novelLet's Go To Li City Together
| ← Ch.261 | Ch.263 → |
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"I'm coming back tomorrow night. There's an officiating ceremony tomorrow morning to mark the start of the project. I'll show up for a while at the dinner party at night and leave after that." Having had enough of Li City's scenery, Qi Chengzhi went to the sofa and sat down. His thumb began caressing the joints of his middle finger.
He had taken many drags of cigarettes on the day he wanted to confess to Song Yu. Since then, he had stopped smoking.
"Uhm, don't rush. If you can't make it in time, you can come home the next day." Song Yu was worried that he would be exhausted.
"Don't you miss me?" Qi Chengzhi arched his eyebrow and leaned back. Song Yu's voice was extremely soothing to him.
"Of course I miss you. I'm just worried that you'll be exhausted." Song Yu glanced at Xiao Fan who was driving the car. She lowered the volume of her voice shyly and leaned against the corner of the passenger seat. With her head tilted toward the side, she covered her mouth and the cellphone with her hand and said, "I wish you didn't have to go outstation, even if you did, I hope that you can leave and return on the same day itself."
Qi Chengzhi chuckled and his gaze turned extremely gentle."I'll bring you along for the next one then."
"You're working. If I followed you around, others would joke about it." Song Yu glanced randomly and saw Xiao Fan secretly laughing. Her face turned red immediately and lowered her voice even more out of embarrassment.
"What's wrong about that? You can stay in the hotel while I work. You won't feel tired. Since you're not working now, you have plenty of free time." the more Qi Chengzhi thought about it, the more he thought that this was feasible. He could not wait for Song Yu to be here.
Song Yu was almost persuaded. It certainly would not be tiring to go out with Qi Chengzhi since she would have transport wherever she wanted to go. Qi Chengzhi would definitely not allow her to be tired.
If she stayed in the hotel or walked around the premises while he worked, he would not need to rush home every time then.
"If it's convenient, I'll follow you the next trip." Song Yu's voice was very thin and gentle. Listening to her voice was like music to Qi Chengzhi's ears.
Qi Chengzhi was overjoyed, how he wished that Song Yu could come over right away.
Up until Cheng Dongge came over and notified Qi Chengzhi that it was time to go to their subsidiary company in Li City for a meeting only did he hang up the phone call.
After Qi Chengzhi left the room, he suddenly asked out of the blue while walking, "Do you miss Chengyue?"
"Huh?" Cheng Dongge was stunned.
...
...
Song Yu returned to Zhijing Garden. She felt tired and went back to her bedroom to rest.
She dozed on and off for about an hour before she was woken up by Aunt Yang knocking on her door.
Song Yu called out groggily, "Come in."
She squinted her eyes to open a small slit. She was still half asleep, not wanting to wake up.
"Lady Qi is here." Aunt Yang gently nudged Song Yu.
Song Yu opened her eyes—they were still droopy and lethargic. She stretched lazily before sitting up straight to look at the time; it was 2. 50 p. m.
"Shouldn't she be at work at this time?" Song Yu mumbled. She rubbed her face until she felt more awake before getting out of bed.
Both of them went downstairs. Qi Chengyue was sitting in the living room, wearing a shirt with the prints of porcelain. Her sleeves were folded until her elbows and secured with a button. She wore white pencil pants matched with a pair of ballet shoes, dressing very casually.
"Chengyue?" Song Yu's mind was a bit clearer now. She walked over and asked, "Why are you here at this hour? Did anything happen?"
Song Yu thought of Qi Chengzhi right away. Could he be in trouble?
She was just on the phone with him moments ago.
Song Yu's expression altered slightly as she stared at Qi Chengyue worriedly.
Qi Chengyue giggled."Don't worry. Big brother told me to pick you up. Go and pack your stuff. We're going to Li City together."
"To Li City? Why so sudden?" Song Yu was overwhelmed by her request."I'm not ready yet."
Qi Chengyue squinted her eyes and said, "Big brother misses you, eh?"
Song Yu felt a little awkward. Qi Chengyue continued saying, "You don't need to prepare much. Just bring along some of your usual belongings. Oh right, do you happen to have a cocktail dress? We might need to attend the banquet tomorrow night."
"Yes." Her cell phone rang just when Song Yu answered. Aunt Yang passed her the cell phone, it was from Qi Chengzhi.
"Has Chengyue arrived?" Qi Chengyue estimated the time for her to arrive and paused the meeting just to walk out and ask.
"Uhm, she just reached. Why did you want us to go to Li City so suddenly?" Song Yu asked.
