Chapter 33

Chapter 33

The biggest name at tonight's birthday party was Meng Zhangling, but his fame only reached so far. Nan Shuyi was different—born with the title of Young Master of Nanyuan, and even more so today, with his immense popularity online. Although he doesn't hold an official position at Nanyuan, he has single-handedly boosted Nanyuan's stock price, earning the favor of investors, who are very fond of this Young Master.

There was even an incident before: a unscrupulous entertainment outlet exposed Nan Anru's young son with his second wife. Some aggressive investors flooded Nanyuan's social media accounts, denouncing Nan Anru for refusing to hand Nanyuan over to his second son, even started rumors about his relationship with his second wife.

Actually, a lot of people may not have realized one thing: although Nan Shuyi is called a "playboy among the rich," he has never actually acted like a playboy. Instead, the moments that made him famous have all been positive.

There have been marketing companies that tried to copy his method for others, even sending someone on a dating show to build a persona, but in the end, they got totally exposed. Not just anyone can pull off the "playboy" persona—there's only one playboy like him.

Meng Zhangling hadn't really met Nan Shuyi before, but he had dealt with his dad. Knowing Nan Shuyi's online fame, with tens of millions of followers—even his own daughter was a fan—he grew curious about the Nan family's child. Plus he liked Jiang Yicen, who gave him great advice, and the fact that these two young people were married, they really seemed perfect for each other.

At first, he looked down on the Jiang family for, well, selling their son, but now it looked like that wasn't the whole story. At the very least, the two young people appeared to have feelings for each other.

Jiang Yicen noticed Meng Zhangling paying attention to Nan Shuyi.

He whispered to Nan Shuyi, "I just talked about calligraphy with Uncle Meng."

Nan Shuyi understood—he'd already made a connection.

He knew he could use his dad's connections to partner with Dongfeng Group, which would be a shortcut and get big results with little effort. But now Jiang Yicen was helping him on his own initiative, and that sense of achievement made him want to make the most of this opportunity.

Nan Shuyi extended his hand to Meng Zhangling. "Uncle Meng, nice to meet you. I've always heard my dad talk about your story—it's really impressive. I never had the chance to meet you before, but finally getting a chance to meet you today."

Meng Zhangling shook his hand and gave his arm a couple of friendly pats. "Haha, your father mentioned me?"

Dongfeng Group and Nanyuan were in the same industry, mutually beneficial. The media had compared him to Nan Anru, but Nan Anru was usually praised more. Regardless of whether Nan Anru had ever brought him up in front of Nan Shuyi, Meng Zhangling felt proud of it.

Nan Anru's daughter-in-law was also wonderful—so respectful to him.

Taking advantage of Meng Zhangling's good mood, Nan Shuyi said, "Uncle Meng, if Yicen hadn't run into you here today, I might not have been able to meet you."

Meng Zhangling felt pleased that he was being so humble. "Just give me a call, anytime, come find me."

Nan Shuyi: "Deal. Don't let your security guard kick me out then."

Meng Zhangling: "Alright, alright."

"Uncle Meng, we'll head back now. I'm just here to pick up Yicen." Nan Shuyi didn't mention his purpose for wanting to see Meng Zhangling—he wasn't overstepping his bounds.

"Perfect timing. I'm about to leave too." Meng Zhangling smiled, turned to Jiang Gongming, said his goodbyes, then left with Mrs. Meng.

Jiang Yicen and Nan Shuyi played their part, showing face to Jiang Gongming since they'd gotten something out of it.

Jiang Gongming was slow to catch on, but he felt something was off.

Jiang Yicen and Nan Shuyi didn't walk with Meng Zhangling. When they reached a fork in the road on the Jiang property, Jiang Yicen suddenly called out to Nan Shuyi.

Jiang Yicen tugged at his sleeve. "Shuyi, can you wait for me a bit?"

Nan Shuyi: "What's wrong?"

Jiang Yicen: "I want to talk to my mom for a bit."

"I'll go with you." Nan Shuyi naturally didn't know that He Nuanqing wasn't Jiang Yicen's real mom, but in his eyes, she was the person closest to Jiang Yicen.

