Chapter 33: “Are We Reconciled?”

Just a moment of strangeness, and by the time Jiang Yao realized it, Duan Zhuxian’s expression had already returned to calm, like the wind passing over a lake, hard to find any trace.

Jiang Yao squinted his eyes: “If I’m not blind or deaf, your mother hasn’t finished talking.”

Sitting opposite, Duan Zhuxian put his phone back into his pocket and said, “The latter part is similar to the former, all blessings, no need to watch it again.”

“Is that so?”

Jiang Yao slowly stood up, walked to Duan Zhuxian, and suddenly bent down sharply, placing her hands on the armrests on both sides, trapping Duan Zhuxian in the single sofa. His sharp eyes stared into his: “Duan Zhuxian, did you do something bad?”

Duan Zhuxian leaned back slightly and said, “No.”

Jiang Yao didn’t believe him: “Then why are you feeling guilty?”

He was dying to know what his mother-in-law had said later, but before he could continue to press, an old but strong voice interrupted them—

“Looks like I came back at the wrong time.”

Jiang Yao quickly straightened up and looked towards the source of the voice. An old man with fishing gear was walking towards them.

Duan Zhuxian adjusted his clothes and stood up, saying, “Grandfather.”

Jiang Yao, slightly embarrassed, touched the tip of his nose and picked up the gift box beside him, handing it to the old man. “Old Qin, this is a pigment extracted from a rare mineral. I had someone find it in Africa for you.”

Upon hearing this, the old man repeatedly said “good” three times, smiling as he asked, “How did you know I was just in need of pigments recently?”

Jiang Yao also smiled.

He knew Old Qin was giving him an easy way out. After all, as a famous painter, the one thing he wouldn’t lack was pigments. This confirmed what Duan Zhuxian had said—the old man was indeed easy to get along with.

Old Qin called for Aunt Wang to put away the pigments. After setting down his fishing gear, he invited Duan Zhuxian to play a game of Go.

Jiang Yao watched the game with great interest from the side, counting how many times Duan Zhuxian silently conceded.

Watching someone play Go was a good way to observe their inner character. A person’s conduct in Go mirrors their behavior in life. Duan Zhuxian truly was a scheming dog.

When the last piece was placed, Duan Zhuxian said, “Grandfather, I lost.”

The old man merely grunted, showing no joy in his victory. He immediately chased Duan Zhuxian off the board and beckoned to Jiang Yao, “Let Xiao Jiang play.”

Half an hour later, Jiang Yao won—just barely.

On the chessboard in front of them, the desire to win from both sides seemed ready to break through the pieces, making the game tense, thrilling, and exhilarating. It was truly a spectacular match.

Old Qin stared at the chessboard with a serious expression for a long time, then looked at Jiang Yao’s face. “I thought you would let me win, like Zhuxian did.”

“Old Qin, your chess skills are exceptional, there’s no need to concede,” Jiang Yao shrugged, speaking bluntly. “Besides, just thinking about how to keep the game going is enough to kill half my brain cells. Where would I find the energy to figure out how to let you win unnoticed?”

Hearing this, the seriousness on Old Qin’s face vanished instantly, and he burst into hearty laughter.

At dinner time, Old Qin decided to deal with the fish he caught at noon and directed the two young people to move the barbecue grill near the artificial lake by their residence.

Receiving a bucket of pre-processed fish from Aunt Wang, Jiang Yao volunteered, “I’ll do the grilling. You all go over there and wait for dinner.”

It wasn’t that he wanted to show off in front of Old Qin, but he noticed that Old Qin probably had something to say to Duan Zhuxian alone.

Duan Zhuxian leaned close to his ear and asked in a low voice, “Are you sure you can handle it?”

Ever since witnessing Jiang Yao’s ability to turn something magical into something rotten with his cooking, Duan Zhuxian had been keen to keep Jiang Yao away from anything related to cooking.

Jiang Yao gave him a glare, “At least it won’t poison you.”

