When Jing Yi and Jing Zejun came downstairs, Aunt Wang had already prepared the meal, and Jing Zeyou and the others were already seated in the dining room, waiting for them to eat.
"Sorry for keeping everyone waiting," Jing Yi said as she naturally took a seat next to Jing Zejun.
Seeing this, Jing Zeqian wanted to say something, but Jing Zeyou gave him a warning look, causing him to swallow his words.
"Now that everyone's here, let's eat," Jing Beicheng said.
"Jing Yi, I wasn't sure what you like to eat, so I had Aunt Wang prepare some of her specialties. Try them and see if you like them," Lin Ruiqing said.
Jing Yi's dimples showed as she smiled, looking very sweet and obedient. "Thank you, Auntie. Everything looks delicious. I'll help myself then."
[Wow, what's with this beef brisket? It's so good! And these shrimp are delicious too...]
Because of the new addition to the family, the Jing family's dining table seemed a bit quiet, but that was only on the surface.
Jing Zeyou and the others listened to Jing Yi's exclamations with twitching eyes, as the family meals had never been this 'lively' before.
Seeing that Jing Yi quite enjoyed the dishes, Lin Ruiqing relaxed a bit and began to have an appetite to enjoy dinner.
Jing Zeqian, however, was the only one at the table with a sour expression. He wanted to retort, but every time he tried to open his mouth, he was met with three pairs of eyes staring at him. Who could be happy in such a situation?
In any case, he had no appetite. Watching Jing Yi eat so happily only worsened his mood.
"You must be exhausted these past couple of days. After dinner, go and get some good rest to recover," Jing Beicheng said as he placed a piece of mandarin fish on Lin Ruiqing's plate.
His wife's health hadn't been good for years, and she had been busy with various matters following Grandmother Jing's passing. Jing Beicheng was worried she might not be able to handle it.
Lin Ruiqing didn't refuse. It was indeed time to take care of her health.
She had just found her daughter and wanted to spend more time with her.
Her gaze inevitably shifted to Jing Yi, and she was relieved to see that she didn't seem uncomfortable.
"Jing Yi, you should also rest well these few days. Once you're rested, we can have Zeyou and Zeqian show you around North river," Lin Ruiqing said.
That day, Jing Yi had cried very hard. Not loudly or dramatically, but silently kneeling to the side, with large tears falling continuously.
Lin Ruiqing thought she must be very sad. That was her only relative, and regardless of what kind of person Grandmother Jing actually was, in Jing Yi's eyes, she must have been a kind, loving, and doting family member.
She had grown up abroad all these years, so suddenly returning to the country would certainly take some getting used to. Lin Ruiqing wanted to make her feel as comfortable as possible.
Hearing Lin Ruiqing's voice, Jing Yi looked up, smiling and agreeing, still appearing obedient and shy.
Jing Zeqian, sitting nearby, couldn't stand it anymore.
"She hasn't rested enough? On the plane, she was sleeping so deeply she was drooling," he said.
Jing Yi's smile froze for a moment, her eyebrows raised slightly as she turned to look at him with a dazzling smile.
Caught off guard, Jing Zeqian's gaze wavered for a moment.
"I didn't realize Second Brother was paying so much attention to me. Thank you for your concern!" Jing Yi said.
Jing Zeqian frowned, "Who's paying attention to you?! Can you not be so full of yourself?"
Jing Yi apologetically said, "I'm sorry, Second Brother. I might be clumsy with my words. I just admire people like you who are so eloquent, saying whatever comes to mind without thinking... No, I don't mean that you speak without thinking, Second Brother. You won't be angry, will you?"
[Really, did he drink too much peppermint oil? Has 'Startrack' turned into a company selling water pipes? Why is he meddling so much?!]
"You...!" Jing Zeqian's face began to turn a faint blue.
"Ahem," Jing Zeyou cleared his throat, picking up his water glass and secretly kicking Jing Zeqian under the table, signaling him to be quiet.
Jing Zeqian was about to explode. Every time he tried to retaliate, he was interrupted by his family members. He had already been attacked several times by Jing Yi without being able to fight back.
However, seeing the warning looks from Jing Beicheng and Lin Ruiqing, he swallowed his anger.
You win this time, Jing Yi!
Jing Zeqian glared at Jing Yi, his gaze inevitably falling on his sister, who was lowering her head, biting her lip to suppress her laughter, her body slightly shaking.
He felt a bit hurt. Even his sister was laughing at him!
In fact, not only Jing Zejun, but Jing Zeyou sitting next to him also had amusement dancing in his eyes. He just didn't voice it to save his younger brother's face.
The atmosphere at the dinner table became more natural.
After dinner, as Jing Zejun was about to take Jing Yi for a walk outside the villa, Jing Beicheng called out to stop them.
He had just remembered something he wanted to say, but had forgotten earlier when he was interrupted at the dinner table.
"Oh, right. There's one more thing," he said, his gaze subtly sweeping over Jing Yi and Jing Zejun standing at the door.
"The banquet arranged for Zejun is next Tuesday."
Jing Zejun instinctively glanced at Jing Yi beside him.
She knew that her father had prepared a banquet for her and planned to formally introduce her identity there.
Although she didn't care much about whose daughter she was, as finding her birth parents was already enough to make her happy, she hadn't refused her parents' good intentions. After all, this banquet had been in preparation for a long time.
She just hadn't expected to be informed in such a setting.
[A banquet! The legendary high-society banquet, and I'll get to attend! They should bring me along, right?]
Jing Yi didn't seem to mind. Having finally found their long-lost daughter, it was natural for a family of the Jings' social standing to announce it to the world, to avoid any slight to their daughter.
[Why is everyone looking at me? Aren't they talking about Jing Zejun's banquet?]
The five of them hurriedly averted their gazes, pretending to be occupied with something else.
Jing Zejun quickly spoke up, somewhat trying to cover up the situation.
"Mom, Dad, actually, we could just keep it simple. Maybe just have a family dinner..."
"No," Jing Beicheng rejected Jing Zejun's suggestion. It wasn't just that the banquet was already prepared, but they also didn't want to shortchange Jing Zejun in any way.
Besides Jing Beicheng's objection, there was another out-of-place voice in the living room, particularly noticeable.
[No way! This is a must-have step for recognizing a long-lost child in a wealthy family. I'd regret it for life if I missed it!]
Jing Zeyou's lips curved into a smile, which he quickly suppressed when he noticed Jing Yi looking at him.
On the other side, Jing Zeqian let out a cold laugh.
He had seen carefree people before, but never someone so carefree. Did she really not understand the implication of their father saying this in front of her?
Looking at the children in the living room, Lin Ruiqing's mood improved slightly. After Jing Yi and Jing Zejun left, her smile faded. She glanced at Jing Beicheng before turning to go upstairs.
Jing Beicheng rubbed his nose, following her upstairs with his hands behind his back. His figure still looked upright and steady, but the hint of hesitation in his eyes betrayed his guilty conscience.
Jing Zeqian nudged Jing Zeyou beside him, gesturing towards Jing Beicheng's retreating figure with a look that suggested he was enjoying the drama.
Only when Jing Beicheng was out of sight did he turn back, lazily leaning back on the sofa with his long legs crossed.
His relaxed demeanor truly resembled that of a carefree young master.
