Unconventional [Rebirth] - Chapter 14

Jiang Rui pushed the door open to find Rong Jingtang already waiting inside. This time, Uncle Cheng was surprisingly absent; only Rong Jingtang was there.

“We agreed on eight, why are you here so early?” After two and a half days of accompanying Rong Jingtang for his exams, Jiang Rui was no longer as nervous as he had been the first time they met.

Jiang Rui sat down in the seat beside him.

Rong Jingtang glanced at him, seemingly in a good mood, his voice not as flat as usual, carrying a subtle, indescribable tone. “I happened to be free, so I came early.”

Jiang Rui smiled at him, picked up the serving chopsticks, selected a piece of fish, carefully removed the bones, and placed it in Rong Jingtang’s bowl. “I noticed last time that the fish here is prepared exceptionally well. You should try more.”

Rong Jingtang had a severe case of mysophobia (fear of germs or contamination). Since he could remember, no one had dared to make such an intimate gesture toward him; he wasn’t even keen on his own parents getting too close. Jiang Rui was the first person to serve him food.

Rong Jingtang stared at the piece of fish for a long time, but he ultimately ate it. Surprisingly, he felt no sense of revulsion. In fact, he thought the fish truly was, as Jiang Rui had claimed, very well made.

Jiang Rui had actually been a little tense just now. Having been accustomed to taking care of Ye Wenbin, he subconsciously de-boned the fish and served it. He only snapped back to reality afterward, thinking, I’ve messed up. With Rong Jingtang’s perpetually immaculate, all-white attire, only a fool wouldn’t realize he was a mysophobe, yet Jiang Rui had actually served him food!

Fortunately, Rong Jingtang was courteous enough to eat it, or Jiang Rui would have found himself in an awkward situation.

The two chatted and ate, with the topics mostly revolving around Jiang Rui. Rong Jingtang would occasionally mention a detail or two about his own life, but they were only fragments, never elaborating much.

The meal took over an hour to finish. Rong Jingtang had a habit of drinking tea after a meal. Watching him steep the tea, Jiang Rui suddenly slapped his forehead and said, “Look at my memory, I almost forgot the thing I brought for you.” As he spoke, while reaching into his backpack, he retrieved a bottle of Spirit Honey from his personal Secret Realm.

The Spirit Honey contains ling qi (spiritual energy) and cannot be stored in ordinary containers, as the ling qi would leak out, wasting the precious item. He only uses the Spirit Jade Vials from the wooden house.

“This is honey I cultivated myself. It’s much better than the honey sold outside, and it’s also beneficial for the body. You should mix some into water to drink when you have time,” Jiang Rui said.

Rong Jingtang nodded and accepted it.

His attitude made Jiang Rui a little awkward. “Aren’t you going to ask me how I cultivated the honey? Or where I raised it?”

Rong Jingtang lifted his head, his black-and-white eyes, clear as the finest jade, fixed unblinkingly on Jiang Rui. “That is your business. If you want to tell me, you naturally will. If you don’t say anything, you have your reasons. I have no interest in the source of the flowers or this honey, I don’t wish to know, and I won’t allow others to know.”

…That was the first time Lord Rong had ever spoken such a long sentence; he truly was silent until he was stunning. Jiang Rui was immediately reassured by these words, which were both dominating and utterly respectful.

To be honest, Jiang Rui didn’t have a good impression of Rong Jingtang initially. The man looked sickly and aloof on the outside but was unimaginably powerful in reality. Especially those eyes, which felt as though looking at them for too long would expose the most vulnerable part of one’s heart.

It was too difficult to keep secrets in front of such a person; one would subconsciously follow the other’s control, and all of Jiang Rui’s repeated precautions were completely ineffective.

Even though Jiang Rui’s spirit had lived for thirty or forty years, when facing Rong Jingtang, he still couldn’t change their respective positions in the food chain. Rong Jingtang could quickly ascertain his bottom lines and temperament, while he could not see in the slightest what lay beneath that cold and handsome exterior.

Whenever Jiang Rui tried to probe Rong Jingtang’s thoughts, he felt as if he had fallen into an endless abyss, unable to see or guess anything. He sometimes even wondered if Rong Jingtang was truly a person carved from ice. Otherwise, how could nothing ever shake him?

Even now, with Jiang Rui sitting right next to him, less than half an arm’s length separating them, all Jiang Rui saw was a Rong Jingtang who was cold, indifferent, and severely lacking in human warmth.

However, he could no longer bring himself to despise him.

As they were about to part, Rong Jingtang suddenly said, “I will be leaving for Xiangcheng in the next two days.”

Jiang Rui paused, taking a moment before saying, “When will you return to Qing City?”

Rong Jingtang did not reply.

Jiang Rui understood his meaning. That exceedingly prosperous Xiangcheng was likely not a place Rong Jingtang could stay for long, either. As for who he truly was and where he belonged, it was not for a mere student like him to ask.

For the first time, Jiang Rui felt the gap between himself and Rong Jingtang with such clarity.

An immeasurable gap.

Jiang Rui extended his hand and smiled, “Safe travels.”

Rong Jingtang took his hand. His fair and delicate features, set against the deep darkness of the night, revealed a compelling, striking beauty.

“Thank you. Take care.”

Late May.

Jiang Rui used the excuse of a trip to travel alone to Jiahai.

In Jiahai at this time, the price of gold per gram had surged by more than twenty kuai (Chinese yuan). Many people seized the opportunity to quickly sell off the gold they held, fearing they would miss the chance and the price would drop.

Jiang Rui was not as anxious as they were. He behaved as if he were genuinely only there for tourism, eating, drinking, and sightseeing in Jiahai, ignoring the volatility of the gold market with remarkable composure.