Chapter Twelve: Brother-in-law

Yang Jiekai watched as Long Xiaoman instinctively stood up and retreated, a cold smile curling on his lips. “You’re lucky you didn’t finish that last sentence. Otherwise, the consequences would’ve been severe.”

Seeing the fear in Long Xiaoman’s eyes, he added, “First, I have no interest in your so-called Dragon Hall or Snake Hall. Second, I absolutely detest being spoken to in a threatening tone.”

With that, Yang Jiekai rose and left.

Watching his departing figure, Long Xiaoman mustered her courage and flung a business card at him. “We’re not finished with what happened last time!”

Only after Yang Jiekai was gone did Long Xiaoman finally let out a long breath. She’d grown up without parents, suffered abuse in the orphanage, and had been forced to fend for herself on the streets from a young age. She’d endured cold, hunger, and humiliation, and had clawed her way step by step to her current position. The word “fear” had long been erased from her vocabulary; even with a gun to her head she wouldn’t so much as blink. Yet just now, for the first time in years, she realized she was afraid.

She wasn’t afraid of death, but fear and death are two entirely different things.

And amidst that fear, a strange, indescribable feeling toward this man began to stir in her heart. Pouring herself a quiet drink, she muttered, “Yang Jiekai, we’ll meet again.”

Once outside the bar, Yang Jiekai put the entire incident out of his mind. Such trivialities weren’t worth his concern—just a minor, troublesome episode in the course of daily life.

Upon returning to the villa, he found Aunt Wang busy in the kitchen. With nothing better to do, he went over to help.

“Sir, please, go rest. I can handle this myself,” Aunt Wang said awkwardly, seeing him approach.

“It’s no trouble. I’ve nothing else to do anyway. Let me cook a couple of dishes today. You just help me out.”

Aunt Wang didn’t protest further. She was gradually warming to this capable and diligent son-in-law, and her resentment over the incident with Han Ning was fading, replaced by memories of Yang Jiekai throwing Lin Wenjie out of the house.

Yang Jiekai picked up a kitchen knife, gave his wrist a slight twist, and the blade spun through his fingers like a magician’s trick. In moments, he was deftly chopping on the board, the knife flashing and clattering with practiced ease. Soon, he’d cut a whole chicken into uniformly sized cubes.

Aunt Wang gaped in astonishment. “Sir, your knife skills are incredible! I’ve never seen anyone dice chicken so evenly.”

“I picked it up cooking for myself over the years,” Yang Jiekai replied, half truth and half casual deflection. It was true he’d often cooked for himself abroad—he preferred Chinese cuisine, especially Sichuan dishes, to foreign food. His instructor had been Chinese and had taught him to cook a few dishes. Whenever he had free time, he would make Sichuan food for himself.

As for his knife skills, those had really been honed with daggers, but naturally, that wasn’t something he could tell Aunt Wang.

After some time, he finished two of his specialties: sautéed chicken with green peppers and steamed fish head with chopped chili—his personal favorites.

Just then, Han Ning’s voice called from the doorway, “Aunt Wang, I’m back. Guess who’s with me!”

Aunt Wang hurried out to greet her, and soon her delighted voice rang from the entryway. “Weiwei, you’re back! You should have called ahead. I wasn’t prepared at all. Wait a moment, I’ll whip up a few more dishes.”

“No need, Aunt Wang. I missed you so much!” came the reply, a stranger’s voice, but one that sounded oddly familiar to Yang Jiekai as he worked in the kitchen. He felt certain he’d heard it somewhere before.

Stepping out to take a look, he was stunned speechless. “It’s you?”

The woman saw him too, her mouth forming a perfect ‘O’ of surprise. It took her a while to come to her senses, and after sizing Yang Jiekai up and down, she finally said, “So you’re the legendary brother-in-law I’ve heard so much about!”

Han Ning pinched the woman’s arm discreetly but asked curiously, “You two know each other?”

The stranger burst out laughing. “We just met today, actually. Not bad—brother-in-law is quite the chivalrous hero.”

“Spare me the praise—I can’t possibly live up to such high compliments,” Yang Jiekai replied with a helpless shrug. The world truly was small. The woman before him was none other than the owner of those long legs who’d driven a Ferrari that morning and suggested he break a few more of someone’s ribs. Who would have thought she was his sister-in-law?

It was only during dinner that Yang Jiekai discovered his stunning sister-in-law’s name: Han Wei, Han Ning’s cousin. She’d studied abroad from a young age and had only just returned to the country that very morning—just in time to witness Yang Jiekai breaking someone’s ribs.

Han Wei was boisterous and forthright, unconcerned with status, and kept calling Yang Jiekai “brother-in-law” to Han Ning’s growing annoyance.

“Can’t you keep your mouth shut with all this good food?” Han Ning retorted, obviously irritated by the title. She tossed a piece of chicken into Han Wei’s bowl. “Eat more, talk less!”

