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Psst! We're moving!
Jiang Chengyu accompanied his mother in the courtyard for half an hour, witnessing her painstaking efforts to paint roses, which stubbornly refused to resemble roses.
As dusk fell.
Mrs. Jiang finally found an excuse, “If the lighting were better, I would have finished long ago.”
Jiang Chengyu went along with his mother’s words, “There are too many flowers blooming in the garden. If there were fewer, you would have finished earlier.”
Mrs. Jiang smiled and slapped her son lightly.
Jiang Chengyu helped his mother put away the easel. “Mom, I’m going back now.”
Just as he finished speaking, he received a call from Shen Tang.
Shen Tang was going out to dinner with Wen Di tonight and told him not to rush back to the villa.
After hanging up, Li Zheng’s car drove into the courtyard.
“It’s rare for you all to be back, let’s have dinner at home,” Mrs. Jiang told the cook to prepare dinner.
Li Zheng locked the car, humming a song as she entered the house.
“Oh, Uncle, how come you have time to come home today?”
“Came back to see if you’re being obedient.”
“I’m very well-behaved now.” Li Zheng linked arms with Jiang Chengyu, pulling him to sit on the sofa and asking him to shell nuts for her.
Jiang Chengyu intended to open a bag of pre-shelled nuts for her, as they tasted better. Li Zheng made a stopping gesture; she wanted freshly shelled ones, with no added sugar.
“I heard from Fu Chenglin that you’ve been busy lately, even without time for dates. What are you busy with?” Jiang Chengyu asked, concerned.
Li Zheng was busy entertaining friends. Working during the day and going out at night, she wished a day could be 48 hours long.
She nestled in the sofa, blowing a mini fan at her face.
“I just saw off Chu Xiaoyue this evening. She’s been playing in Beijing for five days.”
Jiang Chengyu looked up. “Why didn’t you say so earlier?”
He knew Chu Xiaoyue was coming; she had mentioned it at the family dinner at the Xiao family manor before.
“Chu Xiaoyue didn’t want me to say anything, she didn’t want Auntie to feel burdened.”
Jiang Chengyu had shelled some nuts, and she took them to eat, munching noisily.
“Chu Xiaoyue stayed with me during the day; I even took her to interviews. She stayed at Chu Ran’s place at night, saying she came this time to do something for her mom.”
She didn’t know what it was and didn’t want to pry.
After finishing the nuts in her hand, Li Zheng lay flat on the sofa, letting out a long sigh.
Jiang Chengyu looked at her. “You were fine just now, what’s wrong again?”
“Nothing, just thinking about work.”
Li Zheng brushed it off, blowing her mini fan at her forehead.
A few days ago, she took Chu Xiaoyue to an interview. Chu Xiaoyue said she had a dream: to one day call Shen Tang ‘sister,’ and joked that if she called Shen Tang sister, she’d have to call Li Zheng ‘auntie.’
Uncle’s child calling Chu Xiaoyue ‘auntie,’ and her being sisters or brother-sister with Uncle’s child.
In terms of seniority, she would indeed have to call her auntie.
Chu Xiaoyue later added that this daydream was quite beautiful.
In the evening, she saw Chu Xiaoyue off at the airport. Before parting, Chu Xiaoyue asked her to take good care of Shen Tang, saying that Shen Tang was quite sensitive and not good at socializing. If there were any inappropriate remarks at the Jiang family’s home in the future, she should help smooth things over.
She promised Chu Xiaoyue that she would take good care of Shen Tang and reassured her that she and Grandma were both Shen Tang’s fans and understood her straightforward temper.
Besides, with Uncle around, how could he let Auntie suffer even a little bit of injustice?
The phone next to her vibrated. Li Zheng snapped back to reality, opened her phone, and saw a message from Chu Xiaoyue: [I’ve arrived in Shanghai! Come play at my house when you have time.]
Li Zheng was busy messaging and couldn’t be bothered to eat.
Jiang Chengyu found a small Ziploc bag to pack the shelled nuts for Shen Tang to eat.
________________________________________
Shen Tang and Wen Di arranged to meet at SZ Restaurant. Jiang Chengyu often brought her here; the food was good, and they could enjoy the night view.
She arrived ten minutes earlier than Wen Di and ordered a dessert for Wen Di in advance.
While waiting for Wen Di, Shen Tang took out the photo album from her bag and flipped through it.
Perhaps influenced by Jiang Chengyu, she now subconsciously wondered, when she had a daughter, what would she look like, like her or like Jiang Chengyu?
“Baby, I’m here.” Wen Di’s cheerful voice came from overhead.
Shen Tang put away the album and looked at Wen Di’s dress. “That dress is beautiful.”
“Just got it recently, specifically wore it for our date.”
Wen Di had been in seclusion at home for a month, finally polishing the script she had been working on.
At home, she was too lazy to tidy herself, often looking sloppy and unkempt.
Today, she dressed up, putting on a brand new dress, and was in a beautiful mood.
Wen Di savored her dessert, temporarily putting aside calorie concerns.
She glanced at Shen Tang’s ring finger. “Where’s your ring? Didn’t you say Jiang Chengyu proposed?”
