Chapter 68

Chapter 68

Jiang Yicen hadn't heard the word "celebration" in ages. It felt like such joyful words had disappeared from his life.

Most employees got off the elevator on the first floor, while they went to the underground parking lot. Occasionally they ran into colleagues from the same department, but everyone assumed the two were just friends and never associated Jiang Yicen with being the Nan family's "son-in-law."

Once in the car, Jiang Yicen asked, "Are we really going to celebrate?"

Nan Shuyi replied, "We finally have time today—why not celebrate? Life should have a little ceremony."

After Jiang Yicen and Nan Shuyi got married, they had just celebrated New Year's and Valentine's Day, followed by various minor holidays. In between, there was only Qingming Festival, but Nan Shuyi never mentioned it and even argued with Nan Anru about it. Of course, that festival wasn't suitable for celebration either.

Still, after several months together, every day felt like a pleasant surprise.

As for formally celebrating something specific, Jiang Yicen honestly couldn't think of many.

He repeated, "A sense of ceremony? That fits."

Nan Shuyi asked, "Made up your mind?"

Jiang Yicen thought back to how his family used to celebrate happy occasions.

On family birthdays, everyone would sit down for a meal together, but the Jiang family's birthday banquets were prepared half a month in advance—never allowing the birthday person to feel neglected.

For instance, when his eldest brother landed a major contract, the whole family would celebrate. They’d go to a unique restaurant in Lincheng, order a table of fine dishes to mark the occasion.

This celebration was indeed something Jiang Yicen had earned through his own efforts. If he hadn’t achieved results, no matter how much Nan Shuyi tried to support him, it would have been useless—and would have put Nan Shuyi in a very awkward position at work.

Jiang Yicen pondered for a moment. How could he make his first promotion meaningful and ceremonial? He had no idea how modern people celebrated.

He turned to Nan Shuyi, who had proposed the idea. "So, President Nan, any thoughts?"

If he were back home, he would invite close friends and family for a meal to celebrate. But here, he didn’t have many friends, and the people he knew weren’t familiar enough. Inviting colleagues would be inappropriate—others had joined the company long before him, and throwing a big party right after his promotion would be too flashy. None of those options worked. After some thought, the best way to celebrate was simply to spend it with Nan Shuyi.

Nan Shuyi, on the other hand, had plenty of ideas. But most of his celebration plans could only remain fantasies for now—some he couldn’t even tell Jiang Yicen about yet.

Of course, all his celebration ideas involved just the two of them.

In the end, Nan Shuyi chose the most ordinary approach. "Want to watch a movie?"

Jiang Yicen thought he meant watching one in the home theater. "Then shall we head home now?"

But Nan Shuyi said, "No, let's go watch it outside. We'll eat first."

Going to a cinema to watch a movie was a novel experience for Jiang Yicen. He had only ever watched films at home and had no idea what it was like to see them on a big screen.

Nan Shuyi handed him his phone with a movie app open. "Which one do you want to see? Pick one."

Jiang Yicen had actually browsed the current movie listings before, but he never had the time to actually go to a modern cinema.

Today, he finally had the chance. He chose a 3D blockbuster he was curious about—it seemed like a family-friendly film. The last movie he watched at home was live-action, but this time he went with an animated one. After all, outside, he figured it was better to pick something without adult content.

Jiang Yicen pointed. "This one?"

Nan Shuyi glanced at what he had chosen and chuckled. "Alright, buy it. If there's an IMAX showing, go for that directly."

Jiang Yicen had already learned how to use shopping apps, so he knew how to make the payment. The only catch was that it required facial recognition or a password at the end.

"Okay, it needs facial recognition."

Nan Shuyi said casually, "I'm driving. Just switch to password payment."

"I don't know the password." He hadn't thought to ask for Nan Shuyi's phone password.

Nan Shuyi gave him six digits. "Use this next time yourself."

Jiang Yicen hadn’t expected him to give away his payment password so easily. For modern people, a phone was never out of reach—being without it made them anxious and restless. Everything about one's daily life—eating, drinking, and more—was on the phone. No one casually gave out their payment password.

A sweetness spread in his heart, but he tucked it away quietly.

Nan Shuyi chose a cinema close to their home that currently had the best IMAX screen.

Most cinemas were located in shopping malls, so the two naturally had dinner first.

Nan Shuyi had actually already planned to take Jiang Yicen out for dinner. The restaurant was a private kitchen he had booked in advance. The owner was from Lincheng and made authentic local cuisine, but everything was tailored to Jiang Yicen's taste—light on oil and salt.

After leaving the restaurant, Nan Shuyi asked what he thought of it.

