Chapter 24: “Is Brother Going to Marry Nanzhi?”

When Jiang Tingxu stepped into the old residence’s main hall, it was exactly nine o’clock in the evening.

“Dad.”

He glanced at his father, who was reading the newspaper on the sofa, and without any preamble, said, “I have something to ask you.”

Jiang Feng put down the newspaper and turned to look at him.

Jiang Tingxu had become increasingly rebellious these past two years, engaging in reckless activities one after another—refusing to go to the company, suddenly backing out of a marriage alliance, and causing quite a stir with a little star from an entertainment company.

This time, he had crossed the line.

Since the Mid-Autumn Festival until now, over half a month had passed, and he hadn’t said a word, just playing around and ignoring calls home.

Jiang Feng’s expression was displeased, and his tone was far from pleasant.

“If you have nothing to ask your father, are you still out there not coming back?”

Jiang Tingxu’s face tightened slightly.

He took a few steps toward Jiang Feng, not answering that question but directly asking the question that had been circling in his mind:

“The marriage alliance between the Jiang and Shen families—”

He swallowed hard, taking a moment to say the latter half:

“Did you push it onto my brother?”

Jiang Feng was already in a bad mood. Seeing his son immediately questioning the marriage alliance, he thought he was refusing to accept it and wouldn’t allow Jiang Jinnian to go through with the marriage.

His tone was even harsher than before.

“Well, what do you want?”

“Are you going to disregard the bonds between the two families and the past friendships, and just cancel the marriage?”

“I just want to ask you, after the marriage is annulled, have you considered Nanzhi’s situation?”

Jiang Tingxu did not respond.

He only cared about one thing: “Was the marriage alliance pushed onto my brother by Mom and Dad, or did my brother actively accept it?”

At that moment, Jiang’s mother was upstairs, listening to the commotion.

Halfway down the stairs, she heard that sentence.

She adjusted her shawl and looked at her younger son, who hadn’t returned home in half a month.

Before Jiang Feng could speak, she chimed in:

“What difference does it make?”

“Tingxu, you and Nanzhi have been childhood friends, growing up together. Your father and I have always preferred the two of you to be engaged. After all, you are familiar with each other and have so many years of friendship.”

“But in these past two years, your determination to resist the marriage has grown increasingly strong. Your father and I have had to reconsider this marriage.”

Jiang’s mother paused and continued down the stairs.

Over the past two years, she had repeatedly discussed the marriage alliance with Jiang Tingxu, only to be turned down without hesitation each time. Those scenes replayed in her mind.

She sighed deeply and added:

“Tingxu, I’ve always believed that there had to be some affection between you and Nanzhi. Even if it’s not much, there’s still the bond of having grown up together, which is why I’ve tried so hard to bring you two together.”

“But perhaps it’s true what they say: feelings cannot be forced.”

“Forget it; I won’t pressure you anymore. Over these past two years, your relationship with Nanzhi has grown increasingly distant, with no contact or meetings, and the affection you once had is nearly depleted.”

“For the sake of a marriage alliance, it’s not worth it to turn against each other.”

Jiang Tingxu clenched his palm tightly.

His lips pressed together until they turned white.

Clearly, this was the answer he had longed for, but hearing it with his own ears made his heart feel as if it were being tightly gripped by an invisible hand.

He didn’t stay long in the old residence.

Lowering his eyelids, he listened to the conversation until it ended, then stepped out of the hall and drove to ‘Sheng Ye.’

When he arrived, Fang Zhiling and the others were preparing to head back. They were somewhat surprised to see Jiang Tingxu show up at this hour.

The group exchanged glances, and their gazes ultimately fell onto the quiet, serious Jiang Tingxu sitting on the furthest sofa, drinking alone.

An eerie silence spread in the private room. Seeing that the atmosphere was off, Fang Zhiling moved to the sofa opposite Jiang Tingxu and jokingly said:

“What’s going on? You came late to the Gu family’s birthday banquet and missed out on the drinks, so you’re here to catch up at ‘Sheng Ye’ tonight?”

Jiang Tingxu ignored him.

His eyelids hung low, and in the dimming light of the private room, there was an unexplainable sense of somberness and coolness.

Fang Zhiling glanced at Qi Yue, Ji Yanche, and Feng Zimo, who were also looking over.

Having not returned to the Jiang family for half a month, Jiang Tingxu’s arrival tonight surely meant he was going back to the old residence.

It was already past nine o’clock in the evening.

Ji Yanche thought Jiang Tingxu was being pressured to marry again by his family, which was why he looked upset.

He walked over, patting Jiang Tingxu on the shoulder, speaking with a sense of empathy:

“Is it because your Mom is pushing for the marriage alliance again?”

“I just came back from Country A, and even at my welcome-back banquet, I had to listen to Grandpa talk about the marriage alliance for half a day. You’ve been at odds with the family for two years now. If it doesn’t work out—”

Jiang Tingxu let out a cold snort.

