Chapter 11

Jing Bo's old face flushed crimson. He had always been extremely concerned with appearances, and now his eldest son was stripping him bare and trampling his dignity in front of the entire Federation. Jing Bo felt like killing this unfilial wretch!

"Wasn't what I gave you enough? Your greed knows no bounds..." Jing Bo gritted his teeth. "The family only has so many assets, and I gave you nearly half of them! We wished you well, yet this is how you treat us..."

His eyes brimmed with accusation, and he nearly choked up.

Qin Zhengyu had been described earlier as refined and handsome, but Jing Bo was also exceptionally good-looking. Judging by his features alone, he was even slightly more striking than Qin Zhengyu; only his weaker presence made him seem less impressive... Such a handsome middle-aged man, fit to be someone's kept lover, publicly putting on such a tragic display immediately swayed public opinion to his side.

Yet the unfilial son remained utterly unmoved. Looking even more aggrieved than Jing Bo, he said, "But the assets you gave me are either empty shells or operating at a loss... And these things were originally left to me by Grandma. They were all in my name. I merely let you and my stepmother manage them for a few years, and you emptied them out!"

Jing Bo froze, nearly blurting out, How did you know?

How had Jing Yi known? Naturally, through logical deduction! At first glance, his dowry list had been packed with an impressive array of items, looking exceedingly generous, and he had even been surprised. But upon closer inspection, most of it was his own property—Saisi Mining, Linlang Textiles, Andao Raw Materials Processing Plant... All of it had now been used to pad the list. The only additional assets given to him were Meiduo Food Factory and Haoweilai Nutrition Company. The rest consisted of all sorts of worthless, bizarre odds and ends, with almost no cash.

Anyone could tell that after his own assets had been left with his stepmother for several years, the odds of her not hollowing them out were practically nonexistent.

If his stepmother had been smart enough, she would have made the books look flawless, without a single suspicious detail. Yet once Jing Yi took over, he would discover that the businesses kept losing more and more money until bankruptcy was the only path left... But what would that have to do with his stepmother? Why hadn't they suffered losses while she was managing them? Hadn't she even paid Jing Yi substantial dividends every year? If he lacked the ability now, there was nothing to be done!

The Jing Family would keep both its reputation and its substance, while Jing Yi, the fool, would have no capital left in his hands. Once he married into the Qin Family, whatever happened to him would depend entirely on luck. If he still had any remaining value, the Jing Family could continue squeezing him dry. If he encountered some crisis... well, take a guess whether he could count on the Jing Family then.

That was why they were a pack of useless teammates! Of course he had to take this chance to draw a clear line between himself and them!

Besides, the original Jing Yi had been famous for courting disaster and thinking differently from ordinary people. As for Jing Yi himself, several years of working on Taobao had forged him an extraordinarily thick skin. They wanted face, did they? They wanted to come out looking glorious, with everyone benefiting? Dream on!

Jing Yi had been an orphan for over twenty years and had little attachment to family ties. If his parents in this life had been reliable, he would have treasured them dearly! Unfortunately, he had run into a pair of smiling tigers who gnawed people to the bone. If he did not vent this fury at such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, he would suffocate!

Jing Bo had never expected his brain-damaged eldest son to know there was something wrong with those assets. To be honest, his only misfortune had been bad luck. If this had still been the original Jing Yi, then first, he would not even know what he owned, and second, he would not have spotted the tricks within. Wouldn't this farce have been avoided?

That so-called dowry list had been purely meant to fool outsiders. When it was displayed later, the wedding guests would take one look and think, Wow, they gave him so much! Then surely the Jing Family had not sold their son to curry favor with the rich; surely Jing Yi himself had remained hopelessly devoted. That way, this wedding would not only avoid becoming a scandal—it would become a beautiful story.

Once Jing Yi was married, any family with even a little decency would not meddle with the dowry their daughter-in-law had brought. Besides, the Jing Family was wealthy and powerful. Would they care about such a small amount? Jing Yi had become someone else's daughter-in-law. He only needed to obediently raise children; the Qin Family would not deny him food. What use did he have for so many assets anyway?

Yes, that reasoning had originally been foolproof.

Who could have known Jing Yi had been replaced halfway through!

He had no intention of staying in the Qin Family for the rest of his life. This Jing Yi had built every good thing in his life through his own efforts, and he firmly believed that having provisions in hand kept one from panicking. Struggling on his own was not a problem, but how could striving with a foundation compare to striving without one? What the original owner already possessed could save him ten years of hard work! Besides, why should he let that pair of smiling tigers benefit?

Because he had never intended to rely on either the Qin Family or the Jing Family, Jing Yi could be so unyielding—so what if he offended them? They had never intended him any goodwill in the first place. Humbling himself would not earn him respect, so he might as well flip the board and let everyone seek their own way out amid the chaos!

After hesitating for two seconds, Jing Bo flew into a rage out of embarrassment. "You are utterly unreasonable! You actually use such vile thoughts to speculate about your mother and me! How are those assets operating at a loss? I'll have someone bring you the account books in a moment! You caused such a scene at your own wedding over this petty grievance. What kind of behavior is that?! Hurry up and finish the ceremony. Delaying the auspicious hour would be terribly unlucky!"

His stepmother also supported Jing Bo and quietly tried to persuade both sides—