Chapter 51

Chapter 51

Jiang Yicen dutifully got out of the car, sensing that Nan Shuyi seemed a little annoyed.

He looked at Nan Shuyi on Zhou Yi's phone screen. "Really?"

Nan Shuyi: "Of course."

Jiang Yicen: "Alright."

Only after seeing Jiang Yicen get out of the car did Nan Shuyi hang up; he still had some matters to attend to.

Jiang Yicen also knew that in modern times, only those with a driver's license were allowed to drive on the road, and he had never touched a car before. "Jiang Yicen's" driver's license was useless to him.

When they left, Zhou Yi and Cheng Chen both said the car was good, and each ordered one. Jiang Yicen also ordered one for Nan Shuyi.

Zhong Zixing was still dazed as he saw them off, as if a pie had dropped from heaven.

Before leaving, Fourth Master Jiang told him that Nanyuan would provide them with sponsorship, about one million yuan in cost. The other two young masters would each sponsor five hundred thousand yuan, and they’d put each family’s logo on the race cars during the next competition. Zhong Zixing said there was no problem at all and that he would personally bring the contract tomorrow, promising to work hard to make a name for his brand in the next race!

Zhou Yi and Cheng Chen didn't take it seriously; it was all tasks assigned by Nan Shuyi. Spending five hundred thousand was nothing to them.

·

After hanging up, Nan Shuyi's face darkened slightly. He fiddled with his phone, lost in thought. But Assistant Tang felt his boss was angry. He rarely saw his boss show such emotion. When he wasn't smiling, he was somewhat stern, but now he was seeing his boss truly angry—pretty scary.

Jiang Yuming was sixty this year. In a public institution, he would have already reached retirement age. But as an entrepreneur, he had been holding on until now, yet he could no longer keep up with the times. The cosmetics company he inherited from the last century was on the verge of bankruptcy.

He was very excited. He didn't expect that when he was at his wit's end, he would receive a call like music to his ears. Just when he thought his company was hopeless, a young man approached him.

"President Nan, you are truly young and accomplished, and you have great vision. My products are all very good, strictly adhering to national standards. I just don’t get today’s market. These are such good products, yet they can't compete with foreign cosmetics that are full of additives. Alas, maybe I'm old and can't keep up with the times. Even my children are unwilling to take over this business. They all think local brands have no future."

Nan Shuyi, along with Assistant Tang and their professionals, met the boss of Yutu. The other party warmly invited them to a meal. Knowing that Nan Shuyi had taken the initiative to contact him, Jiang Yuming was extremely excited and rolled out the red carpet for them.

Assistant Tang asked, "When did this formula start being passed down?"

Jiang Yuming thought for a moment, "Let me think... It was during my grandfather's generation, around the time of the Republic of China's War of Resistance. The main store was originally one of the Jiang family's industries. Back then, they needed to sell it urgently, so our family got a bargain and bought it."

Hearing the name "Jiang," Nan Shuyi perked up a bit. "Jiang family?"

Could it be an old business of the Jiang family? But Jiang Gongming's family wouldn't have sold off these properties, and the Jiang family only rose after the reform—this Jiang family from the Republican era shouldn't be related.

Jiang Yuming said, "Yes, the Jiang family. At that time, Lincheng had a very large family. But since our family wasn't from there, we didn't know much about the Jiang family. We only knew that after the head of the Jiang family died, they began to sell off their assets. Some said they couldn't sustain themselves, others said they were supporting the Party's cause, saving lives and helping the wounded. As far as I know, the Jiang family had a long family tradition of scholarship. Alas, in that era, many families declined; the Jiang family was just one among many."

Nan Shuyi nodded, "That's true."

Since no one pushed for drinking games at dinner, it ended early, around eight o'clock. Yutu's products were indeed good, and the talks with Boss Jiang went pretty well. However, if they wanted to buy the patent, the price could still be negotiated. Boss Jiang was the one in a rush; Nan Shuyi was not. Buying Yutu was already a done deal.

Assistant Tang asked Nan Shuyi, "Boss, shall we head back to the hotel first?"

Nan Shuyi thought for a moment, "I'll take a flight back to Lincheng tonight. You stay here and continue negotiating the cooperation with Boss Jiang."

Assistant Tang understood—he missed home after being away on business for a few days.

Nan Shuyi returned to Lincheng that night.

Jiang Yicen had spent the day having fun and had solved a problem that had been bugging him for nearly two weeks. Feeling relaxed, he took a bath at home. As he was about to go to sleep, he texted Nan Shuyi goodnight. But after waiting half an hour, there was no reply.

Normally, Nan Shuyi wouldn't go to bed that early. Probably something had come up. Nan Shuyi always had his own plans for work and never rested until he was done—he was a workaholic.

