Unconventional [Rebirth] - Chapter 90

While Jiang Rui was on his way, his phone vibrated twice in his pocket. He stopped mid-stride and pulled it out to check. It was a multimedia message (MMS) containing a high-resolution photo and a brief note that appeared to be an address.

Jiang Rui raised an eyebrow and clicked the message. In the photo, Uncle Cheng stood to the left and Sui Ming to the right. In the center was Rong Jing-tang, dressed entirely in black.

This was the first time Jiang Rui had seen Rong Jing-tang dressed this way. Usually, he was draped in pure, unadulterated white from head to toe. Today, however, he wore a black suit that looked exceptionally steady and imposing. The dark gold threading embroidered on the cuffs and collar added a subtle, curious vibrance without being garish.

The smile faded from Jiang Rui’s lips. He stared at the phone number—one he had memorized deeply in his previous life—for a long moment before putting the device back in his pocket. He abandoned his safer method of travel. Transforming his tracking array into a “Shadow Path,” he tore through the nearby space and stepped directly into the void.

The flora near Jiang Rui distorted briefly before snapping back to its original state, as if nothing had happened.

When Jiang Rui arrived at the address Wang Cheng-hui had provided, he happened to see Sui Ming waiting outside the building. Upon spotting Jiang Rui, Sui Ming strode forward to meet him. He stopped two paces away and bowed slightly, gesturing for him to enter.

As Jiang Rui walked past, he paused beside Sui Ming. Noticing the subtle movements of the guards stationed at the door, he let out a mocking laugh. “Mr. Yue, I warned you long ago: do not desire what you shouldn’t, and do not touch… what you mustn’t.”

Seeing Sui Ming’s impenetrable expression, Jiang Rui let out a soft snort and said nothing more. He followed the path of the gaudy red carpet inside. Sui Ming trailed half a step behind him, hands behind his back, looking every bit the loyal bodyguard.

Sui Ming didn’t seem surprised that Jiang Rui knew exactly which room Rong Jing-tang and Uncle Cheng were being “hosted” in, even without a guide.

Jiang Rui maintained basic etiquette; he wasn’t in a hurry. No matter how much power Wang Cheng-hui wielded in Qing City, his influence would be laughably fragile the moment he stepped outside its gates. Furthermore, his opponent today was Rong Jing-tang.

Inside the room were only Rong Jing-tang, Uncle Cheng, and a leisurely looking Wang Cheng-hui. Tang Xuan—the young boy who had previously been inseparable from Wang Cheng-hui—was nowhere to be seen. Jiang Rui smiled inwardly, amused that he even had the mental space to notice such details at a time like this.

“Mr. Wang.” Jiang Rui smiled and walked toward the chair directly opposite Wang Cheng-hui. Sui Ming stepped forward and pulled out the chair for him. Once Jiang Rui was seated, Sui Ming pushed it in with the practiced ease of a professional server.

“Straight talkers don’t use riddles. You surely know why I’m here,” Jiang Rui said, bypassing the pleasantries and striking the heart of the matter.

The smile on Wang Cheng-hui’s face remained unchanged. He pressed a red button on the table before speaking. “This is all a massive misunderstanding. My subordinates mistook your relatives for Jiang Jian-lin’s people. That’s how this mess started.”

Jiang Rui gave a skin-deep smile. He glanced at Rong Jing-tang, who had only started sipping his tea with deliberate slowness after Jiang Rui arrived. In Jiang Rui’s eyes, there was a flicker of affection and indulgence that he hadn’t even noticed himself.

“Mr. Wang, let’s not joke,” Jiang Rui waved a hand, dismissing the topic. “I know the state of my uncle’s family better than anyone. If you want to claim they owe you… what exactly do they owe you?”

Wang Cheng-hui found himself momentarily speechless. Looking at the youth before him—whose eyes seemed to be smiling but were cold enough to keep people a thousand miles away—he felt an uncharacteristic loss for words.

Nearby, Rong Jing-tang set his teacup down softly. He sat back lazily, hands clasped over his stomach, looking poised yet relaxed as he kept his eyes lowered, lost in thought.

A moment later, hurried footsteps echoed outside. Quite a few people had arrived.

Jiang Rui remained composed. He watched Wang Cheng-hui until the door swung open and a crowd swarmed in. Only then did he smile. “Quite the welcoming committee, isn’t it?”

Wang Cheng-hui stood up. He watched as two men brought in a disheveled Huang Wen-hua and a struggling Jiang Jian-heng. Wang Cheng-hui clapped his hands like a victor and said with feigned regret, “See? A family reunion.”

The guards released the couple. After a moment of panic, Jiang Jian-heng and Huang Wen-hua rushed to Jiang Rui’s side. As the elder, Jiang Jian-heng understood the gravity of the situation, yet he remembered he was Jiang Rui’s uncle. Even though his legs were shaking with fear, he tried his best to shield Jiang Rui behind him.

