Chapter 78

Chapter 78

Nan Shuyi, all the way across the Atlantic, should've felt bad for Jiang Yicen, but he couldn't help the corners of his mouth twitching up a little.

Jiang Yicen only had him left now—he was his only family and his lover. From now on, Jiang Yicen wouldn't have to deal with the Jiang family's affairs anymore, and could put all his attention on him.

He wanted to comfort Jiang Yicen, but didn't see any sadness or pain in his eyes—he actually seemed way more relaxed.

Nan Shuyi was worried he might be reading him wrong, so he asked, "Not sad?"

Jiang Yicen shook his head. "Not sad. Everything that happened finally makes sense now."

Nan Shuyi was chilling in his five-star hotel room. "That's good. If you were sad, I'd fly home right now and take you out to get your mind off things."

Jiang Yicen saw the laptop still sitting in front of him. "Just focus on work. I'm good."

But Nan Shuyi still wasn't completely satisfied. "Even though you and He Nuanqing talked things out, Jiang Gongming and the others don't know yet."

Jiang Yicen said, "They'll find out sooner or later. I was just tipping He Nuanqing off so she can brace herself."

He'd originally wanted to bring up the whole being followed and photographed thing, but seeing how tired Nan Shuyi looked with those dark circles under his eyes, he decided to bring it up when he returned. He'd just have to be more careful for now.

"Alright then." Nan Shuyi yawned.

Jiang Yicen didn't feel like talking about the Jiang family anymore either, since it wasn't his family now. "Aren't you going to rest? It's gotta be late over there, right?"

Nan Shuyi said, "Yeah, I didn't have a second free during the day. I only get a chance to check emails at night. I'll sleep soon."

"Then don't stay up late—go to sleep already." Jiang Yicen found the couch super comfy; no wonder Nan Shuyi loved lounging on it. "What are you doing tomorrow?"

Nan Shuyi, following his advice, closed his computer and told him, "Tomorrow I'm meeting one of our relatives with my dad."

He didn't mention his study-abroad days in the M country since Jiang Yicen didn't like talking about it. Aside from seeing the relative, he was also going to meet someone else—but he didn't plan on telling Jiang Yicen.

Jiang Yicen had never heard him mention relatives in the M country. "So you've got family over there too, huh?"

Nan Shuyi got into bed with his phone. "We've got quite a few relatives—some who went abroad ages ago, some more recently. But lately, since China's doing so well, quite a few are willing to come back. The relative I'm seeing tomorrow wants to talk about moving back to China for work."

Jiang Yicen asked, "Are you guys close?"

Nan Shuyi said, "My maternal uncle."

Jiang Yicen said, "You never mentioned him. He didn't seem to come to the wedding."

Nan Shuyi said, "He was overseas and couldn't make it back in time. Once he comes back to China, I'll introduce you."

Jiang Yicen nodded. "Sounds good."

Nan Shuyi asked, "What are you doing tomorrow?"

Jiang Yicen said quietly that he'd probably just stay home, then started talking about his ideas for the Yutu flagship store.

As he was talking, he noticed Nan Shuyi had gone quiet on the other end. He must've been really wiped out these past couple days—his phone was set down, and he'd already dozed off. He could hear Nan Shuyi's steady breathing through the video call.

Nan Shuyi had been tagging along with the delegation during the day and dealing with work stuff at night, not crashing until one or two in the morning, then getting up early again.

Jiang Yicen started feeling sleepy himself, like Nan Shuyi's exhaustion had rubbed off on him. He hung up the video call and curled up on the long couch.

If they'd had video calls like this back in the day, his mom wouldn't have had to worry every single day about his second brother studying overseas.

Now, Yutu was back in their hands and thriving again. The store would slowly open branches all over the country. Next, he needed to figure out what to do with the old fabric shops—they couldn't just sit there gathering dust forever.

Before he knew it, his eyelids got heavy and he was out.

He woke up an hour later to a dinner invitation from Wang Yujian.

"Wang Yujian: Yicen, any restaurant you're into? I'm still in Lincheng today and wanna treat you to dinner tomorrow. Are you free?"

