It had been some time since the uproar over Yuan Xia being exposed as gay. After Yuan Xia resigned from his position as a lecturer, very few students at Shanhai University still talked about it. Everyone thought the matter had already passed, but in places they knew nothing about, it was far from over. Jiang Xuan was not the kind of person who swallowed humiliation in silence. He knew how to endure, but the moment his lover was involved, he could no longer sit still. The information Chu Yifeng gave him saved him the trouble of investigating from scratch, and he quickly locked onto Jiang Shuang. Jiang Shuang was two years younger than him, the younger son of his eldest paternal uncle. He had disliked Jiang Xuan since childhood and constantly opposed him, becoming even worse as he grew older. Jiang Xuan had never taken this clown seriously. Compared with his elder brother Jiang Hai, Jiang Shuang was nothing more than a spoiled rich brat and no match for him at all.
The conflict between Jiang Xuan and his uncle’s two sons went back many years. But the Jiang family was no ordinary household, and there was still an old patriarch above them, so they had never brought the family’s internal disputes out into public. This time, however, Jiang Shuang had crossed one of Jiang Xuan’s taboos.
Jiang Xuan had originally planned to teach Jiang Shuang a lesson, but before he could act, he discovered that a hidden force was targeting the Jiang family. He tried asking around but could not obtain any useful information. After thinking carefully, he had a vague idea who it might be.
If Jiang Xuan personally dealt with Jiang Shuang, there was no way he could hide it afterward. The old man would almost certainly summon him back, and given how biased he was, Jiang Xuan would inevitably get a scolding. The old man might even have people place obstacles in the way of his company. But if someone else acted for him, that was a different matter entirely.
For the next several days, Jiang Xuan stayed in Shanhai City with Yuan Xia. Yuan Xia acted open-minded about everything, but teaching had still been a profession he loved, so his mood remained poor. Jiang Xuan not only refrained from interfering with the Jiang family’s affairs, he did not even ask about them. He did not return to the capital either. If there were important company matters requiring his decision, he handled them through video calls and had his second-in-command sign the documents afterward. After several leisurely days, news suddenly came from the Jiang family. The old man wanted him to return to the capital. The person who informed him was Jiang Hai.
Jiang Hai did not get along with him either, but at least he did not wear his dislike on his face the way Jiang Shuang did. He was more calculating and usually spoke to Jiang Xuan with a pleasant expression. This time, however, he seemed different. There was an undisguised chill in his voice.
Jiang Xuan told him he would return the next day.
After receiving that answer, Jiang Hai hung up without saying another word.
“Who was that?” Yuan Xia came out of the kitchen, wiping his hands with a clean towel. Seeing Jiang Xuan’s slightly strange expression, he asked.
“My cousin. I may have to go back to the capital tomorrow, but I won’t stay long. Once the matter is handled, I’ll try to come back tomorrow.” Jiang Xuan explained.
“You don’t have to rush. Your health matters.” Yuan Xia nodded. He knew Jiang Xuan did not have a good relationship with the rest of the Jiang family. Once, when Jiang Xuan was not around, Yuan Xia happened to answer his phone. Jiang Shuang was the one calling. At the time, he had not known the person on the line was not Jiang Xuan and had opened with several sarcastic remarks. That was when Yuan Xia first learned about the bad blood between them.
Jiang Xuan took the towel from his hand. “Don’t worry. I know my limits. What are we eating today? I could smell something good ages ago. I’m almost too hungry to wait.”
“I made soy-braised chicken today.”
The next day, Jiang Xuan went to the capital. After getting off the plane, he went straight to the Jiang residence. The family knew he was coming back, so almost everyone was present. The moment he walked in, Tao Yue laughed aloud. She was Jiang Hai’s wife and had often egged Jiang Shuang on to provoke Jiang Xuan.
“The man who’s been lingering in his lover’s arms has finally deigned to come home. I really don’t know what’s so good about men. He even let the whole world find out and brought shame on the Jiang family.”
“Tao Yue, say less.” Jiang Hai glanced at his grandfather and saw that the old man’s expression was already poor. He immediately rebuked her in a low voice. No matter how much they disliked Jiang Xuan, they could not act like this in front of Grandfather. Jiang Xuan was still the grandson Grandfather had once thought highly of, and more importantly, he now controlled Hongyu Group.
Jiang Xuan did not even spare Tao Yue a proper glance. Facing the older members of the family, he said, “Grandfather, Uncle, Aunt, Cousin.” Tao Yue alone was ignored.
Tao Yue became so angry that she disregarded Jiang Hai’s warning. “Second Brother, is this how your mother taught you to treat family?”
“So Cousin-in-law is here too. Sorry, I didn’t see you just now.” Jiang Xuan acted as though he had only noticed Tao Yue at that moment and immediately offered an apology. Outsiders might think Jiang Xuan held little status in the Jiang family, but in truth he was no longer the Jiang Xuan who could be bullied as easily as before. Back then he had not fought back because he had not yet fully taken control of Hongyu Group. Things were different now. Only Tao Yue and Jiang Shuang still believed they were the lofty Jiang family members of the past.
“You have no fam—” Tao Yue lost her temper and nearly blurted out an insult, but Jiang Hai cut her off before she could finish.
