Chapter 51 Preemptive Strike

Jiang Chuan was chatting with Lin Min when he heard the sounds of Liu Wenbin stirring and flipping the wok in the kitchen. Hearing Lin Yu's voice, he turned around and put down his teacup, the porcelain clinking against the glass coffee table.

A smile played on his lips, the chunky knit of his navy blue sweater accentuating his refined and handsome features. The rising steam from the floral tea blurred Jiang Chuan's outline, making his already travel-worn face appear even paler. "There's a project nearby, so I thought I'd check it out!"

Lin Yu stared at his fingers, red from the cold, and thought to herself that this lie was truly absurd; what project wouldn't stop working during the Lunar New Year? But she didn't dare expose him in front of Lin Min, fearing that he would become desperate and reveal everything about their affair.

If Lin Min knew that her daughter was so indecent outside, she would be so angry that she would chase after her with a broom and beat her.

Seeing Lin Yu frozen in the middle of the living room, Lin Min got up and quickly walked over to her, grabbed her daughter's wrist, and pressed her down onto the sofa opposite Jiang Chuan. "Dinner will be ready in a bit."

She lightly pinched the cuff of Lin Yu's sweater, her eyes glancing at the carefully arranged fruit platter on the coffee table. "I'll talk to Xiao Jiang for a bit, then I'll go check on your Uncle Liu in the kitchen."

Lin Yu watched her mother's figure disappear completely into the kitchen. The moment the door closed, she jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on and rushed to Jiang Chuan's side. "Why are you here?"

"Wait, how did you find your way here?" She clearly remembered that Jiang Chuan had wished her a safe journey on WeChat just a few days ago. Did he fly here with this wind?

Jiang Chuan looked down at her flustered appearance, a slight smile playing on his lips, and slowly sipped his tea. "Your address is on your ID card."

He ignored Lin Yu's wary and suspicious expression, pitifully slipping his cold fingers into the cuff of her sweater and pressing them against her warm wrist. "I asked my way here and walked for half an hour on a snowy road before I finally found your house."

He held her wrist loosely, his fingertips gently stroking her pulse, his voice tinged with a hint of grievance. "My hands are almost frozen off."

Lin Yu tried to pull her hand away, but he gripped it even tighter. After triumphantly locking her wrist, he smiled contentedly, "I should have asked you to pick me up at the airport!"

Lin Yu abruptly shook off his hand, her entire body tense. She grabbed Jiang Chuan by the collar of his sweater and pulled him close. "How did you introduce yourself to my mother?" she whispered. "I'm warning you, don't say things you shouldn't!"

Jiang Chuan let her pull him along, even moving closer with her pull until she could smell the faint scent of white pine on him, mixed with the chill of the journey. A sly glint flashed in his eyes as he deliberately lowered his voice to tease her.

"I told the auntie that you've turned your back on me after you've done your thing, so I can only beg the uncle and auntie to uphold justice for me!"

"You idiot..." Lin Yu's pupils constricted, and he reflexively covered Jiang Chuan's mouth, his voice rising suddenly before he guiltily lowered it again. "...You're crazy! Didn't we agree to give you an answer on the tenth?"

Jiang Chuan's lips curved into a smile beneath her palm. He blinked, his eyelashes brushing against her fingertips. "Really waiting until the tenth..." His voice, muffled and deep, came through Lin Yu's hand, sending a shiver down her spine. "You probably don't even remember what I look like."

Lin Yu felt her palms burning from his breath. Jiang Chuan looked up at her from that position, his eyes filled with a subtle light. "I call this preemptive strike, so-so."

Just as Jiang Chuan was about to reach out and take Lin Yu's hand, the kitchen door creaked open. Lin Yu hurriedly pulled her hand back behind her back and rushed to Liu Wenbin's side.

"Uncle, let me do it!" She took the steaming plate, deliberately avoiding Jiang Chuan's gaze and leaving him standing aside.

Lin Min quickly stopped Jiang Chuan, who was about to help, and pointed towards the dining table. "Xiao Jiang, you're a guest, just go sit over there and wait for the meal to start, don't bother!"

