Jiang Dachuan and Song Yun argued the entire way while going to buy wontons for Jiang Yu.
“It’s all your fault! You just had to listen to your brother’s nonsense. You knew perfectly well that the Qin family is out of our league now. Our daughter would never be able to hold her head up if she married into it. Yet you still let her marry over there! All for 50 million! I heard that our daughter got hurt because she went to fetch… all that messy stuff for that mother and daughter from the Qin family!” Song Yun had failed to stop this marriage back then. Now, she was even more furious.
What a shameless family!
“Don’t you slander me! Back then, Yu’er overheard my conversation with my brother. She was the one who offered to marry. I just thought that since the Qin family is so wealthy, marrying into it wouldn’t be a bad thing. Who could’ve guessed…”
Jiang Dachuan was cut off mid-sentence by Song Yun: “Can’t you tell whether something falling from the sky is a pie or a trap? Your brother’s daughter is also of marriageable age. If it really were a pie, your brother would’ve snatched it up long ago. You keep falling for the same trick over and over, yet your intelligence is still at a preschool level!”
“…Isn’t that a bit of a personal attack?” Jiang Dachuan knew he was at fault for not thinking things through, so he didn’t dare raise his voice in rebuttal. His last few words were barely audible.
“Our daughter had such a major accident. Did you see your brother’s family say a single word? Oh, and the Qin family isn’t any better either!” Song Yun berated Jiang Dachuan the whole way. It wasn’t until they reached the hospital entrance and saw Qin Yan getting into a car downstairs from the inpatient building that she finally paused to catch her breath. Once Qin Yan’s car drove off, she immediately rolled her eyes. “Apart from Qin Yan coming over to put on a show, did you see anyone else from the Qin family care about your daughter? This is the wonderful marriage your brother tricked you into.”
Jiang Dachuan didn’t even dare breathe too loudly, afraid he’d be accused of “stealing Song Yun’s air” on top of everything else.
“Jiang Dachuan, I’m telling you, if our daughter suffers any lasting effects from this, we’re done!”
“And another thing! Our daughter indeed agreed to the marriage herself, but if she wants a divorce now, you’re not allowed to stop her. That 50 million you couldn’t even use to prop up our failing family business isn’t more important than our daughter!”
When they reached the hospital room door, Song Yun even elbowed Jiang Dachuan: “I can’t stand the sight of you today. Go sleep in the study tonight.”
The next second, she pushed the door open and immediately changed her expression, smiling gently at Jiang Yu, who was sitting up in bed looking eagerly expectant. “We bought you wontons. There’s no cilantro in the soup.”
Jiang Yu’s eyes curved into crescents as she cooed sweetly, “Thanks, Mom~”
Catching Song Yun’s meaningful glance, Jiang Dachuan immediately understood and turned to fetch the small table, setting it up on the bed so she could place the wontons on it.
“I just saw Qin Yan leaving. Is he busy?” Song Yun made small talk while carefully observing Jiang Yu’s expression. Seeing that she didn’t seem too emotionally affected, she finally relaxed and broached the main topic. “If you want a divorce, we’ll support you. You don’t have to sacrifice yourself for the family. Your dad will handle things at home…”
Jiang Yu looked up from the wonton container, still slowly chewing a plump wonton, and mumbled, “Not divorcing anymore.”
“Right, I’ll handle things at home, you… Not divorcing anymore?”
Jiang Dachuan only realized halfway through what his daughter was saying. She looked utterly resolute: “I must’ve been out of my mind earlier. Money to spend freely, husband never home—this is the life of a goddess.”
Song Yun: “…”
Jiang Dachuan’s expression froze for a moment before he scrunched up his face and looked at Song Yun. “If they’re not getting divorced, then can I have my position back…”
Song Yun shot him a glare.
The only one truly hurt in this whole incident, Jiang Dachuan, hung his head dejectedly. “Alright, alright, I’ll keep sleeping in the study.”
—
Song Yun was convinced that Jiang Yu was only hesitating to bring up divorce with Qin Yan because of the Jiang family’s business troubles. After all, her daughter had always been sensible. Worried that Jiang Yu might bottle up her emotions, Song Yun stayed by her side, chatting and offering comfort, even wanting to stay overnight to keep her company.
