Chapter 11: Jiang Family
When Jiang Chi was knocked down by the dog, the security guard was immediately stunned.
His heart almost leaped out of his chest, completely dumbfounded by the scene before him.
All the servants working at the Jiang family knew that this Great Dane, though it appeared fierce, actually had a gentle temperament.
However, this gentle Great Dane had only ever bitten one person—Jiang Chi, the second young master of the Jiang family.
For some unknown reason, this dog seemed to have an issue specifically with Jiang Chi. Every time it saw him, it would not only bark incessantly but even charge at him and bite, as if it had encountered an enemy, displaying a strong aggressive tendency.
The Great Dane was known as the giant of the canine world, with muscular build and well-developed limbs, making it strong and powerful.
The Great Dane at the Jiang household was of purebred lineage, standing over 80 cm at the shoulder and weighing nearly 65 kg. Its biting force was immense, and when it exerted full strength, even a Tibetan Mastiff could be killed, let alone a person.
So, every time the second young master came home, the servants would securely tie the dog with an iron chain and then take it to the backyard to lock it up, to avoid any incidents with the young master.
The Great Dane needed a lot of exercise every day, and since it was hot today, everyone had been too lazy to take it out for a walk, so they just let it run and play in the front yard. No one expected the second young master to return today!
What should they do now?
If anything happened to the second young master, they would all be in big trouble!
With such a strong Great Dane knocking him to the ground, the security guard no longer dared to hope that the young master would be safe. He could only pray that Jiang Chi wouldn’t have his throat bitten out!
The security guard was sweating profusely as he returned to the security booth to grab an anti-riot shield and cautiously approached.
However, the bloody scene he had imagined did not appear.
Staring at the scene in disbelief, the security guard widened his eyes in shock.
The Great Dane, which had always been hostile toward the second young master, was actually wagging its tail and acting all affectionate, coquettishly licking Jiang Chi’s face!
Not only was it licking Jiang Chi’s face with its tongue, but it was also nudging him with its wet nose, and when pushed away, it would hum pitifully, as if upset.
Jiang Chi lay in the grass, shielding his face with his hand. Even though he clearly wanted to refuse, he couldn’t stop the Great Dane’s enthusiasm and ended up with a face full of slobber.
What was going on?
Why had this dog suddenly changed its behavior today? Why was it so affectionate toward the second young master all of a sudden?
It was simply unbelievable.
“Second young master, are you okay?” The security guard, as if witnessing a momentous reconciliation, was so surprised that his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. “Harry doesn’t usually act this affectionate… he’s not usually affectionate with people.”
The security guard had originally intended to say the dog wasn’t particularly friendly with Jiang Chi, but before the words could come out, he quickly rephrased it to “not affectionate with people.”
Jiang Chi didn’t find anything strange. He had always been liked by small animals.
He sat up from the grass, patting the Great Dane’s head. “So your name is Harry.”
Harry’s tail was wagging so fast it seemed like it was a blur. The huge dog was whining and acting cute, as if it had been neglected by its owner for a long time.
“Alright, alright, you’re soaking me with your slobber.”
Jiang Chi reached for the collar on the Great Dane’s neck, picked up the leash from the ground, and handed it to the security guard. “Take it back to the backyard. It’s too affectionate—don’t let it run out and knock over the neighbors again.”
The security guard hesitated, but didn’t speak up. He didn’t mention that while this Great Dane was generally gentle in nature, it had never shown such affection for anyone before.
It was bizarre—Harry, who had once disliked the second young master, was now acting like his devoted pet.
Had the sun risen in the west today?
Jiang Chi didn’t notice the surprise of the other party. He adjusted his clothes and turned to enter the house.
Harry squatted where he was, stiffening his neck as he faced off with the security guard holding his leash. It wasn’t until Jiang Chi’s figure disappeared from sight that Harry dropped his tail and, with a lonely look, made his way back to the backyard.
Jiang Chi pushed open the door, and saw his father sitting in the living room waiting for him.
When Jiang Chi entered, his father put down the book in his hands, removed his reading glasses, and, with a cool and indifferent tone, said, “So you know how to come back?”
Seeing his father’s familiar figure, Jiang Chi almost forgot that he had transmigrated into this book. Without thinking, he called out, “Dad.”
His father flipped the book upside down on the coffee table, his voice cold as he asked, “I heard from your brother that you’ve found another boyfriend?”
Crap, starting with an interrogation.
It seemed that the relationship between the original owner and his father was just as bad, which was exactly the same as before Jiang Chi had transmigrated.
