18. Dragon Boat Festival
Jiang Nan looked away and asked in panic, "If there weren't those obstacles, would they be happy?"
Chen Yunsheng was silent for a moment. "Character determines destiny. Even if there are no external obstacles, their inner paranoia will ruin everything."
This view made Jiang Nan fall into deep thought.
When she was a student, she mostly opposed the saying that character determines destiny, but after working for a few years, she had some personal experience.
She and Wenwen both attended a second-tier university for undergraduate studies. They were able to join Youchuang thanks to a senior from their school, Han Yan, a dashing, decisive woman. Later, Han Yan left for a better company. Before leaving, she asked Jiang Nan and Wenwen if they wanted to join her.
Jiang Nan and Wenwen thought the company was too good to be true, figuring they would just get looked down upon, so they declined. On the other hand, Gao Wanqing, a girl from another school who wasn't as good as them, bravely followed Han Yan to the new company.
In the past two years, they have occasionally kept in touch with each other - that is, posting on their social media spaces and liking their posts on WeChat Moments.
But Jiang Nan was not blind. She truly saw the changes in Gao Wanqing in the photos she posted.
Gao Wanqing went from being glamorous to being even more unattainable.
Although she was envious, she also knew that she did not have the courage to leave at that time.
Jiang Nan lowered his head and flipped through the pages of the book, slightly lost in thought.
Chen Yunsheng glanced at her face and noticed from the corner of his eye that the collar of her pajamas was slightly open, revealing a slender collarbone.
He looked away and slowly stood up.
"It's getting late, get some rest." His voice was a little deeper than usual.
Jiang Nan then realized that their conversation seemed too private and nodded quickly: "Okay, good night."
"Good night." Chen Yunsheng put the documents and tablet in order and left only the desk lamp on. Then, he walked to the couch and lay down, his long legs curled up in a somewhat aggrieved manner.
Jiang Nan felt bad looking at the couch that was obviously not big enough for him to stretch out.
"Mr. Chen," she whispered, "the bed is very big, we can sleep on both sides..."
As soon as she said it, she regretted it.
This kind of words sound very malicious, almost like a hint.
She stumbled as she explained, "Mr. Chen... I didn't mean anything else..."
Chen Yunsheng was silent for a moment. Just when Jiang Nan was about to become completely transparent, hoping to disappear into the ground, he spoke up, "Don't worry, I'll sleep here."
His voice was calm and gentle, and no emotion could be heard.
Jiang Nan had no choice but to say good night again and lie down again.
The room gradually became quiet, and only the two people's light breathing sounds could be heard.
Jiang Nan's eyes were wide open, completely sleepless. She could clearly sense the presence of another person in the room, every subtle sound magnified infinitely—the sound of Chen Yunsheng turning over, his regular breathing, even the faint scent of cedar wafting from him.
She recalled the discussion about Wuthering Heights, and the expression on Chen Yunsheng's face when he said that character determines destiny. He was always calm, rational, composed, and confident, rarely showing major emotional fluctuations. Jiang Nan couldn't help but wonder if someone like him would let things get out of control, or if someone would break their principles.
These thoughts made her heart beat faster and gave rise to some unrealistic fantasies.
So Jiang Nan forced himself to close his eyes and count sheep to hypnotize himself.
She didn't know how long it had been, but just when she was about to fall asleep, she suddenly heard the sound of Chen Yunsheng getting up.
She woke up immediately and held her breath.
Chen Yunsheng tiptoed to the bedside and stood there watching her for a while. Jiang Nan was so nervous that she didn't move, pretending to be asleep.
Then, she felt him gently pull up the quilt that had slipped down, and then gently cover her with it. His movements were very light, and he didn't touch her, but she could still feel his warmth.
Then he leaned over.
Jiang Nan's heart almost stopped beating.
But Chen Yunsheng simply picked up the copy of "Wuthering Heights" that she had placed next to her pillow and gently placed it on the bedside table.
"Good night, Jiang Nan." He whispered, his voice so soft that it was almost inaudible.
Then he returned to the couch and lay down, without moving again.
Jiang Nan couldn't sleep at all.
She opened her eyes and listened to her thundering heartbeat in the dim light. In that moment, she was actually looking forward to it, but with that anticipation, there was also a hint of fear.
But no matter what, this strange throbbing always made her feel uneasy.
She thought of the terms of the agreement, the sham nature of the marriage, and Chen Yunsheng's consistent calmness and composure.
But tonight, in this room filled with traces of his boyhood, after that discussion about love and obsession, something seemed to have quietly changed.
She gently turned over and faced the couch. In the dim light of the table lamp, she could see the outline of Chen Yunsheng lying on his side.
He seemed to have fallen asleep, his breathing was steady and long.
Jiang Nan quietly reached out his hand and lightly touched the spine of the book "Wuthering Heights" on the bedside table with his fingertips.
The cold touch sobered her up a little.
This is the boundary between Chu and Han, she said to herself, there are some lines that must never be crossed.
——
The next morning, when Chen Yunsheng woke up, he was dazed for a moment, but after a while, he remembered everything that happened yesterday.
He sat up and saw Jiang Nan still sleeping.
She was curled up on one side of the bed, almost falling off, as if observing some invisible dividing line.
He rose quietly so as not to wake her.
Thinking of the conversation last night, he couldn't help but smile - in fact, she has great potential, and her knowledge and abilities are not low, but she is used to belittling herself and hiding herself behind mediocrity.
Thinking this way, Chen Yunsheng slowly walked to the window. Seeing servants busy hanging calamus and mugwort in the distance, he remembered that today was the Dragon Boat Festival.
