The two had just gotten out of the car when the driver opened the trunk and followed behind them, carrying bags of every size.
Upon seeing them, Jiang Qingyuan smiled amiably. "You could have just come. Why bring so much?"
Fu Jingzhou put on an exceedingly mild expression as well. "We couldn't neglect the courtesies."
Mother Jiang, Song Huishi, was a young lady from a distinguished family. Dressed in an elegant, dignified qipao, she looked dazzling when she smiled. "You're too kind, Jingzhou."
Only after greeting their son-in-law did the couple have time to turn their attention to their own son.
Under the couple's loving gazes, Jiang Nan was momentarily dazed.
He had never met his biological parents, and naturally, he had never been looked at the way parents looked at a beloved son.
Noticing something was off with him, Fu Jingzhou deliberately made a show of touching his hand.
The man's finger bones were firm, yet his fingertips were warm.
Jiang Nan came back to himself and hastily smiled. "Dad, Mom."
The instant the words left his mouth, his voice trembled almost imperceptibly.
He had said the words "Dad" and "Mom" plenty of times before, but this was his first time addressing anyone so formally.
Jiang Qingyuan and Song Huishi froze for a moment, then exchanged a glance, hardly able to believe their son had taken the initiative to call them Dad and Mom.
Jiang Qingye, who had been standing beside them like an invisible man for quite some time, finally deigned to speak.
He wore a pair of well-tailored, solid black suit trousers and a burgundy satin shirt, with several buttons undone at his collarbones, looking languid and unruly.
"Oh?" Arms folded, he spoke with a half smile. "Who's this? Why do I remember my parents only having one son-me?"
Song Huishi turned her head, about to scold him and tell him to shut up.
A leisurely voice had already drifted over from beside her. "Maybe you're just getting too old, big brother, and can't remember things anymore."
Song Huishi and Jiang Qingye both turned to look at Jiang Nan.
A smile played on the young man's lips, and there was a hint of mischief in his tea-colored eyes.
Amused by Jiang Nan's expression, Song Huishi took his side wholeheartedly, her tone carrying a hint of reproach. "A-Ye, how could you say that about your little brother?"
Jiang Qingye said incredulously, "He just said something about me too."
"So what?" Song Huishi didn't even blink. "Your little brother is younger than you. You need to give way to him."
Jiang Qingyuan chimed in, "Your mother's right."
Jiang Qingye laughed in exasperation and sucked in several breaths. "Fine, fine, fine. I've got a foul mouth. I deserve to die."
Everyone went inside, and after exchanging a few pleasantries, Song Huishi went to help in the kitchen.
Jiang Qingyuan, meanwhile, took Fu Jingzhou onto the balcony to drink tea and discuss business.
Fu Jingzhou and Jiang Nan's marriage had been a marriage alliance between the Jiang Family's and Fu Family's two corporate groups in the first place.
On the wedding day, both grooms had run away.
Thus, the planned wedding had become a press conference announcing the groups' partnership.
Throughout its development, the Fu Group had always been a steady, dependable major corporation in the public eye. Now, with the internet developing rapidly, shopping and spending online had already become an irreversible trend.
If the Fu Group wanted to advance further, appealing to a younger demographic was unavoidable.
It could use the Jiang Group to make that transition, while the Jiang Group could enjoy the shade of the great tree that was the Fu Group.
Meanwhile, Jiang Nan sprawled on the sofa, staring at Jiang Qingye, who stared back.
Both had their arms folded, looking as though neither wanted anything to do with the other.
When Auntie Zhang, the housekeeper, came out of the kitchen with a plate of grapes, she couldn't help laughing at the brothers' perfectly synchronized poses. She set the grapes on the coffee table without a word, then returned to the kitchen and told Song Huishi, "The two children are still sulking."
A smile appeared on Song Huishi's face. "Nannan used to be afraid of A-Ye. He wouldn't even dare say a word. Now he actually dares to talk back to him."
"Isn't that the truth?" Auntie Zhang smiled kindly. "Now that he's married and has a family, he knows how to get along with people too."
Smiling around her eyes and brows, Song Huishi continued kneading the dough.
Over on the sofa, Jiang Qingye couldn't hold back anymore. "You little brat. You actually dared to talk back to me."
"I did, I did!" Jiang Nan was utterly fearless. "Bleh, bleh, bleh..."
He was halfway through sticking out his tongue when Jiang Qingye suddenly clamped his chin between his thumb and forefinger.
The man sneered a few times. "Did a donkey kick you in the head? You dare talk back to me?"
Jiang Nan's face flushed red. Unable to speak, he still stubbornly raised his middle finger and gave him the internationally friendly gesture.
Jiang Qingye's eyelid twitched. So annoyed that he laughed, he was just about to say something.
Song Huishi's voice suddenly came from beside them. "A-Ye, how could you hit your little brother?"
Jiang Qingye turned his head and saw Song Huishi approaching again with a plate of chocolates. He instinctively let go of Jiang Nan.
Withdrawing his hand, he said casually, "I was just joking around with him."
After all, he hadn't even used any real force.
Then, inexplicably, a sob came from beside him.
Jiang Qingye froze, then turned to see that little brat Jiang Nan with reddened eyes and his rosy lips pouting, looking utterly aggrieved, as though someone had bullied him.
Song Huishi slapped Jiang Qingye on the shoulder. "You've upset your little brother so much he's crying, and you still say you were just joking?"
No one would have imagined that President Little Jiang, respectfully known as the "Living Yama" at his company, still got smacked on the shoulder by his mother at home.
Jiang Qingye was so angry he couldn't get a word out for a long while. "I can't live like this anymore."
Song Huishi glanced at him, sat down on Jiang Nan's other side, and stuffed a large handful of chocolates into Jiang Nan's hands.
"Nannan, go ahead and eat. Don't bother with your big brother."
Jiang Nan's eyes lit up. He loved sweet treats like these the most, so he nodded vigorously. "Mm-hmm! Thank you, Mom!"
Jiang Nan had just unwrapped a chocolate and brought it to his mouth when someone suddenly ruffled his hair from behind.
It was as though he were venting his anger.
After ruffling his hair, Jiang Qingye slipped one hand into his pocket and leisurely went to the balcony to join the business discussion.
Jiang Nan froze for a moment, then took out his phone to look at himself and nearly exploded with anger.
The pink hair he had carefully styled with a little comb that morning was now a tangled mess, like a bird's nest.
Jiang Nan nearly had his nose twisted out of joint with anger. Song Huishi hurriedly smoothed his hair. "There, there. Mommy's smoothed it down for you."
Jiang Nan huffed, deciding to show great mercy and let Jiang Qingye off the hook.
Only when it was nearly time to eat did Song Huishi discover that Jiang Nan had already eaten half the plateful of chocolates she had brought over.
She was a little worried. "Nannan, eating so many sweets is bad for your health."
"Oh," Jiang Nan said, putting the chocolate in his hand back.
Seeing his wistful expression, Song Huishi softened again and said, "Eat them if you want."
Then she glanced at Fu Jingzhou.
He was married now, after all. Going to his husband was more effective for this sort of thing.
Catching her look, the man paused, then reached out and patted Jiang Nan's head. "Have some more tomorrow."
Jiang Nan moved his hand away. "Oh."