Chapter 17
Family banquet
Xu offered, "I'll keep the marriage certificate."
Jiang Fengyi started the car: "Whatever you want."
The weather was exceptionally clear today, with warm sunshine and a gentle breeze. Xu carefully placed the two marriage certificates into the certificate box she had prepared earlier.
Looking to the side, Jiang Fengyi was sitting right next to her.
Xu smiled happily.
Jiang Fengyi coldly reminded, "Fasten your seatbelts."
"Okay, okay."
Jiang Fengyi remained as taciturn and composed as before they got their marriage certificate. Whether or not she had the certificate seemed unimportant to her.
After all, her initial intention in getting the marriage certificate was to appease her family.
Thinking of this, Xu slowly pursed his lips and turned to look out the car window. The sun was scorching today, making the flowers in the green belt droop.
This also meant that she didn't see Jiang Fengyi, who was used to commuting by car, forget to fasten her seatbelt the first time she got into the car.
That aloud remark was both a reminder to Xu Que and a reminder to himself.
Jiang Fengyi gripped the steering wheel with a slight increase in pressure. Only she knew that her palms had been sweating profusely ever since Xu Quese approached her for the group photo.
The distance is too close.
She could clearly sense the unique scent emanating from the other person, like the dryness of sunlight on a sunflower; getting close to her meant getting close to warmth.
Jiang Fengyi dared not get too close. She still vividly remembered the time when she accidentally smelled this scent and her pheromones went out of control. She did not want to repeat the same mistake.
The only sound in the quiet carriage was the soft breathing of the two people.
"that......"
"night......"
Xu turned to Jiang Fengyi and said, "You go first."
"After we go to my mother's house tonight, try to stay close to me and don't leave alone."
"I will definitely stick to you."
"By the way, what were you about to say?"
"I'd like to ask if we can stop at the cake shop up ahead, I want to eat cake."
Xu Que simply wanted to buy a small cake to commemorate today, the first day he and Jiang Fengyi got their marriage certificate.
The car pulled over to the side of the road, and Xu opened the door and got out.
After the person left, Jiang Fengyi's eyes followed her in the car until she entered the store, at which point she looked away.
When Xu came out carrying the small cake, Jiang Fengyi already had a parking ticket on his car.
"Illegal parking?"
Her desire to celebrate was quickly replaced by frustration: "Sorry, I didn't know you couldn't park here."
"It's okay, I don't know either."
Jiang Fengyi knew this, but she wanted to see Xu buy the cake he wanted.
Looking at the "premium" cake in her hand, Xu thought viciously that she would eat it all up when she got home, leaving not a single bite.
*
A villa garden in the city center,
Jiang Xuan sat under the shade of a tree, her white cat lying lazily on her lap, its eyes half-closed, comfortably enjoying its owner's caresses.
"Aunt Zheng, please cook a few more dishes tonight. Jiang Fengyi is bringing people back for dinner."
Aunt Zheng had worked for the Jiang family for many years and had practically watched Jiang Fengyi grow up. When she heard that Jiang Fengyi was coming home for dinner that evening, a genuine smile appeared on her kind face.
"Did you bring your girlfriend home for dinner?" she asked with a beaming smile. "Then I'd better show off my cooking skills."
"no,"
Jiang Xuan coldly denied it, saying, "We're just ordinary friends."
She ran her finely lined fingers down the white cat's back, repeating the process once more.
"We can only be ordinary friends."
The voice was so soft it was as if she were talking to herself.
As the sun sets, rays of light pierce the sky.
Xu walked beside Jiang Fengyi and entered her mother's house. The two figures were bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun, and the slanting sunlight cast two long, thin shadows behind them.
"Stay with me, don't get separated, understand?"
Jiang Fengyi reminded her again.
Xu assured her, "I will definitely stay by your side every step of the way."
The two had already entered the Jiang residence when Jiang Xuan, who was holding the white cat, overheard their conversation and chuckled.
"You think this place is a den of dragons and tigers, are you trying to break into it?"
