Chapter 243 Would you not want to climb the social ladder by marrying into the Qin and Li families?
Jiang Ruan was unaware that Huo Zhizhou had come to see her.
After spending some time in the banquet hall with Su Zhu, she went outside to the lawn and found a relatively quiet spot.
Just as I sat down, a well-dressed man and woman approached. They were both in their twenties and looked like a brother and sister.
"You're Jiang Ruan?" the man asked first.
Although Jiang Ruan was puzzled, she still replied, "Yes."
The man pulled up a chair and sat down opposite her, his words tinged with a hint of teasing: "I heard you're Old Master Qin's granddaughter and Chairman Li's biological daughter, is that true?"
"What does it matter to you whether it's true or not?" Su Zhu could tell at a glance that these two had no good intentions. "Don't you know how to introduce yourself before asking about someone's private affairs?"
"I'm talking to Jiang Ruan, why are you interrupting?" The man's attitude was very rude.
"Why are you angry when I say it's a dog?" Su Zhu blurted out without thinking.
The man was furious: "You!"
"Brother, don't be angry." The woman tugged at his arm and whispered beside him, "Don't forget our purpose."
Hearing this, the man calmed down a bit and complained to Jiang Ruan, "They're supposed to be from the Qin and Li families, but what kind of friends do they have?"
“It seems my friend was right.” Jiang Ruan couldn’t stand anyone saying anything bad about Su Zhu. “Only a dog would meddle in other people’s business.”
These words were spoken.
Both siblings were emotionally stirred.
The woman began to berate Jiang Ruan: "What kind of attitude is this? My brother was talking to you nicely and this is how you treat him? You call yourself the little princess of the Li and Qin families? What's the difference between you and a country bumpkin!"
Jiang Ruan didn't want to pay any attention to her.
She looked at Su Zhu, her expression indifferent: "Let's go to the other side."
"Wait a minute." Su Zhu stared at the two of them.
Jiang Ruan: "?"
The two men felt extremely uncomfortable under her gaze.
The man spoke first, clearly annoyed: "What are you looking at!"
"I was wondering why you looked familiar. Turns out you're the illegitimate son and daughter the Chi family just recognized." Su Zhu finally remembered.
Chi Baixuan's face flushed red, and anger flashed in his eyes: "What do you mean by illegitimate children? Watch your mouth."
A flicker of emotion crossed Jiang Ruan's eyes.
If it were simply a matter of illegitimate children, Su Zhu wouldn't have made it so obvious. Such things are commonplace, and besides, the children haven't done anything wrong.
For Su Zhu to say something like that, the two of them must have done something before.
“Their situation is similar to Su Anran’s,” Su Zhu explained to her, adding that the only difference was that Su Anran focused her attention on you, while the two of them focused their attention on the eldest daughter of the Chi family.
Jiang Ruan nodded.
A knowing glint flashed in his eyes.
“I know what you’re up to.” Su Zhu had seen it all before and saw through their little schemes at a glance. “You can put your mind at ease now. Ruan Ruan is not someone you can use.”
"I don't understand what you're saying," Chi Baixuan said, trying to hide his emotions.
"Then just pretend I was talking nonsense." Su Zhu stopped there.
After saying that, he turned and left with Jiang Ruan, not wanting to stay in this place any longer.
Seeing that they were really leaving, Chi Jing anxiously tugged at Chi Baixuan's arm: "Jiang Ruan is leaving, aren't we going to stop her?"
Chi Baixuan pursed his lips, but as Jiang Ruan got further and further away from them, he couldn't hold back any longer: "Wait a minute!"
Su Zhu and Jiang Ruan ignored her.
In dealing with these unfamiliar people, Jiang Ruan always followed Su Zhu's instructions.
"I told you to wait a moment!" Chi Baixuan and Chi Jing quickly ran up to them and stopped them, their eyes falling on Jiang Ruan. "I do have something to discuss with you. Can we talk in private for a moment?"
