CH 121

Old Mr. He’s expression remained unchanged, but his tone sank a bit: “Do you think you did the right thing?”

Jiang Chen turned his head slightly, raised his eyes to look at old Mr. He, who was at the head seat, looked straight at him without blinking or avoiding, and said, “What does Grandpa think is the right way?”

Ever since Jiang Chen and He Qianjian’s identities were revealed, the two had almost no communication, but there had never been any conflicts. Occasionally, when He Qianmin and He Qianjian had conflicts, Jiang Chen would even try to stop and appease the fight. Except for the He Yanfeng couple and He Yanjun, although the others also heard that they had a quarrel, they only thought it was a conflict between children, so when they first heard that Jiang Chen broke He Qianjian’s leg without a care at all, everyone present had some doubts in their hearts.

When old Mr. He asked this question, everyone was mentally prepared.

But Jiang Chen’s neither soft nor hard, and even faintly forceful answer, surprised most of the people present. In the previous contact, Jiang Chen had always treated people mildly and politely, hardly showing any aggression. His tone was not back-talk, it was even very calm, but such a rhetorical question that was almost rebuttal was not like what they thought Jiang Chen could say.

“He Qianjian hurt your friend, you can be angry or infuriated, but you can’t use violence to control violence.” Old Mr. He said in a deep voice: “There are many ways to solve it, but you chose the most brutal one, didn’t you? Do you think you did the right thing?” 

Jiang Chen pursed his lips, lowered his eyes and said, “Grandpa, if there are many ways to solve a problem, but there is only one way to deal with some people, do you think I should solve it or not?”

When these words were uttered, the dining room fell into silence.

“Xiao Chen!” He Yanfeng frowned and raised his voice. He got up and said, “Follow me to the study room.”

Jiang Chen followed He Yanfeng up to the second floor, and when his figure disappeared, He Qianmin seemed to finally wake up from a dream, and was also about to follow immediately.

“Sit down!” Old Mr. He said in a deep voice, “Continue to eat.”

He Qianmin pointed to his own bowl: “Grandpa, I’m done eating.”

“The g do your homework.” Old Mr. He also stood up: “No one follow me upstairs.”

Yang Yun pulled He Qianmin back, looked upstairs with some concern, sighed softly, and was about to say something, but from the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the glee and resentment that He Qianjian hadn’t had time to restrain. She was slightly taken aback, and instantly felt her heart go cold.

“Mom.” He Qianyu pulled Yang Yun’s sleeve and whispered, “Will Dad and Grandpa punish Brother? Go up and persuade Dad.”

“It’s okay.” Yang Yun touched her daughter’s little head, and comforted her: “Your Dad will not punish your Brother, Mom promises, don’t worry.”

Yang Yun was sure that her husband would never really reprimand their son, and he stopped him just now only to avoid any real conflict between Jiang Chen and old Mr. He. After all, she was able to distinguish between real anger and fake anger after many years of being husband and wife. It was just that old Mr. He didn’t know what He Qianjian had done, because they were all worried about his health, and because they knew that old Mr. He had a special feeling for He Qianjian compared to the other children, so they hid everything He Qianjian had done from him.

Until now, old Mr. He still thought that He Qianjian and Jiang Chen being switched in the first place was because of an outsider’s conspiracy, and Jiang Chen and He Qianjian were both innocent. So they were not surprised that the old man would speak for He Qianjian this time. After all, he was getting on in years, and which elderly didn’t hope their family would be harmonious? Especially old Mr. He who paid great attention to family unity and harmony.

“Of course Dad won’t say anything about Brother. Back then when Brother went to beat He Qianjian, he stepped aside.” He Qianjian curled his lips and said, “But it’s hard to say for Grandpa. In his heart, He Qianjian is his most precious grandson.”

“Qian Min.” Yang Yun frowned slightly, “Don’t talk nonsense.”

“Why am I talking nonsense?” He Qianmin said, “Whenever I had a conflict with him, didn’t Grandpa always stand by He Qianjian’s side?”

He Yanjun glanced at He Qianjian who kept his head down and silent, seemingly helpless and forbearing, and said mildly: “Alright, don’t say anymore and just watch TV.”

He Qianmin snorted coldly, and roughly stood up. The stool rubbed against the floor making a loud noise, and he went to the living room without looking back.

“That stinky kiddo.” He Yanjun shook his head, stood up as well, and said to Yang Yun, “Your sister-in-law and I will go back first.”

