Chapter 73: Jiang Si begs her for help, a battle between the two Jiangs ensues...
The high-speed rail station on a weekend.
Because the high-speed rail between Shenzhen and Hong Kong had just opened, Jiang Si decided to try it out of curiosity.
"What's wrong with them? Why did they have to pick a midday flight!" Jiang Miaomiao, who came to pick her up, complained while hiding her sleepy eyes with sunglasses.
People from the South.
If you don't nap at noon, you'll collapse in the afternoon!
The railway records show that the train Jiang Si took arrived in Shenzhen at 1:30 p.m.
Around 13:40, a large number of people poured out of the empty exit; that must have been the arrival of that train.
Soon, Jiang Si and Qin Shuang, dressed in sharp suits, came out.
The bright sunlight and the surging crowds seemed to become mere background, making them stand out from afar.
The visuals are pleasing to the eye, resembling a meticulously crafted workplace drama.
Jiang Miaomiao couldn't resist taking out her phone to take a picture and post it on her WeChat Moments, but she felt there was something missing... because on the right side of the photo was Jiang Zhengye with his slicked-back hair and Jiang Bainian looking haggard and listless.
Uh, cutting these two out would make it perfect!
The distance has decreased.
This group, with its air of being led by elites, made passersby stop and turn around to look.
The distance is getting closer.
Despite not being in the center position, Jiang Zhengye suddenly quickened his pace and walked forward, taking a few more steps diagonally until he became the center of the group.
He pulled out a cigar with the same air of authority, pointed at Jiang Miaomiao and said loudly, "You've finally made something of yourself in Hong Kong. It wasn't for nothing that I taught you before."
Jiang Miaomiao stared at him for a long time.
Why are you shouting so loudly?
And what did he teach me?
Now airport fashion shows are expanding to include staged photoshoots on high-speed trains?
But Jiang Zhengye didn't give her a chance to speak. He used the act of lighting a cigar to step aside and quickly make way for the key figure, Jiang Si.
Jiang Si naturally knew how to protect her reputation.
She stretched out her arms and hugged Jiang Miaomiao: "Forget it, there are still paparazzi from Hong Kong following us and taking pictures. Let's give him some face in public, otherwise it will be ugly for everyone if we start arguing."
Jiang Miaomiao pouted: "I didn't say anything, did I?"
"Who knows if you're just keeping quiet or you didn't have time to say anything?" Jiang Si wasn't confused. She scrutinized her closely: "You seem to have gotten darker and less attractive?"
"You want to hurt each other, huh?" Jiang Miaomiao replied directly, "It's better than you getting so fat you have chubby arms."
Jiang Si chuckled awkwardly and let go: "You unfilial niece, you still won't give way to your elders."
"Young Miss." Qin Shuang and the others nodded and bowed to Jiang Miaomiao. Even Jiang Bainian respectfully called her "Sister." It was clear that after she left Hong Kong, his status had not only not recovered, but had been thoroughly reformed by Jiang Si and "reborn."
Jiang Miaomiao nodded and said, "The underground parking garage is this way. Follow me first."
No one objected.
Jiang Zhengye, however, still pretended to wave his hand and said loudly, "Since you know the way, then you go ahead and lead the way."
Jiang Miaomiao still wanted to roll her eyes, but Jiang Si playfully took her arm, saying, "The reporters are behind us." After reminding her, she half-pulled and half-dragged her, "We can only stay for three days at most. How about we make the most of this time and go to your company now?"
Jiang Miaomiao: "As long as you're not tired, that's fine."
However, the seven-seater van I specifically chose for today's trip is now overloaded because of the addition of Jiang Zhengye and another person.
Jiang Zhengye quickly pulled Jiang Bainian into the car to grab a seat.
Jiang Si told Qin Shuang and the others to take a taxi themselves.
So in the end, only the four members of the Jiang family were in the nanny van.
The people were sitting scattered around.
As soon as he got in the car, Jiang Zhengye slumped in his seat with a huge sigh of relief. He had been trying his best to hide his beer belly the whole way in order to maintain his image in front of the paparazzi. He was exhausted.
