NOVPUBChapter 298: Chapter 298: Turning the World Upside Down
“Grandfather, I, I can testify, everything Sister said is true.”
Right as the deadlock persisted among the few people, a somewhat childish voice rang out at the entrance.
Everyone cast their glances in that direction.
When they saw Jiang Shixu standing at the door, Old Sir Jiang’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
“Shi, Shi Xu?! What are you doing here?”
After learning that something had gone wrong at home, he had hurried back, arriving only yesterday afternoon.
It took a night’s rest for him to recover, and this morning he began to settle accounts with Jiang Yan.
He had intended to find time to see how the child, Shi Xu, was doing.
Among his many descendants, he was the most pitied and cherished.
Neglected by his father and mother since childhood, he knew only to cling to the hem of his clothes, displaying a cautious, shy, and timid demeanor.
As he grew older, he hardly left his room, spending entire days curled up in bed, refusing to see anyone.
Later, a doctor told him that he was ill.
Frantic, he sought help everywhere but saw no improvement.
Not even fortune-telling or seeking blessings worked.
He thought it would take four or five days after his return home before he could see the child, yet to his surprise, he had taken the initiative to leave the house and had completely changed.
Not only was he clean and tidy, but the long hair that had covered half his face was also gone, and he no longer looked depressed; he wholly appeared like a normal person.
This was even more shocking than seeing Jiang Yan suddenly behaving properly one day, attending to his needs at breakfast.
Faced with these stares, Jiang Shixu’s first instinct was to flee.
But he clenched his fists, took a deep breath, stepped forward, and looked up to meet Old Sir Jiang’s gaze.
“Grand, Grandfather, everything Sister said is true, I, I don’t lie.”
Jiang Zhao Yuan, of course, knew the child did not lie.
After all, he seldom spoke in the past.
So this meant everything those people outside said about Jiang Li was true?
Was she really the one who resolved the situation all by herself?
With this in mind, Old Sir Jiang reassessed his granddaughter.
Apart from her changed appearance, what had altered even more was her demeanor.
Gone was the immaturity of a young girl; she now appeared like a fully blossomed and graceful lady of nobility, her eyes filled with a composed and confident light.
Jiang Zhao Yuan felt a bit sentimental.
What exactly had happened at home during the months he was away?
Yet, he vaguely felt that these changes might not be a bad thing—perhaps they could indeed allow the Jiang Family to turn over a new leaf.
But…
Old Sir Jiang looked at the youngsters standing in front of him and hardened his expression again.
It was impossible for him to bow his head in front of these children and admit he was wrong!
So, he cleared his throat and sternly said:
“Even though the Qiao Family might indeed be unscrupulous to begin with, Jiang Yan, you are also at fault. What good was it to escape marriage and make our family a laughingstock to all of the Capital? That was bad enough, but then you went and caused trouble on someone’s show. If not for your lucky escape, I would be mourning the loss of my grandchild!”
“Grandfather, I…”
“Enough, don’t say another word, go reflect on your mistakes for a week. Without my orders, no one is allowed to approach you!”
“Grandfather!” Jiang Yan was unhappy, “House arrest is even worse than killing me, okay? I’ve just recovered from being sick, I’ve just returned to the Capital, you can’t treat me like this!”
“If you keep complaining, I’ll confiscate all your bank cards!”
Jiang Yan: “…..”
He completely shut up and then walked upstairs with his head drooping.
As he passed by Jiang Cheng, he glared at him threateningly.
Jiang Cheng, in turn, shrank his neck and stood there somewhat awkwardly.
The whole scene was observed by Jiang Li.
She seemed to be contemplating something, her crystal-like pupils slowly gathering a dark light.
When Jiang Cheng turned his head, he saw Jiang Li standing in her place, staring meaningfully at him.
His heartbeat skipped a beat for the first time in his life, as he felt nervous and uneasy.
“Sister, sister, what’s wrong?” he asked tentatively in a low voice.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Li suddenly lifted the corners of her mouth into a slight smile, “It’s nothing, I’m going back to my room.”
With that, she turned and entered the elevator.
Jiang Cheng, left standing there, felt even more uneasy.
He couldn’t help thinking about the girl’s ingenious strategies in the live broadcast.
Could it be that she had noticed something?
But then he thought, even if she noticed something, what could she do? In this family, the person Grandfather dislikes the most is her; no matter how hard she tries, she can’t change that reality.
Thinking this, Jiang Cheng snorted softly and went back to his room.
…
…
After a “great battle,” the Jiang family’s home became extraordinarily quiet.
It was only then that the servants started to emerge from every corner, busily preparing for the evening’s lavish dinner.
This was undoubtedly the most bountiful and lively dinner the Jiang family had hosted in recent years.
Lin Manru, returning from shopping, brought out the last dish from the kitchen and then sat down.
“The dishes are all ready, let’s all start eating.”
“I’m starving, I hardly ate anything all day.” Jiang Yan, who was temporarily released for an hour, prepared to pick up his chopsticks and devour his meal, but he was warned by a look from Lin Manru.
“Grandfather hasn’t arrived yet, what’s the hurry?”
Jiang Yan had no choice but to put his chopsticks back down.
He had intended to seek some solidarity from Jiang Li, but to his surprise, the person seated opposite him was sitting more upright and proper than anyone else, not even glancing sideways.
Turning his head, he saw Jiang Shixu sitting next to her, also adopting her proper posture.
And Jiang Cheng, who always loved to show off, subconsciously sat even straighter upon seeing the two of them exhibiting better manners than himself.
Jiang Yan: “….”
Is it necessary to be so formal just for dinner?
Old Sir Jiang was the last to arrive, his eyes sweeping over the few people around the dinner table, his internal displeasure dissipating somewhat.
All the children were at the dinner table.
The last time everyone was together like this was during the New Year.
However, at that time, Jiang Li was still in her rebellious phase, disappearing after eating only a couple bites, Jiang Yan went out to meet friends, Jiang Shixu hid in his room refusing to come out, not to mention the others who were rarely seen year-round, the entire dinner table felt disjointed despite being together, leaving him with indigestion from frustration.
But today’s scene seemed quite satisfactory; he had expected these young rascals would create chaos at the dinner table, but today was surprisingly peaceful.
Despite that, he still sat down with a stern face as usual.
Lin Manru observed his expression and felt a tinge of unease, hastening to explain, “Dad, my younger sister-in-law is busy with company affairs and couldn’t come back for dinner tonight.”
Jiang Zhao Yuan snorted coldly, “When has she ever eaten at home properly? It doesn’t matter if she doesn’t come back.”
Lin Manru continued to explain on Shen Lan’s behalf, “Dad, you know, Shen Lan’s company has been struggling these past few years, and it has finally started to improve recently. They are definitely busier and I heard they are even preparing to go public.”
