Jiang Yonghe had once again underestimated Jiang Youli’s audacity.
She had indeed planned to showcase her talents at the welcome banquet and overshadow Jiang Youli.
But definitely not in this humiliating way!
She never expected Jiang Youli to directly throw her into the fire!
Fortunately—
The reputation and prestige she had built among Jing City’s elite circles still earned her some supporters.
"Jiang Yonghe’s mastery of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting is unmatched in Jing City, even nationwide. During her school years, she represented her institution in competitions, always securing first or second place. She’s not exaggerating her skills."
"Exactly. For Jiang Youli to openly challenge her like this is pure arrogance."
"No matter how unwilling she is, she has to admit defeat. Jiang Yonghe is the true prodigy, while all Jiang Youli can do is dance a bit of ballroom. As Jiang Yonghe said, she’s only good at farming, cooking, and laundry."
When it came to talents, Jiang Yonghe had never lost to any of her peers among the young socialites.
Otherwise, why would the Qi Family’s patriarch have chosen her, out of all the young ladies vying to marry Qi Huan, for the arranged marriage?
As for Old Master Jiang, since Jiang Youli had won the favor of the Qi Family’s patriarch, he now turned a blind eye to whatever Jiang Youli wanted to do—unless the Qi patriarch objected.
Jiang Yangxu and Qin Yulian’s expressions were grim, but after the incident with Jiang Zhao’s evening gown, they dared not make another scene in front of Old Master Jiang.
Jiang Zhao knew Jiang Youli was trying to embarrass Jiang Yonghe publicly, so he scoffed disdainfully, "Why hesitate? Yonghe, show her your skills! Let her lose convincingly!"
At this point, Jiang Yonghe had no choice but to accept the challenge.
If she wanted to reclaim her standing, she had to crush Jiang Youli in every aspect.
So what if people knew her mother had switched babies? So what if they knew she was just an adopted daughter of the Jiang Family?
As long as she remained exceptional, she would still be worthy of her status as a noble heiress!
Plenty of young heirs would still chase after her!
With this in mind, Jiang Yonghe stood up gracefully, smiling as she nodded at Jiang Youli. "Since Youli-jie wants to learn, I’ll gladly demonstrate."
Jiang Youli replied, "Go ahead. Let’s see how ugly it gets."
The crowd: "..."
Qi Yue, holding a champagne glass, sidled up to Qi Huan and feigned concern. "The Jiang Family’s newly returned daughter is soon to be your fiancée, Elder Brother. At first, no one had high hopes for her, but she just managed to impress some with her ballroom dancing. Now she’s daring to provoke Jing City’s renowned prodigy, Jiang Yonghe. For the sake of your dignity, shouldn’t you stop her from making a fool of herself?"
Qi Huan chuckled. "I never noticed before, but Youli was right—your brain really is defective. Nothing’s even happened yet, and you’re already looking down on her."
Qi Yue’s expression darkened before he forced a smile. "Elder Brother’s words have grown sharper since your legs were crippled."
Qi Huan ran a hand over his lifeless legs and sighed. "Indeed. As Qi Yu said, this disability has made me paranoid. You’d better watch your step. Push me too far, and I might just snap and end you. Tell Qi Yu the same. She used to run wild under my protection, but now, crushing her would be as easy as squashing an ant."
Qi Yue’s face turned stormy. "No need for such harsh words, Elder Brother. Qi Yu is just being playful at home."
Qi Huan sighed, smiling regretfully. "What can I do? Cripples tend to grow twisted in the mind."
"You’re joking, as always," Qi Yue said coldly. "But if your mental state is truly deteriorating, seek treatment soon. Otherwise, Grandfather might delay the succession indefinitely."
With that, he walked away.
Qi Huan watched Qi Yue’s retreating figure, his dark eyes chilling. His fingers tapped lightly on his wheelchair’s armrest.
Qi Yue, oh Qi Yue… Soon, you’ll learn the price of greed.
I could have ensured you and Qi Yu lived in luxury forever. But you chose the path to ruin.
The banquet hall was equipped with every instrument imaginable—piano, violin, cello, guitar, drums…
Jiang Yonghe strode confidently to the grand piano, lifted the lid, and selected a notoriously difficult piece. She played it flawlessly from start to finish.
Her posture was regal, her fingers dancing effortlessly across the keys, every movement radiating grace.
"Truly Jing City’s prodigy! That piece is a nightmare, yet she made it look effortless."
"Of course! The awards she’s won outnumber the delicacies we’ve eaten in our lifetimes!"
Jiang Zhao led the applause, cheering, "Bravo! Yonghe, that was magnificent!"
Jiang Xing’s eyes also gleamed with admiration.
Qin Yulian finally regained some pride. She shot a smug glance at Zhang Susu. "Yonghe is the masterpiece I’ve nurtured. Look at that performance—pure brilliance. Neither poise nor talent can compare to Youli."
Zhang Susu sneered. "No wonder Li Cuiping risked prison to swap babies. She may be locked up, but at least her daughter shines under her sister-in-law’s care."
The old Zhang Susu, gentle as a chrysanthemum, would never have engaged in such verbal sparring.
But now, she couldn’t tolerate even the slightest slight against Jiang Youli—her words had grown razor-sharp.
A mother’s love truly forged steel.
Qin Yulian choked on her fury. "You—!"
She stammered, unable to retort.
Finally, she sniffed. "Yonghe is loyal. Unlike Youli, who cuts ties at the slightest dissatisfaction. Cold-hearted, that one. No matter how well you treat her now, the moment you displease her, she’ll abandon you!"
Zhang Susu laughed mockingly. "Ridiculous. What you did wasn’t a ‘slight’—it was betrayal. And who knows if your precious adopted daughter values loyalty or just benefits?"
Qin Yulian opened her mouth to argue, but Jiang Yangxu cut in sternly, "Enough. There’s no reasoning with a new mother blinded by emotion."
Qin Yulian smirked. "True. Elder Sister-in-law never raised a child. She wouldn’t understand the effort and love poured into nurturing one—let alone how impossible it is to simply discard them."
Once, this would have shattered Zhang Susu.
The mention of her childlessness always silenced her.
But now, Zhang Susu didn’t care. Jiang Youli was her child—her precious daughter!
Under the crowd’s admiring gazes, Jiang Yonghe rose and smiled sweetly at Jiang Youli. "Would Youli-jie like to see me perform something else? If you truly wish to learn, I’d be happy to teach you."
She casually gestured toward the various instruments placed around the room. "It's not just the piano—I can teach you how to play every instrument here."
