"Hey, what's with the commotion this late?" A thin but stern female voice suddenly descended from above.
Nie Jia glanced up and couldn't help but widen his eyes in surprise. Standing by the staircase on the second floor was a woman exuding nobility but brimming with displeasure—that was An Na, Yan Su's mother. Nie Jia was taken aback by the resemblance between An Na's appearance and that of his mother, who had passed away early in his memory.
"An Auntie, I was just asking Yan Su about my grandpa's condition." Meng Qian restrained his initially prickly demeanor, standing beside Jiang Yang, appearing as meek as a quail.
"What are you asking for? No hospital in the country is willing to take your grandpa in. Moreover, doctors can't operate on patients they have personal issues with. It was you who persuaded Jiang Yang to plead with Su Su to perform the surgery for your grandpa. It hasn't even been the postoperative care period yet, so what's there to ask about! Jiang Yang, if Meng Qian can't figure things out, that's fine. But now that you're the head of the Jiang family, are you going to undermine us and let the world laugh at the Jiang family?" An Na furrowed her brow, looking displeased as she glanced at her stepson.
Meng Qian clenched his teeth slightly, easily picking up the disdain in An Na's words.
"An Auntie, please don't be upset. Meng Qian and I are only worried about Grandpa's health, nothing more." Jiang Yang showed respect to An Na as his stepmother, avoiding crossing certain boundaries, and was willing to regard her with deference.
"If you're worried about Grandpa, go to the hospital and take care of him there. Why come running to Su Su?" An Na's gaze carried a warning as she glanced at Meng Qian, then turned and walked away. "Su Su, come with me to the study."
Normally, An Na didn't communicate much with her stepson. After all, when she married into the family, Jiang Yang was already six years old and could recognize people. Moreover, he was the eldest son of a prestigious family, so she had no authority to interfere. They usually maintained polite and distant relations, but today, An Na was notably filled with fury.
Jiang Yang interpreted An Na's anger as defending her own son. After all, their attitudes just now towards Meng Qian hadn't been pleasant, so he didn't pay much attention.
Because An Na's resemblance to his own mother struck Nie Jia, he handed his luggage to the butler and headed to the study. He knocked on the door, immediately hearing An Na's trembling voice from inside, "Come in and close the door."
Nie Jia entered and saw An Na standing by the window, hands clasped together, silently and angrily gazing at the night outside.
"Mom?" Nie Jia's voice carried a hint of hoarseness, his heart filled with tumultuous emotions at the sight of An Na's back, reminiscent of his mother from the depths of his memory.
An Na turned around, a layer of anger evident in her eyes, her whole being trembling slightly. She spoke with a dark tone, "Su Su, I've found out that your Uncle Jiang is having an affair."
An Na was already heartbroken due to Yan Su's father, Yan Yu's affair. After marrying Jiang Zhaolin, she had thought she found a good home. But after more than twenty years together, she was once again betrayed by her husband.
Nie Jia had known about this matter beforehand. He walked over, helping her sit at the table. "You only found out about his affair? Jiang Zhaolin's illegitimate child is already in high school."
"What?!" An Na immediately widened her eyes, not doubting her son's words at all, trembling with anger. "The illegitimate child is in high school… Jiang Zhaolin, you truly disappoint me!"
"He not only kept this illegitimate child a secret from you, but even Jiang Yang doesn't know." Nie Jia said, "So rest assured, Jiang Zhaolin won't acknowledge that woman and the illegitimate child and bring them back."
The carefully manicured nails of An Na dug deep into her palm. "I don't care whether he acknowledges them and affects my interests or not. Su Su, do you know how heartbroken Mom is right now! Jiang Zhaolin owes everything he has today to me, An Na. Why should he keep a mistress behind my back? Even if I die, I won't let it go!"
Nie Jia realized that An Na's anger outweighed her sadness. After exchanging a few words with him, that sadness dissipated, leaving only a deep-seated resentment and betrayal.
"Mom, don't let this anger harm your health. Your son will help you with this matter. You hold 3% of Jiang Corporation's shares, right? Sell them. The shares in the Pacific Cable project are valuable. If you want to leave, I'll arrange a trip around the globe for you. If you want to see a show, bear with it a bit longer here. I promise that Jiang Zhaolin will kneel and apologize to you in no time." Nie Jia said.
An Na was amused by his teasing, feeling somewhat relieved despite her husband's betrayal. She cared, "If you need money, I have it here from selling shares. Just don't do anything impulsive that would attract gossip. Meng Qian's grandfather is still not awake, and everyone is watching you."
"I don't lack money. I'm advising you to sell now while it's valuable; otherwise, it'll soon be worthless." Nie Jia furrowed his brow. Yan Su had been sent abroad at sixteen and only returned two years ago. An Na had missed his growth from a boy to a young man, and she felt guilty. Now, hurt by Jiang Zhaolin again, she wished to sever all ties with the Jiang family.
"As long as you don't do anything illegal, Mom supports you." Her son's smile gradually calmed An Na's swelling anger.
"Don't worry, Mom." Nie Jia smiled and spent a while chatting with An Na before returning to his room.
The next morning, he placed photos of the woman Jiang Zhaolin had been keeping and the illegitimate child in front of An Na. The illegitimate child, named Jiang Wenbo, was currently in his second year of high school and bore a striking resemblance to Jiang Zhaolin.
