Jiang Yangxu said solemnly, “If I can return to the Jiang family and take over Shen Medical, I’m willing to give the Long family the use of two production lines.”
Long Yuan studied him thoughtfully, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes. “What do you know?”
Jiang Yangxu lowered his head slightly, his attitude extremely respectful. “Young Master Long, I don’t know anything. I merely guessed that the Long family needed them. Otherwise, Old Madam Long wouldn’t have agreed to Second Master Long’s marriage alliance with Jiang Li back then.”
What the Long family had set its sights on was Jiang Medical. Over the years, they had wanted to inject capital into Shen Medical, but aside from purchasing shares, they had also demanded the right to use two of its production lines.
However, Old Master had firmly opposed the idea, declaring that if the Long family intended to interfere with production, he would rather forgo their investment.
Because of that, the Long family had never invested a single cent in Jiang Medical. Jiang Li’s marriage to Second Master Long could practically be said to have brought the Jiang family no substantial benefits at all.
The Long family had made its fortune through the underworld before going legitimate. Whatever they intended to do with Shen Medical was certainly something that could not see the light of day. But Jiang Yangxu could no longer afford to care about any of that!
The last time, under the pretext of asking Old Master to help detoxify Jiang Xing, he had repeatedly hinted that he wanted to return to the Jiang family. But Old Master had been adamantly opposed.
So, as long as he could return to the Jiang family and seize control of Shen Medical again, he was willing to use any means necessary!
“How interesting.” Long Yuan curled his lips into a smile. “Grandmother, what do you think?”
Old Madam Long took a delicate sip of tea. “You decide.”
“Fine.” Long Yuan looked at Jiang Yangxu. “I agree to help you find someone to assassinate your wife.”
Jiang Yangxu fell silent for quite some time. “If possible, don’t let her suffer too much…”
Long Yuan was not fond of smiling, and his expression was usually so stern and intimidating that it frightened people. Hearing Jiang Yangxu say this, however, he unexpectedly let out a laugh.
What a hypocrite. How amusing.
“Of course.” Long Yuan agreed, but in reality, he was already thinking that he would make sure Jiang Yangxu’s wife knew she had been targeted for assassination by her own husband.
He wondered how much pain she would feel in the moments before her death.
Jiang Yangxu said, “Let’s do it after my bastard daughter Jiang Youli’s birthday banquet. I’ll do my best to provoke my wife into offending Jiang Youli at the banquet, so that everyone will suspect Jiang Youli immediately after my wife’s death.”
Long Yuan nodded again. “All right. I’ll notify you once it’s done.”
…
By the time Jiang Yangxu left the Long residence, it was already getting dark.
He looked up at the gloomy, gray sky, his expression complicated.
But soon, he let out a relieved breath.
Even if it meant becoming the Long family’s puppet, that was still better than being driven out of the Jiang family by his own daughter, left with nothing, and becoming the laughingstock of every wealthy family in the capital!
This time, he would show mercy to no one!
Not even Old Master!
Jiang Yangxu turned back and cast one last, lingering look at the Long family’s gate before getting into the car parked across the road.
…
After returning to the Jiang residence, Jiang Youli had dinner with her parents. They discussed preparations for her birthday banquet and finalized the guest list before she went to tend the medicinal garden.
The immortal herb had successfully taken root. Now, all that remained was to see how it would grow and whether it could reproduce successfully.
When Jiang Youli returned to her room, she was just about to video-call Qi Huan when she saw that Uncle Zhou had sent her another video.
It was Jiang Xing again.
Only this time, Jiang Xing was lying down, blood still flowing from all five orifices. In the darkness of night, he looked especially horrifying.
[I already warned him during the day not to set his sights on your medicinal garden. I don’t know what this Jiang Xing was thinking, but he insisted on going in. Then he was bitten by the venomous snakes, insects, and other creatures in your garden that attack outsiders.]
[Girl Li, should we save him? Or should we just let him die here and bury him in your medicinal garden?]
Jiang Youli was rendered speechless and amused at the same time. She replied:
[Save him, of course. His mother already knows he’s in the village. If she doesn’t see him later, she’ll make an even bigger fuss. After saving him, take him to the town police station and tell them he’s a thief. Let them detain him for a few days so he can learn his lesson.]
Uncle Zhou replied:
[All right, then.]
…
Following the navigation, Qin Yulian finally arrived at Pianshan Village late at night.
The roads were too dark, so she had the driver stop at the village entrance. She called her son, Jiang Xing, but his phone was still switched off.
Qin Yulian turned on her phone’s flashlight. In addition to the agreed fare, she gave the driver another hundred yuan and asked him to get out and walk into the village with her.
The houses in the village had mostly turned off their lights. The entire place was cold and dark, and Qin Yulian began regretting that she had rushed all the way to this godforsaken place.
Unable to bear it any longer, she shouted at the top of her lungs, “Jiang Xing, it’s your mother!”
“Jiang Xing, where are you?”
“Ow…”
There was a shallow puddle along a nearby path. Qin Yulian had been looking straight ahead and failed to notice it. She slipped and fell heavily to the ground.
“Help me up! I’ve twisted my waist…” Qin Yulian cried out in pain.
The soles of the driver’s shoes were covered in mud as well. He said impatiently, “It’s the middle of the night. If you hadn’t paid me extra, I wouldn’t have brought you here in the first place. I’m leaving.”
“I’ll pay you more. Help me find my son before you go…” Qin Yulian hurriedly pleaded.
The driver waved his hand and began walking back toward where he had parked. “No need. Find him yourself. It wasn’t easy earning the money you paid me for this trip.”
Qin Yulian had never suffered like this before. Left alone, she began crying miserably. Dragging her mud-stained body along, she went to the nearest house and pounded on the door.
“Hello! Is anyone there? Please open the door!”
“Hey…”
After a while, the light inside came on.
“Who is it? Don’t people ever sleep around here?”
As soon as the door opened, Qin Yulian immediately took out a photograph of her son, Jiang Xing, and showed it to the middle-aged village woman.
“Have you seen my son?”
The woman glanced at the handsome man in the photograph, then looked at Qin Yulian and gave a cold laugh.
“He’s your son, so that makes you his mother, I suppose?”
“Yes. You’ve seen him, haven’t you?” Qin Yulian excitedly snatched the photograph back.
The woman said disdainfully, “Of course I’ve seen him. He’s a thief. He tried to steal from someone’s medicinal garden, so we sent him to the town police station. He’s being detained there! If you want to find him, go to the police station in town!”
With that, she slammed the door shut.
“He’s just some country bumpkin. What’s with the attitude?” Qin Yulian was so angry that her chest hurt. Clutching it, she turned and walked away.
She had not gone far when her foot slipped again. Fortunately, she did not fall this time.
Qin Yulian was on the verge of tears. What a miserable ordeal!
Everything was because they had brought her biological daughter, Jiang Youli, back home! It was the biggest regret of her life!
So what if Jiang Yonghe had deceived their entire family? As long as Jiang Youli had never returned to the Jiang family, they could have continued living together in harmony!
Jiang Yonghe could also have fulfilled her value in a marriage alliance and brought benefits to the Jiang family!
She only hoped that her husband would find a way to return to the Jiang family soon.
What a pathetic fall from grace—like a tiger fallen upon by dogs!
…
The town police station.
Jiang Xing’s face was streaked with blood, and he looked haggard and disheveled. Helplessly, he once again explained to the officer seated behind the interrogation table, “I told you, I’m not a thief. That’s my biological younger sister’s medicinal herb garden. She isn’t in the village right now—I only went in to take care of it for her.”
