Chapter 398: I Like Him

Chang Jingqiu could not hide her attraction toward Qi Chenglin. Even a simple smile from him made her heart bloom.

When saying goodbye to Cheng Zhiyuan, Qi Chenglin caught a glimpse of Ruan Danchen sitting at the corner table through the restaurant's window.

The restaurant was extremely crowded at that time but he could spot her in one quick glance.

Thus, after he saw Cheng Zhiyuan and Chang Jingqiu off, he went back into the restaurant.

When Ruan Danchen asked the waiter for the bill, the waiter unexpectedly told her, "The bill for your table has been taken care of, miss."

The four girls were stunned. Suddenly, a person appeared behind of Ruan Danchen.

She turned around to be met with Qi Chenglin, who she had just seen leaving a few minutes ago.

"I saw that you were all here too, so I took care of the bill for you guys," Qi Chenglin explained with a smile.

Chen Siyu and Senior Du had never seen the general manager being so genial — they were both dumbfounded.

"Didn't you say you don't want to eat here?" Qi Chenglin teased, staring at her.

It was Chen Siyu and Senior Du's first time seeing the general manager's warm and sunny side — it was like a blessing. They felt that when they return to the office, their image of Qi Chenglin could never revert to the cool and distant general manager again.

"..." Ruan Danchen was speechless. "It's a coincidence."

Qi Chenglin raised his eyebrows, expressing his skepticism. It also connoted his belief that she secretly came here because she wanted to be with him.

"It really is just a coincidence," Ruan Danchen repeated.

"It's true," Chen Siyu affirmed as she nodded her head vigorously. She could not stand seeing Ruan Danchen so helpless. "I'm the one who suggested we come here. It's because I have a voucher for it."

"Are you guys done with lunch?" Qi Chenglin inquired, smiling.

"Yeah, yeah, we are. We... We'll get going first," Senior Du announced as she tugged Chen Siyu away with her. She did not want to be a third wheel.

After that, Qi Chenglin brought Ruan Danchen to his car.

Although the restaurant was very close to Qilin, he could not have asked Chang Zhiyuan to walk there with him.

"I came here to talk business with Chang Zhiyuan. To my surprise, he brought along his niece," Qi Chenglin clarified just as they entered the car. He did not even wait for Ruan Danchen to ask.

"Yeah, I know. I saw," Ruan Danchen revealed, "Chang Jingqiu was my classmate in high school. I ran into her when I went to the washroom. She seemed to like you a lot."

He had not driven far but they had already reached Qilin. Qi Chenglin parked the car at the car park and got out of the car with Ruan Danchen.

"I hate it when people try to drag my private life into a business meeting." Qi Chenglin was quite irritated by Chang Zhiyuan's behavior that day but could not do much about it due to their need to cooperate with the Chang family.

"What are you explaining yourself for? I'm not even mad. I could tell how you feel from your behavior toward Chang Jingqiu." Ruan Danchen proactively placed her hand on her palm. "After all, I trust you. And because I trust you, I'm not worried about anything."

Qi Chenglin turned to her and grinned warmly.

She did not say anything overly sentimental, yet his ears burnt like fire.

"Were you close to Chang Jingqiu?" Qi Chenglin asked abruptly as they entered the elevator.

"Why do you ask?" Ruan Danchen questioned curiously.

"Well, I was thinking, if you were close friends with her, then I'll let her down slowly; if you weren't, then I can save myself the trouble," Qi Chengzhi explained coolly.

"You're so confident that she will come to see you again?" Ruan Danchen knew that Chang Jingqiu would definitely come, but she did not like seeing him so arrogant.

He clearly knew his power over women very well. What a snob!

"Yes, I'm very confident about that." Qi Chenglin adjusted his tie and glared at Ruan Danchen from the corner of his eyes. "Did you forget who your man is?"

"We weren't that close. She did not attend out high school reunion either. The first time I've seen her since graduation was during this year's Chinese New Year. So, I can't really say if we have a good or bad relationship — I can only say that we were pretty much strangers. I've always thought that she was never friendly toward me," Ruan Danchen expressed her honest opinion about her without hiding a thing.

Although she trusted Qi Chenglin, naturally, she would still want to get rid of her love rival.

"She wasn't friendly toward you?" Qi Chenglin furrowed his brow. His expression showed that he was ready to get revenge for Ruan Danchen.

Knowing that Qi Chenglin had misinterpreted her words, she quickly grabbed onto him and clarified, "She never did anything to me. She never scolded me or anything like that — it's just the aura she gave off. I always felt that her attitude toward me was quite odd, but nonetheless, she was never rude to me."

