Chapter 60

Chapter 60

The wind by the river suddenly picked up, the tent top fluttering in the breeze, carrying the fragrance of distant flowers and the scent of soil.

Unlike before, Jiang Yicen found that this intimate moment with Nan Shuyi was deeper than any previous one, nearly drowning in his kisses. Just when he thought it was about to end, Nan Shuyi gave him a light bite on the neck, neither too hard nor too soft.

Jiang Yicen let out a soft moan, coming back to his senses: "Why did you bite me?" He was wearing a low-collar T-shirt today.

Nan Shuyi gently licked the side of his neck, making Jiang Yicen shiver all over, his toes curling up.

Jiang Yicen pushed Nan Shuyi back a little, not letting him do anything weird anymore.

"Stop, I'm sweaty."

Just as he pushed the man away, he felt a coolness on his lower abdomen—the hem of his T-shirt had been lifted up to his chest.

He started blushing again and stammered, "You... you..."

Nan Shuyi stared at Jiang Yicen like a wolf that had been hungry for a long time, his eyes full of tenderness and greed, an unashamed gaze that seemed to want to lick him all over.

His fingertips lightly tapped on Jiang Yicen's firm abdomen, and he shamelessly said, "I'm just hungry, and you have a fragrance on you. It's only natural to want a taste."

If they weren't already married, being spoken to like that would border on sexual harassment.

Jiang Yicen had just gotten used to not blushing at kisses, only to find there were even more embarrassing things to come. As a man, how did Nan Shuyi know so many tricks? Truly a worldly-wise modern man—he was no match for him.

He slapped Nan Shuyi's hand away, forcefully pulled down his shirt hem, and deliberately said, "That's the smell of barbecue you're picking up, not my fragrance."

Nan Shuyi gave a wry smile. "When I said hungry, I didn't mean that kind of hungry."

Jiang Yicen edged outward bit by bit, no longer wanting to stay in the tent with Nan Shuyi. If they stayed any longer, everyone would know about their relationship after today.

The tight space only amplified the intimate atmosphere. He had only wanted to come in to set down the computer and enjoy the view of the sky through the tent top.

He pushed Nan Shuyi away. "I'm not talking to you anymore. Don't keep thinking about stuff that's bad for you. I'm going out."

Nan Shuyi let himself collapse onto the tent floor, letting his "little tent" stand, no longer caring if Jiang Yicen saw it.

He called after Jiang Yicen with a laugh. "Jiang Yicen, you're such a coward."

Jiang Yicen, blushing furiously and covering his neck with his hand, hurried out of Nan Shuyi's tent. Not only did Nan Shuyi have a "little tent," but he was a man too—he had one as well.

He knew what Nan Shuyi meant, but if they went any further, he was scared that Nan Shuyi would take him right there, which would simply embarrass him to death. It wasn't that he feared intimacy, but he had never experienced such closeness before.

The camping event was very free—besides eating and drinking, there was playing. Those who didn't want to play could find a spot to lie down and soak up the sun.

The company that organized the activities was quite interesting. Many people couldn't sit still. Since everyone was colleagues, they might even have had small quarrels in the past, but now it was a chance to play together. No need for physical training, just simple games.

So some classic Chinese games appeared at the campsite. Some colleagues went to play board games, while others went straight for the mahjong table!

The clatter of mahjong tiles was very pleasant, blending perfectly with the sound of the nearby river.

To avoid Nan Shuyi, Jiang Yicen squeezed into the most crowded spots, and then was pulled over by Jiajia, who had grabbed a seat at the mahjong table.

"Yicen, come on, we need a fourth!"

Jiang Yicen thought to himself, there was no way they were short a fourth here; they probably just wanted to include him since he wasn't familiar with everyone else.

Dabing didn't like mahjong; she preferred board games and played with colleagues from the candy operations team and the product team.

He modestly said, "I'm not very good at it."

Mahjong is always fun. Jiang Yicen had played with his elders back home, but this was his first time here.

Everyone came from different parts of the country, with different mahjong rules. Today, they played the simplest version.

Jiang Yicen understood immediately.

On the first hand, he won by self-draw.

"As expected from a newbie!"

