Chapter 26 I Was Just Saying That

What difference could it possibly make? She merely wanted to take the opportunity to humiliate Jiang Mian, but Jiang Mian was not about to fall into her trap.

“姐姐, please come. This is my engagement banquet, and it’s very important to me. I hope you can be there.”

She looked so pitiful that even Wen Yan could not help putting an arm around her shoulders.

“Xuanxuan, it doesn’t matter whether Jiang Mian comes or not.”

By now, he felt that Jiang Mian was cold and heartless, as well as exceptionally stubborn. She could not see the situation in front of her at all.

Had Jiang Zhixuan ever said anything that was not true?

Yet Jiang Mian acted as though she had committed some unforgivable crime, always regarding her with cold eyes.

Wen Yan felt nothing but sympathy for Jiang Zhixuan.

“Since it makes no difference whether I go or not, then I won’t go.”

The moment she finished speaking, Jiang Zhouyi turned his head toward her, a hint of anger on his face.

“Jiang Mian, what are you making a fuss about?”

His voice dropped slightly, after all, Wen Qinghuai was still present.

Even Wen Yan frowned at her words.

“Jiang Mian, what kind of temper are you throwing now? Xuanxuan’s engagement banquet—how can you, as her older sister, not attend? What exactly do you mean by that?”

Jiang Mian curved her lips, a trace of mockery flashing through her eyes.

What was the matter? Hadn’t she merely followed Wen Yan’s own logic?

She had simply gone along with what he had said, and he was angry about it. How ridiculous.

As expected, Wen Yan was just as detestable as Jiang Zhixuan.

Before she could say anything, Jiang Zhouyi had already spoken in a stern voice.

“Jiang Mian, even if you and Xuanxuan have your differences, you should set them aside for now, shouldn’t you? After all, you’re sisters by blood!”

So they were turning the conflict between the family and the company into a personal dispute between the two of them?

They shared only a little blood, and were not even born of the same parents. What was she supposed to set aside?

Even biological sisters sometimes had to settle their accounts clearly.

Jiang Mian lifted her eyes and turned her head toward Jiang Zhouyi, her expression calm.

“Second Uncle seems to have misunderstood. Wasn’t it Wen Yan who said that it didn’t matter whether I came or not?”

Jiang Zhouyi faltered and instinctively looked toward Jiang Zhixuan.

Yes. Everyone present had heard it. Wen Yan had been the one to say those words.

Even if the two of them wanted to twist right and wrong, Wen Qinghuai was still there.

For the first time, Jiang Mian felt that it did not matter if someone witnessed her embarrassment. A man like Wen Qinghuai would never entertain any unnecessary thoughts.

Jiang Zhixuan gave Wen Yan a light pinch, and a trace of awkwardness appeared on his face.

“Jiang Mian, I was only saying it casually. Since when did you become so petty?”

“I was only saying it casually too.”

She smiled, picked up her chopsticks, and continued eating, paying no attention to the expressions of the others, who looked as though they had swallowed a fly.

Jiang Zhixuan was remarkably patient. With a smile still on her face, she immediately urged Wen Yan to eat.

“All right, A-Yan. Don’t quarrel with your sister. Come on, eat.”

During the meal, Jiang Zhouyi repeatedly alluded to the state of the Jiang family company, both openly and indirectly. Wen Qinghuai brushed aside every attempt with a sentence or two.

Listening to them, Jiang Mian did not understand every technical detail, but she could tell that the company’s current performance was mediocre at best.

That made sense. Even before her parents passed away, the company had already been struggling.

Back then, they had even said they wanted to hire a business prodigy who had returned from overseas to help them.

Unfortunately, they never got the chance.

Jiang Zhouyi’s talent for business was truly ordinary. That was not something Jiang Mian had deduced herself; she had heard her parents say so in the past.

Her parents had once considered helping Jiang Zhouyi, but after several of his ventures failed to meet expectations, they abandoned the idea.

