Volume One, Chapter Eleven: She Decides for Herself
Jiang Zhaoyuan had not returned home for some time. The company was currently negotiating a major project; if this deal went through, it would not only yield considerable profits but also establish connections with the industry leader, bolster the company’s reputation, and achieve multiple goals in one stroke.
To ensure its success, he had been burying himself in work, personally overseeing every detail. By chance, although he rarely had time to scroll through his social media feed, yesterday, while waiting for a client who was half an hour late, he idly checked his phone and happened upon a post by Jiang Ning showing her marriage certificate.
To be honest, the two of them looked quite a match in the picture.
But he did not approve.
Anyone bearing the Jiang name was expected to serve the family’s interests to the fullest. In ancient times, marriages between states cemented alliances; today, unions between enterprises achieve the same mutual benefit. Du Real Estate was the ally he had carefully chosen.
It was fortuitous: Jiang Ning was beautiful enough to captivate Du Chenghong with a single photograph.
He had made all the arrangements. He would not allow anyone to undermine Jiang Corporation’s grand plans. As for Jiang Ning’s wishes, he had never considered them, nor did he think he needed to.
She was merely an adopted daughter.
Did she think that a marriage certificate meant she could rely on some man for support? Yesterday, she had even started a public dispute with Huixian at the hospital entrance. He would show her that in this family, unless he gave his blessing, it didn’t matter who she married—not even the king of heaven himself.
When Jiang Zhaoyuan arrived, Du Chenghong greeted him as if he’d seen a savior. “Uncle Jiang, he—”
He pointed at Lu Cheng, about to complain, but Jiang Zhaoyuan cut him off. “Let’s eat first. We’ll talk as we dine.”
They each took their seats. At first, silence reigned, broken only by the faint clinking of bowls and chopsticks.
In Jiang Zhaoyuan’s presence, Jiang Ning was noticeably subdued, keeping her head down and eating without so much as glancing up.
A few minutes later, Jiang Zhaoyuan set down his chopsticks, picked up his soup bowl, and looked at Lu Cheng. “You mentioned something about an adult store. Is it yours?”
Lu Cheng swallowed his food and nodded.
Du Chenghong sneered. “So you’re just selling condoms.”
He had thought Lu Cheng was simply making a fool of him, but it turned out he really did sell such things.
Lu Cheng met his gaze, a faint, mocking smile on his lips. “Don’t you know what I sell? Have you forgotten the special oil?”
“You!” Du Chenghong could no longer contain himself and slapped the table.
Sitting beside him, Cao Huixian tugged at his sleeve, trying to calm him, then glared at Jiang Ning. With a sharp crack, she slapped her chopsticks on the table. “Look at the kind of person you’ve chosen—disgusting, isn’t it?”
Her change of face was so swift even a magician would be left in awe.
Jiang Ning bit the tip of her chopsticks, her body tense but her expression calm and indifferent. “What’s wrong with running an adult store? The law allows it—why can’t you?”
Cao Huixian was left speechless, and with Du Chenghong present, she could not make a scene. Her chest heaved with anger.
Jiang Hui, ever the dutiful daughter, patted her mother’s back and looked at Jiang Ning, indignant. “Sister, how can you speak to Mom like that!”
Jiang Ning glanced at her sideways, a faint smile on her lips, but her eyes as cold as a winter storm. “Isn’t this speaking properly? Or would you like to teach me how it should be done?”
She hadn’t slammed the table or thrown her chopsticks—how was that not proper?
Lu Cheng reached for a dish slightly out of his way, lending his support without drawing attention. “So in the Jiang family, the younger sister teaches the elder how to behave? That’s quite rare.”
Cao Huixian pulled at Jiang Hui’s sleeve under the table.
Her husband valued the family’s reputation and would not tolerate anyone crossing his lines. Even if one was a biological daughter and the other adopted, externally they were both Jiang daughters—twins, after all.
Unwilling, Jiang Hui huffed and turned her head away in a show of pique.
Jiang Zhaoyuan’s gaze swept the table. He said nothing, but his forceful presence was enough to make those who had stood up sit back down.
The tension was suffocating, as if the entire room had been drained of air.
Jiang Ning set down her chopsticks. “I’m finished.”
With such an atmosphere, no matter how lavish the spread, she could not eat another bite—anything she did eat would just give her indigestion.
Jiang Zhaoyuan stirred his soup slowly, ignoring her and instead looked at Lu Cheng. “I do not approve of your marriage to Jiang Ning.”
His tone was calm, but his words brooked no argument.
Jiang Ning wanted to speak, but suddenly, beneath the table, someone grasped her hand. She turned to Lu Cheng, puzzled.
Lu Cheng continued eating, sampling one dish after another with leisure—this one wasn’t to his taste, that one was, so he took another bite.
Of everyone at the table, he alone seemed to show the food the respect it deserved, and throughout, he remained composed—unmoved by Jiang Zhaoyuan’s intense pressure, as if he truly were a son-in-law visiting his father-in-law for a casual meal.
He didn’t even have the nervousness typical of a new son-in-law’s first visit.
Hearing Jiang Zhaoyuan’s words, Lu Cheng showed neither anger nor desire to argue. He simply swallowed his food and replied lightly, “Marriage is a matter of personal freedom,” then reached for another dish he hadn’t yet tried.
A deft move to shift the weight.
Jiang Zhaoyuan’s gaze grew sharper. “My daughter has no such freedom. Jiang Ning’s marriage is up to me.”
Lu Cheng tasted a sweet-and-sour dish, found it unpalatable, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and turned to see Jiang Ning offering him a cup of tea.
Lu Cheng’s composure far exceeded her expectations. If nothing else, his resilience under pressure was remarkable.
It felt like scratching off a lottery ticket, thinking you’d won fifty, only to reveal another zero—fifty thousand.
She had said it before—she was looking for a comrade-in-arms. And as comrades, there was no reason to let him face it all alone. By this simple act, Jiang Ning had chosen her side.
They exchanged a smile. Lu Cheng took the tea, sipped, and met Jiang Zhaoyuan’s hawk-like gaze. “No, it’s her decision.”
Their eyes met, thunder crashing against thunder—equally matched, sparks flying.
In the midst of this charged silence, Jiang Zhaoyuan’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He checked a message, then looked up at Jiang Ning.
There was warning in his gaze, a hint of threat—prosper with me, perish against me.
“Today, I called you home for two things. First, tomorrow you will file for divorce. Second, your engagement to Chenghong has already been arranged. Once the divorce is finalized, you’ll marry. No delays.”
This was meant to force Jiang Ning to reject Lu Cheng herself.
Jiang Zhaoyuan devoted most of his time and energy to the company, caring little for family matters, and Jiang Ning had not grown up by his side.
Yet he felt confident—whether out of respect for his authority as a father or concern for the Jiang family’s reputation, there was no way Jiang Ning would defy him in such circumstances.
An adopted daughter had no right to say “no.”
Besides, when the choice was between the only son of a real estate tycoon and a mere shopkeeper, even a fool would know what to do.
Du Chenghong turned to Jiang Zhaoyuan, brimming with excitement. “Thank you, Uncle.”
Then he glanced at Lu Cheng, smug.
Cao Huixian served him food. “No need for thanks—we’re all family.”
Jiang Ning inhaled deeply, then exhaled slowly.
She had expected this.
Jiang Zhaoyuan had always treated her like an employee—never as a daughter.
No employer cares about their employee’s feelings; all they want is obedience.
“I refuse.”
Her voice was not loud, but it rang with conviction.
Almost before she finished speaking, Jiang Zhaoyuan seized the soup bowl before him and hurled it at her.