Qi Huan's gaze darkened slightly as he said slowly, "I didn't want to suspect Qi Yue before, and there was no need to. But now, I do have my doubts. I’ve already asked Cheng Jing to look into it."
Pausing for a moment, Qi Huan glanced toward the corner where Duan Jinghan was silently drowning his sorrows in alcohol and remarked, "Little Li'er, your ex has been staring at you since the moment he walked in."
Jiang Youli spared a glance.
Sure enough, Duan Jinghan was glaring intently in her direction.
Before their breakup, Duan Jinghan had been a penniless nobody, dressed in cheap knockoffs or obscure brand-name clothes.
But now, the tailored suit he wore actually accentuated his looks.
Jiang Youli averted her eyes and said dismissively, "Who cares? If he dares to cause trouble in front of me, I’ll just throw him out."
Noticing Qi Huan’s gaze, Duan Jinghan raised his glass in a silent toast, his expression laced with provocation.
Qi Huan’s dark eyes flickered with amusement, but he merely smiled without a word.
Ever since his legs were crippled, it seemed like anyone and everyone thought they could look down on him.
Even Duan Jinghan, who had only recently been welcomed back into his wealthy family, dared to act so brazenly in front of him, openly coveting his fiancée.
No matter. Let them revel in their arrogance for now. He would deal with them one by one later.
...
After leaving the venue, Jiang Yonghe said with reddened eyes, "Second Brother, Dad’s slap must have hurt terribly."
Jiang Zhao rubbed the corner of his mouth, his eyes burning with resentment. "It doesn’t hurt. Not at all. What I hate is that I’ve stumbled over Jiang Youli—that country bumpkin—yet again!"
Jiang Yonghe sighed dejectedly. "Second Brother, seeing you and Eldest Brother suffer setbacks again and again because of me... I feel so guilty. Maybe it’s better if you just stop standing up for me. I’ll keep my head down around her from now on."
"Yonghe, don’t talk like that," Jiang Zhao said fiercely. "Why should you have to bow your head just because Jiang Youli showed up after you’ve been pampered in this family for twenty years? I won’t allow it! You don’t have to yield—I won’t let her off so easily!"
Jiang Yonghe’s voice trembled. "Second Brother..."
Jiang Zhao wiped the tears from the corner of her eye. "Don’t cry, Yonghe. I promise you, as long as I’m here, I won’t let Jiang Youli keep bullying you!"
When they returned to the western villa, Jiang Xing, who had been working from home, noticed Jiang Zhao’s swollen lip and closed his laptop with a frown. "Trouble again?"
Jiang Zhao urged Jiang Yonghe to go change before plopping onto the sofa. "Yeah. Dad hit me. I never expected Jiang Youli to pull something like this—she actually knows the designer of that evening gown personally! How does a farm girl like her even get the chance to rub shoulders with a big shot from overseas?!"
Jiang Xing’s expression turned grave as he reassessed Jiang Youli.
He recalled Qi Huan’s words—that their family would regret giving up on Jiang Youli, that she was far more exceptional than they assumed, perhaps even surpassing Yonghe.
Could it be true?
Was his biological sister truly that remarkable?
Shaking his head, Jiang Xing dismissed the thought. What was the point of wondering?
Even if Jiang Youli was more outstanding than Yonghe, would that make him favor her over Yonghe?
Of course not. His affection for Yonghe was built on twenty years of shared memories. To him, Yonghe was his real sister.
"Eldest Brother, are you really not going to the welcome banquet tonight?" Jiang Zhao glanced at Jiang Xing’s right leg.
Jiang Xing remained silent.
He didn’t dare face those who knew him, but how long could he keep hiding?
The truth about his crippled leg would come out eventually. He couldn’t avoid it forever.
After a long pause, he finally spoke coolly. "Once Yonghe changes, I’ll go with you."
Jiang Zhao nodded. "Good. The evening gown incident was my oversight, and it humiliated Yonghe. This time, we’ll make sure she makes a stunning comeback!"
