Chapter 782   - Attempt for a Comeback (2)

The private plane had landed in Beijing on time, and Li Meili felt it had been too long since she stepped in this busy city. As she descended the stairs with Leyan in her arms, Zhang Jiren assisted her with every step, making sure she wouldn't miss a single one.

The moment their feet touched the ground, they were greeted by a group of bodyguards at the airport. Li Meili tried not to roll her eyes as she realized that these men were sent by her father to pick them up. Couldn't the old man wait patiently for them to arrive? It's not like they were planning to run away somewhere forbidding them to see their granddaughter.

"Miss, Chairman Li and Madam are waiting for your arrival," one of them said before greeting Zhang Jiren politely, knowing that they couldn't offend the son-in-law of the family.

"Please get inside. Allow us to take care of your belongings." Another one opened the door of the backseat of the car in front of them, and then stepped aside to give way to the couple.

"I should have known this would happen." Li Meili rubbed her temple and allowed Zhang Jiren to take her daughter from her arms that were starting to feel numb. Since Leyan was growing, it only meant that she was also getting heavier.

As planned, she, along with Leyan and Zhang Jiren would stay here in Beijing for a month even after the competition ended. Because her parents couldn't stop nagging her every day, Li Meili yielded and allowed them to spend more time with their precious granddaughter. Thankfully, Zhang Jiren had been understanding, and made a short call to inform Assistant Liu about the sudden change in their plans.

They spent a family dinner together with Li Yuanyi joining them. After that, Leyan was whisked away by her parents, leaving her with her husband.

"They really don't know boundaries." Li Meili sighed as she looked around the newly decorated nursery room her parents managed to prepare before their arrival.

"They've done a good job, I think," Zhang Jiren commented before following his wife towards her bedroom.

Compared to the master bedroom they shared in Shenzhen, Li Meili's room was smaller and had been kept the way she left it during her teenage years.

"I'll take a bath first. You go rest for a while. I don't think Leyan would need us anytime soon," Li Meili told him before she disappeared to the bathroom.

Zhang Jiren took this time to look around the room. At first, he wasn't sure what to expect to see in his wife's old bedroom as he'd no idea what kind of life she had before meeting him. A bookshelf was installed against a wall next to the door. It housed several books Zhang Jiren assumed were romance novels based on their titles.

Unlike other heiresses of her level, Zhang Jiren was surprised to know that his wife didn't have a walk-in closet that held several designer shoes, bags, and clothes that would cost millions. Instead, she had a two door closet where her denim pants, a few dresses, and evening gowns were hanging. Beneath the drawers, there was a pair of old white sneakers that had seen better days placed neatly next to a pair of cream high-heeled shoes.

An heiress. Li Meili was one, and yet, every time someone mentioned it in front of her, Zhang Jiren noticed her slight scowling. It was obvious to him that she didn't care that much about her status within the society. She only wanted to be acknowledged through her own efforts, and not because she was born from a wealthy family.

When Li Meili came out of the bathroom with her hair still dripping wet, she was greeted by the sight of Zhang Jiren seated on one side of her queen sized bed, looking through the photo album she had long forgotten existed.

"What are you looking at?" she called out, getting his attention.

Zhang Jiren lifted his head up, his face one with surprise as if he was caught doing something terrible. When he'd seen the photo album, he'd been curious how his wife looked when she was younger. Seeing his twin sister's young version was the cherry on top that he didn't expect to see.

"I-I'm sorry. I just saw this and got curious," he apologized with a hint of redness at the tips of his ears.

"What are you apologizing for? You've done nothing wrong. You're merely curious about it." Li Meili brushed off his apology and sat next to him. As she took a peek on what he was looking at, the corner of her lips curled up.

In the picture, her seven year old self was slumped on the floor along with Tang Moyu with her poker face.? Li Meili was dressed with a loose white shirt and pants, giving her a carefree look at her young age.

"You used to wear boy's clothes when you were young?" he asked.

"Of course! That's comfy compared to the dress my dad forced me to wear before.

"Ah, I remember this. It's my seventh birthday and it's Moyu's first time coming here in Beijing to celebrate it. While everyone was giving me porcelain dolls and girly stuffs left and right, Moyu gifted me my first FPS game ever." She laughed at the memory.

"How ironic, Meili. Now you make dresses other women wear." Zhang Jiren chuckled next to her.

"I know right?" His wife laughed along with him, bumping his arm with her shoulder. "I realized I like dressing up other people. It started when I met Moyu actually. She looked like a doll when we were younger and it's cute to see her in different attires."

"So that's why you decided to become a designer?" she heard Zhang Jiren ask.

"Not really. At first I wasn't confident with my work, but Moyu assured me I have a nick at making beautiful dresses. I didn't have any dreams or ambitions before. I didn't even know what to do with my life. If Moyu hadn't convinced me, I don't think I would have the courage to take this path."

"And you are doing a good job. So don't doubt yourself anymore, Meili. I know you are worried about tomorrow's result, but you have to know, we are proud of you. Even if you don't win the award tomorrow which is unlikely, you must know you are already the best in our eyes."

Li Meili was rendered speechless at that. She thought her nervousness as the day of the event slowly approaching wasn't obvious. She hadn't expected that being married to Zhang Jiren for more than a year now, he was able to know and understand her temper and attitude. This man had never doubted her— not even once.

"Thank you. I will keep that in mind."