Chapter 4: “——No.”

Shen Nanzhi’s palms were sweaty, and her breathing was somewhat erratic.

She stiffly pulled away from Jiang Jinnian’s embrace, suppressing the tremor in her eyelashes, and quickly took two steps back, thanking him as she looked at him.

“Thank you, Brother.”

Jiang Jinnian withdrew his hand, his expression remaining impassive.

“Try not to look at your phone too much while coming down. Be careful not to fall.”

Just moments ago, when she had collided with Jiang Jinnian’s arms, the cold scent of cedar had filled her nostrils. Shen Nanzhi felt as if she could still catch a hint of his presence in her breath—chilly and frosty.

She took a moment to steady her breathing, not uttering a word of rebuttal, merely nodding obediently.

To break the awkwardness, Shen Nanzhi swallowed hard and asked,

“Did you just finish your work, Brother?”

“Mm,” he replied, “There was a meeting that ran a bit longer than expected.”

“Why aren’t you asleep yet?” he inquired.

Shen Nanzhi replied, “I’m about to sleep; I just need to get a glass of water.”

 
However, instead of heading upstairs, Jiang Jinnian led her downstairs.

The crystal chandeliers at the staircase entrance and in the hall were turned on in succession.

The bright light dispelled the darkness almost entirely.

At the bar, Jiang Jinnian personally filled a cup with water, treating it as if he were taking care of a child.

Shen Nanzhi’s gaze fell on his hands.

The cuffs of his shirt were casually rolled up, revealing a section of his cold, white wrist bone.

The muscles were well-defined, and with just a slight grip, a sense of strength surged forth.

After pouring the water, Jiang Jinnian turned and handed the cup to Shen Nanzhi, who was following behind him.

“It’s warm, just right for drinking.”

Shen Nanzhi took the cup and said, “Thank you, Brother.”

Jiang Jinnian leaned against the bar behind her, not in a hurry to leave, watching as she drank the water sip by sip.

“Do you want more?”

Shen Nanzhi shook her head.

Jiang Jinnian took the cup back from her, his movements casual and unhurried.

“Go to bed. If you need anything, just call for me.”

“Brother, you should get some rest too.”

Jiang Jinnian’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly as he softly acknowledged her, watching her ascend the stairs quickly step by step.

—

The next morning.

Mr. and Mrs. Jiang returned from the airport.

However, the expressions on their faces were not pleasant.

Especially Mrs. Jiang, her brows were furrowed in anger.

Mr. Jiang was beside her, trying to soothe her with kind words.

But no matter how much he tried to calm her down, it couldn’t compare to Jiang Tingxu’s disappearing act since last night—ignoring all calls.

“It’s all your fault for spoiling him!” Mrs. Jiang snapped, striding quickly toward the hall while venting her frustration on Mr. Jiang.

“That brat has been rebellious since two years ago. It’s one thing to not take over the family business, but now he dares to mess around with the engagement between our families!”

Mr. Jiang felt frustrated but dared not voice his anger. Seeing his wife genuinely upset this time, he could only try to placate her.

“Getting angry is bad for your health, dear. Let’s just calm down first…”

“What good is calming down going to do?” Mrs. Jiang fumed, growing more agitated with each passing moment, and her irritation toward Mr. Jiang also intensified.

“That brat just up and left without a word, leaving us with this mess. How are we supposed to explain this to Nanzhi?”

And then there was the engagement.

Besides being angry, Mrs. Jiang was also worried that the engagement between their families would be completely ruined.

She was adamantly opposed to breaking off the engagement.

Firstly, she had watched Shen Nanzhi grow up from a young age, treating her as both a daughter and a future daughter-in-law. She had been paving the way for their future since they were children, so how could she bear to hand over the girl she had raised to another family?

Secondly, the engagement between the Jiang and Shen families had been in place for almost twenty years. Not to mention the inseparable ties between the two families, if the engagement were to be annulled simply because of Jiang Tingxu’s “rebellion,” their family would be unable to explain themselves to the Shen family, let alone face Nanzhi’s parents.

As Jiang Jinnian came down the stairs, Mr. and Mrs. Jiang also stepped into the hall.

Seeing them, Jiang Jinnian was the first to speak, calling out to his parents.

Mr. Jiang was worried about his wife’s persistent anger.

Now seeing his son, he let out a long sigh of relief.

