In her past life, after being kicked out of the Jiang family, Qingli had no one to turn to. Her maternal grandparents’ Zhou Corporation had gone bankrupt a couple of years later. Jiang Xi, already infatuated with Xu Shan by then, refused to help the Zhou family after a falling out. The family eventually left the country to focus on the grandfather’s health.
By the time they came back, Qingli had already met a tragic end.
So this time, when things blew up, Qingli’s maternal family immediately reached out. She’d just gotten back from Y City, and as soon as she returned, they called.
Hearing “in-laws,” even the usually composed Jiang Xi got a headache. When he caught the glee in his daughter’s voice, he couldn’t help but feel a little annoyed and amused.
He blurted out, “Are you just waiting to see me make a fool of myself?”
Qingli’s eyes sparkled, and she giggled, “Yup. So… are you going or not?”
“I’m going,” Jiang Xi said, resigned.
After hanging up the call, Jiang Xi looked at his computer. Because of the delay, the screen had gone black and was now reflecting his face. Gone was his usual cold and stern expression—there was even a hint of a smile at the corners of his mouth. It was still the same face, but it seemed much softer now, with a touch of warmth in his eyes.
Jiang Xi stared for a moment, feeling like the man on the screen was somewhat unfamiliar. But strangely, he didn’t mind the feeling.
Having such a beautiful, well-behaved, and intelligent heir—one who even looked like him—was enough to shift his mindset. It was only natural.
He remembered something he’d seen trending online recently:
“With a daughter this amazing, if her own family doesn’t cherish her, there’ll be plenty of others willing to.”
At 5:30 p.m., Jiang Xi drove to pick up Qingli. By 6:00 p.m., they arrived at the Zhou family residence.
The Zhou family was small—just Qingli’s maternal grandparents and her uncle. Her cousin had gone abroad to study painting, and her aunt had followed to take care of him. So currently, the household consisted of just the three of them.
Still, when Qingli and Jiang Xi walked into the living room, the three were sitting on the couch like they were holding a formal tribunal. The atmosphere was intense—like a three-person inquisition.
“Dad, Big Brother,” Jiang Xi greeted respectfully. Though he was prideful and often cold toward his father, he was always proper and courteous with other elders.
The three Zhou family members immediately furrowed their brows in unison and glared at him without saying a word.
Jiang Xi forced a bitter smile, standing quietly and maintaining his composure.
Qingli glanced at both sides, then broke into a wide smile. Just like her original self, she happily squeezed in between her grandparents and said sweetly, “Grandma, Grandpa, I missed you so much!”
“Oh, Grandma missed you too!” Her grandmother’s stern face instantly softened into a beaming smile. She pulled Qingli close and looked her over, distressed. “You’ve lost weight! It’s all your dad’s and grandfather’s fault for sending you to that awful place. When we heard about it, we were furious!”
“Exactly! Your dad is no good,” her grandfather chimed in. “If he couldn’t take care of you properly, he should’ve just sent you to us. We’d have done a much better job!”
He glared at Jiang Xi. “I saw online that the person most in need of re-education was Qingli’s father. Honestly, you should’ve sent yourself away instead!”
Jiang Xi was just about to apologize.
But Qingli, sitting between them, nodded pitifully. “Yeah, that place was awful. The bedding was damp, and I got bitten all over by bugs. I barely got any sleep. They even took away my phone, tablet, and laptop because my guardian permitted them. They didn’t let me touch anything… it was horrible…”
Jiang Xi: “…”
His usually calm mask cracked as he looked at his daughter, dramatically putting on a show. Was it really like that?
He distinctly remembered that after he got the police involved, he brought a team of people to retrieve her, including a personal assistant who handled all the details. Her skin had been perfectly clean—not a single mark. Nothing like what she was describing now.
But Qingli’s complaints only made her grandparents angrier. Her grandmother picked up a throw pillow and hurled it at Jiang Xi with a loud thud, hitting him square in the face. The force was strong enough to leave him dazed.
No one had ever treated him like this before.
His face darkened as he glared at the drama queen daughter sitting smugly in the middle.
Qingli noticed and looked up. When their eyes met, Jiang Xi gave her a sharp look, signaling her to cut it out.
Qingli only grinned wider and said in a clear, sweet voice, “Grandma, my dad’s glaring at me.”
Her grandmother immediately looked over and caught the expression in his eyes. Her face grew even darker. She stood up, pointed a finger at Jiang Xi’s nose, and scolded, “You have the nerve to glare at Qingli? What has she ever done to deserve this? As her father, you barely took care of her because you were too busy with work. She hasn’t even sued you for negligence! Then you sent her off to suffer—now you can’t even handle a few harsh words? Jiang Xi, I never knew you were so cold-blooded. I regret letting my daughter marry you!”
She didn’t say a single curse word, but every sentence hit like a slap. Jiang Xi was left completely speechless.
If this had been anyone else, he would’ve retaliated long ago. But this was the mother of his late wife—he couldn’t fight back. All he could do was stand there and get thoroughly scolded.
Meanwhile, Qingli sat on the couch, smiling sweetly. Unfortunately, she couldn’t yet say all the things she was thinking out loud.
By the time it was all over, Jiang Xi had been completely chewed out.
He glanced at the smug little troublemaker beside him and felt a mix of irritation and inexplicable helplessness.
By 8:00 p.m., they finally left the Zhou household.
Qingli, full and sleepy, dozed off in the passenger seat. Her pale face looked peaceful, still soft and youthful. Jiang Xi thought about the torment he had just endured and felt completely drained. Meanwhile, the instigator of it all was sleeping without a care in the world.
He couldn’t help but reach out, wanting to pinch that chubby cheek of hers and interrupt her peaceful nap.
But just as his hand got close, he paused.
Forget it. She was sleeping so soundly—it wouldn’t be right to wake her up.
He pulled his hand back, still frowning. It didn’t make sense. This wasn’t like him. Normally, he never lets things slide. Revenge was his default mode.
But this girl, so bold and shameless in front of the Zhou family… Would she still be manageable under his roof in the future?
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152