"Alright." Jiang Yicen figured there was nothing between him and He Nuanqing that Nan Shuyi couldn't hear.

He called He Nuanqing. She picked up and said she was in the backyard, just finished seeing off some ladies, and she was free now.

They found He Nuanqing in the glass-enclosed garden behind the main house.

On an elegant glass table sat a glass tea set; the water was boiling and bubbling. He Nuanqing turned off the small electric stove.

She sat alone in the greenhouse. With her refined and beautiful appearance, she looked at least ten years younger than her peers, not a single wrinkle at the corners of her eyes. Jiang Yicen wondered if it was due to modern aesthetic medicine or if she was simply naturally ageless.

"You're here? And Shuyi too." She hadn't expected to see Nan Shuyi as well.

Jiang Yicen had no emotional outpouring toward He Nuanqing; there was no need for polite excuses. He Nuanqing herself understood this well.

"You called me back to the Jiang family today. Why didn't you tell me that Jiang Yifeng was having a birthday party?"

Jiang Yicen just wanted to clarify the situation. He didn't want to misunderstand the only family member "Jiang Yicen" had.

He Nuanqing hesitated, not speaking.

Jiang Yicen sat down across from her, took a teacup, and poured himself and Nan Shuyi each a cup of roselle tea.

"Shuyi, want some?"

Nan Shuyi nodded. "Yeah, I'm quite thirsty. I've been arguing with Uncle Liu at the company all day and haven't had a sip of water."

Jiang Yicen smiled. "He can be a bit impatient."

That was typical of the Liu family, including Liu Tan's father, the former head chef at Yongjiang Restaurant—his temper was even worse.

At that moment, He Nuanqing spoke, as if she had made up her mind. "Jiang Yifeng asked me to call you, but he told me not to tell you about his birthday party, or else... or else..."

"Someone bullies your son, and as a mother, you don't help him at all—you even aid the oppressor." Nan Shuyi couldn't bear to listen anymore. He had just criticized others for being impatient, but now he was no different.

Jiang Yicen: "What did Jiang Yifeng threaten you with?"

He Nuanqing: "If I didn't notify you, your cousin's job would be in jeopardy."

Jiang Yicen raised an eyebrow. "Cousin?"

At his wedding, there had indeed been an uncle figure who came up and said some nonsense, but with the crowd, he was quickly escorted out. Jiang Yicen had treated He Nuanqing's relatives normally and said nothing more—he didn't need to interact with them.

Nan Shuyi reacted faster than Jiang Yicen. He laughed bitterly. "You'd screw over your own son for an outsider?"

He Nuanqing looked at Jiang Yicen, whose face was cold. "Son, I know I shouldn't have, but I knew Yicen would be fine. And I had already prepared a gift for Jiang Yifeng on your behalf."

Nan Shuyi exposed her selfish excuse. "Then you certainly didn't think about whether he would be humiliated or insulted. When he came back, did you even come out to greet him? Did you send someone to wait at the door? No."

He Nuanqing was left speechless by the interrogation.

Jiang Yicen knew that she wasn't an only child—she had an older sister and a younger brother. Back then, a family that could afford to send a daughter to a higher education level was not common; at least they were financially stable.

He hadn't expected her to be controlled by her own brother.

He pursed his lips. "Nowadays, college graduates from good schools have no trouble finding jobs in society."

He Nuanqing said, "I know, but your cousin's school is average. With his credentials, he can't get into Jiangda."

Nan Shuyi: "You're also interfering with the job of Yicen's uncle's son?"

He Nuanqing's eyes wavered. "I'm his aunt—I just wanted to help the family. Yicen's uncle is the only son in our family, and his cousin is the only grandson of the He family."

Jiang Yicen took a deep breath, set down his teacup, and said no more.

He knows that He Nuanqing is what people nowadays call a woman who's a total pushover for her brother. Perhaps her current state is also related to her upbringing.

In his era, he had seen plenty of such cases, but to encounter such a woman in the future world—he didn't know what to make of it, and he didn't want to get involved.

For the sake of her maternal relatives, He Nuanqing made her own son look foolish and suffer humiliation. This is not something an ordinary mother would do; it's more than just being confused.

