Pampered by Short-Lived Bigshot

Jiang Yanting had been absent from company affairs for too long. After returning from abroad, he was incredibly busy, and Shen Zhixian had to deal with the wedding, which inevitably led to them not being able to pay much attention to the children.

The siblings often stayed at the old house, after all, the grandmother and Jiang Jinsang were basically homebound and could help take care of them.

While Tang Wan worked on her Cyan Feather projects at home, Taotao would conscientiously bring his schoolbag and sit beside her after school, starting to do his homework and read books. Meanwhile, Jiangjiang was digging holes in the front yard and climbing trees in the back, never still for a moment.

Sometimes when Jiangjiang asked her to play outside, Taotao would smile and tell him she had to do homework; once Jiangjiang left, her smile would disappear, and she'd lower her head to focus on her assignments.

It was perfunctory.

Privately, Tang Wan, leaning on Jiang Jinsang's arm, said, "Brother, I feel like Taotao really dislikes Jiangjiang."

"Really?" Jiang Jinsang, due for a hospital check-up in a couple of days and remembering Zhou Zhongqing's unusual expression, had no mind to observe the siblings.

"Blood siblings, but their personalities are very different," Tang Wan remarked with a smile.

The Jiang Family never restrained Jiangjiang much, letting the child play carefree, as such days were few, so they had no particular demands on him or anything specific they anticipated he learn. On the other hand, Taotao, although well-treated by the Xie Family, was quite mature early on due to technically living under someone else's roof.

Previously, Jiang Jinsang had persistently nagged Tang Wan with questions about the children, and she had taken it seriously, "Brother, who do you like more, Jiangjiang or Taotao? Who do you think has a better character?"

"How should I answer that question?" Jiang Jinsang laughed, he liked both and could not rank them.

"What if we have kids, who do you think they should take after?"

Jiang Jinsang twirled his fingers, "It's better if they don't take after either of them."

Tang Wan laughed out loud.

The siblings were almost too distinct in style; Jiang Jinsang still felt it would be best if his own children were somewhere in between, not too lively nor too reserved, and definitely not as extreme as these siblings.

But he was too naive. With such siblings as examples, how could their characters not be influenced?

If one is a bit crooked, another a bit more, Miaomiao growing up would hardly be considered well-rounded, and by then it would be too late for Jiang Jinsang to straighten.

Jiang Jinsang had even complained about it to Jiang Yanting, who simply looked at him coolly:

"Do you think it's Taotao and Jiangjiang who are leading them astray?"

"Isn't it?"

"Why don't you consider your own role in this? Do you think... you could have a perfectly upright child?"

"…"

Everyone burst into laughter; Jiang Yanting's comment hit the nail on the head—Jiang Jinsang himself was not an exemplary figure, and with a father like him, it would be strange if the children weren't influenced.

Qi Zeyan even teased that one might seek in their children what they themselves lack!

Someone aware of their flaws probably hopes their child will be a truly upright and good person.

…

But that was all in the future. As smart as Jiang Jinsang was, he wasn't a fortune-teller and couldn't foresee events that far ahead; his current hope was to recover soon.

While chatting idly with Tang Wan, Jiang Yanting and Shen Zhixian came over to take the children home and talked for a while longer.

"Can we settle on a time with Mr. Huo? Otherwise, you might want to find another best man just in case he can't attend the wedding and we need to find someone last minute," Jiang Jinsang suggested.

"There's no need to worry. If he can't make it, I have friends who can fill in," Jiang Yanting was not without plans.

"Why don't you give him a call to confirm? That would be best."

If there were indeed special circumstances, his phone would naturally be unreachable, but if he could answer, that meant nothing was wrong, and ideally, no issues would arise during the wedding. Thinking it over, Jiang Yanting still decided to make the call.

**

At a military base office

Only three people were sitting inside. A mobile phone on the table began to vibrate. Everyone glanced over, and the owner calmly answered, "Hello—Yanting."

"Did I disturb you?"

"Your call came at a good time."

"What do you mean?"

"My parents are pressuring me to get married."

The two other people in the room darkened their faces. Such comments could have waited until they left; what did he mean by saying this while they were still there?

And what did he mean by the timing of the call being 'good'? Wasn't this just to provoke them?

Jiang Yanting pinched the bridge of his nose, "You guys chat then, call me back once you're free."

After hanging up, the atmosphere in the office shifted immediately.

"What does that mean? Are you unhappy about us pressuring you to marry?"

"Yanting's call must have been about the wedding. I guess the wedding invitations will be at our house in a few days. You're even older than he is; it's time you took getting a partner seriously."

"You're not that young anymore. Before, your dad and I never pressured you, but Xiaowu is engaged now, so we decided it's time to put a little pressure on you."

He rubbed his phone, looking at the two people opposite him, "Any requirements?"

They had always been busy with work and had barely managed him in his childhood, supervising little and starting to push him for a partner only after he grew up, which was also very lax.

The difficulty was unusual for the couple who could lead troops on missions without issue but pressuring their son to marry was a new experience.

They didn't know what to say or anticipate how he would respond, feeling quite anxious.

The conversation was exceedingly awkward at times.

"Requirements?" The couple looked at each other.

"Whoever you choose, we will like."

They had not only confidence but also trust in their son; whatever he chose would surely be right.

"I understand."

"This is a lifelong matter; don't treat it like a task. You must approach it seriously and earnestly," they urged, still uneasy as they left.

On the way home, the couple discussed the feasibility of this endeavor.

The conclusion was that there was still a one in ten thousand chance; after all... even iron trees bloom sometimes. Hope should be maintained and not entirely extinguished.

"Actually, Zeyan, Chengsi, those kids haven't found partners either. There's no need to rush," the father still felt the need to defend his son.

Unexpectedly, he was immediately countered: