Chapter 104

Chapter 104

They could no longer eat at the Meng family's place.

Jiang Yicen and Nan Shuyi took their leave to return home. As they were leaving, Miss Meng happened to come out to see them off alongside her father.

Miss Meng had a doting father. She was polite, well-educated, sincere, and just as warm-hearted as Meng Zhangling.

"You two handsome guys, come visit us again sometime."

Before Meng Zhangling and Nan Shuyi could exchange more than a few words, the topic turned to Nan Anru, who was hospitalized. He'd heard that visits were declined, so he hadn't gone to the hospital, and now he was asking Nan Shuyi about it.

Jiang Yicen also happened to think of the matter involving Miss Meng's best friend, and he didn't beat around the bush.

"Miss Meng, do you have a best friend named Lingling?"

"Yes, you know her?" She assumed Jiang Yicen was quite familiar with her best friend.

Jiang Yicen shook his head. "I don't know her. I just happened to overhear some pretty unsavory talk in the second-floor reception room, and I wanted to warn you—if she introduces you to a man named Lin Jue, don't be fooled. Those two are lovers."

Miss Meng thought she and this best friend were pretty close. "This..."

If Jiang Yicen weren't someone her father had invited, and weren't Nan Shuyi's partner, she might have thought this sounded like sowing discord.

But Jiang Yicen said it so openly and frankly that she had no reason to think he was making it up—there was no need for him to lie.

Jiang Yicen saw that she might not believe him. "If you have security cameras at home, you can check. Second floor, third room—the reception room next to your father's study."

Seeing how straightforward he was, Miss Meng nodded. "I understand. Thank you."

After Jiang Yicen and Nan Shuyi left together, Miss Meng's face darkened.

Meng Zhangling noticed his daughter was clearly unhappy. "What's wrong?"

Meng Shasha: "Nothing. You might just owe Mr. Jiang a favor."

Meng Zhangling was utterly confused, then watched as his daughter went inside. Her good friend immediately went up to her, and he saw his daughter's expression get worse and worse.

What was going on?

·

On the way back, Nan Shuyi kept glancing sideways at Jiang Yicen.

Jiang Yicen got annoyed by his constant glancing. "Can you focus on driving? Do I have a GPS or a map written on my face?"

Nan Shuyi smiled. "I just want to know—how did you dare to go after Jiang Yiting today? You used to tolerate him before."

Jiang Yicen thought to himself, so that's what this was about.

He had his own reasoning. When he first arrived, it was better to avoid trouble when possible. Now, he had someone to back him up, and he no longer had to walk on eggshells, afraid of others discovering something unusual about him.

He said, "Because this time he really crossed the line. In business, if someone uses unethical tactics, there's nothing to say. But today he slandered my character and insulted you and Dad's integrity. That I can't tolerate."

Nan Shuyi's smile grew even wider. "So it was for me. Isn't this 'going to war for a beauty'?"

Jiang Yicen thought about it and figured that was about right. "If you say so."

All the way home, Nan Shuyi hummed pop songs in high spirits.

After arriving home, Nan Shuyi made some simple food. The two had a simple dinner, then walked and chatted on the treadmill at home for half an hour before heading to their room.

That night, Nan Shuyi finally persuaded Jiang Yicen back into his own bed, and the excitement lasted for over two hours.

Jiang Yicen had an unfair agreement with him. Afterwards, he was nearly mortified with shame. His body and the space between his legs were covered with marks left by Nan Shuyi. His skin was thin and had almost been rubbed raw, stinging even in the shower.

This rogue, once he'd gotten a taste, became more and more unrestrained. He had an important meeting tomorrow—he still had to see people!

As Jiang Yicen showered, he felt something trickling down between his legs. The warm water washing the sweat off his face did nothing to wash away his embarrassment.

The first time between them, Nan Shuyi had properly worn a condom. Today, in the heat of passion, he hadn't.

Nan Shuyi had slipped in at some point without Jiang Yicen noticing.

He kissed Jiang Yicen's smooth neck and shoulder, pressing close. "Why are you washing so long?"

