Ji Feng found himself mesmerized, his fingertips reaching out to touch Xu Miyu’s lips.
They were so soft, it was almost intoxicating.
Suddenly, he realized she was awake, her eyes wide open and fixed on him.
He pretended nothing had happened and withdrew his hand.
She, still lying on the table, smiled.
He stared intently at her smile and sighed, “Don’t smile at me like that—I won’t be able to handle it.”
Xu Miyu stopped smiling.
She sat up from the table. Her arm had gone numb from being pressed against it, and it took her a moment to regain feeling.
As she moved her arm, she noticed a coat draped over her shoulders. She pulled it closer and glanced at the label.
Xu Miyu looked up at Ji Feng.
Ji Feng immediately grew wary. He recalled Xue Rui’s advice: if she said the clothes were too expensive and she couldn’t accept them, he should respond, “I bought this for you not because it’s expensive, but because it’s only worth its price when worn by you.”
To his surprise, Xu Miyu only asked, “Did you put this on me?”
Ji Feng nodded.
Xu Miyu smiled, thanked him, and then confidently slipped her arms into the sleeves and put the coat on.
She also remembered what Li Qiaoqi had once told her: when she was confident enough, she could accept his gifts with ease—whether they were expensive clothes, jewelry, or other presents—they were simply expressions of his affection for her. A confident her would no longer see them as reminders of the gap between them.
Though she hadn’t fully built up her confidence yet, she was determined to learn to accept such gestures graciously.
“Wearing just a shirt really was a bit chilly. Thank you for the coat.”
Ji Feng was momentarily stunned. She had actually accepted the clothes he’d given her without hesitation. In that instant, something inside him seemed to stir and come alive again.
Xu Miyu then changed the subject and asked, “How is Uncle Qi doing?”
Ji Feng replied, “It was critical when he first arrived at the hospital, but he’s stabilized after emergency treatment.” He paused, looking at Xu Miyu, and added, “Before I left, he specifically asked me to tell you that he’s truly grateful for your help in bringing two fulfillments to the end of his life—one with an old friend and one with his son.”
Xu Miyu couldn’t help but sigh softly. “That’s wonderful.”
“What’s wonderful?” Ji Feng asked.
“That he’s out of danger is wonderful. The feeling of being able to help someone mend their regrets is wonderful. And you giving me a coat when I was shivering from the cold is wonderful.” She smiled again.
Ji Feng glared at her and said irritably, “Stop smiling. If you keep smiling, I won’t be able to resist kissing you.”
Xu Miyu stopped smiling.
Ji Feng looked at her and asked, “When you were lying on the table earlier, why were you smiling at me?”
Xu Miyu gazed steadily at Ji Feng.
The moment she opened her eyes and saw him, she had felt an overwhelming sense of security.
Thinking of Uncle Qi and Aunt Yan, her thoughts naturally drifted to Ji Feng and herself. In that moment, as she looked at him and smiled, she thought to herself that if this banquet had happened before their breakup, perhaps they wouldn’t have ended up parting ways. They might have been inspired by the event to handle their relationship more maturely and skillfully.
But since they had already broken up, she decided it was better not to share what she had been thinking and smiling about while looking at him.
Xu Miyu told Ji Feng, “It’s nothing. I just wanted to thank the boss for stepping in to help today.”Then she turned her wrist to check her watch and said, "It's getting late, I need to get off work. Goodbye, boss."
Before parting, she broke the rules again and gave him a smile.
Ji Feng stood at the elevator entrance, watching Xu Miyu's retreating figure with gritted teeth.
He had told her not to smile, yet she insisted. As a result, after stirring his heart into chaos with that smile, she walked away nonchalantly.
He angrily went up to the top floor.
Standing before the floor-to-ceiling window, watching the city outside being slowly washed by the drizzle, he began to reflect on the events of the daytime banquet.
He realized he was somewhat like that Uncle Qi, taking it for granted that his son didn't need him to serve food.
He had taken it for granted that his affection for Xu Miyu would naturally be known to her.
He had also assumed that since she hadn't made any requests, she must have none.
Like Uncle Qi, he hadn't thought to ask: What do you really want?
If he didn't ask, how could he know she had no demands?
If only he hadn't held himself so aloof and condescendingly, and instead proactively asked: What do you want me to do?
Would she have told him then: In those past events, she needed his response, explanation, clear stance, and sense of security.
She needed him to explicitly tell her that no matter what she or others thought about her being divorced and unworthy of him, as long as he felt she was worthy, that was enough.
He should have made it clear to her that he truly didn't care about her having been married before or having an ex-husband. Even when they occasionally mentioned her past in conversation, it wasn't out of disdain but an acknowledgment of her history. Avoiding it would have meant he actually cared.
But these things, he should have said them to her face.
He didn't ask, so she couldn't speak up. Thus, she remained unaware of his true feelings toward her and naturally lacked a sense of security. He hadn't provided that security, yet he blamed her for suddenly becoming inexplicable when she had been fine before.
