When the Jiang and Hai families lived in the same compound, Hai TangXi and Jiang Beicheng were inseparable, sometimes even sleeping together at night. Back then, the adults from both families didn't think much of it.
They simply felt that the bond between the two families was deep, and they wanted the next generation to maintain it.
Hai TangXi also treated Jiang Beicheng's grandmother, Wang Ying, as her own grandmother.
As soon as she returned to the country, she followed her parents to visit Wang Ying, generously gifting her a high-quality jade bracelet with floating flower patterns.
It was priced around the mid-ten-thousands in the market.
Not terribly expensive, but full of sincerity.
The Jiang family was known for reciprocity in their social interactions, generous and never taking advantage of others.
As Grandma Wang Ying always said, human relationships only feel warm when there's give and take.
After Jiang Tao's incident, many connections were severed, and interactions dwindled. But Hai Lin's family continued to maintain close and courteous ties with them, a kindness that the Jiang family kept close to their hearts.
Now that Hai TangXi was back, Jiang Beicheng, her "fiancé," naturally had to make a gesture, preparing a gift to bring over.
After dinner, Grandma Wang Ying was video chatting with Zhou Ya. She treated Zhou Ya like her own daughter-in-law, sharing everything with her warmly and affectionately.
Her ideal daughter-in-law, Li Yun, had passed away, and the scheming little secretary who climbed her way up had run off abroad, cutting off contact entirely. Now, only Zhou Ya had the patience to listen to her ramble about family matters.
"Auntie Wang, has Beicheng come back?" Zhou Ya asked with concern.
Wang Ying flipped the camera to show Jiang Beicheng, who waved with a smile. "Auntie Zhou, I'll come over for dinner tomorrow night. I brought back some deer antler from my hunting trip in New Zealand, and I also got some wool clothing for you and Uncle Hai Lin. I'll bring them over."
Jiang Beicheng was straightforward, informing them in advance so they could prepare.
Otherwise, showing up unannounced might make others feel they hadn't hosted properly.
"Great! Little Xi's at home too," Zhou Ya invited warmly.
"Mom, who are you video chatting with?" Hai TangXi's voice came through.
Zhou Ya teased, "My son-in-law."
She genuinely liked Jiang Beicheng. Though he'd been a bit wild for a few years, he'd matured a lot, and he was always especially polite to elders.
When they were kids, the two families jokingly arranged a "betrothal" for them. From time to time, they'd bring it up to chat and laugh about.
Hai TangXi froze, staring at Zhou Ya.
"What kind of international joke is this?" Hai TangXi leaned into the camera. "Who is it?"
Grandma Wang Ying was particularly excited today.
**[Smile Count: 4/100]**
She started playing with a "million-dollar camera move," practically filming her handsome grandson from every angle possible.
"Who is it?" Hai TangXi asked, still confused.
When she left the country, Jiang Beicheng had just graduated high school, still immature and sporting a trendy, rebellious style. It had been eight or nine years since they'd last seen each other.
She couldn't recognize him at all, only noting that the boy in the video was quite handsome.
"I just got back to the country, and you're already rallying the auntie squad to set me up on blind dates?"
Hai TangXi paused, then realized something was off. The ID on the screen showed it was Grandma Wang Ying.
Could it be…
She glanced at Zhou Ya, who smiled and said, "Beicheng."
"Holy crap!"
Hai TangXi's face was full of shock.
Jiang Beicheng teased, "After all these years abroad, your accent for the national essence is still spot-on."
Hai TangXi stared at Jiang Beicheng through the lens, shaking her head and whispering to Zhou Ya, "He's actually pretty handsome now that he's grown up!"
"Can't you just compliment me to my face, Hai TangXi? Do you need to whisper about it with Auntie Zhou?" Jiang Beicheng said with mock disdain.
"Hahaha, you heard that?" Hai TangXi covered her mouth, giggling, then raised her little fist threateningly. "Call me Big Sis, or watch out, I'll beat you up, Little Chengcheng."
Jiang Beicheng hadn't heard that nickname in years.
