Chapter 100: Tea Brewing Technique

“I’m not…” Li Zong explained with some agitation, “I don’t want money, and I didn’t want to acknowledge him either. I didn’t know he was my brother at first. It was only after getting to know him that he felt a little familiar. On the day of the banquet, I was going to find him to clear things up, but then someone recognized us. I got agitated for a moment, and that’s when…”

Jiang Shi lowered his head to look at his phone, it was unclear if he was listening or not. When he finished speaking, he took a check from his bag and placed it in front of Li Zong.

“Whether you intended it or not, here’s five million. Take it, and from now on, Cheng Ye has nothing to do with you.”

Li Zong watched as his beautiful hands handed him a check. He remained stiff and didn’t take it. “I said, I don’t want money. I know my mom and I have wronged him. When my mom ran away with me, we almost starved to death outside. She had thought about going back to get him, but she couldn’t even feed me, how could she get him?”

“It’s normal for him to resent us. I’ll take any beating or scolding he gives me. Now that I see he’s doing well, I’m happier than anyone. If he doesn’t like me, I can leave right away and never appear in front of him again in this lifetime. But you can’t think so badly of me.”

“Jiang… Jiang Shi…” he stammered his name. “I’ve liked you for a long time. I’ve watched every drama you’ve acted in. I don’t care what they think of me, but you can’t think so badly of me.”

Jiang Shi laughed and took back the check. “Then go. Remember what you said, and never appear in front of Cheng Ye again in this lifetime.”

Li Zong was stunned, not expecting Jiang Shi to let him off so easily. “Then my brother…”

“He’s not your brother. His name is Cheng Ye. He’s the only one in his family. You don’t need to say anything to him, nor do you need to see him. When I say never appear in front of him again in this lifetime, it starts from this very moment.”

After he finished speaking, Li Zong was very obedient, packed his things, and left.

As he was leaving, he looked at Jiang Shi. “Then… can I see you again?”

He was like a fan who had finally met their idol, his eyes shining brightly, filled with nothing but Jiang Shi.

Although Li Zong’s face looked delicate, he was about 1.8 meters tall, almost the same height as Jiang Shi when they stood face to face.

“Brother Jiang Shi… you… can you give me an autograph?”

Jiang Shi stood at the door, not smiling, nor showing any sign of annoyance. “The timing isn’t right today. Maybe next time.”

Li Zong left, looking back every three steps.

Gao Xinhe, after being filled in by Liu Man, spat at his retreating back. “Wait, you’re just letting him go like that?”

Jiang Shi took out the check from his pocket and flipped it a few times. “What else? Keep him here, so he can unexpectedly provoke Cheng Ye someday and get him on the trending topics again?”

Liu Man was also very unhappy. “We can’t just let him go so easily, can we? Just because he says he’s not after anything, does that mean he’s really not? I’d sooner believe I’m the first emperor of Qin.”

Jiang Shi tore up the check in his hand. “It would be better if he wanted money. The scary part is when they don’t…”

He instructed Liu Man, “Go investigate. Investigate him, his family, and also, who he has been in contact with.”

Liu Man rubbed his hands, ready to go. After a few steps, he turned back. “Little Jiang, you chatted with him in the room for so long. Did you figure out what kind of person this bastard is?”

Jiang Shi threw the torn pieces into the trash can. “As soon as I entered the room, I smelled a strong scent of green tea.”

Even in this situation, Jiang Shi couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. The Cheng family’s genes were truly something else.

After chatting, Jiang Shi went upstairs to find Cheng Ye. He warned the two people beside him, “This matter won’t end so easily. From now on, if you see Li Zong, don’t believe a single word he says, especially someone as gullible as Gao Xinhe.”

Gao Xinhe, who was inexplicably caught in the crossfire: “…”

He said, “Damn! The more I think about it, the angrier I get. I’m going to find a place to put a sack over his head and beat him up.”

Jiang Shi tore open a pack of disinfectant wipes and cleaned his hands. “I support you.”

