Chapter 490 - Chapter 490: Director Jian's phone call, Alian's grandmother (second update)_2

Chapter 490: Director Jian’s phone call, Alian’s grandmother (second update)_2

A bunch of people were trying to get information from him in a roundabout way.

That included Old Master Chen.

Dean Jian had never realized how much in demand he was until he asked Yan Lu and found out that Bai Lian was the source.

In the classroom, when the others heard Dean Jian’s voice, they looked at each other, puzzled. Dean Jian was usually very stern, and even when dealing with his three apprentices, he was quite harsh. His teaching videos were said to be the work of a crazed demon.

Besides the rumor that he had taken the initiative to greet a senior high school student, this was the first time they had heard him speak in such a gentle tone.

The man exchanged glances with the woman beside him, hiding their astonishment.

Bai Lian raised her eyebrows. She put her bag aside and said languidly, “No, get over it.”

“…” Dean Jian was somewhat speechless, but this was Bai Lian, “Okay, I’ll get over it. So, where’s your new composition? I’ve been waiting for over a month.”

“It’s coming soon.” Bai Lian fobbed him off with the same two words.

“Can’t you show some respect for your talent?” Dean Jian was exasperated. Bai Lian had this natural talent and she wasn’t using it; he felt sorry for her.

Bai Lian realized the questioning was a pretext, pressuring her to turn in her composition was the real motive.

She brushed him off with a couple of casual remarks and hung up the phone.

Dean Jian looked down at his phone: “…”

Forget it, he looked at the five or six people in the classroom, his expression returning to its usual seriousness: “That’s all for today’s lesson.”

He took his phone and left.

In the classroom, the woman wearing a camel-colored knit stood up. She picked up her scarf, “Senior brother, who do you think… our teacher was just talking to on the phone?”

“With that attitude,” the man picked up his guzheng, his eyes deep, “The new composition… must be that composer he’s working with, I suppose.”

Leng Shuhe took a deep breath, “I think so too.”

**

On Bai Lian’s end, she had just hung up the phone.

The light was red, so Xu Nanjing glanced in the rearview mirror and casually asked, “Who was that?”

The tone didn’t sound like it was Jiang Fulai or a classmate.

“An old friend.” That’s how Bai Lian described Dean Jian.

“You seem to have a really good relationship with your old friend.” Xu Nanjing tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. He was just bored waiting for the light and tossed out a couple of questions. The light turned green, and he drove off.

Soon, they arrived at Purest Street.

Bai Lian thanked him and got out of the car.

Looking through the car window, Xu Nanjing saw a bleached blonde guy crouching at the corner of the street.

As soon as the blonde guy saw Bai Lian, he stood up quickly, handed her something, and because Bai Lian turned slightly to the side, blocking part of the view, Xu Nanjing couldn’t see clearly.

He just took out his phone to report to Jiang Fulai—

[There’s some freak talking to Alian!]

He described the blonde guy quite roughly.

Then he found Bai Lian’s WeChat, opened her contact information, and recommended her to Gao Yan.

Gao Yan saw the message and raised her eyebrows: [Who is this?]

No wonder Gao Yan asked; Bai Lian’s ancient city tower profile picture really made her look like an elderly person.

Xu Nanjing replied at his leisure: [It’s Bai Lian.]

Gao Yan couldn’t be bothered to reply to Xu Nanjing and tapped directly on Bai Lian’s contact card to add her as a friend, including a message—

[Hello, I’m Xu Nanjing’s mother.]

**

Friday was Tomb Sweeping Day.

A three-day holiday was coming up.

On Thursday night, Ren Wanxuan received a call from Ji Shaorong, “Dad.”

“Wanxuan,” Ji Shaorong sounded very tired, “I’ve been busy recently and haven’t had the time. Your uncle isn’t around either. Tomorrow is Tomb Sweeping Day, could you go and pay respects to Grandpa with me in my place?”

Ren Wanxuan was still doing her homework; she didn’t want to waste any time. “Dad, I still need to visit Grandpa…”

“Wanxuan,” Ji Shaorong’s voice was rare in its sternness.

Ren Wanxuan merely uttered an “Oh.”

The next day, early in the morning, Ren Wanxuan got up, her expression not very good.

At the dining table, Ren Qian glanced at her, “If your dad asks you to go, just go and see.”

