51. Old News
The local cuisine restaurant that Chen Yunsheng mentioned is not far from the silversmith shop, only about twenty minutes' drive away.
The store is not big, hidden deep in an alley shaded by sycamore trees. The facade is made of simple blue bricks and gray tiles, and the sign also exudes a sense of antiquity.
After Chen Yunsheng parked the car, he led Jiang Nan into the unremarkable local restaurant with ease.
Pushing open the heavy wooden door, the hustle and bustle and warmth hit him. Boss Rong's eyes lit up when he saw Chen Yunsheng, and he greeted him with a familiar smile: "Little Chen, you're here. I'll keep your old seat!"
"Well, excuse me, Aunt Rong," Chen Yunsheng nodded slightly, then turned to Jiang Nan and introduced, "Aunt Rong, this is Jiang Nan." Then, he looked at Boss Rong and introduced her to Jiang Nan, "Aunt Rong, the owner of this shop. She's run this shop for over 20 years, and business has always been brisk."
Jiang Nan exclaimed in admiration, then immediately politely greeted Boss Rong softly, "Hello, Aunt Rong."
"Hello, Miss Jiang." Boss Rong glanced at Chen Yunsheng, spoke happily to Jiang Nan, and took Jiang Nan to the old place she mentioned.
This old spot is in a corner by the window, slightly separated by a screen. You can see the bustling alley outside the window, but it is relatively quiet. What's even more special is that the menu here is handwritten and pressed under the glass plate.
Chen Yunsheng didn't look at it, and asked Jiang Nan in a gentle voice: "Is there anything you avoid, or anything you particularly want to eat?"
"No, just order." Jiang Nan shook her head quickly. She was preoccupied with other things and had no time to think about ordering.
So Chen Yunsheng directly told Boss Rong a few dishes.
Jiang Nan noticed Chen Yunsheng's familiarity with the place and looked around curiously. After Boss Rong left, he couldn't help but ask, "Do you come here often?"
"Well, I come over sometimes when I want to be alone or eat something different." Chen Yunsheng said as he used hot water to scald the tableware for both of them. He washed it twice before gently placing the scalded dishes in front of Jiang Nan.
"Thanks."
"No need to say thank you all the time." Chen Yunsheng poured a cup of tea for Jiang Nan, his expression becoming a little distant.
In fact, this was one of the few places where he could temporarily escape from work. Bringing her here was more of a silent sharing, which gave him a secret hope that she would understand, even like this more real corner he had hidden away.
"There's nothing I can do about it. I'm the child of a faculty member and have been asked to be polite since I was young." Jiang Nan said mischievously, but her mind was still not here.
Chen Yunsheng looked at Jiang Nan like this and smiled gently.
At this moment, Jiang Nan was like the sky at dusk. The clamor quietly receded, the sky turning a grayish blue. The warm yellow light of the sun drifted across the western skyline, gently illuminating the peaks of the green mountains like a soft veil. Yet, this soft golden hue seemed tranquil, refreshing, warm and lovely, yet also very distant.
Chen Yunsheng took a sip of tea and asked calmly, "Are you still worried about Fu Yifang?"
Jiang Nan held the teacup, hesitated for a moment, and then answered honestly, "I definitely can't let it go." She looked up at him and gave him a slightly embarrassed smile, "I'm more worried about how to pay you back, and whether I should also prepare a gift for Sister Han Yan."
"There's no rush to discuss our business," Chen Yunsheng said amiably. "Do you want to give Han Yan a gift?"
Jiang Nan nodded, his tone tinged with uncertainty. "Whether or not I can get in touch with Sister Han Yan, I have to prepare a thank-you gift for her. I'm hesitant about whether I should also arrange for someone under her command who might be able to pass on the message."
"Just be polite and let her feel your sincerity, not pressure," he said in a flat tone. "But Han Yan is a person who values practical benefits and respect more than small favors."
