Jiang Zheng let out a sigh of relief and hung up the phone. He immediately started searching for news on his computer. The moment he typed in “Jiang Qingli,” a flood of related headlines popped up—the top trending one was about her calling the police.
He clicked on a video where the creator explained the entire situation from beginning to end. By the time he finished watching, Jiang Zheng’s expression had turned downright ugly.
He had seriously underestimated his cousin.
Jiang Zheng wiped his face, glaring coldly at the screen as he started thinking about how to get himself out of this mess.
Meanwhile, two others watching the livestream had also gone pale.
Especially Grandpa Jiang—he was completely dumbfounded when he heard his granddaughter had called the police. He turned to the old family butler in shock. “Why would A-Li call the police? And say the production team kidnapped her?!”
The butler, having followed everything clearly, sighed inwardly. The old man had grown more confused with age and placed a lot of importance on family ties. He’d been easily manipulated by Jiang Zheng and truly believed it was all for the best. But now that things had blown up like this, the butler gently replied, “Young people nowadays care a lot about personal boundaries. A-Li didn’t want to participate in the show, and when the team wouldn’t let her go, calling the police was the natural thing to do.”
The old man looked aggrieved. “But I did it for her good! And besides, I signed the contract! Is she trying to get me dragged into the police station too?”
The butler paused for a few seconds before offering a bit of comfort: “Since you signed the agreement, it might not escalate that far.”
The old man sighed, still visibly upset. He had thought his granddaughter missed him and was calling to talk. He had even placed the phone next to him in anticipation. But instead of a heartwarming call, she called the police. The disappointment in his heart was indescribable.
Jiang Xi was equally stunned by Qingli’s bold move.
After ending his phone call with Grandpa Jiang, he hadn’t continued watching the livestream—too much of a time-waster when he had work to do. But in a break between tasks, he decided to check on it, only to find the stream had been shut down.
That was a clear red flag.
Jiang Xi immediately searched for related news. Since it had just hit the trending list, it didn’t take long to find. After reading through everything, he was momentarily speechless, but he couldn’t help feeling a flicker of pride rise in his chest.
This daughter he had almost given up on… had finally done something completely unexpected.
And it was beautifully done.
Jiang Xi picked up the landline on his desk to call his assistant, but just as the call connected, his cellphone rang—it was Jiang Qingli.
Without hesitation, Jiang Xi hung up the landline and answered her call.
This daughter had just won his respect. She deserved to be taken seriously.
Once the call connected, her voice came through clearly: “The police are here. They said they need a legal guardian present. Also, bring a lawyer—preferably a whole legal team.”
“Alright,” Jiang Xi responded simply.
The father and daughter never spoke much. Once the essentials were said, Qingli hung up.
The call ended so quickly, even someone as emotionally detached as Jiang Xi was momentarily thrown off. But seconds later, a smile spread across his face, proud and genuine.
She was his daughter. Just like him.
He wasn’t angry at all. For the first time, he put his work aside for her. He gathered the lawyers and prepared to head out.
Since it involved traveling across cities, he had to catch a flight. By the time Jiang Xi and the legal team arrived at the local police station, it was already evening.
The girl he once remembered as immature and laughably naive was now sitting calmly to the side, surrounded by members of the production crew. A sign hung around her neck, and several people were pleading with her not to make things worse.
As if sensing something, Qingli turned her head, and her eyes met the man standing at the police station entrance.
He looked to be in his early thirties.
Well, in that suit he did. The man was well-groomed, probably kept himself in great shape. At first glance, his looks were top-notch, tall and broad-shouldered. If he had been wearing casual clothes—say, a T-shirt and jeans—he’d easily pass for someone in his mid-twenties. No one would guess he had a sixteen-year-old daughter.
Jiang Xi was dressed in a sleek suit, a warm smile on his lips. But behind the glasses, his eyes were cold and detached—an elegant wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Their gazes locked, and Jiang Xi’s smile widened. He stepped forward and asked, “Still not resolved?”
This man often appeared in financial news, and the show’s director had, of course, looked into Qingli’s background. The moment he saw Jiang Xi, his face lit up with flattery. “Mr. Jiang, hello, hello. We had your approval for the show at the time. Could you speak to your daughter? Can we just settle this quietly? We’re willing to offer compensation, even a formal apology!”
Jiang Xi shook his head but didn’t agree right away. Instead, he turned to Qingli.
His way of showing respect to this future heir was to let her decide for herself.
Qingli stood up and said coolly, “You may have had my guardian’s approval, but you never had mine. That makes it invalid. From A City to Y City, I kept asking to leave. You took my phone, confiscated my ID, and physically stopped me from leaving. You even started a livestream without my consent to profit off your show. I have every right to take legal action.”
The director’s face went ghost-white as he turned to Jiang Xi pleadingly. “Mr. Jiang, please, don’t do this. We already paid her appearance fee…”
Qingli also looked at Jiang Xi. “I suspect he was paid off to target me. My guess? Jiang Zheng. After all, I’m his biggest obstacle. Could you help investigate if there were any large payments from him or his people to this director’s account recently?”
The director was completely stunned now. This girl… she even figured out it was Jiang Zheng?!
Even if he tried to tell Jiang Zheng he hadn’t sold him out, would he still believe it now?
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152