BDB Chapter 21

Jiang Rao spent nearly two to three hours completing all the tests.

Even though the results of each test couldn’t be immediately available, they would take at most about half an hour to process.

The test results couldn’t be falsified, and it was unlikely that anyone would bother to fake something with no profit involved.

Thus, after these two to three hours, she already knew the state of her delicate body’s health.

—She was very healthy.

Although the original author set the female lead as having a delicate body, she was actually in excellent health.

Her usually calm heart felt a rare touch of joy.

Health was invaluable. As long as she remained healthy, the future held countless possibilities.

However, in contrast to her joy, when she finished the final test and emerged from the examination room, she found that the male lead, who had been waiting outside the door for some unknown reason, looked far from happy.

He had gone to the psychiatric department. She wondered if he might indeed have mental health issues.

She even speculated wildly whether the original book’s portrayal of the male lead’s cruelty towards the female lead might have been due to him knowing he had a mental illness.

Of course, that wasn’t the case.

Li Jueyan was not only mentally healthy, but the psychiatrist had even said his psychological state was exceptionally sound.

He was neither arrogant nor insecure. He wasn’t self-pitying or lost despite his wealth.

He lived freely, and there was no reason for his mental health to be in question.

He glanced at the doctor behind her, who nodded at him.

His eyes darkened.

It wasn’t as he had feared; it turned out her health was indeed good.

But he had annual health check-ups that covered a wide range of tests. Each year’s reports indicated he had no health issues.

So if neither of them had any problems, why had she said those things in his dreams?

As he pondered this, she had already stood in front of him.

Her eyes stared at him without blinking, while her lips remained still.

She clearly appeared unwilling to speak but felt obliged to interact with him.

Even though her face was still adorned with that garish “ugly makeup”, his heart felt unexpectedly softened.

He remembered his earlier decision and raised an eyebrow. “Come back to the compound with me this afternoon.”

Hearing the term “compound” once again, Jiang Rao was momentarily stunned.

At this point, she had grown too lazy to recall the plot of the original book. Even with a streamlined version of over a hundred thousand words, no reader could remember every detail, let alone her, who had read this lengthy old CEO novel multiple times.

She had no particular aversion to going to the compound, especially since the plot had clearly directed her to visit.

Not wanting to dwell on it, she simply nodded.

The car sped along and eventually stopped in front of a building complex with a sign reading “Military Administration Office”.

Although there were bodyguards stationed outside the ancient castle, their demeanor was not comparable to these armed guards at the checkpoint and main gate.

They made this building complex appear stern and imposing.

Yet, the man beside her completely dismantled this stern impression.

Watching the male lead lounging with his leg propped up and his chin resting on his hand, Jiang Rao sincerely felt that the old sayings about “like father, like son” and “environment shapes people” were definitely wrong.

Unfortunately, the slap in the face came too quickly.

When she followed him and knocked on the door of a standalone villa at the back, and saw a feather duster covered in dust being thrust out of the door in an instant, she realized she might have misunderstood the military family stereotype.

The feather duster didn’t hit her because the male lead used his arm to block its path.

But immediately after, a robust voice came from inside, “Who is Li Jueyan? This old lady’s surname is Ma. I don’t know anyone with the surname Li. No one with the surname Li has entered this house for almost half a year. If anyone dares to pretend to be this old lady’s relative, I’ll beat him to death with this feather duster!”

Jiang Rao looked at Li Jueyan.

The reason the original owner, who had replaced Jiang Tang and married the male lead, hadn’t had a wedding was partly due to the male lead’s indifference and partly because not long after their marriage certificate was issued, Old Master Li passed away.

With death being paramount, the funeral that day had cast a gloomy shadow over the entire day.

In the memories left by the original owner, everyone had worn solemn faces and kept their heads down on that day.

Such a serious occasion left no room for casual conversation, so although she knew what Old Madam Li looked like, she had no idea of her personality.

At this moment, she recalled the plot about the military compound in the book, specifically regarding the female lead and Old Madam Li.

While she couldn’t remember all the details, if her memory served her right, the female lead had told Old Madam Li everything that happened to her. She hoped this Old Madam, who had lived through half a century, would help her escape from the male lead. However, despite Old Madam Li’s agreement to help and her arrangements, the power of the plot was too strong, and she was eventually dragged back…

As she was lost in these thoughts, Jiang Rao suddenly felt her hand enveloped in a warm grasp.

She looked down and saw his fingers—firm and smooth, with only a few calluses on the thumb joints.

Just as she was about to pull her hand away, she heard him say softly, “Just for a moment. Otherwise, if I get beaten, you won’t have it any easier.”

Before she could respond, an energetic elderly lady ran from the end of the previously empty porch.

Her expressions changed dramatically as she approached: first stern, then confused, then numb, and finally, her lips slowly curved into a smile.

