Jiang Li carried her suitcase downstairs.
She didn’t have much luggage, so it was very light.
When Old Master Shang saw her suitcase, he looked a little unhappy. “You insist on staying with your troupe. Isn’t it more comfortable at home? You’re so stubborn, this girl.”
Jiang Li placed the suitcase aside, then linked her arm with his and walked toward the dining room, acting a little spoiled. “No matter what, outside can’t compare to home in comfort. It’s just that everyone in the troupe has gradually arrived, and the director called me back yesterday to start training.”
She continued softly, “And Grandpa Shang taught us since we were young that we must never receive special treatment in any situation. I always remember your words, so I can’t break your rules.”
Old Master Shang didn’t want her to live outside, but he also understood that every profession had its rules. Jiang Li’s performances were important, so he didn’t insist.
The servants began setting the tableware. Shang Huizhou put aside the financial newspaper in his hand and helped arrange the table. He placed Jiang Li’s utensils across from him and quietly listened to their conversation.
He heard every gentle word Jiang Li used to coax the old man.
He had always known Jiang Li was sweet-tongued since childhood and good at pleasing people.
Even though she only stayed in the Shang family for three years, she had a very good relationship with Old Master Shang.
Shang Huizhou shook his head slightly, the corner of his lips lifting faintly.
“You really know how to talk,” Old Master Shang said, completely pleased. Jiang Li’s few words not only made him happy but also blocked his own argument using his own rules.
After sitting down, he waved his hand. “Alright, alright. You young people have your own plans. After breakfast, let Huizhou send you back.”
Hearing that Shang Huizhou would send her, Jiang Li glanced across the table at him and suddenly remembered what he had asked her upstairs—whether she had to like a gentle man.
She had even nodded at the time, without thinking, and then the topic ended there.
Feeling slightly awkward, she cleared her throat. “Grandpa Shang, it’s okay. I already called a car.”
She had arranged with a driver earlier to pick her up in about an hour.
Old Master Shang said seriously, “Call what car? There’s someone right here at home!”
While speaking, he didn’t forget to glare at Shang Huizhou.
Shang Huizhou didn’t respond. He simply ate breakfast calmly and elegantly.
Jiang Li had a small appetite and was very careful about her figure, so she ate very little.
When Shang Huizhou looked up, he saw her porridge barely touched and the fried egg still on her plate.
She was still the same as before. He thought to himself that this habit had to be changed.
Old Master Shang was in a good mood and talked a lot during breakfast, even though he usually believed people shouldn’t talk while eating.
Shang Huizhou occasionally corrected him, which earned him several annoyed looks from the old man.
Jiang Li only smiled gently.
Overall, the atmosphere was quite pleasant.
Jiang Li didn’t leave early either. She stayed to accompany Old Master Shang, eating slowly and listening to him talk about stories from his younger days.
Shang Huizhou finished breakfast at a steady pace.
Seeing that both younger ones were done eating, Old Master Shang told them not to worry about him and to go do what they needed.
Jiang Li left the dining room and deliberately took a detour to the bathroom in the living room.
While slowly washing her hands, she listened to the sounds outside.
When she heard the servants seemingly seeing Shang Huizhou off, she came out and said goodbye to Old Master Shang. Then she picked up her suitcase and walked outside.
She checked the ride-hailing app—her driver was already near the villa area.
After turning off her phone, she walked straight out.
Outside the courtyard, she saw Shang Huizhou’s car parked at the gate, but he himself was just coming out of the house.
When she turned around, she saw him in formal wear behind her.
He walked toward her with long strides and took her suitcase.
“You still have three days of free time arranged by your troupe. Why are you in such a hurry to go back?”
Jiang Li didn’t expect him to know their schedule so clearly.
She smiled slightly. “Everyone is gradually arriving. It’s more convenient to stay together for arrangements.”
Shang Huizhou looked at her for a moment but didn’t argue. He turned and walked to the back of the car, opening the trunk.
Jiang Li followed and saw two men’s suitcases inside.
It was obvious he was going on a business trip.
“If you’re busy, I can go by myself,” Jiang Li said politely. She wasn’t being dramatic—she had already called a car, and there was no need to waste his time.
Shang Huizhou placed her small suitcase on top of his black one and said, “My flight is at ten. It’s on the way to your troupe. It won’t affect anything.”
“Oh.”
Jiang Li didn’t say more.
The airport route did pass by her troupe, and her original taxi had already been canceled. So she could only take his ride.
Shang Huizhou didn’t drive himself. He and Jiang Li both sat in the back seat.
The driver in front was a young man.
He greeted Jiang Li respectfully when she got in. Out of politeness, she nodded.
Shang Huizhou leaned slightly toward her and introduced him in a low voice, “Du He, my work assistant.”
“Oh.” Jiang Li didn’t understand why he specifically introduced him, but she still responded.
After getting in, Shang Huizhou took a phone call. After finishing it, he opened his tablet and continued working.
Jiang Li was afraid of disturbing him, so after a few short exchanges, she put on her headphones and listened to music.
Shang Huizhou seemed to be in a better mood and continued reading documents.
After that, they had no further conversation.
More than forty minutes later, the car slowly entered the troupe apartment area.
After Jiang Li got out, Assistant Du helped take out her suitcase.
Jiang Li waved at Shang Huizhou before turning to leave.
“Jiangjiang,” Shang Huizhou suddenly called from behind.
“Hmm?” Jiang Li turned back in confusion. And seriously, he seemed to be getting addicted to calling her “Jiangjiang.” Back then, during the three years she stayed with the Shang family, he had always called her full name. So why had he suddenly become so familiar now?
“Take this and eat it,” Shang Huizhou said, handing her a beautifully packaged breakfast bag from inside the car.
“……”
Eat it? No way.
