Mo Yushen stared intently at the computer screen. The screen went dark, pitch black, reflecting his blurry figure.
He downed the remaining half-glass of cold water in one gulp and asked Secretary Ding, "What's your schedule during this period?"
Secretary Ding: "They're all in Beijing, there are several meetings."
Mo Yu pondered for a moment, then said, "Change to a video conference." After a few seconds, he asked Secretary Ding, "If your wife is unwell and is out of town, would you go to see her?"
Secretary Ding: "..."
He's still single, okay?
Secretary Ding immediately understood, "Even if you have to give up your work, you have to take care of your wife first. That's what a man should do."
Mo Yushen nodded, "Then I'll go check on Xi Jia."
Chapter Twenty-One
The rain in the mountains fell on and off all night, and it rained again just before dawn. In the morning, the sun came out.
Walking through the mountains and forests felt like entering an oxygen bar.
After having breakfast, Xi Jia went out. The journey from her grandmother's house to the scenic area's transportation hub was like a fairyland, surrounded by clouds and mist.
Mr. Yue knew that Xi Jia had a bad memory, so he made a special phone call this morning.
"Jiajia, I'm your grandfather-in-law, do you remember me?"
"Grandpa, I remember. I left a note by my pillow saying I'm going fishing with you today. I'm waiting for the bus; we'll be there in half an hour."
Mr. Yue smiled and said, "Then I'll make preparations, and we'll go when you arrive."
While waiting in line for the bus, Xi Jia was bored, so she took out her notebook to review her studies, starting with yesterday's material. It turned out that she had also run into Zhou Mingqian.
Xi Jia missed riding in the same car as Zhou Mingqian yesterday, but she made up for it today.
Zhou Mingqian was at the front of the line and got on the bus first, where he could find a seat.
Xi Jia was very late in the queue again today, and there were no seats left, so she could only stand by the door and hold onto the handrail.
Zhou Mingqian noticed Xi Jia, but she was looking out of the car and didn't see him.
He glanced at Xi Jia's feet; they were sneakers.
He wouldn't fall over when the car turned, so he didn't need to give up his seat for her.
Young people nowadays lack exercise and sit all the time; even standing up would be good.
Thinking this, Zhou Mingqian continued looking at his phone with a clear conscience. His assistant asked what time he would pick him up.
Zhou Mingqian: [I'll be back tomorrow; I'm still in the mountains.]
Assistant: [Should I have the actress who played the younger daughter in the audition wait for further notice? Or should I have her come over tomorrow evening?]
Zhou Mingqian rubbed his temples, utterly exhausted. This drama was adapted from a work by Mr. Yue, and he personally selected and interviewed each actor.
Including this trip to the mountains, the assistant director said that he brought materials to see Mr. Yue, so as not to interfere with his other arrangements, but he did not allow it and came to make the trip himself.
I was originally planning to go back today.
When I said goodbye to Mr. Yue yesterday, he asked if I was interested in fishing.
Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately agreed.
Listening to Mr. Yue's words is worth more than reading books for ten years.
Zhou Mingqian replied to his assistant: "Have the actor go over at 7 PM tomorrow." He then asked: "Who is it?"
Assistant: [Ye Qiu. She passed the assistant director's first audition and said it went quite well.]
Ye Qiu?
Zhou Mingqian thought for a moment and couldn't recall it at all. It seemed he hadn't played any decent roles.
The car had already reached the curve, and Xi Jia gripped the handrails tightly with both hands, her body inevitably tilting.
Zhou Mingqian put away his phone and looked to his right, "Xi Jia."
Xi Jia thought she was hallucinating, so she didn't turn around and just kept holding onto the handrail.
"Xi Jia!"
"What a coincidence?" Xi Jia turned around and met Zhou Mingqian's impatient face.
"Come and sit down." In the end, Zhou Mingqian decided to be a good person.
Zhou Mingqian had already walked over past several people, so Xi Jia didn't stand on ceremony and said, "Thank you." She carefully moved over, holding onto the backs of other chairs.
This was the second time Xi Jia had accepted his help. Although he was not very popular, she still wanted to express her gratitude. She would treat him to a meal when she returned to Beijing.
Of course, it's also a good opportunity to get closer to her, just in case her works are adapted into films or television series in the future.
Upon arrival at their destination, the two got off the bus together.
Xi Jia expressed her gratitude once again.
Zhou Mingqian walked ahead without saying a word.
