Yan's mother began to scold fiercely.
"Don't look at Ciyou; someone took photos of you at the airport, and it's all over the news."
"Do you even know you're already married? How can you treat Ciyou like this?"
"In terms of looks, talent, and character, how is Ciyou any less than that deceitful little vixen?"
Yan Feng grew irritated by her nagging. "Mom, stop calling her a little vixen; Xia Ling is not a vixen."
His mother, furious, shot back, "You're still defending her? You've really lost your mind. I can't do anything about you, but your grandfather will."
"Hurry to the study; Grandpa is waiting for you."
With a cold face, Yan Feng stomped off to the study.
Yan's mother clutched her chest in frustration. "What a wayward son I've raised!"
Jiang Ciyou comforted her, "Mom, don't get upset; your health is important."
Watching Jiang Ciyou feign nonchalance, Yan's mother felt a pang of heartache.
"Ciyou, don't worry. Even if I don't recognize this son, I won't disown you as my daughter-in-law. Our family will stand by you."
Jiang Ciyou took her mother-in-law's arm, touched by her words.
"Mom, I'm fine."
After Jiang Xiaoxiao returned, Jiang's mother treated her differently, while Yan's mother felt more like a true mother.
When Jiang Ciyou attempted suicide, Yan's mother cried endlessly, spending every day by her side during the week she was hospitalized, while Jiang's mother didn't visit once.
Three years had passed.
She no longer harbored the same feelings for Yan Feng.
Her hatred for Xia Ling had also diminished.
What remained was merely a hint of unwillingness.
Thus, she would actively end this relationship.
But she truly couldn't bear leaving the Yan family.
Where else could she go?
After talking with Yan's mother for a while, she headed upstairs.
Passing the study, she heard the old man reprimanding Yan Feng.
Jiang Ciyou deliberately slowed her pace.
"If you want to divorce Ciyou, I'll transfer twenty percent of the company's shares to her name."
"If you marry that woman, you'll resign from Yan's, and the Yan family won't give you a dime."
Yan Feng sounded equally angry.
"Grandpa, how can you be so biased! Jiang Ciyou is just a fake daughter of the Jiang family; I'm your real grandson. The Jiang family doesn't even plan to recognize her; why do you care about her so much?"
The old man's tone was filled with disappointment.
"I don't care what identity Ciyou has; I only know I was the first to hold her when she was born, and I watched her grow up. The Jiang family's grudges have nothing to do with her; we in the Yan family don't care about that. You should understand that the grievances of the previous generation have nothing to do with Ciyou; she is always a victim. If you don't care for her, fine, but don't think of allowing others to belittle her—see if I allow it!"
Yan Feng attempted to say something but was interrupted by the old man.
"Remember, you can give up your identity as Ciyou's husband, but you'll also give up your status as the Yan family heir. If you're willing, I won't stop you."
After listening for a while, Jiang Ciyou returned to her room.
The Yan family had been so good to her.
Since her troubles with the Jiang family, the Yan family had been supportive.
Forcing Yan Feng to marry her was also to provide her a shelter from the storm.
Half an hour later, Yan Feng returned to his room.
He saw Jiang Ciyou sitting at the vanity, lazily removing her makeup.
As her exquisite makeup came off, a delicate face reflecting in the mirror bore an ethereal charm.
"Jiang Ciyou, what kind of magic did you cast on Grandpa? He treats you better than his own grandson!"
After finishing her makeup removal, Jiang Ciyou started applying a face mask.
Her movements were graceful and delicate, and she spoke nonchalantly.
"Perhaps he finds me more reliable than his own grandson. For a woman, you've been out of contact with your family for three years; from their perspective, it's quite unfilial."
"So you took advantage of this and won their favor? Encouraging Grandpa to reclaim my shares the moment I break up with you?"
Yan Feng scoffed. "Jiang Ciyou, to keep me, you really stop at nothing."
Jiang Ciyou finally turned to him, calmly replying, "Don't wrong me; I haven't done anything like that."
Yan Feng's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Isn't this your usual trick? You used to threaten with self-harm; now it's about company shares. Jiang Ciyou, I never noticed how deep your schemes run. I guess criminality runs in the blood."
Jiang Ciyou's expression instantly turned cold.
This was her sore spot.
She retorted without holding back, "So you come here to vent because you're getting scolded by Grandpa? If you're so capable, why don't you give up the Yan family's shares for Xia Ling? In your heart, the Yan family's wealth and shares are still more important than Xia Ling."
"The things Xia Ling did back then are well-known to Grandpa and the rest. Even without me, they would never accept her; you know that deep down."
"So the barrier between you isn't me. If you truly love her, let go of everything here and stay with her abroad. In the end, you can't part with the family fortune. You won't admit that you value your personal interests over Xia Ling, so you dump all the blame on me. Yan Feng, how spineless!"
Yan Feng's face flushed with anger.
Especially when he saw the contempt in Jiang Ciyou's eyes, he felt a strong urge to strangle her.
She looked down on him! She had always looked down on him!
The tense atmosphere was broken by a knock on the door.
The old butler, Lao Tang, stood at the entrance: "Young Master, Young Mistress, dinner is ready. Please come down."
Today, the Yan family was rarely all together.
Even Yan Yin, who was still in his third year of university, had returned.
"Bro, you finally decided to come back! I thought you'd make Ciyou suffer in the cold for eighteen years," Yan Yin remarked, full of indignation for Jiang Ciyou.
Seeing the whole family siding with Jiang Ciyou, Yan Feng's gaze towards her grew colder.
"By the way, are you planning to leave again?" Yan Yin asked.
Before Yan Feng could respond, their father interjected, "If he leaves again, the Yan family will no longer recognize him. The family fortune will be split between you and your sister-in-law."
Yan Yin clapped in excitement.
Linking arms with Jiang Ciyou, he said, "Sister-in-law, did you hear that? Once my brother leaves, we'll be super rich, throwing cash at male models!"
Yan Feng shot her a glare. "You're still so young, yet your mind is filled with nonsense. Where did you learn this?"
He cast a glance at Jiang Ciyou's face.
Jiang Ciyou felt a rare sense of guilt.
She had indeed done that…
The old man spoke up: "Your brother isn't going anywhere. He'll start taking over as general manager tomorrow."
Yan Yin's face fell. "What a pity."
"Recently, the company's situation is clear to you all. Times have changed; our construction company is not what it used to be."
Everyone fell silent.
The Yan family had built their fortune through the construction industry, and after two generations of development, they had become one of the largest construction companies in the country, branching into other industries.
However, most ventures were merely attempts; construction remained the lifeblood of the business.
In recent years, with changes in the economy, market saturation, and environmental pressures, along with the impact of new intelligent buildings, the Yan family had been facing difficulties.
"Therefore, we must secure the Paradise Resort project. This way, the Yan family can not only recover but also establish connections with the central government, leading to endless good projects in the future."
The Paradise Resort project had been specially approved by the central government, aimed at creating the largest green resort in the country, combining leisure, vacation, and entertainment. The project was enormous and highly sought after by all construction companies.
"Dad, everyone knows the Paradise Resort is a rare opportunity, but there are thousands of construction companies eyeing this lucrative project. Not to mention swallowing the whole piece; it's tough just to get a share."
The old man replied, "If we can deal with that person, it won't be hard."
"Who?"
"Bo Jinxi."