Jiang Yangxu frowned deeply after hearing Qin Yulian’s words.
There were many things he could tolerate, but if anyone dared to meddle with his son’s career, that was absolutely unforgivable!
“It’s absolutely true. I even regret not recording it for you to hear—I was so furious I nearly collapsed on the spot!” Qin Yulian said, feeling her throat burning. She quickly picked up the tea her husband had brewed and took a large gulp.
Jiang Yangxu mused, “It seems she’s dead set on cutting ties with us. I can endure many things, but if she truly dares to covet the Jiang Family’s assets, even if she’s my own daughter, I won’t let her off!”
Qin Yulian asked, “Then should we still try to stop her from signing the severance agreement tonight?”
“A daughter like this is nothing but trouble. It’s better to cut all ties completely. Whatever mess she causes in the future will be her uncle and aunt’s problem—it has nothing to do with us.” Jiang Yangxu would never allow anyone to jeopardize his sons’ careers.
His two sons had built their careers smoothly so far, so barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Jiang Family’s entire fortune would undoubtedly go to them in the future!
But now, with Jiang Youli as a wildcard, it was hard to say how the family assets would be divided by the old patriarch!
Therefore, the top priority was to find a way to marry Jiang Youli off to Qi Huan—who held no value in the Qi Family anymore—and completely remove her from the Jiang Family!
“The marriage alliance with the Qi Family’s eldest son must be switched to Jiang Youli. Make sure this gets done quickly!” Jiang Yangxu instructed Qin Yulian sternly.
Qin Yulian understood his meaning and nodded. “I know. There’s no way we can let Yonghe marry that crippled eldest son of the Qi Family now. The only one who should marry him is Jiang Youli, the Jiang Family’s true heiress. I’ll find time tomorrow to bring up the matter with the old patriarch about arranging Jiang Youli’s marriage to the Qi Family’s eldest son!”
……
Starlight Media, CEO’s office.
A cold-faced man sat behind the desk, his sharp brows slightly furrowed in displeasure.
“I assigned you to negotiate the acquisition of the copyright for the final novel Ambition of the Clouds by the renowned author Lili Yuanshang. It’s been almost a month, and now you’re telling me you haven’t even managed to contact the author? Do you still want this job?”
Zheng Zegang, the business department manager, broke into a cold sweat. “President Jiang, Sister Lan—Lili Yuanshang’s editor—said the author is elusive and often unreachable. Even she has to wait for Lili Yuanshang to contact her first.”
Jiang Xing’s tone was icy. “I don’t care about your excuses. You have one more week. If you can’t secure the copyright for Ambition of the Clouds, pack your things and get out!”
After working tirelessly for a month only to be criticized so harshly, Zheng Zegang couldn’t hold back his frustration any longer. “President Jiang, do you really think acquiring Ambition of the Clouds is as simple as snapping your fingers?”
Jiang Xing’s gaze turned dangerously cold. “What do you mean?”
Since he’d be fired in a week anyway if he failed, Zheng Zegang decided to speak his mind.
“Have you seen how fiercely competitive the bidding is for Ambition of the Clouds? It’s Lili Yuanshang’s last unsold work! Right now, it’s not just Starlight Entertainment—every major entertainment company is eyeing it. Even if we do contact Lili Yuanshang, there’s no guarantee they’ll sell the rights to us.”
The atmosphere in the room grew suffocating as Jiang Xing let out a cold laugh. “So what’s the point of keeping you around? Should I handle this myself?”
Zheng Zegang muttered under his breath, “Even if you personally step in, they might not budge.”
Jiang Xing slammed his hand on the desk. “Stop wasting my time with excuses. One more word, and you’re fired on the spot!”
Zheng Zegang swallowed his words and left the office with a resigned “Understood.”
Jiang Xing pinched the bridge of his nose. Over the past year, the company had invested heavily in two TV dramas starring popular celebrities, both of which had flopped without a trace. If they didn’t produce a hit soon, the company’s situation would become dire.
The old patriarch would also start questioning his competence.
He needed a blockbuster to prove he was capable of running the company!
Just then, the office door opened again.
“Big Brother.”
Jiang Xing lowered his hand and looked up at his younger brother, Jiang Zhao, who had just entered. “What is it?”
Jiang Zhao had come straight to the office after hearing that Jiang Xing had returned from his business trip, bypassing his own studio entirely.
“Brother, you’ve been away these past few days, so you don’t know how badly Yonghe has been treated at home!”
Leaning back in his chair, Jiang Xing looked weary. “I’ve been negotiating a TV drama deal for our newly signed actress, Ye Chuchu. I only got back today. What happened? Who’s bullying Yonghe?”
“Who else? That so-called ‘real sister’ our parents brought back from the countryside!” Jiang Zhao stormed over to the sofa and plopped down, propping his feet on the coffee table. He vented furiously about everything Jiang Youli had done in the three days since her return.
After hearing about his “biological sister’s” outrageous behavior, Jiang Xing’s brows knitted tightly. “Wasn’t she just a village herbalist before this? Raised in the countryside with no exposure to high society—shouldn’t she be timid at best? How dare she act so arrogantly the moment she steps into the Jiang Family, even laying hands on you and Yonghe?”
“Exactly! She should be grateful just to be recognized as a Jiang Family heiress. Instead, she keeps trying to drive Yonghe out of the house! When that failed, she started tormenting Yonghe at every turn. She has no sense of gratitude!”
At this point, Jiang Zhao sat up and rolled up his pant leg, revealing a lingering bruise on his knee. “Look, Big Brother—this kick she gave me nearly crippled me! And Yonghe’s face was swollen from her slap! You know how it is—Yonghe has never suffered like this in her life. These past few days, she’s been crying nonstop because of Jiang Youli’s bullying!”
He threw his hands up and slumped back into the sofa. “I can’t deal with Jiang Youli alone. She’s driving me insane. You have to step in and help.”
Jiang Xing’s expression remained calm, but his eyes darkened with cold fury. “I see. It seems I’ll have to make time today to properly meet our dear ‘sister.’”
With the frustration over Ambition of the Clouds still weighing on him, he needed an outlet for his anger.
And if his so-called “sister” was foolish enough to cross him, he wouldn’t hold back!
……
2:00 PM, September in the capital city. Though autumn had arrived, the weather remained sweltering.
“So you’re Jiang Youli—my newly returned ‘real sister’?” Jiang Youli was drying the herbs she had brought from Jianshan Village in the courtyard when she heard the voice and looked up.
