Chapter 16

Chapter 16

This marriage can't be called off.

On the third day after the wedding, Jiang Yicen and Nan Shuyi each headed off to their own jobs.

Both the Jiang and Nan families tacitly accepted the marriage alliance, and no one thought they needed marriage leave or a honeymoon like a conventional couple—including themselves. Jiang Yicen, on the other hand, had no idea what modern people did after getting married; in his understanding, the wedding was simply over.

What worried him more now was the matter of going to work.

According to his plan, he was supposed to learn slowly at a company, fully understand how a modern corporation operates, and then use the capital he had on hand to start his own business.

But who would have thought Nan Shuyi would spring such a surprise on him, dropping a bomb without a word and catching him completely off guard.

Jiang Yicen knew Nan Shuyi was trying to help him. If he went back on his word and asked for an ordinary entry-level position to ease into things, it would completely let down Nan Shuyi's kindness. On the flip side, Nanyuan was a large company, and learning at a big corporation wasn't a bad idea.

In this new world, the only person who had consistently shown him kindness was Nan Shuyi. He didn't want to disappoint him, so he could only hope that things would work out in the end.

That evening, he asked Nan Shuyi to set aside an empty room for him to use as a study—he certainly couldn't let Nan Shuyi discover he was watching videos to learn common knowledge.

Nan Shuyi didn't think much of it, just assuming he wanted his own private space, which was perfectly normal.

The next morning, Jiang Yicen woke up feeling anxious. By the time he got up, Nan Shuyi was already awake.

For the past two nights, they had shared a room and a bed—Nan Shuyi's two-meter bed was big enough for two adults to move around. Still, Jiang Yicen felt awkward about occupying the other man's bed indefinitely, and he knew that someone from a family like Nan Shuyi's was probably not used to sharing a bed.

Since Jiang Yicen couldn't cook, Nan Shuyi prepared breakfast for both of them in advance—two bowls of noodles.

He often went hiking with friends, so cooking came naturally to him. He also had plenty of wilderness survival skills, all learned for those hikes. Besides, he had been trained to appreciate fine food since childhood and enjoyed cooking; he knew quite a few recipes.

The noodles with poached eggs suited Jiang Yicen's taste perfectly. Nan Shuyi also prepared freshly squeezed orange juice, which was sweet and refreshing, helping to ease Jiang Yicen's anxiety about starting work in an unfamiliar environment.

Nan Shuyi asked, "Your car hasn't been delivered yet, has it?"

Jiang Yicen bit into the tender fried egg, the soft yolk bursting in his mouth. Nan Shuyi's frying skills were excellent.

He swallowed before answering, "Not yet."

Nan Shuyi: "Did they buy one for you?"

Jiang Yicen: "Yes, but I haven't picked it up yet." He now understood the modern process of buying a car, so there was no verbal slip in his conversation with Nan Shuyi.

As for the so-called "dowry," Jiang Gongming had given him everything he had promised to give. He had chosen the car himself, but even though he now owned a car, he didn't dare drive it yet—he would need to find an instructor first.

Nan Shuyi: "I'll drop you off at the company today too."

"Okay." Jiang Yicen blew on the noodles, which were a bit hot, so he ate even more slowly.

Nan Shuyi thought he was being overly polite. Watching him purse his lips to blow on the noodles, he lowered his head and took a bite of his greens: "You don't have to keep saying thank you."

Jiang Yicen burned his mouth on the soup.

Nan Shuyi pushed the orange juice closer to him: "No rush. Eat slowly—you won't be late for work."

He himself was used to eating faster, but he knew Jiang Yicen was trying to keep pace with him and was also aware of his slow-eating habit.

Jiang Yicen nodded: "It wouldn't be good to be late on the first day."

Nan Shuyi gave a faint smile: "No one would dare say anything to you."

Jiang Yicen smiled back.

As they were about to leave, Jiang Yicen picked up Nan Shuyi's jacket and handed it to him, then remembered they needed to sleep separately.

"Do we have extra sheets and pillowcases?"

Nan Shuyi took the jacket and told him to put on his shoes, thinking he wanted to change the wedding bedding: "Don't you like red?"

Jiang Yicen bent down to put on his shoes: "It's not that. I thought I'd sleep in the guest bedroom tonight, so I won't disturb your sleep."

Last night, he had kept hearing Nan Shuyi tossing and turning; halfway through the night, he had vaguely heard him get up. It was probably because he wasn't used to sharing a bed. He was the outsider, occupying the owner's private space, and he felt a little embarrassed about it.

Nan Shuyi paused as he grabbed his car keys: "It's not a problem. If you want to sleep alone, I'll have someone prepare the second bedroom today."

