"I..." Jiang Sinian was at a loss for words.
"Sister-in-law, I'm sorry. It's all my fault..." Jiang Shiya followed him downstairs, sniffling, wearing only a thin silk nightdress. "I shouldn't have borrowed Third Brother's car, much less changed in it because my clothes got wet in the rain yesterday afternoon... I know you've always hated Mom, Dad, and my brothers doting on me, and nothing about me ever pleases you... I-I'll go die right now, so I'll never be an eyesore to you again..."
With that, she lunged toward the stair railing.
Jiang Sinian caught her in his arms, his heart aching terribly for her. "Yaya, don't do this. You're not the one who should leave."
Her body beneath the thin nightdress pressed tightly against him just like that.
Wen Jingyan laughed outright in anger. "Ha... This routine again."
Goose bumps rose all over Song Yutang, too.
This brother-sister relationship...
Was it normal?
Jiang Sinian saw nothing amiss and glared fiercely at Wen Jingyan. "Look what you've driven Yaya to! She's had no parents since she was little. She's pitiful enough already. Can't you have a little compassion? It's just a pair of panties. What does that prove? How can your mind be so filthy?"
Wen Jingyan trembled all over with rage. "I'm filthy? Jiang Sinian, search your conscience. Is this really a normal brother-sister relationship? She's twenty-two, not twelve. Last time, she said she was sick and too weak, and insisted you carry her to the bathroom. This time, she stuffed her panties into your pocket. What sister in her right mind would do something like that?"
Jiang Sinian reacted as though his tail had been stepped on. "Yaya is innocent. She just relies on me as her older brother. Your heart is filthy, so everything you see is filthy!"
Wen Jingyan nearly laughed herself to tears. "Jiang Sinian, I've been married to you for three years. Do you remember my birthday? Do you remember what I like to eat? Last time, when my fever hit thirty-nine degrees, you left me in the rain and took her dog to the vet. The time before that, when I broke a bone, you summoned all the family doctors to examine the finger she'd scraped while peeling fruit. On our wedding night, she had a depressive episode, stabbed me with a fruit knife, and insisted on sleeping between us... Is my heart filthy, or is what you two do unfit to see the light of day?"
Her questions left Jiang Sinian speechless. "I... That was because..."
Jiang Shiya huddled in his arms, sobbing softly. "Third Brother, don't argue with Sister-in-law over me... It's all my fault. I shouldn't have come back... An orphan like me, with no father or mother, doesn't deserve to be loved in the first place..."
"Who says no one loves you?" Jiang Sinian held her tighter, his gaze full of disgust as he looked at Wen Jingyan. "Wen Jingyan, if you really can't stand how close we are as siblings, go find yourself a brother to dote on you... Oh, I forgot. Those parents of yours from some mountain backwater favor sons over daughters, and that good-for-nothing brother of yours does it all-drinking, whoring, gambling. Even if you want someone to love you, no one cares whether you live or die... If you're so capable, go find an adoptive brother, or a sworn brother..."
His cruel words were like knives, plunging viciously into Wen Jingyan's heart.
She froze for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed.
She laughed until tears streamed down her face. "Fine, Jiang Sinian. I'll find one right now and show you."
Jiang Sinian sneered. "Go on, then. Who doesn't know you're my simp? You spent four years in college simping over me. If you really had the guts, I might just barely be able to see you as a person."
Wen Jingyan said nothing more, turning and rushing downstairs.
When she looked up, her eyes met Song Yutang's as she stood in the doorway.
For a moment, the air went still.
A flicker of embarrassment crossed Wen Jingyan's face, but she simply let the broken jar shatter. "Want to come?"
Song Yutang blinked. "Where?"
Wen Jingyan forced a mocking smile. "To find male escorts."
Song Yutang's eyes lit up at once, and she turned back into her room. "Wait while I change."
Wen Jingyan: "???"
Jiang Muyan, who had witnessed everything: "???"
Three minutes later, Song Yutang came out excitedly. "Sister-in-law, I'm ready. Let's go."
Wen Jingyan was busy with work and seldom home.
The two of them weren't actually close.
But when it came to finding male escorts, Song Yutang was genuinely interested.
Wen Jingyan's relationships with her husband and parents-in-law were all rather poor. If Song Yutang wanted to deal with Jiang Qingyu's family, she might provide an opening.
Men in the Jing Dynasty easily became cronies after visiting brothels together.
Finding male escorts together should also be one way for women to build a friendship quickly...
Wen Jingyan hadn't expected her to act so familiar and sounded a little uncertain. "I mean going to a club for male escort services, not watching a fashion show. Do you understand what I mean?"
Song Yutang's eyes positively shone. "The kind where a bunch of young college guys surround me and call me big sister?"
Wen Jingyan said, "...I... guess?"
Song Yutang affectionately linked arms with her. "Then let's go."
Wen Jingyan said, "...Let's go, then?"
Seeing that the two really were leaving, Jiang Sinian rushed down the stairs in alarm. "Wen Jingyan, stop right there! You actually dare to go to a place like that?"
The two women quickened their pace in perfect unspoken agreement.
"You..." Jiang Sinian nearly fainted with anger.
"Third Brother... It's all my fault for upsetting Sister-in-law... She won't really go to such a filthy place, will she? If word gets out, it'll be so bad for your reputation..." Jiang Shiya nestled weakly against his chest, looking innocent as she hesitated to say more.
Jiang Sinian froze.
A filthy place?
Something suddenly occurred to him. He couldn't even spare Jiang Shiya any attention as he hurried toward Jiang Qingyu's study.
That bitch Song Yutang normally never stepped beyond the gates, so they couldn't even find an opportunity to deal with her.
If Wen Jingyan could take her somewhere disreputable, wouldn't that be the perfect opportunity for them to strike?
Jiang Muyan was gnashing his teeth in anger as he dialed Zhao Chuan. "Find out what Jiang Sinian and Jiang Shiya did in the car yesterday."
Zhao Chuan's jaw nearly dropped. "Huh?"
"I suspect there's something improper between Jiang Sinian and Jiang Shiya. The old man is a traditionalist. If this gets brought before him, neither of them will have a good end."
Jiang Muyan had known about these things before.
But the old man had always kept one eye open and the other shut when it came to their family. Even if they were exposed, the two would receive a scolding at most.
There was no need to waste the effort.
But now he was very displeased, so naturally, he couldn't let the culprits enjoy an easy life either.
After dealing with Jiang Sinian, Jiang Muyan finally felt somewhat appeased and made another call. "Bring all the contracts that need signing and wait for me at the usual place..."
His wife going to find male escorts certainly made him angry, but Song Yutang being out meant he had the perfect chance to leave the house.
Fifteen minutes later, the attending physician entered the room carrying his medical bag.
A few minutes after that, he left the main residence with an assistant wearing a white coat, a mask, and glasses.
The bodyguards questioned him as usual, and the doctor replied calmly, "It's been raining these past two days. I'm going home to pick up some personal things. I'll be back soon."
The car drove smoothly out of the estate.
Twenty minutes later, it stopped in the rear courtyard of a private club with an understated exterior.
The attending physician lowered his voice. "President Jiang, President Gu is already waiting inside."