Chapter 49
Jiang Ling took his phone and went up to the third floor.
Only after entering the study and locking the door did he say to the person on the other end of the line, “Alright, go ahead. What is it?”
He knew that Pei Ning’s study had an extra layer of soundproofing added, so its insulation was better than the other rooms.
The person calling was Jiang Ling’s high school classmate and close friend, Sun Qiao. He now worked at Jiang Group and had a very good relationship with Jiang Ling.
Sun Qiao asked cautiously, “Your fiancée isn’t beside you either, right?”
“She isn’t.” Jiang Ling said, his brows knitting slightly. “Go on.”
To gain Pei Ning’s trust, there were very few things in his daily life that he ever needed to hide from her, except—
Sun Qiao asked, “Did you see what people are saying online?”
Jiang Ling was baffled. “What are they saying?”
Sun Qiao said, “People are saying your feelings for Pei Ning aren’t pure. They’re saying the person you like is someone else, and they’re calling you a scumbag.”
Jiang Ling’s heart clenched sharply, and even his voice tightened. “How is that possible? Who’s stirring things up again?”
Jiang Ling felt guilty.
But he knew that the more it was a moment like this, the less he could afford to show any cracks.
It was true that his feelings were impure. It was true that the person he liked was someone else. It was even true that he had treated Pei Ning as a substitute.
But no matter how true those things were, he could never admit them. He had to deny them flat-out.
Steadying himself a little, he said, “A-Ning and I have been together for so many years already. How could anyone still spread a rumor like that… It’s too ridiculous.”
Jiang Ling was full of suspicion.
The fact that he had once liked Ning Qiu was something from many, many years ago. Very few people knew about it. And even if those high school classmates still remembered that he had once liked Ning Qiu, they should also know that Ning Qiu had already rejected him.
They should all know that Ning Qiu belonged to the past, and that Pei Ning was the one he deeply loved now.
After all these years, no one had discovered anything—so how was it that right after he proposed to Pei Ning, those kinds of comments suddenly appeared online?
“So I already had people deal with it. You shouldn’t be able to see those comments online anymore.” Sun Qiao said. “But remember to keep an eye on your fiancée. Don’t let her misunderstand.”
Jiang Ling thought back to when he and Pei Ning had been downstairs making breakfast together just now. Pei Ning had not shown anything unusual.
Besides, starting from last night, she had been with him the entire time. Other than handling work messages, she had not been browsing her phone, so she probably had not seen anything.
Jiang Ling relaxed a little and said, “Got it. Thanks.”
“What’s there to thank me for?” Sun Qiao laughed, then changed the subject. “There’s one more thing… Ning Qiu is coming back. Did you know that?”
Jiang Ling’s breathing stopped abruptly, and his heart seemed to miss half a beat.
It took him a while before he found his voice again. “…When?”
“She lands at the airport at six this afternoon.” Sun Qiao said. “At this hour, she should already be on the plane, right?”
“How do you know?” Jiang Ling couldn’t help asking. “Did she contact you?”
“Yeah, but she didn’t just contact me. She pretty much contacted all our old classmates. She said after coming back today, she wants everyone to get together.”
Sun Qiao explained, “She also said she accidentally lost your contact information and asked if I could reach you. If I could, she told me to remember to bring you along tonight too, so everyone could hang out together.”
Jiang Ling’s heart thudded hard twice more—
Accidentally lost his contact information?
What accident? She had obviously been the one who deleted and blocked him first!
Back then, the fact that Jiang Ling had chased Ning Qiu all the way abroad was known to no one except Jiang Ling and Ning Qiu. Not even Sun Qiao, his closest friend, knew.
And now Ning Qiu had not mentioned that incident in front of anyone. Instead, she was inviting him to join the class gathering…
A bold thought rose in Jiang Ling’s mind.
Could it be that Ning Qiu… no longer minded what had happened back then?
The moment that thought surfaced, Jiang Ling’s heartbeat spun out of control again, to the point that he was nearly overjoyed.
But he quickly reined his emotions back in.
He was no longer the brash young boy who had just graduated high school over a decade ago. The current him knew how to control his emotions, and also knew how to win the favor of the person he loved.
Jiang Ling calmed down. “How many people are going tonight?”
“More than ten, I think. A lot of people didn’t stay in the city after graduation, so they can’t make it back on such short notice.” Sun Qiao said. “Are you free tonight? Want to come?”
