A Paper Contract GL - Chapter 12

Early in the morning, Jiang Yuetong slipped into the kitchen and started bustling around.

“Should I make Three Cup Chicken or Claypot Chicken?” Jiang Yuetong muttered to herself. Then she shook her head. Actually, she didn’t know how to make either one, but had found recipes on Baidu. She wasn’t sure which one she could execute better.

Jiang Yuetong took all the ingredients out of the refrigerator: chicken, garlic, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, rock sugar, glutinous rice wine, soy sauce, red chili peppers… “This should be enough, right?” Jiang Yuetong asked, holding the chicken.

“Yuetong, why are you running into the kitchen so early?” her mother asked when she saw her.

“I’m cooking,” Jiang Yuetong continued with her task.

“Cooking? What can you do besides eating? Put that down. Your mother will cook whatever you want. What you make is inedible.”

“Who says? I’m cooking it myself today.” Jiang Yuetong picked up a knife and began chopping the chicken into pieces.

Just before putting the ingredients into the wok, Jiang Yuetong suddenly slapped her head. “Quick, Mom, I haven’t gotten the rock sugar! Hurry and get the rock sugar, the oil is getting too hot, and if it gets too hot, the dish won’t taste good.”

Her mother slowly picked up the rock sugar. “Why are you in such a hurry when cooking? You’re making such a mess. I think you should just stop. You clearly already took out the rock sugar. Here.”

Jiang Yuetong snatched it away as if she was robbing her, and finally put all the ingredients into the wok. Jiang Yuetong imagined herself making delicious food as she stir-fried the ingredients in the wok like a master chef.

But after the food was plated, Jiang Yuetong tasted it and immediately spat it out. It wasn’t too sweet or too salty, and it didn’t look burnt, but it was incredibly awful. Jiang Yuetong frowned and shook her head helplessly.

Today was the day Jiang Yuetong had scheduled to meet with Chen Yannian.

Jiang Yuetong brought a food box to the pavilion where they always met. Chen Yannian was already waiting there, still dressed simply, not looking like a very wealthy man. Of course, Jiang Yuetong still didn’t know that this elderly man was Chen Yannian.

Jiang Yuetong opened the food box layer by layer. The food inside was quite appetizing. Chen Yannian looked at Jiang Yuetong with a smile. “Did you make all this? Your cooking skills are truly good. There aren’t many young people who can cook like you.” Jiang Yuetong gained more points in Chen Yannian’s mind.

Jiang Yuetong smiled shyly, saying, “I didn’t make it… I’m a terrible cook, my food is inedible. I bought all of this from a store.”

“Oh…” Chen Yannian nodded thoughtfully, saying, “That’s fine. How many young people these days know how to cook? Besides, why waste time cooking? If you want to eat, you can go to a restaurant. The chefs there are skilled, and you can have anything you want.” He ate the food Jiang Yuetong had bought while chatting with her, naturally bringing up Chen Nan, as that was what Chen Yannian cared about most.

“How are things going with that girlfriend of yours?” Chen Yannian finally asked.

“Girlfriend? Are you talking about Chen Nan?” Jiang Yuetong curled her lips and said, “Her? She’s still always yelling and her temper is terribly frightening. I really don’t know how someone with that temper can become the CEO of the group.”

Chen Yannian said, “That’s why a person with that kind of temper should find a more good-natured woman, so they can get along, right?”

Jiang Yuetong said, “That definitely wouldn’t be me. My temper isn’t very good either. I never concede to her and always argue back, so I always infuriate her. And she has to tolerate it a little because of her grandfather’s command, so I see how hard it is for her every time.” Jiang Yuetong smiled. She thought of how Chen Nan looked the previous night when she was about to kiss her. That moment was actually very warm and lovely.

Just then, Jiang Yuetong’s phone suddenly rang. Jiang Yuetong apologized to Chen Yannian and went to answer the call. It turned out to be Li Qiong, who immediately asked, “Did you go out with Chen Nan last night? Did you go to Tianqi International and the theater together?”

Jiang Yuetong nodded. “Yes, how did you know?”

“There are pictures of Chen Nan in the newspaper, and a picture of a back that looks a lot like you. The media wrote somewhat vaguely, only mentioning a ‘post-90s girl with a sweet appearance,’ and the headline is ‘Tianqi Group Heir Chen Nan Caught with Another Femme Girl, Couple Suspected of Ambiguous Behavior.'”

“Ah? No way…” Jiang Yuetong was shocked.

Li Qiong said, “Thankfully there’s no front-facing photo or your name, or your family would be in chaos. Chen Nan is the heir to a huge fortune and came out as gay a long time ago, so the women around her are always heavily reported. I’ve read many reports about her women before. You could say there’s more news about Chen Nan than some second-tier celebrities. You didn’t know that, did you?”

Jiang Yuetong said, “Good, good. My name isn’t there. Who would know it’s me?”

“If they don’t know now, they’ll find out sooner or later. Chen Nan is a public figure. Right now, there are just speculations about you. For us, it’s just a simple shopping trip, but for Chen Nan, it might not be. She’s used to this media pursuit life; you just haven’t gotten used to it yet. But if you want to become famous, this is an excellent opportunity.”

Faced with Li Qiong’s teasing, Jiang Yuetong said anxiously, “Who wants to be famous? Don’t talk nonsense. If my mother finds out I’m dating a woman, she’ll worry herself to death.”

