When Jiang Mingcheng came back downstairs, he had changed into a more casual shirt, with the top two buttons undone, revealing his fair, smooth skin.
He Yan stole a few glances, even curious to see what his physique looked like under the shirt.
After all, a handsome guy of this caliber—it would be a pity not to appreciate it.
Jiang Mingcheng walked to the dining table and sat down elegantly. He watched as the servants brought out the dishes, his eyes deep and unfathomable, concealing his emotions.
He Yan sat right across from him, propping her head on her hand, occasionally sneaking peeks at him.
“We need to go back to the old residence in a couple of days,” Jiang Mingcheng suddenly spoke. “To see Grandfather. You have to come too.”
“Huh?” He Yan was a bit bewildered. Why did she have to go? It wasn’t like anyone truly saw her as the mistress of the Jiang family.
“Do you have work?”
“No, no.” He Yan quickly waved her hands, but worry crept into her eyes.
In the Jiang family, only the grandfather could accept her. Although the grandmother had agreed to let her marry in, she deeply disliked her and, because of her, felt she owed Jiang Mingcheng even more.
He Yan didn’t want to have more entanglements with them. She didn’t even want others to know she was connected to the Jiang family.
He Yan’s little expressions were completely observed by Jiang Mingcheng. His eyes darkened slightly, but he didn’t say anything further.
Was she unwilling to interact with his family?
After dinner, He Yan didn’t go back to her bedroom. Instead, she wandered in the garden for a while.
There was a swing in the garden. He Yan sat on it, surrounded by red flowers and green leaves, swaying contentedly.
And on the second-floor balcony behind her, Jiang Mingcheng stood there, gazing fixedly at her.
The sky was gradually getting dark. In the distance, the sunset glow dyed a large expanse of sky red. The warm-colored evening light spilled over He Yan, tinting her fair neck with a faint pink hue.
Jiang Mingcheng suddenly felt that it wouldn’t be so bad if time just stopped at this moment.
After resting for a day or two, He Yan still ended up going back to the old residence with Jiang Mingcheng.
He Yan sat in the back seat of the car, looking utterly resigned. She turned her head slightly to look at the unsmiling Jiang Mingcheng beside her. “In front of Grandfather, do we need to act like a loving couple?”
Jiang Mingcheng’s fingers twitched. He turned to look at He Yan. The girl’s eyes seemed to hold water, tinged with a hint of unease.
Jiang Mingcheng’s fingers clenched. “No need.”
He Yan breathed a sigh of relief.
The old residence was quite far from Jingjiang Villa, nearly a two-hour drive. He Yan had woken up early that morning and hadn’t slept enough. She tried to stay awake for a while but ultimately couldn’t control it and drifted off to sleep, groggy.
Her head slowly tilted, little by little, shifting downwards until it rested on Jiang Mingcheng’s shoulder.
Jiang Mingcheng’s body stiffened for a moment. He turned his head to look at the young girl sleeping soundly on his shoulder. Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, and a few strands of unruly hair slipped down, scattering messily across her fair, tender cheek.
Jiang Mingcheng reached out, gently tucking those few disobedient strands of hair behind He Yan’s ear. His fingers brushed against her cheek and trembled slightly.
So soft.
Jiang Mingcheng withdrew his hand, his fingers felt subtly hot. He rubbed them together gently, as if he could still feel the warmth and softness from moments before.
His heart began to beat uncontrollably.
He Yan slept for over an hour before finally waking up. Opening her eyes, she was startled to find herself clutching Jiang Mingcheng’s arm and leaning on his shoulder.
He Yan shot up instantly, and with a bang, hit her head on the roof of the car.
“Ouch—” He Yan rubbed her head, unable to hold back a pained whimper.
“Sorry about that, I’m not a very still sleeper. I didn’t mean to.”
Jiang Mingcheng heard her cry out in pain, and it felt like something tugged at his heart. He wanted to reach out and rub her head but restrained himself. “It’s okay.”
His voice was still calm, as if devoid of any emotion.
He Yan rubbed her head a few more times until the pain subsided, then leaned against the car window, looking at the scenery outside.
They must be quite far from the city now. Gone was the noisy hustle and bustle of the city lights; it was peacefully quiet.
“How much longer?” He Yan turned her head, a smile still on her lips.
“Soon.” Still that indifferent tone.
He Yan thought Jiang Mingcheng was really quite boring, like a block of wood.
The only thing possibly better than a block of wood was that he was handsome and rich.