Gao Xinhe looked at him.

Jiang Shi said, “Remember to pick a place without surveillance cameras. If you get caught, don’t say you know me.”

Gao Xinhe: “…”

By the time they returned, the broken door of the hotel room had been cleaned up, but they hadn’t had time to replace it. It was just left open, but thankfully, the bed inside couldn’t be seen from the doorway.

Liu Man said, “All the rooms on this floor have been booked by the company. There are no strangers.”

He had also realized that Jiang Shi wasn’t as helpless as he had imagined. On the contrary, he was far calmer and smarter than he had thought.

“With you by Brother Cheng’s side, we’ll go back and rest first. If anything happens, give me or Assistant Chen a call.”

Gao Xinhe looked around blankly. “What about me?”

Liu Man dragged him away.

Jiang Shi stood at the door and wiped his hands again with a wet wipe before entering the room. He had closed the curtains when he left, so the room was pitch black again.

He fumbled his way forward. Before he had taken two steps, he was suddenly grabbed by the waist and fell onto the bed. He didn’t sink into the soft mattress but fell into a warm embrace.

Cheng Ye forcefully wrapped his arms and legs around Jiang Shi, his voice tinged with a questioning tone. “You went to see him?”

Jiang Shi moved a little, couldn’t struggle free, and simply found a comfortable position for himself.

“What, you won’t let me see him?”

The man grumbled, “What did he say to you?”

A mischievous thought arose in Jiang Shi’s heart. “He said he’s my fan and that his home is covered in my posters.”

As soon as he said this, the arms holding him tightened. “He’s lying to you.”

“How can you be so sure he’s lying to me?”

Cheng Ye opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Jiang Shi patted his hand. “Let go. Are you trying to strangle me here?”

Cheng Ye reluctantly loosened his grip a little.

“Alright…” Jiang Shi said, “This person’s background is not simple. I’ve already asked Liu Man and the others to investigate. Don’t be impulsive. He’s just trying to provoke you on purpose. If you really hit him, you’ll be playing right into his hands.”

He paused. “At the very least, you should pick a place without surveillance cameras and put a sack over his head before you beat him.”

Only then did Cheng Ye’s tense shoulders relax.

“I… I didn’t want to hit anyone. It was him who insisted on kneeling in front of me and telling me that he didn’t mean to abandon me back then, that his mom came back later to try and take me away…”

It was unclear what he was thinking, but Cheng Ye’s eyes darkened, and a bloody aura surged up, only to be swallowed down again.

He reached out and tightened his arms around Jiang Shi’s waist. “I’ll handle the rest.”

Jiang Shi asked him, “You’ll handle it? How do you plan to handle it? Give him money? Or threaten him?”

“I…”

Jiang Shi kicked his calf. “Alright, President Cheng. I’ve already said this matter isn’t that simple. As soon as Huo Ji returned to the country, Li Zong showed up. How can it be such a coincidence? And, this Li Zong doesn’t want fame or fortune. If it’s really as he says, he shouldn’t have appeared in front of you in the first place.”

“If you ask me, this is most likely a conspiracy against the two of us.”

At this point, a cold smile appeared on Jiang Shi’s lips. “I’d like to see what kind of medicine he’s selling in his gourd.”

Soon, Jiang Shi found out exactly what kind of medicine it was.

Li Zong did as he said and didn’t go looking for Cheng Ye, but he did appear on Jiang Shi’s film set.

Jiang Shi had just joined a new crew. He was playing the second male lead, a spoiled little prince. The filming location was in a deep mountain forest, and they would be pretty much isolated from the world for about a month.

The little prince had a guard who was loyal to him until death. When filming first started, the actor playing the guard had a family emergency, and the director had been looking for a replacement.

The assistant director said he knew someone who was quite suitable for the role and could recommend him for a tryout.

And then Jiang Shi saw Li Zong’s face.

The other’s face still had some injuries. He smiled, his eyes curving like a crescent moon. “What a coincidence, Brother Jiang Shi.”

