Chapter 48.2

A moment later, Jiang Yu received a bank transfer notification.

She looked at her phone and saw the amount: 13,140,000 yuan.

She counted the digits several times, then gave Jiang Zhe a thumbs up. “Now that’s what I call a meaningful gesture.”

Then she kissed Jiang Zhe.

Jiang Zhe was pleasantly surprised by her initiative and deepened the kiss.

Just as things were heating up and they were about to take things further, their little one woke up. Hearing the baby cry, Jiang Yu quickly pushed Jiang Zhe away and straightened her clothes. Jiang Zhe, feeling a bit helpless, shrugged and then picked up the baby to soothe her.

The New Year passed quickly. With so many people outside, they didn’t go out much. Jiang Zhe took care of the child most of the time, while Jiang Yu stayed home, eating, drinking, and sleeping. After the holidays, she stepped on the scale and realized she’d gained several pounds.

Feeling wronged, Jiang Yu immediately complained to Jiang Zhe, “I can’t believe I gained weight over the holidays! Every bit of extra weight is your fault.”

Jiang Zhe, fully cooperative with her accusation, smiled and said, “Alright, it’s all my fault. So what do you want to do about it?”

Jiang Yu said, “Your punishment is to take me shopping for clothes later.”

Glancing at the time, Jiang Yu added, “My mom should be almost done with her dancing downstairs. Once they get back, we can head out.”

An hour and a half later, Jiang Yu still hadn’t seen her mom return. With some trash that needed to be taken out, she volunteered, “I’ll take out the trash and see if my mom is back.”

Jiang Zhe agreed, “Alright.”

When Jiang Yu got downstairs, she saw her parents, Jiang Zhe’s mom, and… Jiang Zhe’s dad.

Seeing her stern and confident father-in-law there surprised Jiang Yu.

They were in the middle of a conversation.

Jiang Cheng sneered, “Shen Qiuli, I really didn’t expect this. How long has it been since we separated, and you’ve already found someone else? I thought you were still mad at me.”

Not only was Jiang Yu puzzled, but Mother Jiang and the others were also at a loss. “Didn’t you two already get divorced? Why are you still getting mad at her?”

Hearing Mother Jiang’s comment, Jiang Cheng’s face turned sour, and he scolded, “This is our family matter. It has nothing to do with you, right?”

Shen Qiuli hadn’t expected him to confront her either. Her expression soured as she said, “Jiang Cheng, they are Jiang Yu’s parents and my friends. Don’t talk to them like that. Besides, we have nothing to do with each other anymore.”

Since her divorce, Shen Qiuli had stopped being overly emotional, and Mother Jiang found her to be a decent person. Aside from taking care of the kids, they would also do some square dancing together in the evenings and get along well.

Seeing Shen Qiuli standing up for them, Mother Jiang felt triumphant and said, “What do you mean by ‘nothing to do with each other’? We’re in-laws and friends with Qiuli. If you want to talk about relationships, we’re closer. And you? You’re just an ex-husband that Qiuli doesn’t even want to see.”

Shen Qiuli truly did not want to see Jiang Cheng. Before he arrived, he had called her several times, and she had lost her patience and blocked him. Then he showed up.

Jiang Cheng, filled with rage and humiliation, shouted, “Shut up!”

He continued glaring at Shen Qiuli, asking, “What is your relationship with that man from just now?”

Looking at her ex-husband’s accusatory expression, Shen Qiuli found it ridiculous. “What relationship could we possibly have? We’re just friends. Besides, even if there is something, it has nothing to do with you. Jiang Cheng, stop obsessing over this. We’re truly divorced, and I have no regrets. You need to face reality. We were married for twenty years, and our son’s daughter is almost a year old now. Yet, I still have not received any respect from you. Our ending is a choice you made.”

Shen Qiuli had already told Jiang Cheng this over the phone many times, but this time, saying it to his face made a real impact. Most of Jiang Cheng’s life, people respected him, and he was unwilling to accept such an outcome. His anger surged, and he wanted to vent his frustration, but he had nowhere to direct it until he spotted Jiang Yu, who was watching them from a distance. Although he was about the same age as her grandmother, he still had plenty of spirit. Seeing Jiang Yu, he charged over and pointed at her, shouting, “It’s you! It’s you! If it weren’t for you, our family wouldn’t be falling apart. It’s all your fault!”

