Chapter 40

Chapter 40

With Jiang Xuli tagging along, Jin Ran politely declined Xu Zhen’s offer of a ride.

She changed into the latest season’s UV-protection athletic wear from the brand, applied a subtle, natural-looking makeup, and meticulously slathered sunscreen on every exposed patch of skin, not even missing behind her ears. Still feeling a touch uneasy, she casually tucked a bottle of sunscreen spray into her bag.

By the time she finally emerged, gracefully carrying her Hermès bag, Jiang Xuli, waiting downstairs, was beginning to show signs of impatience.

“Not sure when we’ll be back. Maybe you should let your dad know first.”

“Whatever.”

So, Jin Ran sent a WeChat message to Jiang Mingsuo, who had already left for the office.

The two took a taxi to Qiuping Mountain.

At the foot of the mountain, the club’s instructors were gathered, chatting amongst themselves. Jin Ran’s arrival immediately drew everyone’s attention.

True beauty lies deeper than the surface. Some women, even without seeing their faces, you know they are stunning just from their silhouette. Jin Ran was precisely this type.

Dressed in long-sleeved, full-length UV-protection athletic wear that might make others look bulky, she instead appeared even taller and more slender. Her face was mostly obscured by a mask, revealing only her high nose bridge and a pair of eyes. But those slightly upturned almond eyes, shimmering like clear autumn waters, captivated anyone they glanced upon.

“Ran Ran!”

Xu Zhen was the first to snap out of it, happily stepping forward. “You’re finally here! Oh, who’s this?”

She looked toward Jiang Xuli, who had arrived with Jin Ran. Unlike Jin Ran, who was thoroughly covered, the young man wore only a baseball cap with no other protection. Under the sun, his fair cheeks were already flushed pink.

Xu Zhen’s eyes lit up.

Where did this handsome young man come from?!

As a writer who daydreamed about plotlines even during work hours, Xu Zhen had terabytes of reference material in her mind—all decent, broadcast-appropriate stuff; she wasn’t into anything risqué.

For instance, upon seeing Jiang Xuli, her mind immediately conjured images of an aloof, top-student school heartthrob, a rising star in the entertainment industry, or the boy next door who was secretly in love with his childhood friend!

She instantly shot Jin Ran a look that clearly said, “Girl, you’re holding out on me!”: “Who’s this? Your little brother?”

Jiang Xuli was slightly taken aback.

He had always been aware of the age gap between Jin Ran and his father—she was much younger than his dad, only about ten years older than himself. So much so that when he first learned of his father’s remarriage, he had inwardly grumbled about "an old cow eating young grass."

But once they actually started interacting, he hadn’t really paid attention to their ages. Jin Ran had an innate composure about her, and her words and actions exuded a "teacher's demeanor" that made people unconsciously follow her lead.

This was the first time someone had directly asked about their relationship to his face.

Jiang Xuli felt conflicted.

Logically, Jin Ran was his father’s wife, so he should rightly call her stepmom or auntie. But because he had been unwilling to acknowledge Jin Ran’s status from the start, he had chosen to ignore her during their encounters. To this day, he had never formally addressed her as such.

But calling her "mom" in front of others? Absolutely out of the question.

Just as Jiang Xuli was hesitating over how to explain their relationship, Jin Ran spoke up effortlessly, without any pressure: “He’s my student. He’s under a lot of pressure with finals coming up, so I brought him out to get some fresh air.”

The funny thing was, he didn’t want to call her mom, and she certainly didn’t want to suddenly gain a son out of nowhere.

After all, she was only twenty-five! Right in the prime of her youth, a time when she should be eating, drinking, having fun, and enjoying life to the fullest. She had no intention of becoming the kind of mom who, when hanging out with friends, ends up revolving around a child. She’d die of embarrassment!

Jiang Xuli: “…”

He had forgotten about that identity.

But… why did he feel a sense of being dismissed?

Jiang Xuli wasn’t sure whether to feel upset for himself or for his dad.

Xu Zhen suddenly understood, then couldn’t help but loop her arm through Jin Ran’s: “No wonder the principal praises you so much! Even when going hiking, you’re still concerned about your students. You’re way too dedicated!”

