04.Meeting
April came in the blink of an eye.
Jiang Nan gradually got used to this pace of life and thought that if life in a marriage agreement continued like this, it would be pretty good. She would have food and drink, no responsibility for water and electricity, and she could live in a luxury house for free.
One day, Jiang Nan was finishing a project meeting and working on a document on her computer when her phone rang. She glanced at it and saw it was a local number she didn't recognize.
She picked up the phone: "Hello?"
"Ms. Jiang? I'm Mr. Chen's assistant, Wei Yan." The voice on the other end of the phone was polite and direct. "Mr. Chen asked me to inform you that you'll need to accompany him to a family dinner at Yuanshan Restaurant at 7:00 p.m. this Friday. Mr. Chen's grandfather, Old Mr. Chen, would like to meet you. Please be on time."
Jiang Nan's heart suddenly rose to his throat.
The most important obligation in the agreement is to deal with family members, especially grandfather.
"Okay, I understand. Thank you, Assistant Wei."
"I'll send the specific address and attire suggestions to your phone later. Also," Wei Yan paused, then lowered his voice, "Mr. Chen wants you to maintain the image of...a lady from a noble family in front of Mr. Chen. Regarding your background, everyone says you studied abroad and are currently working in advertising design. As for your hobbies, you might enjoy classical music and oil painting appreciation. I'll send you the relevant information for your reference."
Jiang Nan responded, then put down the phone in a daze, and involuntarily repeated the request mentioned by Wei Yan.
A lady from a noble family.
Study abroad.
Classical music.
Jiang Nan was completely clueless—at best, she had one or two classical pieces on her playlist and knew a bit about oil painting. But it was probably far from what Chen Yunsheng wanted.
She is just an ordinary second-tier university graduate who works as an advertising agent for the second party and competes with the first party every day. Her hobbies are watching TV series, eating hot pot, sleeping in, and occasionally reading books.
Jiang Nan thought for a while and decided to send a WeChat message to Chen Yunsheng:
Mr. Chen, Assistant Wei has contacted me. I'm sure there's no problem meeting with Mr. Chen on Friday.
It was because of that background setting that I was afraid I would mess up my performance.
About ten minutes later, Chen Yunsheng's reply came, concise and to the point:
Memorize the information.
Talk less, smile more, and I will intervene when necessary.
Jiang Nan blinked and replied silently:
Okay, Mr. Chen.
Talk less.
This was consistent with her perception of him.
Not long after, Wei Yan's information arrived. It was a thick PDF file, covering the essentials of a lady's behavior, an introduction to art appreciation, a few must-know classical music pieces, and even the background stories of several famous paintings.
If it's a PDF of gossip, she'll definitely read every word, and can even maintain a high spirit throughout the reading process.
But all this information only made Jiang Nan feel overwhelmed. Over the next few days, she often slacked off reading the materials and practiced smiling in front of the mirror, trying to look more elegant.
Wenwen saw that she was acting weird and asked her if she was possessed by an evil spirit.
Of course she was not possessed, and she vaguely told Chen Yunsheng that she was going to meet his family.
Wenwen then became even more nagging than Jiang Nan. She gave Jiang Nan advice, told her to be more sweet-talking, and even took her shopping to buy her a more suitable dress.
On Friday afternoon, Jiang Nan took a leave of absence in advance.
Then, she followed Wenwen's dressing advice and changed into a simple but well-cut white dress, paired with a pair of low-heeled pearl white shoes, and tied her hair into a low bun, revealing her smooth neck.
Before leaving, she looked in the mirror again and again. Although she was satisfied, she felt that the woman in the mirror who was trying hard to be elegant was very unfamiliar. However, she still silently encouraged herself:
Jiang Nan, act this scene well, and consider it overtime! And a well-paid one at that!
——
Before dark, driver Zhang Lei came to pick her up on time.
Not long after, the car stopped steadily downstairs of Yuanshan Restaurant.
This is a high-end restaurant that requires membership reservations. The environment is private and elegant, and there are not many people coming and going.
When Jiang Nan got out of the car, she saw Chen Yunsheng already waiting. He was wearing a dark blue custom-made suit that accentuated his broad shoulders and long legs, giving him a calm and cool demeanor. Seeing Jiang Nan, he scrutinized her outfit. He considered hiring a professional styling team to create a more suitable look for her, but he also wanted to see her abilities to help define their future prospects.
Her outfit wasn't particularly striking, but it certainly suited the occasion. Therefore, Chen Yunsheng didn't say anything, but silently extended his arm toward her.
Jiang Nan was stunned for a moment before she realized that he wanted her to hold his arm. She quickly walked over and carefully took his arm.
She tried hard not to let her thoughts wander, but she still felt her heart beating a little faster.
She couldn't help but complain that if this continued, she would have a suspension bridge effect on Chen Yunsheng.
After this complaint was made, Jiang Nan immediately calmed down and even felt a little relieved.
