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Chapter 64: Run your marriage like a business.
The canteen was on the first floor, and they went there quickly.
The quarrel was between Jiang Wanxia and her daughter, Jiang Cai.
When the acting head, Luo Suwei, reluctantly agreed to let Jiang Wanxia try working at the school, she said that sympathy was of course with them, but it was like placing a time bomb next to them, and who knows how many unforeseen troubles there might be in the future.
At that time, they were mainly worried about Jiang Wanxia, but the unforeseen trouble came from her daughter, Jiang Cai.
Jiang Cai was sixteen years old. Some people were sensitive during puberty, and some were rebellious. In her, it all manifested as a strong and abrupt sense of self-esteem, dressing herself up every day with cheap accessories and heavy eye makeup, making herself look like a delinquent girl.
The argument started when Jiang Wanxia asked her daughter to change her clothes and wash her face, saying she didn’t look decent enough.
Jiang Cai retorted that Jiang Wanxia should mind her own business instead of being nosy about her.
Jiang Wanxia asked if dressing like that meant she was going out to sell herself.
When a mother’s health was poor, her emotions were extreme, and her daughter rebelled against the norms, it was like water and fire. They live at the school, keeping their heads down around the staff, which people notice. Even minor matters and a few words could ignite sparks.
Luo Suwei said privately that if things continued like this, there was no need to wait another month; she would really consider asking them to leave.
When Chen Wengang and Joskin arrived, other staff members were already trying to calm the mother and daughter down.
Jiang Wanxia was furious, looking like she was about to faint, and her colleagues pulled her into the room to calm her down.
They also helped maintain order.
After a while, someone called the logistics director over, who also had a somewhat helpless expression. As a representative of the superior, she criticized them briefly and asked them to refrain from quarreling in the teaching area. But this kind of conflict between the mother and daughter was not the first time; it was only a matter of time before they would be asked to leave.
Jiang Cai stood straight in the open space outside, her clothes short, revealing a slim waist, seeming rebellious from head to toe.
Someone approached her and tried to reason with her: “You’re a big girl now; you should understand and be considerate of your mother. She’s already so ill, yet she still has to support the both of you. You should know how difficult it is for her. How good do you expect her temper to be?”
But at this age, some half-grown children can be reasoned with, while others, like her, cannot—
Jiang Cai played with her phone, impatiently rolling her eyes: “You guys just love to meddle. She gets a job as soon as she kneels down, and it’s not because of your kindness. Now you’ve just caused trouble for yourselves. Why don’t you just kick us out directly?”
She turned off the screen and squared up with Joskin.
Joskin asked, “Is there anything we can help you with?”
Chen Wengang stood beside him and also received a disdainful look: “No, no, no! Can’t you guys just leave us alone?”
After saying that, she answered a call, said a few words to the other party, probably promising to come pick her up, and then changed her expression like flipping a book: “Okay!” After speaking, she strode toward the school gate.
Jiang Wanxia rushed out, shouting at her back and asking where she was going, but was stopped by someone.
Back in the office, Chen Wengang shrugged at Joskin: “I’m used to it anyway.”
Joskin shook his head. “The way they interact is very unhealthy.”
Chen Wengang said, “But outsiders can’t persuade them either. Sometimes, when you look at them, it seems like they depend on each other. When Jiang Wanxia goes for dialysis, her daughter will also send her off and take care of household chores when she’s not in school. But these two absolutely cannot speak to each other without saying something bitter and resentful.”
Later, Lu Chenlong came to pick up his little brother, and when he heard about the situation, he clicked his tongue in surprise: “How did you end up with such trouble?”
Chen Wengang replied, “In this line of work, you can encounter anything. Right now, we’re just thinking about how to find her a new place.”
He left very late and encountered Jiang Wanxia again in the corridor on the first floor.
At that time, she was carrying several mops inside, no longer showing the rage she had during the day, her face as worn out as ever.
Jiang Wanxia gave Chen Wengang a smile that resembled an attempt to please, “Teacher Chen, you’re leaving at this hour?”
Chen Wengang confirmed and took the opportunity to advise her to have patience and communicate well with her daughter, as chaos wouldn’t solve the problem.
Jiang Wanxia nodded repeatedly, sometimes agreeing and sometimes apologizing.
