Facing Uncle Ya’s hateful gaze, Qi Huan did not look away. His eyes calm, he said, “All right, Uncle Ya. Once the identification results come out tomorrow, I’ll take you to Qi Tianxiang. You can punish him however you see fit—for what he did to my mother and my little brother.”
He understood the hatred Uncle Ya felt for Qi Tianxiang.
Only after receiving Qi Huan’s direct answer did Uncle Ya release his grip.
Qi Huan turned and left. After getting into the car, he did not return to the company or go home as he usually did. Instead, he drove to a cemetery.
It was quiet and peaceful there. The only sounds were the rustling of leaves in the breeze and the occasional chirping of birds.
Holding a bouquet of flowers, Qi Huan passed row after row of tombstones. At last, he stopped his wheelchair in front of a particular grave.
The tombstone bore a woman’s name, her dates of birth and death, and a black-and-white photograph.
The woman in the photograph had sharp features and eyes that could hardly be called gentle.
Qi Huan bent down carefully and placed the flowers in front of the tombstone. Then he straightened up and gazed at the woman in the photograph, his eyes gradually misting over.
“Mom, I’ve finally found my little brother. The person you saved back then was the one who rescued him, so he wasn’t sold off to just anyone.”
“I should have brought him home three years ago. I never imagined that Qi Tianxiang would deceive me and that I’d let my little brother suffer out there for another three years. Will you blame me?”
“Mom, don’t worry. From now on, I’ll never let anyone bully my little brother again. And Qi Tianxiang’s betrayal of you, as well as the fact that he switched my little brother with his illegitimate son, will all be repaid.”
…
When Jiang Youli returned to the company, her secretary, Xiao Yang, hurried over and said, “President Jiang, Jiang Xing’s mother insisted on seeing you. We couldn’t stop her, so we had no choice but to let her wait in the reception room.”
“I know,” Jiang Youli replied before heading toward the reception room.
Apart from Qin Yulian, there was also a female employee inside, gently comforting her.
“Mrs. Qin, don’t worry. President Jiang will definitely be fine.”
The employee was Shu Haiyan from the Human Resources Department.
From the way things looked, Shu Haiyan was not simply trying to calm a visitor. She seemed more intent on currying favor with Qin Yulian.
The moment Qin Yulian saw Jiang Youli, she stood up and said, “Youli, where exactly has your big brother gone? We haven’t been able to reach him for several days. You must know where he is, don’t you? You’re the person he’s most likely to contact.”
Jiang Youli cut her off. “Qin Yulian, stop calling him my big brother.”
Shu Haiyan, standing nearby, could not help interrupting. “Mrs. Qin isn’t wrong. President Jiang is your big brother. No matter how much you deny it, that won’t change.”
Jiang Youli turned her gaze on the employee. “You’d better remember who your boss is. If you fail to marry Jiang Xing, you might lose your job as well.”
“What do you mean, marry Jiang Xing?” Qin Yulian asked. She was confused at first, but quickly understood. She turned toward Shu Haiyan, her expression changing instantly. Pointing at her, she demanded, “You want to marry my son, Jiang Xing?!”
Shu Haiyan pressed her lips together without answering.
To Qin Yulian, that was clearly an admission.
She grew even angrier. Her finger nearly jabbed Shu Haiyan in the face. “Have you ever looked in a mirror? Do you really think someone like you can marry my son, Jiang Xing? Even if my son has fallen on hard times, he’s still the eldest young master of a wealthy family. His grandfather will take him back into the Jiang family sooner or later. Do you really think you have a chance?”
Shu Haiyan had not expected Qin Yulian, who had been relatively pleasant to her moments earlier, to turn on her so suddenly. Qin Yulian’s merciless words left her humiliated, and tears welled up in her eyes.
Qin Yulian was furious. “I’m only telling the truth, yet you’re the one acting wronged!”
Her son deserved to marry a young lady from a family of equal standing. Even if he was down on his luck, ordinary female employees had no right to dream of marrying into their wealthy family!
Jiang Youli looked coldly at Shu Haiyan. “Why are you still here? Stay and continue letting yourself be humiliated?”
