CHAPTER 45: CHAPTER 42: THE MALE LEAD CAME LOOKING, PART 2

After Mrs. Jiang’s revelation, the siblings instinctively compared their memories of the benefactor with the man in front of them. The benefactor had worn a mask, only exposing his eyes. And now, seeing those fine brows, those affectionate phoenix eyes, and that remarkable physique, it was unmistakably him—their benefactor!

The rescued Jiang Jian Country, overwhelmed with emotion, hugged Yan Jinzhi, a burly man who cried without hesitation, "Benefactor, we finally found you. I... I..."

Jiang Jianjun and Jiang Zhenmei were no better, while only Jiang Mingyue blinked at this unexpected guest.

She hadn’t expected him to be the kind-hearted person her third sister had mentioned, reminding her of their first meeting when he offered her to share a table. If she hadn’t discreetly slipped him money, he wouldn’t have taken it. Truly a kind-hearted soul.

Thinking about it, could he be assisting all the poor in the world?

From the moment he entered, Yan Jinzhi’s gaze would occasionally fall on Jiang Mingyue. His familiarity with this bright moon from his previous life told him she had misunderstood his intentions.

But he was in no position to explain.

"Benefactor, you haven’t eaten yet, right? Come, come, we haven’t started. If you don’t mind, join us for a meal."

Yan Jinzhi, new to the house, maintained his good manners, letting Qiao Mingtang present gifts as he smiled at Mrs. Jiang and the others.

"Auntie, my name is Yan Jinzhi. You can just call me by my name."

Mrs. Jiang obliged, "Then I’ll call you Xiao Yan."

"Pfft!" Jiang Mingyue and Jiang Ming’an both burst into laughter simultaneously.

Mrs. Jiang, realizing her mistake, glared at the siblings and quickly corrected herself, "I’ll call you Jinzhi then."

Yan Jinzhi discreetly breathed a sigh of relief: If his future mother-in-law insisted on calling him that, he would have no choice.

Soon, three new grass stools, all made by Mrs. Jiang herself from grass she harvested, were added to the table. Jiang Mingyue watched the captivating gentleman act as though he were in his own home, comfortably accepting rice from her elder brother and dishes from Mrs. Jiang, surrounded like a star by their entire family. She was truly impressed.

Jiang Mingyue and Jiang Ming’an exchanged glances and eventually lowered their heads to eat in silence.

Qiao Mingtang wanted to assert his presence but never found the opportunity, content to be overlooked because it allowed him to eat without disturbance. He hadn’t expected Little Yueyue’s family to have rice and meat, resembling a state-run restaurant, and the taste was incredibly good.

Especially the fried ribs, which he had never tasted so delicious, flavorful, and aromatic. The spicy rabbit cubes were perfectly seasoned, the numbness, spiciness, and fragrance blending without overshadowing each other. The food was so exquisite that he was too engrossed to speak.

A meal where guests and hosts alike were delighted and even every last chili segment had been eaten. In the end, the eldest brother eagerly volunteered to wash the dishes.

Jiang Mingyue thought again of that handkerchief, wondering if her brother would notice. If he did, would he go crazy searching for it?

Lost in thought, she suddenly heard her third sister’s voice beside her.

"Yuer..."

"Hmm?" She responded, a bit dumbfounded.

The absent-minded Jiang Mingyue was suddenly handed a large package.

Looking up, it was the captivating gentleman: "Manager Zhuang asked me to bring this for you."

Jiang Mingyue, disregarding the watchful eyes around her, asked, "How did you know it was me?"

Yan Jinzhi thought to himself how he knew her every move, but said instead, "I know Manager Zhuang and coincidentally know your second brother. While having tea with Manager Zhuang, he mentioned your cousin was injured. I wanted to come and see, so Manager Zhuang asked me to send a message for your cousin and entrusted me with a parcel for your—his benefactor. From his description, I guessed it must be you."

But helping Jiang Jian Country had been purely accidental. Maybe he was in a good mood that day, or maybe the sky was clear, or perhaps their eyebrows resembled a certain old friend.

But he really hadn’t expected them to be related to this bright moon, which was why he was taken aback when Mrs. Jiang suddenly called him "benefactor" upon entering.

An unexpected yet fortuitous turn of events!

On the side, Jiang Ming’an felt uneasy, regretting having brought this guy to their home, blaming himself for following his words.

Look at him, lying with a straight face.

How did he and the original Jiang Ming’an even know each other? Yet, this guy made it sound like they were longtime friends.

And... Mingyue knows this guy?

Jiang Ming’an internally wanted to scream 300 times, realizing he had been duped and had inadvertently become someone’s bridge.

Yan Jinzhi also knew that staying longer would be inappropriate. For harmony’s sake, he politely bid Mrs. Jiang farewell. Mrs. Jiang was reluctant to see him go, and from the look of things, if they had an extra room, she might have insisted on keeping him.

"It’s so late, you..."

"Auntie, don’t worry. Ming’an will take care of the arrangements."

Once again, Jiang Ming’an found himself used, thinking: "If only it weren’t illegal to murder..."

As they walked away, Jiang Ming’an’s suppressed anger quickly turned into a fist flying towards Yan Jinzhi’s face, startling Qiao Mingtang.

Yan Jinzhi seemed to have anticipated it, deftly dodging Jiang Ming’an’s strike.

"Hey! Don’t fight, don’t fight..." Qiao Mingtang rolled up his sleeves, trying to mediate, and both past-life bosses glared at him, saying, "Shut up and get lost!"

Qiao Mingtang, perplexed: "Fine, but why is even Brother Yan telling me to leave?"

"We have something to discuss, move along."

Qiao Mingtang pursed his lips, thinking, what could they possibly have to talk about after just meeting?

But he obediently stepped back.

Jiang Ming’an: "Mingyue is my sister; don’t get any ideas about her."

Yan Jinzhi: "Cousin, both the man and woman are single. Isn’t it perfectly reasonable for me to take an interest in her?"

"You..."

"Cousin, Mingyue is an adult. She has her own judgment. As her elder brother, you shouldn’t interfere with her relationships."

"You... Other people are other people, but you’re not allowed!"

Yan Jinzhi lamented, "Why am I not allowed?"

"You’re just not allowed, and that’s that!"

Yan Jinzhi, feeling aggrieved: "... Well, Mrs. Jiang likes me."

"Let’s talk about something else first. When did you arrive?"

When this topic came up, Jiang Ming’an’s tense body suddenly relaxed, "Do you have a cigarette?"

Yan Jinzhi didn’t have any, so he gestured to someone foolishly hiding behind a tree to bring some: "Bring me a cigarette."

He took a drawn-out puff of a cigarette but didn’t light it for a long time. Not because he couldn’t adapt to using matches, but rather, he was curious about these ancient things, yet his heart felt heavy with the pain lingering from his past life.

...

"So, were you injured when you came here?"

"Yes!"

"What happened when you went to the South with the antibodies? Was it inconvenient to say?"

"It’s not inconvenient; it’s just that even I don’t understand what happened. I only remember after several twists and turns, I got on the helicopter that was supposed to take me away, but it crashed midway. When I woke up, I was here."

Yan Jinzhi: "..."

"What about you? While I went south, you pursued them across the country. What happened to you?"

When this was brought up, Yan Jinzhi’s handsome brows and eyes momentarily showed a touch of melancholy.

Seeing his expression, Jiang Ming’an had a suspicion.

"You can tell me when you’re ready."