Chapter 49: Looking for You

Whenever the topic of her mother came up, the conversation always ended poorly.

Jiang Nai hadn’t finished her meal when she left the Jiang family’s house. As she left, she heard the sound of her grandfather throwing his chopsticks. But at that moment, she no longer cared about what they thought. She was filled with anger and frustration.

In this family, they were all together, but what was her place…?

They laughed and joked, warmly gathering together while she was just a dispensable pawn.

After leaving the Jiang family, Jiang Nai could only go to the home she shared with Li Qingji. Once home, she sat alone in the living room for a long time. Eventually, feeling suffocated and upset, she opened a bottle of red wine and drank half of it in silence.

She thought of her mother and longed for the presence of family.

In that moment, Jiang Nai was furious at her grandfather’s prejudice against her mother, but she also felt a sense of grievance for her mother’s coldness toward her. How could she say that she would never see her again and truly mean it?

“I’m getting married, holding a wedding. This is the only time in my life, and I hope you can be there.”

“Even if you don’t want to attend, that’s fine, but at least meet me before then. Or don’t you want to meet him? The person I’m marrying, don’t you want to know what kind of person he is?”

“I got a promotion and a raise. It might not seem like much to them, but for an ordinary person, it’s actually pretty good. Really, mom, believe me, I can support the two of us without relying on anyone.”

“You don’t need to worry about me losing my status as the Jiang family’s young lady. You don’t need to worry about me having no future. Even if I lose everything I have now, I can still live well! I don’t miss that position at all…”

“They’re all family, only they are. I’m not… They all have a mother, but I don’t… Do you know that?”

Having drunk too much, Jiang Nai, tipsy, sent voice messages on WeChat, one after another.

When she didn’t get any reply, she lay on the couch, crying miserably. Later, exhausted from crying, she fell asleep. When she woke up, it was already late at night. The living room was silent, with only the floor lamp casting a soft light, everything feeling empty.

Jiang Nai wiped her face, where the tears had dried, leaving an uncomfortable trail on her skin. She lowered her hand, lying on the couch, staring at the ceiling, feeling her temples throb and the lingering dizziness from the alcohol, and, above all, a sense of loneliness.

*Ding—*

Her phone chimed.

She picked it up and saw a spam message. She felt a momentary disappointment, but then noticed there were two unread messages from Li Qingji when she had fallen asleep.

The first message read: [Just got back to my place.]

After a few minutes, probably seeing that she hadn’t replied, he sent another one: [Are you asleep?]

Jiang Nai stared at the two messages, suddenly feeling an overwhelming urge to cry again. She swallowed hard, holding it back.

She slowly typed a reply: [I’m not asleep.]

Soon after, her phone rang. In the silent, empty living room, the sudden sound was startling.

Jiang Nai froze, staring at the incoming call for a while before answering, “Hello?”

On the other end, it was Li Qingji’s voice: “You’re still awake this late?”

“You’re not asleep either,” she replied.

Li Qingji asked, “What’s wrong with your voice?”

Jiang Nai pursed her lips and sat up. “Oh… nothing. I just had a little to drink at home and took a nap, and now my voice is like this.”

“You mean at *our* home? You went back there?”

She had mentioned returning to the Jiang family home earlier in the morning, so he had assumed she would be staying there for the night.

Jiang Nai replied, “Yeah…”

“Are you feeling down?”

Listening to Li Qingji’s voice, Jiang Nai felt a surge of emotion, her nose tingling. Suddenly, she said, “Li Qingji, can I come see you?”

Li Qingji paused. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing… I just want to visit the capital for a bit. Being home alone… it’s too dull.”

Sensing there was more to it, but understanding she didn’t want to explain, he didn’t press. “Alright, I’ll have Xiao Zhao book you a ticket for tomorrow.”

“I want an earlier flight…”

Li Qingji responded, “What time do you want?”

“As early as possible.”

