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Jiang Jinsang sat casually, unable to hide the air of privilege that surrounded him, his gaze calm and profound.
It was so deep that Tang Wan inexplicably felt a tingling at her scalp, her heart pounding. She admitted this man in front of her was excellent enough, but this fate...
Too short!
"Miss Tang, do you not want to marry into our family?" Jiang Jinsang lightly touched the cup in front of him.
"Fifth Master, both you and your brother are outstanding individuals, renowned in Beijing. Pingjiang is just a small place; honestly, we're not a good match."
Jiang Jinsang's face revealed no expression.
"This is our first meeting, and we don't know each other. Getting married would be irresponsible to both of us, don't you think?"
Just then, Jiang Jinsang's phone suddenly vibrated. "Sorry, I need to take this call." As soon as he moved, several Jiang family members followed him out, and Tang Wan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He found a relatively secluded corner to answer the call, "Hello—"
"Fifth Brother, you haven't come back yet? How did the breaking-off-the-engagement thing go?"
"Better than expected." His fingers instinctively rubbed together, and his gaze was indifferent.
"Wow, that girl doesn't want to marry into your family, huh? She's not silly."
"You're not even going to mention it. An old man with a child tagging on, trying to marry a young woman—no wonder she doesn't want to. And you..."
"Not to criticize you, Fifth Brother, but your reputation outside is terrible. Why would she marry you—because of your bad temper or your short life expectancy?"
"If you ask me, anyone wanting to marry you is either after inheriting some money after you're gone or lusting after your face, your body, your very being."
Jiang Jinsang's eyes narrowed slightly.
Lusting... after his body?
Only he could say something so shameless.
"I think this young lady has the right mindset. At least she knows how to avoid jumping into a fire pit..."
When Jiang Jinsang returned to the private room, the dishes had already been served. The conversation from earlier was interrupted, and picking it up again felt awkward. Both of them tacitly avoided bringing it up, understanding each other was enough.
However, Tang Wan didn't expect that Jiang Jinsang had already asked someone to settle the bill in advance, leaving her owing him a meal when she had promised to treat.
*
On the way back, they didn't exchange many words. After all, they weren't familiar with each other; forcibly finding topics to talk about would have been awkward. Midway, Tang Wan received a phone call.
"Hello, Grandpa—"
"..."
"It's okay, I can go back myself."
She and the old Tang lived not in the city but in an old house in the suburbs. This time, they had moved to a villa in the city for a few days to accompany the old man for a health checkup.
Originally, they had planned to return to the old house this afternoon. The old man hoped Tang Wan and Jiang Jinsang would interact more, so he didn't disturb them and packed up to leave first, saying he was hurrying to play chess and tease birds with old friends.
The old man's intentions were clear, so Tang Wan could only reply that she could pack up and return by herself.
"Where are you going? Do you need a ride?" Jiang Jinsang asked politely.
"Just drop me off at the doorstep."
Once the car stopped, Tang Wan, considering that she owed him a meal and fearing they wouldn't have many chances to meet again in the future, wanted to repay the favor. "Fifth Master, please wait a moment. I'll get you something, a local specialty pastry from Pingjiang. I hope you don't mind."
Jiang Jinsang said nothing, but the people following him reported the situation truthfully to the family. The Jiang family, upon hearing this, felt deeply that Tang Wan was a genuinely good child.
She wasn't someone who worshipped the rich and powerful; she knew etiquette and had a sense of propriety.
*
However, as soon as Tang Wan pushed open the door, she saw a young man and woman sitting on her family's sofa, and laughter echoed from upstairs.
A pile of shoes was scattered at the entrance, and her slippers were long gone. She raised an eyebrow slightly as a servant rushed over in a panic, "Miss, you're back!"
"The old master packed up and returned to the old house, and the mistress went with him."
Zhang Liyun, having been publicly reprimanded by Jiang Jinsang before for trying to move up the ranks by marrying into the Jiang family, was now undoubtedly trying every means to impress the old man by showcasing her virtue. It was understandable.
"Then these..." Tang Wan glanced at the disordered shoes at the entrance. She always stayed with the old man at the old house, only returning home for a couple of days during festivals.
"The second Miss's classmates came over, saying they wanted to do some group work. Please wait a moment, I'll find you some slippers."
"No need."
Tang Wan scrutinized the two individuals seated on the sofa, dressed extravagantly and styled in a modern fashion.
It wasn't that she thought trendy dressing meant someone wasn't a good student, but their mannerisms truly didn't resemble those of people coming to do homework. Instead, they seemed more like...
They were there to throw a party.
"Hello, sister," the two quickly stood up when they heard the servant address her as Miss.
Previously, Tang Wan had bought several boxes of pastries at Yiyu Tea House, intending to give them to Jiang Jinsang as a token of thanks before he arrived. That way, it wouldn't feel like she owed him anything. However, at this moment...
She saw the pastries she intended to give were on the coffee table, already unwrapped and mostly eaten.
Despite this, she didn't show any anger, smiling as she greeted the two. Then she calmly glanced at the servant at her side, "Where's Aunt Chen? Did she go back with Grandpa?"
"She's upstairs, saying she's helping you pack."
Hearing the noise upstairs, Tang Wan faintly thought she heard Aunt Chen's voice. Ignoring the Jiang family's car still parked outside, she quickly walked upstairs, only to see her room door open and the sounds coming from within.
"Second Miss, I can pack myself."
"It's alright, helping out sister is the right thing to do."
Entering her room, she saw it crowded with many people, and her bedroom was a mess.
Aunt Chen, a woman in her sixties, was squeezed among a group of young people, looking lonely and isolated.
They had taken her slippers, opened her things, and now, under the guise of helping, invaded her bedroom. Tang Mo dared not confront her directly, having just been humiliated by Jiang Jinsang earlier.
They knew she was leaving...
And found clever ways to irritate her.
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