Jiang Chengsi was tormented by Jiang Xiaowai’s cries until nearly 5 a.m. before he finally fell asleep. He had just closed his eyes when someone knocked on the door of his bedroom.

"Who is it!" He was already grumpy from waking up, and having been tortured all night, he had lost his patience.

With an urgent shout, he opened the door, and standing outside was the old lady, neatly dressed, clearly intending to go out.

Seeing her, Jiang Chengsi’s temper immediately eased, "Grandma, it’s not even daylight yet, what are you..."

"Heading out for a walk with your Grandpa Tang, and you should come along. When we get back it’ll be just in time for breakfast. You live alone, you must not eat breakfast regularly."

"Grandma, I..."

The old lady wouldn’t listen to his explanation, "I’ll wait for you downstairs."

Jiang Chengsi didn’t dare go against the old lady’s wishes, he could only splash cold water on his face to wake up a bit.

Stepping out the door, the morning’s cold wind was harshly rebellious, inhaling a breath of cold air made his whole body feel chilly, the frost-resistant plum in the corner stood proudly, but Jiang Chengsi was downcast.

As the old lady would say: "Without a bit of youthful energy."

After a morning of turmoil and breakfast, Jiang Chengsi originally intended to go upstairs for a nap, but he received a call saying that Qi Zeyan’s parents had returned to Beijing and were coming for a visit; they would be staying for lunch.

The Jiang Family began to hustle and bustle, making it impossible for Jiang Chengsi to sleep.

Why did Qi Zeyan’s parents coming over involve him, why couldn’t he sleep?

The old lady said it quite bluntly:

"When your uncle and aunt come over and see you still in bed, do you think that’s appropriate?"

"There’s always talk in Beijing that you and Qiqi between have some secret dealings, now your rumored object is already involved with someone, look at you, only knowing how to sleep all day."

"Among those who play with you, you’re the only one without a girlfriend, isn’t that embarrassing?"

...

Jiang Chengsi dared to be angry but kept silent, just listened quietly.

When he was very young, Qi Zeyan’s parents were extremely busy, he was raised by his grandparents, it was during his appendix episode, his hospitalization where he met Jiang Jinsang.

Perhaps feeling guilty towards their son, the Qi Family couple stayed in Beijing with him throughout high school, then went abroad for business development, they rarely stayed in Beijing.

Asked whether they miss their son, his dad straightforwardly said:

"Out of sight, out of mind."

Qi Zeyan’s rebelliousness during adolescence made the couple worry a lot, especially his hair, which gave the two great anxiety.

The school didn’t allow boys to have long hair, Qi Zeyan defied the rules by perming and dyeing, even secretly using his dad’s hair spray and such, creating quite a fuss, father and son often clashed over this.

Jiang Chengsi felt that once Qi Zeyan’s parents arrived, the grandma would definitely talk about love and marriage, if he couldn’t take a nap, he might as well run away quickly.

"Leaving already?" Jiang Jinsang saw him ready to go.

"If I don’t leave now, I might not be able to." Jiang Chengsi admired him; despite nursing the child all night, he could still be so spirited the next day.

"Did you deliver the invitation from the Si Family?"

"..."

Jiang Chengsi gets a headache just thinking about this matter.

Returning to East City, he was preoccupied with this issue, he wasn’t familiar with the Si Family, didn’t even have a contact, it seemed like the only option was to visit directly, which felt too sudden and reckless.

Jiang Jinsang, you bastard.

**

Jiang Jinsang handed the invitation to Jiang Chengsi, knowing that with his temperament, he would certainly handle it properly, and didn’t worry about this matter anymore.

By noon, they welcomed the Qi Family, after lunch, everyone gathered for a chat.

Xiaowai couldn’t keep his neck straight from weariness, Tang Wan took the child to rest but received a call from Ruan Mengxi.

"I’m at the airport, should arrive in Beijing around three. I’ll bring some local specialties for you."

"No need to rush."

"I mainly want to see my godson, how’s Jiang Xiaowai today? Was he obedient?"

Tang Wan couldn’t admit that the little rascal wore them down all night, she and Jiang Jinsang didn’t close their eyes at all.

The Ruan Family didn’t notify Qi Zeyan when they returned to Beijing. In the end, Ruan Daqiang never considered him as one of their own, didn’t want to owe him, but when they got to the Jiang Family, the Qi Family had long left, ultimately they didn’t cross paths, otherwise...

It would probably have been quite a show.

Ruan Mengxi bought many things, most of them were for Xiaowai Necktie, nearly filled half a suitcase, she even bought him a tie-dye outfit for four- or five-year-olds.

"This outfit can’t be worn for at least four or five years, why did you buy it?"

"Isn’t it nice?"

"Yes, it is..."

"I’m willing to buy for him, I’m willing to spend money on my godson, so what?"

Tang Wan felt helpless, she had bought a bunch of things, seventy percent of which were just for show, Tang Wan didn’t know what more to say:

If it makes you happy.

"This bottle’s design is quite unique." Ruan Mengxi noticed a bottle on the table which hadn’t been used yet.

"It was a gift from someone else."

"It’s quite pretty, who gave it to you?"

"Zeyan’s mother."

"..."

