Chapter Eighteen: The Beginning of the Jiang Family’s Downfall

The long-neglected furniture had been given a new lease on life, and the once-chilly villa now exuded an air of high-end, understated luxury.

The focal point, however, was the two "left-behind" parents standing in the living room, their expressions as eager as if they were waiting for children who had finally returned home from working far away.

"Mom, Dad, are you two free today?"

The moment Chen Xiang looked up and saw Jiang Changyuan’s parents, the chilling memories of the previous night came flooding back. In the next second, she pushed Su Yingying to the front while she ducked behind, not to mention the chubby boy and the others, who stood as stiff and obedient as if they were facing their teachers.

"Hello, Auntie! Hello, Uncle!"

The voices of several dozen people rang out in unison, loud enough that one might have mistaken them for a group of beggars.

"Hello, hello! You kids are very welcome."

When Zhong Qing saw another girl in the group, her eyes lit up, and she even forgot to answer Jiang Changyuan’s father, Jiang Zhengguo. She walked over in quick strides. Jiang Zhengguo instinctively reached out to hand over his briefcase, but Zhong Qing glided right past him to stand before Su Yingying.

"What is your name, little girl?"

"H-hello, Auntie. I-I’m Su Yingying."

This warmth left Su Yingying feeling overwhelmed; she had only just discovered how wealthy Jiang Changyuan’s family truly was.

"Oh, what a lovely name. As clear as jade, and you look so fair and bright." Zhong Qing beamed. "Are you a classmate of my son’s? How does he behave in school? Has he ever..."

"Mom!" Jiang Changyuan interrupted his mother’s interrogation-style questioning, feeling helpless. She was scaring Su Yingying—couldn't she see that the girl’s eyes were already welling up? "She’s the tutor I hired for myself. I learn faster than the others, so I don’t study with them in the evenings."

"Oh, I see. That’s good." Distracted by this, Zhong Qing stopped questioning her; after all, gossip was never as important as her son’s education. "Come on, follow me in and have some fruit."

Chen Xiang let out a sigh of relief, but she had let her guard down too soon.

"Little Chen Xiang, why are you hiding in the back? Come on, come with us."

The two girls received the best treatment, while the group of boys sat obediently on the wooden floor, looking exactly like a group of little servants.

After dinner, Chen Xiang hurriedly ushered everyone to the private theater to study, while Jiang Changyuan and Su Yingying were sent off to the study.

"I think both of these girls are excellent. The girls our son knows are getting prettier and prettier," Jiang Zhengguo said, holding his wife close.

"Our son is at a critical stage right now. Don’t let your mindset slip, dear," he added, his heart skipping a beat as he offered a reminder.

Zhong Qing rolled her eyes with a charming, coquettish flair and tapped his shoulder. "Do you even need to say that? Sigh, I have to go on a business trip again tomorrow morning."

"You’ve flown back and forth so many times this month. Why don’t I go this time?"

"Hmph, certainly not. Our son doesn't have time to keep me company right now; I’d be bored to death at home by myself."

"Once the company gets through this crisis, we’ll take our son on a proper vacation when he’s on break," Jiang Zhengguo said, holding her tighter and whispering sweet nothings as the minutes ticked by.

By eleven o'clock, Jiang Changyuan stretched and grinned. "One night of tutoring is worth several days of my own self-study. Thank you—I’ll send you the payment right now."

"Um..." Su Yingying began tidying up her textbooks, clutching her pocket shyly. "Could you pay in cash, please?"

"No problem, just a moment." Jiang Changyuan understood the situation immediately. Su Yingying’s mother was ill and needed money constantly; she had no spare funds to upgrade her phone, and she was still using an old model her mother had discarded long ago.

"Mom, give me a thousand in cash. It’s for tutoring fees."

Zhong Qing didn't ask a single question; she simply took out her wallet and started counting.

"Did you spend all your allowance again, you brat?"

"No, it’s a special circumstance. Her phone doesn't support transfers."

Jiang Zhengguo, who had been ready to lecture his son, immediately backed down. There weren’t many simple, grounded girls left these days, and more importantly, her temperament was good. Perhaps this was a good influence...

Once everyone emerged, Jiang’s parents enthusiastically served a midnight snack, making the guests feel quite embarrassed. Chen Xiang, in particular, felt guilty for eating and taking so much—she wondered if she had asked for too much in tutoring fees.

"It’s not safe for two girls to go home at night. I’ll drive you."

"No need, Auntie. Lu Hai and the others will see us home before they head back." Chen Xiang refused quickly, her hands waving so fast they were a blur. She had already received more than enough hospitality at the Jiang house and didn't want to prolong it.

After repeated refusals, Zhong Qing finally gave in, but she walked them to the door and gave Lu Hai a thousand instructions.

"Mom, the way you’re acting, it’s like Chen Xiang and Su Yingying are your biological daughters and I was just a gift included with a phone plan," Jiang Changyuan joked.

"Don't talk nonsense." Zhong Qing glanced at him and pulled him down to sit beside her. "Son, I have to go on a business trip tomorrow..."

"Again?" Jiang Changyuan’s playful mood vanished. Were they going to leave him behind to enjoy their couple’s time again? If he had to choose, he’d pick his mother—at most, she would just flick his forehead, but his father was truly "tough" on him.

"The winds of change have been strong these past few years. Our company is undergoing a transformation, and there’s a promising project in Linshui City that I need to go and inspect."

"We had previously vetted a company, but we found their technology to be lacking. It can't be helped; you can't be careless with tech projects," Jiang Zhengguo added, keeping his eyes fixed on Jiang Changyuan. Over the past two days, they had noticed their son was truly improving—at least he wasn't showing his usual "three-minute" enthusiasm. If that were the case, he would eventually inherit the company, so it was time to let him know a few things.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Changyuan froze, a slice of watermelon halfway to his mouth. A tech project?

"Mom, what’s the name of the tech company in Linshui City?"

"It’s called Shuguang Technology. Are you interested, son?"

"That company is no good!" Jiang Changyuan’s eyes widened suddenly. Wasn't Shuguang Technology the very beginning of the downfall of the Jiang family company in the original story?

According to the plot, Zhong Qing would go there, strike a deal with the hosts, and sign a contract on the spot—but that contract contained a massive loophole. On the surface, the price offered by Shuguang Technology was below market rate, but they had secretly manipulated the quantities, causing the Jiang family to pay far more for the chips they needed every year.

The chips were high-quality, so the Jiang family’s performance soared, and they never bothered to investigate. However, after the male protagonist began his revenge, Shuguang Technology’s scheme was exposed. The chips were revealed to be stolen intellectual property; the company lost the lawsuit, went bankrupt, and was saddled with massive debt. The worst part was that the companies they partnered with—especially the Jiang family—suffered damage to their reputation and a broken capital chain.

Jiang’s parents exchanged a puzzled look, both seeing the confusion in the other’s eyes regarding his sudden reaction.

"Son, how are you so certain that Shuguang Technology is no good?"

"You never cared about company affairs before, and your mother and I never told you about this." Jiang Zhengguo’s gaze was sharp, and Zhong Qing stared at Jiang Changyuan without blinking.

A person changing from bad to good could be called a "prodigal son returning," but to have such a massive leap in knowledge—even knowing internal company matters—was highly suspicious.