Chapter 50: The Fake Young Master Takes the Stage
Lin Siwu was standing boredly beside Lin Siyu, listening to him discuss recent investment trends with several uncles and elders, while his mind was on a game level he hadn’t finished yesterday. He gave an inconspicuous yawn, his peripheral vision scanning the ballroom out of sheer boredom, when suddenly his gaze froze.
Lin Siwu’s eyes brightened slightly.
Taking advantage of a moment when Lin Siyu turned to speak with someone else, he slipped out of the circle unnoticed and walked toward Jiang Qing.
“Qing-ge!!!”
Jiang Qing had just placed his empty glass on a waiter’s tray and turned around at the sound, only to see Lin Siwu with sparkling eyes, rushing over in three steps. He wore that expensive suit with the casualness of a tracksuit, and his bowtie was even crooked.
“Why are you alone? Where’s your brother?” Jiang Qing helped him adjust his bowtie.
Lin Siwu stood still obediently, letting Jiang Qing fix the twisted fabric. He had a grin on his face. “My brother? He’s busy chatting up a storm; he has no time for me. I sneaked out!”
Jiang Qing’s movements were unhurried. Lin Siwu could smell the clear yet languid woody scent on Jiang Qing, which was completely different from the cloying, sweet fragrances floating in the ballroom. He couldn’t help but take a secret sniff, his eyes growing even brighter.
“There.” Jiang Qing let go and lightly patted Lin Siwu’s shoulder.
Lin Siwu touched the now-perfect bowtie, his grin widening further. “Qing-ge is the best! I tried fixing it for ages and couldn’t get it right.” He took the opportunity to lean a bit closer to Jiang Qing.
[Author’s Note: Can my lovely readers write some book reviews? I really want reviews~ I’ve read all the suggestions you’ve made, so feel free to tell me your thoughts. However, if it’s something I’ve already planned for the future plot, I might not be able to change it… I read every single comment seriously. Sometimes your comments are so funny, hahaha!]
“Qing-ge, you have another brother now…” Lin Siwu’s voice suddenly dropped.
“How does it feel?” he asked, looking at Jiang Qing without blinking. “Suddenly having another person call you ‘Ge’.”
Jiang Qing caught the poorly hidden emotion in his words and let his gaze linger on his face for a moment.
“How else would it feel?”
“When they should call me Ge, they call me Ge. When it’s time to eat, we eat.”
“Then… Qing-ge, can I…”
“Siwu.”
Lin Siyu’s voice wasn’t loud. He had clearly finished his conversation over there, noticed his brother had vanished, and come looking for him.
Hearing his brother’s voice, Lin Siwu’s body stiffened. He immediately swallowed the rest of his sentence. The brilliant smile on his face dimmed a bit as he turned around, putting on a guilty but obedient expression.
“Ge.”
Lin Siyu approached, first giving a slight nod to Jiang Qing. His gaze swept over Lin Siwu, and seeing the meticulously adjusted bowtie, his eyes shifted slightly.
“Ge, I’m just chatting with Qing-ge.”
“Mm,” Lin Siyu hummed. His gaze landed on Jiang Qing’s face, carrying an attraction that was more reserved and inward compared to Lin Siwu’s outward passion.
“Young Master Jiang doesn’t seem to be in high spirits tonight.”
“I’m used to it,” Jiang Qing replied casually, meeting Lin Siyu’s gaze for a second. Lin Siyu’s eyes were a bit darker in color, completely different from Lin Siwu’s sparkling, unshielded stares.
“Sorry for bothering Young Master Jiang. Come back with me; Uncle Li is still waiting for you.” Lin Siyu looked at Lin Siwu.
Lin Siwu’s shoulders slumped. Clearly, “Uncle Li” was not someone he enjoyed dealing with. But he didn’t dare defy his older brother, so he let out an “Oh” and gave Jiang Qing a reluctant look before trudging to Lin Siyu’s side.
Just as the two were about to leave, Jiang Qing suddenly spoke up.
“Wait a moment. Lin Siwu.”
Lin Siwu turned back to look at him, puzzled.
“It’s okay. That question you just asked me.”
“Qing… Qing-ge?”
“No matter what you were going to ask.” Jiang Qing gave him a soft smile. “My answer is: yes.”
Lin Siwu stood there, looking at Jiang Qing in disbelief. He completely forgot that his brother was standing next to him with an unreadable expression, and he forgot what kind of occasion this was. Instinctively, he was about to pounce toward Jiang Qing—
“Siwu.”
Lin Siyu’s voice was a shade deeper than before. His arm firmly blocked his brother’s path, stopping his overly impulsive move.
“Ge!” Lin Siwu cried out in dissatisfaction after being stopped. But due to his brother’s authority, he didn’t dare actually charge forward. He just stared at Jiang Qing with eyes shining with excitement, as if trying to confirm the truth of those words from his face. “Qing-ge! For real?! You agreed?!”
