Madam Jiang was struck by a wave of alarm. She hadn't seen Jiang Yuchi in seven years, not since the day her son, her pride and joy, brought a quiet, timid-looking girl to his birthday banquet.
She took one look and knew the girl was not from a distinguished family. Before her son could even introduce her, Madam Jiang took the initiative, affectionately pulling the girl’s hand toward her. With a face full of kindness, she slipped a bright green jade bracelet off her own wrist.
"The moment I saw you, I felt a connection, dear. Look at how precious you are. Here, take this—I’ve worn this bracelet for years, it’s excellent for one’s health." Her tone was overflowing with benevolence, her hands gripping Jiang Yuchi's tightly, as if she were utterly delighted. She began asking gentle questions about the girl's past.
Having just returned to the Capital, this was the first time Jiang Yuchi had encountered such a gracious noblewoman—and the mother of her boyfriend, no less. She was momentarily swept off her feet, entirely failing to notice that Madam Jiang’s questions were focused solely on her background, never once touching on anything related to Jiang Zhiyi.
When the conversation lulled, Madam Jiang turned to her son, who was standing nearby, with a look of feigned distaste. "Compared to Yuchi, the more I look at you, you brat, the more annoyed I get! Your grandfather just said he hasn't played chess with you in a while. Go on, hurry up. Yuchi is practically family now; I’m going to introduce her to my circle."
*Family?* Jiang Yuchi was overwhelmed and touched. Having been raised away from the Jiang Family, she had never known the warmth of a real family. Her eyes misted over. Rubbing the jade bracelet with her thumb, she even chimed in, "You should go keep your grandfather company. I’ll stay and chat more with your mother."
The rabbit was in the cage; now, the slaughter could begin.
Madam Jiang smiled, a look of effortless composure, as she led the beaming Jiang Yuchi over to her friends.
Seeing Madam Jiang approach with a young girl in tow, the socialite ladies exchanged knowing glances. They knew the show was about to begin.
"Ah Lin, who is this young lady?" Like a cue before the curtain rises, Madam Jiang’s friend opened the floor.
"This is a girl the Jiang Family just brought back recently, her name is Yuchi. It’s truly pitiful—she was raised on a remote little island. I felt an immediate connection the moment I saw her today..." Madam Jiang paused here, turning to study the joy and shyness on Jiang Yuchi’s face, savoring it like one might a gourmet meal.
"I’ve decided to make her my goddaughter. I’ve even given her a gift to mark the occasion." With that, she grabbed Jiang Yuchi’s hand—the one adorned with the bracelet—presenting the "evidence" to cement the status.
Jiang Yuchi stood frozen, as if struck by lightning. She opened her mouth to speak, but her throat felt constricted, as if it were stuck with thorns; even breathing was a struggle.
What could she say? To clarify at this moment—to say, "Madam, you’ve misunderstood, I am Jiang Zhiyi’s girlfriend"—would only humiliate her further. Even in her naivety, she realized exactly what Madam Jiang was up to.
Her mind was a dull roar. Dizzy, she could only hear the surrounding sounds as a blur. The noblewomen were gathered together, laughing; it seemed Madam Jiang was sharing anecdotes about her past.
The woman who had just insisted on hearing about her life—only to feign heartbreak—was now huddled with her friends, using the most refined, restrained tones to mock her upbringing in the boondocks, implying she was entirely beneath them.
"I’ve always said that boy Zhiyi would likely marry a young miss from a family of equal standing. Between his young-master temperament and Ah Xin’s princess attitude, I didn't think I could handle another one. Thankfully, I met Yuchi. She doesn't have a shred of that ‘young miss’ arrogance; she’s so thoughtful." Madam Jiang laughed, covering her mouth with a gesture that seemed sweet.
Madam Shen, chiming in, was "blunt and forthright": "She has the temperament of a—oops, look at me, Yuchi, I'm just clumsy with my words! It’s truly enviable to have such a thoughtful little helper."
By the time the stiff-as-a-board Jiang Yuchi was seen off in a car by the ever-gracious Madam Jiang, she assumed this ordeal of "judgment" was over. She was wrong; Madam Jiang wasn't done yet.
The day after the banquet, Jiang Yuchi came down with a high fever. Her boyfriend, Jiang Zhiyi—that poor wretch who had been held captive by his grandfather for a night of chess—showed up at her rental apartment.
He seemed completely oblivious to the previous night’s events. Seeing Jiang Yuchi with her cheeks flushed from fever, he was heartbroken and reached out to pull her into his arms, but Jiang Yuchi pushed him away coldly.
"Yuchi, are you angry at my mother? She told me everything yesterday. She said she was at fault for being too enthusiastic and trying to force you into her social circle, causing you to feel overwhelmed. She asked me to apologize for her and said you are always welcome back at the Jiang Family home." Jiang Zhiyi recalled the panicked, guilt-ridden look his mother had worn when she found him the night before, and felt he had a duty as the mediator to clear up the misunderstanding.
"Overwhelmed?" Jiang Yuchi felt her last shred of reason burning away.
She blocked Jiang Zhiyi from entering her room, ran to her bedside, grabbed the jade bracelet, and threw it at him. "Give this back to your mother. Tell her I’m afraid I have no future as your family."
With that, she slammed the door before he could react. Jiang Zhiyi, possessing the same "young master temperament" his mother mentioned, was now furious.
He had brought her to his mother specifically because he saw her as marriage material. After one night, she was saying she had no future as his family? What did that mean? Hadn't they already discussed marriage?
The more he thought, the angrier he became. Especially when he pulled out his phone and saw a final message—"Let’s break up"—before realizing she had blocked him on WeChat and his phone. He returned to the Jiang residence with a face like thunder.
Usually, at this time of day, Madam Jiang would be at the beauty salon with her friends, but today, she was lounging at the tea table near the entrance, sipping tea. When she saw her son, his forehead veins bulging with rage, the corners of her mouth hooked upward. She knew it was done, and her mood was excellent.
That the bracelet had been returned to its owner in just one night was exactly as she had expected. But there were things that remained outside her calculations.
For instance, her son, who usually never listened to anyone because of his temperament, had truly fallen hard this time.
Two days after being "dumped," he had gone from acting indifferent to desperately pestering his ex-girlfriend. It took two months of groveling before he managed to win her back.
And the moment he did, he rushed to set the wedding date and venue before even notifying his own mother—telling her that his precious girlfriend, Jiang Yuchi, felt insecure, and that they were going to get engaged.
A naive, wet-behind-the-ears boy.
Madam Jiang didn't even need to meet Jiang Yuchi personally; she destroyed the engagement that Jiang Zhiyi had meticulously planned without lifting a finger.
Less than a month and a half after the engagement party, news of their total breakup arrived. Madam Jiang breathed a long sigh of relief.
Even when she later learned that Jiang Yuchi had married into the Yu Family, she still didn't take her seriously. So what if it was the Yu Family?
In her eyes, Jiang Yuchi was already a fixed quantity. No matter how high her status became on the outside, on the inside, she would always be a timid, cowardly servant girl who couldn't handle a scare. Wasn't she destined to be trampled underfoot again, just as she had been at that banquet years ago?