Chapter 2

Jiang Yicen's sadness lasted only a moment. He did not regret his decision, but he felt nothing but apprehension.

He didn't know where the unfamiliar man in front of him was headed, so he stayed a step behind, letting the man guide him forward.

The layout here was all too familiar—this was clearly his family's hotel, but it had changed drastically. The decor was completely different from before: the curtains, walls, and carpets had all been replaced with other colors. Even the uniforms of the servers passing by had transformed—women wore cheongsams, and men wore long robes.

Jiang Yicen remembered dismissing all the hotel staff the day before yesterday. Their uniforms had been personally designed by his second brother, who had studied abroad: the female servers wore light-colored suits, the men black suits, all custom-tailored. Nothing like the employees here, whose cheongsams were baggy and ill-fitting, and the men's robes had unflattering lines and poor tailoring—a very shoddy design.

The man ahead suddenly stopped, and Jiang Yicen halted as well.

Since this was a hotel, they must have come here for a meal or a business dinner.

What was their relationship? They hadn't spoken a word for quite a while, hardly close.

As the stranger pushed open the door to the private room, Jiang Yicen couldn't help feeling nervous. What would he do if he couldn't handle the situation?

Before he could come up with a plan, a middle-aged man's reproachful voice came from inside: "Why are you just arriving? Everyone's been waiting for you."

Then an unfamiliar woman's voice chimed in with a laugh to ease the tension: "Our Yicen said he was going to the restroom, I wonder if he got lost. Why isn't he back yet?"

The stranger entered reluctantly, showing no reaction to the scolding and not even bothering making an excuse.

He was tall and had blocked Jiang Yicen from view. Only when he turned sideways to hang his coat did Jiang Yicen see the several people in the private room.

At the round table sat two middle-aged couples—clearly two married pairs—and between the two couples sat an elderly man with graying hair.

The old man wore a Tang suit and beamed, his eyes crinkling, as he greeted them: "Both children are here! Sit down, sit down."

Seeing them arrive together, everyone's expressions relaxed considerably.

The woman on the left, with her hair in a bun, laughed happily and feigned a scold: "You, child, why were you gone so long? How can you keep your elders waiting?"

Called out by name, Jiang Yicen's feet froze in place. He didn't want to step inside. He didn't know any of these people, but when they mentioned "Yicen," they must mean him.

Still, he calmly replied in the manner he usually used with his family: "Sorry, I stopped to check out an exhibition downstairs for a moment."

Everyone let the small incident slide.

Jiang Yicen and the stranger took their reserved seats.

From their conversation, he gathered that he and the stranger were the juniors here.

Was this a dinner between family friends to reconnect? That seemed the most reasonable explanation, since he and the stranger weren't familiar with each other and the stranger didn't try to be friendly. In fact, Jiang Yicen could sense his aloofness, though his good upbringing kept it from being obvious. After being forced to learn to manage the family business, he had learned to read people.

Compared to the others, Jiang Yicen felt the stranger was more reassuring.

Except for Nan Shuyi, everyone else's smiles widened. Even Nan Anru, who had been keeping a stern face, nodded slightly.

Nan Anru turned to the woman beside him and said, "Have the servers bring out the food. Let's eat and talk."

The woman pressed the service bell as he instructed.

Jiang Yicen covertly observed everyone's reactions, even noticing her pressing the bell.

No servers waiting outside the door? No need to call someone out?

Within a minute, a server was bringing in appetizers. This service bell really came in handy.

While he was lost in thought, the table talk shifted to topics Jiang Yicen couldn't follow—something about politics and economics, it seemed—but soon turned to him and the stranger.

Nan Anru asked him, "Yicen, have you settled back into the country? Do you plan to join the company or start your own business?"

Jiang Yicen thought carefully about how to answer. He had no experience studying abroad, and this casual chat felt no different from being interrogated as a spy.

He discreetly pinched his palm. It hurt.

Whether this was a dream or not, he was a real person.

He weighed his words: "I'm still considering it."

As he said this, the woman with the bun showed a glimmer of approval in her eyes but said nothing.

Jiang Gongming spoke: "Chairman Nan, young people can settle down before building a career. I originally planned to let him gain experience in the company first. What are Shuyi's plans now?"

Before Nan Shuyi could speak, Nan Anru said, "Him? All he knows is having fun. I hope marriage will rein him in."

Jiang Yicen turned to glance at the man beside him. He thought Nan's father might just be being polite.

Which "Shu" and which "Yi"?

The character "Yi" means elegance, like a refined gentleman.

Nan Shuyi noticed Jiang Yicen's blatant stare. He tilted his head, and their eyes met for just a second before they averted their eyes.

He habitually retorted to Nan Anru, "How do you know I'm just fooling around?"

Nan Anru, remembering this was a matchmaking dinner for him and needing to leave a good impression, didn't respond. Instead, he looked at Jiang Yicen.

"Yicen, our group has several subsidiaries that match your major. You two can go get some experience there first."

Jiang Gongming interjected with a smile, "Yicen, quickly thank Uncle Nan."

Jiang Yicen went along with it: "Thank you, Uncle."

He carefully mulled over the meaning of "both." Did it mean he and Nan Shuyi would go into the company together to gain experience?

If this was a family friendship, it made sense for a family friend to lend a hand.

During the meal, both families showed great respect for the white-haired old man, addressing him as Uncle Lin; Jiang Yicen and Nan Shuyi had to address him as Grandpa Lin.

They didn't talk much about business, focusing instead on family matters, mostly about Jiang Yicen and Nan Shuyi. The former felt like he was listening to a story about someone else; the latter grew more and more impatient.

From what they said, "Jiang Yicen" had studied abroad since childhood, had just returned after finishing graduate school, hadn't started working yet, preferred Western cuisine, and often peppered his speech with English.