It was what Hai TangXi used to call him when they were kids.
Memories of their mischievous, carefree childhood flooded back—those days were simple, free, and beautiful.
**[Smile Count: 5/100]**
Jiang Beicheng said, "Thanks for visiting Grandma. You went all out."
Hai TangXi didn't hold back either. "I heard you went traveling to New Zealand. Did you bring me back any gifts?"
Jiang Beicheng grinned. "Honestly? Nope."
"Mom, look at this guy—the one you picked for me when we were kids," Hai TangXi said with mock disgust. "Alright, step back, Little Chengcheng. The feelings have faded."
Jiang Beicheng replied, "After all these years apart, those feelings were gone a long time ago."
"Smooth talker. Just you wait, mister."
Grandma Wang Ying and Zhou Ya, the two "camerawomen," filmed the younger generation bickering, laughing happily.
**[Smile Count: 6/100]**
"It's been a long time since things were this lively," Wang Ying said, unable to stop smiling. "Little Xi, here's the deal: Grandma's got your back. Tomorrow, Beicheng will drive over to pick you up and take you shopping. Buy whatever you like. If his service isn't up to par, tell Grandma, and I'll deal with him."
"Mua~ Thanks, my dear Grandma!" Hai TangXi said smugly. "Hear that, Little Chengcheng? Just be my obedient errand boy."
Jiang Beicheng shook his head with a smile.
Truthfully, he did miss this "big sister" of his. It had been years since they'd seen each other.
Hai TangXi was a Stanford graduate, an excellent architect, and there was a lot about her worth learning from.
Of course, most importantly, Hai TangXi was genuinely beautiful.
She perfectly inherited her mother's classic Eastern beauty—tall, with a slightly broad frame and the delicate, refined features of a (Jiangnan) woman.
Standing there, she exuded a strong Eastern charm.
Despite years abroad, her demeanor had become more polished, but her way of speaking hadn't changed a bit.
"China" was still etched into her bones.
"What's with the head-shaking?" Hai TangXi pressed. "Little Chengcheng, add me on WeChat first. Tomorrow, I'm gonna make your life miserable."
Their previous contact was stuck in the era of QQ and email. Over time, as they each built their own social circles, they'd lost touch.
Jiang Beicheng added her on WeChat.
Right away, she sent him a [Little Fist] emoji.
"After all these years, you didn't even add your big sis on WeChat. [Angry] [Disdain]."
Jiang Beicheng replied with two [Side-Eye Smirk] emojis.
These past few years, he'd lived a carefree, glamorous life, surrounded by fair-weather friends and women. To be honest, he rarely thought of Hai TangXi.
Hai TangXi: "Dress sharp tomorrow when you pick me up. Don't embarrass your big sis when we go out."
Jiang Beicheng: "[Side-Eye Smirk] [Side-Eye Smirk] [Side-Eye Smirk]"
Hai TangXi: "[Rage] Are you sick or something? Be serious."
Jiang Beicheng: "[OK] See you tomorrow."
Hai TangXi: "Done chatting with you. Guests just arrived at the house."
Jiang Beicheng: "[Wave]"
Hai TangXi stared at her phone, looking at Jiang Beicheng's replies, and muttered in exasperation, "That little brat's still as cheeky as ever."
But her face couldn't hide her happiness.
After replying, Jiang Beicheng had nothing better to do and scrolled through his Moments. He clicked on Wu Keqing's post—a nine-photo grid.
It was a collection of her New Zealand trip photos.
All of them were in that "cool" pose.
Fitting for someone her age who loved sharing and showing off.
Jiang Beicheng liked the post and commented one word: "Cool."
*Ding ding ding ding~*
His WeChat notifications went off more than ten times in a row.
Jiang Beicheng thought it was something urgent, but when he checked, it was just Wu Keqing sending him a bunch of photos, all in the same style as her Moments post.
Did this girl think he was into her "cool" vibe or something?
Why send so many?
Jiang Beicheng: "What's with sending me all these photos? Are we that close?"
Wu Keqing: "[Hehe] Brother Jiang, cool or what?"