Chapter 2: Radix Stephaniae and Rehmanniae Water

Chapter 2: Radix Stephaniae and Rehmanniae Water

Shortly after, the manager quietly approached Chen Wan, apologizing sincerely, "Mr. Chen, I'm sorry, but the kitchen says the batch of mangoes from the Vietnamese border is delayed due to the typhoon. We can't make the Mango Pomelo Sago Dessert or the Pancake Pudding. Would red bean soup be an acceptable substitute?"

Both are classic Cantonese desserts. Chen Wan thought for a moment, murmured a few words, and the manager nodded and hurried away.

As the banquet was winding down, Zhuo Zhixuan still saw no movement from Chen Wan. In frustration, he grabbed a glass of wine and walked over to him, giving him a pat on the shoulder.

At times, he found Chen Wan incredibly smart, and at other times, quite foolish. He meticulously orchestrated everything behind the scenes, but it would be more effective to step forward and express his admiration.

Those nearby turned their attention, greeted Zhuo Zhixuan eagerly. With Zhuo Zhixuan staying put, Chen Wan had no choice but to pick up his glass and rise, following him.

What Chen Wan imagined as a vast distance turned out to be just a few steps.

As Zhuo Zhixuan guided him, Zhao Shengge was still in conversation with Shen Zongnian.

The Shen family dominated the city's gambling industry and had deep ties with the Zhao family.

Once their conversation ended, Zhuo Zhixuan said, "Shengge, this is Chen Wan."

That evening, Zhao Shengge had endured numerous introductions and self-recommendations—faces of uniform beauty, equally illustrious family backgrounds, and eager, respectful smiles.

He glanced up indifferently, cast a glance at Chen Wan, and politely raised his glass, acknowledging the introduction with a nod.

His calm gaze didn't linger for more than a second.

Chen Wan was not surprised. He also raised his glass, politely greeted with a "Mr. Zhao," and then remained silent, not even bothering with an introduction.

It wasn't particularly disappointing. Zhao Shengge had seen too many people; Chen Wan was neither the most handsome nor the most special.

Back in school, many people wrote love letters to Zhao Shengge. Of course, Zhao Shengge wouldn't tear them up or throw them away like the brainless protagonists in novels. His upbringing and manners wouldn't allow it.

On the contrary, as far as Chen Wan knew, Zhao Shengge was actually a very polite person, but with a strong sense of boundaries. He would gracefully say thank you and then refuse.

These people, he probably didn't remember any of them.

Rather than whether he could leave a special impression on Zhao Shengge, Chen Wan was more concerned about the cup of herbal tea by Zhao Shengge's side.

It was already empty, indicating that it was quite satisfactory.

Satisfactory was enough.

The city was located in the tropics, with perpetual summer and a hot, dry climate. Without a dessert after the meal, he had the manager go to a nearby alley to buy old herbal tea—Radix Stephaniae and Rehmanniae Water—to cool and soothe, which unexpectedly became popular.

The ladies and misses thought it was a new product from the restaurant and asked for refills many times.

Chen Wan didn't want to stay long, but Tan Youming, sitting to Zhao Shengge's right, casually spoke to him, "A Wan, let's play bowling tomorrow. I happen to be taking Shengge to see the Pearl Bridge."

The Pearl Bridge, a landmark of the city, was the first cross-sea bridge connecting the islands of Ao and Xiang, a place where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold.

The project was a red-headed bid from the mainland, with the Zhao and Tan families jointly leading the investment. Both families had always maintained close ties with the mainland.

It was a tough nut that the city authorities had been unable to crack. Back then, it was Zhao Shengge who led the negotiations.

At that time, affected by the financial crisis, the special zone's market was in a stalemate, and economic exchanges with the mainland had reduced to their lowest in nearly a decade.

The launch of the Pearl Bridge was the first project in response to the mainland's policy of stimulating domestic demand with preferential support. Since then, exchanges between the two places gradually warmed up, and the city's economy recovered. Therefore, the Pearl Bridge not only had economic significance but also important political significance—it was a symbol.

However, after three rounds of negotiations and consultations for this project, Zhao Shengge immediately flew abroad, leaving the follow-up to the Tan family. He didn't even attend the auspicious day of the bridge's completion, ribbon-cutting, and opening.

Chen Wan smiled in response to Tan Youming, "Heli Mansion is just across the bridge. We can wait until the day after tomorrow when the typhoon has passed to go there for golf and camping. The scenery is beautiful."

"Oh right, this damn weather," Tan Youming cursed, "You’re always so considerate."

Chen Wan smiled without saying anything. The young masters were responsible for their impulses, while he handled the planning and aftermath, with weather, geography, and personal preferences all in mind.

Not wanting to overstay his welcome, Chen Wan excused himself. He raised his glass slightly towards the group, "I’ll have the manager bring more tea. Enjoy your time."

Zhuo Zhixuan once again felt frustrated. Chen Wan, usually so skilled in social situations, didn’t make any meaningful connections this time.

Chen Wan could easily make anyone like him—if he wanted to.

However, this did not include Zhao Shengge.

Zhao Shengge glanced at the cooled tea in the pot and then at Tan Youming, who was waving goodbye to Chen Wan, but said nothing.

Tan Youming sighed helplessly, muttering, "He’s fine."

Zhao Shengge leaned back, sipped his tea, and stayed silent.

Even after years of knowing Zhao Shengge, Tan Youming still couldn’t quite figure him out. Even as a child, Zhao Shengge was mature and aloof, and in recent years, he had become even more inscrutable.

In the divided city of Haishi, their circle had indeed never welcomed many people, but Chen Wan was genuinely good—capable, with a strong character. Tan Youming could only look to Shen Zongnian for help.

