Chapter 700 - 242: I Don’t Have a Boyfriend, I Have a Husband

Grandma Gao gritted her teeth. "You never said you had a husband."

"You never asked if I had a husband, only if I had a boyfriend." A malicious smile spread across Qin Mei’s face.

Grandma Gao was speechless. ’No boyfriend, so how could there be a husband? The normal order of things is to have a boyfriend before getting married.’ "Why did you lie and say you were the Qiao family’s granddaughter? What are you plotting?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, don’t you go making false accusations. You’re the one who mistakenly thought I was the Qiao family’s granddaughter. Marrying one grandson to a Qiao family lady wasn’t enough for you, so you tried to introduce your other grandson to me. I’m a married woman, and as a virtuous wife, I had no choice but to refuse. But you wouldn’t give up. You tried your best to persuade me to divorce my husband and marry your grandson," Qin Mei said.

A storm brewed in Jie Jingchen’s eyes as an endless sense of danger spread from him. His entire being radiated a ferocious, ruthless aura.

’This old hag. She actually has designs on my wife.’

Madam Qiao’s expression was also grim. ’They haven’t even secured the marriage with Jiali, yet they’re already coveting my granddaughter. What’s unforgivable is that they’re even targeting Jing Shan, and she’s just a child! Do they really think just anyone can marry into the Qiao family?’

Grandma Gao’s hand, clutching her Buddha Beads, trembled. "You’re talking nonsense! It was clearly you who misled me! If it weren’t for you..."

"Mom," Mr. Gao interjected. ’They never should have agreed to let his mother come to the Qiao residence. Instead of helping, she was just dragging them down. If this went on, not only would his son’s marriage to Jiali not be settled, but they would end up offending the Qiao family.’

"Madam Qiao, we’re so sorry. My mother is old and getting confused. My husband and I are here to apologize." Mrs. Gao pulled Mr. Gao to his feet, and they gave Madam Qiao a deep, sincere bow.

Grandma Gao was a sharp woman. She was unhappy that her son and daughter-in-law were apologizing on her behalf, but she didn’t say anything more. ’At a time like this, the more you say, the more you get wrong. The less said, the better. I’m starting to suspect I’ve fallen into their trap.’

’Even if we can’t get the real Qiao family heiress, we still have to get this imposter, Xu Jiali, into the Gao family. At least she’s related to them.’

Seeing Madam Qiao’s grim face and her refusal to say anything, Mr. and Mrs. Gao grew anxious and shot Gao Qiang a look.

Gao Qiang took the hint. He let go of Xu Jiali’s hand, walked over to Madam Qiao, and knelt. "Aunt, I’m sorry. My granny was confused and caused offense... I’ll kowtow to you as an apology."

For a moment, Gao Qiang truly couldn’t figure out the proper way to address Qin Mei, so he just went straight to kowtowing.

’Nothing ventured, nothing gained.’ Gao Qiang kowtowed without the slightest hesitation, and after just a few times, his forehead was already red and swollen.

Madam Qiao remained unmoved. Qin Mei watched with cold detachment, while Jie Jingchen stared grimly at Grandma Gao.

The cold, intimidating aura emanating from Jie Jingchen frightened Grandma Gao, and a deep-seated fear began to well up inside her.

Mr. and Mrs. Gao’s hearts ached for their son, but they didn’t dare stop him. They let him continue to kowtow. ’Even if he kowtows himself to death today, we can’t stop him. Otherwise, any hope for this marriage will be completely gone.’

Qin Mei figured Gao Qiang was putting on a show to win sympathy, but she had no proof. ’He wasn’t kowtowing for no reason, nor was he doing it to secure his marriage to Xu Jiali. He’s doing it to apologize on his grandmother’s behalf. The motive doesn’t matter; that level of filial piety is commendable.’

"Stop it," Xu Jiali cried, unable to watch any longer. She rushed in front of Gao Qiang and threw her arms around him, stopping him from kowtowing again.

