Jiang Zaifeng was completely drunk last night, but when he showed up for work today, he was still as confident and proud as ever. As long as he doesn’t cause any trouble, Jiang Shen is willing to turn a blind eye for the sake of Jiang Wenze’s peace.
In fact, the workload at the headquarters is several times that of the branch office. Without anyone to cover for Jiang Zaifeng, everyone in the project team is a workaholic. It’s already good enough if they don’t mock you, let alone clean up your mess.
After working with everyone for a morning, Jiang Zaifeng looked like a defeated rooster, his hair standing on end. It’s painful for someone who claims to love work to be around true workaholics.
Jiang Shen had even more work to handle. Besides breakfast, he had two cups of coffee in the morning and was too lazy to go out for lunch, so he asked his assistant to bring him a meal.
Jiang Shen tapped his toes, turning his office chair towards the floor-to-ceiling window behind him. The traffic below was bustling, a scene of daily busy life.
Buzz, buzz—
His phone vibrated. Jiang Shen picked it up casually, then straightened his back slightly. Zhao Louyue had sent a picture of a corner of a courtyard, not like a stock photo. There was half a grape trellis, a mottled wall, and green shoots just emerging from the soil. The lighting was good, giving it an artistic feel.
Zhao Louyue sent a message: [Two cakes of top-grade Da Hong Pao, want some?]
Jiang Shen typed: [Keep it for yourself.]
Zhao Louyue replied quickly: [It’s not from me. Do you know Chang Junfei, the guy dealing with materials in the south of the city? He prepared it, but he can’t reach you, so he asked me to ask.]
Jiang Shen’s eyes lit up. He had been thinking about engineering materials in the morning, and Zhao Louyue just introduced Chang Junfei. This guy is solid and has a great reputation.
Jiang Shen paused: [Thanks, I’ll treat you to a meal sometime.]
Jiang Shen didn’t quite believe Chang Junfei would reach out to him on his own. The guy has plenty of resources, so it must have been Zhao Louyue who helped pass the message.
Zhao Louyue: [Alright, I’all remember that.]
Chang Junfei contacted Jiang Shen in the afternoon, arranging to meet at Jiang’s headquarters the next morning for discussions. The team was busy preparing relevant materials, and Jiang Shen passed by, seeing Jiang Zaifeng yawning and rubbing his eyes.
Can’t handle it already?
Chang Junfei, in his early forties, was straightforward and efficient. He knew the Mingxi Building was a juicy piece of meat. The two had clear goals and spent nearly an hour discussing the final price.
Fortunately, the result was satisfactory. When Jiang Shen finally had some free time, it was a week later, and he hadn’t contacted Zhao Louyue in between.
On Friday morning, Jiang Shen sent a message to Zhao Louyue: [Are you free today? I’ll treat you to a meal.]
About an hour later, Zhao Louyue called directly.
“I was busy earlier, didn’t check my phone,” Zhao Louyue said. “What time roughly? I have to pick up my brother in the afternoon.”
Jiang Shen didn’t hesitate: “Bring your brother along.”
Eating alone with Zhao Louyue felt a bit strange to him.
Zhao Louyue: “Sure, you pick the place, and I’ll bring my brother along.”
“No problem.”
When Zhao Xiangting heard he was having a meal with Jiang Shen, he even bought a small dessert on the way.
“My favorite place, don’t mind it, Brother Jiang.” Zhao Xiangting said as he handed the package to Jiang Shen. “Feels too formal to call you Young Master Jiang.”
Jiang Shen responded, also feeling there’s no need to fuss over titles. But when did these two brothers come to the consensus that he loves sweets?
Zhao Louyue sat across from Jiang Shen, taking the menu from the waiter.
“Do you like spicy food, Young Master Jiang?” Zhao Louyue asked.
“Not really, order what you like, don’t worry about me,” Jiang Shen said. “You don’t have to call me Young Master Jiang in private.”
Zhao Louyue: “Then just Jiang Shen.”
He pronounced it clearly, with a precise tone, the “Shen” part lingering like a warm breath brushing past the ear.
Jiang Shen’s grip on his teacup tightened slightly.
Zhao Louyue was skilled at ordering, especially when it came to taking care of his brother. Perhaps because Jiang Shen also liked the pumpkin dish from before, he felt their tastes were similar, so the whole table was filled with mild dishes, except for a plate of spicy chicken for himself.
Seeing the bright red chili peppers, Jiang Shen felt a headache coming on.
“Brother Jiang,” Zhao Xiangting said, “I remember the desserts here, like the lychee shaved ice, are really good.”
With the waiter standing by, Jiang Shen signaled to order one.
Zhao Xiangting chuckled.
Zhao Louyue didn’t hold back, which made Jiang Shen feel a bit more at ease.
The meal was enjoyable for all three, with Zhao Louyue not only finishing the chicken but also chewing on two chili peppers.
Jiang Shen couldn’t help but ask, “Isn’t it spicy?”
“It is, but sometimes I really crave it,” Zhao Louyue said, taking a sip of cold water and then wiping his mouth with a napkin. “What are your plans next?”
Jiang Shen didn’t hide it: “Nothing much, probably heading home.”
“Not busy, huh? Want to go pick grapes?”
Jiang Shen instinctively wanted to refuse, but seeing Zhao Louyue’s raised eyebrow, looking so charming and persuasive, he couldn’t help but ask, “Is there a vineyard nearby?”
“No, just our little courtyard.”
Jiang Shen couldn’t help but think of Zhao Louyue’s profile picture.
He shouldn’t go, but Jiang Shen couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason. Clearly, he and the Zhao brothers had resolved any misunderstandings, and Zhao Louyue was sincere now. They could be called “friends,” and Jiang Shen was always loyal to friends. Yet every time he faced Zhao Louyue, he felt as if something was pulling him into an unknown alley.
In the end, Zhao Louyue drove, Jiang Shen sat in the passenger seat, and Zhao Xiangting played games in the back.
Jiang Shen looked out the window, feeling a bit speechless. Who knows why he agreed in the end.
“We grow them ourselves, but there are a lot of birds lately,” Zhao Louyue chatted casually.
The courtyard wasn’t a villa courtyard but a small one in a suburban village. According to Zhao Louyue, it was the “ancestral home” of a retired professor. Later, the professor wanted to move abroad with his daughter, so he sold it.
In the evening, the air carried the moist scent of rain-soaked soil. The courtyard walls were high, with surveillance cameras at each corner. The white walls and red tiles gave it a modern look, but inside, the second floor was an old-style wooden loft, with three rooms below. The courtyard was clean and spacious, and Jiang Shen immediately spotted the source of Zhao Louyue’s profile picture on the right.
“There’s paper on the windowsill. If the bench is wet, just wipe it,” Zhao Louyue said.
Zhao Xiangting skillfully opened the windows for ventilation. While Zhao Louyue brewed tea, he chatted a lot with Jiang Shen.
“My brother and I used to live in a courtyard like this when we were young. Later, we were kicked out and lived in a basement.”
“When my brother found out this courtyard was for sale, he drove over immediately and fell in love with it at first sight.”
“The grapes were planted by my brother. He has a bit of a wood spirit attribute, so whatever he plants thrives.”
Jiang Shen asked softly, “Those relatives who kicked you out… still in contact?”
“No, my brother even sent two of them to jail,” Zhao Xiangting shrugged. “They broke the law, and when they saw my brother doing well, they begged for help.”
He didn’t elaborate, but Jiang Shen could guess. Zhao Louyue wasn’t exactly a saint.