The cobblestone path was slippery after the rain, and Xi Jia walked slowly.
"Director Zhou, could you please give me your contact information?"
Zhou Mingqian didn't even turn his head: "Giving up a seat is nothing, no need to treat me. If you have other ideas, then forget about it."
Xi Jia: "..."
She stopped.
Looking at that arrogant back, I felt so angry that I wanted to kick him into the lake.
We arrived at Mr. Yue's house.
Mr. Yue was reading in his study while waiting for them.
"Grandpa Yue." Xi Jia walked into the inner room, and Zhou Mingqian followed.
"You've arrived." Mr. Yue gestured for them to sit down. "Have a cup of tea." He only had half a page left to read and asked them to wait two minutes.
Xi Jia refilled Mr. Yue's cup of hot tea. There were many old photos on the table, and the people in one of the group photos looked familiar.
There's still a hint of Mo Yushen in his features.
She asked Mr. Yue, "Grandpa, who is this?"
When Mr. Yue looked over, Xi Jia didn't recognize the person. He wasn't surprised, as he had heard that Xi Jia's memory was only good for a day. He said, "It's Grandpa Mo Yushen."
Fearing she might have forgotten who Mo Yushen was, Mr. Yue asked, "Mo Yushen, you know who he is, right?"
Xi Jia smiled, "Of course I know."
Zhou Mingqian sipped his tea and glanced at Xi Jia. She had a smile on her lips.
Xi Jia glanced at the group photo again. It turned out to be Mo Yushen's grandfather. No wonder she felt a sense of familiarity.
After reading half a page, Mr. Yue took off his glasses and put the bookmark away.
The group grabbed their fishing gear and headed to the area where they were going to fish.
Zhou Mingqian was unusually patient at this moment, carrying two fishing rods on his back, walking behind Mr. Yue and Xi Jia, taking only one step every now and then.
The three of them walked and talked.
This time, we're going back to the same body of water as last time.
Xi Jia and Mr. Yue sat on a stone bench, while Zhou Mingqian sat on the other side.
"Does your head still hurt?" Mr. Yue asked with concern.
Xi Jia: "There are still some, but it's much better than when we first arrived."
Mr. Yue said, "I'll go back after I'm completely cured this time."
Xi Jia nodded without saying anything more.
Mr. Yue was unaware that her illness could not be cured by traditional Chinese medicine; it could only temporarily relieve her headaches.
Zhou Mingqian listened to their conversation but didn't take it to heart.
They thought Xi Jia had a migraine and came here to find a folk remedy.
He also gets migraines, which flare up when he has a cold.
"Did you stay up all night writing the script again last night?" Mr. Yue asked.
Xi Jia's eyes were slightly puffy, clearly indicating she hadn't had a good rest.
Xi Jia: "Yeah, I'm not sleepy. I was just thinking about some of the experiences of the youngest daughter in the story. I spent last night writing the character analysis for the youngest daughter."
Mr. Yue nodded, "You can communicate more with Xiao Zhou about the script adaptation."
Xi Jia thought to herself, "That Xiao Zhou is hard to talk to."
As Zhou Mingqian turned his head, Xi Jia's gaze fell upon him, and he clearly saw the disdain on her face.
After that, things quieted down, and they began to focus on fishing.
Amidst the mountains and rivers, there is a poetic and picturesque scene.
Xi Jia thought to herself, "Such a beautiful scene, it would be wonderful if there weren't any insects chirping."
Xi Jia had to go back to her grandmother's house to take her medicine at noon, so she didn't eat at Mr. Yue's house. Zhou Mingqian stayed to have a drink with Mr. Yue.
On the way back, Xi Jia received a call from her best friend Ye Qiu.
Having a poor memory, Xi Jia forgot to tell Ye Qiu before coming to the mountains.
Ye Qiu was on her way to the horse farm. She had just arrived in Beijing in the early hours of the morning. "Baby, you'll see me in an hour."
Xi Jia was taken aback. "You've come to the mountains?" Then she realized something was off.
Ye Qiu stepped on the brakes and slowly pulled over to the side of the road. "Aren't you at the horse farm?"
"I've been in the mountains for two days now." Xi Jia tapped her head. Some things she had been thinking about had been forgotten. She had thought of mentioning it to Ye Qiu before she came, but then she had put it out of her mind.
Ye Qiu gripped the steering wheel harder involuntarily.