Qi Chenglin understood and nodded. He jotted down these things about Chang Jingqiu in his mind.

"Then I won't be gentle with her," Qi Chenglin declared.

"Of course you shouldn't." Ruan Danchen hugged his arm. "Even if we were close, you don't have to be gentle with anyone who's trying to win your heart."

Those words made him tremendously gleeful. He pulled her into his embrace. "Yet you say you're not jealous."

"Ah, this is different." Ruan Danchen puffed up her cheeks and expounded, "I know you won't accept anyone else nor will you won't have any shady relations with another woman either so I won't be jealous of them. Nevertheless, that doesn't mean I won't be annoyed by women who try to get close to you on purpose. I'm not jealous, nor am I mad at you, but you can't restrict me from being mad at those girls."

Qi Chenglin could not help but burst out laughing. He had once again experienced the bizarre explanations Ruan Danchen and Qi Youxuan never failed to come up with.

His Softie's outlook was truly extraordinary.

...

Chang Jingqiu and Cheng Zhiyuan were sitting in the backseat of their car. Chang Zhiyuan turned to his niece and smiled. "What do you think? It looks to me that Qi Chenglin is quite pleased with you. He didn't even refuse your interview."

"Uncle," Chang Jingqiu uttered. She looked down shyly as she was blushing away. "I think he only said that to avoid embarrassing you."

"That can't be true," Chang Zhiyuan assured. He laughed and continued, "Qi Chenglin is always cold and distant toward anyone — he never puts on a smile for anyone. I heard that the Qi family had set up many blind dates for him in the past but when he went, he just sat there silently with a dark expression as if the lady owed him something. However, today, he kept a smile on his face and had quite a gentle gaze. Although it's true that he has to maintain our relationship for business, as the second Young Master of the Qi family, I doubt he would entertain us for a second longer if he were not interested in you."

Chang Zhiyuan turned to his niece, who was still terribly bashful. He smiled and resumed, "From what I see, his attitude toward you is already much better than toward anyone else — that must mean that he sees something in you. Besides, his son is already so big — it's a rare opportunity for him for a damsel from the Chang family to want to date him. Since you don't care about that, what are you still hesitating about? I only introduced you to him because I think he's a good man. You are a precious lady of the Chang family. When you were a baby — when you didn't know any better — you lost both your parents. After that, the whole Chang family pampered you the most — we all wish for your happiness. We hope that you can find a remarkable and reliable man to marry."

Chang Zhiyuan smiled. "You see something in him, don't you?"

Chang Jingqiu did not try to hide it anymore. With a flushed face, she nodded. "He truly is an outstanding man. After meeting him, I think it will become much harder for me to fall for any other men now. Even though he has a son, I don't mind at all."

Chang Zhiyuan nodded in agreement. "The few brothers in the Qi family — besides the deceased Qi Chengze — are all the best of the best. It can be said that no one in their generation can dream to compete with them. Even though Qi Chenglin has a son, after you marry him, you can simply pretend to like his son. Although I'm a man myself, I can tell you with confidence that all men are the same — after you conceive another son with him, he would forget about this elder son. After all, no one knows a thing about the boy's real mother. To this day, the Qi family never revealed it to the public — that must mean that they are ashamed of this child. The boy would become a nobody when compared to the legitimate child you're going to give him. Besides, your child will tie them to the Chang family too. Your son would become the true eldest grandson in the family."

"I haven't thought this far yet. When the time comes, I'll just take things step-by-step. But I think a child this small will never be enough to change my mind. I don't think he will be too troublesome either," she spluttered. Her mind was too fully occupied by Qi Chenglin's handsome and beguiling face that she could not think about anything else.

Chang Zhiyuan was very contented. "Although you are a maternal grandchild, you carry your mother's surname. We all see you as part of the Chang family. You have a clear vision — you are already doing much better than the other grandchildren in our family."

Chang Zhiyuan's devotion toward Cheng Jingqiu was only partly due to his relationship with his sister — he also favored her as she was self-aware of her position in the family. SIt was her own decision to study journalism in university and although she got a job with the help of the Chang family's connections, she still worked earnestly as a journalist. Additionally, she had never asked to partake in the family business. Even when someone in the family gave her an opportunity to, she would shake her head and decline — her excuse being she was not interested in business.

However, was that true?

If she was not interested, why did she choose to become a financial journalist? In truth, the whole family understood her intention — she did not want to fight for positions in the company with her cousins. Moreover, as a financial journalist, she needed to have a firm grasp on the trends of the industry and had to run from company to company interviewing countless businessmen — the information she collected was greatly beneficial for the Chang family's business.

