Chapter 33 "Are we reconciled?"
It was just a moment of strangeness. When Jiang Yao reacted, Duan Zhuxian's expression had returned to calm, like the wind passing over the lake, leaving no trace.
Jiang Yao narrowed his eyes and said, "If I'm not blind or deaf, your mother probably hasn't finished what she said yet."
Duan Zhuxian, who was sitting opposite him, put his phone back in his pocket and said, "The latter part is similar to the former. They are all blessings. There is no need to read them again."
"Yeah?"
Jiang Yao slowly stood up and walked in front of Duan Zhuxian. Suddenly, he bent down and placed his hands on the armrests on both sides, trapping Duan Zhuxian in the single sofa. He stared into his eyes with sharp eyes: "Duan Zhuxian, have you done something bad?"
Duan Zhuxian leaned back slightly and said, "No."
Jiang Yao didn't believe it: "Then why are you feeling guilty?"
He was anxious to know what his mother-in-law said next, but before he could ask any more, he was interrupted by an old but strong voice.
"It seems I came back at the wrong time."
Jiang Yao quickly stood up and looked towards the source of the sound. An old man with fishing gear on his back was walking towards them.
Duan Zhuxian straightened his clothes, stood up and said, "Grandpa."
Jiang Yao touched the tip of his nose awkwardly, picked up the gift box at hand, and handed it to the old man: "Mr. Qin, this is a pigment extracted from a rare mineral. I asked someone to find it in Africa."
Upon hearing this, the old man said "OK" three times in a row and said with a smile: "How did you know that I was short of paint recently?"
Jiang Yao also laughed.
He knew that Mr. Qin was trying to give him a way out. After all, as a famous painter, the last thing he would be short of was paint. But this showed that this old man was really as Duan Zhuxian said, quite easy to get along with.
Old Qin called Aunt Wang over, put away the paint, unloaded the fishing gear, and asked Duan Zhuxian to play Go with him.
Jiang Yao watched the game with great interest, and Duan Zhuxian gave up several moves without saying a word.
Watching someone play chess can help you observe his inner self. His chess character reflects his character. Duan Zhuxian is indeed a complete scheming person.
When the last move was made, Duan Zhuxian said, "Grandpa, I lost."
The old man hummed, showing no joy at winning the game. He immediately pushed Duan Zhuxian off the chess table and beckoned to Jiang Yao, "Let Xiao Jiang play."
Half an hour later, Jiang Yao won, a narrow victory.
On the chessboard in front of them, the desire to win between the black and white sides seemed to break through the chess pieces. It was a dangerous and exciting game, which could be called a wonderful game.
Old Qin stared at the chessboard for a long time with a serious expression, then glanced at Jiang Yao's face: "I thought you would give in to me like Zhuxian did."
"Master Qin is a master at chess, so why should he give in?" Jiang Yao shrugged and said bluntly, "Besides, just thinking about how to continue the game is enough to kill half my brain cells. How can I have the energy to figure out how to give in without anyone noticing?"
Upon hearing this, the seriousness on Mr. Qin's face instantly faded and he burst into laughter.
At dinner time, Mr. Qin planned to process the fish he had caught at noon, so he directed two young men to carry the barbecue grill to the artificial lake near his residence.
Taking the bucket of fish that Aunt Wang had prepared, Jiang Yao volunteered, "I'll grill it. You guys go over there and wait for dinner."
He didn't want to show off in front of Old Qin by doing this. He just realized that Old Qin must have something to say to Duan Zhuxian alone.
Duan Zhuxian leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Are you okay?"
Ever since he witnessed Jiang Yao's cooking skills that turned magic into decadence, Duan Zhuxian has been deliberately keeping Jiang Yao away from everything related to cooking.
Jiang Yao rolled his eyes at him and said, "I can't poison you to death anyway."
*
A few minutes later, Duan Zhuxian looked at Jiang Yao not far away and was still a little worried, but Jiang Yao lined up the fish in a row, rolled up his sleeves and started fishing left and right, which looked very promising.
Qin Laodao said, "I heard that you are very popular in Huayan recently."
Duan Zhuxian retracted his gaze and said calmly, "It's time to take back what they took away from us, with interest."
Old Qin sighed: "Your grandfather is a man of great concern. Because of your mother's situation, I'm afraid he won't hand Hua Yan over to you easily."
Duan Zhuxian said, "When there is no more suitable candidate, these grudges are not worth mentioning. After all, he has to consider the interests of the entire group, not the feudal empire's hereditary succession."
Over the years, he has already left behind the mob of people in the Duan family. Even if he is asked to take the position of chairman right now, he can take over with ease.
Qin Lao nodded: "As long as you know what's going on."
Changing the subject, he continued, "Come to think of it, Xiao Jiang is much better at pleasing people than you. You've found a treasure."
Upon hearing this, Duan Zhuxian looked at Jiang Yao, who was diligently basting the grilled fish, and his slightly cold eyes softened: "Well, he is likable."
