"Wait for good news."
In the video, the young man wearing a blue-and-white short-sleeved high school uniform radiated an indescribable youthful energy that even seemed to turn the air around him into the taste of green plum soda, leaving her momentarily dazed.
Pei Cizhou leaned closer to the screen, about to study her expression more closely, when a bell rang from her end.
"Gotta go, I have things to do. I'll review the copy and discuss it at the evening meeting."
She hung up swiftly, and Pei Cizhou frowned at the call log.
What is she doing at A University?
The bell hadn't even finished ringing when Qiuyun arrived outside the lecture hall, spotting Jiang Lin'an seated in the front row at a glance.
At the same time, Jiang Lin'an saw Qiuyun too.
He frowned slightly.
Why is she here?
"Class dismissed." The professor pulled her USB drive out of the computer. "Just a heads-up: next class I'll be taking attendance. Anyone who's absent will have ten points deducted from their regular grade—no exceptions!"
Without sparing a thought for the groans around her, she picked up the luxury crocodile-skin bag she'd casually dumped on the floor and swept out gracefully.
Qiuyun quickly stepped back to clear the aisle.
"Why are you here?"
Before she could finish admiring the professor's carefree exit, Jiang Lin'an stepped out first and stood before her.
Qiuyun snapped back to attention with a polished smile. "Eldest Young Master, I do have something to discuss with you today. How about we talk over a meal?"
Jiang Lin'an wasn't at the manor, but his assistants and managers were—they might not catch every little ripple, but bigger matters, like how Assistant Qiu, entrusted by the Master and Mistress, was leading the restructuring of the eldest branch's new rules, had reached his ears loud and clear.
"Let's go."
Jiang Lin'an gave her a weighted look. He, too, wanted to know how this young Assistant Qiu had managed to earn even his father's trust.
Since he had classes in the afternoon, they chose the stir-fry section on the third floor of the cafeteria, taking the private room usually reserved for school leadership and their guests.
After sitting down, Qiuyun ordered the dishes and handed the menu to the server. "Thank you, that'll be all."
Jiang Lin'an was surprised—she'd even memorized his dietary preferences. How thorough and professional could she get?
Qiuyun rose to pour him tea. "How has life been for you away from home, Eldest Young Master?"
Jiang Lin'an swirled his cup. "Pretty good. Quiet, easy, comfortable, and pleasant."
"Your major at your university—shouldn't most of your peers be familiar faces from the circle?"
"Yeah, so what?"
After all, in a major like theirs, who would enroll without family assets behind them, only to graduate into unemployment?
Qiuyun raised an eyebrow with a faint smile. "Aren't they all impressed by your courage in standing up to your family? Don't they say they'd follow your example and move out if their families pushed them too hard?"
Jiang Lin'an frowned. "What exactly are you trying to say?"
Her smile faded. "How about I make a bet with you, Eldest Young Master? They absolutely will never fall out with their families and move out."
"Ha."
Jiang Lin'an laughed, annoyed. "I get it. You're here on a mission from either my father or my mother to convince me to go home."
Before Qiuyun could speak, he leaned back against the chair. "You don't need to make that bet with me. I know that even if I moved out, I'd still be the Eldest Young Master of the Jiang family. Their families need to do business with us, so they wouldn't dare offend me. They're not stupid—what if one day my father and I reconcile, and I move back?"
"But let me tell you honestly." His expression was calm, his gaze steady. "This decision was made after deep thought. I don't like rigid ways of living. I don't like being watched and observed everywhere I go. I don't like having my meals, my clothes, even my words pre-arranged by assistants and secretaries!"
"I don't like it. It's boring—a life I can see to the end at a single glance."
Qiuyun let out a sigh.
Got it.
The Mistress's own son through and through.
Jiang Lin'an rose to leave. "So don't try to persuade me. I won't compromise."
"Eldest Young Master, that's truly selfish of you." Qiuyun said slowly.
Jiang Lin'an, who had just taken a step to leave, halted, turning back with a cold sneer. "A father who uses his son's marriage to trade for his own interests—is he really any more admirable?"
"It's not the Master, and it's not the Mistress."
Qiuyun looked up, speaking seriously. "It's the Fourth Young Master and Miss Jiang.
"Have you considered, Eldest Young Master, what your actions do to the Old Master's opinion of the eldest branch? If you don't want to be the heir of this powerful family, fine—but don't drag Miss Jiang and the Fourth Young Master down with you!"
The room fell silent.
Dead silent.
Jiang Lin'an felt a lump of frustration stuck in his chest. He could neither leave nor stay.
Just then, a server pushed the door open with their dishes. Seeing the guest standing by the table, she asked considerately, "Is something missing? Shall I get it for you?"
Qiuyun smiled. "Could we have some hot water? We'd like to rinse the utensils."
"Of course, coming right up."
Ten minutes later, the two sat quietly in the private room, waiting until all the dishes were served before resuming the conversation.
Jiang Lin'an had lost his appetite. "What do you mean? A Zhi and Little Seven want to be heirs?"
Qiuyun answered honestly, "I don't know."
He was exasperated. "Then why did you say all that!?"
"The Fourth Young Master and Miss Jiang are still young. Unlike you, they haven't had the chance to discover what kind of life they truly want at such an early age and pursue it with conviction." She rose to serve him a bowl of sour radish and old duck soup to whet his appetite. "Perhaps you should talk to the two of them?"
Jiang Lin'an fell silent.
Talk? What could come of that?
Not to mention A Zhi—Little Seven was still so young. Did she even understand what being the heir meant?
Jiang Lin'an couldn't help but take a closer look at the woman across from him.
Her appearance was strikingly beautiful and refined, her demeanor calm and steady. The core of her seemed entirely at odds with her looks and age—like a vivid, delicate bud that bloomed into a solitary magnolia standing apart from the world.
"Assistant Qiu, you're really something else." Jiang Lin'an admitted with a reluctant smile. Just one sentence from her, and he was already swayed.
He truly couldn't let Little Seven and A Zhi lose their claim to the inheritance while they were still too young to understand any of it.
"What does my father want? Name it."
Qiuyun laughed softly. "Eldest Young Master, think back carefully. Did I say at any point that the Master or Mistress sent me here?"
Jiang Lin'an frowned. "What do you mean? You're the one who wants to persuade me to go home?"
"Not me. It's the circumstances."
Qiuyun said, "Don't you think now is a good time to come home, Eldest Young Master? The Master has admitted his mistakes to win back the Mistress; if you soften your temper and reconcile as well, you only need to go home once and play your part—it would immediately change the Old Master's impression of the eldest branch."
"So it's still my father's idea?"
She said gently, "You could say that. The Master has indeed been struggling within the group due to the rift in his marriage and his eldest son's departure. If you could condescend to come home for a visit, I'm sure the Mistress, the Fourth Young Master, and Miss Jiang would all be overjoyed."
Jiang Lin'an said nothing, then finally spoke, "I understand what you're saying. I'll consider it."
Qiuyun smiled. "Let's eat, shall we? The food's getting cold."
"..."
He'd only said he'd think about it, and yet this little assistant smiled as if he'd already agreed.
