I Have 10 Trillion Dollars only Usable For Simping Chapter 2390 - 1513: Wedding Banquet (2)

"Did Aunt Pan do the cleaning?"

Jiang Chen instantly grasped the situation.

Fang Qing remained silent.

"I mentioned it wasn’t necessary to go to such lengths. Just a little tidying up would have been fine since I’m back."

"My mother reasoned that with you having a girlfriend now, you’d definitely want to bring her home to see your place, regardless of your success. It wouldn’t look good if she arrived to find it messy."

Jiang Chen was caught off guard, and the unspoken guilt he felt intensified.

He opened his mouth, intending to speak, but no words came out.

Fang Qing lowered herself onto the aged, faded red paint of the wooden sofa.

"It’s alright. In a few more months, everyone will be moving out, and they won’t have to worry about such things anymore."

Jiang Chen also sat on the sofa, leaving a two-seat gap between them. For some inexplicable reason, the atmosphere suddenly felt rather heavy.

His lifelong habit of teasing Fang Qing had become second nature. In contrast, confronting the two elders who treated him as their own son proved to be much more challenging.

There was likely only one solution to resolve this delicate situation.

——It would only work if Fang Qing also found someone to date.

However, Qing Gege’s standards were notoriously high.

"I still need to go out and buy a few things."

Jiang Chen abruptly stood up.

Fang Qing showed a flicker of surprise, then couldn’t help but chuckle. "Don’t bother. My mom didn’t clean your place with any expectations. They’d genuinely be displeased if you bought them gifts because of it."

Jiang Chen felt an overwhelming sense of being unable to repay them.

Indeed.

He was immensely wealthy now, yet some sentiments were beyond monetary value; attempting to repay them with cash would be a profound insult.

One must remember that Mr. and Mrs. Fang’s kindness towards him wasn’t a recent development following his life’s transformation—it dated back to his very birth.

After his parents’ passing, everyone else, including relatives, had kept their distance. Only Uncle Fang and Aunt Pan remained steadfast, their care for him even growing stronger.

It was no wonder Fang Qing often brought it up.

If he were in Fang Qing’s position, he might also question which of them was truly their biological child.

"If Uncle Fang and Aunt Pan ever need anything, please let me know."

Jiang Chen resumed his seat.

"They don’t need a thing. My mom’s even taking up square dancing every night now, so you don’t need to fret."

"Is that so?"

Jiang Chen chuckled. "Does Aunt Pan have a knack for dancing?"

"You bet she does! They even asked her to lead the group."

Jiang Chen looked incredulous. "Is this because of you, their daughter?"

As their casual conversation flowed, footsteps were heard approaching from outside.

Both of them turned their heads.

Pan Hui, surprised to find the Jiang family’s door ajar, glanced inside. Upon seeing Jiang Chen, she initially startled before breaking into a broad, welcoming smile.

"Little Jiang is back!"

Jiang Chen immediately rose to his feet. "Aunt Pan."

"You girl, why didn’t you let us know beforehand? Come in, quickly, sit down."

Pan Hui fumbled for her keys, her eagerness surpassing even that for future in-laws.

"Were you out grocery shopping?"

Fang Qing moved to assist her mother with the grocery bags.

Pan Hui shot her daughter a playful glare as she unlocked the door. "Trying to surprise us, were you?"

"Aunt Pan, please don’t fault Fang Qing. I actually didn’t inform anyone; it was Tong Dan who let my flight details slip."

Jiang Chen felt compelled to clear Fang Qing’s name, even though Fang Qing had often teased him in the past.

But a gentleman doesn’t argue with a lady, right?

"Where is Uncle Fang?"

"Yeah, Dad? Didn’t he go shopping with you?"

A subtle hint of unease flickered across Pan Hui’s face as she opened the door, offering a vague explanation. "He’s downstairs; he’ll be up shortly. Little Jiang, do come inside."

The children had grown, after all, blossoming into remarkable individuals. With Jiang Chen and Fang Qing’s perceptiveness, how could they miss Pan Hui’s subtle discomfort?

Were the couple having a spat?

Jiang Chen and Fang Qing exchanged a knowing look but wisely remained silent.

"Qing Qing, go make some tea for Jiang Chen."

"Aunt Pan, there’s no need; I’m not thirsty."

"I’ll go call your uncle up right now."

Pan Hui purposefully retreated to the kitchen, clearly indicating that something was amiss, making secrecy unnecessary.

Jiang Chen gave a slight inclination of his head.

