Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Jiang Yicen initially thought he was hearing things, only turning around when the other person called out again.

The guy not only called him but also walked over.

Jiang Yicen had anticipated this kind of situation before. He didn't know any of Jiang Yicen's friends. If he were at the Jiang residence, he could at least guess their status, but outside, he couldn't perfectly put names to faces.

He'd subtly asked He Nuanqing about which friends Jiang Yicen had in Lincheng. He Nuanqing said that before middle school, he didn't have many close friends locally—mostly classmates from abroad, most of whom stayed overseas, though one or two were still close back home.

Now, a young person who knew his name was either an older brother or one of those few friends. He carefully studied the man's appearance. His clothes were undoubtedly expensive, and his hair was meticulously styled. He looked about four or five parts like Jiang Gongming.

Jiang Gongming was considered good-looking for a man—not bald, with regular features—otherwise, he wouldn't have married his ex-wife, who came from a good family. The man who called out to Jiang Yicen had larger eyes than Jiang Gongming's, clear and shrewd, and they looked at Jiang Yicen with dissatisfaction.

Jiang Yicen hadn't spoken yet when a younger man stepped out from behind him and spoke first. He wore prominent silver earrings in both ears and had permed light brown curly hair—a flamboyant, attention-seeking young man.

The flamboyant guy said, "Dad called us. He's looking for you."

Jiang Yicen didn't need to guess these two were the Jiang brothers. The one with a stern, precise expression might be the oldest Jiang brother, while the more impulsive one could be the second. Both were born to Jiang's father and his first wife, making them Jiang Yicen's half-brothers.

He knew he couldn't avoid this, so he simply nodded in acknowledgment: "I understand. Thank you."

Jiang Yicen had been sent abroad as a teenager, so his relationship with his three siblings should be far from close—this was Jiang Yicen's own conclusion.

His guess was correct. The one who first called him was the eldest brother, Jiang Yiting, and the one who followed was the second brother, Jiang Yifeng.

Jiang Yiting asked him, "Did you drive yourself?"

Jiang Yicen: "No."

He had watched the news; these days, drinking and driving is illegal, and you needed a driver's license. Jiang Yicen had a Chinese driver's license, but he himself had never driven a modern car and didn't know how to operate it.

"Let's go back together then." Jiang Yiting made the call without letting anyone argue, and walked past Jiang Yicen toward the elevator.

There was a hint of condescension in his tone that made Jiang Yicen uncomfortable.

Jiang Yifeng followed, but when he saw Jiang Yicen merely step aside to make way for them, apparently not intending to join them, he asked in confusion, "Aren't you coming with us?"

Jiang Yicen replied truthfully, "I'm waiting for someone."

Jiang Yifeng looked around: "You've got a friend here?"

His tone was annoying.

Before Jiang Yicen could answer, Nan Shuyi emerged from inside, seemingly looking for his coat.

Jiang Yicen raised his wrist: "I've got your coat."

Both Jiang brothers, Jiang Yiting and Jiang Yifeng, looked at Nan Shuyi simultaneously. There's no way they didn't know who he was, especially since Jiang Gongming wanted the Jiang family to ally with the Nan family. They had already set up a matchmaking dinner, and it seemed like a done deal, with both families now setting a wedding date.

Jiang Yiting had figured Nan Shuyi wasn't interested in Jiang Yicen, but he hadn't expected to run into them together out here.

Jiang Yifeng, who had met Nan Shuyi before, asked, "You two had dinner together?"

Nan Shuyi naturally took the coat Jiang Yicen handed him: "Yeah. Got a problem with that?"

He wasn't polite to Jiang Yifeng.

Of the Jiang brothers, Nan Shuyi didn't know the eldest well, but he knew Jiang Yifeng from before.

After the matchmaking dinner, Nan Shuyi had also asked about the relationship between Jiang Yicen and his brothers.

Jiang Yiting had entered the group headquarters, Jiang Yifeng was spoiled by his mother's family and lived as a playboy, and Jiang Yicen was pushed into an arranged marriage. It was obvious who stood to gain.

Jiang Yifeng gave a sly grin: "Nothing much. Great, actually. I didn't expect us to become relatives. Nan Shuyi, from now on, you'll have to call me brother-in-law."

Nan Shuyi chuckled: "You can say that when you beat me. Loser."

The sting hit home, and Jiang Yifeng's smile froze: "You'd better wait for me. Last time was a fluke. Next time I'll win."

Jiang Yicen looked at Nan Shuyi curiously. In what area had he beaten Jiang Yifeng?

Noticing his confused look, Nan Shuyi said, "I'll tell you next time."

