Song Qiao did recognize the man in front of her, but for a mont, she thought she was hallucinating and stood there, dazed, blinking her eyes sowhat bewilderingly at the man who seed to have suddenly appeared before her.
It wasn’t until a familiar yet sowhat strange voice reached her ears and her cheeks were pinched that she finally ca to her senses, utterly astonished, and even slightly hesitant to blurt out a na directly, "Ji Sifan?"
Ji Sifan, with one hand in his pocket, stood there, about one ter eighty or ninety tall, looking incredibly tall. He had a gentle and elegant smile on his face, lifted his hand to touch her head, and said with a slight smile, "I thought you didn’t recognize and that I’d have to introduce myself again. Why do you look so shocked? Do you know your reaction... gave quite the blow."
The man’s tone was very gentle, even indulgent, clear word by word, subtly tinged with laughter.
Song Qiao looked at the man in front of her, took a careful look, and then linked this mature and steady man in front of her with the sowhat green boy from her mory who used to tease her often.
Seeing Ji Sifan, who was still more than ten centiters taller than her despite her wearing high heels, Song Qiao eventually laughed out, her tone filled with pleasure, "It’s not that I don’t recognize you, it just seems so unbelievable that you are here. I thought I was hallucinating."
"Is it really that exaggerated?" Ji Sifan chuckled, took her hand directly and walked inside, "Co on, it’s been years. Let treat you to a al, eat whatever you want. I brought enough money today. After all, if it’s not enough, it gives an excuse to have you wash dishes here."
"Hey! Ji Sifan." Song Qiao twitched the corner of her mouth, suppressing the urge to roll her eyes, patted his hand and stopped walking, apologizing, "I might not be able to have dinner with you today. I ca with friends, and I have plans with a colleague as well."
At her words, Ji Sifan imdiately stopped, his gaze falling on Qin Zhe and An Ke who were standing a little away, looking sowhat uneasy. He smiled slightly and said directly, "Are you friends of Qiaoqiao? If you don’t mind, co join us for a al. Otherwise, I reckon this girl won’t agree to have this al with ."
Song Qiao, "..." Ji Sifan, you should be asking , hey!
Suppressing the urge to pull her hand free and walk away, Song Qiao gave him a glare, then turned back to look at Qin Zhe and An Ke.
At this mont, both were looking at her, their gazes filled with inquiry, simply put, they were waiting for her decision—to go or not.
Probably knowing Ji Sifan too well, she also clearly understood that if she refused this man, he wouldn’t take her words seriously and would drag her along anyway.
Hence, she nodded toward Qin Zhe and An Ke, smiled slightly, and said, "Co along then, soone else is footing the bill, so eat up. Rember to order the most expensive dishes during ordering, and if you don’t, I’ll deduct it from your salaries later."
Qin Zhe remained calm, neither nodding nor shaking his head.
Upon hearing Song Qiao’s words, An Ke opened his mouth, but eventually also nodded sowhat fearfully, softly saying, "I’ll follow Sister Qiao’s lead."
Upon hearing An Ke’s words, Qin Zhe couldn’t hold back and turned to give her a side eye, but perhaps An Ke sensed it, she too turned her head towards him, revealing a sweet smile.
Suddenly, the sowhat disdainful boy seed like he had been caught red-handed, abruptly turned his head to look another way.
Song Qiao did not notice Qin Zhe’s odd behavior, but Ji Sifan did, and his face couldn’t help but reveal a aningful smile, while still holding Song Qiao’s hand.
Song Qiao turned her head to look at him, couldn’t help but frown slightly, and spoke with discontent, "Ji Sifan, could you let go first?"
Pulling and tugging in public, what kind of manner is this? They were already attracting so attention here.
After all, her status was different now, and it was probably better to avoid so things, given that she was now... a married woman.
Ji Sifan, hearing her words, simply thought she was being shy, and let go, laughing, "Sotis in the past, when you wanted to hold your hand, I really didn’t want to."
Song Qiao wanted to cry but had no tears, even feeling an urge to stomp this man under her feet and beat him up harshly.
That was when she was young and naive, plus too innocent, okay?
...
The private room was booked by Ji Sifan, and it wasn’t clear whether he had booked it in advance or not, but he led the three of them straight inside. Since Song Qiao had already arranged to et An’an Lu, she directly sent her a ssage telling her they were in the private room.
