The assistant froze, thinking he had misheard.
However, when he saw that there was no hint of anger on Duan Helin’s face, he silently swallowed his words.
The two were just about to leave when they were suddenly drawn by the commotion downstairs. Duan Helin looked down and happened to see Jiang Wanyi in the middle of a dispute.
Jiang Wanyi had not expected that on her rare night out at a bar to catch up with a friend, she would run into the Li Family. What bad luck.
Li Wanxuan had never gotten along with Jiang Wanyi, and having heard rumors about Jiang Wanyi’s recent move to divorce, she already held a grudge. Meeting in a bar now felt like lighting a powder keg.
"Jiang Wanyi, you are a married woman! How can you have the gall to abandon your husband and son just to come to a bar and enjoy yourself? Do you have no shame?" Li Wanxuan’s voice was shrill, immediately drawing the attention of everyone nearby.
"Is Li Jinchuan a cripple or brain-damaged? Does he fall apart the moment I’m not around?" Jiang Wanyi did not hold back, firing right back at her.
This retort left Li Wanxuan speechless.
The woman who used to swallow every insult she threw at her—when had she become so sharp-tongued? Furthermore, the Jiang Wanyi of the past had always dressed in drab, lifeless colors, but now, the woman standing before her was radiant and dazzling. She was like a completely different person.
After a moment’s thought, Li Wanxuan suddenly realized what was happening and sneered, "I was wondering why you were dressed like a tramp. So, you came to the bar to fish for a sugar daddy? I suppose it makes sense—once you’re divorced, you won't have any money left to spend, so you’d better hurry up and find your next meal ticket."
"Li Wanxuan, watch your mouth. You’re supposed to be the young lady of the Li Family—is this all the upbringing you have?" Liao Xiner hurriedly stepped in to shield Jiang Wanyi, glaring indignantly at Li Wanxuan.
At this moment, Li Wanxuan’s coterie of friends walked over, each wearing a look of biting malice.
"So this is the sister-in-law you were talking about? She looks decent enough on the surface, but it's a pity her character is so trashy."
"No wonder she’s not favored by her husband’s family. She deserves to be cast aside!"
In 1998 in Hong Kong City, a woman getting a divorce was fodder for gossip. These people were deliberately picking at her soft spots, but unfortunately for them, they had miscalculated—Jiang Wanyi could not have cared less about such things.
"Li Wanxuan, is this how you talk about me in front of your friends?"
"Did I say something wrong?" Li Wanxuan looked unfazed and gave a cold laugh. "You’d better think clearly. Once you divorce my brother, you’ll just be secondhand goods. I’d like to see which blind fool in Hong Kong City would dare to take you! I bet even if you paid them to take you, no one would want you."
Her words had barely left her lips when Liao Xiner raised her hand and slapped her across the face.
The crisp sound of the slap made the entire lounge area go silent.
Li Wanxuan covered her face in disbelief. "You dare hit me?"
"I hit you, so what? Do I need to pick a lucky day to do it?" Liao Xiner had long despised the Li Family. She had restrained herself before only out of consideration for Jiang Wanyi, but since the divorce was happening anyway, who cared about saving face anymore?
Li Wanxuan was consumed by rage and raised her hand to retaliate, but Jiang Wanyi caught her by the wrist.
"Li Wanxuan," Jiang Wanyi’s voice was as cold as ice, "how can you have the audacity to mock me while living comfortably off my dowry money?"
"Is this how your Li Family raises their daughters?"
"Who took your dowry?" Li Wanxuan frowned and snapped back.
Jiang Wanyi no longer cared about sparing their reputation; she tore away the veil of decency right there in public: "The reason I’ve been short of funds all these years is that your mother has been secretly siphoning off my dowry money to subsidize you!"
As she spoke, she pointed at the jade pendant on Li Wanxuan’s neck and said in a low voice, "That mutton-fat jade around your neck is also part of the dowry my grandmother left for me."
Murmurs erupted all around them.
News of the two divorcing had been circulating for some time, but there had been no official confirmation, so no one had dared to bring it up openly. But now, Jiang Wanyi had pierced through that paper window, immediately drawing significant attention.
"You—you are spouting nonsense!" Li Wanxuan turned beet red with anxiety.
"Fine. If you don't believe me, take off your pendant and see whose name is engraved on the back," Jiang Wanyi sneered.
This pendant had been custom-made by her grandmother, intended to protect her for a lifetime. Her name was engraved on the back, but the characters were subtle, and she was certain Li Wanxuan had never looked closely.
Hearing Jiang Wanyi say this, Li Wanxuan faltered. She knew all too well where the pendant had come from; taking it out in front of so many people would only verify that Jiang Wanyi’s words were true.
"What’s the matter? Are you afraid?" Jiang Wanyi stepped forward and asked coldly.
"Why should I listen to you? Jiang Wanyi, who do you think you are to order me around? I’m warning you, stop spouting nonsense, or I’ll tell my brother!" Li Wanxuan was flustered and immediately invoked Li Lechuan.
She thought that Jiang Wanyi would show a bit of restraint upon hearing Li Lechuan’s name, but to her surprise, Jiang Wanyi laughed.
"Good idea. And while you're at it, tell your brother to return all the dowry money your family misappropriated, so you won't be a laughingstock."
The surrounding murmurs grew louder. In any era, a husband’s family misappropriating a wife’s dowry was something to be condemned, especially for a prominent family like the Lis; they would be mocked relentlessly. Consequently, the gazes directed at Li Wanxuan were filled with disdain, including those of the "friends" who had been standing with her moments ago; they consciously distanced themselves.
What plastic friendships those were!
Li Wanxuan could no longer hold her head up. She glared at Jiang Wanyi and spat, "Jiang Wanyi, you just wait! I won't let you get away with this!"
With that, she scurried away.
Watching her retreat in disgrace, Jiang Wanyi felt a sense of satisfaction. She would wait, of course; she would wait for Li Wanxuan to cough up every cent of her dowry. It was her property—why should it benefit the Li Family?
Duan Helin had watched the entire scene from the second floor, his fingers idly twirling the stem of his wine glass. He hadn't realized the Li Family had such interesting drama.
"Yu Xiao," he called out softly.
The butler trotted over immediately. "What are your orders, President Duan?"
"Do you know about the Li Family?" Duan Helin asked.
"The current head of the Li Family is Li Lechuan. Five years ago, he entered into a marriage alliance with the eldest daughter of the Jiang Family, Jiang Wanyi. They have a son, and it is said that the couple is very loving. However, I have my doubts," Yu Xiao replied truthfully.
Duan Helin became intrigued. "What makes you say that?"
"I find this couple quite strange. Li Lechuan never brings Mrs. Li to public events. I do not believe they are as loving as the rumors suggest," Yu Xiao stated his opinion.
"Hmm. You will make a good husband one day," Duan Helin said with a mocking smile, his gaze tracking Jiang Wanyi’s figure until she disappeared outside the bar.
Yu Xiao was left feeling confused, but he dared not ask.