Chapter 77

Chapter 77

The Yutu cosmetics brand was suddenly thrust into the spotlight, just like the Twin Stars off-road vehicles, making them incredibly hard to get. Award-winning products sold out immediately upon release, especially the gift sets, which featured a vintage, classic packaging with a uniquely refined classical charm.

Perhaps bolstered by international accolades, netizens grew increasingly fond of it, hitting the trending list several times in a single day. Many marketing accounts jumped on the bandwagon, speculating whether Nanyuan had some mastermind behind it. In the past six months, Nanyuan had been associated with numerous trending topics, cementing its status as a national brand.

It all started with Nanyuan Candy, which took netizens back to their childhood. Then came the restaurant touting Republic of China–style Cantonese recipes, making Cuizhu Restaurant go viral—now packed during meal times and on holidays, they even have to add extra tables. Next was the sponsorship of the homegrown off-road brand Twin Stars, which really rose to the occasion by winning the championship and achieving remarkable results in subsequent competitions, staying hot. Nowadays, if you own a Twin Stars off-road vehicle, just parking it on the street will have kids coming up to take pictures with it.

Now, there was the domestic cosmetics brand "Yutu," which took home several major awards. One wave after another, each bigger than the last.

"Netizen 1: I’m telling you, Nanyuan must have hired some genius this year—how else could they keep hitting it big?"

"Netizen 2: Should we check if Nanyuan brought in outside help this year, like talent from Fortune 500 companies?"

"Netizen 3: I haven’t heard anything about that, but I do know the Young Master started working at Nanyuan headquarters this year. Since he joined, good news has been pouring in, and the company’s market value has doubled."

"Netizen 4: The Young Master is something else. I looked it up—he graduated from our Lincheng University's business school, which has churned out tons of entrepreneurs. Skill plus luck, it’s hard not to envy him."

"Netizen 5: As the old saying goes, all roads lead to Rome. The Young Master was born in Rome, walking the royal road."

"Netizen 6: Doesn't anyone else think it started after he got married?"

No matter what speculations swirled online about the Nan family, they didn’t affect Nan Shuyi, who was still on a business trip, nor Jiang Yicen.

Because of the time difference, Nan Shuyi was spending every day with a bunch of big shots, humbly seeking advice and learning. The two hadn’t even had a video call in the past couple of days.

Another weekend rolled around. Jiang Yicen had just finished a meeting with the planning team when the DNA testing center sent him a message, asking him to pick up the report.

If Nan Shuyi were in Lincheng, Jiang Yicen would have asked him to come along, but since he was abroad, he left work early and headed to the DNA center.

He successfully obtained the report.

The doctor at the DNA center told him the results: he was not biologically related to Jiang Gongming or He Nuanqing.

So it really was true—no blood ties?

Did Jiang Gongming know about this?

Jiang Yicen took the report home, wondering how to handle this.

"Jiang Yicen" wasn’t a child of the Jiang family. So where did he come from?

The housekeeper prepared dinner and left. After dinner, he stood on the balcony, staring at the night view of Lincheng.

"Jiang Yicen" having no blood relation to He Nuanqing was a good thing for him. In modern terms, he no longer had to be guilt-tripped by her.

Given Jiang Gongming's old-school, feudal attitude, with two sons of his own, he wouldn’t raise another man’s child. It was almost certain he didn’t know Jiang Yicen wasn’t his blood.

That means it's all on He Nuanqing.

A classic case of switching babies—like something out of ancient tales—happening in modern times. Only the Jiang family, with their outdated, bold ways, could pull something like this off.

But how had Jiang Gongming never realized over all these years that "Jiang Yicen" wasn't his son?

Could it be that He Nuanqing shipped him off abroad back then because his secret was about to come out?

Questions flooded Jiang Yicen's mind, and he needed He Nuanqing to give him answers.

He called her.

She answered with obvious surprise. They rarely talked. After Jiang Yicen married Nan Shuyi, he seldom returned to the Jiang family or contacted her. He Nuanqing was actually happier that way—she just wanted to keep her distance, not get closer.

At that moment, He Nuanqing had just finished a spa session with her friends.

"Yicen, is something up?"

Lately, she'd been glowing with self-satisfaction. Though her relationship with the Nan family was lukewarm, in public, she was Nan Shuyi’s mother-in-law. That title wasn't just nice to say—it boosted her social status, making her conveniently forget how this marriage even happened.

A friend beside her whispered, "Your son?"

This friend was also a socialite who had known He Nuanqing for a while. During the spa, she’d heard plenty about He Nuanqing’s family, mostly about the Jiang-Nan alliance.

He Nuanqing smiled with narrowed eyes. "Yeah, my son."

The socialite said, "He really cares about you. I’ll take off now."

"Alright, see you." Jiang Yicen’s call had really made her look good.

