RIACMET chapter 101

 

Jiang Nian quietly sorted and connected the information he knew, all the while calmly observing the two men. Even if they realized he had recognized them, they didn’t dare look over too casually.

Except for Cheng Jing, no one else present noticed the odd atmosphere between Jiang Nian and the two men.

After a moment, Cheng Jing stood up, walked over to Jiang Nian, and asked in a low voice,

“You know them?”

He’d only been away for a few days, and suddenly all kinds of riffraff were showing up near his partner.

“…”

Jiang Nian was a little surprised by his sharpness. He raised a hand to cover his mouth and mumbled,

“I’ll tell you later.”

It was a long story. They would need snacks to hear the whole thing.

“All right.”

Cheng Jing nodded in satisfaction, then returned to his seat and sat down again.

Good. His lover hadn’t denied or tried to wriggle out of it guiltily. That meant it wasn’t a big deal.

Besides, the two of them were pretty plain-looking, and they seemed average at best, so he didn’t feel threatened at all.

He didn’t judge people by appearances, but Jiang Nian had always been particular about looks.

He couldn’t forget how their relationship started with something so blunt and shameless, like when someone hit on him with lines like:

“Handsome guy, add me as a friend.”

“I heard you’re still single—wanna try it with me?”

“You’re so handsome, but you don’t deserve me. What a shame—can’t you see it?”

“Let’s be honest. I just want to sleep with you. Give me a chance? I don’t know how yet, but I can learn.”

“I can’t keep my hands to myself because I’m a fighter. Come here and help me control them.”

“I can be there, but you can’t tell anyone. If you do, you’ll have to marry me.”

That little scoundrel had said so many outrageous things that he’d lost count. He’d had to pretend to hold back just to hear more; it had been excruciating.

“… ”

After directing her teammates to move the supplies down, Liang Xiaoyan didn’t seem too surprised to see anyone else besides Jiang Nian. She knew they were probably the rest of the team.

Everyone here had abilities, except for Jiang Nian, and she’d heard their team was perfectly balanced.

A balanced team with a dual-element captain was always considered top-tier wherever it went.

If only she could have friends like this!

With this thought, she approached Jiang Nian with a bright smile and greeted him:

“Brother Jiang Nian, it’s nice to see you again. I didn’t expect you to be the boss here. You never mentioned it last time. If you had, we would have come to you first whenever we found something good.”

Clearly, Cheng Jing had set up this shop so his partner wouldn’t have to suffer. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t a little envious. There were so many supplies here that it looked like the entire team’s collection ended up in this store.

She really didn’t understand. With Cheng Jing’s qualifications, he could have anyone he wanted. Why fall for someone like Jiang Nian, a handsome young man with no abilities?

“It’s not too late to find out. If there’s a chance, we can work together and keep up with the market,” Jiang Nian replied calmly, smiling.

This woman’s eyes and brows were full of smiles, as if she were truly happy. She was flawlessly beautiful, but, to be honest, her baby face was dangerously deceptive.

“Let’s take a look at the goods first.

Li Shuhui, who was acting as the middleman, only explained that Jiang Nian owned the shop. Then she stepped forward to check the goods.

She wasn’t sure if it was her own lingering bitterness, but she felt vaguely annoyed every time she heard Liang Xiaoyan’s voice.

Jiang Nian had told her it was fine not to come, but she was too worried and hurried over after eating lunch in the cafeteria.

The three boxes turned out to contain exactly what they had guessed:

lemons, hawthorn berries, mulberries, licorice root, monk fruit,

Angelica, goji berries, red dates, and various scented teas. They were all very common items—some they hadn’t seen personally, but they’d at least heard of them.

After all, they had looted a health tea shop, not a traditional Chinese medicine clinic or herbal apothecary.

Jiang Nian casually sifted through the items, realizing that he could make all sorts of herbal drinks. He nodded without hesitation.

