“Hu Huan, I need to take this call. Let’s leave it here for tonight. Get some rest early.” Jiang Youli still wanted to chat with Qi Huan a little longer, but she knew Yu Linglong wouldn’t call unless it was important, so she said regretfully.
The corners of Qi Huan’s lips lifted into a gentle smile. “Okay. Go ahead and take care of it.”
After ending the call with Qi Huan, Jiang Youli shifted into a more comfortable position and answered Yu Linglong’s call.
“It’s so late. What’s wrong?” Jiang Youli asked.
Yu Linglong’s voice on the other end sounded somewhat anxious. “Tonight, I overheard Long Yuan talking with Li Zixuan and the others. They said they have a major move planned against you at your birthday banquet.”
Jiang Youli’s brows drew together slightly, and she let out a mocking laugh. “A major move? I’d really like to know how Long Yuan plans to cause trouble at my birthday banquet when I didn’t invite anyone from the Long family.”
Yu Linglong continued, “If I’m not mistaken, the person who called Long Yuan’s assistant was probably your scumbag father, Jiang Yangxu. I heard Long Yuan say that he would hand Jiang Li over to Jiang Yangxu and let him figure out a way to sneak into the Jiang residence and attend your birthday banquet.”
“I see… Jiang Yangxu really has thrown his lot in with the Long family.” Jiang Youli wasn’t surprised by the result in the slightest. But if he intended to use Jiang Li to sneak into the Jiang residence, what method was he planning to use?
The last time, Jiang Li had already fallen out with the Old Master. She had sworn that she would never return to the Jiang family again and that, even if the Old Master died, she wouldn’t come to his funeral.
“I’m not sticking my nose into your business, am I?” Yu Linglong asked.
Jiang Youli pulled her thoughts back. She could tell that Yu Linglong genuinely wanted her approval.
At first, Jiang Youli hadn’t wanted Yu Linglong to do anything unnecessary and put herself in danger. But now, she was willing to respect Yu Linglong’s wishes.
“Your warning is very useful to me. As thanks, aside from helping you take control of Dafeng Entertainment in the end, I can also help you with one thing right now.”
There was a moment of silence on the other end. When Yu Linglong spoke again, her breathing was slightly hurried, and she gritted her teeth as she said heavily, “I want Yu Hongtu’s mother to suffer a hundred times more pain than my mother did back then!”
“Okay.” Jiang Youli agreed so readily that Yu Linglong didn’t react for a moment.
“Really? You can do that?”
“I can.”
“...Thank you. I actually thought about hiring someone to teach that Third Wife a lesson, but I was afraid of leaving a trace. If I didn’t get my revenge and ended up behind bars instead, it would all be for nothing.”
“Don’t worry. If I handle it, no one will be able to trace it back to you. Wait for good news in three days,” Jiang Youli promised.
“Okay.”
After hanging up, Jiang Youli glanced at the calendar on her phone.
There was still a week until her birthday banquet.
What exactly was the major move Long Yuan had mentioned?
What method could possibly bring her down? It couldn’t be something trivial.
If it were just some petty scheme, Jiang Yangxu would have had no need to seek help from the Long family.
The most serious possibility, of course, would be for someone to die.
Could they be planning to poison someone at her birthday banquet and frame her for it?
That would be rather stupid.
Who would poison someone at their own birthday banquet?
Jiang Youli had no leads for the moment. It seemed she would have to get Ye Ying to investigate thoroughly before then—namely, find out what benefits Jiang Yangxu had offered Long Yuan to make him agree to cause trouble at her birthday banquet.
Jiang Youli took out her phone and called Ye Ying. “Ye Ying, have someone keep an eye on Jiang Yangxu’s recent movements.”
“Understood, Boss.”
...
After ending the video call with Jiang Youli, Qi Huan was about to place his phone on the bedside table and go to sleep when a message from his younger brother, Zhou Zerui, suddenly appeared on the screen.
