Chapter 3: Yan Feng, You’re Such a Coward!

The strict mother scolded him harshly.

“Don’t look at You, someone caught pictures of you at the airport and they’ve already made the news.”

“Do you even realize you’re married now? How could you do this to You?”

“In terms of looks, talent, and character, in what way is You inferior to that scheming little vixen?”

Yan Feng, annoyed by the nagging, retorted, “Mom, stop calling her a vixen. Ling Xia isn’t one.”

His mother was furious. “Still defending her? You’ve really lost your mind. I can’t fix you, but your grandfather will. Go to the study—he’s waiting for you.”

Yan Feng’s face was cold as he strode off to the study. His mother clutched her chest in anger. “What a disaster, how could I have given birth to such a disappointment?”

Jiang Ciyou gently comforted, “Mom, don’t get upset. Your health is your own.”

Seeing Jiang Ciyou pretend as though nothing was wrong, her mother-in-law felt a surge of heartache.

“You, don’t worry. Even if I disown my son, I won’t disown you as my daughter-in-law. Our whole family will stand up for you.”

Jiang Ciyou took her mother-in-law’s arm, deeply moved.

“Mom, I’m fine.”

After Jiang Xiaoxiao returned, Jiang’s own mother no longer cared for her as before. Only her mother-in-law treated her like a true daughter.

Back when she slit her wrists, her mother-in-law wept as if her heart were breaking. She stayed in the hospital for a week, and it was her mother-in-law who kept vigil by her side night and day, while her own mother didn’t visit her once.

Three years had passed.

Her feelings and obsession for Yan Feng had long since faded.

She no longer hated Ling Xia as much as she once did.

All that remained was a lingering sense of unwillingness.

That was why she would take the initiative to end this relationship.

Yet she truly couldn’t bear to leave the Yan family.

If she left, where else could she go?

After talking with her mother-in-law for a while, she went upstairs.

Passing by the study, she overheard the old man’s rebuke to Yan Feng.

Jiang Ciyou intentionally slowed her steps.

“If you want to divorce You, that’s fine. I’ll transfer twenty percent of the company’s shares to her name.”

“If you marry that woman, you’ll have to resign from Yan Corporation and you won’t get a penny from the Yan family.”

Yan Feng’s voice was tinged with anger. “Grandpa, how can you be so biased! Jiang Ciyou is just a fake heiress from the Jiang family, but I’m your real grandson. The Jiang family doesn’t even acknowledge her anymore, so why do you care so much about her?”

The old man’s tone was deeply disappointed.

“I don’t care what You’s background is. All I know is, when she was born, I was the first to hold her in my arms. I watched her grow up. The Jiang family holds a grudge against her because of past enmities, but our Yan family doesn’t care about that. You should understand that the grudges of the previous generation have nothing to do with You—she’s always been a victim. If you can’t cherish her, fine, but to join others in mistreating her—do you think I’ll allow it?”

Yan Feng tried to speak, but the old man cut him off.

“Remember this: you can give up being You’s husband, but at the same time, you’ll be giving up your status as heir to the Yan family. If you’re willing to do that, I won’t stop you.”

Jiang Ciyou listened for a while, then returned to her room.

The Yan family had always been too good to her.

Ever since her troubles in the Jiang family, the Yans had protected her at every turn.

They forced Yan Feng to marry her, just to give her a safe harbor.

Half an hour later.

Yan Feng also returned to the room.

He saw Jiang Ciyou sitting at the dressing table removing her makeup, her posture languid.

With her delicate makeup gone, the mirror reflected a fresh and elegant face—there was a certain ethereal quality about her.

“Jiang Ciyou, what kind of spell did you cast on Grandpa? He treats you even better than his own grandson.”

Jiang Ciyou finished removing her makeup and began applying a face mask.

Her movements were graceful and refined, her words casual.

“Perhaps he thinks I’m more reliable than his own grandson. After all, you cut off contact with your family for three years over a woman. From their perspective, that’s pretty unfilial.”