...
When Jiang Zhao, Jiang Xing, and Jiang Yonghe—now in a new gown—returned to the welcome banquet, they arrived just in time for some troublemaking guests to suggest a ballroom dance.
Before Jiang Youli could react, Jiang Zhao had already taken charge, directing people to set up the music and clear the dance floor.
Zhang Susu and Jiang Yehan had deliberately avoided including a dance segment, knowing Jiang Youli might not be familiar with it and that Qi Huan, the eldest son of the Qi Family, couldn’t participate due to his disability.
Yet Jiang Zhao was determined to make things difficult.
After orchestrating the setup, Jiang Zhao approached Jiang Youli with exaggerated courtesy. "Cousin Youli, to make up for earlier, would you grant me the honor of a dance as an apology?"
Jiang Youli smirked. "No thanks. I’m not forgiving you, so why bother with a dance that’ll just annoy me?"
Unfazed, Jiang Zhao lowered his voice. "Is it that you don’t want to dance with me... or that you simply can’t dance?"
With a derisive chuckle, he walked away.
Meanwhile, Jiang Yonghe was already surrounded by young gentlemen vying for her hand.
Yet she politely declined them all.
"Big Brother, aren’t you going to dance with the Qi Family’s new young lady?" Seizing the opportunity, Qi Yue approached Qi Huan’s wheelchair and spoke with feigned concern.
Qi Huan regarded him coldly.
Qi Yue pretended to suddenly remember. "Ah, my mistake. I forgot about your... condition."
Standing behind Qi Huan, Jiang Youli retorted bluntly, "If your brain’s that useless, you might as well donate it to the proctology department."
Qi Yue’s smile faltered slightly. "My apologies. That was an oversight."
Jiang Youli shrugged. "Why apologize to me? It’s your brain that’s defective, not mine."
Qi Yue: "..."
Suppressing his irritation, Qi Yue forced a smile. "Miss Jiang Youli, your humor is quite... unique. A perfect match for my brother."
Jiang Youli grinned. "Obviously. If we weren’t a match, why would I agree to this marriage? Otherwise, I might as well have picked you—but then again, given how brainless you sound, that’d be the real joke."
Qi Yue couldn’t take any more and walked away.
Jiang Youli scoffed. "Pathetic. With that temper, he still dreams of inheriting the Qi Family?"
Qi Huan chuckled. "Indeed." After a pause, he added, "If you want to dance, don’t hold back on my account."
Jiang Youli sighed. "It’s not just about you. There’s no one I’d want to dance with anyway. And if anyone did invite me, they’d just be looking to mock me."
Leaning down, she met Qi Huan’s eyes. "Once your legs are better, at our wedding, I’ll dance with you properly!"
Qi Huan smiled. "I’ll look forward to it."
After storming off, Qi Yue hesitated before approaching Jiang Yonghe and extending a hand. "Miss Jiang Yonghe, would you do me the honor of a dance?"
Jiang Yonghe wavered briefly before finally placing her hand in his. "Very well."
Seeing this, Jiang Youli nudged Qi Huan and said, "Though I have no interest in dancing, I won’t let Jiang Yonghe steal the spotlight at my welcome banquet."
Qi Huan smiled faintly. "Go ahead. This is your stage—outshine her."
Jiang Youli took out her phone and dialed Jiang Xing’s number.
Jiang Xing, who had been sitting quietly in a corner since arriving, frowned when he saw Jiang Youli’s call. He glanced at her from across the room, unsure what she was scheming, but answered anyway.
"Tell Jiang Zhao to come dance a ballroom dance with me."
Jiang Xing’s frown deepened. After a brief hesitation, he rose, leaning on his cane as he limped over to Jiang Zhao and relayed Jiang Youli’s words.
Upon hearing it, Jiang Zhao scoffed. "Earlier, I invited her just to test if she even knew how to dance—and she flat-out refused. Now she’s suddenly provoking me? What’s gotten into her?"