Jiang Yicen figured since he kept bringing it up, the meal wouldn't be settled until they actually had it, so he agreed.

·

It had been a while since they'd briefly run into each other at the movie theater.

During that time, Wang Yujian hadn't started filming, but he'd shot a few commercials and hit up various film festivals and in-person events.

Once work wrapped, he asked his agent for three days off and headed back to Lincheng.

His agent kept stressing that he absolutely couldn't go to the movies during peak hours like last time.

Wang Yujian nodded in agreement—he definitely wasn't watching a movie this time. He was going to take someone out to eat.

Usually, whether going out for work or not, as a celebrity he always made sure to look clean and put-together before heading out, so he wouldn't get photographed and have it blown out of proportion online.

Today, he dressed up even more carefully.

Consultant Jiang was a classy, refined guy, so there was no way he could wear his usual trendy baggy pants. He took out the shirt and suit jacket he'd worn to banquets, and even added a casual tie, making sure his outfit was suitable for a formal dinner before he was satisfied and headed out.

He also prepared a thank-you gift for Consultant Jiang, and on top of that, stopped by a flower shop to buy a bouquet.

The two agreed to meet at a riverside restaurant—one of Lincheng's unique boat restaurants.

Today, Wang Yujian was treating Jiang Yicen to the freshest, most distinctive seafood the river had to offer.

He parked his car in the lot across from the restaurant and walked over.

Just as he reached the entrance, he saw Jiang Yicen step out of a luxury car before the driver drove off.

Wang Yujian couldn't help but overthink—that car must have cost at least ten million. It couldn't be a gift from Nan Shuyi, could it?

The more he thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt. That Young Master Nan was truly despicable—he had someone at home, yet still went after someone as pure and refined as Consultant Jiang.

"Yicen, over here."

Jiang Yicen was dressed casually today—a simple shirt and jeans—but he hadn't expected Wang Yujian to be so formally dressed, making him feel like he wasn't showing enough respect.

He had looked up the restaurant before going out; it only served fish, not a Western restaurant, so he hadn't thought to dress up.

Besides, the temperature was high today—already thirty-two degrees by noon.

As soon as Jiang Yicen approached, Wang Yujian held out the bouquet to him.

"For you."

Jiang Yicen hesitated, unsure whether he should accept it.

As a man, he knew very well what it meant when a man gave flowers to a woman—it was a gesture from a suitor to the one being pursued.

Seeing that Jiang Yicen hadn't reached out after a long pause, Wang Yujian gave himself an out. "It's just a thank-you gift for you."

Jiang Yicen finally took the bouquet: "Thanks. I didn't expect to get flowers from a guy."

Wang Yujian: "Sorry, that wasn't very thoughtful of me."

Jiang Yicen smiled and said, "The flowers are really beautiful."

Wang Yujian led Jiang Yicen into the restaurant on the boat, but just as they stepped through the door, Jiang Yicen felt like he saw a flash of light again. He glanced back, on guard, but didn't spot anyone.

Once they were seated, Wang Yujian pushed a gift box in front of Jiang Yicen.

Wang Yujian: "I never got the chance to properly thank you. This is just a small thank-you gift. I hope you'll accept it."

Jiang Yicen had just set the bouquet aside when he saw the gift box.

He gave a slight smile: "Aren't these too many gifts for me? I feel a bit spoiled."

Wang Yujian: "Not at all. You saved my life. I'd do anything to pay you back."

Jiang Yicen: "Mr. Wang, you're making too big a deal of it."

Wang Yujian: "Just drop the 'Mr. Wang.' You can call me Yujian, or like my friends do, just call me Lao Wang."

Jiang Yicen couldn't bring himself to say "Lao Wang." In the entertainment industry these days, people tend to address celebrities as "Teacher," so he could do the same, but he really couldn't bring himself to use such an intimate form of address.

"Then I'll just call you Teacher Wang?"

"Sure, that works." Wang Yujian didn't push it, since they weren't that close yet.

Jiang Yicen: "Then I'll take this gift."

