40. Pink Diamond
Chen Yunsheng was driving intently, but he still noticed Jiang Nan's silence.
He pursed his lips tightly, wanting to say something to explain his somewhat rude behavior, but he couldn't find a suitable excuse to cover up his momentary distraction.
"Well," Jiang Nan finally found his voice, but it was dry, "the radish... was cooked very well."
"Yeah." Chen Yunsheng responded, his voice sounding deeper and hoarse than usual.
There was another silence.
Jiang Nan slowly finished the remaining oden, his mind turning around.
The warm food dispelled the morning chill and the inexplicable tension. Her brain seemed to finally recover from the shock—she suddenly realized how reckless her behavior had been, and that Chen Yunsheng's behavior could not be explained simply by tolerance and leniency.
She tilted her head slightly to look out the window, and told herself that this was just an accidental interaction between employer and employee that did not cross the line, just like when he had eaten the instant noodles, sweet and sour pork ribs, steak, and various kinds of noodles she cooked before. There was nothing special about it.
But there was a small voice in her heart that objected, saying that it was different.
The instant noodles and pork ribs were placed in a bowl, and the piece of radish was eaten directly with her hands.
Jiang Nan slowly adjusted his breathing rate, forcing himself to stop daydreaming and devote his energy to conceiving a new plan.
Chen Yunsheng suddenly spoke, breaking the silence: "Grandpa might ask about some daily things later. For example, what do we usually do on weekends."
His voice had returned to its usual calm and gentle tone.
Jiang Nan was immediately brought back to reality, and her romantic thoughts vanished in an instant. She sat up straighter, ready for battle. "Okay, I get it. Let's say... let's go watch a movie, or I go to the supermarket and buy groceries and cook at home?"
She asked tentatively, watching his reaction.
This was the most ordinary and least error-prone daily routine for a couple she could imagine.
"Okay," Chen Yunsheng nodded. "One more thing: occasionally go to art exhibitions or concerts. My mother would value this more."
"Oh, okay." Jiang Nan quickly wrote down the key points.
Art appreciation and classical music—that thick PDF document began to attack her brain again.
She couldn't help but muttered softly, "I hope Grandpa and the others won't ask too many questions, otherwise I might be exposed."
"Don't worry," Chen Yunsheng said, looking straight ahead, in a gentler tone than usual. "If such a situation really arises, I will interrupt them when necessary, or help you resolve it."
His words were like a reassurance.
Jiang Nan felt a little relieved and couldn't help but smile: "Then it's up to you, Boss Chen. I don't want to go through the social demise of the snail noodle hotpot again."
Mentioning this, a faint smile appeared on Chen Yunsheng's lips. "That time... the effect was actually quite good. Grandpa later told me privately that he really liked your... subconscious honesty."
"Honest?" Jiang Nan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "I think Grandpa is just euphemistically calling me stupid."
"It is rare." Chen Yunsheng corrected her in a serious tone.
Jiang Nan's heart strayed from its usual rhythm again. Her fingers tapped the rim of the paper cup intermittently, her voice muffled, "Anyway... I'll try to talk less and smile more this time. I'll try not to cause you any trouble."
"Jiang Nan, you have never caused me any trouble." Chen Yunsheng said.
His voice was soft, but it echoed clearly in the car.
Jiang Nan looked up in surprise.
But he just focused on driving, as if what he had just said was just a short dream she had out of nostalgia.
Then the two fell silent again.
As the silence stretched on, the atmosphere in the car grew somewhat tense. Fortunately, they soon reached the old house. When the familiar eaves and corners came into view, Jiang Nan pursed her lips, suppressing all distracting thoughts.
Professionalism, Jiang Nan, your professionalism, she muttered to herself.
As soon as the car stopped, Chen Yunsheng got out. Then he walked around to the passenger side and naturally opened the door for her while extending his hand.