As for Nan Shuyi, his father described him as having no steady job, skilled in eating and drinking and having fun—just like a playboy.

During the meal, he and Nan Shuyi were like accessories. They spoke little. Jiang Yicen slowly savored the dishes while Nan Shuyi only picked at a few bites, spending most of the time toasting.

In others' eyes, this was a pleasant and harmonious meal.

When it was over, they first saw Grandpa Lin off into his car.

Grandpa Lin patted Jiang Yicen and Nan Shuyi each on the shoulder, smiling. "You're both good kids. You two should get along well from now on."

Jiang Yicen, not knowing the full story, politely opened the car door for him: "I will, Grandpa Lin."

After the meal, he began to figure out what was going on—these people seemed to be trying to broker a peace between him and Nan Shuyi. Could it be that he and Nan Shuyi had some past grudge?

Grandpa Lin: "Good, good, that's right."

After seeing off Grandpa Lin, the Jiang couple and the Nan couple prepared to get into their respective cars and leave.

Jiang's mother: "Son, are you coming with us or going alone?"

Jiang Yicen thought for a moment: "I'll go with you." Since he was a stranger in a strange land, if he didn't follow, he'd probably end up on the streets.

Before getting in the car, he took another look at Nan Shuyi, who was turning to get into the Nan family car, and mustered the courage to approach: "Nan Shuyi, can I get your number?"

After all, this person was the first he met upon arriving here, making him feel closer than he did to anyone else. They would be working together in the company later, with plenty of opportunities for interaction, and both families were happy to see them interacting.

Nan Shuyi thought to himself that Jiang Yicen was quite proactive, and carelessly gave a phone number: "180XXXXXXX." He doubted Jiang Yicen would remember it.

Jiang Yicen was puzzled by the length of the number but repeated it mentally. Even though the number was longer than any he had ever known, he still managed to memorize it.

He asked, "Can I contact you if something comes up?"

Nan Shuyi paused for a moment: "Suit yourself."

Having received permission, Jiang Yicen returned to the car with the Jiang couple. He glanced back at their family restaurant—the entrance was still the same, even the stone lion, missing a ball ever since his second brother yanked it off, looked identical. Only the few old plum trees that his second brother had bought at a high price were missing from the entrance.

He reluctantly got back into the car.

At that moment, the attitude of the Jiang couple had changed from the dinner. Jiang Gongming's smile faded.

"Good performance today. From now on, don't keep speaking English all the time. Just act like you did today."

Jiang Yicen was baffled but didn't ask immediately. Wasn't this just a dinner between two families? What did he need to 'perform'?

He Nuanqing, however, defended Jiang Yicen: "The child has lived abroad for so many years. You can't just change six or seven years of habits overnight. He did well today—that's an improvement."

Jiang Yicen thought He Nuanqing was genuinely protecting him out of maternal love, but then she spoke to him again.

"Yicen, you'll have to bear with it from now on. I think Nan Shuyi is acceptable. Since you've always liked men, just get along with him from now on."

Jiang Yicen thought he had misheard: "What?"

He Nuanqing patted him on the hand: "We hit the jackpot. Nan Anru wanted to find a partner for Nan Shuyi. I see he doesn't dislike you. Grandpa Lin is the best fortune-teller in our city. He did a compatibility reading of your eight characters, and it was excellent. Nan Anru seems very satisfied with you."

Jiang Yicen was completely baffled. Why did he need Uncle Nan's approval?

Jiang Gongming snorted: "Our Jiang family has never had a man who likes men. This is a blessing in disguise for you."

Jiang Yicen: "..." If he understood correctly, it meant he liked men?

Jiang Yicen remained silent. Jiang Gongming thought he had spoken too harshly and, remembering that he needed his son to bring him closer to Nan Anru, softened his tone.

"When the Nan family's investment in our company comes through and the project goes smoothly, you'll get everything that's due to you. Not a penny less. Even if you divorce Nan Shuyi later, I won't interfere with whoever you're with."

He Nuanqing hurriedly said ingratiatingly: "The child will listen. Yicen, you should go on a few dates with Nan Shuyi in the next couple of days. As long as he agrees, this marriage can go through."

Jiang Gongming added: "Once this is settled, I'll let bygones be bygones. From now on, get along well with Nan Shuyi. It's a good thing you went to a decent school. Strive to impress Nan Anru and get into a key department of the Nan family."

What he was most satisfied with about this son was his academic ability. He used to be unhappy about his sexual orientation, but now it had come in handy.

Jiang Yicen suppressed his surprise, thought for a moment, and understood.

So the Jiang family needed investment from the Nan family. Tonight's dinner wasn't a friendly get-together between families but a matchmaking dinner. The Jiang family needed a business marriage with the Nan family.

Men could marry men here? This afterlife was so progressive.

No wonder Nan Shuyi had given him such a strange look today. They weren't just close family friends; they were here for a blind date.

From his interactions with this couple, it seemed that "Jiang Yicen's" relationship with them wasn't as close as he had imagined, so he said no more.

But he felt embarrassed about how he had behaved in front of Nan Shuyi. He covered his face with one hand and turned to look out the car window—this was a huge misunderstanding.

Outside the window, countless vehicles he had never seen before drove on wide, clean, smooth asphalt roads. The receding street scenes were filled with skyscrapers he had never seen before. Huge screens played commercials featuring celebrities. Pedestrians were dressed in stylish clothes, and even the large dogs being walked were well-fed and glossy-coated.

There were no sorrowful faces here, no filth, no vacant expressions;

There was no war, no frozen corpses, no families torn apart, no loved ones separated;

So doing good deeds really did lead to heaven after death. He could barely believe it, but his heart yearned for it.