Chapter Text
It has been 2 years since Jiang Cheng took full responsibility of the Jin Company and all of its other business, managing them so that it won't crumble before her nephew takes over, making it easier for him in the future. After Jin GuangYao's mess was revealed, which took away her life as well, her headaches have been increasing since then. She clearly knows and can definitely do, that she can throw away the responsibility back to the company's original board members but if she does then her nephew's rightful place won't be safe anymore. So, she had no choice but to suffer, managing two huge companies in her shoulders for the sake of her nephew.
Though the outside of the Jin Company is calm and still strong, it was all thanks to her hard work these past 2 years. The real owner of the company that is left behind is her nephew, Jin Ling. Her older sister's son and the only one who has a Jin in his blood, well except for his half-uncle. And also one of the two family members she had left.
If only her nephew knew how things are done and is old enough to handle such things, her headaches should have been better. But no! The heavens just had to test her patience and capabilities in this life of her. Her nephew isn't out of high school to know how to properly handle things around and sign papers, he'd rather make comments about them being too boring to read or too long to even bother reading. And she would often question herself, did she really raised a spoiled brat? Or if she didn't then, it was Jin GuangYao's fault. Jiang Cheng was pretty sure that she scolds the child, very often actually, so there's no way that brat would grow up in a spoiled manner.
Bullshit! She thought as she clenched her fist.
She read the letter in front of her again, hoping the words would change. Sadly, it didn't. Her knuckles turned white after a while, she released it. She glanced at the tensed employee who sent the letter in front of her, as if ready to kneel just to be spared from her unpredictable temper. The man was sweating, his fingers were fidgeting and his head faced the floor.
"Leave," Jiang Cheng said. Her voice echoing through her office. The man, without any more words, rushed to the door before mumbling a yes.
Am I really that scary? Jiang Cheng asked herself.
She, herself clearly know the answer but why did she even ask? It was always the same answer ever since she could remember. With her threatening people in her daily life, starting from her young age while looking at them with her most unwanted glares that sometimes makes people unable to talk or even let a word out, of course, people would be afraid of her. Her threats are, after all, happens daily, especially to Jin Ling. Even her own nephew isn't spared from daily threats and scoldings but as the boy grows older, it seems her words have lost its effectiveness as well.
Jiang Cheng just sighs and pushed the thought to the back of her mind before looking on the paper. With an expensive paper and a seal on the envelope, one would think that letter is an important matter that would immediately need a reply, which she thought of as well, but the moment it was opened and unfolded, ugly handwriting would greet the receiver. And would eventually piss off the person who would read it, and she was. She faced palm and heave a heavy sigh, even Jin Ling's handwriting when he was in nursery school was better than this ugly smudges, she thought. For an adult to have such handwriting is a disgrace! Shameful, even! It's also not good for both the eyes and brain. But the person who wrote this won't even feel a tiny bit of shame after all that person has been thick-face ever since young.
Such waste of fine paper, she thought.
It was then she realized that why the heck is she caring about a piece of a freaking paper for goodness sake! She has a lot of papers, lots. Not to mention papers with luxury and rich textures. Don't even get started with her, she definitely has good handwriting, not like this child-like doodles!
She read the letter, again and again, trying to decipher what was written but failed to, only to recognize words of dinner and brother. It wasn't that important after all, so she crumpled the letter and threw it on the bin in the corner. Jiang Cheng's head has been throbbing since the morning and that guy is the cause of it. Oh, she will definitely broaden her patience for this guy or else she might successfully murder him.
Jiang Cheng massaged her head to slightly ease the throbbing before taking another document on the table. Thank heavens it wasn't some useless words again or else she would kill the person responsible for getting the paper works in her office.
After reading and signing a few documents and letters, her phone chimed. She took it and looked who was it, all her concentration was drained when she read the name 'Wei WuXian'. She thought of answering it but then remember this guy been the cause of headaches and needed patience every time they engage in a conversation, so with the second thought she had, she pressed the red button and place her phone back to the table and continue on whatever she was doing.
Not long after, Jiang Cheng's office door shot open and the footsteps of the newcomer towards her. She didn't need to know who it was, just by the dramatic entrance and how the air turned different, she continued reading and analyzing the papers in her hand.
"Jiang WanYin, why didn't you answer the phone?" Wei WuXian said as he crossed his arms, looking directly to Jiang Cheng, whose eyes are not leaving the paper.
"Clearly because I want to," was her answer, and she changed the previous document by a new one.
"Hah! I dare you to do that agai-"
"Then, how about calling me again," Jiang Cheng raised her eyes and met Wei WuXian's, his handsome features distorting because of her challenge. "If you didn't mess with me early in the morning then your phone call would've been answered," Tone flat and lazy as she watched Wei WuXian's face, ugly, she thought.
