Chapter 5: “A Good Match.”

Shocked beyond measure, Jiang Yao’s voice cracked at the end.

The room immediately fell into a strange silence.

Duan Zhuxian’s father, Duan Song, who had seen his fair share of the world, was the first to recover. He laughed and said, “Is that young Jiang? Quite informal, seems like an easy-going child.”

Haha, you really have high emotional intelligence.

Jiang Yao forcibly gathered some sanity, squeezing out a stiff smile from his uncontrollable expression.

The chaotic and absurd nightmare of last night was also forcibly suppressed by him.

He gritted his teeth and first greeted Duan Song and the fashionably dressed middle-aged woman by his side.

Yuan Li did not expect Jiang Yao to know Duan Zhuxian and looked at Duan Zhuxian in surprise, “Zhuxian, so you know our Yao Yao?”

“Yes, we are old acquaintances.”

Duan Zhuxian approached naturally, inviting the two elders to the dining table and very gentlemanly pulled out chairs for them, brewing them each a cup of freshly made Da Hong Pao tea.

Learning that Jiang Yao and Duan Zhuxian had a previous acquaintance, the concern on the faces of Jiang’s parents eased a bit.

However, Jiang Yao’s face darkened visibly, like the sky before a storm.

After the elders sat down, Duan Zhuxian turned his head and beckoned Jiang Yao, who was still standing at the doorway, “Come over and sit.”

Jiang Yao, with his hands in his pockets, pretending to admire the calligraphy hanging at the entrance, turned his head upon hearing this and met Duan Zhuxian’s gaze.

Duan Zhuxian was wearing a black thin suit with a blue diagonal-striped tie today, his hair meticulously groomed, looking like he had made time to come from the company.

This man sat among the elders with a dignified air, every move filled with gentle elegance, even the curve of his lips seemed calculated.

Such pretentiousness, a complete hypocrite.

Jiang Yao snorted lightly, overcoming numerous inner barriers to walk to the table, only to find the seat next to Duan Zhuxian was the only one left.

He hesitated for a long time, under the gaze of everyone, he finally sat down.

Before the dishes were served, the elders from both families had already started discussing the matter of Hua Yan investing in Jiang Li’s business.

Duan Zhuxian added explanations on the side, showing both the humility of the younger generation and the shrewdness of a businessman, impeccable in his dealings.

Only Jiang Yao, as if hit by a blow, sat upright, occasionally when his name was mentioned, would he lift his lips to respond dryly.

With the overwhelming presence of someone beside him, Jiang Yao tried to divert his attention and glanced at the macadamia nuts on the table, but couldn’t find the nutcracker, so he gave up and took out his phone to browse.

He first perfunctorily replied to Chen Yiqi’s messages inquiring about the matchmaking situation, then logged into his email to read unfinished work content.

Suddenly, he sensed a slight movement of air at the tip of his nose.

He lifted his eyes slightly, and a hand with distinct knuckles appeared in front of him, holding a small porcelain plate. With a slight tilt, a few peeled milky white macadamia nuts rolled into his plate.

“What are you doing?”

Jiang Yao moved his buttocks to the side as if pricked by a needle, and glared at Duan Zhuxian with a wary face.

Duan Zhuxian still had that calm demeanor, using the conversation of Duan Song and Jiang Qingtian, two middle-aged men, as cover, he whispered, “In formal settings, personal grievances should be set aside.”

“I don’t need your advice.”

Jiang Yao lifted his eyelids, retorting irritably.

Afterward, he no longer deliberately avoided Duan Zhuxian, but like a clam, he closed off even more tightly, exuding an aura of “demons and ghosts, stay away.”

The purpose of this dinner was to discuss a marriage alliance, but the actual focus was on the “alliance” rather than the “marriage.”

From the conversation with the elders, Jiang Yao roughly understood the ins and outs.

Since its establishment, the Hua Yan Group operated by the Duan family has always focused on bulk commodities and real estate. Duan Zhuxian’s grandfather, as the founder, although he had let go of the company’s affairs for many years, but his thinking is still keeping up with the times.

The old man, observing the situation, saw the rapid rise of internet technology in recent years, with artificial intelligence poised to take off. Those who got in early made a fortune, so he also wanted a piece of the pie. After much research, he took a liking to their company. However, Jiang Yao’s parents adamantly refused to cede control, which eventually led to the marriage alliance.

