“Uncle Harold…”

George, who had just advised Ji Ya not to mind, was suddenly at a loss for words.

These two weren’t thinking clearly – Harold wanted to invest in Pengcheng now, and seeing the head of the municipal government, unless he was blind, how could he pretend not to notice and just sit down to eat?

A mere dinner probably wasn’t that important in Harold’s mind anyway.

“Mayor Tang, Miss Xia, what a pleasure to meet you both here.”

Xia Xiaolan almost choked on her beef.

Tonight’s dinner was full of twists and turns – they hadn’t chosen the right place!

Harold was followed by Ji Jiangyuan; so Ji Ya had been waiting for them.

Ji Jiangyuan’s expression was peculiar.

His mother and father were dining in the same restaurant at different tables, and his mother hadn’t flipped the place over – this truly surprised him!

Tonight, his father’s table was already eating, and they seemed to be enjoying themselves.

At the other table, his mother was very angry.

It wasn’t that Ji Jiangyuan was unfilial. Originally, he had unconditionally taken Ji Ya’s side, but all that filial piety and consideration had basically been exhausted by Ji Ya’s antics – his mother didn’t understand that the world didn’t revolve around one person, and no one would accommodate her forever!

Even her current boyfriend might leave her someday. Why should an ex-husband of over ten years always yield to her and prioritize her feelings?

“I didn’t expect to meet Mr. Harold and Jiangyuan here. Are you dining here too? Tonight’s steak is quite good!”

Tang Hongen’s English accent was heavy, learned many years ago.

Being mayor didn’t mean he could remain stagnant, relying on interpreters in every situation. Tang Hongen preferred to rely on himself and had picked up English again these past two years.

With everyone watching, Ji Jiangyuan called out “Dad,” and Tang Hongen smiled:

“This is your Aunt Liu, Xiaolan’s mother. You’ve met once before.”

They had indeed met once when Grandmother Yu had berated the Ji family. This formal introduction still felt strange to Ji Jiangyuan. He had thought Xia Xiaolan was dining with his father and had brought her mother along, but now this dinner seemed to have other implications.

“Aunt Liu, hello.”

“Hello, hello.”

Ji Jiangyuan greeted politely, while Liu Fen’s hands were sweating.

Ji Jiangyuan had always been accepting of Ji Ya’s boyfriends, so there was no reason he would oppose Tang Hongen seeing other women.

He just hadn’t expected it would be Xia Xiaolan’s mother.

During their last meeting, Ji Jiangyuan had been too distracted to notice anything unusual.

Harold had just come to say hello, not to overstay – that would be socially inappropriate. Before leaving, he winked at Xia Xiaolan.

This man changed completely from moment to moment.

Liu Fen hadn’t expected this either – tonight they first encountered Ji Ya, and now Tang Hongen was introducing her to Ji Jiangyuan.

Ji Jiangyuan and Xiaolan even attended the same university – these relationships had become completely tangled!

“Don’t be nervous. If Ji Ya has any merit, it’s that she took Jiangyuan’s education seriously. Jiangyuan has very Western views; he won’t interfere with my personal life.”

Tang Hongen spoke with certainty, reassuring Liu Fen.

Xia Xiaolan lowered her head to eat, thinking Mayor Tang was pushing boundaries, gradually pulling her mother forward step by step.

During their exchange today, what exactly had happened in those few short hours? Their relationship seemed to have made a breakthrough.

Coming out for dinner, they’d encountered Ji Ya.

Sometimes external challenges could break couples apart, but sometimes they became catalysts.

Xia Xiaolan’s situation tonight was the latter – without Ji Ya’s contemptuous mockery, Tang Hongen wouldn’t have impulsively held hands in public. For the same reason, her mother hadn’t pulled away from Mayor Tang… This tacit acceptance would probably give Ji Ya a brain hemorrhage from anger.

Xia Xiaolan hadn’t asked her mother’s thoughts yet, but from the earlier confrontation, Ms. Ji was the unsettled one.

Family background and cultivation?

Ms. Ji probably couldn’t even remember how to pronounce those words anymore!

Ji Ya and George’s attitude toward Harold was visibly ingratiating.

Yet Harold had deliberately come over to greet them.

Xia Xiaolan almost laughed out loud.

This was a food chain.

When would Ji Ya realize that her arrogance toward ordinary people would eventually come back to haunt her?

As Pengcheng’s mayor, Tang Hongen sought foreign investment.

Ji Ya and George had brought in Harold Wilson, the American tycoon.

But where did they get the confidence to think they could control Harold’s will?

Ji Ya wasn’t at the top of the food chain, but rather in an awkward middle position! If someone couldn’t recognize their position, what was strange about being caught up to and defeated by those behind them?

This dinner must be particularly difficult for Ji Ya to endure.

…

Xia Xiaolan wasn’t wrong – at this moment, Ji Ya couldn’t maintain her smile at all.

She couldn’t even criticize Harold’s “aiding the enemy.”

Harold’s behavior wasn’t under her control, and he wasn’t like George, someone she could freely lose her temper with.

While George was still trying to steer the conversation toward golf courses, Ji Ya couldn’t bear it anymore: “Jiangyuan, could you come out with me for a moment? I need to talk to you… Harold, we’ll have to excuse ourselves for a moment.”

“Madam, that’s your freedom.”

Harold didn’t care at all.

While perfunctorily responding to George’s clumsy small talk, his peripheral vision was fixed on Xia Xiaolan’s table.

Ji Jiangyuan stood up slowly.

He knew his mother couldn’t endure even one meal.

Once in the hallway, Ji Ya’s face darkened:

“Jiangyuan, how can you be so indifferent? His behavior today is humiliating both me and you!”

Ji Jiangyuan’s scalp tingled.

He really couldn’t understand his mother’s thinking.

Tang Hongen formally introducing someone to him was a sign of respect. Whether he approved was one thing, whether Tang Hongen concealed it was another.

Being honest was a form of respect!

“I don’t understand what you mean. If you don’t want to see him, you should avoid dining in the same place. Even if you can’t offer blessings, this hardly counts as humiliation, does it?”

Ji Ya breathed rapidly, her chest heaving:

“He found a village woman and deliberately brought her before me – isn’t that humiliation, showing he’d rather have a worthless village woman than-“

Ji Ya’s words stopped abruptly, and Ji Jiangyuan suddenly realized, “Do you want to remarry him?”

Though he phrased it as a question, he was already seventy to eighty percent certain.

Because his mother was someone who always did things contrary to expectations.

Ji Jiangyuan didn’t know what to say at this moment.

If she wanted to remarry, this wasn’t the right attitude. Even he, her son, had been driven to his limit, let alone Tang Hongen who had been divorced from her for over ten years!

Ji Ya stood pale-faced without saying a word as if stunned by Ji Jiangyuan’s question.

Ji Jiangyuan glanced at the restaurant. Xia Xiaolan’s table had finished eating, and his father was pulling out Liu Auntie’s chair, head tilted, saying something unknown. His childhood memories were blurry, but after their first formal meeting at the hospital as an adult, Ji Jiangyuan knew his father was a very reasonable person, gentle but principled.

If his mother had such intentions, there might have been a chance if she had been proactive when she first returned to the country.

Ji Jiangyuan and Ji Ya had been at odds for quite a while, with him contradicting everything she said. At this moment, Ji Jiangyuan couldn’t be harsh; he even felt a hint of sympathy:

“Now, it’s too late. Let it go.”