Mr. He's expression remained unchanged, but his tone became a little more serious: "Do you think you did the right thing?"
Jiang Chen tilted his head slightly and looked up at Mr. He who was sitting at the top of the table. He looked straight at him and said, "Grandpa, what do you think we should do?"
Since Jiang Chen and He Qianjian's identities were revealed, the two had almost no communication, but there had never been any conflict. Occasionally, when He Qianmin and He Qianjian had a conflict, Jiang Chen would stop and appease them. Except for He Yanfeng and his wife and He Yanjun, although others had heard that they had a disagreement, they just thought it was a conflict between children. So when they first heard that Jiang Chen broke He Qianjian's leg without caring, everyone present had some doubts in their hearts.
When Mr. He asked this question, everyone was mentally prepared.
But Jiang Chen's answer, which was neither soft nor hard, and even slightly strong, surprised most of the people present. In their previous interactions, Jiang Chen had always been gentle and polite in his dealings with others, and there was almost no aggression in his tone at this time. He was not confrontational, and was even very calm. It was just that this question, which was almost a rebuttal, did not seem like something Jiang Chen could say in their impression.
"He Qianjian injured your friend. You can be angry, but you can't fight violence with violence." Mr. He said in a deep voice: "There are many ways to solve it, but you chose the most violent one. Do you think you did the right thing?"
Jiang Chen pursed his lips, lowered his eyes and said, "Grandpa, if there are many ways to solve the problem, but there is only one way to deal with some people, do you think I should solve it or not?"
After the words were spoken, the restaurant fell into silence.
"My humble servant!" He Yanfeng frowned and said in a low voice, then stood up and said, "Come with me to the study."
Jiang Chen followed He Yanfeng up to the second floor. When his figure disappeared, He Qianmin seemed to wake up from a dream and immediately followed him.
"Sit down!" Mr. He said in a deep voice, "Continue eating."
He Qianmin pointed at his bowl: "Grandpa, I'm done."
"Go do your homework after you finish eating." Mr. He also stood up: "Don't follow me upstairs."
Yang Yun held He Qianmin, glanced upstairs with some concern, sighed softly, and was about to say something, but out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of the pride and resentment that He Qianjian had not yet had time to restrain. She was slightly startled, and felt her heart completely chilled.
"Mom." He Qianyu pulled Yang Yun's sleeve and whispered, "Will Dad and Grandpa punish my brother? Go up and persuade Dad."
"It's okay." Yang Yun patted her daughter's head and comforted her: "Dad won't punish your brother. Mom promises. Don't worry."
Yang Yun was sure that her husband would never really scold their son. She called him just now to avoid a real conflict between Jiang Chen and the old man. After all, they had been married for many years, and she could still distinguish between real anger and fake anger. But the old man didn't know what He Qianjian had done. Because they were worried about his health and knew that Mr. He had different feelings for He Qianjian than for other children, they kept everything He Qianjian had done from him.
Until now, the old man believed that the substitution of He Qianjian and Jiang Chen was a conspiracy by outsiders, and Jiang Chen and He Qianjian were both innocent. So they were not surprised that the old man would speak for He Qianjian this time. After all, at an old age, who doesn't like a harmonious family, especially the old man attaches great importance to family unity and harmony.
"Of course my dad won't say anything to my brother. He was the one who stepped aside when my brother went to beat up He Qianjian." He Qianjian pouted and said, "But it's hard to say for grandpa. In his heart, He Qianjian is his most precious grandson."
"Qian Min." Yang Yun frowned slightly, "Don't talk nonsense."
"Why are you talking nonsense?" He Qianmin said, "Whenever I had a conflict with him, didn't grandpa stand on He Qianjian's side?"
He Yanjun glanced at He Qianjian, who had been keeping his head down and seemed helpless to endure it, and said lightly: "Okay, stop talking and go watch TV."
He Qianmin snorted coldly and stood up with great movement. The stool rubbed against the floor with a loud noise. He went to the living room without looking back.
"This brat." He Yanjun shook his head, stood up, and said to Yang Yun: "Your sister-in-law and I will go back first."
Yang Yun took He Qianyu's hand and stood up to see He Yanjun and his wife off. She walked them all the way to the door before returning to the living room to watch TV with He Qianmin.
