Ye Rui hadn’t been gone long when Ji Mingqian arrived.

He had a gloomy look on his face, seemingly in a bad mood.

"Sigh—"

The sound of a sigh echoed for the nth time.

Ye Jiuliang’s lips twitched as she glanced at him sideways, "Ji Mingqian, enough is enough. If you have something to say, say it, and if you have to fart, just fart."

His constant sighing was getting on her child’s nerves.

Ji Mingqian propped his chin with one hand and grabbed a nut, tossing it into his mouth. He chewed with a crackling sound, "Do you think they have nothing better to do after a full meal? Just idling around, coming up with all sorts of wild ideas."

"Who?" Ye Jiuliang didn’t understand who "they" were in his statement.

Ji Mingqian looked at her, "Fans."

Ye Jiuliang put on a face of eager attention, "How did the fans start having wild ideas?"

"There was a time I disbanded the fan club, and then..."

"Wait, you said you disbanded the fan club?" Ye Jiuliang interrupted him, "Wasn’t it Asheng who disbanded the fan club? How did it become you? Is this something you can do as a group?"

Ji Mingqian sighed again, "It was too much of a hassle, so I let it be disbanded."

"And then?"

"Then they started saying that Jiang Yisheng and I made a pact to dissolve our fan clubs together. They even edited videos of us, and some said we’re irresponsible, that we’ve earned fans’ support and now we’re committing such ungrateful acts. All sorts of messed up comments, just annoying to look at."

Towards the end of his explanation, Ji Mingqian ran his hand through his hair. He took a few sips of tea to calm his frustration.

After setting his tea down, he remarked, "What kind of tea is this? It’s pretty good."

"It’s a pregnancy tea," Ye Jiuliang joked.

"Phew." At hearing this, Ji Mingqian nearly choked on his tea.

"Cough cough."

"Ha ha ha." Ye Jiuliang laughed with squinted eyes, "Are you really that worked up?"

Hearing her laughter, Ji Mingqian realized he had been played by her, "Ye Jiuliang, are you trying to murder me?"

Ye Jiuliang smiled innocently, "I just said something off the cuff. Who knew you would take it seriously."

Ji Mingqian grabbed a tissue to wipe his mouth, quipping, "Only Li Mochan can tolerate you."

Ye Jiuliang grinned and poured him another cup of tea.

"Weren’t you usually indifferent to these kinds of things? What’s got into you now?"

He himself had said that his involvement in film was just a hobby, a way to pass the time, but now, why did it seem like he was starting to care about these issues?

"Who cares, I’m just speechless at those comments, alright?" Ji Mingqian clarified.

"Yeah, right. Could it be that you feel guilty for dragging Asheng down?" Ye Jiuliang teased.

Ji Mingqian gave her an unamused look, scoffing, "Who’s dragging him down? Please, the idea alone is laughable."

Finally not looking listless anymore, Ye Jiuliang pulled a smile, "So then why all the sighing?"

"Can’t I grumble a bit?" 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Ye Jiuliang clicked her tongue, "I thought your complaints would be about women’s issues."

"..." Ji Mingqian’s lips quivered slightly, "Get lost."

Ye Jiuliang asked, "When are you going back?"

"Depends on my mood," Ji Mingqian replied, "When is Li Mochan coming back?"

"He should be back in a couple of days, maybe," she said.

With the Roles Organization toppled, a myriad of issues awaited his attention, so he likely wouldn’t be finished quickly.

"That’s quite fast. The Roles Organization was leveled overnight, and the Dark Hall’s reputation has spread once again," Ji Mingqian commented while peeling nuts, popping them into his mouth one after the other.

With a sly grin, he remarked, "At this rate, what are we to do if our K Organization gets surpassed?"

Ye Jiuliang appeared indifferent, as if he hadn’t noticed the teasing smile on his face.

"Once a woman gets a husband, she forgets her own family." Ji Mingqian kept talking non-stop, "Back then, we snatched a batch of goods off them, and now it feels like we made a losing deal."

Ye Jiuliang gave him a sidelong glance, "Ji Mingqian, is there no amount of food that can shut you up?"

He was always blabbering on and on, a true chatterbox.

"Just eat quickly and leave, you’re too noisy."

She clearly showed her disapproval in her eyes, and Ji Mingqian pursed his lips. She was so unappreciative; she never said ’please’ when she needed his help.

Then suddenly, Ye Jiuliang put down her teacup, with a sly glint flickering in her eyes.

"Aqian, come with me somewhere."

Chewing on nuts, Ji Mingqian lifted his head to meet her smiling lips, suddenly wanting to turn tail and run.

He replied evasively, "Why not get your Li Mochan to accompany you?"

"Fine, you can come with me to find him first, then you can leave," Ye Jiuliang took over the conversation smoothly.

Staying here was too boring, she was practically growing mold.

Ji Mingqian, "..."

He knew there were no good errands waiting for him.

Ye Jiuliang stood up, "It’s settled then. I’ll go say a quick hello, and we’ll leave now."

After saying that, she hurriedly left.

"Hey, I haven’t agreed..." Ji Mingqian, watching her swiftly disappearing figure, could only laugh helplessly.

He shouldn’t have come here today; no sooner had he finished one chore than he was roped into playing bodyguard.

With Elder Li not at home, Ye Jiuliang simply notified Tie Shan, asking him to pass on the message, and then she and Ji Mingqian headed out.

To avoid trouble, both of them went to the VI club to catch a flight out with the organization’s plane.

...

M Country

His hand was almost healed, and Jiang Yisheng was bored at home. Feng Yi happened to have a business trip to S state, so he asked him to join for a few days of fun.

It was a last-minute decision, and as soon as he came back from outside, he went to his room to pack.

"Asheng, try the new pastries I’ve made." Veya walked in with a plate, surprised to see him packing.

"Are you going out?"

Jiang Yisheng nodded, folding his clothes and putting them into his suitcase, "Yeah, Yi has invited me to hang out for a few days."

"Where to?"

"S state."

Veya nodded, her gaze inadvertently sweeping over the necklace on his neck, "This necklace looks nice, when did you buy it? I don’t think I’ve seen it before."

Jiang Yisheng looked down at the necklace around his neck, a resigned look flashed through his eyes.

He vaguely replied, "Just a gift from a friend."

Ji Mingqian had come up with some absurd logic, claiming that since he wore the watch Feng Yi gave him, he had to wear the necklace he gave him too, or else it meant he didn’t consider him a friend.

In the end, he had forcefully made him wear the necklace before sending him home that day.

Veya’s eyes lit up with curiosity, "A girl?"

Jiang Yisheng coughed slightly, "Just a friend’s gift, Mom, don’t overthink it."

Veya pressed further, "Is it from a girl?"

"Umm..."

Jiang Yisheng managed to say, "Mom, it’s just a necklace. Friends give them to each other all the time. Don’t read too much into it."

Veya put down the plate, and with the knowing look of someone who’s been around, she said, "It’s not the same. Giving a necklace has a significance, you know. It sounds like ’being in love.’ If a girl gave you this, she might be interested in you. Don’t be clueless and miss the girl’s feelings for you."