“Get out!”
Jiang Chengli’s roar accompanied the flying vase.
Yan Songyu swiftly pulled Feifei into her embrace, turning to shield her from the vase.
“Ugh!”
Yan Songyu let out a muffled groan as the vase struck her right shoulder blade with Jiang Chengli’s full force behind it.
Feifei burst into terrified tears, clutching Yan Songyu’s hand with watery eyes. “Mom, are you okay?”
“Mom’s fine. Let’s go out first.”
Yan Songyu closed the hospital room door, holding Feifei as she comforted her while letting Jiang Chengli rage inside.
Just then, the caretaker returned. “Miss Yan, are you both alright?”
Yan Songyu frowned. “What happened to him?”
The caretaker glanced at Yan Songyu and the tear-streaked Feifei, hesitating to speak.
“Speak!”
“Miss Yan, Mr. Jiang received a call earlier from someone called General Wu, and he also received some photos of Mr. Feng attending Feifei’s competition…”
No further explanation was needed. Yan Songyu understood. “Hah~”
“Feifei, Mom would like some coffee. Could you go downstairs with the caretaker uncle to buy me a cup?”
Feifei nodded and followed the caretaker away, looking back anxiously every few steps.
Yan Songyu’s smile vanished the moment the elevator doors closed. She hefted her bag and slammed the door open, throwing it inside. “Who are you raging at?”
Before Jiang Chengli could throw the cup in his hand, Yan Songyu’s black crocodile skin Kelly Bag was already flying toward his face, forcing him to drop the cup and dodge.
“Don’t you realize you almost hit Feifei?”
Yan Songyu didn’t care whether he dodged or not. She rushed over and slapped him repeatedly across the face. “Have you recovered too well from your injuries? Already strong enough to throw things?”
Jiang Chengli’s eyes burned crimson, for the first time not hiding the hatred in his heart. “I’m not dead yet, and you’re already rushing to hook up with Feng Yu! You even let him attend Feifei’s parent-teacher conference as her father! What do you take me for? Adulterous scum!”
Slap—
Yan Songyu struck him again. “Are you awake now?””
She stared coldly at Jiang Chengli. “If you weren’t lying in a hospital bed, why would Feifei have asked Feng Yu to attend the parent-teacher conference? Isn’t it your failure as a father? You hid in your studio during the previous two, and now for your daughter’s final kindergarten parent-teacher conference, you’re lying in a hospital bed. You’ve missed all your daughter’s milestones. Do you know how heartbroken she is?”
Mentioning the car accident made Jiang Chengli’s eyes bulge with fury, veins throbbing on his forehead. “Why did I have that accident?”
“Huh? You tell me! Why did I have that accident? Why did I become a cripple?” Jiang Chengli gripped Yan Songyu’s wrist tightly. “It’s you! You’re the one who ruined me! You provoked someone, and they wanted your life! I took the disaster meant for you!”
“But it wasn’t my fault!” Yan Songyu struggled violently, finally breaking free from Jiang Chengli’s grip, causing him to crash into the cabinet corner from the momentum.
“Someone else wanted to harm me! I didn’t know! I didn’t do it on purpose! If you weren’t so proud, if you’d just accepted the car I offered you, if you’d been driving your own car this time, how would this mistaken accident have happened?”
Yan Songyu began to manipulate him with a serious expression, “And the reason I had you stay behind that day was for your career. You’re the one who needs to expand your network and develop your business. I didn’t even rush you when our daughter was sick, choosing to go back alone to take care of her. Haven’t I been good enough to you? Haven’t I considered you enough?”
“Besides, it’s not like I’ve neglected you. This hospital room costs 30,000 a day, the caretaker is 1,000 a day. You’re being treated by the best doctors in Haishi with the most expensive imported medications. You’ll be discharged soon, and the police are working hard to track down the perpetrator. What are you still upset about?”
“You…”
Jiang Chengli listened to Yan Songyu’s sophistry and fainted from sheer frustration before he could finish speaking.
Yan Songyu curled her lips and rolled her eyes inelegantly, “So weak, fainting at the drop of a hat.”
…
Until his discharge, Yan Songyu never visited Jiang Chengli again. Moreover, after returning to Yushui Bay Villa, Jiang Chengli discovered the caretaker following Uncle Wang as they wheeled him to the backyard.
Frowning, he gripped the wheelchair brakes. “Where are you taking me?”
Uncle Wang replied very gently, “Mr. Jiang, it’s on the young mistress’s orders. Since you’re emotionally unstable, to prevent you from harming the little miss again, we’re having you stay in the Low House in the backyard. But rest assured, I’ve already tidied it up inside. It’s fully furnished with all necessities, and we’ve renovated it to include a private bathroom. It won’t affect your daily life.”
It was where the servants lived, but in a place like Yushui Bay, even the backyard houses were decent for the family’s reputation. Though called the Low House, it was better than most residences outside.
However, for Jiang Chengli, this was a tremendous insult. Had he fallen so low in the Yan Family that he was now grouped with the servants?
He couldn’t accept this and kept stubbornly locking the wheelchair, glaring firmly at Uncle Wang. “I’m not going to the backyard. Take me back to my own room.”
Uncle Wang looked at Jiang Chengli with a superficial smile. “I’m sorry, Mr. Jiang, this isn’t my decision to make. I hope you won’t make things difficult for me.”
Jiang Chengli clenched his jaw tightly to avoid losing his composure completely. “Then call Song Yu. I’ll talk to her myself.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Jiang, the young mistress is still at the company and won’t be back for now. If you want to see her, you’ll have to wait until evening.”
“Get out! All of you, get out!” Jiang Chengli was furious and wanted to smash things, but there was nothing suitable within reach.
No matter how he carried on or threw tantrums, he was still wheeled back to the Low House in the backyard. Uncle Wang even teased him cheerfully, “Mr. Jiang, this is the largest room in the backyard. I specially cleared it out for you. I’m right next door, so call me anytime you need anything.”
As soon as Uncle Wang closed the door, he heard crashing sounds from inside. He spat in disgust, “Shameless dog!”
Uncle Wang had watched Yan Songyu grow up. Having lost his wife and child early, he had followed Yan Binghua his whole life and had long regarded Yan Songyu as his own daughter. After Yan Binghua confided in him half-drunk and half-awake that day, he learned everything and now wished he could tear Jiang Chengli to pieces.
“Hello, young mistress. Mr. Jiang has been settled according to your instructions, but he’s not very satisfied and has been smashing things.”
Yan Songyu wasn’t surprised by Jiang Chengli’s behavior; he had been irritable ever since waking up from the car accident. “Let him smash. Just make sure to bring him food and water on time.”
Knock, knock—
Hearing the knocking, Yan Songyu quickly instructed Uncle Wang to keep an eye on Jiang Chengli and hung up.
“Come in.”
As soon as the words fell, Feng Yu entered carrying a cup of coffee. “The Zhou family has arrived in Haishi.”
“So soon?” Yan Songyu leaned back in his chair, clearly in high spirits. “Good. Tell Zhao Qi to report Zhou Yue’s every move to me word for word—I want to enjoy it.”
Feng Yu chuckled lightly. “I’ll have him take photos for you.”
Yan Songyu took a sip of coffee, a satisfied smile curling at the corners of his lips. “That would be perfect!”
*
In the slums of Haishi’s southern district.
Bang, bang, bang—
Zhou Yue was in the middle of cooking when she heard the loud banging on the outer gate of the courtyard. She wiped her hands on her apron. “Who is it?”