Chapter 2
The Jiang Shangxue in the novel had nothing going for her except her beauty. She was an utterly useless fool.
The Jiang family behind her, however, was anything but ordinary. Her grandfather was the former provincial Party secretary of Province A. Some members of the family were involved in politics, while others were in business. With the exception of Jiang Shangxue, everyone in the family was successful, upright, and honorable.
Because she had thrown an enormous fit and insisted on marrying Yun Yuandao, chairman of Yun Group, the furious Jiang family published a notice in the newspaper severing ties with Jiang Shangxue, whom they had doted on since childhood.
A May–December romance with an age difference of forty years was impossible for the strict and traditional Jiang family to accept.
Yun Yuandao was the founder of Yun Group. Although he came from an ordinary family, he had relied on his extraordinary business acumen to single-handedly build Yun Group into one of the leading companies in Province A. Unfortunately, despite his lifetime of shrewdness, when he already had one foot in the grave, he discovered that his wife had been unfaithful and that not one of the sons and daughters around him was biologically his.
Unwilling to accept this, he went to great lengths to find Yun Wu, the biological child he had fathered during an affair. At the same time, no one knew how he managed to win Jiang Shangxue over so completely that she became determined to marry him.
But the best-laid plans could not contend with fate. Before they could hold the wedding, Yun Yuandao was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Shortly before his death, he hastily registered his marriage with Jiang Shangxue and transferred all his shares to her. He also left a will instructing Jiang Shangxue to raise Yun Wu until she was old enough to take over Yun Group. At that point, the Jiang family would be given one of the group’s most profitable subsidiaries outright.
He was clearly using Jiang Shangxue to build a bridge to the Jiang family, hoping they would intervene to protect Yun Wu and Yun Group.
Even though Yun Yuandao bitterly regretted having stood by and watched whenever Jiang Shangxue abused Yun Wu, it was already too late to do anything about it.
He knew perfectly well that his second brother and third sister hated him to the bone. If Yun Group fell into their hands, they would quickly squander everything.
Yun Group was the culmination of Yun Yuandao’s entire life’s work. Left with no other choice, he could only hope that the Jiang family, with whom he had previous ties, would step forward and help him cultivate Yun Wu.
This was how Jiang Shangxue had ended up as Yun Group’s largest shareholder.
Rubbing the space between her brows, Jiang Shangxue walked over to the desk and wrote down every character in the novel and the direction in which each event would develop, recalling the plot as she did so.
First and foremost, she could not repeat the original Jiang Shangxue’s fate of being sent to a psychiatric hospital and tortured to death. She also needed to recognize that the male and female leads posed the greatest potential threat to her.
The size of the market pie remained unchanged. The male and female leads had established their foundation by swallowing Yun Group. Later, because of Jiang Shangxue’s relationship with the Jiang family, they feared retaliation and, protected by the protagonists’ plot armor, used despicable methods to bring about the Jiang family’s downfall.
Jiang Shangxue could neither disentangle herself from Yun Group nor sever her connection to the Jiang family.
Upon reaching this conclusion, the most crucial name surfaced in Jiang Shangxue’s mind—Yun Wu.
In the novel, Yun Wu had inherited Yun Yuandao’s business acumen and was an exceptionally gifted business prodigy.
When Jiang Shangxue had been reading the script, she had sympathized with Yun Wu as someone weak and vulnerable. Now, however, Yun Wu had been reclassified as a resource she could utilize.
As long as she raised Yun Wu properly, eliminated the estrangement between Yun Wu and the body’s original owner, and either kept her away from the male and female leads or helped her see their true nature, then neither she nor Yun Wu should repeat their tragic fates from the novel. There was also a good chance that Yun Wu could become a powerful source of support for her.
After all, they were now mother and daughter.
Once she had sorted everything out, the taut string within Jiang Shangxue finally began to loosen.
Bang, bang, bang. At that exact moment, a rapid series of knocks sounded outside the door.
“Madam, the directors from the group have come to visit again.”
Each knock was harder than the last, making the impatience behind them unmistakable.
Jiang Shangxue frowned imperceptibly and called through the door,
“Please ask our guests to wait in the living room.”
Although she had been here for only half a day, Jiang Shangxue could already clearly sense that none of the servants at the Yun residence liked the body’s original owner, much less felt any affection toward her.
