Chapter 48

Chapter 48

The first day Nan Shuyi became Jiang Yicen's direct boss, the department's employees faced overtime.

The news of his appointment as Marketing Director was announced company-wide, not only known within the company but also sent Nan Shuyi trending on social media.

Today, Nanyuan’s young master, Nan Shuyi, was trending again.

The online drama, however, didn’t faze Jiang Yicen, who worked at Nanyuan.

Nan Shuyi didn’t like to waste words at work; he was very direct.

He didn’t call a meeting right away. Instead, he posted in the group chat telling everyone to compile their work and email it to him by noon.

When Jin Huanxin was in charge, work progress was vague, processes were messy, colleagues often slacked off, and progress was slow.

Jiang Yicen's work was clear. After compiling his own work, he submitted it to Nan Shuyi.

It was his first time emailing Nan Shuyi, and it felt pretty novel—different from writing letters in the past.

Nan Shuyi replied to his email:

"Marketing Director - Nan Shuyi: Master Jiang, you’re the first to submit your work report. As a reward, here’s a pack of snacks you’ve never tried. Come grab it from my office."

Jin Huanxin had already handed over his work, and there were no more personal items of his in the office. Nan Shuyi was now using Jin Huanxin's former office.

Jiang Yicen saw the email and was at a loss for words. He wasn’t going to play these little games with Nan Shuyi during work, even though he was curious about what snacks Nan Shuyi had prepared for him. At home and in the car, Nan Shuyi always kept snacks. Jiang Yicen would grab some from the dedicated snack drawer in the kitchen, which was always restocked with new treats whenever it got low.

"Marketing Department Planning Consultant - Jiang Yicen: Director Nan, I’m at work. I’m not eating."

"Marketing Director - Nan Shuyi: Consultant Jiang, you’ve hurt my feelings."

"Marketing Department Planning Consultant - Jiang Yicen: Director Nan, please focus on your work!"

Director Nan, playful as he was, couldn’t bring himself to keep teasing Consultant Jiang—otherwise Jiang would be distracted all morning.

At noon, Nan Shuyi took several executives, including the marketing manager and brand manager, out for a meal.

Jiang Yicen finally breathed a sigh of relief. He was really afraid that Nan Shuyi would do something outrageous and expose his identity; he was still just a junior planning consultant.

Although it was Nan Shuyi's first time holding a key position at Nanyuan, everyone knew well who had handled the Jin Huanxin matter, and no one dared to underestimate him.

An hour before quitting time, Nan Shuyi called a marketing department meeting. It wasn't a simple introductory meeting but a work allocation meeting.

In just one day, the Marketing Management Department had transformed.

All planning teams were restructured, tasks reassigned, making everyone’s responsibilities clear, unlike before, when tasks were vague, people passed the buck when problems arose, and responsibilities and authority were unclear. When Jin Huanxin was around, he wasn’t focused on work anymore, and internal management and task allocation were highly unreasonable.

But Nan Shuyi, in just one day, had analyzed everything the marketing department needed to do and assigned tasks based on each person's expertise.

Jiang Yicen's workload had changed—not decreased, but increased. Of course, his tasks had become heavier. He now needed to write two planning proposals: one for the company's main product and one for a new product not yet released, which was closely related to the Jiang family.

Jiang Yicen thought, “He really is such a caring husband, afraid I won’t be able to work overtime with him.”

Nan Shuyi often worked overtime at Shiyi, but on his first day at Nanyuan, he didn’t encourage overtime. He himself didn’t stay late, but Jiang Yicen had to, truly embodying “work hard” to the extreme.

Nan Shuyi waited and waited in his office, but got no reply from Jiang Yicen, and even saw him chatting animatedly with a colleague.

He left his office door cracked, watching Jiang Yicen chat with a colleague and muttering to himself, “I was wondering why he’s always leaving so late. Turns out he’s having a great time chatting with coworkers.”

And indeed, Jiang Yicen was discussing work. After being placed in a new team today, he learned that his team leader, Hu Miao, had a lot of marketing experience. He was asking Hu Miao for advice on how to approach the proposal for the old product, and Hu Miao offered many useful tips. Previously, he hadn't realized that this quiet team leader was so easy to talk to.

Hu Miao: "I think we could get celebrity endorsements and have them do livestreams. That’s the hottest promotional method right now and fits our products."

Jiang Yicen: "What kind of celebrity would be suitable?"

Hu Miao: "Popular young actors. For instance, whatever drama is trending right now, whichever star’s stock has risen—we can get them to endorse for a while."