Jiang Nai didn’t quite know what had come over her, but she just felt she didn’t want to be alone anymore. She missed him. She wanted to see him, as soon as possible…

Due to her insistence, Zhao Siyuan managed to secure an early morning flight for her. Early the next day, Jiang Nai drove to the airport, checked in, waited, boarded, and finally arrived in the capital city, with the sun shining brightly and it still only being 10 a.m. When she walked out, she still felt somewhat dazed, surprised that she had come here so unprepared.

“Jiang Nai.”

Hearing someone call her name in a familiar voice, she stopped in her tracks. Looking in the direction of the voice, she saw Li Qingji standing in the arrivals hall.

“What are you standing there for?” Li Qingji walked over, stopping in front of her.

Jiang Nai looked up at him. “Why are *you* here?”

Li Qingji leaned down slightly to look at her face. “Disappointed it’s me?”

“I thought you’d be busy… that you’d send Zhao Siyuan to pick me up.”

Li Qingji didn’t mention that he had delayed his morning tasks on purpose. Instead, he just asked, “What’s up with those dark circles? Didn’t you sleep?”

Jiang Nai froze, looking away. “I didn’t put on any makeup. Dark circles showing through is normal…”

She often went without makeup at home, but she had never looked this exhausted. Clearly, she hadn’t slept the whole night.

Li Qingji’s brows furrowed slightly. He took her hand. “Let’s go home.”

“Mmm…”

Zhao Siyuan was waiting in the car. After the two got in the back seat, he started the car.

“When we get there, go ahead and take care of your things; don’t worry about me. I’ll entertain myself for a bit.”

Li Qingji glanced at her. “I’ll make sure you’re settled first.”

“But what about your work…”

“It’s not that urgent.”

“Oh…”

The car ascended the overpass, driving straight ahead. An hour later, they entered a gated area, a private villa where Li Qingji usually stayed during his business trips to the capital.

After parking, Li Qingji led her inside.

The living room was spacious, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a lush green lawn. After Jiang Nai sat on the sofa, Li Qingji poured her a glass of water. She took a sip, looking up to find him watching her intently.

She set the glass down, suddenly feeling self-conscious. “I… I really just came here for a little trip. Go ahead with your work; I’ll head out for a walk later.”

“Stand up.”

“Hmm?”

Though puzzled, she instinctively stood up. In the next moment, his hand pressed gently against her back, drawing her into an embrace. He leaned down to match her height, his hands tightening behind her back until they were completely pressed together, perfectly fitting.

It was a warm and solid embrace.

Jiang Nai buried her face in the crook of his neck, breathing in his familiar scent, suddenly feeling an unprecedented sense of security. She wasn’t alone. She had someone with her now…

Taking a soft breath, she wrapped her arms around his waist, wanting to hug him tightly in return, to curl up in his arms and draw in as much of that warmth as she could.

“Tell me, what’s really going on?” His chin lightly brushed against her hair as he asked.

Jiang Nai murmured, “I argued with Grandpa.”

Li Qingji straightened up slightly, loosening his hold to look at her, but Jiang Nai didn’t let go. She clung tightly to his waist and avoided his gaze. “Every time we talk about my mom, we end up fighting. But… I want to see her. I want her to come.”

Jiang Nai continued, “Can my mom come to our wedding?”

Li Qingji replied, “She’s your mother; she has that right.”

“But they don’t acknowledge it… This is supposed to be the Jiang and Li families’ wedding. Grandpa doesn’t want her there. He feels that her presence would signify my father’s past betrayal, and he finds it disgraceful.”

“Jiang Nai,” Li Qingji said gently, “this isn’t only about our families. It’s also about you and me. You’re the bride, and you have the right to invite whoever you wish.”

Jiang Nai tightened her grip on his shirt.

Li Qingji continued, “I’ll make time to visit your family after we get back, and I’ll discuss it with your grandparents.”