Jiang Shi also smiled. “It is quite a coincidence. I didn’t expect the world to be so small that I would run into you here.”

Li Zong said, “I used to do all sorts of jobs for money, and I’ve acted a few times. Later, I went to work at Hengyuan, thinking I would finally have a life without worrying about food and clothing, but then…” He shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “I can’t help it. I’m short on money. someone recommended me, so I came here.”

Jiang Shi rolled up the script in his hand. “Didn’t you say your stepfather treats you quite well? How can you be short on money?”

“He’s sick, a very serious illness. He’s in a coma in the hospital now and needs a lot of medical expenses every day.”

He stopped there. After a while, Jiang Shi asked him again, “Since he’s sick, why didn’t you take the money I gave you that day?”

Li Zong looked at him. “I don’t want you to think I’m that kind of person. It’s true I’m short on money, but I won’t take a single cent of money that doesn’t belong to me, especially… especially that kind of money.”

The makeup artist called from not far away, “Teacher Jiang Shi, it’s your turn for makeup.”

The conversation ended there.

Now, Jiang Shi also had his own private makeup room. The makeup artist was the young lady who had given him a reminder during a previous filming, and she had now become his exclusive makeup artist.

Gao Xinhe, who had heard the whole conversation, was pacing around the makeup room like a monkey. “Wait… little cousin, how can you be so calm? You’re being gaslighted, you know?”

Jiang Shi leaned back in his chair and watched him jump up and down. “What else? What do you want me to do? Just pack up and leave, stop filming, and break up with him immediately?”

Gao Xinhe was speechless.

Jiang Shi said, “Go ask Brother Liu to investigate him. Didn’t he say he’s acted before? Find out what he’s acted in before.”

The signal in the mountains was not very good. Jiang Shi’s phone was constantly in a no-signal state. Never mind checking messages, he couldn’t even make a phone call.

After his makeup was done, he went out to wait for his scene. Li Zong was standing at the door. When he saw him, he immediately ran over to greet him. “Brother Jiang Shi, shall we run lines?”

Jiang Shi said, “Am I very familiar with you?”

Li Zong was stunned for a moment, then awkwardly corrected himself, “Teacher Jiang.”

He followed behind Jiang Shi. “Are you still angry about that day? I’m sorry, I really didn’t mean it. And I’ve already done as you said and haven’t appeared in front of him. Running into you on the set this time was an accident. If you don’t like me, I can tell the director I quit before filming starts.”

Jiang Shi had changed into the little prince’s costume, a vibrant red, with sparkling beads in his hair. With red lips and white teeth, he looked like a character out of a painting.

The pendants in his hair swayed with his steps. Li Zong’s eyes were a little dazed, and he was hooked, following behind Jiang Shi.

Jiang Shi sat down, and he squatted beside him.

“I actually don’t really want to acknowledge my brother,” he said to Jiang Shi.

“I don’t really have much of an impression of him. I was too young then, and I don’t remember much, just that he was a bit fierce.”

“I have a soft personality, and my health was not good when I was young. Plus, with my biological father being the way he was, my mom was a little more concerned about me. Maybe because of that, he came to hate me.”

As he spoke, he looked up at Jiang Shi.

His waist-length black hair hung down his back. He lowered his eyes and turned a page of the script.

“I’ve actually always been very afraid of him. He used to hit me often when we were little. My mom made me a toy back then. I wanted to play with him, but he insisted I was showing off, smashed the toy, and even pushed me…”

He reached out and pushed back the bangs on his forehead, revealing a faint scar. “My head hit the cabinet, leaving this scar.”

He smiled. “He’s my brother. I don’t blame him.”

“It’s just that sometimes when I see his face, I still get scared. That day at the banquet, he gave me that look again. I was so scared, I couldn’t help but say the wrong thing.”

A look of pity appropriately appeared on Jiang Shi’s face, but in his heart, he had a rather untimely thought.

I wonder if Cheng Ye learned his tea-brewing skills from this one?