36. The past of two people
Now it was Jiang Nan's turn to be stunned: "Did you expect this?"
"Grandpa isn't that easy to fool," Chen Yunsheng walked over, casually draping his coat on the sofa. He then walked to the center island and poured himself a glass of water. "That background information might be enough to fool outsiders or people like my parents... who don't pay much attention to details. But since Grandpa is interested in you, he'll naturally spot any problems. I'm afraid he's trying to test you by talking to you today. This is a good thing. After investigating this level, he won't pursue the matter further."
He took a sip of water and continued, "It's better if you admit it. Grandpa has always valued a person's character and integrity. I only fabricated your background to reduce unnecessary resistance. Besides, your parents are teachers. They are clean and honest. There's nothing to hide."
Chen Yunsheng's words soothed Jiang Nan's anxieties. Still, she had concerns. She took two steps toward the center island, a hint of uncertainty in her tone. "Today, my second aunt mentioned a meeting between our two families. I casually mentioned that my parents were traveling all over the place. But I'm still worried they'll try to arrange a meeting."
"I...I didn't tell my parents about my marriage." Jiang Nan looked at Chen Yunsheng's face and added in a low voice.
Chen Yunsheng put down his water cup and looked up at her, his eyes filled with mixed emotions. "I will prevent this from happening again, and I'll try my best... not to disturb your parents." He was silent for a second or two, then continued, "I'm sorry, I wasn't thoughtful enough on this matter. I originally wanted to use the fact that I'm married to avoid unnecessary trouble, but now it seems that some troubles can't be avoided by just covering them up."
Jiang Nan understood his implication, but didn't know what to say.
Chen Yunsheng glanced at her again, then his gaze fell on the bowl of clumping noodles: "Haven't you eaten yet?"
"They arrived just as I was about to eat." Jiang Nan walked to the dining table and looked at the bowl of noodles with helplessness on his face.
"Pour it away," Chen Yunsheng said, "What do you want to eat? I'll ask someone to bring it over." He turned to look at Jiang Nan, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.
In fact, he really wanted to eat a bowl of noodles she cooked, but he didn't know how to start the conversation, and he instinctively felt that once he started talking, some things would be irreversible.
"No, we can still eat it if we heat it up," Jiang Nan didn't notice his hesitation and walked into the kitchen with the bowl. "There are ways to eat it if it's clumpy. Just process it a little bit."
She turned on the stove, added some water to the pot, and poured the noodles in. Then, she cut some minced meat and shredded it, beat two eggs, stirred them evenly, and poured them all into the pot to simmer - she was going to make the noodles into batter.
Chen Yunsheng looked at her clean and neat movements, feeling surprised and a little special.
As Jiang Nan bustled about, the simple aroma of food soon filled the kitchen. Jiang Nan poured the cooked batter into a bowl and sprinkled some chopped green onions on it. She turned to see Chen Yunsheng and asked hesitantly, "Would you... want to try some? It might not look great, but it should taste... okay."
Chen Yunsheng looked at the steaming bowl of batter in her hand, which certainly didn't look very good. He was silent for a few seconds, then nodded: "Okay."
So, the two of them sat together at the center island.
But before the action officially began, Jiang Nan suddenly stood up and said hurriedly, "There's more!"
She walked to the refrigerator and took out the matcha dessert he gave her that afternoon: "And this. You can't handle it."
Jiang Nan deliberately imitated the words on his note, with a hint of teasing in his tone.
Chen Yunsheng was stunned for a moment, then smiled softly: "Okay, let's go together."
Jiang Nan raised an eyebrow slightly, then took out two small plates, divided the desserts, and handed one to him. Then, the two of them sat at the island counter and started eating.
"Can this be considered a fusion of Chinese and Western cuisine?" Jiang Nan took a bite of the batter, looked at the dessert in front of him, and joked.
"Alright." Chen Yunsheng picked up the spoon and tasted the batter, his movements still graceful. He chewed slowly and then commented, "Not bad."
Jiang Nan's heart skipped a beat when she heard his comment. She whispered, "You seem... quite tolerant of food? I don't think you're very picky about food."
From the initial instant noodles, to the home-cooked meals she made, to the current batter, he seemed to accept everything.
Chen Yunsheng paused, his hand holding the spoon, having not expected her to ask that. He was silent for a moment before speaking, "When I was little, there were a lot of rules at home. Even though my grandma and grandpa loved me, they respected my mother's upbringing when it came to dining etiquette. You shouldn't talk while eating or sleeping, and you shouldn't use more than three chopsticks for each dish. There were also many rules about when to eat, what to eat, and how to eat."
He rarely mentioned the past, so these words slipped out almost unconsciously. After he finished speaking, he was slightly stunned, but seeing Jiang Nan listening attentively, the irritation caused by exposing the past suddenly subsided a little.
