On the morning of February 6th, the wind in Donghai City was still damp and cold as Jiang Yue dragged his suitcase downstairs.
The ride-share car was already waiting at the entrance of the residential community. The driver helped load his suitcase into the trunk, and Jiang Yue slid into the back seat as a flurry of message notifications popped up on his phone.
Group Name: 【Jiang Family Foodie Congress】
This was a seven-member WeChat group consisting only of the younger generation, and the vibe in it was always lively and uninhibited.
Jiang Yue was the third oldest in the group.
The oldest was his paternal cousin, Jiang Tao, who was already married. The second oldest was his maternal cousin, Zhou Siqian, who had graduated three years ago and worked as a bank clerk.
Below them were the fourth, Jiang Kaiwen, a college junior; the fifth, Zhou Qiqi, a college freshman; and the sixth and youngest, who were both still in high school.
Right now, a "red envelope rain" was pouring down in the chat.
The second oldest, Zhou Siqian, sent three emojis in a row—GIFs of Jiang Yue playing Shen Xu in 《Manhunt》, pushing up his glasses with a villainous smile.
Zhou Siqian: 【@All Members Paging everyone! Front row seats to see a wild superstar! What time does Superstar Jiang land? Does he need his Second Sister to escort him?】
The fifth, Zhou Qiqi: 【Brother Yue is a big shot now, hanging out with Han Song on the Bund! My roommates have been using pictures of Shen Xu as eye candy during meals these past few days. I was practically dying to tell them, but I managed to hold back and not blab that he's my brother!】
The sixth, Wang Yifan: 【Third Brother, your acting was so cool! When can I be that cool for once?】
Jiang Yue leaned back in the rear seat, his lips curving up in an involuntary smile.
These guys had known he was acting for a long time.
In their eyes, Jiang Yue had been the quintessential "golden child" praised by the elders since childhood—he got excellent grades, was obedient and low-maintenance, and getting into Donghai University had brought immense pride to the Jiang family.
As for his cameo in 《Manhunt》, the elders didn't spend much time online, so they were mostly in the dark about it.
But these internet-savvy peers of his had unmasked him the very night the drama aired.
The reason they hadn't made a big fuss about it in front of the elders was that, in the older generation's view, acting was an unstable profession that involved too much hardship under the sun and wind.
They were worried the elders would fret needlessly and think Jiang Yue was suffering out there, so the siblings had formed a tacit agreement to cover for him.
Now that Jiang Yue was coming home, this group of younger relatives finally let loose their pent-up urge to gossip after holding it in for six months.
Jiang Yue tapped on his screen.
Jiang Yue: 【Landing at two in the afternoon. No need to pick me up, I'll take a taxi back.】
The fourth, Jiang Kaiwen, replied instantly: 【Don't do that, Third Brother! You have no idea how bizarre the atmosphere at home is right now. If you don't let me pick you up to brief you beforehand, you're definitely going to be the target of some "extreme care" the moment you step through the door.】
Jiang Yue raised an eyebrow: 【Care?】
The oldest, Jiang Tao, sent a voice message, with the faint sound of his wife stir-frying in the background.
Jiang Tao: 【Third Brother, you can't blame us for this. It's mainly Second Grandaunt. A few days ago, Eldest Aunt was watching dramas on her tablet with Second Grandaunt, and as luck would have it, 《Manhunt》 was recommended on the homepage. Second Grandaunt put on her reading glasses and stared at the screen for a few minutes, insisting that the gloomy-looking villain in the show looked just like you.】
The youngest, Jiang Doudou, popped up right after: 【Then Eldest Aunt dug out all your photos from childhood to adulthood and spent the whole afternoon comparing them like she was solving a crime. Now it's spread all over the elders' circle. They're saying you must have been under too much pressure out there, which is why you played such a gloomy character. They're all feeling so sorry for you!】
Jiang Yue shook his head in amusement.
He hadn't intended to keep it a secret in the first place; he just hadn't found the right opportunity to explain.
Never mind the elders—even if someone had told him a year ago that he would become an actor, he wouldn't have believed it himself.
Zhou Siqian: 【[Laughing.jpg] Now Second Grandaunt has spoken. Once you're back, forget about the birthday preparations for a moment—she's going to stew a pot of nourishing tonic soup to nurse you back to health first.】
Looking at the messages on the screen, Jiang Yue pictured his eldest aunt's brisk, decisive manner and instantly felt a headache coming on.