Her demeanor never seemed quite natural. Whether it was because she initially relied on Chen Wengang or because she found him easy to talk to, whenever Jiang Wanxia faced him, there was always a subtle lowering of her attitude, as if she wanted to establish a closer relationship with him.
Chen Wengang remained cautious and maintained some distance from her eagerness.
While he was always willing to be kind to others, he didn’t want to appear exploitable.
Suddenly, she said, “Teacher Chen, could I trouble you? I’m getting old, and I really can’t manage her anymore. Could you teach her? Otherwise, if she hangs out with those delinquents every day, she won’t learn anything good. What future can a girl like her have?”
Chen Wengang neither immediately agreed nor outright refused, “You both need to work together for any solution to be effective.”
They bid each other goodbye.
***
There weren’t many textbooks for seniors, and students like Chen Wengang, who had completed their credits, didn’t need to attend classes this semester.
However, he occasionally had to go to campus, sometimes to discuss papers with professors in advance, and on this day, it was for a class gathering.
With just one more year left before everyone went their separate ways, there would soon be internships, postgraduate exams, and studying abroad. The class committee felt obliged to organize a gathering while everyone still had the time. Most of the class, consisting of about a dozen people, attended.
After the dinner, a few people returned to the dormitories, while those with energy left opted to head to a bar.
Chen Wengang went along with them.
Since he didn’t usually reside on campus, it was rare for him to have such an opportunity to socialize with his classmates, so he didn’t intend to leave so early.
They went to a quiet bar with a serene atmosphere. The students reserved a private room and ordered fruit wine, beer, and a fruit platter. After singing two songs, they began playing dice games. Chen Wengang lost and was challenged to play “truth or dare” by others. The one asking the questions was a timid young man who stuttered for a while.
As the atmosphere heated up, someone next to him spoke up on his behalf, “He wants to ask if you’re available!”
There was laughter and teasing, “You should agree!” “Get together, get together…”
Chen Wengang smiled and said, “I can’t answer that question; I admit defeat. Let’s just drink.”
He remained unmoved despite others’ attempts to goad him on, and he downed a bottle of beer in one go.
Some persisted, and the young man became increasingly flustered and embarrassed, waving his hands repeatedly.
Chen Wengang stood up and said he needed to use the restroom. Although there was one in the private room, he exited through the main door.
In a short while, the young man followed him out, looking around until he found Chen Wengang in a safe passage. Chen Wengang leaned against the stairs, typing a message on his phone.
Glancing at the screen, the young man’s voice was as faint as a mosquito’s, “I’m sorry, it was really embarrassing just now.”
Chen Wengang looked at him carefully and said, “It’s okay. Sorry… Are you in our class?”
This young man reminded him of Qi Tongzhou, but they were completely different. The young man before him was pale and thin, with slender arms and legs, very delicate. One could imagine him being called effeminate since childhood.
“No, really, I’m not. I’m sorry, senior; I’m actually a sophomore. The one who spoke earlier is a department head I know from the Student Union. Since you’re about to graduate, I wanted to seize the opportunity to try, so I followed along. I didn’t mean to cause any unpleasantness intentionally.”
“I thought I hadn’t recognized everyone in the class.” Chen Wengang breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, “Thank you for your kindness, but unfortunately, I’m unavailable. You can go back and enjoy yourself. I’ll talk to them and ask them not to tease you anymore.” With that, he turned off his phone.
It took the young man a moment to realize what message Chen Wengang had just sent, and his eyes welled up.
He raised his head and said, “Senior, I’m really happy when I meet someone like you who understands. You should know how chaotic our circle is, but I can feel that you’re different…”
“I’m just an ordinary person like anyone else. Go find someone who suits you better.”
When he returned to the private room, no one mentioned the incident again, as if nothing had happened.
Chen Wengang made an excuse of having had too much to drink and took his leave. After he left, the young man stayed for a while before also saying he had to go.
It was only then that someone suddenly remembered, “By the way, isn’t Zheng Yucheng absent today? It feels like something’s missing.”
The class monitor scratched his head, “I informed him, but he said he didn’t have time to join us. He must be busy. Think about it, with such a big family business waiting for him to inherit, how could he have the time to hang out with us? Different people, different destinies.”
At this moment, Zheng Yucheng was in Zheng Bingyi’s study, reporting on his work.
He really wasn’t in the mood to get emotionally closer to his classmates.
