Jiang Jun’s words were incredibly seductive.
I looked up at him in shock, nearly falling for his trap. Had Mianmian not called him at that exact moment, allowing me to clear my head, I might have actually agreed.
While Jiang Jun took the call, I stood aside, listlessly kicking the sand on the beach. The conversation lasted at least thirty minutes. Throughout it, I caught snippets of Jiang Jun being forced to say a great deal of sweet nothings.
I could guess what mindless things Mianmian was saying on the other end. It was nothing more than a show of power against me.
Our hotel sat right on the shore. Jiang Jun had claimed he wanted to spend my birthday and our honeymoon with me, yet here I was, the only one actually looking at the scenery.
By the time he finished the call, I no longer had the heart to stay. “Let’s go back,” I said. “I’ve seen enough.”
Jiang Jun panicked. He scrambled to explain himself, but before a word could leave his mouth, Mianmian appeared in the distance, phone in hand, waving at him as she approached.
Jiang Jun looked stunned. It was clear he hadn’t expected the woman he just hung up with to manifest in front of him. I, however, knew exactly what had happened: Mianmian had used the call to trick him into revealing his location, then raced over to crash the party.
Now that she was here, I couldn’t leave. I couldn’t leave them alone together at night. If I did, Mianmian would undoubtedly lure him away, effectively slapping my face on my birthday during our honeymoon.
I stood my ground, bracing for her provocation.
Sure enough, Mianmian walked straight up and intimately linked her arm through Jiang Jun’s.
Jiang Jun looked at me nervously before asking her, “Mianmian, what are you doing here?”
She leaned her head against his shoulder with practiced affectation, looking at me defiantly as she replied, “Jun-ge, a single day apart feels like three years.”
“But Mianmian,” Jiang Jun said, scratching his head anxiously, “didn’t we just see each other at dinner?”
Mianmian stamped her foot and playfully hammered his chest with her fists. “Oh, stop it! It feels like forever to me. Hubby, don’t you miss me? You said wherever Mianmian is, that’s home. So, are you coming home with me now?”
Jiang Jun looked conflicted.
Ignoring Mianmian, I stared directly at him, demanding an answer: “Jiang Jun, you’d better remember who your wife is before you decide which ‘home’ you’re going to.”
He stammered, “Well, of course it’s…”
“Ow…” Mianmian let out an exaggerated cry. “Jun-ge, I don’t feel well. The sea breeze is making me dizzy. Don’t you care about me anymore?”
Jiang Jun turned back to her, his face full of concern. The words he was about to say to me were swallowed back down.
Just then, a helicopter descended toward the beach, landing right near us. Our attention was immediately snatched away by this sudden arrival.
Through the darkness, I saw Jiang Shitian step out of the helicopter and walk slowly toward us.
Terrified, Jiang Jun shoved Mianmian away and stood bolt upright. Mianmian, though truly slighted this time, looked panicked and didn’t dare act out.
I, however, stepped forward with grace and greeted him with a rare, dutiful “Father.”
“Father, what brings you here?” I asked.
Jiang Shitian glanced at Mianmian before fixing a hard stare on Jiang Jun. Once he reached us, he frowned. “The staff at the overseas office reported what happened when you got off the plane. I want to ask you: Aren’t you ashamed? Do you have no sense of priority? Have you no regard for the Jiang family’s reputation?”
Jiang Jun hung his head, silent, looking as if he wanted the earth to swallow him whole.
Jiang Shitian’s rebuke was harsh. Seeing his son’s silence, he pressed on. “I sent you here specifically to take Zhou Li on a honeymoon, and what do you do? You bring some second- or third-tier starlet along? You… you really are…”
Unable to take it anymore, Jiang Jun cut in to defend himself. “No, Father, listen to me, Mianmian is—”
“Shut up!” Jiang Shitian roared, giving him no chance to explain.
Jiang Jun looked utterly stifled. Seeing the relationship between father and son reaching a breaking point, I thought for a moment and then stepped in front of Jiang Jun.
“Father,” I said, “Jiang Jun explained the airport situation to me. He said this ‘third-tier starlet’ just happened to be here shooting on location.”
I intentionally echoed his phrasing, emphasizing “third-tier starlet.” It was clearly a sore spot for Mianmian. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her bristling with indignation, clutching her hem and stamping her foot, yet she dared not say a word.
Jiang Jun gave me a look of pure gratitude.
Jiang Shitian looked at me deeply for a moment, then cast a disdainful side-eye at Mianmian. “Coincidence? I suspect someone was simply being calculating.”
Mianmian shrunk back, turning her head away and nervously smoothing her hair, afraid to look at him.
“Get lost. Now!” Jiang Shitian barked.
He wasn’t even looking at her when he said it, but the target understood perfectly. Terrified, Mianmian fled in a scramble.
Jiang Shitian’s word carried weight; she didn’t dare defy him. Jiang Jun started to move as if to follow her, but one look at his father’s imposing presence pinned him to the spot.
Jiang Shitian didn’t look at his son again. He stared straight ahead and commanded, “Pack your things. You’re coming back with me.”
“Yes, I’ll go pack right now,” Jiang Jun replied, fleeing toward the hotel as if escaping a cage.
It was ironic. Just an hour ago, he was telling me how we should team up to defy our fates. To end up in such a pathetic state was a joke.
I knew Jiang Shitian was intentionally dismissing him. He was too angry to have Jiang Jun standing there, fearing a direct confrontation. Otherwise, he could have just had his men pack the bags.
“I’ll go pack as well,” I said, looking down at my toes, attempting to leave.
However, as I passed him, Jiang Shitian called out, “Zhou Li.”
I stopped and listened.
“When we return, I’ll have Jiang Jun accompany you back to the Zhou family for the formal visit.”
I kept my head down.
“If you face any difficulties, just tell me.”
He spoke with apparent sincerity, but I knew a shrewd businessman like him didn’t give anything for free. He was helping me because of the shared interests of our families. He needed this visit to look respectable.
Since the visit was inevitable, he wanted to ensure no chaos would erupt. I suspected he didn’t trust me to handle it, which is why he was stepping in.
“Understood, Father. I know what to do,” I replied half-heartedly.
Jiang Shitian looked directly at me. “Actually, you don’t have to struggle alone. Don’t you believe that I can truly help you?”