Chapter 12: “Did you and Duan Zhuxian reconciled?”

In Jiang Yao’s imagination, his daily cohabitation with Duan Zhuxian would involve constant bickering, arguments escalating into fights, and even erupting into a third world war.

In reality, it was just three meals a day, and without any interaction.

A week passed peacefully like that, and then Chen Yiqi’s birthday arrived. On Friday, he invited a few friends with whom he usually had good relationships for a small gathering.

At the birthday party, someone saw Jiang Yao and wanted to inquire about his marriage news, asking who the sister-in-law was, but Jiang Yao deflected their questions with a few words.

To prepare for changes in the stock market, the marriage alliance between the Duan and Jiang families had not yet been announced.

These people didn’t get the gossip they wanted, so they deliberately teased Jiang Yao about hiding a beauty in a golden house.

Jiang Yao was just pouring himself a drink to cover up his embarrassment, when he heard this, he choked and coughed. Just applying these four words to Duan Zhuxian made him involuntarily shudder.

Even if all the beauties in the world die out, it would never be Duan Zhuxian’s turn.

At 9 o’clock in the evening, the gathering ended.

Chen Yiqi had caused some embarrassing incidents recently while trying to pursue a model, so his family imposed a curfew on him, and his birthday was no exception.

Everyone had no choice but to disperse in disappointment, some went home, and others went to other places to continue the fun.

After sending everyone else off in their cars, Jiang Yao and Chen Yiqi stood by the roadside waiting for their respective drivers.

Chen Yiqi lit a cigarette and asked Jiang Yao, “I’ve actually been wanting to ask, what happened after you met your wife that day? How is my sister-in-law? Is she gentle? Is she virtuous?”

Jiang Yao touched his nose, and showed an expression as if he found it hard to speak.

“Aah, I think I know it. My condolences,” Chen Yiqi automatically interpreted on his own, and decided not to poke at his brother’s sore spot any further. He changed the subject, “By the way, let me tell you some good news.”

Jiang Yao raised his eyebrows, and signalled him to continue.

Chen Yiqi leaned closer in a mysterious manner, “I overheard my mom and her friends gossiping. They said the eldest among the younger third generation of the Duan family is also going for an arranged marriage. Isn’t he the one you’d love to chop into pieces and offer him to the heavens, Duan Zhuxian? For someone as proud and aloof as him being forced into marriage by his family would probably be the death of him.”

He spoke with a tone of schadenfreude, completely unaware of the change in Jiang Yao’s expression. After finishing his words, he eagerly waited for Jiang Yao to join him in mocking Duan Zhuxian.

Jiang Yao hummed noncommittally and casually said, “Indeed, it’s quite fatal.”

Then he changed the subject directly, “What wish did you make when you blew out the candles just now? Why it took you so long?”

“I have three wishes,” said Chen Yiqi. When he mentioned this, he put away his playful smile, raised his fingers, and counted seriously, “First, I wish for my parents’ health; second, I pray for success in pursuing Jessica; and the third wish, I dedicate to my best brother, Jiang Yao.”

Jiang Yao was touched upon hearing this, thinking that his brotherly affection was not in vain.

“What wish? Tell me about it,” said Jiang Yao.

Then, Chen Yiqi faced the pitch-black night sky, put his hands together in prayer, and said devoutly: “I ask the heavens to open their eyes for you, to bless Duan Zhuxian’s future wife and him to share the same bed but have different dreams, to be together in appearance but apart in spirit, to be discordant like an untuned qin and se, and to part ways like the laboring swallows.”^[1]The words below are idioms that Chen Yiqi said when praying😂: “同床異夢” (tóngchuángyìmèng) means “to share the same bed but have different dreams,” indicating a lack of shared … Continue reading

Jiang Yao: “…”

Where did this kid, who clearly has no scholarly learning, pick up so many malicious idioms?

“It would be best, best to give Duan Zhuxian a green hat^[2]“綠帽子” (lǜ mào zi) = Green hat, Originally it refers to a hat that is green in color.But now, the term “green hat” has a specific cultural meaning in China, where it is used to … Continue reading to wear, to anger him to death…”

Chen Yiqi got more and more excited as he spoke, hooked his arm around Jiang Yao’s neck and laughed wickedly. The alcohol went to his head, making him unsteady on his feet, just as he was about to place his other hand, which was holding a cigarette, on Jiang Yao’s shoulder.

Suddenly, the person standing properly in front of him drifted back half a meter, causing him to lunge at nothing and nearly tumble down the steps.

Chen Yiqi steadied himself and took a closer look, only to see a stern-faced man in a suit grabbing Jiang Yao by the back of his neck and pulling him over to his side.

Chen Yiqi cursed out loud, startled enough to drop his cigarette.

“D-Duan, Duan Zhuxian?” Chen Yiqi was so shocked that he was tongue-tied, but still stood up bravely, “What are you going to do to Jiang Yao? If you have the guts, let him go and come at me!”

