Chapter 98: Cheng Ye’s Younger Brother

Jiang Shi was stunned for several seconds before he came back to his senses.

He put the phone on speaker and placed it on the table, then continued to pack. “If he wants to get married, then let him. It has nothing to do with me anymore.”

Zhang Chi said, “I don’t know which girl is so unlucky to marry him. Isn’t this guy gay? Getting married just like that, isn’t it disgusting?”

“What can you do if it’s disgusting? Are you going to run to the wedding and say he’s gay? Never mind what the Huo family would do, your dad would break your legs on the spot.”

And with Huo Ji’s family background, marriage was inevitable. He just felt sorry for the girl who may or may not have known the truth.

Thinking of this, Jiang Shi felt a little nauseous.

He hung up the phone. Only after putting on a disguise did he set off for Xiliu Village.

Cheng Ye was too busy to get away, so Gao Xinhe went with him.

Gao Xinhe really loved his job as Jiang Shi’s assistant. When he was with Jiang Shi, his food and accommodation were covered, and the company even paid for his social security and housing fund. Plus, Jiang Shi was lazy and didn’t have much work, and most of the time, it was Cheng Ye who was taking care of him.

In just a few short years, he had turned into a little fatty.

The little fatty sat next to Jiang Shi. “Little cousin, I need to lose weight.”

Jiang Shi, wearing a hat, glanced at him sideways.

Gao Xinhe said, “A couple of days ago, my friend introduced me to his cousin…” His little face turned red. “She’s so cute. I… I want to lose weight and be with her.”

Jiang Shi said, “Has she even agreed to be with you? And you’re already losing weight.”

Gao Xinhe: “…”

“I’m working on it.” He squeezed closer to Jiang Shi. “Little cousin, she’s your fan. Can you give me an autograph later? Just write ‘To the most, most, most gentle and cute Yuanyuan in the whole world’.”

Jiang Shi pulled his hat down. “I’m sleeping. Do not disturb.”

No matter how much the outside world had changed, Xiliu Village was still the same.

As far as the eye could see, there were majestic high mountains. The mountains were silent, and the people at their feet farmed and worked, year after year.

Actually, there had been changes. The young people had all left, and the ones remaining in the village were all elderly.

Jiang Xue still came to pick them up in her electric tricycle.

The glamorous big star, Jiang Shi, upon returning home, still had to climb onto the vehicle with his butt in the air.

Jiang Xue said, “I know you’re short on time. Rest for a day today, and leave tomorrow. I’ve killed the last chicken at home. I’ll make a good meal for you tonight to replenish your strength.”

Gao Xinhe grinned, laughing heartily.

Hearing that Jiang Shi had returned, all the villagers came to see him. A crowd gathered in his family’s courtyard. The faces he remembered were much older now.

“Long time no see. A big star’s aura is really different. Your skin is so tender and supple, you look much better than when you were in school.”

“Oh my! My granddaughter loves the TV shows you act in. She calls you her husband on her phone all day long. She’s only a few years younger than you. Why don’t you just marry her?”

“Go, go, go! With your granddaughter’s looks, how could Jiang Shi possibly be interested? I have a niece, a graduate from a prestigious university, and she’s beautiful. She’s more than a match for a star.”

“Jiang Shi must have a girlfriend already, he just hasn’t brought her home. Is being a star very profitable? You’ve already bought a big house and moved to Jiangcheng. My son, I think he’s pretty good-looking too. Jiang Shi, do you want to take him under your wing?”

“Yeah, we’re all from the same village. You can’t just hog all the good stuff, right? You can’t be like Cheng Ye. He opened his own company but won’t hire anyone from the village. He even said you have to submit a resume according to the procedure. Ptooey! He’s a big boss, but he can’t even make a decision like that. I think he’s just black-hearted. He got rich himself and doesn’t care if the folks from his hometown live or die.”

…

The smile on Jiang Shi’s face grew smaller and smaller.

