Was Given to Her by Fifth Master

Jiang Rui was very happy that Shi Yan had such a temperament.

If it were anyone else, they would probably feel very uncomfortable at this moment.

Jiang Rui admired Shi Yan's open-minded and Buddhist way of doing things. In any case, she could not do it herself.

"Little Yan has been in Sea City for quite some time. Are you used to it? I heard that Rui'er has been entertaining you these last few days. This is the first time Rui'er has officially received a guest. If there's anything that she hasn't done well, please bear with me."

"I'm used to it. Rui'er has also been very attentive," Shi Yan replied with a smile.

When Jiang Rui was mentioned, Kong Xiangxiang's tone became much more normal. The words that Jiang Rui had asked her to bear with her hospitality came from the bottom of her heart.

It was not difficult to see that Kong Xiangxiang loved Jiang Rui very much.

"Mom, look at what you're saying. It's true that this is the first time I've officially hosted a guest, but I've also done very well, okay? Besides, it's just me and Yan. As long as we have fun, it's fine. There aren't so many twists and turns. We get along very well."

"As long as we get along well. You young people have something in common."

As they spoke, the waiter served the coffee.

He added sugar and stirred the coffee gently. Kong Xiangxiang did not drink it. She just stirred the coffee, and looking at Shi Yan, she casually asked, "Xiao Yan, you've lived in the old house for some time. You should be familiar with Rui'er and Ah Sheng. What do you think of them? Are they difficult to get along with?"

This question was rather tactful.

However, even if it was tactful, it was still a question.

To put it another way, it was a test.

Jiang Rui kept winking at Kong Xiangxiang, but she ignored it. She kept smiling at Shi Yan, waiting for her answer.

Shi Yan only added a little sugar into the coffee and stirred it gently. She smiled and met Kong Xiangxiang's eyes. 

"They are all very good people. They are easy to get along with."

She did not avoid her eyes at all.

However, her answer was too general, so Kong Xiangxiang did not get an accurate answer.

She wanted to ask more precise questions, but Jiang Rui beat her to it. 

"Mom, just now, Xiao Yan and I went to the embroidery shop and met Fifth uncle."

Her words made Kong Xiangxiang stop stirring her coffee.

"Tell me, who did you run into?"

She didn't even bother to ask Shi Yan.

"Uncle Wu."

"Wu... Lao Wu? Doesn't he usually stay in the bamboo garden and doesn't go out? Why did he go out? He went to the embroidery shop...

"Did he go shopping?"

Jiang Rui shook her head, "I'm not sure."

Shi Yan glanced at Jiang Rui without leaving a trace.

Not sure?

Jiang Che was looking for an elder to help him make pastries. Even if it was inconvenient for him to tell the elder about the pastries, Jiang Rui could say that he was going to visit the elder. Why wasn't she clear about it?

"Mom, I just think that I should mention the matter of meeting my Fifth Uncle to you. As for what Fifth Uncle was doing, it's not appropriate for us to ask."

Kong Xiangxiang was silent for a moment before saying, "Yes, it's not appropriate for us to ask about your Fifth Uncle. Don't mention this to anyone else when you go back. Just pretend that you never met your Fifth Uncle."

After saying that, Kong Xiangxiang looked at Shi Yan.

Without waiting for her to speak, Jiang Rui pointed at the pastry box that Shi Yan had placed on the table in front of her and said, "Mom, this box of pastries is a gift from Fifth Uncle."

Kong Xiangxiang widened her eyes in surprise.

If she remembered correctly, this box of pastries had been held by Shi Yan since she met up with them.

"Your Fifth Uncle gave it to you… For both of you?"

She was more inclined to think that this box of pastries was given to Jiang Rui, but Kong Xiangxiang also knew that it was unlikely.

Giving Jiang Rui a gift was unlikely, but giving Shi Yan a gift was even more… 

Jiang Che giving Shi Yan pastries was completely impossible in Kong Xiangxiang's eyes.