*

A few minutes later, Duan Zhuxian glanced at Jiang Yao, who was not far away, still a bit uneasy. However, Jiang Yao had lined up the fish in a row and rolled up his sleeves with a confident posture.

Old Qin, standing nearby, said, “I heard you’re making quite a name for yourself in Hua Yan recently.”

Duan Zhuxian withdrew his gaze and replied indifferently, “It’s time to take back what they took from us back then, with interest.”

Old Qin sighed, “Your grandfather(paternal) is a heavy-hearted man. Given your mother’s situation, he probably won’t easily hand Hua Yan over to you.”

Duan Zhuxian said, “When there’s no better candidate, these grudges don’t matter. After all, he has to consider the interests of the entire group, not a feudal empire’s inheritance.”

Over the years, he had far outpaced the rabble in the Duan family. Even if he were to take the chairman’s position immediately, he could handle it with ease.

Old Qin nodded, “As long as you understand.”

He then shifted the conversation, “Speaking of which, Xiao Jiang is much better at making people happy than you are. You’ve really found a treasure.”

Hearing this, Duan Zhuxian looked at Jiang Yao, who was meticulously brushing oil on the grilled fish. His cold eyes softened. “Yes, he’s very likable.”

“Time flies,” Old Qin sighed, indicating a height at his waist. “I still remember when you were this small, without even a proper toy, just gnawing on books that even adults couldn’t understand, as if you didn’t know there were better things in the world. And now, you even have a partner.”

“It’s just that back then I hadn’t encountered anything better,” Duan Zhuxian replied, his gaze still fixed on Jiang Yao.

Before he was fifteen, he truly didn’t care about anything except the the giant ship Hua Yan. His goal was to become its helm, so he would never be manipulated by others. For this, he was willing to abandon everything unrelated to it in his life.

But when he was fifteen, he met Jiang Yao.

If you meet someone you really like in your youth, that feeling becomes a growing pain, slowly entwining into your bones and blood, eventually becoming a permanent mark on your heart, never to be separated.

Old Qin took a sip of tea and said softly, “You must be very happy to have brought the Jiang family’s boy into the family. Are you here today to show off to your grandfather?”

Hearing this, Duan Zhuxian looked at Old Qin with a trace of surprise.

“You think your grandfather didn’t notice that you’ve liked him since you were a child?” Old Qin chuckled twice. “He still doesn’t know, does he?”

Duan Zhuxian responded with a simple “Hmm.”

Old Qin was silent for a moment, then shook his head and said, “Emotions aren’t like business negotiations, where staying silent can achieve great things. If you don’t speak up, there will never be a result.”

*

The aroma of grilled fish slowly spread, and the old man, feeling enthusiastic, grilled a fish himself and placed it on Jiang Yao’s plate.

Jiang Yao took a bite. The translucent fish meat, tinged with red, was slightly undercooked. He hesitated for a second, then braced himself, smiled, and swallowed it, praising its taste despite the fishy flavor in his mouth.

Old Qin, delighted by the flattery, said, “I’ve heard for a long time that Xiao Jiang is from the South, a region famous for fish and water, so you must have quite a knack for eating fish.”

Following Old Qin’s words, Jiang Yao shared some amusing stories about fish from his hometown, making the old man laugh heartily.

As night fell, Old Qin didn’t ask them to stay over, only saying that Jiang Yao should visit again when he had time to “discuss fish.”

On the way back home, Jiang Yao asked Duan Zhuxian, who was driving, “Your grandfather knew about me long ago?”

Duan Zhuxian paused, recalling the conversation he had with Old Qin by the lake, and nodded.

Jiang Yao raised an eyebrow, “I remember Duan Feiyi saying at the racetrack that you don’t mention people you don’t care about to your family…”

What had started as a casual comment now felt strangely deliberate.

Jiang Yao pressed his hand to his lips and coughed twice to cover his discomfort.

