Chapter 92

Chapter 92

The pampered Sixth Master Jiang, after being held for a while, gently pushed Nan Shuyi away.

He looked up at Nan Shuyi and said, "I regret it."

Nan Shuyi's heart sank: "Regret what?"

His mind immediately jumped to the worst-case scenario when he heard Jiang Yicen say, "I regret not getting to eat the breakfast you made."

Nan Shuyi breathed a sigh of relief: "Didn't Chen Zhicheng take you out for a proper meal?"

Jiang Yicen shook his head: "It's not that. He can't cook, so he ordered takeout—everything was greasy and salty. I'm not used to it."

Nan Shuyi had a pretty good idea of what was going on: "Hop in the car. I'll take you somewhere good to eat."

The saying "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach" definitely applied here.

Sixth Master Jiang had never lived alone since arriving in the modern era. He didn't realize that most young people these days either can't cook or don't have time to, which was why Nan Shuyi had naturally accepted his lack of cooking skills when they first moved in together.

The identity thing could be discussed later—they had plenty of time to explain things bit by bit. For now, the priority was filling their stomachs.

Nan Shuyi took Jiang Yicen to the chill bar where he and Jiang Ruolin never got to have that drink a couple of days ago.

Although it was supposed to be a chill bar, it got lively at night, with a live band performing on stage for the audience.

The lead singer, in a long dress, stood center stage, belting out an R&B tune into the mic.

Jiang Yicen had never heard this style of music before. In his time, what was popular were folk tunes, Western jazz, light dance music, and early Shanghai-era style parade songs.

In the old days, teahouses had singers performing, kind of like how modern restaurants have live music, except nowadays they don't call it busking—they call it a band. Maybe one day they'd become a famous band.

Tonight, Nan Shuyi chose a seat closer to the musicians.

A friend of his happened to show up just then. He was a rich young master, but with older brothers and sisters at home and younger siblings who worked hard, he had no pressure to inherit the family business, so he opened this somewhat famous chill bar just for fun.

This rich friend was a sharp businessman, often collaborating with major entertainment agencies, occasionally inviting singers to perform, but never telling customers when they'd perform. As a result, more and more people showed up hoping to catch a performance, and now the place had become a trendy, viral dining spot.

The bar owner, seeing Nan Shuyi with someone new, personally brought over the menu.

The owner wore a black apron, had rainbow-dyed hair, and emerald earrings—super flashy, not what you'd expect from a restaurant owner.

With a nosy grin, the owner asked Nan Shuyi, "Brought a friend along?"

But Nan Shuyi gave him a blunt answer: "He's my partner. We're here to eat."

The owner got even more excited upon hearing this. Everyone knew how Nan Shuyi kept his partner completely under wraps.

Jiang Yicen smiled at him and said, "Hello."

The owner was super friendly: "Hello, hello. I've heard so much about you. Since you two hardly ever come by, this one's on me!"

Nan Shuyi asked Jiang Yicen, "Their German sausages are great. Want to try some?"

The owner added, "We also have a whole roasted lamb today. The chef is still roasting it—I'll have some sliced up for you in a bit?"

Jiang Yicen: "Sounds good, thanks."

Owner: "Nan Shuyi's got good taste. Everything he recommends is the best we've got."

Nan Shuyi: "Go get the food ready. We're starving."

Owner: "Tsk, fine, fine, like I'd interrupt your little date."

Nan Shuyi said smugly: "Aren't you?"

Soon, a waiter brought over a large house special with two straws.

Jiang Yicen was confused: "Did they only bring one drink?"

Nan Shuyi sat next to him, put both straws in the drink—one angled toward Jiang Yicen, one toward himself.

He gently nudged Jiang Yicen's shoulder with his own: "Sixth Master, couples here drink like this. I drink from this side, you drink from that side. Ever shared a drink like this with a girl before?"

Jiang Yicen gave him a deadpan look: "Stop messing with me." He realized Nan Shuyi just loved getting jealous over nothing.

Nan Shuyi was set on finding out if he'd ever liked anyone: "Oh, so you never liked a woman? Or a man? You were so quick to marry a guy."

Jiang Yicen couldn't resist the drink and took a small sip. It was pretty good—iced, lemony, with a mint leaf on top.

Nan Shuyi was too jealous, so he decided to keep the fiancée thing to himself. After all, it had been so many years—no one would ever find out. Besides, he and his fiancée had barely even met.

