Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Jiang Yicen isn't in the habit of scrolling through his phone before bed, nor does he have any social media apps downloaded. Every morning, he watches the morning news, completely unaware that Nan Shuyi's post from last night had sent countless netizens flooding to the Yun family ancestral home, let alone why the scenic spot was suddenly packed that day, with every visitor holding up their phone searching for something.

Jiang Yicen had gotten the hang of the treadmill, and after stepping off it, he went back to his room to take a shower. Nan Shuyi had already prepared breakfast, and today they had Western-style breakfast.

He spread peanut butter on his bread today, took a bite, and found the taste pretty good—both salty and sweet, with the peanut butter flavor lingering in his mouth. But he didn't eat too much; spreads get greasy if you eat too much, and the bread was a bit dry. His stomach was still better suited to Chinese food.

Early in the morning, Nan Shuyi received a reply from Liu Dan.

After thinking it over all night, Liu Dan decided to join Cuizhu Restaurant. This was much sooner than Nan Shuyi had expected.

When Jiang Yicen heard how quickly Liu Dan had replied, he asked curiously.

Nan Shuyi told him that his head apprentice had stolen the Liu family's recipes. On Saturday night, when web traffic was at its peak, the company he worked for promoted the recipes online, claiming them as their own.

He had a good memory and immediately connected Liu Dan's head apprentice to Nan Shuyi's friend.

Jiang Yicen: "His head apprentice is He Mingshuo's chef, isn't he?"

Nan Shuyi: "Exactly."

Jiang Yicen, considering yesterday's events, figured the other party's quick reaction was because they'd been photographed in Ningzhou.

Jiang Yicen: "Could it be that because we were photographed in Ningzhou yesterday, they guessed where you were headed and wanted to jump ahead? If the Liu family delays releasing their menu any longer, they'll lose that market."

Nan Shuyi gave him a thumbs-up. "That's right, but no matter how much they planned, they didn't expect your family to have preserved the complete Liu family recipe. And our direction is different from theirs. I want to use the idea you suggested yesterday—go with a retro flavor, restore the dishes' original flavors."

Jiang Yicen raised both hands in agreement. "Anything else I can help with?"

Nan Shuyi: "Of course. I'll let you know when I need you."

Liu Dan almost fainted when he found out about his head apprentice's actions. He immediately decided to return to Lincheng on Sunday afternoon. He had come back to his hometown to care for Old Master Liu, and he planned to stay in Lincheng for a long time.

At noon, Nan Shuyi went to the company early to discuss the new restaurant plans with Liu Dan. Since Jiang Yicen wasn't considered a professional in restaurant management, he didn't interfere, and besides, he was tied up with other things.

Earlier, Jiang Yiting had sent him a message asking him to bring Nan Shuyi back to the Jiang family, but he had refused.

After Nan Shuyi left, He Nuanqing called him, saying that since he got married, he hadn't come home to visit, and she missed her son.

Jiang Yicen didn't buy it. If she really missed her son, she wouldn't have left him alone overseas for six years without a word.

He guessed that the Jiang family had something to discuss with him, most likely related to Nanyuan.

Jiang Yicen had just joined Nanyuan as a newcomer and hadn't been involved in any major business. He had no clue what they wanted with him.

With mixed feelings, he returned to the Jiang family home that afternoon.

---

When Jiang Yicen arrived at the Jiang family home, it was exactly six in the evening.

He'd been visiting the Jiang family home for a while, and they'd never held any parties. But today was unusually lively, with several luxury cars parked out front, as if they were hosting a car show.

He Nuanqing had only asked him to come back for a simple dinner. She hadn't told him that there would be a banquet with guests tonight. What did she mean by that? Was she deliberately keeping it from him?

Jiang Yicen didn't see He Nuanqing, guessing she was busy socializing.

Since he and Nan Shuyi got married, they hadn't attended any parties together. For one thing, he was still learning to integrate into the company's operations, and Nan Shuyi had never forced him to accompany him to banquets. As for Nan Shuyi, he didn't go into detail about what he was doing.

Jiang Yicen had a sense of boundaries and wouldn't ask too many questions. He only sent messages to check in when the other person might be coming home late or drinking at night. Asking too much might annoy Nan Shuyi, since theirs was just a marriage of convenience.

He Nuanqing had called him back today, but he hadn't planned to bring Nan Shuyi along. He could handle Jiang family matters himself.

Today, the Jiang family home had shed its usual somber atmosphere. The entire area was brightly lit, and the trees were decorated with decorative colored lights and ribbons.

From a distance, Jiang Yicen could hear classical music playing, showing how much effort the Jiang family had put into decorating the venue.

Besides the music, there was the sound of guests chatting. When they were happy, you could hear their subdued, polite social laughter.

Tonight, all the men were in sharp suits, and the women were dressed in gowns. This was a classic high-society networking event.

