After Lin Xu finished buying clothes, she went on to look at shoes and handbags. Just as she was excited to move onto jewelry, Ji Tingyang immediately stopped her.
"It's already noon. Aren't you hungry? Let's go have something to eat before we continue shopping; otherwise, you'll run out of energy to walk later."
Lin Xu hadn't felt it before, but hearing him say that made her feel hungry, "Alright, let's go have lunch then."
Ji Tingyang secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
The driver had already been waiting at the entrance of the mall, and the two headed straight for the car.
Suddenly, the giant electronic screen on the building across the mall switched displays. A handsome man with well-defined facial features appeared on the screen. He lifted the corners of his lips, showing a charming smile and gently kissed the perfume bottle he was holding near his lips.
In an instant, the women on the street stopped, completely mesmerized, wishing they were the ones being kissed.
"Ah! It's Ji Zeqiu!"
"Husband, don't kiss it, kiss me!"
"If I use this perfume, it's almost like my husband is kissing me, right? Ah!! I need to buy it all!"
The screams ebbed and flowed among the crowd, all showcasing how popular Ji Zeqiu was.
Lin Xu stared at the screen showing a face that resembled Ji Tingyang by sixty to seventy percent and was stunned for a long moment. "Is that... Zeqiu?"
Ji Tingyang also saw the person on the screen. His expression was indifferent as he pursed his lips and responded, "Yeah."
"Zeqiu is a big star now? That's impressive."
While Lin Xu was unconscious, she had only seen bits and pieces of her three children's experiences and their ultimate outcomes in visions. She knew nothing else.
In all these days, Ji Tingyang had never mentioned his younger brother and sister, so what she could know was even less.
Nevertheless, Lin Xu hadn't expected that the baby her mother used to hold all day had become a household name star overnight.
Excited, Lin Xu gazed at the electronic screen, trying to take a longer look at her younger son's handsome face. However, the ad on the screen was short-lived and quickly moved to another advertisement.
During lunch, Lin Xu was continuously searching for information about Ji Zeqiu on her phone.
The information recorded all the hard times he had been through from his debut to his rise to fame, and the more she read, the tighter her brows furrowed.
Lin Xu was upset that she hadn't been part of her children's growing up, so she read the information very seriously. She tried to imprint everything into her brain and then deceitfully convinced herself that she had been part of their experiences.
However, she was so focused on the information that she completely failed to notice the times Ji Tingyang's face showed a complex expression that he tried to speak but stopped himself.
Lin Xu's gaze fell on the entertainment company where Ji Zeqiu was signed and discovered it was Chenxing Entertainment. She suddenly lifted her head, looking at Ji Tingyang with a mixture of shock and confusion.
"Chenxing is our family group's competitor, right?"
In her memory, Chenxing had always been Ji Group's competitor. Had it been acquired by Ji's over the years?
"Yes." Ji Tingyang's reply shattered her last illusion.
"Why would Zeqiu be at Chenxing? Doesn't the Ji family have its own entertainment company?"
Lin Xu had always thought that Ji Zeqiu debuted under Ji Family's entertainment subsidiary, so when others mentioned how difficult and challenging his rise to fame was before becoming well-known, she felt both distressed and confused.
Why would it be so difficult in his own family's company, especially when Ji Tingyang was supposedly looking out for him?
It all became clear to her once she saw which company Ji Zeqiu was affiliated with.
Ji Tingyang, under the scrutinizing gaze of Lin Xu, eyes focused on the sharp point of a knife on the dining table, remained silent.
"Did you two have a fight?"
Having heard from Ji Tingyang previously that his younger son and daughter didn't often come home, she had already been suspicious. But now, Ji Tingyang's taciturn attitude further confirmed her suspicions.
As Lin Xu contemplated the plot of the novel, a sudden suspicion arose in her heart.
Could it be because of Wen Li?
She remembered that the plot mentioned both antagonistic sons liking Wen Li, which caused a rift between the two brothers?
The more Lin Xu thought about it, the more she felt she had uncovered the truth.
——
Distracted by her thoughts, Lin Xu lost the mood to continue shopping in the afternoon and asked the driver to turn around back to the villa.
This relieved Ji Tingyang, sparing him from the torturous shopping experience.
He couldn't understand how his father had endured it in the past, able to shop with his mother all day without tiring.
His tie hung loosely around his neck, adding a touch of careless charm.
Ji Tingyang was about to head to the bedroom when his gaze fell upon the door at the end of the hall, and he changed direction.
He pushed open the door, and Wen Li was on the phone with her back to him.
"The weather has cooled down, remember to wear more clothes… Yes, I'm fine here…"
"Let's go on a date tomorrow… It doesn't matter where we go as long as I'm with you…"
Her shy smile reflected on the windowpane, stinging Ji Tingyang's eyes.
He walked over and snatched the phone from Wen Li's hand; the screen brightly displayed the name Xiao Yu.
Wen Li turned pale and reached to snatch the phone back.
Ji Tingyang was quicker, hung up the call, and furiously threw the phone to the ground. He grasped her chin tightly and said harshly,
"Wen Li, I allowed you to go out, not to set dates with Xiao Yu."
Wen Li's eyes instantly welled up with tears, and she choked out, "You have someone new now, why can't you let me go?"
Newcomer?
Ji Tingyang hadn't yet realized who she was referring to when he heard Wen Li continue, "Isn't Lin Xu already with you? You're giving her your card, buying her clothes; why can't you just let me go?"
Ji Tingyang hesitated, wanting to say that Lin Xu was only his mother. But given Lin Xu's youthful appearance now, that statement was hard to believe.
All he could muster was a dry denial, "She, she isn't... not what you think…"
Tears finally slid down Wen Li's cheeks, dropping onto the back of his hand. She said vulnerably, "I beg you to let me leave; there's no chance for us."
Ji Tingyang felt as though her tears scalded him, and he released his grip on her chin.
He stood there before murmuring a denial, "Wen Li, it was you who approached me first."
At that time, he was despondent due to his parents' deaths, and all the relatives in the Ji Family were seizing the opportunity to plunder what his father had built.
Throughout that time, he was listless, and Wen Li was the first person to approach him voluntarily.
"If I could turn back time, I definitely would not choose to approach you," said Wen Li coldly, tears in her eyes.
Upon hearing her words, Ji Tingyang's face paled as he stared intently at Wen Li.
After a long moment, he turned and left.
Before he left, he dropped a ruthless remark.
"I will tell the butler that you are to rest at home tomorrow."