Chapter 59 The Fragrant and Subtle Jasmine Tea Is Refreshing…

Ming Jiayao was certainly not foolish enough to just sit there and take a beating.

So,

when Xu Wenrui charged toward him with a furious expression, her hand raised high to deliver a slap—

Ming Jiayao did not move a muscle.

He sat relaxed on the sofa, watching Xu Wenrui with a beaming smile.

But,

just as Xu Wenrui rushed up to him, when it seemed he was about to be struck—

Ming Jiayao lowered his crossed legs, as if intending to switch and cross the other leg instead.

And then, perfectly timed,

as he shifted his legs, he “accidentally” kicked out—

“Ahhhhh!!!”

Xu Wenrui took a kick right to the chest, the pain making her scream in agony.

She stumbled backward several steps, the slender stiletto heel of her seven-inch high heels unable to bear the strain any longer, snapping with a sharp “crack”…

Xu Wenrui lost her balance, falling backward and landing heavily on the marble floor with a thunderous “thud” of flesh hitting hard ground.

But that wasn’t all.

After landing squarely on the marble floor, Xu Wenrui felt as if her tailbone had cracked!

The pain was excruciating!

So she collapsed backward entirely…

With a heavy “thump,” the back of her head struck the marble floor, her eyes rolling back as she immediately passed out.

The incident happened so quickly that—

Chen Shen, who had rushed over intending to stop Xu Wenrui from scolding and hitting the child, froze mid-stride, one hand still outstretched as if to block the slap meant for Ming Jiayao;

Chen Shuojie’s movements also froze in the midst of hurrying over;

It wasn’t until more than ten seconds after Xu Wenrui fell to the ground and lost consciousness that

the Chen Family father and son finally snapped out of it, immediately growing frantic!

“Wenrui! Are you alright?”

“Auntie… Auntie, wake up, are you hurt?”

Soon, the Chen Family father and son turned to Ming Jiayao in unison:

“Jiayao, what happened?”

“Jiayao, hurry and take your mother to the hospital!”

Ming Jiayao replied with a smile, “I don’t know either… I was just having dinner at home when I suddenly got a call from a friend saying they saw you, Uncle, having surgery at St. Maria Hospital. So I casually mentioned it to my mother.”

“My mother was so worried… she didn’t even care that my father had been in a car accident and was taken to St. Prince of Wales Hospital for emergency treatment. She immediately rushed to St. Maria Hospital to see you, Uncle.”

“But then, after my mother left, my friend called again and said they had made a mistake—the person having surgery at St. Maria Hospital wasn’t you, Uncle!”

“I knew that after my mother went to St. Maria Hospital and found nothing, she would rush straight to your house to confirm your safety, so I came over too.”

“I wanted to explain it to my mother face-to-face!” Ming Jiayao said calmly and unhurriedly.

The Chen Family father and son were stunned.

Chen Shen exclaimed anxiously, “What? Your father was in a car accident?”

Chen Shuojie was also shocked, “Uncle, he…”

Ming Jiayao waved his hand dismissively, “Same thing, also a false alarm!” As he spoke, he looked at Chen Shen with a half-smile, then glanced at Xu Wenrui, who lay collapsed on the ground, motionless like a pile of mud.

The Chen Family father and son were dumbfounded.

Chen Shen asked with difficulty, “Was it also your friend… who made a mistake?”

Ming Jiayao showed no trace of embarrassment at being caught.

He replied cheerfully, even happily, “Yes!”

Chen Shen: …

After the initial shock, Chen Shuojie slowly regained his composure. He glanced at Xu Wenrui lying on the floor, then looked at Chen Shen, his expression complex and difficult to describe.

At that moment, Ming Jiayao stood up and said to the Chen Family father and son, “Uncle, Cousin, I have matters to attend to and must take my leave now. Goodbye!”

Chen Shen was momentarily stunned before calling out to him, “Jiayao! You… you’re just leaving like this?”

He pointed in astonishment at Xu Wenrui, who lay collapsed on the floor, and asked Ming Jiayao, “Aren’t you going to take care of your mother?”

Ming Jiayao had already reached the doorway.

Hearing this, he turned back with a smile and said to Chen Shen, “Uncle, I believe you can handle this very well. After all, over all these years, you’ve always taken good care of my mother. I’m quite confident leaving her in your hands.”

After speaking, he turned to Chen Shuojie and asked, “Cousin, don’t you agree?”

Chen Shuojie: …

Ming Jiayao strode away.

The Chen Family father and son exchanged bewildered glances.

