Chapter Seventy-Three: Before You, Except You
Because he had arranged to have lunch with Jiang Chuan's two senior brothers, Lin Yu drove back to Nara with them early the next morning.
The scenery on the return journey was exactly the same as on the way there, and Lin Yu had no time to appreciate it, nervously touching up her makeup in front of the mirror on the sun visor. Jiang Chuan caught a glimpse of this out of the corner of his eye and smiled reassuringly, "It's just meeting a friend, not a client."
He rested one hand on the steering wheel, and the other hand naturally covered the back of her hand, his warm palm against her slightly cool skin. "They get along very well, it's just a meal, don't worry too much."
"You don't understand!" Lin Yu took out a powder compact from her bag and used her fingertips to wipe away the lipstick that hadn't been evenly applied from the corner of her mouth in front of the mirror. "When it's our first meeting, I always want to leave a better impression."
Jiang Chuan's fingers traced her thin wrist, gently caressing her pulsating heartbeat. "Their impression of you depends on my attitude towards you. You'd be better off thinking about how to please your boyfriend."
"Besides, there's no such thing as 'better'," he added calmly. "Before you, there was no one else."
Lin Yu glanced at him sideways. The morning light shone through the windshield onto his profile, making him appear radiantly white.
She suddenly felt that those vague worries had been easily brushed away by his few words and had become nothing to fear.
Jiang Chuan arranged the dinner at Jushuilou, an old restaurant located near Nara Park. Its name is taken from Tao Yuanming's poem "Picking chrysanthemums by the eastern fence," and its decor exudes elegance and seclusion.
Lin Yu followed behind him, passing through a lush, tree-lined path. Underfoot was a winding stone path paved with white sand, which contrasted beautifully with the blue tiles and white walls on both sides.
She reached out and lifted the white noren curtain printed with the shop's name in ink wash style. A kimono-clad waitress led them around the pond-style courtyard and two corridors with light, quick steps, finally stopping in front of a quiet Japanese-style room.
As the paper screen was slightly lifted, Lin Yu saw two people sitting in the private room. Upon hearing the sound, they stood up one after the other.
“I’m not late this time.” Zhang Hengyuan tapped his watch and greeted Lin Yu warmly. “This kid is hard to deal with. He called us nonstop last night, afraid we’d neglect you.”
Jiang Chuan chuckled softly from behind Lin Yu, tapping him lightly with his fingertip. "Because you have a criminal record, you can't withstand the test." His voice was teasing, yet he placed his hand on Lin Yu's waist, as if offering a silent reassurance.
Just as Zhang Hengyuan was about to speak in his defense, the man in the navy blue polo shirt next to him took a half step forward, bowed slightly, and smiled as he extended his right hand to Lin Yu. "Yuan Jie, just call me Lao Yuan."
His voice was steady, with the gentle warmth characteristic of a mature man. After introducing himself, he stepped aside to indicate. "This is Zhang Hengyuan, everyone in the institute calls him Lao Zhang. We are Jiang Chuan's senior and... colleague."
Lin Yu smiled and extended her hand to Yuan Jie. "Senior Brother Yuan, Senior Brother Zhang, it's an honor to meet you. I'm Lin Yu, Jiang Chuan's...girlfriend!"
"It's an honor to meet you!" Zhang Hengyuan greeted him warmly. "I've heard Jiang Chuan talk about you all along, and seeing you in person today, I can confirm that you live up to your reputation. You're even more beautiful and elegant than I imagined."
Upon hearing this, Lin Yu smiled, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, took Jiang Chuan's arm, and sat down with him.
A woman dressed in an elegant kimono knelt as she presented the menu, softly explaining the origins of each dish in English. Kaiseki cuisine emphasizes the ephemeral nature of the experience, and the menu only listed a few seasonal dishes, offering limited choices.
Lin Yu has never been good at ordering food, especially complex high-end dishes, so this indirectly saved her unnecessary trouble. Jiang Chuan added two dishes according to Lin Yu's usual tastes. After noting them down, the female general nodded in acknowledgment, bowed silently, and withdrew.