He Qianjian sat in the empty restaurant, the pride in his eyes gradually turned into gloom. He threw away his chopsticks and stood up.
In the study.
He Yanfeng closed the door and said to Jiang Chen, "You kid, you dared to lose your temper at your grandfather for the first time. You are tougher than your father."
Jiang Chen paused slightly, his expression a little hesitant. He had never heard He Yanfeng speak in this tone before, and wasn't he calling him up to rebuke or lecture him?
"You think I'm schizophrenic if you think your dad is me. I was the one who asked you to go upstairs in the first place. If I keep scolding you, wouldn't that be slapping myself in the face?"
He Yanfeng knew what Jiang Chen was thinking as soon as he saw his expression. Strangely enough, Jiang Chen was not the type of person who showed his emotions too much. Although he was gentle most of the time, he also kept a certain distance from others, so it was difficult to see his emotions from beneath his polite surface.
But I don’t know if it’s because of the blood relationship, but Jiang Chen was obviously not raised by him, but his personality is almost a replica of when he was young. He may not understand Jiang Chen, but it is impossible for him not to understand himself, so he can guess Jiang Chen’s expression and action.
Before, the child had always been unwilling to open his heart to accept them, so his emotions were always indifferent when facing them, whether he was happy or angry, it almost disappeared in a flash. But ever since he ran over and beat He Qianjian up that night, I don’t know if it was because he vented his anger, the layer between him and them has become much thinner.
He Yanfeng was actually happy to see the turbulent conversation between him and the old man tonight. If Jiang Chen had not unconsciously regarded this place as his home, with his usual personality, he would never say such a contradictory word. It's just that Jiang Chen himself may not have realized this.
No matter what, He Yanfeng felt very happy. After such a long time of getting along and working hard, he finally saw a little bit of results.
Jiang Chen was not used to He Yanfeng's speaking style. In previous conversations with He Yanfeng, he was mostly elegant, gentle and rational. The content of their conversations was mostly business-like. When they occasionally joked, they kept a good distance and made people feel comfortable.
It’s not that I feel uncomfortable now, but the sudden change always makes me feel a little confused and I don’t know how to deal with his new way of speaking.
He Yanfeng did not give Jiang Chen time to prepare. He put his arm around his shoulders and pushed him down to sit on the sofa. He crossed his legs and said, "Believe it or not, if I scold you, your grandfather will come in within two minutes. If the two of us remain quiet, your grandfather will appear on time in ten minutes."
Jiang Chen didn't have time to think about how to adapt to He Yanfeng's sudden change in conversation style. He was attracted by what he said and couldn't help asking, "How can you be sure?"
He Yanfeng raised his eyebrows and looked at him with a smile: "Let's make a bet?"
Jiang Chen paused, raised the corners of his mouth slightly, and nodded.
"Then which one do you choose, quarrel or silence?"
Jiang Chen really wanted to know what would happen if He Yanfeng scolded someone. He Qianmin had told him before that the He family did not advocate beating or scolding in education. No matter how big a mistake a child made, they would generally be given a lecture, and even bigger mistakes would be cut off from their financial support. So even if he fought at school, He Yanfeng never punished him.
Without thinking too much, Jiang Chen chose the first option.
He Yanfeng put down his crossed legs, curled his lips at him, and suddenly his face changed, and he shouted angrily: "Do you know how to talk to your elders!"
"You talked back to your grandfather at the dinner table, and you still dare to say you were right?"
"Jiang Chen! I'm telling you! You'd better reflect on what happened today and then go to your grandfather and apologize to him, otherwise your mother and I will never let you be so rude!"
"Are you wrong?" After a pause, He Yanfeng's voice suddenly rose, he grabbed an ashtray and smashed it on the ground: "Tell me! Are you wrong or not!"
Jiang Chen glanced at the broken pieces of the ashtray at his feet, and before he could react to the speed of his expression changing, he heard the study door being forcefully opened.
Mr. He appeared at the door of the study and walked in with big strides. After seeing that Jiang Chen was fine, he breathed a sigh of relief and pointed at He Yanfeng, frowning: "How do you educate your child? You even smashed things! Do you look like a father at all!"
He Yanfeng hadn't come out of the play yet. He frowned, looking angry: "Dad, I'm educating him. Jiang Chen is my son. I have my own way of educating him. You go out first, and I'll..."