"Time flies," Old Qin sighed, gesturing to waist height. "I still remember when you were this little, without even a toy to play with, and you only cared about reading books that even adults couldn't understand. It was as if you never knew there were more beautiful things in this world, and now, you even have a significant other."
"It's just that I hadn't encountered anything good at that time." Duan Zhuxian said, his eyes still looking in the direction of Jiang Yao.
Before he was fifteen, he really didn't care about anything except the giant ship of Huayan. His goal was to become the helmsman and never be manipulated again. To achieve this, he could abandon everything in his life that had nothing to do with it.
But when he was fifteen, he met Jiang Yao.
If you meet someone you like very much during your youth, that throbbing feeling will turn into growing pains, slowly entwining into your bones and blood, and finally becoming a mole on your heart, from which you can never be separated.
Old Qin took a sip of tea and said quietly, "You must be very happy to have the Jiang family kid married. Are you here to show off to Grandpa today?"
Upon hearing this, Duan Zhuxian looked at Old Qin with a hint of surprise.
"Do you think Grandpa didn't see that you've liked him since you were a child?" Old Qin laughed twice, "He probably doesn't know yet."
Duan Zhuxian said "hmm".
Old Qin was silent for a while, then shook his head and said, "Relationships are not like business games. You can accomplish great things by keeping silent. If you don't speak up, there will never be any results."
*
The aroma of grilled fish slowly filled the air. The old man became interested and grilled a fish as well, which he then placed on Jiang Yao's plate.
Jiang Yao took a bite. The transparent fish meat was covered with red blood and seemed a little undercooked. He hesitated for half a second, then made up his mind, smiled and swallowed it. With his mouth full of fishy taste, he praised it as delicious.
Old Qin was coaxed into a good mood: "I heard a long time ago that Xiao Jiang is from the south, from a land of fish and water. He should have quite some experience in eating fish."
Following what Old Qin said, Jiang Yao told some interesting stories about his hometown and fish, which made the old man laugh so hard that he couldn't stop.
As it was getting dark, Mr. Qin did not let them stay overnight. He just asked Jiang Yao to come back and "discuss fish" with him when he was free.
On the way home, Jiang Yao asked Duan Zhuxian who was driving, "Has your grandfather known about me for a long time?"
Duan Zhuxian paused, remembered what Old Qin said to him by the lake, and nodded.
Jiang Yao raised his eyebrows: "That time at the racetrack, I heard Duan Feiyi say that if you don't value someone, you won't mention them to your family..."
It was just a casual remark that came to mind, but after it was said, it inexplicably sounded deliberate.
Jiang Yao put his hand to his lips and coughed twice to cover it up.
Duan Zhuxian said, "You said it last time too. He's trying to sow discord."
Jiang Yao: "..."
"Either we share similar blood or we're family. You're the only one I've ever mentioned in front of my grandfather."
After he finished speaking, there was no movement for a long time. Duan Zhuxian glanced at Jiang Yao's awkward and pensive expression and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Jiang Yao came back to his senses, reached out and touched the fox ornament on the car, and said with disdain, "No wonder Aunt Wang said 'seeing is believing'. It must be because of high school when you often spoke ill of me in front of her."
Duan Zhuxian couldn't help teasing him: "What bad things will I say about you?"
Jiang Yao sneered: "What else could it be? He's always wrong and an eyesore."
Duan Zhuxian asked, "Do you think I see you this way?"
Jiang Yao said nothing.
The first four words express his dissatisfaction with Duan Zhuxian over the years. Duan Zhuxian must have seen him the same way. The last four words were added by him from Duan Zhuxian's perspective, and they are almost correct.
Passing a traffic light, Duan Zhuxian said calmly: "With you here, high school life is wonderful."
Jiang Yao raised his eyelids and glanced at Duan Zhuxian: "Are you a masochist?"
"No." Duan Zhuxian said.
Jiang Yao heard that there was no reason for seriousness.
Jiang Yao was slightly stunned, and his mind flashed back to the time in high school when Duan Zhuxian gradually became cold and arrogant after learning that he liked Chen Tang. He did not look like he was being abused at all.
It was him who, on that snowy night, tried desperately to get closer, but was desperately rejected. He was the one who was hurt!
Jiang Yao didn't believe a word Duan Zhuxian said.
Duan Zhuxian also knew that Jiang Yao didn't believe it.
Because there is no other explanation except "like".
I’m afraid that the other person will know it in the next second, and I’m also afraid that the other person will never know it.
This is probably the only variable and entanglement in his orderly life trajectory.
Halfway through the journey, Jiang Yao's stomach suddenly began to churn, accompanied by cramps.
Duan Zhuxian noticed his hand on his abdomen and his slightly pale face, and asked, "Are you feeling uncomfortable in your stomach?"
Jiang Yao uttered a weak "hmm".
Duan Zhuxian immediately slowed down the car.
Jiang Yao asked, "What are you doing?"
Duan Zhuxian said: "I'm turning around now and taking you to the nearest hospital."
"I'm not going!" Jiang Yao said firmly, "Maybe he ate undercooked fish. He'll be fine after taking some stomach medicine and resting for a while."
