Chapter 16#

This Marriage Can’t Be Annulled.#

Three days after the wedding, Jiang Yicen and Nan Shuyi each returned to their respective posts.

Both the Jiang and Nan families tacitly accepted the arranged marriage, and neither expected them to need a honeymoon or wedding leave like a conventional couple—including themselves. As for Jiang Yicen, he had no clue what modern newlyweds were supposed to do; in his understanding of the process, the marriage was already complete.

What worried him far more now was the matter of going to work.

According to his plan, he should take his time learning at the company, fully understand the operational rules of a modern business, and then use the capital at hand to start his own venture.

But who would have thought Nan Shuyi would strike so unexpectedly, dropping a bombshell on him without warning, catching him completely off guard?

Jiang Yicen knew Nan Shuyi was helping him. If he backed out now and went to him again to ask for an ordinary entry-level role, wanting a transition period, it would completely waste Nan Shuyi’s goodwill. Thinking about it from another angle, Nanyuan was a big company—there was nothing wrong with learning at a large corporation.

In this new world, the only person who had consistently shown him kindness was Nan Shuyi. He didn’t want to let him down. He could only hope that things would work themselves out when the time came.

That very night, he asked Nan Shuyi to clear out an empty room for him to use as a study—he couldn’t let Nan Shuyi discover that he was watching videos to learn basic common sense .

Nan Shuyi didn’t think much of it, assuming he just wanted his own private space, which was perfectly normal.

The next morning, Jiang Yicen woke up in anxiety. When he opened his eyes, Nan Shuyi was already up.

The past two nights, they had still shared the same room and the same bed—Nan Shuyi’s two-meter bed was big enough for two grown adults to roll around on. Still, Jiang Yicen felt it wasn’t right to keep occupying the other’s bed, and he knew that someone from Nan Shuyi’s family background probably wasn’t accustomed to sharing a bed with another person.

Since Jiang Yicen couldn’t cook, Nan Shuyi had prepared breakfast for both of them in advance, making two bowls of noodles.

He often went hiking with friends, so cooking was a breeze for him. He also had plenty of wilderness survival skills, all learned for hiking. Besides, he’d been raised with a refined palate for good food, and he enjoyed making things himself—he knew quite a few dishes.

The noodles with a poached egg suited Jiang Yicen’s taste perfectly. Nan Shuyi had also prepared freshly squeezed orange juice, sweet on the palate, helping to ease Jiang Yicen’s inner anxiety about starting work in an unfamiliar environment.

Nan Shuyi asked, “Your car hasn’t been delivered yet, right?”

Jiang Yicen bit into the tender fried egg, the delicate yolk bursting in his mouth. Nan Shuyi’s frying skills were excellent.

He swallowed before answering, “Not yet.”

Nan Shuyi: “Did they buy one for you?”

Jiang Yicen: “They did, but I haven’t picked it up yet.” He now understood the modern car-buying process, and talking with Nan Shuyi about it didn’t reveal any verbal flaws.

Regarding his so-called “dowry,” everything Jiang Gongming had mentioned giving him was provided. He had chosen the car himself, but even now that he had a car, he didn’t dare drive it—he’d need to find a driving instructor later.

Nan Shuyi: “I’ll take you to the company today too.”

“Okay.” Jiang Yicen blew on his noodles—they were a bit hot, so he ate even more slowly.

Nan Shuyi felt he was being overly polite. Watching him pout slightly as he blew on the noodles, he lowered his head and took a bite of a vegetable: “You don’t have to keep saying thank you to me.”

Jiang Yicen burned his tongue on the broth.

Nan Shuyi pushed the orange juice closer to him: “No rush, take your time. You won’t be late for work.”

He was used to eating a bit faster, knowing that Jiang Yicen was trying to keep up with his pace, and also aware of his slow-eating habit.

Jiang Yicen nodded: “It wouldn’t be good to be late on the first day.”

Nan Shuyi smiled faintly: “No one would dare say anything.”

Jiang Yicen returned the smile.

As they were about to leave, Jiang Yicen picked up Nan Shuyi’s coat and handed it to him, then remembered the matter of sleeping separately.

“Is there any extra bedding in the house?”

Nan Shuyi took the coat and motioned for him to put on his shoes, thinking he wanted to change the festive red sheets: “Don’t you like red?”

Jiang Yicen bent down to put on his shoes: “It’s not that. I can sleep in the guest room tonight—otherwise, it might affect your sleep quality.”

He had heard Nan Shuyi tossing and turning last night, and in the middle of his drowsy state, he’d even caught the sound of him getting out of bed. Probably because he wasn’t used to sharing a bed with him. Jiang Yicen was the intruder, occupying the host’s personal space, and he felt a bit awkward about it.

Nan Shuyi paused while grabbing his car keys: “It’s not affecting me. If you want to sleep alone, I’ll have someone tidy up the guest room today.”