After a long pause, Chen Shuojie sneered, “So, it’s not just me who thinks that way!”

Chen Shen was both furious and embarrassed, “What are you trying to say?”

Chen Shuojie pointed at the unconscious Xu Wenrui on the floor, “Your relationship with her is anything but ordinary!”

Chen Shen, flustered and enraged, retorted, “Shuojie! How can you say such a thing about your father and your aunt?”

Chen Shuojie replied calmly, “Because it’s not just her son who thinks so—your son thinks the same way too!”

With that, Chen Shuojie also turned and left.

Chen Shen stood frozen in place.

Frowning as he looked at the unconscious Xu Wenrui on the floor, he sighed in frustration, then beckoned a servant over and instructed them to help Xu Wenrui up and take her to the hospital. = =

After leaving the Chen Family home, Ming Jiayao instructed Ah Jiu, “Drive the car to the foot of the mountain and wait for Chen Shuojie.”

Ah Jiu was puzzled but complied.

Thus, after driving the car to a commercial parking lot at the base of Banwan Mountain, Ah Jiu followed Ming Jiayao’s instructions and waited in a concealed spot near the parking lot entrance.

About ten minutes later, Ah Jiu spotted Chen Shuojie’s vehicle—the black Mercedes-Benz—flash by.

Ah Jiu quickly reported to Ming Jiayao, “A Yao, Chen Shuojie has indeed come down the mountain.”

Ming Jiayao sneered, “Follow him!”

Ah Jiu started the car as instructed.

Ming Jiayao then added, “Never mind, let’s wait five minutes before leaving.”

Ah Jiu let out a surprised “Ah?” and asked, “Then where are we going… after five minutes?”

“To Sister… to Ah Zhi’s home,” Ming Jiayao said.

Five minutes later, Ah Jiu started the car.

Twenty-five minutes later, Ming Jiayao arrived at the building where Bai Yuanzhi lived.

However,

Ming Jiayao sat upright in the car, motionless and silent.

Ah Jiu sensed an overwhelming low-pressure aura emanating from Ming Jiayao and was so frightened he didn’t dare even breathe heavily.

About ten minutes later, Ming Jiayao finally moved.

He began changing his clothes.

He took off his expensive branded hoodie and replaced it with a slightly worn, unbranded hoodie.

He even changed his shoes and socks.

Then, Ming Jiayao took out his mobile phone and dialed a number, “Have Chen Shen and Xu Wenrui arrived at the hospital? Mm, good. Proceed as planned.”

After hanging up,

Ming Jiayao dialed another number, “Hello, pager XX-XXXX, leave a message: ‘Sister, are you home? I’m free today. May I visit you and your sister later?’…”

A few minutes later,

Ming Jiayao watched Chen Shuojie’s black Mercedes-Benz hurriedly drive away before letting out a scoff and getting out of the car with Ah Jiu.

Yes, Ming Jiayao had pulled off another small scheme.

He had guessed that after returning from the United States, Chen Shuojie would inevitably clash with Chen Shen over the matter of “Xu Wenrui causing trouble for Bai Yuanzhi.” However, after being interrupted by the incident involving Ming Jiayao and Xu Wenrui,

Chen Shuojie would also rush to find Bai Yuanzhi as soon as possible.

At the same time, Ming Jiayao was certain that Chen Shen would take the unconscious Xu Wenrui to the hospital.

So he arranged for someone to intercept Chen Shen at the hospital—

It wasn’t anyone particularly formidable.

Instead, it was an insignificant nobody, someone who just “happened” to know Chen Shen’s personal assistant, treated the assistant to a drink, and borrowed the mobile phone that the assistant was in charge of for Chen Shen.

Simultaneously,

Ming Jiayao also arranged for someone to call Chen Shuojie, claiming that Chen Shen had suddenly collapsed at the hospital…

Of course, Chen Shuojie wouldn’t easily believe it and would definitely call Chen Shen directly.

But at that moment, Chen Shen’s mobile phone happened to be borrowed by the assistant.

That nobody would take advantage of the assistant’s inattention to “accidentally” answer the call. Faced with Chen Shuojie’s questioning, they would nervously confirm the story…

And just like that, Chen Shuojie would surely panic, hastily leaving Bai Yuanzhi’s residence and rushing to the hospital.

Now—

Ming Jiayao and Ah Jiu went upstairs.

But Ming Jiayao didn’t go directly to Bai Yuanzhi’s home.

He went to another apartment instead.

Yes,

To better take care of Bai Yuanzhi, Chen Shuojie had specifically rented another apartment on the same floor for Sister Cai and Ah Bin to stay in temporarily.

