Chapter 249
The plane skimmed across the clouds.
Rong Wangtian originally wanted to invite Rong Yu back to the Rong family for a meal. She was clearly his daughter, his own flesh and blood, yet in front of the Ji family, he felt more like an outsider.
While he hesitated, Rong Yu had already gotten into the Ji family's car.
The person who came to pick her up was Ji Jingchuan.
As he drove, he said, "Old Master, Great-grandmother, we have guests at home. It's the Sheng family from the capital. They arrived not too long ago."
Old Master Ji's wrinkled face showed his displeasure.
That eldest young master of the Sheng family was too impolite. He always stared straight at his mother, which made him very unhappy.
As for the previous Mr. Min Jianshen, although he also looked down on him, at least the man was normal. If his mother were to date Min Jianshen, he could force himself to accept it.
But this Eldest Young Master Sheng... to put it nicely, he was autistic; to put it harshly, he just wasn't normal... Impolite, ignorant, and always getting handsy. Just looking at him was annoying.
Old Master Ji twitched his mouth, wanting to voice his opinion.
But thinking about the massive disaster he had caused, almost getting A-Yuan killed... a person who made a mistake had to be well-behaved for a few days before acting up again.
He obediently shut his mouth.
The car soon arrived at the Furong Manor.
Before Rong Yu could get out, Ji Zhouye quickly came over to open the door, bending down to whisper, "Great-grandmother, this guy surnamed Sheng is too weird..."
He was extremely displeased with this Eldest Young Master Sheng.
From the moment he entered the Ji family's gates until now, that man had been walking around with his big, dark eyes wide open, looking everywhere. One moment he was touching a big tree, the next he was touching the wall, and just now, he even touched his face.
In all his life, it was the first time an irrelevant man had touched his face.
This feeling was truly uncomfortable.
Fortunately, the man didn't stare at him for too long. He turned around and started playing with Duoduo, lifting Duoduo high in the air and giving her a piggyback ride, instantly capturing Duoduo's heart.
Rong Yu got out of the car and looked toward the lawn.
Under the setting sun, Sheng Qingyan picked up Duoduo, tossed her forcefully into the air, and then caught her accurately. Duoduo giggled, but the bystanders were so scared their hearts almost jumped out of their throats.
Especially Old Master Ji, the old man cried out, "Hey you, put Duoduo down, don't drop the child!"
Sheng Ciyuan, who was recording a video, put away his phone and walked over. "Don't worry, Old Mr. Ji. My eldest brother knows what he's doing. He used to attend a military academy, and his physical fitness was ranked first every year—first by a wide margin, at that. Duoduo's weight is nothing to him."
Rong Yu asked, "He went to a military academy?"
"Although my brother has autism, his learning ability is not low. He taught himself from a young age, got into middle school, high school, and successfully enrolled in the Capital Military Academy." Sheng Ciyuan's face carried a look of pride. "If his communication skills weren't limited, he would be an excellent military officer by now."
Ji Zhouye's face was full of disbelief. "Him? He got into the Capital Military Academy?"
That was a prestigious university, with an admission score around 650 points.
Could such an abnormal person get such a high score on the college entrance exam?
Sheng Qingyan noticed that Rong Yu had returned. He put Duoduo down and quickly jogged over. He probably wanted to stand close to Rong Yu.
But Old Master Ji was on Rong Yu's left, and Ji Zhouye was on her right. There was no empty space.
So he rubbed up against Ji Zhouye.
Ji Zhouye's scalp instantly went numb, and goosebumps rose on his skin. He rubbed his arms and quickly ran away.
"A-Yu."
Sheng Qingyan nudged closer to Rong Yu and called out softly.
Old Master Ji immediately bristled. "A-Yu my foot! Is that a name you can call her? Either call her Miss Rong, or respectfully call her by her full name!"
Only people of Uncle Tang's generation could call her A-Yu.
"A-Yu."
Sheng Qingyan called out again.
As if deliberately going against Old Master Ji.