Jiang Yicen nodded firmly: "Okay, I'll take the second bedroom."

Nan Shuyi: "..." He hadn't even said anything, and he was already so eager to sleep alone—honestly.

They drove in silence, and Nan Shuyi dropped Jiang Yicen off in front of the Nanyuan Group building.

Jiang Yicen unbuckled his seatbelt: "I'm off to work then."

Nan Shuyi was in a low mood. He pointed to a man standing not far from the company entrance: "That's Assistant An. If anything comes up, send me a message."

"Okay, I know Assistant An." Jiang Yicen knew Assistant An—they had interacted a bit around the wedding, and he had also seen him at the ceremony.

Just as he was about to get out of the car, he noticed that Nan Shuyi's collar was crooked. Nan Shuyi always dressed neatly when going out, but Jiang Yicen couldn't stand to see the collar crooked, so he moved back to his seat.

"Nan Shuyi, lean over a bit."

Nan Shuyi's heart skipped a beat. Feigning calm, he obediently leaned in—was he going to ki—ss him?

They were married, but there were no feelings between them. Was it necessary to put on a show in public like this? This was too embarrassing.

Nan Shuyi suddenly felt his throat go dry and was secretly glad he hadn't added scallions to the noodles that morning.

Jiang Yicen moved closer, reached out, straightened the crooked collar, and buttoned the second button.

As Nan Shuyi caught the scent on Jiang Yicen's fingertips, he heard Jiang Yicen say, "Your collar was crooked."

Jiang Yicen had no idea about the countless scenarios that had flashed through Nan Shuyi's mind, nor how high his expectations had been.

"See you tonight." He got out of the car, feeling a bit nervous about starting work, and didn't notice that the tips of Nan Shuyi's ears were slowly turning red.

Nan Shuyi stared at the empty seat and silently muttered a three-word curse.

Luckily, it wasn't what he had imagined, or he would have kicked Jiang Yicen out of the car. It wouldn't have been good if Jiang Yuan's employees saw them.

But then again, they had been eating and sleeping together for two days, and he hadn't even worn any cologne—why did Jiang Yicen smell better than him?

He tugged the collar Jiang Yicen had just touched and gave it a hard sniff. Sure enough, his clothes had picked up Jiang Yicen's scent.

It was kind of nice.

·

Jiang Yicen had only been in this world for a little over a month. The first two weeks he spent learning common knowledge, and the next two weeks he studied modern history. Now, going to work felt like being thrown into the deep end.

Assistant An was a round-faced man, probably around thirty-five. His smile was friendly and put people at ease. Jiang Yicen immediately felt more relaxed—at least it was someone he knew.

Assistant An knew that Jiang Yicen, the "young madam," was very much favored by Chairman Nan, so he didn't dare to be careless.

"Master Jiang, I have already notified the HR and marketing departments. I'll go with you to complete the onboarding procedures."

Jiang Yicen smiled, not wanting to trouble him: "Where is the HR department? I can go by myself."

Assistant An was a trusted aide to Nan Anru; wherever Assistant An went, he would surely be recognized. But Jiang Yicen just wanted to keep a low profile, since he hadn't entered the company through the normal interview process.

Assistant An understood what he meant: "Alright, go to the fifth floor and ask for HR manager Wu Na. I've already spoken with her."

Jiang Yicen: "Okay."

Nanyuan is a beverage manufacturer, with products ranging from bottled water and soda to dairy and health supplements. It is a leader in the food industry. In recent years, the company has been transforming itself, gaining a little breathing room. Now, with endless new products on the market and very effective marketing by the new generation, Nanyuan's traditional beverage sales are also growing, though many traditional product lines have been phased out.

Jiangda is a traditional food manufacturer, which has been hit even harder in recent years, with production lines being continuously reduced. The company's last quarterly report wasn't great either. Nanyuan was willing to invest because they were optimistic about a new product project, and it just so happened that Nan Shuyi and Jiang Yicen hit it off, so this project, originally third on the list, was moved up.

Although Jiang Yicen said he would go upstairs by himself, Assistant An still accompanied him to wait for the elevator: "Chairman Nan said that during this period, you should first learn from your supervisor. If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me or the head of the marketing department."

Jiang Yicen: "Okay, I have a little favor to ask."

Assistant An: "Please go ahead."

Jiang Yicen: "Please keep my identity under wraps for now."

Assistant An: "I'll see to it."

Jiang Yicen: "I was supposed to say hi to Dad today, but I don't want to be too conspicuous. Could you pass along my regards?"

