Chapter 17

“I-I’m sorry…”

Jiang Yage truly hadn’t expected that her well-intentioned rescue of Wang Xiao would instead worsen his injuries, even though she’d followed all the instructions she’d found online.

Pearl-like tears welled up in her eyes, trailing down her pale cheeks, making her appear even more pitiful. The Wang Xiao from just a day ago would have been heartbroken seeing his sunshine like this. But the current Wang Xiao could only think about how his left hand might be permanently disabled. Seeing the perpetrator acting more aggrieved than himself, hatred surged uncontrollably within him.

His vicious expression resembled a man-eating Evil Spirit, so terrifying that Jiang Yage felt chills run down her spine, instinctively shrinking back. She’d never seen such a horrifying look on Wang Xiao’s face before.

“I really didn’t mean to, I just wanted to help you,” the frightened girl stammered between sobs, even hiccuping once, appearing utterly pitiful.

Fang Junrong deliberately feigned surprise. “Yage, why are you apologizing to him for no reason? You kindly brought him to the hospital, and he dares to take his anger out on you? The one who worsened Wang Xiao’s injuries was whoever did that terrible bandaging—it’s not your fault.”

She put on an act of standing up for Jiang Yage.

Wang Xiao glared at Jiang Yage with eyes that seemed to spit fire. “You… you bitch!”

“You’ve been doing this on purpose all along, haven’t you?”

“You deliberately kept me in your room just to delay my treatment.”

The more Wang Xiao thought about it, the more convinced he became. No normal woman would encounter a dangerous man with gunshot wounds on the street and show no fear, even taking him in. She must have been sent by his enemies, using her harmless appearance to deceive him and worsen his injuries.

To think that after a lifetime of shrewdness, he’d be ruined by this woman.

His rage burned away all reason, his eyes nearly bulging from their sockets as he struggled to lunge at her. But between his fever and overall weakness, the movement only aggravated his wounds, twisting his expression further in pain.

Jiang Yage retreated several steps, terrified by his Evil Spirit-like expression. Unable to bear it any longer, she turned and fled the hospital room.

Fang Junrong kindly pressed the call button for Wang Xiao to summon a doctor before leaving the room. Tonight’s drama had been truly spectacular—if in their past life Wang Xiao had treated Jiang Yage as a goddess, in this life they would likely be mortal enemies. Given Wang Xiao’s vindictive nature, who knew what troubles Jiang Yage would face now that she’d made such an enemy.

Remembering how she and Xinjun had suffered in their past life, Fang Junrong couldn’t help but wish these two would fight even more viciously. In her opinion, Wang Xiao bore half the responsibility for his injuries. Jiang Yage lacked medical knowledge, so treating gunshot wounds like ordinary injuries was understandable. But Wang Xiao? He actually trusted a complete stranger with his life. Other than lust clouding his judgment, she could think of no other explanation. Yet Wang Xiao would never blame himself—he’d push all responsibility onto Jiang Yage.

When she found Jiang Yage, the girl was still silently weeping, her face full of sorrow and pain.

Fang Junrong asked, “Wang Xiao said you kept him in your room for several days, deliberately delaying treatment for his wounds. Is that true?”

Her tone turned stern, “There are more people living in this house than just you. Have you ever considered the safety of others? Or do all of us combined mean less to you than a complete stranger?”

Jiang Yage shook her head desperately, “No! I just wanted to help him. I thought he was a good person at the time.”

Fang Junrong countered, “If you really wanted to help him, why didn’t you send him to the hospital earlier?”

Jiang Yage was left speechless. She couldn’t very well say she was afraid Fang Junrong would send Wang Xiao to the police if she saw him. How was she to know that Fang Junrong actually knew Wang Xiao?

Recalling the hatred-filled look in Wang Xiao’s eyes, a chill ran down her spine. What should she do? It seemed she had offended a very dangerous person.

She comforted herself: It’s fine. She’s now the adopted daughter of the Li family, no longer that ordinary person without connections. If Wang Xiao tried to retaliate against her, he’d be offending the Li family. Despite this reassurance, she remained uneasy, reminding herself to be extra careful from now on.

…

A few days later, Fang Junrong called the hospital to inquire about Wang Xiao’s condition and learned that he had successfully undergone surgery. Although his left hand was saved, the removal of some tissue meant it would likely never be as dexterous as before.

Fang Junrong sighed in regret—Jiang Yage hadn’t caused enough harm.

She knew a thing or two about Wang Xiao’s temperament, aware that he held grudges and was prone to ruining lives over the slightest offense. The current Wang Xiao wasn’t yet the influential figure who could command the winds and rains in S City in his later years, so his means should still be limited.

Still, to be safe, Fang Junrong hired several skilled bodyguards to protect herself and her daughter. After a moment’s thought, she also assigned two to her adopted daughter Zhong Yi. As for everyone else’s safety—what did that have to do with her?

