Chapter 2 Wu Family Eldest Brother

Jiang Xia was taken aback, then chuckled and said casually, "Perhaps he's a new friend he's made."

Wu Ming has too many friends, and he's used to it.

"I see." Assistant Xie, as the elite assistant to the eldest brother of the Wu family, looked quite old, but was still young.

His gaze swept around the one-bedroom apartment, and after confirming that no one was there, he returned to the door.

He was acting under orders and feared that Jiang Xia might lie.

Previously, when Wu Ming ran away from home, Jiang Xia covered for him. He was a person with a "criminal record," and Wu Dashao had specifically instructed him to do so.

Assistant Xie frequently visited Jiangxia to see Wu Ming, almost like clocking in for work, and the two became acquainted over time.

Since they are acquaintances, neither side wanted to put the other in a difficult position, so Assistant Xie was just speaking his mind.

Jiang Xia watched him leave, then closed the door. The soundproofing wasn't good, and he could hear the engine of the van downstairs, which then gradually disappeared into the distance.

As his thoughts returned to the present, he realized that Wu Ming had been acting strangely lately... In the past, Wu Ming would always mention something to him before leaving, and he rarely told such unnecessary lies.

Wu Ming has too many friends, all of whom are rich and powerful. He himself is just one of them and has no right to stop the other party.

Jiang Xia was worried about him, so she sent him a message: "Which bar are you at?"

I haven't received a reply yet.

If you dwell on things too much, it can easily hurt your heart and liver. Jiang Xia couldn't sleep, so he got up and went downstairs to throw out the trash.

The old lady downstairs was packing up her stall when she saw this and asked, "Why aren't you asleep yet?"

Jiang Xia lowered her eyes: "I can't sleep."

As the old woman tidied up, she smiled and asked, "Would you like me to introduce you to someone? It's quite a coincidence, he's also from Duliang, your hometown. If you two get together, you can go back to your hometown, build a house, and live a good life."

Jiang Xia wrapped his trench coat tighter around himself, revealing only a thin nightgown underneath; the wind made him very cold.

He chuckled softly, his lips barely touching the skin: "No need. I have someone I've liked for a long time... my sweetheart."

The old woman still smiled and said, "Then take the initiative, and it will be done sooner."

Jiang Xia let out a long sigh and helped the old woman move a box of pomelos onto the cart: "It's pointless."

The old woman didn't immediately grasp the meaning of "meaning," exclaiming "Ah!" before finally realizing after a long pause: "How could it have no meaning?"

“Things without results are meaningless.” After thinking for a moment, Jiang Xia avoided the old woman’s gaze and answered her question seriously.

He liked Wu Ming. The feelings that started in junior high school eventually turned into a deep affection as they spent more and more time together, an affection that he couldn't sever or untangle.

Perhaps the roast chicken on the day of his junior high school entrance exam was too hot. When he took the first bite while starving, he looked at Wu Ming and found that his whole body was burning hot.

Later in high school, on the night Wu Ming was going home, he lay in bed and, by the light of the street lamp outside the window, carefully looked at Wu Ming's eyelashes.

Feel his every breath...

He didn't want to break up with Wu Ming.

Over the years, he has indeed achieved this.

From small towns to big cities, he has always been by Wu Ming's side as one of his good friends.

Everything is incredible.

Fate is always so mysterious.

Wu Ming's biological father was too promiscuous when he was young. His first, second, and third wives fought fiercely, causing the deaths of many children.

At the height of the commotion, Wu Ming was sent back to Duliang by his family for secret protection, where he lived a carefree life for five years.

The one who truly faced the bloodshed was his eldest brother.

Wu Ming was an outgoing person who had never seen such dirty things and had no grudges against the adults.

The elders were happy to dote on him, since he had never witnessed them using despicable methods.

Last year, on Wu Ming's birthday, his grandfather set up a trust for him worth 200 million yuan.

Jiang Xia let out a long breath. Two hundred million! He was working at Xunsi Culture Media Company, and after three years, his annual salary was over six hundred thousand.

If you were born more than 300 years earlier and started working in the Ming Dynasty, you could earn 200 million.

He sat on a chair by the roadside, wrapped in his clothes, enjoying the breeze.

Big cities have their own glamour, but they may not be able to stay.

Should we go back to Duliang?

