CH 34

Jiang Zhan was an only child, his parents’ marriage was an arranged marriage decided by the elders. In his memories, his parents were not close, it could be said that they lived their lives respecting each other like they were guests. His father was busy with his career and seldom came home until his death, while his mother was busy with beauty, shopping, travel, and rarely stayed home. Jiang Zhan and his parents were not close either, it could be said that he was brought up by the butler.

Towards the news report that the Jiang and Shen families were going to have a marriage, Jiang Zhan did not care about it. If he didn’t want it, no one could force him, even if that person was his own mother.

When he returned to the Jiang family, Butler Chen was a bit surprised to see him. This was because Jiang Zhan rarely came back except during celebrations like New Year. 

“Young master.” Butler Chen greeted him, “You’re back, have you had breakfast?”

“Yes, Uncle Chen.” Jiang Zhan nodded at him and saw Mrs. Jiang sitting on the sofa drinking morning tea. He walked straight over, stopped next to her and called out, “Mother.”

When Mrs. Jiang heard that Jiang Zhan had returned, she simply looked up, waited until he came to her and said hello before saying, “You’re back? Sit down and have a cup of tea with me.”

Jiang Zhan sat down on a single sofa, and Uncle Chen waved his hand to signal the maids waiting on the side to leave. He came over and personally poured him tea, and then waited on the side.

Jiang Zhan did not come back to idly drink tea, he still had a meeting in the company later so he did not beat around the bush and went straight to the point, “I saw the news, the marriage with the Shen family is not possible, I come back because I hope you would dismiss this idea.”

Mrs. Jiang put down the cup in her hand and laughed, “I just simply said that yesterday, but I didn’t expect it to be in the newspaper today. The media nowadays are really efficient.”

She paused briefly before she continued, “Mr. Jiang is busy every day, why did you make a special trip for this matter today?”

“I’m not as busy as you.” Jiang Zhan faintly returned a sentence.

“Why are you talking like that.” Mrs. Jiang glared at him from the corner of her eye, dissatisfied with Jiang Zhan’s attitude towards herself. However, over the years she has always been too absorbed in entertainment and never cared enough about Jiang Zhan, so she could not really say anything more to him and returned to the subject, “The Shen family and our Jiang family are family friends, and you also know that girl, Xiao Yan. She’s a good girl who knows how to behave, she is also pretty, so she won’t treat you badly. What are you not satisfied with?”

Jiang Zhan, “There’s not a part that I’m satisfied with.”

“…” Mrs. Jiang’s hand holding the tea stiffened. She looked up at his expressionless face and asked with a frown, “Did you come back to quarrel?”

“I do not dare to.”

His mouth said he didn’t dare, but in reality, he didn’t look like he didn’t, “I just came back to tell you that I don’t agree with the marriage.”

“You don’t agree?” Mrs. Jiang said, “Marriage has always been something important since ancient times and the marriage of children must be decided by parents. Your father left too early, this matter should be decided by me.”

Jiang Zhan did not feel angry, nor was he disappointed towards his mother who did not care about him since childhood yet suddenly wanted to decide on his marriage. Instead, he only felt ridiculous and somewhat helpless, and didn’t want to talk much to her, “I’ve finished talking, I still have things to do in the company, so I will leave first.”

After saying that and not waiting for her reaction, Jiang Zhan got up and was about to leave when Mrs. Jiang suddenly asked, “Is it because of that little celebrity with the surname Jiang?”

Her words made Jiang Zhan’s footsteps stop and he turned around to meet her eyes. He wasn’t surprised that she knew about Jiang Li’s existence and didn’t hide it, “So what if it is.”

Mrs. Jiang had already known that Jiang Zhan had kept a small celebrity since last year. Jiang Zhan was her son, even though the two were not close, but she still had some knowledge of Jiang Zhan’s situation. In this society, it was very common for rich and powerful people to keep one or two lovers, so she did not care much about the fact that Jiang Zhan had kept a boy, and just thought he was keeping him as a pastime. No matter what, he would eventually go back to the right track at the end of the day.

The Shen and Jiang families were family friends and they had a good relationship. Both Mrs. Jiang and the Shen family had the intention of connecting through marriage. When she met up with Mrs. Shen yesterday, they coincidentally met the media reporters, and so she mentioned it casually. However, she didn’t expect Jiang Zhan would come back to find her because of this matter, and to even admit that it was because of the small celebrity he kept that he refused to marry the Shen family daughter, which made her a little surprised. 

The two looked at each other for a while, Mrs. Jiang shook her head and said, “An entertainer is just an entertainer, they are all over the place now. How is it worth your seriousness.”

“He’s not an entertainer.” Jiang Zhan frowned. He was very unhappy with the word used to describe Jiang Li and his tone was slightly cold, “Please respect his profession. If you have to use ‘entertainer’ to describe an actor, then Jiang Group is just a theater troupe.”