Ah Jiu stepped forward and knocked on the door.

Soon, Sister Cai came to open it. “Who are you looking for—”

Before she could finish, Ah Jiu had already pushed Sister Cai into the room.

Ming Jiayao followed inside and locked the door behind him.

Sister Cai was startled and about to scream for help when she suddenly caught sight of Ming Jiayao. She froze, then awkwardly greeted, “Young Master Ming.”

Soon, Ah Bin, who was in the inner room, also heard the commotion and hurried out to check. At the sight of Ming Jiayao, he too was stunned. “…Young Master Ming?!”

Ming Jiayao smiled slightly, casually sat down on the sofa, crossed his legs, and said cheerfully, “Ah Bin, Sister Cai, there’s something… I’d like to ask of you.”

Sister Cai and Ah Bin exchanged a glance, inexplicably feeling a chill run down their spines.

Ah Jiu led Ah Bin into the inner room, leaving the living room to Ming Jiayao and Sister Cai.

Ming Jiayao spoke amiably, “Sister Cai, have a seat!”

Sister Cai stammered, “Ah… th-thank you, thank you, Young Master Ming.”

For some reason,

she didn’t dare to look up at Ming Jiayao.

Because the boy who had almost no presence in her memory had suddenly changed completely. Not only had he transformed overnight from a thin, frail youth into a calm and sinister young man, but he had also developed an inexplicable roguish charm.

Ming Jiayao continued chatting casually with Sister Cai. “Sister Cai, I heard you’re not married… but your son is already three years old?”

Sister Cai was dumbfounded.

“It must be tough for a single mother to raise a child alone, right?” Ming Jiayao asked. “Oh, and I also heard Sister Cai still has a mortgage to pay… Wow, isn’t that adding difficulty on top of difficulty?”

Sister Cai’s face instantly turned deathly pale.

Yes, she did have a child, and a house with a hefty monthly mortgage payment.

She had been working as a maid for the Chen Family since she was nineteen. Diligent and reliable, she was highly valued by Chen Shen.

A few years ago, through family introduction, she got engaged to a man. Their relationship was fairly stable, and they agreed that once they saved enough for a down payment on a house, she would resign from the Chen Family, get married, and become a full-time housewife.

Unexpectedly, after they earned the money, she resigned, found a house, paid the down payment, and even booked the wedding venue… she even became pregnant…

But the man fell in love with someone else.

No matter how she pleaded or tried to win him back, he paid no attention.

He even said: “The down payment for the new house was half mine, but I don’t want it anymore. I’ll give it all to you, as compensation for your youth.”

He even married his mistress on the day originally planned for their wedding!

Sister Cai was abandoned just like that.

During this period, Sister Cai was so focused on trying to salvage the relationship that she had no time to deal with the child in her womb.

By the time the man married someone else, Sister Cai was already over six months pregnant, having missed the best time for an abortion.

With no other choice, Sister Cai had to give birth to the child.

After the child was born, she had to raise the baby and cover the monthly mortgage payments. Although she reluctantly rented out the house to cover the loan and sent the child to her brother’s family to be cared for…

The shortfall in the mortgage and the cost of raising the child still left her struggling to make ends meet.

She had no choice but to beg the Chen Family, hoping they would take her back.

And so, Sister Cai returned to the Chen Family.

Chen Shen once asked her if she was married or had children.

Worried that her employer might look down on her for being an unwed mother and doubt her dedication to work, Sister Cai lied and said she was neither married nor had children.

But who would have thought—

The secret she desperately tried to hide was easily uncovered by Ming Jiayao!

Sister Cai stammered, “Young Master Ming… Young Master Ming, I… I haven’t done anything wrong, have I? You… you…”

Ming Jiayao smiled. “Sister Cai, I already said earlier that I came here today… to ask a favor of you.”

Sister Cai took a deep breath. “Wh-what is it?”

She was on the verge of tears.

Ming Jiayao took out a check and placed it on the coffee table. “I hope Sister Cai can first see my sincerity.”

Sister Cai glanced at the number on the check, and her eyes instantly widened.

She fell into a long daze, her expression shifting several times.

After a while, she murmured, “Young Master Ming, my child is still young… he can’t be without his mother.”

Ming Jiayao chuckled. “Sister Cai, you really know how to joke.”

Tears welled up in Sister Cai’s eyes. “Then what exactly do you want me to do, Young Master Ming?”

Ming Jiayao said, “I hope you can take good care of Miss Ah Zhi.”