Being too proud to admit defeat will only lead to suffering.
Jiang Miaomiao asked with disdain, "What are you all doing following us here?"
Jiang Zhengye looked intimidated upon hearing this.
He gave Jiang Si a look, indicating that it was best for her to bring up this embarrassing matter.
Jiang Si naturally explained: "My elder brother knows that my sister-in-law and her lover have been hanging around Pengcheng recently, so he came here personally to catch them in the act and recover the stolen goods. But family scandals can't be aired in public, so he doesn't want to show his face and be seen by others. You've been in Pengcheng for a long time, you're familiar with the local area and you have connections, so it's best to have you handle certain matters."
I see.
Old Jiang had hired private investigators many times before, but the results always came back saying she had illegally crossed the border. She's in Pengcheng now, and these two are also in Pengcheng now; it feels like a strange coincidence. "...Where did they get their information?"
Jiang Si gave her a look and immediately grasped the key point: "The news came from the Xia family."
"Which Xia family?" Jiang Miaomiao paused, then asked doubtfully, "Don't tell me it's Xia Renyao?"
“I only found out that my brother and the others were in the next carriage when I got off the high-speed train. My brother received a photo from Xia Renyao this morning, a picture of those two walking around in your mall.” Jiang Si explained in a few words why she hadn’t told her in advance that Jiang Zhengye was also coming.
So, everyone was suddenly pushed along by Xia Renyao.
Jiang Si elaborated further: "But there are only photos, nothing else."
I didn't believe he would be so kind.
Now, he's even more "kind" in telling Jiang Zhengye about the adulterous couple...
She slowly uttered an "oh," so this is karma coming back to haunt her!
As for Jiang Bainian coming along, it was simply because Jiang Zhengye knew he was unhappy in Hong Kong and brought him along to relax.
...
A black van led the way, followed by several taxis.
From Shenzhen, drive west to east, all the way on the expressway until you arrive at Longgang Shopping Mall.
Jiang Miaomiao led them through the mall's imposing main entrance. The mall was teeming with people, silently proving Jiang Miaomiao's foresight: Pengcheng's development prospects were indeed greater than Gangcheng's!
Even Jiang Zhengye thought the mall was incredibly large.
Jiang Si affirmed, "You've only been developing inland for half a year and you've already launched a chain store model. That's impressive."
Jiang Miaomiao was modest, saying, "If you come to Shenzhen, you might find that you can do it too. Shenzhen's economic development and technological concepts are among the best in China, and they are world-leading overseas. I was originally employed by Shenzhen in the west, and now I am employed by the inland port. It's just that the times have made me who I am."
Jiang Si said, "I heard that Young Master Han has purchased several commercial land plots in Pengcheng, one of which is adjacent to yours and is also planned as a shopping mall. The Han Group has a well-known brand and is definitely a strong competitor to you."
Jiang Miaomiao shrugged indifferently: "The mall is like a battlefield. Even without the Han Group, I still have to compete with other groups! But if he develops in Hong Kong, I shouldn't have strong competitors. Those local natives like the Xie family and the Shan family have long felt the crisis and are banding together."
Jiang Si smiled, enunciating each word clearly: "Then I'm really looking forward to it."
Since the Han Group has been so powerful and reckless in Hong Kong, companies like Jiang Si, which still want to make breakthroughs, naturally hope that the Han Group can be demoted and make room for growth.
The father and son, Jiang Zhengye, standing nearby, had conflicted expressions.
Jiang Miaomiao is promising and can bring honor to her ancestors, but this only makes the men look even more useless!
They walked to the office floor at a leisurely pace.
Jiang Miaomiao beckoned Xi Shouge and Mo Congyun to lead Jiang Si and the others to the conference room, where she explained in detail the resources they had received from the Ruan family and the risks involved in the handover. Then, she turned to Jiang Zhengye and the other man: "Want to come to my office for a cup of tea?"
The father and son, who had nothing to do, naturally agreed.