At this moment, Jiang Yicen even doubted whether "Jiang Yicen" was actually her biological son.

Jiang Yicen asked He Nuanqing, "Do you think your son is more important, or the relatives from the He family?"

He Nuanqing did not answer immediately. Her hesitation had already given Jiang Yicen the answer.

He stood up without hesitation and said, "Brother Shuyi, let's go home."

Nan Shuyi naturally followed Jiang Yicen.

He Nuanqing stood there dumbfounded, watching the resolute backs of Jiang Yicen and Nan Shuyi as they left. She took a sip of the cold flower tea and tasted only sourness.

Stone-faced, she wasn't feeling any regret.

·

On the way back, Nan Shuyi didn't crack any jokes to cheer up Jiang Yicen; it simply wasn't appropriate.

Jiang Yicen was indeed silent, but he was thinking about He Nuanqing's attitude toward "Jiang Yicen."

He couldn't avoid having contact with He Nuanqing forever, but her attitude genuinely made him suspicious.

He had seen some impoverished families who, no matter how difficult, were unwilling to sell their daughters into concubinage or as second wives. Yet "Jiang Yicen" was a son. Jiang Gongming's preference for sons over daughters was obvious to all. Shouldn't He Nuanqing love her son more?

Jiang Yicen thought back carefully; he couldn't even find a photo of mother and son together in "Jiang Yicen's" room. The bond between them was completely distant. Her fawning over Jiang Yiting and Jiang Yifeng had already exceeded all reasonable limits.

He couldn't discuss He Nuanqing with others either. After pondering for a long time, he asked Nan Shuyi, "Brother Shuyi, what kind of major mistake would one have to make for a father to send his son abroad?"

Nan Shuyi thought for a moment. "It's hard to say in my family. But I know some rich kids who made mistakes. I attended private high schools for both junior and senior high. Back then, those with poor grades were sent abroad by their families to get a foreign university degree, to gild their résumés. A few years ago, having studied abroad still held some value, but with the rapid development of China in recent years, that path has lost much of its usefulness."

"There's also the case of those who abuse drugs or get involved in gambling, prostitution, or drugs—they get sent abroad too. Whether they can come back depends on their families."

Jiang Yicen asked, puzzled, "What if someone just likes men? Is a homosexual sent abroad?"

Nan Shuyi chuckled softly. "Homosexuality is nothing—just a personal orientation. It's existed since ancient times. Do you know Chengdu?"

Jiang Yicen nodded. "Of course I do." Chengdu is the capital of Sichuan Province, but what does that have to do with homosexuality?

Nan Shuyi said, "Netizens nowadays use Chengdu as a meme."

Jiang Yicen genuinely didn't know. "What meme?"

Nan Shuyi: "Chengdu has a lot of homosexuals."

Jiang Yicen was surprised. "Is there such a saying?"

Nan Shuyi realized he really didn't know about the "Chengdu" internet meme. This little provincial bumpkin.

He patiently explained, "I'm actually trying to tell you that many cities in China are very tolerant now. Chengdu is just one of them. It's rare for a child to be sent abroad just because they came out to their family. Some parents even actively find partners for their gay sons. Could it be that back then, you told your family and your father sent you abroad?"

Jiang Yicen thought to himself, wasn't it Nan Shuyi's father who actively found a partner for him?

But right now, the point is that he wasn't sure if the original body had really been sent to the United States because of his sexual orientation, since he had no memories of the original.

He answered ambiguously, "Probably."

Nan Shuyi said, "Still, your mother is really strange. Even a vicious tiger doesn't eat its own cubs. She cares more about Jiang Yiting and Jiang Yifeng than you, and even more about your uncle's family."

He hadn't paid much attention to his marriage with Jiang Yicen before, only focusing on the Jiang family. He hadn't looked into Jiang Yicen's biological mother.

Jiang Yicen replied, "That's true." At this point, his feelings ran deep. No matter what the original "Jiang Yicen" was like, encountering such a mother would likely make anyone's mental state suffer.

Nan Shuyi didn't want Jiang Yicen to keep dwelling on He Nuanqing. On the way home, they passed a night market street.

