Julian King felt like he was about to cry!
It was a quiet bar, where everyone was listening to music and savoring their favorite drinks.
When the three walked in, the bartender and owner saw Joe Qi, nodded to him, and pointed to the upstairs area before going to greet other guests.
Looks like Joe Qi is a regular here.
Joe Qi, familiar with the place, led Cecilia Gu and Charles Yin up to a room on the second floor.
Soon, the waiter brought up all the bottles Joe Qi kept at the bar.
Cecilia Gu couldn’t help but say, “I’m really surprised you went out and bought flowers!”
Joe Qi smiled awkwardly, “Yeah, I just suddenly wanted to work on self-cultivation.”
Charles Yin was genuinely surprised: “Are you really Joe Qi?”
The phrase 'self-cultivation' had nothing to do with Joe Qi, ever.
Joe Qi’s face flashed a suspicious blush, but he quickly covered it up, poured drinks for Charles and Cecilia, and joked, “What? You want to check my body? Should I strip right now for you to inspect?”
Cecilia Gu was instantly speechless.
Charles Yin simply nodded, “Yeah, that’s fine.”
“Go on, go on!” Joe Qi slapped Charles Yin on the shoulder. “Say you’re fat and you start panting.”
Everyone burst out laughing.
“I heard Sean Kerr’s been having a tough time chasing after love lately?” Joe Qi raised an eyebrow. “Serves him right! I told him ages ago, but he never listens.”
Charles Yin teased Joe Qi, “I told you too, stop fooling around and settle down early. What did you say?”
For the first time, Joe Qi didn’t retort to Charles Yin, and instead said blankly, “Yeah, if only I’d been braver then… if only I hadn’t…”
Joe Qi trailed off, unable to continue.
For some reason, Cecilia Gu felt Joe Qi was acting weird today.
So the three of them seamlessly switched venues and headed to a bar.
Listening to Cecilia Gu, Charles Yin felt a warmth in his heart.
Only someone who truly loves you would care about your family as much as their own.
Because you love each other, their concerns become your concerns too.
Hearing Cecilia Gu bring up the idea that a big sister is like a mother, Charles Yin's heart melted instantly.
"Ethan Yin is lucky to have you as his big sister, and so am I." Charles Yin hugged Cecilia Gu with a touch of emotion. "Honey, it’s wonderful having you in this family."
Right then, the two of them started enthusiastically discussing who to invite to the birthday party.
Once they got started, they made a long guest list—mostly single friends around Ethan Yin's age.
Since Ethan Yin is single, most of the guests invited are from second-tier wealthy families.
The truly noble families would never marry into this.
And the nouveau riche look down on it too.
So in the end, only second-tier wealthy families are invited.
Meanwhile, at the Yin family mansion, Grandma Evelyn Yin called Ethan Yin to the front.
Ethan Yin sat there, feeling uneasy, not knowing what Grandma Evelyn Yin wanted with him.
Since Grandma Evelyn Yin’s big birthday, her health has seemed to decline day by day.
So she’s let go of all the Yin family affairs and doesn’t bother with anything anymore.
Charles Yin has sent all his assistants out and now manages things remotely.
That’s why Henry Shaw has been so busy lately—he’s barely been seen around.
Now, Grandma Evelyn Yin, who never bothers with anything, suddenly called Ethan Yin back—so it must be something important.
After a short nap, Grandma Evelyn Yin finally opened her eyes and looked at Ethan Yin, who sat before her, clearly nervous.
Just a few days apart—what happened?
Charles Yin also looked at Joe Qi like he'd seen a ghost.
Is this guy really the same as before?
Joe Qi suddenly straightened his expression and said nonchalantly, “I was just saying, look how scared you all are!”
Cecilia Gu relaxed a little, but Charles Yin wasn’t so easily convinced.
But since Joe Qi didn’t want to talk, Charles Yin didn’t ask.
Who doesn’t have a secret?
Just then, Julian King came over.
Charles Yin introduced Julian King to Joe Qi. Since both were playboy types, they instantly hit it off and started chatting, leaving Cecilia Gu and Charles Yin to the side.
Cecilia Gu quietly asked, “I just feel like Joe Qi is acting weird.”
“It’s more than weird—it’s very weird! Joe Qi is obviously lovesick.” Charles Yin whispered, “Back when you left me, I was just like this.”
Cecilia Gu was stunned. Who is Joe Qi lovesick over?
Dieyi has divorced him, the child is with Joe Qi, so who could he be missing?
Never heard that Joe Qi liked anyone.
Charles just shrugged—he had no idea either.
Alright then, if Joe Qi won’t talk, nobody else will know either.
Watching Julian King and Joe Qi chatting up a storm, Cecilia said, "Looks like Julian must’ve upset Sophie again, otherwise he wouldn’t have come looking for us!"
Charles nodded.
"You’re not going to fail your test, right?" Cecilia propped up her chin. "I was feeling pretty confident, but now… not so much. My heart’s been up and down all day—it’s exhausting."
