After the Breakup, the Possessive Heiress Regretted It - Chapter 30

Chapter 30: Reunion 1.1

“Alright, you two, come eat after you wash your hands.” Ji Lan put down the last dish and waved to them.

“Mm!” Ji Wanmian nodded heavily and in a blink of an eye, she was seated at the dining table.

“It’s my favorite sweet and sour pork ribs!” Ji Wanmian’s eyes were practically shining. She quickly picked up a piece and put it in her mouth.

It was so delicious—

It was still the taste of her mother’s cooking.

The sweet and sour dish had a tangy and sweet taste. The moment she bit into it, it was as if the experiences of the past year flashed before her eyes. Although most of them had been sour and bitter, recalling them now, there was more sweetness.

Ji Lan pushed a plate towards Ji Wanmian as she said, “There’s also diced chicken with chili. Didn’t you like to eat that before? Have some more.”

“Okay!”

Ji Wanmian didn’t hold back at all, quickly picking up a lot of whatever she wanted to eat.

However, after throwing a lot of diced chicken with chili into her mouth at once, all she felt was—so spicy, so spicy!

It was so spicy that tears were almost coming out of her eyes. Because Pei Jinyue didn’t like spicy food, she hadn’t eaten anything this spicy in a long time. Suddenly eating so much, she still couldn’t quite handle it.

Wen Su, who was beside her, quickly put down her chopsticks, held a glass of water to Ji Wanmian’s hand, and asked with concern, “Is it too spicy? Have some water. If that doesn’t work, I’ll get you a bottle of milk.”

Ji Wanmian took the glass of water Wen Su handed her and drank it all down in one gulp.

Seeing this, Ji Lan moved the plate closer to herself and said to Ji Wanmian, “Is it that spicy? Then don’t eat any more, don’t get hurt by the spice.”

Ji Wanmian, however, held down the plate of diced chicken with chili. Her face was flushed from the spice, and even her words felt a little hot, but she still wouldn’t give up: “I still want to eat it.”

A little spice is good too.

Spicy enough to bring tears, spicy enough to clear her mind, spicy enough to completely remove Pei Jinyue from her thoughts.

As a Nancheng native, she inherently loved spicy food; she only changed after meeting Pei Jinyue.

But now, she wanted to become who she was supposed to be.

The family exchanged glances. In the end, Ji Lan still let go of the plate, thinking that her child hadn’t eaten such good food outside, which was why she was eating it despite the spice.

Wen Su also stared at Ji Wanmian, her emotions complex.

And as the object of everyone’s concern, Ji Wanmian raised the water glass in her hand high and said, “I almost forgot, we still have to toast!”

Ji Lan’s eyes crinkled in a smile. While she said, “It’s not wine or a drink, just plain water, what’s there to toast about?” her hand silently raised the water glass in front of her.

Old Wan followed suit and raised his.

“Wen Su, you too,” Ji Wanmian turned her head to Wen Su, grinning.

Wen Su was so taken by the smile that she almost dropped her glass.

The swaying water danced in the glasses. At the moment they clinked together, they were feeling each other.

Ji Wanmian loved clinking glasses.

Because she felt that any time was a good time to celebrate.

For example, during Chinese New Year.

The streets were filled with festive red, every household was adorned with lanterns and decorations, everyone wore beautiful new clothes, visiting different places, seeing relatives they hadn’t seen in a long time, chatting about meaningful or irritating things.

Ji Wanmian used to dread visiting relatives, fearing their unanswerable questions. But now, she’d shed her thick skin, sit down at a relative’s house, and before they could even ask, she’d preemptively pour out her woes, leaving them unsure whether to pressure her into marriage or feel sorry for her.

She remembered one time after visiting relatives, Ji Wanmian was so happy that she called a large group of friends to celebrate.

Others, seeing her laugh like that, thought something incredibly good had happened.

But then Ji Wanmian raised her glass, asking everyone to toast, and said, “To celebrate that I’m twenty-four and still receiving red envelopes from relatives!”

Friends: “…”

Why does she have to celebrate everything!

But Ji Wanmian’s celebrations were far more than just those.

Like when spring arrived and new buds appeared on the tree outside her house, she’d also lift a bottle of drink to celebrate it properly.

Sometimes, when there were fewer mosquitoes at home in the summer, she’d celebrate by holding a big watermelon.

Even in autumn, a season of falling leaves and sadness, all she thought about was the weather getting cooler and that it was time to make plans to have dinner with friends to celebrate.

As for winter… she did still think of Pei Jinyue in this season.

But it wasn’t impossible to celebrate; naturally, she had to formally celebrate her breakup with Pei Jinyue!

Just like that, celebrating and laughing, what seemed like a long time passed in the blink of an eye, and the four seasons were gone.

Ji Wanmian once thought that even if she didn’t love Pei Jinyue, she would quickly fall in love with someone else, otherwise life would be too boring.

But just rushing through crowds, worrying about work, and trying different foods were already enough to fill her life. As for those matters of love and affection, they seemed less important in the face of enjoying life’s happiness.

Ji Wanmian kept walking forward, step by step, slowly, but never looking back.

She walked like this for three years.

Another winter.

A season to celebrate her breakup with Pei Jinyue.

But now, Ji Wanmian didn’t dwell on it anymore; even that person’s appearance and figure were almost blurry.

If she had to say why she hadn’t completely forgotten, it was probably because whenever she thought of those years, it was hard not to feel hatred.