“Tao Yue, go upstairs and check on An’an. It’s been so cold lately. He may kick off his blanket and catch a chill.” Jiang Hai did not dare let her finish. If she called Jiang Xuan poorly brought up, would that not amount to saying the old man had failed to raise him properly?
Seeing her husband’s ugly expression, then the old man’s, Tao Yue realized she had misspoken and no longer dared stay in the living room. She immediately took the exit Jiang Hai had given her and went upstairs.
Jiang Xuan loosened his tie and looked at them with faint mockery. He still wanted to return today, so he asked directly, “Grandfather, why did you call me back?”
The eldest branch of the Jiang family immediately became serious and looked at Old Master Jiang. Old Master Jiang was an extremely authoritative figure in the family. He was forceful and domineering, valued power and advantage, and had never cared for the younger generation more than he cared for the authority in his own hands. But that did not mean he would allow the juniors to ignore him and stir up trouble. What had happened this time was something he could no longer avoid dealing with. Once Jiang Xuan spoke, the old man finally showed a trace of expression. His high, fleshless cheekbones shifted slightly.
“Jiang Shuang has already learned his lesson. Some things should stop before they go too far.” “I don’t understand what you mean, Grandfather,” Jiang Xuan said.
Once the old man had spoken, everyone assumed Jiang Xuan would have to obey whether he wanted to or not. That was exactly why they had brought the matter before him. Yet what were they hearing now? Jiang Xuan was actually pretending not to understand in front of the old man?
Jiang Hai and his parents were all surprised.
Old Master Jiang apparently had not expected Jiang Xuan to answer like that either. His face immediately darkened. “Since you don’t understand, let your cousin tell you exactly what happened.”
Jiang Hai, having been called on, immediately explained what had happened three days earlier.
Naturally, the protagonist of the story was Jiang Shuang. After it was exposed that he had arranged for someone to hurt Yuan Xia, Jiang Shuang had not been afraid. Even if Jiang Xuan complained to Grandfather, he did not believe the old man would side with Jiang Xuan, a man involved with another man. His parents later called and gave him a perfunctory scolding, but he quickly tossed the matter out of his mind and went back to eating, drinking, and partying with a crowd of bad friends.
Three days earlier, on the nineteenth, Jiang Shuang and a group of his cronies drove out for a joyride. Speeding and running red lights were nothing unusual for them, and they even nearly hit a pedestrian. When the frightened pedestrian cursed them out, they laughed loudly inside the car. Then a real accident finally happened.
After leaving the expressway, Jiang Shuang still did not slow down. He could not brake in time and crashed into a small truck that was driving normally. Jiang Shuang himself suffered some injuries but was in no danger of dying. The truck driver was far worse off. He had multiple fractures and was badly burned in the resulting fire. By the time rescuers pulled him free, he was barely alive. There happened to be police nearby. After hearing the explosion, they rushed to the scene, rescued the driver who still had a breath left in him, and took control of Jiang Shuang, the driver responsible for the collision. Surveillance footage clearly showed that Jiang Shuang was responsible for the accident, so the police detained him.
Jiang Shuang had never been treated like this in the capital. After being taken in, he kept shouting that he was a member of the Jiang family and ordered the police to wise up and release him. Although the incident had not happened in the capital, he remained utterly fearless. As soon as his family learned about it, they would definitely get him out and even help clear him of responsibility.
The cronies who had been with him also told the officers Jiang Shuang’s identity. Their smug expressions, as though they were waiting to watch a show and were not worried in the slightest, made the police suspicious. Still, they did not release Jiang Shuang and instead reported the matter to their superior.
The superior checked and confirmed that Jiang Shuang really was a member of the Jiang family in the capital. Before he could decide what to do, a phone call came in. After taking that call, his attitude immediately became firm. The traces left at the scene and the surveillance footage were enough to establish that Jiang Shuang had caused the traffic accident, so he was detained according to law. Jiang Shuang’s parents learned about the matter rather late. By the time they arrived, it was already the day after the accident. They had assumed they could easily pull their younger son out of detention as they had in the past and were even planning to teach him a proper lesson afterward. Reality shocked them. They could not get Jiang Shuang out at all. The police were extremely firm: there were both witnesses and physical evidence, so not only could he not be released, he could not even be bailed out.
It was the first time Jiang Shuang’s parents had hit an iron wall. They did not dare openly throw their weight around. If word spread and left a stain on their political careers, their rivals would never let such a perfect opportunity pass. With no other choice, they appealed to Old Master Jiang. The old man might not be able to cover the sky with one hand, but his face carried far more weight than theirs. If he spoke, Jiang Shuang should have been able to come out. Yet the result once again exceeded everyone’s expectations. Someone was obviously obstructing them. Jiang Hai immediately thought of Jiang Xuan. After telling his parents and the old man, they also thought it was possible. Money could move people. They had known for a long time how much Jiang Xuan valued his lover. Now that Jiang Shuang had touched Yuan Xia, there was no way Jiang Xuan would do nothing. He was therefore very likely using this chance to retaliate against Jiang Shuang. Then another piece of bad news arrived, forcing them to make up their minds. Only then did Old Master Jiang summon Jiang Xuan back.