Chapter 55: The Cannon Fodder in a Dogblood Novel (55)
The atmosphere in the dining room was heavier than in the living room.
The long dining table was covered with a dark-patterned tablecloth. The light from the crystal chandelier fell on the exquisite tableware but couldn’t warm the chill in the air.
Jiang Jianjun sat at the head of the table, his brows furrowed into a deep trench, his face still gloomy.
Shen Huayan sat beside him, gently and attentively serving him food.
Jiang Qingyan sat opposite, his fingertips carelessly pressing against the end of his chopsticks, his gaze resting on the edge of the plate, lost in thought.
Shen Tangqing always sat at the end of the table, and this time was no exception.
Halfway through the meal,
Jiang Jianjun suddenly spoke, his tone not as cold and hard as before.
“Ah Yan, the daughter of your Uncle Lin returned from abroad a few days ago. Take some time to meet her in the next couple of days. You two young people should chat…”
Jiang Qingyan’s hand holding the chopsticks paused almost imperceptibly.
His peripheral vision drifted uncontrollably toward Shen Tangqing.
However, Shen Tangqing lowered his head, acting like a quail. His black hair hung down, covering his brows and eyes, making his expression unreadable.
Withdrawing his gaze, Jiang Qingyan looked up at Jiang Jianjun and spoke with a cold expression. “Not going.”
Jiang Jianjun: “…”
Jiang Jianjun’s face instantly sank. His chopsticks struck the edge of the bowl with a crisp sound.
“Not going? The Lin family and our Jiang family are of equal social status. The Lin daughter is educated and reasonable. What are you dissatisfied with? You are twenty-eight this year. Continuing the family line after starting a family is the proper business.”
Jiang Qingyan remained unmoved.
Taking the soup bowl from the side, he slowly drank a mouthful of soup before raising his eyes, his tone carrying some carelessness.
“If you want a son, you can give birth to one yourself. You two should work harder.”
After speaking, a mocking smile hooked the corner of his lips. “As for me, you don’t need to worry.”
Jiang Jianjun was choked into speechlessness by Jiang Qingyan.
After marrying Shen Huayan, it wasn’t that he hadn’t thought about having another one, but Shen Huayan hadn’t been able to conceive all these years.
Later examinations revealed it was his problem.
However, he would absolutely never admit to such a matter concerning male dignity.
The chopsticks in his hand slammed onto the table with a “smack.” Jiang Jianjun’s voice rose a few notches.
“How did I give birth to such an unfilial son like you! Is asking you to start a family and have children early wronging you?”
Shen Tangqing hadn’t expected to eat a melon about a wealthy family urging marriage during a meal.
He quietly glanced at the angry Jiang Jianjun.
That devilish brainwashing phrase from the internet popped up uncontrollably in his mind:
[Emperor, your son is gay…]
It was inexplicably somewhat funny, but he suppressed the corners of his mouth.
Lowering his head and eyes, he continued to act like a quail.
Jiang Qingyan glanced obscurely at Shen Tangqing again, seeing only the top of his hair and a section of snow-white neck.
His heart grew increasingly irritable.
It was like a nameless fire burning away his reason.
Meeting Jiang Jianjun’s glare, he kept a cold face and almost blurted out,
“It is quite wronging. After all, I don’t like women.”
This sentence was like a thunderclap.
Three pairs of eyes looked at Jiang Qingyan in unison.
Shock, astonishment, disbelief…
Even Shen Tangqing, who had his head down eating the melon, was stunned.
This bro is too brave.
He just came out of the closet, just like that?
According to the normal plotline, didn’t he only turn gay after seeing Xiao Yu acting as a “waiter” at Jiang Jianjun’s birthday party and falling in love at first sight?
Actually, they weren’t the only ones shocked; even Jiang Qingyan himself was stunned for a moment. He said he didn’t like women…
Could it be that I like men?
If I like men… then who… do I like?
His gaze couldn’t help drifting toward Shen Tangqing again.
Crashing into the other’s eyes full of surprise, his heart seemed to skip a beat.
An inconceivable thought that he couldn’t accept appeared in his mind.
