The next day, Ivy Holden was once again woken up by Jensen Morrison, who had let himself in.
"Get lost!" Exceptionally grumpy from being woken up, she grabbed the nearest pillow and threw it at him.
Jensen Morrison caught the pillow and said coolly, "If you don't get up now, you'll be late for Grandpa's birthday celebration."
Ivy Holden pried her eyes open in agony. She suddenly remembered that she had fallen asleep right after her bath last night without even putting on pajamas. Defeated, she rubbed the bridge of her nose and yelled, "You, get out first!"
A corner of Jensen Morrison's mouth lifted in a slight smirk as he turned and left.
Ivy Holden huddled under the covers, spacing out for a while before finally getting up. She wrapped the blanket around herself, walked across the balcony to the dressing room, and unwrapped a new set of pajamas to put on.
Thinking about the important things she had to do, Ivy Holden let out a long sigh and sat down on the dressing stool.
"Are you done yet?" Jensen Morrison called impatiently from outside.
Ivy Holden stood up, slid open the dressing room door, and raised an eyebrow at Jensen Morrison.
"If you go out in your pajamas, I imagine the trending topics will update at record speed."
"It's freezing out. A heavy coat over this will be fine," Ivy Holden said, walking to the door and pulling on the coat she had worn last night. "You need to get me out of here as fast as possible. I have to go back to Greenwood Estates to change."
"Why Greenwood Estates and not your grandpa's place?" Jensen Morrison asked, dangling his car keys.
"Because all my formal dresses are at my own house." Ivy Holden shot him a sideways glance, then grabbed her handbag, put on her shoes, and headed out the door.
Greenwood Estates was a property developed by the Zimmers Group ten years ago. Both Cynthia Zimmers and Clara Zimmers owned villas there, which were attached side-by-side. Because Ivy Holden typically lived with Clara Zimmers' family, Carson Holden didn't interfere too much in her daily life.
As luck would have it, just as Jensen Morrison's car pulled up to the villa's entrance, Clara Zimmers, who was stretching on her terrace, spotted them immediately.
"Ivy, you're back? I've been trying to call you, but it wouldn't go through. Did you leave your phone somewhere?" Clara Zimmers shouted.
Ivy Holden glanced at Clara Zimmers, who was wrapped in a thick cotton housecoat, and replied calmly, "Morning, Aunt Clara!"
"Come have breakfast! I thought you'd be back to sleep last night. I waited up half the night for you." Clara Zimmers waved with a wide smile. "Hurry, I woke up early to make some white fungus and yam congee."
"No thanks, I have something to do. I just came back to grab something and then I'm leaving." Ivy Holden opened the door to her own house and led Jensen Morrison inside.
Jensen Morrison had just followed Ivy Holden inside and hadn't even had a chance to look around when he heard someone ask from behind, "Your cousin's plane lands in two hours. I see you have a car. Could you go pick her up?"
Jensen Morrison was speechless and about to refuse, but Ivy Holden stepped forward first and said with a beaming smile, "Of course! Don't worry, Aunt Clara, I'll go as soon as I change."
"Oh, our Ivy is so thoughtful!" Clara Zimmers said happily.
Ivy Holden briskly went upstairs and opened her closet. She picked out a cream-colored cashmere sweater and a pair of jeans to change out of her pajamas, then added a tangerine-orange cashmere coat on top. Next, she opened another closet, chose a vermilion formal dress, and placed it in a garment bag. She hurried back downstairs, tugged on Jensen Morrison's sleeve to pull him outside, and said to Clara Zimmers, "Aunt Clara, I'm off to the airport to get my cousin! If we don't leave now, we'll get stuck in traffic and be late for lunch."
"Right, today is your grandfather's 70th birthday. Bring your cousin with you to the celebration!" Clara Zimmers called out, following Ivy Holden to the villa's entrance.
"Got it." Ivy Holden gave Clara Zimmers an obedient smile. While buckling her seatbelt, she said to Jensen Morrison, "Let's go."
"You really don't stand on ceremony with me, do you? Ordering me around like your chauffeur!" Jensen Morrison said as he started the car and slowly accelerated.
Ivy Holden gave Jensen Morrison a calm glance. "Sorry. I'm going to my grandpa's. If it's inconvenient for you, you can just drop me off at the next intersection."
"Aren't we going to the airport?" Jensen Morrison asked, puzzled.
"Why would we go to the airport?" Ivy Holden retorted with a raised eyebrow.
Jensen Morrison instantly understood Ivy Holden's feigned compliance. Imagining the look on Clara Zimmers' face when she realized Ivy had played her, he couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head.
"If you're busy, just drop me at the next intersection," Ivy Holden said, taking out her phone to call June.
"My only job today is to pick up Grandpa Holden and take him to the hotel."
"..." Ivy Holden quickly hung up the call she was making to June. 'Well, in that case,' she thought to herself, 'I might as well take this free ride all the way.'
Grandpa Holden was a titan in the music world. Over the decades, he had meticulously taught hundreds, if not thousands, of students. If even ten percent of those hundreds achieved great success, that was still dozens of people. In fact, among the most notable musicians, producers, and top-tier singers today, seven out of ten had been students of Mr. Holden. The other three had all received his favor in some other way. Therefore, his birthday banquet could be considered a major event for the entire music industry.
Carson Holden knew his old father's temperament well; he disliked overly boisterous events. So, the birthday banquet was set to be held at a high-end private club. No one could enter without an invitation, and each invitation only permitted the guest to bring one plus-one.
The private club, named "Arundo," was situated on an island in the middle of a lake. The sparkling turquoise water cradled a lush thicket of flowers and trees, where a three-story, Chinese-style building was nestled. Bathed in the warm winter sun, the scent of plum blossoms drifted from across the lake on the breeze, faint and elusive, yet utterly perfect.
When Jensen Morrison parked the car in the shore-side lot, Carson Holden and his wife, Brooke Morrison, were already waiting by the lake.
The car door opened, and Carson Holden immediately stepped forward to help his old father out of the car. He greeted him respectfully, "Father, did you sleep well last night?"
"It was alright," Grandpa Holden said casually.
Carson then glanced at his daughter, his brow furrowing slightly as he asked, "You're a young woman. What were you doing running off to some disreputable place in the middle of the night? If it weren't for your brother..."
"Enough! The wind by the water is damp and cold. Are you trying to freeze me to death?" Edison Holden interrupted his son with a frown.
Ivy Holden rolled her eyes inwardly. 'Thank goodness I spent the whole ride here painstakingly concocting a story to explain last night's outing to Grandpa,' she thought.
Brooke Morrison quickly stepped in to smooth things over for Carson Holden. "Father, the boat is already docked. Let's get on board. We can talk more once we're at the club."
Edison Holden couldn't very well lose his temper with his daughter-in-law, so he just reached out and took his granddaughter's hand. "Ivy, you're not going anywhere today. You don't need to greet anyone. Just stick with me."
Ivy Holden nodded obediently. "Okay, Grandpa."