"Yicen looks like an old hand—how is he a newbie?"

"Hasn't he only been here a short while?"

"Yicen, have you been confirmed as a regular employee?"

Jiang Yicen answered them one by one.

It seemed there was no formal probation period for him at the company—he was just there to learn.

Other colleagues nearby heard the mahjong sounds and gathered around to watch. Watching others play mahjong was also entertaining.

Nan Shuyi spent some time alone in the tent, then put Jiang Yicen's computer back in the car trunk and returned to the campsite.

He didn't put on airs; everyone was comfortable chatting with him. He managed to snag a few skewers of barbecue from the grilling area and, knowing Jiang Yicen preferred vegetables, picked up a few for him, put them in a box, and headed to the mahjong table.

He had just seen Jiang Yicen go to play mahjong—the new guy was fitting into the team quite quickly.

Nan Shuyi silently stood behind Jiang Yicen and, after he played a tile, handed him a freshly grilled cauliflower skewer.

"Jiang Yicen, do you want some?"

Jiang Yicen was focused on his tiles, but he wasn't stressed. He took the skewer and slowly ate it.

Nan Shuyi kept offering him food. Worried it might upset his stomach, he also handed around the leftover cold skewers to those nearby, so no one noticed how familiar they were acting.

After another round, a colleague from the operations department received a call—urgent work came up. He asked if anyone wanted to take his seat. Eyes turned to Nan Shuyi.

"Mr. Nan, want to play a couple of rounds?"

Nan Shuyi glanced at Jiang Yicen. "Sure, but I haven't played mahjong in a while. Don't go taking all my pocket money."

Jiajia: "No way, Mr. Nan, you still get an allowance?"

Nan Shuyi happened to be the player to Jiang Yicen's left.

He sat down quickly and smoothly and said, "Yeah, although my partner doesn't control my money, he can spend it all. Now I only have a little left as pocket money."

He said it so pitifully that everyone felt sorry for him, and everyone became even more curious about Nan Shuyi's partner.

The deputy manager of the brand department smiled. "Single men, learn from Mr. Nan—give all your money to your wife to spend."

Jiang Yicen stared at his tiles, not daring to speak. Nan Shuyi was clearly twisting the truth—when had he ever spent all his money?

Jiang Yicen could count tiles and didn't try to win every hand, letting his colleagues win sometimes. Jiajia and the brand department colleague were skilled players. After Nan Shuyi sat down, Jiang Yicen became much more excited—at least having someone familiar sitting next to him made him feel comfortable.

After coming to this world, the last time he played mahjong was with Jiang Yiting's friends. That time hadn't been much fun, but today was a fun session, and it might be much more enjoyable.

Nan Shuyi's skill at arranging tiles was actually quite impressive. It was clear he was an experienced player who had played mahjong often.

The first thing he did when he sat down was to feed tiles to Jiang Yicen.

Jiang Yicen casually picked up the tile he had just discarded: "Chow."

Nan Shuyi: "How could you chow that tile? Next time, I won't let you have it."

Jiang Yicen wondered if he was doing it on purpose. "Watch your discards, President Nan."

Two rounds later, Jiang Yicen once again chowed Nan Shuyi's tile. He quickly called mahjong and soon won by self-draw.

It was the fastest self-drawn hand he had achieved after playing several rounds.

Someone who didn't understand laughed and said, "Master Nan, are you a newbie? You keep feeding tiles to the player on your right."

Nan Shuyi pretended not to understand: "Oh, is that so? I'm not very good. Teach me how to play."

Jiang Yicen glanced at him and said nothing.

Was Nan Shuyi really bad, or was he faking it? But ninety percent of the time, he was pretending to be a beginner to deceive others.

However, Jiang Yicen had never actually heard of Nan Shuyi playing mahjong with anyone. When he went out with friends, they usually drank, and that was only occasional. Recently, with so much work at the company, he was constantly running between the office and home. Sometimes when he was too exhausted, he would just sleep at the apartment near the company.

Playing mahjong was indeed something that could easily get someone addicted and was also very stress-relieving.

After a few more rounds, Jiang Yicen stopped playing. He realized Nan Shuyi had been feeding him tiles the whole time, and he enjoyed it. In the end, he left the table with a massive thirty yuan he had won off his colleagues.

