Luo Qi went back to her office with the various keys that Jiang Shenghe had given her. As soon as she sat down in front of the computer, an unknown number called her.

Luo Qi answered, “Hello, who is this?”

“Hello, Luo Qi?” Liang Zhen introduced herself, “I am Jiang Shenghe’s mother, just call me Auntie.”

Luo Qi was stunned for a moment. “Hello, Auntie.”

“I’m here to ask you a favor. I’m worried that you’ll be busy at night, so I can only disturb you during your lunch break. I’m at the cafe in the building next to your company. Is it convenient for you to come out and see me? If it’s not convenient, I can ask leave for you.”

“… It’s convenient.”

Ah, so it’s like that. Luo Qi had at first thought that Liang Zhen already knew that she had obtained the marriage certificate with Jiang Shenghe and wanted to deal with her.

Jiang Shenghe would of course allow her to go, but she didn’t know what kind of help Professor Liang would ask from her, and so she didn’t plan to tell Jiang Shenghe yet.

Luo Qi looked in the mirror, tidied her clothes and hair, carried her bag and went downstairs to meet Jiang Shenghe’s mother.

Along the way, she thought about how she could help Liang Zhen. Apart from being good at English, she has no other special skills. If she needed a translator, she didn’t have to look for her—she was not a professional translator after all.

Up until she saw Liang Zhen, Luo Qi still had no idea how she could possibly be of help to her.

Today was the first time Liang Zhen met Luo Qi since that concert in Suzhou. Her outfit today was completely different from what she wore that night. Luo Qi had worn a long dress that night, and even Chu Lin—the star of the evening—was outclassed. Liang Zhen was so impressed back then that she mistakenly thought Luo Qi was a celebrity.

Today Luo Qi wore a simple white shirt and black trousers, with the shirt neatly tucked into the trousers. In fact, she still looked beautiful and dazzling.

Looking from the outside, it could be seen that Luo Qi and her son were a perfect match.

“Xiao Luo, sit down.” Liang Zhen didn’t know her preferences at all, so she didn’t order for her. “Take a look and see what you’d like to drink.”

Because Luo Qi was the person her son had cared about for seven years, she paid special attention to her tone when chatting so as not to put pressure on Luo Qi.

She got straight to the point. “I need your help to introduce me to your mother. I heard from Chu Lin that your mother is an interior designer. I have a house that I want your mother to design.”

Luo Qi never expected this favor, “Thank you, Auntie, for your trust. Chu Lin may not have made it clear to you, but my mother is not a well-known designer and she has no experience in doing big projects.”

“It’s not a big project at all; it’s a house in Suzhou City.”

Luo Qi knew that the boss’ apartment with lake view in Suzhou did not need any new decoration.

Liang Zhen continued, “Shenghe likes your Suzhou City. He bought a house in the old town with a garden. He said it was suitable for me to play the piano and asked me to live there whenever I want. I am busy and have never had time to go and live there before. But now I am retired, and I want to live there for a while when I have time, but the house has been vacant for several years, and I don’t like the original decoration style.”

Luo Qi did not expect that Jiang Shenghe also bought a house in the old city.

Liang Zhen said, “Suzhou City has heavy rainfall during the rainy season, and there is a river around the house. After much deliberation, I thought of finding a local designer who understands how to prevent moisture from getting into the house, and this will also make it easier for the designer to go to the site during the project. If your mother already has a job on hand, if she is too busy, you can just ask her to help recommend a reliable designer. If it’s a recommendation by an acquaintance, then I don’t need to worry. Your mother is an industry insider, and she can also help me check its progress when the time comes.”

Luo Qi couldn’t resist anymore. “Auntie, when will you go to Suzhou? I will ask my mother contact you then.”

“National Day holiday.” Liang Zhen added a few more words, “It doesn’t have to be during those exact days. It depends on your mother’s schedule. If she has appointments with other clients, I will push my visit back.”

“Even if she has made appointments with other clients, there is still time to go see your house with you.”

Liang Zhen was actually not sure what day she would go there, “I will contact you after I buy the tickets.”

“Okay.” It seemed that she had to go home for the holidays after all. It’s only that her relationship with her mother was still tense.

The coffee was served, and Luo Qi stirred the coffee to relieve her tension.

Liang Zhen was not her future mother-in-law but was, in fact, her actual mother-in-law now. The pressure Luo Qi felt was even greater than when she faced Jiang Shenghe.

Liang Zhen didn’t like chatting. But for the sake of her son, she racked her brains to think of a suitable topic, “Shenghe bought this house on the recommendation of a friend. His friend is also in Suzhou. I don’t know if you know him.”

“Is it Teacher Lu?”

“Yes, that is Lu Baisheng.”

“I’ve met him on a business trip.” Luo Qi reminded herself not to forget her identity as an assistant and not to act like she was familiar with the boss’ friends.

Liang Zhen and Luo Qi chatted about Lu Baisheng for a while, and finally, there was no silence.

After their cups of coffee were finally finished, both of them couldn’t wait to say goodbye.

… … translated by Maela @ whitemoonlighttranslations.com

Walking back to Yuanwei Building, Luo Qi suddenly felt relaxed.

She will find some time in the evening to tell Jiang Shenghe that his mother asked her for help in this matter.

But before they could get off work, the project plan needed to be adjusted. Luo Qi found some used paper, printed the adjusted portions of the project plan on the reverse side, and showed it to Jiang Shenghe for review.

After reading it, Jiang Shenghe said there was no problem and they could go through the process.

Luo Qi responded, “I have something else to tell you.”

Jiang Shenghe took the pen and wrote in the blank space on the last page of the project plan. 

It was something that could not be written on the card that came with the flowers:

I wish Luo Qi a happy marriage and eternal happiness.

Then he signed his name and today’s date.

While signing his name, he asked, “What did you want to tell me?”

Luo Qi looked at the hand-written blessing for a long time before she responded, “Chief Jiang, are you working overtime tonight?”

He actually wanted to ask her out on a date earlier, but she said she had plans for tonight. “I plan to go to work, but you don’t need to stay.” 

Jiang Shenghe gave her the project plan and looked at her, waiting for her next words.

Luo Qi took it from his hand and said, “Then can you not work tonight? I want to celebrate getting the marriage certificate with you, so I want to invite you to have dinner with me in the tavern.”

Seventh Year of my Secret Love for You translated by Maela @ whitemoonlighttranslations.com

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T/N: I am in this novel for Jiang Shenghe full stop. But the thing I like about Luo Qi is that from the moment she learned of his feelings for her, she took deliberate, very conscious steps to take care of it—she knows full well the treasure she has been given, and she’s heartset on treating it with the sincerity it deserves. She works very hard on this marriage.

As for other matters, National Day holiday falls on October 1, but the break is generally 7 consecutive days long. It commemorates the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.

If you’re enjoying my translations, do consider buying me ko-fi and get access to advance chapters as reward. Thank you for your support! ☺️
Chapter 38.1 — The Gift He Wants (2/3)
Chapter 38.2 — The Gift He Wants (2/4)
Chapter 38.3 — The Gift He Wants (2/9)

Chapter 39.1 — Capture Her Fingertips (2/10)
Chapter 39.2 — Capture Her Fingertips (2/11)
Chapter 39.3 — Capture Her Fingertips (2/16)

Chapter 40.1 — Hugged Her For A Long Time (2/17)
Chapter 40.2 — Hugged Her For A Long Time (2/18)