Jiang Jinshang sat casually, unable to conceal pampered upbringing he had in his demeanor. His gaze was calm and profound.
It was so deep and distant that Tang Wan felt her scalp go numb out of a sudden. Her heart pounded. She admitted that the man in front of her was outstanding enough, but...
...why did he have to die so soon!
"Does Ms. Tang not want to marry into our family?" Jiang Jinshang lightly touched the cup in front of him.
"Fifth Master, both your brother and you are outstanding people, prominent in Capital City. Whereas, I'm just an ordinary folk from a little town called Pingjiang. I don't think we're suitable for each other."
There was no expression on Jiang Jinshang's face.
"This is the first time we've met. We don't understand each other enough yet. I don't think it's responsible for us to get married so soon. What do you think?"
At this moment, Jiang Jinshang's phone suddenly vibrated. "I'm sorry, I have to take a call." As soon as he left, the chauffeurs followed him out of the room. Only then did Tang Wan heave a sigh of relief.
He found a quiet corner and answered the phone. "Hello --"
"Jinshang, aren't you back yet? How's the annulment going?"
"It went better than I expected." His fingers subconsciously rubbed together, his gaze indifferent.
"Yo, that girl doesn't want to marry into your family? This girl isn't stupid."
"Let's not talk about big brother. He's a man with history, while she's naive and innocent. It's normal that she doesn't want to marry him. It's just you..."
"I'm not criticizing you, Jinshang. Your reputation in public ain't good. What's the point of marrying you? For your bad temper and your short life?"
"In my opinion, the people who wants to marry you are either going after your wealth, your body, or your attractiveness."
Jiang Jinshang's eyes narrowed slightly.
Body?
Only he could say such shameless words.
"I think the lady knows enough. At the very least, she knows how to avoid jumping into imminent danger..."
When Jiang Jinshang returned to the private room, the dishes had already been served. Since their conversation was interrupted just now, it was inevitable that they would feel a little awkward if they picked it up again. They had tacitly agreed not to mention it, so it was fine as long as they understood each other.
However, Tang Wan didn't expect that Jiang Jinshang had the bill paid for in advance. She promised to pay for the meal, but now she owed him one instead.
***
On the way back, they didn't talk much. After all, they weren't familiar with each other yet, so it was awkward to force a conversation. However, Tang Wan received a phone call.
"Hello, Grandpa --"
"It's okay, I can go back myself."
She and Old Master Tang didn't live in the city to begin with. Instead, they lived in an old house in the suburbs. This time, she moved to a small villa in the city for a few days to accompany Old Master Tang for his medical check-up.
They had originally planned to return to their house this afternoon. Old Master Tang hoped that Tang Wan and Jiang Jinshang would have more interactions and did not disturb them. Instead, he packed his things and left, saying that he was going to accompany his old friend to play chess and do some bird-watching.
Old Master Tang's intention was very obvious. Tang Wan merely replied saying that she could pack her things and go back on her own.
"Where are you going? Do you need a ride?" Jiang Jinshang said politely.
"Just send me to my house."
After the car stopped, Tang Wan considered the fact that she owed him a meal. They probably wouldn't have many opportunities to meet each other in the future, so she wanted to return the favor right now. "Fifth Master, if you don't mind waiting, I'll go get something for you. It's a local specialty pastry from Pingjiang. Please don't mind the little gift."
Jiang Jinshang didn't say anything. Instead, the chauffeurs retold this to the Jiang family. They thought she was a very good child when they heard it.
She wasn't someone who was fond of the rich and powerful. She knew her place well.
***
However, just as Tang Wan pushed the door open, she saw a young man and woman sitting on the couch. While laughter could be heard from upstairs.
There was a pile of shoes scattered at the entrance, and her slippers had long disappeared. She raised her eyebrows slightly, and a servant ran over in a panic. "Miss Wan, you're back!"
"Grandfather packed his things and went back to the old residence. Madam went with him."
Zhang Liyun was given a verbal smackdown by Jiang Jinshang earlier, and she was reprimanded for wanting to cling to the Jiang family. It was understandable that she had to do everything she could to show her virtuous behavior in front of grandfather.
"Then these..." Tang Wan glanced at the shoes scattered at the entrance. She had been staying with grandfather in the old residence, and she only came back for two days during the New Year.
"A few of Miss Mo's classmates are here. They're here to work on an assignment. Please wait for a moment, I'll go find some slippers for you."
"I'm good."
Tang Wan looked at the two people sitting on the sofa. They were dressed up wildly.
It was not that she thought that people dressed in fashionable clothes were not good students. It seemed that they weren't here to do homework, they were here to throw a party.
"Hello, sister." The two of them hurriedly stood up when they heard the servants address her as miss.
Tang Wan had bought a few boxes of pastries at a corner teahouse, but Jiang Jinshang arrived before she had the time to open the package. She had intended to give the pastries to him as a thank-you gift. She didn't have to owe him anything. But at this moment..
She saw her own pastries on the coffee table. They had already been opened and wrapped, and most of the food had been eaten.
Even so, she did not show any anger. She even smiled and greeted the guests. Then, she calmly looked at the maid beside her and asked, "Where's Madam Chen? Did she go back with Grandpa?"
"She's upstairs. She said she's helping you to pack your belongings."
Tang Wan heard the noise upstairs and vaguely heard Madam Chen's voice. She did not care that the Jiang family's car was still parked outside. She quickly walked upstairs and saw her door opened, with sounds coming out of his room.
"Miss Mo, I'll clean up."
"It's okay. It's my duty to help sister clean up."
When Tang Wan entered the door, she saw that her bedroom was crowded, jampacked with people. It was a chaotic mess.
Madam Chen, who was in her sixties, was squeezed among a group of young people. She seemed out-of-place.
Moving her slippers, eating her food, and now she was leading a group of people messing up her bedroom in the name of being helpful. Tang Mo had to take revenge after getting schooled by Jiang Jinshang. Yet, she was afraid of confronting Tang Wan directly.
She knew that she was leaving, so she came up with a way.