“…”

Mrs. Jiang was dumbfounded by his words and felt suffocated by the fact that she couldn’t find any words to refute him. She then indignantly turned everything into “How unreasonable.”

“The Shen family and us Jiang family are well-matched, it’s the so-called megamerger, so marriage is a completely normal thing. Xiao Yan has already returned, free up some of your time, we’ll go and meet them.” Mrs. Jiang said.

“Well-matched.” Jiang Zhan repeated the word once in a low voice. He then looked straight at her and said, “You and father are also well-matched, and a megamerger, but it didn’t seem like you were living comfortably with each other.”

When she heard him mention her late husband, Mrs. Jiang froze, as if she remembered something, and fell silent.

She and Father Jiang were indeed of an arranged family marriage, and they did not have much affection towards each other. Her father even had a girlfriend before they got married, but he still married her due to family pressure. The two were respectful towards each other after the marriage and didn’t interfere with each other. Although they were living under the same roof, they were living like strangers who had their own matters to deal with. 

“I still have things to do. I’ll go first, take care of your health.” Jiang Zhan nodded at her and turned to leave.

Mrs. Jiang didn’t ask him to stay, or else she might fall sick due to anger in this early morning. She sat quietly for a while and finished drinking a cup of tea before she said to Housekeeper Chen, “Prepare the car.”

“Yes, madam.”

…

Jiang Li had a lot of experience shooting commercials in his previous life, so this time the perfume advertisement was done smoothly and ended earlier than expected.

The photographer for this shoot was very satisfied with Jiang Li’s camera presence, which easily inspired him. If he didn’t have other work scheduled, he really didn’t want to end it so early.

Other than the morning commercial shoot, Jiang Li had nothing else scheduled for the day, so he planned to make a trip back to the office to have a meal with Jiang Zhan.

When he came out of the building, Jiang Li spotted the fans standing at the flower bed in front of the gate at first glance. Five or six young girls were holding banners with his name. They wanted to go up to him but were embarrassed, so they pushed each other, still remaining at the same place. 

Jiang Li asked Feng Dong to get the car first and took the initiative to walk towards the girls. A few people saw him walking over and called out excitedly.

After signing for each of them, Jiang Li only walked a few steps before he was stopped.

A man wearing a three-piece suit with gray hair who looked about sixty years old said to him with a smile on his face, “Mr. Jiang, give us a moment of your time, our madam would like to have a meal with you.”

After saying that, he made a gesture of invitation with his hand.

Jiang Li looked in the direction of his palm and saw a black car parked in front of him, the window of the back seat was half winded down. The person sitting inside also happened to be looking at him. When the two of them met eyes, the other party slightly nodded to him.

It was Mrs. Jiang, Jiang Zhan’s mother. Jiang Li had just seen her in the newspaper this morning.

Jiang Li was not at all surprised that she would come to see him. When he saw the newspaper this morning, Jiang Zhan said that he would deal with this matter. Now Mrs. Jiang came to his door, it showed that they didn’t have an agreement.

Since the elder had personally come to meet him, he couldn’t possibly ignore her. He called Feng Dong and told him to go back first, thanked the person in front of him for the invitation, and walked towards the car.

Jiang Li pulled open the car door and got in. He then sat one seat away from Mrs. Jiang and nodded his head towards her in a greeting, “Mrs. Jiang.”

“En.” Mrs. Jiang responded and instructed the driver to drive.

It was very quiet in the car, no one took the initiative to talk. The car stopped at a high-end private chef restaurant, the manager waiting at the entrance came forward to help open the car door and brought them to the room which had been prepared in advance.

As soon as the two sat down, a waiter came forward to pour tea and serve the dishes then left. Butler Chen was waiting on the side as usual.

Jiang Li and Mrs. Jiang sat opposite each other across the table. Jiang Li was very calm, he smiled and looked at her without saying a word.

Mrs. Jiang sized up Jiang Li with no intention to cover up the fact that she was sizing him up. Even though she didn’t say anything, there was a distinct judgmental look in her eyes. She looked at Jiang Li intently before she withdrew her gaze and slightly raised her hand to gesture, “Let’s eat first.”

The tone was not too friendly, but not too cold either, as if she was talking to an ordinary person from a younger generation. After saying that, she asked Butler Chen to sit down and eat with them. Butler Chen had been serving in the Jiang family for forty years, he was nominally a servant, but actually he was more like family.

“Thank you madam for your hospitality.” Jiang Li was not polite, he picked up his chopsticks and started eating. It was almost time for lunch and he was also a little hungry after shooting commercials for the whole morning. 

Mrs. Jiang was particular about the habit of not speaking during meals, so she didn’t take the initiative to talk to Jiang Li throughout the meal. After the meal, Butler Chen brought the two to the private wing, called the waiter to prepare tea, and then went out to give the two some privacy to talk.