Wang Yujian was good at small talk: "Are you from Lincheng?"

Jiang Yicen: "Sort of. I haven't lived here in years, though. I just moved back this year."

Wang Yujian: "So do you stay pretty busy with work?"

Jiang Yicen: "I manage. Teacher Wang, do you guys have to hide from reporters all the time?"

Wang Yujian: "Yeah, there are reporters, paparazzi, stalker fans, and paid photographers. But other than that, most fans are really sweet and thoughtful."

After that, the two of them chatted over their meal.

Wang Yujian told Jiang Yicen a bunch of funny stories from the set. He talked about how he wanted to be a good actor, that fame was only temporary, and that only by building up experience and honing his craft could he really make it in the industry. Being a star wasn't as glamorous as it seemed—there was a ton of hard work behind the scenes.

Jiang Yicen found it interesting—at least way more exciting than his own boring nine-to-six job of outsmarting people.

For today's meal, Wang Yujian had not only ordered local seafood but also Boston lobster. Jiang Yicen ate his fill and thought he'd bring Nan Shuyi here next time to try some of the other seafood.

When they were almost finished eating, Wang Yujian got a call from his agent. There was still some leftover work from the commercial he'd shot with Nanyuan. The ad company asked if he could reshoot today—a part of the previous commercial hadn't come out well and needed a close-up of his hand. The studio for the reshoot wasn't far from the restaurant on the boat.

Wang Yujian wanted to say yes, otherwise he'd have to reschedule with them. But it wasn't easy to get Jiang Yicen to come out today, and he still wanted to pursue him.

Wang Yujian: "Yicen, are you free this afternoon?"

Jiang Yicen: "Nothing this afternoon."

Wang Yujian: "I shot a commercial for Nanyuan earlier. I need to go to the studio to reshoot a scene. Would you mind coming along?"

Jiang Yicen: "Sure, sounds good."

He just saw Wang Yujian as a regular friend, and besides, he was a little curious about how celebrities actually worked. The ad company hadn't sent the edited commercial to their office yet, so he hadn't seen the final version. It wouldn't hurt to see how things worked—after all, he was on the brand's side.

Uncle Chen was waiting for Jiang Yicen in the nearby parking lot, but since he was going to the studio with Wang Yujian, he told Uncle Chen to head home first and that he'd get back on his own later.

But Uncle Chen wouldn't have it.

Uncle Chen said, "Master Jiang, I'll just follow your car. If Master Nan finds out I didn't keep you safe, I'll lose my job."

Jiang Yicen thought about the flash of silver light he'd noticed at noon: "Fine, then follow behind us."

Wang Yujian brought Jiang Yicen to the studio.

When they got there, the ad company's camera crew was already on site.

Everyone noticed the handsome guy beside Wang Yujian, and the photographer kept glancing over at where he was waiting.

After the shoot, the photographer chatted with Wang Yujian for a bit. He was certain that someone with such outstanding bearing, once seen, would never be forgotten—he definitely wasn't from the industry.

Photographer: "Teacher Wang, does your friend plan to enter the entertainment industry?"

Wang Yujian: "Of course not. You don't know him—he's the deputy general manager of the marketing center at Nanyuan."

Photographer: "Such a young deputy general manager." He didn't dare say anything more.

Wang Yujian said with pride: "Are we done shooting?"

Photographer: "Just two more shots."

Wang Yujian continued working and waved toward Jiang Yicen, signaling him to wait a little longer.

Jiang Yicen nodded. He was curious about everything in the studio—turns out there were lighting technicians and quite a lot of equipment, even more comprehensive than the tools used in their operations department. There were even several types of lights, and the lighting effects were excellent, making people look great on camera.

Wang Yujian finally finished shooting, and Jiang Yicen had watched their entire process, noting the progress of this project and getting a sense of it.

The two left the studio and walked downstairs. There weren't many people around, so they chatted as they walked.

Wang Yujian wanted to spend more time with Jiang Yicen.

"Yicen, do you want to watch a movie?"