By the time she reached them, the elderly lady’s expression had softened considerably. “Tangtang? Is that you, Tangtang? Look at me… I see your face on TV every day. I said something so strange as soon as I spoke.”

Jiang Rao nodded. “Grandma.”

Calling an elder “Grandma”, whether they were a real relative or a stranger, didn’t seem awkward or out of place.

Moreover, she was currently playing the role of Jiang Tang, so it was appropriate to address her this way.

As she spoke, she saw the smile on the Old Madam’s face widen further.

The difference between false courtesy and genuine warmth was evident. When she saw the Old Madam knock away the male lead’s hand and cheerfully take her arm to lead her inside, she realized that this Old Madam was not like the rigid elders she had encountered before.

As she followed the Old Madam into the living room and saw the wall covered with numerous awards from art performances and first-place trophies from military cultural events, she finally understood why the Old Madam was so welcoming.

Perhaps noticing that her gaze kept drifting towards the wall covered with awards and trophies, the Old Madam smiled and said, “You know, we actually have something in common. When I was young, I was an artistic soldier in the military. Back then, I was quite a beauty. Not to brag, but there was more than one platoon of men who were interested in me. In the end, I chose that clumsy old man who couldn’t say a word properly and couldn’t even write a letter to let me know he was safe while on missions. I really regretted it.”

Though she spoke of regret, Jiang Rao could still see the nostalgia in the Old Madam’s eyes.

“Don’t think I’m joking,” the Old Madam said, perhaps sensing things differently due to her long life experience. Jiang Rao’s thoughts seemed to be completely understood by her. “I truly regretted it. That old man’s genes were bad, so our son turned out to be just as inarticulate, and the daughter-in-law gave birth to a grandson who, except during festivals, never called me. He turned out to be an unfilial descendant.”

At this point, Li Jueyan could no longer hold back and interrupted, “Grandma, let’s talk privately.”

The Old Madam narrowed her eyes and said sternly, “What’s all this about talking privately? Tangtang isn’t an outsider. What could you possibly need to say to me that has to be hidden from her? Old Li might not have been the best person, but he was never like you…”

Seeing her grandson’s expression gradually darken, the Old Madam, having grown accustomed to her husband’s anger over the years, immediately knew what that look meant.

She thought to herself, unfilial child! How dare you get angry at your own grandmother!

So, she picked up her well-worn feather duster—used to calm the furious Old Li when he lost his temper and to knock some sense into the lustful Li Xiaohei. Now covered in dust with barely any intact feathers left, she nodded and agreed.

Jiang Rao was settled in the living room.

She snacked on fruits while watching the lilting melodies of Huangmei opera on TV.

A servant brought her a small black toy poodle¹ and said it was the grandmother’s favorite, named Li Xiaohei. If she felt bored, she could play with it.

Jiang Rao felt more at ease.

However, the atmosphere in the study on the second floor, where the grandmother and grandson were, was far from relaxing.

Old Madam Ma didn’t want to talk much.

She knew her grandson was busy. After her son and daughter-in-law left, all the responsibilities of the Li family and the Li Group fell on his shoulders.

He joined the army at seventeen, and by the time he was just under eighteen, he was called back to the Li family to take over the business. While he might not have fully learned the soldier’s discipline and toughness, he had picked up some of the bad habits of a military rogue, such as threatening people and using foul language.

She couldn’t stand his bad habits and often complained about them.

It was better when the old man was around, as he could return three to five times a year.

Without the old man around, it was as if he had forgotten about her, his grandmother. Even during holidays, he kept claiming he was too busy to come home, no matter how much she called him back. It was truly unfilial! So unfilial!

Thinking this, she first took out a few pills to lower her cholesterol from her pocket and swallowed them before asking, “What did you want to talk to me about privately?”

Li Jueyan’s eyes darkened. “Why didn’t you go to the hospital for treatment?”

Old Madam Ma gave him a disdainful look. “What treatment? What elderly person doesn’t have high blood pressure or high cholesterol? It can’t be cured, and the hospital smells awful. I’m not going.”

“Have you had a physical examination?”

“I did. I’m perfectly healthy. Do you have anything else to say? If not, I’ll go back to chatting with my dear granddaughter-in-law.”

Li Jueyan pressed his lips together.

If it were anyone else, he would have dragged them to the hospital, even if it meant breaking their legs.

But this was his own grandmother. Seeing her taking medicine constantly, he wanted her to go to the hospital for proper check-ups and treatment, but she wouldn’t listen. Seeing her like this made him want to say more.

So it was better not to see her and avoid the stress.

Li Jueyan had trouble with only two people.

One was Jiang Tang from his dreams, and the other was his grandmother in reality.

Hearing the Old Madam’s response, he could only steer the conversation back to the main topic. “I’m not young anymore.”