Jiang Chi liked to study engineering, but his father was determined to have him study business management. When it came time to choose his college major after high school, father and son had a falling out. Fortunately, Jiang Chi later made a good name for himself, securing a spot for graduate school and excelling academically, which more or less shut his father up.
In this world, the original owner still studied engineering, but his grades were terrible, and his relationship with his father had only worsened.
Jiang Chi didn’t know how to explain this. Out of caution, he decided it was better not to bring up the fact that he had transmigrated, especially in front of his parents.
His older brother and father were exactly the same as before. It was best to pretend he was still in the original world.
Jiang Chi thought for a moment and quickly found an opportunity to steer the conversation.
He asked, “Dad, have you heard about the marriage alliance between the Qin and Ji families?”
This question was quite clever. It not only diverted the topic but also allowed him to probe whether the Qin family had complained to the Jiang family.
His father nodded, his expression calm. It seemed that he wasn’t aware of the incident at the wedding where his son had carried off the groom.
Jiang Chi let out a sigh of relief and asked, “What do you think about this matter?”
Father Jiang spoke slowly, “It was absurd from the start. If it doesn’t work out, it’s not unexpected.”
Jiang Chi didn’t expect his father to say that, and was surprised. “Not unexpected?”
Father Jiang had been in business for many years and never judged things by their surface.
While others saw Qin Yan, so young yet holding power, Father Jiang understood the struggles and power struggles behind it. The more beautiful the surface, the more chaotic and difficult the situation inside.
Qin Yan lost his mother at a young age. If his father could be trusted, why would he have gone abroad at such a young age, abandoning the domestic business and focusing on developing overseas industries instead of staying in the country?
After finally returning to the country, he had inexplicably agreed to this marriage.
The whole thing, with its mix of superstition and marrying a male spouse, sounded lively, but was actually just a joke.
Although Su Xiaowan’s schemes were clever, how could they deceive the wives of wealthy families?
Jiang Chi’s mother had mentioned several times that even if Ji Yu, as an illegitimate child, married his good-for-nothing second son, it would still be seen as climbing up the social ladder. As for Qin Yan, the head of the Qin family, having such a marriage proposal was nothing but adding to the ridicule.
In the end, as the saying goes, “A person drinks water, but it’s hard to explain the warmth and coldness of being at a high position.”
Father Jiang sighed deeply. “Where in the world does the head of a family let his stepmother arrange his marriage? It’s tough for Young Master Qin, living abroad all the time. I’m sure it’s just as bothersome here as it is overseas.”
Jiang Chi, with almost no experience in family dramas, couldn’t understand all these twists and turns. He had never thought about the core conflict between Qin Yan and Ji Yu.
Hearing his father analyze it this way, Jiang Chi, for the first time, tried to see the situation from Qin Yan’s perspective and discovered many details he had overlooked before.
Jiang Chi suddenly understood, and couldn’t help but sigh, “I see now.”
This marriage had been a conspiracy from the very start.
The two main characters were destined for tragedy, as if it were written in the stars.
The union was never something either of the main characters desired; it had been arranged against their will. One protagonist was walking on eggshells, cautious and careful, while the other harbored distrust and suspicion, constantly testing the other. As a result, their initial impressions of each other were far from positive.
The two main characters came from very different backgrounds, and their thoughts and perspectives were completely different. One was an illegitimate child, the other the head of a family. Their angles of thought were worlds apart, and of course, the outcomes they reached would be different as well. They were both too young, with no experience in love and no ability to reconcile their differences. As their conflicts accumulated, the marriage inevitably headed toward tragedy.
It was like trying to force two different puzzle pieces together—the end result could only be mutual destruction.
Besides the two main characters, the marriage was also the union of two families. Unfortunately, the heads of the Qin and Ji families each had their own hidden agendas. Not only did they fail to support the marriage, but they also schemed against each other, accelerating the collapse of an already tense relationship.
“It seems they were never meant to be together,” Jiang Chi said.
Father Jiang lifted his tea cup and gently blew away the foam. “If they had a choice, who would willingly marry a male spouse?”
Jiang Chi asked, “So what did the Qin family say about what happened at the wedding?”
Father Jiang replied, “They said Young Master Qin came to his senses and that the wedding would be postponed, but no one has actually seen him. Some people say Young Master Qin wasn’t happy with the marriage and has left the country. Others speculate that Young Master Qin never regained consciousness, and that the whole thing was a smokescreen by the Qin family. Some even say he fled the marriage… there are all sorts of rumors, some true, some false. No one can say for sure what really happened.”
The tea leaves swirled in the cup, and Father Jiang suddenly felt a wave of emotion in his heart.
