Chapter 117

Chapter 117: Agreeing to Introduce Her to a Man The next day, New Year's Day. Chu Tang made a trip back to the Ruan family home. Yang Xuelian and Ruan Shaodong were both there. The moment Chu Tang walked in, Yang Xuelian greeted her with a smile, "Tangtang's back! We're about to have lunch—go wash your hands first." Chu Tang had been hungover from the night before and hadn't woken up until eleven in the morning. She'd quickly showered, changed, and driven home, arriving right at mealtime. Ruan Jiaojiao came clattering over in her little leather shoes and hugged Chu Tang's legs. "Big sister!" Chu Tang beamed and pulled a thick red envelope from her bag, handing it to Ruan Jiaojiao. "Jiaojiao, happy New Year!" The little girl smiled sweetly, took the envelope, and planted a loud kiss on Chu Tang's cheek. Ruan Shaodong handed her a bag. "A New Year's gift for you. Open it and take a look." Chu Tang took it and opened it curiously. Inside were a key and a property deed. Ruan Shaodong spoke calmly: "Tangtang, this apartment is very close to your law firm—convenient for work. You young people like to celebrate the new year, so this is Dad's New Year's gift to you. The car was picked out by your Auntie Yang; it's in the garage. You can go take a look after you finish eating." Chu Tang's eyes grew warm, a current of warmth flowing through her heart. "Thank you, Dad. Thank you, Auntie." Their kindness—she would accept it. After the meal, Chu Tang opened her phone and idly scrolled through it, noticing a WeChat friend request. Her heart suddenly tightened. She instinctively held her breath and tapped it open, but disappointment spread through her. It wasn't Jiang Shixu. She had long since blocked and deleted Gu Zechuan on WeChat. He couldn't add Chu Tang, so he'd switched to a burner account. Chu Tang couldn't tell who it was at first, but he'd written a message in the request. [Did you and Jiang Shixu break up?] [I told you before—men are all the same. You just wouldn't believe me. Chu Tang, come back to me.] Seeing those two messages made Chu Tang feel like she'd swallowed a fly. She didn't accept the request. She directly tapped "block this person's messages." The car Ruan Shaodong had given her was a white Rolls-Royce Phantom. Chu Tang left the blue Bentley Jiang Shixu had given her gathering dust in the Ruan family's underground garage and drove off in the new car. The apartment was in a high-end residential complex near the law firm—a prime location where land was worth its weight in gold. It was a two-hundred-plus-square-meter, fully renovated flat with all appliances and amenities in place, decorated in the cream style she loved. Chu Tang called Auntie Zhang Caixia, the housekeeper at Tinglanyuan, and asked her to throw away all of Chu Tang's belongings from the villa there. The housekeeper agreed over the phone, but her eyes secretly darted to the man sitting on the sofa. After hanging up, Zhang Caixia spoke hesitantly: "President Jiang, Miss Ruan said she wants me to throw away all her things..." The man's voice was laced with exhaustion. "Don't throw anything away. Keep everything in place. Her room should be cleaned every day too—she'll come back someday." "Then I..." Zhang Caixia hesitated, not knowing how to phrase it. She had been hired by Jiang Shixu to cook for Ruan Chutang. Now that Ruan Chutang wasn't there anymore, who was she cooking for? Was she about to lose her job? Jiang Shixu was silent for a moment, then spoke: "She's moved to a new place. I wonder if the cook over there will suit her taste." Fifteen minutes later. Chu Tang received another call from Zhang Caixia. "Miss Ruan, President Jiang let me go. I don't have a job now. Do you need a cook over there?" Chu Tang was taken aback for a moment, then quickly understood. Jiang Shixu had originally hired Auntie Zhang specifically to cook for Chu Tang. Now that she'd moved out, it wasn't surprising that he'd let the auntie go. Every time Chu Tang saw Zhang Caixia, she was reminded of how Jiang Shixu had once gone to great lengths—learning to cook from the Su family's housekeeper—just to make sure she ate properly. She remembered how he'd specially hired