Chapter 4, Page 4

Chapter 1: "You saw that my pants were wet."...

However, it only took her a few seconds to accept this natural change.

After all, who wouldn't like a beautiful and well-behaved woman like her? It's not surprising that Jiang An wants to spend his life with her.

She looked up at him with the haughty air of a kitten pacing back and forth.

I just realized how tall Jiang An really is.

Moreover, he was elegant and dignified, with a straight back, like a silent mountain or a green bamboo standing on a cliff, exuding nobility from his very being.

She suddenly began to understand her father a little.

Judging solely from her appearance and figure, she is one in a million.

Well, since the arranged marriage can't be changed, there are some things I need to make clear to him, otherwise praise will turn sour, contact will breed fear, and meeting will be daunting. She slowly raised her eyes to look at him, gesturing for him to sit on the sofa to her left, "Please sit down, Mr. Jiang."

.

Seeing her so formal, Jiang An raised an eyebrow slightly, turned around and walked to the sofa to sit down.

As soon as I sat down, a faint aroma of tea wafted into my nose.

Looking to the side, I saw boiling tea on the coffee table, the tea leaves swirling in the water, spreading a pale green color that blended into a beautiful ink painting.

He picked up one of the cups of tea and took a sip; the aroma of the tea filled the air.

Wen Lingshuang sat on the sofa to his right, her body tense and slightly nervous. She picked up her teacup and took a sip, but because she was thinking about something, she didn't notice that the tea was boiling. As soon as she put it in her mouth, she was scalded by the boiling tea. The hot tea dripped down her lips and onto her body, and she couldn't help but cry out.

Seeing that she had been scalded by the tea, Jiang An quickly picked up a tissue from the side and wiped the hot water-soaked hem of her skirt.

The almost imperceptible sensation didn't become apparent until two or three seconds later.

Shock and embarrassment welled up in Wen Lingshuang's beautiful eyes as she stared at him with moist eyes.

Jiang An's hand hovered in mid-air for a few seconds. Realizing what had happened, he slowly sat back down and said softly, "I'm sorry."

The air has become abnormally condensed.

Since she came of age, Wen Lingshuang has had men lining up from East Street to Paris to pursue her. These men, who all coveted her, showered her with money, gifts, and jewelry, but none of them could win her favor. Chen Xuanhe had been pursuing her for so long, but he had never even touched her hand.

And Jiang An...

He actually touched her there.

She bit her lip, wiped the hem of her skirt with her hand, and said, "I have something I want to talk to you about."

"Please speak."

She proudly raised her chin: "I think you should seriously consider our marriage alliance."

Jiang An hesitated for a moment, then said, “Miss Jiang, I am not a frivolous or reckless person. I am truly sorry for what happened just now. I have never done such a thing to any other woman. If you are unhappy about this, then we can put our marriage on hold for a while. There is no rush.”

What is he pretending for!

Who said that?!

Wen Lingshuang pursed her lips. "It's not about that."

Jiang An frowned.

Aside from that, he didn't know what else could affect the marriage alliance.

She paused for a moment, then said, "I have the Jiang family backing me up!"

Jiang An rarely listened to her long-winded discourse.

She chattered on and on, her expressions lively and her voice sweet.

After looking at her for a few seconds, he recalled the dinner party and some social events from before, and roughly understood the subtext of her words. She was pretentious and arrogant, so he had to accommodate her and give in to her. No matter what bad things she said about him, he had to endure it.

If you can't stand it.

The Jiang family also provided her with support.

To put it bluntly.

The young lady's dignity is not to be violated.

Regardless of whether she has the Jiang family as her backer.

Regardless of whether she is the eldest daughter of the Wen family or not.

This is the most basic courtesy and character trait of a person.

Wen Lingshuang blinked as she looked at him.

"How can you guarantee you won't bully me?" she asked.

Jiang An was silent for a moment, then asked, "Which kind of guarantee do you feel at ease?"

The implication was that he would give her whatever she wanted.