Jiang Nan looked at his hand, hesitated for a moment, then placed her own hand on it. His palm was still warm and dry, highlighting the dampness and coldness of her own. Once she got out of the car and stood still, Chen Yunsheng let go of her hand, his expression natural and his movements decisive.
Before she could feel disappointed, the housekeeper Qian Yuan came up to greet her with a smile: "Finally, we're here. The old man has been talking about it for several times."
Chen Yunsheng nodded slightly, and Jiang Nan also forced a decent smile.
Then the two of them walked into the side hall side by side.
Just as Jiang Nan had feared, the whole family was there. The old man sat happily at the main table, Chen Mingyuan and Su Wanrong sat on one side, and Chen Minghui and Li Li on the other. Everyone's eyes turned to them when they entered.
Jiang Nan immediately felt Li Li's sharp, critical and hateful gaze sweeping across her body, finally landing on the ring finger of her left hand.
She instinctively wanted to hide her hand behind her back, but when she raised her hand halfway, she suddenly realized her current identity, so she immediately forced herself to relax, and even raised her hand slightly to make the ring more clearly exposed to her sight.
"Grandpa, Dad, Mom," Chen Yunsheng greeted calmly, "Second Uncle, Second Aunt."
"Grandpa, aunt, uncle," Jiang Nan followed with a slight bow, "Second uncle, second aunt." She still couldn't change her words directly, but she slowed down her voice, hoping that this would make her seem closer.
Mr. Chen waved cheerfully: "Okay, come and sit down, I'm waiting for you to eat."
As they sat down, Chen Yunsheng pulled out a chair for Jiang Nan without changing his expression. Jiang Nan murmured a thank you, and as she sat down, her skirt brushed against his trouser legs, like the breeze gently brushing against a lotus leaf.
The tips of Chen Yunsheng's ears turned a little pink, but his expression was very serious and almost no one noticed his loss of composure at that moment.
But Li Li still remembered the humiliation she'd experienced the previous time. She narrowed her eyes slightly, smiled, and spoke in a high, thin voice, "Oh, Nannan, what a simple and elegant outfit you're wearing today. It's so pleasing to the eye. Unlike our Yueyue, who only likes those flashy brands. I've told her several times that girls should be more reserved."
Her words were a mixture of praise and criticism. She not only stepped on Jiang Nan's simplicity, but also raised Liang Yue's value. She also did not forget to point out her closeness to Liang Yue.
After listening to her conversation, Jiang Nan just smiled and didn't respond - she kept in mind the principle of talking less.
Seeing no one was talking, Chen Minghui chuckled and said, "Young people have different preferences. Yunsheng, don't you agree?"
Chen Yunsheng was picking up a crystal shrimp dumpling for Jiang Nan with his serving chopsticks. Hearing this, he didn't even pause as he replied calmly, "Nannan looks good in anything she wears." He placed the dumpling on the plate in front of Jiang Nan and added naturally, "Eat it while it's hot."
Intimate actions and a friendly attitude are more effective than any rebuttal.
Li Li's expression changed, and she almost couldn't hold it anymore.
Old Master Chen glanced at Li Li and the others, then turned to look at Jiang Nan's wrist: "You still have the bracelet on? It's very nice, and it looks very elegant on you."
"My grandfather gave it to me, so of course I have to wear it every day," Jiang Nan raised his wrist, pursed his lips and smiled.
The warm luster of the jade reflected on her smiling face, making her look very well-behaved.
Su Wanrong glanced at the bracelet indifferently, then looked at the ring on Jiang Nan's hand. She said nothing, but just scooped a spoonful of soup elegantly.
Chen Mingyuan actually asked, "Yunsheng, how's the company doing lately? I heard there's been some trouble with Shengcheng."
Jiang Nan breathed a sigh of relief as the topic was diverted. She lowered her head and ate the shrimp dumplings that Chen Yunsheng had brought her.
The food was delicious, but she ate it absent-mindedly, her ears perked up, paying attention to every move made by the people at the table.
Chen Yunsheng chatted with his father about work, his tone clear and steady. Jiang Nan noticed that although he still spoke very little in front of his parents, he was much softer than the cold, unapproachable him outside.
