Jiang Ning frowned when he saw an unfamiliar number on his phone. After a brief hesitation, he answered cautiously.
"Hello? Who is this?"
A smug voice came from the other end.
"Hello, Jiang-san. My name is Higashino Tsunekawa. I come from the great Empire of Japan. It is truly an honor to speak with you."
"Higashino Tsunekawa? A Japanese man? What do you want with me?" Jiang Ning asked, puzzled.
Higashino spoke with complete confidence.
"It's very simple, Jiang-san. Our great Empire of Japan thinks highly of your talents and sincerely invites you to become a Japanese citizen. If you agree, we'll pay you ten million U.S. dollars every year. How does that sound?"
Their investigation had only revealed that Jiang Ning had some martial arts skills and was a capable dancer—perhaps even a dance grandmaster. Beyond that, they had found nothing particularly remarkable.
However, they knew he had a close relationship with Tang Xiachuan and could even get in touch with Lu Dahu, making him someone worth recruiting.
In their eyes, Jiang Ning was nothing more than Su Group CEO Su Meng's husband—a man with little status in the Su family who spent his days as a stay-at-home dad.
Surely, they thought, ten million dollars a year would be enough to win him over.
"What the hell? Are you out of your mind?"
Jiang Ning cursed without hesitation.
Then he hung up.
The sharp click of the disconnected call echoed in Higashino's ears.
After being called insane and having the phone slammed in his face, Higashino's expression twisted with fury.
Never in his life had he imagined being humiliated by a Chinese man like this.
It was an unforgivable disgrace.
"Baka!"
His face turned crimson with rage.
"You pathetic sick men of East Asia... Just you wait! I'll make you crawl back to me on your knees!"
With a furious roar, he slammed his palm onto the desk.
Bang!
The solid wooden desk snapped in half, splinters flying everywhere.
Meanwhile, Jiang Ning pushed open the villa door and stepped inside.
The moment he entered, he saw Mengmeng sitting quietly at a little table on the balcony, completely absorbed in her drawing.
His mother-in-law, Liu Mengyan, stood silently behind her, watching with a gentle smile.
The entire house was so quiet that even the drop of a pin would have been audible.
Jiang Ning tiptoed onto the balcony.
Just as Liu Mengyan was about to greet him, he quickly raised a finger to his lips.
"Shh..."
She immediately understood and nodded.
The villa fell even quieter.
Jiang Ning looked at Mengmeng's drawing.
It showed herself, Su Meng, and Jiang Ning happily rowing a small boat across a lake nestled in the mountains.
Beside the lake stood a large villa.
In front of it, four elderly people sat together chatting and laughing happily.
Seeing the picture, warmth filled Jiang Ning's heart.
It meant that, in Mengmeng's eyes, family was the most precious thing in the world.
It was such a beautiful, heartwarming scene.
An hour passed in complete silence.
"Honey, are you hungry? I'll go make lun—"
Su Yunlong walked out of the study, but the moment he noticed Liu Mengyan and Jiang Ning standing behind Mengmeng, quietly watching her draw, he immediately stopped talking.
He simply waved at Jiang Ning.
Jiang Ning nodded and quietly left the balcony.
"Come on, Jiang Ning. Help me cook."
Su Yunlong deliberately lowered his voice.
Jiang Ning smiled.
"Sure."
The father-in-law and son-in-law headed into the kitchen together.
Though they were supposedly cooking together, Jiang Ning spent most of the time teaching while Su Yunlong acted as his assistant.
To his credit, Su Yunlong wasn't too proud to ask questions whenever he didn't understand something.
Cooking was the one area where he was willing to put aside his elder's pride in front of Jiang Ning.
At other times, he always maintained the dignified attitude of a father-in-law.
Another hour later, an irresistible aroma drifted from the kitchen.
Mengmeng, who had been completely focused on painting, suddenly lifted her little head.
Her eyes sparkled like stars.
"Daddy! Daddy's home!"
She immediately dropped her paintbrush and bounced up like an excited little rabbit.
"Daddy! Daddy, you're back! Daddy! Daddy, you're back!"
She shouted as she skipped toward the kitchen.
Hearing her voice, Jiang Ning quickly set down the ladle.
Turning around, he saw the little girl charging inside.
He immediately crouched down and spread his arms.
"My precious Mengmeng, did you miss Daddy?"
Smack!
Mengmeng planted a loud kiss on his cheek.
"I did! Mengmeng missed Daddy sooo much! Super, super much!"
Ding!
Congratulations, Host. You received 10 Parenting Points from Mengmeng.
Hearing the cheerful system notification, Jiang Ning grinned from ear to ear.
He gently rubbed his forehead against hers.
"Good girl. Go wash your hands, okay? Daddy just needs to finish this soup, and then we can eat."
"Okay! Daddy... one more kiss!"
Smack!
She kissed him again.
Standing nearby, Su Yunlong's face instantly darkened.
Just yesterday, he had begged Mengmeng for a kiss.
She had stubbornly refused, insisting that Grandpa's face was full of wrinkles and nowhere near as handsome as Daddy's.
That had already left him depressed.
Now Jiang Ning was practically showing off in front of him.
His blood pressure nearly exploded.
Just as Jiang Ning finished the soup, Su Meng's voice came from outside.
"Honey, you're back!"
For the past two days, Su Meng had been coming home for lunch.
Since Jiang Ning had gone to Kyoto, she worried that Mengmeng might not spend enough time with her grandparents, so she deliberately came home every noon to keep her company.
The moment she entered the living room, the mouthwatering aroma reached her nose.
She recognized it instantly.
Only her husband's cooking smelled like this.
As for her father's culinary skills...
She knew exactly how "good" they were.
"Yep," Jiang Ning called from the kitchen. "Go wash your hands. Lunch will be ready in a minute."
Soon, the whole family gathered around the dining table.
While eating, Su Yunlong finally asked the question that had been on his mind.
"Jiang Ning, how did things go in Kyoto? Were you able to treat Elder Tang's teacher?"
Jiang Ning smiled.
"It's done. But Elder Lu's illness requires three acupuncture sessions before he'll fully recover."
"Really?" Su Yunlong's eyes widened.
"You can actually cure him? His position must be incredibly high, right?"
"I think so."
Jiang Ning nodded.
"When Grandpa Tang took me to see him, the entire residential compound was guarded by State Security personnel."
"Not only did visitors have to register and verify their identities, but even the sentries at the gates were carrying loaded firearms."
The three of them—Liu Mengyan, Su Yunlong, and Su Meng—stared at him in shock.
They all understood what that meant.
That was the kind of neighborhood where only the country's highest-ranking leaders could live.
Ordinary people would never even get close.
"W-What... what illness did Elder Lu have?" Su Yunlong stammered.
People like them knew that Tang's teacher must be an extremely powerful figure—someone of enormous authority, perhaps even from one of the nation's most prestigious revolutionary families.
Jiang Ning's expression became serious.
"He suffers from a condition where extreme cold and heat alternate within the body."
He paused.
"But... it wasn't a naturally occurring illness."
"It was deliberately inflicted."
"What?"
Su Yunlong nearly dropped his chopsticks.
"Someone actually dared to do something like that to Elder Lu? Are they tired of living?"
-----------------------
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(End of Chapter)