Grandpa Shang looked at Jiang Li, and the more he looked at her, the happier he became.
But after feeling happy, he sighed again. Old Man Jiang was such a petty and talkative person, yet he still managed to have such a wonderful granddaughter.
“Jiang Jiang, where is that old man Jiang now?” Grandpa Shang asked.
“Grandpa left for Xichuan not long ago,” Jiang Li answered obediently.
Grandpa Shang snorted. “At his age, he still thinks he’s a young man and even dares to go to the Tibetan route. He barely has a few years left and still keeps running around. If he dies up there, there might not even be a body left.”
Jiang Li did not reply and only smiled softly.
Grandpa Shang and her grandfather had always spoken to each other without any restraint.
Other people’s revolutionary friendship was built from fighting side by side like close brothers.
But Grandpa Shang and her grandfather had been rivals for decades. When they were young, everyone in their system knew they never agreed with each other.
One was skilled with words, the other with force, and neither respected the other.
If there was one final reason behind their “love-hate relationship,” it started with a chess game, from the moment the two old men began “battling” each other.
Originally, they already could not agree at work, but both happened to love Chinese chess, and their skills were evenly matched.
They always liked competing, and chess was no exception. Later on, they disliked each other even more and refused to give in.
She once heard from Grandma Shang that when she was still very little, the two old men were fiercely battling in chess. Not understanding anything, she accidentally touched one of the chess pieces, and that one move caused the game to end in a draw.
At that time, neither of them was willing to admit defeat, so thanks to that move, neither lost face in front of the other.
Later, after the two old men retired, Grandpa Shang would still “chase” Grandpa Jiang all the way from Beijing to Jiangnan just to play several rounds of chess in the park.
Whenever Grandma told her stories about them, she would say the two old men often argued so fiercely over a single move that their faces turned red, almost like little children about to fight.
Jiang Li could not help laughing whenever she heard it. Even though she had never personally seen such a scene, it was easy to imagine the two old men endlessly arguing while caring about each other at the same time.
Just thinking about it was funny.
Jiang Li smiled unconsciously.
That bright and natural smile was completely noticed by Shang Huaizhou.
Jiang Li sensed his gaze and looked up. Their eyes met directly in the air for two seconds, and neither avoided the other. The smile was still in Jiang Li’s eyes, while Shang Huaizhou’s gaze remained calm.
This time, however, his eyes did not carry as much coldness as before. His deep gaze even seemed a little gentler.
Jiang Li did not know if she had imagined it. When she looked again, Shang Huaizhou had already lowered his head to look at his own hand, as if he had never looked at her at all.
Jiang Li clicked her tongue silently in her heart, reduced the smile on her face, and sat obediently beside Grandpa Shang without speaking.
Grandpa Shang’s sharp eyes moved between Jiang Li and Shang Huaizhou before he turned to the butler and said,
“Old Zhang, what holiday did you say today was again?”
Old Zhang moved closer and froze for a moment. He had never said anything about a holiday.
Grandpa Shang kept winking at him, but Old Zhang still could not remember what holiday it was supposed to be and showed no reaction.
Instead, Shang Luo, who was sitting nearby playing games, answered, “It’s Qixi Festival. Grandpa, why are you asking? Are you planning to date another old lady while Grandma isn’t home?”
Grandpa Shang looked at Shang Luo lovingly. “Is that how you talk about your grandfather? You little rascal with no manners.”
Shang Luo threw aside her game console, wrapped her arms around Grandpa Shang’s arm, blinked her lively eyes, and acted spoiled. “Grandpa, I understand what you want. If you want to celebrate Qixi but are too shy to ask another old lady out, you can ask me instead.”
Grandpa Shang glared at her and said seriously yet lovingly, “At your age, you should focus on studying. What Qixi Festival are you talking about?”
Shang Luo pursed her lips. “Precisely because I’m young, I should go out and experience more things.”
Grandpa Shang was not convinced at all. He glanced at her and asked, “School is about to start. Have you finished your summer homework?”
The moment homework was mentioned, Shang Luo instantly lost energy, pouted unhappily, let go of Grandpa Shang’s arm, and curled up in the corner of the sofa looking completely uninterested.
After lecturing Shang Luo, Grandpa Shang immediately changed his expression and smilingly asked Jiang Li, “Jiang Jiang, you were on a plane for several hours. Are you tired?”
