Faced with Qin Yulian’s self-righteous accusations, Jiang Yehan said, “Qin Yulian, what right do you have to criticize me? If your family hadn’t caused trouble at home every day over an adopted daughter like Jiang Yonghe, would Dad have been so badly affected?”
“Dad, don’t argue with Ms. Qin Yulian anymore. She’s too stupid to reason with.” After calmly advising her handsome father, Jiang Youli turned to Qin Yulian with an amused smile. “Don’t worry, Ms. Qin Yulian. Grandpa and I won’t do anything to upset my grandfather. We’ll just do our best to infuriate you all to death.”
What did she mean, saying Qin Yulian was stupid?!
Qin Yulian was about to say something else when Jiang Zhao hurriedly cut in. “That’s enough, Mom. Can you say a little less?”
Hearing the impatience in her second son’s voice, Qin Yulian stopped herself from saying more so as not to put him in a difficult position. But she was still furious when she saw how her biological daughter was acting, so she simply walked away. Out of sight, out of mind.
Jiang Zhao looked at Jiang Youli with a bitter smile. “Youli, my mother’s always been like this. Don’t take it personally.”
“Are you and your mother really that different?” Jiang Youli replied. “Jiang Xing takes after his father, and you take after your mother. You really are biological brothers.”
Jiang Zhao: “…”
Unwilling to continue embarrassing himself in front of Jiang Youli, he gave a bitter smile and walked over to where his mother, Qin Yulian, was waiting.
Jiang Yangxu patted his eldest son Jiang Xing on the shoulder and said earnestly, “Whatever you want to say, wait until your grandfather comes back. For now, let’s not go over there and make fools of ourselves.”
“I understand.” Jiang Xing withdrew his gaze and followed his father, Jiang Yangxu, toward Qin Yulian and Jiang Zhao.
“That’s the situation? And Dad still wants us to reconcile? Is that even possible?” Jiang Yehan was so speechless that he almost felt like laughing.
Zhang Susu sighed. “Yehan, Qin Yulian wasn’t entirely wrong. Your father’s health really is getting worse by the day, and he can’t withstand any more emotional strain. Let’s try not to say anything tonight that might upset him.”
“Of course I don’t want to upset Dad either, but does that mean Youli has to suffer for it?” Jiang Yehan sighed helplessly.
Jiang Youli smiled. “Dad, I’m practically the head of the Jiang family now. You don’t need to worry so much about me being mistreated. As long as Grandpa’s requests tonight aren’t too unreasonable, I’ll do my best to fulfill his wishes before he passes away.”
“We’ll see,” Jiang Yehan said.
Twenty minutes later, the airport exit was packed with people. Old Master Jiang and his chief steward slowly emerged from the crowd of travelers.
Jiang Yangxu spotted his father immediately. He quickly took his wife and son and hurried forward, putting on a broad smile as he called out, “Dad!”
“Grandpa,” Jiang Xing and Jiang Zhao echoed obediently.
Old Master Jiang looked at his second son, Jiang Yangxu. Compared with the last time they had met, he seemed to have aged considerably, and the wrinkles on his face had deepened.
It seemed that life had not been treating his second son well since he was driven out of the Jiang family.
Old Master Jiang couldn’t help sighing inwardly.
Then he looked at his eldest grandson, Jiang Xing. Jiang Zhao had said that the boy lived every day as if he were better off dead. At this moment, Jiang Xing did indeed look dispirited, and Old Master Jiang sighed again.
However, he did not show much emotion in front of Jiang Yangxu’s family. He merely walked silently over to his eldest son, Jiang Yehan, and his family.
“Dad,” Jiang Yehan and Zhang Susu greeted him in unison.
Old Master Jiang smiled and nodded, then turned his gaze to his granddaughter, Jiang Youli. He carefully studied her expression, wanting to see how she felt about Jiang Yangxu’s family coming back.
Jiang Youli noticed her grandfather’s gaze. She smiled faintly and called sweetly, “Grandpa.”
