Chapter 44

Chapter 44

This was Jiang Yicen's proof of his first paycheck in this era—he had received a salary. However, he hadn't forgotten his promise to Nan Shuyi to hand over his first paycheck.

He didn't mind; in fact, he wanted to send a screenshot to Nan Shuyi to let him know the salary had arrived.

But then he thought better of it. Nan Shuyi was hardly in need of such a small sum. Instead of transferring the money, it would be more meaningful to use his first paycheck to buy him a gift, to thank him for all his help.

Even though Nan Shuyi had unknowingly aided him greatly, he still felt it was necessary to give him a present.

However, he had no idea what Nan Shuyi liked. He was so wealthy that any gift might seem insignificant.

As he was racking his brains, he noticed a photo of a happy family of three hanging in Manager Yang's car.

Jiang Yicen: "Manager Yang, if you don't mind me asking, are you married?"

Manager Yang said with a blissful smile, "Yes, I am. My daughter is already in elementary school."

Jiang Yicen: "Do you often give gifts to your wife?"

Manager Yang, being shrewd, immediately guessed the romantic angle: "Are you buying a gift for your girlfriend?"

Jiang Yicen: "Sort of. It's a gift for someone important, but they don't lack anything."

Manager Yang: "Well, that's a tough choice. But gifts are best when they come from the heart—it's all about emotional value. The key is to surprise them. Girls, you know, love that kind of thing. When my wife was into gold, I gave her gold and silver jewelry. When she liked dolls, I bought her limited-edition ones. Sometimes I even paid a premium to scalpers if I couldn't get them. But seeing her happy makes it all worth it."

Jiang Yicen: "You're a good husband. Your wife must love you very much."

Manager Yang was delighted by the compliment and opened up, giving Jiang Yicen plenty of romantic advice.

Last week, he had been speculating about Jiang Yicen's relationship with the Young Master, but this week he found Jiang Yicen to be a polite and well-mannered young man. In their conversations, he never flattered anyone, and his compliments came naturally and sincerely, leaving Manager Yang feeling at ease and thoroughly pleased.

After chatting with Manager Yang, Jiang Yicen concluded that the best gift for Nan Shuyi would be something he truly adored—something that touched his heart.

He didn't know much about Nan Shuyi's preferences, mainly because they hadn't known each other long. Living together meant they were both busy with their own affairs, and their interactions were limited. Most of the time, he was the one seeking help from Nan Shuyi, who was a dependable and reassuring man.

Since he was his husband, the first gift couldn't be too casual.

What should he give?

His elder brother used to buy gifts for his sister-in-law. She was a dignified traditional woman, but not narrow-minded. When she didn't know characters, she learned to read and write, and they treated each other with respect, yet there were tender moments. Sometimes, when he visited his brother, he would catch him teaching his sister-in-law characters and arithmetic. He even remembered his brother teaching her to speak English.

After work, Jiang Yicen didn't go home immediately. Instead, he visited a nearby shopping mall.

One floor of the mall sold men's accessories: clothing, bags, shoes, watches, and more. But nothing seemed suitable as a gift for Nan Shuyi—everything felt too mundane.

Just as he was about to leave a little disappointed, he noticed a sign on the first floor that read "Free Engraving."

He thought it was for seals, but on closer inspection, it was a fountain pen counter—a rarity nowadays.

Compared to the convenient ballpoint pens of today, fountain pens were what Jiang Yicen had used most in his previous life. In fact, just before his death, he had used a fountain pen as a token to have the housekeeper escort Principal He and the others away. That pen held special meaning for him.

Other counters, like cosmetics and jewelry, were bustling, but the fountain pen counter was relatively quiet.

Back in the day, Parker pens were extremely popular among literati. Now, people use phones and computers for work, and writing by hand had become rare, limited mostly to signing documents.

Ordinary employees didn't use pens much, but Nan Shuyi occasionally needed one for signing contracts. Compared to impractical gifts, a fountain pen could at least be useful.

The salesperson asked him: "What kind of fountain pen are you looking for, sir? Is it a gift or for personal use?"

Jiang Yicen: "A gift."

The salesperson introduced him to several popular models, but none matched the pen he had used before. Unfortunately, he had no photo of it.

Jiang Yicen: "Do you have any older models? Retro styles?" He had heard Nan Shuyi mention that term recently.

Salesperson: "Yes, please wait a moment. A gentleman also showed interest in this model this morning. It's a limited edition—only a hundred in stock. We have just one left at this counter. Look, it has a serial number: number ninety-nine."