Father Jiang spoke earnestly, his voice serious, “Jiang Chi, since you were born into the Jiang family, you can’t only think about yourself. You must consider the bigger picture. You’re still young, playing around for a few years is fine, but in the future, you’ll have to find a girl from a family of equal standing. Otherwise…”
At that moment, the sound of footsteps came, and Father Jiang immediately fell silent.
Jiang Chi felt something and turned his head to see his mother entering the room.
Mother Jiang was wearing a deep purple suit and had just had her hair styled. She looked youthful and full of energy, a jade pendant hanging from her neck—exactly the one he had given her for her birthday when he graduated from high school.
When she saw her younger son, the smile lines on her face couldn’t be hidden. “Xiao Chi is home. What are you two talking about?”
Seeing his wife, Father Jiang had no choice but to temporarily abandon his attempts to persuade his son to change his ways. He didn’t approve of Jiang Chi’s orientation, but his son had barely come home in months. Saying anything now wouldn’t make a difference. Moreover, if his wife overheard, she would probably stop talking to him for several days, accusing him of being too strict and driving their son away.
So, Father Jiang kept silent and shifted to another topic.
“Xiao Chi should be graduating soon. I was thinking of letting him join the company early.” Father Jiang wiped his reading glasses with the corner of his sleeve. “I want to retire soon. My eyes are failing, everything is blurry. Getting old…”
Mother Jiang, always concerned about her husband, agreed, “That’s right. Xiao Chi, when you were choosing your college major, why didn’t you choose business management? Why did you have to go for engineering? Even after you entered university, I didn’t see you studying seriously. It’d be better to come home and help out.”
Father Jiang immediately expressed his stance and took the opportunity to say what he had been thinking for a while, “I never agreed with Jiang Chi choosing engineering. There are so many university graduates out there. The least valuable thing now is a university diploma.”
Mother Jiang said, “You still need to finish university, but after graduation, you’ll come back to work at the company. That’s settled.”
The couple was in perfect harmony, and Jiang Chi didn’t even have a chance to interrupt.
“I still haven’t graduated,” Jiang Chi said, mentioning his need to retake some courses. “And I don’t know anything about managing a company. After graduation, I have my own career direction.”
Father Jiang immediately became angry, slamming his chopsticks on the table. “What direction do you have? You’ve studied a useless major, and all you’ll be able to do is work in a factory, managing technical operations, telling workers how to install surveillance cameras!”
Jiang Chi was equally upset and also set his chopsticks down. “If I hack one of your surveillance cameras, I can steal the company’s books. Does that count as useful?”
Father and son immediately clashed, and it seemed like they were about to argue.
Mother Jiang quickly intervened, changing the subject to talk about her cousin’s daughter who had just given birth to twins. They looked identical and were adorable.
“I wonder when I’ll get to hold my grandchild.”
She looked at the empty seat at the dining table and sighed deeply. “Your older brother is too busy, and you don’t like girls… sigh, I just hope you can settle down. Whether it’s a boy or a girl, it doesn’t matter. There needs to be someone by your side. Otherwise, I won’t be able to die in peace.”
Jiang Chi, a bit uncomfortable, responded, “…Why are you bringing this up now?”
Mother Jiang sighed again and began rambling, “You have to settle down and build a career, don’t keep hanging out with those spoiled rich kids. Your grades were so good when you were in high school, but you refused to listen. You had to go for an engineering degree. If you had studied business, it wouldn’t be like this. The people around you would be different…”
Coming home was like attending a class. Sometimes, Jiang Chi felt it might be better not to come back.
As an adult, Jiang Chi was very conflicted about returning home. He missed his parents emotionally, but when he came back, it was always like this.
Jiang Feng, his older brother, was really busy. He only arrived halfway through dinner, just in time for a barely-complete family meal.
After dinner, Jiang Chi’s mother packed a lot of food for him to take to his little boyfriend.
There was seafood ceviche, pickles, and a pigeon soup that had been stewing all day.
The housekeeper packed everything into the car, with large and small bags that filled the trunk, almost like they were moving.
Seeing this, Jiang Chi’s heart softened, and he forgave his mother for the things she said at the dinner table.
Jiang Feng, his older brother, crossed his arms and stood to the side, unable to resist making a sarcastic remark. “Mom’s expectations for you are really low, even accepting a male daughter-in-law.”
Jiang Chi, confused, asked, “What are you being sour about?”
Jiang Feng raised an eyebrow. “They’re so indifferent to your sister-in-law.”
Jiang Chi was shocked. “You’re married?”
Jiang Feng opened the car door, swiftly got in, and shut it with one smooth motion.
“I’m getting a divorce,” Jiang Feng said flatly, his tone cold.
