"Good, good, good. Then you and Miss Ye should get to know each other better." Director Zheng Yanbo smiled, his eyes narrowing. Jiang Shu had mastered Qi and Blood Transportation and was already on track for a top-tier university. Now he was going to appear in a martial arts promotional film, too. Even if he didn't make the slightest progress, once the college entrance exams were over, his status as a top-tier university student would still lend the film a little more prestige.
And if he climbed another rung, this martial arts promotional film would surely reach new heights.
It would kick up another storm in Ji City!
It really was killing several birds with one stone.
"Hello, Jiang Shu. I'm looking forward to working with you."
Ye Zhenzhen tilted her head and held out her hand. From their brief exchange, she could tell that Jiang Shu was certainly a Martial Arts Student, and a remarkably talented one at that. He might even be related to Director Zheng somehow, though she wasn't sure about that.
After all, if they really were related, why would Director Zheng have called him "Jiang Shu" just now?
Most likely, Director Zheng simply thought highly of him.
If that was the case, then she'd have to take this young man even more seriously.
"Yeah. I look forward to learning from you."
They shook hands and let go. Jiang Shu's eyes were calm, like water in a deep pool.
It was as if the person he'd just shaken hands with wasn't the hugely popular star Ye Zhenzhen, but just an ordinary person.
Inside the Jiang family's private dining room.
The food on the table had gone cold.
Jiang Yongyi frowned several times.
Hadn't they said that the section chief's private room was on the second floor? Why had his son been gone so long? Had he failed to find Hongfei?
He really wanted to call Jiang Shu and ask, but his older brother and parents were still going on about how well Hongfei was doing at work, how he'd caught the eye of his superiors, and how they might even have kept him in the private room for drinks.
How could he just call out of the blue? If his son Jiang Shu was at the drinking party too, and his phone suddenly rang, how awkward would that be?
"Yan Yan, what university is Shu planning to apply to?"
Her cousin Jiang Yinglei had just finished work and arrived last. Sitting beside Jiang Yanyue, she asked curiously.
"How would I know? Maybe Shengjing, maybe Donghai. He definitely won't go to Tianshu. He doesn't even eat spicy food." Jiang Yanyue listlessly popped some fruit into her mouth.
When she was younger, she'd loved these big family gatherings.
Every time, she got to eat all kinds of dishes they never had at home.
But as she grew older and wiser, Jiang Yanyue gradually began to see the undercurrents swirling beneath the seemingly harmonious words around the dinner table.
Grandpa and Grandma played favorites to an extreme.
Even if Jiang Hongfei had landed a government job, how would it be any worse if Jiang Shu got into a top-tier university?
It was clearly her older brother, Jiang Shu, who was supposed to be the star of the day.
But after just a few words from her uncle, the conversation had all turned to Jiang Hongfei.
And now they were going to call him over?
Seriously. If he wanted to suck up to his boss, let him.
Why bring him here?
It wasn't as if the table was missing anyone.
"I'm so jealous of my older brother. He landed a government job right after graduating. I'm not so lucky. I spent a whole year preparing, and didn't pass a single exam. What's the point of graduating from a top-tier university now? I still ended up working for a foreign company. I make twenty or thirty thousand a month, but it still can't compare to my older brother's stable job."
Jiang Yinglei poured herself a glass of red wine and took a small sip. She sounded as if she were sighing, but she was really showing off.
Jiang Yanyue didn't feel like listening anymore.
"Dad, should I go get my brother?"
She quietly asked her father beside her, unable to stop herself from rising to her feet.
Just then, the private-room door suddenly swung open.
Jiang Shu stepped inside.
Close behind him was his cousin Jiang Hongfei, whom his uncle Jiang Yongren had been praising at the table for nearly an hour.
The light fell across Hongfei's face.
He looked dazed, his head lowered. All the energy he'd once had was gone.
"Hongfei, what took you so long? Was your boss keeping you busy? If you're really needed, you can go back now. We're fine here. Your younger cousin says he can get into a top-tier university, so our family got together to celebrate in advance."
Jiang Yongren raised his wineglass, already looking a little drunk.
His gaze was bleary. He hadn't noticed a thing was wrong with his son.