"Mom, let him do some chores. He'll eat better if he moves around a bit!" Lin Yu patted the damp rag onto Jiang Chuan's palm. "We don't support idlers in our family! The more effort he puts in, the more food he gets!"

Jiang Chuan smiled and took the rag from Lin Yu's hand. He neatly cleaned the table, set out the bowls and chopsticks, and then Liu Wenbin, who had finished cleaning, patted his shoulder and helped him sit back down at the table.

"Don't listen to this girl's nonsense." He turned and gestured towards the kitchen. "Banban, go get that bottle of wine from my cupboard!"

"Which bottle? The one with the pickled radishes?" Lin Yu turned and walked towards the kitchen, wiping his half-wet hands on his pants.

"You silly boy!" Liu Wenbin chuckled, pulling out a chair and inviting Lin Min to sit opposite Jiang Chuan, leaving the empty seat next to him for Lin Yu. "That bottle your Principal Sun gave me before the New Year! The one with a ginseng root in it!"

Liu Wenbin used the wall cabinet by the kitchen entrance specifically to store liquor. Neatly stacked on the left were inexpensive everyday bottles, while on the right were finer spirits for entertaining guests. Liu Wenbin didn't drink much; he'd only remember to sip a couple of times when there was good food.

Lin Yu opened the cabinet door, and there sat the bottle of ginseng-infused liquor in the most prominent position on the right. She couldn't help but click her tongue, wondering what kind of spell Jiang Chuan had cast on the two elders that made Uncle Liu treat them to such fine wine.

As she came out carrying the wine bottle, she overheard Lin Min excitedly telling Jiang Chuan about embarrassing childhood stories. Jiang Chuan was leaning forward, listening intently, when Lin Yu rushed over to interrupt them. "Is this the right bottle?"

"Yes, yes, please sit down." Liu Wenbin took the bottle, glanced at it, spun it halfway across the table, and pointed to the alcohol content engraved on the bottle. "Xiao Jiang, want to have a couple of drinks with your uncle? This wine is smooth and won't give you a headache!"

"Uncle Liu, he can't hold his liquor!" Lin Yu suddenly interrupted, thinking of the wound on Jiang Chuan's arm. Although it had scabbed over by the last time he saw him, newly formed skin is most susceptible to alcohol irritation. "I'll drink with you!"

Lin Min's gaze subtly shifted between the two. From the moment Jiang Chuan stepped through the door, she sensed the unusual relationship between him and her daughter. What kind of friend would travel over two thousand kilometers, carrying so many expensive gifts, just to stop by and have a casual visit? Her daughter's current objection only solidified her suspicions.

Lin Min didn't want her daughter to expose her drinking problem too much in front of others, which made her think of Lin Jianguo. She didn't want her daughter to become like her father.

"With your alcohol tolerance of three cups and you're already drunk," Lin Min said, pressing down on her daughter's hand as she reached for the glass, giving her wrist a warning squeeze. "Go turn on the TV, the Spring Festival Gala is about to start!"

Lin Yu pouted, about to retort, when her mother gave her a glare, and she reluctantly stood up. "Didn't you say that watching TV while eating is bad for digestion?"

“It’s New Year’s Eve today, and we’re going to stay up late and eat dumplings later. Either way, it’s hard to digest. Can I give you a day off?” Lin Min turned and winked at Liu Wenbin. “Xiao Jiang, I usually keep an eye on your Uncle Liu and don’t let him drink. It’s New Year’s, so you should keep him company!”

"Of course." Jiang Chuan took the wine bottle from Liu Wenbin and filled their glasses to about seven-tenths full. "Uncle and Aunt, I rarely drink, but thanks to Lin Yu today, I'm drinking such good wine. I'll definitely keep you company!"

Liu Wenbin lightly tapped his wine glass on the turntable and exchanged a knowing glance with Lin Min.

Four clean sets of bowls and chopsticks were set on the table, with Liu Wenbin's signature dishes of braised pork ribs with green beans and steamed mandarin fish in the center. Liu Wenbin ladled a bowl of turtle soup and pushed it in front of Jiang Chuan. "These are just some home-style dishes, Xiao Jiang, see if you can eat them!"

