Chapter 40

Jiang Yu wore a thoughtful expression and saw someone familiar walking toward them. She asked, “Jiang Zhe, can I get involved in this matter?”

“You are my wife, and there’s nothing you can’t interfere with.”

“But your dad has been hospitalized! What if something happens to him?”

Jiang Zhe replied, “It’s okay. If anything happens, I’ll take responsibility.”

With Jiang Zhe’s reassurance, Jiang Yu felt more at ease and pulled him back to his father’s hospital room.

Once they entered, Jiang Siyu and her husband also arrived.

At that moment, Jiang Zhe’s father didn’t want to see them at all and said with disdain, “What are you doing here?”

Jiang Yu held Jiang Zhe’s hand to comfort him and smiled at Jiang Chen, saying, “Dad, I just talked to Jiang Zhe, and he agreed to help my sister. After all, we are family, and my sister and brother-in-law are in trouble right now; we should really lend a hand.”

Jiang Chen’s expression softened a bit.

Jiang Siyu was also surprised that Jiang Yu could persuade Jiang Zhe, and her expression became less hostile.

Lin Mu didn’t expect Jiang Yu to help convince Jiang Zhe. If Jiang Zhe was willing to help now, there was still a chance, so he immediately expressed his gratitude, saying, “Thank you, sister-in-law.”

Jiang Zhe’s expression was not good. He felt a bit confused about what Jiang Yu was trying to achieve.

However, he was willing to cooperate with her and remained silent next to her.

Since the company was facing problems, Jiang Siyu now looked much more haggard and wasn’t as arrogant as when Jiang Yu had seen her before.

Jiang Yu glanced at the couple and said, “You don’t need to thank me so quickly; I haven’t finished speaking yet.”

“If you want Jiang Zhe to contribute money and effort, you can’t expect him to do everything for nothing. There are bank loans that require interest and collateral. If Jiang Zhe contributes financially, you must offer something in return.”

Jiang Siyu immediately pointed at Jiang Yu and angrily shouted, “I knew you had bad intentions! You’re trying to take advantage of us, aren’t you?”

Jiang Zhe quickly pulled Jiang Yu behind him.

Seeing Jiang Zhe protect her, Jiang Yu felt warm inside. She patted his hand, stepped out from behind him, and smiled, saying, “Sister, brother-in-law, Jiang Zhe is not doing well either. We have our own family and children. When your child was born, Dad gave you a lot of money. When Jiang Zhe needed money to study abroad, Dad gave you money too. We don’t have anything! Jiang Zhe paid for our wedding by himself; he is the only one supporting our family. All the daily expenses, the baby’s formula, and future education costs are all on Jiang Zhe’s shoulders. If he gives you money for nothing, who will support our child? You? Or Lin Sicheng? Anyone can try to take advantage of someone else, but I can do it too. I just have a better conscience than you.”

“Jiang Zhe is willing to endure your demands because he feels guilty towards you, but does he really owe you anything? His birth was not his choice.”

Jiang Zhe’s past, which Wei Cheng had shared with Jiang Yu, made her more resolute.

Jiang Siyu’s face turned pale, and she trembled as she pointed at them, saying, “I know you don’t want to help. Do you really need to make sarcastic comments here?”

Jiang Yu smiled and replied, “Isn’t it you who pressured Dad to put pressure on Jiang Zhe? Earning money is just for your own small family, right? If we help your family, will you feel grateful? You won’t. So what will happen to us later? Sister, I call you ‘sister’ only for Jiang Zhe’s sake. I’ve already given you a plan; if you don’t want to accept it, then we have no choice.”

Jiang Chen didn’t expect his daughter-in-law to have such ulterior motives, and he immediately shouted angrily, “Get out! I don’t want to see you! Jiang Zhe, you’re an ungrateful wolf! You shouldn’t have been born! And you, Jiang Yu, you’re not a good person either, instigating Jiang Zhe to stand by and do nothing!”

Jiang Yu replied, “Dad, if the feelings were in place, Jiang Zhe would help on his own without me saying anything. His refusal might mean he doesn’t have a good relationship with his sister. If you care about her, you can find a way yourself. You have your own retirement funds, and with so many students, every little bit counts; helping her is better than nothing.”

“Get out!”

Jiang Chen stood up, clutching his chest and gasping for breath.

Jiang Siyu hurried over to support him, patting his back and trying to calm him down, saying, “Dad, please don’t get so agitated.”

At that moment, Shen Qiuli, who had been silent, finally spoke up, “Jiang Chen, what Jiang Yu said isn’t wrong. They have small children and many expenses. As business people, Siyu and her husband have a wide network and will find a way.”

Jiang Chen pointed at Shen Qiuli and shouted, “You get out too!”