“What did you say?” Sister Cai couldn’t believe her ears.

Ming Jiayao spoke word by word, “Whether it’s Chen Shen’s affairs or Chen Shuojie’s affairs, they have nothing to do with me, and I don’t want to know. But I hope you can lend a hand and take good care of Miss Ah Zhi.”

“I don’t want her to suffer any harm…”

“If Chen Shen or Xu Wenrui intends to harm her, I hope you can let me know as soon as possible. Or if Chen Shuojie ever tries to harm Miss Ah Zhi, I hope you can do your best to stop him.”

“Of course, I hope everything you do for Miss Ah Zhi is based on prioritizing your own personal safety first,” Ming Jiayao added.

Sister Cai was stunned.

“Is that all?” she asked in disbelief.

Ming Jiayao smiled. “Of course not.”

The second shoe that had been hanging over Sister Cai’s heart finally dropped with a heavy thud.

She finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“So, Young Master Ming, what else do you need me to do?”

Ming Jiayao said, “Miss Ah Zhi doesn’t know about my existence, so I hope Sister Cai can help me keep this little secret.”

Sister Cai was once again stunned.

“Can you?” Ming Jiayao asked.

Sister Cai glanced again at the check on the coffee table, swallowed hard, and nodded firmly. “Yes, I can!”

Ming Jiayao smiled. “Ah Jiu will give you a phone number later. Remember it.”

“Okay, Young Master Ming, I—I will take good care of Miss Ah Zhi!” Sister Cai nodded repeatedly.

After that, Sister Cai carefully put away the check, walked briskly into the inner room, and brought Ah Bin out.

Ah Bin was already trembling with fear, breaking out in a cold sweat all over…

He sat nervously opposite Ming Jiayao, his teeth chattering lightly.

…

About half an hour later, Ming Jiayao left the rented house of Sister Cai and Ah Bin with a casual air, walked over to Bai Yuanzhi’s place, and politely rang the doorbell.

Then he ran his fingers through his hair a few times, smoothing it back.

—He had observed that doing this not only made his hair appear thick and fluffy but also gave it a natural, cascading look. The falling strands just happened to half-cover his dense and slightly sharp eyebrows, making him look obedient and harmless.

He also knew that whenever he showed his gentle and obedient side in front of Ah Zhi,

it always attracted her prolonged gaze.

Sometimes he even received her secretly joyful yet evasive glances, along with the faint blush she tried desperately to hide while pretending to be natural.

Soon, Bai Yuanzhi ran to open the door and exclaimed happily, “A Yao!”

Ming Jiayao flashed a bright, cheerful smile and obediently called out, “Sister!”

He handed over the bouquet of flowers and a bag he was holding. “Sister, I didn’t have time to come and warm your house last time, so I’m making up for it today. Oh, by the way, is Sister Sier at home? I brought some supplements…”

Bai Yuanzhi smiled. “She’s not home. Brother Qiao took her to the hospital for a follow-up checkup.”

“Wow, Brother Qiao is so good to Sister Sier,” Ming Jiayao praised. “With Brother Qiao around, you must feel a bit relieved, right?”

Bai Yuanzhi nodded repeatedly. “Yes, yes!”

Indeed, with Qiao Yusheng around, Bai Yuanzhi’s burden of caring for Zhou Sier, who hadn’t fully recovered, was greatly reduced.

The key was that Zhou Sier didn’t mind Qiao Yusheng’s company and care—in fact, she welcomed it.

So Bai Yuanzhi was very grateful to Qiao Yusheng.

Even though Qiao Yusheng’s secret crush on Zhou Sier was already an open secret,

Chen Shuojie would only sarcastically ask Bai Yuanzhi: “How’s your Brother Qiao? Has he come to your house again?”

Now, Ming Jiayao could empathize with her and even articulated her thoughts about Qiao Yusheng perfectly.

This was truly a control group.

That’s why she felt so at ease around A Yao.

They could talk about anything—

dreams, gossip, mundane daily life—he could even be her emotional dumping ground!

“Wow, Sister, your home is really beautiful!” Ming Jiayao praised sincerely.

It was his first time stepping into a girl’s home, and his first direct experience of Bai Yuanzhi’s taste.

—The home Bai Yuanzhi had arranged was rather niche, whether judged by its decor style, furniture, appliances, or layout.

She hadn’t chosen green-and-white checkered tiles paired with an eight-blade ceiling fan and chandelier—the currently popular, intricate Mediterranean style favored by middle- and lower-class households.

