After all, she was his only granddaughter, the one he had doted on and held in the palm of his hand since she was a child. Even if he had been angry with her before, seeing her in such a state now, he could no longer muster a shred of anger. He reached out and cupped her face in his hands.
Seeing her eyes red and streaming with tears, Jiang Bai, who once commanded the business world with ease, was suddenly flustered. "Nianxi, what happened? Has someone bullied you? Tell Grandfather, and I will stand up for you!"
Jiang Nianxi sobbed, "Grandfather, I’m sorry. I shouldn't have gone to the nightclub. I made you worry."
Lin Shuran and Ye Mei exchanged a look, their eyes filled with undisguised shock. Jiang Nianxi’s behavior was truly unexpected.
Seeing his granddaughter sincerely admitting her mistake, Jiang Bai’s temper completely evaporated. However, seeing her crying like this, she didn't seem fine at all. He asked with concern, "Nianxi, did someone bully you? If so, I’ll chop them up and feed them to the dogs right now!"
"No, Grandfather, I’m fine."
"Are you really sure?"
Jiang Nianxi nodded, and only then did Jiang Bai let out a sigh of relief.
Ye Mei gave a dry laugh. "It’s good that Nianxi is back. Have you had breakfast? Should I have the kitchen make something for you?"
*Hah, a cat weeping over a dead mouse.*
Ye Mei was best at acting in front of outsiders. On the surface, she was a gentle, generous, and decorous mistress, but in reality, her heart was as vicious as Lin Shuran’s.
Jiang Nianxi sneered, "Nianxi? Only those close to me can call me that. Who do you think you are? Did I ever acknowledge you as my stepmother? And as for why I was at the nightclub, you and Lin Shuran know exactly why!"
The expressions on Ye Mei and Lin Shuran’s faces shifted slightly.
"Sister, what do you mean by that?"
"Playing dumb? Wasn't it you who called me and told me to go to the nightclub to find Ji Yanxiu? Once I got there, you had someone secretly take photos of me, terrified that Grandfather and my father wouldn't know where I was."
In her previous life, Lin Shuran had sent the photos of her at the nightclub to Jiang Yuanshan, which led to her being forcibly dragged home. She had been slapped, her allowance was cut off, and she had turned the house upside down, eventually causing her grandfather to be hospitalized from the stress.
Lin Shuran defended herself, "Sister, I did that for your own good. I wanted to bring you back, but you refused to budge. I had no choice but to take the photos and ask Grandfather and Dad for help. How could that be wrong?"
Ye Mei added, "Exactly. Shuran was acting out of kindness. Even if you didn't want to come back, you shouldn't have hurt anyone. Look at Shuran’s arm—it's bleeding!"
Seeing the injury on Lin Shuran’s arm, Jiang Nianxi didn't react much. Over the years, in order to paint a picture of her as rebellious and vicious, this wasn't the first time Lin Shuran had pulled a stunt like this.
"Mom, forget it. I don't think Sister did it on purpose." Lin Shuran bit her lip, looking pitiful.
Had this been the old Jiang Nianxi, she would have been too proud to explain, choosing only to call her a fraud and tell her to get lost. But doing that would only make her grandfather and father trust Lin Shuran more and despise her even further.
Jiang Nianxi scoffed, "Of course I didn't do it on purpose, considering you staged the whole thing yourself."
"..." Lin Shuran’s eyes widened.
Ye Mei felt a jolt of alarm. When did this brainless and impulsive young miss become so calm?
"Sister, what are you saying? Why would I hurt myself for no reason?" Lin Shuran looked as if she had been deeply wronged, tears welling up in her eyes.
*Hypocritical. Disgusting!*
Hatred flared in the depths of Jiang Nianxi’s eyes. Just as she was about to speak, Jiang Yuanshan snapped, "You brat! It’s clearly your fault, yet you turn around and slander Shuran! Look at the state you’re in—apologize to Shuran right now!"
Jiang Nianxi looked at him, finding the situation laughable. Her father was truly blinded by obsession. Ye Mei and Lin Shuran constantly coddled him, and with Ye Mei now pregnant with what was rumored to be the son he had always longed for, he naturally favored the mother and daughter. Even though Lin Shuran wasn't his biological child.
Jiang Nianxi said coldly, "Slander? Dad, why don't you watch this first, and then decide who should apologize!"
She took out her phone and played an audio recording.
*["Sister, this is bad! I heard that Senior is working part-time at a nightclub and is being pestered by a girl! Should you go and check it out? What if that girl steals him away?"]*
It was clearly Lin Shuran’s voice. Lin Shuran’s face turned pale instantly!
As if that weren't enough, Jiang Nianxi played a surveillance video. The nightclub was dimly lit, but Lin Shuran’s face was still clearly visible. She was seen crouching on a floor covered in broken glass, picking up a shard, gritting her teeth, and dragging it across her own arm.
"..." Lin Shuran was stunned.
Jiang Nianxi... how could she have recorded the call and pulled the surveillance footage? She was so stupid—how could she have thought of this?
Jiang Nianxi was glad she had prepared in advance, securing the call logs and surveillance footage before coming home. Otherwise, Lin Shuran would have succeeded again.
Jiang Yuanshan looked at the video, his expression complex.
Lin Shuran realized what was happening and rushed to defend herself. "Dad, it's not like that! I never called Sister, and the person in the video isn't me. Videos can be faked these days!"
Lin Shuran turned to Jiang Nianxi. "Sister, I know you hate me. You can hit me, you can scold me... but why do you have to frame me?"
"You want me to hit you? Fine!" Jiang Nianxi sneered, then raised her hand and slapped Lin Shuran hard across the face.
*CRACK!*
The sound was sharp. Lin Shuran’s face was forced to the side, and five clear, burning red finger marks appeared on her cheek.
The entire Jiang household was shocked. Jiang Nianxi shrugged nonchalantly. "You all heard her. She told me to hit her, so I obliged."
"Sister, you..." Lin Shuran was stunned, clutching her face and sobbing even harder. Large tears streamed down her cheeks, making her look weak, pitiful, and helpless.
Jiang Yuanshan was furious. "You brat, have you lost your mind? Apologize to Shuran, right now! Or I’ll cancel all your cards!"
Even with the evidence right in front of him, he still chose to trust and favor Lin Shuran. Jiang Nianxi found it laughable. He thought Lin Shuran was his devoted little girl, not realizing it was all an act. Eventually, she would join forces with Ye Mei to force him into a psychiatric hospital for torment, and only then would he learn.
"Enough! Everyone shut up! Are you all hell-bent on turning this house upside down tonight?" Jiang Bai’s face was as dark as the bottom of a pot. "Nianxi, come here and help me back to my room."
He stood up from the sofa and cast a cold, sharp glance at Lin Shuran, who felt a chill run down her spine. She had been in the Jiang household for several years, yet she was still terrified of the old man. She could see that he still favored his own granddaughter, Jiang Nianxi, and he was far more difficult to handle than Jiang Yuanshan. Moreover, the old man was strangely tolerant of her. He had been furious a moment ago, but now he was clearly taking her side. The old man had never treated her or her mother with such grace; he had disliked them for years. *Damn it...*
As Jiang Nianxi helped Jiang Bai upstairs, she said earnestly, "Grandfather, the call logs and the video are both real. Do you believe me?"