Chapter 611: The First Encounter with the Stepmother

Feng Shihua’s villa was buzzing with women playing mahjong and chatting away, far from quiet. Frustrated, Feng Shihua left under the guise of seeing his mother in the next villa to clear his mind.

With Jiang Qin around, Nan Shu was in no danger of being bullied.

The enticing aroma of dinner soon wafted from the kitchen, just as Feng Shihua walked out, Duan Ying took a seat opposite the sofa.

Two rather gossip-inclined ladies also left their card games to join the fray.

“When did you arrive in Shanghai?”

Feng Nanshu glanced at Duan Ying: “We came on the 5th.”

Duan Ying adjusted a cushion behind her back: “Did you come specifically to visit your uncle and aunt?”

“Came with Jiang Qin for a meeting.”

“A meeting?”

Jiang Qin coughed and took over: “Just a gathering of like-minded folks to discuss money-making, though there’s a fair bit of boasting.”

Duan Ying turned to Jiang Qin after scrutinizing him: “Where are you from?”

“I’m from Jizhou.”

Mrs. Liu paused, seemingly unaware: “Jizhou? Where’s that?”

Duan Ying explained: “A small seventh or eighth-tier county town barely with cars, it’s normal you haven’t heard of it. Nan Shu grew up there.”

“Why would President Feng have his daughter grow up in such a place?”

“Nan Shu’s mom is from there; she preferred that environment.”

Feng Nanshu bit her lip, visibly upset, but soon felt Jiang Qin’s arms around her waist, prompting a glance and a pout.

Mrs. Li interjected again: “You look somewhat familiar. What do your parents do?”

“My father works at the health bureau, my mother’s a waitress at a government hostel. A family of modest means.”

Mrs. Li showed a perplexed look after hearing this, turning to Duan Ying: “I thought he was some young master…”

Duan Ying elegantly waved her hand: “Whether he’s a young master isn’t important, as long as Nan Shu likes him.”

“True, but it’s quite ordinary.”

“Isn’t ordinary good? I don’t care about status. He’s got a nose and eyes, speaks clearly, fits well with Nan Shu, and most importantly, he cares.”

Duan Ying spoke sincerely. She didn’t know how eagerly she wanted to marry off Feng Nanshu, and the more ordinary, the better.

A daughter married off is like spilled water, after all. Once Nan Shu is married, she won’t have to deal with her much.

Setting her up with a young master? Only fools would do that.

After years of downplaying Feng Nanshu’s presence, why would she link her to someone who could reach their door? An ordinary family was more like it.

So she found Jiang Qin quite suitable, a son of simple government employees—perfect for a lonely, unloved girl.

But one thing slightly upset Duan Ying—Jiang Qin’s gaze.

It seemed faint, slight, almost imperceptible yet manifesting a real mockery.

Generally, a boy from a small place shouldn’t dare speak up in a setting like the Sheshan Manor, which made his gaze unsettling to her.

“Jiang Qin, as long as Nan Shu likes you, I approve, but our family is prestigious, and some rules must be followed.”

“Like when you arrived, entering without invitation and not greeting my guests—that’s poor manners.”

Duan Ying looked coolly at Feng Nanshu: “You used to have manners. What happened?”

Jiang Qin responded: “Wasn’t the Qing dynasty ended?”

“What did you say?”

“The Qing, it ended, right?”

Mrs. Li whispered in her ear: “He said you are more rigid than Empress Dowager Cixi.”

Duan Ying didn’t get angry, just smirked coldly: “You might not know, but everyone here is either a top executive’s wife or a shareholder of Feng Corporation, all very wealthy—nothing like your country folk.”

It was the first awkward silence Jiang Qin faced; he couldn’t even respond as he fidgeted with his shoes.

Feeling his pride hurt, Duan Ying spoke again: “Bought a house in Shanghai?”

“Can’t afford it. Property here is too expensive.”

“If you treat our Nan Shu right, I might buy you one, but you need the right manners. Mrs. Li and Mrs. Liu are my close friends; they don’t gossip. But follow the decorum during dinner, and don’t embarrass our family.”

Suddenly, Andy complained: “Mum, they took the TV remote and won’t let me watch the cartoons.”

Caught in everyone’s gaze, Duan Ying couldn’t blatantly favour her son: “What’s wrong with letting your sister watch? Don’t be petty, come, let’s eat.”

“Then I’ll watch three episodes later.”

“All right, you can watch three.”

As the wealthy ladies moved to the dining area, Feng Nanshu bit her lip, wondering if she could leave with her brother.

She disliked being here and looked down to see Jiang Qin gesticulating with a remote.

Little rich girl curiously leaned in, only to see Jiang Qin searching “how to permanently delete cable channels” on his phone.

She was stunned as Jiang Qin removed “Cartoon Channel” and “Eagle Animation,” leaving only a few CCTV channels.