On the Jiang family's front lawn, there was freshly grilled food and a buffet area. The usually empty lawn had been turned into a makeshift dance floor.

Jiang Yicen found it all quite familiar. He had attended many such occasions before, always reluctantly, as a participant. Now, watching these people from a third-party perspective was quite interesting.

Just as he thought no one would recognize him and he could head straight into the house to find He Nuanqing, a voice yanked him back into this modern-day social scene.

"Daniel!"

That voice was all too familiar. Only Lan Yan called him by that English name.

Since their last encounter at the club, Lan Yan had tried to contact him using the old phone that belonged to "Jiang Yicen," but he didn't want to deal with him. He pretended not to notice. He had lived a second life, and he didn't have to respond to everyone.

At the first call, Jiang Yicen pretended not to hear. But the other party didn't catch the hint and called out again, louder, twice.

"Daniel!"

"Fourth Master!"

A group of people turned to look in his direction.

Not only was Lan Yan loud, but his movements were also exaggerated. He waved frantically in Jiang Yicen's direction.

Jiang Yicen had intended to quietly slip into the house through the crowd, but now he'd become the center of attention.

He didn't care whether his attire matched theirs or not. The dignified Sixth Master always dressed neatly and appropriately, no matter the occasion. It was a habit ingrained in his nature.

Jiang Yicen nodded at the other party but didn't intend to go over. However, Lan Yan was completely clueless and bounded right over.

Lan Yan: "I was wondering if you were coming back for your second brother's birthday party tonight."

Jiang Yicen looked toward the area where the crowd was gathered and saw Jiang Yifeng and Jiang Yiting surrounded by people.

Why hadn't He Nuanqing told him that Jiang Yifeng was holding his birthday party at the Jiang family home tonight?

And tonight's birthday party couldn't have been spontaneous. With so many people arriving, invitations must have been sent out in advance.

Jiang Yicen felt a surge of annoyance at He Nuanqing's deception. This woman's actions kept disappointing him.

Having taken possession of her son's body to live a second life, he had intended to help where he could, but some people were beyond help.

With Lan Yan's shout, several young people gathered around, blocking Jiang Yicen's path. They acted friendly, but clearly they were here for the drama. Almost all of them had come to watch the spectacle.

How could anyone who came to the Jiangs' today not gossip about the Jiang brothers' relationship?

Even though He Nuanqing bent over backward to please Jiang Yiting and Jiang Yifeng, others just looked down on her. To outsiders, people were just there to enjoy the Jiang family's drama.

As the saying goes, "Don't air your dirty laundry in public." Jiang Gongming was an extremely traditional, old-fashioned man. In such an ultra-conservative household, keeping family harmony was even harder. The more they tried to hide family scandals, the more outsiders wanted to uncover them, especially since his two sons weren't raised with those old-fashioned values either.

Someone, pretending to be a genial gentleman, smiled and asked Jiang Yicen, "Fourth Master, what gift did you bring for your second brother?"

The reason for such a question was naturally because they saw that what Jiang Yicen was carrying didn’t look like a birthday gift, and their aim was clearly to embarrass him in public.

Jiang Yicen had no idea that Jiang Yifeng was hosting a birthday banquet at the Jiang residence, and that it was so grand an affair, so naturally he hadn’t brought a birthday present—but he wasn’t an oblivious child either.

After all, He Nuanqing was “Jiang Yicen’s” mother. She might be foolish and thick-headed, but he would still fulfill the duties of a son as “Jiang Yicen.” Therefore, he had indeed brought a gift today—only it probably wasn’t suitable as a birthday present for the young Jiang Yifeng.

Lan Yan, realizing he had drawn everyone’s attention, said hypocritically, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring everyone over.”

Jiang Yicen gave him a cold glance. That statement was quite problematic. For anyone else, they might say it was because of his charm, but by mentioning it, Lan Yan only exposed his own intentions. He was hardly innocent—he had done it deliberately.

And indeed, Lan Yan had done it on purpose.

Ever since they parted ways at the Yunman Club last time, he had tried to contact Jiang Yicen multiple times without any response. Frustrated, the moment he saw him in person, his first instinct was to get back at him.

Jiang Yicen wasn’t stupid. He shot Lan Yan a glance, let out a soft laugh, and merely curled the corner of his mouth into a faint smile.

Others continued to stir the pot, calling out to Jiang Yifeng from across the way.

Under everyone’s gaze, Jiang Yicen remained neither humble nor arrogant, and he didn’t leave. If he had walked away then, it would have made him seem timid.

Jiang Yifeng, who had always looked down on Jiang Yicen and was the star of tonight’s banquet, wasn’t about to miss the chance to see him make a fool of himself.

Everyone knew that in the Jiang family, the only fraternal harmony worth mentioning was between him and his biological brother, Jiang Yiting—it had nothing to do with Jiang Yicen.

Jiang Yifeng stepped forward. “My dear little brother wants to give me a birthday gift. Let me see what it is.”