Even the usually reserved Shen Zongnian muttered, "It’s fine," though his tone was flat.

Zhao Shengge had only questioned out of habit, but with both Tan Youming and Shen Zongnian vouching for this person, it was quite significant.

Zhao Shengge shrugged, raising an eyebrow. "I didn’t say anything."

Tan Youming: "..." Tan Youming had survived years of Zhao Shengge’s remarks—a testament to his patience.

Chen Wan had the cars ready at the entrance as the gathering wrapped up.

Once outside, the roar of the waves at the foot of the mountain became clearer. Raindrops clung to the eaves, and the night sea breeze was strong, blowing down many white azaleas and bellflowers that bloomed in the night.

Chen Wan hadn't brought a jacket when he came out. The sea breeze billowed his shirt, revealing his slender waist and straight shoulders, like bamboo in the rain.

He didn’t need to turn around to know who was behind him.

Chen Wan straightened his posture, lowered his head, and stepped aside, nearly disappearing into the darkness.

Zhao Shengge walked past, jacket in one hand, phone in the other, his voice low.

The doorman handed the keys to each of their drivers. Chen Wan heard Tan Youming call out to his assistant, "Head straight to Guilanfang."

The biggest luxury hotspot in Haishi.

Zhao Shengge, who had already hung up the phone, whispered something Chen Wan couldn't quite catch.

A faint ache touched his heart as he stood quietly, umbrella in hand, watching.

Tan Youming leaned out the window, inviting Chen Wan to join the fun. Chen Wan smiled softly, a beacon in the storm.

"Next time, Tan. I still have guests to attend to."

Tan Youming didn't press him.

Chen Wan stood tall, watching the black Maybach, flanked by Cayennes and Bentleys, vanish into the storm.

Chen Wan blinked, snapped his long-handled black umbrella shut, turned around, and stepped back into the glitzy world of fame and fortune.

The "Fairy Deer storm" didn’t linger long, and by the third day, the clouds had already begun to disperse and the rain had stopped. Early in the morning, Chen Wan was called back to the old estate.

It had been two months since his last visit, and being distracted, he missed a turn at the foot of the mountain, arriving only around eleven o’clock.

The second and third branches of the Chen family were all there—cousins, relatives, uncles—a whole crowd of people, crowded around Mrs. Chen’s mahjong table, with two other tables set up for bridge, making the place lively.

Chen Wan glanced around but didn’t see Song Qingmiao, so he made his way straight to the side room on the third floor.

Chen Bingxin, seated in the main position, looked grim and tapped his cane: "Don’t you know how to say hello?"

Chen Wan stopped in his tracks, gave a calm nod to the people below, and said in Cantonese, "Good morning."

Only then did the people at the mahjong table notice Chen Wan—the fourth branch’s illegitimate son had always been the least acknowledged.

At that moment, he stood halfway up the redwood spiral staircase, looking down yet deferential, creating a strangely contradictory image.

However, Chen Wan had been afflicted by bad luck since childhood, and even a feng shui master had said he was the most cursed and ill-fated among three generations. Coupled with that incident, the Chen family had him locked up in a mental institution until he was twelve before releasing him.

Everyone was busy playing mahjong, and no one responded to Chen Wan, so he simply made his way upstairs.

The side room on the third floor was narrow, and being on the top floor, it was affected by the constant dampness of the coastal city, leaving the white walls stained and some spots leaking.

Most of the Chen family lived on the second floor, with only Song Qingmiao residing on this level.

She wasn’t properly wed into the family; after moving through several wealthy businessmen in the city, she used some schemes to keep Chen Wan, and Chen Bingxin, unable to get rid of her, brought her back.

Chen Wan knocked on the door, and there was a rustling sound inside.

"Who is it?"

"It’s me."

The lock clicked, and a head peeked out from behind the door: "Baby."

Chen Wan, used to this, murmured, "Hmm," and slipped inside.

The worn-out wooden floor creaked, and it seemed it hadn’t been cleaned for days, with a layer of dust and edges curling up.

Due to the weather and poor lighting, the room was dim, and the pale light from the overhead lamp cast an eerie and distorted glow on the peeling paint of the Guanyin statue in the shrine.

Several empty jewelry boxes were haphazardly scattered on the dressing table.

Chen Wan remembered that he had just taken her out to dinner last week and brought her a set of Tiffany’s, a pre-release auction item, which he had someone bid for since the auction house hadn’t sent him an invitation.

Moreover, every fortnight when he took her out to eat, he would transfer her a sum of money, none of which was small.

Chen Wan lowered his head slightly, looking at the pile of jewelry, pursed his lips, and softly said, "Didn’t you say you wouldn’t go anymore?"

Song Qingmiao hesitated for a moment, picked up a thin cigarette from the ashtray, and put it in her mouth, smoking right in front of the golden Buddha statue, unbothered by divine judgment.

The ashtray was nearly overflowing with cigarette butts, untouched.

"Cao Zhi is withholding my dividends, and Liao Liu cheated me out of a set of Bulgari at the mahjong table. I was so angry I wanted to kill someone."

She wasn’t from the city; she had been sold here, and her speech always carried the soft, melodious tone of the Jiangnan region, with a girlish innocence and coquettishness when speaking to her son.

Song Qingmiao looked quite remorseful, resting her elbow on the dressing table, propping her head up. The oval, flower-patterned copper mirror reflected her slender and graceful figure.

She had a bone structure that aged very well, with almond eyes, pearl-like teeth, and full lips, exuding both charm and purity. Even at her age, her long, straight black hair didn’t look out of place at all.