My Dearest General: It Has Always Been You

"It's not like that." Jiang Jinyan pinched his brows and sighed. "Please don't make any careless remarks. You can ruin an innocent girl's reputation. She only wants to introduce herself properly to you, am I right?" His face instantly changed when he turned to Shi Nian, softer and milder. Jiang Huocheng cursed inwardly at how two faced he was.

"T—That's right!" Shi Nian answered nervously, having known that she had messed it up. Seeing Jiang Huocheng's narrowed eyes, she took a deep breath and calmed herself. "I know this is not the best time for me to show up in front of you and the situation may not seem right. But all I want to do is to introduce myself to you. After all, you're the father of the person I love…"

Jiang Jinyan's expression softened and he gave her fingers a squeeze. "You're hungry right? Let's have breakfast first and leave the talk for later."

Shi Nian stole a peek at Jiang Huocheng and saw that the man didn't seem to care much. She heaved a sigh and nodded. In her mind, she was berating herself inwardly, why did she have to go and do that? Everything was messed up right now. She had the feeling that Jiang Huocheng didn't seem to welcome her very much…

She pushed Jiang Jinyan's wheelchair forward and paused.

Err…the table was very long. Where should they sit...? 

She looked at Jiang Huocheng and Ru Meiqi who sat on each end of the table, bewildered. Should she just sit close to Ru Meiqi and let Jiang Jinyan sit together with his father?

Just as she was starting to sweat, Jiang Jinyan grasped her hand and pointed toward a seat. "Let's go."

Shi Nian hesitated for a while. "Is this okay…?"

However, Jiang Jinyan wasn't listening any longer and directly rolled the wheelchair himself. Shi Nian had no choice but to sit beside him. So the final arrangement was; Shi Nian sat on the right side of Ru Meiqi with Jiang Jinyan beside her, leaving Jiang Huocheng on the corner alone.

Jiang Huocheng: "…I have told the cook to serve some dishes. Feel free to eat whatever you like."

Right on cue, a line of people in white uniform stepped in carrying multiple dishes. In a short time, the large table was laid out lavishly. Fresh baked garlic bread and juicy fruity salad as appetizers. The main dish was steak with hot BBQ and mushroom sauce, complemented with mashed potato that was both soft and creamy. The meat was roasted nicely with its inside light brown, sizzling with thick, mouth watering fragrance wafting out.

Shi Nian's stomach growled and her mouth started drooling.

Not long after they started eating, Doctor Walker and his assistant, Cai Mingzhe joined. Only then did the awkward atmosphere slightly thaw with Doctor Walker busily chatting with Ru Meiqi.

Jiang Huocheng only finished less than half a portion and asked for some desserts, Shi Nian took notice of it. Although he didn't show it, his complexion looked kind of unhealthy so it wasn't good to consume such an oily thing early in the morning. Shi Nian assumed that the man had been abroad for quite a long time that he picked up some of foreigners' habits.

"Excuse me," Shi Nian whispered to the cook that stood closest to her gingerly. "Do you have some light dishes…um, something like a plain, vegetable porridge?"

"Certainly, Miss." The cook bowed. "Please wait for a moment."

Not even ten minutes later, a bowl of piping hot porridge was brought to her.

Jiang Jinyan spoke softly into her ear, "Not full enough?"

Shi Nian shook her head and moved a portion of the porridge into a separate bowl. "This is for you. The steak is a bit too heavy for your taste, right? Here, drink some porridge to warm your stomach." The bowl was gently put in front of Jiang Jinyan.

Stunned, he took quite a while to react. "Thank you…" He sipped the porridge slowly and felt the warmth flowing from his throat down to his stomach, heating up his heart and entire body. Somehow, his nose felt sour and he had to finish the porridge in a few large gulps to suppress the surging emotion.

The small interaction was noticed by Jiang Huocheng who pretended to be engrossed in Doctor Walker's conversation but in fact keeping an eye for both of them. His gaze deepened and he lowered his eyes, pondering.

After the meal, there was pretty much nothing to do and Jiang Jinyan wasn't willing to stay here any longer. The misunderstanding between father and son was solved but it seemed that time was needed for the crack to heal. 

One thing was certain, it would only turn for the better from now on.

Before returning, Jiang Jinyan was called into the study by Jiang Huocheng. It was the room where he used to have his meetings and conferences. Simple and elegant with a grey fluffy carpet covering the floor and a large bookshelf on one side of the wall filled with thick, hardcover books. 

"What do you want to talk about, father?" he asked.

Jiang Huocheng frowned. "That girl—I mean, Miss Shi…are you serious? Didn't you still with Miss Xia a few months ago?"

"There's nothing between me and Wei Xiameng anymore." He answered with almost no hesitation. "I am serious about Shi Nian. If the situation permits, I plan to propose to her once I come of age."

Jiang Huocheng pinched his brows and sighed. Nevertheless, his tone didn't sound as severe, almost tinged in helplessness. "Why are you so much like me? Jinyan, there's a lot of things you must prepare in order to marry a girl. Can you spare enough time for her? Can you assure her the life she wants? Can you keep the marriage steady with your current condition and capability? If you marry her just because you love her, I will bluntly tell you that love isn't enough." He stared out of the window, his gaze wondering, "Just love alone is not enough…"

Jiang Jinyan gave a scoff. "I am not you, and Shi Nian is not mother. Stop projecting yourself into us."

Jiang Huocheng flinched from his words. "You…"

He wanted to lecture more but Jiang Jinyan had already pushed himself away and reached the door. His hand stayed on the handle and he said without turning around. "And I don't just love her. I'm already in a state where I can't imagine my life without her. If she leaves me, I think…no, I'm sure that I will go insane..." He rasped. "Farewell, Father. I will not come even if you get sick once again."

Jiang Huocheng stayed in the study until the private plane coded XBC-0000 departed, Jiang Jinyan's words kept on reverberating in his mind, making him unable to focus on his work.

"Sir," Deng Chuqian stepped forward and bowed.

He hummed. "Have they left?"

"Yes and…" The secretary hesitated for a while.

"And what?"

"And…Young Master Jiang brought the photo frame with him. The one on the nightstand in your treatment room."

Jiang Huocheng's eyes widened in surprise. A while later, he gave a soft laugh. His hard expression melted along with the slight curl on his lips. "Let him take it then."

The smile seemed like a mirage because when Secretary Deng blinked in the next second, it already vanished without a trace and the usual stern and somber Jiang Huocheng was back. "Secretary Deng, I need you to investigate what happened to Jinyan these past few months, especially whom he fought with. Pass it to me as soon as possible."

"Yes, sir." Secretary Deng bowed and left the room, leaving Jiang Huocheng alone, contemplating.

The man had his cheek cupped in one hand while the other rapped on the table rhythmically. "Shi Nian…Shi Nian…where have I heard that name before?"

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A/N: Jinyan QAQ