"He came to see you before, and even made such a bold public declaration of love. After you went back, nothing happened between you two?" Tang Wan rested her chin on her hand, looking at her, trying to catch any hint of a clue from her expression.

"He stayed over at my dad’s for two days, what do you think?"

"So you’re back already? Didn’t he try to reach out to you?"

"I didn’t tell him."

Tang Wan didn’t press further and shifted the conversation, asking if there were any fun recommendations from her trip, and chatted about which classmates would attend the full moon banquet, some of whom they hadn’t seen since graduation.

"When we were in school, your relationship with these few wasn’t that close, right? Yet they’re willing to travel all the way to Beijing to attend the full moon banquet," Ruan Mengxi said, looking at the confirmed list of classmates who would attend.

Back in school, everyone was young, and friendships were seldom influenced by family backgrounds. It was only after stepping into society that people realized how important social connections are. There were many who wanted to ingratiate themselves with Tang Wan.

"Some have already sent gifts and given cash gifts, so I definitely had to extend an invitation symbolically. I didn’t expect some would actually come," Tang Wan chuckled softly.

Everyone’s grown up now, and they probably all know what the other is thinking.

Attending the full moon banquet is just an excuse; the real aim is likely to build some social connections.

"The full moon banquet will definitely be lively." Ruan Mengxi glanced at the little one waking up and instinctively looked for a toy to tease him, noticing that Tang Wan’s bedroom had a lot of new items. There was also some ointment on the bedside, all in English, which she couldn’t read, "Is that medicine? Are you alright?"

"It’s a gift from someone, they said applying it morning and night could reduce stretch marks."

"Who’s so considerate?"

"The lady of the Si Family from Guandong..."

"Si Family?" Even natives of Beijing might not know the Si Family, but Ruan Mengxi, during her time as Qi Zeyan’s assistant, had familiarized herself with all the prestigious families in Beijing. Her impression of the Si Family was:

Low-key, super wealthy.

The only flaw, it seemed, was the lack of a son-in-law.

"How did you come to know people from the Si Family? Will they come to the full moon banquet?" Ruan Mengxi hadn’t met anyone from this family before, so she couldn’t help but be curious, "I heard that even their bathroom sinks and toilets are made of pure gold, and for bathing, they use milk instead of water..."

Tang Wan burst into laughter, "Have you been reading too many novels?"

But whether the Si Family would attend was really uncertain for her.

**

At this time, Jiang Chengsi went home to catch up on sleep. It was already past 3 in the afternoon when he woke up, and he was pondering how to deliver the invitation to the Si Family.

He wasn’t one to procrastinate or be overly cautious, so he decided to simply go to the Si Family.

Though he was just delivering an invitation, he couldn’t dress too casually. He deliberately changed into something quite formal, didn’t take his speedy motorcycle, opted to drive instead, brought along the invitation, and made special stops to select some gifts from the mall.

Not quite sure about the Si Family’s preferences, he randomly bought some sweets and tea.

A century ago, the Si Family was already known as prominent merchants, and rumor had it that there was even a TV drama based on them.

However, their home wasn’t as grand as Jiang Chengsi imagined, with red walls and black tiles, having a bit of an old-world flair. Some parts were fenced off with signs warning of construction work.

He assumed they were renovating for new year celebrations or preparing for something, since they hadn’t been in Beijing for a while.

From the outside, the Si Family residence, with its imposing walls, looked rather old, but the giant stone lions at the entrance, along with the crimson, gold-embellished gates, were quite impressive.

The stone lions, especially, were probably the biggest Jiang Chengsi had ever seen, and they looked fierce as if they could swallow a person whole.

Inside, Jiang Chengsi felt nervous. He had discreetly inquired within circles and learned that many wished to get close to the Si Family, and plenty had tried to visit recently.

Just entering the house was a no-go. Most hadn’t even set foot past the big gates.

Jiang Chengsi thought that as long as he could deliver the invitation, he wouldn’t even dream of crossing into their mansion.

Moreover, the Si Family’s gate, coupled with the two huge stone lions, cloaked him in an eerie feeling, like entering would mean never coming out.

"Sir, Fourth Master is here." As soon as Jiang Chengsi parked his car at the entrance, someone went in to report.

"Who’s here?" Madam Si was in the kitchen, baking desserts.

"Fourth Master."

"What are you all standing there for? Quickly brew tea and invite him in." Madam Si swiftly removed her apron, "Wait a minute, don’t prepare tea just yet, go with coffee. Young people prefer that, I believe."

The man beside her frowned slightly, and before he could voice a word, he was nudged back to the room by his wife, to change into something more formal for the occasion.

At his own house, comfort was the priority, so he was still in his pajamas. It was just a young boy stopping by; did he really need to dress up for him?

Nonetheless, as per his wife’s wishes, he complied.

Jiang Chengsi didn’t expect to be invited in by the Si Family. Stepping into the yard, he was greeted with views of rockeries, ponds, and resilient plum and pine trees, reminiscent of an old royal mansion, bringing an air of time travel.

However, many areas were under renovation, with piles of sand and cement stacked towards the distance, slightly messy.

Along the way in, everyone he encountered was observing him.

Jiang Chengsi found it perplexing. Even if he was handsome, there was no need for such scrutiny.

Little did he know that after returning to Beijing, apart from close relatives and friends, he was the first outsider permitted entry by the Si Family.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com