Soon, the car came to a smooth stop in front of a standalone villa. Immediately, a servant stepped forward and opened the car door.
“Young Master.” The person outside the car was extremely respectful.
Jiang Mingcheng gave a slight nod, got out of the car, then turned to He Yan, his tone indifferent: “Come on out.”
He Yan pouted slightly, then stretched her long legs out of the car and stepped out.
Following Jiang Mingcheng into the old residence, He Yan finally met Grandpa Jiang, the figure who had once been a dominant force in the business world.
Due to his illness, Grandpa was quite weak and needed a wheelchair, but he still carried an air of authority.
When he saw He Yan, Grandpa’s face finally showed a trace more gentleness.
“Mingcheng, Yan Yan, come here, let Grandpa have a look.” His tone was warm and carried a smile.
He Yan instantly felt a liking for Grandpa Jiang. He was much gentler than Jiang Mingcheng.
He Yan quickly stepped forward, her eyes curving like crescent moons: “Hello, Grandpa.”
Grandpa Jiang looked at He Yan, whose eyes and brows bore a slight resemblance to his old friend, and thought of the grievances the child had suffered all these years in that kind of family. His heart immediately ached for her.
“Are you getting along okay with Mingcheng? That child, raised by his father, only has work on his mind. He doesn’t know how to make a girl happy.” As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Mingcheng also came over, his tone carrying a hint of warmth: “Grandpa.”
“Mingcheng, you need to treat Yan Yan well. Young girls need to be cherished. Don’t bring that work attitude of yours home, understand?”
“Mn.” Jiang Mingcheng responded flatly, glancing at He Yan.
He Yan met his eyes for a moment, startled, then immediately leaned close to his ear and lowered her voice: “I don’t need to be cherished.”
The warm breath brushed against his ear. Jiang Mingcheng’s eyelashes fluttered, but he said nothing.
Grandpa watched the intimate sight of the young couple whispering to each other and smiled contentedly.
It seemed their relationship was quite good.
“Has Mingcheng arrived?” A gentle voice came from the second floor. He Yan looked up and saw a woman descending the stairs. Though her age was evident, she still carried herself with elegance.
“Grandma.” Jiang Mingcheng called out.
He Yan quickly followed suit, her voice clear: “Hello, Grandma!”
The old Madam Jiang glanced at He Yan. Although her expression remained gentle, He Yan could feel it, the old Madam Jiang did not like her.
But she was mentally prepared. The novel had made it very clear: In the eyes of the old Madam Jiang, He Yan was a greedy person, raised by a greedy family.
Completely lacking in manners.
After lunch, Grandpa Jiang insisted that Jiang Mingcheng take He Yan for a walk around the neighborhood. He Yan couldn’t refuse, so she had no choice but to follow Jiang Mingcheng out the door.
Jiang Mingcheng glanced at the reluctant young girl beside him. His eyes darkened slightly as he spoke: “Does your head still hurt?”
“Huh?” He Yan was confused for a moment, then quickly realized he was asking if the spot where she’d hit her head in the car still hurt.
He Yan couldn’t help it, she burst out laughing with a pfft.
“That was hours ago, of course it doesn’t hurt anymore!”
Jiang Mingcheng looked down at her. The young girl’s eyes were crinkled with laughter, the slightly upturned corners of her eyes carrying a hint of charm.
It made one want to reach out and touch her eyebrows and eyes.
“That’s good, it doesn’t hurt.” His voice was still cold, but if one listened carefully, there was a trace of tenderness beneath it.
But He Yan wasn’t listening carefully. She was captivated by the surrounding scenery.
The location of the Jiang family’s old residence was beautiful, nestled against a hill and bordering a river. There weren’t many residents, just over a dozen standalone villas were situated here, each one home to prominent figures in Mingcheng.
“It’s so beautiful here, it feels like going back to ancient times!” He Yan’s tone was full of delight.
“You like it?” Jiang Mingcheng asked.
“Yes! Of course, I like it!” She looked up at him, her eyes sparkling.
“Then we could move here.”
“No, no, no! Living in Jingjiang is great!” He Yan quickly waved her hands. She didn’t want to live so close to the Jiang family.
“But you said you liked it?” Jiang Mingcheng was puzzled.
“I also really like our home in Jingjiang!”
When Jiang Mingcheng heard “our home in Jingjiang,” he suddenly smiled. The corners of his mouth curved up slightly, and his eyes also held a hint of a smile.