Perhaps he was too angry or had no other outlet for his frustration, so he took it out on Jiang Yu. This cultured old professor, who had been refined for half his life, raised his hand as if to hit her.

However, before he could make a move, Father Jiang was faster. He stepped in to block him and shouted, “What do you think you’re doing? You want to lay a hand on my daughter?”

Naturally, Jiang Cheng didn’t have the same strength as Father Jiang. With his hand caught and blocked, he couldn’t do anything to Jiang Yu. He could only shake with anger, pointing at her and saying, “You! I should never have let you marry into our family. You’ve turned our family upside down!”

Mother Jiang, standing by, was exasperated with this old man who only knew how to shift blame onto others. She rolled her eyes and said, “Right, right, you don’t respect your wife. You want your son to help your ex-wife’s daughter, and now your family is falling apart. You’re not at fault. It’s all someone else’s fault!”

As soon as Mother Jiang spoke, Jiang Cheng turned his ire toward them. “And you two! What kind of daughter did you raise? She drugged my son, and that’s why he married her! You uncultured people don’t deserve to be our in-laws. Hurry up and get that venomous daughter to divorce my son!”

At that moment, some onlookers gathered, and Mother Jiang noticed several familiar faces from the same building. She feared they would have a negative impression of Jiang Yu, so she attempted to explain but couldn’t refute the accusations.

After all, according to what they knew, Jiang Yu’s marriage to Jiang Zhe was far from honorable, so there had been no wedding ceremony.

Just then, Jiang Zhe’s voice rang out from behind them. “If you want to know why I married Jiang Yu, Dad, you should ask your beloved daughter instead of blaming Jiang Yu here.”

Everyone turned to see Jiang Zhe approaching.

Jiang Yu didn’t expect him to come down and asked in surprise, “How did you come down?”

Jiang Zhe smiled and replied, “Didn’t you say we were going to buy clothes? I didn’t see you go up, so I came down to find you.”

After placing Jiang Yu behind him for protection, Jiang Zhe faced his father with a cold expression. “You may not know this, but it doesn’t matter. I can tell you now that the incident of being drugged had nothing to do with Jiang Yu. It was your precious son-in-law who offended someone, and they wanted to set his son up. So, Jiang Yu was also a victim.”

Of course, Jiang Cheng didn’t believe him. He was convinced that Jiang Yu was responsible for everything.

“How is that possible?”

“You can ask them.” Jiang Zhe didn’t waste time arguing with him. “If you want to see me, you can contact me directly. Don’t come here anymore. My mother has divorced you; you have nothing to do with her. It’s best if you don’t come looking for her again, or next time, I’ll have security escort you out. Mr. Jiang Cheng, you can leave now.”

At that moment, Jiang Cheng finally faced his son.

For so many years, he had always felt that Jiang Zhe lacked the decisiveness of a man, that he was too kind and silent, nothing like him. But today, he finally saw some resemblance, yet this cold and sharp demeanor was directed at him.

He sneered, a smile that carried a weakness he didn’t even realize: “Very good, Jiang Zhe. You’ve grown up and learned to chase your father away.”

Jiang Zhe looked him in the eye and said, “If I remember correctly, not long ago, you said you wanted to sever ties with me. When you were in the hospital, it was your estranged son who paid your medical bills, while your cherished daughter didn’t even spend the New Year with you this year.”

Indeed, Jiang Cheng had spent the New Year alone. Jiang Siyu blamed him for not being able to help her, and Jiang Cheng spent the holiday eating cold food by himself. This made him realize how happy they had been when they were all together, which is why he had come here. Shen Qiuli’s unwillingness to look back had already surprised him, but what shocked him even more was that Jiang Zhe, who had always been silent in front of him, had become so eloquent.

Jiang Cheng covered his chest, struggling to breathe.

Meanwhile, Jiang Zhe stood a short distance away, his eyes cold, showing no intention of offering support.