Chapter 3: Stranger

The black sedan, with its two bright headlights, slowly drove into the Bei Yu Mansion.

Cen Yu had long heard of this villa area in the North City, where every inch of land was as precious as gold and practically priceless.

When the car stopped at the gate of the villa, her gaze lingered on the large area of pine and cherry trees, adorned with crystal chandeliers, reluctant to look away.

Two energetic elderly people were waiting at the gate.

After Jiang Se got out of the car, she smiled and called out, “Tong Bo, Zhang Shen,” and then turned to introduce them to Cen Yu.

“Zhang Shen is the housekeeper of the mansion, and Tong Bo is the imperial chef and horticultural artist. The cherry blossom grove in the garden is maintained by him. From now on, Tong Bo and Zhang Shen will take care of your daily needs and meals. If you need anything, just tell them.”

Cen Yu smiled and greeted them.

She was beautiful, with a sweet voice and no airs about her. She was poised and graceful, making it easy for people to feel good about her.

After some casual pleasantries, Cen Yu instinctively glanced behind the two elders a few times. Unfortunately, apart from a few servants, there was no one else.

Her mood grew somewhat complicated.

Today marked her official return to the Cen family, yet neither her biological parents nor her older brother had come to pick her up or welcome her at home.

Wasn’t this a bit too much?

When she was reunited with her family in Tong City, her biological father hadn’t even shown his face—only her mother had come. They were the ones who had lost her in the first place; at least they should show some sincerity, right?

After a brief silence, Cen Yu couldn’t hold her emotions in and asked, “Senior, where are they?”

It took Jiang Se two seconds to realize that when Cen Yu said “they,” she meant who.

“This mansion is mostly only for me to live in. The chairman usually stays at the old house, and Mrs. Ji has been living abroad for years. Neither of them are in the country today. If nothing unexpected happens, you’ll be able to meet them in a couple of days. As for your brother,” Jiang Se smiled, “Believe me, it’s actually a good thing that he’s not here right now.”

Cen Yu instinctively looked at Jiang Se.

Chairman, Mrs. Ji.

Senior referred to her foster parents quite politely…

Cen Yu suppressed her curiosity and smiled, asking, “Why is it a good thing that our brother isn’t here?”

The word “our” was used skillfully, and Jiang Se’s smile deepened as she explained, “He’s too stingy. If he doesn’t show up, the gift he prepared for you will actually be worth something.”

Cen Yu: “…” She surprisingly found this reasoning quite convincing. Tsk, the brother is like flowing water, but money is forever.

Aunt Zhang, who had been standing aside, shook her head and smiled, “You’re teasing the young master again.”

She looked at Cen Yu and said, “The eldest young master is currently involved in a critical project in Australia, and he really can’t leave at the moment, which is why he couldn’t make it back. He had already told us a few days ago to make sure we take good care of you.”

If Cen Li truly cared, would he really be unable to spare even a single day?

Cen Yu smiled faintly, somewhat unconvinced by Aunt Zhang’s words.

Tong Bo had already prepared dinner, and after they ate, Jiang Se led Cen Yu upstairs.

The room at the southernmost end of the second floor was Jiang Se’s bedroom. The nearly 200-square-meter space had very few pieces of furniture, dominated by earthy tones in a wabi-sabi style. The warm base tone subtly carried a sense of cold detachment and melancholy.

It felt very much like the impression Jiang Se gave people.

It seemed warm, but was actually cold.

The only discordant element in the room was the giant toy castle in the corner, nearly as tall as a person. The bright yellow, intense blue, and rich green—colors unique to fairy tales—seemed out of place in the otherwise muted space.

Cen Yu’s gaze briefly swept over the massive castle, then quickly landed on the suitcase next to the bed. It was open, with a few sets of clothes, two books, and three wooden boxes on top.

The contents were pitifully few.

Jiang Se stepped forward to close the suitcase, then sat down on the cotton and linen sofa by the window. With a faint smile, she said, “I’ll be leaving tomorrow. I’ve stayed in this room before. If you don’t like it, you can switch to another room or redecorate it to your liking.”

