Jiang Xing looked up at his furious younger brother Jiang Zhao and responded with a faint "Mm." He added, "Remember not to transfer Sister Kitty's compensation from your own account. Leave no traces."
"I know," Jiang Zhao muttered sullenly.
Setting down his work, Jiang Xing asked, "If the matter with Sister Kitty is settled, why are you still so angry?"
"What else could it be? It’s all because of Jiang Youli! Last night, I actually started to see her in a slightly better light and even handwrote a ten-thousand-word apology letter. But this morning, when Mom and I went to apologize, she didn’t even glance at it—just threw it straight into the trash! And that’s not all. She’s now using the evening gown incident to smear me online! What a wonderful sister she is!" Jiang Zhao’s teeth clenched audibly in rage.
Jiang Xing’s eyes darkened. "So, she refuses to forgive us?"
Jiang Zhao propped his legs on the coffee table and scoffed, "Exactly. Not only won’t she forgive us, but I also just found out she once told Mom that the only reason she returned to the Jiang family was to destroy us—to make us experience what it’s like to have nothing! Can you believe her arrogance? Does she think we’re like the medicinal herbs she grows in the village, something she can just uproot whenever she pleases? Ridiculous!"
Recalling their father Jiang Yangxu’s words from the night before, Jiang Xing’s expression grew even grimmer.
Originally, he had only planned to cripple Jiang Youli’s legs—forcing her to live a miserable life with Qi Huan, a fitting revenge for her crippling his right leg.
But now, it seemed things wouldn’t be resolved so easily.
Since Jiang Youli refused to forgive them and was stubbornly determined to oppose the entire family, there was no need for him to show any further mercy toward his so-called sister.
"I’ve already sent people to dig up Jiang Youli’s past scandals. I refuse to believe someone like her doesn’t have any skeletons in her closet. And even if she doesn’t, I’ll make sure to create some!" Jiang Zhao declared.
Jiang Xing snapped out of his thoughts and nodded. "Mm. It’s not convenient for me to act against her directly, so do whatever you want. I won’t interfere."
Hearing this, Jiang Zhao became certain that his elder brother really did have some leverage held over him by Jiang Youli. "Don’t worry, big bro. I don’t know what she’s blackmailing you with, but she can’t threaten me. Just wait—I’ll teach her a lesson she won’t forget!"
Just then, Secretary Little Yang knocked on the door and entered, carrying an assortment of farming tools. "President Jiang, I’ve procured all the gardening tools you requested. Please check if anything is missing or needs to be added."
Jiang Xing’s face instantly darkened. "Who gave you permission to barge in after knocking?!"
The sudden reprimand startled Secretary Little Yang, nearly causing her to drop the tools.
Only then did she notice Jiang Zhao was also in the office.
Jiang Zhao frowned, staring at the farming tools in confusion. "Gardening tools? What for? Who’s gardening? And for whom?"
A thought suddenly struck him as he recalled Jiang Xing’s unusually agitated reaction. He turned to his brother in disbelief. "Big bro… don’t tell me you’re planning to help Jiang Youli with her farming?!"
Jiang Xing’s face twisted in humiliation.
He didn’t want to admit it, but denying it would only raise more questions.
Jiang Zhao was speechless. "Brother, have you really sunk this low?"
Jiang Xing dismissed Secretary Little Yang first. "Leave the things and get out."
The secretary hurriedly fled.
Once the door closed again, Jiang Xing finally vented his anger. "Don’t make snide remarks when you don’t understand the situation! Do you think I want to do something this humiliating?!"
Jiang Zhao couldn’t wrap his head around it. "Big bro, just tell me the truth! What kind of leverage does that country girl Jiang Youli have over you to make you lose all your dignity? She crippled your right leg, yet not only did you not retaliate, but you’re also obeying her every word now! This is completely unlike you—it’s absurd!"
At this, a pained and helpless expression flickered across Jiang Xing’s face. After a moment of hesitation, he finally confessed, "She poisoned me!"
Jiang Zhao stiffened, eyes widening in shock. "Poisoned?!"
Jiang Xing took a deep breath and explained slowly, "The worst part is, she’s the only one with the antidote. I’ve consulted countless top doctors, and none of them could do anything about it."
His face was deathly pale, his expression utterly defeated. "Now do you understand why I have no choice but to listen to her?"
Clenching his fists in guilt, Jiang Zhao growled, "I never imagined Jiang Youli could be so vicious! Big bro, why didn’t you tell Grandfather? There’s no way he’d let her get away with this!"
Jiang Xing let out a bitter laugh. "You think I didn’t consider that? But this poison is insidious. Unless I admit I’ve been poisoned, no examination can detect it—let alone identify what kind of poison it is. If I told Grandfather, he’d have me checked, find nothing, and assume I’m just slandering Jiang Youli."
Seeing his brother’s torment, Jiang Zhao tightened his fists remorsefully. "That day, it was because I asked you to teach Jiang Youli a lesson for Little He’s sake that you ended up poisoned. I swear I’ll find a way to cure you!"
Jiang Xing gradually calmed down. "Boss Lin from the auction house mentioned knowing a poison specialist, but he doesn’t have contact details. We’ll have to wait until she attends another auction. If you really want to help, keep an eye out for her. As for me, I plan to hire a thief to search Jiang Youli’s room for the antidote."
Jiang Zhao nodded firmly. "Understood. If all else fails, I’ll force her to hand over the antidote. I refuse to believe she isn’t afraid of death!"
Jiang Xing warned sternly, "Don’t act recklessly. I underestimated her before, and that’s how I ended up like this. She’s unnerving—she poisoned me and my bodyguards without anyone noticing. I don’t want you falling into her trap too."
The reminder gave Jiang Zhao pause. With his brother’s predicament as a living example, he no longer dared to consider brute force—lest he suffer the same fate.
"Fine."
"One more thing." Jiang Xing hesitated before continuing, "Since you’re investigating Jiang Youli’s past, look into whether anyone tried to harm her before she was brought back to the Jiang family."
He still remembered Jiang Youli’s claim that Little He had hired people to attack her. Though he couldn’t believe Little He was capable of such malice, he wanted to verify the truth.
