Jiang Li and Shang Huaizhou returned to the Shang family old residence. Jiang Li hurried inside.
Old Master Shang was playing chess with Old Zhang, happily going back and forth. When he saw Jiang Li, he was both surprised and delighted. “Girl, why are you here?”
Jiang Li was worried about his condition. “Grandpa Shang, are you alright?”
“There’s nothing wrong with his health! He just had a mild fever a few days ago. The doctor came, gave him some medicine, and he was fine the next day.”
“I’m fine—”
Old Master Shang hadn’t finished speaking when Shang Huaizhou walked in with long strides. The old man was sharp—how could he not see through his grandson’s little scheme?
That shameless boy. He actually used a small cold as an excuse just to trick Jiang Li into coming back.
How could he be so clever like this!
Still, Old Master Shang cooperated and pressed a hand to his chest. “Well… I’m getting old, so I have a few minor issues. Just old problems, nothing serious.”
Jiang Li quickly helped him toward the sofa. “I know you’re strong, but you still need to take care of yourself. If you’re not feeling well, why are you even playing chess?” Chess addict.
Old Master Shang laughed loudly. “I’m fine, I’m fine. I’ve already recovered. Jiang girl, I’m very happy you came to see me.”
Jiang Li and Old Master Shang chatted happily in the living room.
Shang Huaizhou walked upstairs slowly, a faint, barely noticeable smile on his cold face.
Jiang Li stayed with Old Master Shang for an hour. Under his urging, she went upstairs. The old man’s chess addiction had kicked in—since he had to help Shang Huaizhou “act sick,” he couldn’t keep playing in front of her, and even less could he invite her to join.
Back in her room, Jiang Li began checking the props materials list.
Shang Huaizhou came in through the window-side door. Jiang Li was lying on the round table in front of the sofa, half-kneeling on the carpet, holding a pencil and carefully marking the documents. She was very focused.
He knocked on the sliding door. Jiang Li turned to look at him and said, “Come in.”
Then she lowered her head and continued working.
“Won’t your legs get sore like that?”
Shang Huaizhou had noticed this habit of hers a long time ago—she never used a desk properly and always wrote in awkward positions.
“I’m fine,” Jiang Li said casually. But when she tried to get up, she realized not only were her legs sore—they were also numb.
Shang Huaizhou stepped forward and pulled her up from the floor. Jiang Li placed her hand on his arm and naturally sat down on the sofa behind her.
He glanced at the folder on the table. “What are you looking at so seriously?”
Jiang Li bent down and rubbed her calf. “Checking stage props.”
Her arm, bitten by mosquitoes earlier, started to itch again. She scratched it lightly—but Shang Huaizhou immediately pressed her hand down. “Don’t scratch.”
He took a spray medicine and applied it to her arm.
Since it was nighttime, she hadn’t used any concealer. After the spray, the red bite marks became even more obvious.
His brows furrowed. “How did it get this bad?”
“I just attract mosquitoes. No choice.” She was already used to it. At least she wasn’t the type to scar easily—otherwise she would’ve gone crazy.
Her calf started itching too. She bent down to scratch it again.
Shang Huaizhou’s gaze followed, landing on her leg. “Your legs too?”
“Mm.” She liked wearing skirts, so her legs got bitten as well.
The moment she answered, he lifted both of her slender legs onto his lap and sprayed medicine gently along them.
The cold liquid made Jiang Li’s skin tingle, and the sensation spread all the way to her heart.
Suddenly, she thought of what Wen Fan had said earlier—“President Shang is chasing you.”
Jiang Li jolted and shivered slightly.
“What’s wrong?” Shang Huaizhou looked up at her.
“N-nothing.” She quickly looked away, a little flustered.
He finished applying the medicine. “Keep this with you. It helps with itching. Don’t scratch when it itches.”
Jiang Li nodded stiffly. “Oh… okay. Thank you.”
He glanced at her again, then said, “Go to bed early. I’ll take you to the troupe tomorrow morning.”