Jiang Yicen was perceptive. He felt that Wang Yujian might not just want to be ordinary friends.

He declined: "Not today."

He checked the time—he still needed to video call Nan Shuyi when he got home. He could video chat with him for a bit in the morning.

Wang Yujian: "Alright then, let me drive you home."

As Jiang Yicen walked out of the studio, he noticed a flash of silver light again. It was subtle, but he still felt something was off—he didn't know who was taking photos of him.

Wang Yujian was a big star. Would photos of them even be useful?

Jiang Yicen said, "My driver is nearby. I won't take up more of your time."

Wang Yujian was a bit anxious: "Yicen, let me ask you something, if you don't mind. It's very important to me."

Jiang Yicen: "Sure, go ahead."

Wang Yujian: "What's your relationship with Nan Shuyi?"

Jiang Yicen gave a faint smile, his eyes filled with the tenderness that thoughts of Nan Shuyi always brought. He didn't know why Wang Yujian wanted to know, but he had no need to hide his relationship with Nan Shuyi from him.

He said, "He's my husband. We're married—a married couple."

Wang Yujian felt like he'd been hit by lightning, and it took him a second to find his voice: "You're... married?!"

Jiang Yicen nodded. "Yes."

Only then did Wang Yujian recall the trending topic from the day Nan Shuyi got married, vaguely remembering that he had married the young master of the Jiangda family.

Wang Yujian could hardly believe it. "Wait, you're the one he married?"

Jiang Yicen said, "Mm, I thought you'd have guessed by now."

Last time at the cinema, they had held hands and walked out together—anyone with eyes could tell they were more than friends.

Wang Yujian couldn't help but feel ashamed, his face growing hot. He slapped his own forehead hard. He'd probably been in the entertainment industry too long, his mind too dirty—he'd actually assumed they were just hooking up.

It seemed that when he'd run into them at the cinema, he'd already lost to Nan Shuyi, completely.

Nan Shuyi could openly take someone to the movies, while he could only hide and skulk around—even if he were in a relationship, he wouldn't dare make it public.

Wang Yujian forced the words out: "You two must be really happy together."

Jiang Yicen smiled. "He's very good to me. You'll find someone who treats you just as well, Wang."

Wang Yujian's mouth tasted bitter. "Ah, that's hard to say."

He had left home this morning full of confidence, but now he'd taken a heavy hit. Finding someone wasn't the point anymore—the person he wanted was already taken.

Jiang Yicen: "Well, I hope you find your ideal partner soon?"

Wang Yujian: "Thanks."

They parted ways at the studio. He got back into his car, then handed the bouquet to Jiang Yicen, and watched as Jiang Yicen got into his own car and drove away.

He'd arrived full of hope, but left with nothing but disappointment.

He slumped over the steering wheel, muttering to himself. For the first time, he actually agreed with those gossip bloggers.

Just as they'd said, Nan Shuyi was born on third base, had it all handed to him, and even his spouse was someone others couldn't even dream of.

If he'd met Consultant Jiang earlier, would Nan Shuyi have even stood a chance?

·

When he got home, Jiang Yicen put the bouquet on the counter, planning to put it in a vase later—it'd make a nice decoration.

On Nan Shuyi's end, it was exactly seven in the morning. He had gone to bed late the night before and was still groggy when he woke up. After taking care of his morning business, he called Jiang Yicen on video, washing his face while saying good morning and telling him about the dream he'd had last night.

He squinted, still half-asleep, and said, "I dreamed you flew over to America last night to find me, and you corrected my posture with the Western cutlery, saying I was holding it wrong..."

Jiang Yicen had just finished dinner. He was cutting fruit at the kitchen counter, his phone propped up on the counter, listening to Nan Shuyi talk, in a great mood.

Jiang Yicen: "Really?"

Nan Shuyi: "So you..."

Nan Shuyi's sharp eyes caught sight of the beautifully wrapped bouquet behind Jiang Yicen.

He hadn't been fully awake before, but now it was as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over him—he was wide awake, and jealousy surged through him!

"Jiang Yicen, who gave you that bouquet next to you?"