In past Qingming festivals, Ren Wanxuan had never gone back once, and Ren Qian would not let her go back, but today Ren Qian seemed to be softening.

After all, the Ren Family was no longer as grand as it had been, and there was… the Xu Family was there too, Ren Qian didn’t want that relationship to fade.

Reluctantly, Ren Wanxuan changed her clothes and went to the Ji Family’s home.

Upon reaching Purest Street, she got out of the car with disdain, but her gaze caught sight of a black business car on the other side. If it was any other day, Ren Wanxuan would definitely ponder why such a vehicle would appear here, but today she wasn’t in the mood to pay attention.

Walking on the cobblestones of Purest Street, she reached Ji Heng’s home, complaining about why the Xu Family hadn’t moved Ji Heng to a different place.

When she knocked on the door, Ren Wanxuan moderated the disdain on her face, as Ji Heng opened the door from inside.

“Grandpa,” Ren Wanxuan walked in casually, her eyes scanning the courtyard’s stone table and chairs, but she didn’t sit down. Instead, she said to Ji Heng, “My dad told me to join you all for the memorial ceremony.”

She behaved very politely.

Ji Heng was dressed in a black outfit today, holding a tobacco pipe in his hand. He stepped to the side, looking at Ren Wanxuan, who was wearing a pink foundation garment dress. The cut was delicate, and she had two red ladybug hairpins on her head, a particularly meticulous miss dressed in splendid and beautiful clothing.

Meanwhile, Bai Lian came out holding a zither.

Bai Lian was dressed in a linen-colored buttoned-up shirt with black ice silk trousers below, her hair still simply up with a wood-colored hairpin, in her usual plain style.

When Bai Lian saw Ren Wanxuan, she did not speak; Ji Heng had mentioned the night before that Qingming festival required attending a memorial service.

Having been in this world for so long, Bai Lian had only ever seen Bai Qiming’s ancestral temple.

She had never seen her grandmother’s spirit tablet and nobody in the Ji Family mentioned it, except for the elusive Ji Shaorong, and her grandmother whom she had never heard of.

As for Ji Heng, there were so many valuable fabrics at home that Bai Lian could recognize, she wouldn’t ask if Ji Heng didn’t mention them, just like Ji Heng wouldn’t pry into Bai Lian’s affairs.

The grandparent and grandchild knew each other had secrets, and they kept an unspoken understanding.

Bai Lian wasn’t curious about what Ji Shaorong was doing; she was just curious about the grandmother whom she had never seen or heard of.

Was she finally going to see her today?

Ji Heng looked back at Ren Wanxuan, he struck an old-fashioned match and lit his pipe, “The place for the ceremony is quite far, and there’s a long mountain road. Can you manage?”

Hearing that it was far and involved a mountain road, Ren Wanxuan’s expression changed.

But she remained silent, her hands grasping the hem of her dress.

“You should go back,” Ji Heng said, his voice was muffled as he looked down with turbid eyes, “Alian has a good constitution for climbing mountains; your health isn’t as good as hers.”

His implication was that she could skip the visit.

Ren Wanxuan felt secretly delighted, but her expression showed hesitation, “Is that okay…? But my dad said…”

“I’ll talk to your dad,” Ji Heng exhaled a ring of smoke, murmuring softly, “Don’t worry, it’s fine.”

“Okay,” Ren Wanxuan took out her phone, stifling her eagerness, “Then, Grandpa… shall I head back first?”

“Hmm, be careful on your way,” Ji Heng waited for her to leave the yard, then raised his head and spoke to Bai Lian in a deep voice, “Get ready, we’ll leave shortly.”

He turned and went back into the room to fetch the items for the ceremony.

“Okay,” Bai Lian nodded, watching Ji Heng’s retreating figure thoughtfully.

At the Purest Street intersection.

Ming Dongheng saw Ji Heng and Bai Lian carrying chrysanthemums and a variety of items, and promptly got out of the driver’s seat, the back door of the car opening automatically, “Miss Bai, Elder Ji.”

He did not say what he was there for, but his meaning was clear.

Ji Heng glanced at him, pondered for nearly a minute, and ultimately did not refuse, “Thank you.”

He and Bai Lian got into the business car.

“Elder Ji, where to?” Ming Dongheng buckled his seat belt, looking into the rear-view mirror.

Ji Heng gave an address in a low voice, Ming Dongheng turned on his phone to input the address, and upon seeing the destination, he froze.