41. Chen Yunsheng’s Lies
As usual, Mr. Chen wanted to take a short nap. Chen Mingyuan and Chen Minghui went to the study to discuss something. Chen Yunsheng was also called away by a phone call. It seemed that there was an urgent matter at the company that needed to be dealt with.
Li Li had a sullen face, still angry about not having gotten the upper hand at the dinner table. After sitting there for a while, she glanced at Jiang Nan and said she was going to the greenhouse to check out the orchid she had brought.
For a moment, only Jiang Nan and Su Wanrong were left in the flower hall.
The atmosphere was subtly awkward. While Jiang Nan was trying to decide whether to find an excuse to slip out or just sit there and play the role of a good daughter-in-law, Su Wanrong put down her teacup and slowly stood up.
"Come for a walk with me," her voice was gentle, but her tone left no room for Jiang Nan to refuse. "There are a few jasmine flowers in the back garden. At this time of year, I'm afraid it's the last time they'll bloom."
Jiang Nan could only nod: "Okay, Auntie."
The two people walked out of the flower hall one after the other, and then slowly walked along the bluestone path into the depths of the old house.
At this time, the sun was approaching noon, and the sunlight became stronger and stronger, almost making the veins of the leaves transparent, and the ground was covered with the faint overlapping shadows of leaves.
A faint, moist fragrance of grass and trees lingered in the air, but the surroundings were completely silent, with only the rustling of leaves and the sound of two people's footsteps on the bluestone slabs.
Su Wanrong walked slowly, her gait elegant and leisurely. But she was not in the mood for conversation and simply walked in silence, her eyes occasionally glancing over the flowers and trees along the roadside with a masterly scrutiny and critical eye.
Jiang Nan was half a step behind her, feeling very nervous. She didn't know what this mother-in-law, who was always very strict about her taste, wanted to say by calling her out alone. She instinctively felt that this would not be just a simple walk.
After a while, the two walked through a small bamboo forest. Jiang Nan looked up and saw a viewing pavilion hidden in the bamboo forest, thinking that this was their destination. However, Su Wanrong did not stop. She walked straight around the pavilion and walked deeper into the forest to a relatively open lawn.
At the edge of the lawn, there were two rattan chairs placed around a round table.
Su Wanrong sat down on one of the chairs and pointed to the side: "Sit down."
Jiang Nan sat down as he was told, placing his hands neatly on his knees.
Su Wanrong's gaze fell on several lush, nearby rosemary trees. The branches were adorned with bright, brilliant blossoms, yet a faint, decadent air emanated from them. She gazed at the flowers for a moment before speaking slowly, "I saw the ring Yunsheng gave you. It's simple and elegant, and it suits you."
Jiang Nan couldn't tell whether her words were a compliment or criticism, so she could only respond cautiously, "Thank you, Auntie. Yunsheng... has good taste."
Su Wanrong smiled faintly, but this smile seemed to be just out of courtesy.
After a few minutes of silence, she spoke again calmly, "He's always had his own ideas. From childhood to adulthood, whatever he wanted, he would always find his own way to get it. Even if he wasn't sure at first, he would take the initiative, seize the opportunity, and then slowly make a decision. He's ambitious and strategic, and he almost never fails."
She paused, and then her expression became distant, as if she was thinking of something too far away.
In this silence, a breeze suddenly blew, carrying with it the faint fragrance of flowers and the chirping of a few birds.
Jiang Nan sat awkwardly, not knowing what to do.
But when the wind died down, Su Wanrong suddenly spoke indifferently about the past: "When he was ten years old, he had a severe fever and was hospitalized for half a month. His father and I were very busy at the time, and his grandfather was unable to help, so during that time, it was mainly the nanny and housekeeper who took care of him in the hospital."
"Later, when I finally had some free time, I went to the hospital to see him," Su Wanrong stated calmly. "He was lying on the hospital bed, his face flushed with fever. When he saw me, his eyes lit up for a moment, but he just called out 'Mom' and turned his head away."
Jiang Nan couldn't imagine that Chen Yunsheng, always calm and composed, seemingly all-powerful, could have such a fragile and childish side. But what surprised her even more was Su Wanrong's tone when she recounted the incident: calm and composed, even with a hint of indifference, as if Chen Yunsheng had nothing to do with her.
She realized that there were many complicated things involved, but she remained silent and did not ask any more questions, choosing to continue to be a quiet listener.
"After he recovered, he became even less talkative," Su Wanrong's tone remained flat. "It was as if that incident had burned away all his dependence and expectations. A few years later, he went abroad, and we only saw each other a few times a year. When he occasionally came back, he was like his father, stuck in the study, or playing chess with his grandfather. For him, this home was probably more of a place where he needed to maintain dignity and fulfill responsibilities, rather than... a home."
Having said that, she finally turned her head and looked at Jiang Nan.
The sunlight filtered through the layers of leaves, casting dim shadows on her well-maintained face, which made her eyes look somewhat mysterious, as if filled with pity and incomprehension, but also with sharp scrutiny.
"Ms. Jiang," her voice was soft, like a gust of wind that left no trace. "Do you think Yunsheng, who grew up in such an environment, really knows how to love someone? Or does he simply feel that it's time to get married, and you... just happened to appear, and you're quite suitable, meeting his current needs for the role of wife?"
Jiang Nan's eyebrows twitched slightly.