“No need, no need,” Cen Yu waved her hand, pointing to the ceiling and saying, “I already told Aunt Zhang, I’ll be staying on the third floor from now on.”

Although this villa was officially her property, Cen Yu never intended to take Jiang Se’s bedroom.

The Jiang family had also kept a room for her, so whenever she wanted to go back there, she would have a place to stay. Out of both sentiment and reason, she naturally wanted to leave a space for her senior as well.

Since Jiang Se had gotten used to this room, it would be perfect for her to keep.

Jiang Se didn’t mind where she stayed, nodding before picking up a thick stack of documents from the coffee table beside the sofa and handing them to Cen Yu.

“These documents should be read at your convenience. They’re about the people you’ll encounter in the future.”

Cen Yu, curious, opened the first page and saw the name “Cen Minghong” written clearly at the top.

This was… her biological father, the chairman of the Cen Group.

Below the name was a detailed biography of her father, his network of connections, hobbies, taboos, and other such specifics, stretching across several pages.

Cen Yu flipped through the pages. The next name was “Ji Yunyi.”

Alright, that was her talented, well-known painter mother.

As she flipped further, Cen Yu guessed that the following pages would be filled with profiles of notable people from North City. It seemed that Jiang Se had prepared a “guide” for her on important figures.

She had to admit, this information was exactly what she needed right now.

After being brought back by the Cen family, she was eager to integrate into this circle and meet all those famous people she had only heard of before.

Cen Yu held the documents as though she were holding a gold mine. Sincerely, she thanked Jiang Se, “Senior, you really understand me. Thank you so much.”

Cen Yu finished speaking and laughed playfully, “I feel like I’m getting closer to my dream of becoming the richest person in Tong City.”

“Thank you for what?” Jiang Se chuckled, “If it weren’t for the accident back then, you would have known these people long ago.”

This was the first time they mentioned the switched-at-birth incident since they had met.

Cen Yu blinked and asked, “Hey, Senior, have you ever watched Autumn in My Heart?”

How is she bringing up that drama again?

Just three hours ago, she had heard about it from Guo Qian.

Jiang Se laughed and said, “No, but I know the general plot.”

“I hadn’t watched it either, until my bratty little brother called me ‘Cen Xin Ai,’ and I went to watch it. Oh my!” Cen Yu made a shocked expression, “I’m way happier than Cui Xin Ai. My dad, mom, and older sister are so good to me. Except for little Ye, who has a sharp tongue, I’m totally pampered there—”

Cen Yu’s playful voice suddenly paused, and she quickly remembered something. Throughout this journey, she had asked a lot about the Cen family, but Senior hadn’t mentioned anything about the Jiang family.

She scratched her ear and asked belatedly, “Senior, about me… I mean, over there, do you have anything you want to ask?”

“No.”

Jiang Se truly didn’t have anything she wanted to ask.

The twenty-three years of estranged time between her and the Jiang family didn’t need any curiosity or expectations.

Once a person becomes overly obsessed or eager for something, the first thing that defeats them is the pain of not getting what they want.

She wouldn’t allow herself to make that mistake.

And her trip to Tong City wasn’t about meeting the Jiang family; that was just a side matter.

She had more important things to do in Tong City.

Cen Yu saw that she really didn’t have any questions, so she blinked and said, “Putting other things aside, the bar my parents own is called ‘Wangchuan.’ The drinks there are amazing. You must try it.”

Jiang Se was momentarily stunned, “Wangchuan?”

If she remembered correctly, her biological father’s name was Jiang Chuan…

Cen Yu also realized this and laughed, “Hehe, the bar’s name wasn’t originally like that. My mom specially changed it. As for why she chose that name, you’ll have to ask her about her story with Dad.”

Judging by the smile on Cen Yu’s face, the story was likely quite interesting.

Jiang Se smiled along but didn’t comment on whether it was good or bad.

They chatted casually for a while until Aunt Zhang knocked on the door. Cen Yu, full of energy, followed her to pick a room.

