Chapter 173: 167 The Ying Family’s True and False Thousand Gold [3rd Update]

The name Ying Luwei immediately drew the attention of everyone else.

Fu Yunshen was still leaning casually against the counter, and he glanced over when he heard the name.

The peach blossom eyes were misty with a light gleam, profound and captivating.

He then withdrew his gaze and looked down to sweep over his phone screen.

On the screen was a text message that had just been sent.

[Young Master, the Jiang Family has already announced the annulment of the engagement throughout Shanghai City.]

Xiu Yu was talking about the same thing, and she clicked her tongue, “I thought Jiang Moyuan was such a deeply affectionate man, but it turns out this really confirms the old saying ‘A couple in the same forest flies separately when disaster strikes’.”

“Tsk.” Jiang Ran snorted with laughter, “Then you all have been really fooled by his superficial charade, if he could be that old woman’s son, he was born to be a heartless and ungrateful man.”

Not to mention the younger brother, even Xiu Yu was hearing Jiang Ran mention the Jiang Family’s affairs for the first time: “Are you talking about the woman your grandfather married not long after your grandmother passed away?”

Old Master Jiang had three wives, which was quite ordinary among wealthy families.

The first wife was a beauty with a short life, who died of illness shortly after marrying into the Jiang Family without leaving any children.

The second wife was Jiang Huaping’s mother, but she also passed away when Jiang Huaping was in her teens.

By the time Old Master Jiang married his third wife, he was already over forty, while the third wife was not yet twenty.

This third wife, who is now the Old Madam Jiang, gave birth to Jiang Moyuan.

“Nothing but a vixen.” Jiang Ran spoke with an underlying irritation, “Otherwise, my grandmother would not have died.”

Xiu Yu sensibly did not continue to inquire.

After all, neither Jiang Ran nor Jiang Huaping were under the control of the Jiang Family now.

With their influence in the capital, they could crush several Jiang Families with ease.

It was thought that today’s celebration banquet would be quite peaceful.

But to everyone’s surprise, a fight broke out again over a seat next to Ying Zijin.

“Get lost, you fluffy blond Westerner.” Sheng Qingtang resolutely blocked Berg, trying to squeeze into the spot, “All of you have body odor, it’s no use spraying cologne, don’t stink up the place.”

“Old playful child, fart!” Berg was furious, “You’re all old bones, can’t even chew meat properly, what are you competing with me for?”

“Hey, sorry.” Sheng Qingtang grinned, showing his teeth, “I just had some new teeth fitted recently.”

Ying Zijin: “…”

Class 19: “…”

What, is this a game of musical chairs?

Old Master Zhong breathed a sigh of relief, pleased.

Thankfully, he didn’t need to fight for a spot, his granddaughter had reserved one for him.

In the end, Sheng Qingtang and Berg got in each other’s way, and the seat was left vacant.

“Hm?” After Fu Yunshen finished giving his orders to the waiter, he saw an empty seat beside the girl, “Yaoyao reserved a seat for me? Brother is quite touched.”

“No.” Ying Zijin, resting her chin in her hand, spoke indifferently, “Didn’t you see your chair has been taken away?”

Fu Yunshen slowly looked down to find his chair being carried away by Sheng Qingtang: “…”

Fine.

He shouldn’t have expected the kid not to say heartless things.

“Old playful child, it’s all your fault!” Berg was livid, “If it weren’t for you, I could have sat over there.”

“I don’t care, if I can’t sit, you shouldn’t think about it either.” Sheng Qingtang put down the chair and sat down next to Berg, “I’m going to watch you.”

“I think it’s better this way, you two stop arguing.” Zhuo Lanhan was also helpless, “Since the young lady can handle it, let’s all join in.”

Sheng Qingtang glared, “How can that be acceptable?”

“Fine, fine, fine!” Berg, however, was happy, “I brought with me the honorary professor appointment certificate from the Royal Academy of Arts, just one signature from Master Ying will do.”

On someone else’s turf, he couldn’t win the fight.

Sheng Qingtang only wished he had brought a watermelon with him, to bash it over Berg’s head.

**

While a group of people joyfully celebrated for Ying Zijin at Han Pavilion, Zhong Manhua had already been sitting desolately in the old residence of the Ying Family for an entire day, her expression distracted and confused.

This shock had taken a toll on her mental state again, making her see hallucinations just like sixteen years ago.

Luckily, she had spare medication, and after taking a few pills, she managed to calm her emotions down slightly.

Struggling to restrain her inner fury, Zhong Manhua demanded, “Has she not returned yet?”

“Madam, Miss Luwei is already on her way back,” the butler said, having been on tenterhooks all day, “The last couple of days have been hard on her as well.”

Zhong Manhua wanted to scoff.

Hard on her?

Wasn’t it all self-inflicted?