Duan Zhuxian said, “You also mentioned last time that he was trying to sow discord.”

Jiang Yao: “…”

“Just because someone shares similar blood doesn’t make them family. In front of my grandfather, you’re the only person I’ve ever mentioned.”

After saying this, there was a long silence. Duan Zhuxian glanced at Jiang Yao’s awkward, contemplative expression and asked, “What are you thinking about?”

Jiang Yao snapped back to reality, reached out to flick the fox ornament on the car, and feigned disdain, “I was thinking it’s no wonder Aunt Wang would say ‘seeing is believing.’ It must be because back in high school, you often spoke ill of me in front of her.”

Duan Zhuxian couldn’t help but tease him, “What bad things would I say about you?”

Jiang Yao sneered, “What else? That I’m always against you and an eyesore every day.”

Duan Zhuxian asked, “Do you think that’s how I see you?”

Jiang Yao remained silent.

The first part expressed his dissatisfaction with Duan Zhuxian over the years, assuming Duan Zhuxian felt the same. The latter part was his own addition, based on what he imagined Duan Zhuxian might think, likely quite accurate.

As they passed a traffic light, Duan Zhuxian said calmly, “With you around, high school life was very exciting.”

Jiang Yao lifted his eyelids and glanced at Duan Zhuxian, “Are you a masochist?”

“Not at all,” Duan Zhuxian said.

Hearing this, Jiang Yao found it inexplicably sincere.

Jiang Yao was momentarily stunned, memories of high school flooding his mind. When Duan Zhuxian found out he liked Shen Tang, he gradually became cold and arrogant, showing no signs of being masochistic. 

Instead, it was Jiang Yao who, on that snowy night, had tried to get closer, only to be rejected and hurt from afar. He was the one who had suffered!

Jiang Yao didn’t believe a word of what Duan Zhuxian said.

And Duan Zhuxian knew Jiang Yao didn’t believe him either.

Because there was no other explanation but “love.”

Afraid the other person would find out the next second, yet also afraid they’d never know. 

This was probably the only variable and conflict in his otherwise orderly life trajectory.

As they were driving halfway, Jiang Yao’s stomach suddenly churned, accompanied by waves of cramping pain.

Noticing Jiang Yao’s hand on his abdomen and his slightly pale face, Duan Zhuxian asked, “Is your stomach bothering you?”

Jiang Yao weakly responded with a “Hmm.”

Duan Zhuxian immediately slowed down the car.

Jiang Yao asked, “What are you doing?”

Duan Zhuxian said, “I’m turning around to take you to the nearest hospital.”

“I’m not going!” Jiang Yao said firmly, “It’s probably just from eating undercooked fish. I’ll be fine after taking some stomach medicine and resting for a while.”

“Why didn’t you spit it out if it was undercooked?”

Duan Zhuxian asked, his voice carrying a hint of sternness, but it seemed restrained, not too severe.

“I already ate it, what’s the point of complaining?” Jiang Yao said gruffly, feeling a bit guilty as he looked out the window, showing the back of his head to the driver’s seat.

Duan Zhuxian’s grip on the steering wheel tightened. After some thought, he continued to speed up in the direction of home.

Jiang Yao wasn’t stupid, nor would he easily put himself in a difficult situation. He only forced himself to eat the undercooked fish to make his grandfather happy.

After speeding home, Duan Zhuxian helped Jiang Yao to the living room sofa and immediately went to find the stomach medicine.

Jiang Yao actually wasn’t feeling that bad anymore, but Duan Zhuxian seemed quite urgent, which he found interesting, so he didn’t say anything and waited for Duan Zhuxian to serve him.

The butler was also there tonight. Jiang Yao walked over to greet him and overheard him sending a voice message to the home improvement company, mentioning that the newly installed lights in the garden were having connectivity issues.

Jiang Yao asked casually, “I remember when I first arrived, the garden was very dark. Why were so many lights suddenly installed later?”

