Unconventional [Rebirth] - Chapter 47

Yang Feng’s invitation had been sent personally by Jiang Rui, so his arrival was no surprise to the boy. The Cao father and son knew their boss was on good terms with Yang Feng, but they hadn’t expected the tycoon to actually clear his schedule for a mere one-month celebration for Jiang Rui’s cousin.

Once Zhou Yongping calmed down and observed the table again, he noticed something chilling: the Caos and Yang Feng were all seated “below” Jiang Rui. While the three men toasted and laughed, Jiang Rui sat in the seat of honor, holding the baby and occasionally interjecting into the conversation. Whenever Jiang Rui spoke, not only the Caos but even the legendary Yang Feng leaned in to listen with rapt attention.

If Zhou Yongping still couldn’t understand the hierarchy at play, his years in business would have been a waste. The true master of that table wasn’t a Cao, nor was it the tycoon Yang Feng—it was his own nephew, a boy not yet seventeen.

The idea was madness, yet the evidence was undeniable.

News of Jiang Rui skipping grades had spread quickly. Zhou Yang’s mother, Cui Xiyun, immediately contacted him, hoping he would continue tutoring her son. Jiang Rui didn’t agree outright but lent her his meticulously kept notebooks. He promised to help when he had time but urged Zhou Yang to focus on the notes and practice problems in the meantime.

Though slightly disappointed, Cui Xiyun knew how close Jiang Rui was to her son. She had heard he was busy and had taken a long leave of absence from school, so she accepted his reasoning without grudge.

Feeling a bit guilty for turning her down twice—once for the “thank you” banquet and now for tutoring—Jiang Rui visited the Zhou home over the weekend. He brought gifts of honey, flower tea, and fruits grown in the Secret Realm. Having used his spiritual honey before, Cui Xiyun knew its value. Seeing five jars of honey and exquisite tea, her remaining unhappiness vanished instantly.

Next, Jiang Rui visited the Wang family to check on Wang Xiaorui. Since he wasn’t at school to watch over her, he made it a point to drop by frequently. Liu Min (Xiaorui’s mother) had once disliked Jiang Rui because of his academic rivalry with her daughter, but she couldn’t maintain her coldness against his polite, elegant demeanor and the generous gifts he always brought.

Wang Xiaorui didn’t ask about his grade-skipping. Instead, she asked about his college plans.

“I plan to attend Beijing Medical University,” Jiang Rui said. “What about you?” In his past life, she had gone to Beijing Z University to study law.

“You want to be a doctor?” she asked.

Jiang Rui nodded. In Buddhism, saving a life is a great merit; for a cultivator, it is an even greater way to accumulate positive karma and offset worldly transgressions. While he donated to charity often, personally saving lives was a more direct path to spiritual cleansing.

“Being a doctor is good,” Xiaorui agreed. “You’re steady and decisive. As for me… I want to go to Beijing Institute of Technology. I want to go into research.”

Jiang Rui froze. Research? In his past life, she was a titan of the legal world. Why the sudden shift? Was there a secret reason she became a lawyer back then? He felt a pang of regret for not knowing more about his friend’s previous life.

“You know my personality,” Xiaorui continued, sensing his confusion. “I hate dealing with people. I could probably do other jobs well, but I’d never be as at peace as I am in a lab.”

Jiang Rui noticed the underlying exhaustion in her voice. “What’s wrong? Has something happened recently?”

After a silence, Xiaorui spoke. “You know about my father. The woman he was with in Jiahai came to see my mother. I don’t know what they said, but my mother has started visiting him in prison frequently. She says he’s changed, that he’s reformed. She says when he gets out, the three of us will live happily as a family again.” Her hands clenched on her knees. “But I don’t believe it. To me, he’s a stranger who once tried to take my life.”

Jiang Rui reached out and patted her shoulder. “Xiaorui, if you trust me, listen to this: do whatever you want to do. You don’t need to worry about anyone or anything. Whether now or in the future, as long as I am here, I will support you.”

Xiaorui looked into his warm, serious eyes. “Anyone or anything?”

“Anyone,” Jiang Rui smiled. “Anything.”

The moment he left the Wang house, Jiang Rui called Assistant Qi. “Set up a dinner with Director Xu.” If Wang Zigang hadn’t learned his lesson after a year in prison, Jiang Rui didn’t mind making sure he stayed there for a few more.

He then contacted Cao Yuke.

“Young Master Jiang?” Cao Yuke answered, sounding a bit nervous at the sudden call.

“I recall Lianyu Villa was interested in collaborating with a jewelry company in Jiahai…”

Jiang Rui didn’t hide his reasons. He wanted Jiahai’s Mingxiang Jewelry to suffer—specifically the owner, Zhou Mingkang, who had allowed his mistress to harass Wang Xiaorui’s mother. Cao Yuke immediately understood the assignment: he was to strike Mingxiang Jewelry so hard they would never recover.

Returning to his greenhouse, Jiang Rui entered the Secret Realm. Since his breakthrough to Origin Transformation, Miao Xuan had entered a deep slumber to complete its own evolution.

After a session of cultivation, Jiang Rui took a Shapeshifting Pill and entered the Nanke Dream Array to see Jiang Jianlin.

Inside the array, time moved differently. Jiang Jianlin had now experienced over a hundred “lifetimes” within the illusions. He had moved from terror to obsession, then to boredom, and finally to a state of calm indifference.

When Jiang Rui entered, he saw Jiang Jianlin leaning against a tree, sharing a bottle of wine with a golden-haired spiritual monkey. The monkey was screeching in frustration because Jiang Jianlin kept teasing it, pulling the wine away at the last second. Finally, Jiang Jianlin tossed the empty bottle to the monkey, laughing as the creature realized there wasn’t a drop left.

Jiang Rui watched the scene with a touch of irony. Are a man and a monkey really playing this happily? Have they forgotten I’m here?

Jiang Jianlin eventually looked up and smiled. “Are you here for something? Speak quickly, I’ll be heading back into the array soon.”

Jiang Rui looked at his uncle, who now seemed like a different person. “You haven’t asked me about leaving for a long time,” he noted.