Jiang Yicen shook his head inwardly, unable to understand why Jiang Yifeng would go along with others’ ideas and let everyone laugh at the Jiang family’s expense.

Since he was willing to let others watch, Jiang Yicen was happy to play along. Would he be embarrassed? Of course not. Jiang Yifeng’s actions would only bring shame upon the Jiang family.

Jiang Yicen didn’t count himself as part of the Jiang family.

Still, he gave Jiang Yifeng a chance to back out. “Second Brother, are you sure you want to open my gift box in front of everyone?”

He didn’t believe Jiang Yifeng hadn’t seen what was written on the box, given how close he was.

Jiang Yifeng did hesitate for a couple of seconds, but then someone nearby started egging him on.

“Second Master, let us see what Fourth Master prepared for you too.”

Jiang Yifeng’s hesitation vanished, and he got swept up again.

“Little brother, let me see what it is.”

Jiang Yicen shrugged nonchalantly. “If you like opening gifts, go ahead.”

It wasn’t him who was being put on the spot now. He wouldn’t be swayed by others’ words, so he didn’t care. His indifference only highlighted others’ nosiness and ill intentions.

Jiang Yifeng: “...” Should he open it or not?

He knew others were fanning the flames, and Jiang Yicen looked completely detached.

He gritted his teeth and opened it.

And what he got was a set of health-preserving medicinal food ingredients.

Nan Shuyi had told him that the gifts from the family, aside from the one on top, were mostly useless—he could do whatever he wanted with them. So when he left today, he had picked a set of ladies’ beauty-enhancing health ingredients.

Jiang Yicen smiled and offered his blessings to Jiang Yifeng, who was now holding a large gift pack of ingredients. “May Second Brother be forever young and ageless, just like today.”

He didn’t know if the “ageless” blessing would do anything for Jiang Yifeng, but he found it quite amusing today.

The crowd around them couldn’t stop laughing.

“Second Master, why don’t you consider debuting in the entertainment industry?”

“Now that’s a truly original gift.”

“Drink that and you’ll be over-nourished... hahaha!”

“Second Master, Fourth Master thinks you’re not up to it!”

“Then Second Master is definitely better than Cao Ken! Cao Ken was defeated by Fourth Master!”

The speaker was Lan Yan, who had witnessed that competition firsthand, and he was indeed stoking the fire.

Jiang Yifeng’s mind was spinning. Now he was the one looking foolish—how did it come to this?

He glanced at Jiang Yicen, then started scolding the instigators.

“Isn’t it good for me to stay young forever?”

“I’m better than all of you!”

“Stop your nonsense here. My fists are still very useful. As for Cao Ken, isn’t it normal for him to fail?”

Strangely, he couldn’t bring himself to say anything bad about Jiang Yicen.

Jiang Yicen was glad he had observed proper etiquette; no one could find fault with him.

At that moment, Jiang Yiting, who was entertaining guests on the other side, noticed something might be going on over here. Afraid that Jiang Yifeng might cause trouble, he came over to mediate—and saw it was Jiang Yicen.

Seeing Jiang Yicen gave him a headache. He realized that the other was now completely out of control. Before, a casual word from Jiang Yifeng could provoke Jiang Yicen, but now the tables had turned. Whatever Jiang Yicen did could easily provoke Jiang Yifeng, and it always hit the mark.

He apologized to the young people gathered around. “Sorry, I need to talk to my brothers. You all enjoy yourselves.”

“Yifeng, Yicen, come with me to meet some uncles.”

The main reason Jiang Yifeng’s birthday banquet was held at home was that Jiang Gongming wanted to introduce him to some business partners.

After the cooperation between Jiang and Nan families, the Jiang household had regained its former liveliness.

Jiang Gongming hadn’t asked Jiang Yicen to come home because he felt this son’s role was over—other benefits were out of his reach.

He didn’t know why Jiang Yicen had shown up, but Jiang Yiting couldn’t treat him differently at this point.

Jiang Yifeng, having just been humiliated, was eager to leave that group, while Jiang Yicen didn’t mind and followed along.

He casually took a glass of wine from a server

Jiang Yicen knew about the Dongfeng Group. Nan Shuyi had mentioned it when explaining the future plans for the Cuizhu brand.

The Dongfeng Group runs large shopping malls and is probably top five in the country. The company has its own positioning: it does not compete with supermarkets in first- and second-tier cities but focuses on expanding into third- and fourth-tier cities.

As it happened, yesterday at the Xiangzhu Pavilion where he was staying, he saw some calligraphy by Uncle Meng.

He said, "Uncle Meng, did you hold a personal calligraphy and painting exhibition at the Yun family's ancestral home?"

Meng Zhangling suddenly perked up, his eyes wide. "How do you know? Do you also like calligraphy and painting?"

Jiang Yicen smiled and said, "Yesterday I had the pleasure of admiring your masterpiece during my visit."