The glass contained orange juice, and the wound in my mouth hurt terribly whenever it touched the juice.
Lin Qingtong raised an eyebrow at Shen Tinghe with an innocent expression and asked in confusion.
"Mr. Shen, what's wrong? Is the orange juice not good?"
Shen Tinghe was inwardly amused and put down the glass. He didn't say anything, but simply raised his hand to cover his mouth.
Seeing Shen Tinghe's distressed expression, Lin Qingtong smiled broadly and returned to her seat.
Shen Tinghe's gesture of placing one hand on his lips and slightly furrowing his brow startled the company executives below, who mistakenly thought they had done something wrong.
They were all trembling with fear, like drowned rats after being soaked by the rain.
Throughout the meeting, Lin Qingtong stayed in a corner, keeping to herself, since she could learn these things quietly on her own.
As soon as Lin Qingtong returned to her seat after the meeting, she received a call from Mrs. Jiang.
"Tongtong, I apologize for what happened before. We're all family, let's talk it out."
Lin Qingtong did not answer her question because she knew that Madam Jiang would not call her just because of an apology; there must be other reasons.
As expected, Mrs. Jiang quickly revealed the reason for the phone call.
"Why don't you take the afternoon off? Grandpa wants to eat your soufflé; he says he can't get it anywhere else."
"That's just what the elderly like. As a younger generation, you should be more filial to them."
When Lin Qingtong heard these words, she found them amusing.
If they really wanted to eat soufflés, given the Jiang family's wealth, they could buy them no matter what.
Why must my daughter-in-law, who works away from home, go back to do it?
Lin Qingtong used to be unable to see through these things and thought that the other party valued her, but now she realizes that they were deliberately making things difficult for her and making her feel disgusted.
Some even exploit themselves to prove their worth and authority.
"I'm sorry, I have to go to work and can't go back to do it. Please tell Grandpa, he will definitely understand. Otherwise, I can call Grandpa and tell him."
"In addition, I hired a chef from Dehuilou to cook for me."
She completely blocked all of Madam Jiang's reasons, giving her no chance at all.
Upon hearing Lin Qingtong's words, Madam Jiang gave an awkward laugh and then changed the subject.
“Even if you don’t make soufflés for Grandpa, you still have to ask for leave. All three of your aunts are here today.”
"You've always been the one to organize the family dinners. I can't manage it all by myself. You should come back soon. It's just a job; it's okay if it's over."
These words reached Lin Qingtong's ears. She glanced at her phone indifferently, realizing that the last sentence was probably the real purpose behind Madam Jiang's many words.
She just wanted to prevent herself from working properly, and ideally, to lose her job because of it.
Now that Lin Qingtong can see everything clearly, why would she be foolish enough to give up her job and become a puppet manipulated by them?
That's impossible.
"I've already hired a cook to come home and prepare meals. My aunt and uncle will definitely understand. I still have work to do, so I won't say anything more for now."
Lin Qingtong directly refused.
Mrs. Jiang's tone on the other end of the phone was sinister and stern.
"I don't care, you come back right now. You couldn't have children to begin with, and now you won't even cook a meal."
"How could our family have been so unlucky to marry a wife like you?"
Lin Qingtong didn't care about her words at all; words could no longer hurt her.
Lin Qingtong sneered and retorted without any politeness.
"Anyone can cook, why do you insist that I go back? If you really want me to go back, then fine."
She paused, then suddenly became more forceful.
"Then I'll go back and smash up the kitchen. Nobody can use it anymore. Anyway, none of you cook, so you'll all be waiting for me!"
"Don't you believe me? I absolutely can do something like that!"
Upon hearing Lin Qingtong's words, Madam Jiang on the other end of the phone clutched her chest in anger and began to curse incessantly.
"You're insane, you're insane, you're absolutely crazy."
She didn't want to listen to Madam Jiang's nonsense anymore, so she hung up the phone directly and didn't even ask the chef from Dehui Restaurant.
Anyway, the Jiang family has always had a nanny to cook, so she doesn't need to cook herself at all.
Here, inside the Jiang family villa.
Madam Jiang was so angry that she spun around in circles, desperately wanting to find a way to teach Lin Qingtong a lesson.
Suddenly, she remembered that Lin Qingtong's boss was Shen Tinghe, who was her younger brother.
If his older sister were to call Shen Tinghe to complain, he definitely wouldn't ignore it.
So Madam Jiang immediately dialed Shen Tinghe's number and tearfully complained.
“Tinghe, my daughter-in-law is practically rebelling. My health is already poor, and she's made me so angry that I have a headache. Now, when I ask her to come back and cook, she refuses. She's so unfilial.”
“You have to stand up for me. Her job is completely unimportant; it's just a tea and water service. It's embarrassing to talk about. You should fire her as soon as possible.”
These words reached Shen Tinghe's ears. He twirled his pen with his long, slender fingers and slowly uttered a sentence.
I don't think Lin Qingtong did anything wrong.
Upon hearing this, Madam Jiang froze on the spot, her voice suddenly rising in pitch.
“You’re my brother, how can you speak up for that little bitch… Lin Qingtong?”
Shen Tinghe parted his thin lips slightly.
“I have always upheld fairness and justice. Does the Jiang family not eat if Lin Qingtong is not around?”
“Before you had a daughter-in-law, didn’t you invite a chef to your home for family banquets? Besides, your health wasn’t good to begin with, it’s not like it’s because she came that you’re in this condition.”
After saying this, Shen Tinghe added something else.
"In the future, don't bring these things up in front of me, or don't blame me for being ruthless."
Shen Tinghe hung up the phone immediately, and Madam Jiang was furious. She swept everything off the dining table.
She excitedly took a few steps forward, but then stepped on a vase she had swept to the ground, tripped and fell, hitting her arm on the coffee table, which immediately turned purple.
"Damn it, why is everyone bullying me?!"
Lin Qingtong was busy until noon, so she made a special phone call to the Jiang family patriarch.
"Grandpa, I heard you want to eat my soufflé. I'll make it for you tomorrow."
The old man of the Jiang family was stunned for a moment before waving his hand and replying, "Who said I wanted to eat it? That stuff is unbearably sweet and tiring to make. If I want to eat it, I can just buy it outside."
When Lin Qingtong heard these words, she immediately realized that Madam Jiang's call to her that morning was just an attempt to trick her into going back.
After hanging up the phone, Lin Qingtong checked the home security camera and saw that Jiang's three aunts had indeed returned.
The three aunts, each with their own husbands and children, immediately brought a lively atmosphere to the Jiang family villa.
Under the surveillance footage, Madam Jiang was explaining something to her three aunts with a guilty expression.
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