"Brother, was the work event too exhausting? You should sit down and rest." Jiang Yinglei, seated in the corner, was the one who noticed her brother was in bad shape. She quickly stood and went over to him.
With Jiang Yinglei supporting him, Jiang Hongfei took the nearest seat.
Head bowed, he shot Jiang Shu a quick glance. His eyes were a tangle of conflicting emotions.
"Hongfei, what happened?"
By now, everyone could see that something was wrong with him.
After all, Jiang Hongfei usually came to the dinner table ready to talk at length about the latest political developments and the state of the Xia Kingdom.
Today, however, he hadn't said a word.
The lively atmosphere at the table had begun to freeze over, so Grandpa Jiang Xiangrong, seated at the head of the table, spoke up.
"N-nothing."
After hesitating for a moment, Jiang Hongfei shut his mouth and said nothing more.
Ever since Jiang Shu had casually called him Uncle Zheng, Hongfei's mind had turned to mush.
He had no idea what happened afterward. All he knew was that everything he'd ever done to show off in front of his younger cousin now seemed like one big joke!
Landing a government job, being beloved by his bosses—
What did any of that amount to, next to Jiang Shu, who could talk comfortably with Director Zheng?
"Ah, he's probably just exhausted from work events. Hongfei's been very busy lately. He told me the other day that the Culture and Tourism Bureau might have a new assignment coming up, and he might even have to work overtime. There's nothing for it. It's all in service of the Xia Kingdom and the people."
Seeing that his son kept his head down and said nothing, Jiang Yongren quickly stood to smooth things over.
"No matter how busy you are, you have to rest. Your health is the capital of revolution. Hongfei, you're the eldest grandson of the family. You're doing the best out of all of us in the Jiang family. As long as you're healthy, Grandpa can rest easy."
"All right, now that everyone's here, forget about work and enjoy the food and drink. We have something worth celebrating today, too. Yongyi says Shu can get into a top-tier university based on his martial arts results. Grandpa's old and doesn't understand the details."
"I just hope you'll study hard once you get into university, Shu, and try to take the civil service exam after you graduate, just like your older cousin Hongfei. Then our Jiang family will have two secure government jobs."
"That'll make Grandpa proud, too!"
Jiang Xiangrong looked from Jiang Hongfei to Jiang Shu and offered his encouragement.
In his view, good grades as a student didn't mean much. What mattered was what kind of work you did afterward!
His granddaughter Jiang Yinglei had graduated from a top-tier university, hadn't she? But she worked for a foreign company, and he didn't like that!
So what if she made twenty or thirty thousand a month?
Was it stable?
His eldest son Jiang Yongren could make four or five hundred thousand in a good year running a business.
But so what? Any section chief could make him lay out a banquet and host all kinds of dinners.
He was old, but he wasn't senile.
In the Xia Kingdom, having money was no match for having power.
His grandson Jiang Hongfei was still just an ordinary civil servant, with no real authority to speak of. But what about a few years from now?
A small salary didn't matter.
Once you had power, what couldn't you get?
"Dad, the kids have their own ideas. Whatever he wants to do, we should support him. That's our job as elders."
As soon as Jiang Xiangrong finished speaking, Xu Lizhi frowned and nudged her husband, Jiang Yongyi. Jiang Yongyi caught on immediately and, unusually, talked back to his father.
After their son had laid his plans bare a couple of days ago, he'd talked at length with them about what he really thought and how he imagined the future.
They knew perfectly well that their son had no intention of going into government.
Martial arts was all he cared about.
"Yongyi, that's not right. For someone like Hongfei, with such lofty ambitions, parents only need to support him. After all, our judgment might not be as good as his. But Jiang Shu's still young. Getting into a top-tier university through martial arts is like those chess prodigies and esports prodigies who get special admission to good universities."
"He's benefiting from the times, but what about later? Your dad is absolutely right. These days, every other line of work only feeds you for a little while. Civil service is the most stable!"
Before Grandpa Jiang Xiangrong could speak, Jiang Yongren shook his head and said, "Big brother, are you saying that in the Xia Kingdom, the only people with lofty ambitions are those who take the civil service exam?"
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