Jiang Yiyan did not think she was being thick-skinned. She simply felt that the atmosphere was off and deliberately stepped in to ease it.
Moreover, she had never been fond of Jiang Xu, the original host’s brother. So even though she knew her words and actions would only provoke his displeasure further, she intentionally chose to do so. It was, in a sense, a subtle provocation.
As expected, after witnessing Jiang Yiyan’s series of actions, Jiang Xu’s already deeply furrowed brow tightened further, the vertical lines between his eyebrows becoming more pronounced. He habitually cast an impatient glance at her, only to meet her deliberately provocative gaze head-on.
Jiang Xu seemed caught off guard for a moment.
In the original novel, Jiang Xu and Jiang Yiyan had always been at odds, to the point where their relationship was utterly irreconcilable. By the end of the story, the reason Jiang Yiyan met such a miserable fate was partly due to Jiang Xu’s involvement.
And the reason, of course, was Shu Yao.
Like many clichéd Mary Sue stories, Jiang Xu, as the stepson, developed an unspeakable romantic affection for Shu Yao, his stepsister, over the course of their long-term interactions.
In addition, Jiang Xu had been groomed by his father from a young age to become the future heir of the family. To train his independence, he was often made to board at school or live on his own. Because of this prolonged separation, he had little emotional attachment to his mother or his biological sister.
He did not take his parents’ divorce to heart, and when his mother later passed away, he only grieved for a few days. Unlike his sister, he never severed ties with his father over their mother’s death.
In his mind, family interests always came first, and beyond that, Shu Yao was the most important person.
Because he had little emotional attachment to his mother and sister, when conflicts arose between his biological sister and Shu Yao, he would without hesitation side with Shu Yao.
He offered Shu Yao unconditional trust and protection, while directing endless criticism and dissatisfaction toward his biological sister.
Naturally, the original Jiang Yiyan did not have a good relationship with him either. In the original novel, the siblings had nearly reached the point of estrangement.
Back when she had read that novel, Jiang Yiyan had already disliked Jiang Xu. Now that she had become Jiang Yiyan herself and stood on the opposite side of him, her dislike had only deepened.
In fact, her aversion toward him had even surpassed her feelings toward Cai Wenqing and Wu Jingmeng.
After all, Cai Wenqing and Wu Jingmeng were never family to the original host, whereas Jiang Xu was her own brother. Betrayal from family was far more chilling.
Jiang Yiyan chose to build a good relationship with the original host’s father because she knew that although he appeared stern on the surface, he still loved his daughter in his heart. It was only due to their similarly stubborn personalities that neither was willing to take the first step, resulting in the current estrangement.
But she understood that as long as she lowered her pride even slightly and softened her attitude, her father would definitely respond with warmth. Jiang Xu, however, was different. He had never had much affection for his sister to begin with, and now he also harbored improper feelings for Shu Yao.
Even if Jiang Yiyan were to kneel before him and beg, he would not be moved in the slightest.
Since the sibling bond could not be repaired, there was no need to force it. Since she had already chosen to go with the flow, why not at least make herself feel comfortable?
If she found Jiang Xu unpleasant, there was no need to endure it.
However, her way of dealing with him would not be like the original host’s straightforward approach, which easily led to losses. Her method was to appear amicable on the surface while subtly getting under his skin behind the scenes.
Perhaps it was not entirely upright, but toward someone she disliked, there was no need to be overly principled.
Originally, everyone had been chatting separately, the atmosphere lively and animated. But this sudden small interruption caused the room to fall into silence.
Wu Jingmeng shot several contemptuous glances. Shu Yao and her mother kept their eyes lowered, choosing to remain silent.
Jiang Xu’s expression of disgust was plain to see. As for Wen Mochuan, he felt a sense of embarrassment over his wife’s earlier behavior, yet at the same time, he was grateful that she had genuinely been helping him out of an awkward situation.
But more than anything, he was curious.
He was always curious about what she was really thinking, and what other surprising actions she might take next.
The two children were occupied with their own play and could be ignored. That left Jiang Cheng as the most important figure present.
Jiang Cheng not only showed no displeasure toward his daughter, but instead found her behavior endearing, and suddenly burst into laughter.
“So this is how you show affection. There are others here, you should be a bit more mindful,” Jiang Cheng said, though his tone carried no real reproach.
Jiang Yiyan immediately responded, “Dad, do you even know the term ‘showing affection’? How modern of you.” Then, turning to tease Cai Wenqing, she added, “Looks like Dad must show a lot of affection with Aunt Cai in private.”
Cai Wenqing, who had been minding her own business, was suddenly called out and teased. Her face immediately flushed red.
Jiang Cheng did not truly blame his daughter in his heart, but he still chided her a little verbally. “Mind your manners. Don’t embarrass your Aunt Cai.”