Jiang Yicen nodded firmly: “Mm, then I’ll take the guest room.”

Nan Shuyi: “…” He hadn’t even said anything, and the other was already in such a hurry to sleep alone—honestly.

The whole way there, Nan Shuyi drove in silence, dropping Jiang Yicen off at the Nanyuan Group building.

Jiang Yicen unbuckled his seatbelt: “I’m off to work then.”

Nan Shuyi wasn’t in high spirits. He pointed to a man standing not far from the company entrance: “That’s Assistant An. If anything comes up, send me a message.”

“Okay, I’ve met Assistant An.” Jiang Yicen knew him—they’d had some contact during their wedding, and he’d seen him at the ceremony.

As he turned to get out of the car, he noticed that Nan Shuyi’s collar was crooked. He always took care to dress neatly when going out, and he couldn’t stand seeing Nan Shuyi’s collar askew, so he shifted back to his original position.

“Nan Shuyi, lean over a bit.”

Nan Shuyi’s heart skipped a beat. Feigning composure, his body obediently leaned forward. Was he thinking of… a kiss?

Despite being married, they had no feelings between them. Was it necessary to put on a show outside? There was no need for this—it would be embarrassingly awkward.

Suddenly, Nan Shuyi felt his throat go dry. Inwardly, he was glad he hadn’t added green onions to the noodles that morning.

Jiang Yicen moved closer to him, reached up, straightened the crooked collar, and fastened the second button.

As Nan Shuyi caught the fragrance lingering on Jiang Yicen’s fingertips, he heard him say, “Your collar was crooked.”

Jiang Yicen had no idea about the countless scenarios that had flashed through Nan Shuyi’s mind or how high his expectations had been.

“See you tonight.” He got out of the car, feeling a bit nervous about starting work, and didn’t notice the tips of Nan Shuyi’s ears slowly turning red.

Nan Shuyi stared at the empty seat and muttered a string of curses under his breath.

Good thing it wasn’t what he’d imagined, or he would have kicked Jiang Yicen out of the car—that would have been a bad look if any of Jiang Yuan’s employees saw them.

Still, they’d been eating and sleeping together these past two days, and he hadn’t worn any cologne. So how come Jiang Yicen smelled better than him?

He tugged forcefully at the collar Jiang Yicen had touched and sniffed it—it did carry Jiang Yicen’s scent.

It was kind of nice.

Jiang Yicen had only been in this world for a little over a month. The first half of the month was spent learning basic common sense , the second half studying modern history. Now, showing up at the company felt somewhat like being thrown in at the deep end.

Assistant An was a young man with a round face, probably around thirty-five. He had a very friendly smile that easily put people at ease, and Jiang Yicen immediately felt more relaxed—at least he was dealing with someone he knew.

Assistant An knew that Jiang Yicen, the “young madam,” was well-liked by Director Nan, so he didn’t dare be careless.

“Master Jiang, I’ve already spoken with HR and the Marketing Department. I’ll accompany you to complete your onboarding formalities in a bit.”

Jiang Yicen smiled, not wanting to trouble him: “Where’s HR? I can go by myself.”

Assistant An was a trusted aide to Nan Anru. Wherever he went, he’d be recognized, but Jiang Yicen wanted to keep a low profile—after all, he hadn’t entered the company through the standard interview process.

Assistant An understood what he meant: “Alright. Just go to the fifth floor and ask for HR Manager Wu Na. I’ve already briefed her.”

Jiang Yicen: “Got it.”

Nanyuan was a major beverage manufacturer, with products ranging from drinking water and carbonated drinks to dairy products, medicinal health foods, and more. It was a leader in the food industry. In recent years, the company had been undergoing transformation, gaining some breathing room. With an endless stream of new products hitting the market, and the very effective marketing of the new generation, Nanyuan’s traditional beverage sales were also growing—though many traditional product lines had been discontinued.

Jiang Da was a traditional food manufacturing company, hit even harder in recent years. Their production lines had been cut back repeatedly, and the company’s financial report for the last quarter didn’t look good. Nanyuan was willing to invest because they were optimistic about a new product project. It just so happened that Nan Shuyi and Jiang Yicen had hit it off, so this project—originally the third priority—got bumped up.

Even though Jiang Yicen said he’d go upstairs himself, Assistant An still accompanied him to wait for the elevator: “Director Nan said that for now, you’ll be learning under your supervisor. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask me or the head of the Marketing Department.”

Jiang Yicen: “Okay. I have a small request.”

Assistant An: “Go ahead.”

Jiang Yicen: “Please don’t disclose my identity for now.”

Assistant An: “I’ll pass that on.”

Jiang Yicen: “I should have gone to greet Father today, but I don’t want to draw too much attention. Could you please convey my regards to him on my behalf?”

He was holding a small bag he’d taken from home in the morning. Nan Shuyi had said it was a gift from a friend, and since he didn’t eat it, Jiang Yicen had conveniently brought it along.

