A woman who is articulate, sharp, and capable of successfully handling so many foreign-affairs missions is hardly a fool. In the past, she had retreated step by step simply because she didn’t want to lower herself by fighting with a widow—it would have been beneath her dignity. Besides, her relationship with her husband had been decent enough that she hadn't bothered to take this outsider seriously.
She had seen through the woman’s past ploys involving the children; she simply hadn't cared enough to expose such a pathetic creature. But things were different now. Jiang Yan had a partner. She wanted to protect them both and wouldn't let the sordid mess of the family affect them, so she had to stand tall.
Twenty years ago, when she was young, putting on a coy, affected expression might have earned her some sympathy. Now, it was just an eyesore. And when faced with this hateful, hypocritical face, who could hold back? She certainly couldn’t. Her friend was right: at their age, one should go mad when it’s time to go mad, and never wrong oneself for the sake of anyone else. The advice was sound, for after hitting her, she felt truly refreshed.
Chapter 212