Jiang Xue came out of the house with a broom. She swept it across their feet. “Go, go, go! All you gossipers, get out!”

She stood in front of Jiang Shi with her hands on her hips. Her hair had turned much whiter, but her voice was still loud and clear.

“I say ptooey too! You call them black-hearted, but who’s more black-hearted than you? You have no skills, yet you’re thinking of getting something for nothing. Even laying bricks requires strength, but you lot, you just want to occupy a spot without doing any work.”

“Are you Cheng Ye’s father or his mother, that he should arrange a job for you? Ptooey! When he couldn’t even afford a bite to eat, who among you gave him anything? Now that he’s rich, you’re all acting so chummy.”

“And you all, trying to set my son up every day. Does my son need your introductions? And those of you who want him to help you become a star, why don’t you take a good look at yourselves in a puddle of piss? With your crooked-melon-and-split-date looks, you want to be a star? In your dreams!”

Jiang Xue’s fighting power was as formidable as ever. She took on a whole crowd by herself, not backing down in the slightest.

Soon, the crowd in the courtyard had been completely chased away by her.

She sat next to Jiang Shi with a dustpan, picking vegetables. “Those people are just greedy. They see you’re doing well and rush to get a piece of the pie. When they can’t, they start cursing. Don’t pay them any mind.”

Jiang Shi asked her, “Do you often encounter things like this at home?”

Jiang Xue’s hands paused.

Jiang Shi finally understood why she was willing to leave.

Seeing him like this, Jiang Xue comforted him, “Instead of being upset here, I might as well move to a place where no one knows me. Besides, transportation is so convenient now. If I want to come back, I can come back anytime.”

“I’ve thought it all through. I’m not a person who can sit still. When I get to Jiangcheng, I’ll use my savings to open a small shop and do a little business of my own.”

Jiang Shi said, “Let Cheng Ye handle it for you.”

Jiang Xue gave him a light smack. “Don’t just call on Cheng Ye for everything. He’s so busy.”

The fragile Jiang Shi felt a tightness in his chest from the smack.

The residential community where Jiang Xue lived was chosen by Cheng Ye. The place they lived was too quiet, with not many people around. Plus, it would be awkward for Jiang Xue to live with the two of them, two men. So Cheng Ye and Jiang Shi found a lively community for her, mostly inhabited by retired elderly people. It was next to a park, bustling and full of life.

When Jiang Xue arrived, she saw it and really liked it.

She didn’t bring much with her. The only thing she held protectively was a photo of Jiang Shi’s father. After putting the photo away, she began to urge Jiang Shi to leave.

“I’ve already asked Xinhe. He said you only took two or three days off. I’ll pack the rest myself. You should hurry up and go to work.”

Jiang Shi was a little worried about her being alone. “How about…”

“How about what?” Jiang Xue pushed him. “It’s not like your mother is disabled. Can’t I do this little bit of work? Go do what you need to do, don’t bother with these superficial things. When I’m done packing, I’ll cook a meal someday, and you and Cheng Ye can come over to eat.”

She watched Jiang Shi go downstairs, then went to the window and watched the black car drive away.

Jiang Xue walked around the new house twice.

The house was bright, spacious, and clean. She wasn’t used to those soft sofas, so there were wooden chairs in the house and on the balcony. There were several boxes on the balcony. Jiang Xue thought they were flowers, but when she got closer, she saw that the boxes were filled with vegetables. The fast-growing scallions and cabbage had already sprouted.

When she returned to her bedroom, although the material of the furniture was different, the layout was similar to her room in Xiliu Village.

Her lazy-bones son couldn’t have thought of such details. It was self-evident who had done it.

The paper couldn’t wrap the fire forever. No matter how much she tried to hide the relationship between Jiang Shi and Cheng Ye, someone would eventually see the signs. Plus, Cheng Ye was getting richer and richer. He wasn’t particularly nice to anyone, but he went out of his way to accommodate her family. It was hard for people not to know.

