Yan Feng’s mother lashed out at him. “Don’t you look at Ciyou. Someone took pictures of you two at the airport, and it’s all over the news.” “Do you have any idea that you’re a married man? How could you do this to Ciyou?” “In looks, in talent, in character—how is Ciyou any worse than that scheming little witch?” A wave of irritation washed over Yan Feng. “Mom, stop calling her a ‘little witch.’ Xia Ling is not a witch.” His mother was furious. “Still defending her! You’ve completely lost your mind. I can’t handle you, but just you wait. Your grandfather will.” “Get to the study, now. Grandfather is waiting for you.” With a cold expression, Yan Feng turned on his heel and strode toward the study. His mother clutched her chest, gasping, “You wretched boy. How did I ever give birth to such a wretched boy.” Jiang Ciyou comforted her from the side. “Mom, don’t be angry. You have to take care of yourself.” Seeing Jiang Ciyou pretend to be unfazed, Yan Feng’s mother felt a sharp pang of sympathy. “Ciyou, don’t you worry. Even if I disown my son, I will never disown you as my daughter-in-law. Our entire family will stand by you.” Jiang Ciyou took her mother-in-law’s arm, a genuine warmth spreading through her chest. “I’m fine, Mom.” Ever since the incident with Jiang Xiaoxiao, her own mother had treated her with a chilling distance. It was Yan Feng’s mother who had felt more like a true mother to her. When she had slit her wrists, her mother-in-law had cried as if her own heart was breaking. During the week she spent in the hospital, it was her mother-in-law who stayed by her side day and night, while her own mother never once came to visit. Three years had passed. The feelings and obsessions she once had for Yan Feng were long gone. Even her hatred for Xia Ling had faded. All that remained was a lingering bitterness. Which was why she would be the one to end this marriage. But she was truly reluctant to leave the Yan family. If she left this house, where else could she go? After talking with her mother-in-law for a while, she went upstairs. As she passed the study, she could hear the old man’s booming voice berating Yan Feng. Jiang Ciyou deliberately slowed her pace. “You want a divorce? Fine. I’ll transfer twenty percent of the company’s shares to Ciyou’s name.” “And if you marry that woman, you will resign from the Yan Corporation. You won’t get a single cent from this family.” Yan Feng’s voice, sharp with anger, cut through the door. “Grandpa, how can you be so biased? Jiang Ciyou is just the Jiang family’s fake heiress! I’m your real grandson! The Jiangs have practically disowned her, so why do you care so much about her?” The old man’s tone was heavy with disappointment. “I don’t care what Ciyou’s status is. I only know that when she was born, I was the first one to hold her. I watched her grow up. The Jiang family may hold a grudge against her because of their own past, but we Yans don’t care about any of that. You should understand—the grievances of the older generation have nothing to do with Ciyou. She has always been the victim. It’s bad enough that you have no sympathy for her, but now you want to join the others in kicking her while she’s down? We’ll see if I allow that!” Yan Feng tried to speak again, but his grandfather cut him off. “Remember this: you can give up your role as Ciyou’s husband, but you will also be giving up your role as the Yan family heir. If you’re willing to throw it all away, I won’t stop you.” Jiang Ciyou listened for a moment longer before returning to her room. The Yans had been too good to her. Ever since the scandal broke at the Jiang household, they had protected her at every turn. They had forced Yan Feng to marry her, all to give her a harbor from the storm. Half an hour later, Yan Feng returned to the bedroom. He saw Jiang Ciyou sitting at the vanity, lazily removing her makeup. As the exquisite layers came off, the mirror reflected a clear, beautiful face with an almost ethereal quality. “Jiang Ciyou, what kind of spell have you cast on Grandpa? He treats you better than his own grandson.” Jiang Ciyou finished her cleansing and began applying a face mask, her movements elegant and deliberate. Her voice was nonchalant. “Perhaps he finds me more dependable than his own grandson. A man who cuts off contact with his family for three years over a woman… from their perspective, that’s quite unfilial.” “So you took advantage of the situation to win them over? Did you talk Grandpa into taking back my shares if I leave you?” Yan Feng sneered. “Jiang