She handed him a pen with a body of cyan mixed with white. The color was striking but not gaudy. Nan Shuyi's clothing style was very trendy, and this pen color would suit him well. Moreover, it was exactly the same color as the pen he had used before.

Number ninety-nine—an auspicious number, symbolizing longevity.

Jiang Yicen: "I'll take this one. Can it be engraved?"

Salesperson: "Yes, it can."

Jiang Yicen: "Can I engrave it myself?"

Salesperson: "Are you sure? We have professional engravers here."

Jiang Yicen: "I'd like to do it myself. Could the master teach me how to engrave?"

Salesperson: "Of course, please wait a moment."

The salesperson quickly found the master. After Jiang Yicen learned how to use the electric engraving tool, he engraved the characters he had planned onto the pen. His hand was steady, and his handwriting was excellent—the engraving master conceded defeat. It took him less than half an hour to finish.

Jiang Yicen walked out of the mall carrying the beautifully wrapped pen. A quarter of his newly received salary was already gone. It turned out money didn't go far these days. He really needed to work harder to support Nan Shuyi.

Even if Nan Shuyi didn't need his support, he should at least be able to buy everything he needed. That would be fair. He wasn't a parasitic vine that needed to cling to others for survival; he needed to keep striving.

Having bought the gift he wanted, Jiang Yicen hailed a taxi with a joyful heart, ready to go home.

He and Nan Shuyi hadn't had dinner together for several days. Today, they had agreed to eat at home, and Nan Shuyi had said he would cook.

This mall required him to walk to the street outside to catch a taxi. Since it was a commercial district, not residential, the nighttime foot traffic was sparse. The intersection where he hailed the taxi was dimly lit, and at this hour, no one was around.

Since learning to use ride-hailing apps, he didn't need his driver Uncle Li to pick him up when his work hours were irregular, saving time and hassle.

His phone showed that the driver would arrive in three minutes. Jiang Yicen waited patiently.

Just then, Nan Shuyi called him. As Jiang Yicen was about to answer, a car stopped in front of him. Thinking it was his ride, he didn't check the license plate. But then two masked men got out, blocking his path. The one in front flashed a folding knife.

The man said: "Don't move. Are you Jiang Yicen?"

Jiang Yicen: "Who are you?"

The man: "Get in the car."

Jiang Yicen put away his phone without answering Nan Shuyi's call.

Jiang Yicen: "Where are you taking me? This is a society under the rule of law."

The man: "Our boss wants to have a word with you."

Jiang Yicen: "Who is your boss?"

The man: "Get in the car. No more talking."

Jiang Yicen didn't recall having offended anyone. Why was he being kidnapped?

He watched as he was about to get in the car, not sure what would happen next or who was looking for him.

The masked man urged, "Get in the car quickly. If you cooperate, we won't hurt you."

He even shoved the knife closer to Jiang Yicen to intimidate him.

But Jiang Yicen wasn't scared at all. When the other guy let his guard down, Jiang Yicen twisted his wrist back. Crack! The wrist broke, the knife dropped, and Jiang Yicen quickly kicked him in the groin!

"Ow ow ow! You fucking kicked me!"

His accomplice saw this and tried to grab Jiang Yicen, but Jiang Yicen seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. He struck backward with his elbow, hitting the man's temple, then turned and delivered a flying kick straight to the man's head. The man lost his balance, smacked into the back of the car, and passed out on the spot!

The guy who was groaning, seeing this, didn't dare linger. He clutched his groin and tried to get back into the car, but Jiang Yicen picked up the folding knife that had fallen.

"Stop your whining. Who is your boss?"

At that moment, the car Jiang Yicen had called for pulled up, just in time to see him send the two flying. The driver exclaimed "Holy shit!" from inside the car and quickly called the police.

Jiang Yicen hadn't expected to encounter such people in a society with such good public security. They seemed to be targeting him.

The driver got out: "Need help, bro? That kick of yours was awesome!"

This area was a commercial district, so the police responded very quickly. A patrol car was nearby, turned around, and arrived.

The two men who had pointed knives at Jiang Yicen were handcuffed and put into the car.

The spot was a surveillance blind spot, but that didn't matter. The driver had a dashcam that had recorded the whole scene of the two men threatening him with knives.

Jiang Yicen and the driver both went to the police station—one as the victim, the other as a witness.

Meanwhile, of the two would-be kidnappers, one was drenched in cold sweat, in severe pain in his groin, and yelling that he couldn't become sterile. The other was carried onto the police car.

