Jiang Shanhuan's vision went dark, then dark again. She felt she would never know happiness again in this lifetime.
"Wh-Why?"
Ethan: "With the tense relations between the two countries, the only way to transfer your assets back to the mainland is through underground channels to launder the money."
"Then launder it!" Jiang Shanhuan couldn't care less about that—she only cared about the money she'd worked her whole life for.
"Boss, in Huaxia, you can't just be a lawbreaker." Ethan tried to reason with her patiently. "Money laundering is a serious crime in Huaxia. With that much money, if you get caught, you'd serve enough sentences to last you eight lifetimes."
She'd been so used to operating outside the law that she'd almost forgotten this was Huaxia—the country with the strictest laws in the world, universally recognized by global mercenary organizations as a no-go zone.
"Then what do I do?" Jiang Shanhuan was on the verge of tears.
If she died and came back only to find she'd lost all her assets, she might as well have stayed dead.
Ethan thought for a moment, then said, "Boss, don't be upset—you still have me, don't you?"
Jiang Shanhuan's eyes lit up instantly. "That's right! I still have you!"
"As I recall, the Gordon Group has no visible connection to my company."
The Gordon Group was her personal investment under a private name.
Ethan nodded with a smile. "From now on, your dividends from the various branch companies in M Country and the Gordon dividends will be routed through Gordon's accounts."
"But dividends only come at year-end, and it's still half a year until then."
Jiang Shanhuan rubbed her face in frustration. "So for the next six months, I'm flat broke?"
"That's not quite it. You're the second young miss of the Jiang family now—your allowance should be pretty substantial."
"Right, I'm panicking so hard I forgot."
With that, Jiang Shanhuan whipped out her phone to check her bank balance.
"Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten-thousands, hundred-thousands…"
"Eighty million!"
And that was just what had come in within the last three months.
Holy windfall from the heavens.
What a good life the original body had been living—eighty million in pocket money for one quarter. Genuinely envious.
Jiang Shanhuan swiftly transferred the money to Ethan. "Buy a mountain, and take care of my business."
"A trivial matter like this, why would you need to spend your own money?" Ethan said as he deftly slipped his phone into his pocket.
Jiang Shanhuan rolled her eyes, seeing right through him. "Trivial matters, I pay. Big matters, you pay."
Ethan paused. "My big mouth."
"Oh, right, boss. That money counts as Jiang family money, doesn't it? If you spend that much at once, will the Jiangs get suspicious?"
Jiang Shanhuan froze for a moment—she hadn't thought of that.
Would the Jiang family check her accounts?
That was a problem.
…
Ethan didn't stay long before leaving. Jiang Shanhuan hesitated, then decided to go feel out Jiang Zhaoting.
"Knock, knock, knock—" Jiang Shanhuan knocked on Jiang Zhaoting's door like a thief. "Big brother, are you asleep?"
It was one in the morning. Jiang Zhaoting had just finished an overseas conference call and was massaging his sore, swollen brow.
Hearing Jiang Shanhuan's voice, he selectively closed his ears.
But clearly, the other party wouldn't give up until she got what she wanted.
"Big bro—"
The door suddenly swung open, and Jiang Shanhuan's knocking hand froze mid-air.
"What is it?" Jiang Zhaoting's tone wasn't exactly warm—it carried impatience.
Jiang Shanhuan heard it but didn't care. "I just came to report to you that I just spent a huge sum of money."
Zhaoting: "A huge sum? How huge?"
Jiang Shanhuan's heart skipped a beat. Damn it—sure enough, he's going to check my accounts.
"Eighty… eighty million." Jiang Shanhuan's heart was pounding with guilt, terrified that Jiang Zhaoting would ask why she had spent so much.
But Jiang Zhaoting said nothing, just looking at her with a strange expression.
Jiang Shanhuan was confused. "Wh-what's wrong?"