Jiang Shangxue sighed inwardly. It appeared this was yet another mess left behind by the original Jiang Shangxue.
Since she had guests to meet, Jiang Shangxue first had to make herself presentable. She walked over to the mirror. Her reflection was wearing a wide-necked beige silk nightgown that revealed her fair, slender neck.
Farther down, she had a slim waist and long legs. She was slender without appearing bony, and her curves were graceful. This was clearly her own body. Even the red mole on her chest was in exactly the same place.
The only problem was the poorly applied, exaggerated makeup obscuring her original appearance. Bright red lips, garish eyeshadow, and heavy eyeliner made her naturally beautiful face look vulgar and old-fashioned, a jarring mess that seemed to age her by ten years.
Jiang Shangxue efficiently removed all the makeup from her face. As expected, the face beneath was her own, with long, refined eyes, thin lips, and a straight nose.
She immediately looked far more pleasing to the eye. Opening the wardrobe, Jiang Shangxue discovered that the clothes inside closely matched her own taste.
She selected a light-colored blouse and paired it with a black fishtail skirt, creating an outfit that was casual yet slightly businesslike.
At that moment, another knock sounded outside the door, accompanied by an even more impatient voice.
“Madam, you have remained in your bedroom for three days, and the members of the board have been waiting for three days as well. If they must continue waiting…”
Before Butler Li could finish speaking, the door opened.
When he saw the person before him clearly, he froze. His mouth hung open, but no sound came out, making him look extremely comical.
A faint smile rested on Jiang Shangxue’s face as her gaze swept over him. “Uncle Li, what will happen if they have to wait any longer? Won’t they simply have to continue waiting?”
In that brief moment of confrontation, Uncle Li’s mind went completely blank.
Was this beautiful woman before him truly that foolish, troublesome Jiang Shangxue? How had she suddenly become so poised and dignified? Although her posture and tone were both gentle and delicate, why did her bearing remind him of the late chairman?
It had to be his imagination.
Regaining his senses, Uncle Li stepped aside with an awkward smile. “Madam is right. The two directors are waiting in the living room.”
Without looking to either side, Jiang Shangxue passed Uncle Li and headed downstairs.
The two visiting directors were Zhao Ji and Shen Cheng. They had been mentioned briefly in the novel, so Jiang Shangxue still remembered them somewhat. Both were skilled at changing their allegiance according to the prevailing winds.
Yun Yuandao was dead. Compared with Yun Wu, they would much rather place their bets on Second Young Master Yun. They had come so impatiently because they wanted to help the other members of the Yun family test Jiang Shangxue and determine what she was truly capable of.
After all, they still had to consider the Jiang family behind her.
Although the Jiang family had published a notice in the newspaper severing ties with her, she was still their youngest daughter. Surely they could not genuinely abandon her. Besides, Jiang Shangxue currently held so many shares. Ideally, they could coax her into obediently surrendering them.
The two directors had long heard that Jiang Shangxue was a brainless fool. When they heard footsteps descending the stairs, they stood and turned around. Seeing Jiang Shangxue without makeup for the first time, a flash of amazement swiftly crossed their eyes.
They had never expected Jiang Shangxue to be so beautiful without her heavy makeup.
“Hello, Chief Executive Jiang.”
“Hello, Directors.”
They nodded in greeting, the two directors wearing smiles that never reached their eyes.
The air silently filled with the scent of gunpowder.
Hearing how they addressed her, Jiang Shangxue curved her lips and spoke first, as though merely making casual conversation.
“This is the first batch of fresh tea harvested from Wuyi Mountain this year. Please have a taste.”
The two men had only just lifted their teacups and had yet to bring them to their mouths when Jiang Shangxue continued with a smile, “The two of you visit the Yun residence every day. Has something happened at the group?”
Silently lowering the teacup in his hand, Zhao Ji spoke first. “Nothing of the sort. It’s simply that, as you know, the late chairman made extensive personnel changes before his death. Looking at things now, some of those changes seem rather unreasonable. Do you think perhaps a few positions should be reassigned?”
Shen Cheng smoothly chimed in, “Exactly. Certain parts of the organizational structure are indeed unreasonable. Take Qi Ping, for example. He’s a green young man who has been with the company for only three years, yet the late chairman promoted him to chief executive, placing him on equal footing with you.”
