Now that Xi Jia can hear, and his memories have returned a little, everything is moving in a positive direction. Starting next week, he will also be going back to work at the Mo Corporation.
The mess that Mo Lian left behind still needs to be cleaned up.
Downstairs in the living room, Ji Qingshi leaned back on the sofa and closed his eyes to rest.
During the family meeting that lasted more than an hour, he said less than five sentences.
Ji Qingyuan: "You're making such a fuss, how about you stay on the second floor?"
Ji Qingshi: "..." He opened his eyes, "Did you take the wrong medicine?"
Ji Qingyuan: "You're the one who's sick. If you're sick, go see Dr. Ye for treatment, don't try to tough it out."
After saying that, Ji Qingyuan got up and went upstairs.
The living room quieted down.
Ji Qingshi suddenly lost his sleepiness.
They had arranged to meet at six o'clock, but Ji Qingshi arrived at the restaurant before 5:30. He chose the seat that Xi Jia usually liked to sit in; she and Ye Qiu used to love eating there. It had practically become their reserved spot.
This was the first time Ji Qingshi had waited for someone for such a long time.
Ye Qiu arrived late, around six o'clock.
Ji Qingshi had already instructed the chef to prepare the dishes according to her preferences.
Ye Qiu had just arrived in Beijing that afternoon and originally planned to stay in the mountains for a couple more days, but her agent bombarded her with phone calls, urging her to come back as soon as possible.
Tomorrow, there will be a press conference for Chu Shan's drama, and all the main cast and crew members will be present.
From the moment Ye Qiu entered the restaurant until she sat down, Ji Qingshi's gaze followed her intently.
Ye Qiu never met his gaze. It had been almost a year since they last saw each other. If it weren't for those few Weibo posts and the gossipy netizens, they would have long since become strangers, with no connection whatsoever.
Ji Qingshi was at a loss for words, so he poured her a glass of hot water.
Ye Qiu: "Thank you." She didn't drink it, holding the water glass in both hands. "Ji Qingshi."
He had forgotten how long it had been since he had heard her call him that.
Ye Qiu's voice was very soft: "In the past two years, no matter how Chu Shan used your popularity, you always acquiesced. After you broke up with her, you never embarrassed her in public or mentioned her on Weibo. I never expected to receive the same treatment as her."
She caught her breath. "But we've slept together for a year, after all. Even if there's no feeling left, don't treat me like this. I'm not like you. You don't have to worry about money, but I rely on my reputation to make a living. I want to find someone I like and who treats me well to marry in the future. If you keep acting like this, and one day you suddenly feel like posting on Weibo, who would dare to be with me?"
Ye Qiu warmed his hands with the hot water, which made his palms feel less cold.
As she spoke, she kept looking at the water in her glass. She didn't know what Ji Qingshi's expression was, nor did she want to know.
"Mr. Ji, please be lenient."
Ji Qingshi remained expressionless, his eyes as cold as a Siberian wind. He stared at Ye Qiu without uttering a word. Was he toying with her?
He has already taken the initiative to make overtures four times.
The first time he visited her at her apartment, she was cold and said hurtful things. He didn't hold it against her.
The second time, I posted the photo on Weibo.
The third time, they distributed movie tickets.
She did not respond.
The fourth time, he texted her to tell her that his stomach problems were cured and he had quit smoking.
What more does she want from him?
Ye Qiu felt suffocated and couldn't breathe. She had said what she needed to say. "President Ji, please excuse me." She stood up.
Ji Qingshi then spoke, clearly restraining his emotions and temper, "Since we're already here, there's no rush for a meal."
Ye Qiu: "No, I have other things to do."
Ji Qingshi: "The chef is already cooking."
Ye Qiu opened his bag, took out a stack of money, placed it on the table, nodded slightly, and turned to leave.
Seeing Ye Qiu leave so quickly, the restaurant manager hurriedly instructed the kitchen to stop cooking. Serving these dishes would give President Ji a heart attack.
Ji Qingshi didn't chase after him. He looked out the window, and there, on the glass, was his own reflection.
For the next two months, Ji Qingshi neither updated his blog nor paid attention to any entertainment news. He heard news of Ye Qiu again in December, a few days before Christmas.
Ye Qiu is trending on social media, but this time it has nothing to do with him. It was Huo Teng who brought her to the top of the trending list. Huo Teng was having a gathering with friends, and Ye Qiu was among them.
"Second brother, you need to clarify this quickly. Ye Qiu is your girlfriend." Xi Jia handed him her phone. "Netizens are pairing Ye Qiu with Huo Teng. It's annoying."
Ji Qingshi forgot to check the trending topics and stared at Xi Jia instead. "Jiajia, do you remember who Ye Qiu is?"
Xi Jia frowned. "I've forgotten her?"
Ji Qingshi couldn't speak a word clearly. In the past two months, with the medication, her memory time has been significantly extended. Sometimes she can remember a certain point about what happened the day before.
I never expected to think of Ye Qiu today.
