In the kitchen, the staff hired by the old house were busy preparing the meal. Over at the madam’s side, her aunt was keeping her company with lively chatter. After greeting them briefly, Jiang Yu returned to the small pavilion.
Earlier, Jiang Han had taken the initiative to provoke her but ended up embarrassed and had since slipped away with Fu Shaoqing.
Song Yun gazed at her daughter for a long moment before suddenly smiling. “My daughter seems a little different now.”
“How so?”
After a moment of consideration, Song Yun replied sincerely, “I think after that fall, your intelligence has returned to normal. Now you take after me. But before, you were more like your father.”
In the dining room inside, Jiang Dachuan, unsure how to refuse the endless toasts, sneezed twice. “Achoo—Achoo—I really do have a cold. I’m on medication and can’t drink.”
Back at the pavilion, Jiang Yu chuckled at Jiang Dachuan’s misfortune. With him now occupied elsewhere, she casually asked Song Yun about the deal with the Qin family. “Back when I married Qin Yan, aside from that sum of money, did our family agree to any other conditions? I never paid much attention to these things before. But thinking about it now, our family was on the brink of bankruptcy at the time. Marrying me wouldn’t have been of any help to Qin Yan or the Qin family. The Qins are shrewd businesspeople. I doubt they’d make a losing deal.”
“Well…” Song Yun pressed her lips together. Keeping these troublesome matters from her daughter had been an unspoken agreement between her and Jiang Dachuan.
When the Jiang Group first ran into trouble, they had kept it from Jiang Yu as well. In the end, she found out on her own and even used the money she’d painstakingly saved from her acting career to help cover the group’s debts.
As parents, they were supposed to shield her from life’s storms. They didn’t want her to worry about family troubles, too.
“Mom, I’m not a child anymore. There are some things you should tell me.” Jiang Yu took Song Yun’s hand, which rested on her knee. Song Yun’s fingers were slightly cold, but Jiang Yu’s palm was warm. “The Qin family’s situation is more complicated than we imagined. I need to know everything to navigate the path ahead.”
“Has the Qin family… treated you poorly?” Song Yun gripped Jiang Yu’s hand in return. “Is Qin Yan not coming today to deliberately embarrass you?”
Jiang Yu shook her head with a faint smile. “It’s not about him.”
She wasn’t foolish either. Last night, while signing the contract, she had sensed that Qin Yan, the current CEO of the Qin Group, might not be as untouchable as he appeared on the surface. Within the group, he wasn’t the sole decision-maker with absolute authority. Instead, he had to navigate multiple power balances to steer the group according to his plans.
Truth be told, for both her and Qin Yan, their marriage was likely an unexpected turn of events. Yet, after weighing the pros and cons, they had both chosen to proceed with it.
Seeing that her expression didn’t seem like she was lying to placate her, Song Yun relaxed slightly. “The proposal to marry into the Qin family was brought up by your uncle. Before your father could even make a decision, you overheard the conversation, barged into the study, and declared you agreed to the marriage.”
Song Yun’s gaze drifted toward the sunset glow beyond the courtyard wall. “But you only heard about the fifty million investment afterward. You missed the part about the bet.”
Jiang Yu’s brows furrowed tightly.
Only now did she realize that her engagement to Qin Yan had merely been an incidental part of the deal.
It turned out that the real purpose of that fifty-million investment was to exchange for a one-year term betting agreement with Jiang Group.
If Jiang Group turned a profit within a year and repaid the fifty million, the matter would be settled. But if Jiang remained in the red by the deadline, the fifty million wouldn’t need to be repaid. Instead, the Qin family would take thirty percent of Jiang’s shares.
Currently, fifty-one percent of Jiang Group’s shares are held by Jiang Dachuan and Song Yun. As the current chairman, Jiang Dachuan had the final decision-making authority over all internal matters of the group.
If those thirty percent of shares were handed over, Jiang Dachuan would likely be completely sidelined. Even worse, if the Qin family bought up some scattered shares from other shareholders, Jiang Group, built up by the Jiang family over generations, would change its surname to Qin.
With a one-year deadline, only half a year remained.
“This matter has already passed the board. If it really comes to that, at most your father will step down as chairman, but our family can still live well,” Song Yun reassured Jiang Yu repeatedly, afraid that excessive worry would hinder her recovery from her injuries.
“I’ll think of a way, don’t worry,” Jiang Yu said, pulling Song Yun to her feet. “Let’s go. Dinner is about to start.”
Most of the others were already seated in the dining room. There was an empty seat next to Jiang Dachuan reserved for Song Yun, so she naturally took it.
Jiang Yu glanced around. The younger generation was all seated together, with Jiang Han on the right and Fu Shaoqing on her left. Only the seat to Jiang Han’s left was empty, and further left was Jiang Han’s younger brother, Jiang Yang.
As Jiang Yu walked over to pull out her chair, she overheard Jiang Han whispering to Fu Shaoqing, “Dinner’s about to start. Looks like Qin Yan really isn’t coming. He’s not giving Jiang Yu any face at all.”
Though it seemed like a private conversation, her voice was loud enough for the entire table to hear.
Jiang Yu plopped down beside her, propping her head up with one hand and leaning in close, speaking just as loudly, almost directly into her ear, “Seems like cousin was a loudspeaker in her past life. Even her whispers are this loud. Are you afraid Grandma wouldn’t hear what you say?”
Jiang Han’s mind buzzed. She immediately pushed Jiang Yu away.
She hadn’t expected Jiang Yu to lean in so close and speak so loudly. It practically made her ears ring!
