Looking at her hopeful eyes, Jiang Zhao, lying on the bed, sincerely said, “Thank you, Qin Lingxue. At first, I thought you were a crazy woman, but I wrongly judged you. You’re a good person.”
Qin Lingxue’s face immediately darkened. Her fair, slender hand grabbed his cheek and squeezed hard as she smiled coldly, “Man, I’m giving you one more chance to rephrase that. If you don’t want to be stripped and thrown into a group of sows as their breeding boar, you’d better think carefully about how to thank me.”
Under her threatening gaze, Jiang Zhao’s body trembled slightly in fear. He kept comforting himself in his mind, ‘Endure the storm for a moment, take a step back and the sea is vast and the sky is clear. Let’s get through this first.’
After this round of self-hypnosis, Jiang Zhao forced a stiff smile and said, “Xue’er, I…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Qin Lingxue, who heard him call her that, immediately couldn’t hold back. She pressed a kiss on his lips and then got off the bed with satisfaction.
“I really liked that form of address just now. Keep calling me that from now on. I’m going to call the doctor to examine your injuries again.”
As the bedroom door slammed shut, tears of humiliation welled up in the corners of Jiang Zhao’s eyes. Staring at the white ceiling, he muttered, “It’s over… I’m completely tainted.”
…
Over the next two days, Jiang Zhao could only lie bored in bed except for recovering from his injuries. There was even a bodyguard watching over him, so he had no chance to escape.
Qin Lingxue left early every day for work and only came back after Jiang Zhao had fallen asleep.
That morning, like usual, Jiang Zhao, now able to move around, was having breakfast with Qin Lingxue.
She picked up a piece of shumai with her slender fingers and held it up to his mouth. He ate it naturally and chewed happily.
You ask why he’s so used to it? Are you kidding? If he didn’t obey, he’d get slapped. Would you dare refuse to eat?
At that moment, Qin Lingxue’s secretary walked in from outside the villa. She wore a black sheer pantyhose pencil skirt, her long legs in high heels grabbing attention. Even Jiang Zhao couldn’t help but take a few extra glances.
The next second, a pair of chopsticks hit him on the head with a loud thud, followed by a cold voice, “Keep looking and I won’t mind digging your eyeballs out.”
Jiang Zhao protested, “It’s a man’s instinct to admire beauty. How can you blame me for that!?”
Seeing Jiang Zhao confront her, Qin Lingxue ignored him and coldly asked her secretary, “What is it?”
The secretary glanced at Jiang Zhao, then respectfully and softly said, “Jiang Chenfeng just established the Chenfeng Group. It passed review and has taken over the market previously held by Tianyang Group. Most of its executives are former Tianyang Group employees who jumped ship.”
Jiang Zhao heard every word clearly. A heaviness settled in his heart, and he stopped eating.
He had made his fortune by importing products from abroad and eventually built a business empire spanning multiple industries. Now everything he had built was handed over to Jiang Chenfeng. How could he not be heartbroken?
He stood up and said to Qin Lingxue in a deep voice, “I want to go to the Jiang family.”
Qin Lingxue looked at him intently, then turned to the butler at the door and instructed, “Uncle Fu, prepare the car.”
“Yes, Miss,” Uncle Fu replied from the doorway.
Soon, a Maybach drove out of the estate.
…
At the same time, inside the Hengshui Villa District in the city center of Jiangnan City.
In one of the duplex villas, a young man with slicked-back hair lounged on the sofa, holding a woman in his arms while a senior executive stood before him giving a report.
“Chairman Jiang, all of Jiang Zhao’s loyal men have been dealt with. Now, the entire Tianyang… no, Chenfeng Building, belongs to you.”
That man was Jiang Chenfeng, one of the culprits responsible for Jiang Zhao being driven into ruin.
If Jiang Zhao were here, he would have recognized the woman in Jiang Chenfeng’s arms—his ex-girlfriend, Wu Xue.
She clung to Jiang Chenfeng coquettishly and said, “Ah Feng, you promised me before that once Jiang Zhao was kicked out, you’d let my brother lead a department in the group.”
Jiang Chenfeng held her slim waist, his face beaming with pride as he said, “Now that the entire group is mine, what’s a department head? Tomorrow, I’ll appoint your brother as the head of the Planning Department.”
Hearing this, the vice president who had just finished reporting hesitated and asked, “Chairman Jiang, the Planning Department is the group’s core. Appointing someone who knows nothing…”
Jiang Chenfeng, now holding all the power, waved it off indifferently, “What’s the big deal? We have so many executives in the group. Slipping one person in won’t cause any problems.”
The vice president sighed silently. Sure, slipping one person in wouldn’t matter, but replacing the head of the Planning Department outright? If that doesn’t cause issues, that’d be a miracle.
If Chairman Jiang Zhao were still around, he’d never allow something like this.
They were both brothers, so how could the difference be so huge?
Just then, a middle-aged woman came down from the master bedroom upstairs. Looking at the arrangement in the room with a hint of disdain, she ordered a nearby maid, “Why are you just standing there? Get everything in that room thrown out. The person is gone, so what’s the point of keeping their things here?”
“Yes,” the maid nodded and walked into the master bedroom to begin clearing out.
…
Outside the villa district, after passing the security check, the luxury Maybach drove in. After a short drive, it slowly stopped in front of the Jiang family villa.
Jiang Zhao stepped out of the car. Inside, Qin Lingxue turned her head and asked, “Do you need my help?”
Jiang Zhao shook his head, “No, this is my own matter. I’ll handle it myself.”
Qin Lingxue wasn’t too pleased with that response, but seeing that Jiang Zhao was finally starting to take initiative and listen, she said nothing more.
As Jiang Zhao walked into the villa, a maid tending the garden looked on in shock.
Wasn’t Jiang Zhao young master kicked out of the family? Why was he back?
Jiang Zhao glanced at the pile of clothes dumped by the door—all his. His expression turned cold as he pushed the door open and entered.
As soon as he walked in, he saw Wu Xue lying in Jiang Chenfeng’s arms. She noticed him too and was startled, standing up in shock, “Jiang Zhao! Why are you back!?”
As she spoke, she instinctively tried to break free from Jiang Chenfeng’s embrace. But the arm around her waist tightened. Jiang Chenfeng said smugly, “What are you afraid of? I control the entire group now. There’s no need to hide our relationship anymore.”
Then he looked at Jiang Zhao standing at the doorway and sneered, “My foolish little brother, you still have the nerve to come back? Wasn’t the lesson I gave you enough? Do you want another beating?”