Chapter 74

Chapter 74

Jiang Yicen and Nan Shuyi were awakened early in the morning by the crisp chirping of insects and birds outside.

They hadn't done much last night—just some cuddling and a few casual words before falling asleep.

This was originally "Jiang Yicen's" room, and he felt uneasy because it was someone else's room. Doing something private in someone else's room felt disrespectful to "Jiang Yicen."

Nan Shuyi had also been tired that day, so after kissing him, he didn't say much. After all, they were in someone else's home; he didn't dare to push too far, or Jiang Yicen might ignore him for another three days.

He was used to sleeping alone before, but recently he'd occasionally shared a bed with Jiang Yicen. Having grown accustomed to the other's scent, he no longer felt that an extra person in bed affected his sleep quality—except that instead of hugging a blanket, he now hugged Jiang Yicen.

Jiang Yicen had been held by Nan Shuyi for a while last night, and both being young and energetic, he woke up in the middle of the night feeling hot and mercilessly shoved Nan Shuyi away.

After they washed up and went downstairs, Nan Shuyi muttered next to him, complaining about why Jiang Yicen had pushed him away last night.

Jiang Yicen wasn't used to discussing what happened in bed outside of private spaces, so he pursed his lips and stayed silent.

The more he didn't want to talk about it, the more Nan Shuyi teased him in his ear, not stopping until Jiang Yicen's face turned red.

Jiang Yicen had long known that Nan Shuyi always had this kind of teasing streak.

Just as he was about to roll his eyes at Nan Shuyi, he saw Jiang Yiting coming downstairs while putting on his watch. When Jiang Yiting spotted Nan Shuyi, he nearly tripped on the stairs, grabbing the handrail to steady himself. But the watch slipped off his wrist and dropped onto the hard stairs, landing right in front of Jiang Yicen and Nan Shuyi.

Jiang Yicen picked it up for him. He glanced at it and saw a new scratch on the watch case.

He handed the watch back to Jiang Yiting, politely greeting him with a "good morning."

Jiang Yiting glanced at his favorite watch, saw the scratch, and felt a twinge of heartache.

He nodded at Jiang Yicen and asked, "Nan Shuyi, when did you get here?"

Nan Shuyi: "Last night."

Jiang Yiting hadn't expected Nan Shuyi to value Jiang Yicen to this extent.

With a bit of irritation, Jiang Yiting forced a smile. "Yicen is only staying here for one night. Are you afraid we might detain him or something?"

Nan Shuyi countered smoothly: "Couldn't it be that I missed my wife? Brother-in-law, that's not a good way to think. Or have you actually thought about it?"

Jiang Yiting knew Nan Shuyi was a bit of a rogue, but he couldn't do anything about it. Having played the part of a serious person for too long, he couldn't win an argument with him, and he was also annoyed with Jiang Yifeng—why couldn't he be a playboy like Nan Shuyi if he was going to be one?

Maintaining his smile, he said, "I was just joking. How about we have breakfast together?"

Nan Shuyi: "Sure, I haven't had breakfast at your place yet."

As the three went downstairs, they saw Jiang Gongming and He Nuanqing, who had woken up even earlier than them.

Both were surprised that Nan Shuyi had come looking for Jiang Yicen last night, but they were also a bit pleased—as long as Jiang Yicen could keep Nan Shuyi in line, the Jiang family would benefit in the future.

But...

Jiang Yiting looked at their faces and asked in surprise, "Dad, what's wrong with your faces? An allergy?"

Jiang Gongming got irritated just mentioning it: "Allergy? No way. The maid didn't close the screen window after cleaning. Aunt He and I got bitten by mosquitoes all night!"

Jiang Yicen silently glanced at Nan Shuyi, who deliberately poked Jiang Yicen's waist.

Last night, when he left, he hadn't closed the screen window for Jiang Yicen.

He said casually, "It might also be a little wild cat sneaking in to find food and accidentally pulling open the screen window."

