The conversation ended, and Ji Mingqian turned and left.

The black shoes moved out of his line of sight, and Jiang Yisheng slowly lifted his head, as the tall figure of the man disappeared at the end of the alley.

In an instant, a suffocating loneliness came crashing down, tightly clutching his heart.

His view blurred with mist, Jiang Yisheng managed to pull a smile, though it looked uglier than crying.

...

H Province

As the evening lights rose, the bustling streets were filled with the scent of life.

Hongxuan Hotel, bustling with people, was packed to capacity.

The meal that was supposed to be held at noon was postponed until the evening because Ye Jiuliang woke up late. Although Mo Yu was slightly displeased by this, she didn’t say much out of respect for Mo Yuan.

As the hosts, the three members of the Mo Yuan family had naturally arrived early.

In the private room, Mo Yu glanced at Mo Yuan, feeling a bit uneasy.

Worried that Mo Yuan would notice something when meeting Ye Jiuliang, yet on the other hand, she wanted Mo Yuan to see Ye Jiuliang to confirm that Mo Yuan didn’t recognize him, which would set her mind at ease.

Her contradictory feelings made her anxious, to the point that she didn’t even realize the tea was overflowing from her cup.

"Mom." Mo Su returned from answering a phone call and, noticing Mo Yu pouring tea absentmindedly, gently reminded her.

"The tea is spilling over."

Mo Yu came to her senses, clumsily putting down the teapot and grabbing a napkin to wipe the table.

After handing over the signed documents to Hong Li, Mo Yuan noticed the commotion beside him and turned his head to look at Mo Yu.

His gaze fell on the spilled tea on the table, and he frowned slightly, "What happened?"

"It’s nothing, I just spaced out for a second and accidentally spilled the tea," Mo Yu said as she threw the napkin into the trash bin and explained in a gentle voice.

Mo Yuan withdrew his gaze, his expression indifferent.

After cleaning up the mess on the table, Mo Yu sat back down and glanced at her wristwatch, frowning slightly, "We have been waiting for almost ten minutes now. Li Mochan is really too arrogant, making us wait so long without showing up."

Seeing Mo Yuan frown, Mo Su quickly tried to smooth things over, "Mom, maybe they got stuck in traffic. It wouldn’t hurt for us to wait a little longer."

Out of consideration for Mo Yuan being present, Mo Yu couldn’t keep complaining. She picked up the teacup, took a sip to suppress her inner frustration.

Not long after, the door to the private room was pushed open, and the waiter led the way.

"Mr. Li, Mrs. Li, this way, please."

Mo Su looked up at the doorway, where two figures walked in hand in hand, both dressed in matching casual wear.

She hid the dark light in her eyes and curled her lips into a warm smile.

"President Li, you’ve arrived, please take a seat."

Ye Jiuliang’s gaze was indifferent as he glanced at her, then turned to look at Mo Yuan, the corners of his lips lifting into a faint smile.

"President Mo looks well, it seems your injury has healed nicely," he said.

Meeting her smiling eyes, the corners of Mo Yuan’s lips spread into a smile, "Thanks to your kind words."

It was a shallow smile, but it was warm, a smile that Mo Yu had never seen before, deepening the worry in her heart.

As Li Mochan and Ye Jiuliang took their seats, the atmosphere at the dining table suddenly turned delicate.

"I heard that Mo Chen has been staying at President Li’s house for some time now, and I’m grateful for your care," Mo Yu started the conversation.

"Mo Chen can be a bit naughty. If he has upset President Li in any way, I hope President Li will be forgiving."

Li Mochan spoke with a mild tone, "He calls my wife ’Sister,’ so taking care of him is just a trifle."

Sister?

Mo Yuan suddenly remembered the "Sister Ajiu" Mo Chen had mentioned, could it be Ye Jiuliang?

A rare curiosity flickered in his eyes as he subtly observed Ye Jiuliang.

For some reason, he always felt that the way this girl spoke was very similar to someone, but he just couldn’t quite recall who.

"President Li, we’re really sorry about the car accident incident. When you’re free, please come visit our home. There are many nice spots in Country F, and Mo Su and Mo Chen can be your guides," Mo Yu changed the subject, not wanting Mo Yuan to pay too much attention to Ye Jiuliang.

Clearly, Ye Jiuliang was also here, yet she specifically invited only Li Mochan, even suggesting Mo Su as a guide for him, the intention behind this was obvious to everyone.

Ye Jiuliang tapped her fingertips lightly on the table, her rosy lips curving up in amusement. It seemed that Mo Yu’s hostility toward her was more than a little.

She asked nonchalantly, "Mrs. Mo, there’s something I’ve always been curious about. The first time I met Mo Chen, he acted like he knew me and called me ’Sister’ right from the start. I was quite puzzled at first, but later when I met Miss Mo, I realized that Mo Chen himself has a sister, which made me even more confused. Despite having a sister, why would he acknowledge another ’Sister’? Could it be that I resemble someone from your family?"

Upon hearing this, Mo Yu’s expression changed slightly, and she struggled to maintain her fake smile.

Inside, she cursed Ye Jiuliang hundreds of times, but outwardly she said calmly, "Mo Chen is always enthusiastic and calls every young woman he meets ’Sister.’ Maybe you’re just easy-going, so he was especially warm to you."

"That makes sense. Quite a few people have told me I’m easy-going." Ye Jiuliang curved her lips, accepting the compliment unabashedly, not caring whether it was genuine or not—after all, she wasn’t the one feeling sickened.

Li Mochan laughed softly, his eyes filled with tenderness as he looked at her.

Mo Yuan chuckled softly, "Miss Ye is indeed witty."

Ye Jiuliang raised her eyebrows, "Pretty average."

From the corner of her eye, Mo Yu glimpsed Mo Yuan’s heartfelt gentle smile, which deeply wounded her heart.

Almost twenty years, and she had never seen such a smile on his face. Not even Mo Su or Mo Chen had ever received a smile from him, but in front of Ye Jiuliang, he was generous with his smiles.

Swallowing her displeasure, Mo Yu changed tactics, "I heard that Miss Ye also studies at Beisen. How do you have time to travel around?"

"I can’t help it, I’m a restless person and like to run around." Ye Jiuliang glanced at her, silently scoffing at her persistence.

She had no mood to play along, yet Mo Yu was stubborn about making her presence felt, reminding Ye Jiuliang of how much she resembled Mo Su.

"President Li’s business is vast, doesn’t Miss Ye plan to help him more in his career after graduation?" Mo Yu continued.

"Of course, I’ll help." Ye Jiuliang smiled meaningfully, "I’ve been helping all along, haven’t I?"

Mo Yu was taken aback, "Hm?"

Ye Jiuliang grinned mischievously, "My family’s Li Mochan says we have too much money, so I’ve been working hard to spend it, which gives him the motivation to earn more."

Mo Yu’s expression stiffened, "..."

That brat, she’s making a fool of me, isn’t she.

"All the dishes are served now, let’s talk while we eat," Mo Su tried to smooth things over, getting up to pour a glass of water for Mo Yu.

Out of everyone’s sight, the two exchanged a look.

Looking at the juice in Ye Jiuliang’s cup, Mo Su asked with a faint smile, "Miss Ye, don’t you want to drink some wine?"

Ye Jiuliang lifted her glass and took a small sip, "My man doesn’t allow it."