After that, he turned and left the room.
Shang Huaizhou still had work to handle. On his way to the study, he made a phone call.
“Sorry to trouble you. I’ll come at 6:30 tomorrow morning to pick it up. She likes your mushroom slices—make it light and simple.”
The person on the other end was an elderly woman with a kind voice. “I know, I know. I still remember that girl’s taste clearly.”
“Thank you,” Shang Huaizhou said, then hung up.
Unfortunately, he ran into Old Master Shang and Old Zhang in the hallway.
Old Master Shang glared at him. “Hmph. You’ve really grown up—using my name to bring her here!”
Shang Huaizhou put his phone away. “Grandpa, you really were sick. And you were the one who kept saying you missed Jiang Li.”
Old Master Shang snorted again. “And who was the one who wanted to give her gifts but used my name as an excuse? Hmph!”
“…” Shang Huaizhou didn’t respond and walked away.
The old man pointed at his back. “He’s awkward from head to toe. I don’t know what he’s thinking all day!”
Old Zhang thought for a moment and said, “Young Master Huaizhou has always been like this with Miss Jiang. Even back in school, whenever it involved her, he’d act unwilling—but he always ended up doing everything properly.”
Old Master Shang sighed. “That’s why I always feel these two kids have something going on. I know my grandson. If he truly dislikes someone, that person won’t even get close to him. I just don’t get why he’s so stubborn. Why not just properly pursue her?”
“It’s their business,” Old Zhang said with a smile. “They should figure it out themselves.”
Then he added, “Also, Miss Jiang doesn’t even know you and Old Master Jiang planned to match her with Huaizhou. That should probably be made clear.”
“You’re right,” Old Master Shang nodded. “No need to keep hiding it.”
Old Zhang’s reminder made Old Master Shang start thinking.
Jiang Li slept much more comfortably than last time she came. Although she still woke up early, she no longer felt tense.
When she went downstairs, she happened to see Shang Luo walking in through the main door, still half-asleep.
Seeing Jiang Li, Shang Luo immediately widened her eyes. She thought she was seeing things and rubbed her eyes repeatedly. “Jiang Jiang! It’s really you! When did you come? Why didn’t you tell me!”
“I came last night. Why are you up so early today?” Jiang Li asked. She remembered Shang Luo usually didn’t wake up before noon and even said waking her up was like “committing a crime.”
“It’s all because of my third brother,” Shang Luo said weakly. “He knocked on my door early this morning and made me get up to do homework. He said it was Brother Tinglan’s instruction.”
Jiang Li suddenly remembered something from when she lived at the Shang family three years ago.
Back then, Shang Huaizhou would almost every morning knock on her door to wake her up. It had been quite “painful.”
That sentence—“President Shang is chasing you”—suddenly echoed in her mind again.
Shang Luo affectionately grabbed Jiang Li’s hand. “Jiang Jiang, you should just move here. Like when we were kids, we could play together. I’m the only girl in the family—it’s so boring.”
Jiang Li smiled lightly. “You’ll start school soon. You won’t be lonely then.”
“It won’t be loneliness—it’ll be torture.” Shang Luo drooped her head. “No, no, I need to go sleep again while my brother isn’t back.”
Shang Huaizhou went out?
So early in the morning—he was probably jogging.
The Shang family courtyard was full of flowers. Old Madam Shang loved gardening, and the flowers were in full bloom this season.
Jiang Li also liked flowers. She stood by the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room for a while. Many of the plants looked similar to those in her courtyard in Daliang South. Feeling a bit bored, she got up and walked outside.
At the corner of the garden, two servants were watering the flowers.
Jiang Li smiled slightly and was about to walk over when she overheard them talking.
One servant asked quietly, “Who is this Miss Jiang?”
The other replied, “She’s the young master’s fiancée.”
“???”
Jiang Li’s eyes widened in shock.
When did she become Shang Huaizhou’s fiancée?
She had no idea at all.
She repeated the question in her mind again and again.