“It’s fine, it’s fine.” Wang Cheng-hui waved them off and pulled a thin stack of documents from the table. “I invited you here for a simple matter.” He produced a pen. “I am merely seeking that shipment of medicinal herbs. Your family blocked me several times, leaving me no choice but to resort to this… less than ideal tactic.”

“You want the herbs?”

The voice belonged to Rong Jing-tang, who had been silent until now. He spoke in a flat, declarative tone, yet the question caused an immediate hush to fall over the room.

Wang Cheng-hui hesitated. Looking at Rong Jing-tang’s calm face, he seemed to waver for a split second before gritting his teeth. “Yes. I only seek profit.”

Rong Jing-tang shrugged casually. Uncle Cheng stepped forward and retrieved the documents. Rong Jing-tang leafed through the pages at a brisk pace and then signed his name on both the first and last pages.

“A pleasure doing business.” Rong Jing-tang suddenly smiled. He walked over to Jiang Rui, took his hand, and said, “Now that the transaction is complete, we’ll take our leave.”

Wang Cheng-hui didn’t react immediately. It took him a moment to process what had happened. When he did, a brilliant smile broke across his face. He dismissed everyone in the room and personally stood up to see them out. “Why don’t you all stay for dinner before you go?”

Rong Jing-tang looked at Jiang Rui and replied expressionlessly, “Thank you for the kind offer, but I’m not hungry.”

Wang Cheng-hui’s smile stiffened. He watched as the group walked out boldly—Rong Jing-tang and Jiang Rui in the lead, followed by Uncle Cheng and the Jiang couple.

At the main gate, Jiang Rui stopped and looked silently at Sui Ming, who was trailing at the very back of their group.

As if suddenly remembering something, Rong Jing-tang turned around. He looked at the stoic, expressionless Sui Ming and said, “Since you like the Wang family so much, you might as well stay here.”

Sui Ming remained unmoved, his hands still behind his back. With his enhanced vision, Jiang Rui saw Sui Ming’s Adam’s apple twitch slightly, but the man didn’t utter a word.

Jiang Rui looked down and smiled. He watched Uncle Cheng press a tiny button on his wristwatch; moments later, two low-profile black cars pulled up.

Rong Jing-tang boarded the first car ahead of everyone else. Jiang Rui hesitated, then walked over to Jiang Jian-heng. To be honest, Jiang Jian-heng and Huang Wen-hua were terrified and angry, but they also knew this ordeal likely had little to do with their nephew and everything to do with that Mr. Rong.

The couple exchanged a glance, a silent understanding passing between them.

Jiang Jian-heng sighed. “Rui-rui, where is Xi-xi? Have you seen her?”

Jiang Rui felt a small wave of relief that they didn’t press for more details about the kidnapping. He gave an الأساس comforting smile. “I’ve taken Xi-xi to stay with me for a few days. She’s been close to me since she was little. It’ll be good for her to stay with me to calm her nerves.”

Huang Wen-hua was clearly reluctant to let her daughter go after such a trauma, but she realized their home was currently in no state to host a child. Strangely, ever since she had decided to treat Jiang Xi as her own, she found the girl more endearing by the day. She even felt a surge of pride whenever shopkeepers complimented her daughter’s looks.

Jiang Rui smiled. “Auntie, the house needs to be cleaned up before anyone can live there. It’s not good for Xi-xi to go back to that mess right now.”

Only then did Huang Wen-hua hesitantly agree. Before they left, Jiang Rui called Xiao Lu-nan so that Jiang Xi could speak to her mother and put her mind at ease.

Rong Jing-tang had prepared two cars. Jiang Rui watched the couple safely enter theirs before turning back to his own vehicle.

Rong Jing-tang had already raised the soundproof glass partition. As Jiang Rui climbed in, the car began to move forward at a leisurely pace.

Rong Jing-tang had taken off his black suit jacket and laid it aside. His shirt was slightly unbuttoned, revealing his collarbones in a way that looked exceptionally striking. For a moment, Jiang Rui couldn’t look away.

“Do I look good?” Rong Jing-tang watched Jiang Rui’s stunned face. He hooked a finger into his collar and tugged it slightly—a seemingly natural gesture to vent the heat, devoid of any affectation.

Jiang Rui licked his lips and stiffly turned his head away. “That business deal… what are your plans for it?” he asked woodenly.

He didn’t believe for a second that Rong Jing-tang would simply hand over that medicinal herb business just for the sake of his aunt and uncle. To Zhou Yong-ping, Xiao Lu-nan, or even Wang Cheng-hui, that deal represented a fortune. To Rong Jing-tang, it was a drop in the bucket.

The fact that he had personally intervened and used those resources to save Jiang Rui’s relatives was, ultimately, all because of him. Jiang Rui felt his heart soften, and his tone unconsciously slowed and gentled as he spoke.