"Dongge missed Chengyue and wanted her to go over. It's just right for both of you to come over together, " Qi Chengzhi said it outright.
Song Yu felt that Qi Chengzhi was using Cheng Dongge as an excuse, but she heard him continue, "Didn't you agree for me to bring you along for outstation trips?"
"Can't you just say the truth? Alright, I'm coming with Chengyue, " Song Yu said laughingly and hung up before going to her bedroom to pack.
Aunt Yang and Qi Chengyue helped her to pack. Song Yu went to the dressing room to pick a dress that was brand new— the tag still attached to it. Her baby bump was already quite prominent, she planned to conceal it with this dress.
Both of them left the house. Qi Chenglin's driver, Jiang Yuan was waiting at the entrance. He immediately rushed over to carry Song Yu's luggage.
...
...
When Song Yu and Qi Chengyue arrived at Li City, it was already seven o'clock in the evening. Song Yu did not eat the food onboard even though it was provided by the airline. Back in the day, Song Yu would not be so picky, but since she was pregnant, she had to be more careful for the sake of her baby.
Aunt Yang prepared sandwiches and fruits for both of them so they could munch on it while onboard. Song Yu had no feelings of hunger even after she alighted the plane.
Chang Lai came to pick them up. Song Yu felt relieved since it was someone she knew.
"Madam, Lady Qi, " Chang Lai greeted. He placed both of their luggage into the booth."Director and Special Assistant Cheng are still in the middle of a meeting. I'll bring the both of you back to the hotel first. They should be finished by the time we reach."
Li City was not too big. Qi Chengyue had been here before but Song Yu did not. She looked out the window and took in the scenery throughout the journey, finding all of this rather refreshing.
When Qi Chengyue came to meet Cheng Dongge's parents in the previous trip, he had introduced many places to her. When they passed by places, Qi Chengyue also told Song Yu about them.
Song Yu glanced at Qi Chengyue and grinned before saying, "You're considered half a citizen of Li CIty already, visiting your in-laws and all that."
Qi Chengyue blushed and complained, "You're becoming naughtier ever since you got together with my big brother."
"Aiyah, I'm not a very decent person to begin with. Didn't I kick you on purpose that time in Dynasty?" Song Yu rested her chin on her palm with her elbows pressed against the window sill. Looking back now from when she was Qi Chengyue's rival, she thought that the situation was rather interesting. Never in her lifetime would she imagine the both of them to have such a civil relationship and were able to interact so peacefully.
Qi Chengyue replied embarrassedly, "Don't bring up the past, I'm so ashamed of what I've done."
"I think that it's interesting to reminisce the past since we are on such good terms now." Song Yu laughed. When she saw Qi Chengyue drowning in embarrassment, she chuckled and said, "Okay, I'll stop mentioning it."
Qi Chengyue smiled and put an end to the topic.
Thinking about the past made her think of Jian Yi. He was the biggest flaw in her life. She could not bear to think of the past whenever she recalled how crazy she acted all for the sake of a man.
...
...
Qi Chengzhi and Cheng Dongge had passed their room card to Chang Lai and told him to bring them to their rooms when they arrived.
Song Yu and Qi Chengyue were walking toward the elevator when Song Yu heard a familiar mellow, elegant voice.
She turned around and saw Qi Chengzhi entering the hotel's main entrance with Cheng Dongge beside him. There were many people around them. There was a lady in her mid-twenties wearing a delicate dress on the other side of Qi Chengzhi. The opening of the skirt was very narrow, enhancing the outline of her slender legs. She was talking to Qi Chengzhi smilingly.
Qi Chengzhi's expression was very bland. On the contrary, the lady's face was filled with admiration. She had an enticing smile on her face, and below that laid an ulterior motive—one look and you would know that she wanted to leave a good impression on Qi Chengzhi.
There was a crowd surrounding that lady as well. Many men looked at her with adoration and showered her with praises.
Song Yu felt a sense of familiarity when she saw that woman but could not recall when exactly she had met her.
"Isn't she the famous talk show host? She's always hosting award ceremonies. Oh, I remember, her name is Shen Man." Qi Chengyue arched her eyebrows."I think Qilin invited her to host the officiation ceremony this time."
While Qi Chengyue was talking, Qi Chengzhi glanced toward their direction as he was not paying much attention to Shen Man. His expression remained bland, no one could guess if he heard what Shen Man was talking about. It was most likely that Shen Man's plan was not working as Qi Chengzhi did not even look at her smile.
