Chapter 130

Chapter 130: Jiang Shixu, I Wish You Happiness In the garden, the plum blossoms gave off a faint fragrance, and the cold wind brought flurries of drifting snow. The snowflakes gently landed on Chu Tang's hair, melting away in an instant. Chu Tang stood in the wind, swaying as if she might fall at any moment. Her flu hadn't fully recovered yet, and standing in the cold wind for so long had made her head ache again. Hearing Jiang Shixu say this, Chu Tang concealed the sorrow in her eyes and looked up to meet his gaze. "Mm, just remember to take it off from now on." Jiang Shixu's throat tightened again and again. Chu Tang's voice was very soft, carried by the wind into Jiang Shixu's ears. The sobbing she was desperately suppressing was so broken it was heartbreaking. "I know—when you loved me, it was real love, and when you stopped loving me, it was truly not loving anymore." A chill suddenly ran down Jiang Shixu's spine, spreading rapidly through his entire body. Chu Tang's eyes revealed a calmness that came from seeing through everything—a calmness that was somewhat desolate. "I admit that at first I really couldn't accept it. You clearly said you would always stay by my side. I couldn't figure out why you changed so suddenly. I tried to find reasons for you, tried to understand your difficulties, but you said I was flattering myself. Now I've come to terms with it—who can really predict matters of the heart?" Jiang Shixu's heart ached sharply, and a flash of pain flickered across his eyes. "Promises only count when two people are in love." Chu Tang's voice was so, so soft—so soft that it dissipated into nothing with a single gust of wind. Listening to the girl's voice and looking at her sorrowful, lonely face, fear spread uncontrollably in his heart. He suddenly felt very afraid. He was afraid that after he dealt with Fu Yuanzhou, they would never be able to go back. He couldn't imagine a future without Chu Tang. Ruan Chutang stood quietly across the wind and snow, gazing at Jiang Shixu's features. After a long moment, Chu Tang curved her eyes at Jiang Shixu and said with feigned lightness, "Jiang Shixu, I wish you happiness." Jiang Shixu's pupils constricted sharply. He instinctively reached out his hand, wanting to grab hold of something, but the girl had already turned around without the slightest reluctance. The tassels of her wine-red scarf brushed across the back of his hand—softly, ticklishly. Pain surfaced on Jiang Shixu's face. His steps moved beyond his control, and he reflexively chased after her for two steps. In the end, he couldn't hold it back and called out, "Chu Tang..." The girl's figure paused for a moment, but quickly resumed walking forward. She didn't look back. Not even once. Jiang Shixu chased two steps and then abruptly stopped. He told himself he couldn't chase any further. Otherwise, all his efforts would be in vain, and all the suffering Chu Tang had endured would have been for nothing. He had to deal with Fu Yuanzhou—that big problem—first, before he could return to Chu Tang's side. ...... Jiang Shixu returned to his private villa. The spacious room was cold and empty. As if his soul had been hollowed out, Jiang Shixu sat blankly on the sofa. The red sun sank in the west. The last ray of sunset illuminated the loneliness on the man's face. He sat there alone, motionless, like a statue. The daylight faded, and dusk settled in. The light gradually dimmed. After who knows how long, Jiang Shixu slowly lowered his eyelids and stared blankly at the watch on his wrist. After a long while, Jiang Shixu slowly removed the watch and carefully placed it into the watch box. Closing the box, Jiang Shixu's eyes suddenly welled up with a sour, burning sensation. This feeling was unfamiliar. It came without warning, overwhelming and unstoppable, leaving him at a complete loss. Drip. A teardrop fell onto the metal box. The darkness concealed his reddened eyes, but the moonlight traced the outline of his solitary, desolate figure. ...... On the sixth day of the new year, the Jiang family received guests. The Wang family was a prominent and distinguished clan in Jiangcheng—a family of scholars. Old Mr. Wang was a professor in the School of Literature at Jiangcheng University, and Old Mrs. Wang was a renowned contemporary prose writer. The couple had only one son, who worked in the government system. Their daughter-in-law was a member of the National Writers' Association and a bestselling novelist. Their granddaughter, Wang Shu, had completed both her undergraduate and master's degrees at the country's top university—Kyoto University. Old Mrs. Wang and Old Mrs. Jiang had some prior acquaintance, and because of Old Mrs. Wang's son's work, the Wang and Jiang families had occasional interactions. Before the new year, Old Mrs. Wang had invited Old Mrs. Jiang to a banquet to admire the plum blossoms. Old Mrs. Wang's granddaughter, Wang Shu, had shown herself before Old Mrs. Jiang, and her every word and action had pleased Old Mrs. Jiang greatly. After returning home, Old Mrs. Jiang had taken it upon herself to matchmake her grandson Jiang Shixu with the Wang family's granddaughter, Wang Shu. The Jiang family didn't lack money. Compared to wealthy clans like the Ruan family, Old Mrs. Jiang preferred high-educated families like the Wangs. After Old Mrs. Jiang shared her thoughts with Old Mrs. Wang, Old Mrs. Wang's thinking was exactly the same. Old Mrs. Wang had only one son, who worked in the government system. If the two families were to become connected through marriage in the future, with the Jiang family's connections, her son's political career would surely be bright. Jiang Shixu was unwilling to go to the Wang residence, so Old Mrs. Jiang invited the Wang family to their home instead. Old Mrs. Jiang hid from Jiang Shixu the fact that the Wang family would be coming that day. She only said that a family banquet would be held on the sixth day of the new year and that he must come home. Because on the eighth day of the first lunar month, all the companies under Jiangshi Group resumed operations, and Elder Jiang had also returned to the capital. Therefore, in previous years, the Jiang family would hold a family banquet on the sixth day of the first lunar month. So Old Mrs. Jiang asked Jiang Shixu to come home on the sixth day, and Jiang Shixu suspected nothing. As soon as Jiang Shixu entered the door, he heard laughter and chatter coming from the hall. He casually handed his coat to a servant and asked, "Auntie, do we have guests today?" The servant replied with a smile, "Yes, young master. The Wang family has come to pay New Year's greetings." Jiang Shixu frowned slightly upon hearing this. "The Wang family? Which Wang family?" The servant replied, "It's the Wang family that the old lady had you and the young madam visit to pay respects to last time. The Wang family's granddaughter has come today as well." With that, Jiang Shixu understood. So today's family banquet was just a pretext—his grandmother's real intention was to arrange a blind date for him. As they were speaking, Xu Jingxuan had already spotted Jiang Shixu. She hurried over in quick steps, looking quite anxious. "Brother, Sister Wang is here. Today is a blind date setup. I suggest you find an excuse to leave." "Shixu is back?" Elder Mrs. Jiang's voice came through, and Xu Jingxuan's expression stiffened. The old lady, supported by the Wang family's daughter, walked over with a beaming smile. The old lady said, "Shixu, you've finally come back. We've been waiting for you for quite a while." Jiang Shixu's gaze only briefly swept across Wang Shu's face, his tone carrying a hint of nonchalance. "Grandmother, unfortunately, there happens to be an urgent project at my company that I need to go check on. I won't be staying for the meal. I just came back to pick up a document from Father's study." "Isn't today only the sixth? The company hasn't resumed operations yet." The old lady's sharp gaze swept over Jiang Shixu, her tone unhurried. "After all, I am a director on the group's board and a member of the shareholders' meeting. Even if there were an urgent project, wouldn't it need to go through a resolution by our shareholders' meeting? How come I'm not aware of any recent urgent project at the group?"