Jiang Li glanced at Jiang Shixu, who stood anxiously behind him, then handed the Red tassel spear to a servant beside him.
"Alright, let's go eat."
After saying that, she strode forward.
Jiang Shixu wanted to grab her hand but stopped mid-air.
Aunt Zhang was still waiting there, smiling as she looked at him, "Young Master Jiang, aren't you coming to eat?"
As several pairs of eyes stared at him from around, Jiang Shixu felt a sudden difficulty in breathing and instinctively wanted to flee.
Flee to that room where he was alone, where there was no sound or color.
However, a disembodied voice cut through these "frightening" gazes and clearly entered his ears.
"Shixu, come here."
Passing through layers of barriers, he saw Jiang Li.
The girl seemed to radiate a gentle glow all around her.
Like his savior.
He quickly ran to his savior's side.
Jiang Li naturally took his hand and they walked down the path to the dining room.
Jiang Shixu paused for a moment.
He usually hated being touched by others, but now he didn't feel uncomfortable at all.
On the contrary, the warmth from her palm felt incredibly comforting.
It was like being tightly wrapped in the warm sun of spring.
With his mind completely calmed, Jiang Shixu took a serious look at her for the first time.
She was half a head shorter than him, from his perspective he could just see her serene and beautiful profile and her gently fluttering eyelashes.
The gentleness in her eyes was unusual, yet it held a piercing power through people's hearts.
Mysteriously attractive.
Jiang Shixu slightly bowed his head, his gaze returned to their intertwined hands, feeling another surge of warmth in his heart.
-
Inside the restaurant.
Lin Manru was shocked and almost dropped her chopsticks when she saw her daughter walking in holding Jiang Shixu's hand.
"Shi, Shixu? How did you get up?"
Hearing the question, Jiang Shixu became nervous again and retreated behind Jiang Li.
Jiang Li did not force him to respond to Lin Manru, but gently explained for him.
"He was hungry, so I cooked him a bowl of noodles."
Lin Manru was still taken aback.
The last time she had seen this child was probably six months ago.
He had always been unwilling to interact with people, so why was he so different today?
But it was a good change.
He was willing to leave his room and eat; his condition must be improving.
Should she share this good news with her siblings?
Lin Manru was still pondering when Jiang Li had already brought out a steaming bowl of noodles.
Jiang Shixu followed her like a little tail, sticking close behind her.
Jiang Li seemed to understand that it would be hard for him to come out in just a moment, so she placed the noodles at the least conspicuous spot on the table.
"Eat it while it's hot."
Jiang Shixu's eyes flickered slightly, then he obediently nodded, picked up his chopsticks, and began to eat.
The familiar and warm taste settled him completely, even allowing him to automatically ignore the people coming and going around him.
Lin Manru, surprised yet feigning disappointment, sighed.
"I've been a mother for over a decade and haven't yet tasted anything personally cooked by my daughter. Yet, our Shixu is the lucky one."
At those words, Jiang Shixu instantly became anxious and put down his chopsticks.
Jiang Li glanced at him, "Mother, don't scare him."
Lin Manru hastily corrected herself, "Sorry, sorry, Shi Xu, Aunt didn't mean to do that, please continue eating."
Jiang Shixu then carefully picked up his chopsticks again.
Midway through the meal, Lin Manru sighed anxiously again.
"I don't know how your brother is doing outside, whether he has been eating on time or not."
Jiang Li's eyelashes fluttered slightly, "Hasn't Jiang Yan returned yet?"
"No," Lin Manru said anxiously, "Uncle Jiang told me this morning that he completely lost contact with him, that boy has started to disappear again."
"Lili, do you think I should keep his bank card frozen to force him to come back?"
"No need," Jiang Li responded. "That would only treat the symptoms, not the root cause."
We need to find a way to make Jiang Yan completely settle down.
In a corner, Jiang Shixu sat quietly, listening to their conversation. Upon hearing about Jiang Yan's "glorious deeds," the corners of his lips twitched slightly.
It seemed he was the less troublesome one.
He stayed at home every day, never running around.
That being the case, Jiang Li should like him more.
-
-
That night,
Ocas Club.
This was considered the largest and most luxurious entertainment venue in the capital, attracting many wealthy young men with its high-end facilities and services.
The entire building was extremely luxurious, with bright lights and wine flowing like a river of gold.
The VIP box on the top floor was even more extravagant.
Beneath the dim lights, layers of illusions floated, and the noisy yet rhythmically rich music exhilarated the crowd.
Those gambling and playing billiards were there, putting on a show of decadence to its fullest.
Jiang Yan sat on a sofa in the middle, listening to the people around him chatting freely while gently swaying the glass of wine in his hand.
His shirt collar was wide open, revealing a collarbone and muscular lines that were both sleek and highly explosive, with the wine-red fabric casting a crimson hue against his pale skin, adding an allure.
A waitress dressed in a sexy bunny outfit came forward, eyebrow cocked, and bent down to light the cigarette held in his other hand.
The blue-gray smoke slowly ascended, crossing the man's wristbones, and spreading across his wicked and bewitching face.
Jiang Yan squinted his romantic eyes and after a thin smile, pulled the waitress into his arms.
He took a light draw of the enchanting nicotine, then slowly exhaled a ring of smoke.
A man in a suit nearby immediately joked, "It's been three days, yet Young Master Jiang's interest is still so high. It seems you're quite happy about the marriage with the Qiao Family being called off."
"Nonsense," Jiang Yan flicked the cigarette ash away, a touch of rebelliousness in his brow, "I certainly did not want to marry some unknown woman for no good reason."
"Exactly," said the man in the suit, topping up his drink, "How could the common and vulgar of the Qiao family be a match for Young Master Jiang? It should at least be someone of Su Yinwan's level."
Another person immediately gave him a glance.
"You really have no eye for people, Su Yinwan herself, always noble and virtuous, repeatedly refusing our Young Master Jiang, and then turning to follow that guy Shang Shaojing, how is she worthy?"
A barely noticeable frown creased Jiang Yan's brow, his interest slightly faded.
But the people around him, as if unobservant, continued to open up on this topic.
Jiang Yan irritably clicked his tongue, raised his hand, and crushed the cigarette in the ashtray.
The man in the suit finally closed his mouth, laughing as he draped an arm over Jiang Yan's shoulder, then waved in a group of glamorously dressed hostesses.
"Young Master Jiang, don't be mad. Since you're here, just enjoy. Come on, all of you come over here and keep Young Master Jiang company."
A dozen uniquely dressed women found seats.
Someone in the crowd complained unhappily, "Mr. Huo, can you manage it? Why do you always pick the same type of women? Those heavily made up, I'm sick of seeing them."
"Yes," another voice immediately added, "Can't you find some naturally beautiful ones?"
"Ah, speaking of youthful beauty, I just remembered someone," Huo Ziyang burped drunkenly, his face flushed. "Young Master Jiang's sister, quite naturally beautiful, you don't know, at his engagement party, that girl, tsk, incredible."
"Huo Ziyang, aren't you too drunk? Young Master Jiang's sister? Jiang Li? That girl who always looks like a ghost is also considered naturally beautiful?"
"One of these days, let Young Master Jiang bring her out and you'll know. I saw with my own eyes that day; Jiang Li, that girl, is no worse than any woman here, and her figure..."