Old Master Ji glared at him. "Are you provoking me? You, a junior, actually dare to provoke an old man like me?"
"Alright, Yingbao," Rong Yu said, feeling very helpless. "I'm hungry. Go tell the butler to set the table."
Old Master Ji walked away in a huff.
Sheng Ciyuan looked embarrassed. He pulled Sheng Qingyan and whispered, "Brother, you've seen Rong Yu now. We should go home, okay?"
Sheng Qingyan's thin lips were pressed tightly together.
He widened his eyes, looking at Rong Yu. The emotion in his gaze could be easily read by anyone.
Rong Yu spoke up, "Since you're here, have a simple meal with us first."
The group sat down in the dining room.
Because there were guests and many people, they switched to the Western-style dining room with a long table. Rong Yu always sat at the head of the table. Old Master Ji and Ji Zhiyuan sat below her, and the other juniors sat further down one by one.
Sheng Ciyuan was terrified that his brother would be impolite again and face rejection, so he gripped Sheng Qingyan's arm tightly with both hands.
Until Old Master Ji spoke up: "Why are you still standing there like idiots? Do I have to beg you to sit?"
Sheng Ciyuan hurriedly pulled his brother down to sit.
"Student Sheng, don't be so constrained," Rong Yu said. "I know about your brother's condition. You shouldn't always feel embarrassed or apologetic."
Sheng Ciyuan actually had many question marks in his heart.
For example, this was the Ji family, so why did Rong Yu live here year-round?
For example, why did Rong Yu sit in the elder's seat at the Ji family's dining table?
Or, for example, why did everyone else in the Ji family wait for Rong Yu to pick up her chopsticks before they started eating...
However, every place had its own customs, and it wasn't his place to ask about other people's family matters. He just silently lowered his head to eat, occasionally picking up some food for Sheng Qingyan.
Fortunately, the meal went very smoothly.
After the meal, Old Master Ji asked calmly, "Second Young Master Sheng, do you need me to arrange a driver to take you back?"
The intention to see the guests off was very obvious.
Sheng Ciyuan also planned to take his leave.
Although his brother seemed more and more like a normal person here, this was ultimately not the Sheng family. Staying too long would cause resentment, and it would be difficult to come back in the future.
But at this moment, Rong Yu suddenly spoke up: "Student Sheng, you and your brother sit for a little while. I'm going to get something for your brother to look at."
She went upstairs to her vanity and took out a small box. Inside were all her past belongings, mainly photos and letters. After thinking for a moment, she took out an excellently preserved pocket watch from the drawer and brought it downstairs with her.
As soon as he saw the photos in her hand, Sheng Qingyan's expression changed.
Especially when he saw the scene of her and Ji Zheng holding hands and walking into the church to get married, his breathing suddenly became rapid.
Rong Yu's eyes trembled with shock.
This person, from the time he was sensible enough to understand things, had been collecting the belongings of those overseas students. Especially the photos and anecdotes about her, he had kept every single one.
She wondered if, somewhere in the unseen world, a subconscious force was telling him that he was connected to these overseas students, making him collect them out of pure instinct...
His instinct wasn't just limited to collecting photos.
It was also in his inexplicable affection for her.
And in his natural closeness to everyone in the Ji family...
She could time-travel here.
Then, what about Ji Zheng?
Rong Yu picked up the pocket watch and handed it over: "Take a look at this too?"
The pocket watch, adorned with an intertwining peony motif, remained perfectly intact even after nearly a century. Its hands still ticked steadily. When opened, the upper lid revealed an engraving made by a military saber: Ji Zheng, Rong Yu.
This was the token of love Ji Zheng had given her all those years ago.
There had been two identical pocket watches—one for her, and one for Ji Zheng.
"Ji... Ji Zheng..."
Sheng Qingyan's voice was terribly hoarse, grating like a stone scraping against glass.
His fingers traced the pocket watch. Suddenly, his eyes rolled back in his head, and he collapsed straight to the ground.