This… how is it possible?
The dining room fell into a deathly silence for an instant.
Jiang Jianjun recovered, his face terrifyingly ugly. He stared fixedly at Jiang Qingyan, his voice tight. “Say that again?”
Jiang Qingyan’s Adam’s apple rolled for a moment. Meeting his gaze, he repeated word for word.
“I said, I don’t like women. Don’t worry about my marriage.”
“Unfilial son! Unfilial son! Are you saying this on purpose to anger me? Like men? Do you not even want your face anymore?”
Jiang Jianjun slammed the table and stood up abruptly. “How could my Jiang family produce such a…”
The rest of the words seemed stuck in his throat. His chest heaved violently from anger, pointing at Jiang Qingyan, unable to utter a complete sentence for a long time.
Shen Huayan hurriedly got up to support him, stroking his back while persuading him, her voice carrying just the right amount of panic.
“Husband, calm down, don’t ruin your health with anger. Young people are just confused for a moment; we can teach him slowly…”
Seemingly trying to mediate, she was actually nailing down the fact that Jiang Qingyan didn’t like women.
“How is he confused? I think his heart has been covered by lard.”
Panting, Jiang Jianjun suddenly looked at Jiang Qingyan, his eyes sharp. “Have you already fallen for some man? Huh?”
Jiang Qingyan’s eyelid jumped violently. His originally calm expression cracked abruptly.
He stood up somewhat flustered. “I still have things to do!”
With that, ignoring Jiang Jianjun, he turned and left the dining room.
In his anger, Jiang Jianjun grabbed the bowls and plates in front of him and flipped them all onto the floor. Porcelain shards and leftovers splashed everywhere.
If the dining table hadn’t been too heavy, he probably would have overturned the table too.
Shen Huayan was startled by the commotion.
After gasping for two rough breaths, Jiang Jianjun also strode out of the dining room.
Shen Huayan hurriedly followed.
In an instant, only Shen Tangqing was left in the huge dining room. He looked at the mess and sighed in his heart.
What a pity for this table of good food.
But fortunately, the food in front of him was still fine.
Eating melons (gossip) couldn’t fill the stomach; one still had to eat rice.
He sat alone in the dining room. After finishing his meal, he didn’t plan to go upstairs.
Shen Huayan definitely didn’t have time to pay attention to him right now, so he simply left a message for Shen Huayan saying he was going back first since he had class tomorrow.
As a result, not two minutes after the message was sent,
Shen Huayan replied, telling him to wait downstairs; she would be down immediately.
Shen Tangqing: “…”
(=_=)
Did she soothe Jiang Jianjun so quickly?
…
He hadn’t sat on the sofa in the living room for a few minutes when Shen Huayan came down.
After the servant served tea, they tactfully withdrew.
Shen Huayan didn’t beat around the bush and went straight to the point.
“I’ll transfer one hundred thousand to you later. Go buy a decent suit and spruce yourself up. Your uncle’s birthday is next week, and he’s hosting business associates.
A friend of mine made a connection a while ago, saying she’d introduce a match for you. Her age is about the same as yours, her family is in the real estate business, and her conditions are very good. She’s also the only daughter…”
Shen Huayan said a long string of words in one breath.
She picked up the tea in front of her and took a sip before adding, “I’ll invite her to your uncle’s birthday. You two can get to know each other then.”
Shen Tangqing raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t expected that before he finished eating the blind date melon about others, it would land on himself.
However, if the conditions were really that good, would she look at him?
But meeting was okay. What if her eyesight was bad and she took a fancy to him? Fate is something no one can predict.
He straightened up and looked at Shen Huayan.
“That girl, is she pretty?”
Shen Huayan glanced at him, her tone carrying a bit of perfunctoriness.
“I haven’t seen her in person. She looks quite nice in photos. But regarding marriage, suitable is more important than pretty. You also know the life we mother and son live in the Jiang family…”
After speaking, a cold sneer overflowed from the corner of her lips. “Jiang Qingyan actually likes men. It serves the Jiang family right to end their line.”
Shen Tangqing: “…”
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