Jiang Lulian convinced himself to let go of his doubts.
A remarkable woman would naturally attract many suitors.
"I've gone home and carefully, seriously thought it over," Jiang Lulian said. "Originally, I wanted to invite you out and tell you face to face, but since you're not available, I didn't want to wait any longer. I wanted to express my feelings as soon as possible."
"What do you mean—" Ming Yutong wondered if he had decided to give up.
She didn't want to get involved in a new relationship before, and she still didn't want to now.
Originally, it had something to do with Fu Yinxiu, but now it didn't.
Her greatest wish in life was to find her son.
Now that she had found him and reunited with Little Jingshi, she felt the heavens had not treated her poorly.
Despite the hardships, life had given her a share of sweetness.
She didn't need love anymore.
Young as she was, her heart felt weathered.
As long as she had Little Jingshi, she was content.
Her greatest wish had been to find Jingshi.
Now, her greatest wish was for Jingshi to grow up healthy and happy.
May he never experience the hardships of life, may he never suffer emotional pain, may he be strong, may he be free, may he live a life full of joy and peace.
With the phone still pressed to her ear, Ming Yutong turned and looked at Little Jingshi, her gaze soft, a gentle smile on her lips.
Then she heard Jiang Lulian say, "I have carefully considered it, and I will not give up. Yutong, I still want to pursue you and hope you will accept my pursuit. I don't care about your past with Fu Yinxiu."
"Before you become my girlfriend, I have no right to interfere with who you see. If you become my girlfriend, I will do my best to protect you, and you will not be entangled with others."
Ming Yutong thought bitterly that even Jiang Lulian understood her character better than Fu Yinxiu did.
Then she heard Jiang Lulian chuckle self-deprecatingly, "But now that I haven't won you over, saying all this is pointless. Talking about the future is presumptuous."
Ming Yutong felt very uncomfortable, guilty towards Jiang Lulian.
He was sincere, but she couldn't respond to his feelings.
"Lulian, I'm sorry," Ming Yutong began to refuse him.
But Jiang Lulian interrupted, "Yutong, don't say anything. I know what you want to say. You want to say you don't want to get involved in a relationship, no matter with whom. But that's how you feel now. No one knows how you'll feel in the future, not even you."
"I won't force you to accept me, but I will still pursue you. Just like I said that day, I'll give myself a time limit. If you still feel the same way then, I will let go and not make you uncomfortable."
Jiang Lulian paused and then said, "Three years, is that okay? I'm 31 this year, and I've promised my family I'd get married by 35. I'll give myself three years to convince you, to convince myself."
"If at that time, you still feel the same, then at 34, I'll need to give myself a year to seriously invest in a new relationship."
Ming Yutong hadn't expected Jiang Lulian to be so serious and responsible.
Previously, she and Ming Yuqian had misunderstood Jiang Lulian.
In truth, he was indeed a man of responsibility.
Even if three years later, she remained unchanged, and he pursued someone else, she wouldn't think poorly of him. She wouldn't find him despicable or pragmatic.
On the contrary, he was being responsible to himself, his family, and his future partner.
He was planning his life, taking on his responsibilities, yet still giving himself time to nurture genuine feelings.
This was very good.
"Then, it's settled," Jiang Lulian said, not needing a reply from Ming Yutong.
As he said, his pursuit of her did not require her consent.
What she had to decide was whether or not to accept him as a person.
He wouldn't pester her to the point of annoyance and would allow her to accept his pursuit without pressure or disturbance.
Therefore, he didn't need her response.
"When will you be available?" Jiang Lulian asked again.
Ming Yutong considered her injuries and said, "In about a month."
To be safe, but without making it seem too far off and arousing suspicion.
"Alright." Jiang Lulian hung up the phone.
Ming Yutong felt a gentle tug on her arm.
She looked down to see Little Jingshi glancing at her phone.
"What's wrong?" Ming Yutong asked.
"The call just now, was it from the Uncle Jiang we met before?" Little Jingshi asked.
Fu Yinxiu raised an eyebrow. So this kid had met Jiang Lulian too?
Ming Yutong didn't hide it, nodding. "Yes, it was him."
Little Jingshi immediately pouted, "Tong Tong, are you going to be with him?"
Ming Yutong: "..."
How could such a simple question make her blush?
Her cheeks flushed slightly, which made Fu Yinxiu's eyes turn red.
Did she really like Jiang Lulian?
Just mentioning him made her blush!
"Do you like him?" Fu Yinxiu asked, looking devastated.
Ming Yutong was surprised to see Fu Yinxiu. Whenever he asked this before, wasn't he always angry and gloomy?
But now he looked deeply hurt and pitiful, a stark contrast.
It took Ming Yutong a moment to realize he was referring to Jiang Lulian.
She snorted unceremoniously, "What does it matter to you?"
In front of Little Jingshi, Ming Yutong had already been lenient enough by not throwing Fu Yinxiu out on the spot.
But now, she really couldn't hold back anymore.