She was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly smiled and said, “Fine, I’ll leave. You can stay here in the hospital. I won’t be coming tomorrow or the day after.”

Taking a deep breath to hold back her tears, Shen Qiuli grabbed her bag and left the room.

She walked away slowly, her back displaying a coldness and determination she had never shown before.

Jiang Yu felt she had said everything she needed to say, so she took Jiang Zhe’s hand and said, “Let’s go.”

As soon as they left, the hospital room felt immediately empty.

Jiang Chen sat there dazed, unsure of what he was thinking.

Just as Jiang Yu and Jiang Zhe stepped out of the room, they ran into Lin Sicheng. Seeing them, Lin Sicheng looked at Jiang Zhe with a mixture of unfamiliarity and disbelief in his eyes. “Uncle, I used to admire you, but I never expected you would do this for a woman like her…”

Jiang Yu thought it was a good idea for “Jiang Yu” to make Jiang Zhe dislike Lin Sicheng. Otherwise, he always appeared, getting in the way.

Jiang Yu smiled and said, “If I were you, I would admire him too. After all, who wouldn’t like a sucker like him?”

Lin Sicheng pointed angrily at Jiang Yu, saying, “What nonsense are you talking about?”

Jiang Zhe pushed Lin Sicheng’s hand away, his expression icy. “This is my decision, and it has nothing to do with her.”

He then took Jiang Yu’s hand and left without looking back.

All the way to the car, Jiang Zhe remained silent, and seeing him so quiet made Jiang Yu feel a little uneasy. She asked, “Um, Jiang Zhe, are you… upset?”

Hearing her voice, Jiang Zhe glanced over and shook his head. “No.”

“But you seem a bit unhappy.”

Sitting in the car without driving felt off to her.

Jiang Zhe turned to look at her.

Jiang Yu also looked back at him, but he just quietly stared without saying anything. This made Jiang Yu feel a bit uneasy, almost as if she had done something wrong.

“Did I say something wrong earlier?” Jiang Yu began to doubt whether she had overstepped. Was Jiang Zhe like other men who say everything is fine but actually don’t follow through?

“Jiang Yu, thank you.”

His sudden gratitude made Jiang Yu finally relax, and she was surprised. “Why are you thanking me?”

“This should have been a family matter, but you took on the responsibility for me.” Jiang Zhe felt a mix of emotions; apart from his grandparents, it was the first time someone stood up for him like this.

He even understood her motivation for helping him.

She didn’t want him to face such immense pressure alone.

For many years, Jiang Zhe had dealt with everything on his own, but for the first time, someone wanted to share that burden with him.

She didn’t have to do this.

Jiang Yu looked out the window, feeling a bit awkward as she tucked her hair behind her ear to cover her discomfort.

“Well, isn’t it because we’re family? You said I could get involved in this matter.”

When Jiang Zhe heard her mention family, he paused for a moment before nodding. “Right, we are family.”

“Not just in this matter, you can let me get involved in other things in the future too.”

At this point, Jiang Yu sounded a bit resentful. “I want to help with your issues, but when I asked you that day, you said you could handle it yourself.”

Her voice unintentionally carried a hint of reproach.

Jiang Zhe didn’t tell her it was because he didn’t want family problems to affect him, but ultimately, they still did.

He took the initiative to apologize. “I shouldn’t have handled this alone. I’m sorry. I’ll tell you if something comes up in the future.”

Then he paused and asked, “How did you find out about my time abroad?”

Jiang Yu didn’t expect him to hold her accountable. Should she tell him about Wei Cheng? She felt it was better not to betray him.

“Grandma told me.”

“But Grandma doesn’t know about that.”

Jiang Yu stared at him in surprise.

“I went abroad later by earning money from programming and with a scholarship, but I didn’t want them to know, so I never mentioned it. I guess it was Wei Cheng who told you.”

Jiang Yu had to admit, “Yes, he mentioned it. He wanted me to persuade you not to do anything foolish.”

Jiang Zhe nodded. “He’s worried that if I help the Lin family, it might affect me.”

Jiang Yu asked, “Will it affect you?”

Jiang Zhe nodded. “Yes.”

“If it weren’t for me and the child, would you choose to help?”

“Mm.”

“Because it doesn’t matter; the company is just a job to me.”

Jiang Yu asked, “What about now?”

Jiang Zhe smiled. “Because I have you two, it matters now. After all, the child will have many expenses in the future.”

Jiang Yu sighed. “Honestly, when Wei Cheng said you might help them, I thought you would step in. I didn’t expect you to refuse. I was just worried that facing all this alone would weigh heavily on you, especially since your dad said he wanted to cut ties with you. That must be really tough for you.” This was also her reason for bringing him back to the hospital.

As Jiang Zhe started the engine and drove home, he said, “Actually, I don’t care as much now because I have you both.”