Jiang Yicen nodded. "Sure." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jiang Yifeng's lips tighten.

The four of them went to the underground garage together.

When they got out of the elevator, Jiang Yiting ordered, "Jiang Yicen, get in my car and go home."

Jiang Yicen had no reason to refuse, nor did he want to trouble Nan Shuyi further. He stood in front of Nan Shuyi and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Then I'll head back now."

Nan Shuyi: "Mm. That number is my WeChat. Add me."

Jiang Yicen didn't quite understand, but he couldn't ask now: "I'll add you when I get back."

He was about to turn, Nan Shuyi said impatiently, "Give me your phone number."

Jiang Yicen: "..." He didn't even know his own phone number. He pursed his lips into a smile and quickly came up with a reasonable excuse to brush it off: "I just got a new number since coming back to the country. I haven't memorized it yet."

Nan Shuyi gave him a deep look. Not remembering his own number but remembering his—lying without a second thought. Still, he wasn't angry at all; in fact, he found it amusing.

"Alright. Go home."

They parted ways. Jiang Yicen got into Jiang Yiting's car, while Nan Shuyi got into his own. With a press of the accelerator, his car shot out of the underground parking lot first.

Jiang Yifeng glanced at him a few times and said, "You've already won over Nan Shuyi so quickly? Not bad."

His words were frivolous and rude. Jiang Yicen furrowed his brows in displeasure. Since both families were already discussing wedding arrangements, they should be fiancés.

Jiang Yicen disliked the flippancy in Jiang Yifeng's tone and corrected him: "He is my fiancé."

Jiang Yifeng continued to smirk: "Already defending him?"

Jiang Yicen didn't want to talk to this person. He knew very well that Jiang Yifeng had no respect for Jiang Yicen. Having stated his position, further words were pointless. He turned to look out the window, which now offered a dazzling night view.

He marveled once again at the ingenuity of modern society—digging a zone underneath a mall was an amazing layout. Instead of focusing on the Jiang brothers, he preferred to concentrate on the development of the new era. How to integrate into this new society was what he needed to do.

Jiang Yifeng usually enjoyed taunting Jiang Yicen a few times. Jiang Yicen used to act aloof but had a temper that was hard to control. Every taunt would make him blush and stammer, but today, he didn't take the bait. Instead, he completely ignored the provocation. Jiang Yifeng wanted to provoke him further, but just as he

Jiang Yicen detected malice in his eyes and said, "Poems like 'The Song of the Yue Boatman', 'The Tale of Zhou Xiao Shi', and 'Emotion · No. 12' all mention the beauty of same-sex love. Even the law now permits same-sex marriage. Why do you look down on it?"

Jiang Yifeng paused, momentarily unable to refute his offhand remark. He had only expected that mentioning Jiang Yicen's sexual orientation would make him furious, but he hadn't anticipated this calm counterattack.

Jiang Gongming was a very traditional and patriarchal parent; he wouldn't tolerate having a gay person in the family. Ever since learning about Jiang Yicen's orientation, he had given up on this son, emotionally abusing him in both words and actions. His mother, in a desperate bid to win Jiang Gongming's favor, went along with everything he said, never once considering visiting Jiang Yicen abroad. Jiang Yicen's standing in the Jiang family had always been precarious—otherwise, he wouldn't have been "exiled" overseas for years, only to be called back when he became useful to the Jiang family.

Jiang Yiting shifted his gaze from his phone to Jiang Yicen. Today's Jiang Yicen was different from usual; every time Jiang Yifeng provoked him, he ended up getting the short end of the stick.

Jiang Yicen's sudden display of cultural knowledge caught Jiang Yifeng off guard: "How could I possibly look down on gay people? Thanks to your orientation, our family hitched a ride on the Nan family's coattails."

Jiang Yicen suddenly smiled and shot a look at Jiang Yifeng: "So, if I refuse to marry Nan Shuyi, would we miss out on the Nan family?"

Jiang Yifeng felt a chill creep up his spine when he saw that look: "..."

He realized his usual moves weren't working on him today.

Jiang Yiting interrupted Jiang Yicen's counterattack against Jiang Yifeng: "Arranged marriages are just the icing on the cake. The true collaboration between two major groups lies in the strength and integrity of their companies."

Jiang Yicen knew little about Jiangda Group, so he kept quiet.

It was his first time dealing with the two brothers, Jiang Yiting and Jiang Yifeng, and the contrast was stark. Jiang Yiting was sharp—his words sounded ordinary but were really meant to put Jiang Yicen in his place, more formidable than Jiang Yifeng's blunt teasing. It was a move to put Jiang Yicen in his place.