It made the rest of them look bad in comparison.

The others also chimed in with praises for Jin Ran’s professionalism. So, after mistakenly being assigned the "good stepmom" role by the butler, Jin Ran now accidentally stumbled into earning a "good teacher" reputation.

Hmm… wasn’t it like they say, life is like a play, all depending on acting skills?

Qiuping Mountain was located in the suburbs of City A, one of the few hilly scenic spots around the city. Recently, large plots of land nearby had been acquired, and rumors were spreading that the government planned to develop it into an internet-famous spot as part of a peri-urban recreation belt. Investment promotion had already begun, so on weekends and holidays, a steady stream of tourists came in advance to check it out.

The members of the hiking club gathered at the mountain’s base. After a headcount and equipment check, they prepared to set off.

Taking into account everyone’s differing physical stamina, the leader arranged to meet up at the glass walkway in two hours.

Wang Chen, usually one of the fastest in the group, intentionally slowed his pace today to match Jin Ran and Xu Zhen: “When hiking, pay attention to your rhythm. Sync your breathing with your steps—inhale every two steps, exhale every two steps. Teacher Jin and Xiao Zhen, it’s your first time today, no need to rush. You can take it slow.”

His attitude was bright and cheerful, completely like a sunny boy, making people trust him instinctively.

Wang Chen explained many useful little hiking tips and even proactively helped adjust the gear around their knees. Seeing this, Xu Zhen teased: “You’re never this nice to me, your cousin, usually. I suspect you have an ulterior motive!”

Wang Chen immediately turned bright red: “Nonsense! I brought you two here, of course I have to take responsibility till the end.”

With that, he turned to help Jin Ran, but just then a leg inserted itself between them. Looking up, he saw the student Jin Ran had brought glaring coldly down at him: “No trouble, Teacher Wang.”

Wang Chen: “…”

He wondered if the sun was making him hallucinate; otherwise, why did this student’s gaze seem a bit fierce?

But he didn’t dwell on it, deftly helping him fasten the knee pads. By the time he stood up again, Jin Ran beside him had already adjusted hers.

Wang Chen felt a pang of weird disappointment.

Later on the hike, when he offered to open a water bottle, Jiang Xuli happened to be thirsty; when he suggested taking photos, Jiang Xuli urged them to hurry up; when they reached the glass walkway and he needed to use the restroom, Jiang Xuli immediately ushered him out of the group: “Go on, we’ll go ahead.”

Behind them, Jin Ran narrowed her eyes.

Sharp as she was, she understood completely: Jiang Xuli hadn’t come hiking today; he’d come to keep watch!

Jin Ran had always found Jiang Xuli rather contradictory.

Clearly, he didn’t like his father remarrying, yet seeing her go hiking with members of the opposite sex, he followed along step-by-step.

Later, she intentionally struck up conversations with other male colleagues and, sure enough, saw Jiang Xuli’s brows furrow so tightly they seemed twisted into a knot.

Seizing a moment when no one was paying attention, Jin Ran pulled the youth aside, crossed her arms, and pressed him: “Out with it. What are you planning? Going to tell your dad?”

Jiang Xuli frowned instinctively: “Who’s going to tell him?” He gave her a faint glance and muttered under his breath, “I’m not like you.”

Jin Ran: “…”

The original Jin Ran, in pursuit of the "good stepmom" image, had often secretly tailed her stepson and reported behind his back to Jiang Mingsuo. No wonder the young man complained like this.

"Then what are you doing now?" Jin Ran asked, looking puzzled.

Jiang Xuli hesitated for a moment before speaking up, "I was scared he'd hit you."

So that's why I decided to nip the problem in the bud, to stop it before it even starts.

"…?" Jin Ran stared, confused.

She was quite surprised: "Wait, your dad hits people?"

Jiang Xuli thought seriously for a moment, then shook his head and nodded: "I’ve never seen it, but I’ve heard relatives back in our hometown say he's known for getting into fights."

Jin Ran was torn between amusement and exasperation: "If your dad hits me just for talking to another guy, no matter how rich he is, I'd divorce him for sure."

Even if she had an agenda, she still had her principles—her bottom line was that she could never accept an ugly man or an abusive jerk, not in this lifetime or the next!