Jiang Ruan said bluntly, "Let's just say it here."
Chi Baixuan glanced at Su Zhu, seemingly hesitant about her presence: "Can't we talk alone?"
Su Zhu: "No!"
Jiang Ruan: "I'll listen to her."
Chi Baixuan and Chi Jing exchanged a glance, and finally Chi Baixuan spoke: "We are of similar status, and I hope to form an alliance."
Jiang Ruan: "?"
Su Zhu: "?"
"Everyone is saying that on your birthday, Grandpa Qin and Chairman Li gave you some expensive gifts, but nobody knows if they are genuinely kind to you or if they are just putting on a show for others," Chi Baixuan said, emphasizing each word.
Jiang Ruan asked, "What do you want to say?"
"Both the Qin and Li families are powerful and prestigious families. The sudden appearance of a child would damage the family's reputation." Chi Baixuan said smugly. "To protect the family's reputation, it's not surprising that they would beautify the words 'illegitimate daughter' and 'illegitimate daughter of the daughter who was kicked out of the family' as 'a treasure that has been lost for many years and left outside'."
Jiang Ruan didn't respond.
I can probably guess what he's thinking.
“The young masters and ladies of the four major families all have their own circles and have long since banded together,” Chi Jing chimed in. “People like us should unite even more.”
"Not interested." Jiang Ruan refused decisively.
"Do you really think the Qin family and the Li family will accept you?" Chi Baixuan didn't expect her to be so stubborn.
“You’re wrong about one thing.” After listening to them talk so much, Jiang Ruan understood some things. “In a sense, we are different.”
Chi Jing frowned: "How is it different?"
Jiang Ruan: "You are so eager to gain the Chi family's recognition, but I don't want that."
She didn't have many thoughts about either the Qin family or the Li family.
The Qin family home was merely a necessary stop on the way to retrieve Mom's belongings, nothing more.
"Stop pretending!" Chi Baixuan blurted out without hesitation, "Someone like you from a humble background wouldn't want to climb the social ladder by marrying into a family as powerful as the Qin or Li families?"
"We genuinely want to form an alliance with you, but you're putting on airs in front of us," Chi Jing said bluntly. "Is that interesting?"
"If it's not interesting, we don't have to talk." Even though Jiang Ruan has changed her personality a bit, she is still this direct with people she doesn't like.
"Don't you realize your situation?" Chi Baixuan glanced at the three distinguished men chatting idly in the distance. "See that man in the main seat over there?"
Jiang Ruan followed his gaze.
Qin Mo's face came into her view.
The president of the Qin Group, and the eldest son of the current patriarch Qin Muchuan, is cold, aloof, and unapproachable. This is what her mother told her when introducing the Qin family members.
As if someone had told him she was watching him, Qin Mo turned his gaze in that direction.
Even from a great distance, Jiang Ruan could still sense the innate aloofness and indifference emanating from him.
“He’s the person in charge of the Qin Group. Even the head of the Qin family sometimes has to be mindful of his feelings,” Chi Baixuan continued. “Do you think he’d want you to exist?”
"Are you done talking?" Jiang Ruan didn't intend to say any more to him.
She hadn't forgotten what Qin Jiangye had said when she came in.
Qin Mo wanted to talk to her about the shares.
"You're completely impervious to reason." Chi Baixuan hadn't expected her to react this way.
"Forget it, don't talk to her anymore." Chi Jing had had enough. "Once she hits a wall and runs into a brick wall, she'll realize we're doing this for her own good."
"Think it over carefully yourself." Chi Baixuan didn't give up. "Come find us when you've figured it out. You only have three days."
He left after saying that, without lingering.
Jiang Ruan didn't take these words to heart at all.
Su Zhu didn't hesitate to expose him: "He clearly wants to use your current popularity to cause trouble, but he pretends to be doing it for your own good. He's really shameless."
"Have you met him before?" Jiang Ruan asked.
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