“Grandpa Shang, I’m okay. I’m not very tired.” Her flight had been very early that morning. She landed a little after nine o’clock, slept for a while at the theater troupe apartment, and then came to the Shang family home after receiving Grandpa Shang’s call.
Grandpa Shang smiled happily. “That’s good. Young people should have this kind of energy. Jiang Jiang, go enjoy Beijing’s night scenery. It’s much more beautiful now than when you lived here as a child.”
Jiang Li had not yet understood what he meant when Shang Luo, who had been lying weakly on the sofa, suddenly became excited after hearing they could go out.
“Yes, yes! Jiang Jiang, let’s go out and have fun. Beijing is especially lively during Qixi Festival, and there are many traditional and fun activities too.”
Grandpa Shang had originally wanted Shang Huaizhou and Jiang Li to go out alone, but he knew very well what kind of person Shang Huaizhou was. Having Shang Luo there to lighten the mood might actually help. After thinking for a while, Grandpa Shang said, “It’s not safe for two young girls to go out at night alone. How can you go without a driver?”
After saying that, he looked at Shang Huaizhou. “Huaizhou, you don’t have anything tonight, right?”
But Shang Huaizhou was not someone who could be pressured by Grandpa Shang’s look. His long fingers lightly rubbed the side of his cup for a moment before he calmly said, “I have something to do tonight.”
The meaning was obvious. He had no time.
Grandpa Shang’s anger instantly rose, but because Jiang Li was there, he held himself back and did not explode.
Instead, Jiang Li secretly felt relieved by Shang Huaizhou’s refusal.
If she really had to go shopping with him, she would have been the one trying to find an excuse to leave.
Jiang Li remembered how, when she used to live with the Shang family, she would always warmly approach Shang Huaizhou’s coldness, only to receive indifferent responses from him.
Now, however, she had long passed the age of being full of passion.
Even after all these years, Jiang Li still clearly remembered it.
Back then, Shang Huaizhou had red eyes and gritted teeth as he told her:
“—Jiang Li, you’re really annoying.”
She had never done anything to make him uncomfortable. She never understood why Shang Huaizhou disliked her so much.
At that time, she had only truly treasured him as a friend. Because of many special reasons during her childhood, she never had many friends, and slowly she even lost the desire to make friends at all.
Later, the three years she stayed with the Shang family became the happiest time of her life. The Shang family had many older brothers and sisters, and she could freely play with them without worrying about anything.
Even as a child, Shang Huaizhou had already been cold and quiet. He was distant even toward his own family and a little hard to deal with, though overall he was not a bad person.
Since they were close in age, they often went to school together. Under Grandpa Shang’s strict orders, Shang Huaizhou was often forced to wait for her before and after school.
Back then, just like the younger generation in the Shang family, she liked calling him “Third Brother.” Sometimes she even purposely used a sweet voice to tease him with it.
When she was in her second year of middle school, she won first place in an international dance competition. Holding her trophy, she proudly showed off in front of Shang Huaizhou and even gave him a rare souvenir from the competition.
But Shang Huaizhou only responded with harsh words, saying he hated her.
It felt like she had happily offered someone all her sincerity, only for it to be thrown down and trampled on.
That feeling really hurt.
Perhaps Shang Huaizhou truly belonged to the kind of cold and emotionless people who clearly separated everything. Someone like her, an ordinary person of flesh and blood, should stay far away from him if possible.
Jiang Li’s thoughts were interrupted when Shang Luo grabbed her arm and shook it.
“Jiang Jiang, Jiang Jiang, Third Brother not coming just means he has no sense of romance. Let’s go out and have fun. I’ll ask Uncle Rong to drive us.” She desperately wanted to go out and play. Without someone to accompany her, the elders in the family would never allow her to go out at night.
Seeing Shang Luo looking so restless and eager, just like she herself had been when she was younger, Jiang Li nodded and agreed.
Shang Luo happily shouted, “Oh yeah!” and quickly dragged Jiang Li upstairs, loudly saying they should go change clothes.
After the two girls went upstairs, Grandpa Shang looked at Shang Huaizhou with disappointment. “Useless boy. I created an opportunity for you, yet you still don’t know how to treasure it. Just keep acting stubborn then.”
Shang Huaizhou placed the teacup onto the table. His tall body leaned lazily against the sofa, long legs crossed, hands casually folded over his lap. He calmly spoke, and there even seemed to be a faint smile on his cold handsome face.
