"Excuse me, auntie. These gifts are bought for grandpa. Even if the presents are opened by someone, that person should be grandpa, not you. Also, even if it is Meng Meng's engagement family dinner, it is not the official party. Why should we give her anything? As for you and uncle, you two aren't my parents. Why should my fiancé gift anything to you?"
Lily ignored the frown on her aunt's face and continued replying to her argument. Since Meng Meng's mom wanted to pick a fight, then she will play her role as well - fight back.
"Auntie, you've taken enough antiques from grandpa's house over the years. How many times have Meng Meng broken all those priceless treasures already? Ah, since giving you guys expensive items would only end up destroyed, then why waste them? These bags are all for grandpa. You have no right to touch nor take anything."
"I suggest you to put everything back in place. If we do a check later on and find out that even one item is missing from its original box, then I will not hesitate to press charges. Even if there are woman accessories in there, it has nothing to do with you."
Lily closed the bags that were ripped open with sticker labels. She knew this situation would occur from previous experiences. Instead of fighting after the so-called accidents happen, she might as well make it clear now. With Lin Que here, Meng Meng and her mother can't be as shameless. At least this was what Lily thought in her mind.
"Lily, you've called it yourself. You called me auntie, so these things belong to the Jiang family. As your aunt, I have every right as a Jiang to look what's inside. Why are you so anxious about it? What? You think I'll steal any of these? Even if I take a few items, it is not for outsiders. Why are you being so petty for? Plus, it is not you who bought them." Meng Meng's mother clicked her tongue in annoyance when she saw the sealed bags.
"Hah! Talk about calling you auntie. I don't think I'll recognize you soon. Exactly how many times have you changed your name already? You've changed it over twenty times for the last few years. I can't even catch up with your names anymore. I only call you aunt because I respect grandpa, not you."
Lily smirked as she continued speaking her thoughts. "Plus, you mentioned Jiang family. Have you forgotten that your surname is not Jiang?"
"Even if my surname isn't Jiang, your uncle and cousin are a part of the family! You should at least respect them and bring them some gifts!" Meng Meng's mom argued.
"Oh? Then let me ask you how many times you guys have brought gifts for my occasions in the last twenty years of my life? My birthdays and every single holiday we've celebrated together. It's a big fat zero. Instead, it's always been us gifting you guys or you guys taking whatever you liked from us." Lily crossed her arms and glared coldly at the trio.
"Let me repeat myself for another time. Just because some people share the same surname as me, it doesn't mean they are related to me. Does uncle and Meng Meng share the Jiang's blood? No, they don't. So, none of you could touch what doesn't belong to you. I suggest the three of you to have dinner in peace and not cause trouble."
After saying everything she wanted to say, she led Lin Que to their seats. All along, Lin Que maintained his composure and didn't say anything about the family situation. On the other hand, Meng Meng and her parents felt embarrassed in front of Lin Que. They didn't expect Lily to say things as straightforward as she did.
Grandpa Jiang saw Meng Meng's pleading eyes, but he didn't say anything about Lily's words. In fact, he agreed with Lily's words because he knew what Jiang Jun and his wife had been planning behind his back. If it weren't for Toby and Lawrence, Jiang Corps would not have lasted till today.
Although he had already retired, he knew very well about the company. While the tension lingered between Meng Meng's parents and Lily, Lily pretended these people didn't exist. All along, she only spoke to Lin Que and Grandpa Jiang. Even when the dishes were served on the table, she only poured tea for Grandpa Jiang and her fiancé. Grandpa Jiang didn't make any comments about the way Lily treated them.
Finally, Meng Meng couldn't bear such treatment and started hitting her wine glass with her fork. She cleared her throat and began giving her speech. "Since everyone is already here, I want to announce that I am engaged with Hawk Fu from the Fu family. Unfortunately, he could not make it to tonight's dinner because of some business matters. His parents are also with him at the moment. Since the Fu family wanted to keep everything as lowkey as possible, they also want the wedding to be that way. Grandpa, you will give me your blessings right?" She smiled at her grandpa, calculating how much extra dowry she could get from her grandpa's wallet.
"If you are sure about this person and think that you are suitable with him then I won't have objections. I will warn you once again to make sure you know the person and who they really are before marrying him. That's all I have to say about this." Grandpa Jiang didn't bother replying to her inquiry. He already watched the footage from Meng Meng's party and investigated Hawk thoroughly. Despite Lily's confrontation and the lawyer's evidence, Meng Meng still chose to believe in a scammer.
Perhaps the only way for her to learn is through falling miserably. He sighed inwardly, clearly upset by her decision. Even though she wasn't blood related to him, he still thought of her as his granddaughter.
Meng Meng interpreted Grandpa Jiang's saddened tone as him not wanting her to marry off this early. Her heart warmed and the wild numbers she wanted for dowry also increased. She licked her lips and held onto Grandpa Jiang's arm. "Grandpa, for dowry...."
Her sentence was immediately cut off by the elderly man whose eyes were fixated on his plate of vegetables. "The amount of money I've put in you and Lily's accounts are the same. No more and no less. I've long given you the bank account with the dowry money. You should have more than enough for your wedding arrangements and accessories." Grandpa Jiang realized what Meng Meng wanted from him, so he made sure to clarify everything first.