He raised his hand and slapped his forehead, hoping to jolt himself into greater clarity.
He wondered if it was too late to start changing now.
Two days later, Xu Miyu's assistant Zhou Qingqing rushed over excitedly to tell her: "Mi Yu, that wedding and birthday banquet event you organized has gone viral after being covered by reporters!"
Xu Miyu found it strange that such a small, private event could gain such widespread attention.
She sat down at her computer and opened a webpage, and sure enough, found keywords related to the event trending near the top of the hot search list.
Clicking in, she discovered that a text report and video by two journalists were being widely shared. The media outlet the two reporters worked for was quite small—one she hadn't heard much about before. Thinking back, it made sense; the major media outlets that day had all gone to other large commercial events. Xu Miyu guessed the two bylined reporters in the article must be the ones she had seen at the venue.
She figured the two reporters had left the banquet, edited the footage they recorded, added text, and posted it to their media account. Then the news suddenly exploded, began circulating widely, and eventually the video went viral.
People were either leaving bullet comments on the video or commenting under the report, saying:
—"These two elderly folks are living out a 'broken mirror reunited' storyline! It's a pity the old man is in the late stages, sigh. That part about the old man's life reflections was so touching it made me cry!""What kind of hilarious yet heartbreaking father-son duo are this old man and his son? They made me laugh and cry my eyes out! Wuwu... I'm going home to hug my own dad too!"
"I snorted like a pig watching the old man and his son bicker, then brayed like a donkey when the son toasted his father saying 'Do your best to live another year - I still want to celebrate your birthday next year!' Anyway, we should all cherish the people right in front of us!!"
Some also noticed how Xu Miyu immediately took off her jacket to help Uncle Qi contain his vomit.
So they all said in the comments and bullet chats:
"This sister is so beautiful! Not just in looks, but her heart is beautiful too!"
"Sister reacted so quickly, I want to marry her!"
"When will I become a composed workplace elite like sister?"
"Sister makes me want to study hotel management!"
Some dug up Xu Miyu's identity in the comments:
"I know who this super gentle and elegant beautiful sister is - she's the supervisor of the Planning Department at Siwei Hotel, and she's planned many events collaborating with major corporations!"
...
Thanks to this news coverage, Xu Miyu became somewhat famous in the industry, growing increasingly sought after. Before, she had to actively seek out clients and pull people in to organize events, but now she didn't even need to move - many events would come looking for her by reputation.
Xu Miyu thought sometimes people's fortunes were truly magical. Those major events had helped her accumulate confidence and experience, but what really made her break through was actually such a personal, small-scale event.
Later she reflected that the reason this event could go viral was probably due to the sincerity between people.
The sincere affection between Uncle Qi and Aunt Yan as they understood each other.
The sincere family bond between Uncle Qi and Qi Yunguang, harsh in words but soft in heart.
Her own sincere desire to help these three people make up for regrets and create a perfect memory.
It was this sincerity that moved everyone and created empathy. People were warmed by the sincerity and wanted to pass it on. That's why the video and report spread from ten to a hundred people until it went viral.
Xu Miyu solemnly told herself that no matter how far she advanced in her career, she must never forget this sincerity.
Recently, Xu Miyu noticed that the noisy next-door neighbors who had many family members and were always loud had suddenly become quiet.
Later she learned from the property manager that the original family had moved out, and the new owner who moved in lived alone.
No wonder it had become so quiet, Xu Miyu thought - going from so many people to just one person living there.
When she returned from work one evening, she saw a note stuck to her apartment door with printed words: "Hello, I'm your new neighbor next door. Looking forward to getting to know you."
Looking down, she found a small bag hanging from the doorknob. Xu Miyu took the bag and opened it, discovering an exquisitely packaged box of chocolates inside.
Feeling pleased, she removed the note, carried the small bag inside.
Considering her neighbor had taken the initiative to greet her and give a gift - which happened to be her favorite chocolates - Xu Miyu thought she should return the courtesy.
So she prepared a pot of stewed meat.
After cutting the richly aromatic stewed meat and placing it in a food container, Xu Miyu thought that as long as her new neighbor wasn't more particular about food than Ji Feng, they should be able to enjoy it.She carried the food container out of her home and stood before the neighboring door, raising her hand to knock.
When the door swung open, she froze in shock.
The person standing inside—the rumored new, reclusive neighbor—was none other than Ji Feng!
Xu Miyu stared at Ji Feng in disbelief.
She never would have imagined that the new neighbor next door would be this man.
He had once despised this place for being so small, even mentioning it in his letters to the future. Yet now he had moved in right next to her?? Why??
Instinctively, she turned to leave, but Ji Feng grabbed her arm and pulled her inside.
"Since you're already here, come in and sit for a while before you go."