Ji Sifan sat next to Song Qiao, while An Ke sat on the other side of Song Qiao. It was unclear whether Ji Sifan had arranged it, but Qin Zhe was directly placed next to An Ke, leaving Qin Zhe calm on the surface but sowhat turbulent inside.
Ji Sifan picked up a teapot that the waiter had just brought in, and first poured a cup of tea for Qin Zhe and An Ke, before pouring one for Song Qiao. He then started with a smile, "I’ve been abroad these past few years and hadn’t had ti to co back. I don’t know how you’ve been, but you’ve beco much prettier, not like the skinny little girl who looked like a monkey before."
Song Qiao took the tea Ji Sifan handed her, said thanks, and then couldn’t help but give him a look and said, "You haven’t co back for years and still have the nerve to say that? Don’t talk about . You’re still as handso, but not as tan as before; now you look quite like a pretty boy."
Ji Sifan, "..." This little hedgehog.
"How can you still take the childhood jokes seriously? Didn’t we agree to be lifelong friends?" Ji Sifan smiled helplessly, his eyes brimming with a gentle laugh.
Qin Zhe and An Ke both sat quietly, not speaking, as if they were trying to minimize their presence.
Perhaps because they had just started working and hadn’t grown a thick skin yet, plus it was their first ti eting Ji Sifan and they weren’t familiar with him. In this setting, they only knew Song Qiao, and technically, she was considered their boss.
So they had no complaints or dissatisfaction, just quietly drank tea, listened to Song Qiao and Ji Sifan banter, and waited quietly.
Song Qiao sipped her tea, feeling so comfortable that she couldn’t help but sigh with pleasure, then eventually spoke, "The matters of childhood are just childhood... Are you planning to return and develop your career in An City?"
Ji Sifan humd in agreent, nodding his head, "I’m planning to take over the family business, I might stay in An City permanently."
The Ji Family was also a prominent family in An City, owning a publicly listed group that is among the city’s top businesses. The Ji Family and Song Family have been longti friends.
When Song Qiao’s mother was still alive, she often took her to visit the Ji family because her mother had a good relationship with Ji Sifan’s mother, and it even nearly led to Song Qiao and Ji Sifan being betrothed in a childhood marriage arrangent.
But after her mother passed away, though she and Ji Sifan still kept in touch, everything changed when Ji Sifan was sent abroad by his family, and she was driven out of the Song Family. She never visited the Ji Family again, although Ji Sifan would co to look for her during holidays in the past years.
But then contact was slowly lost.
Now suddenly eting again, it did evoke many beautiful mories, making the activities they did together in their youth feel as if they had happened just yesterday.
Song Qiao gave a slight smile, picked up her own tea cup, preparing to toast with tea, "Congratulations on your successful graduation and return to the country."
Ji Sifan laughed heartily, his smile bright, and also picked up his tea cup, smiling, "And congratulations to you for finally no longer being the thin, bullied little girl from before, otherwise I’d still need to figure out how to protect you twenty-four hours a day."
Song Qiao smiled shyly, reminiscing how from the ti she beca close with Ji Sifan, he had always protected her like a big brother. Whenever soone bullied her in their childhood, he would find out and beat up the bully without a second word.
The two clinked their tea cups, and toasted with tea, downing it in one gulp.
When the waiter ca in with the nu, Ji Sifan directly handed it to Song Qiao, "I said I would treat you to a al today, so you choose. You should still rember what I like to eat, right?"
Although sowhat reluctant to take it, Song Qiao pursed her lips but still took it, really wanting to mutter that he was just too lazy to order himself.
Without imdiately ordering, she instead looked at Qin Zhe and An Ke beside her and handed them the nu, smiling and saying, "I don’t know what you two like, why don’t you pick sothing too?"
"We’re not picky eaters." Neither of them took it, and An Ke even nervously declined, "Sister Qiaoqiao, you order."
Ji Sifan’s gaze unconsciously shifted to Qin Zhe next to An Ke, a smile inadvertently appearing on his face, then he turned to Song Qiao and said, "Qiaoqiao, I heard you’re working as an agent, are these two your artists?"
Song Qiao, knowing sowhat of Qin Zhe and An Ning’s thoughts, didn’t make it difficult for them, openly taking charge of ordering. Hearing Ji Sifan’s words, she didn’t look up, but flipped a page on the nu, glanced it over, and nodded, "Yes."
Suddenly thinking of sothing, she quickly raised her head from the nu and asked the man opposite, "Right, doesn’t your family’s company work with advertising and film? What do you think of these two?"
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