"Why don't you spit it out if it's not cooked?"
Duan Zhuxian asked him, his voice was a little serious, but he seemed to be suppressing his emotions and was not too harsh.
"I've already eaten, why are you talking so much nonsense?"
Jiang Yao spoke in a rough voice, looking out the window a little guiltily, leaving the back of his head facing the driver's seat.
Duan Zhuxian tightened his grip on the steering wheel, thought again and again, and continued to speed up in the direction of home.
Jiang Yao is not a fool, and he will not easily put himself in a difficult position and force himself to eat half-cooked fish just to please his grandfather.
After rushing all the way home, Duan Zhuxian helped Jiang Yao sit down on the sofa in the living room and immediately went to find stomach medicine.
Jiang Yao was actually not feeling that uncomfortable anymore, but Duan Zhuxian seemed quite anxious. He found it curious, so he didn't say anything and just sat there waiting for Duan Zhuxian to serve him.
The housekeeper was also there tonight. Jiang Yao walked over to say hello and heard him sending a voice message to the home decoration company, saying that the newly replaced light in the garden had poor contact.
Jiang Yao took the opportunity to ask, "I remember when I first came here, the garden was pitch black. How come there were suddenly so many lights installed?"
"Mr. Duan specifically instructed me to do this," the housekeeper said. "The day you moved in, Mr. Duan said the garden and the interior were too dark and he wanted more lights."
Jiang Yao was stunned, suddenly remembering the night he first arrived. He had a night blindness attack and his phone was out of battery, so he stopped at the gate, not daring to move forward. Duan Zhuxian went back and said he was back to get something, but he only took a useless pillow from the car...
When Duan Zhuxian returned to the living room with the prepared medicine, Jiang Yao had already sat back on the sofa.
The warm liquid flowed through the weak stomach, warming up all the limbs and bones.
"Thank you." Jiang Yao handed the empty cup back to Duan Zhuxian.
Duan Zhuxian said, "Go back to your bedroom and rest first."
After saying that, he turned and walked towards the restaurant pool.
"Duan Zhuxian."
Sitting on the sofa, Jiang Yao shouted at his back.
Duan Zhuxian paused, then strode back, his gaze fixed on Jiang Yao's abdomen. "What's wrong?"
Jiang Yao coughed lightly: "Forget it, it's nothing."
Duan Zhuxian asked: "Is your stomach hurting again?"
Seeing the nervousness that could not be hidden in Duan Zhuxian's eyes, Jiang Yao's heart moved slightly, and he deliberately lied: "A little bit."
Duan Zhuxian's face darkened and he grabbed Jiang Yao's wrist: "Go to the hospital."
"Let go." Jiang Yao threw off the shackles with such great strength that he didn't seem like someone having a stomachache.
He curled his lips and leaned back, draping his arms on the sofa, returning to his usual casual demeanor.
"Okay, okay, my stomach is fine. I just want to say that if you weren't so mean and ruthless, maybe our relationship wouldn't have fallen to this point."
Jiang Yao looked up at Duan Zhuxian, his jawline stretched out in a dignified manner, but he was not arrogant or provocative.
Duan Zhuxian lowered his eyes and looked for three seconds, then couldn't help but reached out and scratched it.
"Crap, are you teasing the cat?"
Jiang Yao's eyes widened, his anger fluttering for a moment before he continued sternly, "But I've taken note of your sudden behavior today. No matter what you think, or what evil intentions you have, I'll treat it as you actively trying to show me your good will."
Duan Zhuxian raised his eyebrows slowly and was about to speak, but was interrupted by Jiang Yao rudely: "I'm a patient, you are not allowed to refute me!"
After the words fell, the two of them stared at each other in silence for a few seconds, until Jiang Yao's aggressive gaze showed that they twisted and dodged several times.
Duan Zhuxian asked, "Can I speak now?"
Jiang Yao: "Speak."
Duan Zhuxian bent down slightly, following Jiang Yao's averted gaze: "So, we are reconciled?"
Jiang Yao frowned: "You wishful thinking, you want to overturn the verdict after just one crime?"
Duan Zhuxian raised the corner of his lips and stretched out his hand towards Jiang Yao: "You are a patient, I will carry you upstairs to rest."
Jiang Yao dodged: "No need."
He was a grown man with all his limbs intact, so why did he need to cuddle? Besides, the housekeeper was not far away taking care of the house. Only Duan Zhuxian was shameless.
The next second, Duan Zhuxian reached out to Jiang Yao's knees and picked him up without saying a word.
"Fuck...what are you doing? Put me down!"
Jiang Yao was caught off guard and was afraid of alarming the housekeeper, so he could only question in a low voice, not even daring to struggle too much.
“Keep up the good work and continue to be a good person.”
Duan Zhuxian spoke slowly, and walked up the stairs quickly and steadily.
Over Duan Zhuxian's shoulder, he happened to see the butler's figure almost looking over.
It is better to keep the eyes clean than to look at them uncleanly. Jiang Yao was so nervous that he simply buried his face in Duan Zhuxian's chest, leaving only the red tip of his ear exposed.
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