He Nuanqing, covering two large bites on her right cheek, asked, "Could that happen?"

Nan Shuyi said with a straight face: "Yes, wild cats nowadays are smart and cunning."

Jiang Yiting couldn't stand it anymore: "You two should apply some medicine first to reduce the swelling."

Just then, the butler entered. Jiang Gongming scolded him, "Hasn't insecticide been sprayed around the house lately? Look at our faces!"

The butler looked panicked. "I'll arrange it right away."

He didn't dare admit that he had embezzled half of the budget for pest control, resulting in insufficient insecticide and reduced effectiveness.

That was close—he almost got caught.

Afraid that his theft of the toothbrush last night would be discovered, Jiang Yicen said to Nan Shuyi, "Brother Shuyi, aren't we supposed to have an important meeting this morning? How about we go back to the company to eat?"

Nan Shuyi immediately understood his intention: "Alright, then we won't have breakfast here."

He Nuanqing: "Why skip breakfast? Shuyi, it's rare for you to visit. Should I have the kitchen pack some food for you to eat on the way?"

Jiang Yicen: "That works."

He Nuanqing, covering her itchy face, went to the kitchen to arrange it. A while later, she prepared some pastries for them to take on the road.

The two of them slipped away, but they didn't head to Nanyuan.

Nan Shuyi contacted He Jiang Ruolin, asked for the address of a DNA testing agency, and went straight there with Jiang Yicen. They submitted the samples they had obtained last night and signed a confidentiality agreement with the agency. To get the report as soon as possible, they opted for expedited service.

They just had to wait for the results. The two got back in the car to return to Nanyuan.

On the way back, Nan Shuyi told Jiang Yicen that Yutu had made a comeback and relaunched with its new packaging.

Nan Shuyi: "The store you bought—didn't you want to reopen it? Once my promotion is done, you can open your store."

Jiang Yicen: "Sounds good."

They had discussed it before: once the Yutu brand was launched, they would directly open a physical store.

Nan Shuyi: "My idea is for this to be Yutu's first flagship store. If the results are good down the line, we can open stores nationwide. Do you have any new ideas? For the store design, layout, style, or service training for staff, we can offer services that no other brand store has."

Jiang Yicen: "Let me think about it."

He made a mental note of this.

After the Yutu products were acquired by Fuyu, Nan Shuyi had asked Jiang Yicen for his opinion on how to revamp them.

Jiang Yicen didn't want the brand and products that Third Sister had poured her heart into to be buried by time, so he gave him a suggestion.

The Yutu brand had been sold before and changed owners. To adapt to different eras, each owner had changed the packaging style. Even after Fuyu acquired it, their branding department suggested a new packaging change. When Nan Shuyi brought it up, Jiang Yicen thought of using Yutu's original brand packaging.

This idea struck a chord with Nan Shuyi. Since they were going to market the brand as an old Republic of China formula that was non-toxic and safe for pregnant women, using the original retro packaging design was perfect.

Now, the new product line was complete.

Back at the company, Jiang Yicen looked at a set of Yutu products displayed on a shelf. The logo was still the same, but the packaging material was improved, using eco-friendly materials.

He still remembered that Third Sister had designed the store layout for the Yutu brand herself.

Eighty years later, the original store's design no longer existed.

He jotted down a rough sketch on paper, adding details to the original layout bit by bit.

Renovation was straightforward—he could replicate Third Sister’s old store exactly, with plenty of retro-style brands around these days, but they surely wouldn’t have as many details as he would.

The store’s business model and layout gradually formed in Jiang Yicen’s mind.

Still, the most urgent thing at the moment was the "Jiangnan Series" project.

Jiang Da, citing a financial mistake, sent over a new detailed price list. This time, it was truly foolproof—Jiang Yiting must have found a way to cover the project team’s shortfall. But the seed of doubt had been sown; even if this issue got fixed, there was no guarantee other problems wouldn’t pop up later. He couldn’t release the funds right away, but he also had no reason to hold them up.