The faint smile on Jiang Shangxue’s face never changed. Yun Yuandao had given her the title of chief executive merely to make her happy. The people actually managing Yun Group were all Yun Yuandao’s trusted subordinates.
Even after Yun Yuandao’s death, as long as those trusted subordinates remained, the group would not descend into chaos anytime soon.
But judging by the current situation, Yun Yuandao had been dead for less than two months, and people were already coveting the positions that held genuine authority.
“Directors, you both know how good Old Yun was at judging people. Qi Ping has only recently assumed the position. What could anyone possibly determine so soon? He must be given some time to adjust, don’t you think?”
“Chief Executive Jiang, although that may be true…”
Zhao Ji was about to say more when Jiang Shangxue interrupted him by rising to her feet. She smiled apologetically.
“Directors, I’m terribly sorry, but I’m running out of time. I still need to attend Wuwu’s parent-teacher conference. We can discuss anything else another day.”
Zhao Ji’s and Shen Cheng’s expressions darkened slightly, but they maintained their composure, stood, and took their leave.
The moment they stepped out of the Yun residence, Shen Cheng spat on the ground. “Bah! Who the hell does she think she is? We waited all these days, and she only let us say two sentences.”
Zhao Ji’s expression was not much better. He turned to look at the gates of the Yun residence, a contemplative look appearing in his eyes. “Why do I get the feeling that Jiang Shangxue isn’t nearly as stupid as the rumors claim? She blocked us with just a couple of casual remarks.”
Hearing this, Shen Cheng snorted dismissively. “Even a blind cat occasionally catches a dead mouse. How could she possibly be as capable as you say?”
Zhao Ji shook his head with an amused smile but did not argue, tacitly agreeing.
After seeing the two directors off, Uncle Li returned, feeling puzzled. “Did Miss Yun tell you that she had a parent-teacher conference today?”
Jiang Shangxue hummed in acknowledgment and instructed him gently, “Arrange a car. I’m going to Wuwu’s school.”
Something about that affectionate tone sounded deeply wrong. Uncle Li stared blankly as he answered, still unable to recover from his astonishment.
Jiang Shangxue was going to attend Miss Yun’s parent-teacher conference? Whenever she saw the young lady, she always ordered people to torment her in every conceivable way, doing things that only a beast would do.
The driver was equally bewildered. Only recently, he had heard that Madam had driven Miss Yun out of the house and even cut off her living expenses. No one knew where she was currently staying.
Jiang Shangxue took in every change in the driver’s expression. From the corner of her eye, she saw the school gates come into view and said softly, “Stop the car here.”
“Yes, Madam.”
There was no parent-teacher conference. It had merely been an excuse Jiang Shangxue invented. It just so happened that she also wanted to meet Yun Wu.
Thinking about everything the body’s original owner had done to Yun Wu, Jiang Shangxue pressed her fingers to her temples with a headache.
She had refused to let Yun Wu enter the house and instead erected a crude wooden shack for her in the garden. It protected her from neither wind nor rain, and even the family’s pet dog had lived better than she did. Now, she had gone so far as to throw Yun Wu out entirely.
Yun Wu must hate her to death. Jiang Shangxue considered the matter carefully, but for the moment, she could not think of how she should approach Yun Wu and close the distance between them.
Jiang Shangxue was so absorbed in thought that she failed to notice when school ended. Day students poured out through the gates, and Yun Wu was among them.
Jiang Shangxue casually raised her eyes. Through the car window, her gaze unexpectedly collided with Yun Wu’s.
Everyone else walked in groups of three or five. Only Yun Wu was completely alone.
Jiang Shangxue recognized her at once among the crowd. She watched Yun Wu slowly approach, looking exactly as she had in the dream.
She wore a white short-sleeved shirt and long black trousers. Her delicate but pale face still retained the youthful innocence of a student. Wispy strands of hair fluttered gently across her forehead in the breeze. She was extremely thin, making her eyes appear large and vivid, like endless starlight. Her entire being radiated an innate aloofness and stubbornness.
Yun Wu stopped beside the car window, less than half a meter away from Jiang Shangxue.
Although it was clearly impossible to see inside the car through the window, Jiang Shangxue somehow had the illusion that she and Yun Wu were already engaged in a tense negotiation.
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