Jiang Miaomiao then asked her assistant to make a few more cups of coffee.
However, when Jiang Zhengye saw that her private office was only a dozen square meters, with just a desk, chair, and a sofa for guests, there was nothing else. He finally found a point to complain about: "Your room is too shabby, not grand at all."
"As long as it works, that's fine. As long as the outer office area looks impressive, that's enough," Jiang Miaomiao replied.
Whenever someone is driven crazy by overtime work and wants to barge in to complain to her, just looking at her cramped and poor office, and then at the various bright and spacious office cubicles outside, their anger caused by the infighting naturally diminishes by a third.
They're both working overtime, but look at the environment they're in, and then look at the environment their higher-ranking bosses are in.
Thinking about it again, besides money...
Jiang Miaomiao's job as a boss is more pitiful than theirs!
Jiang Zhengye and Jiang Bainian could only make do with sitting there.
Jiang Miaomiao cut to the chase: "Old Jiang, with your experience, don't you suspect that the Xia family's leak of information was part of a setup?"
"Even if it was a setup, it was aimed at the two of you." Jiang Zhengye said with a hint of schadenfreude, "Who told you two to provoke the Xia family!"
In public, Dajiang Group has no connection whatsoever with the Xia family's gambling and entertainment businesses.
Privately, it refers to the emotional entanglement that Jiang Si had with Xia Renyao, the third son of the Xia family.
Without Jiang Si, the Da Jiang Group would be back in his hands.
Jiang Miaomiao sighed with emotion: "Right now, only Jiang Si can hold the fort in the Jiang Group. If she's gone, you bunch of good-for-nothings won't be able to take over."
Jiang Zhengye roared, "Who are you calling a piece of trash? I managed the company just fine back then, it's just that you guys took power from me!"
Jiang Miaomiao smiled and said, "In the past, if you stood in the right place at the right time, even a pig could be blown away, but now the wind has stopped. In this era of naked swimming, you've all been proven to have drowned."
This statement was so ironic that it made the conversation between the two people and the situation between the three of them somewhat awkward.
Not wanting to cause a conflict by being nosy, Jiang Miaomiao changed the subject: "How is Jiang Jiezhi's homework going?"
Jiang Zhengye scoffed. How would he know? That brat never reports his grades.
Jiang Bainian replied weakly, "...I barely passed Chinese, math, and English recently, and I'm making a fuss about coming to Pengcheng next month for a refund when summer vacation starts." This made her take a second look at him unexpectedly.
Jiang Miaomiao, unusually kind-hearted, managed a flicker of conscience: "He Peixue didn't reappear, did she?"
Jiang Bainian shook her head; she would never dare to appear again.
Jiang Miaomiao then asked, "So, what was the final outcome of the project where you were scammed by Jiang Chengyu?"
Jiang Bainian said, "The second son had his mother, uh, his mother paid out money to cover the hole."
Jiang Miaomiao's gaze instantly swept back to Jiang Zhengye, whose expression was calm and indifferent.
She said sarcastically, "Old Jiang, it's really good to have a thick skin. You got the kids in the divorce, and now your ex-wife has to pay for everything when things go wrong. You never lose out, you're really something!"
We've run out of things to talk about.
Jiang Miaomiao was too lazy to say anything more, so she let the two of them do whatever they wanted and focused on her work.
At lunchtime, Jiang Si pushed open the door and came in to invite everyone to lunch: "Family members, I'd like to have hot pot together for lunch."
Jiang Zhengye immediately rejected the idea: "Why would you eat hot pot at midday!"
Jiang Si looked at Jiang Miaomiao with a wronged expression, but in the end, it was her eldest niece who made the final decision: "Since it's impossible to please everyone, let's form a group and choose a restaurant in the mall ourselves. No reimbursement, meeting adjourned!"
Jiang Si immediately grabbed her arm, "Then you'll have hot pot with me. Even if you smell like hot pot from lunch, no one will dare complain..."