He said, "No, I didn't. In the past, there were plenty of rich young masters who kept male lovers, but they would maintain face for their families—marrying women publicly while indulging in romantic affairs outside. Being with men wasn't considered unusual. In ancient times, there were even stories of 'cut sleeves' and 'shared peaches.'"

Nan Shuyi got the answer he wanted and didn't press further. When he was eighteen, the Jiang family had a major crisis, and afterward, he had to single-handedly support the entire Jiang family. How difficult that must have been—he probably didn't have time for romance.

He wanted to ask more but held back. He was curious, but the guy needed to eat and sleep first.

After dinner, Jiang Yicen started feeling drowsy in the car. He really hadn't rested well last night—he'd spent the day at Chen Zhicheng's, playing games with him, and he wasn't used to sleeping in someone else's bed. Even though he was exhausted, he couldn't really fall asleep.

Only when he was with Nan Shuyi could he fully relax.

When they got home, Jiang Yicen quickly washed up and went to bed. Nan Shuyi, without a second thought, showered and quickly climbed into Jiang Yicen's bed, pressing up against him and breathing in his scent.

Neither of them wanted to talk, think, or overanalyze anything tonight. Sleep was the priority.

Nan Shuyi thought that if he let Jiang Yicen sleep alone again, he'd be an idiot for letting him out of his sight.

Jiang Yicen was held so tightly he could barely breathe, so he patted the big hand on his waist: "Hey, I can't sleep like this."

Nan Shuyi: "That's what you get for running off."

Jiang Yicen: "I'm not running. I left you a note."

Nan Shuyi snorted: "Don't even get me started on that note."

Jiang Yicen: "Sorry. Won't happen again."

Nan Shuyi kissed his forehead: "Go to sleep first. You've got bags under your eyes."

Jiang Yicen turned to look at him, traced his fingers under his eyes, and said, "You do too."

Nan Shuyi: "Go to sleep. I'm beat. Never staying up late again."

Jiang Yicen hummed softly, leaned into Nan Shuyi's shoulder, closed his eyes, and was out like a light.

They both slept like logs.

The next morning, Nan Shuyi had already made breakfast. Jiang Yicen woke up later than usual—it was already nine. His alarm must have been turned off by Nan Shuyi.

He remembered he had a meeting that morning—he'd completely missed it.

But when he checked the work group chat, he saw Nan Shuyi had already postponed the meeting to tomorrow.

That's the perk of being the boss—you get to call the shots.

Jiang Yicen changed and headed downstairs, catching the familiar aroma of congee he hadn't smelled in ages. Nan Shuyi hadn't cooked in a while. After everything that had happened over the past two days, this sense of ease and freedom—living without having to hide who he was—felt like it belonged to another century.

He did the math—it really had been almost a century.

Nan Shuyi pulled out a chair and gestured for Jiang Yicen to come over. "I made seafood congee this morning, Sixth Master. Come try my cooking."

Jiang Yicen knew he was teasing him again, and he knew how to fire back: "Master Nan, you've worked hard."

Nan Shuyi had seen how Liu Tan waited on the Sixth Master and mimicked his tone: "Serving the Sixth Master is no trouble at all."

Jiang Yicen patted his arm. "Brother Shuyi, cut it out."

The more Nan Shuyi looked at Jiang Yicen, the more amusing he found him. The Sixth Master really had a great temperament and incredible patience.

He sat down across from Jiang Yicen and said, "President Nan is giving you the day off today."

Jiang Yicen: "What for?"

Nan Shuyi: "I'll drive you around the city to check things out."

Jiang Yicen understood his meaning and nodded: "Alright."

This time, he was touring the city as the Sixth Master of the Jiang family, not as modern-day Jiang Yicen.

Nan Shuyi had even picked out his favorite car that morning and had it washed until it gleamed.

After breakfast, the two of them headed out.

Nan Shuyi asked Jiang Yicen, "Where do you want to go first?"

Jiang Yicen gazed out the car window and thought for a moment. "I want to go to the Jiang residence."

He had never brought it up before because he'd never let himself think about it—afraid of being flooded with memories. He'd rather buy back the properties than dare to set foot in the Jiang home. He hadn't even dared to look into whether the residence now belonged to the government or was privately owned.

Before he died, he had indeed planned to leave the city and join the military camp, just like his second brother. But he wasn't as free-spirited as his second brother. He could give up the Jiang family's businesses and let go of his last attachment to his family, but he hadn't sold the Jiang residence, and he didn't intend to. He'd taken the land deed and property title with him when he left.

