Chapter 82: Wedding Anniversary

Chapter 82: Wedding Anniversary

Shen Zhixue was awakened by the ringing of his smart device.

He opened his eyes slightly, stared at the ceiling for a moment, and then gradually came to his senses.

The space beside him was already cold. He couldn't remember when Jiang Huizhou had finally been content last night, but his head was throbbing with pain, and he felt as if all his strength had been drained.

The smart device kept ringing persistently.

Shen Zhixue managed to lift his arm and chose to answer the call.

"Zhixue?" Lu Qingwan's voice came through the communication. Shen Zhixue opened his mouth, but his throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton, making it difficult to speak. His voice must have been hoarse from crying again.

He turned his head and saw a glass of ice water on the bedside table, the ice cubes not yet fully melted.

Shen Zhixue sat up, drank the ice water, and managed to speak with the ice cubes in his mouth: "Mrs. Yuan."

Hearing Shen Zhixue's voice, Lu Qingwan paused involuntarily: "Your voice... Did something happen between you and Lu Qingyan? Why are both of you in such a state?"

"Lu Qingyan?" Shen Zhixue stood up, found a couple of clothes in the nearby wardrobe, and put them on: "What's wrong with him?"

"Ever since he came back from the Wan family's charity banquet the night before last, he hasn't been himself." Lu Qingwan sighed: "He spent the whole night drinking yesterday. If I hadn't gone to his house today, he would still be locked in his room!"

Shen Zhixue frowned but said nothing.

Lu Qingwan continued: "So I thought maybe something happened at the charity banquet the night before last. I wanted to ask someone, but I couldn't find anyone to ask, so I called you! I didn't expect you to sound so down when you answered the phone. What exactly happened that night? Did you and Lu Qingyan have a fight?"

"No, thank you for your concern, Mrs. Yuan. I just... coughed, caught a cold last night, nothing serious." Shen Zhixue spoke calmly: "And although I did attend the charity banquet, I only exchanged greetings with Lu Qingyan. I don't know much about the details..."

Lu Qingwan sighed: "He has always been sensible since he was young, never like this before."

"Wasn't Jiang Shuiling Lu Qingyan's companion that night?" Shen Zhixue sincerely suggested: "Why don't you ask Jiang Shuiling, Mrs. Yuan?"

Hearing this, Lu Qingwan thought that Shen Zhixue was jealous because Lu Qingyan had attended the banquet with Jiang Shuiling, so she quickly explained: "It was my father's idea for Qingyan to attend the banquet with Jiang Shuiling. He didn't know about your relationship with Qingyan, so he made this mistake. Qingyan has no relationship with the Jiang family's eldest daughter, Zhixue. Please don't misunderstand him..."

"I know." Shen Zhixue put down the glass of water and said: "Mrs. Yuan, I understand what you mean, but my relationship with Lu Qingyan is not what you imagine. Lu Qingyan has helped me a lot, and he is a very good person, so I have always considered him a friend. But it seems you have misunderstood something all along. I am a married woman, Mrs. Yuan."

Lu Qingwan was stunned: "But you and Jiang Huizhou aren't..."

"Regardless of my relationship with my husband, I am currently in this marriage. Legally, we are a real couple." Shen Zhixue explained: "So I will not, and should not, have any thoughts of betraying my husband before this marriage ends. Don't you think so, Mrs. Yuan?"

Lu Qingwan paused for a moment before finally saying: "I'm sorry, I may have been too hasty about this matter. But I truly beg you, please give him a chance..."

Before she could finish, Du Du ran to her side, tugged at her skirt, and looked at her smart device with longing eyes, whispering: "Can Du Du talk to Zhi Zhi?"

Lu Qingwan opened her mouth but didn't know how to respond, so she turned on the external speaker of the smart communicator.

Du Du clung to Lu Qingwan's wrist and said in a childish voice: "Zhi Zhi, it's been a while since you played with me. I've already been discharged from the hospital!"

Shen Zhixue was momentarily stunned, and his tone softened: "Really? Does Du Du still feel any pain?"

"No pain! I'm all better now!" Du Du said seriously: "Zhi Zhi, I want to talk to Jiang Xingliu! He said he would come to the hospital to see me, but he never came..."

Shen Zhixue fell into an awkward silence. Not long after returning from the hospital, Jiang Huizhou had sent Jiang Xingliu to military school. Shen Zhixue had been reluctant, but considering that in the original story, the young antagonist would learn a lot in military school, which would greatly help him contend with the powerful protagonist in the future, he had gritted his teeth and sent him away.

He had completely forgotten about Du Du. No wonder the boy had looked so reluctant before leaving.

"Where is Jiang Xingliu?" Du Du seemed to sense something, his small voice filled with loneliness: "Is he not answering my call?"

"Um... Jiang Xingliu has gone off to school," Shen Zhixue explained. "It's a boarding school, so he can only come home during holidays. Next time he's on break, I'll bring him over to play with you, okay?"

Du Du was silent for a moment, then asked softly, "When will he be on break?"

Shen Zhixue was stumped by the question. To be honest, military academies don't have many breaks, especially in the strictly managed Imperial Military Academy. Students are usually only allowed to leave during winter and summer vacations. Jiang Xingliu was so young... Shen Zhixue wasn't sure if Jiang Xingliu could take care of himself.

Seeing Shen Zhixue's silence, Du Du bit his lower lip and said, "Then we can wait for Jiang Xingliu's break together, okay? Zhi Zhi, come play with me. I really miss you."

Shen Zhixue smiled gently. "Okay, I'll come play with you when I have some free time, alright?"

"Can you come tomorrow?" Du Du finally perked up a bit.