But Li Li clearly wasn't going to let her off easily. After a brief silence, she smiled and looked at Jiang Nan again, "Nannan, did you ask about the meeting I told you about last time? When will they be back from their trip? It's not right for the in-laws to never see each other."
Jiang Nan's heart tightened.
She put down her chopsticks expressionlessly, picked up a napkin and wiped the corners of her mouth, trying to keep her voice steady: "Second Aunt, I've asked. They've gone a long way this time, and their return date isn't set yet. And they said we're just an ordinary family, so they don't dare bother the elders with their concerns. They said they'll come visit Grandpa, Uncle, and Auntie when they return."
She said this humbly and politely, putting her parents in a low position, which made it difficult for Li Li to be aggressive. But Mr. Chen knew the true situation of her family, so she couldn't help but look up and see his expression.
"Ah, my in-laws are too polite," said Old Master Chen. "When they come back, let Yunsheng and Nannan make some arrangements, and we can just have a simple meal together."
"Dad is right." Chen Mingyuan echoed.
Li Li could only smile awkwardly: "I'll listen to Dad. I just want to see him sooner rather than later, so I can feel at ease."
Then, she changed the subject and glanced at Jiang Nan's hand again: "Huh? Nan Nan's ring... is it new? The style is quite unique, but the diamond... well, it's a bit simple, right? Yunsheng, you are really something, why don't you buy Nan Nan a bigger one? The daughter-in-law of our Chen family can't be too shabby."
Jiang Nan felt his cheeks getting a little hot, and he instinctively hid his hands under the table.
At this moment, a warm palm gently covered her left hand under the table, pressed it soothingly, and then released it.
It’s Chen Yunsheng.
His movements were light and quick, but this brief warmth strangely calmed Jiang Nan's panicked heart.
Jiang Nan raised her head and looked across at Li Li, then smiled shyly. "Second Aunt, this isn't... a formal wedding ring. Yunsheng ordered something else, and it's still being made. I just wear this for fun. I think... something simple is good. I wouldn't be used to something too exaggerated."
Chen Yunsheng continued, "Well, I've chosen a nice pink diamond for the center stone. It'll take time to cut and set. If you're interested, Aunt Second, I'll show it to you once it's finished."
Pink diamond?
Jiang Nan blinked rapidly, trying her best to maintain a shy smile.
Before coming here, she had never heard of pink diamonds.
This guy makes up lies without blinking an eye, and yet these words sound quite convincing when they come out of his mouth.
Jiang Nan picked up the cup, took a sip of water, and thought to himself, Chen Yunsheng's wealth seemed immeasurable, but she only asked for a monthly salary of 100,000.
However, when she heard that Chen Yunsheng would bear all of her mother's medical expenses, she didn't care much about anything else.
Li Li choked on Pink Diamond's words. A trace of resentment flashed across her face, and she forced a smile, "Pink Diamond... That's rare. Yunsheng is thoughtful."
At this time, Su Wanrong finally spoke calmly and said, "Taste doesn't depend on size, as long as it's agreeable."
This sounds like a fair evaluation, but upon closer inspection, it seems to contain a bit of irony towards Li Li's superficiality.
Old Master Chen waved his hand and said, "Alright, alright, let's eat. It's not right to stare at the younger generation's jewelry all the time. Nannan, ignore your Second Aunt and eat your meal."
"Thank you, Grandpa." Jiang Nan nodded obediently and breathed a sigh of relief.
The current entanglement has finally been overcome.
Then Jiang Nan quickly glanced at Chen Yunsheng next to him.
He seems to be indifferent to everything.
Then she lowered her head and continued eating.
In fact, there was a moment when she really wanted to ask Chen Yunsheng what his real purpose of agreeing to a marriage was, but the next second, she came to her senses - the answer must be filled with complicated entanglements. If she wanted to get out safely, she must maintain the proper boundaries and never cross the line.
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