Once she left, the once lively room fell silent.

Jiang Se sat motionlessly on the sofa for a moment before slowly standing up and glancing around the room. Her gaze finally landed on the large toy castle in the corner.

The castle was huge, about three or four square meters in size.

She had spent several years of her spare time building this castle.

Jiang Se walked over slowly, crouched in front of the castle, and stared at it for a while. Then, she reached out and gently removed a block from the bottom layer.

After a moment of stillness, the entire castle collapsed in a chaotic crash of scattered blocks.

Jiang Se lowered her dark eyes, letting out a light laugh. She then stood up, opened the nearby suitcase, and threw the block she had removed into it.

She didn’t look back at the scattered mess.

---

The next morning, Jiang Se said her goodbyes to Uncle Tong and Aunt Zhang, and for the last time, she got into Uncle Liu’s car heading to the airport.

Uncle Tong and Aunt Zhang had wanted to accompany her, but she politely declined.

Both of them had been by her side since she was very young, and now seeing her in this situation, their eyes had already become misty by the time they saw her off.

Jiang Se had never been particularly sympathetic to other people’s tears. No matter how miserably others cried, she could always remain indifferent.

But she didn’t want to see Uncle Tong and Aunt Zhang cry.

Uncle Liu, who was about ten years younger than Uncle Tong and Aunt Zhang and had worked at the Cen family for fewer years, didn’t have as deep a connection to Jiang Se. However, when she got out of the car, even he couldn’t hold back his tears.

Just like before, before she got out of the car, she reminded him, “Uncle Liu, be careful on your way back.”

Uncle Liu replied with a simple “Okay” and watched her figure disappear into the distance.

Out of habit, Jiang Se arrived at the airport an hour earlier than the boarding time.

After checking in her luggage, she had just arrived in the waiting area when her phone rang.

When she saw the name on the screen, she smiled and found a quiet corner to calmly answer, “You really know how to time it. I just got to the waiting area.”

On the other end of the phone, Xu Zhou laughed, “I’ve been your assistant for years; I still have a bit of skill left.”

She paused before continuing, “Director, I’ve handed over all of your assets as you instructed. They’re all transferred to Miss Cen Yu’s name.”

Jiang Se owned a lot of assets, including several mansions in both domestic and international locations, luxury cars, yachts, and many ancient artifacts and fine paintings.

It was quite impressive that Xu Zhou had managed to successfully transfer everything in just one month.

“Thank you, Zhou Zhou.” Jiang Se said, “By the way, when will you stop calling me Director? I’m no longer the Director of Hongsheng; you’re the one in charge now.”

Xu Zhou fell silent for a moment before replying, “You know, the only reason I agreed to take over your position was that I didn’t want to hand over your hard work to someone else. When you come back, the position will still be yours.”

“I’m not going back, Zhou Zhou.” Jiang Se lifted her head and glanced out the window at an airplane taking off, speaking in a calm tone, “The reason I pushed you into the Director position, despite everyone else’s opposition, is because I didn’t want to give Hongsheng to someone else. So, Zhou Zhou, the future of Hongsheng and that place, it’s all up to you now.”

“Director!” Xu Zhou’s nose tinged with emotion. Her usually stern face was moved, and she had never expected Jiang Se to give up Hongsheng so easily.

Hongsheng was a tech company that Jiang Se had taken over when she was 18 and in her third year of college. That year, Hongsheng had a major safety incident, and its stock price plummeted, causing the management team to leave.

The wealthy Cen family had simply acquired Hongsheng and handed it to Jiang Se.

Of course, that was just the official story.

In truth, Hongsheng was something Jiang Se had earned for herself on her coming-of-age day, in exchange for obediently wearing a bracelet given by the Fu family.

Back then, no one thought Hongsheng had a future. But to everyone’s surprise, Jiang Se revived the company in just four years, turning it around from a debt of 1.2 billion to a profit of 160 million.

