Jiang Youli recalled the scene when Qi Huan first came to the village to find her and couldn’t help but admire his sharp insight—truly befitting a man who had once been on the verge of becoming the heir to the Qi Family, the wealthiest family in Jing City.
In her bare, mud-brick house, no one would have noticed the valuable medicinal herbs hanging on her walls.
Yet Qi Huan spotted them at a glance.
Not only was his perception keen, but his knowledge was also vast, indicating that he frequently visited Jing City’s largest auction houses and could recognize rare medicinal herbs that had been auctioned there.
"So that’s how it is," Jiang Youli understood now.
Qi Huan said, "Jiang Yangxu and his family chose to disown you in favor of their adopted daughter, Jiang Yonghe. That’s their loss."
Jiang Youli took out her acupuncture needle case and began treating Qi Huan.
"The moment I learned they had known Jiang Yonghe was a replacement all along but never intended to bring me back, they were already dead to me," she said calmly, her fingers deftly inserting silver needles around Qi Huan’s knees. "My reason for returning to the Jiang Family now is to strip them of everything they have and make them atone for their cruelty."
She paused, then asked, "What about you? Many people outside believe your position as heir is in jeopardy."
Qi Huan chuckled. "Let them think what they want. This is also an opportunity for me to see who’s truly loyal and who’s not—so I can deal with them accordingly."
Jiang Youli smiled. "Then I hope we both get what we want."
...
After leaving the pavilion, Jiang Xing returned his secretary’s call.
The moment the call connected, a woman’s anxious voice came through.
"President Jiang! Why haven’t you been answering my calls? I was so worried something had happened to you—I almost went to your house to check!"
Jiang Xing replied, "Little Yang, arrange a car to pick me up. I’ll send you my location."
"Understood. I’ll be there right away."
An hour later—
Secretary Little Yang stepped out of the car and froze when she saw Jiang Xing leaning on a cane. "President Jiang, what happened to your leg?"
Jiang Xing answered coldly, "Don’t ask questions you shouldn’t."
The secretary, intimidated by his demeanor, fell silent and helped him into the backseat.
Once the door closed, she couldn’t help but steal glances at his injured right leg.
Jiang Xing’s expression darkened. "What’s going on at the company? Why so many calls?"
Little Yang snapped back to attention. "Manager Zheng from the business department wanted to report to you this morning. The editor of the renowned author Lili Yuanshang has responded—they’re organizing a small meet-and-greet in Jing City at the end of the month. Lili Yuanshang will personally decide who gets the rights to her final novel, and she specifically emphasized that the highest-ranking executive from each company must attend."
A meet-and-greet? And demanding the most authoritative representative?
This Lili Yuanshang, riding high on her fame, certainly had the audacity to make such demands.
But she had the leverage.
The value of her final novel was immeasurable for entertainment companies like theirs.
"Has the exact time and location been confirmed?"
"Manager Zheng said they’re waiting for the official invitation from the website."
"Fine. Tell Manager Zheng to keep tracking this. Inform him that I’ll be attending the meeting with him."
"Understood."
If Lili Yuanshang wanted to see which company showed the most sincerity, then having the CEO himself attend should be convincing enough!
With his right leg crippled and his body poisoned, Jiang Xing knew that if his company didn’t produce outstanding results soon, he’d end up like Qi Huan in the Qi Family—stripped of his authority over Starlight Entertainment by his grandfather.
He had to secure the rights to Lili Yuanshang’s final novel to prove his worth!
...
By the time the treatment ended, it was nearly one in the afternoon.
Jiang Youli pulled out the last needle and looked at Qi Huan’s pale face. "That’s it for today. Go home and rest."
"It’s already noon. Why not have lunch together first?" Qi Huan rolled down his pant leg, his gaze steady on her, his tone light as if the earlier pain had been nothing.
Jiang Youli was about to reply when her phone rang.
It was an unknown number.
After putting away her needles, she answered—only to hear Duan Jinghan’s voice.
"Jiang Youli, where are you?"
Without missing a beat, she replied, "On my way to the train station."
"Fine. Wait for me there. I’ll come pick you up."
"Alright." She hung up and met Qi Huan’s questioning look. "An ex-boyfriend."
Qi Huan raised an eyebrow. "You’re still in contact?"
Jiang Youli shrugged. "I’ve blocked countless numbers, but he keeps finding ways to reach me, saying he wants to ‘give me a chance’ to be his kept woman. I’m just playing along to make him back off."
Qi Huan shook his head. "Your little game might not work. If he’s gone back to being a wealthy heir in the Duan Family yet still clings to you, he’s not giving up easily."
Jiang Youli almost laughed. "Are you suggesting he’s genuinely in love with me?"
"Of course. If he didn’t care, why would a rich young master lower himself to chase after you?" Qi Huan said. "As a man, if it weren’t for real feelings, he wouldn’t act so desperate."
Jiang Youli found it even more ridiculous. "Please. The moment he was recognized by his family, he dumped me. If that’s love, then his love is worthless."
Qi Huan countered, "He may like you but couldn’t resist the vanity of his new status. Breaking up with you was probably just a power move. Am I wrong in guessing that during your relationship, he was the one putting in more effort—always pursuing you?"
Jiang Youli thought about it. It was true.
After she saved Duan Jinghan’s life, he had insisted on repaying her by clinging to her. Back then, he was just a poor guy, yet he used every romantic gesture he could think of.
Flowers, jewelry, designer bags…
Since those gifts were beyond his means, Jiang Youli had refused them all.
Instead, every day after work, he would ride his beat-up scooter to her village, cook for her, clean her house, and help sort her herbs—rain or shine.
His relentless persistence eventually wore her down, and two months ago, she finally agreed to date him.
The strange thing was, shortly after they got together, his enthusiasm suddenly cooled. He stopped visiting daily, and his efforts dwindled.
Sometimes, he wouldn’t come at all—just call to check on her.
Jiang Youli suddenly remembered—just one week before Duan Jinghan broke up with her, he had abruptly asked over the phone,
"Youli, do you think I’m not good enough for you?"
