Chapter 39
Old Master Jiang’s gaze was like a blade cutting into Gu Tang’s face, but the latter stood by the roadside, indifferently eating his ice cream, as if he hadn’t seen the old man at all.
He wasn’t the eight-year-old Gu Tang anymore. Twenty years ago, when he first entered the Jiang family, Old Master Jiang, as the head of the family, was incredibly imposing. Although he hadn’t treated Gu Tang harshly, he wasn’t kind or amiable either.
Especially the Jiang family’s servants, who treated Old Master Jiang’s instructions like imperial edicts.
The young Gu Tang was at the bottom of the food chain in such an environment.
He didn’t have a strong admiration for the powerful, his fear of the old man far outweighed any respect. As the old man aged and Gu Tang grew up, developing his own thoughts and ideas, he had even less positive feelings towards him.
Gu Tang pretended not to see him, and Jiang Huaisheng also pretended not to see him. Finally, the old man, unable to contain his anger, had the bodyguards who followed him stop the two, saying sternly: “Let’s talk somewhere private.”
Now that they were stopped, they couldn’t pretend to be blind. The three went to an old teahouse frequented by the old man, which had a large VIP room.
“What’s going on between you two? Why are you mixed up together again? When did you come back? Weren’t you going to leave? What are you doing back here?”
The old man asked a series of questions, clearly dissatisfied with Gu Tang’s return and his grandson’s involvement with him.
He had talked about being open-minded and willing to compromise, even coming up with the idea of a lavender marriage with Miss He, but those were just tactics to test Jiang Huaisheng. If the latter compromised one step, he would be forced to compromise further.
Unfortunately, this test was useless against Jiang Huaisheng. At first, he would still consider their kinship and give perfunctory responses, but later, he didn’t even bother.
He refused his arrangements on the phone only out of politeness. After all, he was raised to be respectful.
But if pushed too far, such as being directly ordered, Jiang Huaisheng would retaliate. The old man’s old friends would come to him crying, asking him to control his ruthless grandson.
This was also an important reason why the old man refused to relinquish power these past few years. If he truly handed over all his authority, Jiang Huaisheng would immediately sideline him, and his words would carry no weight.
Someone who had held power their entire life wouldn’t readily accept the pain of losing it in their old age.
Gu Tang didn’t answer the first few questions, only the last three: “A week ago, I returned after receiving my doctorate.”
This short sentence answered the old man’s three questions. He had left to study, and now that his studies were completed, he returned.
This reason was legitimate and logical. Even the old man couldn’t argue that it was better abroad and ask Gu Tang to leave again.
He had already obtained a doctorate, there was nothing more to pursue academically.
Gu Tang wasn’t eight years old, but twenty-seven. His grandson was also twenty-seven. Those under eighteen were minors who could be controlled legally, but at twenty-seven, they were adults with full civil capacity.
Moreover, arranged marriages had been abolished for many years. Business marriages still existed, and many wealthy second-generation heirs entered into them reluctantly.
But this was predicated on their unwillingness to give up the family’s wealth and status. If they were truly willing to endure hardships and pursue so-called true love, if they insisted on marrying someone their elders didn’t approve of, no one could stop them.
Unfortunately, so-called true love couldn’t withstand reality. Even if they were inseparable for the first few years, after a few years of family pressure, their feelings would fade.
The old man had changed many of his views in recent years, but seeing Gu Tang and Jiang Huaisheng intimately sharing an ice cream still made his blood pressure spike.
Gu Tang and Jiang Huaisheng had known each other for nineteen years, growing up together for ten, attending the same school, the same class, even the same university and the same dormitory.
If he had known they would get involved, he wouldn’t have arranged for them to be in the same dormitory.
After five years of Gu Tang being abroad, they were immediately drawn back together like magnets upon his return.
How many nineteen years could one have in a lifetime? These two being together had probably become a habit.
Gu Tang and Jiang Huaisheng knew each other’s habits and preferences like the back of their hands, knew each other’s boundaries, and knew all their flaws and strengths.
Frankly, if Gu Tang were a woman, the old man might have accepted it. After all, although his family background was a bit lacking, he was truly outstanding, only slightly inferior to his grandson in all aspects.
And there was also the connection of his father saving people and Gu Tang donating bone marrow to save Jiang Huaisheng’s life. With some good PR, it could be a beautiful story. But Gu Tang was a man!
Old Master Jiang had tried to persuade his grandson many times in recent years, using both soft and hard tactics, but seeing this situation, he probably couldn’t sway Jiang Huaisheng.
To put it bluntly, Jiang Huaisheng wasn’t a chick raised under a hen’s wings. He was an eagle, a wolf, a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, a beast ready to strike when the time was right.