He gave me a vow, and I asked for one.

He gave me wealth if I wanted it.

"I want control of your finances."

Oaths are useless.

But the power over finances is useful.

Of course, it would be risky to ask someone who had fought his way up from a powerful family for control of the finances, but Wen Lingshuang decided to ask anyway, partly to test him and partly to completely expose his pretense.

After all, no one knows what lies beneath such a gentle, humble, self-disciplined, and courteous exterior.

Jiang An was silent for a moment, then asked, "Which part of the financial power?"

Wen Lingshuang didn't even look up. "All of them."

"..."

Jiang An: "Okay."

Um?

Can?

Wen Lingshuang bit her red lips, "Words are no proof, let's have a written agreement!"

Jiang An chuckled softly.

After a light laugh, he nodded slightly: "Okay."

Wen Lingshuang took out a piece of white paper from the pear wood cabinet next to her. After writing a note on the paper, she didn't know what else to write. There was too much she didn't know and was too unfamiliar with Jiang An. If she only wanted financial control, wouldn't that be too weak?

She held the pen to her lips, deep in thought.

Jiang An wasn't in a hurry and just waited for her.

After waiting a few minutes, she handed him a pen and paper, saying, "You write this."

Jiang An took the paper and pen, turned slightly to the side and placed them on the coffee table next to him. His well-defined knuckles gently pressed down on the paper, while his other hand held the pen and wrote.

The calligraphy is grand and powerful, surpassing even Jiang Xu, who is renowned and has studied calligraphy since childhood.

She didn't tell him what she wanted him to write.

But whatever you write, it has to go along with her wishes.

He even took out the company seal he carried with him and pressed it on the signature area.

He handed her the printed paper.

When I took it, my fingers inadvertently brushed against his index finger, and I could vaguely feel a small dent. Looking down, I saw an old, dented scar at the tip of his index finger.

It's on the left, so it's not very noticeable.

She looked away, took out her phone to take a picture, and said, "I'm saving this for future reference."

Jiang An nodded, "Okay, Miss Wen."

She is not a princess, not a fiancée, and not a rich young lady.

It's Miss Wen.

I'm going to die.

Older men are quite skilled at flirting.

*

Time flew by and it was already four o'clock in the afternoon. From around two o'clock, the sky gradually darkened, and a light drizzle covered the entire old house. The rain hit the windows and made a heavy, muffled sound.

News of Jiang An's visit to the Wen family spread throughout the Wen family. Wen Jinye rushed back from the company and saw Lon standing at the top of the stairs as soon as he entered the door. He was upright and extremely serious. Lon had followed Jiang An for many years, from when he worked at the grassroots level of Xining Group to now. It had been about seven or eight years. It was no exaggeration to say that he was the person who knew Jiang An the most. Wen Jinye winked at Tan Yu, who was not far away.

Having been married for many years, Tan Yu understood the meaning in his eyes.

Seeing this, Wen Jinye straightened his clothes and stepped forward, saying, "Is it Lon?"

Lon turned his head and saw that the person who came was Wen Jinye. He quickly bowed and said, "Hello, Chairman Wen."

Wen Jinye waved his hand, inviting him to sit down. For other assistants, they might just be assistants, but Lon was no ordinary person. He had access to the company's most core secrets and information, including the information hub and public relations hub, coordinating various departments and handling key documents. He was a leader with real power.

But as soon as he raised his hand, he saw Jiang An coming down from upstairs.

Since last year, the Wen and Jiang families have had frequent contact. Apart from normal greetings, there have been business dealings. Wen Jinye has been in contact with Jiang An the most. He has witnessed Jiang An's decisiveness and efficiency in business, as well as his gentleness, humility, self-discipline, and propriety in private. It would not be an exaggeration to say that he is perfect.

The two exchanged a few pleasantries upon meeting.