Jiang Ling almost wanted to agree immediately.
But he quickly realized that the image he had maintained all these years could not collapse now.
So he put on a show of hesitation. “I’ll tell A-Ning first. It should be fine.”
“Alright, I’ll send you the time and address for tonight. If you can make it, just let me know on WeChat.”
Sun Qiao paused, then added, “Oh, right. I originally promised Ning Qiu I’d pick her up tonight, but something suddenly came up at the company, and I’ll probably have to work late, so I can’t get away. If you’re free, how about going to pick her up for me?”
Jiang Ling’s heart gave another jump—
Of course he could. He would have liked nothing more.
But Jiang Ling still did not immediately agree. “Mm, I’ll see.”
The call ended. Jiang Ling took a deep breath, gripping his phone so hard that the knuckles of his fingers turned slightly white.
He was excited.
Sun Qiao’s message came very soon after.
The dinner gathering that evening was set for eight o’clock at Spring Room in Nanjiang Dinning House.
Jiang Ling sat in the study for a while longer, then finally replied to Sun Qiao’s message: “Alright. I’ll go to the airport to pick Ning Qiu up first this afternoon, then take her straight to Nanjiang Dinning House.”
As for Pei Ning’s opinion?
That was not important.
Jiang Ling did not care at all.
At the same time, downstairs in the living room—
[Dinner gathering at Nanjiang Dinning House at eight tonight, but that piece of trash Jiang is going to the airport this afternoon first to pick up his white moonlight.]
Pei Ning silently memorized the time and place.
Jiang Ling just happened to come downstairs then, walking quickly. “A-Ning, Sun Qiao told me something came up at the company, so I need to go back for a bit. I won’t be coming back for dinner tonight.”
As he passed Pei Ning, he even stopped, cupped her face, and kissed her once, his tone full of apology. “Sorry. I said I’d spend these few days with you.”
“It’s alright. Company matters come first.” Pei Ning acted very understanding. “Go on. Don’t delay proper business.”
Jiang Ling nodded and hurried away.
Lin Zhiqiao gave a cold snort in his heart. [What company matters? He’s obviously about to go see his white moonlight, so he’s rushing back to dress himself up. He didn’t even tell Sister Pei there’s a class reunion tonight—is that guilt? You garbage scumbag, bah!]
But Pei Ning, who already knew the truth, showed no change in expression. She lowered her eyes as though thinking about something.
Gong Tiantian could tell at a glance what she was thinking.
After considering it, she said, “Ningning, didn’t you say you were taking us all out to eat tonight?”
Pei Ning came back to herself. “Mm. What does everyone want to eat?”
“It’s been a long time since I last went to Nanjiang Dinning House.” Gong Tiantian blinked. “I kind of miss their signature dishes.”
Lin Zhiqiao’s eyes lit up, and he immediately raised both hands in approval. “I just so happen to have vouchers for Nanjiang Dinning House!”
They had been given to him by Song Fengshi before, but since he had never gone, he had never used them.
Pei Ning looked at the others. “And you all?”
The entire group nodded in unison. “No problem. Let’s go to Nanjiang Dinning House!”
—What a joke. How could they possibly miss a chance to eat gossip live and in person!
Everyone reached agreement at top speed.
Soon afternoon arrived.
Jiang Ling, of course, did not go to the company. He went back to his own place, changed clothes, carefully dressed himself up, and even sprayed on a little cologne.
After so many years apart, Jiang Ling wanted to leave Ning Qiu with a good impression. He also wanted her to know that he was no longer that immature young man from back then.
Now he was mature and steady, successful in his career, someone worthy of being entrusted with a life.
Jiang Ling had even prepared flowers in the car—jasmine, Ning Qiu’s favorite.
Once all his preparations were complete, he used the in-car mirror and lightly ran his fingers through his hair a couple of times. Only after making sure his appearance was flawless did he finally arrive at the pickup point.
There were less than five minutes left before Ning Qiu’s flight landed.
Jiang Ling was both nervous and expectant, constantly lifting his wrist to check the time.
At last, the plane landed, and the passengers began disembarking.
In the crowd, Jiang Ling spotted Ning Qiu at a glance.
She had long, seaweed-like hair, oversized sunglasses perched on her tall nose bridge, skin as pale as snow and lips vividly red. She looked like she belonged to an entirely different world from everyone around her.