Yang Yun took He Qianyu by the hand, got up and saw He Yanjun and his wife at the door, and then returned to the living room to watch TV with He Qianmin.

He Qianjian was still sitting in the empty dining room, and the glee in his eyes gradually turned into gloom. He threw away his chopsticks and stood up as well.

*

In the study.

He Yanfeng closed the door, and said to Jiang Chen, “You kiddo, you dare to yell at your grandfather the first time you lose your temper. You are tougher than your old man.”

Jiang Chen’s footsteps paused slightly, his expression slightly hesitant. He had never heard He Yanfeng speak in such a tone, and he called him up, wasn’t it to scold or lecture him?

“Do you think I am schizophrenic? I was the one who let you go upstairs. If I scold you now, isn’t it slapping myself in the face?”

He Yanfeng knew what Jiang Chen was thinking just by looking at Jiang Chen’s expression. Speaking of, it was strange that Jiang Chen was usually not a character with too much emotion. Although he was gentle most of the time, he also kept a certain distance from others, so it was difficult read his emotions beneath his polite surface.

But, don’t know if it was because of the blood connection or something else. Although clearly Jiang Chen was not the child he brought up, his personality was almost a replica of himself as a youth. He might not understand Jiang Chen, but it was impossible not to know himself, so towards Jiang Chen’s every expression and every action, he could guess almost exactly what they meant.

The child had been unwilling to open his heart to accept them before, so his emotions were always very mild and indifferent when facing them. Whether he was happy or angry, it practically disappeared with just a touch, but since that night he came over and beat He Qianjian up. After that, don’t know if he had vented his anger or something else, but the distance between them also faded a lot.

He Yanfeng was actually happy to see the turbulent conversation between him and old Mr. He tonight. If Jiang Chen hadn’t unconsciously regarded this place as his own home, with his usual personality, he would never have said such almost disrespectful words. But perhaps Jiang Chen might not even be aware of this.

No matter what, He Yanfeng felt very happy. After getting along and working hard for such a long time, he finally saw a little gain.

Jiang Chen was a little uncomfortable with He Yanfeng’s speaking style. In the previous conversations with He Yanfeng, he was mostly elegant, gentlemanly and rational, and the content of their conversations was mostly business-like, the occasional joking also kept a good sense of scale, keeping a comfortable distance.

It was not that it was uncomfortable now, it was just that this sudden change made him feel a little at a loss, not knowing what attitude to take to face this new way of speaking.

He Yanfeng didn’t give Jiang Chen any time to prepare. He took his shoulders and pressed him to sit on the sofa, sat down himself and said, “Believe it or not, if I scold you, your grandpa will show up in two minutes. And if the two of us stay quiet, your grandpa will show up on time in ten minutes.”

Jiang Chen didn’t even have time to think about how he should adapt to He Yanfeng’s abrupt conversation style, as he was attracted by the words he said, and couldn’t help asking, “How are you sure?”

He Yanfeng raised his eyebrows and looked at him with a smile: “Want to make a bet?”

Jiang Chen paused, slightly raised the corners of his mouth, and nodded.

“Then which one do you choose, quarrel or silence.”

Jiang Chen really wanted to know what He Yanfeng looked like when scolding others. He Qianmin had told him before that the He family did not advocate beating and scolding education. No matter how big the trouble they got into, they would only have their allowances cut as a punishment. Even if he fought at school, He Yanfeng never punished him harshly.

Without thinking too much, Jiang Chen chose the first option.

He Yanfeng put down his crossed legs, smirked at him briefly, and then suddenly changed his expression, and shouted angrily: “Do you know how to talk to elders!”

“You talked back to your grandfather at the dinner table, yet you dare to say that you are right?”

“Jiang Chen! Let me tell you! You’d better reflect on this incident today, and then go to your grandfather to apologize to him, otherwise your mother and I will not continue to tolerate your rudeness!”

“Are you wrong or not?” After a pause, He Yanfeng’s voice suddenly rose, grabbed an ashtray, and threw it on the ground: “Tell me! Are you wrong or not!”

Jiang Chen glanced at the shards of the ashtray under his feet, and before he could react from the speed at which the other’s face changed, he heard the door of the study room being opened vigorously.

Old Mr. He appeared at the door of the study and walked in with big strides. After seeing that Jiang Chen was fine, he breathed a sigh of relief, pointed at He Yanfeng, and raised his eyebrows: “How do you teach children! You actually dare to smash things! Do you think you look like a father at all?!”

