Chapter 51

After Jiang Yu finished her bath and replied to a few messages, she closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep.

When Jiang Zhe returned from outside, he saw her sleeping soundly but looking a bit worn out, which made him feel a little heartbroken.

If he could, he truly wouldn’t want her to work so hard. However, Jiang Yu had her own ambitions. If he forced her to stay home and just enjoy herself, she would definitely resist. People always needed to do something to realize their value in life.

Jiang Zhe kissed her forehead, then took out his phone, entered a group chat, and sent out several red envelopes along with a photo.

“My wife’s shop opens tomorrow. Everyone is welcome to come by, but please don’t let her know you’re my colleagues.”

With that, the company group chat, which had been quiet, erupted with messages.

A flood of responses followed: “Received.” “We’ll definitely support it.” “It’s an honor to contribute to the boss lady’s business.” “Don’t worry, we’ll keep it a secret.”

Wei Cheng, who had finally finished work for the day and was already lying down, got up to go to the bathroom. On his way, he noticed Jiang Zhe, who had never participated in the group chat, had suddenly sent out red envelopes. This was…

After accepting all the envelopes, Wei Cheng privately messaged Jiang Zhe: “What’s going on with you at this hour? Possessed by a ghost?”

Jiang Zhe quickly replied: “Just supporting my wife’s business.”

Wei Cheng was impressed. “You’re amazing! Didn’t you used to be bad at socializing? How come you seem pretty good at it now? Did your wife teach you?”

Jiang Zhe: “Just self-taught.”

Wei Chengle: “Alright, you’ve got the knack. So, when are you coming back to work? We really need you right now.”

Although Jiang Zhe couldn’t be accused of not doing his share—he’d actually done quite a bit—Wei Cheng was still irritated because Jiang Zhe was at home all the time and wasn’t involved in many of the company’s affairs.

Jiang Zhe: “I’ll think about it.”

When Wei Cheng saw that Jiang Zhe was finally considering it, he almost wanted to send a message thanking Jiang Yu immediately, but then he remembered the confidentiality mentioned in the group chat. He let out a snicker.

As expected, once a man has a family, even Jiang Zhe can’t escape the norms.

The next morning, Jiang Yu woke up very early. She had set her alarm for 6:30, but she was awake before 6:00.

Jiang Zhe, sensing movement beside him, groggily woke up as well. Seeing that Jiang Yu was already up, he followed suit.

Their little one was sleeping soundly between them. Jiang Yu, noticing that Jiang Zhe was also getting up, whispered, “I’m getting up to prepare for the shop. Why are you getting up?”

Jiang Zhe replied, “I’ll take you there.”

“No, there’s no need.”

“The child’s birthday party is in the evening. I can take care of that in the afternoon. I’ll go with you now.”

Jiang Yu smiled and asked, “Are you worried I can’t handle it on my own? Actually, I’m full of determination right now.”

Jiang Zhe insisted, “It’s not that. We have the nanny at home, and your parents will come over a bit later. It’s not that I don’t trust you; I just want to see you in action, working seriously. Can’t I?”

Since Jiang Zhe had put it that way, Jiang Yu figured that even if she refused his help, he might still drive over after she left. Not wanting to be overly formal, she simply said, “Alright.”

The two of them got up quickly. Jiang Yu applied a meticulous makeup look, and after getting ready, she left with Jiang Zhe.

In the car, Jiang Yu checked her makeup in the mirror and then said to Jiang Zhe, “You know, I’m a little nervous right now. On one hand, I’m worried about running such a big shop. What if business isn’t good, and I can’t keep it going? On the other hand, do you know what else I’m thinking about?”

Jiang Zhe asked, “What is it?”

“I’m thinking that if this shop does well, I might want to open another one. So, today might be a milestone in my life. I never thought about going into business before, but now, even before I’ve started, I already have so many ideas.”

Jiang Zhe smiled and, while keeping an eye on the road, said, “Honestly, I don’t think you need to worry about that. Even if this shop doesn’t do well, you can always open another one. We have the means. As long as you have the energy, you can open as many as you want.”

There was a hint of arrogance in his words.

But Jiang Yu liked it.

She muttered, “I don’t want to be wasteful.”

Jiang Zhe’s lips curved into a gentle, affectionate smile, “Alright.”

Jiang Yu and Jiang Zhe were the first to arrive at the shop. Soon, the other employees arrived as well. Since the shop was quite large, Jiang Yu had hired six people. Due to the generous compensation, she quickly found enough staff.

Around nine o’clock, after the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the shop officially opened. On the first day, Jiang Yu offered a discount on beverages: the second cup was half price. At ten in the morning, Jiang Yu noticed some familiar faces—Jiang Zhe’s colleagues. They were surprised to see Jiang Zhe there, but after remembering something, they silently left after picking up their coffee.

Jiang Yu found their reaction odd. During a quiet moment, she asked Jiang Zhe, “Did you say something to your colleagues? Why did they act like they didn’t even see you?”

Jiang Zhe had originally wanted to keep things low-key to avoid startling Jiang Yu, but he had forgotten that he had brought her to his company before, and she had met some of his colleagues. He was surprised by how good her memory was.

Facing his wife’s “interrogative” gaze, Jiang Zhe told a small, “harmless” lie, “My colleagues saw me when they passed by earlier. They know this is your shop. I just didn’t want to make you nervous, so…”

Jiang Zhe avoided Jiang Yu’s eyes.

Jiang Yu thought that since his colleagues already knew, there was no point in keeping it a secret. After all, the shop was near their company, and his colleagues would find out sooner or later. Plus, after a busy morning, Jiang Yu felt that it didn’t matter if his colleagues knew.

