Chapter 156 Preparing to Do Something Wrong
"...It's a sequela of the abdominal surgery you had years ago, don't be afraid."
A weak, breathy sound slowly rang in her ears.
"Xiao Mao, I can fake being sick, but I can't actually be sick, do you understand?"
"Among those who came today, there are friends of the Chiang family as well as their arch-enemies. I cannot afford to fall here, or at least not now."
Tu Yao gripped her wrist tightly and whispered, "I understand."
Madam Chiang could feign illness in front of the Chiang family, but even the Chiang family understood that she could never show weakness in public.
So even though she was in so much pain that she was covered in cold sweat, she still sat upright, like a pine tree sitting steadily in her seat.
"...But Xiao Mao, I think I can't hold on much longer."
But she chose to confidently show weakness in front of Tu Yao.
For a moment, Tu Yao felt a little sore.
She gently stroked the old woman's withered hand. This elderly woman, who held such a high position, was just as vulnerable as anyone else in the world.
The only difference is that she has no one to rely on anymore.
After a two-second silence, Tu Yao looked up again, "...Then do you believe me?"
Madam Jiang gazed quietly at the girl, her bright pupils reflecting her weak smile:
"...I trust you as much as I trust my daughter."
Tu Yao said softly, "Then I will protect you just like your daughter."
Just a second before, she had made the Chiang family believe that Madam Chiang was a weak patient.
A second later, she needed others to remain unaware of Madam Jiang's frail health.
However, given the old lady's current condition, she would almost always give herself away if anyone got too close to her.
Tu Yao said seriously, "So we need to find a target."
She took a deep breath. "I am the target."
At the top of the stairs on the second floor, just as other guests were preparing to go upstairs to greet Madam Jiang, a group of Jiang family members came from the other side to check on the old lady's condition again.
Then they saw the girl sitting next to her suddenly stand up and walk straight downstairs towards them.
Before they could speak, Tu Yao looked at the first man, who was dressed in a suit and slightly overweight.
He tilted his head slightly and said in a serious tone, "Uncle Jiang Peng was burning incense in the second-floor reception room just now, and the ash is quite thick. Please send someone to clean it up now so as not to affect the third floor."
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone was stunned.
This charity auction was organized by the Chiang family, so it was considered a family matter.
Madam Chiang always handled household affairs with remarkable composure, assigning tasks to almost every member of the Chiang family.
This middle-aged man is the oldest among the collateral branches of the Jiang family and is responsible for the maintenance of the exhibition hall.
So Tu Yao didn't choose the wrong person.
No... this isn't about whether I've found the wrong person or not. The problem is, what's with this country girl's tone?!
Was she giving him orders?!
The man instantly became angry, but before he could speak, Tu Yao had already looked at the second item: "Please give me a copy of the auction list."
Next was the third one. Tu Yao glanced around.
Almost everyone was drawn to what was happening here.
She continued, "The guests have almost all arrived. Please take them to the next hall and entertain them."
"After cleaning the second floor, take the person to the third floor."
After going around in circles like this, the Jiang family members turned green with embarrassment.
They're all shrewd people; how could they not tell that the tone was a command combined with an imperative?
How dare a mere village girl order them around?!
The old lady must be crazy! How much power has she been given?!
Jiang San was the first to speak up.
"What does the cigarette ash on the second floor have to do with the third floor? Are you deliberately trying to cause trouble?"
Tu Yao blurted out, "If you say so, then so be it."
His face immediately darkened. "Little girl, you're really taking this for granted!"
Tu Yao looked completely innocent: "...But it was the Grand Madam who instructed me. Today she wants to be a hands-off manager and asked me to assign tasks to you all and make you all listen to me."
"Listen to me!" The moment those four words were uttered, the entire hall instantly became tense!
Jiang San was the first to lose his temper and was about to step forward when he was immediately stopped by several people around him!
"Don't stop me! What does she mean by this?! Who exactly is a member of the Jiang family?!"
"Who does she think she is? Just a country bumpkin, trying to meddle with everything we do?!"
The guests watching from the sidelines found this scene amusing.
"Ha, where did the old lady find such a brave little girl?"
"A newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger. The old lady is quite capable. She taught him to be quick-witted and even knew how to use Jiang Peng's burning incense as an excuse. However, he was a bit impulsive."