But Jiang Yicen had already exchanged goodnights with Nan Shuyi before going to sleep. And he hadn't yet reached a point where he felt completely safe everywhere. Nan Shuyi's lack of reply made him a little worried, especially since he was in a city thousands of miles away.

Although he could see him in video calls, he never really felt at ease.

Jiang Yicen never had the habit of putting his phone by his pillow, but that night, he placed it beside him. While waiting, he drifted off without realizing it.

But his sleep was restless. In his dream, he heard bombing sounds.

The Japanese were bombing Lincheng all over again. Everyone was running towards the nearest air-raid shelter. People on the streets were all sprinting.

Uncle Yuan moved swiftly, pulling Jiang Yicen forward. But just as they were about to enter the shelter, Jiang Yicen suddenly felt like he was missing someone.

Jiang Yicen grabbed Uncle Yuan: "Uncle Yuan, have you seen Nan Shuyi?"

Uncle Yuan: "Master, who is Nan Shuyi?"

Jiang Yicen: "He's my husband, don't you remember?"

Uncle Yuan looked anxious: "Master, are you frightened by the bombing? You're not married yet. There's no one named Nan Shuyi in this world."

Jiang Yicen looked at the familiar surroundings. This was the city he lived in—uneven ground, litter everywhere, not the clean, leaf-free streets and buildings of the new era. The houses were a mix of old and new, without the skyscrapers that made one's neck ache.

He remembered dying and being reborn into a new era. But how could he be back? Was that just a fantasy before his death? Were those few months not real?

Jiang Yicen asked again, "There really is no one named Nan Shuyi?"

Uncle Yuan: "Really, there isn't. Is it the name of one of our fallen comrades?"

Jiang Yicen's face turned pale. So rebirth was a lie, just his imagination.

The bombing sounded again. Uncle Yuan dragged Jiang Yicen into the shelter. But the bombs seemed to hit precisely above the shelter, and debris fell from the ceiling.

Someone shouted in panic, "The shelter is collapsing!"

Before anyone could run out, the small chunks of stone turned into large rocks, and the shelter truly collapsed!

Jiang Yicen instinctively raised his hands to cover his head. He was going to die again.

The rocks didn't hit him. He woke up in fright, his forehead and body soaked with cold sweat.

It was just a nightmare.

Living alone really was frightening.

After losing his family, he at least had Uncle Yuan for company, and he had his goals. But in this unfamiliar new world, living alone still felt alienating.

Jiang Yicen changed out of his sweat-drenched pajamas. Fully awake now, he turned on the light and checked the time on his phone.

It was 1:30 AM.

He didn't want to stay upstairs, so he decided to go down to the study to read for a while, to take his mind off things and avoid getting lost in random thoughts.

As he opened the door, he faintly heard the sound of something falling onto the carpet downstairs.

Jiang Yicen was startled.

What's going on? A burglar?

On such a high floor, it couldn't be a stray cat or dog. It could only be a thief.

He tiptoed downstairs. He wanted to take the badminton racket hanging on the stair wall, but found that the decoration was fixed and couldn't be removed, so he had to give up.

Nan Shuyi's house had so many valuables, no wonder thieves had their eyes on it.

He tiptoed toward the sound.

This thief was clever—afraid of waking anyone, he didn't even turn on the lights.

Jiang Yicen clenched his fists, hunched over, and crept toward the kitchen.

This thief was quite bold, not stealing valuables but directly opening his refrigerator to find food. Was he a hungry ghost or what?

Light from outside shone in, and from Jiang Yicen's angle, he could see the other person's shadow. The thief's build was taller and stronger than his. He pondered how to knock the other to the ground, at least break his arm before calling the police.

There were two kitchens in the house, one Chinese-style and one Western-style.

Jiang Yicen crouched behind the Western-style island counter, waiting for the thief to come out of the kitchen after eating. This was the best ambush spot.

He waited for a while, hearing the other person screw the cap back on the empty water bottle and close the refrigerator door, quite leisurely.

Jiang Yicen concentrated, waiting for the other to come out of the kitchen.

He listened to the footsteps; the thief had even changed into their slippers. This thief was utterly audacious, acting as if he thought no one was home, so brazen.

Good, the thief was approaching.

Jiang Yicen silently counted to three.

One, two, three!

He supported himself with one hand on the island counter, and as the thief turned his back, he rose and delivered a flying kick, directly hitting the other's back. The "thief" fell to the ground with a thud. He then stepped forward, twisted the thief's arm, and forcefully wrenched it behind his back!

Crack!

Jiang Yicen pressed one knee against the back of the other's neck, ensuring he couldn't resist, and cursed, "You little thief, how dare you break into my house!"