Han Wei pouted but obediently scooped up food. After a few mouthfuls, she exclaimed, “Aunt Wang, your skills have improved since I last tasted your cooking. The chicken with green peppers and the steamed fish head are incredible!”

“Didn’t you eat? You look like you’ve been starving for days!” Han Ning scolded, but she too noticed something different about today’s dishes. Even before tasting, she could tell that the chicken with green peppers was more vibrant and aromatic than usual.

“It really is delicious! Try some for yourself!” Han Wei picked up a piece of chicken and placed it in Han Ning’s bowl. Han Ning eyed her skeptically but took a cautious bite.

The chicken was crisp on the outside, tender within. As soon as she bit down, a rich fragrance spread through her mouth. She tried a piece of fish next and found it equally exquisite.

“Aunt Wang, your cooking is exceptional tonight!” Han Ning praised. Having grown up on Aunt Wang’s food, she knew the taste well—she’d had these dishes before, but never as delicious as today.

Yang Jiekai had intended to sample his own handiwork, but seeing the way the two women devoured the dishes, he found it difficult to get a taste himself.

Once the last morsel of chicken had disappeared, Aunt Wang smiled at Han Ning. “It’s been ages since I’ve seen you eat so heartily. All these years, you’ve buried yourself in work and hardly eaten properly. Seeing you like this makes me so happy.”

Han Ning dabbed at her mouth with a napkin. “Aunt Wang, if you make chicken with green peppers and steamed fish head every day, I promise I’ll clean my plate at every meal.”

“That won’t do,” Aunt Wang replied with a smile, glancing at Yang Jiekai, who’d been all but invisible at the table. “I can’t cook them nearly so well. These two dishes were made by your husband.”

At those words, both women froze. Han Wei was the first to recover, her round eyes wide with astonishment. “You made these, brother-in-law? Can you make them again for us tomorrow?”

“If you want to eat, go ahead. I’m not having any,” Han Ning huffed, realizing only now who’d cooked the meal. Had she known earlier, she’d never have taken a bite.

Her embarrassment grew as she remembered how she’d wolfed down the food, wishing she could crawl into a hole.

“Brother-in-law, make them again for me tomorrow, please!” Han Wei begged, still craving more.

Yang Jiekai looked at the empty plates and shrugged helplessly. “Depends on my mood.”

Han Wei grinned mischievously. “How about this—if you cook for me, I’ll help you win over my sister.”

“Oh, stop it!” Han Ning gave Han Wei a gentle jab in the side before fleeing upstairs, her face flushed crimson.

Watching Han Ning go, Yang Jiekai rubbed his nose and said to Han Wei, “Win her over? I already have a marriage license with your sister. She’s my lawfully wedded wife.”

“Even wives need to be courted. Why not try sneaking into her bed tonight?” Han Wei teased.

Han Ning, halfway up the stairs, heard this and blushed even deeper, venting her embarrassment on Yang Jiekai. “From now on, don’t touch a single thing in the kitchen without my permission!”

She turned to Han Wei. “Are you done making a scene? If so, get up here—there’s a pile of work waiting for us!”

Yang Jiekai spread his hands in an innocent gesture while Han Wei stuck out her tongue at him, then hurried after Han Ning.

On the second floor, Han Wei lounged in the study with a glass of red wine, her long legs crossed and swinging idly. “Sis, what’s the story with my brother-in-law? He doesn’t seem simple at all.”

“Stop calling him that,” Han Ning replied, her face still flushed. “I told you over the phone how we got married. As for who he is or where he comes from, I really have no idea. But from what I see, he’s just a no-good scoundrel.”

“I don’t think it’s that simple,” Han Wei mused, sipping her wine. “I tried sounding him out just now—he’s definitely different from other men. I just can’t put my finger on why.”

Han Ning, dressed in a plain white dress and sorting through a stack of documents, didn’t even look up. “I don’t care who he is or where he comes from. None of that interests me. I’ve got plenty of ways to make sure that annoying man leaves this house on his own one day.”

“Oh, don’t be like that!” Han Wei finished her wine and came over, placing her hands on Han Ning’s shoulders. “With his cooking, where will we ever find such delicious food if you drive him away?”

“Honestly!” Han Ning knew her sister’s temperament too well to get angry. “You’d sell your soul for two plates of food.”

“Honestly, I think he’s great. Why not give it a try? He might be your destined prince…”

“Enough nonsense. If you like him so much, you can have him,” Han Ning retorted, passing Han Wei the documents. “Take a look at these. I called you back home because I need your help. This is the first project I want to secure. I’ve already arranged a meeting with the other party tomorrow night to negotiate.”

Han Wei flipped through the file casually, her brows arching at one particular page. “He Group?”

Seeing Han Ning nod, Han Wei continued, “But the He Group doesn’t have a great reputation. Even though I’ve been abroad, I’ve heard about them in Anhai’s business circles. Rumor has it they’re connected to organized crime.”