That evening, Lin Jiang returned to Century Triumph.
Shen Qingqiu wanted Lin Jiang to stay, but her apartment didn’t have enough rooms.
She suggested that Lin Jiang sleep in her room while she took the sofa.
But before Lin Jiang could say anything, Li Xiaoping shut the idea down immediately.
Lin Jiang had thought that Comrade Li had realized the heart of the matter and was about to play wingman, but she simply didn’t want Shen Qingqiu to sleep on the sofa.
It had nothing to do with being a so-called wingman.
With no other choice, Lin Jiang could only go home.
It was quiet, being home alone.
The various women in his life also sent him pictures of their dinners, each one a lavish spread.
The next morning, Lin Jiang got a message from Shen Qingqiu saying she had taken Comrade Li out shopping.
Lin Jiang was happy to have the free time.
He figured he would just pick them up after they finished shopping and take them out for a meal.
During the day, Jiang Xiaoqi asked Lin Jiang out. They did some shopping, then went to a hotel and began a new round of "research and teaching."
A little after two in the afternoon, Li Xiaoping gave Lin Jiang a call.
Lin Jiang first took Jiang Xiaoqi home, then headed to Berkeley to pick up the other two.
When he arrived at the mall entrance, he saw they were holding several bags.
He didn’t need to guess; Shen Qingqiu had definitely bought them for Comrade Li.
For their late lunch, they went to a hot pot restaurant.
After spending the previous evening together, the two of them had grown even closer.
Shen Qingqiu had her arm linked with Li Xiaoping’s the entire time. To anyone who didn’t know better, they would have looked just like mother and daughter.
After the meal, Lin Jiang drove them back. But just as they were about to get out of the car, Li Xiaoping said:
"You two go out for a walk. You don’t need to keep me company."
"Alright then, we’ll get going," Lin Jiang said.
"Go on," Li Xiaoping said, her eyes smiling.
Shen Qingqiu then gave the apartment key to Li Xiaoping and left with Lin Jiang, though she felt a little uneasy.
"Your mom came all this way to visit. Is it really okay to leave her all alone?"
"It’s fine. She lives alone normally anyway," Lin Jiang said.
"Besides, she and I have been together for over 24 hours now. Her motherly love is about to run out. If I hang around too much, I’ll just get chewed out."
PFFT—
Shen Qingqiu couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing, remembering how the mother and son had interacted the day before.
"That’s mainly because you’re such a wiseass. Of course she scolds you."
"Why don’t you say it’s because she’s got a bad temper?"
"I wouldn’t dare."
"So you dare to say it about me? I’m offended."
"And what happens when you get offended?"
"When I’m offended, I refuse to carry passengers."
’Refuse to carry passengers?’
Shen Qingqiu realized their current situation and doubled over with laughter.
"We haven’t seen our movie yet, have we? How about I take you to see it?"
"Okay!" Shen Qingqiu said.
"I was originally planning to see it during the holiday anyway. Let’s go back to Berkeley."
"Berkeley is too far. We can just find a nearby mall. It’ll save a lot of time."
Lin Jiang drove to a nearby Wanda, where Shen Qingqiu bought two tickets while he went to buy Coke and popcorn.
After waiting a few minutes, they had their tickets checked and entered the theater.
At the same time, the doors to Theater 4 opened, and the audience began to file out.
"What the hell was that piece of crap? A total waste of 96 yuan," a guy with short hair complained.
"It was okay, I guess," said the girl next to him, though without much conviction.
"Oh, come on. What decade is this? Still pulling out the same old catfights and abortions. Whose youth is actually like that? My dog wouldn’t even watch this crap."
The girl felt a bit sheepish and didn’t have the heart to argue. He did have a point.
"We should’ve just gone to see *Xia Luote’s Troubles*. I heard it’s really good."
"Good thing we still have one day off tomorrow. Let’s go see *Xia Luote’s Troubles* then."
"Alright."
Although they didn’t mention it by name, it wasn’t hard to guess they were talking about *Farewell, Youth*, the movie Zhou Jin had invested in.
Lin Jiang carefully observed the expressions of the other audience members. They all looked placid, as if the film hadn’t stirred any strong emotions in them.
They entered their theater and found their seats.
"My coworker went to see *Xia Luote’s Troubles*. She was raving about it to me yesterday, saying how good it was. She was about to give me spoilers, but I stopped her."
"I wouldn’t bring you to see a bad movie. Give me your honest opinion after it’s over. No pulling punches out of politeness."
"Wenqi and Shengyao came to see it yesterday, and they gave it high praise too. Even without my opinion, it’s already a great film."
Shen Qingqiu took out her phone and snapped a picture of the movie tickets.
"I’ll post it on my Moments later to help you promote it."
"Solid."
Soon, the movie began. Shen Qingqiu was completely engrossed, her full attention on the film, sitting perfectly still and focused.
During this time, however, Lin Jiang discovered a little quirk of Shen Qingqiu’s: she seemed to have a real sweet tooth.
The popcorn he had bought for her, which he had barely touched, was almost gone.