After overhearing Jiang Yiting warn Jiang Yifeng last night, he naturally couldn’t let him keep running this project. But since Jiang Da had appointed him, there was no grounds to kick him off the project team.

He knew there was something shady about the project, yet he couldn’t stop it.

Stop it?

Jiang Yicen came up with an idea. It was his first major decision since getting promoted, and he wasn’t entirely sure, so he messaged Nan Shuyi on WeChat, but he didn’t reply—looked like he was in a meeting.

He scrolled through his WeChat contacts to see who might know about Jiang Da. Assistant An should be worth asking.

He was typing a message when he noticed a new friend request—it was from Chen Zhicheng.

"Chen Zhicheng: President Jiang, can I treat you to dinner alone? I want to thank you in person."

Grandpa Cheng had mentioned the Chen family going bankrupt. Was that Chen Zhicheng’s family?

"Jiang Yicen: Sure, how about tonight?"

"Chen Zhicheng: Of course. Shall I pick a restaurant?"

"Jiang Yicen: Alright, see you in a bit."

Chen Zhicheng sent Jiang Yicen the restaurant address. It was close to the office—thoughtful of him.

It was almost quitting time, so Jiang Yicen sent Nan Shuyi a message and went to the appointment.

Actually, he agreed to meet Chen Zhicheng for two reasons: one was about Jiang Yuan’s family, and the other was about Jiang Da.

Nan Shuyi was too busy; he couldn’t rely on him for everything. If he kept relying on him, he might as well not be the VP.

·

Jiang Yicen and Chen Zhicheng met at a Western restaurant. The food wasn’t the main point; the important thing was to get the info he wanted.

Hearing from Grandpa Cheng that Uncle Yuan had passed away came as a relief—at least he had lived long enough to see the future and had family by his side at the end, just as he had wished.

He had once said that if he himself were gone, he’d let Uncle Yuan see the beautiful landscapes of the future.

Now he had seen them too, but sadly, that old friend was gone.

"President Jiang."

"No need to be so formal. You can call me Yicen—I’m actually younger than you."

"Alright, please have a seat."

Jiang Yicen noticed that Chen Zhicheng looked completely different today from when he wore his uniform.

"You’ve changed a lot."

Chen Zhicheng touched his much-shorter hair and smiled sheepishly.

He said, "I resigned from Jiang Da."

Jiang Yicen was happy for him: "That’s good news. What are your plans for the future?"

Ever since finding out that Chen Zhicheng was Uncle Yuan’s descendant, he looked at him like family.

Chen Zhicheng suddenly felt that Jiang Yicen’s gaze was a bit strange—too kind and gentle, like that of an elder.

He couldn’t believe this younger man looked at him with such kindness—he must not have slept well last night.

"I can’t let my family’s situation get me down. When we lost all our money, I thought the sky was falling. But going through this has shown me people’s true colors. The friends who used to surround me weren’t real friends. The ones who really helped me out are the real friends."

Jiang Yicen was relieved: "So you’ve really turned a corner."

Chen Zhicheng: "Yes, I want to work hard and earn money on my own, go back to the entertainment industry, and continue pursuing my dream."

Jiang Yicen: "What about your family?"

Chen Zhicheng: "My family is more optimistic than I am. My parents said it’s not a big deal; we just need to be more frugal now. Actually, even after bankruptcy, we’re still better off than many people."

Jiang Yicen understood him—it was really about the feeling of falling in lifestyle.

Chen Zhicheng took a sip of lemon water and added, "After my family went bankrupt, I was cyberbullied. People online said horrible things and slandered me. I was depressed for a while. Lu Xiao was worried that I might do something drastic, so he got me a job at Jiang Da. That’s how it went."

Jiang Yicen: "Cyberbullying?"

Another new term for me.

Chen Zhicheng: "Yeah, there are always people who kick you when you’re down. But that’s all in the past."

