As soon as Jiang Li stepped into the house, the aroma of the food wafting towards her made her eyes crinkle with a smile. "It smells so good," she said.
Xixi rushed over and hugged her, rubbing her little face against Jiang Li's embrace. "Sister Lili, you smell nice too," she said.
Jiang Li ruffled her hair and sat down on the sofa with her in her arms.
Aunt Chen was bustling around in the kitchen. Several dishes had already been placed on the dining table, looking sumptuous and delicate.
There was Aunt Chen's most famous chicken soup, as well as the stewed meat that Xixi loved the most. In the center of the table was a bowl of egg flower soup.
The moment she saw the egg flower soup, Jiang Li's eyes softened.
Once, casually, she mentioned that when she was a child, her favorite dish was the egg flower soup made by her mother, which always had a sprinkle of scallions on top, giving off a faint aroma.
Zhou Ningyun had told her that life should be like this bowl of egg flower soup, simple yet full of a subtle fragrance.
Aunt Chen was a thoughtful person. Knowing that Jiang Li was particularly fond of it, she often made it for her.
When the last dish was served, the three of them sat around the table merrily. On the TV across from the table, a variety show was on, and music wafted out from time to time. Along with Xixi's childish voice, laughter filled the table.
This was the most homely and heart - warming scene.
Jiang Li propped her chin with her hand and ate with chopsticks in the other. She looked at Xixi with a smile in her eyes, nodding from time to time as she listened to the little girl's school anecdotes, and even picked up some food and put it into Xixi's bowl.
Little girls at this age always had endless things to say.
"Sister Lili, the necklace around your neck is so beautiful. It's shining," Xixi said.
Seeing her interest, Jiang Li said in a gentle tone, "Do you like it? If you get into a key school this year, sister Lili will give you a necklace too."
"Really?" Xixi's eyes instantly sparkled with expectation. "You have to keep your promise."
Before Jiang Li could reply with a smile, Aunt Chen quickly interrupted the topic and declined on Xixi's behalf. "What's the point of a little girl being so vain and fond of dressing up? Don't ask for it."
Xixi's eyes immediately drooped, and her voice was low. "But I'm not a little girl anymore. I'll be in junior high school next year."
"For a little girl, it's only natural to love beauty. Aunt Chen, don't be so strict with her," Jiang Li said with a smile, defending Xixi. "Besides, it's just a necklace. There's no need to label Xixi so harshly."
"Our Xixi is already a big girl, right?"
"Yes! Sister Lili is the best!" Xixi was so excited that she almost hugged and kissed Jiang Li.
"You're just spoiling her," Aunt Chen said helplessly, only smiling and scolding a few words. Then she glanced at the necklace again, sighed, and asked, "Lili, where did you get this necklace?"
"Xiao Yanzhi gave it to me," Jiang Li replied casually as she pinched Xixi's little face. "I guess it's a gift from a business partner."
Aunt Chen leaned in to take a closer look, then shook her head firmly. "This definitely wasn't given by someone else."
Jiang Li looked up at her.
"The gemstone on it is of a high grade, and its quality indicates that it's a newly mined natural diamond," Aunt Chen said, stroking her chin. The more she looked, the more she felt it was extraordinary. "Moreover, this doesn't seem to be a mass - produced market item. It's more like—"
"A custom - made one?"
Aunt Chen nodded seriously. "It should be a royal private custom - made item from Europe."
In simple terms, the jewelry around Jiang Li's neck was something that only royalty and nobility were qualified to own, and its value was immeasurable.
After hearing this, Jiang Li didn't say a word.
Actually, in the car, she had vaguely sensed the necklace's value.
But after Aunt Chen's explanation, she felt an indescribable unease in her heart.
She always felt that the necklace was weighing heavily on her.
—
After dinner, Xixi hugged Aunt Chen, and the mother - daughter pair leaned on the sofa watching TV. Jiang Li grabbed her phone, put on her coat, and went to the balcony.
The winter night sky in Beicheng was beautiful. The sky, so dark that it was almost blue, was hung with a bright full moon.
There were hardly any clouds.
She pulled up the collar of her coat to prevent the cold wind from getting in. Looking down at the contact note on her phone screen, she had so many things she wanted to ask him.
But if she really called him, what would she say?
Thank him for the gift?
Or ask him exactly what their relationship was?
She couldn't imagine what answer he would give her.
Just as she was about to give up, suddenly a call came in. The vibration startled her back to her senses. It was an unfamiliar number.
She answered it, and it was Qin Yaoyao's voice. "Hello, is this Sister Jiang Li? I got your contact information from Sister Yezi."
Jiang Li's tone was flat, showing no emotion. "What do you want?"
"Happy New Year, Sister Jiang Li!" Qin Yaoyao's voice was clear. "Are you also spending the New Year with your family?"
Jiang Li had no intention of chatting with her. She said expressionlessly, "Just get to the point."
Seeing that Jiang Li was really cold - hearted, Qin Yaoyao didn't pretend to be enthusiastic anymore. She went straight to the point. "Ayan is going abroad today. I..."
"I'm not with him," Jiang Li guessed what she was probing and replied impatiently. "I'm spending the New Year at Aunt Chen's house. I don't know his schedule."
It was very quiet on the other end of the phone, as if someone was trying to figure out the truth of her words.
Just then, someone set off fireworks. With a "bang", gorgeous lights bloomed in the night sky.
One after another, the originally quiet night sky became a bit noisy.
Qin Yaoyao also heard the commotion on Jiang Li's end. Knowing that there wouldn't be anyone setting off fireworks at the airport, she immediately felt a lot more relaxed.
"Then I won't bother you, Sister Jiang Li. Happy New Year!"
She called quickly and hung up just as fast.
Only then did Jiang Li notice that during the call with Qin Yaoyao, there had been an incoming call from Xiao Yanzhi.
There were also two unread messages.
[You were on a call. Who were you talking to?]
[I'm boarding the plane. Good night.]
These two short messages left Jiang Li a bit dazed.
His sudden tenderness caught her off guard.
—
The next morning.
On the first day of the New Year, according to local customs, everyone would go for a walk on the street to drive away bad luck and welcome good luck in the new year.
Because of Jiang Li's special status, afraid of being surrounded by fans, she just took a walk downstairs of Aunt Chen's house and then returned to the room.
Aunt Chen took Xixi out. She was left alone at home, boredly playing with her phone.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, it was the premiere day of Director Zhang's New Year's movie. Jiang Li flipped through the social platform, posted a few movie promotion messages as the leading actress, and then threw her phone aside.
She didn't reply to the two messages Xiao Yanzhi had sent last night.
After a while, Xiao Yanzhi called. Her heart skipped a beat, and she immediately answered.
"You have time to post on social media but no time to reply to my messages?" The man's voice was deep, tinged with a bit of annoyance. "What kind of temper are you throwing this time?"
Holding the phone, Jiang Li listened to the familiar voice on the other end.
Calculating the time difference, it should be late at night where Xiao Yanzhi was. It should be his rest time.