As the words fell, Qin Yulian and Jiang Yangxu entered with their children, Jiang Zhao and Jiang Yonghe. Jiang Zhao limped as he walked, one hand scraped and bleeding.
"Dad, you must stand up for our Zhao today!" Qin Yulian's eyes welled up with tears, her expression one of deep grievance.
At a glance, Jiang Youli thought Jiang Yonghe and Qin Yulian truly resembled mother and daughter—their pitiful expressions were practically identical.
Jiang Yehan and his wife exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with resignation. What had their younger brother and sister-in-law stirred up this time, dragging even Old Master Jiang into it?
The moment Qin Yulian stepped into the hall, she saw Jiang Youli chatting and laughing warmly with her elder brother and sister-in-law, and her mood instantly soured.
She deliberately raised her voice and cut straight to the accusation: "Elder Brother, Sister-in-law, how can you sit here laughing with my daughter when she’s caused such a disaster today?"
Meeting Jiang Zhao’s hateful glare, Jiang Youli smirked, taunting, "Auntie, why are you shouting in my house? Go on, tell me what disaster I’ve caused."
Every time Jiang Youli called her "Auntie," Qin Yulian bristled with irritation. She stepped forward and scolded sharply, "Jiang Youli, you can throw tantrums all you want, but now you’ve even laid hands on your own brother! You’re truly taking advantage of being the Jiang family’s true heiress, acting without fear. Today, your grandfather will teach you a lesson!"
Zhang Susu pulled Jiang Youli closer, shielding her. "Before we know the full story, don’t frighten Youli."
Feeling Zhang Susu’s protective warmth, Jiang Youli’s heart swelled.
Damn it! This motherly affection was utterly addictive!
She almost wished she could be reborn from Zhang Susu’s womb and become her real daughter.
Jiang Yehan frowned. "Sister-in-law, speak carefully. I don’t believe Youli would hit someone without reason."
Qin Yulian tugged her son forward, tearfully pleading, "Elder Brother, how can you say that? Look at Yonghe’s face, her bruised knees… Zhao told me all these injuries were from Jiang Youli this morning!"
Zhang Susu turned to Jiang Youli and asked gently, "Youli, what happened?"
Her tone held no blame, only concern.
Jiang Youli admitted freely, "That’s right. I hit Jiang Yonghe’s face and kicked Jiang Zhao’s knees. But they deserved it."
Qin Yulian glared. "Nonsense! How dare you say they deserved it? Who gave you the right to lay a finger on my children?"
Ignoring Qin Yulian, Jiang Youli addressed Old Master Jiang. "Grandfather, I know hitting people is wrong. But Jiang Yonghe insulted me. No matter what, I am now your true granddaughter, the real heiress of the Jiang family. For a mere adopted daughter to humiliate me—tell me, didn’t she deserve it? As for Jiang Zhao, he tried to hit me first. Kicking his knee was self-defense."
Qin Yulian immediately retorted, "You’re lying! We’ve known Yonghe for twenty years—do you think we don’t know her character? She would never insult anyone! Ever since you returned, Yonghe has been nothing but kind to you, always speaking up for you. You’re slandering her! And as for Zhao hitting you, it was only because you struck Yonghe first!"
Jiang Youli raised a brow. "Oh? Jiang Yonghe, dare you say you didn’t insult me?"
Tears welled in Jiang Yonghe’s eyes as she shook her head. "I truly never insulted Sister Youli. This morning, after my private German lesson at Yixin Pavilion, I saw her standing at the entrance. I thought she might want to learn music, chess, or painting, so I greeted her sincerely, offering to teach her."
She wiped her tears stubbornly. "But Sister Youli assumed I was looking down on her, flaunting my skills. Without a word, she slapped me."
"I swear to heaven, I never meant to insult her."
Qin Yulian caressed Jiang Yonghe’s tear-streaked face tenderly. "Sweetheart, don’t cry. Of course I believe you. You’ve always been gentle and well-mannered—how could you ever be as vile as Jiang Youli claims?"
After comforting Jiang Yonghe, she turned back sharply. "See? I told you—Youli was raised in the countryside, wild and unruly. Elder Brother, Sister-in-law, since you’ve acknowledged her as your daughter, you must discipline her properly. How could you let her cause trouble on her very first day?"
She then appealed to Old Master Jiang. "Father, I called you here for justice. You’ve heard everything. No matter what, I demand Elder Brother and Sister-in-law give me an answer. Zhao and Yonghe can’t suffer these injuries for nothing!"
Old Master Jiang’s face hardened. "What do you want?"
Qin Yulian nudged her son. "Zhao, Yonghe, speak up! What resolution do you want for this? Say it boldly—your grandfather will uphold justice today!"
Jiang Yonghe gazed tearfully at Jiang Youli and whispered, "I only want Sister Youli to apologize."
Qin Yulian then looked at her son.
Jiang Zhao said, "Since she’s a Jiang family daughter, I won’t demand an eye for an eye. I just want her to apologize to Yonghe and sign an agreement allowing Yonghe to remain in the Jiang family. Grandfather, my request is simple, isn’t it?"
"Simple?" Jiang Youli burst out laughing. "Apologizing to her would be the greatest insult to me. Jiang Zhao, you really know how to disgust me."
She then faced Old Master Jiang. "Grandfather, my household registration is already under my parents. To prevent Uncle and Aunt from using blood ties to manipulate me in the future, I want you to witness this—once Jiang Zhao’s matter is settled, I demand a permanent severance agreement!"
Jiang Zhao sneered. "Permanent severance? Ha! You think this is a threat? Not having you as a sister would be a blessing!"
With her son already struck by Jiang Youli, Qin Yulian no longer cared about tolerating her for potential inheritance. "Jiang Youli, are you serious about signing this severance? Once it’s done, there’s no going back!"
"Only a dog would regret it." Jiang Youli smirked at Jiang Yonghe. "Want to know why I hit them? Listen closely."
Jiang Yonghe froze. Listen?
What did she mean?
Her heart lurched—could it be…?
No!
It couldn’t be!
As Jiang Yonghe paled, Jiang Youli pulled out her phone and tapped the recording.
"Listen well."