Zhang Caixia to cook so that the food would suit her taste. The old Jiang Shixu had truly cared for her deeply. Chu Tang wanted to refuse, but thinking of the auntie losing her job and her source of income, the words of refusal just wouldn't come out. "Auntie Zhang, I actually do need a cook over here. I'll send you my address—come over whenever it's convenient. Just let me know before you arrive." Zhang Caixia chuckled. "I'm free right now! Are you home? Should I come over now?" "That works. Come on over." After hanging up, Zhang Caixia said to Jiang Shixu, "President Jiang, Miss Ruan agreed." "Good. She always forgets to eat when she's busy. The place is very close to the firm, so you'll need to deliver lunch to the law office on weekdays. I'll pay your salary, but don't refuse the salary Chutang offers you either. And don't tell her I sent you." Hearing that she'd be getting double pay, Zhang Caixia's face lit up with joy, and she nodded eagerly. "Yes, yes. Don't worry, President Jiang. I'll take good care of Miss Ruan." ... After New Year's Day, Jiang Shixu worked himself to the bone at the company. He didn't dare let himself stop. The moment he had even a second of free time, his mind would uncontrollably conjure up Chu Tang's face. In the president's office, Jiang Shixu sat at his computer, buried in work. Qin Yan sat on the sofa, his gaze complicated as he looked at Jiang Shixu. "A-Xu, there's something I'm not sure whether I should tell you or not." Jiang Shixu didn't even lift his eyelids, his tone indifferent. "Then don't." Qin Yan's mouth opened and closed several times. "It has to do with Sister Chu Tang. Are you sure you don't want to hear it?" Jiang Shixu's typing hand paused, and he looked up from the computer screen. "What is it?" Qin Yan thought to himself: I knew it. As long as it's about Sister Chu Tang, there's no way he wouldn't care. But this matter... how should I put it? If I really tell him, he won't be happy about it. "Cough, cough..." Qin Yan let out a strategic cough or two. "Yuanyuan has been going on these past couple of days about wanting to introduce some male college students to Sister Chu Tang..." As he spoke, he glanced up to sneak a peek at Jiang Shixu's expression. Sure enough, the latter's face had darkened. Jiang Shixu clenched his teeth, his face black as thunder. "Male college students?" "Yeah." Qin Yan swallowed hard, thinking about how to phrase it more tactfully. Jiang Shixu's thin lips were pressed tightly together, a cold gleam in his dark eyes. "What male college students?" "There are quite a few—some 188cm guy with eight-pack abs, some 190cm athlete, and also some pure and innocent puppy-type, wild wolf-type... a whole bunch of random ones..." Jiang Shixu's face grew darker and darker, and Qin Yan didn't dare continue. Silence. A deathly silence. Qin Yan was so nervous his hands had nowhere to rest. He took a sip of water. "You know how Yuanyuan is—she's just like that, she likes all this flashy stuff. I've already scolded her on your behalf." Qin Yan's so-called "scolded her on your behalf" was actually something he'd made up on the spot. The truth was, when Chen Yuanyuan was talking about all those male college students, puppy-types, and wolf-types on her list, an inexplicable irritation surged up in his chest for no reason. He'd made a few snide remarks at Chen Yuanyuan, and she, unable to take it, had pinched him hard—that spot still hurt to this day. "What did she say?" Jiang Shixu asked coldly. "Huh? What?" Qin Yan was confused. "Your sister wants to set Tangtang up with men. What did Tangtang say about it?" Qin Yan's expression turned strange. He hesitated before speaking. "You... you really want to know?" "Yes." "Then don't get angry when I tell you." Qin Yan replied nervously, "According to Yuanyuan, on New Year's Eve night, Sister Tangtang did agree." "Agree to what?" Qin Yan's mouth reacted faster than his brain, blurting out, "Agreed to let her set her up with a man." The moment the words left his mouth— "Bang!" The ceramic teacup on Jiang Shixu's desk hit the floor with a crash. Fortunately, the office floor was covered with a carpet, so the cup didn't shatter when it fell.