"What else?!" Mr. He interrupted him and asked in a deep voice, "Do you still want to beat him?"
He Yanfeng: "Didn't you beat me and my brother like this back then?"
Mr. He paused and pointed at him: "If I beat you, you deserved it! Look at you now. If I didn't beat you then, you would deserve it even more than you do now!"
He Yanfeng's mouth twitched, and he forced himself to continue: "I am teaching him now because I want him to know that it was wrong for him to talk back to you just now. Isn't it because I want him to avoid being beaten in the future that I am educating him like this?"
"How did he talk back?" Mr. He asked back, "He just asked me a question, and you called him up before I answered. What are you doing? Are you rebelling?"
"No, no, no, I wouldn't dare to rebel against you no matter who I rebel against." He Yanfeng said, "Please go out and I will talk to you nicely. I haven't finished talking to him yet."
"What else do you want to say?" Mr. He said warily, "I've long said that you have problems educating your children. Qian Jian and Qian Min fight and quarrel at home every day. It's ok that you can't manage the relationship between the two children, but now Xiaochen has also been led astray by you! Do you think I don't know that he hurt Qian Jian before because you tacitly encouraged him!"
He Yanfeng couldn't act anymore. He really felt wronged. "Dad, please be reasonable. Was it me who caused the conflict between Qian Jian and Qian Min? If you hadn't sided with He Qianjian, would their relationship have become like this?"
"I'm on Qian Jian's side?" Mr. He's eyes widened with anger. "Why didn't you tell me that I wanted you to find out the truth? You can't find anything no matter how hard you try. The doctors all said that Qian Min was just talking nonsense because he was stimulated. What Qian Jian said is the truth. If I don't help him, who can I help?"
He Yanfeng choked. It was true that nothing could be found about the car accident at the beginning. But now he had a clue, but he couldn't tell the old man directly. He could only hold back and said, "Let's not talk about that. Aren't we talking about Xiaochen's business now? He just contradicted you at the dinner table. Isn't it normal for me to teach him a lesson?"
"I said he talked back to me?" Mr. He slammed the sofa heavily, refusing to admit it.
He Yanfeng glanced at Jiang Chen, winked at him, and asked Mr. He: "So what are you doing here?"
Mr. He asked back, "This is my study. What do you think I'm doing here?"
"Grandpa." Jiang Chen stood up and pursed his lips slightly, saying, "I really didn't pay attention to my tone when I spoke to you just now. I'm sorry."
Mr. He paused, looked at Jiang Chen, and said in a softer voice, "Xiaochen, Grandpa doesn't blame you, nor is he partial to Qianjian. It's just that Grandpa thinks you are too young and you are prone to act impulsively without considering the consequences. Have you ever thought that if you and Qianjian have a conflict and it really leads to irreversible consequences, your father, mother, and your adoptive parents will be in trouble in the end?"
Jiang Chen was silent for a moment. To be honest, he had not thought about what Mr. He had just asked him. He had always thought that Mr. He had preconceived ideas and always favored He Qianjian when facing He Qianmin and He Qianjian, but how could he not be biased?
He not only had preconceived notions about Mr. He, he even had preconceived notions about everyone in the He family except He Qianmin and He Qianyu. It was only now that he realized it.
Not long after returning to school, the third mock exam came as scheduled.
When Jiang Chen was in graduate school, he would spend two hours every day practicing compound questions, so when he faced the test papers again, he was not as unfamiliar as others thought. On the contrary, because the three mock exam questions were relatively simple, he finished each exam long in advance.
After two days of mock exams, the school basically entered the independent review period. Jiang Chen's return to school was like a pebble casting ripples on the calm lake, which spread out shallowly in a moment and did not give the senior students much time to pay attention.
However, it was different for Class 1 of Grade 3. Students from other classes paid less attention to him due to distance or unfamiliarity, but Jiang Chen's classmates were almost unable to contain their joy. Not for anything else, the longer Jiang Chen sat in the classroom, the more questions they could ask, and the more questions they asked, the greater their confidence in the college entrance examination would be.
All the students in Class 1 of Senior 3 knew that Jiang Chen was a god at explaining questions. If one wanted to check his performance, one could find out by looking at the rankings of Shen Xu and Huo Bo on the grade list in the Cultural Gallery.