Assistant An: “Of course. Director Nan will be very pleased.”

Jiang Yicen: “It’s only proper as a child.”

Not to mention that Nan Anru already liked this Young Master Jiang—even Assistant An appreciated his proper demeanor. He didn’t put on airs when speaking to others, possessing a grace and refinement rare among wealthy young masters.

He took the small gift Jiang Yicen had brought to the chairman’s office.

“Director Nan, this is from Young Master Jiang.”

Nan Anru was drinking strong tea. He set down his cup and opened the little gift box, revealing eight red fruit lozenges. The box read “Hua Juhong” throat lozenges, from an old brand.

Hua juhong was a traditional Chinese medicine used to resolve phlegm and stop coughing. He’d been having many meetings lately, talking a lot, and his throat was irritated—he’d been coughing constantly.

He picked up one of the lozenges and put it in his mouth. After a moment, his throat felt much more comfortable.

Nan Anru nodded: “This child is thoughtful. Anxin, keep an eye on Yicen. He’s still young, so help him where he’s unfamiliar, and make sure no one with bad intentions bullies him.”

Assistant An: “I understand.”

Inwardly, he noted that this Young Master Jiang was truly different from the Jiang family—he was very adept at winning people over, and he had to admit, the kid was quite impressive.

After arriving on the fifth floor, Jiang Yicen parted ways with Assistant An, found HR Manager Wu Na in the HR department, and completed his onboarding smoothly.

Wu Na didn’t ask too many questions. Since Assistant An had personally made the arrangements, she assumed Jiang Yicen was an important young master or a relative, so she gave him due respect.

Nanyuan’s internal environment was much better than Jiang Da’s—at least there weren’t as many factions.

Before coming, Nan Shuyi had briefly explained the basic situation of both Nanyuan and Jiang Da to Jiang Yicen.

In reality, Jiang Da was more complicated than it appeared on the surface. Not only were there Jiang family members, but also people on the side of Jiang Yiting’s biological mother.

Jiang Gongming had grown the company with the help of his in-laws back in the day. It was understandable that Jiang Yiting’s mother held a significant share. After the couple’s divorce, many old problems lingered—everyone had their own people, their own agendas.

Now, the only thing that could stabilize the situation was for Jiang Yiting to step up.

But Jiang Gongming saw the company as his own roots—he wouldn’t let go so easily. From Jiang Yicen’s rough understanding of Jiang Gongming, he was used to being the center of attention and wouldn’t quickly hand over power to Jiang Yiting.

Not long ago, when Jiang Gongming was chatting with He Nuanqing, he had criticized the Chen family’s internal strife. In truth, it was the pot calling the kettle black—the Jiang family, also a family business, was no different. The ex-wife fought, the son fought, and the siblings fought.

Either Nan Anru had invested in Jiang Da because the new product was attractive enough to have market vitality; or he was doing charity; or he genuinely wanted to find a spouse for Nan Shuyi.

Jiang Yicen snapped back to the present. Wu Na personally took him to the Marketing Department to meet his direct superior, Jin Huanxin.

Wu Na completed her task and left, hinting to Jin Huanxin that the newcomer’s background was significant, but he seemed completely unconcerned.

“Then I’ll hand him over to you, General Jin.”

Jin Huanxin gave Jiang Yicen a once-over. From head to toe, everything was refined—he had academic qualifications but no real résumé. Jin Huanxin figured the higher-ups had foisted some good-for-nothing young master on him, and he doubted whether his degree even had any substance, especially since Assistant An had specifically mentioned it.

He strongly disliked people shoved in from above. The moment he saw Jiang Yicen, he already had a prejudice.

Jin Huanxin said coldly, “Assistant An already briefed me. For the next few days, just familiarize yourself with the company’s business processes and learn more about our products.”

He scanned his department and called over a young man carrying two cups of coffee. The man set one cup on Jin Huanxin’s desk.

“General Jin, your coffee.”

Jin Huanxin instructed him, “Tan Ping, you’ll show the new guy around. Let him sit at the desk next to yours for now.”

Tan Ping: “Alright.”

Jin Huanxin handed Jiang Yicen over to Tan Ping. Despite the orders from above, Jin Huanxin would only put this young master on the sidelines for now—he wouldn’t give him any important tasks.

The workplace was a small social arena, where everyone had their own turf and their own little schemes.

Tan Ping had Jiang Yicen sit at the desk next to him and began assigning him tasks: “From now on, every day when you come in, you need to brew the boss a cup of coffee first.”

Jiang Yicen had never worked in an office, but that didn’t mean he was clueless. His family also ran a company—it’s just that his elder brother was the heir. He’d been to his brother’s office, and the company had secretaries specifically for handling written work and tea service.

Jiang Yicen smiled faintly and politely refused: “Sorry, I don’t know how to make coffee. Besides, that doesn’t seem like it should be my job, does it?”