Su Lu blinked, her ears perked up.
She had heard Bo Jingshen briefly mention something about Jiang Li before, so she basically knew the relationship between Jiang Li and the Jiang Family was not harmonious, and he was even once driven out of his home and had been so destitute that he had to depend on Bo Jingshen’s help to barely scrape by.
She also knew that the person Jiang Li once valued greatly was no longer alive.
And this Ying Xi was that person’s only relative, his only younger brother, so Jiang Li attached great importance to this project. Taking good care of Ying Xi was Jiang Li’s sole thought.
However, what Su Lu knew was just what Bo Jingshen had mentioned, and she hadn’t probed further.
But now that Su Zhe had brought it up, Su Lu couldn’t help but be somewhat curious.
Initially, it was Qiao Li who had asked the question, so after hearing what Su Zhe had just said, Qiao Li asked further, "How so? Is there some unknown inside story?"
"Yes, although Second Young Master Jiang is a dissolute scion, it’s no longer his parents who indulge him, but his brother Jiang Su. A few years ago, Jiang Su took charge of the Jianghe Group. I don’t have deep ties with Jiang Su, but I know him well enough. He’s a man with plans, and if it weren’t for his brother, he probably wouldn’t have been willing to take over the Jiang Family so soon."
As Su Zhe spoke, he popped open another beer bottle.
Next to him, Su Lu quietly pushed the fruit plate towards Su Zhe, serving him attentively and waiting silently for him to continue.
It was true that the relationship between Su Zhe and Jiang Su was not deep, but they indeed had a mutual understanding.
As the saying goes, both were cunning foxes that couldn’t trick each other.
Just as Su Zhe was familiar with the affairs of the Su Family, he was also well-acquainted with those of the Jiang Family.
Moreover, unlike the Su Family, whose affairs, such as the eldest son directly becoming estranged from his father, were eye-catching and seemed peculiar,
even if Su Lu had been forced to marry into the Gu Family or if she had been abused by Su Yukan, these were not considered peculiar anymore. Therefore, Su Lu’s affairs might not be widely known.
But the affairs involving Jiang Li were different; anyone in Feng City who was well-informed had heard of them somewhat.
The two brothers of the Feng City Jiang Family, talented and courteous, should have had the best reputation.
Yet a scandal broke out, with the pampered Second Young Master Jiang having fallen in love with a man.
In such circles, nobody is simple, whether it’s a woman liking another woman or a man liking another man; even if you loved a dog, it wouldn’t be a big deal.
But while fun is fun, just don’t let dog meat appear on the main table—it’s harmless, and no one would care, not even taking it seriously, as long as you yourself don’t take it seriously.
These matters, these rules, were an unspoken understanding among everyone.
But Second Young Master Jiang was an exception; he didn’t just disregard it, he took it too seriously.
He was young and passionate, and having been well-protected by his elder brother from a young age, was naive and devoted, not entertaining any thoughts of mere dalliance; from the beginning, he planned for forever.
This man was his bodyguard, and also his first love.
Second Young Master Jiang was madly in love, to the extent that, originally, in the elite circles of Feng City, a bodyguard’s name was less memorable than that of any young master’s pedigree dog.
But the name of the bodyguard was well-known because of the sensational actions of Second Young Master Jiang, which made many people familiar with it.
The man was called Ying Heng, a bodyguard. Though he was someone who seldom smiled or joked, he had a gentle nature. He would help Jiang Li rescue cats from the rooftop and would quietly and attentively peel chestnuts for hours because Jiang Li liked to eat freshly peeled raw chestnuts, producing a plate of pale yellow, sweet chestnut flesh.
It was Jiang Li who first fell for him, not knowing how much effort he had spent just to make this serious yet gentle man willing to be with him.
And of course, Jiang’s parents were furious, thinking their son had been seduced and bewitched by this bodyguard.
They did not know how many methods they had tried to separate Jiang Li and Ying Heng, but none were successful. No one expected Jiang Li to be so stubborn.
Su Lu was captivated as she listened. "And then what?"
Even Qiao Li was listening quite seriously.
"Then?" Su Zhe thought for a moment. "Later, I don’t know who suggested the idea to Jiang’s parents, but they hired people to kidnap Jiang Li, making it look like a kidnapping. Ying Heng, originally Jiang Li’s bodyguard, naturally was the first to look for him after obtaining a clue."
"The ’kidnappers’ hired for this, intending to teach Ying Heng a lesson, naturally did not go easy on him—right in front of Jiang Li, right in front of his eyes. They were only supposed to scare Ying Heng a bit, but sometimes actions hoof out of hand. By the time he was ’rescued’ and brought to the hospital, Ying Heng had already passed away. He died in Jiang Li’s arms."
Su Zhe spoke in a very calm voice, calmly relating the painful story.
Su Lu was shocked, never having dreamed that the usually frivolous and jovial Second Young Master of Jiang had such a tragic past.
Looking at his sunny demeanor, who could imagine the old wounds festering behind the scenes?
Su Lu suddenly remembered what Jiang Li had once said when she called him Second Young Master Jiang.
He had hooked his lips and told her, "Just call me Ah Li."
Jiang Li felt a kindred spirit with her, perhaps because both of them had little sense of belonging to their own surnames.
"Jiang Li drifted aimlessly for a while and rested for a while. Everyone thought he was genuinely mentally collapsed and needed rest, but during that time, he was actually secretly investigating to the extent that the loose ends his parents hadn’t managed to clean up were discovered by him."
Then the matters progressed as they did. Jiang Li completely broke off from his family and, despite living in poverty, never looked back. It was only later when Jiang Su took full control of the family business and tried every means to persuade his younger brother to return.
Otherwise, Jiang Li might still be just a wandering vagabond now.
"So this Ying Xi..." Qiao Li knitted his brows, obviously also somewhat distressed by the painful past of another.
"Ying Heng’s only relative, his younger brother, Ying Xi," Su Zhe said, slightly raising his eyebrows, "so, if Ying Xi is involved, there’s no need to worry. Second Master Jiang will definitely not treat this project frivolously and will take it seriously. If he takes it seriously, Jiang Su will definitely not ignore it, so this project is basically successful."
Su Zhe said this and then turned to look at Su Lulu, "Su Lulu can just follow along and benefit from it, such a good situation..."
As Su Zhe spoke, he chuckled, "That Mr. Bo is really giving you quite the bargain."
Upon hearing this, Su Lu was stunned, not quite sure how to feel.
If it had been just a day earlier, she might still have been thrilled. But now...