Ciyou, you’ll really stop at nothing to keep me, will you?” Jiang Ciyou finally turned to face him, her expression placid. “You can’t pin that on me. I never did such a thing.” Yan Feng’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “Isn’t this your usual trick? First, you use slitting your wrists to blackmail me, and now it’s the company shares. Jiang Ciyou, I never realized you were so calculating. I guess it’s in your genes. After all, you have a murderer’s blood running through your veins.” Jiang Ciyou’s face instantly turned to ice. That was a line she wouldn’t let him cross. She shot back without a hint of politeness, “What kind of man gets put in his place by his grandfather and then comes to take it out on me? If you have the guts, then give up the Yan Corporation’s shares for Xia Ling. In the end, the family fortune and the company shares are still more important to you than she is.” “Grandpa and the others know perfectly well what Xia Ling did back then. Even without me in the picture, they would never accept her. You know that as well as I do.” “So the obstacle between you two was never me. If you truly loved her, you would have abandoned everything here and stayed abroad with her. But you couldn’t let go of this immense wealth. You can’t admit that you value your own interests more than Xia Ling, so you throw all the blame on me. You’re a coward, Yan Feng.” Yan Feng’s face flushed red, then drained to a pale white. The look of utter contempt in her eyes made him want to strangle her. She looked down on him! She always had! The tense atmosphere was shattered by a knock on the door. Lao Tang, the old butler, stood in the doorway. “Young Master, Young Madam, dinner is ready. Please come downstairs.” For once, the whole Yan family was present. Even Yan Yin, who was in her third year of college, had come back. “Brother, you finally decided to come home! I was starting to think you were going to make sister-in-law wait a lifetime for you,” Yan Yin said, her words clearly siding with Jiang Ciyou. Seeing his entire family rally around her, Yan Feng’s gaze toward Jiang Ciyou grew even colder. “But brother,” Yan Yin continued, “are you leaving again after this visit?” Before Yan Feng could answer, his father spoke up. “If he leaves again, he is no longer part of this family. The Yan family assets will be split between you and your sister-in-law.” Yan Yin clapped her hands in delight, linking arms with Jiang Ciyou. “Sister-in-law, did you hear that? Once my brother leaves, we’ll be rolling in it! We can take all that money and go hire some boy toys.” Yan Feng shot her a glare. “You’re so young, yet your head is full of nonsense. I wonder who you learned that from.” As he spoke, his eyes flickered over to Jiang Ciyou. For a rare moment, Jiang Ciyou felt a twinge of guilt. She’d already done that… The old man cleared his throat. “Your brother isn’t leaving. He’ll be starting at the company tomorrow as General Manager.” Yan Yin’s face fell. “Aw, what a shame.” “You all know the company’s current situation,” the old man continued, his tone serious. “Times have changed. Our construction firm isn’t what it used to be.” A silence fell over the table. The Yan family had built their fortune in the construction industry. After two generations, they had become one of the largest construction companies in the country, with ventures in other sectors as well. But those were mostly trial runs; construction remained the lifeblood of their enterprise. In recent years, with economic shifts, market saturation, increased environmental pressures, and the rise of smart building technology, the Yan Corporation had been struggling. “That’s why we must win the Paradise Resort project. It will not only allow the Yan Corporation to recover, but it will also open doors to connections within the central government. After that, we’ll have more good projects than we can handle.” The Paradise Resort project had been specially approved by the central government. It was intended to be the nation’s largest green resort, integrating leisure, vacationing, and entertainment. The scale of the project was staggering, a prize every construction company was drooling over. “Dad, everyone knows Paradise Resort is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Yan Feng’s father said. “But there are thousands of firms across the country eyeing this prize. It’ll be difficult to even get a piece of the pie, let alone the whole thing.” The old man spoke. “It won’t be difficult if we can win over one person.” “Who?” “Bo Jinxiu.”