After Becoming a Spare Tire, I Got Together with My White Moonlight - Chapter 60

It was signed and sealed, but the amount was left blank.

It was a blatant gesture, telling her she could fill in whatever sum she desired.

While the upper limit of such a check likely represented only a fraction of the elder Mr. Jiang’s total net worth, it was still far, far more than any “allowance” these young ladies usually saw. If Yan Guiqiu were bold enough to fill it to the cap, it would be more than enough to serve as seed funding for several startup attempts.

Jiang Xuehe fell silent for a moment upon seeing it. This was indeed beyond her expectations; the gift was far too substantial.

Yan Guiqiu glanced at Jiang Xuehe and handed the check over, remarking with a sigh, “Suddenly, that pile of local specialties we brought feels incredibly shabby.”

Jiang Xuehe pushed the check back. “Grandpa gave it to you. You should keep it.”

“Oh, Sister Xuehe, don’t you see yet?” Yan Guiqiu took her hand and pressed the check into her palm. “This is a gift for both of us.”

Jiang Xuehe was too close to the situation to see it clearly.

No matter how much the elder Mr. Jiang liked Yan Guiqiu, she was still technically an outsider for now. Even if they eventually married and registered their union, there would always be a slight layer of distance compared to his own granddaughter. Therefore, in any situation, he would naturally prioritize Jiang Xuehe’s interests.

Jiang Xuehe had not yet returned to the Jiang Group. Whether she would eventually start her own business or return to compete with Jiang Xueyang remained to be seen. Regardless of the path she chose, having her own financial backing would give her significantly more leverage and confidence than anyone else.

However, Jiang Xueyang already had a foundation in the company, and countless eyes were on Jiang Xuehe. If the old man supported her too overtly, it might drive Jiang Xueyang and Mr. Jiang to desperation, which wouldn’t be good for her. Having Yan Guiqiu there provided the perfect cover.

If Yan Guiqiu were an ordinary girl from a family with no name, the elder Mr. Jiang wouldn’t have handed over a blank check so readily. But Yan Guiqiu was different. With the Yan family behind her, she was unlikely to be blinded by greed. Even if she were to take the money and run, her reputation would be ruined, and the Yan family and Meng Xinglan would be forced to settle the debt unless their company was on the verge of bankruptcy—which, given the Yan family’s current momentum, was clearly not the case.

The more a family like the Yans was on the rise, the more they had to protect their reputation. They wouldn’t discard their future for a bit of short-term profit. If they couldn’t grasp that much, they wouldn’t be rising as they were today.

Of course, the elder Mr. Jiang wasn’t simply using Yan Guiqiu. If she didn’t think too deeply about it, she might simply frame the check or fill in a small, symbolic amount, which wouldn’t be a loss for him. He had many other ways to supplement Jiang Xuehe’s finances privately.

But if Yan Guiqiu understood the gesture and gave the check to Jiang Xuehe, or withdrew the money to support her, then Jiang Xuehe would owe her a debt of gratitude. This ensured that even if Yan Guiqiu never touched her own family’s industry, the relationship between the two women would remain balanced.

Jiang Xuehe only noticed that her grandfather had a good impression of Yan Guiqiu, but Yan Guiqiu had noticed the intimate tone and expression between the two when they spoke. She didn’t know how the old man usually treated outsiders, but Jiang Xuehe was rarely so relaxed. She, who usually followed others’ leads, would occasionally banter with the old man—a level of casual ease she hadn’t even shown with her close cousin, Jiang Xuyu.

Looking at it from the other side, the elder Mr. Jiang’s affection for Jiang Xuehe was clear. A businessman as shrewd as he was had no reason to give such a grand gift to a first-time acquaintance like Yan Guiqiu, only to ignore his own granddaughter after years apart. Jiang Xuehe knew the old man better than Yan Guiqiu did, and upon reflection, she realized this was indeed his style.

“I’m just a student. Keeping this much money is useless to me; it’s better placed where it can actually do some work.” Yan Guiqiu pressed her hand over Jiang Xuehe’s, preventing her from handing it back. She added solemnly, “Keeping it for you is the only way to make ‘money make more money.’ When you earn a fortune to support me in the future, I won’t be losing out—I’ll be winning big.”