Never mind those feelings of hatred or love for now.

At this moment, all she longed for was the arrival of November 29th.

She heard that for her birthday this year, her family was preparing a surprise for her.

So, as early as the beginning of November, Ji Wanmian started counting the days, even wishing time would pass faster.

Finally, this day arrived, and Ji Wanmian woke up early.

She originally wanted to just push open her room door and go to the bathroom to wash up, but on second thought, what if her family and friends were waiting to surprise her when she opened the door? So, she took a few steps back, went to the wardrobe, changed out of her pajamas into her best clothes, and even ran her hand through her hair before reaching the door, trying to open it in the most normal way possible.

But when she opened the door, she didn’t see a single soul.

Were they hiding somewhere?

Ji Wanmian scanned the room but still found no one.

This was normal; no one she knew celebrated birthdays early in the morning.

Besides, her mom and dad had to go to work today.

She comforted herself with these thoughts, but looking at the clothes she had changed into, Ji Wanmian still felt a bit disappointed.

But she trusted her family and friends; since they had promised something, they certainly wouldn’t go back on their word.

They definitely wouldn’t be like Pei Jinyue, who only wished her a happy birthday the next day.

Ji Wanmian snapped back to reality, slapped her head. She had almost forgotten, why did that name come to mind again?

It was her wonderful birthday, who wanted to recall that sad past?

Ji Wanmian was so annoyed that she cursed at herself again.

But she didn’t want to be someone who was constantly self-tormenting.

After cursing herself, she immediately cursed Pei Jinyue in her heart.

The long-standing hatred had no end; it had almost become a condiment for her boring life.

Speaking of condiments… Ji Wanmian was already thinking about what delicious food she would eat today.

Since there was no surprise as she imagined during the day, Ji Wanmian sat at her desk to start working, but her mind and heart began to look forward to the evening.

Could it be a big birthday party?

With hope in her heart, Ji Wanmian found even work less painful.

Winter nights arrive quickly, so quickly that it was already dark after she had only sketched a few storyboards.

Ji Wanmian no longer felt like working. She turned off her computer and sat on the living room sofa, waiting for the people coming home to bring her some unexpected gifts.

But after waiting for a long time, all she got was a call from Ji Lan.

“My dear daughter, are you done? If you’re done, come downstairs. Oh, and it’s raining outside, remember to bring an umbrella.”

So, they were going out to eat.

Ji Wanmian didn’t ask any more questions. She just grabbed an umbrella, closed the door, and bounced down the stairs.

The rain wasn’t heavy, but it must have been falling for a long time.

Winter rain is always so tormenting.

Perhaps it was the atmosphere, but as Ji Wanmian felt the raindrops fall on her umbrella, in a trance, she thought she was back on the day she bought a ring with Pei Jinyue.

Although she had forgotten to sell the ring, she no longer remembered where she had put it.

Could it be lost forever?

So annoying.

She hadn’t even sold it for money yet.

As she thought about it, her hatred for Pei Jinyue grew considerably.

Ji Wanmian shook her head, tossing out the fleeting memory, and quickly followed behind Ji Lan. Along the way, she imagined countless scenarios, wondering what kind of luxurious feast was worth going out in the rain for.

But in the end, they entered a hot pot restaurant they often frequented.

Perhaps because of the rainy weather, the hot pot restaurant didn’t have much business; only their relatives and friends were there. Those people must have been seated in advance. When the “birthday girl,” Ji Wanmian, arrived, they all presented their birthday gifts.

It was lively and touching.

Ji Wanmian was already very satisfied with this.

However, she was still very curious if the “surprise” Ji Lan had mentioned earlier hadn’t appeared yet. The current scene was no different from before, not even looking like a birthday celebration, but rather a regular gathering.

Ji Wanmian sat in the seat reserved for her. Wen Su was next to her, so she lowered her head and whispered, “Do you know what the surprise is today?”

Wen Su chuckled twice, not rushing to answer Ji Wanmian’s question. She first offered her a drink, then poured her a cup of tea, and finally said slowly, “If I told you, would it still be a surprise?”

Ji Wanmian let out a long “Ah,” took a sip of water, and mumbled, “Even you won’t tell me…”

“You’ll know soon, have some food first.” Wen Su’s gaze fell on the dishes. “They’re all your favorites, Auntie and I ordered them together. You should like them all.”

“You actually remember my preferences!” Ji Wanmian looked at Wen Su in disbelief. For some reason, after hearing those words, for a moment, she seemed to see her past self through Wen Su, who also remembered Pei Jinyue’s tastes and would order her favorite dishes every time they went out.

What’s going on today?

Ji Wanmian frowned, wondering why she was thinking of that person again.

She picked up her chopsticks, focusing all her attention on the delicious food in front of her, not wanting to recall Pei Jinyue anymore.

Suddenly, music filled the restaurant.

It wasn’t a recorded song.

Someone was singing live.

Ji Wanmian’s heart trembled. The dish she had just picked up fell back into the pot, disappearing from sight.

It was a beautiful song of blessing.

The people around her laughed and chatted, looking towards the direction of the singing.

But Ji Wanmian refused to look up.

Not only that, she seemed frozen in place, her hand holding the chopsticks maintaining its original position.

The singing grew closer; clearly, the person was walking towards Ji Wanmian.

Ji Wanmian’s mind exploded with a “bang,” and even the sounds reaching her ears were buzzing.