Chapter 78: Chapter 78 Maybe He’s Having an Affair with a Married Woman

The aftereffects of last night’s drink were a bit strong, and Lin Xu lay in bed, only groggily waking up at noon.

Realizing she had missed the morning ritual of handing out red envelopes to her two sons, she quickly washed up and hurried downstairs.

In the living room, only Ji Tingyang was there, looking at the tablet in his hands with a grim face, seemingly reviewing some documents as if facing a great enemy.

“What are you looking at?” Seeing his serious expression, Lin Xu asked, puzzled.

Could it be that the company had another issue?

Ji Tingyang seemed to jump in surprise, quickly covering the tablet, “Nothing, nothing…”

Lin Xu didn’t press further, but just looked around the villa and asked, “Why haven’t I seen Zeqiu?”

“Not long after you left last night, he did too; he probably went back to his apartment,” Ji Tingyang answered, stealing glances at her now and then, his eyes full of conflict.

He had questions he wanted to ask her. However, his Adam’s apple bobbed for a moment but he still couldn’t find the words, and he hesitated.

Lin Xu noticed his struggling expression, “What’s wrong?”

“You, you… last night, why were you with Xie Changyan?” Ji Tingyang finally blurted out the question that had been choking him up.

She had taken a phone call last night and hurried out. Was it to meet Xie Changyan?

When did the two of them meet?

Xie Changyan even wanted to kiss her!

If he had been a moment later, who knows what might have happened. What if his mother had been tricked away by someone else?

The more Ji Tingyang thought about it, the angrier he felt, thinking that the punch he threw last night was too light.

“Last night? I wasn’t with him,” Lin Xu said with a bewildered look, “I just went to the bar to pick up a friend last night, settled her in a hotel, and then you came and took me home, right?”

Lin Xu had blacked out from the alcohol and had forgotten everything that happened in between.

“Did something else happen last night?” She furrowed her brow, pinched her temples, and tried to recall the events of last night.

“Nothing! Nothing happened!” Ji Tingyang quickly answered, his tone firm.

He absolutely couldn’t let his mother find out about this.

“But why did you go to the bar alone, how unsafe is that, why didn’t you call me to come along?” Ji Tingyang frowned, his concerns spilling out unceasingly.

“It was just too urgent, and I forgot about it, next time I’ll definitely not run around on my own,” Lin Xu promised, afraid he would keep nagging. She quickly pulled out a red envelope and handed it to him to change the subject, “Happy New Year, this is your red envelope. I wish our Tingyang health, safety, and happiness in the future.”

Ji Tingyang was indeed distracted from last night’s events, his eyes suddenly lighting up.

He took the red envelope without opening it, just staring at it, a smile he couldn’t suppress tugging at his lips.

This was a New Year’s red envelope from his mother.

This was the first New Year’s red envelope he had received in twenty years.

Ji Zeqiu was invited by a TV station to participate in their live New Year’s program, so even on the first day of the New Year, he had to go out for work.

After interacting with the fans for over an hour in the studio, he completed his task, making way for the next artist to come on stage.

“Tonight another local TV station has invited us to join their New Year’s gala. I’ve arranged the schedule; we’ll go to the airport in an hour…” The manager looked at the notebook in his hand, informing Ji Zeqiu of the arrangements to come.

Ji Zeqiu nodded, half-listening, while he opened his phone to check messages.

Many artists and friends he’d collaborated with had sent him New Year’s greetings; he skipped past each one, and his fingertips suddenly paused on Wen Li’s avatar. It displayed an unread message from her.

It was just a simple “Happy New Year.”

Wen Li rarely initiated messages to him, so even a holiday greeting would usually make him happy for a while.

But why was it that now, there was no flutter in his heart at all?

Even a bit annoyed.

Ji Zeqiu’s fingers were swiping across WeChat once more, halting at the empty message box belonging to Lin Xu.

Not even a perfunctory ‘Happy New Year’ from this woman!

Just as he was fuming, he saw that Ji Tingyang had surprisingly posted a moment.

JTY: “Received the first red envelope of the New Year.”

Below was a photo of a red envelope.

In the top right corner of the photo, the edge of a skirt had accidentally made it into the frame, and the comments below, aside from exchanging festive greetings, were all guessing which beauty was the woman in the picture.

Ji Zeqiu knew without guessing that it was Lin Xu.

The red envelope was also from her.

Because she had posted a photo with Ji Tingyang on her moments, holding the same type of red envelope in her hand.

Yet he hadn’t received a red envelope, let alone a New Year’s blessing.

Ji Zeqiu grew increasingly annoyed as he thought about it.

Just then, Lin Xu’s belated New Year’s greetings finally arrived.

Willow Wadding: “Happy New Year! I hope every day in your future is happy, safe, healthy, and successful!”

Willow Wadding: “Also, there’s a New Year’s red envelope for you, but I have to go out today, so I left it with Ting Yang. If you come back early, go get it from him.”

Just a moment ago Ji Zeqiu’s sullen face instantly brightened upon seeing the message about his red envelope being in that guy Ji Tingyang’s hands, then felt a sudden unease, and immediately called him.

The first thing he said was, “Give me my red envelope!”

Ji Tingyang replied unhurriedly, “What red envelope? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Stop playing dumb, Lin Xu told me the red envelope is with you,” Ji Zeqiu snapped, having known this bastard would hog it for himself.

“Alright then.” The other end of the phone fell silent for a few seconds, then continued, “The red envelope has been sent to you, check your WeChat.”

When Ji Zeqiu checked, he found that Ji Tingyang had transferred two thousand yuan to his WeChat, and he burst into laughter, “Who wants your transfer!”

He wanted that red envelope, not the money!

“If you don’t want it then return it to me.” Ji Tingyang finished speaking, and then, as if casually showing off, said, “Lin Xu just made dumplings for me, I’m off to try them.”

After saying that, he hung up.

“…” Ji Zeqiu clenched his teeth.

That woman’s cooking skills were so terrible, what was there to show off about a meal of dumplings.

Ji Tingyang was really putting on a front.

Meanwhile, on the other side.

When Xie Changyan saw that moment, he was being dragged by a few friends to the racing track to play.

“Yo, Young Master Xie, what’s with the face? Could it be that someone hit you?” A man dressed in a racing suit came over, noticed the bruise at the corner of Xie Changyan’s mouth, and his face was filled with schadenfreude, “Could it be, it’s because of a woman that you got hit?”

Xie Changyan tugged at the corner of his mouth, the wound stinging.

He chuckled lightly, the mirth in his eyes not reaching the depths, “What do you think?”

“I guess it is.” The man sat down next to him, actually guessing with glee, “Is it because you rejected some woman again, and in a fit of rage, she punched you?”

Xie Changyan lowered his gaze, holding the photo from Lin Xu’s moments showing her and Ji Tingyang smiling happily together, his expression flickering.

“Perhaps, it’s because of flirting with a married woman?”