Fang Qing understood the unspoken cue and rose, following her mother. The moment she reached the kitchen doorway, she overheard her mother’s hushed reprimand.

"Enough! It’s a simple fact that Little Jiang has a girlfriend; what’s there to argue about? There’s no ill will involved. Little Jiang is back, hurry upstairs!"

"Yes! He’s already home, hurry up!"

"Mom, what’s happening?"

Pan Hui, startled by Fang Qing’s voice as she ended the call, spun around quickly, attempting to smooth things over. "What are you doing in here? Go chat with Jiang Chen."

"What is Dad doing down there?"

"He’s merely clearing his thoughts."

"Clearing his thoughts?"

Fang Qing let out a chuckle. "In the middle of the afternoon? Did someone upset him?"

"No one upset him; he’s just being temperamental."

"Dad doesn’t strike me as a temperamental person."

"He isn’t temperamental? He’s constantly bragging to everyone that he watched Little Jiang grow up, as if Little Jiang were his own son. Then, when someone casually inquired when we’d be celebrating your happy occasion, he became agitated."

"A happy occasion? Whose happy occasion?"

Pan Hui looked at her daughter, a moment of hesitation passing before she sighed softly.

"Who else could it be? We happened to run into an old friend at the supermarket earlier, someone you should address as Uncle. He used to reside in the compound but relocated later. Today, by coincidence, we crossed paths at the market. He had heard about the accomplishments you and Jiang Chen have achieved and, recalling your close childhood bond, jokingly asked if you two were an item and to not forget to extend a wedding invitation. It was just a conventional pleasantry, with no deeper implication, but your father stewed about it the entire way home..."

Is she truly unaware of why her husband is displeased?

"Why don’t you just tell him the version of the truth?"

Fang Qing smiled, feigning nonchalance. "So, he’s just downstairs, is he? I’ll go find him."

"No need, he’s already on his way up."

"You certainly do enjoy surprising us, don’t you?"

The mother and daughter inside the kitchen detected hearty laughter approaching from the doorway, a sound brimming with vitality, utterly devoid of any gloom.

They exchanged a knowing glance.

"Your father is quite the performer as well."

Pan Hui shook her head with a smile. "Let’s head out."

Oblivious to the preceding events and deceived by Fang Weiguo’s act, Jiang Chen assumed it was merely a typical marital disagreement between the couple.

After all, what couple doesn’t engage in occasional arguments?

"Uncle Fang."

A certain individual, capable of engaging in private conversations with Cao Jinse during high-level meetings, promptly rose, as if the ordinary man approaching briskly held more significance than the dignitaries occupying elevated positions.

Fang Weiguo’s countenance was flushed, radiating genuine, unfeigned delight as he clapped Jiang Chen firmly on the shoulder.

"Good lad, I had anticipated I wouldn’t have the chance to see you again until the New Year."

"Just like Qing Qing, Little Jiang and Tie Jun were inseparable friends from childhood. It’s unthinkable that he wouldn’t return for Tie Jun’s wedding."

Pan Hui and her daughter emerged from the kitchen.

Fang Weiguo cast a glance back at his wife, feeling a flicker of awkwardness, but fortunately, his wife chose not to expose his charade.

"Precisely! You absolutely must grace Tie Jun’s wedding with your presence. Tie Jun, that young man, was always the most sensible among you during your youth, and it’s fitting that he’s the first to embark on married life."

Fang Weiguo, suddenly grasping the situation, continued his wife’s line of conversation with a smile.

Jiang Chen wasn’t the most exemplary child.

But...

Life’s path is often unpredictable.

"Fortunately, Aunt Pan and I have procured groceries, so we have the necessary ingredients. Allow Uncle Fang to showcase his culinary prowess today."

"Uncle Fang, perhaps I could lend a hand..."

"Do not concern yourself with Uncle Fang’s cooking. Perhaps it’s a way to alleviate boredom, finding an occupation for himself, he has delved into the culinary arts and now prepares dishes that are surprisingly palatable."

Pan Hui’s playful remark elicited laughter from everyone present, Fang Weiguo included.

"You folks have been savoring my cooking for over two decades; it’s about time you experienced a change in culinary delights."

"Aunt Pan, your cooking is something I could never grow tired of."

Jiang Chen responded swiftly.

Fang Weiguo ceased speaking, a wide grin spreading across his face as he gestured towards Jiang Chen, "You, my boy, are a more accomplished actor than I am!"