"Where are the rest of your team?" Jiang Chuan was worried that having too many people would make Lin Yu uncomfortable, so he specially arranged this meal during the break before the team returned to China, but Lin Yu was obviously unaware of it.
Zhang Hengyuan scooped up a spoonful of chawanmushi and said with a meaningful smile, "They're in Osaka right now. We've stayed here specifically to see my sister-in-law!"
"You came here specifically to freeload, didn't you?" Jiang Chuan scoffed, serving food to Lin Yu without even looking up.
Lin Yu smiled, his fingertips lightly tracing the celadon wine cup, his gaze falling through the paper window onto the swaying bamboo shadows in the courtyard. "This place is truly elegant."
“Yes, a couple of days earlier we could have caught the unique cultural collaboration in Nara.” Zhang Hengyuan noticed that Lin Yu had picked up a few more pieces of pickled sake lees and asked with interest, “How’s your alcohol tolerance, Miss Lin?”
Lin Yu had a low alcohol tolerance and, not wanting to lose her composure on their first meeting, hadn't touched her glass. When suddenly asked, she instinctively looked at Jiang Chuan.
He reached out and gently patted Lin Yu's back, saying softly, "The local wine here is very special. If you want to try some, you can drink a little. I'm here." As he spoke, he picked up the slender-necked wine pot and poured some for Lin Yu.
The amber-colored liquor rippled in the porcelain cup. Jiang Chuan's other hand rested under the table, his fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on his knee.
Lin Yu naturally reached out and quietly grasped his slender fingers. Jiang Chuan paused for a moment, then turned and cupped her small hand in his palm, pressing it back onto his lap.
The two people opposite them naturally didn't see this intimate scene, but they did see the tenderness in Jiang Chuan's eyes as he poured the wine.
Zhang Hengyuan, chin in hand, clicked his tongue in amazement. "Are you still the Jiang Chuan I know?" he said, then pulled Yuan Jie, who had married young, into his arms and sighed, "Is this the power of love?"
“If you want to understand love…” Yuan Jie pushed up his thick glasses and slowly looked him up and down. “You’ll probably need to get a new dictionary first.”
Zhang Hengyuan is a staunch advocate of singlehood and has had many relationships, boasting a rich romantic history. However, in his professional field and in his interpersonal interactions, he is always generous and righteous, with an incredibly wide network of connections, making him impeccable in every aspect.
Lin Yu bowed slightly and toasted his two senior brothers to express his gratitude for their care and support of Jiang Chuan at school and at work.
The two men readily downed their drinks, put down their glasses, and smiled at each other. "Take care of him?" Zhang Hengyuan shook his head and laughed, "He doesn't need our care at all; he's the one taking care of us."
Lin Yu knew that the three of them must have had their own strengths to have been able to work together for so many years, but he accepted the compliment without showing any emotion. He smiled and said, "To receive such praise from my two senior brothers, it seems I have really struck gold."
She put down her wine glass, rested her elbow on the table, slightly hunched her shoulders, and let her hair fall over them. "But I heard you're two years older than Jiang Chuan. How did you meet?"
"It's all because of that merger and acquisition deal." Zhang Hengyuan seemed to suddenly become interested, snapped his fingers, and lightly tapped Jiang Chuan, who was silent across from him, with the tip of his chopsticks.
"This all started with his college roommate." Yuan Jie put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth with a napkin, exchanged a glance with Zhang Hengyuan, and began to recall.
“His roommate’s family owns a tech company. They were negotiating a merger with a foreign institution, but the other party suddenly backed out before the deal was finalized.” Yuan Jie’s glasses slipped down to the bridge of his nose. He habitually pushed them up and pressed his thumb against his mouth.
"In this situation, litigation is too slow, and international arbitration takes too long. If renegotiation is considered, the other party will have a significant psychological advantage..."
"His roommate was talking about this with a few of them in the dorm at the time," Zhang Hengyuan said, taking advantage of Yuan Jie's pause to drink water, pointing to Jiang Chuan.
