He had thought he'd never set foot in this apartment with Li Yu again for the rest of his life. Little did he expect they'd walk through the door together so soon.
The place had once been his, yet Li Yu moved with more familiarity than he ever had—deftly pulling out keys to unlock the door, then smoothly took off her shoes and hung up her coat.
Jian Suiying's face darkened. "Didn't you say last time you were selling it to me?" "Yeah, are you still selling it?"
"Yes. Contact Secretary Liang."
"Alright." Li Yu turned to face him. "Whether it's in your hands or mine, it's all the same. I'll keep it just as it was the last time we lived here, waiting for you to come back."
Jian Suiying was so jealous it made his teeth ache. He snapped,
"You just casually brought my grandfather here? You better give me an explanation."
Li Yu smiled quietly without a word and walked straight into the study.
Pushing open the door, she saw the old man playing chess with the driver, Old Wu. A row of pastries and tea sat on the table beside them, as if they were on vacation.
a vacation.
Old Wu smiled. "Young Master, Mr. Li, you're back."
The old man looked up, his expression tinged with displeasure. He frowned and said, "We're back."
" Grandpa, why do you look so..." Jian Suiying turned and glared at Li Yu, then addressed Old Wu: "Uncle Wu, go watch some TV in the living room. I'll talk with Grandpa."
"Right away." Old Wu picked up his tea and left.
Jian Suiying closed the door and discreetly studied the old man's expression.
The old man pointed to the sofa. "You two, sit down."
The two sat down across from the old man. Jian Suiying's heart pounded nervously, wondering how Li Yu had managed to bring the old man here
or what nonsense he'd been spouting.
But she would soon find out.
, he'll spit me to death!"
Jian Suiying froze for a few seconds, then whipped his head around to glare furiously at Li Yu. "What the hell did you say?"
Li Yu shot a quick glance at the old man, then shrugged his shoulders and lowered his eyelids, looking pitifully small.
The old man snapped, "Who are you trying to scare? Answer me! Have you two been intimate? Is he now the one who can't get enough of you?"
."
"I..." Jian Suiying genuinely didn't know how to answer this question. They had been intimate, and he was indeed dissatisfied with him now
him, but the real reason was clearly not what the old man imagined.
When Li Yu came knocking and explained his purpose, the old man was startled at first. But then he recalled how Jian Suiying had brought Li Yu
to Qinhuangdao, he sensed his grandson held a certain regard for this assistant. At the time, he hadn't read too much into it
. But now, he realized there had been a hint of ambiguous attentiveness. Considering his grandson's personality and piecing together the events,
the scenario of his grandson pursuing her only to abandon her afterward began to take root in the old man's mind, growing
more and more vivid.
Now, seeing Jian Suiying looking utterly helpless and unable to defend herself only solidified his suspicions.
Old Mr. Jian sighed wearily. "Suiying, how am I supposed to explain this to Old Li?"
Li Yu had recognized his stubborn pride and exploited it, daring to go to Qinhuangdao to confront Old Master Jian.
Li Yu's voice was hushed: "Grandfather, I'm sorry. I didn't want to disturb you, but..." Her long lashes fluttered slightly, her deep eyes filled with sorrow, making one's heart ache.
Old Master Jian sighed deeply, while Jian Suiying seethed with frustration.
The old man said, "I truly wish to stay out of your affairs. But since you've come to me, I must give you an answer.
Li Yu lowered her head, biting her lip in silence.
he'd fight to the death. The two families could easily become sworn enemies.
But now that things had come to this, he couldn't force Jian Suiying to be with anyone. Frankly, his grandson had caused trouble again, and he'd have to
clean up the mess. He'd done this countless times when Jian Suiying was young—this was just a refresher.
Li Yu whispered: "Grandfather, you misunderstand. I'm not insisting on reconciling with Brother Jian. I brought you all this way
was indeed to ask you to talk some sense into him—but not about this matter." "Huh? Then what is it about?"
. If you keep treating me like this, our three-way partnership will be impossible to maintain. That's why I brought Grandfather here—to explain everything face-to-face and put your mind at ease."
Jian Suiying's eyes nearly popped out of his head. With Li Yu spouting such nonsense and talking out of his ass like this, given his explosive temper
, he would have leaped up and punched him if the old man hadn't been present.
But he held back. He could slam the door and walk out on anyone else, but if the old man started lecturing him, he'd have to sit there quietly
through every word from start to finish. No way was he putting up with that.
."
Jian Suiying offered a forced smile. "I understand. I'll keep that in mind."
Li Yu chuckled softly: "Thanks, Brother Jian. I'll cook tonight to welcome Grandpa back."
Jian Suiying tilted his head. "You're staying here?"
Li Yu murmured softly: "Brother Jian, I haven't found a place to stay yet. Since I moved in with you, I've already vacated my dorm room.
. Where am I supposed to go now? At least give me a couple days to settle in. I haven't even had time to pack my things..."
The old man frowned: "What's wrong with letting the kid stay a few days? You just let people in and out whenever you please.
? Is that how you handle things?"
"Fine, fine, fine! Stay!" The small flame of anger in Jian Suiying's heart flared up fiercely. "Stay here by yourself. I'll leave tonight."
I'll leave tonight."
The old man was at it again. "You have a home to live in, so where do you plan to go? Every time I come, you insist on moving out?" "I'll go to the other apartment."
"So you're leaving me here alone? You won't stay with me for two days?" "Then... I'll take you with me."
Old Man Jian glared, "You're just avoiding Li Yu, aren't you? Do you have any sense of responsibility? Can't you handle people and situations with dignity? Is this how I raised you?"