The water machine in the garden was loud, and the two servants were talking quietly but enthusiastically, not noticing Jiang Li at all.
“Really? That’s great! Miss Jiang and Mr. Shang are such a perfect match—handsome man and beautiful woman!”
Another servant added excitedly, “I heard about it. Half a month ago, I was on night duty and heard the old master arguing with Mr. Shang about this. The old master insisted on him marrying Miss Jiang, but Mr. Shang said he already had someone he wanted to marry. They argued very fiercely.”
“Ah? But Miss Jiang is so nice—pretty, polite, and easygoing. She really matches Mr. Shang well. And Mr. Shang is always so gentle when he looks at her! I thought he liked her!”
The first servant sighed. “Being a good match doesn’t matter if he doesn’t like her. If they marry without love, it’ll be hard for both of them. I wonder what Miss Ming is like…”
“Whether she’s easy to get along with or not doesn’t matter much to us. Even if Mr. Shang gets married, he probably won’t live here anymore—maybe just come back occasionally.”
“That makes sense.”
The two continued chatting softly.
Jiang Li heard everything clearly.
Without a word, she turned and walked away the same way she came.
Now she finally understood.
So that was why Shang Huaizhou’s attitude toward her had always been cold and warm at the same time.
That was the source of the problem.
At first, she thought it was simply because she came early without telling him, or because Old Master Shang had scolded him.
No wonder Old Master Shang once asked her what she thought of Shang Huaizhou.
No wonder he had said those things about “taking care of him more.”
So all along, the elders had really been trying to match her with Shang Huaizhou.
No wonder Shang Huaizhou had once asked whether the two grandfathers had said anything to her.
She had thought Wen Fan was just joking—but clearly, he already had someone he liked.
Jiang Li recalled the servant’s words—his gaze toward her was gentle and loving.
Where was that gentle and loving gaze?
It was clearly just indifference.
For a moment, she couldn’t describe how she felt.
But she quickly suppressed those strange emotions.
There was no need to let something so unrealistic affect her.
After all, during those three years living with the Shang family, Shang Huaizhou had been distant—but overall, not bad to her. Even after she came back this time, he had still treated her decently.
She thought of him applying medicine for her half a month ago, and again last night spraying her wounds.
Her brows tightened slightly.
Still… she was a little curious.
Who exactly was this “Miss Ming”?
What kind of person could make someone like Shang Huaizhou determined to marry her?
She must be someone very outstanding in every way.
But it had nothing to do with her.
There was no need to think further.
Jiang Li let out a soft sigh, turned back toward the house, and happened to run into Old Zhang.
Old Zhang smiled warmly. “Miss Jiang, I was just looking for you.”
Jiang Li asked gently, “Grandpa Zhang, is there something you need me for?”
Old Zhang smiled. “It’s not me. The old master is looking for you.”
Because of Old Zhang’s reminder, Old Master Shang started thinking carefully.
Jiang Li slept much more comfortably than the last time she came. Although she still woke up early, she no longer felt tense.
When she went downstairs, she happened to see Shang Luo coming in through the main door, still half-asleep.
When Shang Luo saw Jiang Li, her eyes suddenly widened. She thought she was still dreaming and rubbed her eyes several times.“Jiang Jiang! It’s really you! When did you come? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I came last night. Why are you up so early today?” Jiang Li asked. She remembered Shang Luo usually didn’t wake up before noon and even joked that waking her up was like committing a crime.
“It’s all because of my third brother. He came knocking on my door early in the morning and told me to get up and do homework. He said it was what Brother Tinglan asked him to do.” Shang Luo looked very sleepy and weak.
Hearing that Shang Huizhou had woken Shang Luo up, Jiang Li suddenly thought of her three years living in the Shang family.
Back then, Shang Huizhou would almost every morning knock on her door to wake her up, making her life miserable.
That sentence—“President Shang is pursuing you”—felt like it was carved into her mind. It kept coming back to her from time to time.
