They wanted to avoid those two, but the plot wouldn't let them.
When they ran into Jiang Jinyue at a restaurant yet again, Ji Ran felt numb.
Li City was so big. How did they keep running into him everywhere?
This time, their table was quite close to Jiang Jinyue's, and Ji Ran got his first clear look at him.
He was slender, with delicate features. When he was quiet, he looked like a figure made of white porcelain, and the slightest frown gave him a fragile air. He didn't look feminine; anyone could tell at a glance that he was a man. But Ji Ran had to admit that Jiang Jinyue's looks and bearing easily stirred a protective instinct.
For someone as chauvinistic as Gu Xingye, he was exactly his type.
A young man was sitting across from Jiang Jinyue. He had ordinary looks, but judging by his clothes, he definitely came from an extraordinary family.
The man did most of the talking. Jiang Jinyue occasionally gave a very brief reply. He frequently checked his watch, clearly on edge.
Ji Ran thought back to the plot of the original book and guessed this was the part where Jiang Jinyue went on a blind date.
The Jiang Family was strange, too. They spared no expense on Jiang Jinyue's material needs, cultivating his air of a wealthy young master, but they didn't have much respect for his wishes, especially when it came to love and marriage.
Simply put, they saw Jiang Jinyue as a valuable gift, carefully decorated and held back for the best offer.
This time, to secure their partnership with another wealthy family, the Jiang Family had forced Jiang Jinyue into an arranged marriage with that family's young master.
Ji Ran couldn't understand why they wanted to use Jiang Jinyue to win over the Gu Family while also trying to marry him off to someone else. Weren't they afraid Gu Xingye would retaliate?
Of course, Jiang Jinyue would rather die than agree. He loved Gu Xingye, so how could he be willing to marry someone else? The Jiang Family tried to force him to compromise by threatening to cut off his income and even threatening the Gu Group. With nowhere else to turn, Jiang Jinyue could only agree for the time being to meet the man, which was how today's date had come about.
At first, the man had been patient, wanting to get to know him properly, but Jiang Jinyue's obviously perfunctory attitude finally angered him, and his tone turned menacing. Jiang Jinyue was unmoved and remained as cold as ever.
The man slammed the table and stood up. Everyone in the restaurant heard what he said: "I treated you nicely for a moment, and you really started thinking you were some heavenly beauty? Get this straight: I'm not the one begging you. Your Jiang Family is the one trying to curry favor with me."
Jiang Jinyue turned his face away, unwilling to talk to him.
The man flew into a rage. He strode around the table, grabbed Jiang Jinyue by the throat, and forcibly hauled him to his feet. His movements were rough, without the slightest tenderness.
Jiang Jinyue couldn't help coughing a few times and tried to pry the man's hand away.
But the man's grip was like an iron shackle, and Jiang Jinyue didn't have the strength to resist it.
People around them panicked at the sight and hurried away.
A waiter notified the manager, who quickly came out. He stood beside them, wanting to intervene but afraid to do so. "What's going on, gentlemen? Please, talk it out. Don't resort to violence."
The man shot him a vicious glare. "Get lost."
He was so intimidating that the manager realized he was someone he couldn't afford to offend. Trembling, he went off to make a phone call.
Fortunately, the man didn't actually intend to kill anyone. When he saw Jiang Jinyue's face turn red and his struggles grow weaker, until he was on the verge of passing out, he finally let go.
Jiang Jinyue collapsed onto his chair. Fresh air rushed into his windpipe, and he erupted into a violent coughing fit.
The man pointed at him and threatened, "You'd better remember what happened today."
With that, he slammed the door and left.
The manager came over to check on Jiang Jinyue, only to find that he had collapsed from exhaustion and lost consciousness.
He stood there, unsure what to do. Should he send him to the hospital? But he ought to contact his family first.
Ji Ran was no saint. Jiang Jinyue was pitiful, but he wasn't going to get himself involved.
He and Zhao Pingchuan quietly left.
Jiang Jinyue was later taken to the hospital, and the incident didn't escape Gu Xingye's notice. He rushed there and saw Jiang Jinyue lying pale in the hospital bed. His heart felt as though it were being cut by a knife, and his hands clenched tightly into fists. He practically forced the words out through his teeth: "The Jiang Family... I won't let them get away with this."
Jiang Jinyue placed his hand on Gu Xingye's and shook his head, tears in his eyes.
He was even grateful that he was injured now. Otherwise, Gu Xingye wouldn't be feeling sorry for him, but questioning him, wondering whether he had joined forces with the Jiang Family to make a fool of him.
As soon as Gu Xingye left, the Jiang Family came looking for Jiang Jinyue. They subjected him to another round of manipulation. Jiang Jinyue knew rationally that what they said was wrong, but they were his family, and he couldn't simply ignore them.
The Jiang Family blamed him for making them lose face in front of his prospective marriage partner. They also told him to apologize once he recovered. The young master of that family was actually quite satisfied with him, and as long as he spoke to him properly, there was still hope.
Jiang Jinyue stared blankly at the deathly pale ceiling of the hospital room. Caught between the Jiang Family and Gu Xingye, he felt exhausted in both body and mind.
Jiang Jinyue disappeared.
Gu Xingye searched for him like a madman. Convinced that the Jiang Family had hidden him away, he brought people to the Jiang Family to cause trouble. The Jiang Family, however, claimed that Gu Xingye had hidden Jiang Jinyue and was deliberately turning the accusation on them. Neither side would back down or believe the other, and the commotion became known throughout high society.
Zhao Pingchuan heard the news too and told Ji Ran as soon as he got home.
Ji Ran felt helpless. Those two really knew how to stir up trouble.
He didn't want to concern himself with them. He only cared about how Zhao Pingchuan was doing. "Brother, did the negotiations go smoothly today?"
Zhao Pingchuan nodded. "Pretty smoothly. We can meet the company's requirements for private enterprise deployment and data security services."
Ji Ran was happy for him. "That's good."
The company kept growing, but Zhao Pingchuan remained steady, taking things one step at a time.
There were just too many business engagements.
On a few occasions, Zhao Pingchuan could barely walk steadily by the time he got home. Chen Qi brought him downstairs and called Ji Ran to come get him.
Ji Ran ran downstairs in his slippers. He took Zhao Pingchuan from Chen Qi and supported him, catching a strong whiff of alcohol. He couldn't help frowning. "Why did you drink so much?"
Chen Qi sighed. "Today's partner was important, and he likes drinking. There really was no way around it. Fortunately, he's already agreed to our terms."
Ji Ran nodded. "Thanks, sis. I'll take my brother upstairs first, then."
Chen Qi waved to him. "Okay, okay. Get going and let Pingchuan get a good night's sleep."
Zhao Pingchuan rarely drank, but he could actually hold his liquor quite well. Ji Ran had no idea how much he'd drunk today to end up like this.
He settled Zhao Pingchuan on the sofa. As soon as his head touched it, Zhao Pingchuan seemed to sober up a little. He opened his eyes slightly and took some effort to focus. Looking at Ji Ran, he smiled and called softly, "Ranran."
The tenderness and affection in his voice were impossible to hide.
Warmth stirred in Ji Ran's heart.
"Zhao Pingchuan, you drunk. Why did you drink so much?"
Zhao Pingchuan didn't answer. He closed his eyes again and fell asleep.
Ji Ran smiled and sat down, leaning against the sofa. He thought it was truly remarkable that they had come this far. He murmured to the sleeping man, "Zhao Pingchuan, I'm really lucky to have met you."