“So you took advantage of the situation, won them over, and encouraged Grandpa to take back my shares if we split up?”

Yan Feng sneered, “Jiang Ciyou, you really are ruthless when it comes to holding onto me.”

Jiang Ciyou finally turned around, her voice calm. “Don’t accuse me of things I haven’t done.”

Yan Feng’s tone was mocking. “Isn’t this just your usual trick? You used to threaten with your wrists, now it’s company shares. I never realized before just how scheming you are. It must be in your blood—after all, you’re the daughter of a murderer, aren’t you?”

Jiang Ciyou’s expression instantly turned cold.

This was her greatest sore spot.

She retorted sharply, “You get scolded by Grandpa and then come here to take it out on me? If you really have guts, give up your shares in Yan Corporation for Ling Xia. In your heart, the family fortune and company shares matter more than she does.”

“Ling Xia’s past actions are no secret to Grandpa and the others. Even if it weren’t for me, they’d never accept her. You know that very well.”

“So the obstacle between you and her has never been me. If you truly loved her, you’d give up everything here and stay abroad with her. But you can’t bear to let go of all this wealth. You refuse to admit that you value your own interests above Ling Xia, so you dump all the blame onto me. Yan Feng, you really are spineless!”

Yan Feng’s face flushed, then paled.

Especially when he saw the look of contempt in Jiang Ciyou’s eyes at the end—he felt an urge to strangle her.

She looked down on him! She always had, ever since they were children!

The tense atmosphere was broken by a knock at the door.

Old Tang, the family steward, stood at the entrance. “Young master, young madam, dinner is ready. Please come down to eat.”

Today, the Yan family was exceptionally complete.

Even Yan Yin, still in her junior year of college, had come home.

“Brother, you’ve finally decided to come back. I thought you’d leave my sister-in-law waiting for eighteen years in a cold house.”

Yan Yin’s words were full of indignation on Jiang Ciyou’s behalf.

Seeing the whole family siding with Jiang Ciyou, Yan Feng’s gaze toward her grew even colder.

“But brother, are you leaving again after this visit?”

Before Yan Feng could answer, their father spoke up. “If he leaves again, he’s no longer part of this family. From now on, the inheritance will be split between you and your sister-in-law.”

Yan Yin clapped her hands in delight.

She linked arms with Jiang Ciyou. “Sister-in-law, did you hear that? When my brother’s gone, we’ll both be super rich. We can spend our days squandering money on male models!”

Yan Feng shot her a glare. “You’re still young, yet your head’s full of nonsense. I wonder who taught you that.”

As he spoke, his eyes flickered over to Jiang Ciyou.

For once, Jiang Ciyou felt a twinge of guilt.

After all, she’d done such things herself before...

The old man spoke up. “Your brother won’t be leaving. He’ll be going to the company tomorrow to take over as general manager.”

Yan Yin looked disappointed. “What a pity.”

“Recently, you’re all aware of the company’s situation. The times have changed, and our construction business isn’t what it once was.”

Everyone fell silent.

The Yan family had built its fortune in construction. After two generations, it had become one of the country’s largest construction firms, dabbling in other industries as well.

But those were mostly experiments. Construction remained the lifeblood of the company.

In recent years, with the shifting times, economic transformation, a saturated market, mounting environmental pressures, and the rise of intelligent buildings, Yan Corporation had been through tough times.

“That’s why we must win the Paradise Resort project. This will not only revitalize Yan Corporation financially, but also open doors with the central government. Afterward, there’ll be no end of good projects for us.”

The Paradise Resort project was a special government initiative, meant to create the country’s largest green resort, combining leisure, vacation, and entertainment. The scale was staggering—a prize every construction company coveted.

“Dad, everyone knows Paradise Resort is a once-in-a-century opportunity, but there are thousands of construction firms nationwide eyeing this prize. Not only is it tough to win the whole thing, it’s hard to even get a share.”

The old man replied, “It wouldn’t be hard if we could secure the support of one person.”

“Who?”

“Bo Jin Xiu.”