Soon, Jiang Mengxin and her group arrived at Xunrong and went directly to Jiang Lan's office.
As soon as they pushed the door open, they saw Jiang Lan and Lu Ming watching television together, constantly monitoring Jia Jingkun's every move.
Seeing this scene, Jiang Mengxin felt a pang of sadness in her heart.
To be honest, Lu Ming was her husband, yet here he was, sitting in the room alone with her sister, discussing how to expand their business. How was this any different from an affair?
But could Lu Ming be blamed for this outcome?
No.
It was Jiang Mengxin herself who had pushed Lu Ming to this point.
Her expression turned grim, and she walked to the side silently, not wanting to speak.
Afterward, Xu Qin, Jiang Xueyi, and Jiang Rong all entered the office. Jiang Rong exclaimed happily as soon as he walked in, "Xiao Lan, you did brilliantly!"
Jiang Lan glanced back at him, her smile fading. "Heh."
Brilliantly? Now you say brilliantly? What were you doing before?
All you ever did was shift blame and then mock me. Having relatives like you is truly the worst luck of my life.
Jiang Lan scoffed, "I've already resolved this trouble. All the defective products will be sold smoothly. But Jiang Rong, from now on, there will be no more connection between us. Please stop bothering me."
What did she mean?
Was she cutting ties?
Jiang Rong was stunned. He knew Jiang Lan was furious with him, and if this continued, things would spiral out of his control.
He had to explain quickly!
Jiang Rong said loudly, "Xiao Lan, you've misunderstood."
"Misunderstood?" Jiang Lan gave a cold laugh. "You know very well whether it's a misunderstanding or not! Were you the one who shifted the blame? Were you the one who messed things up? Were you the one who mocked me afterward? Jiang Rong, you're truly the most shameless person I've ever met!"
Jiang Rong didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Yes.
These were facts.
But there were reasons for them!
Jiang Rong replied, "I don't deny those things, but Xiao Lan, please listen to me. In fact, none of this was my intention. Everything I've done since arriving in Jinling was merely a... test!"
A test?
What was that?
Jiang Lan and Jiang Mengxin both frowned, finding it unbelievable. Xu Qin and Jiang Xueyi's expressions remained unchanged, clearly having known about this all along.
Lu Ming's emotions didn't fluctuate either, indicating he had already anticipated this.
Jiang Lan was confused.
She questioned, "We're barely related, why did you go to such lengths, traveling all the way from Jiangcheng, just to test me? Aren't you bored?"
Jiang Rong said, "Xiao Lan, let me explain slowly. There are reasons for everything."
At this point, Jiang Lan no longer wanted to hear any explanation. Her anger had reached its peak, and she couldn't take in another word.
In such a situation, others' attempts at persuasion would be useless.
Only Lu Ming's words could Jiang Lan still listen to.
Lu Ming gently patted Jiang Lan's shoulder and said, "Xiao Lan, I think you should still listen to Jiang Rong's explanation. Perhaps his explanation will be very important to you."
Since even Lu Ming said so, what else could Jiang Lan say?
She reluctantly replied, "Fine, say what you want. I'd really like to know what reason led you to do such a ridiculous thing!"
Jiang Rong breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that she was willing to listen.
He glanced at Lu Ming, his eyes full of gratitude. If Lu Ming hadn't intervened, Jiang Rong would likely have been thrown out by now.
Then, Jiang Rong slowly revealed the truth.
First and foremost, it could be confirmed that Jiang Rong was not truly foolish. His dealings with Xu Shaojin, his purchase of defective products at a high price, and his subsequent blame-shifting to Jiang Lan were all an act.
These were agreed upon before he came to Jinling.
The purpose was to test Jiang Lan, to see what kind of person she was, and to understand her capabilities.
Jiang Lan gave him a disdainful look. "Utterly ridiculous. For years, has your Jiang family in Jiangcheng done nothing but test people for fun?"
Jiang Rong gave a wry smile. "No, our Jiang family in Jiangcheng isn't that foolish. The reason we went to such lengths is because the matter is of great importance. Xiao Lan, our Jiang family in Jiangcheng wants to invite you back to be our family head!"
Huh?
What?
Are you kidding me?
Is your brain broken?
Jiang Lan's mouth hung open, no longer knowing how to describe her current feelings. Such a worldview-shattering statement made her doubt if he was joking.
However, judging by Jiang Rong's serious and earnest demeanor, he didn't seem to be joking.
Similarly, Jiang Mengxin was also stunned by this sudden revelation.
While the Jiang family in Jiangcheng was not as powerful as the main family, they were still a prominent family. How could they casually appoint someone to be the family head? Especially someone from the main family who wasn't particularly close.
Had the people in Jiangcheng gone mad?
It was certain that the people of the Jiang family in Jiangcheng were not mad; they had their reasons for choosing to do this.
At the same time, Lu Ming noticed a word: "back."
Jiang Rong said he was inviting Jiang Lan "back," not "over." Although it was just one word, the implied difference was huge.
"Back" implied that Jiang Lan originally belonged there.
"Over" implied that Jiang Lan belonged to Jinling.
This one word difference indicated a difference in Jiang Lan's original identity. Jiang Rong would not have used the wrong word carelessly.
Indeed.
Jiang Rong's subsequent words made Jiang Lan and Jiang Mengxin question their entire lives.
Jiang Rong took a deep breath and continued, "We in the Jiang family of Jiangcheng are not crazy. We have our reasons for doing this. Xiao Lan, we are choosing you because you are the biological daughter of our current family head!"
What?!!!
One shocking secret after another was revealed, leaving Jiang Lan's mind unable to process it all.
She suddenly sank into a chair, staring at Jiang Rong in disbelief.
Jiang Mengxin was equally stunned. She and Jiang Lan had been sisters for over twenty years, and now someone was telling her that Jiang Lan was not her biological sister!
This joke wasn't funny at all.
"Impossible. Jiang Lan grew up with me. We've been sisters for over twenty years. Jiang Rong, don't talk nonsense."
Jiang Mengxin turned to look at Xu Qin and Jiang Xueyi, seeking their affirmation. But as soon as her gaze met her parents', she realized she was wrong.
Xu Qin and Jiang Xueyi averted their eyes simultaneously, their expressions peculiar.
They didn't object.
They tacitly agreed!
In this world, who knew Jiang Lan's identity better than this couple?
No one.
They knew better than anyone whether the child was theirs!
Their silence at this moment was a direct confirmation of Jiang Rong's statement: Jiang Lan was the daughter of the Jiang family head in Jiangcheng, not Xu Qin's daughter!