Seeing the smile on Jiang Youli’s face, the burden in Old Master Jiang’s heart finally lifted. It seemed that his granddaughter did not show any obvious rejection or disgust toward Jiang Yangxu’s family, which greatly reassured him.
“Good girl. I’m truly happy to see all of you come to pick me up today,” Old Master Jiang said with emotion.
“Dad, I’m not…” Jiang Yehan had just begun to say that he was not happy when Zhang Susu tugged at his sleeve and shook her head, signaling him to stop.
After all, Qin Yulian had not been entirely wrong. The old master’s health was poor, and she did not want to upset him.
For his wife’s sake, Jiang Yehan managed to hold his tongue.
“All right, let’s go back first.” Old Master Jiang rubbed his temples. “My body really is getting old and can’t take much anymore. After sitting on that flight back, my head feels woozy, but I still can’t sleep. Youli, I’ll have to trouble you to give me some acupuncture in the car later and help relieve it.”
“No problem, Grandpa,” Jiang Youli replied.
After leaving the airport, Old Master Jiang got into Jiang Yehan’s seven-seater vehicle. Once the car drove away, Jiang Zhao turned to his mother, Qin Yulian, and said solemnly, “Dad, Mom, Grandpa came back this time specifically to remove the poison in Big Brother’s body. So I hope that, no matter what happens tonight, you won’t anger my sister again. This may be Big Brother’s final chance to have the poison removed.”
Qin Yulian hurriedly said, “Zhao, listen to yourself. Do your father and I look like people who can’t tell what’s important?”
Then she promised her eldest son, Jiang Xing, “Xing, don’t worry. Tonight, I absolutely won’t upset your grandfather or your sister.”
Jiang Xing nodded. “Mm.”
Qin Yulian said eagerly, “Let’s go. We should hurry back to the Jiang residence too. Maybe your grandfather will have a change of heart tonight and decide to let us move back into the villa in the West District.”
…
To make it easier for her to administer the acupuncture, Jiang Yehan and Zhang Susu sat in the back row, while Jiang Youli sat beside Old Master Jiang in the second row.
After getting into the car and waiting until Old Master Jiang was seated comfortably, Jiang Youli took out her acupuncture kit. “Grandpa, I’ll start by giving you some acupuncture to help you relax.”
“All right, good girl.” Old Master Jiang closed his eyes.
Jiang Youli drew out a silver needle and inserted it into the depression on the side of Old Master Jiang’s head, one finger-width behind the point between the outer corner of his eye and the end of his eyebrow.
Before long, Old Master Jiang felt the dizziness and pressure in his head gradually fade. He then asked about the company’s current situation. “Youli, how does it feel taking over Starlight Entertainment? What are your plans for the future?”
Jiang Youli smiled. “Everything is progressing smoothly so far. Unless something unexpected happens, I plan to acquire Dafeng Entertainment first. We’re currently working toward that goal.”
Old Master Jiang was surprised. “Acquire Dafeng Entertainment? Are you serious? Dafeng Entertainment is a long-established entertainment company in the capital. Although it has lost a considerable share of the market in recent years, its position is still firmly established. It isn’t something you can swallow in a short time.”
“Grandpa, didn’t you hand the Jiang family’s businesses over to me so I could make them bigger and stronger?” Jiang Youli said. “Why are you so surprised that I want to acquire Dafeng Entertainment? If I don’t even have that kind of ambition, how am I supposed to expand the family’s businesses?”
Old Master Jiang was left speechless. After a long moment, he said shamefacedly, “…You’re right. If you don’t even dare to dream about it, how can you make the family’s businesses bigger and stronger? I really am old now. There are some things I no longer dare to imagine or fight for. So the future of the Jiang family will have to depend on young people like you to keep striving.”
Hearing this, Jiang Youli said pointedly, “Grandpa, since you’ve handed the Jiang family business over to me, you should focus on taking care of your health and getting some rest. There are some things you should leave alone whenever possible.”
Old Master Jiang understood the unspoken meaning behind his granddaughter’s words. After letting out a faint sigh, he said, “Youli, it seems you’re still harboring some resentment over my asking your second uncle, aunt, and their family to come back to the Jiang residence for dinner this time.”
