Seeing Cheng Jing blocking his way, preventing him from dealing with Jiang Youli, Qi Xiuyuan turned and ran into the main hall to complain to his father, Qi Tianjue.
"Dad, did you see that just now? Qi Huan's woman, that country bumpkin the Jiang family just brought back, kicked me!"
"Wipe the blood off first." Qi Feifan had the butler bring a tissue and handed it to Qi Xiuyuan to wipe the blood from his nose.
Qi Xiuyuan took it, wiping while glaring venomously at Jiang Youli.
Qi Tianjue's cold, fierce gaze swept over Jiang Youli, then quickly shifted to land on Qi Huan. His tone carried the authority of an elder. "Qi Huan, how do you manage your woman and your assistant?!"
Qi Huan met Qi Tianjue's gaze calmly and unhurriedly. "Fourth Uncle, just now, Qi Xiuyuan was pushing my wheelchair for me. He lost his grip and almost made me fall down the steps. Youli was just acting out of a wife's protective instinct for her husband. It wasn't intentional."
"And you think saying 'it wasn't intentional' is enough to settle this?" Qi Tianjue's tone grew heavier.
"What else? After all, today is my and Youli's engagement banquet. It's not suitable to make a big scene and ruin the harmony. I won't dwell on the fact that Qi Xiuyuan, incapable of pushing a wheelchair properly yet insisting on doing it, nearly caused me to fall. Fourth Uncle, please don't make things difficult for my Youli either." Qi Huan spoke as if it were a trivial matter.
Seeing that Qi Huan showed not the slightest intention of punishing Jiang Youli or his assistant Cheng Jing, Qi Tianjue became thoroughly enraged. "Qi Huan! Is this your attitude towards this matter?!"
Qi Huan feigned difficulty. "Then I'd like to ask, Fourth Uncle, how would you prefer to handle it?"
Qi Tianjue said, "If you still want Jiang Youli to enter our Qi family, then today, in front of all these people, let my son return a hundred slaps to her face! As for your insubordinate assistant, whichever leg he used to kick my son, break that leg!"
Qi Xiuyuan threw the blood-stained tissue fiercely to the ground and nodded. "Dad is right! Qi Huan, that's the only way to vent my hatred!"
Qi Huan sighed helplessly. "Then I'm truly unable to grant Fourth Uncle this favor. If you're dissatisfied and insist on handling it this way, you could go ask Grandpa if he agrees."
Hearing this, Qi Tianjue's face darkened terribly. "Qi Huan, what era do you think this is, still trying to use your grandfather to pressure me! We were just in the study with your grandfather discussing the matter of the successor. You should know you're about to be cast aside! Do you think your grandfather will still protect you, or this fiancée of yours who hasn't even officially entered the family?"
Jiang Youli said, "Then why don't you go ask Grandpa Qi! If you won't, I'll ask for you!"
With that, she steadily pushed Qi Huan into the main hall, positioned him properly, then raised a hand to cup her mouth. Looking up towards the second-floor study, she shouted loudly, "Grandpa Qi! Please come out! Something big has happened!"
The crowd: "..."
Qi An'an, who was watching the drama while eating melon seeds, almost choked.
Why doesn't this Jiang family's true heiress play by the rules at all?
She is just too interesting.
Qi Tianjue also couldn't help but frown. What is this wretched girl trying to do?
A moment later, the study door opened.
Grandpa Qi slowly walked out of the study, stood by the railing, and looked down at Jiang Youli. "Was it you calling me just now, Youli? What's the matter?"
Before Jiang Youli could speak, Qi Xiuyuan turned around first and looked up at the second floor. "Grandpa, just now this damn girl teamed up with Cheng Jing to kick me! They were vicious, look, my nose is bleeding!"
Unexpectedly, instead of receiving comfort from Grandpa Qi, Qi Xiuyuan's complaint earned him a stern rebuke. "Qi Xiuyuan, stop calling her 'damn girl.' She is your cousin Qi Huan's fiancée! In the future, she will be your cousin-in-law!"
Qi Xiuyuan hadn't expected his grandfather to take Jiang Youli's side and was momentarily stunned. Even Qi Tianjue hadn't anticipated the old man taking such a stance.