After much persuasion, Jiang Yu finally called in a doctor to confirm that she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself and didn’t need anyone to stay. Only then did she manage to convince Jiang Dachuan and Song Yun to go home.
Once she was alone in the hospital room, Jiang Yu finally had a chance to sort through her current situation.
Even though she couldn’t divorce Qin Yan right away, she still needed to start preparing for it as soon as possible. She couldn’t just coast along as Qin Yan’s dependent, living aimlessly as the book’s plot intended, because that would eventually lead to a tragic death in a car accident.
After some thought, she realized she didn’t have many other skills. There were only two paths forward.
Revitalize the Jiang family business.
Or make a comeback in the entertainment industry.
The Jiang family had been in the hotel business since Jiang Yu’s grandfather’s generation. The Jiang Group’s Huajiang Corporation had once been a leader in the hotel industry. When the old man passed away, he faced a difficult choice. Jiang Yu’s uncle, Jiang Dahe, was the type to cut corners and chase small gains. He was hardly someone to entrust the company to. In the end, he gritted his teeth and placed the entire burden on Jiang Dachuan’s shoulders. Though Jiang Dachuan wasn’t particularly business-savvy, he was at least honest and upright.
Even so, the group had begun to decline under the impact of newer, trendier hotels.
Huajiang’s decline wasn’t entirely irreversible.
It was just that the original Jiang Yu, constrained by the plot and her character’s limitations, had an empty head and never considered what she could do for the family business.
Besides, reviving Huajiang and making a comeback in entertainment weren’t mutually exclusive. The group could benefit from her fame, and she could use the “down-on-her-luck heiress” angle to craft a new public image. It was a perfect symbiotic relationship.
She couldn’t find a suitable agent right away, but she remembered that a producer she’d worked with before had posted about casting for a new drama on social media a few days ago. She could start by testing the waters there.
Jiang Yu affectionately patted her recently injured head.
That little bump had actually cleared her mind. Her thoughts felt sharper now!
She pulled her phone out from under the pillow. Instead of opening WeChat right away, she opened Weibo first.
She figured that if she wanted to make a comeback, she needed to gauge just how much public embarrassment the whole “slipping on dog poop and landing in the hospital” incident had caused. If the damage was too severe, she might not have the face to return to the spotlight.
But then.
She scrolled through the trending topics and found nothing at all!
She checked several other major platforms and realized that none of the news had anything to do with her.
While breathing a huge sigh of relief, she also confirmed one thing: after half a year out of the spotlight, she was completely irrelevant. She wasn’t even worth being gossip fodder anymore.
Truly, being irrelevant was the best camouflage. She’d been publicly embarrassed, but not completely destroyed.
She wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry.
Collecting her thoughts, she carefully composed a message and sent it to the producer.
—
“All news about Ms. Jiang’s injury has been scrubbed from the internet. We’ve also bought the photos from several media outlets and issued warnings. They won’t cause any more trouble. You can rest assured.” Secretary Fang accompanied Qin Yan back to the CEO’s office, launching into a rapid-fire report as soon as they stepped out of the elevator.
“Hmm.” Qin Yan loosened his tie as he walked toward the CEO’s office. By the time he entered, he had already taken off his suit jacket. “Is Qin Jianhua still in Hong Kong?” Though he was reluctant to admit it, Qin Jianhua was indeed his biological father.
Secretary Fang nodded. “Chairman Qin is negotiating a land deal. But it’s unclear what he plans to do with it.”
After a brief pause, he added, “By the way, Madam Qin reserved a private room at the Starview Hotel today. Coincidentally, the Zhou family’s welcome banquet for their young master’s return is also being held there tonight. Oh, and the Zhou family sent you an invitation.”
With that, he pulled an elegant envelope from the stack of documents on his desk and handed it to Qin Yan. “Will you be attending? You have no other plans for the evening.”