He blinked and continued, "After going abroad to study, I became so busy with my studies that I didn't have any particular requirements for food. So being able to eat whatever I want is actually... something I can enjoy."
Jiang Nan hadn't expected such a probing question to elicit such a sincere response. She looked down at the batter and nodded in understanding. Then, to dispel the heaviness, Jiang Nan chuckled and said, "Is this a belated rebellion?"
Chen Yunsheng looked up at her.
Under the light, she lowered her head slightly, her expression gentle as usual.
He thought she was gentle and considerate. She didn't criticize his elders' upbringing, nor did she criticize anyone from his perspective. Instead, she steered the conversation in a safe and interesting direction. His eyes softened, and a hint of lightness entered his voice. "I think so."
Then, following Jiang Nan's words, he asked, "Your parents are both teachers. They must have seen many rebellious students, right? Or, did you have a rebellious period?"
"Yes, of course," Jiang Nan said sheepishly, "I'm a bit biased in one subject, actually. But I really didn't like my geography teacher at the time. If I took the literature course, I'd have to stay in that class. I didn't want to stay, and I didn't want my mom and the others to use their connections to switch classes for me."
"So, I just bit the bullet and chose science. My mom tried to persuade me for a long time, but my dad didn't care because he thought if I studied science, I could go to his class and he and mom would supervise my studies together."
"What a shame," Jiang Nan shook his head. "My grades have always been neither good nor bad, hovering around the first-tier line. In the all-important college entrance exam, I ended up missing it by a few points."
After saying that, Jiang Nan suddenly realized that he studied abroad and might not understand the mechanism of the college entrance examination, so he immediately changed the subject: "Hmm - by the way, how did they find this place? The management didn't ask me and just let them come up."
"When this place was first renovated," Chen Yunsheng replied, "I invited my family over for dinner. The management staff probably remembered Second Aunt and didn't ask any further questions. I'll remind them to be more careful next time." He paused, looked at Jiang Nan, and said solemnly, "If they contact you privately or come to your house again, ignore them. Just tell me and I'll take care of everything."
Jiang Nan pursed her lips, and the gloom in her heart seemed to be dispelled a lot by his words.
"Yeah," she nodded, thought for a moment, and added, "Actually, I'm not that easy to bully."
Chen Yunsheng looked at her, his eyes focused and longing. Under the dim light, her eyes shone brightly, with a hint of unyielding tenacity. He was silent for a moment, then suddenly said softly, "I know."
I know.
These three simple words made Jiang Nan's heart flutter.
Although she knew that this might be a thoughtful affirmation given by Chen Yunsheng casually due to his upbringing, for her, the feeling of being trusted and confident in this way was very wonderful, as if she was originally a half-full glass, but now the glass was not only full, but also filled with ever-expanding bubbles.
This feeling of being seen and understood made Jiang Nan's heart tremble slightly.
In fact, these years, because of that rebellious behavior in high school, she got an unsatisfactory result. Her parents doubted her more than trusted her, and in the company, she was often looked down upon by other people because of her background in a second-tier university. Some even said that Wang Baopi always bullied her because he saw that she would never be able to get into a better company than Youchuang because of her background in a second-tier university. She was afraid of losing her job and would not make a fuss.
However, a man in such a high position as Chen Yunsheng actually told her that he knew.
The trust contained in this made Jiang Nan feel a little elated.
After that, the two of them didn't say anything else and just finished their meal quietly.
After clearing away the dishes, Chen Yunsheng looked down at the time and said, "It's getting late. Go get some rest."
"Okay," Jiang Nan nodded, "Good night."
"good evening."
After saying that, Jiang Nan went to collect the computer and documents on the dining table, then walked towards her room. Before entering, she paused at the door and glanced back. At that time, Chen Yunsheng was still standing at the kitchen island, quietly looking out the window at the night view, wondering what he was thinking.
She looked at his profile and suddenly felt a sense of loss in her heart.
Although she often warned herself not to develop extraneous feelings for him, she was always moved by his thoughtfulness and gentleness. Especially today, after they briefly exchanged their pasts, she suddenly felt the urge to walk the streets of Jiangcheng.
Jiang Nan wondered if her eyes could see through the river of time and see his quiet and distant back as she strolled along the streets of Jiangcheng.
At this moment, Chen Yunsheng noticed Jiang Nan's gaze. He leaned slightly to the side, frowning slightly, and asked in a tone of worry and confusion, "What's wrong?"
"Hmm..." Jiang Nan didn't expect him to speak, and babbled, "I... I wanted to ask about changing my statement. And... the ring. I wanted to ask, if Second Aunt and Second Uncle..." She looked away in annoyance, "Sorry, I'm overthinking it."
She said good night and pushed the door open and entered the room.
Chen Yunsheng stood there, listening to the sound of the door closing, looking at Jiang Nan's room thoughtfully, then turned his head and cast his gaze at the night view outside the window again.
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