“Director Jiang, your daughter’s incredible! She’s not even an adult yet, right?”
“I knew she was sharp from the start—aced exams while working full-time! Every time I heard about her grades, I’d go home and smack my kid around. Didn’t expect her to be this good. Guess it’s in the genes—no wonder my son doesn’t measure up.”
“Little Miss Jiang just turned our product into a viral sensation! How did she even do it?”
“How else? Must be thanks to Director Jiang’s excellent parenting!”
Sure, it was flattery—but it was also genuine admiration.
Not every kid could accomplish something like this before even turning eighteen.
Even if these execs tried themselves, they might not be able to develop a new, crowd-pleasing product so quickly, overhaul the old versions, and then push a successful marketing campaign—all while dodging online backlash and flipping the company’s fortunes.
Even Jiang Xi was in a good mood. For once, the praise didn’t irritate her. Her usual cool smile even softened a little.
“She’s just young and fearless,” she said with a small smile. “Reckless. I was worried when I heard she wanted to tweak the original recipes. Thought she might ruin the brand entirely. Good thing she didn’t.”
“You’re being way too modest!” one executive teased with a smile. “If I had such a capable daughter, I’d be grinning in my sleep. Honestly, I think she might be even more impressive than you were back in the day. Chairman Jiang, looks like you’ve found your successor!”
The woman who said this also had a daughter herself and was genuinely full of envy. She had even followed the variety show Reversal of Life before. So many kids refused to participate, yet Chairman Jiang’s daughter singlehandedly caused the whole program to get canceled—along with previous seasons being taken down. That only made her admire the girl more.
But one of the executives sitting near her, someone she was close to, quietly elbowed her in warning.
It was like how emperors feared their children trying to take their throne—how could a company as powerful as Jiang Corporation not tempt ambition?
Jiang Xi was still so young. Saying that his daughter had already surpassed him could easily trigger a sense of threat. And if he was displeased, they’d be the ones to suffer for it.
The female executive instantly came to her senses and gave an awkward smile, about to backtrack—
When Jiang Xi nodded with full approval. “Yes, I do have a successor.”
His heart was wide open. Unlike what others feared, he felt no threat—only pride. This was his child. He had raised her himself. Their praise for her excellence was, in essence, praise for him too.
And all of it would ultimately benefit Jiang Corporation.
Perhaps, he thought, he might live to see the day Jiang Corporation stood at the very top.
But after basking in his pride for a moment, his tone turned serious. “This is something to be happy about, but there’s another matter I need to bring up.”
Everyone looked over.
Jiang Xi connected his laptop to the projector and opened a folder full of screenshots Qingli had sent him.
At first, the others didn’t understand and simply stared at the screen. But as the contents became clear, one by one, their mouths dropped open in shock as they read the conversation.
“This…” someone gasped, wanting to question the authenticity—chat records could be faked, after all.
Jiang Xi gestured for them to wait and then played an audio recording.
In it, Jiang Zheng’s voice could be heard, instructing a regional director to sabotage the brand ambassador—deliberately trying to ruin the launch of the company’s new product. The words echoed unmistakably through the meeting room.
The evidence was irrefutable. It was undeniably Jiang Zheng’s voice.
He tried to pull this behind his cousin’s back, right while she was gaining hands-on experience?
After the short audio clip ended, everyone’s faces turned grim.
Jiang Xi then spoke earnestly. “As Jiang Zheng’s uncle, I’m deeply regretful that I failed to teach him properly and allowed him to almost bring harm to our company. But he is part of our management, and he owns a small portion of shares. Therefore, my decision must be made known to all of you: From this day forward, Jiang Zheng is permanently banned from employment—whether at any branch or the main office of Jiang Corporation.”
“Absolutely the right move!”
“I heard rumors last year that someone was sabotaging Young Director Jiang behind the scenes. People speculated it was Director Jiang, but I didn’t believe it. I can’t believe he did it!”
“That’s exactly how it should be. We’re family—we should support each other. And yet he sabotaged his own cousin’s project. Truly disappointing.”
“Chairman Jiang made the right call.”
No one objected.
Because they all understood—Jiang Qingli was already the heir. She had proven herself, while Jiang Zheng had become irrelevant. Agreeing with the decision was their only option, and they did so willingly.
And so, the matter was settled.
The meeting ended, and everyone else left the room. Jiang Xi remained seated, waiting, and instructed his assistant to bring Jiang Zheng in.
It wasn’t long before Jiang Zheng arrived.
Even before he opened the door, his heart was pounding in his throat. Still, he clung to a shred of hope. After all, he hadn’t gone through with the sabotage. Qingli had completed the launch successfully. Besides, Jiang Xi had tolerated his actions so many times in the past—maybe this time would be the same.
What he did a year ago was far worse, and he had gotten away with it.
Still, his heart was racing wildly.
He walked in slowly, each step feeling heavier than the last. When he was finally inside, he stood there rigidly and muttered, “Chairman Jiang…”
Jiang Xi greeted him with a faint smile, almost like they were having a casual conversation—but his words were far from casual.
“I received a report about you. The evidence is clear. After a board discussion, we’ve decided that starting today, all your positions are terminated. You are permanently banned from working in any Jiang Corporation subsidiary or entity.”
Jiang Zheng’s face turned pale. His pupils dilated in shock.
He would never be allowed to hold any position under Jiang Corporation again?
He went that far?!
“Uncle!” Jiang Zheng blurted out in panic. “I know I messed up—I was just blinded by jealousy for a moment. I couldn’t accept it. Qingli’s only been here a year, and you already put her in charge of a whole company. If she were of age, she’d probably already have tons of assets under her name, right? But I’ve been here for years, and I’m still just a low-level director. I only acted out because of that. I swear, it won’t happen again!”
Jiang Xi scoffed. “She’s my daughter. Everything I have will naturally be hers. You’re right—once she’s of age, I’ll transfer the shares and companies to her. What, you can’t accept that? Then deal with it. As of now, your positions are revoked. Pack up and leave. Jiang Corporation doesn’t welcome you.”
“All of it goes to her?” Jiang Zheng’s face contorted with rage. His eyes widened with jealousy, and bloodshot veins spread across the whites of his eyes. He panted heavily, the chill of Jiang Xi’s indifference sinking into him, as the fear of losing everything swallowed him whole.
His legs gave out, and he clutched Jiang Xi’s arm, his voice a mix of anger and groveling desperation. “She’s just a girl! What future can she possibly have? Once she’s married, everything will belong to her husband anyway! You’ve never cared about my past mistakes before. Uncle, please don’t do this to me. I swear I’ll treat you like a real father from now on!”
“I said, get out!” Jiang Xi’s face went cold. “You used to be the whetstone I set for Qingli. Now you’re not even worthy of that. You’re useless. Understand? Get out! Don’t make me call security!”
Jiang Zheng’s breathing stalled. His twisted expression froze on his face, and the shame and rage mixed with hatred rushed to his head.
Suddenly, he lunged at Jiang Xi.
The chair Jiang Xi was seated in was one of those large office chairs that rolled easily. Caught off guard, Jiang Xi was grabbed by the neck. Under the impact, the chair slid backward sharply. His head slammed hard against the wall with a loud bang!
His vision went black—and he passed out on the spot.
The assistant let out a horrified cry, “Help! Someone—something’s happened!!!”