Jiang Nai’s eyes shot up. “Really?”

“Yes, really.”

In the eyes of her grandparents, his words carried far more weight than hers. He might truly be able to change Grandpa’s mind. A small smile finally appeared on Jiang Nai’s face.

Seeing the sparkle in her eyes, Li Qingji smiled too. “So, you were drinking last night because of this.”

“I… I was feeling down.”

“Even if you’re feeling down, you can’t drink all night and skip sleep.”

“I couldn’t sleep, but I didn’t drink the whole night.”

Li Qingji asked, “Are you hungry? Let’s get you something to eat.”

“No, I ate on the plane…”

Li Qingji nodded, “Then let’s get you some rest first.”

Jiang Nai: “No need…”

“Look at your complexion,” Li Qingji said in a deep voice. “Listen, I’ll stay with you.”

Li Qingji’s words felt like a balm, instantly putting her at ease. She followed him upstairs to the bedroom and lay down on the bed. Li Qingji lay down beside her, holding her close. He didn’t do anything, just gently stroked her hair and kept her company as she slept.

Having stayed up all night, Jiang Nai fell asleep quickly, feeling safe in this environment. Li Qingji only got up once he was sure she was asleep. He had postponed his morning plans by a few hours, but now he had to leave. He put her phone on silent and sent her a message to check when she woke up.

He left, carefully closing the bedroom door.

Zhao Siyuan was already waiting in the living room. “Boss, President Lin and the others are already at the company waiting for you.”

“Mm.”

Zhao Siyuan continued, “And Miss Jiang…”

“Let her sleep well. I’ll come back as soon as I finish things on that end.”

Zhao Siyuan nodded, surprised at his boss’s “urgency.”

In fact, he was already surprised that morning when Li Qingji had chosen to postpone work for a few hours to pick up Jiang Nai. This wasn’t typical of the boss he knew—someone who never changed his schedule for anything or anyone. Yet this time, although he could have sent someone to pick her up, he had gone himself…

“About that other matter I asked you to look into—Jiang Nai’s mother—any progress?”

Li Qingji’s words interrupted Zhao Siyuan’s thoughts. He replied, “We sent people to the sanatorium in France for an investigation, but it turns out that after Miss Jiang’s mother left her previous facility, she didn’t appear in any other sanatoriums in France. The Jiang family probably sent her to a nursing home or medical center in another country.”

“Then keep looking.”

Zhao Siyuan responded, “The Jiang family seems to be deliberately concealing her whereabouts, likely to prevent Miss Jiang from finding her. This might take a bit more time to uncover.”

Li Qingji’s expression turned cold. “Investigate without alerting the Jiang family. We must find her.”

Zhao Siyuan asked, “And once we do?”

“By any means necessary, bring her back.”

—

Jiang Nai slept for a long time and woke up to find it nearly dusk.

She sat up in bed and glanced at the time. It was 6 p.m.—she had slept for almost six hours. Li Qingji was no longer there; he must have left to handle business. Sure enough, when she opened WeChat, she saw the message he’d sent earlier.

[I had something to take care of, so I left. Message me when you wake up.]

[Remember to turn your phone sound back on.]

A small smile tugged at Jiang Nai’s lips as she turned off silent mode, got out of bed, and went to the bathroom. Inside, there were only men’s toiletries, all very much in Li Qingji’s style. She opened a drawer, found a spare toothbrush and towel, and freshened up.

Afterwards, she decided not to message him. She’d come on a whim and didn’t want to disturb his work. So she went downstairs alone. Unlike that morning when she wasn’t in the mood, now she felt like exploring the house. The house was tidy but sparsely furnished with personal items, suggesting it was cleaned regularly but not often lived in.

She wandered around the yard aimlessly, then noticed on a map that it wasn’t in a remote area—there were lots of nearby places to explore, so she took a taxi out. Her first stop was an old street nearby, lined with narrow alleys and filled with local food vendors.