"It's easier to discipline someone once their problems are exposed. I reckon the old lady brought them here on purpose to give them experience."
Turning our gaze to the other side, we see Madam Jiang sitting upright in the main seat, seemingly oblivious to the commotion taking place here.
The guests smiled again, but how could they not have noticed?
"Look, they're arguing fiercely over here, while the old lady sits calmly over there like a mountain."
Some people made sarcastic remarks, saying, "He still has a lot of energy; at his age, he still has the mind to watch tigers fight."
No sooner had the man finished speaking than he saw Tu Yao suddenly glance over.
He smiled and said, "Uncles and elders, they don't listen to me very much yet, so let me entertain you."
"Temporarily?" The man laughed. "You mean they'll listen to you sooner or later?"
Tu Yao shrugged casually: "Maybe."
"Wow! What a boastful tone!"
Tu Yao said fearlessly, "Anyway, the old lady will teach me!"
The dozen or so gazes instantly became meaningful.
That's right. This little girl is acting all high and mighty because she has an old lady backing her up.
This child has obvious strengths: he is bold and fearless.
The shortcomings are also obvious: impulsiveness and arrogance.
Presumably, Madam Jiang will need to spend some time and effort teaching her.
Sigh, why are they worrying about this? The old lady must have considered her time and energy before choosing her.
A group of powerless and insignificant relatives and a young girl personally entrusted with power by Madam Jiang to gain experience—everyone knew who to cooperate with.
Immediately, someone smiled and said, "Alright, then you lead the way!"
Tu Yao then led everyone into the reception hall on the second floor.
Behind them, members of the Jiang family were all red with anger.
"What...what is she doing?!"
"This is a family matter! How dare the old lady let her interfere in even her own family affairs!"
In the reception hall, well-trained waiters stepped forward.
Tu Yao left in less than half a minute.
Looking at the dazzling crystal chandelier above me, I silently reviewed everything.
She had just used herself as a target to provoke conflict with the Chiang family, and now she had exposed her weaknesses.
To an uninformed outsider, the person she was chosen by the old lady was neither incompetent nor omnipotent.
Therefore, it still requires Madam Jiang's time and effort to train him.
Therefore, the signals they received indicated that the old lady must be healthy.
The Chiang family was different; they had already received signs that Madam Chiang was in poor health.
The more imposing she acted, the more seriously ill Madam Jiang was.
If they realize this, they might turn their anger towards the old lady.
Tu Yao let out a long breath, not daring to let her guard down.
Quickly push open the small door on the second floor.
At the top of the stairs on the second floor, the Jiang family members were all furious. With no outsiders around, they cursed and swore under their breath.
Jiang Peng happened to come over from the other side, and the group of people immediately swarmed forward as if they had found their backbone, and started cursing at each other.
Jiang Peng's eyes flashed with sarcasm after hearing this: "...You mean, this little girl knows how to use my burning incense and praying to Buddha as an excuse?"
"Yes! He does have a bit of cleverness."
Unlike others who are slow to react, Jiang Peng gets straight to the point.
Twirling the prayer beads in her hand, Ci smiled and said, "But the more eager she is to show off and act so aggressively, doesn't that just prove that the old lady is no good?"
As soon as he said that, everyone was stunned for a moment, and then seemed to come to their senses the next second.
Jiang San suddenly looked up at the third floor, "Yeah! That brat is so cocky, how sick must the old lady be?!"
"How could I not have thought of that!"
"Haha, I'll go take a look. Anyway, there's no one here now. It'll be even more convenient if the old lady unfortunately dies here."
Behind her, Tu Yao stared at the Buddhist prayer beads in Jiang Peng's hand, her eyes growing colder and colder.
"...Little father, I want to do something bad."
She recalled the Buddha statues that Jiang Peng had worshipped.
The police haven't been paying much attention to her lately, but Tu Yao still asked softly without much hope.
"Little father, is there really retribution for doing bad things?"
But in the very next second...
A mechanical voice suddenly sounded: "[...Yes.]"
Tu Yao pursed her lips. Is that so...?
"...It's okay, just report it to me, I'm willing to take responsibility."
The next second, the mechanical voice of the 110 emergency call carried a hint of arrogance and protectiveness:
But you don't need to be afraid.
Tu Yao was taken aback.
But she didn't have time to think about why she didn't need to be afraid. Across from her, a group of men in suits were preparing to go upstairs.
"stop!"
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