Shang Luo naturally took Jiang Li’s hand. “Jiang Jiang, why don’t you just stay here from now on, like when we were kids? We can play together. I’m the only girl in the house, it’s too boring.”
Jiang Li smiled lightly. “You won’t have much time left before school starts. You won’t be bored then.”
“It won’t be boredom—it’ll be torture.” Shang Luo lowered her head. “No, no, I need to go back to sleep while my third brother isn’t back yet.”
Shang Huizhou was out?
So early in the morning, he was probably jogging.
The Shang family old residence had many flowers in the courtyard. Old Madam Shang loved plants and flowers, and they were blooming beautifully this season.
Jiang Li also liked flowers. She stood in the living room by the floor-to-ceiling window for a while. Many of the flowers looked similar to those in her courtyard in Diannan. Feeling bored, she walked into the garden.
At a corner of the courtyard, two servants were watering the flowers.
Jiang Li was about to walk over with a faint smile when she heard them gossiping in a low voice.
One asked, “Who is this Miss Jiang?”
She only knew Jiang Li was an important guest but not her exact identity, so she was curious.
The other servant whispered, “She is Mr. Shang’s fiancée.”
“???”
Jiang Li’s beautiful eyes flickered with shock.
When did she become Shang Huizhou’s fiancée?
She didn’t even know about this.
She repeated the question in her mind again and again.
The watering machine was noisy, so the two servants didn’t notice Jiang Li and continued talking.
“Really? That’s great! Miss Jiang and Mr. Shang are so well matched—handsome man and beautiful woman, perfect!”
Another servant got a bit excited. “It can’t be fake. I was on duty half a month ago and heard the old master arguing with Mr. Shang about this. Mr. Shang said he already had someone he wanted to marry, but the old master insisted he marry Miss Jiang. They argued very badly.”
“Ah? Why? Miss Jiang is so nice—pretty, polite, no arrogance at all. She and Mr. Shang are really a good match. Mr. Shang is also very gentle to her. Every time he looks at her, it feels so soft. I even thought he liked her!”
“I’ve been shipping them all along and it turns out it’s fake. So disappointing.”
The other sighed. “Even if they match, it’s useless if he doesn’t like her. Their life would be hard. I wonder what kind of Miss Ming that is…”
“It doesn’t really concern us. After Mr. Shang gets married, he probably won’t live here much anymore.”
“That makes sense.”
Their casual conversation all fell into Jiang Li’s ears.
She quietly turned and walked away the same way she came.
Now she finally understood why Shang Huizhou’s attitude toward her had been so cold and warm at times.
So this was the reason.
At first, she thought it was because she arrived early without telling him, and Old Master Shang had scolded him, so he was unhappy with her.
No wonder Old Master Shang had once asked her what she thought of Shang Huizhou.
Half a month ago, when she was staying here, the old master even said things like “you should take care of him more.”
So he really had been trying to match her with Shang Huizhou.
No wonder Shang Huizhou once asked her if the two grandfathers had told her anything else.
She had thought it was just a joke from Wen Fan. Shang Huizhou must already have someone he liked.
When she thought about what one servant said—that Shang Huizhou looked at her gently—
Jiang Li felt a strange emotion for a moment.
But she quickly suppressed it.
There was no point thinking about something so unrealistic. She shouldn’t let it affect her or make Shang Huizhou dislike her.
After all, during her three years living here, although he was distant, he had treated her fairly well. Even this time, he had been kind to her.
She remembered him helping her apply medicine half a month ago, and spraying medicine for her last night.
Jiang Li frowned slightly.
She was actually a little curious about that “Miss Ming.” What kind of person could make someone as calm as Shang Huizhou determined to marry her?
She must be someone very outstanding in every way.
But it had nothing to do with her.
No need to think about it.
Jiang Li sighed lightly and turned to go back inside, only to bump into Old Zhang.
Old Zhang smiled warmly. “Miss Jiang, I was just looking for you.”
Jiang Li asked gently, “Grandpa Zhang, what do you need me for?”
Old Zhang smiled. “Not me. The old master is looking for you.”