Jiang Yicen only knew that Chen Zhicheng used to be a celebrity in the entertainment industry. He had heard from Jiang Yifeng’s group that he was on a reality show, but he never got into that scene, and he didn’t bring up others’ painful experiences. He hadn’t asked much when they had dinner together.

What is a reality show?

He figured he needed to pay more attention to the entertainment industry.

Jiang Yicen: "Are you going back to the entertainment industry to do reality shows?"

Chen Zhicheng: "Not exactly. I did reality shows to debut in a group."

Jiang Yicen: "What does ‘debuting in a group’ mean?"

Chen Zhicheng found that amusing: "Have you ever followed any singing and dancing groups?"

Jiang Yicen: "No."

He only looked up celebrity information when necessary, like for Wang Yujian. He really didn’t have time to keep up with the current entertainment industry structure and culture.

Chen Zhicheng: "It’s a group that sings and dances together. You become a trainee, then debut, and then become a celebrity in the entertainment industry."

Jiang Yicen: "You just said you want to pursue your dream."

Chen Zhicheng: "Actually, I majored in performance in college. What I love most is being an actor. Now that I’m older, singing and dancing aren’t for me anymore. I wasted a few precious years."

Jiang Yicen: "So you want to switch to acting?"

Chen Zhicheng: "Mm-hmm."

Jiang Yicen: "Have you signed with a company yet? Will Lu Xiao help you?"

Chen Zhicheng started to feel discouraged again: "Not yet. I don't want to ask Lu Xiao for help. He's already helped me a lot. He spent a lot of money helping my family pay off debts."

He didn't know why, but he had never said these things to his best friend, yet he was willing to open up to someone he had only met twice.

Jiang Yicen: "I see. Do you know Zhou Yi?"

Chen Zhicheng: "I know of him, but I wasn't close to them before. He's a friend of President Nan, right?"

Jiang Yicen: "Would you mind going to his company?"

Although Lu Xiao and Nan Shuyi were classmates, they were hardly acquainted, let alone Zhou Yi. Moreover, Chen Zhicheng had previously joined a rival company to Zhou Yi's, and the fans of both sides often bickered online.

Chen Zhicheng had no other choice. He had heard that Zhou Yi was a man of honor and a decent boss. At least, he had never heard of any artist from his company being made to accompany clients for drinks.

"I want to give it a shot." Previously, he had been too embarrassed to ask anyone for a job, so he had retreated and hidden in Jiangda. After meeting Jiang Yifeng, he realized that hiding was useless. He had to face that he was no longer the Chen family's young master; he needed to earn money to support himself and his family.

Jiang Yicen: "Then I'll introduce you to him later. But now, I have a favor to ask you."

Chen Zhicheng was glad Jiang Yicen had something to ask him: "Go ahead, as long as I can help."

Jiang Yicen smiled: "It's nothing major. I just want to ask you something. You've known Lu Xiao for so many years. Objectively, what do you think of his character? You should also know about the situation between the Lu family and the Jiang family, right?"

Chen Zhicheng misunderstood: "Do you want me to be a mole?"

Jiang Yicen: "No, just tell me what kind of person he is. Is he honest? If given a lot of money, would he take it?"

Chen Zhicheng: "I can guarantee that. He's very honest. He has worked at Jiangda for a long time and made money, but he doesn't spend much. He doesn't have any hobbies; he just loves to work. He's a workaholic, I guess."

Jiang Yicen: "Good. And his character?"

Chen Zhicheng: "His character? He's always been pretty good, I think. In high school, he would secretly feed stray cats and dogs, but only I know about that."

Jiang Yicen smiled: "You two have a good relationship. You've got a great friend."

Chen Zhicheng was caught off guard for a moment, then nodded.

Jiang Yicen: "That's one thing. There's another thing."

Chen Zhicheng waited for him to ask: "What is it?"

Jiang Yicen: "Is your great-grandfather named Jiang Yuan?"