That noon, Jiang Jingyu, still furious, skipped lunch, and Jiang Nan Fang did not call him for it.
He stayed in his room, playing games and browsing his phone, feeling bored. He eventually dozed off while playing.
When he woke up, it was already dark.
Checking his phone, it was past nine in the evening.
He had missed dinner, and since no one had woken him, he figured everyone had already eaten.
Great, at the critical moment, no one cared about his emotions, and no one cared if he lived or died.
The house was quiet, with no one speaking. His phone was also silent, with no calls or messages.
Suddenly, he felt abandoned by the whole world.
The more Jiang Jingyu thought about it, the more despondent he became. He reasoned that since he had already strained his relationship with his family, he might as well leave with his friends.
After all, no one cared if he lived or died, and he wouldn't be an eyesore in their home anymore.
Feeling a surge of emotion, he was about to call his friends in the mountaineering team when his door was knocked.
Zhan Beijue's deep voice sounded from outside the door, "Jingyu."
Jiang Jingyu had never argued with his parents before, and today was the first time, though it was one-sided.
His dad had actually come looking for him, so he dared not not open the door.
Still feeling down, he opened the door and saw Zhan Beijue, impeccably dressed in a suit, his tie neatly done, looking as if he had just finished work, with a somewhat weary expression.
Glancing at his disheveled hair, Zhan Beijue loosened his tie, unbuttoned his shirt, and walked in.
"Mommy took your younger siblings to their art class exams. I just got off work and heard you hadn't eaten, so I came up to check on you."
So that was the reason.
It wasn't that no one had called him for dinner, but rather that everyone had been busy.
Jiang Jingyu's mood improved slightly.
Looking at his father again.
Young, successful, with a resolute demeanor. Compared to him, he himself was nothing, and he felt a little embarrassed about his petty-mindedness.
"I accidentally overslept..."
Zhan Beijue looked at him with a calm expression.
"Didn't you promise to intern at the company? I just had a video conference with your CEO, Lu, and she just finished work. Why did you come back to sleep?"
Since he had a video conference with Lu Jiaying, she surely knew what he had done today. Wasn't he asking the obvious?
But Jiang Jingyu still had to answer, "Actually, I don't really want to go to the electrical company..."
Zhan Beijue sat down on the small sofa.
Jiang Jingyu knew it was useless to lie to him; nothing could escape his eyes, so he told the truth.
"I was joking when I agreed yesterday. I want to go mountaineering."
To his surprise, Zhan Beijue readily agreed.
"Alright, it's fine to go mountaineering. Why didn't you tell me the truth yesterday?"
"..."
"Since you couldn't do it, why did you easily promise me? You should know from childhood what kind of people Mommy and I dislike the most."
Jiang Jingyu knew that both he and his mother were people with very strong principles. Unless they couldn't do something, or hadn't agreed to it, they wouldn't give up halfway.
He felt ashamed, "I'm sorry, Dad."
Zhan Beijue looked at him with a hint of disappointment.
"Jingyu, you do have a bit of talent in your studies, and you are Zhan Beijue's son, so your self-awareness is a bit lacking."
"Do you think getting a guaranteed admission spot makes you so great?"
To be honest, Jiang Jingyu did think that.
He had been praised as a child prodigy by teachers and classmates, and nothing had ever been difficult for him. With his family's wealth, how could he not have a sense of superiority?
Not denying it was tacitly admitting it, and Zhan Beijue chuckled as if amused.
"Then let me tell you now. Do you know how many students are guaranteed admission spots nationwide every year? Do you know what qualifications you need to intern at Zhan Group, even after you go to university?"
Jiang Jingyu did not know.
But he knew that since his father said so, it was definitely meant to put him in his place, so he listened obediently.
Zhan Beijue said, "Without graduating from a prestigious university or having outstanding academic performance, you won't even qualify to have your resume screened by Zhan Group."
"Every year, Zhan Group recruits no more than two thousand new employees, but do you know how many people apply? Over fifty times the number of available positions."
"Everything you scorn today was not earned by yourself, but because you are the son of Jiang Nan Fang and Zhan Beijue. What you don't value, countless people outside who are far better than you are desperately trying to get."
"From the moment you were born, you were destined to represent the reputation of Zhan Beijue and Jiang Nan Fang. Therefore, if you break your promise, you tarnish our reputation. I will not allow my son to do such a shameful thing. Jiang Jingyu, to be frank, once you chose to agree, there was no turning back."
Jiang Jingyu knew that his mistake was agreeing so carelessly.
His father made sense; no matter how reluctant he was, there was no turning back now.
Besides, Mount Qomolangma wasn't going anywhere.
If necessary, he could wait a year or two until he was fully in control of his decisions.
"I understand, Dad. I'm sorry, I'll go to work diligently tomorrow."
His attitude was good.
Zhan Beijue stood up and patted his shoulder, "Alright, come down for dinner."
As if yesterday's events had never happened, they all had breakfast together the next day with normal expressions and went about their own business.
Before leaving, Jiang Jingyu told Jiang Nan Fang that it would be bad for his image if the driver was seen picking him up and dropping him off at work every day, and he preferred to go by himself.
However, traffic control in Nan Cheng was very strict, and they didn't have any low-key cars at home. Since he was young, Jiang Nan Fang feared accidents and told him to take a taxi.
"From now on, you need to come down twenty minutes earlier than everyone else each day, call for a car, and then eat, so you don't waste time."
"Starting yesterday, I've frozen all of your cards. Everyone is treated the same to prevent frivolous spending. You'll receive a daily allowance from me. 200 yuan should be enough for you."
Ge Rui Electric provided lunch, breakfast was at home, and dinner was also at home. He only needed money for transportation, and 200 yuan was indeed enough.
However, Jiang Jingyu still felt a bit down; he was not used to being so poor.
The ride-sharing car took nearly half an hour to reach the roadside. Because he left late and got caught in the morning rush hour, he was naturally late.
He was a full forty minutes late.
The customer service representatives from the marketing department saw him walk in and looked pleasantly surprised.
"Oh, you're here again? We didn't see you yesterday afternoon, and we thought you couldn't stand the 'Tyrant Aunt's' reign and had escaped early!"
Jiang Jingyu smiled and explained to everyone that CEO Lu had sent him to collect information yesterday. It was not easy to get into Ge Rui Electric, so why would he escape so easily?
Everyone was delighted that they would be working with a handsome guy.
After salvaging his own pride, Jiang Jingyu went to knock on Lu Jiaying's door.
Lu Jiaying had been extremely busy since early morning and was staring at her computer with a stern expression.
When he entered, she glanced up at him with a blank expression.