Due to her helpful knowledge of current affairs and her proactive decision to stay out of the family business, the Chang family naturally supported her and let her do as she pleased. For the same reason, Grandmother Chang adored her dearly.

As an orphan who was raised in her maternal grandmother's home, Chang Jingqiu had always maintained her position in the Chang family cautiously.

"Since you like Qi Chenglin, you should be the one making moves on him. After all, he is a man with countless admirers — he's not someone who needs to pursue a woman himself. You'll be dreaming if you're waiting for him to make a move on you. Even so, you can't be too forward with him — if you appear too enthusiastic, he might look down on you or think you're annoying." Chang Zhiyuan paused for a while, then smiled again. "Ah, what am I saying? You are a bright lady — you don't need me to remind you of these things."

Chang Jingqiu nodded, expressing that she knew how to act appropriately. Suddenly, she received a call from Grandmother Chang, who asked her to come home tonight as she wanted to know how things went that afternoon.

"Grandma, I..." Chang Jingqiu murmured bashfully, "I like him."

Grandmother Chang was overjoyed to hear that. She had always felt that owed this granddaughter of her something. If it were not for Grandfather Chang's stubbornness, her daughter would never have...

Her heart ached everything she thought about Chang Jingqiu's mother, so she especially treasured Chang Jingqiu. It was as if she was trying to compensate for whatever wrongs they had inflicted on her mother through Chang Jingqiu.

As a result, no matter what Chang Jingqiu wanted, Grandmother Chang would fulfill it. Now that she had found someone she liked, Grandmother Chang would give it her all to satisfy her.

She was definitely spoiling Chang Jingqiu.

Grandmother Chang was also thankful that Chang Jingqiu grew up to be a clever and obedient young lady. She behaved much better than most ladies from other families, and thus, Grandmother Chang cherished her even more.

"To hear that you like him is music to my ears," Grandmother Qi replied, "Rest assured, Grandma will support you all the way."

...

Still oblivious about another woman falling head over heels for Qi Chenglin, Ruan Danchen and Qi Chenglin were going to head to the Civil Affairs Bureau. Qi Youxuan did not have any activities that day, so they decided to bring him along.

In the morning, Qi Youxuan was still lying around lazily on his bed. However, the second he heard Ruan Danchen suggested they bring him along to the Civil Affairs Bureau, the little boy jumped out of bed and rushed to get ready without anyone prodding him.

After having breakfast, he went out with his mom and dad joyously.

At the Civil Affairs Bureau, the three of them lines up patiently outside. Luckily, it was not a special day and did not imply the numbers 520, 1314 1 or have any other hidden meanings behind the date. Consequently, the bureau was not too crowded and they could still find seats to sit down and wait.

Afraid that Qi Youxuan would be bored while waiting, Ruan Danchen wanted to bring along an iPad. Unexpectedly, Qi Chenglin stuffed an Early Education Device into her bag instead. He wanted him to revise his English if he got bored. The little boy's face instantly turned green.

Seeing Qi Youxuan's pitiful expression, Ruan Danchen held back her laughter and kept the device into her bag again.

Qi Youxuan was bored out of his mind. His legs, which could not reach the ground, swung back and forth in the air as he sat on the chair. Observing this, Ruan Danchen asked, "It's boring, isn't it?"

Hearing that, his eyes darted to her bag. He shook his head firmly. "Nope, not at all. I'll just sit here and wait. I'm perfectly fine!"

"..." Ruan Danchen ruffled his hair. The little boy sure hated studying.

"Did you hate studying when you were younger too?" Ruan Danchen whispered to Qi Chenglin.

He was turning on the hotspot on his phone with his laptop placed on his lap. If there was anything happening in the company that needed is attention, Jiang Yuan would call him.

He had taken the morning off today, so Qi Chengzhi was likely to help him deal with his things first.

His hands stopped in motion and he turned to Ruan Danchen. He was not annoyed by her interruption at all.

He heard the entire conversation between Ruan Danchen and Qi Youxuan just now. After glancing at Qi Youxuan, he adjusted his collar proudly and announced, "I was a smart child. I only needed to skim through the material once and I could remember everything — I didn't need revision."

Qi Youxuan puffed up his cheeks and laughed in disbelief. His dad could not be implying that he was stupid, right?

"Humph, I am smart!" Qi Youxuan fumed and proceeded to ignore his dad.

Qi Chenglin snickered and continued working.

Seeing the little boy all worked up, Ruan Danchen picked him up and comforted him. After an eternity of coaxing, he finally felt better.

Just then, she received a call from Grandmother Qi, who asked them to have lunch at the old mansion after their registration.

Grandmother Qi sounded extremely impatient over the phone — she could not wait to see their little red book 1.