He Yanfeng had not yet come out of his role, and he frowned, with a look of lingering anger: “Dad, I am educating him, Jiang Chen is my son, I have my way of educating him, you can go out first, I’ll…..”

“What?!” Old Mr. He interrupted him, and said in a deep voice, “Do you still want to beat him?”

He Yanfeng: “Didn’t you beat me and my brother like this back then?”

Old Mr. He paused, then pointed at him: “I beat you because you deserved it! Look at how you are now. If I didn’t beat you at that time, you would deserve a beating even more now!”

The corner of He Yanfeng’s mouth twitched, and he forced himself to continue acting: “I’m teaching him now, just to let him know that it was wrong for him to talk back to you just now. Aren’t I just teaching him like this so that he won’t deserve a beating in the future?”

“When did he talk back?” Old Mr. He rebutted: “He just asked me a question, and you called him up before I could answer. What are you doing? Is this a rebellion?!”

“No, no, I don’t dare to rebel against you.” He Yanfeng said: “Please go out for a bit, I will talk nicely, I haven’t finished talking to him yet.”

“What else do you want to say?” Old Mr. He said vigilantly: “I have already said that there are problems with how you educate your children. Qian Jian and Qian Min fights and quarrels at home every day. Not only can’t you sort out the relationship between the two children. Now Xiao Chen was also influenced badly by you! You think I didn’t know that he would hurt Qian Jian before because you tacitly encouraged him?!”

He Yanfeng couldn’t continue acting now, he really felt wronged: “Dad, you must be reasonable, did I cause the conflict between Qian Jian and Qian Min? If you didn’t favor He Qianjian back then, can the relationship between the two become like this?”

“I favored Qian Jian?” Old Mr. He’s eyes widened with anger: “Why don’t you blame yourself for not being able to find any evidence after so long. The doctor said that Qian Min had suffered a shock which caused him to talk nonsense, and what Qian Jian said is true. If I don’t stand on his side, who will?”

He Yanfeng choked. He really couldn’t find anything about the car accident from back then, and though now he had a clue, he couldn’t tell the old man directly, so he could only endure this grievance: “Don’t talk about that, aren’t we talking about Xiao Chen’s business now? He talked back to you at the dinner table just now, so I teach him a lesson, isn’t that normal?”

“Did I say he talked back to me?” Old Mr. He slapped the sofa hard, refusing to admit it.

He Yanfeng glanced at Jiang Chen, gave him a wink, and asked old Mr. He: “Then what are you doing here?”

Old Mr. He asked back: “This is my study, what do you think I’m here for?”

“Grandpa.” Jiang Chen got up, pursed his lips slightly and said, “I indeed didn’t pay attention to my tone when I talked to you just now, I’m sorry.”

Old Mr. He paused, looked at Jiang Chen, and his voice softened. He sighed: “Xiao Chen, grandpa don’t blame you, nor do I favor Qian Jian, but Grandpa thinks you are too young, and you tend to act impulsively and recklessly regardless of the consequences. Have you ever thought that the conflict between you and Qian Jian would lead to irreparable consequences in the end, and it would be your parents and your adoptive parents who will be in trouble in the end.”

Jiang Chen was silent for a moment. To be honest, he didn’t think that what old Mr. He had been thinking about this kind of thing. He always thought that old Mr. He had preconceived notions, and always favored He Qianjian when facing He Qianmin and He Qianjian, so why wouldn’t it be similar when it came to him?

Not only did he have preconceived notions about old Mr. He, he even had preconceived notions about everyone in the entire He family except He Qianmin and He Qianyu, but he didn’t realize it until now.

*

Not long after returning to school, the third mock exam arrived as scheduled.

When Jiang Chen was in the research institute, he would set aside two hours every day to do practice questions, so when he faced the exam papers again, he was not as rusty as others thought. On the contrary, because the third mock exam questions were relatively simple, he finished each subject test a long time in advance.

After the two-day mock exam, the school basically entered the independent review time. Jiang Chen’s return to school was like a small pebble casting a wave of ripples on a calm lake and did not attract too much attention among the third year students.

However, class 1 of the third year was different. Students in other classes paid less attention due to distance or unfamiliarity, but Jiang Chen’s classmates were almost uncontrollably happy. For nothing else, the longer Jiang Chen sat in the classroom, the more questions they could ask him, the more questions they asked, the greater their confidence would be when the college entrance examination arrived.