'It's for Xiao Yan. So Mom, don't worry. With a peerless figure like Uncle Wu in front of her, Xiao Yan wouldn't miss anyone else even if she wanted to!' Jiang Rui shouted in her heart.

She really wanted to say these words out loud. If she didn't have some misgivings, she would definitely not hold it in.

"Give..."

Kong Xiangxiang looked at Shi Yan in surprise.

Then, she met Shi Yan's faint smile.

She sat there and gently stirred the coffee in front of her. She was obviously sitting in a cafe in the bustling city, just like the others, simply stirring the coffee. However, for some reason, it gave people the feeling that she was sitting in an ancient courtyard with smoke lingering around the stove, carefully brewing tea.

The surrounding clamor was silent because of her.

Was this Shi Yan really an orphan from the countryside?

Her temperament was unique, and it was likely that many socialite daughters who had been nurtured by their family's rich background did not have it.

Originally, she thought that it was absolutely impossible for Jiang Che to send pastries to Shi Yan, but now Kong Xiangxiang was somewhat shaken.

Shi Yan was too special. It was not impossible for Jiang Che to notice her.

No matter what, Jiang Che was only twenty-five years old. It was reasonable for him to be attracted to an outstanding member of the opposite sex... Right?

In just a few seconds, countless emotions flashed in the depths of Kong Xiangxiang's eyes.

However, Shi Yan didn't seem to notice it. She smiled faintly and said, "I bumped into Fifth Master Jiang in the courtyard earlier and coincidentally helped him. This is his thank you gift."

Putting aside how unbelievable it was for Jiang Che to personally give a thank you gift, just the fact that Shi Yan helped Jiang Che was enough to shock Kong Xiangxiang.

From Kong Xiangxiang's point of view, even if Jiang Che was in trouble, he would not easily accept help from others. Moreover, Shi Yan said that they were in the courtyard, which meant that she met Jiang Che in the old residence.

In the old residence, it was even more impossible for Jiang Che to accept Shi Yan's help. If he really needed help, he could simply call for someone. After all, there were many servants in the old residence.

Kong Xiangxiang was undoubtedly curious about this matter, but as it concerned Jiang Che, she could not ask too much.

She forced a smile and said, "I see."

Shi Yanwei was slightly surprised that she didn't ask any further questions.

It seemed that Fifth Master Jiang was indeed a person that everyone kept a secret about in the Jiang family of Sea City.

Kong Xiangxiang held up her coffee cup and tried to hide her emotions. She said to Shi Yan, "The coffee here tastes pretty good. Little Yan, you should try it now, as it won't taste good if it gets cold."

Kong Xiangxiang's request to treat Shi Yan to coffee ended just like that.

Walking out of the coffee shop, Kong Xiangxiang said that she still had an appointment and left without them.

Sitting in the car, Jiang Rui asked Shi Yan, "Xiao Yan, you don't blame me for talking too much just now, right?"

Shi Yan followed her line of sight and saw the pastry box in her hand. She smiled and shook her head, "It's not weird. I still have to thank you."

She still needed to stay in the Jiang family. If possible, she did not want to get into a bad relationship with the Jiang family, especially since the other party was Jiang Rui's mother. 

This was very good. It would be settled without bloodshed.

"My mother… Anyway, don't take it to heart, Xiao Yan. She just places too much importance on certain things. In fact, she doesn't have any ill intentions, and she's not targeting you."

"I understand."

Not just anyone could be the wife of a great aristocratic family. In the end, there were some groundless rumors that involved her and Jiang Cheng. As Jiang Cheng's mother, it was not surprising that Kong Xiangxiang would be suspicious of her.

However, understanding was one thing. Very few people would be willing to be probed like this.

She was not a person who liked to hold grudges, but she was also not a saint who would return good for evil and not care about anything.

Her intersection with Kong ended here.