Nan Shuyi, the "thief" himself, was stunned, having been knocked down within two seconds with no chance to resist. He seemed to hear a cracking sound from his wrist.

He hadn't reacted at all just now, and by the time he tried to react, he was already pinned to the ground by Jiang Yicen.

The "thief" spoke: "Jiang Yicen, it's me, what are you doing?"

Jiang Yicen was also stunned. Nan Shuyi?

He immediately let go.

Jiang Yicen crouched on the ground, looking at Nan Shuyi's familiar face. He was also bewildered, unable to believe it!

"Brother Shuyi, you... how did you come back?"

Wasn't Nan Shuyi thousands of miles away? They had video-called in the afternoon.

Jiang Yicen still couldn't process that someone could return home from thousands of miles away on the same day. He hadn't even considered it possible.

Nan Shuyi sat on the floor, looking at him speechlessly: "Of course, I took a red-eye flight back."

"You didn't say anything about coming back, I thought there was a burglar in the house," Jiang Yicen realized he had used a lot of force just now. "Are you okay?"

Nan Shuyi raised his left wrist to him and said helplessly, "What do you think?"

Jiang Yicen was stunned, carefully holding Nan Shuyi's wrist. He was terrified: "I don't think I used that much force. Could it be fractured? Do you have a doctor's number? What should we do? Does it hurt?"

"Look at you, so nervous," Nan Shuyi held his wrist. "It doesn't hurt, but I might need to go to the hospital first."

"Is it dislocated or fractured?" Jiang Yicen immediately stood up, then helped Nan Shuyi up. He was extremely nervous. "Let's go to the hospital quickly!"

Jiang Yicen hurried out, even forgetting that he was wearing pajamas. Nan Shuyi saw how nervous he was and wasn't at all angry about his injured hand. Instead, seeing Jiang Yicen so worried about him made him secretly pleased. He was practically being pulled along by Jiang Yicen.

However, despite his secret joy, Nan Shuyi still reminded Jiang Yicen: "Go change your clothes first."

Jiang Yicen looked down at his pajamas, rushed upstairs, and quickly changed into a beige casual outfit.

There was a major hospital near their home, a three-minute taxi ride away. They went directly to the emergency room and registered.

The doctor examined Nan Shuyi's wrist and diagnosed: "The wrist is dislocated."

Jiang Yicen breathed a sigh of relief. As long as it wasn't fractured, he wouldn't feel too guilty.

The doctor told them that Nan Shuyi's wrist wasn't serious, but he needed to be careful with it recently and use a brace to immobilize it.

After the two came out of the hospital, Nan Shuyi saw that Jiang Yicen's face was still tense, so he reached out and poked his cheek.

Jiang Yicen grabbed his hand, quite nervous: "Don't use your injured hand."

Nan Shuyi rotated his wrist: "It's just a dislocation; it's fine now that it's been reduced."

Jiang Yicen insisted: "Still, follow the doctor's advice, try not to use it."

This time it was really a close call.

Jiang Yicen added: "Brother Shuyi, why didn't you tell me you were coming back? Otherwise, I wouldn't have mistaken you for a burglar."

Mentioning this, Nan Shuyi was frustrated. He had originally wanted it to be a surprise, but it turned into a shock for both of them. He wouldn't have even dreamed of being pinned to the ground by Jiang Yicen.

He emphasized to Jiang Yicen: "Don't mention this to anyone, got it?"

Jiang Yicen: "Alright, but don't do this next time. At least turn on the light."

Nan Shuyi: "..."

He chose to remain silent today.

They arrived home at 2:30 AM.

Nan Shuyi still planned to teach Jiang Yicen to drive tomorrow, so he told him to go to sleep first.

"I'll teach you to drive tomorrow." Originally, he should have made a grand entrance, but because he was thirsty and rushed to the kitchen to drink water without turning on the light, he was pinned down by Jiang Yicen. How embarrassing.

Before coming back, he really wanted to see Jiang Yicen. Now, he didn't want to face Jiang Yicen at all.

He needed to sleep and recover.

Jiang Yicen stood at the bedroom door, looking at his hand: "Do you need help?"

Nan Shuyi took a big step closer to him, shortening the distance between them.

"How do you want to help?"

Jiang Yicen didn't think much, his eyes very innocent: "Help you take a shower?"

Nan Shuyi's Adam's apple bobbed, and he pressed his finger against Jiang Yicen's chin: "No need." He wanted to, but he didn't dare.

Still, he wanted a little compensation. Taking advantage of Jiang Yicen's distraction, he lowered his head and touched his lips to Jiang Yicen's.

Nan Shuyi: "Go to sleep."

Jiang Yicen's face heated up: "Oh."