"Uncle, you're too kind. Just looking at the dishes, I know your cooking skills are on par with state banquet standards." Jiang Chuan hadn't even picked up his chopsticks when he caught Lin Yu secretly pouting to himself out of the corner of his eye. Liu Wenbin, on the other hand, was quite pleased and laughed heartily at the flattery.

Lin Min lightly kicked her daughter under the table, signaling Lin Yu to be mindful of his appearance and not lose his composure in front of others. She then placed a piece of snow-white fish into Jiang Chuan's bowl.

"It's a pity Lin Yu didn't learn anything! He's completely lazy and doesn't know anything about farming." The complaint, though seemingly a criticism, was actually a test of Jiang Chuan's abilities.

“She doesn’t need to know these things.” Jiang Chuan glanced at Lin Yu, who was rummaging through her empty bowl, and said without hesitation, “It’s good for her to do what she likes. Cooking is hard work, and it’s more suitable for men.”

Lin Min paused in her chopsticks, her brows relaxed slightly, and Jiang Chuan knew he had finally passed the first hurdle.

The atmosphere at the table gradually warmed up. Jiang Chuan waited until the elders started eating before calmly picking up his chopsticks, placing a piece of stir-fried vegetables into Lin Yu's bowl, and finally adding food for himself.

Lin Yu admired his skillful movements as he deftly separated the fish meat from the bones with the tips of his chopsticks. After a while, a spoonful of snow-white gill meat suddenly landed in her bowl.

It was the first time she had ever received such care from an elder. Her ears burned with embarrassment, and she was about to grab some juice to cover it up when she saw Jiang Chuan raise his glass to toast Lin Min and Liu Wenbin.

"Uncle and Aunt, I'd like to offer you a toast." Jiang Chuan raised his glass with both hands, leaned slightly forward, and kept the rim of his glass lower than Liu Wenbin's glass, revealing a section of his slender wrist bone through his sleeve.

"Thank you for taking me in and for your hospitality, Uncle. Please make yourself at home." He tilted his head back as he drank, his Adam's apple bobbing, and finished the drink with a clean, swift motion, the bottom of the glass facing the sky.

Lin Yu watched his composed demeanor with great interest for a while, biting the tip of his chopsticks and stealing glances at his mother, only to meet Lin Min's smiling, amused expression.

The snow outside the window gradually intensified, while inside, the atmosphere was lively and filled with the aroma of wine. The meal lasted until almost nine o'clock, and apart from Lin Yu feeling awkward, the overall atmosphere was very harmonious.

Lin Yu even felt like the one who was superfluous, and several times she wanted to get up and leave the table to watch the skit, but Lin Min stopped her each time. She sat back down reluctantly, watching Jiang Chuan and Liu Wenbin clink glasses repeatedly.

Both of them were a little tipsy. Liu Wenbin put his arm around Jiang Chuan's shoulder and exclaimed, "Little Jiang is such a good kid! Good job, good looks, good character, Uncle likes you! Come visit often!"

Lin Yu thought to himself, "Easier said than done. Two thousand kilometers isn't something you can just walk over like that, unless he has a magic door."

Jiang Chuan held Liu Wenbin's hand, his eyes shimmering even more under the influence of alcohol, the faint red at the corners of his eyes resembling meticulously drawn eyeliner. Lin Yu suddenly realized that he possessed eyes that seemed to gaze with deep affection even into the air.

"Uncle, I like you too. You cook delicious food and you are kind. You and Auntie treat me like family!"

Seeing her husband's already moved expression, Lin Min realized she was about to reveal everything before even figuring out the other man's background. She quickly poured him a glass of warm water and handed it to him. "Xiao Jiang, you're from Shanghai, right? Coming all the way here during the New Year, won't your family worry?"

"Mom!" Seeing the faint blush on Jiang Chuan's face, Lin Yu put down her chopsticks on the bowl and quickly interrupted Lin Min's question, worried that it would bring up Jiang Chuan's sad memories. "If you drink any more, you'll lose your bearings. Do you even know where the hotel is? It's time to go!"