Chapter 5

Jiang Yage’s face paled, and she instinctively looked at the two men present, Li Wangjin and Li Shize, afraid of seeing disgust or disdain in their eyes.

When she received Uncle Li’s call, she had been overjoyed. She never imagined that someone like her—having lost her parents and surrounded by enemies—could have such luck to become the adopted daughter of the Li family. She had seen Uncle Li’s photo in a magazine before and knew he was a renowned tycoon in China. She had also searched online and learned that Fang Junrong was Uncle Li’s wife. However, she hadn’t expected Fang Junrong to immediately bring up her past work at White Crane in front of everyone upon their first meeting.

Jiang Yage couldn’t help but feel waves of grievance. She had only gone there to save up for her tuition. Besides, she wasn’t like Zhong Yi. Though she had stayed there, she had always been careful to protect herself, maintaining her purity and never privately associating with those wealthy young men.

Her eyes reddened, tears threatening to fall.

Li Wangjin looked utterly shocked, as if he had been punched hard, his usually well-maintained features twisting in a way that stripped him of his usual refinement. Earlier, he had vehemently disparaged those from entertainment venues in front of Fang Junrong, never imagining that Yage—whom he regarded as his own daughter—had also worked at such a place. How could this be? Yage seemed like such a pure and kind girl.

No, he had to believe in Yage. She was different from the others; she must have had her reasons.

He took a deep breath, struggling to compose himself, but before he could speak, Fang Junrong beat him to it—her words sounding all too familiar.

“How could a truly good girl work at a place like that?”

“Now that you’re part of the Li family, remember your status. Don’t bring any of those vulgar habits you picked up there into this house.”

She remembered every word Li Wangjin had said and was now throwing them right back at him.

Jiang Yage, stung by the harsh words, burst into tears on the spot, her frail figure swaying pitifully.

After repeating everything Li Wangjin had said earlier, Fang Junrong finally added leisurely, “Oh, these were all your Uncle Li’s words. I’ve told him before not to judge people so carelessly, but he never listens to me.”

“I believe both of you are good kids. Especially Zhong Yi—she worked there to support her grandmother. Truly, she emerged untainted from the mud.”

Li Wangjin was at a loss for words. He never expected his wife to humiliate him so thoroughly in front of Yage. Had he known Yage had also worked at such a place, he would never have brought it up. Now, Yage might misunderstand him.

“I believe in Yage’s character. She must have had a reason for going there.”

Jiang Yage finally found her voice again. “I—I did it to save up for my tuition.”

Li Wangjin sighed in relief and was about to praise her when his daughter, Li Xinyun, delivered the final blow.

“For tuition? You didn’t even have money for tuition?”

Jiang Yage sniffled, on the verge of sobbing. “My uncle took all my parents’ money.”

Li Wangjin fumed. “Your uncle is truly despicable.”

Li Xinyun countered, “Then why didn’t you apply for a student loan? Isn’t that easy to get?”

Jiang Yage: “…”

She didn’t want to be judged with prejudice at school, so she never even applied for financial aid, let alone student loans.

Fang Junrong couldn’t help but smile: as expected of her precious daughter, hitting where it hurts. However, just by looking at Jiang Yage’s outfit, it was clear that most of her part-time earnings were spent on her appearance. The clothes she wore today were obviously not prepared by Li Wangjin—after all, he was a man and not that attentive.

Though the clothes and shoes weren’t from particularly expensive brands, the entire ensemble still cost over five thousand.

Li Xinyun continued to twist the knife, “Aren’t you supposed to have great grades? How come you didn’t get a scholarship?”

Jiang Yage: “…”

Getting into this prestigious university had already been an overachievement for her, let alone excelling enough to earn a scholarship.

Fang Junrong chuckled lightly, “I remember Zhong Yi received a scholarship, didn’t she?”

Zhong Yi glanced at her friend and tried to smooth things over, “I was just lucky and did well on the exams.” After every part-time shift, she would review her coursework. Combined with her quick mind, her exam results had always been solid.

Li Xinyun looked at her father, her tone slightly reproachful, “Dad, you’ve always praised Sister Yage’s grades in front of me, telling me to learn from her. But she didn’t even get a scholarship—how is she an academic ace? Someone like Brother, who ranks first every year, is the real academic ace.”