Interrupting Ji Yanche.

“It’s about a marriage alliance, but it’s not mine.”

The private room fell silent for a moment.

Ji Yanche was stunned, about to ask what he meant.

He heard Jiang Tingxu continue:

“The marriage alliance between the Jiang and Shen families has fallen on my brother and Nanzhi.”

Ji Yanche’s eyes widened, and he unconsciously uttered a “Damn.”

The others showed similar expressions of shock.

Except for Feng Zimo, whose prediction had come true a few days ago.

Qi Yue was the first to express his surprise, his voice full of disbelief.

“No, that’s impossible, right?”

Jiang Jinnian has been abroad for so many years, and he’s only met Shen Nanzhi a few times. How could they get married?

Jiang Tingxu didn’t answer, just kept pouring drinks down his throat.

The group looked at each other, and the private room fell into complete silence.

Qi Yue and Ji Yanche, who had been trying to liven up the atmosphere earlier, didn’t know what to say now.

Only Feng Zimo, with a complex and silent expression, watched Jiang Tingxu, whose mood seemed even worse than before, despite getting his way in refusing the marriage alliance.

As close brothers who had played together since childhood, they valued loyalty above all else. As Jiang Tingxu kept drinking, they stayed by his side, until eleven o’clock in the evening.

The cold, dim moonlight mixed with the halo of the garden lights fell on the front of the main villa. Jiang Tingxu stepped onto the hall stairs under the night sky.

As he entered, he saw Jiang Jinnian on the sofa, facing the hall door, talking to Zhou Lin on a video call, handling company affairs.

Jiang Tingxu curled his hand into a fist, and the dark emotions in his eyes were unclear.

“Brother.”

Jiang Jinnian had taken over the company long ago, single-handedly confronting the board of directors, injecting fresh blood into the company with thunderous efficiency, and leading all of the Jiang family’s industries to a new level.

He had even personally led the team to expand overseas markets when Tiansheng Group’s market value reached its peak, ensuring that the Jiang family firmly held the top position both domestically and internationally.

Jiang Tingxu had an almost innate admiration for his older brother, who was always abroad, but there was also a sense of distance from not seeing each other often and not being close enough, as well as a vague underlying fear.

Shen Nanzhi had never been close to Jiang Jinnian. She rarely asked about him and never inquired about anything related to him. The Jiang Jinnian she remembered was just a cold, aloof person who was difficult to get along with.

She didn’t know that beneath that layer of aloofness, Jiang Jinnian had hidden methods.

Being able to lead Tiansheng Group to the top in a cutthroat business world and then carve out a path to success from nothing in the brutal and unforgiving overseas market, creating the awe-inspiring E.R Group, how could he be a merciful person?

Fortunately, in Jiang Jinnian’s heart, there was a clear distinction between family and outsiders.

No matter how ruthless his methods were outside, he would never use them on his family, not even on the distant branches of the Jiang family.

But despite this, everyone in the Jiang family knew about Jiang Jinnian’s way of doing things. The elders of the Jiang family were always polite in his presence and never dared to harbor any thoughts of seizing control of Tiansheng Group.

His cousins, who were around the same age as Jiang Jinnian, were always on edge in front of him.

Jiang Tingxu, being Jiang Jinnian’s younger brother, naturally held a higher position than any of his cousins.

Over all these years, although Jiang Jinnian didn’t often visit the old residence, he respected every choice Jiang Tingxu made.

Even when Jiang Tingxu refused to join the company and his relationship with the family was at its most strained, it was Jiang Jinnian, who was abroad, who called Jiang Feng and Mrs. Jiang to persuade them to respect his choice and let him walk his own path.

So, Jiang Tingxu’s feelings for his older brother were complex.

He admired and respected him greatly, but ultimately, he also harbored that sliver of fear, just like his other siblings.

However, under the influence of alcohol and the shock of learning that Shen Nanzhi might be marrying Jiang Jinnian, he disregarded that fear.

Jiang Jinnian didn’t know what his younger brother was thinking. He had just finished discussing some remaining issues about the signing meeting earlier in the day.

He hung up the video call, closed his laptop, and glanced at Jiang Tingxu, his tone gentle despite his usual calmness.

“You’re back?”

“Are you going back to Nancheng City?”

Jiang Tingxu walked closer, “Not for now. Brother, I have something I want to ask you.”

It wasn’t early. It was only about ten minutes before ten o’clock at night.

Jiang Jinnian rubbed his throbbing temples. He was about to tell Jiang Tingxu to get some rest, but he stopped when he heard what he was about to say.

He stopped his movement towards the stairs, nodding and asking, “What is it?”

Jiang Tingxu clenched his palm.

He stared intently at Jiang Jinnian’s expression.

He swallowed, finally uttering the question: