Chapter 2

Chapter 2

After dinner, Aunt Liu knocked and came in to say Jiang Yu had arrived.

Jiang Yu was my fiancé.

Wearing my glasses, I sat by the window sorting through my mother’s belongings. “If he’s here, he’s here. Give him a glass of water, then send him away.”

For the past few years, he had followed his uncle overseas to expand the business. After our engagement, the two of us had barely seen each other.

We were basically both doing our own thing.

Aunt Liu hesitated for a long while before saying unhappily, “Second Miss is talking to Mr. Jiang right now.”

I arched a brow, got up, opened the door, and stood by the railing on the second floor, looking down.

Song Mingxi had changed into a different outfit: an ordinary pair of jeans and a loose white knit sweater. Her hair fell behind her in soft waves, pure and charming.

“Brother-in-law, I never went to my sister’s school. I’ve lived in a small county town this whole time. Could you teach me English?”

That eager, worshipful look in her eyes pleased Jiang Yu immensely.

He sat with one leg crossed over the other, his gaze focused and gentle. “Sure. Your sister and I are very close.”

Song Mingxi tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and leaned a little closer, blushing. “Then, Brother-in-law, can I have your contact information?”

She really would go after anyone.

I raised my phone and snapped a photo of the two of them.

Then I turned and went back to my room.

The next day, I carried my bag into the Jiang Group office building and made my way straight to Jiang Yu’s uncle’s office without a hitch.

After all, he was the one truly at the helm of all of Jiang Group.

The moment I opened the door, I saw him sitting against the light in the executive chair by the floor-to-ceiling window, talking on the phone.

The gold-rimmed glasses on his face reflected a cold gleam, and even his business jargon sounded tinged with ruthlessness.

With a sharp smack, I slapped the developed photos hard onto Jiang Siyan’s desk, then sat opposite him with my arms crossed and waited.

Jiang Siyan glanced at me, his stern brows lifting slightly. He ended the call soon after.

“What is it?”

He turned back to face me, interlacing his fingers and resting them on the desk as he looked at me.

Back when Jiang Yu and I weren’t engaged yet, he used to call me “Huaqing.”

Now that I had become his “niece-in-law,” even that form of address had been omitted.

I hooked one high heel on the other and gave it a little kick. “See for yourself.”

In the photo, Jiang Yu’s hand was practically reaching for Song Mingxi’s thigh.

Jiang Siyan picked up the photo and pressed his lips together. After a long moment, he smiled. “How do you want to handle this?”

“Break off the engagement.”

“In my opinion, it doesn’t seem serious enough to warrant that.”

There was no merchant more cunning than Jiang Siyan.

Ever since I had suffered a loss to him on my very first deal, we had clashed countless times in the business world over the following decades, and he had always held the upper hand, step by step turning himself into a commercial giant.

And now, he still wanted to use his nephew to lock me down so Song Group would bow to him. What kind of logic was that?

Clutching my small handbag, I planted both hands on his desk and looked down at him. “Jiang Siyan, I’m informing you.”

Jiang Siyan took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose with a helpless sigh. “Huaqing, this isn’t a game.”

Because of this marriage alliance, the Jiang and Song families had deeply intertwined their businesses.

Backing out now would be inappropriate.

I knew that. But I had had enough of Jiang Yu’s idiotic face.

He was surrounded by gossip and scandals every other day. Over the past few years, I had cleaned up more messes for him than I could count on both hands.

I narrowed my eyes. Looking at that cold, ascetic face of his, I suddenly let loose:

“You old scumbag, keep your nephew in line. If I catch him one more time, I’ll tear your office apart!”

A rare blankness appeared on Jiang Siyan’s handsome face.

Bang!

I slammed the door to Jiang Siyan’s office shut with all my strength.

Outside, the secretaries stood in a row at the entrance to the secretarial office, trembling as they forced smiles. “Miss Song, this way, please!”

