In the brief moment Jiang Qihuai spent looking at WeChat, less than ten minutes, many more comments had appeared beneath his Moments post.

This person usually kept so aloof it seemed he wished everyone in the world would stop talking to him. Unexpectedly, the activity under his Moments post was quite lively.

Tao Zhi suppressed the upward curve of her lips, pointed at the cover photo he had just set, and said: “Director Jiang, are you this ostentatious?”

He wore an innocent expression, as if he hadn’t just done anything flamboyant at all.

Jiang Qihuai stared at the cover photo, his fingertip tapping the screen to refresh it twice, and said: “I saw they all do this.”

Tao Zhi didn’t understand: “Who?”

Jiang Qihuai: “Those who have girlfriends.”

He said this seriously and evenly, as if regarding this matter of being in a relationship, he had observed something from others that seemed correct, and had begun meticulously learning to follow suit.

Tao Zhi held back a laugh and nodded solemnly: “Indeed. And you must add a few words on top of this.”

Jiang Qihuai glanced sideways at her: “Hm?”

Tao Zhi pointed to the blank space on the photo: “Right here, you need to photoshop in—’Don’t randomly look at my boyfriend’s Moments.'”

Jiang Qihuai: “…”

The two of them went back and forth there, watching Ji Fan until his eye sockets throbbed painfully. He couldn’t hold back an eye roll: “I really have too much free time, coming to eat this meal.”

“Good thing you came, I didn’t really want to have dinner alone with just the two of them either,” Fu Xiling said quietly beside him, “Having to be the third wheel alone.”

This meal brought joy to some and nausea to others. By the time the meal ended, Ji Fan’s eyes were nearly blinded by disgust.

The man had cooked, so Tao Zhi and Fu Xiling cleared the bowls and chopsticks, taking them to the kitchen to wash. After cleaning all the bottles, jars, pots, and pans, they came out of the kitchen to see Ji Fan and Jiang Qihuai sitting at opposite ends of the sofa, each occupying half the territory, one watching TV and one playing on his phone. The atmosphere was quiet and solemn, as if they were sitting in the Great Hall of the People.

Hearing them come out, Jiang Qihuai put down his phone and looked up. As Tao Zhi walked over, she unintentionally glanced at his screen.

Even though he switched screens very quickly, Tao Zhi still vaguely caught a glimpse of her recent selfie flashing by.

So he was looking at it like that.

Tao Zhi raised an eyebrow, feeling she had discovered something new again.

Fu Xiling brought over washed fruit. Tao Zhi still had a little work left to finish, so she busied herself with her own tasks, holding her computer nearby.

Ji Fan sat motionless on the sofa as if glue were stuck to his bottom, watching a soap opera expressionlessly. He seemed determined not to leave as long as Jiang Qihuai didn’t move.

Tao Zhi worked on her post-production for a while, but inspiration remained elusive, and she found Ji Fan’s soap opera too noisy, so she took her computer into the bedroom.

Not long after she went in, Jiang Qihuai got up to use the restroom. The moment he stood up, Ji Fan reacted instantly, looking at him with vigilance: “What are you doing?”

“…”

For Tao Zhi’s sake, Jiang Qihuai felt he could tolerate him for a few more minutes.

He pointed to the bathroom door and coldly invited him: “Want to join?”

Ji Fan choked, turned his head, and sat back down.

Fu Xiling watched this series of marvelous reactions from him and said, somewhat unable to comprehend: “You even have to keep watch when other people are in a relationship.”

Ji Fan leaned back into the sofa without a word.

He didn’t know why he was acting like this either.

Perhaps it was because he vaguely sensed that Tao Zhi had been drifting in those past feelings all these years, because Jiang Qihuai had left.

And because he saw that after so many years, she seemed to have finally retrieved the most vibrant piece of her soul that had been lost for a long time, also because of his return.

He hadn’t gotten along well with Jiang Qihuai to begin with. Back then, it was only for Tao Zhi’s sake that he reluctantly accepted him. Later, as time passed, the two of them actually got along quite harmoniously. Although Ji Fan had never said it, in truth, he had come to regard Jiang Qihuai as a friend.

I treat you as a brother. On the surface, you put your arm around me, all buddy-buddy, but then you turn around and become my brother-in-law.

And you once made her so sad.

Ji Fan racked his brains but couldn’t come up with a suitable way to explain it to Fu Xiling. Some words, coming from a guy like him, would just sound overly sentimental.

After a long while, his face stiff, he spat out a few dry words: “I just can’t stand seeing Jiang Qihuai happy.”

“…”

Fu Xiling’s mind instantly flashed through a hundred novels featuring forced love, love-hate relationships, domineering CEOs torturing the heroine, and other such… little stories.

Fu Xiling murmured, “I don’t know if it’s you who’s not right or me who’s not right.”

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

A little after 9 p.m., Ji Fan and Jiang Qihuai left. Before leaving, Ji Fan specifically reminded Tao Zhi to remember to go home on the weekend to have a meal with Tao Xiuping.