She had already eaten breakfast. If she ate more, she would gain weight.
Shang Huizhou immediately saw her reluctance. His deep voice came down, leaving no room for refusal. “You must take it. Now.”
Jiang Li met his dark, steady gaze and somehow felt a little intimidated. Without thinking much, she actually followed his order.
She lowered her head and looked at the breakfast.
Familiar brand.
Oh—
It was her favorite freshly ground soy milk.
It was a traditional Hangzhou brand that had opened in Beijing for years. When she first came to Beijing, she wasn’t used to the local food. She accidentally discovered this soy milk shop two streets from her school.
But at that time, she was extremely bad with directions and couldn’t even find her way back after a few kilometers.
She had even asked Shang Luo to go with her a few times, but it wasn’t convenient since they weren’t in the same school.
Later, she heard from Shen Zhe that Shang Huizhou’s gaming company was nearby. So she started following him around like a little shadow, pretending to help with his company work—just so she could get the soy milk.
Inside the bag, besides the soy milk, there was also an egg tart.
Jiang Li liked sweets, but she always controlled herself for fear of gaining weight.
Her figure was perfectly balanced—exactly where it should be full, and where it shouldn’t be, nothing extra. But she was always strict with herself about body management.
Seeing her conflicted expression, Shang Huizhou immediately understood her thoughts. “Eating it once won’t make you fat. How much can it affect you?”
Jiang Li had to admit, she was tempted.
After a few seconds of hesitation, she said lightly, “Thank you. Have a safe business trip.”
“Mm.” Shang Huizhou’s lips curved slightly. Then he added, “I’ll be back in about half a month. If anything comes up, message me.”
“Okay.” Jiang Li replied politely. She didn’t think she would have anything to contact him about.
Shang Huizhou’s car slowly drove past her and left the apartment gate.
Jiang Li turned and walked inside.
The car merged onto the main road. At the first traffic light, Assistant Du briefly reported the upcoming business trip schedule.
Shang Huizhou showed no reaction. Du He was used to it and continued driving.
After a while, Shang Huizhou suddenly asked, “Du He, do you have a girlfriend?”
Of course he did!
They were even talking about marriage already—he just hadn’t told his single boss yet.
Du He answered honestly, “Yes. My girlfriend and I were university classmates.”
Shang Huizhou glanced at him through the rearview mirror.
Du He caught the look.
What? Was it strange to have a girlfriend?
Was he not allowed to have one???
Shang Huizhou continued, “Has your girlfriend ever told you what type of person she likes?”
Du He took a breath. Did that even need asking?
He smiled. “Boss, she definitely likes someone like me.”
Shang Huizhou scoffed lightly. “Confident, aren’t you?”
Du He quickly flattered him. “Working with you, confidence is essential.”
“Enough.” Shang Huizhou rubbed his temple, then asked again, “So… are you very gentle?”
“?!”
What kind of question was that?
Could it be that Miss Jiang told the boss she likes gentle men?
Then his boss really didn’t fit that category at all.
Du He adjusted his posture and said seriously, “Mr. Shang, the breakfast you gave Miss Jiang just now was already very gentle!”
At least that was the first time he had ever seen his boss personally call early in the morning to order breakfast—specific brand included. At first, he even thought the boss wanted it for himself.
Only later did he realize it was for Miss Jiang.
He actually knew a bit about Jiang Li and Shang Huizhou’s situation.
Not long ago, Old Master Shang had mentioned it during a call while he was in the office. His boss hadn’t avoided the topic.
At that time, his boss sounded somewhat resistant, as if he wasn’t satisfied with the arrangement.
But strangely, Du He felt he wasn’t really rejecting it.
If anything, he seemed… quite involved.
Before, it was just a guess. But after seeing today’s interaction, he finally understood.
Not dissatisfied at all—he clearly liked Miss Jiang very much. Even his eyes were practically glowing.
Hearing this, Shang Huizhou’s expression softened slightly.
Then he asked again, “Du He, if someone has no talent in music, is there a way to learn it quickly?”
Du He was confused.
Who was learning?
Miss Jiang?
That didn’t seem right.
Jiang Li was already well-known in the arts circle. Many employees in the company followed her Weibo because they liked classical dance.
He had also heard of her occasionally—beautiful wasn’t even enough to describe her. She was stunning. More importantly, she was extremely accomplished. During university, she was already the principal dancer of the Shanghai dance troupe, had many excellent works, and could play multiple instruments.
After graduation, she was directly hired by the Beijing classical dance troupe.
It didn’t seem like she needed to “learn quickly” at all.
Coming back to reality, Du He smiled and asked, “Mr. Shang, why are you suddenly interested in this?”
Shang Huizhou cleared his throat slightly, feeling inexplicably a bit guilty. His brows furrowed. “I’m not interested. A relative’s child wants to learn.”
Du He, upon hearing it was a child, immediately dismissed his earlier thought. Right, his boss probably wouldn’t be learning music.
He quickly shared his “experienced advice.” “Fast learning is basically impossible. You can start from zero basics. My nephew studied for a few months and can already play several simple children’s songs quite smoothly. It actually sounds pretty good.”
“……”
Shang Huizhou pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose, his voice slightly low. “Are we even talking about the same thing?”
Who said anything about learning nursery rhymes like a kid? What kind of idea was that?
Du He was confused. Isn’t that how beginners learn?
What did he mean, same thing or not?
Still, Du He boldly added, “Honestly, boss, basic training isn’t easy. Without talent, it’s not even certain you can learn the fundamentals.”
He made it sound very difficult.
“……”
Shang Huizhou felt a headache coming on. He didn’t want to talk about this anymore. Leaning back into his seat, he steadied his breath.
“Repeat the schedule you just mentioned.”
“……”
Du He fell silent.