In truth, Jiang Mian’s parents had never treated Jiang Zhouyi’s family poorly. But the human heart was difficult to fathom.

Sometimes, people overlooked the fact that the one who betrayed them might very well be someone they had once trusted.

Jiang Mian’s mood sank. The burdens she had kept buried in her heart suddenly erupted, as though the sea had risen in an instant and swallowed her whole.

She pressed her lips together and spent a long while trying to clear her mind.

When a message appeared on her phone, she opened it without thinking.

“If you’re willing to give me your shares, I’ll return your belongings to you.”

She looked up at Jiang Zhixuan. The other woman’s phone lay in front of her, and she was now gazing at Jiang Mian with a smile.

Beneath that smiling face seemed to lurk something dark and sinister.

Jiang Mian lowered her eyes and typed a reply.

“Impossible.”

She certainly wanted to reclaim the things her mother had left her, but she would never surrender her shares for them.

Those shares belonged to her in the first place. There was no question of exchanging one for the other.

Jiang Zhixuan was not surprised when she saw Jiang Mian’s reply. She was already used to it and had known Jiang Mian would refuse.

But then—

She suddenly propped her chin on one hand, her eyes curving as she stared at Jiang Mian.

She was curious. If Jiang Mian lost everything, would she still possess that same pride?

When they were leaving, Jiang Zhouyi once again showered Wen Qinghuai with compliments.

“President Wen, from now on, we’ll be family as well. If an opportunity ever arises, I hope you’ll spare the Jiang family a glance.”

His attitude was exceedingly humble. At last, Wen Qinghuai looked at him and gave a slight nod.

Seeing him nod, Jiang Zhouyi’s smile grew even broader, and he walked out alongside him.

“Brother Huai!”

As soon as they left Gathering Fortune Pavilion, they saw Jiang Zhemu waving at them.

He waved so vigorously that it was as though he feared Wen Qinghuai might not see him.

Wen Qinghuai glanced over, one brow lifting slightly, but did not acknowledge him.

When Jiang Zhemu saw that he was being ignored, he pouted and hurried over.

“Brother Huai, Grandfather sent me to get you!”

Jiang Mian looked up. Jiang Zhemu naturally noticed her as well and raised a hand to wave at her.

She nodded with a smile and stopped along with the others.

“Where’s Grandfather?”

Wen Qinghuai finally turned his gaze to him. Jiang Zhemu immediately broke into a huge grin and pointed in the direction behind him.

“He’s in the car, waiting for you. Grandfather said he hasn’t been back in a long time and wants to go out for a look around.”

Jiang Zhixuan had naturally noticed the little exchange between Jiang Zhemu and Jiang Mian.

Now she released Wen Yan’s arm, quietly moved two steps to the side, and drew closer to Jiang Mian.

Her voice was soft, and she raised a hand to cover her mouth.

“Are you very familiar with Young Master Jiang?”

Jiang Mian raised a brow. The question sounded strangely familiar, almost identical to the one Wen Yan had asked during the meal.

She glanced sideways. Had those two spent so much time together that even the way they spoke had begun to resemble each other?

“Not familiar.”

They knew each other, however.

There was no contradiction in that.

After answering, she lowered her eyes and shifted slightly to the side, putting some distance between herself and Jiang Zhixuan.

To Jiang Zhixuan, the gesture meant that she had once again been rejected.

But it did not matter. She did not particularly like Jiang Mian either.

With a cold snort, Jiang Zhixuan stepped back to Wen Yan’s side.

“Since President Wen still has business to attend to, we won’t disturb you.”

Jiang Zhouyi narrowed his eyes into a smile and looked in the direction Jiang Zhemu had indicated, but he could not make out anything of interest.

He would certainly have liked to meet the old master of the Wen family, but judging from Wen Qinghuai’s attitude, that was probably impossible for now.

One could not rush these things. Once Wen Yan became his son-in-law, he would have plenty of opportunities.