Jiang Yicen tilted his head. "How did you get in here?"

Nan Shuyi said proudly, "I was afraid I'd worn you out so much you'd pass out in the bathroom."

Jiang Yicen turned around, pressing against his solid chest. "Wait, what are you doing?"

Nan Shuyi: "Sixth Master, have you ever heard of a couple's shower?"

Jiang Yicen: "You... get out."

Nan Shuyi gave him a kiss on the lips and refused. "No, I want to get in."

Jiang Yicen: "You..."

Nan Shuyi was very worked up now. He had never seen Jiang Yicen under the showerhead before—warm droplets sliding off his body. Nan Shuyi couldn't control himself and pressed the man against the tiled wall.

He coaxed, "We still have time tonight. Come on, turn around."

Jiang Yicen could see the desire clearly in his eyes. "No, I really have things to do tomorrow!"

For the first time, Nan Shuyi was forceful. Not just in his actions—he was already hard, and once again he joined Jiang Yicen in the heat of passion.

Jiang Yicen braced his hands against the tiled wall, his waist going weak. "Nan Shu—yi!"

Nan Shuyi held him, pressing all the way in. "I'm here."

Jiang Yicen's whole body went numb, tears welling at the corners of his eyes, making his already reddened eyes even redder.

"You... slower."

Nan Shuyi's deep, magnetic voice whispered against his ear, "As you wish, my lord."

·

Nan Anru's office.

Since Nan Anru was hospitalized with a flare-up of his old lumbar disc problem, Nan Shuyi had taken over his work.

Having had his fill last night, he was full of energy today, holding a cup of coffee while chatting on the phone with Lu Xiao.

Lu Xiao had some loose ends to tie up and went to Jiangda today, where he saw Jiang Yiting. He noticed the man wearing sunglasses in his office, and out of curiosity, while Jiang Yiting wasn't paying attention, he snatched them off. Then he couldn't stop laughing.

Lu Xiao: "Damn, you have no idea how arrogant Jiang Yiting used to be. He never fought himself—he'd always get others to do his dirty work. Seeing the bruises around his eyes today—I'm dying of laughter. He finally got what was coming to him!"

"Do you know who beat him up?"

Nan Shuyi said with a proud look: "Of course I know, my wife's the one who did it. Who told him to have such dirty thoughts and a smart mouth? My wife went and taught him a lesson."

Lu Xiao looked skeptical: "Really? Your wife looks pretty thin. Can he really take Jiang Yiting?"

Nan Shuyi: "He can go toe-to-toe with me, so you tell me—can he take Jiang Yiting or not?"

As for the time Jiang Yicen popped his arm out of its socket, he chose to forget that. Why would he ever remember a moment that humiliating?

Lu Xiao: "I wouldn't have guessed. So when he's upset, you can't even get near him?"

Nan Shuyi: "Nah, that's not true. He's got a great temper. Speaking of which, you still haven't won Chen Zhicheng over?"

Lu Xiao: "Drop that topic and we can still be friends."

Nan Shuyi: "That's rough. Winter's almost here."

Lu Xiao glanced out the window—the sun was blazing hot.

Lu Xiao didn't get what he was implying: "It's summer, man."

Nan Shuyi clicked his tongue: "I've got a wife to hold in winter. You don't."

Lu Xiao rolled his eyes. He'd thought Nan Shuyi had a sharp tongue back in high school, and apparently, all these years later, nothing had changed.

"Goodbye!"

Lu Xiao hung up in a huff, unilaterally ending the call. Nan Shuyi, on the other hand, was in a great mood, even cheerfully diving into the tricky work ahead.

He had a new hobby now: bragging about his wife.

Not by posting texts, photos, or videos on social media, of course—but whenever any friend hit him up, he'd bring it up.

He'd tell everyone he met: "I'm in a relationship. You should get one too. It's so great. My wife and I go to work together every day. The way he focuses on work is the sexiest thing..."

As a result, Jiang Yicen had been getting all sorts of weird messages from Nan Shuyi's friends lately.