Wen Jinye learned that Jiang An was busy with official business and had just returned from a business trip today. Knowing that the Wen family was on their ancestral worship day, he came to visit him. He patted Jiang An on the shoulder and said, "Since you just got back from your business trip, why don't you stay here for a few days? Our old house is close to Xining, so you won't have to drive to and from get off work from Nanxi and get tired."

Jiang An usually lives in Nanxi Villa.

The place was far and remote. Aside from the larger house, there wasn't much to see. It was said to be the residence left by Jiang An's mother. Some said it was because the Jiang family had many rules; newcomers had to live in the Nanxi Villa for ten or eight years to shed their 'impurity' before entering the Jiang family. Anyway, that's what they said.

However, it's best to just take such rumors with a grain of salt.

With Jiang An's wealth, what location of house couldn't he afford?

“It doesn’t make sense.” Jiang An nodded slightly. “Let’s wait until the marriage is announced next month before we talk about it.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a flash of lightning and a clap of thunder sounded outside the window.

Amidst the raging winds, even the thick tree trunks were bent by the gale, and countless grains of sand and fallen leaves danced and intertwined in the air, foreshadowing an impending storm.

Lon leaned close to Jiang An's ear and whispered a typhoon warning.

The Wen family's old house is located halfway up the mountain, and it might be dangerous to go down the mountain.

Therefore, Jiang An no longer refused.

Seeing that he agreed, Wen Jinye quickly had the room on the right side of the second floor tidied up. Knowing that Jiang An liked tea, she specially arranged for the Longjing tea, which had just been picked from the tea garden this year, to be served in the tea room. Jasmine and sandalwood incense rose into the air from the openwork incense box, emitting a faint fragrance. A cup of clear tea was poured from the teapot into a cup, and Lon handed the poured tea to Jiang An.

Jiang An took a sip and found the taste very familiar.

It has a strong Jiangnan (southern China) flavor.

I took a closer look at the tea; it was rich but not cloudy, unlike the tea in Wen Lingshuang's lounge.

He rarely speaks when he's enjoying tea.

Lon observed his expression and whispered, "Miss Wen's attitude towards you seems to have changed."

Jiang An held the cup, lost in thought. "Is there?"

"I was criticizing you just a while ago, but today I'm helping you in front of Chen Xuanhe."

"help me?"

Jiang An recalled how she had asked him for control of the finances in the lounge earlier, and said with a smile, "I don't know if she'll help or not, but she's very direct. She just says what she wants, no matter how outrageous it may be."

"Has your opinion of Miss Wen changed, sir?"

"How so?"

"Everyone says she's very pretentious, and most men can't handle her."

Jiang An smiled and shook his head.

Seeing his expression, Lon suddenly realized.

Most men can't handle her.

Mr. Ke is no ordinary person.

Otherwise, if Jiang Hanyu had let him choose, he wouldn't have picked such a bright and beautiful young lady from among so many wealthy young women.

“Chairman Wen only has one daughter, and she was spoiled and pampered growing up.” Jiang An said calmly, “It’s understandable that she might be a little pretentious.”

Lon paused, then, after a moment of thought, said in a low voice, "If Miss Wen is so arrogant and pretentious, and she really marries into the Jiang family in the future, then the Jiang family..."

The tea room was flanked by openwork carved screens. Light from the screens hung on the walls streamed into the room through the openwork patterns, casting an inscrutable shadow over Jiang An's smooth and deep profile. He sat upright in his chair, his aura flowing silently. As the water boiled, he slowly spoke: "Do they dare?"

Realizing he had misspoke, Lon quickly lowered his head to avoid the sharp edge, saying, "I was just afraid you'd be hard to appease."

After saying this, Jiang An didn't reply.

He didn't seem to realize the problem either.

Consider knowledge gaps.

After a moment's hesitation, "What constitutes 'coaxing'?"

"For example, if Miss Wen likes to buy cars, you can give her a few more. If she likes jewelry, you should also give her different kinds of gifts. Remember not to give her anything generic or whatever you see. Girls are different from boys. They like the thought behind the gift. Even if you give her a regular gift box, you should make sure to include a lot of information in the box that it was carefully selected and given to her alone."