Ji Fan hadn’t moved out, but when busy with work and business trips, he could be away from home for several weeks. When he wasn’t in the capital, Tao Zhi would usually go home three or four times a week to chat with Tao Xiuping and have dinner. When he was back, Tao Zhi would also go home at least once a week for a family meal.

While Ji Fan was saying this, Tao Zhi responded while unconsciously glancing at Jiang Qihuai.

She had originally thought about taking Jiang Qihuai home with her for the New Year this year. It wasn’t for any other reason, just that she didn’t want him to be alone on such a day.

He had her now.

But meeting the family, and especially going back for the New Year, inherently brings a kind of intangible pressure.

Tao Zhi hadn’t found the chance to discuss it with Jiang Qihuai yet, and she hadn’t told Tao Xiuping either.

Tao Xiuping didn’t even know yet that Jiang Qihuai had returned.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

Tao Zhi kept this matter on her mind, feeling somewhat absent-minded for the next few days.

On Friday evening, she drove directly from the studio back home. Aunt Zhang had resigned and returned to her hometown a few years ago. The new auntie Tao Xiuping hired didn’t talk much, but her cooking was just as good.

By the time Tao Zhi got home, dinner was almost ready. Tao Xiuping was sitting on the sofa watching his new variety show on a tablet.

Several single men and women living together in the same house for a period of time, cooking, doing chores, chatting together, and then pairing up.

Tao Xiuping watched with keen interest, holding a purple clay teapot in one hand to pour tea, his eyes reluctant to leave the screen. He said regretfully, “Why did no one choose contestant number three? Such a nice girl.”

Tao Zhi took off her coat and sat down beside him, leaning over to glance at the screen: “Are you entering your senior years early? The New Year is almost here, isn’t the company busy?”

“Can’t be busy every day, need to balance work and rest,” Tao Xiuping said. “I’m two weeks behind on this show. Finally have a little free time now.”

“What about that dad talk show you were watching last time?” Tao Zhi asked.

“It finished airing. Not a single pair worked out, and one even broke up,” Tao Xiuping said schadenfreude. “I could tell that young man was no good from the start.”

After his amusement, he added leisurely, “Watching this show, I see other people’s daughters have gone through several boyfriends, but my own daughter still doesn’t have a single one.”

Tao Zhi had been waiting for this very sentence.

Before she could speak, Ji Fan came downstairs, heard this, rolled his eyes, and said in a loud voice, “Don’t worry, she has one!”

Tao Zhi: “…”

Tao Xiuping was silent for a few seconds, then turned to look at Tao Zhi and asked, “What do you have?”

“…I have a boyfriend,” Tao Zhi said honestly.

After she spoke, she saw Tao Xiuping subtly let out a long, quiet sigh of relief.

Tao Xiuping’s heart settled back down from his throat. He nodded and continued watching the variety show.

For a while, no one spoke. Tao Zhi kept him company watching for five or six minutes like this. Then Tao Xiuping suddenly turned his head again and said, “Actually, upon further thought, you’re still young. This matter of dating isn’t that urgent.”

“…”

Tao Zhi blinked: “But you’ve been urging me all along.”

Tao Xiuping spread his hands: “Well, I had nothing better to do.”

Tao Zhi nodded, plucked a grape from the fruit plate on the tea table, crossed her legs and said, “So, about my new boyfriend, is there anything you’d like to ask?”

“What would I have to ask? What would I have to ask?” Tao Xiuping waved a hand dismissively, speaking breezily, “You dating is your business. Why would I be curious about your partner?”

Tao Zhi: “Really, no questions?”

Tao Xiuping: “How old is he? Where’s he from? What’s his job? What do his parents do?”

“…”

Tao Zhi didn’t want to keep him in suspense any longer and said straightforwardly, “Dad, you know him.”

Tao Xiuping made an “Hm?” sound.

“As for me, in all my life, I’ve only ever had one boyfriend,” Tao Zhi looked at him and said slowly, “It’s just, it’s always been that one boyfriend.”

Tao Xiuping understood her meaning almost instantly.

He seemed to comprehend in a flash, and didn’t even show much surprise, but his expression clearly became somewhat cooler than before: “Still that young man?”

Tao Zhi pressed her lips together: “Boss Tao, what era is this now? You’re not going to hold someone’s family against them, are you?”

Tao Xiuping looked at her with some amusement: “Starting already? I haven’t even said a word yet. Did I tell you to break up or something?”

Tao Zhi pouted: “You wouldn’t tell me to break up directly. You’d just subtly throw obstacles in my way.”

Tao Xiuping made a “hey” sound, placed the teacup in his hand on the coffee table, and reached out to tap her head: “Dad isn’t holding his family against him. I’m only asking you, what assurance can you give me that his family and upbringing haven’t affected his character? And what assurance do you have that he definitely doesn’t have another, unknown negative side?”