...I still remember when I first arrived in Hong Kong, Jiang Si really wanted to eat hot pot for lunch but didn't dare to step into a hot pot restaurant. She even said, "I really want to eat hot pot, but I don't dare to go back to work if I'm covered in the smell."
Now, Jiang Miaomiao couldn't help but glance at her sideways a few times: "Jiang Si, I suddenly realized that you are more vengeful than I thought."
"Hmm?" Jiang Si tilted her head and smiled cutely. "So?"
Therefore, "Why do you need to come in person for such a handover? You have other goals."
Jiang Si was still pretending to be stupid: "I told you a few days ago that I was coming over, but I only received Xia Renyao's photos this morning."
The air was silent.
Jiang Si curled the corners of her lips and reached out to touch her eyelids. These beautiful, charming eyes had once been blind.
Jiang Miaomiao stared into those eyes, at the misty haze that seemed to float on Jiang Si's face, making her appearance unpredictable.
“Jiang Si, you understand Xia Renyao and you also understand Lao Jiang, so you know how to manipulate their thoughts and use them.”
Jiang Si nodded. "So you should remember, I said that some grudges are only interesting if you take them out yourself."
Yes, that's a valid reason.
Jiang Miaomiao took Jiang Si out for hot pot. They were hungry at mealtime and didn't mind listening to her while they ate.
So, after all that picking and choosing, Jiang Si ended up with a clear broth beef hot pot? Mineral water as the base, just enough to cook the beef slices? At most, the beef slices would be dipped in soy sauce after cooking!
Jiang Miaomiao's pupils dilated in shock: "Chongqing hot pot, Sichuan hot pot, mushroom hot pot, tomato hot pot, etc., or at least a clear broth base, that's at least somewhat flavorful. You ultimately chose just one mineral, spring water, pot, and base?"
But Jiang Si's eyes were fixed on the beef slices boiling in the pot. "I was forced to eat spicy hot pot broth many times in high school, so even though I love hot pot, I don't want to eat spicy broth anymore. I drank too much back then."
Jiang Miaomiao paused. Okay, now that the topic is open, let's see if you're going to play the victim to gain sympathy, or try to get sponsorship!
"Who poured it on? Xia Renyao?"
"It wasn't him, but I was still implicated because of him. I transferred schools three times in kindergarten, six times in elementary school, and twice in junior high. I finally didn't have to transfer in high school, but because I was pretty, a group of female school bullies had their eyes on me."
Having beauty without brains is a dead end.
Once, during PE class, I was bullied, and Xia Renyao happened to pass by and helped me out. A hero descended from the sky, and with my heart fluttering with first love, it was hard not to fall for him. But strangely, the more he helped me, the worse the bullying became. He not only poured hot pot broth on me, but he even poured mop water down my throat!
Jiang Si became calmer and calmer as she spoke.
Not only was his tone calm, but his eyes were too. But the sea is just as calm before a storm.
“I finally made it to university and got away from them, but just because Xia Renyao said ‘I’ll marry you after graduation,’ I shamelessly followed him and even let him be fickle and have a bunch of girlfriends. I was still so lowly that I was at his beck and call.”
"Blinded by my own eyes, I collapsed into a hysterical breakdown. Xia Renyao said he would help me get revenge, but I could still hear those women's arrogant and domineering voices. It turns out that my years of friendship with Xia Renyao meant nothing to him, and he even fueled the bullying I suffered in high school! They were just playing with me like a joke! It was all just a game! Even my own family members in the Jiang family cursed me for getting what I deserved, and they wanted to squeeze every last drop of value out of me, forcing me to marry a man who had just abused and killed his wife to fund the Da Jiang Group! Hah..."
"No one sympathizes with me, a notorious blind man. I can't see anything, and I can't trust anyone. Since I'm already in such a terrible state, I have nothing to fear anymore. I'll ask the hospital to find out which one can transplant my cornea the fastest, hire a third-party company to send me abroad as a bodyguard, and ask you, a complete stranger, to take care of me."
Jiang Miaomiao felt inexplicably saddened by what she heard, and carefully said, "If... I mean if..."