Xu Miyu stood in the entryway, holding the food container, staring blankly at Ji Feng. She never expected him to have such a roguish side.
"Is this stewed meat for me?" Not only had he dragged her inside, but he also shamelessly snatched the stewed meat from her hands.
Ji Feng carried the food container to the sofa. It was originally a two-seater, but with his tall frame and long legs, he made it look small as he sat down.
He placed the container on the small coffee table, lifted the lid, found a pair of disposable chopsticks, and began eating. Between bites, he sighed, "After two days of takeout, I was practically on the verge of collapse. Now that I've tasted your stewed meat, I finally feel alive again."
Chewing heartily, he waved to the still-stunned Xu Miyu and patted the spot beside him on the sofa. "Come, sit down. Your new neighbor just moved in—aren't you going to keep me company for a chat?"
Xu Miyu rolled her eyes slightly and walked over, eyeing the sofa he had made seem so cramped. If she sat there too, it would practically be like sitting right next to him, almost in his lap.
After a moment's hesitation, she simply sat down on the rug at the foot of the sofa.
Seeing this, Ji Feng slid right off the sofa and settled onto the rug as well.
Xu Miyu's eyes widened in astonishment.
For the esteemed President Ji to suddenly become so down-to-earth was truly hard not to be surprised by.
She looked at him and finally couldn't hold back her question. "Why did you move here? What happened to the previous family?" After a pause, she guessed in shock, "Did you pay them to leave?"
Ji Feng held the disposable chopsticks, a piece of meat still pinched between them. He narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, "If I said I did it to get closer to you, that I wanted to live next door, and indeed paid them to find another place so I could move in, would you be upset?"
"..." Xu Miyu's feelings were momentarily complex. She truly disliked such behavior, but in the past, she would have kept that dislike to herself.
However, since Uncle Qi's banquet, she felt that people should speak their true thoughts in a timely manner.
So she honestly told Ji Feng, "I would find such behavior exaggerated and too frivolous. A wealthy man can spend money recklessly to create an aura of charm in front of a woman. But what if he loses his money? Would he then lose his charm? Is it his own charm or the charm of money?"
Ji Feng set down his chopsticks, turned to face Xu Miyu directly, and said seriously, "I guessed you'd think that way. So they really moved out on their own—I had nothing to do with it." After a pause, he told her, "Apparently, the wife is pregnant with their third child, and this place was just too cramped for them, so they moved."Xu Miyu couldn't help raising her eyebrows. "How did you know about their third pregnancy?" Even she, living next door and hearing the family's daily commotion, hadn't known about it.
Ji Feng rubbed his brow and hesitated before saying, "I added the property management staff on WeChat."
Xu Miyu's eyes widened even more. He really was unbelievably down-to-earth—he'd even added the apartment complex's property management on WeChat.
But she was still surprised that Ji Feng had chosen to move here. "Didn't you say this place was too small?"
He had complained so much that even in the letter written for their 100-day anniversary before they broke up, he was hoping she would quickly find a bigger apartment because he thought this one was too cramped.
When that letter arrived, Xu Miyu had opened it with anticipation, only to find it both amusing and disappointing. Her expectations had been in vain—she thought he might write something romantic, but instead, he was seriously complaining about her rented apartment being too small.
Yet now, he had willingly moved into this very same small apartment.
"Did I say that? Well, I was wrong. How is this small? When I'm in the bedroom, there's still a whole living room left empty," Ji Feng said, repeating the words Xu Miyu had once used to comfort him about the apartment not being small.
Looking at Ji Feng's serious yet somewhat roguish expression, Xu Miyu couldn't hold back a soft laugh.
But she quickly composed herself and asked, "When did you add the property management on WeChat?"
"When I decided to move in," Ji Feng replied, looking into her eyes.
"And when did you decide to move in?" Xu Miyu pressed.
Ji Feng gazed deeply into her eyes and said, "When I received that letter for the future from the time capsule."
At that moment, he had felt guilty realizing that she was always thinking of him in her heart, while he had only been complaining about the apartment being small.
Under his intense gaze, Xu Miyu's heartbeat quickened irregularly. Spotting a glass of water on the table, she picked it up without thinking and drank it all in one go before setting it down.
Ji Feng silently watched as she left faint lipstick marks on the rim of the glass.
"Now that you've moved here, what are you planning to do?" Having drunk the water as if to bolster her courage, Xu Miyu asked him directly.
"Hmm?" Ji Feng's eyes moved from the glass to Xu Miyu's face, and he stubbornly said, "Nothing much."
But then he remembered the inspiration from Uncle Qi's banquet—if you want something, you should say it directly. So he stopped being stubborn and spoke his mind: "Actually, I just wanted to be closer to you."
He watched as Xu Miyu's cheeks instantly flushed pink, brightening even the gloomy, overcast day.
Feeling his heart stir, Ji Feng gave himself another push of encouragement and said directly, "Because I want to pursue you."
Hong Jiu says:
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