It was a very small city, so small that you could measure the entire urban area in a day. An ancient city gate divided the town into old and new sections.

The river flows through the city, and there are many shops selling porcelain bowls and jars along the riverbank. When he was in school, he and Wu Ming liked to go out for a stroll on weekends, eat a bowl of rice tofu, and then stroll back to school.

At that time, Jiangxia thought this was what city life was like.

It wasn't until he arrived in Mengcheng and saw the bustling traffic, the pedestrians coming and going, the city's crisscrossing streets, the dilapidated state of the old wharf, and the wealthy Wu family that he realized the stark contrast between the rich and poor.

The myriad aspects of life.

After finishing his business, Jiang Xiawen got up and went upstairs, typing as he went, to inform Wu Ming: "Assistant Xie came to find me last night. Your brother caught you. Your birthday is in ten days. It seems the old man misses you."

After sending the message, Jiang Xia took out the gifts from the refrigerator. The snow-white items in the glass cabinet looked incredibly lifelike...

He started preparing this gift six months ago, carving it little by little. Wu Ming will like it...

Wu Ming will definitely stay up all night with his friends to celebrate his birthday the day before. On his birthday, he will celebrate with his family at home, and then come out to have dinner with me in the evening.

I need to find some time to give it to him.

Jiang Xia put the gift back in the refrigerator, too tired to wait for Wu Ming's reply.

He could only go to sleep first.

Wu Ming replied with a smiley face at 5:30 a.m.: "Don't worry, everything's fine."

I sent a peace sign emoji.

When Jiang Xia woke up and saw the message, it was already eight o'clock in the morning.

At 7:30 a.m., Wu Ming sent Jiang Xia another message: Help me! Help me! Why am I being pressured to get married just because I'm dating?!

Jiang Xia woke up and saw the message; he was a little confused.

But Douyin's local videos did not disappoint him.

Douyin then recommended local videos to him.

[The second son of Jiusi Technology had a late-night rendezvous with a mysterious woman; the handsome man and beautiful woman suggest a wedding may be on the horizon!]

Montreal is a small city, but it is home to many long-established companies, each representing different interest groups.

Jiangxia used to watch local videos in Duliang, but didn't find them particularly interesting.

After arriving in Montreal, he finally understood why Montreal could support so many paparazzi.

Now we're even gossiping about people we know.

Jiusi Technology Co., Ltd. is an important pillar of the Wu family.

Although the image was blurry, showing only a profile, he was certain that it was Wu Ming.

The woman's identity has also been revealed.

Xie Xingzhang, the daughter of the Xie family, is currently a minor internet celebrity, gaining some fame for filming vlogs about her luxurious lifestyle.

She's been quite popular lately, especially among local internet celebrities in Montreal who love short videos.

She was recently embroiled in a controversy over exposing counterfeits, which made her incredibly popular online. Now, she's been photographed dating, which has become another hot topic.

Jiang Xia looked around and confirmed from the media that Wu Ming was in a relationship.

He sat at his workstation staring at the screen, his phone ringing incessantly.

Wu Ming kept sending messages, seeking his opinion.

He was photographed at 3 PM, and the paparazzi demanded money at 5 PM. Before he could transfer the money, his boss found out and blocked his supplementary credit card, and the news spread.

At eight o'clock, Grandpa Wu woke up and was very happy to hear about the matter. He wanted to see his future daughter-in-law.

Jiang Xia only turned on his office computer at 8:30.

The news spread online, brewing a storm, but all I could see was the calm surface.

Being caught in the storm was a bad thing, but being isolated left him feeling empty inside.

He asked a few questions and congratulated Wu Ming on finding a partner, but Wu Ming didn't reply.

He figured he probably wouldn't have time to reply.

During his lunch break, he finally saw the follow-up developments of the matter online.

Xie Xiaoqian has posted a vlog.

She publicly announced her relationship and showed off the gifts her boyfriend's elders had given her—a white house-shaped handbag and a jade bracelet with spring-like colors, both of which she liked.

In the video, Ms. Xie mentioned that she would be officially visiting the groom's family for a meal soon, and the groom's family would be preparing a flower banquet. At this time, there were not many fresh flowers left in Mengcheng, so they would probably have to be airlifted over.