Shen Tang caught the key point. “Who told you that?”
Wen Di had nothing to hide from Shen Tang. “Yan Heyu. He emailed me a week ago, but I only had time to read it today. On my way here, I kept thinking about what gift to get you.”
She still hadn’t decided.
Since she brought up Yan Heyu, Shen Tang asked her how things were with him now.
Wen Di: “I’m busy making money every day, I don’t have time to bother with him. But I might need him soon. I’m starting to write a scumbag script, right? I’m not sure how to torture the scumbag just right; I don’t have experience. I want to find some inspiration from him.”
Shen Tang: “...”
“Enough about him.” Wen Di told her about things happening in their circle that she knew.
Fan Yu’s company’s current drama production was halted due to funding issues. After failing to find investment everywhere, Fan Yu had no choice but to sell her two properties.
Last night, Fan Yu had dinner with friends and, after drinking too much, cursed Chen Nanjin in front of them, calling him monstrous for making her beg Shen Tang for help.
Wen Di reminded her: “If Fan Yu’s finances are still tight and she comes to you for investment, you need to consider it carefully. That person, how should I put it, is pathologically dark.”
Shen Tang: “I can’t invest in her. I don’t earn money from just anyone.”
Wen Di felt relieved. “That’s good then.”
Chen Nanjin was also interesting, now starting to build a good father image for Shen Tang. But he and Fan Yu were a good match, like two peas in a pod.
Now, looking back, Xiao Zhen was lucky to escape the misery early and marry a good man like Chu Yueli.
It was just tough for Shen Tang.
“After I submit this script, another sum of money will be deposited. The autumn auction is coming soon; whatever you want, sister will bid for it.”
Shen Tang didn’t hold back: “I want everything you bid for.”
The two chatted and laughed, planning how to spend the money before it even arrived.
Wen Di inadvertently turned her head and saw two people not far away looking towards their table, two tables away from them.
Both were prime examples of men, with features somewhat resembling Shen Tang.
One was gentle and refined, the other a sophisticated scoundrel.
“Hey, Tangtang, are those two your relatives?”
Shen Tang looked in the direction, feeling a sense of time travel.
When she and Qin Xing came here to eat before, Xiao Dongkai and Xiao Donghan were also sitting in those same seats.
Xiao Donghan, just like last time, raised his red wine glass for a toast from a distance.
Shen Tang symbolically gestured with her water glass, then withdrew her gaze.
Wen Di: “Are they from the Xiao family?”
Shen Tang nodded. “Chairman Xiao’s grandsons.”
No wonder.
There was indeed that blood relation; they not only resembled her in appearance but also in spirit.
Wen Di didn’t know about the shareholding struggle Shen Tang had gone through recently. Shen Tang never complained to her either. Occasionally, Yan Heyu would mention a few things in his emails when he had nothing else to talk about.
“Is that sophisticated scoundrel with the gold-rimmed glasses Xiao Donghan?”
“Yes, and the one opposite is Xiao Dongkai.”
“Have you and Xiao Donghan made peace now?”
Shen Tang: “Not really peace, but he can’t cause big trouble. His Achilles’ heel is with me.”
Wen Di propped her head, considering for a moment. “I’ve decided to add a business war element to my next script. It’ll definitely be exciting. I’ll torment the scumbag in business again, making him cry for mercy.”
“...”
________________________________________
At eleven o’clock, Jiang Chengyu finally left the old residence.
He had dinner and played a few games of chess with his father, losing track of time.
Back at the villa, Shen Tang was already asleep, with only a wall lamp lit in the bedroom.
She still felt insecure sleeping alone, and the blanket was pulled over her head again.
Jiang Chengyu walked over quietly. A photo album was placed on the nightstand, with two exquisite gift wrappers tucked underneath it.
On the album was a note from Shen Tang: [Ms. Xiao gave this to me, and I’m giving it to my President Jiang.]
Jiang Chengyu looked down at the wrapping paper. This style was liked by girls Chu Xiaoyue’s age. Li Zheng said Chu Xiaoyue came to help her mother with something, which must have been bringing this album to Shen Tang.
He picked up the album and opened it, revealing photos of Shen Tang as a child.
His imagined daughter looked just like her.
He carefully looked at each photo, and only after flipping through the entire album did Jiang Chengyu go to shower.
Shen Tang was in a deep sleep, never waking up.
When Jiang Chengyu came out of the bathroom, she was still nestled in the quilt, with her feet exposed.
He turned off the wall lamp, carefully pulled back the quilt, afraid of startling her awake. “Shen Tang, it’s me.” He whispered in her ear.
Her eyelids were too heavy. Shen Tang wanted to open her eyes and look, but despite her efforts, she couldn’t.
Jiang Chengyu half-held her in his arms. As his kiss deepened, Shen Tang finally woke up, turning her head away. “You’re back.”
“Mm.” His lips came down again.
Shen Tang wrapped her arms around his back. Jiang Chengyu rolled over, and she was beneath him.
From their separation in the morning until now, only a dozen hours had passed, yet their bodies were already impatient to be together.