He pays little attention to these traditional festivals, as work occupies most of his life.
But Jiang Nan seemed to care a lot about these things. Some time ago, while she was busy working overtime, she kept talking about buying rice dumplings as gifts, and prayed that the company would no longer send out rice dumplings of unknown origin, because even if she received them, she would not dare to eat them, let alone give them to others, so they would be wasted.
Based on her muttering, he remembered that he should go back to the old house.
At this moment, his cell phone suddenly vibrated several times.
It's holiday greetings from others.
Chen Yunsheng casually glanced at it, replied in a businesslike manner, and was about to put it down when he heard Jiang Nan's phone ringing - her notification ringtone was a slightly funny and cute Macabaka.
She groped for her phone in a daze, and immediately sobered up a little when she saw the screen.
"Mom, have a healthy Dragon Boat Festival... Ok, Ok, happy Dragon Boat Festival... I'm fine, you and Dad should also take care of your health..." She spoke on the phone in a low voice, her tone soft and intimate.
Chen Yunsheng pretended to look out the window intently, but in fact he had been listening to her conversation with her family. That kind of natural and sincere expression of family affection was something he rarely saw in his own family - or rather, he hadn't seen it since his grandmother passed away.
The Chen family's holidays are more like a social performance, with everyone playing their own role, and he is no exception.
After Jiang Nan hung up the phone, he quickly replied to a few WeChat messages with a smile on his face.
Chen Yunsheng stared at the reflection in the glass and noticed the changes in her expression as she replied. Sometimes she was well-behaved and docile, sometimes she was lively and playful. Her attitude changed quickly and naturally, without any affectation.
"Awake?" He turned around, his voice as calm and gentle as usual.
Jiang Nan was startled and almost threw the phone away: "Mr. Chen...Mr. Chen! I'll get up right away!"
"Don't worry." Chen Yunsheng walked to the closet and took out the clothes he wanted to change. He glanced at the few clothes that belonged to her that had just been hung up yesterday, then naturally turned his eyes away and continued, "There will be many guests coming today. If you feel tired, you can find an excuse to rest."
Jiang Nan was a little surprised that he would say this. She nodded and agreed softly, "I understand."
Chen Yunsheng nodded and said nothing more.
——
During breakfast, Mr. Chen was in high spirits and said he wanted to take Jiang Nan to meet some old friends. Jiang Nan responded obediently and quietly replied to Wenwen's WeChat message under the table:
Happy Dragon Boat Festival!
Spending the holidays at my husband's house almost turned into a social disaster...
Chen Yunsheng glanced down and saw the word "husband" on her mobile phone screen, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
Hearing this name from her, he had a strange feeling - Chen Yunsheng could even imagine her mischievous and funny voice, which should be similar to the tone she used when she called Wang Baopi.
Jiang Nan wanted to continue chatting with Wenwen, but she noticed Su Wanrong glanced at her with disapproval. So she immediately put down her phone and focused on her meal, while also starting to worry about the old friend that Mr. Chen mentioned.
Although Chen Yunsheng and the old man said it was not a big deal, Jiang Nan was still very nervous.
However, after ten o'clock, as guests arrived one after another, Jiang Nan calmed down.
Aside from some distant relatives of the Chen family, most of these guests were business partners. In other words, her role was almost identical to hers at the previous reception, except this time, in addition to her self-control, she would also need to showcase her and Chen Yunsheng's affectionate love. Acting affection was actually quite easy; once she got used to physical contact with Chen Yunsheng, it became quite simple.
Unfortunately, Jiang Nan never got used to physical contact with Chen Yunsheng. Every time she touched his skin, she could clearly feel the coldness of his skin and the burning heat of her palm.
In order to avoid physical contact, she would adjust the position of her bow from time to time, or rub her cheeks to make herself look more dignified and more energetic - today she was wearing the black dress she bought when she went shopping with Wenwen before.
After Chen Yunsheng noticed Jiang Nan's discomfort, he tried to reduce unnecessary contact.
Jiang Nan didn't know if Chen Yunsheng was doing this on purpose; she was simply grateful that her life was getting better. Heaven had granted her whatever she desired. But to please Chen Yunsheng even more, she became even more obedient, practically following him closely. She greeted guests politely, her smile gentle and appropriate, her manners measured.
This made Su Wanrong, who had been worried for a long time, completely relieved. After giving Jiang Nan a few instructions, she went to keep an eye on Li Li to prevent her from saying anything shocking and offending the guests.
As Su Wanrong left, Jiang Nan gradually relaxed.
Chen Yunsheng looked down at her hair whorl and asked softly, "A bit bored?"
Jiang Nan looked up at Chen Yunsheng and smiled shyly: "Well... a little bit."
"They'll only stay until noon," Chen Yunsheng said. "The afternoon is your free time."
Jiang Nan nodded, then pursed her lips. She peered at his face and whispered, her voice tinged with nervousness and uneasiness, "Mr. Chen, if you don't have anything to do the next two days, can I go back to Jichuan?"
Chen Yunsheng was stunned for a moment.
After getting used to seeing her every day, he realized that he and she were not inseparable.
"Of course," he said in a considerate tone, "Shall I prepare some gifts for you?"
"That's not necessary." After getting Chen Yunsheng's approval, Jiang Nan's tone became cheerful, and the whole person was almost shrouded in a light-hearted atmosphere.
Chen Yunsheng was infected by her joy, and when he met guests again, his tone and smile became a little more sincere.
Until Song Wei showed up - she didn't come alone, she was accompanied by a young man who looked a little bit dissolute.
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