“Jiang Qin, you’re such a bad person.”

“I’ve always been bad.”

Jiang Qin took her hand: “Let’s go eat. Let’s see what else your stepmom comes up with.”

They approached a long dining table and were seated at a corner to see other wealthy ladies gracefully handling their steak with knives and forks.

Following his usual habit, Jiang Qin asked a servant for scissors and cut his steak into small cubes, spearing them with a toothpick to feed Feng Nanshu.

The surrounding opulent ladies giggled at this sight.

Mrs. Li, who earlier felt he looked familiar, now thought it must have been a mistake—she’d never meet someone like him.

Duan Ying, sitting nearby, found it all a bit absurd and shifted the conversation to recent investments.

Her nephew, Duan Wenzhao, after securing investment from Feng Corporation, began expanding immediately.

Initially losing out in the college town market to “Hungry Yet,” the cash influx helped “Meal Point app” surge ahead, recently gaining the title of most popular app among students.

This title, while minimal in the grand scheme, was a source of immense pride for Duan Ying.

Now “Meal Point” and “Group-Buy Delivery” led the delivery market, with “Hungry Yet” trailing.

Confident in its success, Duan Ying believed “Meal Point” would perform well nationally.

Jiang Qin listened from a corner, occasionally feeding the little rich girl.

“Meal Point app will be gone soon.”

“?”

Duan Ying turned, puzzled: “What?”

Jiang Qin explained: “Auntie, are you familiar with Group-Buy? A group-buying site popular among students with a handsome founder.”

“And then?”

“College town has always been Group-Buy’s stronghold. If Jiang Yan Zhu decides tonight to focus here, Meal Point collapses in three days.”

Duan Ying smirked: “I’ve heard of Group-Buy Delivery from Wenzhao, but it’s only on par with Hungry Yet. Do you know Hungry Yet?”

Jiang Qin nodded: “I often use it.”

“If Wenzhao can outperform Hungry Yet in the college market, how could Group-Buy destroy Meal Point in three days? Don’t make uncalled remarks.”

“If Jiang Yan Zhu decides, it will happen.”

Duan Ying noticed his lack of decorum, frowning: “Nan Shu, sit properly during meals. Aren’t you taught better?! How can you act like someone from a small place?!”

Feng Nanshu trembled, biting her lip and straightening up.

Jiang Qin exploded, about to retort, when a heart-wrenching cry from the living room drowned out his words.

The wealthy ladies panicked, thinking something happened to Andy, and rushed over.

Andy sat on the sofa sobbing: “Mum, there’s no cartoons, only news.”

“How can that be?”

“I’ve searched everywhere, there’s nothing left,” Andy screamed and smashed the remote.

Duan Ying reached out to comfort him but was stopped by Mrs. Liu.

“What happened?”

“Look at the TV…”

Jiang Qin had deleted all channels except for a few news ones, and currently, a news segment about an internet conference was airing.

At first, Duan Ying didn’t understand what Mrs. Liu pointed out, but soon, a familiar face appeared on the screen.

For a moment, Duan Ying thought she was mistaken until she recognized the mole under his eye, bridging the gap between two seemingly different worlds.

“I’m not interested in money.”

“Starting Group-Buy was my biggest regret; I initially just wanted to do a small business.”

“Yes, I have a beautiful wife.”

“In the future, Group-Buy might collaborate with Jingdong, Xiaomi, even Alibaba, and Tencent.”

“I just discussed cloud computing with President Ma; we plan to talk further.”

Jiang Qin appeared on screen, smart in a suit, his eyes bright, a slight smile playing on his lips, exuding confidence.

Microphones from various networks jostled to capture his words.

Back at the Sheshan Manor, all the ladies fell into an eerie silence, watching the ordinary-looking young man dominate the news.

Duan Ying, lips pursed in disbelief, shuffled to the TV and switched channels, only to find similar news.

Discussing on stage with Alibaba’s Chairman Ma, warmly shaking hands with Lenovo’s President Liu, whispering to JD’s Liu Qiang, joking with Xiaomi’s CEO Lei.

The three-minute news clip transformed the young man who earlier used scissors to cut steak into a poised conversationalist.

To the ladies, these three minutes stretched like a century.

“Came with Jiang Qin for a meeting.”

“A meeting?”

“Just a bunch of people talking about making money, mostly boasting.”

“My dad works at the health bureau, and my mom is a waitress at a government hostel.”

Duan Ying stared at the TV for a long time, then mechanically turned to look towards the dining area.

By then, Jiang Qin had stood up, snipped the decorative flowers with his steak scissors, and smirked slightly as he led Feng Nanshu out of the villa.

The wealthy ladies swallowed hard and turned back to the TV, the earlier words echoing, but with a changed title.

“If Jiang Yan Zhu is determined, Meal Point won’t last three days.”

“If I’m determined, Meal Point won’t last three days.”