He gave Jiang Jinnian a subtle nod, signaling him to help by saying a few words of persuasion.

Mrs. Jiang suppressed her anger, sitting down on the sofa. She glanced upstairs, lowering her voice, before asking Jiang Jinnian,

“Has Nanzhi woken up yet?”

Jiang Jinnian sat on the single sofa opposite them, picking up two teacups and pouring water for his parents.

“She probably hasn’t.”

Mrs. Jiang sighed as she accepted the teacup offered by her son, glancing at her eldest son, who had always been quiet and steady, never needing her to worry much.

“Jinnian, have you heard about the situation between Nanzhi and Tingxu?”

Jiang Jinnian looked at his mother’s worried expression and then at the family friend seated beside her. “When I just returned last night, I asked about Nanzhi, but she wouldn’t say anything.”

Mrs. Jiang sighed again. “Nanzhi understands the situation; she doesn’t want to put either family in a difficult position. Since last year, she has moved out of the residence and is living alone in an apartment near the school.”

Jiang Jinnian rubbed the teacup thoughtfully, his eyelids half-closed.

Not bothering with the surrounding details, he asked directly, “What do you and Dad think about the engagement between the two families?”

Mrs. Jiang felt her anger rising again. “The engagement between our families cannot be touched. But that brat, Jiang Tingxu, has gone completely off the radar—ignoring calls and not replying to messages, as if he’s trying to disappear.”

Jiang Jinnian listened to his parents recount the events that had transpired in the two years he’d been away.

After about half an hour, Zhou Lin arrived with a document from E.R. Corporation.

Jiang Jinnian took Zhou Lin to his third-floor study.

As he finished signing the document and handed it back to Zhou Lin, he inquired about Jiang Tingxu.

“Where is Tingxu? Have you found him?”

Zhou Lin received the document and quickly replied,

“Mr. Jiang, we’ve located him. Young Master Jiang took an 8 PM flight to Nancheng last night and is currently staying at the Hai Rui Hotel.”

Jiang Jinnian didn’t ask any further questions. After giving a few instructions regarding company matters, he dismissed Zhou Lin.

After Zhou Lin left, Jiang Jinnian remained seated in his office chair, his knuckles lightly tapping against the desk, his dark gaze fixed on his dark screen phone.

After a moment,

he picked up his phone, unlocked it, and opened his contacts.

Scrolling down to find Jiang Tingxu’s backup number, he dialed it.

The line rang several times with a “beep beep beep” sound.

Just as it was about to automatically disconnect, someone finally picked up.

“Brother.”

Jiang Jinnian raised his eyelids slightly, his wrist resting casually on the corner of the desk.

His tone was devoid of accusation; he simply asked in a casual manner,

“Why aren’t you replying to Mom and Dad’s messages?”

There seemed to be some background noise on Jiang Tingxu’s end. He paused before saying, “My phone died yesterday, so I didn’t see them.”

“Brother, you’re back in Huaihai City?”

“I returned yesterday.” Jiang Jinnian asked, “Are you coming back for Mid-Autumn Festival?”

Jiang Tingxu answered without much hesitation, “I’m handling some business in Nancheng, so I probably won’t be coming back.”

Jiang Jinnian didn’t press him further, simply stating,

“Nanzhi is home, you know that?”

This time, Jiang Tingxu’s tone was more nonchalant, almost indifferent. “That’s where she grew up; it’s not unusual for her to be there.”

Jiang Jinnian stopped beating around the bush and stated his point directly.

“Regarding the engagement, you’ve complained to me about this three or four times over the past year. Tingxu, I’ll ask you one last time: Do you want to proceed with the engagement between the Jiang and Shen families, or not?”

This time, a long silence filled the line.

Only the faint sound of wind could be heard.

In the Presidential Suite of the Hai Rui Hotel in Nancheng, Jiang Tingxu leaned against the railing of the viewing balcony, unconsciously tightening his grip on his phone.

He lowered his gaze, his mind flashing through images of Shen Nanzhi, her eyes calm and devoid of any emotional fluctuations whenever another person appeared beside him.

She calmly accepted him as her fiancé, drawing close to him.

And she calmly accepted his reluctance to fulfill the engagement, allowing him to slowly distance himself.

Jiang Tingxu’s other hand, hanging at his side, unconsciously clenched into a fist. In his indifferent eyes, he heard himself say:

“——No.”