Chapter 56: Midnight Doubts – That Kid Jiang Yan is Really Lucky
The heavy velvet curtains of the private room cut off the neon lights of the outside world. Qi Nanshan sat upright on the spacious sofa, hands folded atop a sandalwood cane. Those hands were covered in the marks of time, yet they were exceptionally steady. He gazed for a long time at the young man standing before him, attempting to find another person’s shadow through that face.
The dim wall lamp was the only source of light. The figures of the two men confronting each other cast shadows on the dark carpet, like two silent statues.
“Not sleeping in the middle of the night, are you afraid of ghosts in your dreams?” Surprise flashed and vanished in Jiang Yanâs eyes. The corners of his lips hooked into a sneer as he calmly took a seat opposite him, half his face hidden in the shadows.
Qi Nanshanâs wrinkled eyelids lifted slightly; he didn’t get angry. “I remember you were very afraid of me when you were little.”
His voice carried the unique raspiness of the elderly, yet concealed a sharp edge. Those turbid eyes never left his face.
Jiang Yanâs jaw tightened. He didn’t reply, calmly meeting the gaze of this ruler who had single-handedly built a massive business empire. Even though he was over sixty, there wasn’t a trace of the fatigue of a terminally ill patient; instead, he exuded a sharpness honed by the ups and downs of the business world.
Qi Nanshan waited a moment, and seeing no response, he suddenly sighed. In that instant, he looked like a true twilight old man. “I often wonder, between you and your uncle, who is more suitable to shoulder the burden of Qi Sheng.”
Jiang Yan: “If you truly thought that, you wouldn’t have come personally.”
His tone was steady but every word was like a knife, piercing through his intentions. He wasn’t ignorant of the internal strife within the Qi family. That so-called “Uncle” had likely been unable to hold back, forcing this old fox who had lived behind the scenes for so long to personally step into the ring. No ruler would tolerate their position being challenged so blatantly.
“You are still this resistant.” Qi Nanshan sighed with emotion. “Blame Grandpa for neglecting you too much when you were small; it’s normal you aren’t close.”
The old manâs gaze drifted toward the heavy night outside the window as if falling into some kind of reminiscence. “Back then, you were very stubborn. You rejected everyone around your father, always hiding in the basement alone wanting to find your mother… But you know, she died.”
The moment the word “She” came out, Jiang Yanâs fingers resting on the armrest curled violently, fingernails almost embedding into the genuine leather. He lifted his eyelids, brows furrowed, watching this clumsy performance with cold eyes.
Qi Nanshan took his indifference into account. He didn’t scold him sternly like in the past but instead softened his tone. “Don’t blame Grandpa.”
These words caused a momentary trance in Jiang Yan, followed immediately by a twitch of his mouth. Whether it was a guilty conscience or crocodile tears, it was enough to disgust him.
Qi Nanshan seemed not to see his disdain and continued on his own, “If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for being born into the wrong womb, meeting irresponsible parents.”
This sentence thoroughly touched Jiang Yanâs reverse scale. Dark, violent hostility erupted from the bottom of his eyes. “What right do you have to mention her? If not for him, how would she have died?!”
Qi Nanshan was silent for a moment before slowly saying, “Don’t forget, he was your father.”
“Father?” A sneer of extreme contempt came from Jiang Yanâs nasal cavity, as if he had heard the world’s most ridiculous joke.
He forcibly suppressed his hatred, leaned back into the sofa, and cut to reality. “Speak. What is your purpose in coming here? I heard that ‘good son’ of yours is forcing the palace coup quite tightly recently?”
“He isn’t my son,” Qi Nanshanâs brows furrowed deeply, revealing a bit of defeat. “In the end, he’s an unfamiliar white-eyed wolf.”
He raised his eyes, his gaze landing heavily on Jiang Yanâs face. That look was complicated and hard to distinguish, finally turning into a heavy sigh, carrying the desolation of a hero in his twilight years:
“Child… I am old.”
Deep night.
In his sleep, Jiang Yunian unconsciously rolled over, habitually groping toward the side of his body, but his fingertips touched a patch of icy cold.
He opened his eyes in a daze. The bedroom was dim, with only a little bleak moonlight leaking through the cracks in the curtains. The spot beside him was empty; the warmth had dissipated, obviously having been gone for more than a while.
Hm? Where did he go again?
The person beside him had vanished into thin air. Jiang Yunianâs sleepiness instantly dissipated by half. He dialed Jiang Yanâs number. The wait was exceptionally long. The phone rang for a long time, long enough that he thought no one would pick up, when it finally connected.
“Hello?” Jiang Yanâs voice came through, without a single distinct background noise.
“Where did you go?” Jiang Yunianâs voice carried the softness and nervousness of someone not fully awake.