The Zhou family, like the Qin family, had been a business powerhouse for generations, with interests spanning various industries. While their businesses inevitably overlapped, the two families had always maintained a tacit understanding, each sticking to their own territory without interfering in the other’s affairs.
This time, however, the Zhou family was clearly extending an olive branch. If the two powerful families were to join forces, it would likely stir up a storm in the business world.
Qin Yan opened the envelope and glanced at it, then chuckled. “Zhou Zhiyang is back? Does he know the Zhou family sent me an invitation?”
His relationship with Zhou Zhiyang was far from the “well water not mixing with river water” dynamic between their families.
After a moment, he tossed the invitation onto the desk. “I won’t be going. But I have a special gift. Please deliver it for me. While you’re there, keep an eye on what that mother and daughter are up to.”
Secretary Fang then watched as Qin Yan retrieved a plain, sealed cardboard box from the top shelf of the CEO’s office cabinet.
Secretary Fang: ???
This “special gift” must have been prepared at least a decade ago. How many layers of dust had settled on it?
As he carried the box, Secretary Fang carefully patted off the dust, nearly choking on the cloud that rose from it.
He thought to himself that giving a gift in this state was far too shabby. He’d have to find a place to wrap it properly.
—
When Jiang Yu woke up, she felt fully recovered. Her head no longer hurt, and she was bursting with energy. There was no need for further observation in the hospital.
But the doctors insisted she stay.
Over the next two days, several doctors came and went from her room daily. Later, a group of bright-eyed, somewhat naive college students also visited. She couldn’t fully understand the medical terms they exchanged, but she could sense their occasional expressions of surprise and curiosity.
She had reason to suspect they weren’t just observing a patient with a “leaky” head but rather a medical miracle, a survivor on the brink of death.
Finally, on a brilliantly sunny afternoon, she was allowed to leave the hospital! While processing her discharge, she felt so exhilarated that even sprinting wouldn’t have been enough. She wished she could teleport repeatedly.
Song Yun had intended to have Jiang Dachuan pick her up, but Jiang Yu refused.
For one, she was perfectly fine and fully capable of taking care of herself.
Secondly, she had no plans to return to the Jiang family. After all, she still had her “lovely” mother-in-law and sister-in-law at the residence she shared with Qin Yan. This time, whoever backed down would be the coward!
As Jiang Yu was leaving, the elevator opposite her room was occupied. Since her room was only on the third floor, she decided to take the stairs instead. To her surprise, she spotted a man and a woman standing some distance away, both of whom she recognized.
With his back to her was Secretary Fang, Qin Yan’s assistant. Facing him was Ji Nian, the woman who had saved her life the other day.
They weren’t bothering to lower their voices, so as Jiang Yu approached, she overheard every word of their conversation.
“Dr. Ji, please accept this. It’s the latest model.” Secretary Fang handed over a bag emblazoned with the logo of a top luxury brand, adding apologetically, “Mr. Qin has been swamped with company affairs these past two days and couldn’t make it over, but he insisted I deliver the gift. He said he’ll treat you to a meal when he has time.”
With that, Secretary Fang promptly shoved the bag into Ji Nian’s hands, fearing she might refuse and leave him unable to complete his task.
Ji Nian did intend to decline. But as she glanced up, she caught sight of Jiang Yu standing silently behind Secretary Fang, arms crossed.
She opened her mouth, then closed it, and finally shut her eyes as well.
Jiang Yu already saw her as a romantic rival. Now, being caught accepting such an expensive gift from Qin Yan would only make things harder to explain. Given Jiang Yu’s usual lovestruck tendencies, a storm was undoubtedly brewing.
Secretary Fang suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. Belatedly turning around, he met Jiang Yu’s faintly mocking smile and nearly jumped out of his skin.
This is bad.
Mr. Qin, you’re really in trouble now. Sending gifts to another woman and getting caught by the one on your marriage certificate!
In any case, this definitely wasn’t his fault, the humble delivery guy!
Moonlit: I feel like everything was just a misunderstanding. Maybe Ji Nian doesn’t really have feelings for our ML. Maybe she was just labeled as “white moonlight” by people who want to cause trouble…? Maybe because of that, our FL treats her as a love rival…
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Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152