Feng Mingjun grabbed her hand without saying a word and helped her put it on: "Just think of it as helping the Xu Family keep it for now. If you two aren’t destined to be together in the future, you can return the bracelet to him."
Xu Chunliang listened from the front, feeling speechless. This mom is really skilled; she didn’t even give i Ru Xue a chance to refuse, though maybe saying such things during New Year’s isn’t very auspicious?
Feng Mingjun held i Ru Xue’s hand; i Ru Xue’s skin was snow-white and delicate. The jade bracelet, clear and vibrant, looked even more beautiful on her hand. Feng Mingjun said, "Fair skin makes it look nice; it doesn’t look as good on my hand as it does on yours."
i Ru Xue said, "Auntie, you take good care of yourself. When I first saw you, I was really captivated. If I didn’t know your age, I’d think you were just in your early thirties."
Feng Mingjun said, "You really know how to talk, child. I’m forty-six, and ti waits for no one. No matter how well you take care of yourself, your skin isn’t what it used to be. Young girls should definitely dress up while they’re still young."
Although i Ru Xue liked the bracelet too, she still felt it wasn’t appropriate to accept such a valuable gift, and she softly said, "Auntie, you should keep the bracelet."
Feng Mingjun said, "Once a gift is given, there’s no reason to take it back, right, Chunliang?"
Xu Chunliang, being addressed directly, had no choice but to say, "Xiaoxue, since that’s the case, just accept it. Anyway, you’ll be our Xu family’s daughter-in-law sooner or later."
i Ru Xue’s pretty face blushed bright red; this guy actually said that in front of his mom.
Luckily, they’d reached their destination. The driver parked the car, and Xu Chunliang got out to help open the car door. The driver went to open the other side, and i Ru Xue got out from the left side while Feng Mingjun got out from the driver’s side.
i Ru Xue gave Xu Chunliang a sowhat reproachful look and whispered, "It’s too valuable."
Xu Chunliang leaned close to her ear and whispered, "If you don’t want it, I’ll give it to soone else."
"You dare!"
i Ru Xue finished speaking and quickly went to Feng Mingjun’s side. The two stylish won attracted quite a few glances from passersby as they walked down the bustling Dian Nan Road.
Xu Chunliang followed closely behind, feeling like an extra.
Today’s Dian Nan Road was already very different from what Feng Mingjun rembered. She recalled a place nearby called Little Shaoxing, which had particularly tasty boiled chicken.
Though the restaurant still existed, its taste had changed significantly over the years.
Feng Mingjun ordered so specialty snacks, though the chicken porridge and spring rolls were different from her mories. She couldn’t help but sigh, "It’s been over twenty years; everything’s changed."
Xu Chunliang said, "Maybe you’ve gotten used to Western food, and your taste has changed." He thought the boiled chicken still tasted decent.
Feng Mingjun said, "You have a point."
i Ru Xue asked, "Auntie, how many days are you planning to stay in the country this ti?"
Feng Mingjun said, "I’m leaving tomorrow."
"So soon?"
Feng Mingjun said, "There’s no Spring Festival holiday abroad, and I have a lot of work waiting for ."
Xu Chunliang thought to himself that Feng Mingjun’s schedule likely didn’t include a trip to Dongzhou to et him. Their mother-son encounter was purely coincidental, but her ability to recognize him at a glance showed she had kept so attention on him.
During dinner, his big aunt Xu Jia’an called, asking if he was with Zhen Chun. This girl had gone sowhere after dinner without a word. At first, Xu Jia’an didn’t think much of it, but later, when she found Zhen Chun’s luggage missing, she started to worry. She couldn’t reach her by phone, so she called Xu Chunliang.
Xu Chunliang told her not to worry. After hanging up, he called Zhen Chun, who answered quickly. The girl was full of grievances because she’d been disliked by the two elders at the big aunt’s house. Unable to take it, she slipped away while they weren’t looking and planned to contact Xu Chunliang, as she definitely wasn’t going back.
Xu Chunliang told her not to wander around and sent her the hotel’s location, saying he’d go back soon.
Upon hearing about this, Feng Mingjun decided to wrap things up quickly and take them to the hotel.
After dropping them at the hotel, Feng Mingjun didn’t go inside. She said goodbye to i Ru Xue after getting out of the car.
i Ru Xue said, "Auntie, make sure to contact next ti you return to the country. I’ll accompany you for so good fun then."
Feng Mingjun smiled, "It’s a deal." She glanced at Xu Chunliang and said, "Chunliang, you should cherish Xiaoxue."
Xu Chunliang smiled; it seed she had a good impression of i Ru Xue.
Standing side by side at the hotel entrance, Xu Chunliang and i Ru Xue watched as the car drove away. i Ru Xue said, "Your mom is quite sothing."
Xu Chunliang said, "She really is; her ntal resilience is incredibly strong. If I were her, I couldn’t stay so calm." Of course, it didn’t rule out Feng Mingjun being inherently indifferent.
i Ru Xue laughed, "What do you want her to do? Hug you and cry while sharing her feelings of longing?"
Xu Chunliang said, "I thought she might feel a bit apologetic, but upon eting her, I realized she’s far stronger than I imagined. Maybe people think giving birth to was a great grace and never even considered raising ."
i Ru Xue said, "Maybe she’s good at hiding her feelings and just doesn’t want to express them in front of you."
