Chapter 18
Chapter 18
No one expected Jiang Mingyue to react this way, and an awkward silence fell over the room.
Jiang Mingyue maintained her non-aggressive posture and spoke clearly and calmly: "I only have five eggs, one green pepper, and a bunch of spinach left at home. Tonight I'm going to make a shrimp and spinach soup with a green pepper and egg stir-fry sauce to use as a noodle dish. I really don't have any extra dishes to serve the guests."
"Mr. Han and Ms. Wang have illegally investigated my personal information and they have my contact information. If needed, Ms. Wang would have contacted me. However, since she brought reporters and cameramen here without notifying me in advance, it is clear that she does not consider me someone who needs to be notified."
“Ms. Han, I’m not like you. Your mother is healthy, so you don’t care how my mother feels about having a group of strangers in the house. But I have to worry about whether my mother’s emotional ups and downs will affect her condition. Please don’t make things difficult for me.”
Jiang Mingyue's words mercilessly tore off the hypocritical mask of the Han family. Han Jialan couldn't help but shake her head vigorously, acting like a pitiful heroine who had been misunderstood, and hurriedly retorted: "No, that's not how it is, you've misunderstood us."
That's more like it; we should let the other person explain, instead of explaining it ourselves.
Jiang Mingyue remained kneeling, but asked, "If you don't want to hurt me, can you get up from the ground? You brought people here specifically to record this, and when I told you to leave, you knelt down. It really makes me worried that you want to harm me."
Han Jialan was speechless again, kneeling on the ground with her face flushed red.
"Miss Han, aren't you going to get up? My knees are hurting from kneeling." Jiang Mingyue emphasized again, pointing to the camera to remind her, "It's filming."
Han Jialan finally managed to get up from the ground.
Jiang Mingyue stood up and gestured for her to leave: "Ms. Han, you just said I misunderstood you. You can start explaining now. You have... well, I can give you seven more minutes."
Jiang Mingyue's speech was so well-organized that Han Jialan was no match for her quick wit and had completely lost control of the conversation.
Han Jialan opened her mouth several times, wanting to say something else, but in the end, under Jiang Mingyue's watchful gaze, she could only say dryly, "We don't mean any harm. Also, you are your parents' biological daughter. Your mother is just concerned about you. Don't be so sharp."
“Mr. Han and Ms. Wang confirmed my identity as their biological daughter through illegal means. I am a law-abiding citizen, and I insist on procedural justice.” Jiang Mingyue stood up and patted her knees.
She turned to look at Wang Mei standing at the door, who, as expected, wished she could disappear into the ground because of the repeated mentions of the "illegality" issue.
Jiang Mingyue smiled, her eyes firm, and said, "For the sake of them being my biological parents, I won't call the police for their illegal means. But I don't want to have anything to do with lawless people, so I'll just continue to be a stranger to the Han family from now on. Please don't bother me anymore."
Han Jialan hurriedly retorted, "No, your parents just want to give you a better life. Why don't you move back with your mother?"
Jiang Mingyue's smile turned sarcastic: "Miss Han, you probably grew up in that kind of environment, which is why you don't think there's anything wrong with accepting a business marriage as a pawn of your family and seeking benefits for the man who will inherit the family business."
Jiang Mingyue clapped her hands, bypassed Han Jialan, and went into the kitchen to start chopping green peppers. Her eyes were completely focused on the green peppers. She cut the green peppers open with one stroke and pulled out the core.
The sunlight from the setting sun was reflected off the back of the knife and into Han Jialan's eyes, stinging them painfully.
“I do need money, but I have no intention of selling my love or body for it. If you have nothing else to explain, then you can leave. I need to start making dinner, or my mother will be back.” Jiang Mingyue stopped talking and left everyone with only her back to them, focused on chopping vegetables.
"Sizzle—" The eggs were dropped into the hot oil, and the old range hood immediately followed with the hum of the fan turning.
Wang Mei, having finally lost enough face, quickly grabbed Han Jialan's wrist and pulled her out of the room.
*
The door closed in front of Han Jialan, who stood on the landing of the stairs, covered her eyes, and sobbed softly, "Mom, did I do something wrong? Did I cause you trouble again?"
The waterproof mascara held up against the tears, but the lack of sleep caused the blue concealer and setting powder to wash off, leaving a patchy mess under the eyes.
Wang Mei is a wealthy woman who has always been very concerned about her image.
She quickly took out makeup remover wipes from her bag, stuffed them into Han Jialan's hand, and said anxiously, "Wipe your eyes clean, they look terrible—please stop taking pictures."
The reporter shrugged, gave the cameraman a look, and seemed to be putting the lens cap on.
Han Jialan felt even more upset.
Jiang Mingyue was so offensive to her mother, but her mother didn't scold her. She only cried and ruined her makeup, but her mother complained that she wasn't dignified enough.
Han Jialan felt even more uncomfortable.
Han Jialan grabbed a makeup remover wipe, turned around, took out a small mirror, wiped off the remaining makeup, and when she turned back, the previously clear bone structure had become blurry...
The reporter and the cameraman couldn't help but exchange another glance, their expressions somewhat strange.
Wang Mei simply reached out and demanded, "Give me the memory card."
The cameraman turned his attention directly to the reporter, making it clear that in their partnership, the reporter had the final say.
The reporter chuckled a few times and said slickly, "Ms. Wang, we have the right to freedom of interview."
Wang Mei no longer showed the weakness and guilt she had when facing Jiang Mingyue, and answered matter-of-factly: "If you want to keep your current situation, give me the card."
Although they were doing things that only paparazzi do, they both actually have legitimate jobs.
Before the internet completely took over, a formal job was a good safety net for entertainment news reporters whose jobs were not very stable.
The reporter and cameraman immediately stopped laughing.
Wang Mei pulled a bulging brown paper bag from her bag, held it up to the cameraman, and repeated: "Memory card."
"Let's give it to her," the cameraman said before the reporter could speak, taking the memory card out of the camera and tossing it to Han Jialan. He then grabbed the brown paper bag in front of him and quickly stuffed it into his backpack.
"Hey, there are only fifty or sixty thousand here at most, that's too little!" The reporter hurriedly grabbed the memory card.
The cameraman grabbed the reporter's shoulder, stopping him from moving, and pushed him out of the stairwell, repeatedly saying, "That's enough, let's go."
After watching the reporters and cameramen drive away with a cold expression, Wang Mei took Han Jialan back to her own car and drove away.
Neither the mother nor the daughter noticed that after circling around outside, the reporter and cameraman returned to the community and knocked on Jiang Mingyue's door again.
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