Jiang Yicen thought this was different from the candy marketing plan Nan Shuyi had discussed before—one was anti-celebrity, the other all-in on influencer endorsements.

He was on the fence: "Then let me think about it."

Hu Miao: "Sure, no rush. After all, popular stars only attract their fans to a certain extent. It has pros and cons. If we don’t handle it carefully, it could hurt our brand reputation—we’ve seen that happen before."

This time, Jiang Yicen was in charge of marketing Nanyuan’s classic milk, a product known nationwide. But in recent years, it had faced challenges from many new brands. The marketing plan needed to be well thought out. If they just used the same old tactics as everyone else, it wouldn’t be original.

As they were chatting, Jiang Yicen's phone rang.

He checked and saw it was Nan Shuyi calling. He hadn’t seen him leave—had he slipped out without him noticing?

Nan Shuyi: "Master Jiang, what are you talking about? Still not off work? I’m hungry."

Jiang Yicen and Hu Miao had actually wrapped up. Startled, he said, “I’m leaving now. Give me three minutes.”

It was the first time his husband had ever urged him to leave work, and it felt strangely nice.

Hu Miao smiled: "Have a date tonight?"

Jiang Yicen smiled, keeping it to himself: “It’s someone from my family.”

Hu Miao was a good-looking man who knew how to keep his distance in conversation. He was one of the marketing department’s resident handsome men. Though quiet, he was always willing to offer advice when Jiang Yicen asked.

Hu Miao: "Alright, get off work early then."

Jiang Yicen: "Team Leader Hu, I’ll be going then."

Hu Miao: "See you tomorrow."

On his first day, Nan Shuyi left work feeling a bit sulky. He hadn’t expected Jiang Yicen to get along so well with his coworkers, to the point of forgetting to leave with him.

They met in the underground parking lot; Nan Shuyi had come down first.

Gripping the steering wheel, Nan Shuyi asked, “Consultant Jiang, do you always stay late chatting with colleagues like this?”

Jiang Yicen: "No, not at all. Today, with the new tasks, I was just consulting a colleague."

Nan Shuyi’s words were sour, like he had bitten into a lemon: "Why didn't you ask me?"

Jiang Yicen said calmly, "I was just exchanging ideas with a colleague. You have so many things on your plate, I can't ask you everything. I don't want to add to your burden."

The little knot in Nan Shuyi's heart suddenly smoothed out. What a charming way with words Master Jiang had, but he appreciated it.

"Then tell me what problems you're facing. Maybe my ideas will be better."

Still, Director Nan wanted to compete with Hu Miao for the top spot in Consultant Jiang's heart.

Jiang Yicen, however, didn't want him to think about work after hours. He knew that modern people preferred to separate work and life and avoid discussing work after getting off.

"No work talk after work today."

Nan Shuyi jokingly accused him: "You've changed."

Jiang Yicen was confused by the sudden change of subject: "What?"

Nan Shuyi: "Before I joined the company, you used to tell me about work after work."

Jiang Yicen: "But you assigned me work during office hours."

"Fine, no work talk." Nan Shuyi chuckled, then turned to grab a bag of puffed snacks from the back seat. "Your reward."

Jiang Yicen: "Really?"

Nan Shuyi: "Mm, when have I ever lied to you?"

Jiang Yicen: "Thanks, President Nan."

He tore open the packaging; inside were almonds, and the bag said "Honey Butter Flavor."

What does butter flavor taste like?

He picked one out: "Shuyi, open up."

Nan Shuyi was driving, and he opened his mouth on instinct as Jiang Yicen popped an almond in.

Nan Shuyi glanced at him, using him as a taste tester again: "You again—"

Jiang Yicen blinked innocently at him: "Is it good?"

Nan Shuyi: "Of course. If it weren't good, I wouldn't have given it to you."

Only then did Jiang Yicen pop one into his own mouth: "You're hungry, so you eat first."

Nan Shuyi: "..." Fine, he just turned his excuse against him.

·

After dinner, Jiang Yicen was about to head upstairs when Nan Shuyi called him over.

Nan Shuyi: "Any plans for tonight?"

After two days of reading novels, Jiang Yicen wanted to clear his head and rest for the evening: "No."

Nan Shuyi: "Want to watch a movie?"

"Now?" Jiang Yicen's impression of watching a movie meant going to a theater, but it was a bit late for that now. Still, if Nan Shuyi wanted to go, he could go along with it.

Nan Shuyi: "Mm."

Jiang Yicen: "Then I'll go change clothes."

