“This trip was worth it!”
Jiang Che drove with one hand, enjoying the breeze, feeling utterly refreshed.
Though, he’d somehow added another romantic entanglement to his list.
The distance from Shen Yu’s home to the Jiang family estate was fairly short—less than ten kilometers.
But before he even made it home, Jiang Che heard the voice of his beloved mother.
“Little Jie, I didn’t get to see you last time! This is the family heirloom I’m passing down—only for my future daughter-in-law! See that sapphire? It’s absolutely perfect for you!”
“Wan’er, sweetheart, come here and let your big sister hug you…”
“Chen Ningshuang, considering your good attitude, our Jiang family won’t hold your past actions against you. Take this necklace as a token.”
When Jiang Che pushed the door open, his mother was in the middle of handing out red envelopes to the girls, one by one!
Meanwhile, Jiang Yuan stood on the balcony, smoking a cigarette, utterly baffled. How could a pure-hearted romantic like him have fathered a playboy like his son?
Was this even fair?
“Huh? Son, you’re here?”
Jiang Yunli’s chestnut-brown hair was swept to one side, and she wore a figure-hugging gray dress. Even though she was nearly forty, she maintained her flawless skin and figure so well that standing next to Jiang Che, she looked more like a twenty-something big sister than his mother.
Especially since Jiang Yunli and her husband had been using the youth-preserving elixir Jiang Che had given them—now they were practically immortal in their youth!
Enough to make every would-be homewrecker go wild with envy!
“Mwah~~~”
Two firm kisses landed on Jiang Che’s cheeks, leaving behind bright red lipstick marks.
Jiang Che: “......”
“Mom, weren’t you and Dad just in Iceland watching the Northern Lights two days ago? How’d you get back so fast?”
Jiang Yunli giggled. “Your father and I chartered a private jet.”
“Son, how could you not tell us about such an important exam? We only found out about your amazing results when your grandfather notified us!”
Jiang Che was speechless.
You two were just having too much fun to remember your own son, weren’t you? What kind of parents forget about their child’s exams?
“But my son is still the best! Your grades are way better than mine back in the day.”
Jiang Yunli wore a gentle smile.
“Hah… your mother’s telling the truth. Her grades back then were… let’s just say tragic. I was the one who pulled her up.”
“Hey, watch your words! If I hadn’t given you the chance, do you think a poor boy like you could’ve ever stepped foot into the Jiang family?” Jiang Yunli huffed, crossing her arms with a smirk.
“You think you could’ve just scaled the walls of the ancient martial Jiang family? My brother was already a half-step grandmaster back then, and my dad was a full grandmaster. They were hiding behind the wall, grinding their teeth so hard you could hear it!”
Jiang Yuan chuckled. “Whatever my wife says is right.”
Forget being a pure-hearted romantic—even if he wanted to start a harem, he’d need to survive the consequences first. If he made Jiang Yunli shed even a single tear, he’d probably be strung up on a tree and whipped.
“By the way, weren’t you two talking about giving me a little sister?”
Jiang Che suddenly remembered—his mother had always been vocal about wanting a daughter.
Jiang Yuan shook his head helplessly.
“Ah… that was just talk. How could I bear to put your mother through that again?” He gazed at his wife with deep affection.
“Hehe, one daughter-in-law is half a daughter. With so many daughters-in-law… one, two, three, four… Wow, I already have this many?” Jiang Yunli even counted on her fingers.
The couple, who had just been bickering, were now lovey-dovey again.
Jiang Che: “......”
Trying to feed me dog food? Sorry… this is my turf. Not a single bite!
---
After sending off Jiang Yunli and Jiang Yuan, Jiang Che sighed softly.
His grandfather, with his pride on the line, was really planning a grand celebration banquet?
888 tables? That was downright ridiculous!
It was just a national top scorer title—was it really necessary to make such a fuss?
Still, Jiang Che nodded slightly and agreed. It was just a banquet, after all. Might as well humor the old man’s competitive streak.
He knew Jiang Yunhuang’s personality—he loved showing off, especially when it came to his descendants.
Fine, he’d give him this one.
---
Meanwhile, in the Jiang family estate in the capital…
Jiang Ruoxu had been summoned back from the Forbidden Martial Zone.
“Grandfather, Father… what’s the matter?”
Jiang Ruoxu’s clothes were torn, his hair a tangled mess, and his face swollen as if he’d either been beaten or taken a nasty fall.
“Ruoxu, what happened to you? Did someone hit you?” Jiang Yunwu frowned.
Jiang Ruoxu touched his swollen cheek and forced a smile. “No, I just… fell.”
Jiang Yunwu and Jiang Yunhuang exchanged glances. It was obvious—the kid had been beaten up but was too proud to admit it.
But right now, they had bigger problems than Jiang Ruoxu’s bruised ego.
“Do you know why we called you back so urgently?” Jiang Yunhuang’s voice was icy.
Jiang Ruoxu shivered involuntarily.
“Grandfather, I’ve made a breakthrough in my cultivation. I’m now a half-step grandmaster—just one step away from true grandmaster status!”
But even with this announcement, Jiang Yunhuang’s expression remained frozen.
He tossed a report card in front of Jiang Ruoxu.
The moment Jiang Ruoxu saw the scores, his face twisted as if he’d just bitten into something foul.
**[Chinese 64, Math 7, English 21, Politics & History 31, Physics & Chemistry 9, P.E. (Full Marks), Total: 192]**
“I’M GONNA BEAT YOU TO DEATH!!!”
“Your score isn’t even as high as my blood pressure! I’ve been waiting to thrash you for this!”
Jiang Ruoxu instantly cowered. He feared nothing in this world—except his grandmaster grandfather.
For two solid hours, he was strung up and whipped. Thankfully, as a half-step grandmaster, he was sturdy enough to survive. An ordinary martial artist would’ve been dead on the spot.
“You useless brat! Why can’t you learn from your cousin Jiang Che? Look at him—national top scorer! Do you even understand what that means?”
“This is a law-governed society now! Even if you train to become a grandmaster, what then? You think you can tank a Katyusha rocket?”
“Even if you reach the pinnacle of martial arts, even if you can fly and vanish into the earth—none of it matters! Education comes first!”
Comparing people just made you angrier.
And so, the “motivation session” for Jiang Ruoxu continued.
**[Jiang… Jiang Che, I swear vengeance upon you!]**
Gritting his teeth, Jiang Ruoxu could only clench his fists in silent fury.
"Ruoxu, your cousin Jiang Che is holding a celebration banquet for his college admission in a couple of days. You’ll be attending with us—don’t embarrass me. If anyone asks about your results... just say you got into a prestigious high school, got it?"
Jiang Ruoxu: "......"
He couldn’t help but reflect on his past. Once a prodigy, a rising star in the ancient martial arts world...
But now?
The once-adored "darling" had become an afterthought, with everyone looking down on him.
And the root of it all? His utterly unreliable cousin.