Jiang Jun didn’t dare leave.
He followed Jiang Shitian back into the house. As I walked, I opened my phone to check the live-stream comments. The tide had completely turned, drifting clearly in my favor:
“This Jiang bride is the daughter of the Zhou family. She’s elegant and dignified—how could she be a ‘vixen’? Don’t listen to that starlet’s nonsense!”
“A pheasant trying to turn into a phoenix? The legal wife is invincible. Mistress, get lost!”
“Scumbag men who have a wife and don’t cherish her deserve to be struck by lightning!”
A faint smirk touched my lips as I quietly tucked my phone away.
The moment Jiang Shitian sat down, he glared at Jiang Jun, rebuking him fuming with rage. “You useless fool! Usually, you lack a sense of priority, but now you’ve nearly thrown the family’s entire reputation away!”
Mianmian’s outburst was a mess Jiang Jun couldn’t scrub himself clean of. Moreover, his earlier urge to rush to the police station to save her was simply asking for trouble.
Jiang Jun gritted his teeth, finally snapping and talking back: “You can abandon your woman, but I can’t!”
Jiang Shitian bolted upright. Slap! He struck Jiang Jun across the face.
Since marrying into the Jiang family, I had rarely seen Jiang Jun defy his father, nor had I seen Jiang Shitian lose control like this. Usually, Jiang Jun was cowardly, nursing his anger in silence. It was no wonder Jiang Shitian was so livid; even I was startled by the reaction.
Trembling with rage, Jiang Shitian pointed at his son. “You unfilial brat! Look closely—who is your woman right now? Who is the one you shouldn’t abandon?!”
Jiang Jun clenched his fists. He remained stubbornly silent, then turned and bolted out of the house.
Jiang Shitian didn’t order anyone to chase him. “Let him go. Let’s see how much trouble he can stir up. Some people never amount to anything without being tempered by hardship.” He tried to steady his breathing, speaking to me with forced calm.
I kept my head down, playing the part of the submissive daughter-in-law. In truth, I was thinking about Jiang Jun’s words—the hidden accusation. He was still blaming Jiang Shitian for abandoning his mother.
I didn’t know why Jiang Shitian had divorced his first wife, but I guessed the topic was a taboo within these walls. I had never asked. However, despite my best efforts to avoid the drama, the person at the center of it reached out to me.
…
The next day, Jiang Jun’s mother and Jiang Shitian’s ex-wife, Yao Ye, found me. She invited me to a café.
This was the first time I had ever seen her. Yao Ye possessed a masculine sort of charisma. With her sharp short hair and a dapper suit, she radiated the aura of a high-powered career woman. Her makeup was exquisite, her style sophisticated. I couldn’t even guess her age.
Once seated, she set her handbag aside and briskly ordered a black coffee before looking at me. “And you? What are you having?”
“Whatever,” I said, my tone cold and distant.
I had no interest in sharing a drink with her. I hadn’t wanted to come at all. She had lured me out by claiming she knew my biological mother—that my mother actually worked for her. I wanted to know what she was playing at.
Yao Ye closed the menu and decisively ordered a black coffee for me as well. I felt a surge of annoyance but kept my head down. I actually have a sweet tooth; I usually take my coffee with double sugar and double cream. Black coffee is far too bitter for me. But since I’d said “whatever,” I let it go. I just wouldn’t drink it.
Yao Ye seemed to read my reaction perfectly. “When you make a choice, you must bear the consequences,” she said.
Sensitive as I am, I knew she wasn’t just talking about the coffee.
“Do you understand what I’m saying?” she asked.
I didn’t give her a reaction, choosing instead to study my fingernails.
“Jiang Shitian has never wanted Jiang Jun to see me,” she continued. “And Jiang Jun stayed away, being a good boy. He’s my son; I know what he fears. But last night, he suddenly came to me. It was for that actress. Jiang Jun is a romantic fool; he loves her. You should have known that before you married into the family. Since you chose this path and got what you wanted, then some things are beyond human control—you must accept them. You can’t blame others. This is the consequence you must bear.”
The server arrived with the coffee. I gripped the cup but didn’t take a sip.
“I don’t understand why you called me here just to say this,” I told her. She clearly had more on her mind. I didn’t want to linger.
Yao Ye picked up her cup and drained the black coffee in one go. She wiped her lips with a napkin.
“Go back and tell Jiang Shitian that I’ve bailed that actress out. I won’t allow him to hit my son. Jiang Jun is with me now, and he refuses to return to the Jiang house. But regardless of whether he returns, he is still the heir. Not a single cent of the Jiang fortune shall be withheld from him.”
Without waiting for a response, she grabbed her bag to leave. We were sitting by the floor-to-ceiling window near the door. Just as she pushed the door open, I spoke up, my voice steady and clear:
“Even though black coffee was ordered, it wasn’t my wish. Since I don’t like it, I don’t have to drink it just because it’s there.”
She froze. I stepped past her, out the door first. I turned back to look at her. “I understand how you feel. Don’t worry, even if I don’t drink it, I won’t smash the cup.”
I walked away before she could respond.
…
On the way back, my phone rang. It was my biological mother, Li Ping. I hesitated before answering. Once the call connected, I stayed silent, waiting for her to speak.
People like her don’t call unless they need something. After twenty years of abandonment, suddenly reaching out to me usually meant more than just a “how are you.”
She paused, seemingly thrown by my silence, before letting out a polite, forced laugh. “Lili… did, uh, Boss Yao find you?”
“We just met,” I replied succinctly. I had no desire for small talk. If she didn’t need my help, we wouldn’t be in contact at all.
Another silence. My coldness was clearly hard for her to navigate. But she quickly laughed it off.
“I see! Boss Yao didn’t give you any trouble, did she? I only just realized she was the mother of my son-in-law… I mean, Young Master Jiang, when I saw him come up to see her. Ha, right! I’ve seen Young Master Jiang on TV, so I recognized him.”