Jiang Nan blinked in understanding, then tentatively asked him, "You seem to know Sister Han Yan quite well?"
He was silent for a moment before speaking, "Not really. I've only heard a few things about her. She, Song Wei, and... Gao Wanqing and Song Huai, caused quite a stir in the circle back then."
"Do you know what happened?" Jiang Nan put down the cup and immediately asked, "Can you tell me?"
Chen Yunsheng: "It's difficult for outsiders to know the specific details. But what is certain is that Han Yan and Song Wei used to have a good relationship. They even gave me a proposal at the time. However, their relationship had problems before I met them. Later, Song Huai married Gao Wanqing, and the two of them had a complete falling out."
At this time, the dishes came up one after another and the topic was temporarily interrupted.
"Let's eat first," Chen Yunsheng said during the break, "There's nothing interesting about these old stories."
This tacitly implied that he knew the inside story, but was unwilling to elaborate. Jiang Nan fiddled with the dishes, her heart churning with curiosity, but seeing his reticent attitude, she hesitated to press the issue.
Chen Yunsheng picked up his serving chopsticks and naturally picked up a fried shrimp for Jiang Nan. "The shrimp shells here are fried until crispy, so you can eat them directly. Try it."
"Thank you." Jiang Nan whispered a thank you, lowered his head and took a bite. It was indeed salty, fresh and crispy, and the shrimp meat was soft and chewy. But Jiang Nan was still thinking about the gift.
"As for Sister Han Yan's gift," she put down her chopsticks, "what do you think is suitable? She values practical benefits and respect, but I can't just give her a red envelope, right?"
Chen Yunsheng poured her a cup of tea and said after a moment's hesitation, "She seems to be trying to secure the agency rights for an overseas brand recently and has run into some resistance. Wei Yan should be able to provide some connections and resources. It's unlikely she'll refuse this gift."
"Wouldn't that be too much trouble for Assistant Wei? Besides, does this count as a huge favor?" She hesitated. This gift was so great, so great that she didn't know how to repay it.
"It's just an exchange of resources, not a favor," Chen Yunsheng said calmly. "Wei Yan will take care of it. As for her subordinates," he paused and looked up at Jiang Nan, "have your friend find out who the key figures in Han Yan's team are and what they like, and then cater to their preferences."
After saying that, he gave an apologetic smile: "You can handle these things, I was just being nosy."
With just a few words, he sorted out the matter clearly, defining what he should intervene in and what she should solve on her own. The boundaries were clear and revealed a kind of silent support.
Jiang Nan looked at his calm profile, a complex feeling welling up in her heart. He clearly knew about the grudges and entanglements, but chose not to tell her. Perhaps he really felt that it would be bad for her to know too much, or perhaps he was using his way to isolate herself from trouble, allowing her to deal with the project relatively simply.
However, just now, she was actually still wondering if he had other intentions. Thinking of this, Jiang Nan felt a little ashamed.
"Thank you," she said softly, "for causing you trouble again."
"It's not a big deal. As long as the project can proceed smoothly, that's good."
Jiang Nan nodded dully, then asked cautiously, "Then... Is there anything I need to be careful about with Song Wei? Will she have any opinions about me, Mrs. Chen, who showed up unexpectedly?"
Hearing this, Chen Yunsheng paused for a moment, then put the dish into her bowl with a normal expression.
"Song Wei is someone who considers business as business and personal grudges as personal. As long as your plan can help her make money, she won't deliberately make things difficult for you just because you're related to me," he continued. "As for the rest, you don't need to worry. Just do what you have to do."
These words seemed to reassure her, but also seemed to draw a line between them - he could provide support on work matters, but he hoped she would stay away from private grudges and entanglements.
Jiang Nan understood what he meant, nodded, and didn't continue the topic. However, as she lowered her head to eat the food in her bowl, her heart was not as calm as it appeared.
