reignition

"You're welcome." Qin Chu smiled. "Your mother's car won't be available these days, so I'll come and pick you up."

Lu Chaochi stared at Qin Chu for a moment, then smiled and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Uncle Qin."

Qin Chu thought of the wolf-like look in the child's eyes just now, with a clear scrutinizing gaze, and found it quite amusing.

Qin Chu drove them back, and on the way, he asked, "Is there anywhere else you'd like to go?"

Jiang Mian was taken aback. "No."

Even if there were, there wouldn't be any for the time being.

Qin Chu seemed to sense her worry and said, "It's alright, I'll take you wherever you want to go, it's no trouble at all, don't worry."

Lu Chaochi turned to look at Jiang Mian. He originally had a parent-child art class today, which Jiang Mian had enrolled him in. The mother and son went two or three times a week, and they were both quite happy and liked the class.

But judging from what Mom said, it seems we're not going today.

However, Lu Chaochi was precocious and sensible, and he did not ask in front of outsiders.

Jiang Mian paused for a moment, afraid that her son would worry. She held her son's shoulders and looked into his eyes. "We're going to video chat with your dad tonight, but he's been quite busy lately, so we'll have to make do with whatever time he has."

Upon hearing this, Lu Chaochi's eyes lit up, and he nodded vigorously, "Great!"

After arriving in Jiangcheng, Lu Chaochi did not lose contact with Lu Bozhou. However, Lu Bozhou had been very busy with work lately, so even when they contacted each other, the conversations were usually short.

Moreover, it was always him who spoke to his father; his mother never participated.

Lu Chaochi was anxious, but there was nothing he could do, and he didn't dare to offer his mother too much advice.

Lu Chaochi wasn't quite sure whether his father knew that Mianmian was his mother.

Lu Chaochi felt that even if his father knew, based on what he knew, his father had treated his mother badly in the past.

It seems very difficult.

That's why Lu Chaochi never tried to persuade her, but now he heard Jiang Mian say that she was going to video chat with Lu Bozhou that night.

Lu Chaochi was overjoyed and no longer cared about being wary of this uncle of unknown origin.

arrive home.

Jiang Shan and Song Wan both noticed Lu Chaochi's excitement. They exchanged a glance and asked with a smile, "What's wrong, Xiao Chi? Why are you so happy today?"

Lu Chaochi looked at his maternal grandparents, feeling somewhat embarrassed. His grandparents knew his mother's identity and, naturally, also knew about their reproach of his father.

This little child is so sensitive; at this moment, he even feels a little embarrassed by his own joy and excitement.

No one knows a child better than their mother, so Jiang Mian could certainly guess what her child was thinking.

Jiang Mian picked up a piece of chicken with her chopsticks and looked up at her parents, saying, "He's happy because he's going to video chat with his dad tonight."

Jiang Shan and Song Wan smiled and said, "It's not like we haven't video chatted with him before, why are you so happy?"

Jiang Mian didn't even look up, and said while eating, "Maybe it's because I'm going to video chat with him today."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Shan and Song Wan paused in their smiles. "You're coming too?"

They hadn't seen Jiang Mian contact Lu Bozhou, and it wasn't hard to guess that it was probably because of recent events.

Jiang Mian nodded. "Yes, I just happened to have some things I wanted to ask him. Don't worry."

After dinner.

Lu Chaochi went to the bathroom to take a shower, feeling very happy. Jiang Mian pondered for a moment and roughly calculated the time.

Jiang Mian took out her phone, stared at the screen for a while without making a move, until the screen went black due to the prolonged inactivity.

She then came to her senses, turned the screen back on, and made the video call.

The moment the broadcast started, Jiang Mian suddenly remembered that she should send him a message first before airing.

But the call was answered very quickly.

On the screen appeared a man's handsome, gaunt face, his expression rather indifferent.

However, the look in his eyes was not cold.

Judging from the surrounding scenery, he was probably sitting in his study at home.

The study was already rather quiet, and now, with his thin frame sitting there, he seemed even more desolate.

Jiang Mian didn't speak, and neither did he.

A silence spread through the video call, lasting for a moment.

Jiang Mian stared at Lu Bozhou's gaunt face on the screen. On the other end, Lu Bozhou's gaze was fixed on the screen, fixed on the beautiful face on it.

The advantage of video calls is that no matter what emotions the other person is expressing, it's as if there's a layer separating you on the screen or in the camera lens, making it unclear.

That's why Lu Bozhou was able to look at the people on the screen without any restraint.

"Have you eaten?" Lu Bozhou asked.

"I just finished eating," Jiang Mian replied, instinctively wanting to ask, "What about you?" but she pursed her lips and held back.

"What do you need me for?" Lu Bozhou asked again.

"Little Stone went to take a bath, he'll video chat with you when he comes out," Jiang Mian said.

Upon hearing this, Lu Bozhou's gaze dimmed slightly, though it wasn't noticeable on the screen.

He paused for a few seconds, then said, "Don't you have anything to say to me?"

Jiang Mian pondered for a moment, "I should be asking you that. Lu Bozhou, if you did something that might affect my and Xiao Shitou's safety, even if I didn't have the right to choose, I should at least have the right to know. Instead of acting like an idiot, only realizing it belatedly when I thought I was being followed and that my safety was threatened."

"We also need to rely on rumors from various sources to speculate on the true nature of the matter."

Lu Bozhou was silent for a moment, "Because things are a bit complicated, I personally don't want you and the child to get involved. You don't live in Luocheng, so you should stay away from these conflicts."

After speaking, Lu Bozhou paused for a few seconds before adding, "I hope that in these matters, I can protect you from disturbance and harm."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Mian chuckled softly for some reason.

A smile appeared on her face, but it didn't reveal any joy. The slight twitch at the corner of her mouth and the raised eyebrow even seemed to carry a hint of mockery.

Lu Bozhou stopped speaking.

"Alright then." Jiang Mian seemed unwilling to say anything more to him.

Lu Bozhou frowned, instinctively feeling that this topic couldn't be left unresolved.

"What are you trying to say?" Lu Bozhou pressed. "You said today you wanted a cause and effect explanation."

Jiang Mian had originally decided not to say anything more, but when Lu Bozhou took the initiative to ask, she stopped.

I tried to hold back, but I finally couldn't.

"What do I want to say?" Jiang Mian asked back, then continued, "What can I say?"

“I’ve never been able to say anything, whether in the past or now. I only have the right to accept, not the right to choose. My opinion is not important to you, and that’s probably why you don’t need to tell me anything. Whether in the past or now.”

"You've made what you consider a good choice from your perspective, so what can I say? You meant well, and if I blame you for it, wouldn't I seem ungrateful?" Jiang Mian scoffed.

The emotions in his voice were completely undisguised.