The two of them walked into the hotel and saw Zhen Chun sitting in the lobby waiting for him to return.
Seeing Xu Chunliang and i Ru Xue appear together, Zhen Chun suddenly realized, "Cousin, no wonder you ditched at Auntie’s house. Turns out you sneaked out for a date with a beauty."
i Ru Xue laughed and said, "Don’t talk nonsense, we just ran into each other on the way. I’m staying at the Four Seasons Hotel." She emphasized this point deliberately, fearing that Zhen Chun would misunderstand that she and Xu Chunliang were staying together.
Zhen Chun said, "You’re not staying together?"
i Ru Xue was truly at a loss between laughing and crying, having told her already, yet still asked.
Xu Chunliang said, "What are you thinking about all day? Is the room ready?"
Zhen Chun shook her head, "Auntie’s in-laws are so annoying. They gave the cold shoulder."
Xu Chunliang laughed and said, "Old people can be eccentric. Just bear with it. Running out without saying a word and not answering Auntie’s call, you really scared her."
Zhen Chun said, "What could possibly happen to soone my age? Even if sothing did, it wouldn’t be her responsibility. Cousin, I’ll go back with you tomorrow. I don’t want to go to their house and see their faces."
Xu Chunliang said, "I’m going to Nanjiang with your Sister Xue tomorrow."
"Great, then I’ll go with you. My mom has a house in Nanjiang."
Xu Chunliang and i Ru Xue exchanged a glance; their world of two was hopelessly out of reach. First, they t his mother, then his little cousin showed up. Xu Chunliang’s wavering heart regained its determination.
i Ru Xue suggested that Zhen Chun stay with her at the Four Seasons Hotel, as it would be convenient for the two girls to accompany each other.
Xu Chunliang understood i Ru Xue’s intention, letting Zhen Chun see for herself that they weren’t staying together, to stop the little girl from spreading rumors.
After Zhen Chun left with i Ru Xue, Xu Chunliang returned to his room. He found that his backpack had been moved, checked his belongings inside, and found nothing missing. It might have been moved during cleaning.
From his pocket, he took out the item given to him by Qian Chunyi. It was a crystal pendant, hexagonal in shape, probably not worth much.
Xu Chunliang sighed inwardly. Oh, Old Xu, you’re really restless. This thing is undoubtedly a token of affection, given to him by Chen Biyuan through her daughter before she passed away.
At this mont, he received a ssage from Xu Jiaxuan, asking if he was at the hotel.
Xu Chunliang replied to him, also taking a photo of the crystal pendant and sending it over.
Xu Jiaxuan quickly sent another ssage, telling him to turn off the lights and draw the curtains, stay in absolute darkness, then open his phone’s cara, and carefully scan every corner of the room. Pay special attention to outlets, smoke detectors, remote controls, TV boxes, and particularly check for any bright spots on the screen.
Following his instructions, Xu Chunliang checked everything but did not find any hidden caras in the room. He felt Old Xu was being overly cautious.
After turning the light back on, Xu Jiaxuan asked him to speak from the balcony.
Xu Chunliang didn’t know why his father was being so cautious, but he still complied and went to the balcony.
Xu Jiaxuan called, "Son, don’t say anything, just listen to ."
Xu Chunliang responded with a sound, sensing an unusual atmosphere from his father’s unprecedentedly serious tone.
Xu Jiaxuan said, "You must check out imdiately, and with this item, head to Muen Hall. I will arrange for a friend to wait for you under the Bell Tower. Give the item to him, then completely forget this matter. The code for eting is your grandfather’s birthday."
Xu Chunliang frowned. Old Xu was acting like a spy, even having a code. Could he be involved in sothing illegal? But the crystal pendant didn’t seem valuable at all. However, since he valued it so much, it ant that this item wasn’t as simple as it seed.
Although Xu Chunliang found his father’s behavior very strange, he didn’t ask for the reason. After hanging up the phone, he quickly packed his bags, checked out as instructed by Xu Jiaxuan, then took a taxi to Muen Hall.
Muen Hall, originally known as Muer Hall, has nearly a century-old history. A new Gothic building, the main hall is at the center, and the southwest corner is the Bell Tower, which is very prominent. A five-ter-high neon cross on the top of the tower stands out in the night.
Even before getting out of the car, Xu Chunliang saw police lights flashing in front of the tower. He opened the car door and went down, just in ti to see an ambulance speeding over. An accident happened just in front of the tower, where soone crossing the road was hit by a speeding car.
Xu Chunliang took a closer look and saw the ergency personnel lifting the injured onto the ambulance.
Xu Chunliang highly suspected that the injured person was the friend sent by his father to et him. Pretending to be a passerby, he did not linger, quickly passing by Muen Hall and then took the pedestrian bridge to the other side of the road.
At night, the pedestrian bridge was empty. Xu Chunliang stood on the bridge looking at the scene of the accident. People had started to disperse. Apart from the police, no pedestrians stayed. Seeing this scene, Xu Chunliang could basically confirm that the injured person was indeed the person sent by Xu Jiaxuan.
Just then, he heard footsteps, coming from both sides. Two n appeared at each end of the pedestrian bridge. On the left was a tall, burly black man, on the right was a dium-built white man.
Both n’s eyes were fixed on Xu Chunliang.
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