Lin Jiang had already seen the movie twice, and on top of that, he had participated in the post-production editing. He knew the plot inside and out, so his attention was entirely on the audience.
The effect was about what he had expected; the laughter never stopped.
A good movie transcends its era.
About two hours later, the movie ended. The audience’s reaction was stronger than he’d imagined, and the feedback was even better.
Shen Qingqiu posted on her Moments, writing a long, heartfelt post to promote the movie.
Given her personality, for her to do something like this was already quite rare.
After the movie, the two of them went home.
Stepping inside, Shen Qingqiu froze for a moment.
She saw that the coffee table was covered with freshly made dumplings, all arranged in neat rows.
"Mom, why’d you make so many dumplings?" Lin Jiang asked.
"I’m leaving tomorrow, so I made some dumplings for Qingqiu. She can freeze them in the fridge and have some when she’s busy. It saves her from ordering takeout, which isn’t healthy."
Shen Qingqiu was touched. "Auntie, this is too much trouble. They sell frozen ones at the supermarket. I could just buy some of those."
"How can the store-bought ones compare to homemade? These are clean and delicious."
With that, Li Xiaoping directed Lin Jiang, "Go put these dumplings in the fridge."
"I’ll do it. He won’t know how," Shen Qingqiu said.
"Don’t do everything yourself. Let him do some work."
"It’s okay, I’m not tired."
It seemed like a very ordinary sentence, but it held a hidden meaning.
It was as if the two of them had already reached the stage of discussing marriage.
In the end, Lin Jiang helped Shen Qingqiu put all the dumplings in the freezer.
Given Shen Qingqiu’s appetite and how often she ate at home, this many dumplings would last her a while, since she could usually eat at the cafeteria.
That night, Lin Jiang was once again sent home.
After getting home, Lin Jiang opened the box office charts.
It had been almost 48 hours since its release, and the box office for *Xia Luote’s Troubles* had reached 69 million.
For a low-budget film with no big-name stars and a cast of mostly newcomers, reaching this box office figure in less than two days was a relief to Lin Jiang.
The original version didn’t have numbers like this at its release; it only picked up in the middle and later stages of its run.
Most importantly, its screen share was still increasing. In the near future, the box office growth would be even more gratifying.
The recording of "Once is Enough" would also have to be put on the schedule soon.
He could use it as a shot in the arm when the box office started to show signs of fatigue.
Out of curiosity, Lin Jiang also took a look at the box office and screen share for *Farewell, Youth*.
After nearly 48 hours, its box office had just barely surpassed 20 million, and today’s take was only just over 5 million. At this rate, recouping its costs was definitely going to be impossible.
RING RING RING—
Just then, Lin Jiang’s phone rang. It was a call from Chen Jingxian.
"What are you up to? How’s your New Year’s holiday going?"
"It’s been alright. I’m just lounging around at home," Lin Jiang said.
"Calling me at this hour... you must miss me."
"In your dreams. I don’t miss you at all."
"You’d better think carefully before you say that. Watch out, or I’ll come over to your place and make you say it again."
"You’re in Hang City, there’s no way you can come over."
"I have a lot of things to take care of here in Zhonghai, so I came back today."
"Really?"
Chen Jingxian said joyfully, "Are you busy right now? Do you want to come over?"
"I don’t see any sincerity from you, so I think I’ll pass."
"Tch, fine, don’t come then. I won’t tell you what I was going to say, either."
"Comrade Chen Jingxian, you’ve gotten a year older after the New Year, and now you’re getting a little full of yourself, huh? You can run, but you can’t hide."
"Tch, all you do is bully me."
Chen Jingxian complained with a feminine pout.
"If you have time, come over now. I’ll head home too, and we should arrive at about the same time."
Her voice filled with unconcealable joy, Chen Jingxian added:
"Have you eaten dinner? I can bring you something."
"I’ve already eaten. Just bring yourself."
"Okay, I’m on my way."
After hanging up, Lin Jiang grabbed his jacket and headed out.
On the other end, Chen Jingxian moved in near-perfect sync with Lin Jiang.
In the living room, the old couple and Chen Jingjia were watching TV.
When they saw Chen Jingxian come out, dressed to leave, all three of them looked at her.
"It’s already past eight. Are you going out?" Wang Minxia asked.
Chen Jingxian nodded. "I have plans with Lin Jiang, I’m just heading out for a bit..."
Reaching the door, Chen Jingxian finished putting on her shoes, then paused and added:
"I’m not coming back tonight, so don’t wait up for me."
Hearing Chen Jingxian say this, Wang Minxia immediately understood what she meant.
On the sofa, Chen Jianguo, and by the coffee table, Chen Jingjia, both pricked up their ears.
They were all adults. Everyone knew exactly what it meant to not come home for the night.
Wang Minxia was also very clear on who her eldest daughter was spending the night with.
It couldn’t be anyone other than Lin Jiang.
A smile spread across Wang Minxia’s face. "Alright, go take care of your ’important business’."
Chen Jingxian nodded, finished with her shoes, and left.
Chen Jingjia sat in her chair, her expression darkening with a sense of helplessness.
’She had no one to blame but herself.’

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