Jiang Yu smiled and said, “I used to be too timid, but now I think I’m actually doing just fine. You can invite your colleagues over next time, and I’ll treat them to coffee.”

At that moment, Wei Cheng sent a message to Jiang Zhe: “I want to go to your wife’s shop for coffee too. It’s right under our company; I have to show some support.”

Jiang Zhe: “Today is my daughter’s first birthday. You can come to my house for dinner tonight.”

Wei Cheng: “You’re too much! How could you not invite me to such a big event? Wait, does that mean today is a double celebration?”

Jiang Zhe: “Yes.”

Wei Cheng was excited: “I’ll be there. I’m bringing a big gift.”

In the afternoon, Wei Cheng came over. Jiang Yu recognized him and thanked him for his previous help, treating him to a cup of coffee. After ordering a latte, Wei Cheng looked around the shop. When he was done, he gave Jiang Yu a thumbs up, “Sister-in-law, you’ve done a great job decorating this place.”

He then glanced around and asked, “Where’s Jiang Zhe?”

“He went back. He’s probably preparing for tonight’s dinner now,” Jiang Yu replied.

Wei Cheng’s eyes flickered with mischief. He lowered his voice and whispered, “Sister-in-law, I have something to tell you, but you mustn’t tell Jiang Zhe.”

“Alright.”

“Last night, he sent out several red envelopes in the group chat, asking us to support your business. He also told us to keep it a secret. I managed to grab a few hundred yuan.”

“The coffee in your shop is really good. Even if he doesn’t let us clock in, many people would still come here to drink it. If you could add some desserts, it would be even better.”

Jiang Yu was stunned.

Wei Cheng took a sip of his coffee and sighed, “You have no idea, I felt like a parent watching their child grow up. I couldn’t believe that Jiang Zhe would do something like this. He’s capable, but when it comes to interpersonal relationships, giving him a score of ten is already generous.”

Jiang Yu felt a mix of emotions. She hadn’t expected that Jiang Zhe would…

Seeing Jiang Yu standing there in shock, Wei Cheng smiled and said, “You can’t believe it either, right? Ever since he married you, Jiang Zhe has really changed a lot. I hope he keeps improving, so that the burden at the company won’t mostly fall on me.”

Before leaving, Wei Cheng said to Jiang Yu, “I’m telling you this in secret, so don’t let him know, okay? Keep it confidential.”

“Okay.”

After Jiang Yu agreed, Wei Cheng left feeling assured.

That evening, Jiang Yu left the shop early, paid for the staff to have dinner outside, and then headed home.

When she arrived home, Jiang Zhe was busy cooking in the kitchen. Seeing Jiang Yu come in, Mother Jiang quickly called her over, smiling, “Hurry up and freshen up, we’re about to eat.”

Jiang Yu replied with a “Okay” and went to the kitchen. Seeing Jiang Zhe busy inside, she asked, “Do you need any help?”

Just as she rolled up her sleeves, her mother-in-law quickly shooed her out, “We’ve got this, no need for you to help.”

Jiang Yu had no choice but to leave.

When the food was ready, Jiang Zhe came out of the kitchen. Jiang Yu stood behind him and proactively helped him remove his apron. Seeing her act so unusually, Jiang Zhe raised an eyebrow and asked, “What’s going on?”

Jiang Yu’s lips moved slightly. After a moment, she said, “Well, thank you.”

Although she didn’t specify what she was thanking him for, Jiang Zhe had already guessed. He chuckled and scolded, “That big mouth, Wei Cheng.”

Then he gently patted Jiang Yu on the head and asked, “So, you’re not angry about what I did?”

Jiang Yu shook her head, “No, I’m actually really happy. Wei Cheng said that you wouldn’t have done this in the past, and he’s glad to see your change. I’m happy too.”

Jiang Zhe scoffed, “Don’t listen to him. He’s just trying to get me to do more work.”

“Oh, by the way, he said he’d come over tonight. He’s not here yet, so I’ll give him a call.”

Just as Jiang Zhe took out his phone, a call from Wei Cheng came in. Over the phone, Wei Cheng yelled, “Stop wasting time and come down to help me carry stuff.”

Jiang Zhe asked, “What did you bring?”

Wei Cheng replied, “You’ll see when you get down here.”

After hanging up, Jiang Zhe told Jiang Yu and then went downstairs. Jiang Yu waited by the door for them to come up. When she saw them carrying a pile of gifts, she was stunned and asked Wei Cheng, “Did you buy out a whole store?”

Wei Cheng awkwardly scratched his head and said, “The news leaked, and our colleagues found out today was a double celebration, so they prepared gifts for me to bring over. A few of them wanted to come along, but I thought it would be too much trouble, so I didn’t bring them.”

Because Jiang Yu didn’t want to make it a big deal, she hadn’t invited too many people—just a small family gathering to keep it lively. She didn’t expect so many of Jiang Zhe’s colleagues to send gifts. She felt a bit overwhelmed and said, “This is too much, I feel embarrassed.”

Wei Cheng said, “It’s no big deal.”

Jiang Yu added, “I think we should treat them to a meal.”

Wei Cheng immediately changed his tone, “That sounds like a plan, and it would be great if you both could attend.”

Jiang Zhe said, “We won’t be going.”

Jiang Yu agreed, “We should go, since they gave us gifts, we ought to make an appearance.”

Then she turned to Jiang Zhe and asked, “Do you not want to go?”

Jiang Zhe coughed and cleared his throat, “Alright, let’s go then.”

Wei Cheng looked at Jiang Zhe in disbelief and gave him a look that said, “You’re totally under her control now.”

He had asked Jiang Zhe countless times to attend some important company events or gatherings, but Jiang Zhe always refused. Yet, his wife just needed to say the word, and he agreed immediately.