Shu Haiyan sniffed, held back her tears, and hurried out of the reception room.
Qin Yulian still did not let up, calling after her, “What an uncouth woman! Instead of focusing on her work, she dreams of marrying into a wealthy family! Youli, I think you should fire an employee with such crooked intentions immediately!”
Jiang Youli gave her a cold look. “Are you finished? If you are, then get out.”
“Tell me where your big brother Jiang Xing is, and I’ll leave,” Qin Yulian said.
“I don’t know.”
Qin Yulian refused to believe her. “How could you not know? Did you say something to Jiang Xing? Or did you kidnap him yourself?”
Seeing that there was no point trying to reason with Qin Yulian, Jiang Youli called Jiang Zhao.
The call was answered almost immediately, and Jiang Zhao’s voice came through, brimming with excitement. “Youli…”
Jiang Youli cut him off, her voice edged with displeasure. “Jiang Zhao, can’t you keep your mother under control? Stop her from coming here to bother me.”
There was a brief silence on the other end. “My mother is with you?”
Jiang Youli replied impatiently, “Yes. She came to Starlight Entertainment to demand that I tell her where Jiang Xing is. I’d also like to know whether he’s actually dead. Otherwise, why would he disappear like this? If you don’t find a way to get her out of here, don’t blame me for taking more forceful measures.”
“I’m sorry, Youli. I’ve caused you trouble. I’ll come over right away.” Jiang Zhao hung up immediately.
Qin Yulian was speechless when she saw Jiang Youli call her son Jiang Zhao to drive her away. She said, “You’ve seen your grandfather’s attitude. Deep down, he hopes our Jiang family can live together in harmony. If you continue being so stubborn, you’ll eventually lose all of your grandfather’s approval.”
Jiang Youli found her unbearably irritating. She took out a silver needle and flicked it straight at Qin Yulian’s neck.
“You…” Qin Yulian had not even finished cursing when her eyelids began to droop. A moment later, she passed out.
Jiang Youli left her lying there and walked out of the reception room. After returning to her office, she summoned her secretary, Xiao Yang.
“Bring Shu Haiyan from Human Resources to my office.”
Xiao Yang paused, then nodded. “All right.”
Five minutes later, Shu Haiyan knocked three times on the office door. Her voice was soft and tentative.
“President Jiang.”
“Come in.”
After entering, Shu Haiyan stood in place. Gathering her courage, she bit her lip and asked, “President Jiang, are you planning to fire me?”
Jiang Youli folded her arms and leaned back in her chair. “How did you feel after Qin Yulian spoke to you like that? Humiliated?”
Tears once again gathered in Shu Haiyan’s eyes. “I only have some feelings for President Jiang… for Jiang Xing. I never expected that I could truly marry him.”
Jiang Youli asked, “Are you sure about that?”
Before Shu Haiyan could answer, she continued, “Ambition itself isn’t a problem. But your abilities must be worthy of your ambition. Otherwise, you’re nothing but a joke.”
“Remember the humiliation Qin Yulian inflicted on you today. Marrying into a wealthy family is never easy. If you truly have that ambition, then work hard to improve yourself. I’m giving you one chance. If you still want to work here, then do your job properly. If you don’t, resign and leave on your own.”
Shu Haiyan froze. She hadn’t expected Jiang Youli not only to refrain from insulting her, but also to be willing to give her another chance. After wrestling with it for a while, she clenched her fists and said, “I understand, President Jiang. Thank you.”
After a pause, she bent deeply at the waist and said sincerely, “And, President Jiang, I’m sorry.”
Jiang Youli waved her off. “The person you need to make it up to is yourself. All right, go back to work.”
“Okay.” Shu Haiyan sniffed, then walked out with her head held high.
Jiang Youli leaned back in her office chair and rested for a while, until the ringing of her phone interrupted her thoughts.
She picked it up and saw, to her surprise, that the call was from Uncle Zhou.
“Uncle Zhou.”
“Girl Li, what’s the deal with that Jiang Xing?” Uncle Zhou sounded somewhat exasperated.
Jiang Youli never expected to hear Jiang Xing’s name from Uncle Zhou, so she raised an eyebrow and asked, “What happened?”