His voice carried warmth for the first time: “Okay.”
This time, it was He Yan’s turn to be stunned. It was the first time she had seen Jiang Mingcheng smile. His beautiful eyes curved slightly, and his usually deep, dark eyes seemed to be dotted with starlight.
Oh my god, this man was way too handsome when he smiles! Who could resist this? Maybe she should really try, try to win him over!
No, no, no way! He Yan, don’t you dare mess around. Just focus on the money, don’t think about this kind of nonsense!
He Yan quickly stopped her wandering thoughts. True enough, there were plenty of handsome guys in the world; 100 million was still more appealing.
After dinner that evening, He Yan prepared to go to the kitchen to get a glass of water. Before she got close, she overheard a conversation between two servants inside and stopped in her tracks.
“That Miss He is really shameless. She actually dares to call them Grandpa and Grandma! She really doesn’t know her place!”
“Exactly. Sold by her own parents for three million, and she’s still smiling over there. She’s a real pro at seducing people.”
“She probably doesn’t think she was sold at all. Being able to marry into the Jiang family, she’s probably over the moon even in her dreams.”
“I didn’t even want to serve her anything just now. It felt like dirtying my hands!”
He Yan was quite enjoying listening when a pair of warm, large hands covered her ears. He Yan turned to look, Jiang Mingcheng was standing right behind her.
Jiang Mingcheng gently placed his hand on her shoulder and gave her a slight push towards the stairs. “Go back to the bedroom and rest.”
He Yan was stunned for a moment, then pointed towards the kitchen and said, “I need to get a glass of water.”
Jiang Mingcheng’s eyes darkened. “I’ll bring some up later. You go back first.”
He Yan pouted slightly but had no choice but to go upstairs.
What a shame. I was thinking of suddenly appearing while they were badmouthing me, just to scare them.
Watching He Yan’s figure disappear into the distance, Jiang Mingcheng’s eyes gradually turned icy cold. He slowly stepped into the kitchen.
The two servants in the kitchen clearly hadn’t expected the young master to come. The animated expressions they’d worn while gossiping instantly vanished, replaced by fear.
They stammered, trembling with fear: “Y-young Master.”
Jiang Mingcheng exuded coldness from head to toe. His eyes seemed to be laced with frost, piercing straight through the two servants. The aura and authority he’d cultivated in the business world pressed down on them, making them afraid to lift their heads.
“She is my wife. Know your place.” His voice was like ice, making the air itself feel several degrees colder. The two servants nodded frantically.
“Don’t come back tomorrow.” As he spoke, Jiang Mingcheng walked to the side, took out a clean cup, and poured a glass of warm water.
“Young Master, we know we were wrong. We won’t dare do it again, please don’t fire us…” Their pleas were met only with Jiang Mingcheng’s icy stare.
After Jiang Mingcheng left the kitchen, one servant slapped herself hard. “Stupid mouth! Oh dear, what are we going to do now?”
This job at the Jiang residence was truly hard-won. With many servants, each person’s workload was very light, yet the benefits were extremely high. One person’s salary could easily support a whole family. Countless people would fight tooth and nail for a position here.
But this hard-won job was ruined by their own loose lips. Anyone would be filled with immense regret.
Meanwhile, back in the bedroom, He Yan was a bit worried.
Grandpa didn’t know about them sleeping in separate rooms, and he didn’t know about the contract either. So, she and Jiang Mingcheng would have to share a room.
He Yan stood in front of the large bed and worried for only ten seconds before coming to terms with it. Sharing a bed with a handsome guy like Jiang Mingcheng wasn’t exactly a loss.
He Yan picked up her pajamas and went straight into the bathroom.
When Jiang Mingcheng entered the bedroom, He Yan was taking a shower. The sound of trickling water reached his ears, making him feel somewhat parched.
He was about to retreat and come back later when He Yan came out. She was wearing a pink nightgown, her hair still wet, and her little face was flushed.
“You’re back. I’m done showering, you can go ahead.” As she spoke, He Yan picked up the hairdryer and began drying her hair, completely unaware of how alluring she looked at that moment.
Jiang Mingcheng’s throat moved. He placed the glass of warm water he’d just brought beside her. “The water you wanted.”
“Thanks!” He Yan looked up and smiled at him gratefully. The sweet scent of her body wash wafted towards Jiang Mingcheng’s face.
“Mn.” Jiang Mingcheng averted his gaze, moving further away before finally entering the bathroom.
**