She could sense that Su Wanrong's feelings for Chen Yunsheng were complex: a mixture of indifference, concern, and even more that she couldn't comprehend. But at this moment, her primary goal wasn't to delve into the past of this mother and son, but to ensure a smooth transition to this conversation.
Jiang Nan pursed her lips and forced herself to meet Su Wanrong's eyes. Then she replied in a relatively calm voice, "Auntie, matters of the heart are like drinking water; only the person who drinks it knows whether it's hot or cold. Yunsheng... is very good to me."
Su Wanrong looked at her quietly for a moment, then suddenly smiled softly. Then, she turned her head and continued to look at the brilliantly blooming roses not far away, without saying a word.
Jiang Nan blinked and felt a little relieved.
She felt that Su Wanrong's words just now seemed to have a deeper meaning, but it was too obscure and she was confused.
What is certain, however, is that Su Wanrong doesn't really care whether this marriage is real or fake, nor does she care whether she is a satisfactory daughter-in-law. She is simply stating a fact she believes - she doesn't understand her child, nor does she believe that children raised in such an environment have good emotional perception.
This objective, calm, almost indifferent understanding made Jiang Nan feel frightened.
It turns out that Chen Yunsheng's icy personality has its origins.
At this moment, Jiang Nan's phone suddenly vibrated. She glanced at Su Wanrong's expression and quietly lowered her head to look at her phone.
This is a WeChat message from Chen Yunsheng:
Grandpa woke up and asked me to go to the study for tea. Where are you now?
Jiang Nan quickly replied:
Taking a walk in the garden with my aunt.
Chen Yunsheng's reply was concise and clear:
knew.
Jiang Nan hesitated for a while, and finally put away his phone without mentioning what Su Wanrong said.
At the same time, Chen Yunsheng put away his cell phone and went into Mr. Chen's study.
Mr. Chen looked up and saw him, and said, "Sit down."
After saying that, he continued to wash and brew the tea slowly and skillfully.
Chen Yunsheng sat opposite him, his posture upright and straight, his expression respectful yet calm and composed.
"Try this year's spring tea, it tastes pretty good." Old Master Chen pushed a cup of clear and transparent tea in front of Chen Yunsheng.
Chen Yunsheng picked up the teacup with both hands and took a sip. "It's rich and sweet. It's a good tea. Thank you, Grandpa."
Old Master Chen took a sip himself, then he put down his teacup and glanced vaguely at Chen Yunsheng's face. "At the last family dinner, your second aunt's words were unpleasant to hear, but she was right on that point."
Chen Yunsheng put down the cup and acted obediently as if he was listening to a lecture.
"Nannan seems like a good kid, with a genuine personality," Old Man Chen said slowly, "but you originally said she was from a wealthy family, and her parents are retired professors. I asked someone to do some research, and it seems there's some discrepancy."
The study became so quiet that you could almost hear a pin drop.
Chen Yunsheng didn't show any sign of panic after his lie was exposed. He was silent for a moment, then looked up to meet his grandfather's gaze and said in a tone that was a mixture of honesty and heaviness, "Yes. I concealed part of the truth. I'm sorry, I... lied."
Old Master Chen raised his eyebrows, waiting for his next words.
He anticipated all sorts of reactions from his grandson, but he didn't expect him to admit it so readily.
"From the end of last year to the beginning of this year, I wasn't always overseas handling that investment," Chen Yunsheng said calmly and gently. "In fact, I was in Jichuan most of the time."
"Jichuan?" Old Master Chen smiled. "The investment is in Jichuan?"
"It wasn't an investment," Chen Yunsheng said, looking down at the cup in front of him, his eyes dark. "It was an accident on a mountain road near Jichuan. The car slid down the hillside."
Mr. Chen's face darkened immediately, his eyes sharp as an eagle: "Car accident? Is it serious? Why did you hide it from your family?"
The last sentence was filled with questioning and worry.
"It's not serious, just a concussion and bruise. I need to rest in a local hospital for a while." Chen Yunsheng avoided the main point, deliberately blurring the extent of the injury and the details of the hospitalization. "I didn't want to worry you and my parents, so I used the excuse of handling investment matters abroad."
This reason is consistent with his usual style of reporting good news but not bad news.
Old Master Chen stared at him, seemingly not entirely convinced by his grandson's words. He asked, "Is that all?"
Chen Yunsheng knew that a complete lie wouldn't work. Since his grandfather had already discovered the background fraud, he couldn't hide Jichuan's affairs. He needed to reveal some of the facts to cover up the deeper truth of the car accident and the purpose of the arranged marriage.
He lowered his eyes slightly, lowered his voice, and said in an ambiguous tone: "While in the hospital, I met Jiang Nan."
Old Master Chen frowned slightly, and his eyes became deep.
"Her mother was also hospitalized in the same hospital at the time, and I... would see Jiang Nan walking in and out of the ward every day, carrying lunch boxes and flowers. By chance, I received flowers and snacks from her. Later, I got to know her on a one-sided basis," Chen Yunsheng continued. "Not long after, Jiang Nan's mother's condition worsened, and she urgently needed surgery, which was very expensive. She was practically at her wit's end."
Hearing this, Mr. Chen frowned even deeper.
These words were spoken in a subtle and simple way, but he had a vague feeling that his grandson was about to take an unconventional approach.
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