The twists and turns are quite complex, but in short, the marriage alliance could maximize the interests of both parties.

The beautiful woman who came with Duan Song is called He Lu, Duan Zhuxian’s stepmother, with a pair of long, narrow phoenix eyes that occasionally glanced at the two younger ones.

Seeing Jiang Yao’s mouth burned by the spicy crayfish, Duan Zhuxian twisted open a bottle of mineral water for him. She said with a smile, “Zhuxian and young master Jiang have a really good relationship.”

Auntie, being blind is a disease that needs to be cured.

Jiang Yao smiled at her, shifted his seat, and once again increased the distance from Duan Zhuxian.

Seeing that neither Jiang Yao nor Duan Zhuxian responded, He Lu continued with her gentle demeanor, “No wonder, back then, when old Duan wanted to arrange for Feiyi and young master Jiang to marry, Zhuxian desperately stopped it and even volunteered himself.”

Duan Feiyi is He Lu’s son, Duan Zhuxian’s half-brother, who is said to be only half a year younger than Duan Zhuxian. So it’s not hard to guess how that came about.

Watching He Lu struggle to maintain her elegance, yet unable to hide her glee, Jiang Yao roughly figured out the inner relationship between Duan Zhuxian and his stepmother.

But he was too lazy to delve into these grudges and schemes.

What he cared about was He Lu’s last sentence.

During the course of the meal, the parents from both sides had half-jokingly, half-seriously agreed on a time to register the marriage. After that, they would choose an auspicious day for the wedding, which would solidify the marital relationship to the outside world.

After dinner, the elders of the two families were preparing to move to the tea room for a casual chat.

Jiang Yao suddenly stood up, and smiled at the people at the table.

“Sorry everyone, Duan Zhuxian and I will excuse ourselves for a moment.”

He politely threw out the sentence, then grabbed Duan Zhuxian’s wrist and forcefully pulled him up from his seat. He rushed him out to the small garden outside the private room and shoved him roughly into the corner, with the sharpness in his eyes no longer hidden.

“Explain, what did your stepmother mean by that?”

“Literally what she said.”

The tone was neither salty nor bland, and Jiang Yao really wanted to punch someone when he heard it.

He frowned, took a small step forward with one leg, and firmly pressed his knee against the side of Duan Zhuxian’s leg, and lowered his voice: “You know I have little patience with you.”

Duan Zhuxian said, “I forgot you’ve never been good at Chinese.”

Jiang Yao glared at him: “Will you die if you don’t provoke me?”

Duan Zhuxian lowered his eyes and looked at him, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

They stood face to face, locked in a stalemate for a few seconds, then Jiang Yao stepped back two meters, then turned around irritably and kicked the edge of the flower bed.

He used a bit too much force, and his toes started to throb in pain.

“Just now at the dining table, you should have understood clearly that with my grandfather’s attitude, he will definitely choose one of the marriageable young people to marry you.”

Just as Jiang Yao was curling his toes and secretly hissing in pain, Duan Zhuxian behind him suddenly spoke up.

“When my uncles and aunts heard about this, they all shirked responsibility, fearing the burden would fall on their own children. Only my father was different; he wanted to use this opportunity to please the old man. And as the eldest son, I took the initiative to relieve my father’s worries. What’s wrong with that?”

“What kind of nonsense logic is that! You play the filial son and the idle grandson while sacrificing me on the side?”

Jiang Yao turned around and threw a cold glance, and met Duan Zhuxian’s expression that had unknowingly softened.

“Even if it’s not me, you have to marry someone else.” Duan Zhuxian’s expression remained unchanged, but his tone had become a bit colder.

Jiang Yao paused for a few seconds, then laughed: “What does it matter to you if I marry someone else?”

Hearing this, Duan Zhuoxian walked step by step in front of Jiang Yao and stood still, his gloomy and unfathomable gaze pressing down from under his brows.

“At least we know each other well, which makes us a good match.”

Jiang Yao: “?”

His Chinese language grades indeed weren’t as good as Duan Zhuxian’s, but is that how the term “good match” is used?

[Author’s Note]

Jiang Yao: Someone good at Chinese language, explain this to me.