Nor had she opted for carpeting and grand European-style furniture, the preference of wealthy families.

Her home featured light-colored hardwood floors, cream-white walls, a fabric sofa draped in a cream-colored slipcover, and all-white furniture throughout, creating a clean, bright, and spacious feel.

Fresh flowers in pots on the table and plush trinkets hanging on the walls perfectly accentuated the space, avoiding visual clutter while exuding a youthful, vibrant sense of girlish charm everywhere.

Seeing him carefully examine her home and repeatedly offer sincere praise, Bai Yuanzhi grinned from ear to ear. “A Yao, have some tea!”

Then,

Ming Jiayao noticed the tea served in clear glass cups.

The tea was a translucent pale green.

Only upon tasting it did he realize it was a refreshing yet rich jasmine tea.

“Wow, so fragrant!” Ming Jiayao praised sincerely. “What kind of tea is this? How is it so aromatic?”

Bai Yuanzhi smiled. “If you like it, I can give you some to take with you later?”

Ming Jiayao nodded without hesitation. “Sure!”

—The quality of this jasmine tea was truly excellent. Since she enjoyed it, he would take plenty to the United States. In the future, when he missed her in a foreign land, he could brew a cup—it would feel as if she were there with him!

Bai Yuanzhi beamed, her eyes crinkling into crescents, and quickly fetched a box of tea leaves. “This tea is both fragrant and affordable—great value for money.”

In her past life, she had loved this tea, but back then, it had already gained fame and become very expensive.

Now, however, this tea was still relatively niche, unnoticed by many, and quite reasonably priced.

Ming Jiayao accepted the tea, thanked Bai Yuanzhi, and then cradled the cup, savoring it slowly.

Watching A Yao’s earnest tea-tasting demeanor, Bai Yuanzhi couldn’t help but recall Chen Shuojie’s disdainful expression earlier when she had kindly poured him a cup of tea.

Of course, Chen Shuojie might not have disliked her tea specifically.

He simply hadn’t cared.

Earlier, Chen Shuojie had rushed over to see her, barging in and immediately demanding, “Bai Yuanzhi! Did you… make a deal with my dad?”

Bai Yuanzhi was taken aback and instinctively retorted, “What deal?”

“Still pretending?” Chen Shuojie had already grown furious. “My dad said he told me not to take it seriously because you wouldn’t either! Is that true? When did you two… form an alliance behind my back?”

Bai Yuanzhi’s jaw dropped.

Chen Shuojie pressed on, “So all this time, you’ve been laughing at me, haven’t you?”

Seeing her frown, he grew even more agitated. “Bai Yuanzhi! Say something!”

“What do you want me to say?” Bai Yuanzhi shot back.

“All I can tell you is that I haven’t allied with Mr. Chen. If you insist on believing that, then I can only say it wasn’t an alliance—it was an unspoken understanding between Mr. Chen and me.”

“Mr. Chen, in the collaboration between the Chen Group and the Zhou Group, I was originally an insignificant bystander.”

“Mr. Chen had no obligation to lend me a hand, but since he chose to do so…”

“Mr. Chen, as the young master of Wanmei Film Industry, you should have understood long ago the principle of not acting without benefit.”

“I’m not foolish, there’s no need for Mr. Chen to specifically instruct me on anything… I am also very willing to cooperate.”

 

“Mr. Chen, do you understand now?” Bai Yuanzhi asked.

Chen Shuojie looked at the calm and composed Bai Yuanzhi, trembling with anger all over. “So what? You never liked me at all, did you!”

Bai Yuanzhi said, “Mr. Chen, I never thought you would fail to see through the tacit understanding between Mr. Chen and me. But whether you knew or not, my attitude has always remained the same.”

Chen Shuojie’s face instantly turned pale. “So you really never liked me…”

“So you’ve been watching me make a fool of myself all along?”

“Only I was the clown jumping around… right?” Chen Shuojie murmured.

Seeing him so angry that his lips turned white,

Bai Yuanzhi, who happened to be brewing tea, kindly poured him a cup. “Don’t be in such a hurry, have some tea first…”

“I won’t drink this messy stuff!” Chen Shuojie angrily interrupted her, then demanded, “Bai Yuanzhi, I just want you to tell me, if…”

And then—

Chen Shuojie’s Columbia University phone rang.

He hesitated for a moment, answered the call, then his expression changed, and he hurriedly left without saying another word.

Recalling this scene, Bai Yuanzhi sighed.

Ming Jiayao immediately asked gently and obediently, “Sister, what’s wrong? Is there something upsetting you?”