Li Shize and Li Wangjin adored Jiang Yage so much; surely they’d be more than willing to deal with the trouble she brought. Jiang Yage seemed to have sensed the danger too, staying obediently at home these past few days, not daring to step outside.

As expected, Wang Xiao wasn’t one to swallow his grievances. Unable to find Jiang Yage, he targeted the company instead—after all, Jiang Yage was publicly known as the Li family’s adopted daughter.

The current Wang Xiao hadn’t yet grown bold enough to openly provoke the Li family, so his retaliation took the form of underhanded, disgusting acts.

For instance, the company’s entrance was splattered with feces, Li Wangjin’s newly bought luxury car was scratched, and he was drenched in slops while attending a banquet. With such incidents happening one after another in just a few days, even a fool could tell someone was targeting him. Fuming, Li Wangjin reported to the police and hired investigators, but to no avail.

He could only complain to Fang Junrong and ask for her help. Though reluctant to admit it, Fang Junrong’s connections were indeed stronger than his. After all, the Fang family had established itself decades ago, unlike the Li family, which was still a newcomer in the business world.

Fang Junrong was well aware that this matter was related to Wang Xiao, but seeing Li Wangjin in trouble only brought her joy—why would she ever help him? Wang Xiao’s persistent targeting of Li Wangjin was likely due to the latter’s doting on Jiang Yage. Since she had been keeping tabs on Wang Xiao, she had also instructed someone to record footage of Wang Xiao’s subordinates harassing Li Wangjin, keeping it as potential evidence for future use.

She eyed Li Wangjin with suspicion. “Did you offend someone outside? Otherwise, why would only you in our family be targeted?”

Li Wangjin replied without hesitation, “Impossible. I’ve always been on good terms with everyone.”

Fang Junrong said, “You must have inadvertently hurt someone. Otherwise, why would they single you out? Think carefully—do you have any suspects? Otherwise, I have no leads to help you.”

Li Wangjin had sought out his wife to ask for her connections and assistance, not to be interrogated like a criminal with endless questions and an accusatory undertone. He swallowed his frustration, unable to vent his anger at Fang Junrong.

As for enemies, given the scale of the Li family’s business, there were bound to be some. But without concrete evidence, he couldn’t confront any of them.

Feeling stifled, he sought comfort from Wen Sixian. Wen Sixian, in turn, put in all her effort to become Li Wangjin’s soothing refuge. Under the influence of alcohol, the two drank until they ended up in bed.

Fang Junrong, who had long installed surveillance in that house, naturally obtained the first-hand high-definition footage. With her daughter’s birthday still a week away, it seemed highly likely she could finalize the divorce before then.

She lowered her eyelids, feeling no sorrow or anger at the disgusting scene—only the relief of the other shoe finally dropping.

She replayed the footage repeatedly, a satisfied smile curling at her lips.

Hmm, it was time to send this video to Sun Mei, who was so eager to dig up dirt. Surely, Sun Mei wouldn’t disappoint her expectations. After all, Fang Junrong was known in their circle as a virtuous and kind wife, full of trust in her husband—certainly not the type to actively monitor his actions.

…

Since the banquet, Sun Mei had spent a fortune hiring private investigators to tail Li Wangjin. She was well aware of his recent misfortunes and had secretly relished his misery.

But for her, the most important thing was to get dirt on Li Wangjin—not only to humiliate this pretentious man but also to shatter Fang Junrong’s laughable trust in her husband. Hah, with her woman’s intuition, she had long sensed there was something between Li Wangjin and that woman.

She had expected this to be a drawn-out battle, but the situation progressed faster than she imagined.

When she received the photos from the private investigators of Li Wangjin sneaking off to meet Wen Sixian, she nearly burst out laughing.

But it wasn’t enough… There were only photos of them embracing at the door, nothing more substantial. With Li Wangjin’s shamelessness, he’d probably claim it was just a friendly hug between ordinary friends—that’s how hypocritical he was.

Hah, men!

Sun Mei mentally spat in his face.

Maybe she should find a way to install surveillance inside the house?

Before she could act on her thoughts, the private detective sent new materials within two hours—a speed well worth the price she had paid.  

When she saw the shockingly explicit video, Sun Mei was stunned.  

The footage was so clear that she could even make out the birthmark on Li Wangjin’s body—exactly what she needed. She couldn’t care less how the private detective had obtained it.  

Her face flushed red with overwhelming excitement. She immediately canceled her afternoon plans and, in her elation, transferred an extra 200,000 yuan to the detective. Clutching the USB drive, she called Fang Junrong, her voice booming with confidence and superiority.  

“Jun Rong? There’s something I need to tell you.”  

“You’d better brace yourself—don’t take it too hard.”