“Call her again.” Zhong Manhua ordered coldly, “I want to see her before six.”

The butler hurriedly complied, “Yes.”

At 5:56 pm, Ying Luwei returned.

She was in no mood to exchange pleasantries with Zhong Manhua, her expression cold, “Sister-in-law, what do you want? I have things to do, and I’m short on time.”

As soon as Ying Luwei finished speaking,

“Clang!”

A vase flew toward her and shattered just an inch away from her foot, its fragments grazing her neck as they flew past.

Ying Luwei was startled and, even more so, furious: “Sister-in-law, if you’re having an episode, I’ll call a doctor for you. Did you call me back just to direct your temper at me?”

Ever since she was a child, she had been pampered by all the elders of the Four major noble families. Who would dare to bully her like this?

“Ying Luwei, I honestly want to kill you!” Zhong Manhua’s voice was almost bloody with tears, her eyes also bright red, “Your brother and I have treated you well, how could you do such a thing? How can you live with yourself?!”

Ying Luwei’s heart skipped a beat. She had a bad feeling and forced a smile, “Sister-in-law, what are you talking about? When have I ever wronged you and my brother?”

“See for yourself!” Zhong Manhua stood up and slammed the letter on her face, “Why did you steal and abandon my daughter 16 years ago?!”

Boom!

That one sentence, like a bolt of lightning, instantly left Ying Luwei’s mind completely blank.

She widened her eyes as pieces of paper rained down from above her, her blood freezing in her veins.

Impossible.

How could Zhong Manhua know about this?!

The butler was also shocked: “Miss Luwei?”

“16 years ago, you were only eight years old, eight years old!” Zhong Manhua cried out, “How old was she at that time? Not even one year old. How could you be so cruel to steal away and abandon your own blood relative?”

“No… No!” Ying Luwei began to tremble all over, her voice faltering, “It’s got nothing to do with me, it wasn’t me, she crawled out on her own!”

“Right, exactly, she crawled out on her own, what has that got to do with me?”

Zhong Manhua trembled with rage: “The evidence is conclusive, and you still defend yourself?”

Ying Luwei stared fixedly at the three names on a piece of paper, her nerves breaking down again: “It wasn’t me, I said it wasn’t me!”

Suddenly, she screamed, pushed open the door, and ran away.

The butler turned sharply: “Madam?”

Zhong Manhua simply waved her hand, looking very tired: “Wait for Zhenting to come back.”

The butler hesitated: “But if the Old Madam finds out about this, then—”

His words were interrupted by the ring of a phone.

It was the landline.

Zhong Manhua showed no intention of answering, so the butler stepped forward to pick it up: “Hello? What?!”

He turned pale and turned back: “Madam, it’s the person who sent the letters.”

Zhong Manhua finally reacted and stood up quickly: “Hello? What on earth do you want?”

“We don’t want anything.” The voice on the phone was neutral, “We’re just kindly helping you find out what you couldn’t.”

That one line made Zhong Manhua’s face turn red.

If she said she couldn’t find out, that would be impossible.

But the Ying Family stopped searching after only two years.

Because by that time, the Ying Family had a new young mistress.

“Really, that’s it?” Zhong Manhua was skeptical, “Don’t you want to gain something from the Ying Family?”

“Tch.” As if hearing something amusing, the voice on the phone chuckled, “To give us benefits, the Ying Family isn’t worthy. But I am quite curious.”

“How does the Ying Family plan to handle this? Not going to give Miss Zijin an explanation?”

“What nonsense are you talking about? Yes, the Ying Family lost their young mistress, but we found her very quickly afterward. We just didn’t know who lost her,” Zhong Manhua struggled to control her quivering voice, “Zijin is my adopted daughter; it has nothing to do with what happened 16 years ago, don’t go spreading rumors.”

There was a pause on the other end of the phone before laughing again, this time colder: “Very well, that’s Madam Ying’s choice.”

“I hope you won’t regret it.”

**

Elsewhere.

Ying Luwei arrived back at her apartment and then saw the tweet from Jiang Corporation about dissolving the engagement.

In an instant, fear, anxiety, humiliation, and all other emotions surged to her head along with her blood.

Yet, Ying Luwei’s expression remained eerily calm.

She took out her phone and dialed a number: “Hello, it’s me. I don’t want her hand anymore, I want her life.”

**

At eight o’clock.

A group of people had just left Han Pavilion.

Berg, holding the qualification certificate signed by Ying Zijin, was beaming with joy.

“Little Divine Doctor, why did you agree to him?” Sheng Qingtang lamented, “I’m telling you, those people from the Royal Academy are no good.”

“It’s fine.” Ying Zijin yawned, “I don’t have to do anything, anyway.”

Just a signature.

Sheng Qingtang sighed heavily and was about to say something more when,

a large truck, speeding at an incredibly fast rate, headed straight for the girl.