There was a pause for a few seconds on the other end before a calm and rippleless voice came through. He said Zhou Shu drank too much, maybe got into a fight, so he went to check.
Jiang Yunian rubbed his eyes, muttering about how they argued again. His heart relaxed slightly, and he instructed softly, “Then come back early, be careful on the road.”
Jiang Yan gave an affirmative sound, sounding somewhat absent-minded, and then the call was hung up crisply.
“Du…”
Listening to the busy tone coming from the receiver, Jiang Yunian held the phone and froze for a few seconds.
Without Jiang Yan by his side, the bed had become quite a bit larger. He subconsciously shifted to the spot where Jiang Yan had slept, buried his face in the pillow, and took a deep breath. That scent carried a magic that made one feel at ease. Gradually, drowsiness attacked again…
In the early morning, Jiang Yunian was awakened by the faint light. He reached out to scoop the person up and missed again. His heart sank violently, and he almost bolted upright.
Did Jiang Yan not come back all night?
Loss and unease lingered in his heart until he saw the warm milk, fried egg, and custard bun placed neatly on the dining table. Only then did his suspended heart slowly settle back into place.
There was an unread message on his phone:
ăAh Yan: Breakfast is on the table, remember to eat. I’m going to school first. The part-time job is a bit busy these days, so I’ll be back very late. Don’t wait for me, be good.ă
Jiang Yunian looked at this almost formulaic message, feeling slightly uncomfortable in his heart, but he didn’t disturb him. He obediently sat at the dining table and ate his breakfast.
On the way to the teaching building, the cold wind rolled up withered leaves, rustling loudly. Jiang Yunian wrapped his scarf tighter and heard a few classmates in front whispering about something, their tone full of surprise and disdain.
“Did you hear? That guy Zhang Hao actually came back to school!”
“No way? He still has the face to come back? His punishment period is over?”
“Tsk, scourges truly last a thousand years. Why does the school still keep this kind of scum…”
Jiang Yunian listened silently. A ripple passed through his heart but quickly returned to calm. As long as Zhang Hao behaved himself, he didn’t want to cause more trouble.
The heating in the classroom was on high, dispelling the chill from outside. Just as Jiang Yunian sat down, he noticed several boys in the back row secretly knitting something under their desks. The yarn shuttled back and forth, their movements slightly clumsy; at a glance, one could tell they were beginners.
Winter came earlier than usual this year, and it was colder. They must all be knitting scarves for their partners.
Beside him, Hao Meng was resting her chin on her hand, watching a boy in the back row struggle with a ball of yarn in boredom. She couldn’t help but “pfft” with laughter, turning to complain to Jiang Yunian: “Look at that, what a coincidence? Those sisters in my dorm have been acting like they’re possessed lately too, staying up all night knitting scarves and gloves for their boyfriends. I’m the only loner, sigh. Looks like this winter I can only rely on my righteousness to withstand the cold.”
Jiang Yunian couldn’t help but curl the corners of his mouth, saying gently, “You can also find a boyfriend and have him knit for you.”
Hao Meng immediately waved her hand, a look of ‘thanks but no thanks’ on her face. “Forget it. Men? Hmph! They only affect the speed at which I make money! Chairman Mao is still the most reliable.” As she spoke, she glanced at the back row again. “But seriously, seeing their clumsy appearance is actually kind of interesting.”
The professor finished the lecture with some time to spare, leaving it for the students to self-study. Jiang Yunian looked at those serious boys in the back row, his heart stirring. Since winter started, besides an old pair of gloves, Jiang Yan didn’t even have a scarf, and he always put the gloves on Yunian’s hands.
It was perfectly normal for couples to give each other small gifts. This should also be a way to improve the relationship, right?
Ten minutes later, Hao Meng caught a glimpse of the product page on his phone and teased with a mischievous smile, “That kid Jiang Yan is really lucky.”
Jiang Yunian blushed slightly and turned off the screen, feeling the embarrassment of being caught. Hao Meng chuckled and didn’t tease him further, just sighing that single dogs couldn’t envy such things…
After a while, Jiang Yunian discovered she was searching too, but not for yarn, rather for finished scarves. The brand was one he hadn’t seen before, looking expensive.
“You have a boyfriend too?” Jiang Yunian asked curiously.
Hao Meng shook her head. “Xuezhang‘s birthday is coming up. He invited us to his house to play; I have to prepare a decent gift.”
As she spoke, she swiped on her phone a few more times. “Heard he lives in XX District, tsk. I only know now that Xuezhang‘s family is so loaded! That area is a proper top-tier wealthy district. I probably couldn’t afford a toilet there in this lifetime.”
