Chapter 11: Spying makes it impossible to concentrate.
Gift-giving is an art.
To truly touch someone's heart, you have to put in some effort.
Jiang Lekai, the young master of the Jiang family, is pampered and lacks nothing materially, except for his childlike innocence.
In the years since returning to the Jiang family, Jiang Chuyu and he haven't had much interaction, only superficially being siblings. After all, compared to her sister who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, Jiang Lekai clearly preferred Zou Letong, with whom he spent every day.
Jiang Chuyu never expected Jiang Lekai to treat her well; she just wanted things to stay out of his way. However, tomorrow was his birthday, and in front of her parents, she would try her best to play the role of "older sister."
After leaving the phone booth, Jiang Chuyu opened a shopping app to check the logistics information.
A while ago, she spent several thousand yuan to buy Jiang Lekai a set of Marvel superhero figurines, and the package just arrived at the self-pickup point today.
Jiang Chuyu put away her phone, glanced at Gu Zeming who was busy, and finally refrained from disturbing him.
Lin Yun and Zhou Xinsheng returned after dinner, it was already past 1 p.m. The three of them rested briefly before continuing their hard work until the afternoon, finally managing to finish their group assignment.
Lin Yun rubbed her sore shoulders and boasted, "It still has to be the three of us!"
Zhou Xinsheng scoffed and said narcissistically, "What does this have to do with you? It's all my doing."
Lin Yun spat at him, too lazy to waste any more words on him, and directly asked Jiang Chuyu, "Shall we go to McDonald's for a burger to celebrate?"
Jiang Chuyu tidied up the table and politely declined, saying, "I have something to do tonight, you two go ahead."
"Forget it then," Lin Yun said irritably. "I'm not going to eat with that guy surnamed Zhou."
*
In the evening, when I came out of the library, the sun had already set.
Jiang Chuyu picked up her package at the self-pickup point.
The box that came with the package was a bit ugly, so to make the gift look more beautiful and thoughtful, she spent a little money to buy a gift box and put the figurine back in.
The following evening at 7 p.m., Jiang Shan personally drove to University A to pick her up.
Jiang Chuyu opened the car door and saw Jiang Lekai sitting in the back seat.
The young master has entered his rebellious teenage years, putting on a grumpy face and trying to act cool.
Jiang Chuyu found it a bit funny, bent down to get into the car, closed the door casually, and handed over the gift.
"Happy birthday."
Jiang Lekai slightly lifted his eyelids, glanced at the box with disdain, and didn't take it.
Jiang Shan glanced at him in the rearview mirror and smiled as she smoothed things over: "Xiao Kai has always wanted a set of Marvel figurines, you've really put in the effort. Xiao Kai, quickly thank your sister."
"oh."
Urged by Jiang Shan, Jiang Lekai reluctantly accepted the box and said emotionlessly, "Thank you, sister."
"You're welcome."
Jiang Chuyu sat down and fastened her seatbelt.
The siblings, one on the left and one on the right, seemed to be separated by a galaxy.
The Maserati starts.
As usual, Jiang Shan asked her about her studies and life.
Jiang Chuyu gave a unified answer that everything was fine.
Even the worst students from University A can't be that bad.
Jiang Shan only hopes that Jiang Chuyu can graduate smoothly and marry a man of equal social standing. She won't care too much about other things. Right now, her mind is entirely on Jiang Lekai.
Jiang Shan: "Your brother is going to be assigned to a minor language class recently, and he wants to learn French. I'm planning to find a tutor to help him. Do you have any recommendations?"
Jiang Chuyu glanced at Jiang Lekai out of the corner of her eye.
The young master pouted, feigning profundity, and looked unwilling to have too much contact with her.
Jiang Chuyu hadn't intended to get involved in his affairs, but as the words were about to come out, she suddenly remembered something and changed her mind.
“University A has many outstanding talents. You can tell me your requirements, and I will go back to the school to help Xiao Kai find a few candidates.”