Jiajia, a mahjong junkie, stayed glued to the table.

After the two left the table, they headed over to Nan Shuyi's tent. Tents were set up one by one, and colleagues were pulling up camping chairs to relax. Some were even fishing by the river.

Jiang Yicen pulled up a chair and sat down. Nan Shuyi went to grab some food, while the snacks Jiang Yicen brought were all shared out with the other colleagues.

Nan Shuyi placed a disposable plate on the small table: "These lemon chicken feet are really well marinated. Want one?"

Jiang Yicen didn't go for the chicken feet first. Instead, he pulled out the thirty yuan from his pocket and handed it over: "You said you had no pocket money. Here."

Nan Shuyi took the huge sum of money with both hands, looking serious: "Thanks, boss. I've never seen this much pocket money in my life."

Jiang Yicen generously said, "Just ask for more when you're out."

Nan Shuyi carefully put away the money: "That works."

When the sun was high in the sky, Jiang Yicen, having eaten and drunk his fill, lay on a camping recliner reading a book. The sun was warm and comfortable, and before he knew it, he had fallen asleep, dropping his usual reserved demeanor, appearing completely soft and relaxed.

Nan Shuyi took the brick-heavy book off his chest and draped his jacket over him.

Out of boredom, he sat in a chair playing on his phone. He laid out his freshly received pocket money—two tens, two fives, and five ones—on the small table and snapped several pictures. Then he noticed Jiang Yicen's long, delicate fingers resting on the armrest and took a bunch more photos from different angles.

How could a guy's fingers be as slender as green onions?

Afterward, he added a filter to the two photos and posted them on his Moments.

"Fire Feather White: Pocket money. [Photo] [Photo]"

It had been a while since he had posted on Moments, so his friends quickly liked the post and asked who the hand belonged to.

- Being in a relationship is different, tsk tsk, can't even call you out to play anymore.

- Sister-in-law is really generous.

- What does this pocket money say? Henpecked husband.

No matter how his friends teased him, Nan Shuyi only replied with emojis. These people who weren't married wouldn't understand the benefits of being a married man.

Around three in the afternoon, the sun's heat began to wane, and the company arranged for everyone to leave. Nan Shuyi and Jiang Yicen packed up their things and headed home.

Over the weekend, Nan Shuyi took Jiang Yicen driving practice for a day. The next day, he was going to host a welcome dinner for a friend returning from abroad.

He had invited Jiang Yicen to join, but Jiang Yicen received a call from He Nuanqing on Saturday evening, asking if he could accompany her back to her parents' home on Sunday for his niece's full-month celebration. He agreed.

Jiang Yicen didn't find it unusual. Knowing Jiang Gongming's style of never lifting a finger without personal gain, he definitely wouldn't attend a banquet that offered him no advantage.

Lately, he had also heard quite a bit of gossip about Jiang Gongming.

Although Jiang Gongming had divorced his ex-wife, he still maintained close ties with her family, sending gifts and greetings to his former father-in-law during holidays. One had helped him build his fortune, while the other relied on him for support—so it was easy to imagine how Jiang Gongming would treat He Nuanqing's family.

Nan Shuyi was about to head out. As he put on his watch, he asked Jiang Yicen, "Sure you don't need me to drop you off at your uncle's place?"

Jiang Yicen stood by the door, opening it for him: "Oh, really, it's fine. If you take me, you'll be late. I'll just wait for my mom to pick me up on her way here."

Nan Shuyi: "It doesn't matter. They won't mind."

Jiang Yicen gave his back a little push: "It's out of your way. I'm just going for a meal. You go on."

Nan Shuyi grumbled, "You're getting bold, pushing me out."

Jiang Yicen: "You're talking nonsense again."

Nan Shuyi: "Fine, fine, I'm going, I'm going."

Jiang Yicen saw him into the elevator, but just as the doors were closing, Nan Shuyi suddenly held the elevator and stepped out to give Jiang Yicen a kiss.

Then he let the elevator close automatically: "I'm off. Don't miss me."

Jiang Yicen touched his lips, feeling utterly speechless.