“Dad, I understand. I was wrong,” Jiang Yiyan immediately conceded, lowering her head in acknowledgment.
Seeing his daughter’s attitude, Jiang Cheng’s expression softened into a look of satisfaction.
Sitting nearby, Cai Wenqing carefully observed Jiang Cheng’s expression, and her anxiety deepened. Though she did not show it on her face, her hand beneath the table subconsciously tightened around the tablecloth. An inexplicable sense of crisis washed over her.
Wu Jingmeng was seated next to Cai Wenqing. Noticing her subtle movement under the table, Wu Jingmeng, who had already intended to confront Jiang Yiyan today, grew even more agitated and could no longer hold back. She immediately turned her attention to Jiang Yiyan.
“Yiyan, actually… I’ve always wanted to ask, is there some kind of misunderstanding between us?” Wu Jingmeng put on a pitiful expression in front of the Jiang family. “I feel like you might have some misunderstanding about me. Did I offend you somewhere without realizing it?”
“Since Jiang Uncle and Jiang Aunt are here today, why don’t you say it out loud? If it really was my fault, I can change.”
Wu Jingmeng’s move did not surprise Jiang Yiyan at all. In fact, the moment she saw her upon entering the private room, she had already known trouble was inevitable.
So when Wu Jingmeng launched her sudden challenge, Jiang Yiyan quickly countered it.
“Why would you say that? We’re not even familiar with each other. How could I possibly have a misunderstanding about you? Madam Jiang, is it that I did something to make you think there’s a misunderstanding between us?”
She tossed the question back at her.
Wu Jingmeng seemed to have been waiting for exactly this, and immediately picked up the thread. “If I hadn’t done anything wrong to offend you, why would you reject adding me on WeChat when I sent you a friend request? And if there were no misunderstanding, why would you suddenly take interest in the class committee chair position, compete with me, and even use your connections to make me lose the election?” she said in a pitiful tone, as if she were the one being bullied.
However, this clumsy attempt at complaint only amused Jiang Yiyan.
“Madam Jiang, this was originally a family dinner of ours. You shouldn’t have been here. But since you are friends with Aunt Cai and she invited you, we didn’t object to your presence.”
“But let me ask you this. Our Jiang family may not have shown you special favor, but we have never treated you poorly either. Yet you’ve repeatedly tried to stir trouble and sow discord within our family. What exactly is your intention?”
“If you feel that I took your class committee chair position and you feel wronged, you could have come directly to me. Why go out of your way to complain in front of my father?”
“Do you think my relationship with my father is strained, and you deliberately came here to worsen it?”
Jiang Yiyan’s questioning was sharp and precise, leaving Wu Jingmeng speechless. She knew these accusations were extremely unfavorable to her, and although she wanted to explain, she could not find the right words.
Only after Jiang Yiyan finished did she manage to force out a single sentence, “That’s not true!”
“Then what is it?” Jiang Yiyan raised her chin slightly, looking at her calmly as she waited for an explanation.
At this point, everyone’s attention in the room had gathered on her, like spotlights converging on a single stage, making Wu Jingmeng feel both nervous and angry.
She had long harbored deep dislike for Jiang Yiyan and had been looking for an opportunity to deal with her. Now that Jiang Yiyan had pushed her into the spotlight with no way out, she decided to go all in.
“Yiyan, don’t slander me. Since I’m saying these things, I have evidence,” she said, taking a deep breath before continuing confidently. “Let me ask you, a few days ago when I added you on WeChat, you clearly saw the request and knew it was me. Why did you refuse to accept it? I believe that given our relationship, you should not have rejected me like that.”
Jiang Yiyan did not deny it. She even admitted it directly, “That’s right, I saw it, but at the time I deliberately chose not to add you.”
“It’s good that you admit it,” Wu Jingmeng let out a small sigh of relief. “I know we’re not close, but at least our children are in the same class. Adding each other on WeChat would make future communication easier. There’s nothing wrong with that, right?”
Jiang Yiyan nodded. “That’s true.” Then she continued, “So why didn’t you add me before, and suddenly decided to do so later?”
Wu Jingmeng replied, “Just like you said, we weren’t familiar before, so it was understandable that I overlooked it. But once I thought about it, I immediately sent you a request.”
Jiang Yiyan smiled faintly. “You thought of me? Why did you suddenly think of me?”
Wu Jingmeng naturally only highlighted what benefited her. “It was the last class committee meeting before summer break. We even greeted each other face-to-face. Don’t you remember? After that, I thought about how our children would still be classmates for the next two years, so adding each other on WeChat would be convenient.”
“Is that so?” Jiang Yiyan asked softly, her tone carrying a hint of interrogation. “Or was Madam Jiang actually storming over that day to stand up for someone, coming to settle a score with me?”