Jiang Shan said, "First of all, the person must be of good character and academic performance. It would be best if they had received a school-level scholarship, and their French level must be C1 or above. Salary is negotiable."
Even at A University, this level of achievement would be considered exceptional.
Jiang Chuyu immediately pictured Gu Zeming's face in her mind.
He can do online translation work and understand such a thick French book, so his French level should be C1.
Jiang Chuyu: "I have a very suitable candidate, but I need to ask him about his personal wishes first."
Jiang Shan: "Sure, Mom rented an apartment near the affiliated high school. You can have him come for an interview next week."
The two hit it off immediately and were both very happy, except for Jiang Lekai, who was sullen.
His sister, Zou Letong, is a French major at a foreign language university. His original intention was to use the pretext of hiring a tutor to give Zou Letong a way to return to the Jiang family. However, Jiang Shan completely failed to understand his intention and actually asked Jiang Chuyu to introduce him to a tutor. He was extremely frustrated.
Throughout the journey, the young master remained silent, constantly giving Jiang Chuyu a cold shoulder.
But Jiang Chuyu was chatting with Jiang Shan and didn't pay any attention to him.
The young master gritted his teeth in anger and decided that from now until the end of his birthday dinner, he would not say another word to her.
Upon arriving at the restaurant, Jiang Shan parked her car on the roadside.
As soon as Jiang Chuyu opened the car door, she saw an uninvited guest.
Zou Letong, Jiang Lekai's "good sister," is standing at the restaurant entrance with a Marvel figurine gift box in her hand.
That set of figurines is exactly the same as the one she bought.
Jiang Chuyu was stunned.
Jiang Lekai's eyes lit up, and he ran over before Jiang Shan could speak.
"sister!"
Jiang Shan sighed with a headache and said to Jiang Chuyu, "Your brother is too young and doesn't understand things. Don't be angry with him."
Jiang Chuyu smiled and said, "It's nothing."
When Zou Letong saw them approaching, she subconsciously called out "Mom," but then quickly corrected herself as if she had done something wrong, saying, "Aunt Jiang, Miss Jiang, it's Xiao Kai's birthday today. I'm just passing by to give him a gift. Please don't be angry."
Even a fool could tell that Jiang Lekai had given her the restaurant address.
Jiang Shan nodded, and said indifferently, "Is there anything else?"
Zou Letong said nervously, "No, I'll leave right away."
As she spoke, she walked away slowly, looking back every three steps, like a frightened little lamb.
Jiang Lekai said angrily, "Mom, why didn't you invite Tongjie to stay for dinner?"
"Why should I stay?" Jiang Shan retorted angrily. "Your own sister is still here."
Jiang Lekai glared at Jiang Chuyu and stormed inside.
? ? ?
baffling.
Jiang Chuyu looked at him, completely bewildered.
Jiang Shan: "Xiao Kai and she have lived together for ten years. Although they are not related by blood, their feelings for each other cannot be easily broken. Today is Xiao Kai's birthday, so please forgive him this once. Mom will make it up to you."
Jiang Chuyu smiled and said, "It's alright. I'm already very happy to be back by your side."
Her smile deepened Jiang Shan's sense of guilt.
"Do you have enough living expenses lately? If not, Mom will transfer tens of thousands more to you every month so you can buy some nice clothes and jewelry."
Jiang Chuyu hesitated for a few seconds before saying, "Thank you, Mom."
Tonight, besides the family of four, there were also several business tycoons and their families.
Before entering the private room, Jiang Shan instructed her: "Li Sen, the eldest son of the Li family, is a nice person. He is also from your A University and is currently a first-year graduate student. You should chat with him more and try to become friends with him."
Jiang Chuyu had only been back in the Jiang family for a few years. Jiang Shan was afraid that she would think that she wanted to get rid of her, so she urged her to get married in a roundabout way. She wanted her to date Li Sen as ordinary friends for a year or two first, and if it was suitable, they could get married after she graduated.