Jiang Yue: 【Didn't you guys help me explain to the elders that it was just normal acting?】
Jiang Tao: 【We did. I told them it was acting and that it pays well. But Second Grandaunt said, "No matter how much money he makes, playing a character who is rotten to the core must be so depressing. Look how thin he is in the drama; he must have suffered some grievances out there."】
The fourth, Jiang Kaiwen, gloated: 【Third Brother, brace yourself. At Second Grandaunt's house this afternoon, you're going to face a joint trial.】
The fifth, Zhou Qiqi: 【Brother Yue, regardless of that, you promised to get me Han Song's autographed photo! Otherwise, I'll go tell Second Grandaunt to whip up a few more pots of soup for you!】
Jiang Yue: 【...】
Zhou Qiqi: 【If I don't get the autographed photo, I'll start making things up on the spot!】
Seeing the lively banter in the group, Jiang Yue simply sent a 500-yuan lucky draw red envelope.
The group fell dead silent. Three seconds later, the red envelope was completely snatched up.
The luckiest recipient was the sixth, Wang Yifan.
Wang Yifan: 【[ThankYouBoss.jpg] Wishing the boss a massive rise in popularity!】
The group instantly erupted into chaos again, with everyone complaining about Wang Yifan's absurdly good luck.
Jiang Yue watched for a moment, then locked his phone.
Outside the car window, elevated highways, office buildings, and the red lanterns hanging by the roadside retreated continuously.
The exhaustion that had accumulated in his heart over the past few days was largely dissipated by these pointless, playful jokes in the group.
No matter how things were out there, once he returned to Nancheng, he was simply the third oldest of the Jiang family.
Two in the afternoon.
The plane landed smoothly at Nancheng Airport.
Dragging his suitcase out of the arrivals gate, Jiang Yue immediately spotted Jiang Kaiwen standing just outside the crowd.
Jiang Kaiwen was wearing a black down jacket, hands stuffed in his pockets, stamping his feet against the cold.
His eyes lit up the moment he saw Jiang Yue. He rushed over in a few quick strides and grabbed the suitcase.
“Third Brother!”
Jiang Kaiwen sized him up and clicked his tongue. “How did you get even thinner than you looked in our video call last month?”
“I just wrapped up an action scene,” Jiang Yue said, patting him on the shoulder. “It was physically demanding.”
Jiang Kaiwen looked down at his own shoulder, his expression turning complex. “Third Brother, you call this thin? Why do I feel like you could punch me all the way back to the parking lot right now?”
Jiang Yue chuckled but didn't reply.
“Didn't I say you didn't have to pick me up?”
“No way,” Jiang Kaiwen said, instantly turning serious. “Tomorrow is Second Grandaunt's seventieth birthday, and a lot of the family elders and younger relatives have already arrived. If I don't escort you back safely, Eldest Aunt will nag me from the front gate all the way until the New Year's Eve dinner starts.”
At this point, he lowered his voice. “Besides, I need to brief you beforehand.”
Jiang Yue raised an eyebrow. “Is it really that serious?”
“Incredibly serious,” Jiang Kaiwen said, dragging the suitcase toward the parking lot. “Second Grandaunt has been talking about you non-stop these past few days. Eldest Aunt is even more dramatic. She thinks playing a villain must have put immense psychological pressure on you, and that you haven't been eating or sleeping well. My mom even said yesterday that once you get back, she'll force two bowls of chicken soup down your throat first, and then make you confess your problems.”
Jiang Yue fell silent for a moment. “Confess what?”
“Confess why a top computer science graduate like you isn't sitting in an air-conditioned office, but instead ran off to suffer in film crews.”
Jiang Kaiwen popped the trunk of a secondhand Volkswagen and shoved the suitcase inside.
The car looked a bit old on the outside; it was a starter car his family had bought him after he got his driver's license over the summer break.
The two of them got into the car. As Jiang Kaiwen started the engine, he kept stealing glances at Jiang Yue through the rearview mirror.
Jiang Yue buckled his seatbelt. “What are you looking at?”
“A superstar, of course,” Jiang Kaiwen grinned. “Third Brother, our ancestral graves must be smoking with good fortune. We're about to have a grand Best Actor in the family.”
“Stop talking nonsense.” Jiang Yue leaned back against his seat. “Focus on driving.”
Jiang Kaiwen turned the steering wheel and drove out of the parking lot.
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