Jiang Xia thought to himself that the Wu family, apart from Wu Ming, were all rather rigid. The flower banquet must have been Miss Xie's suggestion, as it would be easier to make a good vlog.

Jiang Xia watched the two-minute video twice.

Miss Xie is not opposed to meeting elders, since there has been no explicit mention of engagement, and she is willing to attend the social events.

Wu Ming posted a message this morning saying he was being pressured into getting engaged, which must have been due to pressure from his elders.

The Wu family was of a higher social standing than the Xie family.

Jiang Xia tried to think it over. He could understand the old man's desire for his grandson to get married, but how could the eldest son of the Wu family agree?

In the past few years, the other party expanded into overseas markets and made a name for himself before returning to the fray. Now he firmly holds the position of the second-in-command at Jiusi Technology, a subsidiary of the Wu family.

Wu Ming is his younger brother. Although he is one of the heirs, he is not a threat. Even if Young Master Wu agrees, he will definitely conduct a thorough investigation to ensure that it will not bring negative impact to the Wu family.

He couldn't understand it; all he could think of was the cold face of the eldest son of the Wu family, the face that seemed to say everyone owed him money.

When Jiangxia University was in college, I accidentally bumped into the other party a few times at the Wu family's house. At that time, Wu Dashao, who had just graduated, was still a bit naive. He didn't look very fierce and could give me a smile.

He's probably worn out by work now; he doesn't smile at all.

Jiangxia was very understanding of the other party on this point.

He had just finished eating some melon and hadn't even had a chance to look through it properly when his colleague notified him to go to the editor-in-chief's office for a meeting.

An hour later, he came out carrying a huge pile of documents.

The editor-in-chief asked him to lead a team to compile a collection of works by foreign poets, and the copyright had already been acquired.

His per-thousand-word fee, project bonus, and team-leading subsidy have all been agreed upon.

Everything went smoothly, and he had no reason to refuse.

Jiang Xia was so busy with work that she didn't have time to grieve over Wu Ming's love life.

When he got off work, he sat in his car, remained silent for a while, and then chuckled softly.

It's okay, I just want to be friends anyway. It's normal for friends to date and get married.

Having a crush is a personal matter and has nothing to do with Wu Ming.

He checked his phone; Wu Ming's message was still the same one from that morning.

He drove home first and then easily found the parking space.

After dinner and a shower, his peaceful day was about to end, but then Assistant Xie called again: "Jiang Xia, I need your help urgently."

"The second young master said he was going to jump off a building."

Jiang Xia felt like he had misheard.

Wu Ming is the kind of person who sleeps through chaotic times, but the world hasn't even descended into chaos yet, and he's already planning to jump off a building?!

Jiang Xia: I must have been so busy at work that I lost my mind.

While I was on the phone, a bright light suddenly shone outside the window.

Jiang Xia peered out the window and spotted a familiar minivan.

Assistant Xie, holding his phone, stuck his head out of the car window and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Go and try to persuade the second young master! What if something really happens?"

Jiang Xia, wearing a coat, rushed downstairs in a few quick steps.

As soon as he approached, the car door opened, and after getting in, he turned his head and saw the man next to him.

Jiangxia:......

I really want to close the door and take a taxi there myself.

The man was wearing a black shirt, but had taken off his suit jacket; he was still wearing his suit trousers.

The tight-fitting suit trousers were taut against his muscles, revealing their defined lines; the man had sharp eyes and a detached tone, as if few things were worth getting angry about.

Jiang Xia greeted him softly, "Hello, Mr. Wu."

Wu Zhou looked at him and said, "Good evening."

Jiang Xia's lips parted slightly, then she gently pursed them. The color that had just returned to her lips disappeared, leaving only a very pale hue.

His head was buzzing. Wu Ming's older brother, Wu Zhou, why was he here?

Wu Zhou looked away.

Assistant Xie instructed the driver, "Drive faster."

Wu Zhou gave a soft "Mmm": "No rush."

Jiang Xia had just sat down when he hesitated, his hands clasped together.

It's better to be in a hurry. That's your own brother. Even a two-meter-high slope can kill someone, let alone the Wu family's manor villa.

Wu Zhou looked at Jiang Xia and asked, "Have you had dinner?"

Jiang Xia nodded.

Wu Zhou then stopped asking questions.