[Mr. Qi, you and Grandpa are both going to attend President Jiang’s birthday banquet, right?]
Seeing the message, Qi Huan couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh.
Being addressed as “Mr. Qi” made him feel rather helpless.
He replied:
[Yes. What’s up?]
Not long after the message was sent, Zhou Zerui’s reply arrived as quickly as lightning:
[Can I go too?]
Qi Huan’s gaze flickered slightly. His younger brother had specifically messaged him so late at night just to ask whether he could attend Jiang Youli’s birthday banquet?
Could it be that he was interested in Little Li’er?
The thought flashed through Qi Huan’s mind, but he quickly dismissed it. If Zhou Zerui really had feelings for Jiang Youli, he wouldn’t have been so direct about coming to provoke him.
After all, Zhou Zerui should know that Little Li’er was his older brother’s fiancée.
Qi Huan replied:
[If you want to go, of course you can. I’ll ask Little Li’er for an invitation for you.]
[Thank you, Mr. Qi.]
[We’re brothers. There’s no need to be so polite.]
There was no reply from the other end after that.
Qi Huan didn’t mind. He looked over the chat history again and quickly figured out what Zhou Zerui was really up to.
...
The next morning.
During breakfast, Zhang Susu asked with concern, “Youli, I saw the trending topic on Weibo. You actually made a bet with that troublemaker from the Li family?”
Jiang Youli smiled. “Yes, I did. Don’t worry, Mom. There’s no way I’ll lose. He was the one who announced in the group chat that Starlight Entertainment would definitely go bankrupt within two months of my taking over. I’m simply going to make him eat his words.”
“I’m not worried that you’ll lose. I’m worried that you’re offending too many people in the wealthy circles. That troublemaker from the Li family may not have much authority at home, but the Li family still has considerable standing in the capital,” Zhang Susu explained.
At present, Jiang Youli had already crossed Jiang Yangxu’s family, Qi Shaoxiong and Qi Feifan’s families, the Long family, the Yu family behind Dafeng Entertainment, and that Duan boy who wouldn’t stop pestering her. Now the Li family had been added to the list as well.
It could be said that Jiang Youli was now at the very center of the capital’s vortex. Zhang Susu couldn’t help worrying about her.
Jiang Youli remained calm and smiled. “Then they can only blame the Li family for failing to raise their son properly. Since they couldn’t teach him how to behave, I’ll teach him myself.”
Seeing that his wife couldn’t help worrying about Youli again, Jiang Yehan said, “Youli is right. Looking at the chat history, it’s obvious that the troublemaker from the Li family provoked her first. Why should our daughter swallow her anger?”
“Besides, is Youli really the kind of person who would do that?”
“And besides that, you wouldn’t want our daughter to suffer this humiliation either, would you?”
Zhang Susu burst out laughing. “Listen to you going on and on. As her father, you’d better protect our daughter!”
Jiang Yehan straightened up and replied solemnly, “Yes, ma’am!”
Jiang Youli laughed as well. “By the way, Dad, I want to ask you for one of those electronic devices you mentioned before—the one that can provide real-time location tracking and also has a self-defense function.”
Jiang Yehan looked puzzled. “Didn’t I already arrange for 001 to protect you? 001 is much more useful than that electronic device.”
“It’s not for me. I’m planning to give it to someone,” Jiang Youli said without explaining whom she intended to give it to.
Jiang Yehan didn’t press her. “All right. I’ll bring it home for you tonight.”
After breakfast, Jiang Youli arrived at Starlight Entertainment and saw that the trending search about her wager with Li Zixuan was still climbing in popularity.
Jiang Youli was quite pleased to see so many netizens following the bet.
See? The trending search had taken off without her spending a single cent! Netizens really did love this kind of wealthy-family gossip!
On top of that, the main casting choices for the drama The Aspirations of Qingyun had also been leaked online.