No one believed this was Jiang Se’s achievement; they all thought the Cen family had found her a think tank and spent a lot of money on connections to turn things around.

Only Xu Zhou, who had fought alongside her, knew that this miracle was created by Jiang Se through many sleepless nights and one contract after another.

She was more talented and worked harder than anyone else, so why did she have to end up with nothing?

Xu Zhou felt it was unfair for Jiang Se.

“If it weren’t for you, Hongsheng wouldn’t be what it is today. Even if your last name isn’t Cen, they shouldn’t have taken your position.”

“Zhou Zhou, no one took my position. I resigned on my own,” Jiang Se’s gaze slowly followed the airplane soaring into the sky.

This was the condition she had agreed to with the Cen family: to leave the Cen family, she had to return everything she had received from them.

Xu Zhou went quiet for a moment, her voice hoarse, “Why?”

“If I hadn’t been a Cen, how could Hongsheng have been mine? If I return the surname, I naturally have to return all the things that come with it,” Jiang Se’s voice was calm, without a trace of grievance or longing. “Zhou Zhou, this is the only fair and reasonable thing to do.”

---

The flight from North City to Tong City took about three hours. Jiang Se walked through the VIP channel, carefully keeping track of her time.

The flight attendant standing at the cabin door didn’t notice the last passenger’s arrival. Her beautiful cat-like eyes were still gazing towards the first-class section, looking as though she was mesmerized.

It wasn’t until Jiang Se passed right in front of her that the attendant hurriedly snapped back to reality and quickly added, “Welcome aboard.”

Jiang Se gave a slight nod, acknowledging her.

The flight attendant looked up and was momentarily stunned when she saw Jiang Se’s face. The young woman was even more beautiful than the celebrities she had met before, and somehow, she seemed familiar. Yet, she couldn’t quite place where she had seen her before.

During those few seconds of searching through her memory, Jiang Se had already entered the first-class cabin, carrying a black handbag.

A familiar figure suddenly caught her attention.

The man was still dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit. The gray-blue tie loosely hung around his neck, and she could see the slight movement of his Adam’s apple as he spoke on the phone.

From Jiang Se’s angle, she could clearly see his prominent nose and dark lashes. The gold-rimmed glasses on his nose accentuated his fair skin, giving him an almost frosty appearance, like snow hanging from a rooftop in winter—cold to the touch even without contact.

Jiang Se didn’t stop walking. After a quick glance, she was about to look away, but just then, the man lifted his head, and their gazes met.

Upon seeing Jiang Se suddenly appear there, his expression remained as impassive as always.

The phone call was clearly nearing its end. The man, speaking slowly in French, said, “À plus tard.” (See you later.)

From the moment their eyes locked to the moment he hung up, his gaze remained on Jiang Se.

In such a small space, facing each other so unexpectedly. Given Jiang Se’s usual manners, she would have offered a perfectly timed smile and exchanged a few casual pleasantries with him.

Putting on a polite, genteel mask and engaging in small talk—this was something she had always been good at.

But now…

Now, about to leave North City and fly to Tong City…

Now, no longer needing to be a member of the Cen family…

She didn’t want to wear that mask anymore.

So, she calmly looked away, took slow, deliberate steps past Lu Huaiyan’s seat, and sat down in the seat behind him without sparing him a single extra glance.

As if he were just another stranger she had happened to cross paths with.

The air around them suddenly grew quiet.

Li Rui, sitting beside Lu Huaiyan, didn’t dare to make a sound. He had thought that after Lu Huaiyan hung up the phone, he was planning to greet Miss Jiang.

But instead, Miss Jiang had completely ignored him.

This must have been the first time Lu Huaiyan had been ignored like this.

Tsk tsk, here’s karma in action.

Yesterday, he was indifferent to her, and today, she treated him like air.

Li Rui stole a glance at the man beside him.

Lu Huaiyan’s exceptionally handsome face wore the same calm indifference as Jiang Se’s. After hanging up the phone, he picked up the nearby documents and began flipping through them casually, as if the woman who had just walked past him was just another stranger.

Previous

Next