Lon's explanation was very logical and well-reasoned.

Jiang An didn't really listen.

I only heard that Wen Lingshuang likes cars, but I also heard that she doesn't even have a driver's license. Likes cars? Could it be that she's just a collector?

You need to find all sorts of ways to give jewelry as gifts, and they can't be too generic...

But to him, those pieces of jewelry were no different except for their different designs.

As for the sentiment behind it, that's laughable.

If he had no feelings for them, why would he send these things?

Jiang An poured himself another cup of tea and looked up at Lon.

Lon felt uneasy under his gaze and gradually lowered his voice, "In short... you should pay close attention to Miss Wen's every move."

"You've been with me for so many years, and I've never seen you have a girlfriend. How come you're so skilled at this?"

"Because all the girls who have pursued you over the years have been like this. I've rejected so many girls for you and met so many people, so I know a little bit about it."

Most of those girls were just as delicate as Wen Lingshuang, but they weren't necessarily as pretentious or as well-connected as her, and they weren't necessarily as pretty.

Actually, being beautiful isn't exactly a rare resource.

But Wen Lingshuang's beauty is something that can be forgiven as long as she hasn't committed murder, arson, or broken the law.

The room was filled with the sweet fragrance of incense, a blend of Longjing and jasmine, swirling and intertwining in the damp air. Outside the window, rain poured down like a waterfall, blurring the glass into a watery curtain. A bolt of lightning cleaved the sky, illuminating the room. The once warm and inviting teaware, wooden chairs, and screens suddenly revealed a cold, hard, and stark outline. Wen Lingshuang, fast asleep, was awakened by the thunder. She opened her eyes groggily and heard the deafening roar of thunder echoing in her ears.

I'm so sleepy.

She lay down and slept for a few more minutes.

The heavy rain and thunder disturbed her peace. After struggling for a moment, she got out of bed and, as usual, walked barefoot towards the semi-open bathtub, which was located on the balcony of the room on the right. She opened the side door and walked in barefoot, not noticing the jasmine fragrance that filled the room. She only felt that the scent was a little different from usual. After reaching the semi-open balcony, she stepped into the bathtub.

I lay on the edge of the bath, enjoying the feeling of the warm spring water enveloping my whole body.

I drifted off to sleep listening to the rain.

The joys of life.

After soaking in the bath for about ten minutes, my drowsiness dissipated. I got out of the bath and took out my clothes from the closet to change.

Walking barefoot into the tea room, I saw Jiang An sitting inside.

Their sudden appearance took both of them by surprise.

The tea kept pouring, until it overflowed the cup and scalding hot tea spilled onto his suit trousers. Only then did he snap out of his daze and look away.

His avoidance startled Wen Lingshuang awake, and she suddenly covered her chest with both hands.

Her fair face quickly flushed red, and she bit her red lips tightly with her pearly teeth.

"I didn't see it." He broke the ice.

But the more she tried to cover it up, the more ashamed she felt.

The tea room was only a few meters away from the bath, and the screen that was hidden behind it was openwork, so he only needed to turn his head to look over to see it.

So where did it start?

Did she walk in barefoot, or did she take off her clothes and change?

Wen Lingshuang grew angrier the more she thought about it. No man had ever dared to treat her so lightly since she was a child!

She bit her red lips, clutched her chest, and sat down in front of him, angrily saying, "If you saw it, you saw it; if you didn't see it, you didn't see it. What are you pretending for!"

Jiang An had a headache.

He said not seeing it was basic courtesy, but it sounds like he did it on purpose from her perspective.

After a moment's consideration, he said, "Hmm, okay, I see a little bit."

"..." Wen Lingshuang was extremely annoyed. "What did you see!?"

"You see my pants are wet." He stood up calmly, showing her his suit pants that were scalded by tea. "I need to change. Excuse me."

A note from the author: