Before he died, my grandfather forced me to marry the richest man in the capital.

Shopping malls in the capital.

Two women strolled hand in hand, visiting one store after another, swiping their cards with the universal credit cards given to them by their fathers.

Two hours later, the two of them, carrying large and small bags, sat down to rest at a cake shop.

"Oh my god, I haven't gone shopping in ages, I'm exhausted."

Ji Xinyu took a big gulp of milk tea, chewing on the black pearls in her mouth. She bent and straightened her other hand, making a soothing motion.

Lu Yiyue took a sip of her slightly sweet milk tea and asked, "I told you not to buy so much, but you insisted. How come you're free today? Don't you have class?"

After lunch, Ji Xinyu suddenly took a taxi to her studio and pestered Lu Yiyue to go shopping with her. Helpless, Lu Yiyue couldn't resist Ji Xinyu's coquettishness and finally drove her younger sister to the Imperial Capital Shopping Mall.

Once they start buying, they can't stop. They want to buy this and that, and their collection is overflowing.

"We have classes in the morning, but our teacher caught a cold in the afternoon, so we don't have classes then. Unlike in high school, when one teacher had a cold, three teachers would compete to teach the class."

These words made Lu Yiyue laugh. "Hehe, when are you going to talk to Cancan and Xiaochen about this key point? Maybe it can help improve their grades by a few points."

"Xiao Chen is having a tough time right now. My uncle watches him do his homework every day like he's a primary school student. Nuonuo says he gets a slap on the palm of his hand for every mental arithmetic problem he gets wrong. He's really pitiful."

Before Lu Yiyue could answer, Ji Xinyu continued, "However, my uncle's approach was also correct. If you can't withstand the harsh realities of studying, you'll have to endure the harsh realities of life. Compared to that, my uncle's approach was a bit gentler."

Lu Yiyue nodded in agreement, "Not to mention Uncle Han's temper, even my gentle uncle was provoked by Can Can to the point of hitting him. My grandma said they even used a feather duster."

After they finished speaking, they both laughed. Ji Xinyu didn't continue, while Lu Yiyue hesitated, glancing at Ji Xinyu and seeing her leisurely sipping her milk tea with relish, she couldn't help but ask, "By the way, brother, what have you been busy with lately?"

Since returning from the island, Ji Jiale has not contacted Lu Yiyue for almost half a month.

Speaking of Ji Jiale, Ji Xinyu felt sorry for him, "Sigh, ever since my brother came back from the US, he's been working like crazy, from 9 am to 12 pm."

Lu Yiyue didn't quite understand this new term, and squinted as she repeated, "Seven in the morning and midnight?"

"Yeah, he leaves for the company at 7 a.m. and doesn't come home until midnight. My brother usually doesn't get home until after midnight. He goes on business trips every few days. If it weren't for the fact that there aren't any women around him, I would suspect that my brother has broken up with his girlfriend."

Ji Xinyu rested her chin on her hand, looking thoughtful, her brows slightly furrowed, and continued, "I also don't understand what my brother is trying to do. He just seems really anxious. He just graduated, what's there to be in such a hurry for? I don't understand."

Besides, Dad is quite healthy now, and he's not at the age where he needs to rush to take over the family business.

After saying that, Ji Xinyu shook her head. Hearing this, Lu Yiyue tightened her grip on her milk tea. After a moment of distraction, she asked, "Do you work overtime every day?"

"Yeah, that's right. A few days ago, I think my brother closed down some kind of project, but I don't know the exact name. He got drunk during the celebration, and my dad had to carry him home. Uncle Xu said that my dad went through similar experiences when he first took over the company."

Hearing Ji Xinyu's words, Lu Yiyue felt a pang of sadness, her thoughts drifting away.

"Oh, it's okay. My dad said there's nothing we can do about it. My brother needs to excel in everything he does when he officially takes over the company, so naturally he can't lose in drinking either. Besides, my dad is watching over him and won't let anything happen to him. It's just that it's quite tiring. My dad has my brother preside over most of the company's meetings now. He's busy until the early hours of the morning every day, and I don't even see him on weekends."

Ji Xinyu said this because she felt sorry for her brother, who was working too hard. She naturally assumed that her brother wanted to help their father with his work.

Lu Yiyue changed the subject gently, asking, "Will I take you home or back to school later?"

"I need to go home. My dad won't let me stay at school anymore. Sis, will you take me home?"

"Okay, I've ordered two suits and they're ready. We can take them over now. We'll go back to the studio to pick them up later."

"Okay, then I'll tell my dad he doesn't need to pick me up."

After finishing their milk tea, Lu Yiyue and Ji Xinyu chatted about many things, including school and her brother. Lu Yiyue sometimes frowned and sometimes smiled.

After leaving the bubble tea shop, the two went to have dinner.

In fact, Ji Xinyu is not so talkative in front of outsiders. She is very quiet at school and hardly speaks at all. She only chats with a few close friends.

An hour later, Lu Yiyue drove Ji Xinyu to the Ji residence. The car arrived at the Ji residence at 6 p.m.

Only Yuan Shu, Ji Hang, and Tang Junyao were home; Ji Jiale and Ji Hancheng were not there. Ji Xinyu started calling for her mother, "Mom," even before she entered the house.

Hearing the noise, Tang Junyao quickly walked out of the villa. Seeing her daughter and goddaughter arrive, she looked excited and asked, "Yueyue's here! Have you eaten yet?"

Lu Yiyue stepped forward and affectionately took Tang Junyao's arm as she came out. Tang Junyao took the bags from her daughter's hands.

"Godmother, I've already eaten. I went shopping with Xiaoyu this afternoon. Godfather and brother, are they still at get off work?"

