185 For me...
“How about you four pose while I take the picture?” Song Yifei suggested. Her suggestion relieved all the others.
An Qinyan flashed her a smile but nodded her head. It was a good time. She was grateful to everyone for this.
Perhaps, it was an assurance that their family wasn’t broken.
It was just imperfectly wonderful.
There was nothing perfect about their family yet it was happy in its most imperfect essence or form.
An Qinyan understood one thing today– She no longer needed to fight her children’s battles. They were more than qualified to win their battles and even win them.
She could stop worrying about them and focus on her life.
“We are going to hang it in our home, ” An Xiulan announced.
“Don’t forget to share it with me, ” Lu Zhaolin said as he looked at the picture that his wife took of them. “We are going to hang it too.”
“Father, shouldn’t you hang one more picture?” An Xiulan asked him while cocking her brow.
“Which one?” Lu Zhaolin narrowed his eyes at her.
“With you, your kids and your wife?” An Xiulan asked. “Are you forgetting your wife now that your baby mama is standing next to you?”
Lu Zhaolin pointed his finger at her, speechless. This girl was hellbent on giving him another stroke. Lord, who he had offended to be treated like this by his own daughter?
Maybe, it was his punishment.
“Alright, I will take the picture. You all pose, ” An Qinyan took matters into her own hands. Her daughter was incorrigible.
___
Han Zixin was standing outside the waiting room. He could have entered to meet his best friend but he didn’t as he had no intention of disturbing her family time. More than anyone else, he understood how precious family time could be.
Although she never said anything about her family, he believed that like every child of a broken family she must cherish the time she got to spend with her father’s family and it was true to some extent.
Ji Mao’er was going to enter another waiting room to meet her parents when her heel twisted. She closed her eyes and waited for the pain to come but it never did. As she opened her eyes, she saw a pair of deep brown eyes staring at her in concern.
“Are you alright?” She heard a melodious voice ring around her. Everything faded at that moment for her as all she could focus on was his face. He had a chiselled face for a teenage boy. He was tall. Even taller than her who was in five-inch heels.
“Are you fine?” He asked again and this time she slowly nodded her head but didn’t try to get out of his arms.
“Mao’er?” ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ
Ji Mao’er heard a voice and she saw her parents standing far from her. This time, she got back on her feet.
“Thank you for saving me, ” Ji Mao’er said with a shy face.
Han Zixin only nodded his head. He didn’t save her. He was just moving to the other side when he saw her stumbling on the clear and clean path. If he hadn’t held her, she would have fallen on her. As she got out of his arm, he finally breathed.
How could someone put such strong perfume?
“Do you go to City first high school?” Ji Mao’er asked him in a sweet voice.
Han Zixin looked at her and furrowed his brows. “No, I don’t.”
“But I saw you there, “Ji Mao’er lied without batting her eyes.
“Inter-School shooting competition, I defeated the boy from that school and won the cup.” His tone was cold, detached and with a hint of arrogance. But she liked it. He had a face to support his arrogance.
“You are from Jingyuan High?” Ji Mao’er asked, surprised. She had heard that in the last shooting contest, Jingyuan High won the cup.
“Any problem with it?” Han Zixin gave her a look of impatience.
“No, ” Ji Mao’er said with a silly smile.
“Mao’er, child, are you done with your chat with your friend? I want you to meet my business partner, ” Her father, Mr Ji said as he came with a man.
Ji Mao’er nodded at her father and when she looked at the place where the boy was standing, she found no one there. He disappeared in just a second. She would have thought that he was only an illusion if not for the fact that a blue-colored box was placed in the place where he was standing.
She kneeled down to take it. She didn’t understand if she should take it or give it back. She was sure that it belonged to that boy. It must have fallen down from his pocket when he bent to catch her.
“What’s this?” Mrs Ji asked her daughter. “Does your friend give you the gift? Open it.”
Ji Mao’er smiled and nodded her head. As she opened the box, she saw a beautiful piece of jewellery. It was an exquisite bracelet with a delicate crown engraved on it. The bracelet was made of a delicate gold chain but the crown part was made up of shiny stones. She didn’t know if these shining stones were crystals or diamonds. What she loved the most about it was the carving in pink which said– My Miss Universe.
“Your friend got you a very beautiful gift, ” Mrs Ji said. Not even for a moment did she think that the gift was too much for her daughter as Ji Mao’er was the only daughter of the Ji family and what kind of luxury had she not seen in her life?
“Mom, can I keep it?” Ji Mao’er asked. Usually, her mother didn’t allow her to take costly gifts from her friends.
“Well, since it’s a very happy day for you, keep it, ” Mrs Ji smiled.
[Jingyuan High…]
[If I return you this bracelet, would I see you again?]
“Is it for me?” Ji Mao’er whispered as she placed it against her heart.
______
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