Chapter 256 - 254: Gathering

Chapter 256: Chapter 254: Gathering

Dinner was set at the Quanjude on the first floor of Block A in the Science Park. It was a welcome dinner for Li Weiya, and as it happened, Jiang Xia had also been longing to try this time-honored Chinese brand.

"Cheers!"

Inside the private room, the four of them clinked their glasses together. The table was laden with a fragrant, complete roast duck feast.

"Mom, why didn’t you tell me you were coming to the Imperial Capital?"

Wang Ming tried to copy the technique, taking a spring roll wrapper and rolling up some roast duck, adding strips of cucumber, white scallion, Laba garlic, and radish, then dipping it in the special sweet bean sauce before handing it to Li Weiya beside him.

"What was there to tell? It’s not like I’ve never been here before."

Li Weiya took the duck roll her son had prepared, placed it in her mouth, and savored it. The duck skin was crispy, the meat tender, smooth, thin but not crumbly, and as she chewed, the fat burst forth with an exquisite, sweet fragrance.

She couldn’t help but sigh with emotion; after all these years, the taste of Quanjude was still the same as before.

"How could that be the same?"

Wang Ming mumbled under his breath. She told Jiang Xia but not him. It wasn’t that he was being petty, but if his mom was coming to the Imperial Capital, as her son, he could have found a way to skip his afternoon classes.

"Ah Xia didn’t have class this afternoon, but you did. Look, Yanwan had class too, and she was also kept in the dark. Besides, Ah Xia didn’t know at first either. I only called him after I arrived at the airport," Li Weiya said with a smile.

"Wang Ming, Aunt Li was just trying to surprise you," Lin Yanwan said with a laugh.

The moment she saw Li Weiya in the office earlier, she had been stunned too. No wonder Jiang Xia had run off in the afternoon—it turned out he was picking up his godmother. And to think she had actually suspected him of meeting a mistress.

Now that they had their godmother to help, the company’s biggest weakness was finally shored up.

"It really is a surprise," Wang Ming nodded.

He also hadn’t expected his mom to just show up in the Imperial Capital without a word. They had just met in the office, and it looked like she was planning to stay and work in the Imperial Capital for the long term.

"Mom, since you’ve come this time, does this mean you’re not planning to go back anytime soon?"

Li Weiya shot a helpless glance at Jiang Xia. "You’re all here in the Imperial Capital one by one. What would I do staying at home? Besides, it’s not convenient for work."

"What about the house back home?"

"It’ll just have to stay empty."

Hearing this, Jiang Xia felt a deep sense of apology. For Li Weiya to come to the Imperial Capital to help him, she had truly made a huge decision.

If a house is left unoccupied, the furniture and appliances deteriorate very quickly. And there was also her car. It was like she was staking everything on Jiang Xia.

He suddenly raised his glass and stood up. "Ah Ming, Yanwan, there’s something I want to tell you two."

"If you have something to say, just say it. Why are you being so formal?" Wang Ming shot him a confused look.

"It’s like this. Today, I asked Aunt Li to be my godmother, so from now on, we’re all one family."

He continued with a smile, "Godmother watched me grow up. Whether it was with my studies, my life, or my work, she has always taken great care of me. She’s my aunt, my teacher, and I’ve seen all the kindness she’s shown me."

"Now, she’s quit her job, left her hometown, and distanced herself from her friends and relatives, all to come help me start this business. I just want to say thank you to her. To be honest, I’ve wanted to call her Godmother for a long time. Today, a long-held wish of mine has finally come true."

Wang Ming nodded slightly. He wasn’t opposed to this formal recognition of kinship. After all, their two families knew each other inside and out. He and Jiang Xia had been thick as thieves since they were kids, and now they were good brothers fighting side-by-side. Becoming sworn brothers would only make their bond that much tighter.

He thought for a few seconds, then a strange look crossed his face. "Does this mean I have to call you ’Big Brother’ from now on? Why does it feel like I’m getting the short end of the stick?"

He remembered that Jiang Xia was two months older than him.

Jiang Xia’s birthday was October 10th, and his was December 20th.

The group couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

"If you really insist on calling me that, I won’t stop you," Jiang Xia said with a laugh. "Anyway, from now on, I’ll call her Godmother, and we can just keep things casual between us."

"Godmother."

Lin Yanwan smilingly toasted Li Weiya. She had called her that in her past life, so it didn’t feel awkward to say it now.

"Switching so soon?" Li Weiya teased.

She blushed slightly. ’I’d have to start calling her that sooner or later anyway.’

Li Weiya tilted her head back and drained her glass of red wine, her face flushing slightly. No matter what price she had paid to come to the Imperial Capital, hearing those two call her "Godmother" today made it all worth it.

"Godmother, we’ll have to trouble you with the company’s affairs from now on. I’ll come over whenever I have time," Jiang Xia said.

"Mm, alright. I’ll get the studio up and running as soon as possible and get things on the right track."

She nodded. The company had now become a family business, and that changed the nature of things completely.

In other words, before, she was working for her student; now, she was working for herself. The meaning was entirely different.

"Mom, so where are you staying now?" Wang Ming asked, lowering his head to take a sip of duck soup.

"Ah Xia booked a hotel for me near the company, about a five-minute walk away." Li Weiya gave him a light glance. "I’ll probably rent an apartment nearby later. It’ll be convenient for work. Do you want to come live with me?"

Wang Ming shook his head emphatically. "Forget it, I’m perfectly fine in my dorm. I’ll come over on days when I don’t have class. Don’t worry, I’ll definitely turn in my scripts on time."

A wide smile spread across Li Weiya’s face. That was exactly what she had been worried about.

After finishing the roast duck feast at Quanjude, Jiang Xia took Wang Ming and Li Weiya for a walk around Tsinghua University to help digest their meal.

When it started getting late, the group walked Li Weiya back to her hotel.

"Mom, I’m heading back to school then. If you need anything, just tell Old Jiang. He’s your godson now, so don’t you dare be polite with him," Wang Ming said boisterously, slapping Jiang Xia on the shoulder.

Jiang Xia retorted with a laugh, "Listen to you. Would I ever let Godmother be wronged?"

"Alright, now. Don’t you all have classes tomorrow? Go on and get some rest. I’m tired today, too. I’m planning to take a shower and go to bed. We can talk about company matters tomorrow," Li Weiya said, smiling as she ushered them out.

The group nodded and said their goodbyes one by one.

After leaving the hotel, Jiang Xia slung an arm around Wang Ming’s neck, pulled him aside, and told him about kicking that... uh... green tea bitch out of the group chat yesterday. He apologized and also reminded him not to get too close to her and to keep his distance.

After seeing Wang Ming off in a taxi, Jiang Xia and Lin Yanwan slowly rode their bicycle back toward Bauhinia Apartment.

Lin Yanwan sat on the back, her hands gently wrapped around Jiang Xia’s waist. She said softly, "Godmother really gave up a lot to come to the Imperial Capital."

"Yeah. That’s why I can’t let her down. Whatever she’s given up now, we’ll earn it all back in the future."

Jiang Xia already had a plan in mind. Once the newly established studio was completely familiar with the production pipeline for Cat and Mouse, he would start a second animation.

Cat and Mouse had forcefully broken into the domestic children’s animation market, so he would use an even more explosive, hot-blooded anime to set fire to the youth of countless people!