“Grandpa, if I remember correctly, you’ve always opposed business marriages. Isn’t what you’re doing now basically the same thing?”
Grandpa Shang looked at him with clear disgust. “Business marriage? Keep dreaming. Look at yourself first. You smell of money from head to toe. There’s not even a trace of human warmth left in you.”
“…” Shang Huaizhou was speechless.
Grandpa Shang continued criticizing him. “You should quickly fix that arrogant attitude of yours. Don’t think I can’t tell—Jiang Jiang doesn’t like you at all.”
He was not just saying it out of anger. He could clearly see that there were no personal feelings in the way Jiang Li looked at Shang Huaizhou.
Grandpa Shang glanced at Shang Huaizhou, who sat on the sofa with one hand supporting his head, impossible to read. He snorted and said, “I’m not some stubborn old man. Since Jiang Jiang doesn’t like you, then fine. Go marry into your precious Ming family however you want. Just don’t bring any member of the Ming family in front of me for the rest of your life. Draw the line clearly.”
Shang Huaizhou held his chin for a moment before replying emotionlessly, “Oh, then on behalf of the Shang family shareholders, thank you for your understanding, Grandpa.”
Grandpa Shang was so angry that he took a heavy breath before sarcastically saying, “You really are a dedicated boss. In the future, when our Jiang Jiang meets someone she truly likes, I’ll marry her off grandly as if she were my own granddaughter. You can keep clinging to your profits and live with your precious interests forever.”
“…” Shang Huaizhou remained silent.
After scolding Shang Huaizhou for so long, Grandpa Shang felt much better. He continued studying the gifts Jiang Li had brought with Old Zhang, completely treating Shang Huaizhou like air.
Shang Huaizhou also had no interest in sitting there awkwardly. He slowly walked upstairs with his long legs.
Grandpa Shang pointed at his back. “That heartless little wolf cub. I watched him grow up right under my nose, so how did he become such a cold-blooded creature?”
Old Zhang carefully placed the item in his hand onto the table. “Young Master Huaizhou is still more like you in the end. Calling him cold-blooded may be a little too harsh.”
Grandpa Shang did not continue the topic and instead asked, “Old Zhang, how many times did I criticize that wolf cub tonight?”
“Six times.” Old Zhang might not remember other things clearly, but he remembered this perfectly. Grandpa Shang loved scolding Shang Huaizhou, though it usually ended with Grandpa Shang losing his temper first. Tonight, however, Shang Huaizhou had been unusually quiet.
“And how many times did he talk back to me?”
“Once.” Only just now.
Grandpa Shang proudly said, “Old Zhang, do you know what this means? It means old ginger is still the spiciest. Compared to me, he’s still far behind in arguing.”
“…” Old Zhang was speechless. Was Grandpa Shang’s desire to win really this strong? Did he really have to compete over this too?
The two girls walked out of the villa chatting and laughing, both having changed clothes into completely different styles.
Shang Luo wore a pleated skirt with a white T-shirt, looking youthful and lively.
Jiang Li had changed into a light-colored long dress, decorated with a dark blue tasseled belt around her waist. The design was simple yet beautiful.
Jiang Li’s skin had always been fair and delicate. Even the warm yellow lights could not hide her pale complexion. The Beijing night carried a gentle breeze that softly brushed against her dress, making the tassels sway lightly with the wind. Wearing high heels, her graceful figure moved gently in the breeze, making it hard for anyone to look away.
As soon as they looked ahead, they saw Shang Huaizhou standing not far away in the courtyard. His tall body leaned against the side of the car while he lazily scrolled through his phone, as though he had already been waiting outside for some time.
Only after hearing movement did he raise his head.
Jiang Li’s beautiful figure immediately entered his sight.
Shang Huaizhou had also changed clothes. His neat white dress shirt had been replaced with a dark blue one. The style itself had not changed much, except he was not wearing a tie, making him look elegant yet a little more relaxed.
Unexpectedly, the color matched Jiang Li’s tassels perfectly, almost like they were wearing a couple’s outfit.
After seeing Shang Huaizhou, Shang Luo first looked surprised, then happily pulled Jiang Li as she ran toward him.
“Eh, Third Brother, are you going out too?” she asked curiously.
Shang Huaizhou did not answer Shang Luo. Instead, in a calm and steady voice, he simply said,
“Get in the car.”
He was looking directly at Jiang Li when he said it.