Before the results of the third mock test came out, the senior class asked Fu Jinyu for a physical education class and played basketball happily. Jiang Chen had been lacking exercise during this period and had been staying in the laboratory with a group of adults. He lost two balls when he first came on the court. Fortunately, he and Shen Xu cooperated well and barely won by two points.
After playing basketball, the other students went to the cafeteria after a while, while Jiang Chen and Shen Xu sat in the stands of the playground, watching a group of boys in unknown grades play basketball while waiting for Huo Bo and He Qianmin to finish class. They hadn't gathered together for a long time. They hadn't had time in the past two days because they were preparing for the third mock exam. Now that they were free, they made an appointment to go to the hot pot restaurant outside the school for lunch.
A boy on the court shot a three-pointer from outside the arc. Shen Xu clapped his hands vigorously and said loudly, "Beautiful."
Maybe because of the loud noise here, the boys playing basketball soon noticed them. The boy who had just shot the three-pointer was pushed by several people and staggered a few times, then jogged over here.
"Brother Chen Xu, Master Jiang." The boy scratched the back of his sweaty head shyly and said with a silly smile, "I just saw you guys playing basketball. Do you want to play with us? We all want to play basketball with you guys."
Jiang Chen glanced at the time, smiled and said, "The get out of class will be over soon. We are going to go out to eat later. I will play basketball with you again if there is a chance in the future."
The boy nodded vigorously, as if a little embarrassed, and said "Sorry to bother you guys" and turned to leave. After walking a few steps, he turned back and put his hands to his mouth and said loudly: "Good luck in the college entrance examination!"
Jiang Chen and Shen Xu were stunned for a moment, looked at each other, and then laughed.
Chen Xu stood up, put his hands to his mouth, and shouted, "Let's play together next time!"
Jiang Chenchao waved his hand and said loudly with a smile: "Thank you, Junior Brother!"
The boy ran away laughing, and Shen Xu laughed and laughed, and suddenly said with emotion: "I didn't expect that we will have to take the college entrance examination so soon."
Jiang Chen tilted his head and smiled, "Can't bear to leave high school?"
"Not really." Chen Xu shook his head: "It's just that time flies by so fast. We have all grown up so quickly. The life before your family got into trouble and Huo Bo left seems so far away."
Jiang Chen supported himself on the ground with his hands and looked up at the blue sky. It really seemed so far away, as if two lifetimes had passed.
"Jiang Zi..." Chen Xu turned his head and lowered his voice: "The college entrance examination is coming soon. Have you thought about how to tell your aunt about this?"
"Not yet." Jiang Chen paused and said, "I've thought about it a lot, but I still don't know how to say it."
Chen Xu raised his hand and patted his shoulder: "Auntie can understand, don't worry too much." Changing the subject: "By the way. Is our sister more lovely? I haven't seen her for a long time. I will go to your house to see her after school this afternoon."
"Then have dinner at my house and invite Huo Bo to join us. My mom was talking to me about you guys before."
"Okay."
The bell rang for the end of get out of class and students came out of the teaching building one after another. Jiang Chen and Shen Xu stood on the campus avenue, searching for Huo Bo and He Qianmin.
Chen Xu quickly spotted He Qianmin in the crowd and waved to him. He Qianmin, who was about 1.8 meters tall, was very conspicuous. He Qianmin quickly ran over and asked, "Brother Huo Bo hasn't come yet?"
Chen Xu: "He's upstairs, go slowly, I've already reserved a seat, it's okay to go there later."
He Qianmin nodded, walked to Jiang Chen and asked him what Mr. He and He Yanfeng said to him in the study of the old house a few days ago.
Jiang Chen thought of the scene that day and laughed a little. He shook his head and was about to speak when his cell phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, Jiang Chen was surprised for a moment and picked up the phone and said, "Grandpa Xiang?"
“…”
"Really?"
“…”
"I haven't received any news yet. Is the location set at the Cybersecurity Bureau? When will it start?"
“…”
"Okay, I'll take a leave of absence this afternoon and go there by myself."
After hanging up the phone, Huo Bo came over. Jiang Chen raised his eyebrows slightly: "Let's go eat first, and I'll tell you a good news later."
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