Tang Youyi stopped mid-sentence.
His gaze met Tang Che's—those were the eyes of someone in power, their aura fully unleashed, and he found it nearly impossible to withstand.
Struggling, he said, "The Tang Group's investment in developing this technology cost at least three hundred million. Buying it directly from Kou Technology could bring the price down to around a hundred million. I believe this is a foolproof deal..."
Tang Che's voice was icy. "The founder of Kou Technology is morally bankrupt. The Tang family doesn’t collaborate with such people. Who knows when they might stab us in the back?"
"But, Uncle..." Tang Youyi began, "This is a great opportunity. Not only does it save funds, but more importantly, it cuts development time..."
"What, are my words no longer worth listening to?" Tang Che slammed a teacup onto the table. "I’m not dead yet, and the Tang Group isn’t yours to command... cough, cough!"
His anger flared, triggering an itch in his chest, and he broke into violent coughs.
"Yes, Uncle. I was wrong." Tang Youyi hurriedly patted his back. "I’ll notify all departments to halt negotiations with Kou Technology immediately. Please calm down, Uncle. Don’t harm your health..."
Tang Che’s temper eased, and he spoke softly, "In business, one can’t blindly chase profit. A person must have basic values, a sense of principle..."
He patiently explained the reasoning to Tang Youyi, who listened attentively.
Once the Tang Group’s highest authority issued the directive, all departments ceased cooperation with Kou Technology.
When Kou Xing received the news, he smashed his phone in fury—straight into his computer screen, rendering his work device useless.
After Ji Zhiyuan issued an industry-wide blacklist, all related enterprises in Haicheng, fearing repercussions from the Ji family, refused to work with Kou Technology. Some companies even preferred paying penalties to terminate contracts.
Kou Xing had finally secured the Tang Group’s interest in collaboration. He slashed prices, persuading them to agree—signing the contract would have recouped at least a hundred million in losses.
Yet, at the final step, the Tang Group backed out.
"Ji Zhiyuan!" Kou Xing gritted out the name through clenched teeth. "It must be Ji Zhiyuan sabotaging this. He’s pushing me into a corner!"
Lan Rouxue’s lips were nearly white.
Just as she was about to speak, her phone buzzed with a text—a legal notice from the Ji Group’s legal department.
The Ji Group was suing her?
Rong Yu had been living with the Ji family all along. She’d merely told Kou Xing the truth—how could that warrant a lawsuit?
She opened the message and nearly laughed in disbelief.
The accusation was for stealing the Ji Group’s core chip technology—something that happened ages ago. Ji Zhiyuan actually remembered? How petty could a man be?
Besides, Kou Technology was the one that suffered from that incident.
The malware embedded in the chip had set Kou Technology back a decade, leaving them scorned by the industry and struggling to climb out of the abyss...
And now Ji Zhiyuan had the audacity to sue her...
How had she ever been blind enough to fall for such a man?
Her laughter died when she realized the consequences: if she lost the case, she’d face prison time.
She wasn’t even thirty yet. How could she go to jail over this?
Worse, she hadn’t gained a single advantage from the whole ordeal. Why was she the one paying the price?
Meanwhile, at Hibiscus Manor, dinner was underway.
Ji Zhouye couldn’t resist boasting. "Great-Grandma, I scored 103 on my Chinese exam this afternoon. Pretty impressive, right?"
Before Rong Yu could respond, Old Master Ji narrowed his eyes. "Aren’t you in the top three of your class? If the top students are barely hitting 100, your class must be terrible."
Ji Zhouye’s grin froze.
To avoid upsetting the old man, he’d been lying about his ranking—claiming to be top three when he was actually bottom three.
One slip-up, and the truth was out.
"You little rascal!" Old Master Ji instinctively reached for his cane, but his health had improved so much he no longer needed it. Instead, he hurled a cushion. "Daring to deceive me? Steward Yu! Get over here! You conspired with this brat to trick me? Do I look easy to fool?"
Steward Yu bowed his head. "We were worried you’d take it to heart, Old Master."
Old Master Ji roared, "I’m furious now! Do I look like I’m about to collapse?"
Steward Yu silently thought, If not for Miss Rong making you exercise daily, you’d probably have high blood pressure by now...
"Enough. Sit down and eat," Rong Yu interjected. "Zhouye has a sharp mind. His grades have improved a lot in just a month. If he keeps studying, getting into university won’t be a problem."
Praise for his intelligence made Ji Zhouye beam with pride.
After dinner, he skipped gaming and eagerly headed upstairs to do homework.
Rong Yu sat on a garden swing, reading, when her phone rang—Shen Lin was calling. She answered. "Auntie, what is it?"
Her relationship with her stepmother had always been civil; they’d never quarreled.
"Yu, since you won the gold medal in the physics competition, your father and I thought we’d throw you a celebration this Sunday. We’ll invite your classmates too—make it lively."
Rong Yu replied indifferently, "It’s just a small achievement. No need for a party. I’m busy now, so I’ll talk later."
Shen Lin stared at the ended call, stunned.
A national gold medal was just a "small achievement" to her stepdaughter?
When Song Huai won gold, the Song family had gone wild with joy. Madam Song couldn’t stop bragging about her son getting into Tsinghua...
Yet this girl was utterly unfazed.
How could an eighteen-year-old be so detached?
Rong Yu truly didn’t care.
She resumed reading until a noise from the greenhouse caught her attention.
Old Master Ji exclaimed in delight, "The orchid actually survived! Jingchuan, you’ve got skills. How about staying on as the Ji family’s gardener?"
He Jingchuan smiled. "Thank you for the offer, Old Master, but I’ve got an orchard back home. The fruits will ripen soon, and I need to return to sell them."
His mother had been bombarding him with calls, demanding his immediate return and even resorting to threats.
He’d endured the pressure to stay.
After two days of her theatrics, she’d given up.
Turns out, if you refused to be blackmailed, no one could blackmail you.
Old Master Ji said, "When the fruits are ready, bring a truckload. I’ll buy a few hundred pounds and distribute them as gifts."
He couldn’t help but feel for the young man and wanted to lend a hand.
He Jingchuan chuckled and nodded. "I’ll get back to work then."
He picked up the watering can and tended to the plants.
As dusk fell, a figure appeared at Hibiscus Manor’s gates. Without a word, they dropped to their knees, wailing loudly.
"Grandfather, I was wrong! I know I was wrong! Please give me another chance..."