Tang Junyao understood her son's thoughts, but she didn't know what Yueyue was thinking. Yueyue had always called Lele "brother," and had called him that since she was little.

After a few seconds of distraction, she smiled and replied, "Yes, Lele went out for a business dinner with your godfather tonight. This child wants to attend every meeting and business dinner; she's too eager."

Lu Yiyue didn't respond to that, but instead took Tang Junyao's arm and entered the villa. "Aren't Grandma and Grandpa here?"

Tang Junyao pulled Lu Yiyue to sit down on the sofa and asked what she wanted to drink. "Well, I went for a walk. Come on, Yueyue, sit down for a while and chat with your godmother. It's been a long time since I've been here. What would you like to eat?"

"No need, godmother. Xiaoyu and I just ate and drank milk tea, and we haven't digested it yet."

Everything was placed in the living room. Ji Xinyu sat down on the sofa opposite and chimed in, "Yes, Yueyue and I just finished eating. Mom, don't bother with anything, sit down and chat for a while."

Lu Yiyue handed a box to Tang Junyao and said naturally, as if she had just delivered clothes, "Godmother, these are the clothes my brother ordered from me. I've left them here. Let my brother try them on, and if there are any parts that don't fit, he can take them to me for alterations."

Tang Junyao rummaged through the clothes; the suit was wrapped in a transparent packaging bag, and a hanger held up the crisply ironed suit. "I'll take it to hang in Lele's room so he can see it when he comes back. He's been coming home quite late lately."

After saying that, Tang Junyao went upstairs. She put the clothes on her son's bed so that they would be visible as soon as he entered the room. Then she left the room and closed the door behind her.

Lu Yiyue stayed at the Ji residence for almost an hour before leaving after Lu Jinnan sent her a message. Tang Junyao instructed her to send a message after she got home.

As night fell and darkness descended, around midnight, a Bentley drove into the courtyard of the Ji residence.

The driver got out of the car first, then opened the passenger door and helped his slightly drunk son out. "Do you want me to carry you?"

Ji Jiale, in the passenger seat, pinched the bridge of his nose. He wasn't drunk, just had a slight headache and felt bloated. After a period of training, his alcohol tolerance had clearly increased, plus he secretly drank red and white wine from the cellar every night.

"No need, I can walk by myself."

Looking at his son's stubborn back, Ji Hancheng thought: "That brat is quite stubborn, just like he was back then."

Tang Junyao, who had been waiting in the living room, saw her son return with a man and quickly got up. She asked Ji Jiale with concern, "Does your head hurt? Mom made you some hangover soup. Would you like to drink a small bowl?"

"No..." Before her son could finish speaking, Tang Junyao interrupted him and said softly, "Yueyue brought your suit today. I put it in your room. Try it on after you drink the hangover soup, and we'll discuss the size with Yueyue tomorrow to see if it fits."

Ji Jiale: "Okay, sure."

Ji Hancheng rarely drinks hangover soup, but seeing that his wife only cared about their son, he felt a little jealous. Sensing the sourness in the man's heart, Tang Junyao still prepared a bowl of hangover soup for him, elevating the service to a VIP level, and fed it to him.

Around 1 a.m.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Ji Jiale didn't listen to her mother's advice to finish the hangover soup and try on the clothes. Instead, she removed the packaging from the suits, laid the two suits flat on the bed, and carefully ran her fingers over the stitches. As her fingers touched the threads, it was as if she could picture her mother making the suits—her movements, her expressions…

Touching the shoulder to the cuff, and then from the cuff to the body of the garment, inch by inch, I couldn't help but murmur, "It's been shortened by three months."

Half an hour later, he carefully hung the two sets of clothes in the closet, took out his phone and sent a message to the person whose contact name was Yuebao: The clothes fit.

After sending the message, he lifted the covers to get into bed, when his phone unusually chimed. He picked it up again and saw that it was a reply from Lu Yiyue. He didn't open it immediately but glanced at the time.

Why aren't you asleep yet? Don't you say you don't stay up late?

Is your biological clock messed up?

Lu Yiyue: Dreams are beautiful. For me, no matter how long it takes to realize a dream, a dream that can come true is worth looking forward to.

He stared at the line of text for a long time, wanting to say sorry, but when he started typing, only two words came out: "I will."

Lu Yiyue did not reply. Ji Jiale: Good night.

In another room.

Tang Junyao habitually snuggled into the man's arms, preparing to fall asleep in his embrace. The man's chin rested on the top of her head, his voice vibrating against her scalp, "What are you thinking about? Aren't you going to sleep yet? Hmm? Want to exercise a bit?"

Under the covers, a man felt a pinch on his waist. "That's enough, don't worry about your kidneys." He had just exercised last night.

Ji Hancheng lowered his head and kissed the end of his wife's hair, then hugged her tighter, asking, "Just kidding, look how scared you are. What were you thinking about, hmm?"

"I'm wondering why Lele is so stubborn. It breaks my heart to see her like this."

"Hmph, serves him right. I suspect the brat wants to separate from me, clearly distinguishing between what's mine and what's his. I'll ask him another day if he's mine and what's his is his."

"Really, he just wants to prove himself. He didn't say he wouldn't inherit the family business. Don't you always brag about being a young man? How can Lele inherit it now? He should start his own business first."

"Don't worry, if he wants to go far and protect the person he loves, he has to take this step. I can only protect him while I'm breathing. Even after I'm gone, he still has to be able to stand on his own." He can only pave the way in the shadows, without being discovered.

"Is Lele's airline going to open next month?"

"Um."

That brat isn't content with just working for an airline; he has bigger ambitions. He'll be keeping himself busy.

At this moment, Ji Hancheng was proud, but he was stingy with praise. He extended a beautiful smile in a place where Tang Junyao couldn't see, which was an affirmation of his son.