It was the first time Jiang Zhirou had come to Ming An. She was always vigilant, and when in an unfamiliar place, she would subconsciously observe her surroundings.
"Miss hasn't been here to see Mr. for a long time. A lot of things have changed," Tan Si thought she was observing out of nostalgia.
Hearing this, Jiang Zhirou repeated it with an unfathomable expression.
"A lot of things have changed."
Coming from Jiang Zhirou's mouth, these words took on a completely different meaning.
Tan Si looked a bit embarrassed and stopped talking. He quietly led the way.
In a short while, they arrived outside Chen Yu'an's office.
Tan Si grasped the doorknob, pushed the door open, and made a gesture of invitation to Jiang Zhirou.
Jiang Zhirou walked in accordingly.
"I've said I won't eat," Chen Yu'an said without looking up. He instinctively thought it was Tan Si.
After all, it was off - work time, and no one else would come to him except Tan Si.
"Brother," Jiang Zhirou stood about two meters away from Chen Yu'an and called out to him.
Hearing the voice, Chen Yu'an's hand holding the pen paused. He shifted his gaze from the document in front of him and looked at the person in front of him. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
It had been a very long time since she last came here.
"Er..." Chen Yu'an instinctively wanted to call her "Er Bao".
But he swallowed the words back.
They were no longer what they used to be.
Chen Yu'an steadied his emotions and spoke again, "Qingmian, why did you suddenly decide to come to the company?"
Jiang Zhirou was just about to mention the photo when she suddenly thought of something and looked at the man.
"Haven't had dinner yet, right?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, Jiang Zhirou regretted it.
It sounded too forced.
He had clearly just said he wouldn't eat, and then she suddenly asked this. It seemed like she was just making small talk.
Chen Yu'an put down the pen in his hand, stood up, and picked up the coat beside him. "What would you like to eat?"
Jiang Zhirou replied, "I'm okay with anything."
It didn't really matter what she ate. Her purpose today was just to ask about the photo.
"Then go to Mu Min Lou?" Chen Yu'an asked.
After all, that place was specially built by Chi Yu for Qingmian, and the food there suited her taste the most.
"Let's go for Western food," Jiang Zhirou refused.
Chen Yu'an looked a bit stunned.
Jiang Zhirou quickly explained, "I haven't had Western food for a long time. I'm kind of craving it. I've been to Mu Min Lou too often recently. I'm a bit sick of it."
Hearing this, Chen Yu'an nodded in understanding and didn't think too much about it.
Chi Yu and Qingmian were living together now. It was only natural that he would often take Qingmian to Mu Min Lou.
Chen Yu'an didn't say anything. He picked up his coat and led Jiang Zhirou out of the Ming An Building.
The two found a newly - opened Western restaurant nearby.
It was dinner time, and there were quite a few people dining.
Chen Yu'an paused and said, "How about we change to another one?"
He was asking for Jiang Zhirou's opinion.
Hearing this, Jiang Zhirou shook her head. There was no sign of unhappiness or discomfort on her face.
On the contrary, she quite liked this bustling atmosphere.
Chen Yu'an looked at her deeply but didn't say anything. He found a seat and sat down.
Jiang Zhirou casually ordered a steak.
Chen Yu'an's gaze fell on her. "I remember when I first brought you home from the orphanage, your taste also leaned towards Western food."
Hearing this, Jiang Zhirou's expression froze.
Did Shen Qingmian also prefer Western food when she was a child?
The "her" in Chen Yu'an's mouth should not be her, because she had no memory of taking that photo at all.
So it could only be Shen Qingmian.
And now Shen Qingmian's memories were gradually fading from her body. She didn't know how long it would be before she completely forgot that part of Shen Qingmian's memories.
Uncertainty was always the scariest thing.
Just like people didn't know whether tomorrow or an accident would come first.
If she woke up one morning and Shen Qingmian's memories were completely gone, it would be even more difficult for her to continue investigating the past.
"Really? I don't quite remember," Jiang Zhirou replied to Chen Yu'an.
Chen Yu'an seemed to recall something happy. A faint smile curved his lips. "It's normal not to remember. You were still young at that time. According to the then - director of the orphanage, you didn't play with other kids. After I took you home, you didn't talk much to me at first. You just liked to be alone."
Hearing these words, Jiang Zhirou just smiled and didn't know what to say.
Because these words sounded like a story about someone else to her.
Since Chen Yu'an had mentioned their childhood, Jiang Zhirou took the opportunity to ask.
She looked up at the man sitting directly opposite her.
"Brother, do you still remember the man who took a photo with us when you took me away from the orphanage?"
Afraid that Chen Yu'an would suspect something, Jiang Zhirou added, "I found that childhood photo while cleaning yesterday. But I just can't remember who that man was. He looked a bit fierce and scary."
"Shouldn't he be a staff member of the orphanage?"
As soon as Jiang Zhirou finished speaking, Chen Yu'an frowned. He thought for a while before he remembered something.
"Do you mean the man in a black robe?"
"Yes!" Jiang Zhirou nodded vigorously.
Chen Yu'an recalled carefully.
"I remember. At that time, he seemed to be a staff member specifically in charge of the adoption of children in the orphanage."
"Speaking of this, actually it was an accident that I took you home from the orphanage."
"Accident?" Jiang Zhirou was puzzled.
Chen Yu'an nodded. "It was as if it was predestined. I was bound to take you home."
When Chen Yu'an said this, there was always a faint smile on his face. He seemed to miss those days very much.
But these words sounded inexplicably terrifying to Jiang Zhirou.
Predestined.
Could she also understand that who would adopt her was also predestined?
Jiang Zhirou was scared into a cold sweat by this bold thought.
If that was the case, it would be too terrifying.
That person had brought her from Country A to the imperial capital and arranged an adoptive family for her.
It was as if there was an invisible hand controlling her life.
Every step of hers was arranged and set.
This thought was too terrifying. Jiang Zhirou didn't dare to think any further.
"Qingmian?"
Seeing that she had been staring blankly at a corner of the table without saying a word, Chen Yu'an called out to her.
Jiang Zhirou suddenly came back to her senses.
"What did you just say? I didn't hear clearly."
"Never mind. What were you thinking about? I called you several times but you didn't respond. Haven't you been resting well recently?"
Chen Yu'an looked at her with some concern.
Jiang Zhirou shook her head. "It's okay. I was just thinking about what to have for dinner this afternoon."
Hearing this, Chen Yu'an then noticed that the person in front of him seemed to have gained a bit of weight. Her face, which used to be pale for a long time, was now much rosier, and her lips had returned to their former pink state.
Chen Yu'an pursed his lips.
Although he really didn't want to admit it, he had to admit that the woman in front of him had been taken good care of by Chi Yu.
At least much better than when she was with him.