Shen Tang wrapped her legs around his waist, trying to press her upper body close to him. “If we hadn’t gotten back together, what would it be like now?”
“Like Wen Di and Yan Heyu.”
Shen Tang: “Then you threatened me that you’d find someone else.”
“If I found someone else, it would still be you.”
He took her forcefully. “I have no one else.”
Shen Tang kissed him, actively deepening their kiss.
________________________________________
At noon on Tuesday, they arrived at Haitang Village.
Seeing the piano in the living room, Jiang Chengyu changed his mind again. He had originally intended to transport the piano to their villa in Beijing, so she could play it when she had free time. Now, he decided to leave the piano here. If the piano were moved, a corner of the living room would be empty, and it wouldn’t feel the same.
Brother Shen told them that the company in Beijing had decided to develop tourism in Haitang Village, and the new projects were very good. More and more tourists would come here in the future.
By then, his guesthouse would definitely have no empty rooms.
Early the next morning, Shen Tang woke up early, changed into comfortable sports clothes, bought a bouquet of fresh flowers, and went with Jiang Chengyu to see Grandpa.
As she walked, she couldn’t help but feel sad. How wonderful it would be if Grandpa were still alive. Waiting at the door for her and Jiang Chengyu to come home, brewing them a cup of flower tea, and then saying, “Xiao Jiang, come sit down.”
Suddenly, Jiang Chengyu stopped, squeezed her hand, and motioned for her to look ahead.
Shen Tang had turned her face away to wipe tears just now, and hadn’t looked up.
From afar, she saw Chen Nanjin’s figure.
Jiang Chengyu released her hand. “You go ahead. I’ll wait a bit before going to see Grandpa.”
Chen Nanjin also saw Shen Tang when he turned around.
Shen Tang walked over, not looking at him.
Here, at Grandpa’s place, she wouldn’t say any angry words. She would treat him like a stranger.
There were two bouquets of fresh flowers in front of the grave. She didn’t know whose the other one was, perhaps Brother Shen had come to see Grandpa early in the morning.
“Grandpa, I’m a boss now too. Don’t worry about me, I’m doing very well now.” Shen Tang had originally prepared many, many words she wanted to tell Grandpa, and she also wanted to share her daily life with Jiang Chengyu with him, but now she couldn’t.
She would come back and tell Grandpa all about her life after her trip to the island.
After a short while, Jiang Chengyu also arrived.
“Grandpa, Xiao Jiang came to see you too.”
After standing for a while longer, Shen Tang took Jiang Chengyu’s hand and walked back.
Chen Nanjin walked behind them, following them all the way to the road leading to the guesthouse entrance.
“Tangtang.” Shen Tang paused, then heard Xiao Zhen’s voice behind her.
She and Jiang Chengyu turned around simultaneously.
It really was Xiao Zhen, getting out of a sedan parked by the road.
Jiang Chengyu: “I’ll go queue up to buy you breakfast.”
This was the first time in so many years that their family of three had met. He gently hugged her. “I’ll be right next door, at that breakfast place, less than fifty meters from you.”
Chen Nanjin wasn’t surprised to see Xiao Zhen here. Xiao Zhen had contacted him before, saying she wanted to visit the old man. She had merely informed him out of politeness, saying nothing more.
When he went to see his father, a bouquet of fresh flowers was already placed before the grave, likely left by Xiao Zhen after visiting his father.
Shen Tang suddenly felt very ironic. The parents she had longed for every day in her childhood, who never came, were all here years later when she needed nothing from them.
Xiao Zhen wore sunglasses. She stood two or three meters away from both Shen Tang and Chen Nanjin, forming a triangle—a distance that seemed impossible to close.
“My family knows I’m here today.” She wanted to convey that she wasn’t secretly visiting her; Chu Yueli and everyone else knew.
“Let’s have lunch together today. Your father and I have never spent a single day with you after you gained memories.”
She suddenly choked up, gripping the car door handle tightly.
“Tangtang, whether you believe it or not, I haven’t had a good day in the twenty-six years since I left you. I’m not telling you this to make you forgive me.”
For a moment, she was incoherent.
The sunlight was blinding. Shen Tang also wore sunglasses. She looked at Chen Nanjin. “Director Chen, do you want to offer some regrets too? Your lines are excellent; you shouldn’t get stuck like Ms. Xiao.”
“Tangtang--” Her daughter’s sarcastic tone left Chen Nanjin with an indescribable feeling.
“If you want to reminisce and have a meal, go yourselves. There’s really nothing for me to reminisce about with you. We’re too estranged, sitting together would be ridiculous, there’s absolutely no need. You were just symbols to me before, and now you’re not even symbols. The parents I longed for in my obsession were imaginary; they weren’t Xiao Zhen, nor Chen Nanjin.”
There were two seconds of silence, then she turned and walked forward.
The distant sea, so calm.
The coastline suddenly became so long, so long, with no end in sight.
And she, so small.
She walked forward step by step, everything behind her seemed to fade, and she didn’t look back again.
At the doorstep, Jiang Chengyu was waiting for her.
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