"Exactly, the Qiao Family isn't that great either. They've been yelling and shouting since morning, with no sense of decorum at all."
"If they looked down on the Jiang Family, then they shouldn't have agreed to the marriage in the first place. The other party even said they could call off the engagement, but they refused. I've never seen anybody so audacious in trying to reap benefits."
"Mrs. Jiang knew the big picture, even when she was being talked about like that, she still catered to us wholeheartedly. From what I see, Miss Jiang was right—the Qiao Family had no intention of negotiating seriously, they came to leech off us!"
"..."
As she listened to the surrounding criticism, Mrs. Qiao's face drained of all color.
Qiao Shuang couldn't keep up appearances either, constantly tugging at her own mother.
"Mom, wasn't it you who said that person would help us? Why is there still no sign of them? Why don't you just agree to call it off? I'd rather die than marry that bastard Jiang Yan."
"Shut your mouth," Mrs. Qiao said with a cold face, scolding her daughter.
It wasn't just the daughter who was anxious; she was too.
That person had promised that as long as they stirred up trouble today, they would definitely deliver Jiang Yan's dirt into the hands of those present. With that, she could grab hold of the Jiang Family's weakness and make all sorts of demands.
But she had been stalling for time until now, so why had everyone begun to accuse them instead?
The Qiao Family hadn't received what they wanted, but for Jiang Li, it was a different story.
Looking at the message from Xiang Hao on her phone, Jiang Li took a step forward, staring straight into Mrs. Qiao's eyes.
"Aunt Qiao, I respect you as my elder, and that's why I wanted to settle our families' issues amicably. But since you refuse to cooperate despite all my good words, don't blame me for not showing mercy."
With that, she tossed her phone to Jiang Yan, who was still hovering around the outskirts.
"Connect this to the big screen."
Jiang Yan took the phone and headed straight for the camera.
The moment the connection succeeded, he realized—
—why the hell did he just do exactly as Jiang Li said?!
However, before he could voice his complaints, he saw what was on the big screen, instantly falling silent and darkening in demeanor.
The previously noisy hall seemed as if a pause button had been pressed, everyone frozen in place.
Qiao Shuang was even more frantic, grabbing her mother's arm and shouting loudly.
—Because the big screen didn't show anything else but the photos of her kissing her ex-boyfriend in the hallway next to the KTV restroom, and videos of them holding hands as they entered and left the hotel.
Mrs. Qiao was stunned.
She was expecting a scandal involving Jiang Yan; how did it turn out to be her daughter's getting exposed?
Jiang Li sat down calmly where Jiang Yan had just been sitting, the act of sipping tea completed in one elegant, fluid motion.
"Judging by Miss Qiao's reaction, it seems she recognizes the person on the screen as herself, doesn't it? Even though there's no affection between you and Jiang Yan, given that the two of you are betrothed, I hope you can give everyone a proper explanation."
True, Jiang Yan was no saint—he was always messing around with other women, and his scandals were never-ending. But aside from being manipulated by Qin Xiaoxiao, he never really crossed the line.
But what about Qiao Shuang? On one hand, she wouldn't let go of the boyfriend she liked, and on the other, she wanted to take advantage of the Jiang Family.
She had intended for the two families to part on good terms, but that was clearly impossible now.
In her past life, once Qiao Shuang married into the Jiang Family, she kept an ambiguous relationship with her first love, eventually colluding with him to turn the Jiang Family upside down.
So, she took precautions, asking Xiang Hao, a family friend from the entertainment industry, to look into it while on the bus.
And sure enough, he found something.
Murmurs of disbelief rose from the crowd as they started pointing fingers at Qiao Shuang.
Mrs. Qiao, unable to save face, slapped her daughter across the face, "Didn't I tell you to break it off cleanly with that guy? Why are you still entangled with him?! See what you've done now? You've disgraced the entire Qiao Family!"
Qiao Shuang had never expected things to escalate like this. She could only cover her face, overwhelmed with shame and anger, as she ran out of the main gate.
"Stop right there!"
Mrs. Qiao couldn't contain her fury and was about to chase after her when several bodyguards in black suits suddenly appeared in front of her.
"Aunt Qiao, we haven't settled our accounts yet. What's the hurry?"
Jiang Li put down the teacup he was holding, and a gentle smile reappeared on his face, only now his beautiful eyes were cold.
"Looking at it now, it was your daughter who ignored the prior engagement, and today you brought this big group of people to cause such a scene in my home. How do you propose to compensate for these losses?"
Having lost her trump card, Mrs. Qiao's arrogance disappeared, leaving her to retreat two steps and force a calm facade:
"This, I was unaware of this matter, if it comes to it, the marriage can just be called off…"
While saying this, Mrs. Qiao looked to her entourage for a sign of rescue.
However, at this point, the Qiao Family was utterly humiliated.
With the scandal falling on their daughter, they no longer had any face to remain. They could only find excuses to leave.
Seeing this, although Mrs. Qiao was angered, she was helpless.
"Jiang Li, what exactly do you want?!"
Jiang Li sat composedly on the sofa, unchanged, "Aunt Qiao, you've repeatedly insulted my mother and the Jiang Family today. Asking for an apology from you is not too much, don't you think?"
Mrs. Qiao clenched her fists.
To apologize to Lin Manru, that pushover, in front of so many people?!
Not a chance!
But clearly, the guests present did not intend to let her off the hook.
"Miss Jiang has already been very considerate of you, Mrs. Qiao. Why don't you take the opportunity to step down gracefully?"
"To dare make a cuckold out of Eldest Young Master Jiang, the Qiao Family doesn't have much heritage but sure has a big nerve."
"I think, it's the Qiao Family who has the worst family discipline. Miss Jiang isn't as unreasonable and oblivious to the bigger picture as rumored."
Hearing these words, Mrs. Qiao could no longer maintain her composure.
She might have been confident in challenging the Jiang Family earlier, but now she couldn't get in touch with a certain person, and her own family had made such a huge scandal. Where could her arrogance come from?
The Jiang Family might not be the top family in the Capital, but they were still a prominent and respected household.
She could not afford to burn all her bridges.
Therefore, she hurriedly put on a mourning face and rushed over to grab Lin Manru's hand.
"Madam, I was blinded earlier and spoke out of turn, please don't take it to heart."
"I was unaware of Shuangshuang's behavior; it's all because the child lacks merit. I beg you, let's not hold on to the grudges of the younger generation. Even if we can't become relatives, we could still become close friends and keep in touch in the future, right?"
However, Lin Manru, deviating from her usual temperament, pushed Mrs. Qiao's hand away.
"There's no need for such false courtesies now. I can accept your apology, but from now on, there's no chance of any interaction between our two families."
She had been foolish before, thinking that Qiao Shuang would make a good daughter-in-law.
But reality had dealt her a harsh slap in the face.
The person she thought was kind and considerate had disregarded the marriage engagement and gotten involved with another man. The Qiao Family had been pressuring them every step of the way until their true ugliness was completely exposed.
Lili was right. They were nothing but a bunch of ungrateful leeches.
Since it was for the Jiang Family's welfare, then as the matriarch, she should no longer show them any mercy!