After all, Jiang Yiting was Jiang Yifeng's real brother; he would naturally take his brother's side.

If it weren't important, why bother with a marriage alliance?

Was his marriage to Nan Shuyi really just a bonus?

Maybe realizing Jiang Yicen had changed—he wasn't throwing in English words anymore but talking about old and new culture—Jiang Yifeng shut up. For the rest of the ride, they were quiet—one watching the view, one on his phone, one checking his work chats.

The three returned to the Jiang residence.

He Nuanqing immediately approached Jiang Yicen and hissed at him: "How could you go out without your phone? Do you have any idea how worried I was? Your dad's pissed."

Jiang Yicen stood beside He Nuanqing, holding his coat, without arguing or storming off. He ignored Jiang Gongming's attitude and just explained why he did what he did.

"I thought I was just going for a short walk, but I lost track of time."

Meanwhile, Jiang Yifeng muttered to Jiang Yiting, "Brother, what's up with Jiang Yicen? He's not the same."

Jiang Yiting, too, found it hard to figure out Jiang Yicen, but he still thought he had him figured out.

He warned Jiang Yifeng, "Watch your mouth lately. Don't provoke him, and don't let him get too cocky. It's not worth it."

Jiang Gongming would eventually pass Jiangda to him; he was already a senior executive there and knew perfectly well that Jiangda needed Nanyuan. It wouldn't do them any good to piss off Jiang Yicen.

After dealing with He Nuanqing, Jiang Yicen was called into the study by Jiang Gongming for a few words about the wedding matters. Jiang Yiting was also there.

Today Jiang Gongming acted all generous, with a friendly face full of kindness: "Marrying Nan Shuyi won't be a bad deal for you. Anything you want?"

Considering the Jiang family's wealth, Jiang Yicen thought his wish should be easily granted—just a few shops to secure a steady income in the future, for he was a guy from eighty years ago.

He looked at Jiang Gongming and said casually, "I want the shops on Qingyuan Road."

That had once been one of the Jiang family's properties.

Jiang Gongming: "..."

Jiang Yiting: "..."

Jiang Yicen figured Jiang Gongming was just pretending to be generous. "Can't do it?"

Jiang Yiting spoke up for his dad: "Qingyuan Road has been designated as a scenic area by the government. Shops in that area cannot be bought or sold—only leased."

Jiang Yicen thought, so that's how it is. Nothing he could do about it. "So can I buy the Yongjiang Hotel?"

Jiang Gongming's hand holding the teacup trembled a bit: "..."

Jiang Yiting: "Yicen, that's a bit of a stretch."

He'd underestimated Jiang Yicen. So that's why he'd been so quiet—he was waiting to drop this bomb.

The Yongjiang Hotel was a classic, famous hotel. Need I say more? Even the Jiang family wanted it, but the owner behind the hotel had never hinted at selling the property.

Jiang Yicen didn't like being called greedy. He was annoyed but kept a straight face. If the Jiang family could afford to buy the Yongjiang Hotel, they probably wouldn't have needed him to marry into the Nan family. They were just putting up a brave front.

He said casually, "Then just give me whatever you think is fair."

Jiang Gongming was getting a bit irritated by Jiang Yicen's tone. To prevent him from making even more unreasonable demands, he quickly said, "I'll give you 10 million bucks in cash, two apartments in the city center, one villa in the suburbs, a sports car worth under three million, and a daily-use car worth under two million. Your big brother will arrange for everything—including jewelry, nice watches—so you don't look bad in front of the Nan family."

Truth be told, he didn't want to give so much; it was all for appearances, to impress the Nans and the public. Only when the cooperation between the two families got on track could Jiangda's shares and investments rise. Jiang Gongming disliked Jiang Yicen as a son, but he still had to offer some little perks.

Jiang Yicen asked a question that had been troubling him for a while: "No farmland?"

Jiang Gongming shot him a glare: "Do you realize how expensive land is in Lincheng?"

This kid had no idea about practical matters. Did he know the trouble involved in buying land nowadays? Even if he could, he wouldn't give it to him.

Jiang Yicen replied calmly, "I don't know. Is it very expensive?"

Jiang Gongming: "..."

Clearly Jiang Gongming was stingy with "Jiang Yicen"—no shops, no land. Ten million in cash these days wasn't that much. He had passed many real estate shops today; a small property in Lincheng cost about three to four million, and the larger ones on today's stroll cost tens of millions.

Jiang Yicen recalled that his own family had once owned thousands of acres of farmland, but they had gradually sold them off.

He wondered if he could ever buy back the hotel and the farmland in the future.