However, her memory stopped two years ago, before he and Ye Qiu broke up.
Ji Qingshi didn't look at the trending topic related to Huo Teng; he wasn't interested in it and didn't want to.
Seeing that he wasn't interested, Xi Jia put her phone away. "If you continue to be so indifferent to Ye Qiu, you'll have something to cry about when she dumps you."
"I'm going to bed now. I have to get up early for training tomorrow."
Ji Qingshi: "What kind of training? Where will we train?"
Xi Jia touched his forehead. "Are you stupid? Go to the horse farm for training, where else can you go?"
Ji Qingshi blinked, staring intently at Xi Jia. Not only had her memories returned, but her personality had also reverted to what it was before.
Xi Jia went upstairs, leaving Ji Qingshi there in a daze.
After a while, he sent a message to Mo Yushen: [Jiajia remembered who Ye Qiu was, but her memory was stuck two years ago, before she knew you.]
Mo Yushen is in Shanghai on a business trip today and will be staying there for two days. This is the longest he has been away from Xi Jia since she fell ill.
I'll be back tomorrow night.
For the past two months, Xi Jia has assumed that he is a friend of her older brother Ji Qingyuan and is staying at their house temporarily.
She's still pretty much the same as before, always wanting to be close to him. She'll make him coffee on her own initiative, and at dinner time, she'll put the best dishes in front of him.
On weekends, he usually works overtime at home, and she would run to his study eight hundred times a day, each time with a fresh excuse to see him.
"I'd like to write a script about your hometown. Could you tell me about the customs there?"
"Do you know how to edit photos? Can you Photoshop this for me?"
"Why is my computer a bit slow?"
"I'm thinking of writing a story about the financial industry. Do you have any recommendations for finance-related books?"
On weekdays, while he's at work, Xi Jia would send him messages at noon.
[Vinegar, do you know what my nickname is?]
My name used to be Se Se, but I've changed it to Xie Xie now. Haha.
He didn't realize at the time what the connection was between vinegar and crab, but he later understood that vinegar and crab are a perfect match.
Chapter Seventy-Two
The next day.
Ji Qingshi got up before dawn and waited for Xi Jia in the living room. He was curious whether Xi Jia's memory was still stuck two years ago.
At 6:10, hurried footsteps came from the stairs, accompanied by humming.
Ji Qingshi turned around and saw that Xi Jia was wearing a long dress with a coat draped over her arm. She had replaced her usual backpack with a handbag, so it looked like she had a date.
"Good morning, Ji Er."
Ji Qingshi: "...Good morning." He remembered last night that she said she was going to the horse farm for training today. He tentatively asked, "Where are you going?"
Xi Jia countered, "What do you think? Where else could we go?"
Ji Qingshi: "You're dressed so formally, I thought we didn't have to train today."
"I've made plans to have dinner with Ye Qiu tonight to celebrate Christmas early. That way I won't have to come back to change after training." Xi Jia draped her coat over the back of the sofa and went to have breakfast.
She had only taken a few bites when she remembered to tell Ji Qingshi, "Reserve the window seats for the two of us."
Ji Qingshi: "Hmm."
Xi Jia took a few sips of milk and felt something was wrong. She asked Ji Qingshi if something was wrong when she came home early in the morning.
Ji Qingshi looked at her, quite certain that her memory was indeed stuck two years ago, though she couldn't remember much about yesterday. She had forgotten that he lived at home.
He made up a reason: "I'm staying at home these days, and my older brother is staying at home too, to spend Christmas with you. It's been so many years since I've spent time with you."
Xi Jia nodded. At least she has a conscience.
She pondered for a few seconds, then made up her mind.
Ji Qingshi took his phone outside and called Wu Yang to inform him that Xi Jia had regained her memory. He told Wu Yang to prepare and not to let anyone in the club slip up, and to cooperate with her as much as possible.
Wu Yang got excited and said, "Say it again!"
He was eating breakfast, but he put down his chopsticks and stopped eating. He grabbed his car keys and left, but when he got to the door he remembered he hadn't brought his coat, so he turned back.
Ji Qingshi, unusually patient, repeated what he had just said.
Wu Yang: "I'm going to the horse farm now." He sent a message in the group to inform everyone that there would be a meeting at eight o'clock.
He finally got his wish: a long-awaited reunion.
Ji Qingshi notified Wu Yang and then opened Ye Qiu's message dialog box. Contacting her again, regardless of the reason, would be a shameless act on his part.
After hesitating for a moment, he sent the message: "Jiajia's memories have returned to two years ago. She wants to invite you to dinner tonight to celebrate Christmas at my restaurant."
Immediately afterwards, he sent another message: 【No need to reply.】
Ye Qiu had just woken up and stared at the message for several seconds. She didn't even notice Ji Qingshi's second message; she went straight to contact Xi Jia.
A few days ago, Mo Yushen added her as a friend using Xi Jia's account and told her to wait for news. She waited every day, hoping that Xi Jia would remember her one day.