Jiang Si's past experiences had exposed her to too much; she was no longer a fool who believed love could sustain her, but someone who could see through all the worst-case scenarios, including Jiang Miaomiao's hesitant words. "Are you saying that if I lose my sight, or the bodyguard sells me off, or you refuse to take care of me, leaving me, a blind woman, to encounter even more terrible things in a foreign country?"
Jiang Miaomiao nodded.
Jiang Si laughed and said, "It doesn't matter. I was just taking a gamble, walking a tightrope. If I lost, I would just die."
Jiang Miaomiao trembled slightly.
She didn't say anything, but finally pointed to the seven beef balls bobbing in the pot and said, "I'll let you have one more."
"You said it yourself!" Jiang Si laughed heartily, picked up a strainer and quickly scooped away four meatballs.
Seeing her laughing so carefree, Jiang Miaomiao admired her but also mocked her with good-natured sarcasm: "Wait a minute, I'm starting to regret letting you win."
***
Previously, Xia Renyao lived in Macau, so Jiang Si couldn't reach him.
Now that he's in Pengcheng, if Jiang Si can get Jiang Miaomiao's help and then step on her own to help, she should be able to drag Xia Renyao into the mud.
Jiang Si had previously attended a business event where a group photo was taken. Han Cuo happened to be standing next to her, so she cut out the people on either side, leaving only a "double photo" of her and Han Cuo, which Xia Renyao saw unintentionally.
Xia Renyao, a man who cared a lot about his image, had long harbored a kind of hostility towards Han Cuo, because Hong Kong, a city obsessed with entertainment, had all sorts of strange lists, such as the most desirable man to marry and the most perfect man, and Han Cuo almost always topped the list.
The combination of these two factors amplified Xia Renyao's initial guilt towards Jiang Si, turning it into a sense of resentment. When Jiang Si rejected all his contact and instead supported Han Cuo, this resentment became stubborn.
Jiang Si thus led Xia Renyao back into a dead end!
The collaboration between the two Jiangs—Jiang Si wanting people and Jiang Miaomiao wanting a career—began.
...
Jiang Miaomiao got Xia Renyao's phone number from Ren Ziwei. She dialed it, but it was hung up after a few rings. She dialed three more times, and it was hung up three times in a row; it was clear the other party was refusing to answer.
"It's your turn." Jiang Si dialed the number using her own phone.
This time, she answered immediately, and her first words were: "Jiang Si".
Jiang Miaomiao's gaze drifted over: to make Xia Renyao remember her phone number, she had indeed successfully grasped his slight resentment!
Jiang Siping said calmly, "Mr. Xia, thank you for providing the photos."
There was a moment of silence on the other end. When the speaker spoke again, his tone was not as joyful and exuberant as before; there seemed to be a hint of suppressed emotion. "Jiang Si, there's no need for us to be so distant."
Jiang Si remained calm: "We couldn't find those two even after hiring private investigators. We are grateful for Mr. Xia's help."
The other person seemed to laugh in exasperation, "Fine. If you're truly grateful, come keep me company tonight. I heard you've arrived in Shenzhen; it's not far."
Jiang Si showed no anger, but instead gave a faint smile: "Mr. Xia is joking. I am not so cheap as to sell myself for a photo. Since you can't think of anything right now, then consider it a favor from the Jiang family. Just let us know if you need anything in the future."
After she finished speaking, she hung up the phone.
The next second, Xia Renyao immediately called back.
She hung up again, and the other party called again.
Repeat this four times until Jiang Si blacklists his phone number.
Jiang Si said, "My dear niece, he hung up on you four times, and I hung up on him back four times for you."
As an aunt, she was very protective of her own, so as a dutiful niece, she had to respect her elders in the same way!
Fighting Xia Renyao will be no easy task.
Jiang Miaomiao suddenly felt, "I really got ripped off by the beef hotpot you treated me to at noon."
Jiang Si replied, "Isn't it said that the marketplace is like a battlefield? How can you grow stronger if you don't devour more market merchants?"
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