Ge Furen was slightly taken aback.
So much time had passed, and yet Master had found out only now.
But since she had dared to do it, she had naturally prepared her explanation long ago. “It is true that I was the one who covered this up.”
Old Master Jiang coldly spat out two words: “Why?”
Ge Furen cleared her throat. “Since Master knows about this, you must also know that Little Seven’s donations cost only five hundred thousand yuan, right?”
He frowned.
“You know how it is, Master.” Ge Furen cautiously moved behind him and began massaging the back of his head and temples. “Our family isn’t the only one involved in charity. The Zhou family, the Wang family, as well as Second Daughter-in-Law’s Qian family and Third Daughter-in-Law’s Ning family—all of them have charitable foundations.
“Little Seven is so straightforward that she directly posted the purchase list online, letting the general public see just how much five hundred thousand yuan could buy. Wouldn’t that offend all the other families? I was only thinking of the relationship between our families.”
Old Master Jiang frowned. “So you hid it?”
“Yes.” Ge Furen sounded perfectly justified. “Our family is frequently in the papers, and whenever there’s a natural disaster or some other misfortune, we never fail to make a donation. Missing one or two occasions isn’t a big deal.”
Heh.
The family had certainly participated in plenty of charity events, but what Old Master Jiang valued was the warm interaction between Little Seven and the children at the welfare home. That could rapidly improve the group’s image in the public eye.
“Why should you care what happens to them?” Old Master Jiang waved her hands away from his head. “If our family were to fall into ruin, do you think anyone would come and help us? If they didn’t take a bite out of us, that would already count as kindness from people with some old ties to us!”
“I’ve already arranged for someone to release the press statement,” Old Master Jiang continued. “Let the donation details be made public. From now on, the family will follow this standard directly.”
He knew there had been plenty of room for profit in the charitable foundation, and he had tacitly allowed it before.
But this time, Ge Furen’s actions had gone too far. It was time to teach her a lesson for making decisions on her own.
Behind him, Ge Furen fought desperately to keep her face from twisting in pain. The words she spoke sounded as though they had been forced out through clenched teeth. “We’ll do as you say, Master.”
After making his point, Old Master Jiang sent her away.
The weather was growing colder by the day, and the pain in his leg had been particularly severe lately. Fortunately, his youngest son was filial enough to find him an experienced therapist. The man’s skills were impeccable.
After every massage, Old Master Jiang could enjoy several hours of relief.
“Sister Xiaoqiu.”
Jiang Chuling returned. “I did exactly as you told me and didn’t say anything extra. Do you really think Grandpa will investigate?”
Qiuyun reassured her, “Don’t worry. With your grandfather’s need for control, he’ll definitely look into it.”
Before long, Steward Lin personally called Qiuyun to ask about the Seventh Miss’s recent schedule and whether she would have time to attend another charity event at the welfare home.
Qiuyun replied courteously, “Yes, Steward Lin. The young lady is free next Friday.”
Even if she hadn’t been free, they would have had to ask for leave and squeeze it into her schedule anyway.
Steward Lin said, “All right. I’ll have someone send over the itinerary shortly. The young lady won’t need to prepare any supplies this time. We’ll take care of everything.”
“Understood.”
After hanging up, Qiuyun relayed Butler Lin’s arrangements to her young lady. “This is a great opportunity. With your grandfather paving the way for you, all we need to do is give things a little push...” As she spoke, her eyes suddenly lit up. “I have a good idea. Would you like to hear it first?”
“Sister Xiaoqiu.” Jiang Chuling tilted her head. “You seem to place a lot of importance on this report. Is it really that important to me?”
“Yes, it is.”
Qiuyun asked her, “Miss, do you know who your greatest obstacle will be if you want to take over the company in the future?”
“Hmm... Second Uncle? Fourth Uncle?”
“Neither. It will be the senior directors and old-guard executives within the group. They’ll be the ones most strongly opposed to you.”
That was why it was crucial for the young lady to build a good reputation from an early age. At critical moments, she could rely on public support to pressure the board of directors into giving way.
Jiang Chuling immediately connected the dots. “Is that also why Sister Xiaoqiu had me take over Fourth Uncle’s media company?”
Qiuyun nodded with satisfaction. “Exactly.”
“I understand now.” Jiang Chuling clenched her fist. “I’ll make sure I do well next Friday!”
—
Halfway up a mountain in the northern part of the city stood a traditional Chinese courtyard with gray walls and dark-tiled roofs. Hidden among the green trees, it was extremely discreet.
Every day, Pei Cizhou rose at five in the morning and went to the ancestral hall to copy the family instructions. At eleven-thirty, he would go next door to Qixin Residence for lunch, then return to the ancestral hall to continue copying the family rules. After dinner at six, he had to come back and kneel until nine at night before he was allowed to return to his room to sleep.
The last time he had been punished this severely was in his third year of junior high, when he had ignored his parents’ wishes and forged an acceptance letter from Pei Xingzhou’s high school. He had then secretly enrolled in another school, and no one discovered it until two weeks after classes began.
This time, of course, it was because he had secretly started a company. Who could have expected that his mother’s secretary would happen to visit his older brother’s company on business?
Once his mother found out, she immediately investigated the matter thoroughly. Everything had been exposed.
If the collapse of his company had not affected the employment of more than a hundred people, he probably would not have been allowed to keep it open at all.
“Young Master, stop being so stubborn! What good will come from defying Madam? You don’t even get to celebrate your eighteenth birthday today because you’re locked up in the ancestral hall. Don’t you feel sorry about that?” Uncle Zhong urged him over lunch.
Pei Cizhou chewed slowly. In order to delay returning to the ancestral hall, he could make a single meal last an entire hour. “I don’t know whether I’m the stubborn one or she is. Why do I feel like she’s even more stubborn than I am?”
“You two are both stubborn! I really don’t understand. You and your mother were so close when you were little. How did things turn into this state of open hostility?”
Pei Cizhou said nothing.
Sometimes, he wondered whether things would have been better if he had been a little more foolish, a little less perceptive—if he hadn’t matured so early or noticed the clues so quickly. Then he could still be his mother’s good, obedient son, and the family might still be harmonious.
Unfortunately, the world allowed no “if.”
After lunch, he went back to the ancestral hall to continue copying.
The person assigned to watch him did not take a single bathroom break that day.
Pei Cizhou began to grow anxious. His mind wandered as he copied, and he made several mistakes in succession.
It was not until four in the afternoon that the gatekeeper finally went to the bathroom. Pei Cizhou hurriedly retrieved the cell phone he had hidden beneath the memorial tablet of his great-great-grandfather.
He turned it on and dialed a number.
The phone had been placed there the last time he had spent an entire night kneeling in the ancestral hall, in case he ever needed it. To conserve the battery, he usually kept it switched off.
After two rings, the call was finally answered.
Pei Cizhou let out a breath of relief. His tone was familiar, carrying the faintest hint of childish pleading. “Miss Qiu, I’m sure you have no idea why I’m calling you.”
Before she could say anything—and worried that, despite having mentioned it himself a month ago, she might not remember—he quickly added, “It’s my birthday today. Wish me a happy birthday.”
There was a brief pause on the other end before Miss Qiu’s voice softened. “Happy birthday.”
Wonderful.
There was no cake, no present, and no celebration. But he had received the “happy birthday” he most wanted to hear.
Qiuyun was puzzled. “You called just to have me wish you a happy birthday?”