Apart from being disheartened in matters of the heart, with graduation approaching, there were too many things in front of him at the moment. Even if he was recognized as the crown prince, gaining control of the company wasn’t an easy task. Inside the group, interest groups inevitably formed, and everyone had their own calculations. Internal struggles were an invisible tug-of-war, and no one could stand firm without expending some effort.
After finishing the business, Zheng Bingyi suddenly asked him, “By the way, how’s your relationship with Wanxin?”
Zheng Yucheng stiffened for a moment, remaining composed, “It’s okay. I really can’t develop any feelings for her.”
Zheng Bingyi reached for his reading glasses from the table, put them on, and nodded, “Hmm.” He said, “To be honest, I don’t have high hopes for that girl either. Being assertive is one thing, but being too willful, not considering the bigger picture, makes it difficult to manage family matters with such a personality.”
He glanced through his reading glasses at several photos, placed them on the table, and pushed them toward Zheng Yucheng, “But you still need to consider having a girlfriend. The He family has other girls. What about He Qinfang? I think she’s quite pretty.”
Zheng Yucheng’s smile was faint, “Are you targeting the He family?”
Zheng Bingyi said, “This is a thread He Shibo is pulling for you. If you don’t have someone with the surname He, what else would you have? Of course, given the close relationship between our families, I favor the He family. But if you have the ability to pursue other girls, you can bring them to me to see.”
Zheng Yucheng remained silent, his expression blurred in the glass.
Zheng Bingyi stared at his son and said, “What you’re considering now is whether you’ll be happy getting married, whether you like it or not. Yucheng, let me tell you, go and look at other people’s marriages. Who’s still happily married twenty or thirty years after getting married? Don’t think that looking for a marriage partner based on interests equals utilitarianism. Managing a marriage as if it were a business is the most stable approach.
Being a husband, a father, or a son-in-law—these are all positions no different from being a CEO or chairman of a company. When you negotiate in business, you’re a CEO, and you can only negotiate with people of a CEO level. When you start a family and a career, having a wife and children, others will see you as a reliable person. When you’re a CEO, do you consider whether you like it or not first, or do you take on the responsibility?”
Zheng Yucheng breathed a sigh of relief, “I understand.” He didn’t want to say more, “So, is that all about the recent work situation?”
Zheng Bingyi agreed, “Yes. Also, the Mid-Autumn Festival is next month, so you need to prepare for the family banquet in advance.”
Mid-Autumn Festival was a reunion festival, so having a banquet was only natural. However, for families like theirs, festive banquets were also social occasions. Building and maintaining relationships were inseparable from social events. It was tiring, but indispensable.
When Zheng Yucheng returned to his room, he received a call from Huo Niansheng.
He was puzzled, “Are you telling me that Chen Wengang is going out that day?”
Huo Niansheng chuckled, “You know his birthday is on the Mid-Autumn Festival, right? If you don’t celebrate for him, does that mean others can’t celebrate for him either?”
Zheng Yucheng replied coldly, “It’s not his birthday that day. We won’t fail to celebrate his actual birthday either.”
“Obviously, you’re using the Gregorian calendar,” Huo Niansheng said, “When he was a child, his elders used to celebrate his lunar birthday according to tradition. It only changed when he came to your family. During the New Year and festivals, your family would hold banquets, and you wouldn’t care whether he wanted to change or not.”
“So what? What’s the purpose of telling me this?”
“I just wanted to let you know about it,” Huo Niansheng chuckled, “Of course, if you’re willing to cover for him, do it.”
Zheng Yucheng tightly furrowed his brows, speechless and tongue-tied, momentarily unable to deal with this shameless person.
However, after a moment of silence, he found himself at a loss for words.
Before hanging up, Huo Niansheng asked him, “After all these years, can’t you let others have an easy time even once?”
***
As Chen Wengang stepped out of the bar, he was about to hail a cab when he suddenly remembered someone was following him. At the same time, Bald’s car pulled up to the side of the road.
He got into the car and fastened his seatbelt, “Thank you. Sorry to trouble you again.”
Bald politely replied that it was no trouble, then slowly pulled away.
At this time, there were many people hailing cabs near the bar, and the driver was driving slowly. As he observed the various men and women loitering on the street, Chen Wengang suddenly called out, “Stop the car.”
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