The room was very quiet. Mrs. Jiang drank half a cup of tea before she said to Jiang Li, “Mr. Jiang is a smart man, you should know why I invited you here, right?”

“You’re flattering me.” Seeing that she had finally got to the point, Jiang Li put the cup in his hand back on the saucer and smiled at her, “Forgive my ignorance, but what’s the reason for your invitation?”

The two sides both knew the answer clearly. Mrs. Jiang was not angry with him for feigning ignorance, she admired his calm demeanor, “I already know about you and my son. As a mother, I’m very grateful. However, Jiang Zhan is the head of the Jiang Group, some improper relationship that should be ended should end before it’s too late.”

She looked at Jiang Li indifferently as she spoke. But when she said the words ‘improper relationship’, she remembered Jiang Zhan’s displeasure in the morning and paused slightly, as if she realized that she had made an indiscreet remark.

Mrs. Jiang was a well-maintained woman, even though she was in her fifties, there were only a few inconspicuous fine wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. She was wearing a well-tailored, modified cheongsam, her hair was meticulously coiled at the back, and from the way she acted and spoke, it could be shown that she was a very charming lady of noble birth.

Although she said such a thing, Jiang Li unexpectedly did not feel displeased, instead he had the mood to joke, “So does madam mean to give me a name or status?”

Mrs. Jiang, “…”

She suddenly remembered how Jiang Zhan retorted the word ‘entertainer’ with a ‘theatrical troupe’ this morning, and suddenly understood how both of them came to be together; they were both unreasonable.

“Mr. Jiang.” Mrs. Jiang aggravated her tone, “I am not joking with you.”

“Actually, I understand what madam means.” Jiang Li put away his joking thoughts and said to her with a serious expression, “It’s just that the relationship between Jiang Zhan and I was built by two people together, so forgive me for not being able to unilaterally declare the end of our relationship. If madam agrees, I suggest calling Jiang Zhan as well, so the three of us can have a good talk.”

“You’re using Jiang Zhan to pressure me?” Madam Jiang looked at him with raised eyebrows.

“I don’t dare to,” Jiang Li shook his head and said grimly, “I respect you, but I also respect Jiang Zhan. We are equal in this relationship, so I have no right to make a decision for him without permission. If he chooses to end our relationship, then I respect his decision and will definitely not cling to him, but this should also be told to me by him, not you. I hope you will understand if my words have offended you.”

Jiang Li’s words were neither condescending nor arrogant. There was not a sliver of bragging about Jiang Zhan’s relationship with himself in his tone, but simply stating his position calmly and clearly.

Mrs. Jiang looked at him in surprise, not expecting him to say something like that.

The young man in front of her was sitting upright, facing her without a trace of timidity or flattery. His words showed that he was a very thorough and reasonable person, not the entertainer she had imagined who would seduce others and climb his way to the top.

At this time, a knock sounded at the door. Butler Chen pushed in and said to Mrs. Jiang, “Madam, Miss Shen Yan is here to meet you.”

A head with a bun poked out from behind the butler and the person intimately shouted towards Mrs. Jiang, “Hello, Aunt Pei.”

Chi Pei was Mrs. Jiang’s name.

This restaurant was the private chef restaurant that Shen Yan had invested in after she returned to China. She came over for dinner with her friends today and happened to see Butler Chen at the entrance when she passed by, so she went over to say hello. She then learned that Mrs. Jiang was also here, so she came in to greet.

“It’s Xiao Yan.” Mrs. Jiang smiled at her.

Shen Yan said as she walked in, “Aunt Pei, why did you come over without telling me, I could have personally…”

Her words stopped after she saw Jiang Li, her eyes widened slightly, feeling a little incredulous. She pointed at Jiang Li, “You… you…”

“Hello.” Jiang Li nodded towards her, “Do you know me?”

Shen Yan nodded and excitedly said to him, “I’m your fan, Lord Governor!!!”

Mrs. Jiang, “…”

Jiang Li, “…”

On the other hand, after Jiang Zhan finished the meeting and sent the head of the partner company away, he found an unread text message on his cell phone that he didn’t notice earlier as his phone was on silent. He opened it and saw an address and room number sent from Butler Chen, saying that Mrs. Jiang had met up with Jiang Li.

When Jiang Zhan saw the message, his fingers suddenly tightened around the phone. He turned and walked towards the elevator, took it to the underground parking lot, and drove to the place Butler Chen sent him.

Jiang Zhan quickly arrived at the place. He ignored the waiter that was trying to stop him, directly pushed the door open and entered. Once he entered, he heard a voice, “Don’t you all move, I’m claiming my last tile!

Jiang Zhan, “…”

Jiang Zhan looked at the four people sitting around the mahjong table playing in a frenzy, a string snapped in Jiang Zhan’s mind. 

I rushed over here anxiously, but you’re playing mahjong with my mother huh, Jiang Li?!