Charles couldn’t help but smile.
That silly mole actually believed what Grandpa Mo said?
How could he use such a simple task as a test?
Come on, this is way too easy!
With his skills, matchmaking two people is a piece of cake. He could pull off any scheme he wanted!
Still, it’s better not to tell her what the real test is—no need to make her worry.
So Charles just smiled and said, "Don’t worry, Julian King isn’t the type to give up easily. If he was, he’d have quit twenty years ago!"
Cecilia thought about it and agreed.
Fine, let’s just hope good things take time.
Cecilia told Charles she wanted to visit Yuanshan Village, and he agreed without a second thought.
They finally made it to Y Province, so they really should go check it out.
The two left those playboys behind and headed straight back to the villa.
Wendy and Alex soon returned, too. They’d gone to the hospital for a quick checkup, and when they got back, Wendy made some soup for Alex, saying he needed a boost.
This chapter isn’t over yet~.~ Click next page for more exciting content!
Cecilia and Charles came back early, so they ended up eating half the soup themselves.
Seeing Wendy’s homemade soup, Cecilia figured Wendy and Alex’s story was probably about to begin too.
As they were drinking soup, Charles casually asked Cecilia, "Your birthday’s coming up—any plans?"
"What, you’re throwing me a huge party?" Cecilia gave Charles a sideways look.
"As big as you want, as long as you don’t mind the noise! I could rent a cruise ship and sail around the world if you want!" Charles replied, totally serious.
"Stop! No way! I never want to set sail again!" Cecilia made an X with her hands. After all the chaos at sea, she was done—she’d stick to solid ground!
Charles nearly spit out his soup laughing!
“We’ll talk about it when the time comes!” Cecilia said quickly. “I just figured I should take this chance to find Ethan Yin a girlfriend. His mom’s unreliable, she’s off in South America, and Grandma’s too old to care. As his sister-in-law, I have to help out—after all, they say a big sister-in-law is like a mother. Even if you didn’t always get along with him, he’s still your brother!”
Listening to Cecilia, Charles felt warmth in his heart.
Only someone who truly loves you would care about your family as much as their own.
Because you love each other, your partner’s concerns become your own.
Hearing Cecilia propose the idea that a big sister-in-law is like a mother, Charles’s heart instantly melted.
“Ethan Yin is lucky to have you as his sister-in-law, and so am I.” Charles hugged Cecilia, a bit emotional. “Honey, it’s wonderful having you in this family.”
Right then, the two of them started enthusiastically discussing who to invite to the birthday party.
Once they got started, they made a long guest list—mostly single friends around Ethan Yin’s age.
Since Ethan Yin is a younger son, most of the guests invited are from second-tier wealthy families.
The truly noble families would never marry into this.
And the nouveau riche look down on it too.
So in the end, only second-tier wealthy families are invited.
Meanwhile, at the Yin family mansion, Grandma Evelyn Yin called Ethan Yin to the front.
Ethan Yin sat there nervously, not knowing what Grandma Evelyn Yin wanted with him.
Since Grandma Evelyn Yin’s big birthday, her health has seemed to decline day by day.
So she’s let go of all the Yin family affairs and doesn’t bother with anything anymore.
Charles Yin has sent all his assistants out and now manages things remotely.
That’s why Henry Shaw has been so busy lately—he’s barely been seen around.
Now, Grandma Evelyn Yin, who never bothers with anything, suddenly called Ethan Yin back—so it must be something important.
After a short nap, Grandma Evelyn Yin finally opened her eyes and looked at Ethan Yin, who sat before her, clearly nervous.
“Grandma, did you need something?” Ethan Yin asked cautiously.
“Mm.” Grandma Evelyn Yin raised her teacup, took a sip, and said, “Any news about your mother?”
A flush of embarrassment crossed Ethan Yin’s face. “Not yet.”
He’d just managed to find May Yan the day before, but yesterday afternoon she went out shopping and disappeared again.
This time, Ethan Yin was completely disillusioned with these blood relatives.
Grandma Evelyn Yin doesn’t care about most household matters, but nothing escapes her sharp eyes.
She said bluntly, “If she’s gone, she’s gone. This time, don’t come back to N City.”
With Grandma Evelyn Yin saying so, May Yan was essentially banished.
“Your big sister will be back soon.” Grandma Evelyn Yin suddenly changed the subject, her eyes softening a bit. “After all these years, things are finally settling down.”
Cecilia Gu returning to the Yin family had long been a certainty in Ethan Yin’s heart, so he didn’t show much emotion.
“Your big sister just called me. She said she’ll use her birthday party this time to help you find a suitable match. If you’re willing, get ready for marriage.” Grandma Evelyn Yin looked at her teacup and said, “You’re a grandson of the Yin family, and your big sister is doing well.”
It was like a thunderclap next to Ethan Yin’s ear; he was stunned.
What? She... wants to pick a wife for me?
Is she really serious?