Jiang Chuyu nodded: "Okay."
Upon entering the private room, Jiang Shan introduced her to everyone.
Jiang Chuyu called every man "uncle" and every woman "aunt." After walking around, she didn't remember much, except for one handsome middle-aged man who liked to play with cigars. His phoenix eyes always had a smile on them, but everyone around him respected him and was also afraid of him.
Li Sen noticed her gaze and explained, "He is Qin Jiyuan, the most powerful businessman in Beijing's business circle. Everyone calls him Boss Qin. It's normal that you don't know him since you just returned to the Jiang family."
Jiang Chuyu was surprised by his observation skills. She looked away and joked, "Senior doesn't look like someone who studies finance. He looks more like a top student in criminal investigation."
Li Sen: "What do you mean?"
Jiang Chuyu: “The insight is first-rate.”
Li Sen smiled, revealing a shallow dimple on his left cheek. He looked very approachable, like a friendly older brother next door. He also had a good personality, communicating with people in a balanced way, neither overly enthusiastic nor too cold.
Jiang Chuyu had a good impression of him.
If I had to choose someone to marry in the future, Li Sen, who is a good match for me, would indeed be a good choice.
As the meal drew to a close, the adults began discussing business matters, which Jiang Chuyu didn't quite understand and was feeling drowsy.
Li Sen suggested, "Shall we go for a walk together?"
Jiang Chuyu: "Is that okay?"
After informing both sets of parents, Li Sen said to the man who was being fawned over, "Uncle Qin, I'll take Chu Yu back to school now."
Qin Jiyuan glanced at him, then looked at Jiang Chuyu beside him, narrowed his eyes slightly, tapped the cigar in his hand, and nodded. "Be careful."
When Li Sen said "strolling," he actually meant having the driver drop them off at the entrance of University A, and then walking back to their dormitories.
Li Sen: "Taking a walk after meals helps with digestion."
Jiang Chuyu chimed in, "It's just a bit hot."
Although the nighttime temperature is only in the twenties, the humidity is high, so it feels hot.
Li Sen: "It was my oversight."
Jiang Chuyu smiled: "Do you usually like to reflect on yourself this much?"
Li Sen: "No, it's just that on certain occasions, I want to perform more perfectly."
Jiang Chuyu: "For example?"
Li Sen: "Now."
Jiang Chuyu paused, turning her head to look at him.
On summer nights, the wind is hot, and the moonlight is clear and bright.
The people around me have gentle features, which makes me feel very comfortable.
Jiang Chuyu looked at Li Sen and felt her heart calm down a lot. Just then, a strange noise came from behind her, like the sound of a sack rubbing against the ground, creaking and groaning, which made her scalp tingle.
Jiang Chuyu couldn't help but turn around and look at the source of the sound.
A person stood a dozen meters away, dragging a dark green burlap sack. He was bathed in moonlight, but his face was hidden in darkness and indistinct.
Jiang Chuyu was all too familiar with that figure.
It's Gu Zeming!
Is he so poor that he's started scavenging for trash again?
Her gaze lingered for so long that Li Sen soon noticed Gu Zeming as well.
"Is it someone we know?" he asked.
Jiang Chuyu replied after careful consideration, "Not really, we just know each other."
Li Sen: "Oh, should we go over and say hello?"
Jiang Chuyu: "No need, let's go."
No one likes being watched while picking up trash, right?
Moreover, for some reason, she was quite reluctant to let the two men meet.
The two continued walking towards the dormitory, but the strange noises behind them lingered and occasionally made a loud bang, making it impossible for Jiang Chuyu to concentrate.
Li Sen insisted on escorting her to the entrance of her dormitory building.
Li Sen: "May I have your contact information?"
"certainly."
Jiang Chuyu readily exchanged phone numbers and WeChat accounts with him, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gu Zeming walking by the roadside with a cold face, dragging a sack.
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