Jiang Yicen thought for a moment, holding his jacket, and smiled. "Naturally, it's not as good as your Lincheng dishes—they suit my palate better."

Nan Shuyi took his other hand and said, "You didn't even drink any cola today, so why is your mouth so sweet?"

Jiang Yicen replied, "After all, today Young Master Nan went out of his way to treat me."

Nan Shuyi found that Jiang Yicen was really eloquent. His EQ and IQ were very high, and he always made Nan Shuyi feel exceptionally comfortable. It seemed like since they met, he'd never said a harsh word to him.

The corners of his lips curled up. "Come on, next stop: the cinema on the fifth floor to pick up tickets."

The restaurant was two buildings away from the cinema, with the three buildings connected. They strolled along, with Jiang Yicen finding everything new and interesting. Nan Shuyi bought him whatever caught his eye. By the time they reached the cinema, fifteen minutes later, Jiang Yicen's hands were full. The salesperson's smooth talk even got them to buy a bouquet of flowers.

Since they had already eaten dinner, they didn't buy popcorn. But when Jiang Yicen saw a milk tea shop at the cinema entrance, he was tempted.

Nan Shuyi quickly caught on. "Today we're celebrating Vice President Jiang's promotion. I'll go buy it—wait for me a moment."

Jiang Yicen found a seat in the waiting area. The movie started in fifteen minutes, and they needed to enter five minutes early, so there was no rush.

The outer seats were all taken, so he chose a spot further inside. In the corner sat a man wearing a mask, a hat, and sunglasses, who had been staring at his phone. When Jiang Yicen sat down, the man looked over.

No sooner had Jiang Yicen settled than the man—wearing a loose T-shirt and a large chain—suddenly sat down in front of him.

The masked man took off his sunglasses, then pulled down his mask. "Consultant Jiang, do you still remember me?"

Jiang Yicen was surprised to see him. Of course, he remembered. "Mr. Wang? What are you doing here?"

Don't celebrities usually get swarmed when they go out in public?

Wang Yujian had been buried in filming recently, working around the clock until he felt numb. After returning to Lincheng, he didn't want to hole up alone at home, so he decided to go out and relax by watching a movie.

Wang Yujian noticed the pile of stuff in Jiang Yicen's hands, including the bouquet, and his heart sank. "What a coincidence. Are you here by yourself?"

Jiang Yicen said, "I'm here with a friend."

Since he wasn't close with Wang Yujian, he didn't bother to explain his relationship with Nan Shuyi.

Wang Yujian asked, "You even bought flowers? Something good happen?"

Jiang Yicen replied, "Yeah, my friend made a big deal of it. It's just a promotion; we passed a flower shop and bought a bouquet."

Wang Yujian said, "Your friend really has a sense of ceremony."

Jiang Yicen smiled lightly. "It's okay."

Seeing Jiang Yicen smile, Wang Yujian felt the exhaustion of the past few days melt away. "Which movie are you watching?"

Jiang Yicen: "It's a lighthearted animated film."

Wang Yujian: "Me too."

Jiang Yicen: "What a coincidence. How come you're watching a movie here?"

Wang Yujian: "I just came out to unwind. Didn't expect fate to have us run into each other."

This was a match made in heaven; even the gods were on his side. Jiang Yicen was handsome, as beautiful as an angel—he was getting a good deal.

Wang Yujian then asked for his row and seat number.

They compared seats. Wang Yujian had chosen the last row. When Jiang Yicen was selecting seats, he found the last row occupied, so he picked the row right behind.

Jiang Yicen said, "So we're one row apart."

Wang Yujian was just delighted, wondering if he could sit with Jiang Yicen later, when a strange voice cut in.

A guy who looked familiar walked up, carrying two cups of milk tea, his eyes locked onto Wang Yujian with obvious wariness.

He said, "What's so 'just right'?"

Jiang Yicen: "Back already?"

Nan Shuyi: "Yeah, let's go get our tickets scanned."

He figured the masked man was just some random guy hitting on him, so he ignored him.

Jiang Yicen tugged his sleeve. "Nan, this is Wang Yujian, our new product spokesperson."

Nan Shuyi raised an eyebrow. Wang Yujian, the celebrity. Alarms rang in his head—Wang Yujian was gay.

He forced a smile. "What a coincidence."

Wang Yujian also recognized Nan Shuyi's strikingly handsome face. Their eyes met briefly, and he could see the possessive look Nan Shuyi gave Jiang Yicen. So the Nanyuan heir had a thing for Jiang Yicen?

Wait, isn't he married?

As a celebrity, Wang Yujian didn't have a very strong background himself. He was always on set and just knew Nan Shuyi was married—he never cared who the spouse was.