“Zhizhi, Dad has always known you are a child with a very passionate nature,” Tao Xiuping sighed. “But you are my daughter, and I have my own selfishness too. Dad hopes you can be with a boy who can give you warmth in the future, not one where you still need to share your own warmth with him.”

“I’m willing to share it with him,” Tao Zhi bit the flesh of her lip and said stubbornly. “Moreover, he was the one who changed me first. Because of him, I wanted to study, to work hard, to become a better person. However you look at it, I’m the one who gained.”

Tao Zhi didn’t understand why everyone seemed to think Jiang Qihuai was not good enough.

He was clearly warm and strong.

Even during those years without him, the warmth he brought still steadfastly, enduringly influenced her. When she was lazy, when she wanted to give up, when she felt it was hard, when she almost couldn’t go on.

Once, when she stood alone atop the mountain peak, Tao Zhi thought she would never find her finish line again.

It was only many years later that she understood: Jiang Qihuai was never her finish line. He was always the mountain that silently lifted her up, supporting her all the way as she climbed.

He never uttered a sound, never spoke a word, yet silently and substantially, he became her entire strength.

Tao Zhi understood that if it weren’t for him, there probably wouldn’t have been any mountain peak in her life at all.

After Tao Zhi finished speaking, Tao Xiuping didn’t respond. Until dinner was almost over, father and daughter tacitly avoided the topic.

It wasn’t until Tao Zhi put down her chopsticks and pulled back her chair, ready to go upstairs, that Tao Xiuping suddenly spoke: “Bring him back for a meal when you have time.”

Tao Zhi froze in place. She turned her head dazedly, slowly processing his meaning.

Then, she pressed her lips together, trying hard to keep her expression neutral as she looked at him.

“Don’t hold it in. Your eyes are practically curved shut with happiness,” Tao Xiuping sighed. “And don’t celebrate too soon. This isn’t me stating my position, you know. I have to meet him first, get to know him a bit.”

Tao Zhi grinned and nodded vigorously twice. Then she suddenly skirted around the dining table, trotted over, stretched out her arms, and gave Tao Xiuping’s neck a tight hug.

The force was so strong Tao Xiuping almost choked.

“Dad is the best!” Tao Zhi said joyfully, hugging him. Then she let go and scampered upstairs.

Tao Zhi returned to her bedroom blissfully, lay down on the bed, and couldn’t wait to open WeChat to find Jiang Qihuai.

Until the young woman’s figure had already disappeared on the stairs, Tao Xiuping still hadn’t fully processed it.

He turned to look at Ji Fan: “How many years has it been since she acted like that?”

“About twenty years,” Ji Fan said.

Tao Xiuping touched his neck, savoring the memory of his adorable daughter’s enthusiastic neck-hug attack, and suddenly felt some regret: “Tell me, regarding this matter, should I have agreed earlier?”

Ji Fan: “…”

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

Jiang Qihuai had been working overtime for several days in a row.

With the year-end approaching, every industry was busy. The office remained brightly lit until nine or ten at night for weeks.

The message from Tao Zhi came while Jiang Qihuai was in a meeting.

Lin Suyan stood in front of the projection screen, delivering a passionate speech about the PowerPoint. Jiang Qihuai’s phone vibrated several times in a row in his pocket.

At first, he ignored it. The other party waited a few minutes, probably because they didn’t get a response, and started another frantic, continuous vibration.

This frequency… basically, it could only be a certain princess.

Jiang Qihuai unobtrusively pulled out his phone, clicked on the message, and glanced down.

What met his eyes was a wave of nine close-up selfies from a certain someone.

And they were still coming.

One by one, selfies with different poses, actions, and expressions kept flooding his chat screen. Some in long dresses, some in coats, some in jeans.

The latest one loaded: a beach swimsuit photo. The young woman was lying on the sand in a white two-piece swimsuit, a light-colored shawl draped over her, the semi-wet sheer fabric clinging to her body, the curve of her waist faintly visible.

Jiang Qihuai: “…”

Up front, Lin Suyan was analyzing data in a serious tone. Beside him, the secretary’s keyboard clattered loudly. Professional jargon and a serious atmosphere filled the entire conference room.

And their Investment Director was secretly looking at his girlfriend’s wet swimsuit photos under the conference table.

Jiang Qihuai’s eyelid twitched. He finally couldn’t take it anymore and tapped a question mark in reply.

Seeing his response, Tao Zhi finally stopped sending photos.

【ZhiZhi Grape】：Peachy! You’re awake!

Jiang Qihuai took three seconds to digest this name, then glanced at his own new WeChat name, and understood.

He hadn’t had time to type yet.

【ZhiZhi Grape】：Next time, if you want to look at your girlfriend’s photos, you don’t need to sneakily stare at just that one. I have thirteen thousand photos in my album, you can look at as many as you want.

【ZhiZhi Grape】：There are ones with clothes.

Jiang Qihuai was still processing this sentence.

Tao Zhi continued.

【ZhiZhi Grape】：And there are also ones without clothes.

Jiang Qihuai: “…”