After walking for a while, her stomach began to growl. She pulled out her phone to find nearby food spots and discovered that just a hundred meters ahead was a highly recommended local restaurant. Jiang Nai walked forward a bit more and soon spotted a small, somewhat old shop. Inside, all ten tables were occupied, and there were people waiting on benches outside.

Places with lines usually have good food.

With that thought, Jiang Nai sat on a small bench, ready to try out a dish. After waiting for half an hour, she was only two tables away from being seated when her phone rang.

She picked up. “Hello, are you back?”

It was Li Qingji on the other end. “Mm, where are you?”

“I woke up with nothing to do, so I went out for a walk.”

Li Qingji responded, “Didn’t I tell you to message me when you woke up?”

“You were busy. Why should I bother you? I’m just wandering around on my own,” Jiang Nai replied. “I just found this highly-rated local restaurant, and it’s almost my turn. If it’s good, I’ll bring you some.”

Li Qingji asked, “Where are you?”

“I don’t know exactly. Do you want to come? I’ll send you my location.”

“Mm, I’ll come over.”

As it was dinnertime, the line outside the shop was growing. A young couple sat down next to her, chatting non-stop. From what they were saying, it sounded like they were tourists.

“Hey, miss, have you eaten here before? Is it really that good?” the girl asked Jiang Nai, unsure whether she should keep waiting.

“I’m not too sure myself. It’s just highly rated online,” Jiang Nai replied.

“Yeah! We saw the reviews too. They say the stew here is really authentic and delicious, and this place has been open for twenty years,” the girl said excitedly.

Jiang Nai smiled.

The young couple was lively and kept talking. After a while, the girl looked at her again and said, “Wow, you’re really pretty! Are you here as a tourist too?”

Jiang Nai shook her head.

“Oh… so you’re a local then?”

“No, I’m just… here to meet someone.”

“Oh, meeting a friend for fun—nice! It’s our first time in the capital. So, where are you from?”

This girl was indeed quite warm and friendly.

“Minghai.”

“Wow… it’s a big city! We haven’t been there yet, but we’re planning to go for our next trip!”

“Mhm.”

Perhaps because Jiang Nai was too quiet and didn’t have much to say, the young couple didn’t continue chatting with her, instead turning back to their own affectionate conversation.

“Babe, look at this car, it’s so cool,” the girl said after a while.

The guy looked over and marveled, “Wow, people in the capital are really rich. That car must be worth… eight figures at least.”

The girl widened her eyes, counting out the amount with her fingers. Just as she was doing the math, she noticed that the car had stopped, and the back door opened. A man stepped out. Her fingers froze as she stared blankly at the man. He wore a shirt and dress pants, looked incredibly handsome, with broad shoulders and a slim waist. His legs seemed impossibly long.

But his expression was cold, exuding a kind of aloofness that made him seem unapproachable.

And yet… he was heading towards them.

The girl’s heart leapt into her throat, and she exchanged a glance with her boyfriend, who also seemed a bit stunned. Neither of them spoke as they watched him approach, closer and closer, until he finally stopped in front of the girl they had just been talking to…

“Still waiting in line?” he asked, his voice as magnetic and pleasant as his appearance suggested, but just as cold.

“Almost my turn. I’m up next.”

The man lowered his gaze. When he looked at the woman in front of him, it seemed like the ice in his eyes had melted, revealing a hint of warmth. “This is the place you’ve been waiting for?”

“Yes.”

“Are you sure it—”

“I’m sure. Even if I weren’t, I’d still have to eat here, because I’ve been waiting so long already. You… since you’re here, want to join me?”

The young couple watched quietly from the side, and when Jiang Nai asked this question, they were convinced he would refuse. They didn’t know why, but they just felt that this man… probably wasn’t suited for, nor would he like, this kind of humble eatery.

Unexpectedly, the man paused for a few seconds and then smiled slightly. “Alright.”

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