The more he kept it a secret, the more it proved that the past between Han Yan and Song Wei was no small matter, perhaps even involving some unspeakable secrets. His choice to isolate her was a form of protection, but it also invisibly deepened the subtle distance between the two of them, a subtle gap between knowing and not knowing.
This made her even more certain that she was standing on the edge of a whirlpool, and the man next to her was trying to hold her steady without alarming her.
This realization made her feel at ease, but also a little unwilling - she didn't want to just hide behind someone and be an outsider who knew nothing about the danger.
But it seems that all she can do now is to do the things at hand well.
"Then I'll ask Wenwen to find out about Sister Han Yan's team tomorrow," she said, her tone brightening. "Thank you and Assistant Wei for the gift."
Chen Yunsheng looked at her eyes that had brightened up again and smiled faintly: "Eat quickly, the food is getting cold."
"Yeah, okay." Jiang Nan put those things aside for the time being and began to concentrate on eating.
After finishing the meal, Jiang Nan felt warm in his stomach and felt more at ease.
But when the two of them were checking out, Jiang Nan's cell phone suddenly rang.
This is a WeChat message from Han Yan:
Jiang Nan, Fu Yifang's studio has initially agreed to a meeting. The time is next Wednesday at 3:00 PM. You can prepare your gifts in advance and we'll decide whether to give them on the spot when we meet. I'll send you the specific address and contact person later.
Jiang Nan looked at the message and almost cried out in excitement. She immediately handed the phone screen to Chen Yunsheng to see: "Sister Han Yan replied! We agreed to meet next Wednesday!"
Chen Yunsheng glanced at the screen and said with a smile, "That's good news. I'll have Wei Yan prepare the gift, and he'll contact Han Yan directly. As for you, just prepare what we're going to discuss."
"Okay!" Jiang Nan nodded vigorously, feeling a mixture of nervousness and excitement in his heart.
Anyway, the first step has finally been taken.
Afterwards, Chen Yunsheng drove back to the apartment in the city center with Jiang Nan.
After parking the car, the two walked into the elevator side by side. Jiang Nan looked at the constantly changing floor numbers, still feeling a little agitated by Han Yan's reply and their conversation.
"Finally, there's some progress," she couldn't help but sigh again, "I hope our meeting next Wednesday goes well."
"Fu Yifang appreciates people who are prepared and have ideas," Chen Yunsheng said, looking at the figure reflected in the elevator's mirrored door. "You can use these two days to sort out the key points, but..."
"But what?" Jiang Nan became nervous.
Chen Yunsheng carried the paper bag containing the two wooden boxes and calmly looked away. "Nothing. I'm just worried that you'll be too curious and ask directly about Han Yan and Song Wei."
Jiang Nan didn't believe his story, but she didn't expose him. She just agreed, "Don't worry, I'm not that stupid."
At this time, the elevator arrived at their floor.
The two people walked out of the elevator one after the other and walked towards the apartment door.
As soon as she entered, Jiang Nan saw the two stuffed rabbits sitting side by side on the cabinet. She kicked off her shoes and touched them naturally, her tone becoming more casual. "Come to think of it, you seem to know a lot about what happened between Sister Han Yan and Song Wei."
"The Song family and Shenghua are collaborating, so naturally they have to pay more attention," he said. "Also, Song Huai's matter is quite a big deal, so it's not surprising that they know the general situation."
Jiang Nan pursed his lips and asked in a low voice: "Song--how did the young master of the Song family--"
She didn't finish her words, but her meaning was clear: she wanted to know how Song Huai died.
Chen Yunsheng paused, looking at Jiang Nan's curious yet slightly uneasy eyes, and said in a deep voice, "It was a car accident. It was said that it happened on the way to buy a gift for Gao Wanqing."
He put the bag on the entryway cabinet as he spoke, and his answer was just a brief one.
Jiang Nan sighed twice and didn't ask any more questions.
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