She spoke with conviction. Jiang Xuehe knew she was only trying to make her feel comfortable accepting it. It wasn’t just because the money was useful—Jiang Xuehe likely didn’t lack the funds personally—but rather because of the sentiment behind it. To have someone silently supporting you from behind, and someone always by your side on the journey; to Jiang Xuehe, that was the most valuable and precious thing of all.

“…Alright,” Jiang Xuehe finally nodded and accepted it.

As they continued walking, Jiang Xuehe let out a slow, long breath. “Suddenly, I feel the heavy responsibility of supporting a family on my shoulders,” she said with a smile. There was no trace of stress or sorrow on her face; instead, it felt like a different weight had been lifted.

The future. It seemed as though she suddenly had the right and the confidence to speak of that word.

If there hadn’t been people around, Jiang Xuehe would have pulled Yan Guiqiu into a deep kiss. However, a noisy group was already heading their way, so she could only hold Yan Guiqiu’s hand and squeeze her fingertips.

A few children came running in, chasing a ball. Yan Guiqiu remembered Jiang Xuehe introducing them as the children of a cousin. Adults followed quickly behind, scooping up the fastest runner.

“Didn’t I tell you? Don’t run in here and disturb Great Grandpa’s rest!”

The younger ones stopped when they saw their leader taken away, staring at the ball that had rolled inside, not daring to move. Jiang Xuehe leaned down, picked up the ball, and walked over to return it to them.

The children finally turned away. The cousin let out a sigh of relief and asked Jiang Xuehe softly, “Where’s the old man?”

“Resting,” Jiang Xuehe said. “We’ll wake him before lunch.”

“I see.” The cousin nodded, told the children to go play in the far garden, and continued chatting with Jiang Xuehe. “The old man was happy to see you, wasn’t he? I was here a couple of days ago when he mentioned you were coming back. His whole spirit changed instantly…”

Jiang Xuehe responded with a few simple words. The cousin glanced around, instinctively lowered his voice, and asked hesitantly, “By the way, where’s your brother? Didn’t he say he was going to pick you up? Why isn’t he here?”

Jiang Xueyang was usually the most active at these events, so his absence was bound to raise questions. Jiang Xuehe naturally didn’t share her suspicions, only giving the reason her brother had provided: that he was delayed by something urgent. As for what that was, she claimed not to know.

The cousin didn’t overthink it, assuming Jiang Xueyang was truly busy. He turned his attention to Yan Guiqiu. Having already been introduced, and guessing she had already met the mogul, he found a new topic.

“The old man didn’t make things difficult for you, did he?” the cousin asked.

“It was alright,” Jiang Xuehe said. “He gave a gift for the first meeting. The formalities are out of the way.”

“Congratulations,” the cousin said. That was shorthand for having the mogul’s approval. From now on, at least within the Jiang family, no one could use their relationship against them.

Until lunch, the adults had no other activities. They either sat somewhere to play on their phones or gathered in small groups to chat. Jiang Xuehe and Yan Guiqiu sat in a corner, but people were constantly coming over to greet them.

“Usually, my brother is the one at the front handling all of this,” Jiang Xuehe whispered to Yan Guiqiu during a break, feeling a rare moment of regret that Jiang Xueyang was still in Yunhua City. “He loves chatting with people.”

“And you don’t?” Yan Guiqiu asked.

“I only like chatting with you,” Jiang Xuehe said with a low laugh.

Yan Guiqiu’s ear tingled, and she rubbed her lobe. Looking up, she saw someone else approaching. She felt a subtle sense of sympathy. Jiang Xuehe truly didn’t enjoy small talk, yet her manners were impeccable. She never showed a hint of impatience, and the atmosphere remained harmonious.

It wasn’t until Mr. and Mrs. Jiang finally arrived that the crowd around Jiang Xuehe thinned. After greeting everyone, they walked over to her. Others, seeing the family together, tactfully gave them space.

Jiang Xuehe, worried her mother would continue pestering Yan Guiqiu about the Luan family, quickly swapped seats with Yan Guiqiu, placing herself next to her mother to engage her in small talk. This left Mr. Jiang to chat with Yan Guiqiu.

