Mrs. Ge regretted everything so deeply that even the makeup on her face had been ruined by her frantic tears. “Oh, I—I had no idea you’d arranged something like this beside the old master, Yifeng! If I’d known, I never would have gone to the old master and made a scene!”
Jiang Yifeng’s gaze was dull and cold. “It’s one thing for Uncle to cause trouble, but how could you also lose your head over a few words from him? He’s only a masseur. Even if he can influence the old master’s decisions, could he really push you aside? Is he that unreliable? Would he let himself end up with such a ridiculous reputation in his old age?”
That was precisely why Hu Tingxue’s move was doomed to fail.
Mrs. Ge was filled with guilt and quietly defended her younger brother. “Your uncle only went looking for me because he lost the perks that came with his position and acted out of anger. He may be unreliable, but he really did have your best interests at heart. Don’t blame him.”
Even so, Jiang Yifeng still couldn’t understand why Hu Tingxue had done it. He couldn’t be bothered to wait for her to return, so he simply called her.
“Hello, Yifeng.” At last, Hu Tingxue could openly call her boyfriend by his name in the estate.
“Tingxue.” Jiang Yifeng got straight to the point. “Why did you ask the old master to punish my uncle?”
“Your uncle?” Hu Tingxue frowned. “Your uncle? Who?”
As expected, she had no idea.
Jiang Yifeng closed his eyes briefly. “The purchasing department manager who came yesterday.”
Hu Tingxue gasped. “What?! He—he’s your uncle?!”
“That’s right. He’s my mother’s younger brother, my actual uncle.”
The hand clutching her phone began to tremble. “I—I didn’t know! I really didn’t know! If I’d known he was your uncle, how could I—how could I have…”
Hu Tingxue didn’t dare finish the sentence. She had actually badmouthed Yifeng’s uncle in front of the old master—meaning she had effectively badmouthed one of her own elders as well!
Her vision went black.
No wonder Mrs. Ge had been so hostile toward her the moment she arrived today and had even quarreled with the old master. So she herself was the one who had started this whole mess!
“Why did you ask the old master to punish him?” Jiang Yifeng pressed.
Hu Tingxue cried without answering.
Of course, it was because she wanted revenge on the disgusting man who had led her beloved astray!
But how could she possibly admit such petty, covertly jealous thoughts in front of Yifeng?
All she could do was cry.
Her sobbing gave Jiang Yifeng a headache. Things had already been progressing smoothly. If no one exposed the situation, the understanding between her and the old master would only grow deeper. Yet because she had inexplicably reported his uncle, his uncle had gone to complain to his sister, triggering this whole series of troublesome events. She had even caused the old master to question his motives for the first time.
With all that, and with Hu Tingxue no longer being useful to him, Jiang Yifeng had lost his former gentleness and consideration. When he realized he couldn’t get an answer from her, he simply hung up without another word.
Mrs. Ge was worried. “What do we do now?”
Jiang Yifeng closed his eyes. “Keep our distance and let things cool down.”
There was no way to tell whether the eldest branch had played a part in this. At least, judging from the information reported by the people on the auxiliary first floor, Qiuyun and his elder brother knew nothing about it.
In that case, he would use the recurrence of his leg injury as an excuse to remain in Xihe House for the time being and stop involving himself in the old master’s affairs concerning the group.
For now, he needed to weather this storm before doing anything else.
May was just around the corner, and the weather was gradually growing warmer.
The class monitor from junior high sent Qiuyun another message: Qiuyun, don’t forget about the gathering tomorrow. Is there anything you feel like eating?
Qiuyun glanced at the message and replied: I’m fine with anything.
Class monitor: Then let’s start a class poll.
Before long, a poll appeared in the junior-high class group chat. The options were hot pot, barbecue, grilled fish, Chinese cuisine, and so on.
Qiuyun was looking through the options when Lin Chengjun sent a message: Who still eats hot pot or barbecue at gatherings nowadays? So tacky. Let’s have Chinese food.