Suddenly, his stern features turned much softer and gentler. He was giving out a steely vibe before this; he looked so stern that others could not keep their eyes away from him. However, there was a rare softness in his stern features, Shen Man was shocked by the sudden change. Her heart was racing after seeing Qi Chengzhi's softened features. She could not fathom why he made such a drastic change out of the blue.
If a man like Qi Chengzhi showed her such an expression, any woman would die in happiness.
Song Yu felt a little awkward when Qi Chengzhi strode towards her. There were too many people around him—she felt uneasy with such a big crowd present. It was too high profile to her liking.
Qi Chengyue had already gone over to Cheng Dongge smilingly. Qi Chengzhi stood in front of Song Yu and took her hand, not bothered by the crowd around him. He asked, "Is the journey tiring?"
"We didn't even walk much, it's fine, " Song Yu said embarrassedly with a lowered voice. She felt her face burning up, speaking so gently with Qi Chengzhi in front of so many people.
"Haha, Director Qi, this must be your wife?" Director Lu from Qilin's subsidiary company in Li City asked smilingly.
They already knew that Qi Chengzhi was married, but Shen Man continued to pursue Qi Chengzhi and tried to get on his good side. It was not surprising for a man as successful as Qi Chengzhi to be pursued by other women even after he got married. Nevertheless, after seeing how he interacted with his wife, Miss Shen would definitely not stand a chance.
Qi Chengzhi turned around and generously showed Song Yu to the crowd. He turned his head toward Song Yu and took a glance before facing back to the crowd—his features were extremely soft, a total opposite of the person they had just seen.
He nodded and said without laughing, but with a warm tone, "This is my wife, Song Yu."
Director Lu saw Song Yu's slightly protruded tummy but he dared not simply jump to conclusions, but Qi Chengzhi said it out first, "My wife is pregnant."
"Congratulations!"
"Director Qi and madam look so compatible together."
All of them started congratulating them, showering them with wishes.
Qi Chengzhi chuckled."She's tired after such a long journey, I'll bring her up first."
Then, they stopped bothering them and let the both of them leave. Cheng Dongge and Qi Chengyue followed suit.
After returning to the room, Song Yu did not mention Shen Man. It was not Qi Chengzhi's fault as he did not bother anyone. He had no choice if other women still wanted to approach him. Qi Chengzhi had always kept his distance from those women.
"Since you're here and this is your first time visiting Li City, we don't have to rush back. After I've finished work tomorrow, let's walk around for a day before going home, " Qi Chengzhi said after he put down Song Yu's luggage.
"What about your work?" Song Yu asked. She took off her shoes and sat on the bed cross-legged.
"It's just one day late, it'll be fine." Qi Chengzhi opened Song Yu's luggage and took off his suit. He then folded his sleeves to help Song Yu unpack.
Song Yu got down from the bed hurriedly and wore her slippers."Don't touch it, I'll unpack myself."
Qi Chengzhi did not reply. He just raised his head to look at her before turning to continue unpacking."We'll be going to Dongge's house for dinner later. Are you hungry?"
"Aunt Yang packed food for us. Chengyue and I ate some on the way here, so I'm not hungry right now, " Song Yu said while she tried to take over the things from Qi Chengzhi.
"Stop moving around, just have some rest." Qi Chengzhi seated Song Yu down onto the bed before turning around to unpack.
Song Yu felt rather weird to see such an elegant man squatting down on the floor.
Moments later, Cheng Dongge and Qi Chengyue came knocking on the door, notifying them to head to his house. Song Yu answered the door. Both of them were speechless after seeing Qi Chengzhi happily occupied with his task.
Qi Chengzhi hung the cocktail dress Song Yu brought in the cupboard before starting their journey.
Qi Chengzhi decided to ask Song Yu to come over, yet he was worried if she came alone. That was the reason why he had asked Qi Chengyue to follow. After speaking to Qi Chengyue, Cheng Dongge suggested for them to go to his parents' place to have a meal. Qi Chengzhi thought about it and agreed since this would bring both families closer.
Since Cheng Dongge was going to be behind the wheel and he was a local here, Qi Chengzhi let Chang Lai off for the day.
Cheng Dongge drove the car to his house. Qi Chengzhi took out the wine, fruits and gifts from the booth that he had ordered Cheng Lai to purchase from this afternoon. There were also some health supplements and the variety was quite substantial.
At this time, a lady from the same block was walking her dog. When she saw the sight, she exclaimed, "Aiyah, Donzi, you're back so soon?"
"I'm on a business trip here so I just dropped by to visit, " Cheng Dongge said smilingly.