Qi Feifan, who was single-mindedly aiming to replace Qi Huan, frowned upon seeing this but remained silent.
To gain the old man's favor, he naturally must never cause him displeasure at any time.
After a good while, Qi Xiuyuan said indignantly, "Grandpa, did you hear what I said? It was Jiang Youli, this damn girl, who kicked me first, that's why I cursed at her."
Grandpa Qi, however, questioned, "If you hadn't done something wrong, would Youli have kicked you?"
This rhetorical question made Qi Xiuyuan's chest tighten. What's going on? Not only is Grandpa not helping me, why is he protecting Jiang Youli, this bitch?
He quickly reasoned that it must be because the Jiang family members and other guests arriving one after another were also watching from outside the hall. Grandpa couldn't show blatant favoritism.
Everything requires evidence!
Thinking of this, Qi Xiuyuan immediately scanned the others in the hall. "Grandpa, if you don't believe me, they can all testify that Jiang Youli struck first!"
Unexpectedly, the other members of the Qi family just watched the spectacle, none responding to Qi Xiuyuan's words.
Qi Xiuyuan found it hard to believe. It was one thing for Qi Feixue and Qi Shaoxiong to remain silent, but he hadn't expected his own elder brother, Qi Feifan, to also keep quiet.
"Brother, say something! Didn't you also see with your own eyes Jiang Youli, this damn girl, kick me?"
Qi An'an sighed silently in her heart: This idiot Qi Xiuyan still doesn't get it. Grandpa Qi's attitude clearly shows he's quite fond of the Jiang family's true heiress.
Whoever speaks up for Qi Xiuyuan now would be incurring Grandpa's displeasure.
Incurring Grandpa's displeasure would mean reducing their chances of taking advantage and replacing Qi Huan.
Only a good-for-nothing little fool like Qi Xiuyuan, who never even considered competing for the Qi family succession, would fail to see the current situation!
Jiang Youli blinked innocently and said, "Grandpa Qi, I admit I kicked Qi Xiuyuan. But who told him to nearly make Huanhuan fall? Huanhuan is my life, my precious darling. I can't bear to see him suffer the slightest grievance or harm. Qi Xiuyuan insisted on pushing Huanhuan's wheelchair, but he couldn't do it properly, almost losing his grip and causing Huanhuan to fall. In my panic, it was a conditioned reflex—I just wanted to protect him and stand up for him."
At this point, she added, still seeming aggrieved, turning the tables: "And Grandpa Qi, don't blame me for judging a petty man by a gentleman's standards, but I even suspect Qi Xiuyuan did it on purpose, wanting to see Huanhuan make a fool of himself!"
Qi An'an almost couldn't hold back her laughter in front of so many people: What a perfect use of 'judging a petty man by a gentleman's standards'! This Jiang family true heiress is just too interesting!
Qi Xiuyuan was so enraged by Jiang Youli's words that the nosebleed he had just wiped clean started flowing again. "Jiang Youli, stop making false accusations!"
Didn't Grandpa Qi know what his own grandson was like?
Just as this child Jiang Youli said, Qi Xiuyuan's unprovoked attentiveness absolutely harbored the intention of making Qi Huan lose face; he just didn't succeed and ended up being humiliated instead.
Compared to this child Jiang Youli, his grandson Qi Xiuyuan truly was hopeless!
Jiang Youli continued calmly, "Qi Xiuyuan, am I making false accusations? Do you dare swear a solemn oath in front of all these people? Swear that you didn't intentionally want Huanhuan to fall and be embarrassed, or else may you be hit by a car when you go out, struck by lightning when it rains..."
Listening to her aggressive words, Qi Xiuyuan, furious and flustered, interrupted, "Enough! Stop talking!"
Qi Tianjue simply couldn't bear to watch Jiang Youli bully his youngest son like this any longer. Risking the possibility of upsetting Grandpa Qi, he spoke up again. "Your baseless speculation and attempts to condemn my son are meaningless. What is a solid fact, witnessed by many, is that you kicked my son, Qi Xiuyuan!"
Jiang Youli let out another "Eh?" "Who said my speculation is baseless?"
