Volume One, Chapter 38: Divorce!

After spending the night at Li Jingshou’s house, Jiang Chen sat dejectedly at the doorstep as Li Jingshou approached him, accompanied by five housekeepers and two chefs. At that moment, Jiang Chen was still pondering how to make his way to Ning Rou’s home.

He hadn’t returned all night the day before. If Ning Rou really started to investigate him, it would be a real headache.

“Boss!” Li Jingshou called quietly.

That call snapped Jiang Chen back to reality. “Who are these?” he asked.

Li Jingshou rubbed his hands together. “Boss, this is the executive chef from our family’s five-star hotel. I specially borrowed him to make you breakfast.”

Jiang Chen glanced at the impressive entourage, counting heads. “Are all these people here just to cook for me?”

Li Jingshou nodded. “Yes. Not enough? If it’s not, I can borrow a couple more from other hotels.”

Not enough? This was more than enough. Jiang Chen didn’t even know what to make of it; breakfast for him was just an egg pancake and fifteen meat buns, no need for a five-star chef.

At that moment, Jiang Chen thought of a plan. “Little... I’ll just call you Little Beast. It sounds a bit Sichuanese, but I don’t have any better names.”

Li Jingshou didn’t mind and waited for Jiang Chen’s instructions.

“Please, could you all make some visually appealing breakfast dishes for me? Taste doesn’t matter; I want to give them to a girl.”

Previously, when soothing Ning Rou, he always admitted fault first, and it worked well. But if he kept doing that, it seemed insincere; over time, its effectiveness would fade.

The chefs all agreed, one even saying he was a master patissier.

While waiting, Jiang Chen sized up his new junior.

Though Li Jingshou was a spoiled rich kid, it didn’t affect his inherently kind nature. According to Su Yike, Li Jingshou’s only hobby was spending money. Even in romance, he only dated one girl at a time; if they broke up, he’d look for another, but he never juggled two relationships.

“Little Beast, do you want to learn something? Like martial arts?”

Li Jingshou scratched his head. “Is it too late for me to learn martial arts now?”

Jiang Chen stood up, asked him about his fate, then tapped his crown.

Master Five truly cares for me—this rare Yang body is real!

“You can learn martial arts even if you’re weak, and once you do, you won’t be weak anymore,” Jiang Chen said, figuring mentioning weakness would get his attention.

Li Jingshou quietly hid his right hand behind his back. “Bro, maybe you should seal my hand.”

“Huh?” Jiang Chen was stunned. Was this kid’s train of thought always so odd?

“Anyway, do you want to learn or not?” Jiang Chen decided not to get tangled in his logic; any further and he’d tie himself in knots.

Li Jingshou didn’t even hesitate. “I’d rather not. I’m not cut out for hardship, and society is so safe nowadays—if anything happens, I can just call the police.”

Jiang Chen said nothing more, just nodded. If he didn’t want to learn now, it meant the time and fate weren’t right. Jiang Chen wouldn’t force him. With Li Jingshou following him, sooner or later he’d realize the world was far more complicated.

Once the chefs finished preparing breakfast, Jiang Chen grabbed the food box and planned to flag down a taxi, only to see Li Jingshou already pulling up in his sports car.

“Bro, let me handle it. I’ll take you home. Where do you live?” Li Jingshou took the food box, placed it in the car, opened the door, and Jiang Chen got in.

He felt a bit uncomfortable playing the big brother; he preferred treating others as equals. On the ride, he told Li Jingshou not to be so deferential, but Li Jingshou replied,

“I want to know why that old beggar told me to follow you.”

The message was clear beneath its surface. Li Jingshou wasn’t just being polite; he wanted to see what qualities Jiang Chen possessed that were worth following.

Jiang Chen wasn’t in a rush to prove himself; he believed that day would come soon.

“Bro, you get busy. I’m off to see my crush,” Li Jingshou said, using an English term, proud and pleased.

“Good luck, may you win her heart soon,” Jiang Chen said, grabbing the food box and bidding Li Jingshou farewell.

Next, he was about to face the challenge: Ning Rou’s interrogation.

Step one, open the door, and then...

Stuck at step one—the door wouldn’t open.

“No way, locked again?” Jiang Chen grumbled, rolling up his sleeves and climbing in from the second floor.

Ning Rou had already washed up and was perfectly dressed, her face expressionless.

Jiang Chen actually wished Ning Rou would show a little anger—anything would be better than this blank look.

This emotionless face made things difficult.

“Jiang Chen, let’s get divorced,” Ning Rou said calmly, her words stirring waves in Jiang Chen’s heart.

“Alright, let’s do it. We can go this afternoon. But let’s eat first,” Jiang Chen replied, not arguing further. Divorce it was—after all, their marriage was an accident from the start.

He placed the food box on the table and reminded her, “Eat while it’s hot. After you finish, I’ll take you to the office.”

When Ning Rou opened the box, she saw an array of exquisitely crafted pastries, each arranged in various shapes.

Jiang Chen wondered if he should start packing his things now. Ning Rou, curious, asked, “Did you make all these?”

Well, whether he did or not, now he had to claim it.

But clever Jiang Chen didn’t answer directly—doing so would seem dull and wouldn’t have much effect. He knew that once an iceberg cracked, it would keep melting, so he decided to seize the opportunity.

“I bought the ingredients last night and spent all night making them. It’s nothing—I’m happy to do it. Tonight, I’ll cook something else for you. We were married, after all; this is just a small token of compensation on my part,” Jiang Chen said, rubbing his forehead and then thumping his chest.

Actually, out of Ning Rou’s sight, Jiang Chen’s thump was a tap on his acupoint, making him appear exhausted.

Ning Rou noticed Jiang Chen’s reddened eyes and dark circles, and her heart softened. “Weren’t you staying at the Su family last night? So Miss Su must have helped you make these, right?”

Jiang Chen, under interrogation, remained calm. He had gone to the Su family yesterday, but hadn’t stayed overnight.

“Heaven and earth can be my witness—I spent last night at Li Jingshou’s, a friend’s house. If you don’t believe me, you can ask around.”

Ning Rou snorted, “Fine, I’ll take your word for it. I don’t have time tonight to divorce you; we’ll talk about it later.”

Hearing that the divorce was postponed, Jiang Chen breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, he hadn’t slept at Su Yike’s house last night—otherwise, he’d never be able to explain it, and the divorce papers would probably have been mailed directly to the Su family.

Jiang Chen took the initiative. “So, when do you want to go? I’m free anytime.”

Ning Rou had just swallowed a pastry and nearly choked at Jiang Chen’s words, glaring fiercely at him.

Jiang Chen was startled and fled in panic. “I’ll go downstairs and pull the car up—take your time eating, no rush.”