Shen Zhixue replied, "I might have some stuff to take care of tomorrow..."

"What about the day after tomorrow? Or even the day after that?" Du Du pressed. "Come soon, Zhi Zhi."

Shen Zhixue nodded. "The day after tomorrow, I'll come over to play with you then."

"Yay!" Du Du cheered, hugging the communicator tightly. "You have to come, okay? I'll get snacks and toys ready with Mommy! You absolutely can't break your promise!"

Shen Zhixue felt much more relaxed and replied, "Okay!"

"Don't be like Jiang Xingliu!" Du Du laughed, puffing out his little belly in pretend anger. "He lied to me! I won't play with him anymore unless he says sorry a hundred times!"

Shen Zhixue couldn't help but laugh.

It was clear that Du Du was really upset, especially since the biggest number he knew was a hundred.

Du Du kept chatting with Shen Zhixue for a while longer. Shen Zhixue sat on the sofa, occasionally responding to Du Du while also skimming through some files on his tablet.

Even these simple responses made Du Du very happy, and he kept talking for about two hours until he got thirsty and ran to the kitchen for some water.

Lu Qingwan spoke up, "You really have the patience for this. Du Du really adores you."

Shen Zhixue smiled, his eyes still on the files. "Du Du is adorable. It doesn't take much to make him happy. I like him too."

Lu Qingwan suddenly said, "While you were talking to Du Du, I thought over what you said earlier. I was indeed out of line earlier. Zhi Zhi, you're right."

Shen Zhixue paused but didn't respond.

"Have you found a new job yet? I remember you're managing Fengyue Entertainment now, right?" Lu Qingwan continued. "How about this? I'll introduce you to a well-known director in the industry. He's working on a new project, and the investment and script are all set. They just haven't locked in the male lead yet. I read the script, and I think the male lead would suit you well. Would you like to give it a try?"

Shen Zhixue was taken aback. Acting was his comfort zone, and he had been considering expanding in that direction. Hearing this, he agreed.

After hanging up, Lu Qingwan quickly sent over the script. Shen Zhixue curled up on the sofa and started reading.

The script was indeed well-written, with a likable male lead and an engaging plot. He didn't know how long he read, but his eyes eventually grew tired, and he unconsciously put down the script and fell asleep.

Jiang Huizhou had been extremely busy these past few days. He had chosen to reveal his identity earlier than originally planned, announcing it in front of everyone.

Some preparations weren't fully in place, but fortunately, he still had time to arrange and make up for it.

"Why did you do this?" Ji Yuan complained. "Revealing your identity early—Jiang Corporation isn't completely finished yet, is it? Even though they're facing a huge financial crisis and could go bankrupt at any moment, a cornered beast is the most dangerous. Isn't it unwise to expose yourself before the enemy is completely defeated? Didn't you say that yourself?"

Jiang Huizhou didn't respond, sitting calmly in the CEO's office like a king who had already secured victory.

Strategizing and ensuring success from a thousand miles away—Ji Yuan knew his boss was always a step ahead. While others might plan three steps ahead, Jiang Huizhou would plan ten. And unless absolutely necessary, he would never disrupt his own plans.

Ji Yuan hesitated, feeling like he might have missed Jiang Huizhou's reasoning again. Could it be that Mr. Jiang already had a more perfect plan in mind?

Never mind, Mr. Jiang must have his reasons for doing this!

Just as he was about to take back his words, Jiang Huizhou made a move.

Ji Yuan watched as their brilliant Mr. Jiang reached out, tapped the floating light screen on the desk, and activated the artificial intelligence collection system.

A cold, mechanical voice emanated from the host—

"Welcome to the intelligent search engine. I am your exclusive AI assistant. How may I assist you?"

These days, such search engines can do more than just find answers. They are smarter, with more precise data, and can even make scientific predictions and forecast outcomes based on incomplete questions. Once the brain program is embedded, they’re practically half fortune-tellers, definitely more reliable than the blind fortune-tellers under the bridge.

In battlefields, military strategy, and politics, they’re a powerful tool. There are only about three hundred of these intelligent search engines in the entire empire, and Jiang Huizhou just happens to own one. It’s said that Jiang Huizhou’s own calculations are more accurate than the engine’s, so he rarely uses it.

Could it be that there’s now something even Mr. Jiang can’t predict?

Jiang Huizhou’s fingers brushed over his prayer beads as he spoke coolly, "Please—"

Ji Yuan held his breath, waiting.

What kind of question could it be that even Mr. Jiang doesn’t know the answer to?!

Jiang Huizhou asked seriously, "What kind of gift should I give for our wedding anniversary to make Shen Zhixue happy?"

Ji Yuan: "..."

I must’ve woken up too early—even dogs are falling in love. I need to go back to sleep.

Ji Yuan stumbled out of the CEO’s office.

The intelligent search engine quickly began its calculations, and soon, a cold, emotionless female voice announced: "Collecting personal information and personality traits for 'Shen Zhixue.' Calculating. Please wait... Based on the subject’s blood type, partial gene sequence, life experiences, and personality traits, the answer to 'What gift should be given for a wedding anniversary to make Shen Zhixue happy?' is—

Eighty percent: a massive inheritance;

Ten percent: real estate;

Six percent: gemstones;

The remaining four percent: uncertain factors, unable to be accurately calculated."

For the first time, a look of utter speechlessness crossed Jiang Huizhou’s face.

A massive inheritance, no less.

The little rabbit... really seems to like the idea of being a widow.

Well, I guess I’ll have to reluctantly 'die' for a while.

Jiang Huizhou raised an eyebrow, ordered some things on his brain, and then packed up to go home.

When he opened the door at home, he saw Shen Zhixue lying on the sofa.