Jiang Yicen asked, "Are you free tomorrow? I’d like to have a meal with you."

He Nuanqing's smile didn't falter. "Sure, I'll have the chef whip up dinner and wait for you at home."

Jiang Yicen said, "I have something to discuss. It might not be convenient at home."

He Nuanqing replied, "Okay, send me the address. It's been ages since we ate together. Afterward, we can even do some shopping."

·

Jiang Yicen booked a private dining room at a restaurant with good privacy, just the two of them.

He arrived early and brewed himself a cup of clear tea. He only let his childish side show in front of Nan Shuyi.

He Nuanqing was taken aback. "This place is impossible to get a reservation at. How did you pull it off?"

Jiang Yicen didn't go into detail. "I know a friend who's a member here."

In truth, this restaurant was one of Nan Shuyi’s investments. He could come anytime he wanted. He hadn't known before, but later Nan Shuyi had disclosed all his assets to him—quite a few in the food and beverage industry. This restaurant was one, known for being crazy expensive, with dishes costing over a thousand yuan. Yet, it was always fully booked, with people swarming to get in.

Even someone as rich as He Nuanqing didn't eat at places this pricey often. Jiang Gongming could throw money around himself, but he insisted his family stay low-key in public, so she rarely came to places like this.

He Nuanqing said, "You've managed to make quite a few friends now, huh?"

Jiang Yicen replied, "Mm."

The waitstaff began serving the dishes. Throughout the meal, Jiang Yicen said little, while He Nuanqing kept savoring the food, commenting on each course. When she was almost full, she remembered Jiang Yicen had something to talk about.

He Nuanqing set down her chopsticks. "You said yesterday you had something to talk about. What is it?"

Jiang Yicen dabbed the corner of his mouth with a napkin, not mentioning the paternity test report.

"I won’t hide it from you. Over the years, you’ve left me to fend for myself in the U.S. After I came back, I thought it over and grew suspicious. Let’s be straightforward—I’m not your biological son, am I?"

He Nuanqing felt as if all the blood in her body had frozen. The napkin in her hand slipped to the floor without her noticing.

Her lips trembled. "W-What did you say?" No, it couldn’t be. How did Jiang Yicen find out?

Jiang Yicen repeated himself, this time not as a question but as a firm statement. "I am not your biological son."

He Nuanqing was extremely nervous, her mind racing, while the person who brought it up remained remarkably calm, like it was just a simple fact.

The question caught her off guard: "Why do you say that? If you're not my son, whose son are you?"

Jiang Yicen: "I already know. There's no need to hide it. We're not blood-related, and Dad and I aren't blood-related either."

After he dropped this even more damning statement, He Nuanqing went pale.

She finally let out the breath she'd been holding, and her shoulders sagged.

"You... when did you find out? No, when did you start suspecting?"

Jiang Yicen: "That's not important anymore. I want to know the full story."

He Nuanqing really looked at her son for the first time—she truly didn't recognize him anymore.

Had her son ever been this composed before?

The Jiang Yicen standing there now was every inch a wealthy young gentleman; she couldn't recall him having this kind of demeanor in the past.

He could throw little tantrums in private, but since returning from the U.S., she had rarely seen him lose his temper or complain about Jiang Yiting and his brother.

She knew Jiang Yicen could put on a facade of being clever, gentle, and harmless, but before, it was just an act—she could see through it. Back then, he was still young, but after years without close contact, she couldn't figure him out anymore.

He Nuanqing: "What do you want to know?"

Her nervousness was real—the more people who knew about this, the worse it would be for her.

Jiang Yicen: "Does Dad know?"

He Nuanqing shook her head with a bitter smile: "He doesn't."

Jiang Yicen nodded. He had actually hoped He Nuanqing would say Jiang Gongming knew, but against his wishes, it was clear what she was planning.

He asked: "Why did you do it?"

He Nuanqing: "For money, for the family, and because of my health."

Jiang Yicen: "What happened to your biological child?"

He Nuanqing: "It was a stillbirth. After it was removed, I couldn't have children anymore. You know what kind of person Jiang Gongming is—he prefers sons over daughters. If I had given birth to a daughter, I wouldn't have been able to stay in the Jiang family. I had my reasons."

Jiang Yicen: "You're highly educated, and you earned a good income after joining a big company. Why bother? The truth was going to come out sooner or later."

The word "exposed" hit a nerve with He Nuanqing.

She stood up from her chair in agitation: "No, it can't be known. If it is, I'm finished!"

Jiang Yicen: "Your brother and his family know the secret that I'm not a Jiang, and they've been blackmailing you with it, right?"

He Nuanqing: "Yes, but Jiang Gongming must never find out!"

Jiang Yicen: "What would happen if he did? I've lived in the Jiang family, and now that I'm married into the Nan family, the Jiang family got a project investment that has already paid back the cost of my upbringing."