Li Qiong said, “Then you have to be careful in the future. Don’t let the media take a front-facing photo of you. One slip-up could cause a major upheaval.”

Jiang Yuetong nodded, genuinely surprised that she had become the focus of media attention. For a moment, she didn’t know what to do. She had been on the phone with Li Qiong for over ten minutes, but she hadn’t felt the time pass. Normally, she wouldn’t keep Chen Yannian waiting that long.

After hanging up, Jiang Yuetong walked back to Chen Yannian.

“Hey, Grandpa, my good friend told me that the news of me meeting Chen Nan yesterday was in the newspaper. I’m really afraid my family will see it and talk about me and Chen Nan… Chen Nan came out a long time ago and doesn’t care about anything. Her family doesn’t control her, but I can’t be like that. Besides, I’m a teacher. If my students and their parents find out, what will I do?” Jiang Yuetong said mournfully, “It seems it’s better to meet her less in the future. It’s too much trouble.”

Chen Yannian thought for a moment and said, “Society is so open now, and Guangzhou is even more open than the inland. Same-s3x love is no longer taboo, is it? Even if your family knew, would they be very opposed? Your private life shouldn’t affect your career, should it? I remember many celebrities have openly declared their sexual orientation without being criticized.”

Jiang Yuetong shook her head. “It’s different. Anyway, I’m not ready yet.”

Chen Yannian nodded. “Then take your time. No rush.”

Meeting Chen Yannian on Saturday afternoon and then going on a blind date in the evening—that was Jiang Yuetong’s busy day. Even if she didn’t want to go to the blind date arranged by her mother, she had to. Jiang Yuetong still dared not disobey her mother. Although she was currently dating Chen Nan, Jiang Yuetong hadn’t thought about marrying her one day, so she still had to go on blind dates. However, whenever Jiang Yuetong thought about marrying a man one day and leaving Chen Nan, that bad-tempered woman, her heart would feel a little lost.

Jiang Yuetong’s attire today was very simple: a stylish and minimalist three-quarter sleeve cardigan over apricot-colored hot pants. The meeting location they agreed on was a café on Dongfeng East Road.

Jiang Yuetong had only passed by and seen a café there before, but it had been too long, and she needed to search to find the exact location.

While Jiang Yuetong was seriously looking up, Chen Nan’s BMW sports car sped past her. Chen Nan was coming to the vicinity to negotiate a real estate deal. Her grandfather had transferred much of her assets away, but there were still many things her grandfather couldn’t control. Chen Nan was fully utilizing her accumulated money and connections to develop her real estate business. Although Tianqi Group was a leader in Guangzhou’s real estate sector, Chen Nan wanted her own, unique real estate business, not one under the Tianqi name. Chen Nan was in a hurry, but she still spotted Jiang Yuetong at a glance.

Chen Nan’s car was moving fast and had already driven past Jiang Yuetong, but Chen Nan turned the car around at the next intersection. When she drove back, she happened to see Jiang Yuetong walk into a café.

Chen Nan immediately parked the car and walked inside. This time, she wasn’t afraid of being late for her business meeting.

By the time Chen Nan entered, Jiang Yuetong was already sitting opposite a strange man. The two were politely greeting each other. Chen Nan sat down in a seat further back with a cold face, positioned just right to hear Jiang Yuetong speaking.

After listening for about two minutes, Chen Nan realized that Jiang Yuetong was on a blind date. Chen Nan’s face turned green. She turned her head again and saw a man in a suit and tie, with another man in casual clothes sitting next to him.

She heard Jiang Yuetong’s soft voice say, “Hello, my name is Jiang Yuetong, and I am a high school teacher.”

Just that first sentence made Chen Nan unable to sit still, but she forcibly suppressed the urge to rush over.

“Hello, my name is Wang Qianliang, and this is my friend. I hope you don’t mind him coming with me,” the blind date man introduced.

Chen Nan felt an impulse to hit him. How ridiculous! Did blind dates come in groups now? One wasn’t enough, so they had to pair up?

“Of course, I don’t mind,” Jiang Yuetong smiled.

Jiang Yuetong’s soft voice really irritated Chen Nan. It was fine for a woman to be reserved; men generally liked reserved women. But why did Jiang Yuetong lose her reservation whenever she was in front of Chen Nan? Why!

The blind date man was all smiles, his eyes leering up and down at Jiang Yuetong. “Miss Jiang, you are as beautiful as your name suggests. You are truly the most beautiful girl I have ever met in Guangzhou. It’s my honor to meet you today.” As he spoke, he extended his vulgar hands.

Since he had extended his hand, if Jiang Yuetong didn’t shake it, it would be too much of a rejection, so Jiang Yuetong also reached out. The moment their hands met, Chen Nan couldn’t hold back anymore. Since she was sitting at the table directly behind them, if she stood up, everyone would see her.

Chen Nan not only stood up but strode over in one swift motion, snatched Jiang Yuetong’s hand away, and possessively wrapped her arm tightly around Jiang Yuetong’s shoulder, smiling faintly. “I’m sorry, this is my girlfriend. We had a fight, and that’s why she ran off to go on blind dates with other people. Actually, she’s not looking to marry anyone; she’s just trying to anger me, right?”