However, just as he parted his lips in surprise, he suddenly felt a cold, sharp gaze fixed on his temple.
Slowly turning his head, he saw the man radiating a frigid, solemn aura.
The look in his eyes clearly spelled out two words:
"Chatterbox."
Seeing this, Jian Yue silently shut his mouth.
It was Sunday, June 2nd. As Jiang Lai finished breakfast, she saw Jin Shengshi scrolling on his phone and asked casually, "Do you have any work today?"
Hearing this, the man gave her a lazy glance. "Do you need something?"
Jiang Lai shook her head, smiling brightly. "No."
"I just wanted to tell you something."
"What is it?"
Resting her chin on one hand, she happily reported her victory. "This morning, your stepmother called me over to serve tea. She tried to frame me and drive a wedge between us, and she even wanted to scald me. So, I turned the tables and 'accidentally' spilled that boiling tea all over her face."
The word "accidentally" was used quite ingeniously.
Jin Shengshi remained entirely composed throughout.
Jian Yue, however, was dumbstruck, his expression filled with horror. "You spilled boiling tea on Xie Siwan’s face?"
Jiang Lai let out a lazy yawn. "Yep."
The next second, Jian Yue said earnestly, "You’re done for."
Jiang Lai didn't catch his meaning. "Done for? What do you mean?"
Jian Yue continued, "You’re new here, so you probably have no idea how much Old Man Jin treasures Xie Siwan. Even if she just bumps into something, he flies into a rage. Now that you’ve only just entered the family and you’re already being this brazen with her... I suspect that when he gets back from his business trip, he’s going to tear you to pieces."
Tear her to pieces? Was it really that exaggerated?
Considering Jian Yue’s tendency to dramatize, Jiang Lai looked pleadingly at Jin Shengshi. "Hubby, is that true?"
She possessed a face that was both innocent and bewitching—two contrasting styles that, logically, should have been contradictory, yet on her, they felt perfectly harmonious. A sense of mischief stirred in him. Jin Shengshi leaned back and said lazily, "Eighty percent chance."
Over fifty percent!
That meant she was essentially walking to her death.
Just a moment ago, having gained the upper hand against Xie Siwan, she had been feeling quite pleased with herself. But now, only anxiety remained in her heart. In the vast Jin Family, besides Elder Jin, Jin Shengshi’s father was the highest authority. If he decided to destroy her, who could protect her?
Thinking of this, she gulped down her nervousness. Without realizing it, she reached out and tugged at Jin Shengshi’s sleeve, pouting pitifully.
"Hubby, you’ll protect me, right?"
Jin Shengshi glanced at the slender fingertips gripping his sleeve, a faint, lazy smile touching his lips. "Take a guess."
Jiang Lai paused. Guess?
She guessed he could go to hell!
Watching the two of them, she caught on to the underlying tension and realized she’d been played.
In that second, she immediately let go of his sleeve. What a wicked, repressed man—was scaring her fun?
Not wanting to be toyed with, Jiang Lai slumped back against the chair. "Fine, whatever."
"If he wants to tear me to pieces, let him."
Jian Yue looked at her, incredulous. "You’re that zen about it?"
Jiang Lai sneered. "What else can I do?"
Seeing her like this, Jian Yue had nothing more to say. Realizing she hadn't taken the bait, he dropped the act.
He said seriously, "While it might not go as far as 'tearing you to pieces,' your actions today were impulsive. Whether it’s because Old Man Jin dotes on Xie Siwan or simply out of concern for his reputation, he won’t let this go easily."
Perhaps because she was too full, Jiang Lai pressed a hand to her lips and yawned again. "That’s not something I need to worry about."
"You were the one who spilled the tea on Xie Siwan, and it’s not your concern?"
Jiang Lai countered, "Isn't that something your brother should be worrying about?"
Jian Yue: "..."
Her retort was perfectly logical. Jin Shengshi raised an eyebrow, his dark, deep eyes filled with amusement.
Her personality had certainly become much more vibrant. She was quite skilled at shifting the blame.
The woman in question, perhaps finding them boring, tidied her dress and headed upstairs.
Once her figure disappeared from sight, Jian Yue said with a hint of melancholy, "Brother, my sister-in-law dealing with Xie Siwan—spilling hot tea on her face—that was definitely satisfying."
"But Old Man Jin is truly difficult to deal with. Don't you think if Xie Siwan whispers in his ear, my sister-in-law is going to be targeted?"
Compared to his melancholy, Jin Shengshi was quite calm. "Do you think that, having boarded our ship, she could ever avoid being targeted?"
Hearing this, Jian Yue suddenly realized the truth.
That’s right, being targeted was inevitable. It was only a matter of time.
-
That afternoon, Jiang Lai took her black gold card and three bodyguards to the most prosperous shopping center in Jing City.
She only had five years left to live.
Now that she finally had money in her hands, she absolutely had to experience the joy of shopping like a wealthy person.
And so, the following scene unfolded.
Arriving at the clothing section, Jiang Lai declared, "Buy it!"
At the cosmetics section, Jiang Lai declared, "Buy it!"
At the shoe section, Jiang Lai declared, "Buy it!"
At the jewelry section, Jiang Lai declared, "Buy it!"
At the watch section, Jiang Lai declared, "Buy it!"
At the handbag section, Jiang Lai declared, "Buy it!"
...
After the spree, her purchases required a truck to transport.
Meanwhile, at the golf club, Jin Shengshi was being teased by a few close friends.
"Wow, Asheng, your kissing skills aren't bad at all."
"You haven't had a girlfriend in all these years, so if your technique is this good, you'd better not have been practicing on a pillow at home."
"But tell us, is it true or false that you have a secret crush on the second daughter of the Jiang Family? You should have told us sooner so we wouldn't be disrespectful if we ran into her."
He had wanted to relax after finishing a business deal, but the three of them wouldn't stop chattering. After handing his club to a staff member, he sat back in the shaded lounge.
He shot them a cold, sharp look. "If you three are that bored, I don't mind finding something extra for you to do."
The three of them burst into laughter at his words.
Bian Hong leaned in closer, nudging him like a buddy. "Don't be like that. If you want to settle scores, you should go after Jian Yue, who was the first to film you kissing. We three just happened to catch the gossip."
Xi Siying curled his lips in a smile. "I agree."
At this moment, Jin Shengshi’s cousin, Yun Yan, walked over after checking his phone. "Asheng, give us the scoop—is it a real crush or a fake one?"
When the term "secret crush" came up, Jin Shengshi had already mentally executed Jian Yue several times over.
He had no idea what that kid was dreaming up all day long.
Annoyed by the three of them, he picked up his phone from the table and frowned impatiently. "Stop listening to the nonsense that kid Jian Yue spouts."
"It’s nothing like that."
Hearing this, the three looked at each other.
*Oh?* Is it really nothing like that?
After all, they had heard he’d assigned three bodyguards to Jiang Lai, and not just anyone—the bodyguards were from their own internal training program, men who had been with them for over a decade. That didn't look like "nothing."
When he unlocked his phone, Jin Shengshi had intended to handle some work matters, but seeing the 99+ red notifications, his obsessive-compulsive nature got the better of him. He tapped on the screen, and upon doing so, a line of small text came into view: *You have spent 100 million.*