It was his last foothold in the city and his final hope of one day returning home in spirit.

If it was privately owned, maybe he could buy it back in his lifetime. But if it had fallen into government hands and become a tourist site or office building, then he could never go back home the way he once had.

After getting the first batch of materials on the Jiang family, Nan Shuyi hadn't stopped Assistant Tang from digging deeper into the Jiang family of the Republic of China era. He wanted to know everything about the Jiang family—to understand Jiang Yicen's past life and daily routines, to give him a stronger sense of belonging in the city.

Nan Shuyi pulled up the navigation. "Do you still remember the way?"

Jiang Yicen: "No. 9 Chengjiang Road. My father always said the number nine had a particularly auspicious meaning, so he bought the land there and built the house."

Nan Shuyi: "My father-in-law was a real visionary."

Jiang Yicen: "President Nan, you've taken this remarkably well."

He thought Nan Shuyi was smart and emotionally intelligent—bringing up the deceased this way wouldn't make him sad.

Nan Shuyi smiled. "Because you're standing right here in front of me, alive. It's really not that big a deal."

He'd spent quite a long time mentally preparing himself.

From the possibility that he might be a twin brother who'd taken over "Jiang Yicen's" identity, to the possibility that he might be a second personality of "Jiang Yicen"—he'd considered every possible scenario. In the end, he never expected it to be a heroic soul who'd crossed over from the Republic of China era. He'd died a martyr's death. Nan Shuyi had read the detailed reports from back then once, and he never wanted to read them again—beyond the heart-wrenching pain that left him breathless, there was nothing else.

He only wished for him to live happily in the days ahead, with a smooth life and everything he wished for coming true.

As long as he told him what he wanted, Nan Shuyi would make it happen.

No. 9 Chengjiang Road was surrounded by similar architecture—this had been the wealthy district during the Republic of China era, and it still was.

The surrounding streets were quiet. As soon as they drove up, they spotted several expensive cars.

Nan Shuyi had already looked into No. 9 Chengjiang Road—it was still privately owned, and the owner's surname was Jiang.

The two of them stood at the gate of No. 9 Chengjiang Road.

The old iron railing gate had been replaced with a tall electric iron gate that offered privacy.

Jiang Yicen clenched his fists. "How do we get in? It looks like we can only see it from outside."

But Nan Shuyi pressed the doorbell, reassuring him: "Don't worry—if we can come here, we can get in."

Sure enough, someone came to the door shortly after.

The man who answered was in his fifties. "Are you Mr. Nan?"

Nan Shuyi's face was his ID. "Yes, we have an appointment to view the house today."

The middle-aged man: "The agent told me about you. He said you wanted to see it yourself without a guide, so he had me wait here."

The man figured this pretty well-known young guy probably wanted some privacy.

Nan Shuyi: "Yes, and you are...?"

The middle-aged man: "I'm the caretaker here. Feel free to ask me anything. Want me to show you around?"

Nan Shuyi looked at Jiang Yicen. "What do you think?"

Jiang Yicen said, "We'd like to look around on our own."

The middle-aged caretaker: "That's fine, but there are some old artifacts in the house—just be a little careful when you're looking around."

He led them inside.

Every guest who came in had assets worth over a hundred million, so the caretaker was polite and sharp.

The house had been on the market for a while, but the price was too steep for most. The owner required proof of liquid assets—stocks, funds, deposits—exceeding 300 million before anyone could even come see the property.

Before leaving, he mentioned, "By the way, if you're interested, the owner's son has recently returned to the country, so you could arrange a meeting to discuss details then."

Nan Shuyi: "Sounds good."

From the moment Jiang Yicen stepped through the door, it felt like coming home after a six-month business trip. Nothing had changed—even the fountain sculpture at the entrance was still there.

The elephant's trunk still sprayed water, and the chip on the toe of its front right foot was still unrepaired.

He asked the caretaker, "What's the owner's surname?"

The middle-aged caretaker said, "Jiang." Jiang Yicen was taken aback. "Does this residence belong to the Jiang family from the Republic of China era?"

The middle-aged butler smiled: "Yes, it's never been sold. It's a wonder it survived the war. Make yourselves at home, and feel free to give me a call if you need anything."

He left his number and took off.

Jiang Yicen's emotions stirred slightly; his breathing quickened as he looked at Nan Shuyi: "Brother Shuyi, this house..."

His brother Shuyi had learned to read Sixth Master Jiang's eyes perfectly, even getting the jump on him by answering before he could speak.

"Buy it."