Jiang Qing stood his ground, smiling as he nodded at him, then waved them off.
Having received Jiang Qing’s affirmative response, Lin Siwu felt as if a switch had been flipped. Even though Lin Siyu was holding his shoulder firmly, he couldn’t suppress the joy overflowing from within. He tried his best to stand on his tiptoes and wave vigorously toward Jiang Qing, a pure and dazzling smile on his face as he repeatedly mouthed:
“Qing-ge!!! It’s a deal! It’s a deal, okay!”
“Ge! Take it easy! My arm hurts!” Lin Siwu complained in a low voice, trying to struggle, but to little effect.
The silhouettes of the two brothers soon vanished into the crowd, but that scene had already been caught by many watchful eyes.
Song Lingchen and Shen Zhize stood not far away, taking it all in.
“Is your ‘couple brain’ sober yet? It looks like your not-yet-acquired couple-wife is being eyed by someone else again.”
“Damn it, who are you calling a couple brain?” Song Lingchen gave his arm a light punch. “Besides, Qingqing being eyed is a testament to his charm!”
“Then why are you using a tissue to wipe the corner of your eye while saying that?”
“…….Can you not expose me so directly next time?”
————————————————
The band at the front of the ballroom stopped playing. The lighting technicians directed several soft, bright beams onto a small, temporary stage. The scattered conversations gradually quieted down as everyone’s gaze focused on the front.
Father and Mother Jiang were the first to walk onto the stage, followed closely by Jiang Yu. Finally, at Mother Jiang’s signal, Su Lin also stepped onto the stage, standing on Mother Jiang’s other side.
Dressed in white, he stood at the center of the lights, looking as clean as if he had wandered in from another world. Countless gazes below scrutinized him with curiosity, intrigue, appraisal, and even unshielded observation.
Jiang Yu walked to the microphone stand, his calm gaze sweeping across the room. He didn’t need any gestures or words; his mere presence was enough to bring complete silence to the slightly restless ballroom.
“Thank you all for coming tonight. Tonight is a day of special significance for the Jiang family.”
He turned slightly to indicate Su Lin beside him.
“I believe you have all heard the news. This is Su Lin, the child our Jiang family lost many years ago. After extensive verification and DNA testing, it has been confirmed that Su Lin is my parents’ biological flesh and blood, and my younger brother.”
As he finished speaking, the audience erupted into low-voiced exclamations and discussions.
Jiang Qing had found a corner. While listening to Jiang Yu’s speech, he leaned against the wall and watched Su Lin on stage.
“Ge.” Jiang Limu walked to his side and handed him a small plate of French lava chocolate cake.
Jiang Qing reached out to take the plate. With a light touch of the silver spoon, the rich chocolate ganache began to flow out slowly. He scooped a spoonful into his mouth; the sweet, silky texture melted on his tongue, leaving a slightly bitter aftertaste.
“It’ll be your turn to go on stage soon. Don’t be nervous.” Jiang Qing scooped a small piece of cake and naturally held the silver spoon to Jiang Limu’s mouth.
Jiang Limu was stunned for a moment, but he instinctively opened his mouth to take it. The warm chocolate ganache and dense cake merged in his mouth, the sweetness instantly dispelling some of the bitterness and tension in his heart. His eyes brightened slightly as he looked at Jiang Qing.
“I… I’m not nervous,” he countered half-heartedly. “It’s not my first time at this kind of event.”
Despite his words, his tightly clenched fists betrayed his true emotions. Tonight’s “stage appearance” was different from any previous one. Before, he was the “Little Young Master of the Jiang Family.” Although his parents and brothers pampered him, in such formal settings, he was mostly a background figure who didn’t need to handle much attention or pressure.
But today, after Su Lin—the “rightful bloodline”—was grandly introduced, for him to take the stage… his status became subtle and awkward. Everyone would look at him with scrutinizing and comparative eyes. They would watch how this foster son, who had “taken someone else’s place for twenty years,” would react and how he would be positioned now that the true Jiang heir had returned.
Jiang Qing naturally knew what he was thinking. He didn’t say any more comforting words; he just scooped another spoonful of cake, this time into his own mouth. His gaze returned to the stage where Jiang Yu was about to finish speaking:
“If you’re nervous, you’re nervous; it’s nothing to be ashamed of. When you go up there, say what you need to say and smile when you should. You are Jiang Limu, and you’ve lived in the Jiang family for twenty years. That is your foundation.”
Looking at Jiang Qing’s calm profile, the panic in Jiang Limu’s heart miraculously subsided quite a bit.
Yes, he was Jiang Limu, the younger brother Jiang Qing had watched grow up, and a family member recognized by everyone in the Jiang family.
On stage, Jiang Yu’s speech reached its conclusion.
“Next, let us invite the other young master of the Jiang family, Jiang Limu, to the stage.”
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