Jiang Yu curved her lips into a smile, leaning back into her chair with the force of the push, her voice softening, “Cousin keeps bringing up Qin Yan. Do you think you can humiliate me with him?”
They say sincerity is the ultimate weapon.
Jiang Yu’s gaze swept across the entire table before she blinked innocently and pitifully, looking genuinely curious.
Jiang Han was instantly unnerved by her expression, unable to hold back her anger as she snapped, “What nonsense are you talking about?!”
Meanwhile, the very person at the center of their argument, Qin Yan, was sitting in a car heading toward Shengjing Huayuan.
Soft music played in the car, and Secretary Fang tapped the steering wheel happily. He was about to get off work!
Just as the Suzhou-style architecture came into view, the road was nearly empty. Secretary Fang was about to step on the gas when he heard a devilish whisper from behind him, “Turn around, head north.”
Secretary Fang: ???
—
Back at the Jiang family dinner, Jiang Han was thoroughly provoked by Jiang Yu’s casual remark and began lashing out, “I’m just stating the facts. What, too embarrassed to hear it? You’re just a pitiful worm who can’t get any love!”
Her voice was so loud this time that everyone at the table couldn’t help but turn their attention to them.
But when everyone’s gaze shifted to Jiang Yu, Jiang Han still didn’t see the look of embarrassment she had hoped for on Jiang Yu’s face.
“Huh? Not really? My dad and mom both love me a lot.” Jiang Yu gave a sweet smile toward Jiang Dachuan and Song Yun, then continued in a very puzzled tone, “If you’re saying Qin Yan doesn’t love me, well, that’s true. Grandma, uncle, aunt, and cousin all know that. Qin Yan and I had never even met before. I married him to give the Jiang family one last chance to fight back, not for some romantic love story. Otherwise, our whole family might not even have the chance to sit here for a family dinner, right?”
“You!” Jiang Han hadn’t expected her to bring this up so openly at the family dinner and was momentarily at a loss for a retort.
She vaguely felt something was off. Had Jiang Yu been possessed by something today? In the past, just mentioning that Qin Yan didn’t care about her would hit her sore spot. Under the influence of intense emotions and anger, she would always make a fool of herself. It was a trick that had never failed before.
So why was she the one trembling with anger today?
“Enough.” The old lady, who had been watching the two of them spar for several rounds from the head of the table, finally spoke up. Her aged voice carried the authority of a family matriarch. “Today is a family dinner. Let’s not talk about unpleasant things. Let’s start eating.”
Once the old lady had spoken, everyone else naturally fell silent.
Jiang Yu, now enjoying some peace, buried herself in her meal.
However, when Jiang Han reached out with her chopsticks to pick up a sweet and sour shrimp ball, Jiang Yu just happened to snatch away the exact one she was aiming for.
With the shrimp ball gone, Jiang Han switched to fried milk, but her chopsticks landed on empty air again. Beside her, Jiang Yu was chewing on a piece of fried milk, squinting at her with a smile.
After this happened several times, Jiang Han exploded: “Jiang Yu, what do you think you’re doing?”
“Huh? What did I do?” Jiang Yu’s large, sparkling eyes flickered with innocence as she pointed to the dishes she had just tasted. “I’ve tried all of these. They’re really good. Don’t you want to give them a try, cousin?”
Jiang Han: “…”
Then let me have a bite!
After about ten minutes of relatively peaceful eating, Jiang Dahe, sitting on the other side of the round table, suddenly put down his chopsticks and looked up. His shrewd, calculating eyes fixed on Jiang Yu for a moment before he said, “Jiang Yu, we all know you married for the sake of the Jiang family. But back when the Jiang family was doing well, you also enjoyed the benefits. Now that it’s time for you to repay the family through marriage, it’s only natural.”
Jiang Yu didn’t stop her chopsticks, stuffing a piece of braised pork into her mouth while eyeing the squirrel-shaped fish beside it. Without looking up, she said, “So? Are you trying to gaslight me?”
“You child, I’m talking serious business here. Don’t talk nonsense!” Jiang Dahe’s face was stern, as serious as if he were judging a criminal. “Since you’re married now, live properly with the Qin family. Respect your in-laws and don’t cause trouble for the Jiang family!”
Jiang Yu: “Oh.”
Her uncle had said it so plainly that even a fool could guess why the old house had suddenly arranged this family dinner.
So it was Zhao Huiru who had complained to the Jiang family about her.
“Don’t be lazy at the Qin family. You have to do the work you’re supposed to do,” her aunt chimed in. “Everyone is like this after marriage. How can you still act like you did back in your parents’ home? You have to endure whatever grievances your in-laws give you.”
Jiang Yu: “Auntie is right. Then you mustn’t slack off either. After we finish eating, remember to wash all the pots, pans, and dishes clean.”
Auntie instinctively retorted: “Why should I!”
Jiang Yu raised an eyebrow: “Angry? It’s fine, calm down first. This is how it is for everyone after getting married. You have to endure the temper of your in-laws.”
Auntie was so furious she nearly rolled her eyes. Jiang Yang, sitting beside Jiang Yu, saw his own mother being silenced and immediately slammed the table, standing up. Looking down at Jiang Yu, he pointed and scolded: “My mother is at least your elder. She’s giving you advice for your own good. You, a useless person despised by your in-laws, what kind of thing are you to dare speak to her like that!”
“She is my wife. What do you think she is?”
Qin Yan, who had arrived unnoticed, happened to hear Jiang Yang’s words. He took two steps forward and stood protectively in front of Jiang Yu.
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Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152