Someone named Wang Lan sent a “?” and then replied: What else are we supposed to eat at a class gathering if not hot pot or barbecue? That’s what our class has eaten at every end-of-term gathering.
Lin Chengjun: Heh. That’s the difference between people who are still in school and people who’ve entered society. Whenever we have a somewhat formal gathering, we go to restaurants or banquet halls. Hot pot and barbecue leave you smelling like smoke and grease. Who’d want to go to places like that?
Wang Lan complained to her roommate while clutching her phone. “I can’t believe this. We’re just having a junior-high class reunion, and he’s already acting so pretentious. If I didn’t want to see Qiuyun’s brother, I wouldn’t even bother going. It’s not easy to get a holiday during the May Day break.”
After being talked down to in the group chat, many of the classmates who had wanted hot pot or barbecue felt too embarrassed to say anything. They silently voted for Chinese food instead.
At that moment, Jiang Yali, who had just been released from the detention center, spoke up in the group: Why bother voting on what to eat? @Director Qiu, aren’t you going to treat everyone?
Someone in the group asked: What new director?
Jiang Yali: You guys don’t know? Qiuyun bought a new factory for eighty million yuan a few months ago. If there’s going to be a gathering, she should be the one treating us, right?
Eighty million yuan!
Everyone who saw the message sucked in a sharp breath.
From the red envelopes Qiuyun had sent, they knew she had made money. But no one had expected her to become fabulously wealthy!
Qiuyun read through the messages without the slightest surprise.
A troublemaker like this had always loved watching things get messy.
Classmate A: What?! I remember Qiuyun’s family was pretty ordinary. How did she suddenly get so rich?
Classmate B: It’s not Qiuyun’s family. Everyone from our neighborhood who went to our school came from ordinary backgrounds. Rich and powerful families sent their kids to the No. 1 High School next door, okay?
Classmate C: Didn’t Qiuyun only attend high school and fail to get into college? How did she suddenly become so rich? I haven’t heard about anyone around here winning the lottery recently.
Classmate D: Ahem! Did you forget Qiuyun’s old nickname—the campus belle? Now that she’s fully grown, she must be even prettier.
Classmate E: Ohhh. So that’s why.
Classmate F: …Is that really necessary? The moment some guys see a pretty girl, they swarm her like flies around meat. Besides, her younger brother is a hugely popular celebrity now. His fan support groups raise tens of millions for promotions. What did you think?
The group chat was buzzing with discussion. Qiuyun slowly typed out a message and sent it:
Our company will be releasing an all-new 3D VR immersive roguelite game, EpochNexus, in August. Please look forward to it.
A college student and hardcore gamer replied: EpochNexus? “The Convergence of Eras”? I just watched a gaming blogger’s first-person beta-test video two days ago. Your company developed it?
Qiuyun: Yes.
Wen Bin: Holy crap! That’s amazing! I was just saying I’d save up to buy it when it officially launched. I can’t believe one of my old classmates is actually an insider! Qiuyun, do you still remember me?
Qiuyun thought for a moment. Then she replied: I remember. The perennial runner-up, Wen Bin.
Wen Bin: …Thank you, I guess.
Wen Bin: @Wang Lan, the perennial top student, come out and say something.
Having been summoned, Wang Lan carefully typed: Hello, Qiuyun. Could you get me a signed photo of your brother? I’m willing to pay for it!
Qiuyun: I can’t get one right now. Give me your address tomorrow, and I’ll mail one to you later. You don’t need to pay.
Wang Lan cried out in delight: Thank you! I really like your brother!
Qiuyun: Thank you for your support. It’s his honor.
The group chat gradually drifted off topic. Unable to stand the harmonious atmosphere, Jiang Yali jumped in again: You’re so rich, Director Qiu. It would be downright unreasonable for you not to treat us! We all chanted slogans together at the sports meet back then: “When you strike it rich, don’t forget your friends!”
