to have so many elders who adore and cherish him!"

Their conversation grew increasingly warm as Li Si shared playful anecdotes about Buding, making Jin Jiachao burst into laughter. He could hardly wait until the next day to go and see the little guy.

Just then, a sharp, slightly grating voice interrupted their chat, "Brother Jin, what’s got you two talking so enthusiastically over here?"

Li Si looked up to find two women approaching—one clad in purple evening wear, the other in yellow. The one in the yellow gown was none other than Qi Yayun!

However, the grating voice belonged to the woman in the purple evening wear, whose skin tone was somewhat dull, and who now glared at Li Si with unconcealed hostility.

What kind of look was that? As if Li Si had stolen everything from her!

After scrutinizing her for a moment, Li Si finally recognized her as the woman who had sided with Wang Ruotong’s aunt during the incident where Simeng brazenly tried to wreck her shop—a woman by the name of Qingchi.

No wonder the voice sounded vaguely familiar—she had indeed heard it before.

Li Si responded with a cold glare. This Qingchi woman had long rubbed her the wrong way.

Caught off guard by Li Si’s sharp gaze, Qingchi froze momentarily. However, as she turned her attention back to Jin Jiachao, her expression instantly shifted to one of bashful smiles—a transformation so quick it was almost hard to watch.

Her face, which already carried an air of meanness with its high cheekbones and hollow cheeks, became even more off-putting with that forced smile.

Perhaps it was Li Si’s preconceived notions at play; regardless, she couldn’t help but dislike this woman, to the point of finding everything about her irritating.

Qi Yayun greeted Jin Jiachao with a smile, "Brother-in-law! I never expected to see you here! Qingchi and I were just talking about you earlier!"

She then turned her gaze to Li Si and nodded lightly.

Brother-in-law??

Li Si looked at them indifferently—it seemed that Qi Yayun knew Jin Jiachao? Well, that explained a lot. No wonder she showed up at Leng Ning and Jin Yichen’s engagement party.

"Exactly! Brother Jin! It’s been ages since I’ve run into you! Who is this young lady?"

Qingchi, clearly troubled, eyed Li Si up and down with undisguised jealousy. How could this girl be so stunning? Her skin was flawless too.

From a distance, she’d already seen the two laughing and chatting. Could this be Jin Jiachao’s date? What was their relationship?

On closer inspection, though, she did look vaguely familiar.

Jin Jiachao let out a cold snort. Who did Qingchi think she was?

He didn’t feel the slightest need to explain or introduce anything to her.

With a chilly glance at Qi Yayun, he said, "What are you doing here?"

As for Qingchi, standing beside her, he didn’t so much as spare her a glance.

Qi Yayun glanced at the two women, her eyes flickering slightly as she smiled and said, "I’m here accompanying Qingchi."

This circle wasn’t one she could usually enter on her own, but having a friend like Qingchi backing her was enough.

Behind Qingchi was the He Family; even if they were just a branch family, they far outclassed the average household.

Noticing Qingchi preparing to ask more questions, Qi Yayun quickly whispered to her, "Don’t ask anymore—that’s Jin Yichen’s fiancée’s sister-in-law!"

Qi Yayun had already perceived Jin Jiachao’s obvious disdain and irritation. She wasn’t about to mess things up now after finally bumping into him.