Before long, the car slowly drove into the Royal Seaview Bay. Jiang Zhirou pulled herself out of her thoughts.
As soon as the two entered the house, Jiang Zhirou rushed straight to the bathroom.
"I'm going to take a shower."
Before Chi Yu could react, she was out of sight, leaving only her voice lingering in his ears.
Not long after, the sound of water came from the direction of the bathroom.
Chi Yu looked in the direction of the bathroom, a hint of something flashing across his eyes. Two seconds later, he averted his gaze and walked towards the balcony with his phone in hand.
Chi Yu gently closed the sound - proof door of the balcony before dialing a number.
"You're calling me at this hour. It must be about Shu Yi, right?" Song Jinghao on the other end of the phone said confidently.
Chi Yu replied, "No."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the man on the other end of the phone clearly paused. "No?"
He had thought that Chi Yu was calling to ask about Shu Yi. After all, judging from Chi Yu's attitude towards 'Qing Mian' that day, it was obvious that he was interested in her.
But Chi Yu showed no such reaction?
"I want to ask how the equity transfer I asked you to handle before is going," Chi Yu said.
Before, worried that something unexpected might happen to him, he had already transferred all his industries and company shares to Qing Mian's name in advance.
"Oh, that matter," Song Jinghao said. Hearing it was about the property transfer, his voice lost the playful tone from before.
"It's almost done. It should be finalized by the end of this month. You know the procedures for these things. And considering there's so much property, it takes more time to transfer it all to sister - in - law."
Chi Yu knew that this wasn't as simple as buying a bag in a mall. Every procedure had to be followed. He simply said, "Hurry it up."
Chi Yu's voice was calm, showing little emotion. But Song Jinghao got curious. "Why are you suddenly in such a hurry?"
As soon as he said this, Song Jinghao seemed to realize something. The smile on his face vanished instantly, and his hand holding the phone trembled involuntarily.
"Chi Yu, don't scare me. You're not sick with cancer, are you?"
Song Jinghao had been immersed in work for years, desperately trying to prove himself, and had almost no social life. Chi Yu was one of his closest friends, and he didn't want to see his friend die young.
His voice trembled slightly as he said this.
Chi Yu on the other end of the phone: "..."
"Can't you wish me well?"
"If you die, I'll be..." Song Jinghao was still lost in his own imagination. Hearing Chi Yu's words, he suddenly stopped, and his voice returned to normal. "You don't have cancer?"
"If you don't have cancer, why are you in such a hurry? You scared the hell out of me!"
Chi Yu didn't answer Song Jinghao immediately. He held his phone and looked through the glass door in the direction of the bathroom.
At this moment, the warm yellow light from the bathroom shone through the carved glass door onto the floor outside.
Originally, all the lights in the house were cold - white. After Qing Mian moved in, they were all replaced with warm - yellow lights.
She said it made the house feel more warm and cozy.
Chi Yu's gaze dropped, and he saw Xiao Ju sleeping quietly in a ball beside the door.
Looking at this scene, Chi Yu's eyes softened involuntarily.
Maybe, just as Qing Mian said, this kind of light really did make the house feel more like home.
Everywhere his eyes could reach was filled with things belonging to the woman and the cat. Chi Yu averted his gaze and said softly into the phone, "I want to propose to her."
Going back to the old family home today and seeing his parents getting ready for another trip made him feel that he should put this matter on the agenda.
When he was with 'Qing Mian' lately, he always felt insecure. He didn't like this feeling. He was afraid that if he didn't take this step, she might just leave one day.
Although he didn't know what she had been up to recently, she seemed to be short of money. Once the procedures were completed, the money would be rightfully hers.
Song Jinghao on the other end of the phone wasn't sure and asked, "Really?"
"Really."
As soon as the word left his mouth, there was a scream from the phone. Chi Yu smiled and moved the phone away from his ear. Only after the scream ended did he put the phone back to his ear.
"You're finally going to propose!" Song Jinghao's voice was clearly excited.
"I'll rush those people to speed up as soon as I go to work tomorrow so that you can marry the beauty soon."
Song Jinghao was so excited as if he was the one getting married.
Chi Yu knew that he was genuinely happy for him.
"Yeah, but keep this a secret for me first. Don't tell her until everything is settled," Chi Yu instructed.
"Don't worry. I know how to handle such a small thing," Song Jinghao said, patting his chest. "It's a surprise. It won't be as exciting if she knows in advance."
Chi Yu chuckled softly into the phone. After talking about some work - related matters, they hung up.
...
Meanwhile, inside the bathroom.
Jiang Zhirou stood in front of the mirror. The shower was running, perfectly drowning out the sound of her phone call.
"You went to the Chi family with Chi Yu today?" Si Moshen's voice was a bit cold, with a hint of interrogation. Jiang Zhirou was displeased upon hearing it.
"Si Moshen, don't use that bossy tone on me," she said.
"Also, stop treating me like a criminal, monitoring where I go and what I do every day.
"If you're really that curious, I can write you a daily report every night, clearly recording what I did all day, where I went, who I met, whether I kissed or slept with Chi Yu. I can even be specific about how many times we kissed and what positions we used."
Jiang Zhirou's tone was rather aggressive.
Si Moshen on the other end of the phone tightened his grip on the phone. The veins on the back of his hand stood out. He took a deep breath, suppressing his emotions, and then said softly into the phone, "You know I don't mean it that way. I'm just worried about you."
She always responded better to kindness than force.
Hearing his softened tone, Jiang Zhirou's tone also improved slightly.
"Yes, I went to the Chi family today. What's the problem?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, Si Moshen's eyes flashed. According to what Uncle Shen had told him, Jiang Zhirou not only went to the Chi family but had also been getting along well with Chi Yu recently.
He was worried...
Si Moshen on the other end of the phone didn't answer immediately. He was silent for a while before speaking into the phone.
"Zhirou, don't forget why you came to the imperial capital.
"You're Jiang Zhirou, not Chen Qingmian.
"Don't get too involved in the act."