Wu Xiuzhen said helplessly, “How could she possibly call us? She’s always been strong-willed. When she said she wouldn’t contact us, she meant it. We don’t even have her number.”
“If you ask me, we shouldn’t have accepted that million yuan she gave us. Now we don’t even have any standing to seek her out for a conversation.” Lian Shuguo sighed, suddenly recalling what had happened two years earlier.
At the time, Jiang Chan had just turned eighteen and become an adult. That year, Lian Yanbin happened to be twenty-six. He had worked for more than two years and had a girlfriend. The day he brought her home happened to be the very day Jiang Chan returned.
Lian Shuguo still remembered it with particular clarity, including what clothes Jiang Chan had worn and what accessories she had on. She had only been eighteen then, hadn’t she? She had just entered her second year of university.
Her clothes and appearance were extremely professional, and she certainly carried herself with a powerful presence. Facing her, Lian Shuguo and Wu Xiuzhen felt somewhat stifled and short of breath.
The atmosphere in the Lian home had originally been very harmonious. Lian Yanbin’s girlfriend, Tan Xiao, chatted with Wu Xiuzhen to one side, while Lian Shuguo exchanged occasional remarks with Wu Jin.
Jiang Chan’s arrival broke that harmony. In fact, apart from staying briefly on the day she first arrived, she had not returned to the Lian home in the more than two years that followed.
When the doorbell rang, Wu Jin stood up. “Who is it? Could my delivery be here? I’ll get the door!”
She sprang up to open it. Watching her lively figure, Lian Shuguo smiled. “That girl is still so impetuous. Xiao Tan, this is your first visit. Please don’t mind her!”
Tan Xiao smiled. “Not at all. Her personality is adorable! It’s good for a girl to be lively!”
Seeing Wu Jin stand motionless by the door, Wu Xiuzhen chided her. “Why is that child taking so long to open the door? I’ll go see what’s happening. Yanbin, keep Xiao Tan company!”
Lian Yanbin made a gesture and sat beside Tan Xiao. “Look at my parents. They treat you better than they treat me!”
Tan Xiao playfully punched Lian Yanbin. Lian Qiao and the lawyer walked in just in time to see the two teasing each other. At the sight of Lian Qiao, the smile disappeared from Lian Yanbin’s face.
Jiang Chan glanced at the person beside Lian Yanbin. In Lian Qiao’s memories, wasn’t this her sister-in-law? She nodded to Tan Xiao and sat on the Lian family’s sofa with the lawyer.
The Lian family’s living room was small to begin with. Once Jiang Chan and the lawyer sat down, Wu Jin and Wu Xiuzhen could only pull over two chairs.
“Lian Qiao, you’re back?” Seeing Jiang Chan, Lian Shuguo brightened with joy. “Xiuzhen, go buy some more food. Lian Qiao hasn’t come home for years. Xiao Tan is here today too. Let’s all have a lively meal together.”
Lian Qiao raised a hand. “Mr. Lian, there’s no need for a meal. I’m here on business today. We can eat another time.”
Lian Shuguo immediately glared. “Who are you calling Mr. Lian? I’m your dad!”
Sitting to one side, Tan Xiao blinked. Was she witnessing a family drama unfold in person?
Lian Qiao was perfunctory. “Mr. Wang, take out my agreement. Let’s have an open and honest discussion.”
Lian Yanbin lost his patience. “Lian Qiao, do you have to discuss this today? It’s Tan Xiao’s first time coming home with me to meet my parents. Can’t you leave whatever it is until later?”
Jiang Chan’s lips curved. “I’m terribly sorry, but my time is much more valuable than yours. Here is a million yuan. I haven’t spent a single cent of yours since I was fifteen. This million should be enough to cover what you spent on me during the first fifteen years.”
Lian Shuguo roared, “Lian Qiao, what do you mean by this? Are you trying to sever ties with me?”
Lian Qiao crossed her legs. “I’d like to, but unfortunately, the law doesn’t allow it. We can keep things civil on the surface. When you grow old and can no longer support yourselves, I’ll pay maintenance then. The amount will depend on what your wonderful son and daughter pay.”
Seeing the bewildered Tan Xiao beside them, Jiang Chan smiled with particular malice.
“Let me introduce everyone. This Mr. Lian Shuguo is my biological father. This Ms. Wu Xiuzhen is my biological mother. This Lian Yanbin is my older half-brother through my father, while Wu Jin is my older half-sister through my mother. Does that explanation make sense?”
Seeing Tan Xiao nod blankly, Jiang Chan held out her hand. Mr. Wang promptly handed her the agreement. Jiang Chan turned to the last page, where her signature was already in place.
“I’ve signed the agreement. I’ve effectively repaid you tenfold for raising me. I came today to settle this matter. If there’s nothing else, I’ll leave.”
Lian Yanbin had worked for two years, after all, and managed to keep his composure this time.
“Wait. Where did you get so much money? Aren’t you only in your second year of university?”
At the mention of the second year, Wu Jin suddenly shrank back. She herself had only just entered her first year at a rather unremarkable undergraduate university.
Jiang Chan gave him a faint, mocking smile. “How much do you know about me? Two years ago, I was better than you. Two years later, I can still look down on you. Of course, since you’ve brought your girlfriend home today, I won’t say more. Capable people can live well anywhere. I’ll stand at a height you couldn’t reach even if you stretched your legs as far as they would go, leaving you to look up at me forever.”
Wu Xiuzhen wiped her hands, wanting to lecture Jiang Chan. Jiang Chan turned her head and looked directly at her. “What do you want to say? I’m in a good mood today and don’t want to air your Lian family’s dirty laundry. Aren’t you living quite well now? Doesn’t everyone outside call you a wonderful stepmother?”
“The agreement is here. Sign it. Once you’re done, I’ll leave. I’m very busy.”
Lian Shuguo flew into a rage and tore the agreement to pieces. Jiang Chan’s expression did not change. “Go ahead. For every copy you tear up, I’ll deduct a hundred thousand. Lian Yanbin is twenty-six this year, isn’t he? Let’s see what you’ll use to buy him a home and pay for his wedding. Tear away. I have plenty more.”
The lawyer obligingly took a stack of agreements from his briefcase. Lian Shuguo glared so fiercely his eyes seemed about to split, while Wu Xiuzhen and Wu Jin had long since huddled to one side like quails, not daring to speak.
Wu Jin in particular felt as though she were seeing the shadow of her high school days again when she looked at Jiang Chan. She had finally escaped Jiang Chan’s shadow, yet seeing her now brought back that unhappy time.
Jiang Chan knew the Lian family’s financial circumstances. Lian Shuguo was an ordinary factory worker, while Wu Xiuzhen was a housewife. The whole family lived on Lian Shuguo’s modest wages.
Lian Yanbin was already this old and had brought his girlfriend home. Marriage would probably soon be on the agenda. So many members of the Lian family had squeezed into one three-bedroom apartment for all these years. Clearly, their finances were rather tight.
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