The emperor wasn't worried, but the eunuch was; Jiang Xia dared not speak out.

It takes an hour to drive from where he lives to the Wu Family Manor.

When Jiang Xia entered, Wu Ming had already been persuaded to stop and was in his bedroom, locked in his room, threatening to go on a hunger strike.

Wu Zhou led Jiang Xia upstairs.

At this moment, Grandpa Wu, his hair white, anxiously tapped his cane, pacing anxiously outside the door, fearing that the child would jump off the balcony and run away from home.

Wu Ming had a history of this; he would slide down the outer pillar of the sewer pipe in the middle of the night. If the decorative plaster pillar broke halfway down, he probably would have lost his life.

The old man couldn't bear to hit Wu Ming later, so he angrily tore down the plaster pillar.

Seeing Jiang Xia arrive, he coughed, nodded, and continued speaking to the people inside: "Aman, be good."

Wu Ming was in poor health when he was a child. A feng shui master told him that his name should not be too grand, so he was given the character "Ming," which is a very affectionate nickname.

Wu Ming Qie Man means a life of peace and smooth sailing, without any storms but achieving fulfillment.

However, only the old man calls him by his nickname.

Wu's eldest brother wasn't buying it. He walked to the door and said calmly, "You won't die from starving for two days. You have to get married whether you want to or not."

Wu Ming was eavesdropping at the door. When he heard it, he shouted, "I'm not getting engaged! I'm just dating! And you're all excitedly discussing engagement with Grandpa Xie's family? You're arranging a marriage! Go ahead and starve me to death!"

Wu Zhou looked down at Jiang Xia beside him, then lowered his voice and shouted, "Jiang Xia is here, Wu Ming, you get out here!"

Wu Ming suddenly flung open the door, saw Jiang Xia in front of him, and hugged her tightly, crying out, "Waaaaah, Jiang Xia!"

Jiang Xia stumbled from the impact and reached out to hug Wu Ming, but his hands remained awkwardly suspended in mid-air.

If two people are honest friends, I will boldly hug him and get close to him, feeling at ease and without any guilt.

But he felt guilty.

He liked Wu Ming, but felt ashamed for hiding his feelings and continuing to stay by Wu Ming's side. Now that he knew Wu Ming had a girlfriend, the closer he got to Wu Ming, the stronger this sense of shame became...

He had known for a long time that Wu Ming would marry someone else in the future, even if it wasn't Miss Xie, it would probably be Miss Wang, Miss Li...

Wu Ming was never meant to belong to her from the start; he would be someone else's lover. Even though that person hadn't appeared yet, Jiang Xia still couldn't convince herself to enjoy the tenderness of the present moment.

He would feel sorry for Wu Ming, and also for Wu Ming's future lover.

Jiang Xia lowered her eyes and said softly, "I heard you haven't eaten all day. Eat something first."

A short while later, Wu Ming appeared in the restaurant downstairs, frantically shoveling food into his bowl with both hands, his voice muffled: "Anyway, I will not agree to the engagement. If you hadn't brought Jiang Xia here, I wouldn't have eaten anything."

Jiang Xia put a large chicken leg in his bowl.

Wu Ming picked up the chicken leg and started gnawing on it.

His hair was a mess, and his mouth was greasy from eating; he was clearly starving.

After he had eaten a little more, he asked, "Jiang Xia, have you had dinner?"

Jiang Xia nodded: "I ate before I came."

Wu Ming continued eating, and after he was a little fuller, he realized: "Brother, why did you bring Jiang Xia here? Did you force him to come? He's not one of you."

His original intention was to avoid being forced to come by Wu Zhou, but when he heard the words "He is not one of you", Jiang Xia still felt a little bitter.

Wu Ming's friends are all wealthy and powerful, and he only shows respect to those of the same level. He is afraid that his friends will cause Jiang Xia to feel bad.

Wu Zhou replied casually, "On the way."

Wu Ming didn't think much of it; it was indeed on the way.

Mengcheng is divided into East City, West City, and Old City, with a Y-shaped layout. It is located at the confluence of two rivers, and no matter which city you are in, it is adjacent to the other two cities.

A note from the author:

Wu Zhou: Have you had dinner?

If Jiang Xia says he hasn't eaten, Mr. Wu can take him to eat first and then go get his brother.