Jiang Xue was fierce, and those people didn’t dare to say anything to her face, but there are no walls in the world that don’t have cracks.

Rumors were flying, and she couldn’t shut everyone’s mouth.

When Jiang Shi was little, she had lost him. After returning to Xiliu Village, it was Cheng Ye who had been taking care of him until now. He called her “Mom,” but she had done very little for him. Now, she thought, she could finally do something for him.

…

Liu Heping was waiting for Jiang Shi at the company with a selection of scripts.

It was almost evening when Jiang Shi finally arrived late. He pulled him into the office. “Ancestor, are you a snail?”

Jiang Shi took off his mask. “Didn’t I ask for a three-day leave?”

Liu Heping said, “Did you ask me? You notified me.”

“Forget it, I won’t argue with you about that…” He pulled Jiang Shi to sit down. “These are a few of the better ones I’ve selected from the scripts that were submitted. Take them back and study them.”

Jiang Shi took them and flipped through them. “You were in such a hurry to find me just for this?”

“There’s one more thing…” Liu Heping took an invitation out of a drawer. “There’s a wedding invitation here with your name on it. It should be for you. It was sent to the company.”

Jiang Shi put down the scripts and took the invitation from Liu Heping’s hand. He opened it and saw two large characters in the groom’s position—

Huo Ji.

He didn’t speak. Liu Heping leaned over. “Is this an invitation from the Huo family? The media has been making a big fuss about the Huo family’s son, Huo Ji, getting married recently. Do you know him?”

Jiang Shi closed the invitation. “I know him, but we’re not close.”

“Oh…”

Liu Heping thought it was just a polite gesture, after all, Jiang Shi was now a somewhat famous star.

“This Huo family is really…”

He said, “Their family was quite rich before, but it seems their means of making money weren’t very clean. Later, they gradually moved their business overseas. It’s one thing to develop overseas, but to come back to the country and make such a big deal about getting married… a lot of people are guessing they’re planning a comeback…”

Jiang Shi stood up with the scripts. “Alright, I’m going back.”

Liu Heping called after him, “Hey… the invitation! You don’t want it?”

“I don’t want it. Throw it away.”

He went downstairs from the company and called Gao Xinhe. Gao Xinhe’s voice was frantic on the phone. “Little cousin, wait for me a bit. I don’t know which bastard just spilled a bowl of spicy hot pot on me. Damn it! I’m in the bathroom cleaning up.”

Jiang Shi: “…”

There were people coming and going outside, and several people cast curious glances at him.

Jiang Shi pulled his hat down low, planning to go back to Liu Heping’s office to wait for a while.

Just then, a car horn honked in front of him.

Jiang Shi looked up reflexively. The window of the car parked on the side of the road rolled down, revealing a face that was both strange and familiar.

It had been almost ten years. Huo Ji’s face was still handsome, and he had even gained a bit of mature charm. His long hair had been cut short, and his once-thin frame had gained some muscle. The corners of his eyes were slightly lifted. He was wearing a wine-red shirt, and the exposed skin was pale and bloodless. A tattoo was partially visible on his wrist, which was resting on the car window.

He curved his eyes into a smile. “Long time no see.”

Jiang Shi turned and walked away.

Huo Ji didn’t get out of the car. He just watched him walk a few steps, then said with a smile, “After all these years, you still haven’t changed. Are you still with Cheng Ye? What a long and loving relationship…”

“I’m curious, do you really know what kind of person Cheng Ye is?”

Jiang Shi turned around.

Huo Ji tilted his head in the car. “It’s alright. The real show is just beginning. I’m looking forward to your expression then. It will definitely be wonderful.”

“Big star Jiang, in a month, remember to grace my wedding with your presence.”

The car sped away. Jiang Shi shivered inexplicably in the cold wind.

The next second, his phone rang. He thought it was Gao Xinhe, finally done, but it was a call from Liu Man.

“Jiang Shi, something’s happened.”

Liu Man said, “Brother Cheng’s younger brother has shown up at the door.”