Jiang Xuli quickly seized the key point: "So you married my dad for his money?"

"...That’s not the point. The point is, the things you’re worried about won’t happen, so you can relax."

At this, Jin Ran felt a spark of curiosity, and she asked, "Do you still have relatives back in your hometown? How come I’ve never heard about them?"

The novel only mentioned that Jiang Mingsuo lost his parents at a young age, worked to support himself, and later received sponsorship from a wealthy person to return to school and complete his education.

Since transmigrating into the book, she had never met any relatives from his hometown.

Besides, what kind of relative would badmouth someone’s father in front of their child? Wasn’t that just deliberately sowing discord?

Jiang Xuli, however, didn’t seem to question their motives: "My dad doesn’t really keep in touch with them."

Strictly speaking, Jiang Mingsuo actively despised his hometown relatives.

Over the years, relatives from his hometown had indeed come looking for him, hoping that the "successful" Jiang Mingsuo would help them out. But without fail, these relatives would show up one day and quietly leave the next.

When Jiang Xuli was young, he found it strange and even thought his relatives were performing magic tricks. It wasn’t until later that he realized they had been "chased away" by his dad.

"They said my mom... was also driven away by my dad."

At that, Jin Ran froze.

Dappled sunlight filtered through the dense leaves, casting fragmented shadows on the young man’s face. His expression was so calm it was almost indifferent, and even his voice was completely flat: "But I don't think what they said is necessarily true, so I want to go back and see for myself."

These thoughts had been buried in Jiang Xuli’s heart for a long time, never shared with anyone else. But perhaps it was because the sunlight today was just too perfect, or because it was the first time someone had listened to him so quietly.

Or perhaps it was just the sight of a cluster of blooming yellow wildflowers swaying pitifully in the breeze that suddenly gave him this urge to spill everything. For no reason at all, he poured everything out.

His thinking was simple: since no one would give him the answers, he might as well go find them himself.

Jin Ran fell silent for a moment.

She didn’t know what to say—it felt like nothing would be appropriate at a time like this.

"Go for it"? That seemed a bit superficial.

Reason with him? He was fifteen years old, a high school student capable of independent thought. If he had already made up his mind, he probably didn’t need her advice.

Besides, in Jin Ran’s view, a child who had never met his birth mother wanting to see her didn’t seem wrong at all. Even as a stepmom, she saw no issue with it... Instead, she was starting to put together the previous conflict between father and son: "Your dad said you wanted to travel—is it to W City?"

Jiang Xuli nodded.

Jiang Mingsuo was from W City and only moved to A City later to start a business with someone.

Jin Ran fell silent again, and after a while, she spoke up, but this time to break down his grades: "Last month’s exam, you scored 560 points, ranking 23rd in your class. You've got 13 people to beat to crack the top ten. Your math and English are basically your strong suits, and politics and history are mostly about memorization. When we get back, I’ll put a study plan together for you. As for Chinese..."

Remembering their shared "abstract poetry skills," she swallowed the words "I’ll tutor you" and said instead: "The Teacher Xu we met today is a Chinese teacher, and she’s very knowledgeable. I’ll ask her to give you some extra help later."

Throughout, Jin Ran’s tone remained easy and offhand, no different from usual, as if everything he had said was no big deal.

Influenced by her, Jiang Xuli, who had initially felt somewhat uneasy, suddenly felt like it was no big deal either. Gazing at the lush green leaves, the weight in his chest just melted away.

He even took the initiative to say, "W City has a lot of cool historical spots. When school is out, you can go there too."

"Sure."

Somehow, the conversation shifted from a heartfelt chat to holiday travel.

By the time they reached the glass walkway, they were already discussing the overpriced and unappetizing "local specialties" at tourist spots and when to neuter the calico cat at home.

Their relationship visibly improved by leaps and bounds.

It wasn’t that they had become incredibly close, but at least Jiang Xuli was no longer acting like a shy, hesitant young bride around her. He could now chat normally: "So you mean the calico cat actually belongs to Chen Xunliang?"

"Yeah, his mom won’t let him keep it, so it’s temporarily staying at our place."

