Rebirth: I Am Not the Movie Queen This Time-Chapter 118: The Big Red Envelope

Upon entering the room, An Gang saw an outsider and stood somewhat awkwardly for a moment.

Wan Chu’er sat back down nonchalantly.

Jiang Kechu quietly took the seat previously occupied by An Gang, close to Wan Chu’er, placing two large bags on the floor.

The atmosphere turned somewhat strange for a moment.

Seeing Jiang Kechu taking An Gang’s seat while An Gang still stood by, Wan Chu’er frowned and said without courtesy:

"Uncle Jiang, please take that chair; someone is already sitting here."

She pointed at the bowl and chopsticks used by An Gang when Jiang Kechu didn’t move.

An Gang was surprised by Wan Chu’er’s casual demeanor towards a guest and offered his seat politely, "It’s fine, it’s fine. I can take another spot. Have you eaten? Would you like to have some food here?"

Wan Chu’er responded, "Brother An Gang, today is New Year’s Eve; he has family to have the reunion dinner with."

Jiang Kechu replied, "Alright."

Both spoke simultaneously, causing all three to pause.

Jiang Kechu, undisturbed, said, "The family reunion dinner is almost over, I’ll just eat something simple here; your hotpot seems quite good."

Nonsense!

The Jiang family’s reunion dinner usually starts at seven in the evening and goes on intermittently until about ten, followed by serving dumplings.

Wan Chu’er scorned Jiang Kechu’s blatant lies.

However, with Wan Gang present, she didn’t feel it was appropriate to call him out.

Upon hearing this, An Gang hurried to arrange things, bringing another set of bowl and chopsticks from the kitchen.

Seeing how familiar An Gang was with the place, Jiang Kechu squinted his eyes. He didn’t know the hotpot had been arranged by An Gang.

The three settled down around the hotpot.

An Gang, not adept at socializing and unclear about who Jiang Kechu really was, didn’t know what to say.

Wan Chu’er had no intention of letting the two get to know each other well. Since Jiang Kechu and An Gang were entirely unrelated, and she didn’t plan on having any more to do with Jiang Kechu, she felt there was no need for them to become too familiar.

Having a naturally cool personality, Wan Chu’er was even less inclined to initiate conversation or liven up the atmosphere.

For a while, there was a chilly aura around the dinner table.

Wan Chu’er looked up, saw An Gang’s discomfort, and then at Jiang Kechu drinking beer with a stern face; where was the joyful New Year’s atmosphere from before?

She spoke up, "Brother An Gang, go ahead and eat, the beef you put in has cooked."

Then she turned to ask Jiang Kechu, "Uncle Jiang, what brings you here? Did you come especially to bring me New Year’s gifts?"

Not staying properly at home, coming over on New Year’s Eve to seek attention.

Jiang Kechu’s icy demeanor thawed slightly, nodding, "Yes, I was afraid you’d feel lonely celebrating New Year alone, so I came to check on you."

That was kind of him.

Wan Chu’er acknowledged gratefully, "Thank you for remembering me. As you see, I’m quite fine, and there’s plenty of festive atmosphere here. Look, I even hung a red lantern on the window sill."

Seeing Jiang Kechu’s resolve to stay for the meal, she let go of any thoughts to urge him to leave and began to scoop up some tofu from the pot.

Jiang Kechu glanced at the bright red lantern on the window sill, his thoughts shifted, and he lightened up, fishing a piece of meat from the pot.

He hadn’t eaten all afternoon and was quite hungry.

After a few bites, he asked An Gang where he worked.

An Gang, being straightforward and seeing that Jiang Kechu was familiar with Wan Chu’er, was amiable and shared the information with Jiang Kechu.

However, after just a few sentences, An Gang found himself thoroughly interrogated by Jiang Kechu. ƒгeewёbnovel.com

Turns out he was the son of the teacher who taught Wan Chu’er Martial Arts, practically her Martial Brother.

During the conversation, he noticed that An Gang was only looking after Wan Chu’er at her father’s behest. This relaxed Jiang Kechu’s expression considerably.

By the end, the two of them could almost be said to have enjoyed a thoroughly engaging conversation.

An Gang thought Jiang Kechu had a broad knowledge base, clear thinking, and unique perspectives, and he found the conversation very enlightening. He came to hold Jiang Kechu in high esteem for a while.

Wan Chu’er was eating the dishes in her bowl, watching the two chat and laugh with each other, and she was simply awestruck.

Jiang Kechu actually had this side to him, too! Being able to let go and have a hearty laugh with An Gang.

As she watched, she accidentally choked on a chili pepper and began coughing repeatedly.

An Gang hurried to bring her water.

Jiang Kechu took the water that An Gang passed over and held it to Wan Chu’er’s lips; without overthinking, she took a sip.

But she still choked, so Jiang Kechu reached out and gently patted her back a few times.

With Jiang Kechu’s comfort, she finally started feeling better.

The group began to eat again, and during this time, Jiang Kechu’s expression seemed to become even more cheerful.

After a while, the three quickly finished their meal. An Gang told Wan Chu’er to chat and watch TV with Jiang Kechu while he went into the kitchen to start cleaning up.

Wan Chu’er couldn’t help saying, "Brother An Gang, you’re really great, taking care of everything from cooking to cleaning up. Whoever marries you will be really lucky."

An Gang laughed embarrassingly.

Hearing this, Jiang Kechu gripped the cup in his hand but didn’t say anything.

By ten o’clock in the evening, Wan Chu’er yawned.

An Gang then said, "Chuchu, are you sleepy? It’s getting late; I’ll head back first. You should get some rest."

Before Wan Chu’er could say anything, Jiang Kechu stood up and added, "Actually, I should be getting back too. Where does Mr. An live? I can give you a ride on my way."

An Gang chuckled and asked if it would be too much trouble; he liked Jiang Kechu quite a bit and was very willing to chat with him a bit more on the road.

Jiang Kechu certainly didn’t mind the trouble.

So, the two of them said goodbye to Wan Chu’er and left.

After sending the two men off, Wan Chu’er tidied up, washed up, and went straight to sleep.

The next day, she was woken by the crackling sounds of firecrackers in the community. She mused that apparently, Beijing had not yet banned setting off firecrackers.

It was the first day of the lunar year; she decided not to go for a run in the park and show off her Martial Arts skills.

Lying on her back in bed, listening to the lively sounds of firecrackers outside, she pondered what to do for the day but suddenly felt something was amiss.

Reaching under her pillow, she pulled out a big red envelope.

Opening the red envelope, she saw a stack of money. After counting, there was one thousand yuan.

Who would have put it under her pillow?

It didn’t seem like An Gang’s doing; if An Gang were to give her something, he would have done it openly in front of her today, and he wouldn’t have given her so much.

Then it must have been Jiang Kechu from last night. When had Jiang Kechu entered her bedroom? How incredibly stealthy!

Looking at the red envelope, Wan Chu’er’s expression gradually grew serious.

Could Jiang Kechu be harboring some ill intentions towards her?

Not going home for the New Year’s Eve family dinner but instead bringing her two large bags of goods, staying with her for so long and having hot pot together.

Even slipping a big red envelope under her pillow.

And that slow handshake at her place last time.

What did Jiang Kechu want?

This was certainly beyond the scope of care a military officer would typically show to the family of a fallen comrade, wasn’t it?