Tsk, married but out watching a movie with a coworker? Rich playboys, they sure know how to have fun.

Jiang is such a good person; how could he be with such a flaky guy?

No, regardless of whether Jiang Yicen would ever like him in the future, he had a duty to protect the man who saved his life and not let such a great guy get taken in by a player.

He felt a surge of justice.

He said to them, "Movie's starting. Let's head in."

Nan Shuyi: "Mr. Wang, you're a celebrity, aren't you? Not afraid of getting recognized?"

Jiang Yicen, being nice, thought it'd be more fun with an extra person. "Probably not."

Wang Yujian: "It's fine, I'm disguised. Just keep it a secret for me, you two."

Unaware of the undercurrents between Nan Shuyi and Wang Yujian, Jiang Yicen said sincerely, "I'll keep it secret for you."

Nan Shuyi shot Wang Yujian a cold look—he knew this Wang guy had bad intentions toward Jiang Yicen.

Since they had chosen a popular movie, there were quite a few people watching at this time. The attendance rate for this screening was not low; there were many viewers, including parents with children around seven or eight years old.

Wang Yujian entered the theater when the lights dimmed.

He immediately spotted Nan Shuyi sitting next to Jiang Yicen. He also seemed to catch Nan Shuyi casually touching Jiang Yicen's hand.

He never expected that the young master of Nanyuan was a total creep, already married yet still trying to fool around, especially with someone Wang Yujian had strong feelings for.

He needed to find a way to protect Jiang Yicen.

So, before the movie started, Wang Yujian moved to the empty seat next to Jiang Yicen.

Wang Yujian politely asked Jiang Yicen, "You don't mind if I sit in the same row, right?"

Jiang Yicen had just gotten some condensation from the iced milk tea on the back of his hand, and Nan Shuyi wiped off the droplets for him.

Jiang Yicen replied politely, "I don't mind."

Nan Shuyi: "..." Who said he didn't mind? He minded a lot!

What was this Wang guy doing in their row? This was his and Jiang Yicen's first movie date.

With an outsider present, knowing Jiang Yicen was shy, Nan Shuyi restrained his intimate gestures. He only occasionally secretly held Jiang Yicen's hand.

Jiang Yicen didn't refuse; he had grown used to Nan Shuyi holding his hand. Besides, the theater was dark and no one could see, so he peacefully enjoyed the movie.

But Wang Yujian, sitting next to him, had other ideas.

What was Nan Shuyi implying?

No, he couldn't let Consultant Jiang be deceived. He didn't think Jiang Yicen would be a homewrecker. Moreover, Nan Shuyi's wedding had been quite the buzz not long ago—Jiang Yicen must know about it. He had to make sure Jiang Yicen wasn't blinded by the other's looks and feigned thoughtfulness, and help him see the truth.

Yes, good tops in the gay community were really rare, and the circle could be a bit messy. If Consultant Jiang was willing, he could be his partner. At least he believed in monogamy and wouldn't cheat.

Throughout the entire movie, Wang Yujian was lost in his thoughts and didn't take in any of the content.

Jiang Yicen, on the other hand, thoroughly enjoyed the movie's sights and sounds. It completely changed how he thought about film evolution. Even though people could now watch movies in various ways, the experience in a cinema was truly different.

How wonderful. He loved this era.

When the movie ended, the three waited for the audience in front to leave before getting up and exiting the theater.

Nan Shuyi glanced at Wang Yujian, who was closely following Jiang Yicen. "Mr. Wang, which way are you going?"

Wang Yujian: "I'm going to the underground garage. I drove here."

Jiang Yicen: "We are too. We can go together then."

Nan Shuyi: "..." He was trying to hint that they should go separate ways.

Just then, someone shouted, "Wang Yujian, is that Wang Yujian?"

As soon as the words were spoken, all the remaining audience members turned around, and those with phones started recording videos.

"Is that Nan Shuyi? Oh my god! It's Nan Shuyi!"

Wang Yujian and Master Nan, what's your relationship?!

In an instant, people in the theater began to surge toward them.

Nan Shuyi immediately raised his hand to shield Jiang Yicen, and he shot Wang Yujian a glare.

Wang Yujian felt guilty: "I didn't know we'd be recognized either."

Nan Shuyi: "Let's go quickly, before more people gather. Yicen, cover your face, don't let them get a shot of you."

Jiang Yicen was no stranger to such scenes; he calmly used the bouquet to cover his face.

Nan Shuyi grabbed Jiang Yicen and ran out, leaving Wang Yujian, that third wheel, behind.

Wang Yujian: "..."

Damn it, I missed the chance to separate Nan Shuyi and Consultant Jiang!