Sometimes he felt Nan Shuyi was like a hormone-driven teenager, always unable to control his desires, always looking at him so openly, reading him in a single glance.

Ah, such a headache.

·

He Nuanqing rode in the Jiang family's car to the entrance of the high-end residential complex where Jiang Yicen lived.

She saw Jiang Yicen walking out of the gate. Every step he took felt unfamiliar to her.

Had Jiang Yicen always walked with such poise?

She knew she had taught him from a young age to sit and stand properly, to learn to be as steady as his older brother, so that one day he could enter Jiangda.

Jiang Yicen had indeed listened to her since childhood and performed well in front of Jiang Gongming, his manners and behavior perfectly meeting expectations.

But she knew that when Jiang Yicen was alone with her privately, he was never like this. He would be more relaxed, slouching while playing on his phone. Not like now, sitting upright with both hands flat on his thighs, his demeanor composed and dignified.

She was glad Jiang Yicen had internalized these manners, but when had he become like this?

He Nuanqing felt that the Jiang Yicen before her now was very unfamiliar. Was it because they had been apart for six years that she knew nothing about this son, not even what kind of life he had lived in America? But in America, shouldn't he have cared even less about such formalities?

He Nuanqing said to him, "I brought some things for you and Shuyi. I don't know what you might need, but remember to take them home when you come back."

Jiang Yicen: "Thank you."

He Nuanqing intended to mend her relationship with Jiang Yicen: "Last time was my fault."

Jiang Yicen: "There's no need to bring up the past."

He agreed to go with her because he wanted to understand the dynamics between her and the He family. Only by getting deeper could he better handle his relationship with her in the future.

He Nuanqing gave an awkward smile and said no more. She knew it was best to stop there. Jiang Yicen didn't hold a grudge, but the rift was already there—a choice she had made herself.

After He Nuanqing married into the Jiang family, the He family moved into a villa and drove luxury cars.

He Nuanqing's brother, He Xinzu, had a daughter late in life. His wife looked very young. It was only after He Nuanqing mentioned it that Jiang Yicen learned that after He Xinzu went to the US, he divorced his previous wife, deeming her too old and overweight, and married a young woman he met at a bathing center—a woman under thirty.

Jiang Yicen recognized this as the classic case of dumping his faithful wife.

The He family had a big crowd today—guests from both the husband's and wife's sides filled the entire villa hall. Mischievous kids were messing up the flowers and plants in the garden, noisy and pretty rude.

He Nuanqing had the driver carry box after box of gifts into the He residence. All the guests saw the endless supply of expensive tonics—some envious, others making snide remarks.

She held a high status here. As soon as she arrived, she was treated like a star, though there were also relatives whispering sour remarks. He Nuanqing remained unfazed, as if she hadn't heard a thing.

Someone asked who the handsome young man beside her was. He Nuanqing smiled and said, "This is my son, Yicen."

She maintained her smile as she introduced Jiang Yicen to everyone, but her attitude here was far from the humility she showed in the Jiang family. Here, she reveled in the flattery of others.

Jiang Yicen saw yet another side of his mother.

In the Jiang family, He Nuanqing was indeed very dependent on Jiang Gongming, likely due to her status in the He family. Everyone here treated her with respect and deference. From the moment she entered, she was the center of attention. Jiang Yicen overheard someone whispering that every time He Nuanqing came home, it was like Jia Yuanchun's visit to the Jia family in *Dream of the Red Chamber*.

The speaker was some distant relative of the He family.

The older aunt said, "Oh my, this child is really handsome, even more refined than your mom. The genes from your dad's side are really something."

Jiang Yicen took note of what this auntie said.

In truth, Jiang Gongming's genes were okay, but not as good as He Nuanqing's. And he didn't look like Jiang Gongming at all.

At that moment, Jiang Yicen's maternal grandmother, Mrs. Sun, came over wearing a purple dress that didn't flatter her figure. She hurriedly pulled He Nuanqing and Jiang Yicen aside.

"You're finally here. The little one just woke up. Let me take you to see her, or she'll fall asleep soon."

Jiang Yicen noticed Mrs. Sun secretly wink at He Nuanqing, and he wondered what it meant.