Chapter 152 Those destined to meet will meet again.

"So heartless?"

"What if she's truly hurt by you, loses all hope, and never looks back?" Wen Liang couldn't help but ask, looking at Ji Wenyuan's resolute expression.

Some things, when taken too far, leave no room for turning back.

"Better for her to leave than to be placed in danger." Ji Wenyuan clenched his fist, looking as if he were holding back.

He had been gathering strength and waiting for so many years just to crush everything Ji Tianxiang had in one fell swoop.

Although his current strength was sufficient, he couldn't underestimate the enemy—especially someone like Ji Tianxiang, who acted like a gentleman but played dirty.

Thinking of this, Ji Wenyuan's resolve became even firmer.

He had to make Jian Qingya leave.

"Do you really need me to cooperate and act with you?" Wen Liang began to hesitate.

If this were before, she would have agreed without a second thought.

But now, she had a new goal!

"In this world, who has better acting skills than you?" As soon as Ji Wenyuan said this, all of Wen Liang's concerns vanished, and she instantly broke into a smile.

Ji Wenyuan finally said something sensible; she loved hearing that!

"True."

"Besides me, who else could act so well?"

Wen Liang thought about it and decided she would wait until she finished handling this matter before focusing on pursuing the little Taoist priest.

"But let's get this straight: acting is acting, we can't let it become real!"

As she spoke, Wen Liang started acting again.

She clutched her chest, looking as if she were afraid Ji Wenyuan would force her into something difficult.

Ji Wenyuan couldn't help but laugh, looking her up and down. "Don't worry."

The rain on the mountain lasted for two full days, only clearing up on the third.

When it was time to head down the mountain, Wen Liang felt a bit reluctant to leave.

She searched everywhere for Guan Yu's figure, wanting to say goodbye to him, but after looking around, he was nowhere to be found.

Master Ruobai seemed to sense something and smiled. "You will meet again if it is fated."

It took a moment after he finished speaking for Wen Liang to realize those words were meant for her.

Her ears turned red, and she muttered under her breath, "If there's no fate, I can create it myself."

After saying that, she turned around and walked away with large strides.

The figure she had been searching for only appeared at that moment.

Guan Yu frowned, staring at Wen Liang's departing back; his heart, which had always been calm, felt a slight ripple.

Master Ruobai looked at Guan Yu and patted his shoulder. "There is no need for reluctance, nor is there a need for longing."

"The next time you meet will be the moment of destiny."

With those words, Master Ruobai returned to his room to continue studying the I Ching.

On the way down the mountain, Jian Qingya was exceptionally silent, looking out the window with a sorrowful expression.

The scenery outside the window flashed by frame by frame; her first meeting with Ji Wenyuan after twenty years also seemed to have happened just yesterday.

Thinking back carefully now, she realized that the Ji Wenyuan of that time didn't look at all like he was being forced into a blind date; he looked radiant and full of anticipation.

Yet people only reminisce like this once they have lost something.

Various events from the past reappeared in Jian Qingya's mind, her eyes reddening as she suppressed her grief.

At the time, she hadn't noticed Ji Wenyuan's surging love, but thinking about it now, his love for her was so, so much.

He respected her and considered her feelings at every moment, never putting any pressure on her.

It was just that their love for each other appeared when the other didn't love them back.

A line of clear tears slid down Jian Qingya's face, wetting her eyes and blurring her vision.

Back then, Ji Wenyuan could persist for so long even when faced with her indifference; how could she give up like this now?

Since Ji Wenyuan didn't want her to lose herself for love, then she would work hard to shine brightly and stand by his side as an equal.

In short, she would absolutely not give up.

Jian Qingya raised her hand to wipe the tears from her face, rallying her spirits in her heart.

After driving down the mountain, Ji Wenyuan first dropped Xiao Hong and Wen Liang off at home.

As Xiao Hong got out of the car, she looked at Jian Qingya with a smile and said, "Xiao Ya, thank you for the bracelet. That was very thoughtful of you."

"Good girl."

Hearing Xiao Hong's approval, Jian Qingya's emotions, which had just calmed down, surged once again.

"Mom, it's what I should do."

"I'll bring you that set of Azure Mist and Rain tomorrow. You must accept it."

"Jewelry only realizes its value when it's on the right person."

When Jian Qingya spoke of this insight, she radiated a certain brilliance.

"Alright."

"It's kind of you to remember my preferences." Xiao Hong nodded, no longer refusing.

Even if her Wenyuan and Xiao Ya weren't fated to be together, since Xiao Ya was such a good girl, they could still visit each other in the future.

"See you tomorrow."

Only after Xiao Hong finished saying this did Ji Wenyuan drive away.

The two were exceptionally silent along the way. Jian Qingya wasn't as talkative as before; she just silently watched Ji Wenyuan.

Watching Ji Wenyuan drive seriously, she looked closely and realized that while his brow and eyes were somewhat similar to Lin Qingyuan's, there were also completely different aspects.

Ji Wenyuan's features were more rugged, with sharp, well-defined contours and a more aggressive look, while Lin Qingyuan's overall features were much softer, with gentle lines that made him look more like the boy next door.

But after Jian Qingya stared for a while, the more she looked, the more something felt off.

Lin Qingyuan's eyes and brow didn't resemble Mother Lin's. Jian Qingya had also seen Ji Tianming last time and found that Lin Qingyuan wasn't that similar to him either.

Comparing the two faces, there was no sense of them being father and son.

However, before Jian Qingya could think further about all this, the car arrived at the Jian Family home.

"Do you want to come in and sit for a while?"

"My parents have been asking about you lately, and there's Taxue—it hasn't seen you in a long time."

Ji Wenyuan's heart, which was about to refuse, hesitated upon hearing Taxue mentioned.

Taxue was the kitten he had personally rescued; in a flash, it had been a long time since they last met.

Cats grow fast, so it probably wasn't small anymore.

"Mm." Ji Wenyuan gave a soft response, then unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car.

This time, he didn't just walk ahead, but waited for Jian Qingya by the car.

Regardless of how things were between him and Jian Qingya, both sets of parents were unaware, not to mention that Jian Mingshen and Yuan Ping had treated him well in the past.

The two walked side by side into the Jian Family home.

Taxue, who had been playing with a toy fish, caught Ji Wenyuan's scent and ran over with its tail held high, meowing, "Mew—!"

Little Taxue's tone was excited, yet it also seemed a bit dissatisfied.

It circled Ji Wenyuan's legs, rubbing against him incessantly, before finally flopping down at his feet to expose its belly.

"This little fellow really remembers people. As soon as you came, it ran right over," Jian Qingya said with great emotion as she looked at Taxue.

She hadn't expected that the cat she had raised unintentionally would become a bond between the two of them.

"Our Taxue is smart." Ji Wenyuan picked up little Taxue, his eyes gentle.

Upstairs, hearing the noise, Jian Mingshen and Yuan Ping hurried down.

Looking at Ji Wenyuan standing at the door, Yuan Ping's tone was exceptionally excited. "Wenyuan, you're finally finished with work and back from your business trip!"