"As a result, this guy somehow managed to find illegal precedents of this institution in offshore courts in half a day through some academic channels."
"That's not all. In order to put up a fight with the other party, he pulled together a senior from the International Trade Department that very night and worked through the night to produce a calculation model."
"In this way, as long as the other party initiates an anti-monopoly investigation in China, all five of their similar transactions around the world will be exposed in a chain reaction."
Zhang Hengyuan's eyes lit up, as if he had returned to many years ago, and was now in the midst of that thrilling game.
"The legal department received the compiled materials in advance. The next day during the negotiations, the senior management casually mentioned the contents of the materials. And guess what happened?"
"In less than 24 hours, the other party not only withdrew the new terms, but also took the initiative to lower the valuation requirements."
Zhang Hengyuan suddenly paused mid-sentence, his chopsticks pointing towards Jiang Chuan. "Your roommate's dad later donated... a whole building, right?"
Without waiting for his reply, she turned to look at Lin Yu. "After this battle, who in the law school doesn't know him?"
Jiang Chuan remained silent throughout, as if it were none of his business. Only after hearing this did he slowly sip his tea and say calmly, "It's not that exaggerated. It's just a small amount of sponsorship from the profits. It's just a pittance in Mr. Zhang's eyes."
Lin Yu wasn't good with technical jargon and was completely confused. He couldn't help but ask, "Your roommate's company sounds quite large. Couldn't their own team come up with this kind of solution?"
“Of course… as long as they have enough time.” Zhang Hengyuan nodded slightly. “But the business world is like a battlefield, and victory or defeat often depends on those crucial few hours.”
"So when I heard about this, I immediately decided to poach him. After all these years, I guess I wasn't wrong about him back then."
Aside from his looks, Jiang Chuan had never deliberately flaunted himself in front of Lin Yu. So it wasn't until this moment that she realized his abilities might far exceed her imagination, and her eyes revealed genuine admiration.
"You've got some skills, Attorney Jiang. They weren't hired shills, were they?"
Jiang Chuan chuckled and pushed a piece of persimmon leaf sushi in front of Lin Yu. "Don't worry, their appearance fee isn't even worth the cost of this meal."
Lin Yu smiled as he picked up a piece of sushi and put it in his mouth. The fragrance of fermented persimmon leaves and the freshness of the fish blended on his tongue.
Yuan Jie coughed lightly and asked curiously, "What industry does Miss Lin work in?"
"Just call me Lin Yu." Lin Yu put down his chopsticks and tried to summarize his job in a simple and easy-to-understand way. "I work in an environmental protection company doing control design. My daily job is to ensure that the factory can operate safely."
As the main courses were being served, Zhang Hengyuan thoughtfully stroked his chin. "Environmentally friendly? Doing the entire supply chain?"
Lin Yu was surprised that Zhang Hengyuan knew so much detail, and patiently broke down his company's main business.
Zhang Hengyuan, being as shrewd as a man, immediately guessed Jiang Chuan's intention in introducing him to the person and readily agreed. "I do have a relative who is the chief engineer at the Shanghai Institute."
He glanced sideways at the person who had started this whole thing, who was bowing her head and serving the dishes, and casually remarked, "I heard they say that many projects seek outside help. Why don't you leave me your contact information, sister-in-law? Maybe we can collaborate sometime?"
This was an unexpected surprise for Lin Yu. She naturally didn't expect that all of this was a deliberate arrangement. She enthusiastically took out her phone and scanned Zhang Hengyuan and Yuan Jie's WeChat QR codes.
Zhang Hengyuan was quite surprised. Jiang Chuan, who always knew how to maintain a proper sense of propriety, was asking him for help for the first time because of his girlfriend whom he hadn't been with for more than a few months. He couldn't help but look at Lin Yu with newfound respect.
When the conversation turned to work, he suddenly remembered a topic that Jiang Chuan and Lin Yu had discussed with Yuan Jie before their visit. "...The actual controller of that foundation was eventually targeted by the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission?"
Yuan Jie swirled his sake cup and pondered, "Hmm, but we took precautions beforehand, and now they're stuck in a dead end that the beneficiaries have identified as a way out."
