Chapter 39: Grandfather Says He Wants to See You
After much contemplation, she finally sent a message to Wen Jinhai, even spending quite some time composing it in the chat box.
“Mr. Wen, thank you for your invitation, but I’m not closely connected to the Wen family. Would it be too much of an imposition?”
She truly wasn’t sure how to phrase it, so she simply closed her eyes and sent the message as it was.
Since her parents passed away, she had barely any ties with the Wen family’s main branch.
The last time she met Old Master Wen was when she was a child, accompanied by her parents. Now, attending his birthday banquet in her current position felt inappropriate.
As she hesitated, Wen Jinhai replied.
“Grandfather wants to see you.”
That single sentence left Jiang Mian even more bewildered.
Except for that one time abroad when she saw Old Master Wen, she hadn’t seen him since.
Old Master Wen wanted to see her? It sounded very strange.
She was so stunned by those words that she couldn’t collect herself. On the other end, Wen Jinhai, staring at the silent chat box, could probably imagine her expression.
Smiling wryly, he put his leg down and glanced toward Old Master Wen sitting on the adjacent sofa.
“Grandfather, I told you, you’re going to scare her.”
Old Master Wen snorted coldly without looking at him.
“You care about this young lady, and I want to meet her. What’s wrong with that? Besides, last time I thought she resembled a Su family girl—quite to my liking.”
Wen Jinhai sighed helplessly, wanting to explain something but knowing Old Master Wen wouldn’t listen, so he said nothing.
“If you really like her, then go ahead and pursue her boldly.”
Old Master Wen turned to look at him; Wen Jinhai was momentarily speechless.
He remembered telling Old Master Wen that his feelings for Jiang Mian were not romantic, yet the old man was stubbornly set on his own view.
He had initially decided not to entertain Old Master Wen, but seeing his silence, the old man brightened up again.
“Jinhai, if you don’t like this girl, Grandfather can introduce you to some daughters from reputable families. It’s about time you settled down.”
He knew well: once he denied someone, Old Master Wen would try to set him up with another.
Now that Old Master Wen was advanced in age, there was little for him to do but hope Wen Jinhai would marry and have children early.
Only when he saw him fulfilled would Old Master Wen feel he hadn’t let down Wen Senior and Madam Wen’s wishes.
Wen Jinhai raised his hand to stop Old Master Wen from speaking further and sighed in resignation.
“Grandfather, rest assured, I have my plans. I know how to pursue a woman.”
He looked at Old Master Wen with utmost seriousness, leaving no room for doubt.
The old man snorted proudly a couple of times. “I guessed as much.”
Once the matter was brushed aside, Wen Jinhai finally breathed a sigh of relief; it was quite a challenge for him.
Meanwhile, Jiang Mian was troubled over what to wear to Old Master Wen’s birthday banquet—how to appear appropriate without seeming too ostentatious.
After all, Wen Jinhai’s words had put her in a difficult position.
Days passed quickly as Jiang Mian busied herself with matters at the studio and XG’s domestic headquarters.
She had arranged for Cheng Qi to schedule interviews with candidates screened earlier by Teacher Chen and reviewed them all.
Most were eager to stay and learn, confident they could handle the pressure, while only two or three declined after hearing Cheng Qi’s introduction.
She re-examined their backgrounds and family situations and found they indeed didn’t need the kind of rigorous training the headquarters offered.
They could secure decent, low-stress jobs through their families without coming to XG’s domestic base.
Currently, the company was not much different from a startup; establishing a presence in the domestic market required considerable effort.
One afternoon, she and Cheng Qi left headquarters, walking and chatting.
“General Manager Xu transferred some people back to assist. Counting the new hires, the basic structure is now in place.”
Jiang Mian nodded thoughtfully. “We’ll fill in the remaining positions gradually.”
“You might have to trouble yourself a bit more lately.”
Jiang Mian glanced at Cheng Qi. Recently, her studio had been stretched thin, and she was contemplating solutions. With Old Master Wen’s seventieth birthday approaching, she was also busy overseeing her custom-made dress.
After all, it was a major event for the Wen family, and having received an invitation, she couldn’t afford to neglect it.
Cheng Qi nodded, fully aware of Jiang Mian’s recent difficulties.
After parting ways downstairs, Jiang Mian headed toward the underground parking, musing quietly.
The dress designer she hired, an old acquaintance from her parents’ time, assured her the finished gown would be delivered to her home the next morning, putting her at ease.
Although her parents had passed, her relationship with the designer remained good and unaffected.
Speaking of the Wen family’s birthday celebration, that longtime friend finally remembered to return from abroad and had been persistently contacting her.
“Sleepyhead, A-Mian, why aren’t you replying?”
Her phone buzzed incessantly as Jiang Mian opened the car door and settled in, fastening her seatbelt before checking the messages.
Messages from Shen Xiyao came one after another, nearly overwhelming her phone.
Sighing, she replied, “When’s your flight? I’ll pick you up.”
No sooner had she sent the message than a screenshot arrived: “Arriving tomorrow afternoon. Darling Mianbao, make sure to come get me~”
Shen Xiyao was the eldest daughter of the Shen family. When Wen Senior and Madam Wen were alive, the two families maintained good relations.
However, things changed afterward.
The Shen family was reluctant to have too much interaction with Jiang Zhouyi. After the Jiang family’s transfer of power, their relationship cooled.
Still, the Shen family treated Jiang Mian well, though they stayed out of business affairs, being outsiders.
Moreover, Jiang Mian had refused Shen Xiyao’s suggestion to enlist Shen family’s help.
The matter was significant yet private—pertaining to internal Jiang family affairs, with Jiang Zhouyi being her second uncle.
If the Shen family intervened, it would create an unclear indebtedness, potentially becoming a burden in the future.
Besides, as she and Shen Xiyao were on good terms, there was no need to entangle interests.
“Got it. I’ll be sure to pick you up on time.”
After replying to Shen Xiyao, Jiang Mian started the car and headed out.
She had been exhausted these past few days and just wanted to rest at home all afternoon to dispel her fatigue.
Since blocking Jiang Zhixuan and the others, her phone had been much quieter.
She heard from mutual friends that Jiang Zhixuan was constantly flaunting her romance on social media, and Jiang Zhouyi had also been invited.
In theory, it was reasonable for Jiang Zhixuan to attend Old Master Wen’s grand birthday banquet, but Jiang Zhouyi’s presence seemed out of place.
Perhaps Wen Yan had heard something and, being somewhat gullible, had been manipulated—who could say?
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