The little boy woke up very early today. As he sat there waiting, he gradually grew sleepy. Ruan Danchen held him in her arms and let him sleep.

When it was finally their turn, Qi Chenglin kept away his laptop and took Qi Youxuan from Ruan Danchen's arms. Irritated, he complained, "Is this boy here to watch us register our marriage or is he just here to cause trouble?"

Hearing Qi Chenglin's voice beside his ear, Qi Youxuan woke up and rubbed his eyes with his chubby hands. Still in a blur, the boy blurted out, "Daddy, Mommy, are you getting married now?"

Ruan Danchen burst out laughing. The only thing on the little boy's mind was them getting married. Thus, she answered, "Yup."

The little boy hastily made Qi Chenglin put him down. Exhilarated, he had completely woken up and was scanning the entire room curiously.

It was the first time the worker there had seen a couple bring their child along. When they were going through the procedures, the little boy tugged on Qi Chenglin's sleeve. "Dad, give me your phone."

Qi Chenglin did not know why he wanted his phone to but he gave it to him anyway.

The little boy opened the camera and switched it into video mode. He began to record Ruan Danchen and Qi Chenglin. Naturally, he did not forget to add some commentary. He cleared his throat and began, "To my little brothers and sisters who are yet to be born, how are you? Today is the day Daddy and Mommy registered their marriage. I am your big brother, Qi Youxuan. Unfortunately, you won't be able to watch Daddy and Mommy get registered in person, and you can't attend their wedding either. It's not my fault that you all aren't born yet. Nonetheless, your big brother can attend — aren't you envious?"

The little boy turned the camera around and turned himself around so that he could include Qi Chenglin and Ruan Danchen in the shot too.

"You all admire me, don't you? Only I can do these things. Even the big brothers from other families can't do this. You must be jealous to death, hahahahaha!"

The worker stared at the boy who was laughing maniacally, then turned back to Qi Chenglin and Ruan Danchen. They were utterly humiliated. Qi Chenglin turned away from the camera defeatedly — he had no idea what to do with that child.

The little boy then turned the camera around again and pointed it at Qi Chenglin and Ruan Danchen. "Quick, say hello to your future children!"

"..." They were both completely speechless.

However, Ruan Danchen subconsciously waved at the camera and even greeted, "Hi~"

When she realized what she was doing, she quickly put her hand down. She felt as if she was possessed for a second there.

...

Coming out from the room after getting their red booklets, Ruan Danchen was so red that she looked as if she had just come out from a sauna.

She could feel her face steaming.

The little boy took their little red books and stared at them for a long time. He smiled senselessly the whole way to the car.

From that day on, Ruan Danchen had officially become his mom!

The three of them headed to the old mansion. Grandmother Qi had made some phone calls that afternoon and asked Qi Zhongliang and the others to come over — even Qi Chengji was there. It felt like one of their Saturday gatherings — everyone was present.

Before Ruan Danchen could sit down, Grandmother Qi asked her about their marriage certificate. Ruan Danchen quickly took them out and handed them to her.

Grandmother Qi moved the tea on the tea table around and made space for the booklets. Arranging them neatly on the table, she took a picture of them with her phone and immediately opened WeChat.

Putting on her presbyopia glasses, she typed out the caption letter by letter. After typing for ten minutes, she finally managed to type out, [I have a second granddaughter-in-law now. @Xiao Han]

After a long while, Grandmother Han still did not leave any comments — she did not even 'like' the picture.

Grandmother Qi could not wait anymore. She called Grandmother Han. "Xiao Han, did you see my WeChat?"

Extra Mini-Scene:

NoDoNoDie 3

For a few consecutive days, Ruan Danchen had lost internet connection at 10 p.m. sharp. It was even more punctual than when she was living in her university hostel. Ruan Danchen knew that something was off.

Therefore, one day, when the clock was close to striking ten, she told Song Yu to hold off on the attacks first. Through the corner of her eyes, Ruan Danchen caught sight of Qi Chenglin silently leaving the room. She immediately followed behind.

"Qi Chenglin, what are you doing!" Ruan Danchen caught him red-handed — more specifically, with a wire in hand.

Qi Chenglin: "..."

Footnotes:

Ch 398 Footnote 1

520, 1314 - connotes 'I love you, forever and always' as the numbers are read as 'wǔ èr líng, yī sān yī sì' 五二零,一三一四 in Mandarin, which is similar to 'wǒ ài nǐ, yī shēng yī shì' 我爱你,一生一世, which means I love you, forever and always in Mandarin

Ch 398 Footnote 2

little red book - refers to a marriage certificate which is in the form of a small red booklet in China