Come to think of it, ever since the engagement, I had stormed into Jiang Siyan’s office so many times in a year that I had lost count.

Right now, the dirt I had on Jiang Yu still wasn’t enough to make Jiang Siyan relent, and the shareholders of Song Group would never agree to let me be the first to break off the engagement.

The only way was to make Jiang Siyan propose it himself.

In the past, I had suffered from a lack of opportunity. Now, I had one.

When I got home, my father was teaching Song Mingxi how to play golf.

She was adorably clumsy, every movement wrong, making my father laugh heartily.

“Mingxi, from now on, Dad will just live his days with you and your mother.”

I stood at the entrance and, for no reason at all, felt a wave of disgust. I had intended to pass by as if I hadn’t seen anything.

But Song Mingxi just had to raise the golf club and ask with a hint of provocation, “Does Sister know how? Did Dad teach Sister before too?”

I stopped in my tracks. The anger I hadn’t fully vented at Jiang Siyan’s finally found an outlet.

I beckoned to Song Mingxi. “Come here.”

She was extremely wary, and there was faint hostility in the way she looked at me. “What are you doing?”

I walked over myself, grabbed her by the collar, and before my father could flare up, took out my phone.

“I signed you up for finance classes. They start in half an hour. Eight hours a day, plus homework after class. Figure this out first, then think about golf.”

My father looked as if he had swallowed a dead fly, but he forced a smile onto his face. “Huaqing, that was thoughtful of you.”

I curved my lips. “I simply have a stronger sense of preparing for danger in times of peace. After all, playing golf won’t keep her fed and clothed for the rest of her life.”

Song Mingxi stared pitifully at my father. “Dad, I don’t want to study.”

Song Mingxi was just like her mother: lazy, gluttonous, and full of schemes to climb the ladder through other people.

This time, my father didn’t speak up to defend her. I dragged Song Mingxi by the collar all the way out of the courtyard and tossed her to the driver.

“Have her stay outside tonight. She annoys me just looking at her. Don’t bring her back.”

“Song Huaqing! I knew you were up to no good!” Song Mingxi snapped, dropping all pretense. “I’m telling Dad right now.”

I shoved her against the car window, my expression turning cold. “Behave yourself, or I’ll have someone take care of you.”

“Keep pretending.”

I held up a handwritten address. “Your mother lives here, right? Old residential buildings often have aging wiring, don’t they?”

The driver said, “Yes.”

Song Mingxi’s high-and-mighty attitude wilted at once. By the time she was put into the car, her face was still a little pale.

I opened my social feed and glanced at Jiang Yu’s update: Finance class is so boring. Anyone coming?

Satisfied, I turned off my phone screen, transferred a sum of money to a gossip reporter, and quietly waited for the show to begin.

That evening, there was a charity gala.

I wore a white fishtail dress and styled my hair in big waves. When I got out of the car, I spotted a black Rolls-Royce parked at the hotel entrance.

In my 8cm heels, I clicked past it, then deliberately backed up a few steps, bent down, and knocked on the car window with a bright smile.

Jiang Siyan’s face appeared. He frowned. “What is it?”

My eyes curved as I smiled. “I didn’t know Uncle Jiang was here too. Shall we go in together?”

Tonight, I had prepared a grand gift for him.

Just thinking about Jiang Siyan being put in an awkward spot put me in an excellent mood.

Jiang Siyan opened the door and got out. At nearly 1.9 meters tall, he made even me in high heels feel embarrassingly short.

Jiang Siyan’s gaze lingered briefly on me before he looked away. “Wear more next time.”

I fluffed my carefully curled waves, lifted the hem of my fishtail gown, and said gently, “Mind your own business.”

Then I gave a little snort and walked inside in high spirits.

The hall was full of clinking glasses and mingling voices. Tonight’s charity gala had been organized by many of A City’s wealthy merchants and social elites, and Jiang Siyan’s arrival naturally drew plenty of attention.

