Chapter 16
Chapter 16
The Jing family held a family dinner on every Friday, which was a tradition that Old Mr. Jing had started ten years ago.
At six o’clock, the black Cayenne rolled into the villa. Aunt Hui, who had been working here for years, had been waiting for a long time. When she saw Jing Muchen step out of the car alone, she quickly pulled him over and hissed, “Oh my! Last night, Old Mr. Jing repeatedly asked you to bring your girlfriend here for dinner. Where is she? Why are you here alone?”
Jing Muchen frowned. “Aunt Hui, when did you start gossiping like my mother?”
Aunt Hui rolled her eyes at him. “Do you think I want to gossip? You and your girlfriend pop up on TV and in the newspapers all the time.”
Jing Muchen smiled lightly and walked inside.
Following him closely, Aunt Hui whispered, “We all watched the launch event on TV this afternoon. Old Mr. Jing said that your girlfriend can’t be trusted. He complained that she was seductively dressed… Anyway, be careful when you talk to him later. You know he has high blood pressure.”
After entering the living room, Jing Muchen greeted everyone there. “Dad, Mom, Grandpa, I’m here.”
Seeing a ceramic teacup fly towards him all of a sudden, he reflexively tilted his body to the side. The teacup hit the black marble wall behind him and shattered into pieces on the floor.
“You still remember the way home?” Old Mr. Jing snarled, standing up with the support of his crutch. His loud shaky voice almost rocked the whole living room.
“Dad, calm down…” Li Manting, who was wearing a simple housecoat, tried to smooth over the situation. Her face was almost completely free of wrinkles, and she glowed with youthful exuberance. No one would be able to guess that she was already in her 50s. Obviously, she lived a pampered and luxurious life.
“Yes, Father. Don’t be angry,” Jing Shaofan chimed in. Then, he turned to his son and scolded, “A Chen, did you forget what your grandpa said yesterday?”
Jing Muchen took off his suit jacket and handed in to Aunt Hui. Then, while unbuttoning his sleeves, he asked dully, “What did he say?”
“You…” Old Mr. Jing’s blood pressure shot up again, and his index finger began to tremble.
“Oh,” Jing Muchen exclaimed, as if he had just remembered something. “Something about my girlfriend?”
Li Manting said, “A Chen, Grandpa asked you to bring Zhang Luoya to our family dinner tonight, remember? He mentioned it many times, but you’re still so careless. You better apologize to him now.”
After unbuttoning his sleeves, Jing Muchen rolled them up, revealing the luxury watch on his left wrist. Then, he unbuttoned the top three buttons of his shirt, flopped down onto the sofa, and casually stretched out his hands, as if he hadn’t heard anything.
Li Manting sat down next to him and poked his forehead with her finger. Her fingernails were painted a beautiful shade of red. “If I didn’t know you well, I might be as angry as your grandfather!”
Then, she turned to Old Mr. Jing and smiled. “Dad, don’t be angry. A Chen actually decided to bring Luoya to dinner tonight. I called her this afternoon. She wants to give him a surprise, so she’ll be here soon.”
Jing Muchen frowned slightly, but said nothing in the end. He just stood up and went upstairs.
It was only after hearing his daughter-in-law’s words that Old Mr. Jing calmed down and sunk back into his armchair.
“Mr. Jing Muchen, dinner is ready. Mr. Li Muchen has arrived with Young Master, and Miss Jing Muxuan is also here. Come and have dinner.”
Aunt Hui’s voice came from outside the room. As soon as Jing Muchen stood up and opened the door, he heard the noise downstairs.
As he reluctantly walked down the spiral staircase, he saw everyone who had just arrived.
“A Chen.” Zhang Luoya stood up as soon as she saw him.
In order to win Old Mr. Jing’s favor, she had specially worn a conservative pink dress tonight. Her hair fell on her shoulders in soft curls, and her facial features were accentuated with light and elegant make-up, making her look like a good girl.
When she saw Jing Muchen walk down the stairs, her heart raced in her chest.
It was the first time that she had seen him dressed in casual wear. He looked very different from how he usually did in his daily suit and tie. At this moment, he was only wearing a simple black T-shirt and a pair of shorts, which made him look like a sexy bad boy. This side of him was very charming.
“Uncle Muchen, you’re here!” A chubby little boy ran into Jing Muchen’s legs with a bang. Jing Yanxi held onto his uncle’s bare legs tightly with his two oily hands. There was a sweet and innocent smile on his delicate face.
Jing Muchen frowned, trying his best to suppress the urge to shove the boy’s hands away. “Mom, what was he eating just now?”
Li Manting said, “Drumstick…”
Jing Muchen bit down the curse words that threatened to spill out of his mouth. After a few seconds, he spat out a single word. “Tissue.”
Jing Yanxi ran to get the box of tissues and held it out to his uncle. With a fawning smile on his face, he said, “Uncle Muchen, here you are!”
Jing Muchen pulled out a few pieces of tissue and dabbed at his legs with disgust in his eyes.
Once he was done, he threw the dirty tissue into the trash can. Then, he looked up at Li Muchen and nodded in greeting. “Hi, bro.”
Li Muchen just hummed in response as he picked up Jing Yanxi and put him down on a chair.
He was the one who had brought this boy up for four years. Why was Jing Yanxi so enthusiastic about Jing Muchen, who came to visit only once or twice a year? Was it true that blood was thicker than water?
While Li Muchen was thinking about this, Jing Yanxi slipped down from his chair again. He ran to space in between Jing Muchen and Zhang Luoya and shouted, “I want to sit with Uncle Muchen!”
Zhang Luoya was sitting with a smile. But when she heard the little boy’s words, the smile on her face froze.
How annoying! She inwardly rolled her eyes at Jing Yanxi. This naughty little boy was spoiling everything!
Old Mr. Jing just let out a hearty laugh. “Sure!” he said.
The servants immediately brought over a stool and placed it between Jing Muchen and Zhang Luoya. Jing Yanxi hopped onto the stool and sat there happily. He picked up the same dishes that Jing Muchen picked up, as if he was a crazed fan.
Looking at Jing Yanxi’s delicate face, which looked exactly the same as Jing Muchen’s, Old Mr. Jing let out a faint sigh. “Yan Yan is getting more and more lovely. Is he four years old now?”
Li Muchen nodded. “Yes, but he’ll turn five soon, after his birthday.”
Looking at Jing Yanxi dotingly, Old Mr. Jing murmured, “Children add warmth and energy to a family. All of you should hurry up and have children. Especially A Chen and A Xuan, you guys are at the right age…”
Jing Muchen glanced at his grandfather with an unfathomable look in his eyes. Then, he lowered his head again and continued to eat the crab on his plate. Jing Yanxi, who was sitting next to him, also messily picked the crab apart with his hands, which were stained with oil…