Chapter 253
There were many people by the river over the weekend.
The three old guys gathered together, either bragging or showing mutual disdain, bickering back and forth in a lively manner.
Ji Zhiyuan had long been accustomed to this scene. He took a tent from the trunk of the car, propped it up and secured it, laid out a ground mat, set up a folding table, and finally arranged the fruits and snacks prepared by Butler Yu on the table one by one.
He also took a bouquet of flowers from the car and placed it on the table.
Old Master Hai: "We're just fishing, there's no need for all these fancy things."
Old Master Ji: "Don't you understand ambiance? It's so comfortable this way."
Old Master Si: "Zhiyuan is a great CEO after all. You really have the nerve to make him do all this manual labor."
Old Master Ji: "My Zhiyuan is showing filial piety. Look at those disappointing brats in your families, which one of them can compare to Zhiyuan's devotion?"
Old Master Hai shut his mouth.
Old Master Si fell silent.
After a good while, Old Master Si sighed, "Among my grandchildren, that little bastard Si Lin is the most disgraceful. It's bad enough he got into a trashy university, but he's also dating every day. I mean, if you secretly date a few girls, no one would say anything. But good heavens, every time he dates, it's a public figure, either a celebrity or a model. He's on the tabloid news every day, leaving me with nowhere to hide my old face..."
Old Master Ji scolded in annoyance, "He even dared to set his sights on Rong Yu, completely turning the world upside down. I suggest you publicly sever ties with that brat to save yourself from further embarrassment."
Old Master Si choked back a response, "He's just dating, not committing any crimes. Striking him from the family register is a bit too severe..."
Old Master Hai pursed his lips, "What's the use of asking Old Ji? You might as well ask Miss Rong."
The grandsons of the Ji family used to be more ignorant than the last, but ever since Miss Rong arrived, they had become increasingly obedient, sensible, and filial.
Just as they were speaking.
Suddenly, there was a splash.
A fish was pulled ashore.
Old Master Ji was just about to flatter his mother.
Only to see that the person who caught the fish was Sheng Qingyan.
While the old guys were chatting, Sheng Qingyan had baited all the fishing rods and cast them into the river. Controlling four rods by himself, he pulled them up one by one. The fishing lines instantly went taut, and huge splashes churned the surface of the water.
"Steady! Reel it in slowly!" Old Master Hai stood up excitedly to direct, as if he were the one who had hooked the fish.
Sheng Qingyan's movements, however, were surprisingly steady. In a short while, four large grass carp, each weighing over ten pounds, were pulled ashore, flopping wildly on the ground.
Rong Yu's long eyelashes trembled.
Back then, when studying abroad, there was a period when he was on leave, and they would go fishing every weekend.
He knew how to fish, catch fish, clean fish, and make fish soup... That time was truly happy, so happy that it seemed to make one forget all worries.
But he had not forgotten his military uniform.
And she, too, dared not forget the heavy responsibility on her shoulders.
The fleeting happiness was exchanged for long periods of separation. It was always about seeing each other off, leaving, waiting, and rarely reuniting...
"Splash—"
A few more fish were pulled ashore.
This scene made the three old masters gasp at the same time.
Old Master Hai's dentures almost fell out: "It's only been a few minutes, and he's already caught several?"
Old Master Si's eyes widened like brass bells: "Kid, did you... did you use some special bait?"
This fishing skill was even more impressive than Rong Yu's.
Old Master Ji snorted coldly: "It's just good luck. You two old fogeys are just making a fuss over nothing."
"Yingbao, it's not luck," Rong Yu spoke up. "Go sit next to Sheng Qingyan and learn how to fish from him."
Old Master Ji crossed his arms: "I won't—!"
Before his words even faded.
Old Master Hai and Old Master Si, with lightning speed, took the spots to the left and right of Sheng Qingyan, sitting down before anyone else.
Old Master Ji: "..."
These two idiots were actually learning to fish from a greenhorn. Did they have any image left as the helmsmen of major families?!
Anyway, he had his mother, and his mother knew how to fish. He didn't need to learn!
The old boy sat huffily on the mat: "Zhiyuan, I want some watermelon. Zhiyuan, I want water. Zhiyuan, there are mosquitoes..."
Ji Zhiyuan: "..."
The term "old child" was truly fitting.
He bore the burden of being ordered around without complaint.
But Old Master Ji grew increasingly dissatisfied, his expression worsening by the minute.
Because Old Master Hai had caught two fish, and Old Master Si had caught four... Since when did fishing become so easy?
He already regretted not learning.
But going over there on his own initiative now would seem beneath his dignity.
More importantly, there was no space left next to Sheng Qingyan.
At this moment.
Sheng Qingyan suddenly stood up.
He walked toward Old Master Ji.
"I'll teach you."
He rarely spoke; his voice was raspy and his tone heavy, but his words carried sincerity.
Old Master Ji put on airs: "Who needs your teaching? You really think you're something..."
Old Master Hai: "Qingyan, ignore him. He's just a stubborn mule."
Old Master Si: "Qingyan, come back here quickly..."
Old Master Ji: "..."
Tsk tsk, they were even calling him Qingyan now. Who were they being so affectionate for!
Sheng Qingyan automatically tuned out the other two.
He crouched down, took Old Master Ji's hand, and spoke again: "Come here, I'll teach you."
An indescribable tremor ran like an electric current from his palm through his entire body. The grumpy old boy instantly froze.
Surprisingly, he felt no aversion at all to having his hand held by Sheng Qingyan.
How could this be...
"Click—"
Rong Yu pressed the shutter on her phone, snapping a picture of this moment.
Her Yingbao, at the age of seventy-eight, finally had both his parents.
She clicked away, taking a barrage of photos of the two of them.
Old Master Ji sighed.
Forget it, he would just treat it as coaxing his mother to make her happy.
As long as his mother liked it, he wasn't entirely unable to accept Sheng Qingyan.
He bumped Old Master Si out of the way with his hip and sat obediently next to Sheng Qingyan.
Ji Zhiyuan breathed a sigh of relief.
He could finally spare a moment to handle some company business.
He had just sat down and taken out his phone when he saw a new email in his inbox: "... Paternity test results... Please review."
Ji Zhiyuan's brow darkened.
The moment he returned from Hong Kong, he had someone send two samples to a paternity testing facility: one of Wen Yan's hairs and one of Duoduo's.
Although he was almost certain, he still needed proof.
He opened the email, skimming through it rapidly, and scrolled to the last page. His chest instantly tightened in suffocation.
Sure enough.
She was indeed Duoduo's biological mother.
She was Ke Man.
She was his ex-wife.
That taciturn, dull, insecure, and lackluster Ke Man was actually Wen Yan.
Was she a doctor before?
Did she have a career before?
Was she ever this radiant before?
He didn't remember, didn't remember at all.
He remained silent for a long time before dialing Wen Yan's number: "Dr. Wen, at three o'clock tomorrow afternoon, Duoduo has a piano competition. Can you make it to the venue?"
Wen Yan's voice came through: "I have a surgery at two o'clock, so I might be a few minutes late. Can I still enter if I'm late?"
Ji Zhiyuan replied, "It's fine. Duoduo and I will wait for you."