Cici frowned slightly, hesitated for a moment, but put away her phone without replying to the message.
For Cici, nothing was more precious than spending time with her children.
This woman she just met—whether she knew her before or not—
wasn't really an important person to Cici.
On the contrary, it was rare for these two kids to get out of the house.
It was even rarer that there weren’t a bunch of bodyguards and maids tagging along.
For her, spending time with the kids was what truly mattered.
The children, ever thoughtful, noticed Cici was tired and pulled her into the lounge, tucking her into bed for a nap.
Cici slept deeply and peacefully, and when she finally woke up, it was already one in the afternoon—she’d completely missed lunchtime.
As soon as Cici opened her eyes, she saw her two little buns sleeping soundly on either side of her.
Cici gazed at their delicate, beautiful little faces, falling more in love with them the longer she looked. Unable to resist, she bent down and planted a kiss on each child.
Miles Gu woke up first, rubbing his eyes. "Mommy..."
Hearing Miles's sleepy little voice, so sweet it made her heart melt.
"It's already one o'clock. Since you're awake, don't go back to sleep—get up, wash your face, and eat something," Cici whispered.
"Mm-hmm." Miles blinked his long lashes—like little fans—a few times, then slowly opened his eyes wide.
His red eyes, dazzling like rubies, were simply breathtaking.
Cici suddenly thought of Earl Field—he had eyes just as beautiful.
There really aren't many people in the world born with red eyes, especially healthy ones—not sickly or frail.
Maybe... Miles really is Earl Field's child.
"Mommy, why are you staring at me like that?" Miles asked, unable to help himself as he noticed Cici gazing at him so intently.
Cici reached out and pinched Miles's chubby, soft cheeks, unable to resist saying, "I was just thinking, my son is so handsome—what will I do when he grows up? How many girls will be crying over him?"
Miles immediately made a helpless face.
At that moment, Ethan Yin woke up too, mumbling sleepily, "Mommy, you don't have to wait for him to grow up. He's already the heartthrob of all the girls in kindergarten!"
"Look who's talking! Aren't you the same?" Miles shot back at Ethan. "From two years old to eighty, who doesn't like you?"
Ethan scrambled over to Cici, hugging her arm and grinning. "Mommy, when I look for a girlfriend, I want someone as pretty as you! Mommy, hurry up and have a little sister—she can be my girlfriend!"
Miles chimed in from the side, "Ethan, if Mommy has a daughter, she can only be your sister—she can't be your girlfriend!"
"What!" Ethan sat bolt upright, thunderstruck. "Then I don't want a little sister! If I have one, Miles will get her instead!"
Miles tilted his head thoughtfully and replied, "Hmm, that's a good idea. If Mommy has a daughter, she can't be Ethan's girlfriend, so she can be mine instead!"
Cici burst out laughing at her kids' innocent banter.
But what Cici didn't know was that her kids' words would turn out to be prophetic.
In the years to come, that tangled, inseparable bond...
Once the kids were fully awake, Cici smiled and had the manor maids bring water and towels, personally washing their faces and hands.
Being taken care of by Mommy felt absolutely amazing!
Eric Jiang knocked on the door and came in. "Awake? The chef has lunch ready—just say the word and we can eat anytime."
Cici looked at Eric Jiang apologetically. "Sorry, we slept in."
Eric Jiang waved it off. "No need to be so formal with me. Let's eat!"
Soon enough, the chefs rolled a food cart into the living room, carefully arranging the dishes one by one.
Cici stared at the spread before her, a bit surprised.
How did Eric Jiang know all her favorite foods?
She was pretty sure she'd never told him.
Ethan Yin piped up from the side, "Wow, these are all Mommy's favorites!"
Miles chimed in too, "Yeah, yeah! Uncle Eric is amazing—he can guess all Mommy's tastes!"
Eric Jiang looked a little embarrassed, sneaking a glance at Cici. Seeing she wasn't bothered, he explained, "Uh... When you were a guest at the Jiang house before, you seemed to prefer these dishes, so I remembered."
A hint of surprise flashed in Cici's eyes.
Looks like her relationship with the Jiangs three years ago was pretty good!
If he could remember her favorite foods, she must've eaten with him pretty often, right?
No wonder she felt a strange sense of familiarity with him.
Cici mulled it over quietly, but kept a straight face. "Since it's all my favorites, I won't hold back!"