The one Nan Shuyi pestered the most was Zhou Yi, who was absolutely miserable.

"Zhou Yi: Yicen, keep your boy Shuyi in line. He's so annoying."

Lu Xiao was also a victim.

"Lu Xiao: Next time you take me out to eat, don't bring Nan Shuyi."

"Jiang Ruolin: Yicen, tell Nan Shuyi to only hit me up when there's real business."

Jiang Yicen got messages from several people in a row, totally confused. He figured it was just his friends messing around, so he didn't think much of it.

·

At that moment, Jiang Yicen was feeling a bit nervous. He was about to be interviewed by a finance reporter from Lincheng.

The interview was set to take place in Nan Shuyi's office. His own office wasn't that big, and after Nan Shuyi moved into Nan Anru's office, this one had been sitting unused. The lighting and view were great, so they picked it as the interview spot.

Since Little Tea Stall hit the market, he'd faced quite a few work challenges, but he'd handled them all on his own, pushing sales to new heights and making it the most successful new product at Nanyuan in nearly a decade. Customer feedback was great, with plenty of organic recommendations. Some customers even said that after drinking Little Tea Stall, they had more energy for work every day, and some even claimed it could lower cholesterol and blood pressure.

When local finance reporters in Lincheng got wind of it, they reached out to Nanyuan's media department, hoping to interview Jiang Yicen, the mastermind behind Little Tea Stall.

Jiang Yicen wasn't nervous about the interview itself—it was Nan Shuyi who was way more anxious than him.

Nan Shuyi took it upon himself to help Jiang Yicen rehearse the talking points.

Actually, Jiang Yicen already had it down cold.

"Brother Shuyi, this is a closed-door interview, just in writing, not on video. You don't have to be nervous."

Nan Shuyi straightened his shirt collar: "How can I not be nervous? This is your first interview. I've got to document it."

Jiang Yicen couldn't exactly refuse him: "Fine."

Nan Shuyi: "Sixth Master, have you ever done an interview with reporters before?"

Jiang Yicen: "Yeah, once. When my second brother joined the military and I took over the Jiang family, a reporter interviewed me and wrote a piece."

Nan Shuyi: "Which year, month, day, and which paper? I'll go look it up."

Jiang Yicen said quietly: "I can't really remember."

Nan Shuyi digging up his past felt a bit embarrassing to Jiang Yicen. He felt like Nan Shuyi was trying to dig up everything about him. At this rate, he'd probably want to get his hands on his baby pictures too.

The assistant buzzed in on the intercom to let them know the reporter had arrived.

Soon, a reporter from the Lincheng Evening News walked into the office.

The moment she walked in, she spotted the legendary Master Nan, and a flash of delight crossed her eyes.

Then, seeing the young and capable person behind Little Tea Stall, her eyes lit up even more.

"President Jiang, President Nan, hello. I'm He Rucha, a reporter with the Lincheng Evening News."

As a reporter, He Rucha had a natural nose for gossip.

Jiang Yicen stepped forward and shook her hand: "Hello."

He Rucha looked like a sharp, capable journalist.

After the three exchanged greetings, they got down to business.

When He Rucha was about to start the interview, she noticed Nan Shuyi was still sitting nearby with no intention of leaving.

She had also attended Nan Shuyi's wedding earlier that year. The Nan family was very generous—they even had a dedicated table for reporter friends, and guests left with a gift of high-end cosmetics. She had a deep impression of that wedding.

Since they were only allowed to photograph Nan Shuyi and try to avoid the other spouse, she had her photographer follow the Nan family's requirements. She was there on site and had seen Nan Shuyi's spouse. Now, she was increasingly surprised—President Jiang looked way too much like Nan Shuyi's spouse.

Reporter He: "President Jiang, before the interview, may I ask a bold question?"

Jiang Yicen had already seated himself properly on the sofa: "Reporter He, please go ahead."

Reporter He: "I had the honor of attending President Nan's wedding. Are you..."

