Chapter 22: The Readers Are Stunned (Please Continue Reading)

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No way, you uploaded all one hundred chapters at once? Other authors who add extra chapters usually spread them out over several days, updating a bit each day. But Chen Jiang went ahead and posted them all at once. Some sharp readers even noticed that Chen Jiang gave himself a silver alliance reward in the end. Naturally, this sparked discussions across various social platforms.

On the forum, one reader posted: “After Jiang He announced his plan to add extra chapters, he kept his promise and updated a hundred chapters that very night.” Another added, “But I realized he only needed to add 97 chapters, and the silver alliance reward was from his own account. Could it be that he gave himself an extra reward just to round out the chapters?”

Countless comments followed beneath the post. “Wait, you can do that?” “Rewarding yourself for extra chapters? I love this author!” “This is amazing! Other authors should learn from him. When they say extra chapters, they really mean it. Unlike that old cheater called Sweet Potato who promised 50 extra chapters but spread them out over fifty days—one chapter a day—I almost went numb waiting!”

Two days flew by in a blink, and it was already the 26th day of the lunar calendar, just a few days before the New Year. That day, Chen Jiang accompanied Yi Yunxue to visit the office building she had just rented. The building was close to where they lived, conveniently near a subway station.

“Chen Jiang, this side is the creative department, over here is the operations department…” Yi Yunxue showed him around the office spaces. Before leaving, she pointed to the building behind her. “Chen Jiang, see this building? Someday I want to turn the entire building into our company’s office space!” she declared. “Not just rent it—I want to buy it or even build one of our own!”

Chen Jiang smiled, looking at her without doubting her ambition. Although the company was still a small studio, with his support and Yi Yunxue’s modest capital, this dream would come true sooner or later.

“When will you go home?” After the tour, Chen Jiang drove Yi Yunxue back. “I’ll go home on New Year’s Eve,” she said, gazing out the window. “You’re not going back to your hometown this year?” Chen Jiang asked curiously. “No, ever since my grandmother passed two years ago, I haven’t been back for the New Year,” Yi Yunxue explained. “I’ve spent the last two years celebrating here in the city.” “I see,” Chen Jiang nodded, understanding.

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“When will you go home?” Yi Yunxue asked in return. “Three days early,” Chen Jiang replied helplessly. “Otherwise, the traffic will be terrible.” Last year, he hadn’t graduated yet, and he waited until the 29th—the day before New Year’s Eve—to go home. Leaving at noon, he got stuck on the highway all night and only arrived at dawn. He had learned the hard way.

“So you’re leaving tomorrow?” Yi Yunxue glanced at her phone. “Yes,” Chen Jiang nodded. “What time?” “Afternoon, I guess,” he said thoughtfully. “Then I’ll make you a farewell meal tomorrow at noon. If you want to eat my cooking again, you’ll have to wait until next year,” Yi Yunxue smiled. “Sounds good,” Chen Jiang agreed.

The next day, after lunch, Chen Jiang waved goodbye to Yi Yunxue by the car window. “Be careful on the road! See you next year.” Despite leaving three days early, the roads were still crowded. Many young people had already left their hometowns. The highway traffic was stop-and-go; leaving at noon, Chen Jiang didn’t reach home until nearly eleven at night. Still, it was much better than the previous year.

When Chen Jiang parked in front of his house, it was completely dark inside. He hadn’t told his parents he was coming back today, so they probably thought he’d arrive like last year—just before New Year’s Eve. Quietly, he used his fingerprint to unlock the door and tiptoed inside.

Chen Jiang’s home was originally a three-story building. After selling his Bitcoin, he used the excuse of making money from e-commerce to convince his parents to buy the adjacent plot of land. They rebuilt it into the current luxurious three-hundred-square-meter mansion. He had wanted to build a villa, but his parents refused, saying it would be too flashy. Many wealthy villagers lived in self-built houses with local features, while only a few had villas. So Chen Jiang instructed them to just make the renovation nice.

On the second floor, as Chen Jiang was about to change for a shower, the living room light suddenly came on. “Son, you’re back?” his mother’s voice called out. “Mom? You’re not asleep yet?” Chen Jiang turned around. “No, I was just on the phone with your Aunt Wu in the bedroom. Your dad isn’t back yet; he went out night fishing with friends,” Chen Huailing explained. “I thought you’d all be asleep since the lights were off,” Chen Jiang smiled.

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“Dad went fishing again? Now he’s trying night fishing?” Chen Jiang asked. “Yeah, before he only fished during the day, but now he heard the fish bite better at night… That old man’s retired, but busier than when he worked,” Chen Huailing said. “You came back without telling anyone. If I’d known, I’d have made you more food tonight,” she added, half-scolding. “It’s okay. I ate a lot at lunch. I’ll just cook some noodles after the shower,” Chen Jiang replied. “Alright, Mom. I’m going to shower first.”

Afterward, Chen Jiang found a bowl of noodles on the table, with two eggs his mother had specially added. “Eat this for now. When your dad gets back, he’ll bring you some grilled skewers,” Chen Huailing said. “Why are you back so early? What about your business?” “I’m not running it myself anymore. I partnered with someone to start a company,” Chen Jiang answered. “Now that I’m a boss, I don’t have to do all the work myself during the New Year.” Chen Jiang told a small lie; although the studio was a company, it wasn’t the e-commerce business his parents imagined. He planned to tell them the truth when the time was right.

Chen Huailing’s face turned serious. “Even during the New Year, you have to let your employees go home. Don’t keep them working just to earn a few extra days. They’re someone’s beloved children…” “And if they do work overtime, make sure you pay them extra,” she added. Chen Jiang nodded perfunctorily, not arguing. His mother had no idea his company hadn’t hired a single employee yet. Since the studio only opened at the end of the year, recruitment would begin after the New Year.

After a while, Chen Jiang’s father, Chen Zhengyong, came home, bringing several skewers of barbecue. “Dad, weren’t you fishing? Where’s the fish?” Chen Jiang teased. “Well, I just got there and your mom called me back. We didn’t even get the bait set up!” Chen Zhengyong said sheepishly. “You went out at 7:30, right? Just admit you didn’t catch any fish—why lie to your son?” Chen Huailing interrupted. Chen Zhengyong’s face turned red. “Honey, show some respect in front of our son.” “Haha, Dad, it’s okay. As long as you’re happy, it doesn’t matter if you caught fish or not. We’re not poor,” Chen Jiang laughed.

Chen Jiang’s father worked at the district government; his mother was a middle school teacher. Both were civil servants with secure jobs. They married late and had Chen Jiang in their thirties. Now retired, their only son had started making money, and they lived a leisurely life. Chen Zhengyong went fishing with friends daily, while Chen Huailing played mahjong with old friends and kept up with the latest dramas favored by young people.