The next day, Jian Suiying overslept and was roused by his father's call. His dad scolded him over the phone, demanding to know where he'd disappeared to.
Jian Suiying couldn't be bothered to answer. He hung up, threw on some clothes, and drove home as fast as he could.
His father and Sui Lin were already waiting in the living room. Jian Suiying brought nothing with him. The three of them, plus the driver, hit the road immediately.
Jian Dongyuan sat in the front passenger seat chatting with the driver, while Jian Suiying and Jian Suilin occupied the backseat.
Jian Suiying sat with his arms crossed over his chest, leaning back in his seat, eyes closed. He had barely spoken a word since arriving home.
Jian Suilin shot him several concerned glances before finally whispering, "Brother, where did you go last night?" Jian Suiying spat out two words: "Mind your own business."
Jian Suilin could tell his brother was in a terrible mood. But most of the time, when his brother was upset, he had a habit of
take it out on anyone or anything nearby. The words "I'm pissed" were practically written on his forehead
. It was exceedingly rare for him to be this sullenly unhappy without uttering a word.
Based on his analysis, his brother was either brewing anger or scheming up some rotten plan to deal with the people and things that were upsetting him.
Neither scenario made provoking him a wise move. Jian Suilin turned his face away, burying his head in his phone.
It turned out Xiaolinzi understood his brother's temperament quite well. Jian Suiying was indeed plotting ways to deal with Li Yu.
Jian Suiying was truly unwilling to accept this.
He knew Li Yu was a tough nut to crack, but he hadn't expected it to be this difficult.
Who would have thought that Jian Suiying would one day find himself in such a predicament— —a weak and vulnerable situation where "I like you, but you don't like me."
dilemma.
If Li Yu thought Jian Suiying would just slink away with his tail between his legs, he was sorely mistaken.
Jian Suiying was now seething with resentment, determined to make Li Yu taste his wrath. If Li Yu dared to toy with him like this,
he'd better brace himself for a world of trouble.
The resentment churning in Jian Suiying's chest threatened to burst him open. If Li Yu stood before him now, he'd shove him under a rolling car tire and run it over several times to quench his hatred.
Though Jian Suilin was their grandson, he was ultimately Zhao Yan's child. Even during the New Year, the old man would only give a token red envelope
a red envelope during the holidays, he treated Suilin more coldly than the children of his own niece's family. This grandson barely registered in his eyes.
If Jian Suiying had come alone, the old man would have been waiting at the door. Today, he wouldn't come out for sure.
Led by the housekeeper, the three entered the house. The old man sat reading the newspaper on the sofa. He lifted his eyes to glance at them, his expression unreadable.
Jian Dongyuan instructed Sui Lin to set down the gifts they brought, then respectfully said, "Happy New Year, Dad." Jian Sui Lin quickly added, "Happy New Year, Grandpa."
Jian Suiying chuckled, "These pants are pretty thick." It wasn't that he didn't want to wear more—he'd just rushed out the door and forgotten.
. He'd taken the bus all the way here and hadn't felt particularly cold.
"Go put on some thermal leggings in the inner room. You're a grown man—do you really need me to tell you how to dress?"
" In a bit, in a bit. It's so warm in here, short sleeves are enough." While speaking, Jian Suiying slowly took off his outer coat, then said to Jian Dongyuan, "Dad, you guys sit down."
Jian Dongyuan looked slightly awkward before finally sitting down with Jian Suilin.
Even so, the atmosphere remained somewhat peculiar, though most had grown accustomed to it.
When it was time for dinner, the housekeeper got up to prepare the meal. Jian Suilin also stood. "Auntie, let me help you."
."
The nanny beamed with joy. "No need, no need. Please sit down, young master."
"Auntie, let me help you. Preparing meals for so many people must be exhausting. It's the New Year, and I don't have much to do anyway."
Jian Suiying glanced at them and said: "It's fine. Let him give you a hand."
The nanny, not being family, had fewer reservations and happily took Jian Suilin away.
While Jian Dongyuan and the driver discussed the car on the other side of the sofa, the old man sipped his tea and chatted with Jian Suiying about his company affairs.
Jian Suiying told his grandfather everything he'd been up to lately.
Though retired and lacking formal education in his youth, the old man was remarkably astute and sharp-minded.
Jian Suiying's rapid career growth over the past few years had benefited greatly from the grandfather's sound advice.
As they talked, the old man steered the conversation toward Li Yu. "Hey, how's Old Li's second grandson doing? Still working at your company?"
Just hearing the name made Jian Suiying feel constipated—frustrated and helpless. He grunted a dull " " "Hmm."
"How's he been lately? Doing okay? That kid's got potential."
Jian Suiying replied absently: "Oh, so-so."
The old man glanced at him. "Are you implying something?"
Jian Suiying let out an "Ah" and casually replied, "Oh, nothing. He just..." "Just what?"
Jian Suiying thought to himself with self-mockery that if he told the truth, the old man would probably spit blood. He forced a smile, "He got a little hurt."
"What kind of injury? Is it serious?" "If you call it serious, then yes, it's pretty serious."
The old man was still confused. "What exactly happened?"
Jian Suiying leaned closer and whispered: "That kid's... that thing... doesn't seem to be working right."
The old man's eyes suddenly lit up, and he lowered his voice too. "Huh? Really? How'd you find out?" "He's my assistant, right? He respects me a lot and likes to consult me about many things."
"Goodness, how old is he? What a waste of such a handsome young man." Though the old man sounded regretful, his eyes sparkled with gossipy curiosity.
, they had nothing to fear from speaking freely.
Jian Suiying had only made up that story on a whim, just to feel better about herself. But then she thought, wouldn't it be great if that bastard Li Yu
scandal spread throughout the capital. Then let's see who dares to set him up with a match.
Jian Suiying added with feigned regret, "Exactly! He's only twenty this year—or was it nineteen? At such a young age, what will become of him?"
The old man sighed deeply. "Ah, it is rather pitiful. Didn't you ask what happened? Is there any way to cure it?"
"I don't know. He was too embarrassed to say."
"No problem, I'll make sure he gets it." Jian Suiying felt no guilt whatsoever for spreading rumors behind someone's back.
Instead, she found herself amused by her own nonsense—though now was hardly the time for laughter.