The Secret Realm of Time, His and Her Life Through the Changes

Chapter 148 Only Good Things Remain in Your Memories

Ding Jiajia watched from afar as Jie Can introduced Jian Zheng to Li Yaoliang, and the group exchanged pleasantries warmly.

She turned and walked towards the nanny van, intending to tell Shang Yibo that Jian Zheng was the one who came to visit the set that afternoon.

Just then, a deep and familiar male voice called out to her from behind: "Ding Jiajia, please wait a moment."

Ding Jiajia turned around and saw that it was Jian Zheng who called her name. She immediately stopped and waited for him to come over.

"President Jian, you even came to visit the set in person," Ding Jiajia said politely.

Jian Zheng smiled and replied, "Of course I have to come down and take a look at the projects invested in by my subsidiary. I've been wanting to come and chat with Shang Yibo for a while now, and I just happen to have some free time today. If I hadn't come, you guys would have gone to Huizhou, and it would have been even more inconvenient to meet then. But then again, I guess this is like visiting a friend, or maybe I could say I'm checking in on set? After all, I'm not very familiar with the rules in your industry."

This was Ding Jiajia's second time meeting Jian Zheng, and she secretly admired him. Not only did he speak politely and make people feel comfortable, but he was also very easygoing and had no airs of a big boss.

She replied cheerfully, "Ms. Jian, you're too kind. We're happy to welcome Yibo. He's resting in his car right now. Let me take you there."

Jian Zheng waved his hand and said easily, "There's no need to thank me. We're old friends, no need to be so polite."

"Old friend?" Upon hearing this, Ding Jiajia glanced at Jian Zheng in surprise, thinking to herself, "This is too casual. Is the way he addresses me too intimately? Is he trying to get closer to me?" But then she thought she was overthinking it. Perhaps in Jian Zheng's eyes, they really were old friends.

Shang Yibo slept really well. When he woke up and checked the time, he realized he had only slept for thirty minutes.

There was a knock on the car door. Shang Yibo was puzzled. Ding Jiajia came and went every day. When did she start knocking on the door? He stood up, stretched his shoulders and neck, and went over to open the car door.

Ding Jiajia was at the door, but unexpectedly, Jian Zheng was also there.

Shang Yibo said in surprise, "Jian Zheng, it's you?"

Before Jian Zheng could speak, he laughed and said, "Ah? Surprised? Unexpected? Haha, I'm here to chat with you. They call this a set visit, so I'm here to visit you on set."

Shang Yibo smiled and said, "Come in."

Jian Zheng got into the car, and Ding Jiajia followed. She took a bottle of sparkling water from the car refrigerator and handed it to Jian Zheng. "Mr. Jian, please have a seat. You two 'old friends' can chat for a while. I'll go check on the film set."

Jian Zheng thanked her, "Um, Ding Jiajia, thanks."

"You're welcome. You and Yibo are old friends, so don't call me by my full name anymore. Just call me Jiajia from now on."

Shang Yibo watched as the cheerful Ding Jiajia got out of the car, then turned to Jian Zheng and asked, "Did you tell her that you and I are old friends?"

Jian Zheng said, "I told you, if we can get drunk together, aren't we 'old friends'?"

Shang Yibo scoffed, "I knew I was going to say something. If you say so, then so be it."

Jian Zheng looked Shang Yibo up and down and said, "How come you've lost weight again after not seeing you for more than a month?"

After saying that, she noticed the lunchbox on the coffee table. "You haven't eaten yet?" Then, she pouted, patted her big belly, and teased, "Don't be so annoying. You eat so much and still manage to lose weight. Is the food on set bad? You even get special meals. You're such a pampered young master. I've never seen you so fussy before."

Shang Yibo said with a mischievous look, "You're still the same as before, always so talkative."

Jian Zheng chuckled twice, plopped down next to Shang Yibo, and said in a serious tone, "Why don't you ask me about investing in 'The Legend of Huizhou Merchants'?"

Shang Yibo fiddled with the disposable chopsticks, poking aimlessly at the table, and said slowly, "You're about to start talking without me even asking, aren't you?"

Jian Zheng said in a serious tone, "I'm new here and I'm planning to expand into multiple areas. The domestic film and television industry has been developing quite well in the past two years, so I'd like to invest in a few films to see how it goes."

Upon hearing this, Shang Yibo couldn't help but sneer, "New here? You? What a joke, trying to act like a foreigner in front of me? It seems you've only gotten older, but your bragging skills haven't improved."

Jian Zheng looked grave and didn't reply.

This surprised Shang Yibo. He paused for a moment and then asked, "By the way, I haven't asked you yet. Didn't you go to Hong Kong? How did you end up in Singapore? How did you suddenly become a businessman returning from abroad?"

Jian Zheng twitched the corners of his mouth, revealing a wry smile, and said helplessly, "So it turns out that only good things remain in your memory."

Shang Yibo frowned slightly and asked, "What happened after I left?"

Jian Zheng pondered for a moment, a complex expression appearing in his eyes, and muttered to himself, "Where should I begin? Well, let's start with my trip to Hong Kong Island."

……

September, 1999

When Jian Zheng arrived home in a huff, it was already past eight o'clock in the evening. Despite it being Sunday, the house was empty; the three of them were all busy with their own things. His father, Jian Fangze, was the general manager of Xichuan International Trade Company, and had been leading a delegation abroad for more than half a month. His mother, Chang Xidi, the mayor—no, the deputy mayor—hadn't returned home yet, obviously busy with work, probably off inspecting some remote, obscure place. This was his guess, because for two days now, his calls and messages to the mayor had been completely ignored, likely due to poor signal in those remote areas.

He was in such a hurry to get back that he hadn't even had time to eat. By now, he was starving. He searched the kitchen but couldn't find anything to eat; the stove and pots were cold, it looked like they hadn't been used for at least two days. After rummaging around for a while, he finally found a handful of noodles at the very back of the cupboard.

He boiled water, cooked a simple bowl of noodles, added a spoonful of soy sauce and a spoonful of chicken bouillon, and drizzled a few drops of sesame oil. It smelled quite delicious, and he slurped down the whole bowl in one go. After eating, he felt sleepy and fell asleep on the sofa.

Jian Zheng didn't wake up until he felt someone gently nudging him. Opening his eyes, he found Vice Mayor Chang standing in front of him. Glancing at the clock on the wall, he saw it was already 11 p.m.

Jian Zheng sat up and called out, "Mom, why are you only coming back now? I've been waiting all night."

Vice Mayor Chang's tired voice complained, "Why are you back? You were only gone for a week."

Jian Zheng then noticed that in just one week since she left, her mother looked exhausted, had lost a lot of weight, had sunken eyes with bloodshot eyes, and her lips were dry and chapped. Her short hair was casually tucked behind her ears, and a few white hairs stuck out from her temples, which were even more glaring under the incandescent light.

He was startled and quickly stood up, pulling his mother to sit down. He asked anxiously, "Mom, what's wrong? What have you been doing? You look so tired. Are you sick?"

"Go back tomorrow and study hard there. Don't come back anytime soon. Don't come back unless I tell you to, do you hear me?" Her voice became stern as she said the last few sentences.