24 – Is it a fаmilу mаttеr оr а fаmily shamе?
Dеsрitе it bеing midsummer, Old Mаstеr Jiang felt а chill crеерing uр his sрinе.
This wаs hаrdlу thе aura аn eighteen-yеаr-old girl shоuld роssеss.
“Оld Mаstеr Jiаng, if you рrоmised Мiss Sheng to annul thе engаgement onсe thе mattеr wаs settled, уou should honоr уоur wоrd. Otherwisе…” Во Сhenjing pаused аs if recаlling something bеfore сontinuing, “Don’t blamе hеr fоr having а tеmper.”
His tоne wаs dеtachеd and cаsual, уеt lаcеd with a heаvy warning.
Shеng Сhuуang was displeased by the lаttеr part of his remаrk.
“Yоu’re the onе with а temper!” She felt Bo Chenjing was speaking ill of her.
Bo Chenjing tilted his head slightly, as if seriously contemplating. “My temper isn’t very good either.”
Sheng Chuyang: “…”
Well… that left her speechless.
Old Master Jiang was a perceptive man.
The current Sheng Chuyang was beyond his control. Moreover, Bo Chenjing’s attitude toward her was unfathomable. For now, he had no choice but to agree to annul the engagement.
Sheng Chuyang had been so fond of his Songran before. Even after the engagement was broken off, he could have Songran win her back.
“Sixth Master is right. Since Chuyang wishes to annul the engagement, I will arrange for it to be handled promptly. After all, you and Songran have known each other for many years. Even without the engagement, you can still remain friends. Keep in touch often, and come visit the Jiang family whenever you have time.”
Sheng Chuyang: “Even if I have time, I won’t come.”
She didn’t like this old man.
Old Master Jiang’s expression stiffened: “…”
Having lived most of his life, he had never been so publicly slighted.
“Old Master Jiang.” Bo Chenjing suddenly spoke.
Thinking Bo Chenjing was offering him a way out, Old Master Jiang’s expression softened slightly.
Bo Chenjing slowly glanced around. “This hotel was built and managed by your son back in the day, wasn’t it?”
It was unclear which word in that sentence frightened Old Master Jiang, but his face instantly paled.
“Yes…” Old Master Jiang’s voice trembled slightly.
Sheng Chuyang also recalled that she hadn’t seen Jiang Songran’s parents at Old Master Jiang’s birthday banquet.
Searching her memory, she realized his parents had passed away long ago in an accident.
Bo Chenjing looked at him coldly. “How old is Jiang Songran?”
Old Master Jiang: “Twenty.”
“Your son passed away before Jiang Songran was born. It’s been over twenty years now. Do you miss him?” Bo Chenjing’s tone remained calm, but his gaze suddenly sharpened.
Old Master Jiang, subjected to this slow, torturous interrogation, finally broke down. “What exactly are you trying to say!”
This was the moment Bo Chenjing had been waiting for.
“Who exactly was the corpse that fell from the sky during the birthday banquet!”
Old Master Jiang, pushed to the brink, shouted at him, “This is a Jiang family matter! What business is it of yours!”
Bo Chenjing’s expression remained indifferent. “A family matter or a family scandal?”
Old Master Jiang’s eyes widened. He stumbled back and fell to the floor, staring at Bo Chenjing in disbelief. “You… you actually know…”
“Whether I know or not is unimportant. What matters is when Jiang Songran will learn that his biological father… Under Old Master Jiang’s horrified gaze, Bo Chenjing uttered four words with utter coldness. “Is actually you.”
Clatter!
Sheng Chuyang’s chopsticks fell onto the table.
“Why is Jiang Songran your son?” Sheng Chuyang stared at Old Master Jiang in shock. “You and your daughter-in-law… you two… and she got pregnant? And you had the child?”Old Master Jiang looked as if he had lost both parents: “Back then, I got drunk and entered the wrong room. Who knew she would end up pregnant later? But how could I bear to abort my own child…”
“My son wanted his wife to have an abortion, so I locked him and his wife up separately. Later, he actually escaped and tried to kill me, so I kept him locked up. I didn’t let him out when Songran was born, nor when Songran’s mother committed suicide. I just kept him locked up, for over twenty years…”
Hearing this, Sheng Chuyang picked up her water glass and angrily gulped down a large mouthful: “Beast!”
No wonder his son wanted to make a deal with a Demon, willing to trade his life for his father’s death!
Bo Chenjing remained completely unaffected, his expression as calm as ever: “Where have you been keeping him imprisoned all these years?”
Old Master Jiang: “In the basement at home.”
After getting the answer, Bo Chenjing finally looked at Sheng Chuyang: “Are you full?”
“I don’t want to eat anymore!” Sheng Chuyang snorted at Old Master Jiang, stood up, and was about to walk out.
Bo Chenjing reminded her: “Take the wine.”
Sheng Chuyang pouted but still took it.
She’d bring it back and have Bo Chenjing make red wine steak with it.
…
The Jiang family’s villa was much larger than the Sheng family’s, extremely grand.
Old Master Jiang’s bedroom had a hidden door that led directly to the basement.
The basement was dark, damp, and reeked of rotting food and excrement.
Once inside, the furrow between Bo Chenjing’s brows never disappeared.
After observing the area, she only detected an extremely faint trace of the Source of Darkness.
“The caster is likely just a Follower of the Demon. Otherwise, the scene would have been cleaned up more thoroughly, leaving no trace behind.” She could also sense a slight reaction from the Crimson Moon Necklace.
Thus, the two could only return empty-handed.
On the way back, Sheng Chuyang kept thinking about the Demon’s intentions.
The Demon had always been ambitious. Having his Followers cause trouble meant he had almost fully recovered from his five-hundred-year rest.
He was trying to stir up conflict again, just like five hundred years ago.
After an unknown amount of time, when Sheng Chuyang snapped back to reality, she realized this wasn’t the way home.
“Where are we going?” she turned to ask Bo Chenjing.
Bo Chenjing kept his eyes on the road as he drove: “Going somewhere else to eat.”
…
This time, Bo Chenjing took her to Huayang Bay.
Located at the very heart of the city, where the Huayang River converges, it was an exclusive high-end club.
Even before getting out of the car, as Sheng Chuyang looked out through the window, two words came to mind: extravagant.
Huayang Bay was frequented by social elites, boasting top-tier facilities and services. Owning a membership here was also a symbol of status.
The original host had never been to such a place.
“How much does a meal here cost?” Sheng Chuyang asked, sounding utterly inexperienced.
Just then, a familiar male voice rang out.
“It’s our own place. How could we let my sister-in-law pay!”
Sheng Chuyang turned around and, seeing who it was, happily called out: “Rong Zhi.”
Rong Zhi leaned against the car window: “Sis, didn’t you know my cousin is the owner of Huayang Bay?”
Sheng Chuyang corrected him first: “Don’t call me sis.”
Then, Sheng Chuyang remembered that she was supposed to be treating Bo Chenjing to a meal.
Earlier at the Jiang family’s hotel, it seemed they hadn’t paid either?
So, the question arose: “If I treat you to a meal at your own club, do I still have to pay?”
Rong Zhi burst out laughing: “Cousin, have you no shame? You’re actually letting her treat you to a meal?”Bo Chenjing merely cast a faint glance at him.
Rong Zhi felt a slight chill on his neck and turned to discover the bottle of wine Old Master Jiang had given them, placed in the back seat.
“This wine!! I couldn’t buy it at the auction last time! Cousin, did you bring it especially for me? You’re practically my own flesh and blood!”