Jiang Zhaoting said, "Jiang Shanhuan, the Jiang family hasn't treated you badly, has it? Since when is eighty million a fortune?"
Ah, so that look earlier was disdain and contempt—he thought she was being uncultured.
But hearing Jiang Zhaoting say that, she felt relieved inside. "As expected of a wealthy family. This amount of money is nothing but pocket change."
"Then, big brother, aren't you going to ask why I spent eighty million?"
Jiang Zhaoting's patience had already run out. "Jiang Shanhuan, do you think I have nothing better to do?"
"I don't care what you spend your money on." The Jiang family wasn't bankrupt. If Jiang Shanhuan had spent eight hundred million in one go, he might have asked.
"Allowance money—only what you can freely spend without restrictions counts as allowance. If you need to report it, that's not allowance, that's being managed."
"Wow~ Big brother, you're so nice."
Jiang Shanhuan was deeply touched and once again silently lamented that the original owner didn't know how good she had it.
Looking at the face beaming at him with sparkling eyes, Jiang Zhaoting pinched his brow, turned around, picked up his phone from the bed, and tapped away a few times.
Less than a minute later, Jiang Shanhuan's phone let out a ding.
It was a text message, notifying her of an incoming transfer.
"Twenty million?"
She stared wide-eyed at Jiang Zhaoting. "Bro…?"
Jiang Zhaoting didn't even lift his eyelids, sitting back down at the desk. "Next time you want allowance, just say it directly. Don't beat around the bush."
Jiang Shanhuan: "…"
Honest to God, I didn't have that intention at all.
But hey, an extra twenty million just landed in my account—why not take it? Hehe.
"Okay, bro, I understand. I'll be thick-skinned next time."
"Mm." Jiang Zhaoting's attention remained on the computer. "Close the door on your way out."
"Will do."
Clutching her fortune, Jiang Shanhuan trotted happily upstairs.
Life is truly wonderful.
The next day.
Jiang Shanhuan slept until noon. When she came downstairs, Jiang Enhua, Tong Wanqiu, and Jiang Zhaoting were all there.
"Good morning, Mom. Good morning, Dad. Good morning, big brother."
"It's not morning anymore. It's already noon." Jiang Zhaoting spoke in a chilly tone.
But he got a glare from their mother. "Zhaoting, don't be so sarcastic. The doctor said Huanhuan needs plenty of sleep to recover properly."
With that, she waved at Jiang Shanhuan. "Huanhuan, you're up. Come here to Mom."
Jiang Shanhuan broke into a big smile and scampered over to throw herself into Tong Wanqiu's arms.
"Mom is the best."
Watching this scene of motherly affection and filial devotion, Jiang Zhaoting got up to pour himself a glass of water, thinking to himself that Jiang Shanhuan was a black-hearted lotus.
Tong Wanqiu draped a thin blanket over Jiang Shanhuan and reminded her, "Don't catch a cold now that you've just gotten up."
"Don't worry, Mom. I will absolutely never catch a cold."
"Oh? Did you pay to upgrade yourself?" Jiang Zhaoting teased again.
Jiang Shanhuan pouted, snuggled into Tong Wanqiu's arms, and tilted her head to look at Jiang Zhaoting. "No way. It's because I'm the little sun of this family—Mom, Dad, brothers, and sisters. The sun never catches a cold."
"Hahaha…" Tong Wanqiu and Jiang Enhua burst out laughing. "That's right, Huanhuan is our family's little sun. Mom and Dad love you the most." Jiang Enhua said.
"Your brothers and sisters are just too reserved—not lively at all." Tong Wanqiu chimed in.
"Hehe…" Jiang Shanhuan chuckled. "I'm Daddy and Mommy's sweet girl."
After saying that, she even winked at Jiang Zhaoting.
Jiang Zhaoting shot her a glare and stood up. "I'm going upstairs."
Uh-oh, she'd gotten carried away and scored negative points.