“Alright, I’ll take these. Name your price.”

Li Shuhui had been helping at the entrance checkpoint lately, so she was familiar with the prices around the base.

Since she was the go-between, and she was worried that Jiang Nian might not bargain well with an acquaintance as a man, she took the initiative to negotiate with Liang Xiaoyan and her two teammates.

After the lessons she’d learned—and with the advice of her father and brother—she’d become much smarter.

She didn’t know why Liang Xiaoyan wanted her help, but since Brother Nian had nodded, she decided to stay neutral and see what the other side wanted.

Liang Xiaoyan was polite and treated her like an acquaintance. She readily offered a price that everyone found fair: 600 points for all three boxes.

“Since this is our first collaboration, let’s consider each other friends. This way, we’ll have a good relationship in the future.”

“Okay.”

Jiang Nian didn’t haggle and transferred the payment on the spot using his phone’s point system and a verification scan.

After that, the teammates quickly moved the boxes into the shop.

Liang Xiaoyan glanced at Cheng Jing, who had been sitting silently in his chair the whole time, like a boss supervising his subordinates. Then she teased Jiang Nian with a smile.

“Brother Jiang Nian, aren’t you going to introduce us? We’ll probably all be acquaintances in the future. It would be awkward not to know what to call each other if we meet outside.”

Then she introduced her two teammates. The burly, tattooed man was Da Jun, and the tall, skinny man was Xiao Liu. The other members of her team weren’t there today.

She looked relaxed, but she was actually keeping her guard up. Jiang Nian didn’t care either way. Names were just codenames. He smiled and nodded, pointing first toward Cheng Jing:

“This is Cheng Jing, my boyfriend and our team captain.”

Then, he introduced everyone else one by one.

After the introductions, everyone gave polite nods as a greeting.

Since Cheng Jing and the other men were so cold, Liang Xiaoyan ended up chatting with Huang Qian instead. They even exchanged numbers.

No one was worried about that. After all, how could a cunning little fox like Liang Xiaoyan defeat an old fox like Huang Qian?

Once the deal was settled, Liang Xiaoyan didn’t linger. She said she was heading out, but that they could work together again if needed. Then, she left with her teammates.

Liang Xiaoyan sat in the backseat while Xiao Liu drove. After they got in, the tattooed man in the passenger seat turned to look back at Jiang Nian.

However, Jiang Nian had turned to talk to someone else, so the man ended up locking eyes with Cheng Jing instead.

Cheng Jing’s expression was terrible. His deep-set brows and sharp eyes made him look ready to fight.

The tattooed man grunted in frustration and turned away, scowling.

“Damn it! Even if I don’t want to admit it, those rare offensive-type ability users are much stronger than us mere physical strength enhancers.”

The jeep sped away.

Everyone else witnessed the scene of the tattooed man and Cheng Jing glaring at each other.

Only Jian Cheng couldn’t keep his mouth shut. He blurted out something astonishing:

“Brother Cheng, what were you doing just now—flirting with that big, tattooed guy? Do you two know each other?”

Cheng Jing: “…”

Jiang Nian was browsing through the flower tea boxes with Huang Qian and Li Shuhui when he suddenly caught that important bit amid the commotion. He turned around, looking baffled.

“What? Who were you flirting with?”

“…”

Everyone turned to stare at Jian Cheng in horror and inched away from him.

He really lived up to his reputation as someone on par with a Crouching Dragon or Young Phoenix[mfn]”Crouching Dragon” (卧龙) was a nickname used by Zhuge Liang from the Tree Kingdom. It implies that he possessed hidden genius or exceptional wisdom. “Young Phoenix” (凤雏) is the nickname of Pang Tong, and it symbolizes rising talent and brilliance. To say someone is “on par with a Crouching Dragon or Young Phoenix” means: This person is as clever, cunning, and extraordinary as the most famous strategists.[/mfn]—able to say the most outrageous things in the most sincere tone.