Volume One, Chapter 20: New Year's Eve Last Year
9:30 AM.
A sleek black car was parked outside the villa at the very center of South Mountain Elegant Residence.
Jiang Jinglan sat in the backseat, one hand holding a half-burned cigarette between her fingertips, yet she did not take a single puff.
Her other hand rested on the seat, gripping tightly the phone that had just been repaired that morning.
“President Jiang, you’ve been sitting outside for an hour and a half already,” Sun Yu glanced at the reflection of the man in the rearview mirror and couldn’t help but speak up.
“I know,” came the curt reply.
Her thin lips pressed into a tight line.
Beneath her glasses, her eyes darkened with a chilling intensity that was almost frightening. Sitting in the backseat, Jiang Jinglan carefully traced the turmoil within her heart.
It was fear—she was terrified once again because of that madwoman.
That afternoon, Jiang Jinglan and Sun Yu had visited the police station that Lu Ming mentioned.
There, she confronted those criminals and finally pieced together the entire story.
Chen Chunrong not only drugged Bai Ruoxi but also hired a group of thugs to assault her.
Had it not been for Lu Ming and his team’s timely arrival, the consequences would have been unbearable.
Jiang Jinglan drew a sharp breath, a wave of anguish rising in her chest.
No wonder she had appeared so terrified in her sleep last night.
No wonder she had erupted in such anger today within the house.
“President Jiang, what do you intend to do about the matriarch?” Sun Yu’s heart sank slightly.
He had been by Jiang Jinglan’s side for years and rarely witnessed her lose her temper like this.
But from the moment they left the police station until now—three whole hours—Jiang Jinglan hadn’t even called Chen Chunrong once about the matter.
Sun Yu raised his eyes to the man’s solemn face reflected in the rearview mirror.
At this moment, it was the calm before the storm...
Jiang Jinglan remained silent.
Bai Ruoxi’s choice not to pursue the matter was clearly an attempt to save face for the Jiang family, sparing Chen Chunrong.
Sacrificing herself to uphold the family’s dignity, this was exactly the image the old master had envisioned for a daughter-in-law of the Qiao family.
No wonder the old master favored Bai Ruoxi so much.
That approval was bought with Ruoxi’s blood and flesh.
The pain in Jiang Jinglan’s chest felt as though something was squeezing her heart.
She narrowed her eyes, glanced at her watch, and said coldly, “At eleven, have Zuo Xi wait for me at the back gate of South Mountain Elegant Residence.”
Sun Yu’s eyes widened in surprise. “You want to... isn’t that inappropriate...?”
“Just make the arrangements,” Jiang Jinglan ordered.
---
Jiang Jinglan crushed the cigarette in her hand and unlocked Bai Ruoxi’s phone, opening the unfamiliar message received that morning from Country A.
Her fingertip hovered five millimeters above the screen.
Expressionless, she stared at the slightly ambiguous words, hesitated for a few seconds, then pressed “delete.”
Before Sun Yu could say another word, Jiang Jinglan pocketed the phone, stepped out of the car, and walked straight toward the villa.
The living room was silent.
Her gaze settled on the empty sofa, and she felt a momentary daze.
At times like this, she would usually be in the living room, holding a magazine, listening to light music while waiting for him to come home.
But tonight, that presence was absent.
“Sir, you’re back,” Qiu Yue approached.
Jiang Jinglan tossed her coat to him and muttered, “Where is the lady?”
“She has already retired for the night.”
“So early?”
Jiang Jinglan paused for a few seconds, murmuring to herself, “She must be exhausted.”
“Sir! There’s something I must say!”
A slightly hoarse female voice rang out.
Jiang Jinglan frowned.
Turning around, she saw a girl in a maid’s uniform, just over twenty years old, standing near the coffee table with a look of indignation.
Qiu Yue’s expression darkened, and he snapped, “Zhang Li, this is no place for your outbursts!”
Zhang Li lifted her chin, displaying an unyielding, fearless stance.
“I will say it! I am speaking for the good of the Jiang family!”
Then she turned to Jiang Jinglan.
“My uncle is the steward of the old mansion. Many of my family serve the Jiangs, and the old master always taught us to cherish the family’s property.”
“But today Bai Ruoxi broke a set of tea ware worth eighty thousand yuan! Sir, you can’t just let her off!”
“That set of tea ware was a gift from the old master to you.”
Jiang Jinglan was silent for a moment before asking, “She broke a set of tea ware?”
Qiu Yue tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Yes, madam accidentally broke it. It just happened to be a limited edition porcelain set the old master gave earlier.”
Zhang Li’s lips curved into a smug smile, her voice sharp. “She wasn’t careless. She broke it on purpose.”
“I wasn’t the only one who saw this afternoon! I have witnesses, and they’re willing to testify for me.”
“According to Jiang family rules, she should be punished by kneeling outside overnight!”
Qiu Yue stared at Zhang Li in disbelief, as if she were some kind of monster.
“Have you lost your mind? You’re trying to punish your employer by applying rules from decades ago meant for servants?”
“Are you out of your wits? Living in the last dynasty?”
Qiu Yue seldom cursed, but now, finally, he understood why Zou Shuming had gleefully sent Zhang Li here.
The man was clearly out of his mind.
Unaware, Jiang Jinglan’s gaze grew even colder.
She looked coolly at the servant before her—she vaguely remembered Zhang Li had been transferred from the old mansion.
If even the servants dared treat Bai Ruoxi this way, what hope was there with others?
No wonder Chen Chunrong dared to act so brazenly toward Ruoxi...
Taking a deep breath, Jiang Jinglan said coldly, “Who are these witnesses you speak of?”
Zhang Li, accustomed to Jiang Jinglan’s usual indifference toward Bai Ruoxi, mistakenly thought this time she had been swayed and proudly named several individuals.
Jiang Jinglan gave Qiu Yue a glance.
“Qiu Yue, have you memorized all these names?”
Qiu Yue nodded, “Yes.”
“Fire every one of them, no exceptions. State the reason as insulting the employer.”
With that, Jiang Jinglan strode toward the stairs.
Zhang Li was stunned for a few seconds before she hurriedly protested, “Sir, you must be mistaken. It was clearly...”
Jiang Jinglan snorted coldly.
“You want to teach me how to do my job? When I return to the old mansion in a few days, I’ll ask Zou Shuming who taught you to speak like that.”
Her jaw clenched tightly.
She still hadn’t uncovered who locked Bai Ruoxi in the storage room on New Year’s Eve last year.
And now Zou Shuming had sent Zhang Li to make things difficult for Ruoxi.
Zhang Li panicked.
The Jiang family’s treatment was excellent, and with her uncle’s protection, the servants at both the old mansion and South Mountain Elegant Residence treated her with respect.
She didn’t want to lose this job, and blurted out, “Sir, please forgive me! It was my cousin who made me do this! She ordered me!”
“My cousin is Zou Xinrou! You can’t treat me like this!”
Jiang Jinglan said coldly, “What does that have to do with me? Qiu Yue, have them leave tonight. I don’t want to see any of these people tomorrow.”
“Yes, sir!”
Qiu Yue suddenly remembered something. “Sir, the madam has moved to the guest room...”
Jiang Jinglan’s steps faltered.
“Which guest room?”