The driver kept saying, "Are these two idiots? The police station is right next door, and they dared to blatantly kidnap someone!"

Jiang Yicen gave a slight smile. Maybe the other party hadn't expected that someone who looked so defenseless could take down two people. Still, he felt still a bit shaken now.

His phone was still vibrating. Nan Shuyi had called him several times, but he hadn't answered.

Now he finally answered.

Jiang Yicen: "Brother Shuyi."

Nan Shuyi had gone home early today specifically to prepare dinner.

Ever since he started taking their marriage seriously, he had come to understand what he wanted. He wanted to give it a shot. Today, he had made a point of telling Jiang Yicen to come home early, but he hadn't seen him come in for a long time, and he wasn't answering his phone.

Nan Shuyi felt something was off.

"Didn't you get off work? Why aren't you home yet? My soup is ready—I even had fresh chicken flown in from northern Guangdong."

Jiang Yicen: "I'm at the police station."

"What?" Nan Shuyi put down the freshly washed vegetables. "Which police station? Wait for me."

He quickly took off the new apron he had put on, grabbed his car keys, and rushed out the door, anxious and scared. He hadn't even fully put on his shoes by the time he reached the elevator.

On the way to the police station, Nan Shuyi almost ran a red light. He burst into the station and saw Jiang Yicen, relieved to find him unharmed.

Jiang Yicen got up when he saw him: "Brother Shuyi."

Nan Shuyi looked him over with a stern face: "Are you okay? Are you hurt? What happened?"

Jiang Yicen shook his head: "I'm fine."

He briefly told him what had happened. Nan Shuyi nodded.

Nan Shuyi's face was grim: "I understand. Where are they?"

Jiang Yicen: "One was taken for questioning, the other hasn't woken up yet."

Nan Shuyi: "Still unconscious?"

The driver was still there, excited to be involved in the case and wanting to know the outcome.

"Bro, you don't know, but your guy here is amazing! He kicked one flying, and he wasn't even scared of the knife! He even broke the guy's wrist!"

Nan Shuyi, in his worry, had forgotten about Jiang Yicen's fighting skills: "You... as long as you're all right."

One with a broken wrist, the other knocked out.

Driver: "Look, I have the dashcam footage right here. Your guy was badass!"

Nan Shuyi: "Bro, could you send me a copy?"

Driver: "Sure, sure."

Soon, Nan Shuyi received the video from the driver. He watched Jiang Yicen take down two guys in a few moves. He'd never seen Jiang Yicen so serious, focused, and calm. His heart pounded, but he also looked at Jiang Yicen with worry. For a long moment, he couldn't say a word.

Nan Shuyi knew he couldn't blame Jiang Yicen, nor could he tell him what to do differently next time. He felt frustrated by his own helplessness. He should have gone to pick him up from work today instead of going home.

If Jiang Yicen hadn't known kung fu, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

The police came out and told them they could go home. Since the other suspect was still unconscious, they couldn't interrogate him immediately. They'd call to update them on the case; for now, the case was opened.

Jiang Yicen: "Shuyi? Let's go back."

Nan Shuyi: "Mm, let's go home first."

The driver left with them and called out: "Hey, your stuff!"

Jiang Yicen: "Thanks, bro. I appreciate your help today."

Driver: "No problem. It's the right thing to do."

Nan Shuyi had added the driver's WeChat and sent him a red envelope.

Driver: "Oh, you don't have to do that!"

Nan Shuyi: "Bro, the evidence you provided was very important. Consider it as fare."

The driver happily accepted and went off to pick up another ride.

·

On the way back, Nan Shuyi focused on driving, his mind in turmoil. He didn't say a word.

Jiang Yicen was also a little shaken, thinking about what happened tonight. Who was the "boss" those guys mentioned? Were they looking for him, or for "Jiang Yicen"?

When they got home, Jiang Yicen had just changed his shoes and was about to head inside when his hand was suddenly grabbed, and his back was pressed against the wall by the entrance.

Jiang Yicen was startled: "What's wrong?"

Nan Shuyi held his chin and asked softly: "Can I kiss you?"

Jiang Yicen wasn't used to having his chin held like that. He blinked. Nan Shuyi was so close, with a hint of pressure in his expression. Was he supposed to say yes or no?

But before he could respond, Nan Shuyi's hot, urgent kiss came down on him, heavy and forceful, silencing both his consent and refusal in his mouth.