"Of course," Eric Jiang said, relieved Cici hadn't dug deeper, though he was a little disappointed too.
Everyone finished lunch quickly.
After lunch, the two little buns were set to return to the Yin family mansion with Eric Jiang.
"Mommy, you have to come to Great-Grandma's birthday!" Ethan Yin reminded Cici anxiously. "If you don't have a dress for the day, I'll have someone send one over!"
Miles nodded, "If Mommy has a favorite designer, we can just reach out to them."
Cici patted her two little buns on the head, her smile warm as sunshine. "Don't worry, Mommy will definitely be there!"
Cici knew her kids were trying their best to help her expand her network in high society.
Rona Muir had just founded a company. Even though Cici said she wouldn't get involved, just help out, Rona insisted on having her sign as a shareholder, giving her a full ten percent stake.
Since she was part of the company, it only made sense to socialize and try to break into high society as soon as possible.
Grandma Evelyn Yin's 80th birthday was the perfect opportunity to expand her social circle.
Originally, Cici just wanted to see her kids, but now she had a new goal—to quickly adapt to Chinese high society and fit into that world.
After saying goodbye to Eric Jiang, he left a car just for Cici, to take her home.
Just then, another message popped up: "Are you done with work? May I invite you to dinner tonight?"
Cici frowned slightly. Well, tonight she could try to find out about the past from this woman.
She quickly replied with a single word: "Okay."
Cici put away her phone and told the driver, "Please take me to any Chinese restaurant on Funing Road."
The driver responded respectfully, "Yes, Miss."
Helen Jiang hadn't held out much hope; she'd already sent Cici several messages. Just as she was about to give up, Cici actually agreed!
Overjoyed, Helen quickly confirmed the time and place, touched up her appearance, and hurried out!
Cici booked a private room and waited for Helen Jiang inside.
Sure enough, Helen arrived about half an hour late.
Cici's gaze landed on Helen. Despite her designer clothes, she still couldn't hide her world-weary look.
Cici's brows furrowed slightly.
Three years ago, would she really have known a woman with such a jaded air?
Her taste couldn't have been that... strange, right?
But the woman acted as if they were close, even knowing her old name—could she be hiding some unsolved secret?
Helen Jiang looked at Cici, who wore simple clothes but exuded a rare, elegant aura. Jealousy twisted inside Helen like tangled weeds.
Why? Why did she have to lose to this woman?
Now she looked almost ninety percent like Cici—why should she give up?
No, she absolutely wouldn't!
"Sorry I'm late," Helen Jiang said, trying hard to recall the poise she once had as the Jiang family's heiress. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't hide the weariness in her eyes.
It had become second nature to her.
Cici smiled and shook her head. "It's fine, I just got here myself."
Lunch had been late, so she wasn't hungry for dinner. Cici just ordered a few dishes at random.
Helen Jiang wasn't really there for the food either. She ordered two dishes, then got straight to the point: "Cici, did you really forget everything from before?"
Cici nodded. "Yeah."
Helen's eyes flickered. "So... you don't remember any of your old friends either?"
Cici kept her expression neutral. "That's right."
"What a shame. We used to be fairly close, you know. But our positions were different, so we couldn't get too deep," Helen said, her eyes glinting as she subtly watched Cici's reaction. "It's fate that we meet again! Let me treat you tonight—don't be shy!"
Cici silently weighed how much of what Helen said was true.
Helen continued, "Look at me, I'm just a bit too eager. We've only just met again, so it's understandable you don't remember me. I just think, since we've finally run into each other, it's fate—we shouldn't be strangers. Don't you agree, Cici?"
Cici nodded lightly. "Mm, that's true."
Helen's eyes flickered again, steering the conversation toward the Yin family. "How did you end up at the Southern Manor today? That's Yin and Jiang family property! I heard all those flowers are being prepared for Grandma Evelyn Yin's 80th birthday. Cici, are you going to the celebration too?"
Cici looked at Helen with mild surprise. "What, are you really that curious about it?"
Helen bit her lip lightly. "Ah... it's like this. I actually have a favor to ask of the Yin family, but haven't had a chance to meet any of them. I heard lots of guests will be invited to Grandma Evelyn Yin's birthday, so I thought, if I could somehow get in, maybe my troubles would be solved! Cici, if you have an invitation, could you bring me along?"