Old Madam Ma nodded repeatedly. “You’re twenty-six. If you count by traditional age, you’re twenty-seven. Two more years and you’ll be thirty. Time flies, so you’re about to hit thirty.”

Li Jueyan: “…”

“Do you think I should have a child?”

Old Madam Ma widened her eyes. “Wait… let me sort this out.”

“Not to mention the number of servants you’ve forced on the old residence, which might be more than the number of leaders in capitalist countries, even here, you’ve forced two of my old sisters to come and take care of me. So if you have a child, will I even have a chance to take care of it? If I can’t take care of it, why are you asking me if you should have a child? Ask your wife!”

“If you both think you should have a child, then have one. If you don’t want one, don’t.”

Even though he knew his grandmother was always unpredictable, Li Jueyan still felt helpless.

He had to clarify. “I want a child.”

In reality, he only wanted her. Unfortunately, the version of her in his dreams was full of rebelliousness, always trying to escape from him no matter what he did.

So he wanted to use the pretext of having a child to get the Old Madam to help him persuade her. “Please help me. She doesn’t want to have one.”

Old Madam Ma pondered. “How old is Tangtang?”

He didn’t know her real age, but he did know Jiang Tang’s age. After all, the civil affairs office required personal identification for procedures. “Twenty-two.”

Old Madam Ma immediately raised her feather duster. “Twenty-two! You want a twenty-two-year-old girl to have a child for you? Men are really something! Do you know how hard it is for women to recover after giving birth?”

Li Jueyan turned and walked away.

As he reached the door, he heard the Old Madam’s voice still full of energy from behind. “Where are you going?”

“Going home.”

“You’ve just arrived!”

Li Jueyan turned the doorknob.

At that moment, as expected, the Old Madam’s voice came again, this time much weaker. “Come back! I’ll say a few words for you, but whether she agrees or not is beyond me.”

…

Jiang Rao was playing with the small black toy poodle in the living room.

The housekeeper had said that it was already two or three years old, but Jiang Rao thought it still seemed like a pup that hadn’t grown up yet.

Firstly, it was indeed small, appearing to be a teacup poodle².

Secondly, it loved to run around energetically, making it almost impossible for Jiang Rao to keep up.

At this time, mealtime had just arrived. Not long after Li Jueyan and Old Madam Li had gone upstairs, the military song announcing lunchtime began broadcasting outside the compound. Between the songs “Unity is Strength” and “We Are Soldiers”, the grandmother and grandson descended from the upper floor.

As soon as the Old Madam saw her, she smiled brightly. “Tangtang, are you hungry?”

Jiang Rao was somewhat hungry.

After all, the influence from the night before, when the male lead had first said he would treat her well and then promised her a child, had left its mark on her. Therefore, she hadn’t eaten much that morning, facing his face.

Seeing her nod, the Old Madam said, “I’ll start cooking now. With Sister Zhang and Sister Wang helping, the meal will be ready in at most half an hour. A’Yan, you stay with your wife, talk to her, watch TV, and don’t let her into the kitchen.”

Jiang Rao had nothing much to say to the male lead. Since Jiang Tang was supposed to be a pampered young lady who never touched the kitchen, she really couldn’t help with cooking.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Jiang Rao smiled at the Old Madam and continued playing with the small black toy poodle.

The male lead didn’t talk to her, so she treated him as the “winter melon” from the saying “the audience is just winter melons” her senior classmates told her when she felt nervous hosting small events in school.

However, after being quiet for about three to five minutes, the “winter melon” couldn’t resist speaking. “Grandma wants to go to Jing Mountain Temple in the afternoon to burn incense. You should accompany her.”

A trace of hesitation crossed Jiang Rao’s face.

She was someone who disliked trouble and avoided too much interaction with others, as it required emotional investment, which could lead to hurt.

Most people were emotional, but she wanted to eliminate her emotional side and preserve her rationality.

That way, she could live more freely and openly.

However, she didn’t dare to refuse directly.

The thought of the headache that might result from her refusal was daunting. Who knew how bad it would be if she turned them down?

She checked her calves and ankles for soreness and found it wasn’t too uncomfortable. She nodded, “Alright.”

Then she saw the male lead smile. “I’m leaving now. I have an international conference to attend later. I’ll pick you up in the evening.”

Jiang Rao felt it didn’t really matter whether he came to pick her up or not, since he never drove anyway.

The Li Group had a fleet of drivers.

But remembering how the Old Madam had spoken harshly while her eyes sparkled with concern when looking at Li Jueyan, she could only respond with a soft, “Whatever you like.”

Li Jueyan’s eyes were dark.

She was truly obedient. Too obedient.

She didn’t seem at all like the woman who had thrown an IV bottle at him that night.

But whether her behavior was genuine or a facade, once the grandmother had persuaded her and she was mentally prepared, after tonight, she would be his.

He was really happy.

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