Jian Ai nodded calmly.
Because even if she did not accept it, this was a fact.
As long as a person appeared in this world, she would have a father. This had nothing to do with acceptance because this was an existence that could not be denied.
Although it surprised Jian Ai that this person was Jian Changsheng, she soon digested it after calming down. Since it existed, why couldn’t it be Jian Changsheng?
Just as Jian Ai had said, that person was unimportant to her, so anyone was fine because she didn’t care.
“Mom, don’t worry. I won’t ask anything because I’m not interested in him at all,” Jian Ai said calmly. Then, she smiled at Wang Yunmei. “Thank you for letting me know because I understand your intentions. You’re afraid that I’ll have too many opportunities to interact with him, but you don’t want to see me being kept in the dark. I understand.”
Wang Yunmei cried and wiped her tears. Her daughter was so sensible that she understood everything without her saying anything.
Jian Yu was silent for a moment. He looked at Jian Ai and asked, “Xiao Ai, what do you plan to do next?”
Jian Ai shrugged with an indifferent expression. “I don’t have any plans. Perhaps I’ll have a slightly different state of mind the next time I see him, but this won’t affect anything. In my eyes, he’s still the chairman of the Jian Group and a competitor of East Sea Real Estate. That’s all.”
Jian Yu nodded in relief.
After dinner, Jian Ai didn’t stay long because she still had to go to the company to handle work. Jian Yu offered to drive her, and Jian Ai didn’t refuse.
Before leaving, Jian Ai said a few words to Wang Yunmei alone in the room.
“Mom, do you feel better now that you’ve said it?” Jian Ai held Wang Yunmei’s hand and smiled.
Wang Yunmei’s eyes were red as she shook her head with mixed feelings. “Actually, I didn’t want you to know at first. But from this year onwards, I met him again and again. Then, your brother saw him a few times. You also interacted with him in business, so I was afraid.”
“I didn’t want you to know, but I was afraid that he would say something to you, so I was on tenterhooks all day.”
“I’m indeed relieved to tell you the truth now. I’ve also figured it out. No matter what, you have the right to know who your father is.”
Jian Ai’s heart ached again. She could imagine her mother’s fear of losing her children when she saw Jian Changsheng, who had disappeared for many years.
On the way to the company, Jian Ai sat in the front passenger seat and looked at the neon lights outside the window. Jian Yu was driving. The two of them said nothing, and the atmosphere was quiet.
After a while, Jian Yu couldn’t help but ask, “Do you hate him?”
“Jian Changsheng?” Jian Ai raised her eyebrows and turned around.
Jian Yu nodded.
Jian Ai suddenly smiled and sneered. “Of course I do.”
“Me too!” Jian Yu admitted.
The siblings looked at each other but didn’t ask for a reason because they knew that the reason they hated Jian Changsheng wasn’t for themselves.
It was because of what he had done to their mother. Just based on this, the siblings would not forgive him.
If not for him, their mother would not have lived such a difficult life for the past twenty years. It was his betrayal that changed their mother’s life.
Although Jian Ai had digested the fact that her biological father was Jian Changsheng for a few days, it did not affect her life.
In mid-November, the twentieth anniversary of Hongxiang Group arrived.
This time, Jian Ai didn’t wear a gown. Because she was not attending as anyone’s female companion but representing East Sea Real Estate, Jian Ai specially wore a custom-made suit today and tied her hair neatly. Although she was still a little tender, her aura was not weak.
The venue of the cocktail party was one of Lu Youcai’s manor in the southern suburbs. Although the location was remote, it was quiet and suitable for holding a private cocktail party.
When the car reached the entrance of the manor, luxury cars could be seen everywhere. Many successful people in suits walked in groups of twos or threes. It was obvious that they were familiar with each other.
Jian Ai got out of the car with the invitation and looked around. Then, she tidied her clothes and walked towards the door.
At the entrance were two service staff in work uniforms and bow ties. Everyone had to show an invitation card for them to check before entering.
Jian Ai’s petite body followed the crowd and disappeared into the crowd. If not for her taking out the invitation, Jian Ai suspected that she could have slipped in.
When the staff member saw that Jian Ai was wearing a suit and had an invitation, he couldn’t help but be stunned. When he opened the invitation and saw the name on it, his eyes widened in surprise.
He came back to his senses and quickly said respectfully, “Welcome. Please come in.”
Jian Ai was already used to others facing her with such a reaction, so she was not unhappy. She just nodded and smiled.
As soon as she entered, she saw a vast open space. It was already late autumn, so they naturally could not see the green grass. However, the open space still made her eyes light up. In front of her was an imposing European-style villa.
The guests could smoke and chat in the empty space outside the villa. Because of the climate, the venue of the cocktail party was indoors.
Jian Ai went to the registration counter to register her name and handed over a red packet. For such an anniversary celebration, everyone would give a red packet as a reward. The amount was usually around ten thousand yuan. It was not much, just for luck.
“Xiao Ai!”
At this moment, a surprised voice sounded from behind Jian Ai. Without turning around, Jian Ai had a smile on her face because she could tell who this person was.
Chen Lei quickly walked forward. Jian Ai turned around and called out, “Uncle Chen.”
“I didn’t expect you to be here too,” Chen Lei said in surprise. After all, he knew a little about Hongxiang Group, especially Lu Youcai. His horizons were very high. It was indeed new for him to invite a girl like Jian Ai.
Jian Ai felt Chen Lei’s surprise and smiled helplessly. “I’m also very surprise since I suddenly received an invitation. I thought that this is an unwritten rule in the industry. Since it’s an anniversary celebration, I can’t not give them face. After all, I’m a junior.”
Chen Lei nodded in understanding and asked, “Have you interacted with Chairman Lu before? Why would he send you an invitation?”
Jian Ai shook her head. “No, I only knew a little about Hongxiang Group in the past, but I’ve never worked with them. I’ve never even interacted with them, let alone seen Chairman Lu.”
