Seeing the figures on the bill, Jiang Jiaojiao nearly fainted. She bit her lip hard to keep herself steady, her eyes turning to Li Jinchuan for help.
Li Jinchuan did not shy away. Instead, assuming the air of a cold, domineering CEO, he said, "I spent this money on Jiaojiao willingly; you have no right to demand it back."
Jiang Wanyi nodded, crossing her arms over her chest. Exuding an aura of absolute authority, she retorted, "President Li, before you play the hero, shouldn't you check the marriage law? In what capacity did you spend this money on Jiang Jiaojiao? Which of these expenditures did you ever obtain my permission for?"
"If I file a lawsuit, there is a 100% chance I will win. Even if you bring the Li Family into this, I will still come out on top."
Her aggression caused Li Jinchuan to knit his brows even tighter. "Jiang Wanyi, must you take things to such extremes? Acting this way only makes me despise you more!"
Jiang Wanyi tapped her chin and produced a document. "Who asked for your affection? Sign this divorce agreement immediately! Even if we divorce, half of the money you spent on Jiang Jiaojiao still belongs to me. If you refuse to cover this deficit, I will report every single detail to Grandfather."
"You know Grandfather's temper well. If he finds out what kind of woman Jiang Jiaojiao really is, you can forget about ever bringing her into this family!"
Jiang Wanyi tossed the agreement directly at Li Jinchuan's face. Ignoring the man's livid expression, she turned to walk away, only to have her wrist seized by him.
"Jiang Wanyi, I will treat today's outburst as you being unreasonable, but my patience has limits. Do not challenge my bottom line again and again!"
"Now, apologize to Jiaojiao and Li Cheng'an immediately! I will overlook what happened today if you do!"
The man’s grip was brutal. Jiang Wanyi felt a piercing pain shoot through her wrist. She hadn't expected Li Jinchuan to force an apology from her under these circumstances.
In her past life, he had carelessly decided her fate and death, and now he wanted her to swallow her pride again. By what right? Just because he knew she used to love him?
With old grievances and new ones combined, Jiang Wanyi refused to stifle herself any longer. She swung her right hand and slapped Li Jinchuan across the face. The crisp sound echoed through the room, and the atmosphere instantly froze.
Guan Yu, Jiang Jiaojiao, and Li Cheng'an stared at Jiang Wanyi as if she had lost her mind. She truly was insane—she had dared to strike Li Jinchuan!
Li Jinchuan’s face was deathly pale. Never in his life had a woman dared to slap him; he felt as though his dignity and status had been trampled into the dust by Jiang Wanyi.
After striking him, Jiang Wanyi’s right hand trembled slightly, but she felt a surge of exhilaration. She hadn't realized how satisfying it would be to land that blow; the pent-up frustration in her heart finally began to dissipate.
She could clearly feel the vicious, icy aura emanating from him, but what of it? She no longer felt any fear.
"Li Jinchuan, you commit adultery during our marriage, bring your mistress home in broad daylight, and allow Li Cheng'an to treat that mistress as his mother, all while showing me total disrespect. And you want *me* to apologize? Have you lost your mind?"
Jiang Wanyi let out a cold, mocking laugh, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
Her words were so pointed and biting that Li Jinchuan’s expression soured even further. When had he ever suffered such an insult? Jiang Wanyi had gone too far!
He raised his hand, but before the slap could land, Jiang Wanyi spoke up first.
"Li Jinchuan, I’ve already called the paparazzi to stake out the villa. If you dare strike me, you might want to think about what tomorrow’s headlines will look like."
The media in Hong Kong City were notorious for being difficult and unscrupulous. These vultures were fearless—give them a pen, and they could twist white into black!
He could already imagine it: if the paparazzi caught him, tomorrow's front page would read, "Li Group President beats his wife for a new mistress." Beyond the impact on the company's stock, these media outlets would stick to him like adhesive plasters, monitoring his private life at every opportunity.
In the end, Li Jinchuan restrained himself and lowered his hand.
"Jiang Wanyi, have you made enough of a scene? You used underhanded tactics to marry into the Li Family, and now you’re doing everything you can to get attention. This behavior only makes me more disgusted and repulsed. Do you understand?"
Li Jinchuan’s voice was firm. Jiang Jiaojiao, clutching her swollen face, felt a sense of triumph. The slap had been worth it, but she wanted to fan the flames further. "Brother Jinchuan, it hurts so much..."
Large, pearl-like tears fell down her cheeks, making her look pitiable. Just as a glimmer of sympathy rose in Li Jinchuan’s eyes, Jiang Wanyi interrupted.
Without a word, she swung and slapped Jiang Jiaojiao across her right cheek. "Jiang Jiaojiao, did that last slap not teach you a lesson? Flirting with Li Jinchuan right in front of me? Do you think I'm dead?"
After she finished, Jiang Wanyi kicked Li Jinchuan hard. "Are you deaf? I want a divorce!"
Jiang Wanyi spoke every word clearly, but her left hand, still gripped by Li Jinchuan, throbbed with pain. The man’s eyes glowed with cold light, his tone heavy with anger. "Jiang Wanyi, don't push your luck!"
Furious, and determined not to be a doormat in this new life, Jiang Wanyi raked her right hand across his face, her long nails carving several bleeding scratches into his neck.
Li Jinchuan clutched his throat, momentarily stunned, and Jiang Wanyi took the opportunity to wrench herself free.
Her skin was fair, and her wrist was already bruised purple. Jiang Wanyi laughed in her rage, looking at Li Jinchuan with disgust. "I am Jiang Jiaojiao’s cousin; an elder sister is like a mother. This is a family matter within the Jiang household. Even if I beat him to death, what does that have to do with you, President Li? In what capacity are you intervening for Jiang Jiaojiao? Her lover, or her brother-in-law?"
"Jiang Wanyi, you couldn't win my heart when you played the virtuous wife, so now you’ve decided to switch to being a shrew? No matter what you turn into, I, Li Jinchuan, will never look your way."
Li Jinchuan gritted his teeth, his tone filled with disdain. Realizing this man was incapable of listening to reason, Jiang Wanyi felt only annoyance. "I don't have time for your nonsense. Sign the divorce agreement as soon as possible."
Her goal was to provoke Li Jinchuan into divorcing her. As for the property, she had no interest in it; she only wanted to be rid of this disgusting group of people as quickly as possible.
"Divorce? Don't even dream of it!"
Hearing his words, Jiang Wanyi frowned. She had assumed he would readily agree, but his resolve was firm. She realized that dragging this out was pointless.
If he refused to sign, she would simply have to go through legal channels. But she could not stay in the Li household a moment longer. Jiang Wanyi snorted coldly, determined to find another way.
Just as she was about to leave, Li Jinchuan’s voice rang out again. "Give me the camera."
If Jiang Wanyi leaked today’s events, it would inevitably damage his and the Li Group's reputation. Jiang Wanyi paused and curled her lips slightly.
"You mean the photos from the paparazzi? I was bluffing."
In such a short time, where would she have found paparazzi? It had been a spur-of-the-moment lie to protect herself. Before Li Jinchuan could erupt, she quickly fled the scene.
Watching her confident back, Jiang Jiaojiao felt a mix of bitterness and grievance. "Brother Jinchuan, haven't you reached your limit with her? Why won't you divorce her?"
Li Jinchuan looked at the divorce agreement in his hand and tore it to shreds. It wasn't that he didn't want to divorce her; it was that he couldn't.