Chapter 181 - 72: Mahjong with Zhao Xia and Yang Mei, Dinner with Zhong Mufeng
Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly received a call from Zhou Jiawen. "Sis, Sister Zhao and the others are getting a game of mahjong together."
It took Jiang Li a moment to place who "Sister Zhao" was, so Zhou Jiawen added, "You haven’t forgotten who Sister Zhao is, have you?"
Jiang Li gave an embarrassed little cough. "It’s just that, you know, I’ve been traveling for a while."
Zhou Jiawen chuckled. "The mayor’s wife."
It dawned on Jiang Li then. She meant Zhao Xia and Yang Mei.
She replied immediately, "Okay, no problem. I’m on my way."
’Since they’re the ones inviting me, I definitely have to go.’
"Same place as last time."
Jiang Li gave Xu Shijie the address, then opened a food delivery app. She found her previous order and placed a new one for four sets of afternoon tea.
In addition to the tea, she also ordered lunch.
’By the time I get there, the delivery should have arrived too. Perfect for lunch.’
However, she remembered Shen Yanzhi’s warning about restaurants using pre-made meal kits. For her own health and that of the little one in her belly, she ultimately ordered a whole-grain rice bowl.
Her only act of defiance was ordering several extra servings of chopped chili sauce.
She had just placed her order and was about to message Shen Yanzhi to say she’d be home late when she got another call, this time from Zhong Mufeng. "Li, are you free tonight?"
Jiang Li answered without a moment’s hesitation. "Yeah, I am. What’s up?"
’If it were anyone else, I might have said I was busy. But for my absolute best friend? I have to be free.’
Zhong Mufeng explained the real situation. "Well, Gu Mingyuan wants to take me to dinner. I want to say no, but I’m afraid of offending him. I was wondering if you could come with me?"
’I don’t know what’s gotten into Gu Mingyuan, asking me to dinner again.’
’The last time he invited me to dinner, it was because of Jiang Li. I wonder who the excuse is this time.’
Upon hearing this, Jiang Li immediately agreed. "Of course! No problem, I’ll be there!"
’I can’t believe Gu Mingyuan is actually into Zhong Mufeng. And it looks like Mufeng hasn’t even realized it yet.’
’In that case, she couldn’t be blamed for helping her cousin out.’
After all, her uncle only had one son, Jing Jichuan, and had doted on him his entire life.
"Can I bring someone else along?"
Zhong Mufeng assumed Jiang Li wanted to bring Shen Yanzhi. Although she wasn’t thrilled about it, they were newlyweds, so it was normal for them to want to stick together. Besides, Jiang Li had a one-track mind when it came to Yan Zhi.
"Sure, go ahead and bring them. I’ll let Gu Mingyuan know."
Hearing Zhong Mufeng’s agreement, Jiang Li’s lips curled into a satisfied smirk as she thought to herself, ’Good girl. You agreed to this yourself, so you can’t blame me for what happens later!’
After hanging up with Zhong Mufeng, Jiang Li immediately made a video call to Jing Jichuan.
The call connected to show Jing Jichuan at the gym, clad in a white tank top. Beads of sweat trickled down his cheek and onto the fabric.
Jing Jichuan wiped the sweat from his face with a towel, a brilliant smile on his face and a hint of teasing in his voice. "Sis, shouldn’t you be all lovey-dovey with my brother-in-law? What’re you calling me for?"
Jiang Li narrowed her eyes menacingly. "You little brat, you think you can make fun of me now, huh!"
Jing Jichuan immediately threw his hands up in a gesture of surrender. "I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare!"
He, the great Jing Jichuan, might fear neither heaven nor earth, but he was terrified of this cousin of his.
After all, when Jiang Li threatened to hit someone, she actually followed through—unlike his father, Jing, who was all bark and no bite.
He chuckled sheepishly. "So, my dearest sister, to what do I owe the honor of this call? What are your orders?"
Jiang Li raised an eyebrow. "You’re having dinner with me tonight."
Jing Jichuan blinked, his eyes full of suspicion. "Don’t tell me you and my brother-in-law are having problems?"
’Otherwise, why would Jiang Li ask him to dinner out of the blue, and at night no less?’
Jiang Li couldn’t help but roll her eyes. "You just can’t stand to see me happy, can you!"
’Relationship problems, my foot. This brat really doesn’t know how to talk.’
’Besides, was there even any romance between her and Shen Yanzhi?’
’Even if there was something, it was probably just friendship, not romance.’
’Why else would Shen Yanzhi have found so many photos of them together? He must cherish her as a friend and not want to lose her.’
The thought just made her want to string Jing Jichuan up and give him a good thrashing.
Jing Jichuan knew this was the calm before the storm, so he quickly tried to smooth things over. "Of course I want you and my brother-in-law to be happy together and have a healthy baby soon! How could I possibly not wish you well!"
With that, he set his phone aside and dropped to his knees in a dramatic plea for mercy. "My dearest, beloved sister, this humble servant has misspoken! Please, be the bigger person and forgive my foolishness! Please forgive me!"
There were two reasons Jing Jichuan was so terrified of Jiang Li. The first was that she actually hit people. The second was that he owed his entire professional gaming career to her powers of persuasion.
If it hadn’t been for Jiang Li, he might still be a nobody. It was a debt he had never forgotten.