Compared to Yan Guiqiu’s father, Jiang Xuehe’s father was much more eloquent. He appeared shrewd, and his attire suggested a successful businessman. Yan Guiqiu instinctively disliked him. Or rather, she viewed anyone who was unkind to Jiang Xuehe through a negative lens, making it hard to feel any warmth toward him.

Their conversation was merely polite. They talked about Jiang Xuehe—how they met, and where they planned to live in the future. Yan Guiqiu remained guarded, keeping her answers vague or simply smiling. Fortunately, Mr. Jiang didn’t seem to care much about the answers, seemingly using the conversation just to kill time.

As lunch approached, the kitchen began preparing the meal. People took their seats at two large tables, with the children at their own separate table. Guests seated themselves according to their proximity to the family, leaving the head seat for the elder Mr. Jiang.

The old man emerged after his rest to see the guests, clearly in a good mood. After some brief pleasantries, he sat down. Though it was technically a family gathering, he didn’t waste time on long speeches, ordering the hot dishes to be served so they could begin. The “no talking while eating” rule didn’t apply here, and the table soon grew lively.

Jiang Xuehe’s family sat closest to the old man. He occasionally turned to ask Jiang Xuehe how she was doing abroad and if she had faced any hardships. Then, he would lean over to ask Yan Guiqiu about her studies and the atmosphere at school. Others chimed in with smiles, yet they couldn’t help but steal glances at Mr. and Mrs. Jiang.

Unsurprisingly, Mrs. Jiang could barely keep her smile from slipping. The old man’s behavior seemed like a warning to her to stay in line; otherwise, he could easily cast Jiang Xueyang aside and put Jiang Xuehe in charge. But she couldn’t help but wonder if the old man truly intended to do so.

Mrs. Jiang’s wariness toward her daughter was common knowledge. Others found it amusing—Jiang Xueyang and Jiang Xuehe were both her biological children, so whichever one took over shouldn’t have affected her. Her current behavior only made people wonder if she had done something wrong to her daughter, leading to her fear of Jiang Xuehe rising to power.

Mrs. Jiang remained lost in her own thoughts. Suddenly, the old man stopped and looked at her, asking abruptly, “Why aren’t you eating? Is the food not to your taste?”

Mrs. Jiang jumped in surprise, and her chopsticks fell to the floor. The people around them instinctively fell silent. In the sudden stillness, the sound of the chopsticks hitting the ground was clear, and everyone’s eyes turned toward her.

Mrs. Jiang’s face turned pale. Beside her, the old man was visibly displeased. On what was supposed to be a joyous family day, Jiang Xueyang was missing, and Mrs. Jiang was acting timid and fearful rather than happy, as if someone were out to get her. It was an unsettling sight.

When the old man’s gaze swept over her, Mrs. Jiang trembled again, whispered an apology, and reached down to pick up the chopsticks. Mr. Jiang quickly stopped her, patting her back gently to comfort her. He asked a servant for a new pair of chopsticks before turning to explain to his father.

He used the same excuse: she hadn’t been feeling well, hadn’t slept, and was tired. Since she looked as though she might faint at any moment, the old man couldn’t very well pursue the matter. He gave the couple a cold, indifferent look and nodded, then turned back to talk only to Jiang Xuehe, completely ignoring Mrs. Jiang.

The others at the table took their cue from him and returned to their conversations. Mrs. Jiang found the meal difficult to swallow, but she forced herself to maintain a facade of a smile. Fortunately, her husband continued to whisper words of comfort, helping her endure it.

As the meal drew to a close, the elder Mr. Jiang returned the conversation to the two younger women.

“I hear Xuehe has already met your parents?” the old man asked Yan Guiqiu. “She didn’t do anything to offend them, did she?”

Yan Guiqiu shook her head quickly. “No, my parents and sister all like Sister Xuehe very much.”

The old man nodded and pondered for a moment. “In that case, I think both families should find a time to meet and get you two engaged.”

Yan Guiqiu and Jiang Xuehe both froze. They instinctively looked at each other; this development was entirely unexpected.

The old man saw their hesitation. “I see you two have a very good relationship. Is there some other concern?”

They could only shake their heads. Before they could say a word, Mr. Jiang’s voice rang out coldly from across the table.

“I don’t agree.”

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