She looked Xu Que up and down, her gaze lingering on him, but she spoke to Jiang Fengyi.
"Don't worry, your little girlfriend isn't worth my time."
"That would be best."
Jiang Fengyi pulled Xu Que and walked straight towards the restaurant.
"Aunt Zheng, when will we eat?"
Xu didn't see the Aunt Zheng that Jiang Fengyi had mentioned, but she heard her voice coming from the kitchen along with the sound of a spatula turning over.
"Dinner is ready! The last dish will be ready soon!"
So Jiang Fengyi pulled Xu Que down to sit.
The two dining chairs were very close together, and Xu could easily touch Jiang Fengyi with the slightest movement of her arm. Jiang Fengyi sat stiffly in her chair, not daring to move.
Before you're sure of the other person's feelings, too much physical contact might annoy them.
Sensing Xu Que's unease, Jiang Fengyi gently patted the back of his hand: "Don't be nervous, I'm here."
"Um."
Xu lowered her eyes, thinking that this was how she could enjoy Jiang Fengyi's care, so she swallowed back the words of explanation she was about to say.
"Thank goodness you're here."
The secret joy hidden beneath her long eyelashes was known only to herself.
Jiang Xuan had already put the cat down, pulled out a dining chair in front of the two women, and sat down, ignoring them, to quietly enjoy her dinner.
Aunt Zheng is a great cook, but Xu couldn't eat because the atmosphere at the table was too strange, strictly adhering to the principle of "not talking while eating or sleeping".
Xu was on pins and needles, and finally, the long dinner time was over, and Jiang Xuan spoke first.
"You have to attend the Zhao family's birthday banquet next month."
She sighed in resignation.
“If you go, I will transfer the remaining 10% of the shares to you.”
Jiang Fengyi remained unfazed: "My mother has always been as friendly to the Zhao family as ever, maintaining a close relationship for ten years."
The restaurant lights shone on the faces of the mother and daughter, their cold, white light offering no warmth. At opposite ends of the table, each person occupied a corner.
At this moment, the dining chairs became the negotiating table, and they were no longer family members with blood ties, but ruthless capitalists.
"When there was a problem with that batch of goods, the Zhao family stepped in to help me."
“Mother, I’ve heard you say this for over twenty years.”
"The problem with the goods is indeed our fault. The company will recall these defective products and provide consumers with appropriate compensation. Besides, you have the Jiang family behind you."
"The Zhao family has been currying favor with the powerful for a long time, but they only made a move because of the Jiang family behind you."
"You have no idea how big the public outcry was back then. If it weren't for the Zhao family helping to destroy the evidence, those media outlets, who had become emboldened by the success, would have continued to leech off the Jiang family."
"This is just the Zhao family's side of the story. Destroying the goods is a move that is detrimental to Jingjiang and the Jiang family. It turns a stain that could have been washed away into a brand that will be forever etched on your body."
"Enough!"
"I saw that incident from twenty years ago more clearly than you did!"
The two parted on bad terms, and Jiang Fengyi pulled Xu Que back to the room, closing the bedroom door heavily.
"Are you...are you alright?"
Xu looked at Jiang Fengyi with concern: "If you're in a bad mood, I can..."
"I'm fine."
Jiang Fengyi gave Xu Que a reassuring look.
"That's how our relationship is, we're used to it."
She walked to the sofa and sat down comfortably. Seeing that Xu was still standing there blankly, she pulled her down to sit with her.
"I noticed you didn't eat much earlier, are you not full?"
Xu nodded honestly.
In that somber atmosphere, it was difficult for Xu to remain unaffected and focus on filling his stomach.
Upon arriving at the Jiang family home, Jiang Fengyi showed a slight smile for the first time.
“I wasn’t full either, so I asked Aunt Zheng to prepare a late-night snack for us.”
While the two were waiting for their food, Jiang Fengyi received Jiang Xuan's share transfer contract first.
She flipped through it and laughed, half-sarcastically.
"I need you to come with me to the Zhao family next month."
"Attending Grandma Zhao's birthday banquet."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