Li Xinyun didn’t like Jiang Yage much. These days, her father had constantly praised Jiang Yage in front of her. Worse, he always used it to put her down. Her own college entrance exam results weren’t bad—she had even gotten into a top-tier university. In what way was she inferior? Now, she finally had the chance to reclaim some dignity, which made her secretly pleased. At the same time, she keenly noticed that the relationship between her parents didn’t seem as close as before.

At this moment, the most awkward people aside from Jiang Yage were Li Wangjin. He couldn’t very well tell his daughter that, in his eyes, Jiang Yage was perfect in every way.

He glanced at Jiang Yage and sighed softly. In the end, Yage wasn’t like her mother. No matter how similar their looks were, they were still different.

Watching this scene, Fang Junrong recalled her past life. In that life, when Jiang Yage first came to the Li household, things hadn’t been like this. Under Li Wangjin’s lavish praise, her Barbecue Pork Son, Li Shize, had developed feelings for Jiang Yage, creating a picture of perfect harmony.

The corners of her lips curled slightly as she said, “The two girls just arrived. Even if you want to guide them, there’s no need to rush into it now. I know you speak bluntly and mean well, even if your words sound harsh. But it wouldn’t be good if they misunderstood you as being unkind.”

Li Wangjin nearly choked on his own blood hearing this. How did it suddenly become entirely his fault? He felt utterly stifled but had no way to refute it, so he could only sit down with a sullen expression.

Fang Junrong wore an impeccable smile, her warm and cheerful demeanor quickly easing the tension for Zhong Yi and Jiang Yage. She casually informed them of their room assignments and had the housekeeper take their luggage to their respective rooms. Jiang Yage and Zhong Yi’s rooms were both on the first floor, far away from Li Shize’s. In her past life, Li Wangjin had—for some inexplicable reason—insisted on placing Jiang Yage’s room right next to her Barbecue Pork Son. Rumor had it that Jiang Yage had even accidentally walked into Li Shize’s room a few times. This time, such a mistake would never happen again.

After dinner, Fang Junrong smiled and took out the gifts she had prepared in advance. As for Li Wangjin, there was no hope he would have thought of this.  

“These are meeting gifts for both of you.”  

She gave Zhong Yi a set of gold jewelry—after all, Zhong Yi was short on money, and gold was a solid asset. The set was worth over three hundred thousand. Since the money came from the company account, she didn’t feel the slightest bit of guilt spending it.  

Jiang Yage looked at the dazzling gold set with growing anticipation. The next moment, she saw Fang Junrong hand her a box. Taking it, she was surprised by how light it was.  

Huh, if it’s this light, it can’t be jewelry.  

When she opened it, she found a painting inside. Jiang Yage had no knowledge of art and couldn’t tell whose masterpiece it was, let alone its value.  

“This is…” Li Wangjin’s breath hitched for a moment, his hands trembling slightly.  

Fang Junrong smiled faintly. “This is a work by Xu Fangweng. I really like Yage, so I decided to give it to her. Didn’t you say she dislikes vulgar things? All my jewelry would be too tacky for her, so after much thought, this was the only suitable gift.”  

She had already had it appraised—the painting was a fake. Heh, keeping it would be a waste. Better to repurpose it and give it to Jiang Yage. From now on, she would gift Jiang Yage counterfeit pieces every birthday—a great way to clear out the inventory and make use of worthless items.  

Jiang Yage had heard of Xu Fangweng’s name, which meant the painting must be extremely valuable. She had initially worried Fang Junrong might not like her, but after receiving this gift, her doubts vanished. The painting was likely worth even more than the jewelry set. Xu Fangweng’s works never sold for less than five hundred thousand.  

“Thank you, Auntie. I love this gift—I’ll treasure it forever.”  

Fang Junrong’s acting was flawless. “Why call me Auntie? You should start calling me Mom now.”  

“Mom.”  

Jiang Yage lowered her head, shy and demure, her pure face glowing with joy, making her eyes sparkle like stars and enhancing her beauty.  

Li Shize, who had been quiet all evening, felt a flicker of admiration. Though Jiang Yage wasn’t the most stunning beauty he had ever seen—merely a delicate, pretty girl—her smile carried a unique charm. But remembering how she didn’t even know how to apply for a scholarship, he couldn’t help but mentally label her as an airhead.  

Li Wangjin watched the scene unfold, feeling like he needed heart medication. He wanted to stop it but couldn’t find a reasonable excuse, so he could only watch helplessly as Jiang Yage carefully tucked the box away with reverence.