Chapter 783 - Wedding Night (2)
The sky was getting darker as the rain became heavier. The whole city was shrouded in a thick mist and the street lamps that were equipped with light sensors were already switched on. Many cars on the road switched their headlights on as well.
It was quite a distance between the Ji Residence and Su Chen’s apartment, so it took some time for them to go past the city center.
The two of them did not talk on the road as Su Chen focused on driving and kept looking ahead.
After passing a traffic light, Su Chen finally turned over to the woman beside him. She had been quiet with her eyes closed this whole time, so he decided to break the silence.
“Miss them already?”
Although she had hardly spoken when they parted with her parents earlier, he happened to catch a glimpse of desolation in her eyes. He knew this woman had always suppressed her feelings, and would not express herself even if she cared.
His sudden voice stunned Ji Zitong for a moment. She opened her eyes and looked at him. Then, she replied quietly, “Not really. It’s not like we’re never seeing each other ever again.”
She looked out of the window and noticed the sky had turned dark. The car passed by the plaza and she saw the needle on the clock showing that it was half-past five.
Su Chen glanced at her again before averting his gaze back to the road in front. He did not say anything else. Instead, Ji Zitong explained herself moments later, “I’m not a family-oriented person. I’ve always wanted to go far, far away when I was younger. I wanted to leave this city and take a look outside, but then I became tired. That’s why I’m back here. My parents never left this place, but of course, I do miss this place.”
“That’s very courageous of you as a woman.” Su Chen suddenly remembered their times in the training camp, she was always eager to win, a passionate and positive young lady. However, she had become more mature over the years.
“I remember that you weren’t even 20 when you joined the training camp, weren’t you?” Su Chen asked.
She searched through her distant memories and tried to recall. “I was young and wild back then, and I did a lot of things on a whim, but I’ve never regretted any of them. At least, I tried to fight for what I wanted. I didn’t make this decision for anyone else but myself. Going into the training camp changed me a lot.”
As her voice was filled with sadness, she pinched the space between her eyebrows and continued, “Chairman Mu and you stayed there together as well, didn’t you?”
Su Chen laughed and glanced at her, his voice becoming gentle. “That’s different. We’re guys and you’re a woman. Our parents felt that guys need to be trained stronger. That’s why our life path is full of challenges that have been prepared from the very beginning. However, it’s different for girls. You get all the love and doting at home. It’s nothing like what I get.”
Ji Zitong was surprised. “Does your family value girls more than boys?”
“Not really. Don’t people nowadays have the mentality to put sons in terrible conditions and pamper daughters in their upbringing? That’s what happened, I guess. My responsibility is different from Ah Chen and Zimo’s. The experience that helped toughen me up would be military school and the times in the army.”
The two of them were chatting casually, erasing the dead silence from before.
“I actually don’t get the vibe of spoiled brats from rich families from you guys. Chairman Mu is a great person. I’ve stayed by Director Xi’s side for quite some time, and I was quite surprised to see their interaction with each other.”
“Have you been in City B these past few years? I tried to search for you after our unhappy encounter the last time.” Su Chen was annoyed about their encounter. He meant to look for her and give her an earful again, but he could not locate her back then.
“I went on a mission soon after the training, and I only stayed for two years. After I left, I wandered around in the cities up north and changed several jobs, but I didn’t stay long in any of them. I only came back to City B as my mother had some health issues, so here I am now,” Ji Zitong gave a brief explanation. She was still unwilling to mention her unpleasant past memories.
“Continue working on your flower store from now on. If you’re bored, you can ask my mother to teach you about running a business. Her company is pretty great. I can’t help and my sister doesn’t want to work in her company. If you help her, she might feel better with a family member close by her side.”
The Su family was a typical political family. Su Zhengxun and Xie Jiajia’s marriage was a typical marriage between two prestigious families since people back then were more concerned about social statuses compared to now.
Ji Zitong did not reply, and silence returned to the car once again.
“Don’t worry about my mother. Although she can weird at times, she’s a kind and easygoing person. She’s just a bit…” Su Chen frowned as he thought about his own mother, Xie Jiajia.
Ji Zitong turned over and studied him when his sentence stopped halfway. He seemed to be hesitating. “A bit what? Are you worried that I might not get along with her?”
Su Chen shook his head. “No, my mother has what people call a ‘princess illness’. My father always says she’s quite immature for her age. You’ll understand once you meet her.”
Princess illness? Ji Zitong frowned at Su Chen in confusion.
“You’ve seen my grandfather. My father might look strict, but he’s quite lenient at home, so you don’t have to worry about him.” Su Chen gave her an overview of his family. Soon, the car arrived at his apartment.
“We’re here. Get down.”
Su Chen parked in his garage and got out of the car.