"Serves him right." Zhang Hengyuan picked up a piece of tuna belly and put it in his mouth. "But the new regulations over there will take effect next month, and they might require disclosure of the ultimate controlling shareholder..."
Jiang Chuan put down his wine glass and looked at Lin Yu beside him. She was quietly eating the sushi on her plate, her eyes slightly blank.
He then coughed lightly, interrupting Zhang Hengyuan's eloquent speech. "Should we have Secretary Bai send you two a computer? Let's finish all the work before the end of the year here in one go."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Hengyuan paused for a moment, then laughed nonchalantly. A waiter pushed in a dessert cart, and delicate wagashi (Japanese sweets) were placed on the table on plain white porcelain plates. Considering Lin Yu's presence, they appropriately ended their professional conversation.
"Seriously, how did he manage to trick you into getting his hands on him?" Zhang Hengyuan looked at Lin Yu with a joking expression. "That kid is really cunning. If he had even a little bit of crooked thinking, he'd be working on a sewing machine in Tilanqiao right now."
Yuan Jie smiled and reminded him, "That's why he's a lawyer now, and it'll be quite difficult to catch him!"
Jiang Chuan curled his lips into a smile, looking at the two people in front of him, his eyes narrowing in a half-smile. "I still prefer the feeling of pulling someone back from the prison gates."
Lin Yu chuckled at their conversation, scooped up a spoonful of dessert and put it in his mouth, the smooth chestnut puree slowly melting. "He can be... quite interesting sometimes."
"He's interesting? That's a new way of putting it. Ever since I've known him, he's been like a machine that never needs maintenance." Zhang Hengyuan looked at Lin Yu incredulously.
He clearly wanted to press further, but Jiang Chuan ruthlessly interrupted him. "You've asked far too many questions today. Save that thirst for knowledge for the courtroom."
"Alright, alright, I'll stop while I'm ahead. If I keep asking, someone's self-esteem will be seriously threatened." Zhang Hengyuan raised his hands in surrender. "If you ask me, your sister-in-law can control even a large factory, why would she worry about not being able to control our junior brother?"
The meal ended in a relaxed atmosphere. As they were leaving, Yuan Jie pulled Jiang Chuan aside, took a small sandalwood box from his pocket, and handed it to him.
Jiang Chuan lifted the lid of the box and saw a pair of ancient bronze bell amulets inside. The two deer were lifelike and could be separated into two halves, one for the man and one for the woman.
"This is something we specially requested for you at the Couple's Great Nation Society, to protect your marriage."
Yuan Jie looked at Lin Yu, who was bending down to tie her shoelaces in the entryway. He knew that she and Jiang Chuan had not known each other for long, but seeing his unconsciously following gaze, he felt a sense of certainty that everything had settled down.
Jiang Chuan carefully put the box away, smiled at Yuan Jie, and thanked him softly.
Yuan Jie nodded and patted him on the shoulder. "These years haven't been easy for you either. We're all very happy to see Lin Yu today."
He paused, then instructed, "Remember to settle things in Beijing as soon as possible to avoid causing any more trouble."
Jiang Chuan stared at the stone pavement beneath his feet with a gloomy expression, nodded, and forced a smile on his lips.
After dinner, Zhang Hengyuan and Yuan Jie planned to return to their hotel for a short rest, intending to stay in the area for a few more days before returning to Shanghai.
Jiang Chuan took Lin Yu to Ruokusa Mountain. The two bought two packs of deer crackers by the roadside. Along the way, he watched Lin Yu being chased and blocked by several playful deer, his panicked yet joyful appearance making him unable to help but laugh.
As the sun set, they boarded the Shinkansen for their return journey, transferring in Tokyo to catch a late-night flight back to Shanghai.
In the cabin of the night flight, Lin Yu leaned against the porthole and fell into a deep sleep. Jiang Chuan gazed at her profile outlined in the dim light, gently stroked her slightly furrowed brows, and gently pulled the blanket that had fallen on her shoulders.
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