Watching Mrs. Qiao's shocked face struggle to recover, Lin Manru also tasted for the first time the sweetness of standing firm, and she couldn't help but send a proud look towards her daughter.
Jiang Li nodded with a smile, seemingly approving of Lin Manru's words and actions.
It seemed that her mother was still very responsive to cues.
With that being the case, things would be even easier to handle.
Thinking of this, she pulled out a document from her handbag and had the bodyguards hand it directly to Mrs. Qiao.
The reason she had returned to the Jiang Family but didn't confront everyone right away was precisely this.
"Since my mother has already spoken to this extent, let's just return the engagement gifts and part on good terms," she said.
"Consider the 500,000 yuan in cash as the Jiang Family's contribution to poverty alleviation and charity, but please return the 10% of Jiang Group's shares you hold, Mrs. Qiao. After all, our families have separated, and if someone with ulterior motives gets a hold of these shares in the future, it could become a huge loss for us."
No sooner had Jiang Li finished speaking than Lin Manru felt a tingling sensation down her back.
How could she have forgotten that the Qiao Family still held an additional 10% of the Jiang Group's shares?!
It was decided from the start by Old Master Jiang as part of the marriage agreement with the Qiao Family.
The 10% stake was just enough for the Qiao Family to receive dividends, yet not enough to give them a say in the group's affairs.
But if she agreed to add an extra 5% to that, giving the Qiao Family a total of 15% of Jiang Group's shares, they would definitely be able to make their voices heard at shareholder meetings.
Just like Lili said, if they wanted to continue to use this as leverage in the future, it would be just a matter of speaking out.
Her compromise had almost brought big trouble to the Jiang Family!
With this in mind, Lin Manru stepped forward forcefully and pushed the pen into Mrs. Qiao's hand.
"I was trying to let your family leave with dignity. It's your own fault for not recognizing what's good for you. If you refuse to sign this share transfer agreement, don't even think about leaving the Jiang Family's doors in peace today!"
Mrs. Qiao, who had never seen Lin Manru angry, was so frightened that she hurriedly signed the document.
Having obtained the contract, Lin Manru had the bodyguards throw the entire Qiao Family out.
Only then did Jiang Li rise from the sofa and slowly walk toward the big screen.
The crowd instinctively fell silent and held their breath.
During the standoff with the Qiao Family just now, they had seen what Eldest Miss Jiang was capable of.
In just two hours, she found her brother, who had been missing for half a month, awakened her mother, who had always been weak and retreating, and turned away the Qiao Family, who had ulterior motives.
How could she possibly be the same woman from the rumours, the one who only knew how to chase after men and was a profligate, uneducated heiress?
Yet, unexpectedly, the now-transformed, graceful Eldest Miss Jiang did not speak out to blame them for being onlookers today but instead bowed slightly to them.
"I am very sorry for taking up everyone's entire day. Such an incident is not a matter of dignity for anyone involved. I hope you can all forgive us," she said.
"Uncle Jiang, please take some people to the wine cellar and bring out some wine to give to everyone as the Jiang Family's apology."
Jiang Ye immediately understood and selected several people to go, and as the guests came to their senses, they began to praise Jiang Li for how she handled things.
"This Eldest Miss Jiang is someone who can handle big affairs, flexible and tough. Who was it again saying that the Jiang Family's tradition was lacking, producing only misfits and clowns?"
"I've heard that Old Master Jiang loves his drinks, and the cellar is full of his favorite treasures. For Eldest Miss Jiang to be giving these away so generously, that's really something."
"In my opinion, it's purely due to the Qiao Family's lack of appreciation today. The Jiang Family has already done more than enough."
The guests took their bottles of fine wine, thanked them with smiles, and left the Jiang Family home.
However, Jiang Yan chuckled at the misfortune with glee.
"Don't get too happy too early, Jiang Li," said Lin Manru, "all this wine is Grandpa's treasure. Just wait until he comes back and see how you explain this!"
Lin Manru also approached, trembling with apprehension.
"Yeah, Lili, Grandpa usually doesn't even like to give this wine away. Aren't you kind of using great resources for a minor purpose?"
Jiang Li just smiled.
"Mother, do you know why, since ancient times, some families, despite being rich and powerful, still remain philanthropic and low-key?"
Lin Manru shook her head, bewildered.
"It's all for the sake of 'reputation,'" Jiang Li said. "These two words seem simple, but they can often collapse in an instant because of some small matter."
"With the Qiao Family's situation today, even if we don't make things difficult for them, their reputation in the Capital will suffer, making their path ahead more challenging."
"By fully honoring our guests and displaying our Jiang Family's tradition to the utmost, the guests naturally will compare in their hearts. In the future, when it comes to business dealings, they will remember the Jiang Family's style of handling things today."
Lin Manru was extremely surprised.
When did her unschooled daughter start making sense of these grand principles of managing a family business and even business social interactions?
Even Old Master Jiang had never hinted at these to her.
"Right, Lili, you're correct. Mom will remember this, and if such things happen again, I'll be able to handle them myself."
"Psh, watching a few TV series and you think you're the House Mistress?" Jiang Yan scoffed as he walked to the table, pried open a bottle of alcohol, and gulped it down. "Mom, she just stumbled upon some luck, and you really think she's come to her senses?"
She had received praise all day while he—
He was mistakenly identified as someone else, not to mention caught by his own sister.
That would have been enough, but then he was ridiculed by a bus full of people over two yuan, and upon returning home with thick skin, his fiancée humiliated him in public.
Even though he had no interest in Qiao Shuang, not even giving her a proper look, the engagement was set in stone.
Now, all of Jing City would probably know that he, Young Master Jiang, had been cuckolded at his engagement party.
The more Jiang Yan thought about it, the angrier he got. He grabbed his collar, about to loosen it just as he was putting the bottle down, but his line of sight caught an enlarged face.
Seeing those eyes twinkling with an indistinct emotion, Jiang Yan's mind immediately sounded alarm bells.
"Jiang Li, what are you doing? Was what I said wrong?"
"Not at all," Jiang Li said softly. "But I did all this today, including giving away this wine, to clean up your mess."
"So..." She took out her phone, showing him the payment screen, "The two yuan for the bus ride plus the cost of this wine, together makes 4 million and two yuan. Transfer it directly to my account."
Jiang Yan choked on his drink.
"???"
"Jiang Li, are you ****ing kidding me with this cleanup?"
Meanwhile, everything happening in the front hall was being watched intently by a young man standing in a corner on the fifth floor.
The young man's grip on the railing was tight, his knuckles white, and even the veins in his hands were visible.
The face hidden in the shadows was also pale, leaving only a hauntingly beautiful set of features that seemed somewhat unreal.
Like a marsh frozen over in layers of ice during winter, without a single ripple or disturbance.
And even if spring was to come, only shattered ice edges would remain.
The young man stood motionless, his gaze fixed on the girl below, and finally, a flicker of light danced in his dark eyes.
"She... has changed a lot."