Jiang Zhaolin had been keeping this mistress for over a decade, and she was only finding out now. An Na couldn't help but feel disgusted. Angry at Jiang Zhaolin's betrayal, at this moment, she felt not a trace of the more than twenty years of marital affection she had for him. She immediately agreed with her son's words, sold the shares and other assets in hand, and as long as she got divorced from Jiang Zhaolin, she could leave with just her bag. [Note: The following part seems to be a disclaimer from the original source.]
Three days later, the Jiang Residence was ablaze with lights, luxury cars lining the streets. The upper echelons of Moon City's society were gathered because it was the engagement banquet
of Jiang Yang, the young head of the family, and Meng Qian.
Nie Jia lay curled up on the bed, faintly hearing voices seeping through the door crack. The atmosphere outside must be extremely lively. Nie Jia was in a bad mood, feeling uncomfortable and sweating profusely. The original owner, Yan Su, had a stomach ailment, and Nie Jia was now using his fist to endure the pain.
Downstairs, at the lively and opulent banquet, Meng Qian, holding a wine glass, was formally introduced by Jiang Yang into the upper echelons of Moon City's society. Meng Qian's mood was a mix of pleasure and nervousness, as in the past, he couldn't even dream of entering this circle, let alone becoming a part of it.
"Congratulations, cousin. I'll have to start calling you brother-in-law now." Jiang Yang's cousin, Jiang He, greeted Jiang Yang and then teased Meng Qian with a smile.
Meng Qian's smile was shy, inadvertently looking up at Jiang Yang, his eyes revealing deep affection, everything owing to the love of the person beside him.
Jiang Yang, with an arm around Meng Qian's waist, noticed his gaze and couldn't help but be moved. He dismissed the smiling Jiang He and led Meng Qian to a corner, whispering softly to each other.
As they walked away, several familiar socialites gathered and began gossiping.
"Didn't I hear that Meng Qian's grandfather is still in the hospital, not yet out of danger? Despite this, they're so cheerful about the engagement without postponing it. It seems Jiang Yang really adores this young painter."
The daughter of the Lee family inquired in a hushed tone, "I heard Jiang Family has already sent the invitation to Huo Qing. If you were in their shoes, would you dare tell Mr. Huo, 'Oh, Mr. Huo, sorry, we'll reschedule, please come next time?' Huo Qing coming over here gives Jiang Family some face, you know."
The girls burst into laughter, except for the daughter from the Lee family, who had been out of the country and was surprised, "Huo Qing?! He's from the prominent family in Beijing. What has Jiang Yang done to invite Mr. Huo!"
"Being abroad for so long, you might not know, but recently, Jiang Yang took on the Pacific Cable project. Where does Jiang Family get that kind of capability? It's all Mr. Huo's investment. Otherwise, Jiang Yang would've been throttled to death by that doctor's stepson ages ago. Who would've known how Jiang Yang managed to climb up to Mr. Huo," sighed the Miss from the Gu Family. "If I hadn't seen Mr. Huo just now, I wouldn't have believed it either."
The eldest daughter of the Jiang Family chuckled softly, "You guys aren't aware, are you? Didn't Jiang Yang buy Meng Qian's painting for three million not long ago? Do you know who he gifted it to?"
"Gave it to Mr. Huo?" The Gu Family's Miss gasped. "Impossible... handing a three-million painting to Mr. Huo and then getting billions in investment for Jiang Family? I'd regret it deeply! I have paintings worth tens of millions hanging in my room. If I'd known, I would've sent them to Mr. Huo too."
The eldest daughter of the Jiang Family glanced around mysteriously, ensuring no one was paying attention before whispering, "It was for Mr. Huo's sister, Huo Yun. Jiang Yang bought Meng Qian's painting and gifted it to Huo Yun as a birthday present. Unexpectedly, Huo Yun loved the painting so much that when she was happy, Mr. Huo was happy too, and he extended a helping hand to Jiang Yang. This is textbook-level catering to someone's preferences; everyone should take notes."
The daughter of the Lee Family elegantly pursed her lips and smiled, "I envy Huo Yun. Why don't I have such a brother?"
However, the Gu Family's Miss fell silent. After a while, she suddenly remarked, "I don't think Meng Qian's painting is good at all. I've seen Meng Qian's paintings; they're just average. Even thirty thousand would be a stretch. Huo Yun used to be a renowned young artist; could she really like Meng Qian's painting?"
The girls exchanged glances. The eldest daughter of the Jiang Family spoke up, "Actually, I also think Meng Qian's painting isn't impressive. Jiang Yang shelling out three million for it is quite far-fetched."
The daughter of the Lee Family, unaware of the current situation in the country, couldn't analyze it and casually commented, "Maybe Jiang Yang helped inflate its value? He went as far as divorcing Qin Yi Ran for Meng Qian; helping to boost his beloved's artwork isn't a challenge... Oh, I can't quite recall Qin Yi Ran's face. Was that woman just now her?"
Following the Lee Family's daughter's suddenly frozen gaze, everyone turned to see a woman, beautiful but looking somewhat weary, walking straight toward Jiang Yang. She held a folded knife tightly, her eyes filled with resentment fixed on Jiang Yang, who was secretly getting close to Meng Qian. Her intentions were clear.
The girls gasped, about to call security, but they were too late. Qin Yi Ran abruptly raised the folded knife, heartbroken and desperate, yelling, "Jiang Yang! I'll kill you!"