After he blurted out his fierce words, he realized that Duan Zhuxian’s gaze was entirely fixed on Jiang Yao, completely ignoring him.

Jiang Yao also had a few drinks tonight, and when his collar was suddenly grabbed, he felt very dizzy. He wanted to react on the spot, but because Chen Yiqi was still there, and family scandals should not be publicized, he could only frown and lower his voice to ask, “What are you doing here?”

Duan Zhuxian said, “To pick you up.”

Jiang Yao squinted his eyes and said, “I remember my driver’s name is Wang, not Duan.”

After he spoke, he felt his pocket lighten, and his phone ended up in Duan Zhuxian’s hands.

“Check your WeChat.”

Jiang Yao snatched back his phone, opened it, and saw that his brother, Jiang Chen, had called him several times, but he hadn’t heard it because the gathering was too noisy.

He clicked on his brother’s unread message: [I’ve arrived at your marriage house. Why haven’t you come to pick me up?]

Jiang Yao was puzzled; his brother had always been busy with the new company’s IPO in the neighboring city, why would he come back to Lingbei in the middle of the night?

He replied: [Scram, don’t you have your own marriage house?]

Jiang Chen replied: [If I really didn’t have one, that would be great. Hurry back, brother misses you.]

Jiang Yao: …

Duan Zhuxian asked, “Are you leaving or not?”

Jiang Yao: “Let’s go.”

Chen Yiqi, who was completely out of the loop, stood two meters away, watching the two of them whispering to each other for quite some time.

If it weren’t for Jiang Yao finally saying “I’m leaving first” to him, and Duan Zhuxian giving him a glance, he would have almost thought he was invisible.

But, was it because he had drunk too much that his vision was blurred?

Why did Duan Zhuxian confidently get into Jiang Yao’s car?

Recalling the way Duan Zhuxian looked at him at the end, it didn’t seem friendly…

His brother couldn’t be in any danger, could he?

Chen Yiqi’s alarm bell rang in his mind. He stared at the black luxury car that gradually disappeared into the night for a long time. His brain’s CPU was almost overheating as he sensed that something was off. This car didn’t seem to fit Jiang Yao’s family’s low-key style.

Wait, that seems to be Duan Zhuxian’s car!!

He took out his phone in shock and messaged Jiang Yao: [What the heck, when did you and Duan Zhuxian reconciled?]

Jiang Yao: [Reconciled? Nonsense, we’ve just been cooperating recently.]

Chen Yiqi: [What cooperation?]

Jiang Yao: [Marriage.]

In the desolate autumn wind, Chen Yiqi looked at the two extremely twisted characters and suddenly showed a relieved smile.

It was so outrageous, comparable to the Trisolarans(Alien) taking over the earth and destroying human civilization, so he must have drunk too much and was having bizarre dreams.

He decided to go back to sleep and wake up from this dream before doing anything else.

*

After getting in the car, Jiang Yao had a private chat with his parents for a while and roughly understood the situation.

Ever since his brother, Jiang Chen, had angered his wife when she returned home, he hadn’t been able to coax her back for a month.

The in-laws had some complaints to this, and coincidentally, the Jiang family had a big deal in the hands of Meng family, which was urgent, so it was really awkward.

When they heard that Jiang Chen had gone to seek refuge with him, their parents immediately thought of taking this opportunity for Jiang Yao to set an example for his brother and teach him how to treat his spouse with respect and have the right attitude towards a marriage alliance.

Treating each other with respect^[3]Respect in this context is mutual respect between husband and wife?

Who’s that?

Is it him and Duan Zhuxian?

Jiang Yao, like a spineless person, slouched in the car seat, and stared at these four characters^[4]four characters in here is referred to “Treating each other with respect” because the raw is consists of four Chinese characters: 相敬如賓(xiāngjìngrúbīn). on his phone screen. He slowly tucked half of his head, including his nose, into his collar, but he still couldn’t hold back his laughter.

They treat each other like dogs, more or less.

Dogs like son of a b*tch.

He grinned silently, subconsciously glanced to the side, and unexpectedly met Duan Zhuxian’s gaze. It felt as if Duan Zhuxian had been watching him for a long time, observing his every move.

Jiang Yao swiftly raised his chin from his collar and pre-emptively retorted at the speed of light, “What are you looking at? Haven’t seen a handsome guy before?”

Duan Zhuxian sat upright, and said calmly, “You have a vegetable leaf stuck on your teeth.”

Jiang Yao was taken aback and quickly opened the front camera of his phone and took several shots from different angles. His two rows of teeth were white and neat, more than enough for a toothpaste advertisement.

Realizing he had been played, Jiang Yao glared back at him, but the other party had already closed his eyes to rest, with the corners of his lips slightly curled.

Jiang Yao almost ran out of breath.

Damn it, there’s no one more dog-like than Duan Zhuxian in this world!

[Author’s Note]

Jiang Chen: OK, let me observe and learn about the correct married life (rubbed his hands in anticipation) (eager to try) (taking notes seriously) (evaluating strictly)