He moved through the crowd in a sharp suit and polished shoes, calm and restrained.

Soon, more and more people came up to exchange pleasantries.

Jiang Siyan and I each went about our own business, moving with ease among the commercial elite as we looked for our next opportunity to make money.

Halfway through the banquet, I held half a glass of wine and leaned against a sofa in the corner, slightly tipsy, when I noticed Song Mingxi had posted on social media.

In the photo, her hand was clasped over someone else’s, with the caption: “True love is innocent.”

As expected of her. She acted fast.

Soon, a notification popped up on my phone: “Song Group’s second daughter suspected of affair with Jiang Yu? Song Huaqing’s status as fiancée under threat?”

In the photo, Song Mingxi was nestled beside Jiang Yu, her face full of tender affection.

Without letting anything show, I sent my secretary a message: “Buy the trending spot. If it doesn’t reach number one, don’t sleep tonight.”

I turned off my phone, raised my head, and met Jiang Siyan’s gaze across the crowd.

His eyes and brows were shadowed, his thin lips pressed tight. Clearly, he had already received the news.

Delighted, I curled my lips, raised my glass of red wine toward him, and even laughed aloud as I drank.

This time, I had really tugged the tiger’s tail.

Because Jiang Siyan had already parted the crowd and was striding toward me.

Before long, he was standing in front of me. “You did this?”

I was a little drunk. “Uncle, what are you talking about?”

Jiang Siyan pinned down my wrist and pried the wineglass away. “Huaqing, you’re drunk. Stop drinking.”

“We can announce the end of the engagement now, can’t we? Otherwise, once this gets bigger, none of us will come out of it well.”

Although I was drunk, my mind was still fairly clear. I did not miss a single condition I needed to discuss with Jiang Siyan.

Jiang Siyan fell silent for a while. “You’re right. It is time to end the engagement.”

His cool, pine-like masculine scent drifted into my nose, making me feel the slight urge to lean against him.

I tilted my head and toppled onto him. “Much obliged. My driver is outside. Carry me out, please. Thanks.”

Jiang Siyan was surprisingly obedient. He grabbed my arm with one hand and dragged me out of the venue.

Standing in the cold wind, I looked left and right. “Huh? My driver didn’t come?”

After saying that, I sneezed.

A vein twitched at Jiang Siyan’s temple. “I’ll take you.”

He hauled me into his Rolls-Royce.

I had Jiang Siyan’s driver’s contact information. From the pile of addresses on my phone, I chose one that looked familiar and sent it over. It was probably some property under my name.

I did not want to go home, so I planned to make do somewhere in the city for the night.

Jiang Siyan’s driver looked back at me, appearing to want to say something but stopping himself.

Meanwhile, I was sprawled over Jiang Siyan, rambling, “That deal in C City next month. Did you close it?”

Jiang Siyan’s lips curved faintly. “Huaqing, that’s a trade secret.”

I had not expected to get anything useful out of him anyway.

Drowsiness came over me, and I leaned against the window, half asleep.

Not long after, the driver reminded me, “Miss Song, we’re here.”

I opened my hazy eyes. “Thanks.”

I pushed the door open and got out. Relying on my fuzzy memory, I walked into the building corridor.

When I went to press the elevator button, a large hand wearing a wristwatch reached out from behind me and pressed it first.

I turned around and met Jiang Siyan’s face. “That’s very kind of you, but there’s no need to escort me upstairs.”

Jiang Siyan glanced at me and stepped into the elevator first.

He could not be thinking of coming up to my place, could he?

I kept my head lowered the whole way, checking the information on my phone until I found unit 1203. Then I skillfully entered the door code. With a click, the door opened.

I turned around and blocked the doorway, smiling at Jiang Siyan. “I’m home. You can go. I won’t see you out.”

Jiang Siyan pressed his lips together. After a long moment, he gave a helpless smile. “This is my home.”