"It was just pictures! Those pics didn't kill you and more importantly, I already said it was wrong sent," Wei WuXian defended. His face did show he was regretting it but his eyes didn't, Jiang Cheng can definitely see the growing amusement in those eyes. "I even apologized, didn't I?"
"Then who will you send those pictures of you and your husband? Surely there is one who wants to see it," Jiang Cheng challenged again, her patience running out remembering those curse images she saw first thing in the morning. This guy came here to complain because his phone call wasn't answered while she has to keep quiet in everything her brother causes trouble, how was that even fair!?
Wei WuXian's eyes fly around the room, he didn't expect that his sister would want a name from him when he intentionally sent those pictures to her. Now that he lied, he'll just have to continue on. Shifting his position, still not meeting Jiang Cheng's eyes, he scratched his head looking for a name.
"Well... that... I was planning to send it to... well," Jiang Cheng stared at him, hoping he would answer truthfully. The tapping sound of the pen in her hand was signaling him to hurry up. His words were stumbling out his mouth, he clearly was lying. No doubt about it. There was no hope of any truth that would come out of this guy's mouth. Jiang Cheng just hoped it got nothing to do with her and Jin Lin-
"To... er... ah right! To Jin Ling," When those words came out of Wei WuXian's mouth, the tapping sound caused by the pen stop and Jiang Cheng's right eyebrow twitch thrice.
"Come again?" Jiang Cheng spoke, her voice was cold and threatening and face were starting fill with dark lines by each second. This dirty piece of shit, she thought harshly as she held on to the word PATIENCE.
Wei WuXian somehow didn't notice that the surrounding air changed, and he repeated the answer again, but this time confidentially. "To Jin Ling of course!" He could feel his nose growing long. He then realized that the name he uttered was not a safe ground for him to stand on.
What came after his answer was a loud bang, he jumped backward only to see that Jiang Cheng was no longer sitting but standing and was shooting him with death glares. "Jiang Cheng? " He asks in a rather very low voice but Jiang Cheng still heard him and her glares intensified.
"Wei Wuxian," her voice filled with different kinds of venom in them and extremely threatening making Wei WuXian flinched. "If you fucking dare send those hellish pictures to my nephew," she then pointed the front of the pen towards Wei Wuxian, who abruptly put his guard up in case it would fly to him. "Even if you're my brother, I will definitely skin you alive without any second thoughts!" She hissed at him, making him take another step back.
Feeling his life is in danger, Wei WuXian raised his hand in the air as a sign of surrender and blurted out the words that he thinks would, if fortunate, might save his life. "Alright, alright! I was just joking, joking! There's no way I would do that if I do I either am mad or drunk!!!" But sadly it didn't. The next thing he knew was the pen really did fly towards him but lucky enough for him to avoid.
He heard Jiang Cheng's clicked her tongue mumbling about missing him, she definitely wants to hurt him! Jiang Cheng grabs another pen to throw but before she could, the door opened.
"Aunty, I'm here."
A youth entered the room, handsome and tall. When his eyes saw the scene in front of him, he stopped. His eyes traveled from his aunt Jiang Cheng, whose ready to throw a pen with bloodshot eyes glaring to his adopted uncle Wei Wuxian, whose eyes sparkled for who knows why!
Wei WuXian immediately hid behind him, even though his figure was larger than Jin Lings. "Jin Ling, help me your aunt is going to kill me!"
"Jin Ling, hold that idiot," Jiang Cheng voiced, still not letting go of the pen.
"Shouldn't you get used to it already?" He asked voice indifferent. Jin Ling has seen these scenarios a hundred times already his not new to any of this. "Anyway, you two need to calm down. Aunty, I brought you breakfast."
~~~~~
Thanks to Jin Ling, Jiang Cheng finally calmed down and Wei WuXian survived another day. It was weekend so the boy is free to go wherever he wants but with his aunt's permission of course. From the look in Jin Ling's face, he obviously doesn't want to be there but Jiang Cheng forced him so, he couldn't do anything about it. Jiang Cheng finished her breakfast, although it was near lunch, and she just had her morning food but, she didn't care after all this isn't the only time it happened. She then took a sip from her coffee her eyes traveled from Wei Wuxian who sit comfortably in front of her then to Jin Ling whose eyes are on his phone, playing some unknown game. They stayed like that for a few minutes before Wei Wuxian opened his mouth.
"Jiang Cheng," He started as he settled himself more appropriately in front of her. "You received the letter right?"
"What about it?" Jiang Cheng said as she places the cup on the saucer.
"What do you think about it?" Wei Wuxian inquired at her.
"Ugly." She replied without any hesitation or care with the other's feelings, recalling the ugly handwriting. Wei Wuxian knitted his brows and frowned, what is she talking about, he thought. Ugly? I didn't draw anything on the paper, did I? I only wrote... Then, he realized what she meant by ugly. Jiang Cheng watched as his frown turned ugly again and his forehead creases more and their eyes met, with a swift move Jiang Cheng turned her head to the right avoiding Wei Wuxian's eyes.