Jiang Yicen gave a slight smile: "Yes, I'm his partner. After we got married, I joined Nanyuan to work."

Reporter He was stunned. Connecting this to the recent changes at Nanyuan—she had learned that Little Tea Stall, the candy collaboration, and Nanyuan's sponsorship of off-road vehicles all bore this President Jiang's handiwork. She hadn't expected someone so young to be Nan Shuyi's spouse. This was a huge discovery!

Nan Shuyi's expression darkened slightly: "Reporter He, this has nothing to do with today's interview, right? I hope you won't include this in the feature article."

Reporter He: "I understand. It's just a personal curiosity. I hope you two won't mind."

Jiang Yicen said gently, "No, it's not that. I'm just not yet strong enough to make our relationship public. I don't want outsiders speculating about my personal life with Mr. Nan."

Reporter He immediately sensed that despite Jiang Yicen's youthful appearance, he was actually a young man with his own clear ideas, clear-headed, and not easily influenced by public opinion or the lure of fame and fortune.

Nan Shuyi agreed with Jiang Yicen's point of view.

The remainder of the interview was a dialogue between Reporter He and Jiang Yicen. Nan Shuyi, afraid that Reporter He might ask personal questions, sat nearby keeping a close eye on things the entire time, which put Reporter He under a lot of pressure, so he stopped prying and instead realized just how solid their relationship was.

After the interview, the notorious playboy Master Nan personally twisted open a bottle cap and handed the water to Jiang Yicen.

·

Two days later, an article titled "Nanyuan Group Has Been Booming for the Past Six Months—The Mastermind Behind It All Is Him!" was published on all Lincheng Daily platforms.

The headline was extremely eye-catching, drawing in a flood of netizens and even industry insiders. The article's clicks went through the roof.

However, at Jiang Yicen's request, the reporter did not reveal his name in the article, referring to him only as "Mr. Jiang."

Netizens were pretty annoyed.

- Are there any Nanyuan employees here? Ask who this Mr. Jiang is.

- Young and promising, witty and charming, handsome—the reporter is laying it on a bit thick for this Mr. Jiang.

- Oh my god, he's not only the person in charge of the tea stall, but also the one who pushed hard for the collaboration between Nanyuan Candy and "Smiling Life." He personally illustrated that blind box set. Damn, Mr. Jiang, do you know how much that blind box set is going for now? I didn't even get one!

- Wait, he's only twenty-three? Fresh out of college? How is the gap between people this big? When I was twenty-three, I was still asking my parents for money, and he's already made the company tens of billions!

What started as a seemingly ordinary article somehow ended up trending on the hot search list.

#Who is Mr. Jiang?#

#Searching for Mr. Jiang nationwide#

#What is Mr. Jiang's full name?#

#Some people have already made tens of billions for their company by age twenty-three#

·

The online buzz didn't grab Jiang Yicen's attention. He was feeling a bit troubled.

It was the weekend, and the two were enjoying a rare, leisurely movie night at home.

The movie had just ended, but he hadn't caught any of the plot. What Jiang Yicen did remember was Nan Shuyi's soft whispers in his ear.

He finally managed to pry himself off the sofa, pushed Nan Shuyi, who was clinging to him, away, and checked the time on his phone, and saw that Jiang Xingchen had texted him.

After Jiang Xingchen went back to the U.S., he of course used the money from selling the ancestral home to pay off the debts. Now he was reaching out to Jiang Yicen for help.

The fraud had happened at his new company, but the Jiang family also had their restaurant business. However, that restaurant business was now being squeezed out by Japanese restaurants, and they couldn't come up with a solution for the time being. But that was the Jiang family's legacy in the U.S., and they couldn't easily give it up—after all, it was a nearly hundred-year-old business.

Jiang Yicen had a new idea and told Nan Shuyi, "Brother Shuyi, I want to go to the United States."

Nan Shuyi had been looking forward to enjoying a nice weekend together, but he never expected to hear such bad news.

He rarely got stern with Jiang Yicen, tightening his grip around Jiang Yicen's waist. "I don't approve!"