Chapter 2

Chapter 2

When I was seventeen, my father was sixty-two. He had pushed himself to the limit in his youth, sustaining severe injuries that left his body barely able to hold on now.

Father had taught me everything, including the gray areas of his business empire.

Yet he clung to life, refusing to close his eyes, seemingly just to catch one last glimpse of me, and then another…

“Xiao Wu, I should have sent you abroad to study. Once I close my eyes, you won’t be able to leave. Xiao Wu, you won’t be able to get away…”

I took his hand and pressed it against my cheek. “Father, I’m not afraid, so don’t you be afraid either. I’m not leaving. I can protect the Jiang Family, and I can protect myself. I promise you.”

Father eventually passed away; I think he went to find Mother.

I formally took over my father’s business and became the “President Jiang” everyone spoke of.

Father was right. In this world, when a vast pool of resources falls into a man’s hands, it is a weapon. In a woman’s hands, it becomes a double-edged sword.

If you don’t want that sword to cut you, you must be careful at all times, never relaxing for even a moment.

Just as I was spreading my wings and preparing to deal with outsiders, the first ones to stab me in the back were the “clan members.”

Father’s background wasn’t exactly prestigious; he was an illegitimate son of the Second Branch. Naturally, he was looked down upon, which was why he had struck out on his own to build his life from scratch.

Once he had made something of himself, those people changed their superior attitudes and began wagging their tails like lapdogs to curry favor.

To please my father, they even let me be the one to offer the first incense every year at the ancestral hall-a place where “old traditions” strictly forbade girls from entering.

Now that Father was gone, they showed their true colors again. A group of them summoned me to the ancestral hall, only to block my way and demand that I hand over two-thirds of the family estate.

“You’re just a girl-poorly educated and short-sighted. You’ll likely lose your nerve the moment you run into trouble. Mingda spent half his life building this foundation; we can’t let it be destroyed in your hands. Hand over the assets, and the clan will provide you with protection in the future.”

Ignoring the hand he used to block me, I brushed it aside and strode into the ancestral hall.

Inside stood various “elders” I barely saw once a year. Every one of them stared at me as if I were a debtor.

I stared back, refusing to be intimidated. “The Qing Dynasty fell a long time ago. Your talk of ancestors and clans doesn’t work anymore. There’s no need for this passive-aggressive act-you’re bandits trying to play the part of scholars.”

The oldest man there, Third Great-Uncle, approached with his cane and raised a hand to slap me. “Impudent! How dare a brat like you act so arrogant before the ancestors? Your father was a bastard, and you’re no better. How dare you claim the Jiang Family’s property?”

Before his hand could fall, Ah Xia was already standing in front of him. She had been trained since childhood under my father’s orders to ensure my safety; her skills were, of course, exceptional.

With just a light shove, Third Great-Uncle lost his balance, stumbling several steps before he could steady himself. Having lost face in front of so many people, his face instantly flushed a deep red, looking somewhat pathetic.

I was amused by his appearance. “So it turns out that in this world, only money can carry the name Jiang, and it specifically has to be your version of Jiang. I’m sorry, but my people are also named Jiang-my version of Jiang.”

“I know you all care for me, so how could I possibly come here alone? The fact that I haven’t called the men outside into the ancestral hall is already me showing respect to your ancestors.”
Seeing that intimidation didn’t work and they couldn’t overpower me, these people shifted to a soft-sell approach. “Jiang Wu, what are you doing? Do you really think your elders care for nothing but money? We called you here today for a major matter. Before your father passed, he left a final command-he arranged a fine marriage for you.”

Now, this was a novelty. I was the one getting married, yet I hadn’t heard a word of it until it leaped out of their mouths.

Following my second uncle’s words, a young man stepped forward. He wore a traditional long gown, but his hair was slicked back with so much grease he looked like one of those flashy, superficial playboys. The look was entirely discordant.

The man was Xu Xiaoli, a distant relative of Third Great-Uncle. He was a pretentious idiot who had accomplished nothing in his life. We had only met a few times; on each occasion, he had tried to curry favor with me but couldn’t bring himself to drop his act, always maintaining an air of lofty arrogance.

Much like his outfit, he was jarringly inconsistent and utterly repulsive.

They spoke with one voice, claiming my father had personally arranged this marriage and had discussed it with the clan elders on his deathbed. They insisted I marry him immediately while still in mourning to put my father’s soul at rest.

Xu Xiaoli looked me up and down, his eyes filled with irrepressible contempt and lechery. “After we’re married, you won’t need to worry about managing the Jiang Family. Bearing a child for the Xu family is what’s important. What kind of woman acts like you? If you squander the Jiang Family fortune, wouldn’t my father-in-law be so angry he’d rise from his grave?”

They believed that as long as they could saddle me with a man under the guise of “parental command,” I would have a “master” and would have no choice but to obey. After that, my estate and everything I owned would naturally be theirs to dictate.

I gripped the gun my father had given me. Just like ten years ago, I didn’t miss! As Xu Xiaoli collapsed, the scene devolved into chaos.

Ignoring their screams and panic, I handed the gun to Ah Xia and took out a handkerchief to wipe my fingers. “My distant uncles are right,” I said humbly. “I am a person of shallow learning and narrow vision. I have no talent for resolving crises, but I do have some experience in killing people.”

One among them still possessed a shred of courage. He pointed at me, his terror laced with an inexplicable excitement. “Murder! She committed murder! No, it’s husband-killing! Now that Xu Xiaoli is dead, she has to pay with her life. The girl couldn’t keep her cool-the Jiang Family will still be ours!”

Listening to his naive and foolish outburst, I couldn’t help but correct him. “Pay with my life? Why go to such trouble? It was merely an accidental discharge. I just need to send someone to the police station to pay the fine. Tsk, six hundred silver dollars is no small sum. As businesspeople, we shouldn’t take a loss. Uncles, you are all men of great experience. Why don’t one of you advise your junior-is six hundred dollars for a life a loss or a profit?”

I scanned the room. Everyone was as silent as a cicada in winter. It was starting to feel dull. “Weren’t you all very talkative just now? Why so quiet? It seems that question was too difficult. Let’s try another one.”

I paced slowly, watching them at my leisure. The rhythmic click of my high heels on the floor sounded like drumbeats marking the approach of death.

I asked with a smile, “Elders, aren’t you very concerned about my assets? Why don’t you all guess… how many of your lives my net worth is enough to buy?”