“Mr. Duan specifically instructed it,” the butler replied. “The day you moved in, Mr. Duan said both the garden and the interior were too dark and needed more lights.”

Jiang Yao was taken aback, suddenly recalling the night he first arrived. His night blindness had flared up, and his phone had just run out of battery. He had hesitated at the gate, unable to move. Duan Zhuxian had returned, claiming he had forgotten something, but only took an useless cushion from the car…

When Duan Zhuxian came back to the living room with the prepared medicine, Jiang Yao had already returned to the sofa.

The warmth of the liquid soothed his weak stomach and spread warmth throughout his body.

“Thanks,” Jiang Yao said, handing the empty cup back to Duan Zhuxian.

Duan Zhuxian said, “Go back to the bedroom and rest.”

He then turned and walked towards the kitchen sink.

“Duan Zhuxian.”

Sitting on the sofa, Jiang Yao called out to his back.

Duan Zhuxian paused and immediately returned with large strides, his gaze falling on Jiang Yao’s abdomen. “What’s wrong?”

Jiang Yao coughed lightly. “Forget it, it’s nothing.”

Duan Zhuxian asked, “Is your stomach hurting again?”

Seeing the unmistakable tension in Duan Zhuxian’s eyes, Jiang Yao’s heart was slightly moved. He deliberately lied a little, “A bit.”

Duan Zhuxian’s face darkened. He grabbed Jiang Yao’s wrist, “We’re going to the hospital.”

“Let go.” Jiang Yao shook off the grip with surprising strength for someone with a stomach ache.

He leaned back with a smirk, resting his arm on the sofa, returning to his usual laid-back demeanor.

“Alright, alright, my stomach’s fine. I just wanted to say, if your words weren’t so harsh and your actions not so extreme, maybe our relationship wouldn’t have deteriorated to this point.”

Jiang Yao looked up at Duan Zhuxian, his chin jutting out elegantly, but without arrogance or provocation.

Duan Zhuxian gazed down at him for three seconds, unable to resist, and reached out to ruffle his hair.

“Are you teasing a cat?” Jiang Yao’s eyes widened, his irritation flaring for a moment before he continued, and spoke stiffly, “But, I’ve noted your sudden decency today. Regardless of what you think or any schemes you might have, I’m taking it as you extending an olive branch.”

Duan Zhuxian’s eyebrows slowly arched, about to speak, but Jiang Yao cut him off forcefully, “I’m the patient, no rebuttals allowed!”

With that, they both fell silent, locking eyes for a few seconds until Jiang Yao’s fierce gaze began to show signs of awkwardness and avoidance.

Duan Zhuxian asked, “Can I speak now?”

Jiang Yao replied, “Go ahead.”

Duan Zhuxian bent slightly, trying to catch Jiang Yao’s averted gaze, “So, does this mean we’re reconciled?”

Jiang Yao frowned, “In your dreams. Just because you acted decent once, you think everything’s forgiven?”

Duan Zhuxian’s lips curved into a smile as he extended his hand towards Jiang Yao, “You’re the patient. Let me carry you upstairs to rest.”

Jiang Yao dodged, “No need.”

He was a grown man, perfectly capable, with no need for any coddling or carrying. Besides, the butler was still nearby, tending to the house. Only Duan Zhuxian would be shameless enough to suggest such a thing.

In the next second, Duan Zhuxian slipped his hands under Jiang Yao’s back and knees, lifting him up horizontally without any warning.

“Hey… what are you doing? Put me down!” 

Jiang Yao, caught off guard, lowered his voice to avoid alerting the butler, barely daring to struggle.

“Just continuing to act decent,” 

Duan Zhuxian said leisurely, his steps up the stairs quick and steady.

Peering over Duan Zhuxian’s shoulder, Jiang Yao could see the butler glancing in their direction.

Not wanting to be seen, Jiang Yao was so panicked that he buried his face into Duan Zhuxian’s chest, leaving only a pair of reddened ears visible.