All the students in class 1 of the third year knew that Jiang Chen was the god of the gods of studying. If one wanted to check his tutoring accomplishments, one only had to find the rankings of Shen Xu and Huo Bo on the grade list put up in the cultural corridor.

Before the results of the third mock exam came out, class 1 of the third year specially asked Fu Jinyu for a physical education class, and played a game of basketball happily. Jiang Chen lacked exercise during this period, having stayed in the laboratory with a group of adults nearly 24/7 so he lost two goals when he first played. Fortunately, he cooperated with Shen Xu and barely managed to win by two points.

After playing ball, the other students went to the cafeteria first, while Jiang Chen and Shen Xu sat in the bleachers of the playground, watching a group of boys play while waiting for Huo Bo and He Qianmin to finish class. It had been a long time since they hung out, and they didn’t have time due to preparing for the third mock exam two days ago, so now that they were finally free they made an appointment to go to the hot pot restaurant outside the school for lunch.

On the court, a boy shot a three-pointer from outside the line. Shen Xu applauded vigorously and praised loudly.

Probably because there was a lot of movement here, the boys playing basketball quickly noticed them. The boy who had just shot a three-pointer staggered a few times and trotted towards this side after being pushed by several people.

“Senior Brother Shen Xu, God Jiang.” The boy scratched the back of his sweaty head in embarrassment, and said with a simple smile: “I just saw you guys play, would you like to play with us, we all want to play a game with you.”

Jiang Chen glanced at the time, smiled and said, “The period will be over soon, and we’re going to eat out later, so we’ll play a game with you guys when we have a chance.”

The boy nodded vigorously, seeming a little embarrassed, and said “Sorry for bothering you guys” and turned to leave. After walking a few steps, having thought of something, he then turned around again, put his hands next to his mouth, and said loudly: “I wish you guys luck on the college entrance examination!”

Jiang Chen and Shen Xu were slightly taken aback. They looked at each other and laughed. 

Shen Xu stood up, put his hands to his mouth, and shouted, “Let’s play together next time!”

Jiang Chen waved his hand and said loudly with a smile, “Thank you, Junior Brother!”

The boy ran away with a smile. Shen Xu smiled and suddenly said with emotion: “I didn’t expect that we will have the college entrance examination so soon.”

Jiang Chen tilted his head and said with a smile, “Can’t bear to leave behind high school?”

“Well, no.” Shen Xu shook his head: “I just feel that time passes so fast, we all grew up all of a sudden, and the life before your dad’s accident and Huo Bo’s departure seemed to be very far away.”

Jiang Chen propped his hands on the ground and looked up at the blue sky. It was indeed very far away, as it had already been two lifetimes.

“Jiangzi…..” Shen Xu turned his head and lowered his voice: “The college entrance examination is coming soon, have you thought about how to talk to Aunt Yang about it then?”

“Not yet.” Jiang Chen paused, and said, “I’ve thought about it a lot, but I still don’t know how to say it.”

Shen Xu raised his hand and patted his shoulder: “Aunt Yang can understand, don’t worry too much.” He then changed the subject: “By the way. Is our kid sister even cuter now? I haven’t seen her for a long time. I will go to your house after school this afternoon to see her.”

“Then have dinner at my house and invite Huo Bo to join us. My mother was just talking about you guys before.”

“Okay.”

The get out of class bell rang, and students came out of the teaching building one after another. Jiang Chen and Shen Xu stood on the campus avenue, searching for Huo Bo and He Qianmin.

Shen Xu quickly saw He Qianmin in the crowd and waved his hand to call him. He was very conspicuous at around 1.8 meters tall so He Qianmin quickly ran over and asked, “Brother Huo Bo hasn’t come yet?”

Shen Xu: “He’s upstairs, so he’s slower. I’ve already made a reservation, so it’s okay to go there later.”

He Qianmin nodded, walked up to Jiang Chen, and asked him what old Mr. He and He Yanfeng said to him in the study a few days ago.

Jiang Chen thought of the scene that day, and laughed a little. He shook his head and was about to speak when the phone rang.

Seeing the caller ID, Jiang Chen was surprised for a moment, and answered, “Grandpa Xiang?

“…..”

“Really?”

“…..”

“I haven’t received any news yet. Is the location set at the Cyber Security Bureau? When will it start?”

“…..”

“Okay, I’ll take a leave of absence in the afternoon and go there by myself.”

After hanging up the phone, Huo Bo had already arrived. Jiang Chen raised his eyebrows slightly: “Let’s go eat first, and I’ll tell you guys some good news later.”