Seeing Jiang Yunianâs confused face, she said in surprise, “You don’t know? Xuezhang didn’t invite you?”
Jiang Yunian shook his head, his eyes clear. “He doesn’t seem to have mentioned it to me.”
“Then he probably invited too many people and missed one. It’s fine, just come with me when the time comes.”
Jiang Yunian hesitated for a moment, then used reviewing as an excuse to say he wouldn’t go, asking her to help bring a gift to the senior.
Hao Meng raised an eyebrow, looking unbelieving. “Come on, with your English level, you could pass Level 6 with your eyes closed even without studying, right? Still reviewing?”
He treated every exam seriously, striving to do his best. Jiang Yunian said earnestly, “I still need to.”
Twilight gradually dyed the sky. After immersing himself in the library for half the afternoon, Jiang Yunian calculated the time for his tutoring job and prepared to leave.
Class hadn’t ended yet at this hour; the campus was very quiet, with few pedestrians on the road. He carried his backpack, walking briskly, planning the evening’s lesson in his mind. However, not long after walking out of the library, a familiar feeling of having thorns in his back struck without warning.
His footsteps paused slightly, and his heart contracted suddenly. He turned slowly, scanning the surroundings vigilantly. It was empty; everything looked normal, with no suspicious figures.
Is it an illusion? He inhaled a breath of cold air, trying to suppress the uneasiness in his heart. But that cold feeling of being stared at by a poisonous snake wouldn’t go away. He quickened his pace, only wanting to leave this place quickly.
He completely failed to notice that just not far behind him, behind a black sedan parked at the corner, Zhang Hao was staring deathly at that thin back with eyes full of bloodshot veins. Besides that bone-deep hatred, there was a trace of desperate ruthlessness. One of his hands tightly gripped a sharp knife hidden at his waist, holding his breath like a trapped beast driven to a dead end, just waiting for the moment to pounce and kill.
Just at the perilous moment when he prepared to act, a large hand wearing a black leather glove suddenly covered his mouth from behind. A powerful force instantly cut off all his struggles, forcefully dragging him into the darkness.
“Mmph!” Zhang Haoâs eyes went wide, kicking his legs in vain.
“Don’t move.” A low voice rang in his ear: “If you want to save your parents, come with me.”
Zhang Hao was roughly stuffed into a black van with no license plate. It sped all the way, finally bringing him to a private reception room in an unnamed hotel.
The air was filled with the strange mixed aroma of expensive cigars and coffee. Sitting on the single sofa in the master seat was a fastidiously dressed middle-aged man. His appearance was refined, his temperament steady. He was leisurely using tongs to pick up a sugar cube and drop it into the coffee in front of him.
Several bodyguards with cold expressions stood beside him; at a glance, one could tell they weren’t ordinary characters. Zhang Hao felt this person looked somewhat familiar, seeming to have seen him in financial news reports.
“What do you want?” He was pressed into the chair opposite the middle-aged man and asked vigilantly.
The middle-aged man didn’t answer immediately. He elegantly lifted the teacup, gently blew away the floating foam, took a small sip, and then raised his eyes to look over, scrutinizing him from above.
“Your parents, as well as your aunt,” he began, like a judge reading a verdict, “are suspected of bribing the heads of multiple key departments. The amount is huge, and they are currently under internal investigation. That bit of ‘business’ your Zhang family has been doing all these years can’t withstand careful scrutiny. Once the chain of evidence is confirmed, the whole family won’t escape prison.”
Zhang Haoâs expression froze. The other party actually knew his family’s situation like the back of his hand! His lips trembled. “You… you…”
“Me? I can save them.” The middle-aged man interrupted him, his tone revealing the certainty of one who controls everything. “I can also help you… get rid of the person you want to eliminate most.”
He leaned forward slightly, hands folded on his knees. His posture remained elegant, yet exuded an invisible oppression. “A chance to kill two birds with one stone is placed right in front of you. It just depends on whether you grab it.”
His tone was level, clearly laying out the pros and cons, painting the future of Zhang Hao and his family as pitch-black darkness where one couldn’t see their fingers, while he himself was the only “Savior” who could bring light.
…
The conversation ended. The middle-aged man stood up, straightening his suit cuffs which didn’t have a single crease. He walked to the door, paused slightly, and didn’t look back.
“After the deed is done, I will arrange for you to go abroad safely. Your family will also be safe and sound.”
Translatorâs Note: Zhang Hao returns, and it looks like he’s being used as a pawn in a much larger game. Also, Jiang Yan’s “part-time job” excuse is getting thinner. The tension is building!
Recommended Reads
![Does A Broken Mirror Reunion Exist in Esports? [Esports]](https://beereads.space/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/esports-225x300.png)