"Both of them are your colleagues?" The neighbor asked. She could recognize Qi Chengyue.
"They are my brother and sister-in-law, " Qi Chengyue answered with a smile.
The neighbor lady took a closer look and found that they gave out an extraordinary aura, not to mention how good-looking the were. No wonder Qi Chengyue was so beautiful. She felt that Qi Chengyue definitely came from a noble family based on the appearances of her brother and sister-in-law.
Qi Chengzhi remained a distant mien. He did not react while Song Yu greeted her politely.
"This is nice, " said the neighbor as she chuckled. Based on the number of things Qi Chengyue's brother and sister-in-law brought, she felt that Qi Chengyue's family must be rather sincere."I'll not bother you guys then, hurry up and go home."
The neighbor glanced at the gifts laid on the ground and thought to herself, 'Old Cheng really found great in-laws with such sincerity."
With her brother and sister-in-law visiting, it did not seem like a formal family meeting but the number of gifts were already so significant.
The neighbor walked away with her dog. When she reached the junction, she saw Wu Mengzhen and Zhao Ruiying who were on their way back from the supermarket. She greeted them excitedly, "Xiao Wu, Ruiying, you guys are back."
"Yeah, " Wu Mengzhen said laughingly. Then, she bent down to call her dog's name.
"When is Ruiying going to B City?" the neighbour continued asking.
"The day after tomorrow, that's why I brought her to the supermarket to buy some stuff, " Wu Mengzhen said smilingly.
"Eh, such a coincidence. Old Cheng's son came back from B City today and brought his girlfriend back together with her brother and sister-in-law. I think they are most likely engaged and getting married soon." The neighbor pointed in Cheng Dongge's direction. At that moment, Qi Chengzhi and Cheng Dongge were bending down to pick up all the gifts from the ground.
There were too many things for the both of them to handle. They were busy deciding how to distribute evenly. Qi Chengzhi did not allow Song Yu to carry anything since she was pregnant, Qi Chengyue offered to help but was stopped by Cheng Dongge.
Wu Mengzhen and Zhao Ruiying looked over. Zhao Ruiying was stunned for a moment when she saw Qi Chengzhi as he looked quite familiar, but she could not remember who he was.
After bidding goodbye to the neighbor, both of them did not go over to look for Cheng Dongge. Wu Mengzhen was not so thick-skinned. Furthermore, her daughter was more than decent, she might meet someone better in B City. She was not too fascinated by Cheng Dongge either. It was just because she knew that Cheng Dongge was single, which led her to some ideas.
Since they had already met their respective families, there was no need for her to do things that were demoralizing.
When they were about to reach home, Zhao Ruiying yelled out suddenly. Wu Mengzhen asked puzzledly, "What is it?"
"The lady just now said that those two are the brother and sister-in-law of Cheng Dongge's girlfriend?" Zhao Ruiying asked with an astonished expression.
"Yeah, what about it?" Wu Mengzhen was confused."You know them?"
"No, but I felt that the brother looked familiar. I couldn't recall then but now I remember who he is." Zhao Ruiying said, "Her brother is the director of Qilin."
"Qilin?" Wu Mengzhen still did not understand but she felt that they were somebody when she heard the word "director".
"While I was looking for a job, I searched for all the companies that I was interested in online. One of them was Qilin, but they did not have any suitable positions for me, that's why I didn't go for an interview. However, I browsed through the director's info and he looked exactly like Chengyue's brother..." Zhao Ruiying stopped talking midway. After a long pause, she said softly as she was terrified, "Qi Chengyue... also has the same family name..."
Wu Mengzhen took a deep breath. She knew that the scale of those companies that Zhao Ruiying applied for was no smaller than Yanhui. To be the director of a company like that, how scary would it be?
"No wonder Cheng Dongge said that Qi Chengyue and Yanhui's director knew each other quite well, " Zhao Ruiying mumbled.
Initially, she had the intention to fight for Cheng Dongge, but all these thoughts had disappeared now.
"I never expected the Cheng family to have such great in-laws." Wu Mengzhen remained dumbfounded as she was still trying to digest this news.
...
...
Qi Chengzhi and Cheng Dongge entered the house together with their partners. Sun Shaoyun saw boxes of gifts brought by them and felt overwhelmed."Why did you guys bring so many things? It's just a meal. Look at you guys, there's no need to bring so many things next time."
"We're so sorry for letting you wait for us. It's already so late and you guys haven't had dinner, " Song Yu said smilingly.
| ← Ch. 261 | Ch. 263 → |