Wei Wuxian glared at her, "My handwriting wasn't that bad, you're just exaggerating!"
"..." Jin Ling stopped what he was doing to look over the two as if another fight broke in again.
"Really? What if I show you some of Jin Ling's handwritten works in his nursery school years and do a comparison, how about that?" This time she finally faced Wei Wuxian with a smug look in her face, she is confident in her nephew's handwriting against Wei Wuxian's ugly doodles.
"Is my writing really that bad to be compared with a child's works?"
"Yes."
"..."
"You have a freaking phone, so use it to message me! Not do the old tradition one when you're nowhere near on having good penmanship." Jiang Cheng retorted her arms crossing around her chest, she, in fact, can win this argument without any problem at all. "Do you know how many times I have to read it only to understand two words! Do you hear me? Two damn words!"
"So it's that bad then..." Wei WuXian sunk back to his seat and shrugged his shoulders feeling defeat and annoyed. He wasn't ashamed that his handwriting was compared to a child's, he doesn't even care about it, it's just that having to lose on such small matter is what annoyed him. He always wins on such matters but this time was different a rare scenario.
Jiang Cheng gave him a look, "What? So, all this time you've been thinking your handwritten works are good?"
"Ah! Forget it, forget it," Wei WuXian waved his hand to stop before Jiang Cheng started to get her fun. "You said you only understand two words?"
"Yeah, just a brother and dinner," Jiang Cheng answered plainly. "Jin Ling tell Wen Qing for another coffee."Jin Ling groaned when he heard his aunt's order but even so, he still stood up and walked out the door leaving Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng alone. Jiang Cheng stood up and walked back to her desk again, Wei Wuxian's eyes followed her before opening his mouth again.
"We're having a family dinner," he stated.
"And what does it have to do with me?" Jiang Cheng asked as she reaches for a new document in her desk. She stared at it before grabbing a new one.
"Well you're my family, so you're invited too."
"You do know I'm busy, right? I don't have time for such family dinner," although she was glad Wei Wuxian still considered her as his family member although knowing their current situation, she has been bombarded with meetings and at most require her entire presence, she has no time for fancy family dinners. It hurt her to decline Wei Wuxian's offer, which rarely happens now. But not to forget, there's also Lan Wangji, Jiang Cheng's brother-in-law and Wei Wuxian's overly protective and undoubtedly very possessive husband. Yes, her brother is married to a man, which she clearly doesn't like and the same goes for the other party.
Jiang Cheng definitely does not like the man, but she doesn't like him to the point that she hates him, yet, she is currently walking on the road that leads to that though. There is no doubt that the man is handsome, she won't lie and won't disagree as well, but what troubles her is that the man keeps glaring at her every time she and Wei Wuxian are talking. Jiang Cheng understands why his glaring at her, it's no news to everybody that Jiang Cheng tried killing Wei Wuxian not just once but a couple of more times, that block of ice was just being protective, afraid that she might stab his beloved husband in front of him. Jiang Cheng definitely knows that she understands, she freaking understands! The man's eyes always feel like CCTV's, always watching her, making it uncomfortable when talking. At most, she definitely does not want to be in the same room as that guy! A definite NO.
"Well yeah, I know you're always busy but how about just tonight? It won't hurt to stay away from work for a night right?"
"Can't," If Jiang Cheng can't talk comfortably with Lan Wangji in the same room as her, what better would it give her if he was on the table as her? And she would even bet that the man will only glare at her, although they do talk, it was nothing more other than business, no more than that.
"Oh come on, please?" Wei Wuxian shifted in his seat, giving Jiang Cheng a pleading puppy eyes look. Jiang Cheng knows her brother is afraid of dogs, be it a small one, even puppies. He doesn't like them but this guy is looking like a puppy right now while pressing the matter at her. "You can take Jin Ling with you, I asked Lan Zhan about it, he said it's fine," He added. Before Jiang Cheng could answer back, the door opened revealing Jin Ling with a tray in his hands.
"Take me to where?" He asked while settling the tray on Jiang Cheng's desk.
"Nowhere," Jiang Cheng frowned as she moves some documents on the other side of the desk to avoid damages if trouble visits.
"I heard you guys talking about you can take me to somewhere but," he turned his head to face Wei Wuxian who was already smiling. "Where, exactly? "
"Dinner."
"Dinner?"
"Yup, dinner."
"We have good food in the house, no need to trouble you for cooking a lot," Jin Ling said turning his head away from him without any interest on comes next.
"Jingyi and Sizhui will be there too," Wei Wuxian spoke with glee, he knows Jin Ling likes to hang out with the boys and with that said, Jin Ling whipped his head around to him again, Wei Wuxian got the upper hand now.