"If his mom never agrees, what’s the difference between that cat and ours?"

Jiang Xuli thought seriously: "Maybe it has an extra 'get out of jail free' card? Last time I saw it pounce on my dad, I thought he’d kick it away, but he didn’t."

But if it were his cat, the outcome might have been different.

"Pfft, hahaha." Jin Ran laughed so hard she nearly doubled over, tears welling in the corners of her eyes.

Everyone in the villa knew that Jiang Mingsuo was a bit of a neat freak and steered clear of the fur-shedding calico at all costs. But the calico cat loved seeking him out, and several times Jin Ran had seen the man’s brows furrowed so tightly they could crush ants.

It suddenly struck her that Jiang Mingsuo’s biggest hater wasn’t a business rival but his own son.

She couldn’t help but remark leisurely, "I’m not sure if your dad would hit me, but if he finds out you’re spreading rumors behind his back, he’ll definitely hit you."

Jiang Xuli’s breath hitched, but then he shrugged it off: "He’s at work; he won’t find out."

Little did he know that just a few hours later, he would run into the last person he wanted to see.

/

"President Jiang, President Xiao, President Lin, here’s to a successful collaboration. We’ll be counting on all of you for the development of Qiuping Mountain going forward."

The project lead was all smiles. After finalizing the cooperation, the group moved on to a dinner.

Among them, President Xiao and President Lin were older, and the earlier mountain inspection had drained most of their energy. The two of them were now sitting on stone benches at the viewing platform, discussing plans to take the cable car down.

At that moment, Special Assistant Wang approached Jiang Mingsuo and reported in a low voice, "President Jiang, I just ran into that illegitimate son of the Jian family on the mountainside. He was accompanying a minor celebrity for an outdoor shoot."

Back when President Jiang had asked him to look into his wife, that particular member of the Jian family had come up in the investigation. So the moment Special Assistant Wang saw him, he came to report.

Hearing this, Jiang Mingsuo’s expression remained unchanged.

When the two older executives approached, he conversed with them calmly and confidently: "I heard President Jiang hasn’t been attending any banquets lately. I wonder if us two old men have the honor of inviting you today?"

Jiang Mingsuo, however, recalled Jin Ran telling him in the morning that she was going out with friends and wouldn’t be home for dinner. He smiled: "President Xiao and President Lin, you flatter me. I actually have some matters I’d like to discuss with both of you as well. Shall we go together?"

/

Standing on the transparent glass walkway, with the deep valley beneath their feet and gazing at the distant mountains, the layered peaks peeked through the trees, like an ink-wash landscape painting.

Everyone leaned against the railings, admiring the unobstructed beautiful view. Time seemed to stretch infinitely in that moment. Someone was first to lie down on the ground, and soon others spread out picnic mats, pulling out their packed lunches and snacks for an impromptu picnic.

Seeing this, Wang Chen raised his hand and suggested, "Just sitting and chatting is so boring. How about we play a game?"

"Sure, what game?"

"Let's play Truth or Dare?"

Everyone immediately let out a long, groaning "ugh"—it was such a stale, unoriginal idea. However, Xu Zhen blinked and jumped to support her cousin's idea. Jin Ran was indifferent either way. In the end, the game suggestion passed with a five-to-four vote.

Though they complained, once it started, they grew more and more excited.

Wang Chen chuckled and said, "We still have underage students here, so everyone should take it easy."

Hearing this, Jiang Xuli was quite indifferent. Although he had never played before, he knew about this boring, old-fashioned game.

As it turned out, the one who didn't care unluckily got stuck with the first joker card.

"Hahahaha, come on, come on, let's question our high school student first!"

"Don't go too far, but don't make it too easy either!"

"Let me do it!" Xu Zhen immediately raised her hand, with a mischievous grin. "Xiao Jiang, are you seeing anyone at school?"

As soon as she finished speaking, the group burst into good-natured chuckles. Jiang Xuli, surrounded by everyone, went stiff for a moment before a rush of heat traveled from his neck to the tips of his ears.

Teenagers are always particularly sensitive to such topics. Even though he had no romantic experience, the question made him clench his jaw.

What made his skin crawl even more was that, in the next second, Jin Ran also looked over curiously...