After replying to everyone's messages, Jian Xi got out of bed and went to the bathroom to wash up. As she was going downstairs, she smelled a fragrance and thought it was Zhao Sister-in-law, but instead, she saw He Qingchen wearing an apron.
He knew she was awake from her messages in the group chat, so he prepared a bowl of noodles for her, worried that she might be too hungry.
Jian Xi walked up and hugged his waist, "Oh my, whose boyfriend is this so diligent!"
Being assigned the persona of a diligent boyfriend, He Qingchen chuckled but didn't respond to her, continuing to cook the noodles.
Jian Xi had a mischievous thought and her naughty hands started roaming around He Qingchen's waist and abdomen, touching and poking here and there.
He Qingchen's body tensed up, and Jian Xi noticed it, giggling naughtily and preparing to run away.
But He Qingchen wouldn't let her off so easily – if she misbehaved, she had to accept the punishment.
He turned around, caught the fleeing girl, and pinned her against the kitchen island, giving her a thorough 'disciplining'. After he was done and she was completely soft, the noodles were also ready.
With her lips still tingling, Jian Xi ate a big bowl of noodles.
After the meal, Jian Xi nestled on the sofa while He Qingchen was washing fruit for her.
"Brother, Elder Sister Xingyou said she took a movie role, and the filming location is in the neighboring J City. She wants me to go play with her for a while."
He Qingchen placed the washed fruit in front of her, sat beside her, and pulled her into his embrace, "If you want to go, then go. I'll make the arrangements."
"Great, but it seems there's still almost a month before filming starts, so I'm not in a rush. I'm just telling you in advance."
"Mm." He Qingchen asked her, "Do you want to rest for a few more days? I can have Xu Yan postpone your appointments."
Jian Xi shook her head, "No need, no need. I still need to earn money! I'm doing great and don't need to rest!"
Pinching her fingers, He Qingchen chuckled, "For rebuilding the Taoist Temple, you've completed one-fifth already."
She swiftly emerged from his embrace, her tone incredulous, "One-fifth? It's that much already?"
He Qingchen had said that reviving the Taoist Temple would require 50 million yuan, but she had only just come down from the mountain. How had she already earned 10 million?
"Yeah, the Divination Money alone is 1.3 million, the rest is thank-you gifts from your 'clients', plus your salary and the 1 million bonus your department gave you for participating in that ranking."
"The bonus was that much? Then I'll definitely have to catch more ghosts in the future. Elder Sister Xingyou said the Special Security Bureau offers big rewards for major cases!"
He Qingchen tapped her nose and scoffed, "Little money-grubber."
"Heheh, what's a person without dreams? No different from a dead fish!"
"But, calculated this way, I won't even have to wait two years to save up enough money. That's great! Brother, let's get our marriage certificate on my 20th birthday. I can't wait to rebuild the Taoist Temple!"
He Qingchen was helpless but couldn't refuse her, "Alright, we'll get the certificate on your 20th birthday."
Jian Xi didn't seem to have much concept of it, but there was a hint of anticipation, "Oh, do Grandpa and the others know that you and I are together? And Elder Sister Qing Rou and the rest, I feel like it's been a while since I've visited the old residence to see Grandpa. When you have time, let's go back together."
He Qingchen agreed, "Okay."
In fact, Old He had already heard about it from He Jiaxu, and on the day he found out, he bombarded He Qingchen for several consecutive days. Even this morning, he called and told him to bring Jian Xi back for dinner.
But these past few days, Jian Xi was being punished, and yesterday she fought the Ghost King, so He Qingchen didn't tell her. He didn't expect her to bring up visiting the old residence herself.
The next day, after Jian Xi finished her divinations, He Qingchen came to pick her up, and they went to the old residence together.
Old He knew He Qingchen would be bringing Jian Xi, so he had the servants prepare a sumptuous dinner early in the morning. Upon hearing the news, He Qingrou hurried over as well.
She was especially fond of Jian Xi, and now that Jian Xi was her brother's girlfriend and her future sister-in-law, she was overjoyed and even celebrated with Shen Xiaoheng when she first heard.
Shen Xiaoheng was quite surprised at first, but then he felt it was all inevitable, not to mention anything else. Compared to Su Yinghe and the actress Gu Zhiyao, Jian Xi, who grew up with them, received far better treatment from him.
Most importantly, the way He Qingchen looked at Jian Xi revealed feelings far deeper than just familial affection or friendship – Shen Xiaoheng noticed this the first time he saw them interact.
As the saying goes, "Those involved are often confused, while onlookers see clearly."
He Jiaxu didn't have classes today, so he was there too, though still sleeping in and unaware that Jian Xi would be coming.
Jian Xi and He Qingchen arrived at the old residence before noon, although Old He thought they wouldn't be back until the afternoon since he knew Jian Xi was usually busy in the mornings. So he had invited his two old friends over.
These two friends were Old He's war buddies from his youth, having gone through life-and-death situations together. They would come to visit him occasionally when he was in a coma.
Old He pulled Jian Xi over and introduced her to them, "This is my grandson He Qingchen's girlfriend, my future granddaughter-in-law, Jian Xi. Grandpa Zheng, Grandpa Shang, these are my good old friends."
Jian Xi greeted them politely, "Hello, Grandpa Zheng, Grandpa Shang."
"Oh, hello, hello. Old He, you really lucked out! Where did you find such a beautiful future granddaughter-in-law?" Grandpa Shang praised.
His compliment made Old He beam with pride, "Indeed! He Qingchen being able to bring Jian Xi home really made our ancestors' graves emit green smoke!"
Jian Xi glanced at the expressionless He Qingchen, trying not to laugh.
Grandpa Zheng found Jian Xi's name quite familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before, but couldn't recall where at the moment.
Sensing Grandpa Zheng's gaze, Jian Xi looked at him and smiled politely, but her brow furrowed slightly.
Grandpa Zheng's son's sector showed a hint of darkness – his son was going to run into trouble!
At that moment, in northern Myanmar, inside the Langya Group's internal meeting room, three men were embroiled in a heated argument.
The Knife Scar Face Man slammed his fist on the table, his enraged gaze questioning a bespectacled, scholarly-looking man, "Lao San, what the hell is going on? The shipment went missing under your watch! You better give us an explanation!"
"What explanation do you want from me? Before the incident, I had Lang Ying keeping an eye on things. You should be asking him," the bespectacled man, Lao San, said sharply, glancing at the casually seated Lang Ying across from him.