He was holding a small bag he'd grabbed from home that morning. Nan Shuyi said a friend gave it to him, but he didn't want it, so Jiang Yicen brought it along.

Assistant An: "Of course, Chairman Nan will be very happy."

Jiang Yicen: "As his son, it's the least I can do."

Not only did Nan Anru like this Master Jiang, but Assistant An also liked his proper demeanor. He didn't act snobby when he talked; he had a grace and politeness that most rich kids don't have.

He took the small gift from Jiang Yicen to the chairman's office.

"Chairman Nan, this is what Master Jiang brought for you."

Nan Anru was drinking strong tea. He put down his cup and opened the small gift box. Inside were eight red lozenges, and the box was labeled "Hua Ju Hong" throat lozenges from an old brand.

Hua Ju Hong is a traditional remedy that helps clear phlegm and stop coughing. Lately, with all the meetings, he'd been talking a lot; his throat was sore and he'd been coughing nonstop.

He picked up a lozenge and put it in his mouth. After a short while, his throat felt much better.

Nan Anru nodded: "This child is considerate. Anxin, keep an eye on Yicen. He's still young; help him where he doesn't understand, and don't let any troublemakers bully him."

Assistant An: "I understand."

He thought to himself, this Master Jiang is completely different from the rest of the Jiang family. He really knows how to win people over; gotta admit, he's impressive.

·

After arriving on the fifth floor, Jiang Yicen parted ways with Assistant An, found HR manager Wu Na in the HR department, and successfully completed the onboarding procedures.

Wu Na didn't ask too many questions. Since Assistant An had personally arranged it, she suspected he might be an important young master or relative, so she showed Jiang Yicen sufficient respect.

Nanyuan's internal environment was much better than Jiangda's, at least with fewer factions.

Before coming, Nan Shuyi had briefly told Jiang Yicen about the basics of Nanyuan and Jiangda.

In fact, Jiangda was more complicated than it appeared on the surface. Not only were there Jiang family members, but also people from Jiang Yiting's biological mother's side.

Jiang Gongming had expanded the company with the help of his wife's family, so it's understandable that Jiang Yiting's mother held a large share. After their divorce, many old problems remained, with each side having their own people and their own agendas.

Now the only way to control the situation is for Jiang Yiting to take charge.

But Jiang Gongming regarded the company as his own root; he wouldn't let go so soon. Based on Jiang Yicen's shallow understanding of Jiang Gongming, he was used to being the star of the show and would not quickly delegate power to Jiang Yiting.

When Jiang Gongming chatted with He Nuanqing before, he commented that Old Master Chen's family had serious internal strife. In fact, it was just the pot calling the kettle black; the Jiang family, another family business, was just as cutthroat, with the ex-wife, sons, and siblings all fighting.

Nan Anru was willing to invest in Jiangda either because the new product was attractive enough and had market vitality, or because Nan Anru was being charitable, or because he really wanted to find a partner for Nan Shuyi.

Jiang Yicen snapped out of his thoughts. Wu Na walked him to the marketing department to meet his new boss, Jin Huanxin.

Wu Na finished her task and left, hinting to Jin Huanxin that the newcomer was no ordinary person, but Jin seemed completely unconcerned.

"Then I'll leave him to you, Manager Jin."

Jin Huanxin glanced at Jiang Yicen, finely dressed from head to toe, with education but no experience. He thought to himself that his superiors had foisted a useless rich kid on him, and he wondered if his degree had any substance, especially with Assistant An's special instructions.

He really disliked people foisted upon him by higher-ups. As soon as he saw Jiang Yicen, he had already judged him.

Jin Huanxin said coldly: "Assistant An already told me. For now, just get familiar with the company's processes and products."

He looked around his department and called over a young man holding two cups of coffee. The man placed one cup of coffee on Jin Huanxin's desk.

"Manager Jin, your coffee."

Jin Huanxin instructed him: "Tan Ping, you take charge of the new guy. Let him sit at the desk next to yours for now."

Tan Ping: "Okay."

Jin Huanxin handed Jiang Yicen over to Tan Ping. Even with instructions from above, he would just put this young master aside for now and not give him any important tasks.

Tan Ping had Jiang Yicen sit at the desk next to him and began assigning him tasks: "From now on, every day when you come to work, your first task is to make a cup of coffee for the boss."

Jiang Yicen had never worked in a company before, but that didn't mean he didn't know anything. His family also owned a company, but his older brother was the one who'd take over. He had been to his brother's office, and the company had secretaries who handle paperwork and serve tea.

Jiang Yicen smiled and politely declined: "I don't know how to make coffee, and that doesn't really seem like my job, does it?"