When they entered the reserved private room, several people were already seated. The main seat was occupied by a gray-haired but vigorous elder with sharp eyes and a commanding presence. This was Chen Yunsheng's grandfather, Old Man Chen. Next to him sat Chen Yunsheng's parents and a middle-aged couple who looked like uncle and aunt. Everyone's gaze was fixed on the two people who had just entered, their eyes filled with scrutiny, curiosity, and a hint of subtle criticism.
Chen Yunsheng walked over with Jiang Nan without changing his expression, and introduced them in a steady voice: "Grandpa, Dad, Mom, Second Uncle, Second Aunt. This is Nan Nan." Then he tilted his head slightly and said to Jiang Nan: "Let's get to know each other."
Jiang Nan tried to maintain a proper smile: "Hello, Grandpa, hello, uncle and aunt, hello, second uncle and second aunt."
She felt her voice tremble a little, but she tried to keep her tone steady.
"Okay, come and sit down." Old Master Chen said, looking at Jiang Nan calmly.
Chen Yunsheng's parents exchanged a few pleasantries with Jiang Nan, their manners polite but not quite welcoming. His uncle and aunt were quite enthusiastic, but Jiang Nan instinctively feared such out-of-the-box enthusiasm, so she simply maintained a proper response. She didn't resent Chen Yunsheng's parents' coldness because of their warmth.
After a while of sitting down, the exquisite dishes were served one after another.
The meal was mostly silent, with the only sounds in the room except for the gentle clatter of cutlery and breathing. Near the end, Chen Yunsheng's parents and his second uncle and aunt finally asked Jiang Nan some innocuous questions.
Jiang Nan kept in mind Chen Yunsheng's principle of speaking less, and answered briefly and officially, trying to show a gentle smile like a lady from a noble family, but at the same time her nerves were tense.
Mr. Chen didn't say much the entire time, just quietly eating, occasionally looking up at Jiang Nan. Just when Jiang Nan thought the ordeal was about to end, Mr. Chen suddenly put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth with a napkin, then looked at Jiang Nan gently and asked, "Nannan, when you're not working, what do you like to do for fun?"
Jiang Nan's heart was filled with alarm. The information about enjoying classical music, visiting art exhibitions, and reading literary classics flashed through her mind. She did read, but only for entertainment, not to delve into the underlying meaning.
She took a deep breath, forced herself to calm down, and put on an elegant smile that she had practiced for several days. Just as she was about to recite the standard answer, "I usually—"
At the beginning of the conversation, whether it was because she was nervous or because her mind was filled with Mozart, Van Gogh, and Tolstoy, these names mixed up in her mind and made her words take a sharp turn without her control, and she gave a more conservative and safe answer that was more in line with her own habits.
"I love cooking. Especially researching new recipes," she said in a clear, though somewhat hesitant, voice. "I just tried snail noodle hotpot yesterday. The taste was a little—um—unique, but I found it quite interesting. It was just a bit of a waste of food."
As soon as the words fell, the entire box fell into a silence as dead as death.
Chen Yunsheng's parents froze. His uncle and aunt exchanged incredulous glances. Even the waiter standing nearby lowered his head.
After she finished speaking, Jiang Nan realized what she had said. However, although she felt worried and scared, she also felt a sense of relief.
It is reasonable to cover up a lie with more lies, but lies will always be exposed, and the more lies you tell, the easier it is to be exposed.
It is safe to reveal part of your nature in this way.
However, she still carefully observed the expressions of others, and at the same time couldn't help turning her head to look at Chen Yunsheng beside her, her eyes full of seeking help and waiting.
Jiang Nan expected to see a frozen face, or at least anger. However, the Chen Yunsheng she saw wasn't angry at all, and even had a faint smile on his lips. Of course, he had also tried the average snail noodle hotpot yesterday and had given it a straightforward, average review.
Then, under Jiang Nan's desperate gaze, Chen Yunsheng slowly raised his head and looked at his grandfather, who was also a little stunned in the main seat. In a calm and even matter-of-fact tone, he continued Jiang Nan's words: "The taste is a bit unique."
The look of astonishment on Grandpa Chen's face lasted only a few seconds. He looked at the somewhat embarrassed Jiang Nan, then glanced at his grandson who was calm and joking beside him, and smiled brightly.
"Hahaha!" A loud and hearty laugh broke the silence in the box. Old Man Chen pointed at Jiang Nan and said kindly, "The snail noodle hotpot is great. Nannan, you're honest. You're much better than those who beat around the bush." He turned to Chen Yunsheng with a mischievous smile in his eyes, "Yunsheng, not bad."
Chen Yunsheng smiled softly. At the same time, Jiang Nan felt his hand under the table briefly and lightly touch hers.
The touch was warm and a little soothing, but it fell apart immediately.
It was so fast that it seemed like Jiang Nan’s illusion.
Jiang Nan sat there in a daze, looking at the heartily laughing Old Man Chen, and then at Chen Yunsheng beside him, who still had no expression but whose aura was obviously relaxed. So after the uneasiness passed, a sense of bewilderment of surviving a disaster and a faint warmth quietly surged up in his heart.
She took a gamble and it paid off.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com