Nan Shuyi: "We're not going out. There's a home theater in the house; we can watch here. Didn't you know?"

Jiang Yicen shook his head: "I didn't notice. Where is it?"

So they could watch movies at home? Curiosity suddenly sparked in him.

The home theater was also on the first floor, but Jiang Yicen had no clue what those boxy-looking machines did. In the theater, the screen needed to be lowered for movies—he'd never studied it. He only knew about office projectors—he didn't know you could install one at home to watch movies.

Nan Shuyi scrolled through movies on his phone: "What movie do you want to watch?"

"You pick." Jiang Yicen had no idea. He was too busy to keep up with new movies, and besides, there were too many he hadn't seen. He couldn't choose.

In the end, Nan Shuyi picked a suspense film.

The home theater not only had a wide screen but also excellent visual effects. Jiang Yicen was once again amazed by the comfortable viewing experience. Even the sofa could recline to the perfect angle for lying down and watching movies—so luxurious, almost like magic, as if even the Empress Dowager Cixi would think she'd stumbled into a heavenly palace.

Nan Shuyi brought Jiang Yicen the movie staples: cola and popcorn.

Jiang Yicen quickly adapted. He used to think he lived in a very wealthy family, enjoying a life many could only dream of, but now he discovered an even more comfortable way of living.

Jiang Yicen and Nan Shuyi shared a bucket of popcorn, though each had their own can of cola. As the movie went on, they moved closer together, until finally their shoulders were pressed together.

Nan Shuyi was very satisfied with their proximity.

Despite feeling sleepy, Jiang Yicen kept watching. The plot was engaging, though he had guessed the killer from the start.

To avoid disturbing Nan Shuyi, Jiang Yicen didn't discuss the plot.

However, halfway through the movie, the male and female leads, stressed out from searching for the killer, suddenly started kissing in a hotel room. It was explicit: the female lead took off her jacket, the male lead kissed her collarbone, and then the screen went dark.

But for the Republic of China-era young master who had never seen such a scene, Jiang Yicen immediately covered his eyes.

Movies nowadays actually show stuff like that! That's way too explicit!

Nan Shuyi took in Jiang Yicen's reaction, a smile tugging at his lips. You'd think Jiang Yicen was watching a horror movie.

How could he be so innocent?

No wonder he avoided eye contact for three days after they kissed—his reaction was like a sheltered young lady from the old days.

Nan Shuyi took the opportunity to gently squeeze the fingers closest to him, pulling down his hand that covered his eyes, and whispered in his ear: "Master Jiang, you're already married. Still not used to it?"

Jiang Yicen's ears began to burn. He whispered back: "I shouldn't look at such things."

The home theater lights were off, the only light coming from the movie. Nan Shuyi couldn't see Jiang Yicen's blush, but he could guess.

Nan Shuyi cupped his chin: "Are you that embarrassed? Do you know what desensitization therapy is?"

Jiang Yicen stared at the handsome face so close, his heart racing: "No, I don't."

Nan Shuyi thought he was playing dumb: "Desensitization therapy is about gradually making you less sensitive to something. Are you going to cover your eyes in a real movie theater too?"

What he really meant was, what would they do when things got more intimate?

Jiang Yicen: "Ah?"

Nan Shuyi laughed softly: "Why do you live like you're from the old days? 'I shouldn't look at such things'?"

"That's how it ought to be…"

Jiang Yicen watched Nan Shuyi lean closer, instinctively leaning back. But Nan Shuyi pressed forward until he had nowhere to retreat. The distance between them shrank.

He could see the amusement in Nan Shuyi's eyes, and a hint of longing—a focused, deep gaze.

Jiang Yicen swallowed involuntarily.

This time, Nan Shuyi didn't bother asking again. He bowed his head and softly kissed the corner of Jiang Yicen's lips: "Just one kiss."

"Oh." Jiang Yicen felt a slight tingle in his fingertips from the kiss. He didn't hear a single word of the rest of the movie. He expected Nan Shuyi to kiss him the same way as before.

Nan Shuyi, the troublemaker, sat back in his seat as if nothing had happened, continued watching the movie, and calmly took a sip of cola to cool himself down.

He knew that he couldn't go any further, otherwise Jiang Yicen would avoid him again tomorrow, and the loss would outweigh the gain.

Jiang Yicen also picked up his cola. He even added some ice cubes to it and gently pressed it against his burning face. Nan Shuyi had kissed him again.

The movie continued, and the two of them kept watching with their shoulders touching.

At some point, Nan Shuyi interlocked his fingers with Jiang Yicen's, holding them until the movie ended.