He Nuanqing: "No, no, you can't tell him. You've paid it back, but what about me?"

Jiang Yicen: "This matter is between you and Jiang Gongming. Now I have one more question, and I need you to answer me honestly."

He Nuanqing: "Since you already know, I can tell you anything."

Jiang Yicen: "If I was switched with your child, then who are my biological parents?"

He Nuanqing: "I don't know. I took you from the orphanage. You had only been found by the orphanage just a couple of days before. Back then, surveillance cameras weren't everywhere, and no one knew who left you at the orphanage gate, so I went ahead and took you."

"You're not thinking of finding your biological parents, are you?"

Jiang Yicen shook his head: "I just want to know where I came from."

Since his origins were unknown, and "Jiang Yicen's" biological parents had abandoned him, there was no need to search for them. He wasn't the Jiang Yicen from this time period anyway, and finding someone in this vast sea of people wouldn't be easy.

Even if he did find them, what then?

It happened over twenty years ago—they abandoned him, and whatever their reasons, it was already water under the bridge.

For Jiang Yicen, it was actually a relief, freeing him of any burden.

He Nuanqing began fidgeting with her freshly manicured nails.

She was now pacing frantically, her words becoming jumbled.

"You were an orphan, otherwise I wouldn't have done this."

"I was doing a good deed, in a way. In the orphanage, who knows what kind of life you would have had? I brought you into the Jiang family, gave you food, clothing, a comfortable life, and even sent you abroad for college."

"Jiang Yicen, you have to help your mother. We're in the same boat."

Jiang Yicen gave a faint, helpless laugh: "Ms. He, do you really believe that? I'm not like you. We're not in the same boat. You know very well that you never saw me as a son—I was always just a tool to you."

He Nuanqing: "What did you say?"

Jiang Yicen: "You never really cared about me, did you? In high school, you sent me to the U.S. because Jiang Gongming didn't like my sexuality. Now that you need me, you call me back and force me to marry Nan Shuyi. And when the Jiang brothers bullied me, you backed them up and even encouraged them."

He set the cup down firmly on the table.

"You are a very selfish person."

Jiang Yicen never called people out to their face, but He Nuanqing pushed him over the edge.

He Nuanqing shook her head, completely losing her cool: "I'm not! I was forced! By your grandmother, by your uncle—they all pressured me!"

Jiang Yicen stood up: "If you had stood your ground, no one could have forced you."

He Nuanqing hurriedly stood up with him, her emotions spiraling.

"Jiang Yicen, what... what are you going to do now?"

Jiang Yicen: "I've already paid back what you spent raising me when you agreed to send me into an arranged marriage. From now on, you're on your own."

"No, that's not how it is." He Nuanqing was lost for words, but there was nothing she could do as she watched Jiang Yicen turn and prepare to leave the private room.

Some things, she couldn't even defend herself against.

The Jiang brothers had indeed treated Jiang Yicen poorly, and she always looked the other way. She sucked up to them for her own sake—she knew that better than anyone.

She kept telling herself that Jiang Yicen wasn't her biological son. She gave him food, clothing, turned him from an orphan into a little prince, gave him the best education, and sent him abroad to study, worry-free—a life many would envy. She hadn't done anything wrong to him.

"Jiang Yicen, you'll regret this. If you're not a child of the Jiang family, will Nan Shuyi still want you?"

Jiang Yicen glanced back at her, said nothing, and left without looking back again until he disappeared from He Nuanqing's sight.

·

Jiang Yicen and He Nuanqing had lunch together, and when he came out, it was just past one in the afternoon, leaving him some time to wander around.

However, he had barely taken two steps when something flickered in a distant corner. Though faint, the reflection seemed strange.

When he looked over again, there was only a man with his back to him, turning into a building.

He had initially planned to go out and stroll, but he decided against it. Nan Shuyi always said he wasn't vigilant enough.

That's right, he still hadn't found the person who had been stalking him or the one who kidnapped him. Who exactly was the mastermind?

Driver Chen asked him, "Young Master Jiang, not going for a walk anymore?"

Jiang Yicen shook his head. "No, let's go home."

As the car pulled away, he glanced back and saw the man walk out from around the corner, holding a camera.

Just as Jiang Yicen reached the doorstep, he received a video call from Nan Shuyi.

"Home already?"

"Yeah, I'm here." Jiang Yicen changed into his slippers and entered the house. "I cleared things up with Ms. He."

He had sent Nan Shuyi the paternity test results last night. After seeing the message, he understood what was happening.

"What did she say?"

Jiang Yicen recounted his conversation with He Nuanqing.

He curled up on the single sofa, just like Nan Shuyi always did, speaking softly into the video call. "Brother Shuyi, from now on, I only have you."