To separate these two using conventional methods, he could only target Gu Tang for now.
The old man put on his sternest face and said to Gu Tang: “Gu Tang, when I took you in, the Jiang family gave you the best education, giving you the opportunity to see the world. Is this how you repay us, by leading my most outstanding grandson astray?”
He waved his cane excitedly, as if he would strike Gu Tang if he didn’t answer satisfactorily.
The old man’s movement froze. The young and strong Gu Tang firmly grasped the cane and then slowly but forcefully took it away.
The young man looked into the old man’s eyes, calmly, without anger, nor the shame the old man wanted to see.
After the old man calmed down, Gu Tang said: “You’re right, I would have lived in that small town, never seeing the vast world, never experiencing this affluent life.”
The old man snorted heavily: “You still have some conscience. If you know your place, then…”
Gu Tang interrupted him: “If my father hadn’t worked for the Jiang family, he wouldn’t have died saving Mr. and Mrs. Jiang. I would have had a happy and complete family in the eyes of others. My parents would have given me all their love, my mother wouldn’t have married your adopted son, Jiang He, and my younger brother wouldn’t have been born.”
The old man’s voice abruptly stopped.
His eyes widened slightly, his breathing becoming rapid: “Revenge, so this is your revenge, isn’t it?! You hate that your father died, so you’re taking away my most outstanding grandson as revenge!”
The old man seemed to have caught Gu Tang’s weakness, saying excitedly to Jiang Huaisheng: “Did you hear that? He doesn’t love you at all, he’s just doing this for revenge, to make the Jiang family suffer, to end our family line!”
But Jiang Huaisheng just looked at the old man quietly, as if he didn’t react to these words at all.
This was how children raised in the Jiang family were. For Jiang Huaisheng, the reason why Gu Tang was with him wasn’t important, what mattered was that he was willing to be with Gu Tang.
Gu Tang corrected: “If I just wanted to end the Jiang family line, I wouldn’t have donated bone marrow to Jiang Huaisheng.”
He wasn’t as petty as the old man thought, choosing this way for revenge.
Only after Gu Tang spoke did Jiang Huaisheng speak, appearing to defend him: “Grandpa, you’re old, you don’t understand young people. Of course, it was my own choice to be with him.”
To put it bluntly, who was he, Jiang Huaisheng, and who was Gu Tang? Their social status and resources were unequal.
If he wasn’t willing, Gu Tang couldn’t force him. On the contrary, if he wanted to force it, Gu Tang would be the one being forced.
Jiang Huaisheng was very satisfied with their current state. There were no messy third parties, and Gu Tang seemed willing.
Although if Gu Tang wasn’t willing, he probably wouldn’t let go and would use more forceful methods, but he was indeed happier that the other party willingly stayed.
The old man took several deep breaths, glaring at the two for a long time, then finally said: “Fine, if you want to be together, I won’t stop you, but there’s one condition, the Jiang family must have a capable heir.”
Gu Tang said: “I won’t allow my boyfriend to have children with anyone else.”
The old man said: “You still dare to say this isn’t revenge!”
Gu Tang said: “Is it necessary to bring a child into this kind of family?”
He said to the old man: “If you really want an heir that much, you can find someone to have one for you.”
Old Master Jiang’s wife had died long ago. With his family background, there would be people willing to bear his child.
After all, everyone’s values were different. Some valued a healthy life, some only cared about money. Children talked about right and wrong, adults valued interests.
Of course, he was just saying this. Everyone knew that at his age, the old man couldn’t naturally have children anymore, and even if he could, a child born at this age would likely have many problems.
And even if, against all odds, a healthy child was born, would Jiang Huaisheng hand over his power to the old man’s child? Don’t even think about it.
These words weren’t a suggestion for the old man, but pure mockery.
A child raised by the old man to be a capable heir, someone he approved of, naturally wouldn’t obey his ideas.
Jiang Huaisheng said: “Grandpa, you’re old, don’t worry about this anymore. At least you have an heir while you’re alive. If you like children, I can invest in a kindergarten and hire you as the principal or a teacher.”
Just because there were no heirs in the immediate Jiang family didn’t mean Jiang Huaisheng didn’t have any blood relatives. He had uncles and aunts, and they loved having children.
He wanted to live a long life with Gu Tang. When it was time to hand over power, it would be sixty or seventy years later, he didn’t want to think about it so much now.
But there was no need to say this, he was afraid of angering his grandfather to death.
After all, Gu Tang was a filial child to his family. Jiang Huaisheng thought, to avoid scaring Gu Tang away, he should restrain himself a little.