He parked the car on the roadside.

Jiang Yicen asked him, "What's wrong?"

Nan Shuyi unbuckled his seatbelt. "I didn't even have dinner before coming to pick you up."

Jiang Yicen's voice carried a hint of grievance. "I didn't eat either. I thought the Jiang family would have a big dinner tonight, but I didn't get anything."

He hadn't even gotten to eat birthday cake, and he wondered what the difference was between today's cakes and those from his time.

Nan Shuyi had an idea. "Tonight, I'll take you to check out the night market."

Hearing "night market," Jiang Yicen's mood improved a lot, and the pent-up feelings dissipated.

Last time, he had wandered off by himself into an unknown alley at night, which wasn't really a night market. Today, he saw the bustling scene of a night market, completely different from the luxurious and splendid shopping malls. Everywhere was filled with the lively atmosphere of everyday life, with cuisines from all over the country—sour, sweet, bitter, spicy—all complete.

As the owner of a restaurant, he realized he had tasted too few delights. Every snack here was fragrant, especially skewers of grilled meat. He loved Shandong hand-grabbed pancakes, Taiwanese sausages, grilled squid, grilled oysters, and sweet crispy sugar cakes. He didn't want to miss any of them. Finally, he had another brand of milk tea, rich in milk flavor, sweet and fragrant.

Before they had even reached the halfway point of the night market street, they were almost stuffed.

They ordered six grilled oysters. Jiang Yicen ate two and couldn't eat more. They couldn't be packed to take away, so the rest ended up in Nan Shuyi's stomach.

Nan Shuyi still had some skewered snacks that hadn't been eaten yet, and freshly stir-fried crayfish that could be packed. Jiang Yicen wanted to buy everything, but could only eat a little of each. His stomach was only so big; he really couldn't fit any more. In the end, the two of them carried a big pile back to the car.

Jiang Yicen had never thought he might face wasting food. He muttered to himself anxiously.

"What now? If we don't finish it, it'll be wasted."

"Maybe put it in the fridge and have it for breakfast tomorrow?"

"That doesn't seem right. Seafood can't be kept overnight; eating it could make you sick."

Nan Shuyi pressed Jiang Yicen's head. "Sit tight, don't worry. We don't have to take them home."

Jiang Yicen said, "You're not thinking of throwing it all away, are you?" He was against that.

Nan Shuyi said, "Of course not."

Fifteen minutes later, Nan Shuyi drove to the entrance of a high-end residential compound.

Standing at the gate was a man wearing a sportswear top, athletic shorts, and sneakers. Jiang Yicen recognized him—it was Nan Shuyi's friend Zhou Yi.

Zhou Yi saw Nan Shuyi's car and walked over.

Zhou Yi noticed Jiang Yicen in the passenger seat and silently complained to himself: didn't he say last time that he wouldn't let a designated driver sit in his car? So why was Jiang Yicen allowed?

"Yo, you two went out together?"

Nan Shuyi rolled down the window and said to him, "I bought you a lot of food. It's in the back seat; help yourself."

Zhou Yi opened the rear door and saw a row of takeout bags, their aroma wafting toward him.

He exclaimed, touched, "Bro Nan, from now on you're my real brother! Is all this for me?"

Nan Shuyi quickly said, "Yeah, they're all yours."

Zhou Yi asked them, "Aren't you guys eating any?"

Nan Shuyi said, "We already ate. These are for you."

Zhou Yi was overjoyed: "From now on, I'll go through hell and high water for you, bro!" What a good brother—he actually remembered to bring him a midnight snack when going out to eat!

Who else has a brother this awesome? Him!

Jiang Yicen opened his mouth to tell the truth, but Nan Shuyi elbowed him and gave him a sly wink.

Jiang Yicen: "..."

Nan Shuyi glanced at Zhou Yi and chided him, "Don't jinx it. Go back now, or it'll get cold and won't taste good."

Zhou Yi happily carried the two large bags of "food" back home.

Jiang Yicen: "..." He looked at Nan Shuyi, who was completely shameless, and chose to swallow the truth.

His husband was being so cheeky.