"Dad..." Qin Yulian was about to voice her dissatisfaction when her husband Jiang Yangxu grabbed her arm, his face dark as he shook his head. "Enough, Yulian. Let's go back."
With that, Jiang Yangxu turned to Old Master Jiang. "Father, Susu and I will take our leave now."
"Mm."
Only after the two had left did Old Master Jiang turn to his granddaughter Jiang Youli, shaking his head helplessly. "Satisfied now?"
Jiang Youli shrugged. "How is this satisfaction? They were the ones who came looking for trouble. I was being generous by just giving them a kick."
Old Master Jiang sighed. "You... are too sharp-edged. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not."
Jiang Youli replied nonchalantly, "As long as you have the ability, being sharp-edged is a good thing."
Old Master Jiang paused at her words.
Indeed, what his two sons and two grandsons lacked was precisely this kind of boldness backed by capability.
Perhaps this granddaughter of his could truly elevate the Jiang family to greater heights in the future—maybe even rival top-tier families like the Qis!
With that thought, Old Master Jiang nodded thoughtfully. "If you truly have the ability, then keep that edge. The Jiang family will need someone like you to grow stronger in the future."
Jiang Youli smiled. "Don’t worry, Grandfather. I won’t disappoint you."
After a brief pause, a glint flashed in Jiang Youli’s eyes as she seized the opportunity to make a request.
"Grandfather, since you’re here, there’s something I’d like to discuss. After being back for a while, I’ve gotten a good grasp of the Jiang family’s situation. Second Uncle’s pharmaceutical company has been declining year after year, barely surviving on past achievements. Meanwhile, Jiang Xing’s entertainment company only had a decent first year—these past two years, it’s been stagnant, squeezed between established entertainment giants and rising influencer agencies, barely holding on."
"What do you propose, then?" Old Master Jiang’s expression turned serious as he waited for her next words.
Jiang Youli didn’t mince words. "I’d like you to hand over Starlight Entertainment to me next month. I’ll double its market value within a year."
Old Master Jiang pondered for a moment before deciding to take a gamble on his granddaughter. "Fine. If Jiang Xing fails to deliver results this month, I’ll have him temporarily transfer management of the entertainment company to you next month."
...
After seeing Old Master Jiang off, Zhang Susu let out a relieved sigh. Once she sent Nanny Wang to rest and tend to her injuries, she turned to Jiang Youli nervously. "I thought with how big today’s incident was, your grandfather would punish you no matter what. But not only did he not reprimand you, he even agreed to hand over Starlight Entertainment to you next month!"
Jiang Youli analyzed calmly, "Mom, Grandfather has always prioritized capability and the Jiang family’s future. Last night’s welcome banquet proved my strength, so he’d never side against me—nor would he allow Jiang Yangxu’s family to bully me."
"Unless Jiang Yangxu’s family pulls off some miracle at the company to impress Grandfather, he’ll always stand by my side."
But Jiang Xing’s last hope hinged on securing the adaptation rights for the final novel by [Lili Yuanshang]—to produce a blockbuster hit.
And she was [Lili Yuanshang].
So that hope was doomed to fail.
As for Jiang Yangxu’s pharmaceutical company, it was stuck in a rut, unable to achieve technological innovation or reform. Sticking to outdated strategies would only lead to eventual ruin.
But the medicinal herbs she cultivated were priceless, backed by the cutting-edge research team from Jianshan Village.
Once she openly stepped into Jiang Pharmaceuticals, a stunning turnaround would be inevitable.
After hearing Jiang Youli’s analysis, Zhang Susu marveled, "I never thought of it that way. In the end, it’s all because you’ve proven yourself, Youli."
Jiang Youli grinned. "Mom, the way you stood up for me earlier was so cool!"
Zhang Susu flushed slightly at the praise. She hadn’t expected herself to be so fierce when provoked.
"Don’t think I’m too harsh."
"You were fierce for me, not to me. And ‘harsh’ isn’t the word—it was downright heroic!"
"You’re making me blush."
"Mom, let me see how your skincare treatment went today." Jiang Youli leaned in to inspect Zhang Susu’s face.
There was no denying it—her beautiful stepmother was stunning.
Her complexion rivaled women in their early thirties, and her radiant energy showed no signs of life’s wear and tear.
It was also proof that her dashing stepfather had spoiled her rotten all these years.
Zhang Susu touched her cheeks self-consciously under Jiang Youli’s scrutiny, asking eagerly, "Well? Those two wrinkles haven’t popped up, have they?"
Suppressing a laugh at her nervousness, Jiang Youli nodded. "Nope. Mom still looks as young as ever."
Zhang Susu beamed. "You always know what to say!"
...
Back at their Western District villa, Qin Yulian turned to her husband Jiang Yangxu, unable to hold back. "Yangxu, how could you just let that wild girl Jiang Youli get away with humiliating you like that?"
A cold glint flashed in Jiang Yangxu’s eyes. "Didn’t you see how Father favors her? Especially after last night’s banquet—even Old Master Qi acknowledged her. If we pushed Father to punish his precious granddaughter now, he’d only resent us more and side even harder with Jiang Yehan and Zhang Susu."
Qin Yulian’s face twisted with frustration. "So we just let her run wild? And we’re supposed to swallow today’s humiliation?"
Jiang Yangxu’s expression darkened. "If we want to deal with her, we’ll have to do it ourselves. No more dragging Father into this."
To make Old Master Jiang cast her out of the family, they’d need something far more damning.
As for what that might be... he’d have to think harder.
Qin Yulian could only sigh in reluctant agreement. "Fine."
...
Jiang Yehan, having finished his work at the company, returned to his office and saw a missed call from Nanny Wang. When he called back and learned what had happened to Youli in his absence, he rushed home in a panic.
"Susu, is Youli alright? Was she hurt?"
The moment he stepped through the door, still catching his breath, he hurried to the couch where Jiang Youli and Zhang Susu were browsing Weibo for updates on Jiang Zhao. Dropping to his knees, he looked at his daughter with concern.
Jiang Youli blinked in surprise. "I’m fine, Dad."
Only then did Jiang Yehan relax. "Good... If anything had happened to you, I would’ve made sure your uncle’s family paid for it!"
Beside them, Zhang Susu added shakily, "Honestly, I never imagined Jiang Yangxu and Qin Yulian would stoop so low—ambushing Youli when we weren’t home! If not for her quick thinking, who knows what they might’ve done to her!"
Jiang Yehan frowned, stood up, and began pacing back and forth by the coffee table. "No, to prevent situations like this from happening again, just having bodyguards isn’t enough. I need to come up with another way to protect Youli."