Jiang Ling raised a hand and waved. “Ning Qiu! Over here!”
Ning Qiu glanced in his direction and came over without any hesitation at all.
After getting close, Ning Qiu looked him up and down for a moment. “…Jiang Ling?”
Jiang Ling put on a gentle smile. “It’s me. You—”
Ning Qiu cut him off. “Why is it you?”
The rest of Jiang Ling’s words stuck in his throat. He could only follow up by saying, “Sun Qiao got held up working overtime, so I came to pick you up instead.”
Ning Qiu glanced behind him, her eyes narrowing slightly behind the sunglasses. “That works. Same difference.”
Tilting her chin up, she said, “Let’s go.”
So Jiang Ling led the way in front.
Ning Qiu asked, “You know about the gathering tonight, right?”
“I know. Sun Qiao told me.” Jiang Ling said.
Ning Qiu did not bring up what had happened all those years ago, and naturally Jiang Ling had no intention of bringing up something awkward on his own.
The two of them quickly reached the parking garage. Jiang Ling opened the front passenger door, about to let Ning Qiu get in, but when he looked up he found she had already taken a seat in the back.
Jiang Ling glanced at the bouquet carefully prepared on the front passenger seat. “…”
Forget it. He could give it to her later too.
Jiang Ling resigned himself to becoming a lonely driver.
On the way, he tried to find topics to talk to Ning Qiu about. “Ning Qiu, after all these years, you’ve changed so much.”
No sound came from the back seat.
Jiang Ling was not very surprised. Ning Qiu had never paid him much attention even before.
So he went on talking by himself, about their high school days, about how he later went to watch Ning Qiu compete, and about his current career.
The only thing he did not mention was Pei Ning.
The Ning Qiu in the back seat still gave no response at all.
Jiang Ling became a little irritated. At a red light, he turned his head and glanced back.
Ning Qiu still had her sunglasses on, her head tilted back against the seat as if she had already fallen asleep.
Jiang Ling quietly relaxed.
After such a long flight, plus the time difference, falling asleep from exhaustion was perfectly understandable.
Still…
The fact that Ning Qiu could relax enough to fall asleep in his car—didn’t that mean she had lowered her guard around him?
Jiang Ling’s mood instantly improved.
What he didn’t know was that Ning Qiu was not asleep at all. She simply did not want to talk to him. The rock music in her earbuds completely drowned out his voice.
At last the car stopped in Nanjiang Dinning House’s parking area.
Before Jiang Ling could call to her, Ning Qiu seemed to sense it and removed one earbud first. “We’re here?”
Jiang Ling nodded. “We’re here. Get out. Spring Room is on the eighth floor.”
After getting out of the car, Ning Qiu noticed that Jiang Ling was holding a bouquet.
“For you.” Jiang Ling said with a smile. “Welcome back to the country.”
Ning Qiu raised a brow but did not reach out to take it. “Forget the flowers. You’re already a man with a fiancée.”
It was a perfectly ordinary statement.
But in Jiang Ling’s ears, the sentence seemed to take on a different flavor.
Ning Qiu knew he had a fiancée?
Then again, of course she would. Ning Qiu had been abroad, not cut off from the internet, nor living in total isolation.
Jiang Ling’s heart started beating uneasily. He had no idea what Ning Qiu meant by suddenly bringing up his fiancée.
He stole a glance at her, but could not read anything from her expression.
Could it be… that she minded the fact that he had a fiancée?
Ning Qiu stepped back, silently widening the distance between them. “And besides, I don’t like jasmine.”
Jiang Ling froze. “Didn’t you used to say you liked jasmine?”
“Did I?” Ning Qiu gave a light snort. “I don’t remember.”
So Jiang Ling pressed further. “Then what flowers do you like now?”
Ning Qiu did not answer that question. Instead, she abruptly changed the subject. “Your fiancée… she’s that singer named Pei Ning, right?”
“Right.” Jiang Ling said. “We haven’t even held the engagement ceremony yet, so she can’t really be counted as a formal fiancée.”
Ning Qiu cast him a glance full of unreadable meaning.
“She’s pretty famous. I’ve heard of her even while I was abroad.” Ning Qiu said. “If there’s a chance, could you take me to meet her?”
For a moment, Jiang Ling did not know how to answer.
Ning Qiu lifted a hand and tucked back her hair, her red lips curving faintly. “I’m pretty interested in her.”