Seeing this, Mr. and Mrs. Gao both sighed in relief.

"Jiali." Madam Qiao looked at Xu Jiali with deep disappointment. ’He only kowtowed a few times, and she’s already this heartbroken.’

"Aunt, weren’t we supposed to be discussing our marriage today?" Xu Jiali demanded, her eyes red.

"Are they really here just to discuss your marriage? They have ulterior motives," Madam Qiao said, exasperated.

Xu Jiali was speechless. She couldn’t refute her aunt’s words. She had heard what Grandma Gao said to Qin Mei, and while Qin Mei might have exaggerated a little, the gist was the same.

Gao Qiang grasped Xu Jiali’s hand, hastily admitting his fault. "Jiali, I’m sorry. I didn’t know my granny would... I’m so sorry. I never should have agreed to let her come. Jiali, I love you. I really want to marry you, I—"

"Don’t say any more. I love you, too. I will marry you. No one can stop me from marrying you," Xu Jiali said, her heart aching as she cut him off.

Madam Qiao was too furious to speak. ’Using harsh tactics or threats right now would only backfire. Besides, she couldn’t just kick Jiali out. Without the Qiao family’s backing, Jiali’s life would be even harder if she married into the Gao family.’

’It’s true that hardship in a marriage can make a person mature quickly, but she couldn’t bear to let Jiali suffer like that. Even though she disliked the Gao family, if she truly couldn’t stop Jiali from marrying into their family, she would have to ensure that Jiali’s married life was as happy as possible.’

Qin Mei shook her head helplessly. ’Gao Qiang really isn’t a good match, but Xu Jiali is in too deep. A woman blinded by love won’t listen to anything you tell her. Any attempt to stop her will only fuel her rebellion.’

Jie Jingchen watched them, his gaze scrutinizing and pensive. After a long moment, he finally spoke. "Let’s eat."

"And after we eat?" Xu Jiali asked, looking pleadingly at Jie Jingchen.

Seeing Xu Jiali push her luck, Qin Mei was speechless. She snapped, "After we eat, everyone goes home to their own mom."

Xu Jiali’s gaze shifted to Qin Mei. ’So much for our fake friendship! Wasn’t Qin Mei on my side? Why did she switch allegiances?’

"Don’t look at me. It’s useless," Qin Mei said with a glare. ’I don’t have the final say in Xu Jiali’s marriage. At most, I can be a mediator, talking to one side and then the other. But after all this, I just feel like I’m caught in the middle, pleasing no one.’

"Aunt, you promised me," Xu Jiali said, turning back to Madam Qiao. She bit her lower lip, on the verge of tears, looking utterly pathetic.

Madam Qiao relented. She waved her hand dismissively. "After we eat, we’ll discuss your marriage."

"Aunt, you really do dote on me the most." Xu Jiali threw herself into Madam Qiao’s arms, acting cute.

"Oh, you," Madam Qiao said, all her anger toward her niece melting away as her eyes filled with affection.

Seeing Madam Qiao give in, the Gao family let out a collective, silent sigh of relief. When Grandma Gao saw this, she had mixed feelings. ’Madam Qiao genuinely dotes on this niece. What a pity she’s only a niece and not her actual granddaughter.’

At the dining table, no one spoke while they ate. The quiet atmosphere was heavy and stiff.

Her grandfather hadn’t come down for the meal, and neither had Jie Jingshan. A servant brought their food upstairs to them.

「In the study.」

Jie Jingshan kept her grandfather company as he ate.

"Jing Shan, you don’t have to stay here with me. If you’re curious, you can go downstairs and eat with them," her grandfather said.

Jie Jingshan shook her head. "I’m not curious."

"Really?" Her grandfather didn’t believe her. ’All children are curious.’

"Grandpa, hurry and eat before the food gets cold," Jie Jingshan urged. ’She was curious, of course, but her fourth sister-in-law had told her not to go downstairs for the meal. She didn’t know why, but she always listened to what her sister-in-law said.’

Her grandfather had no appetite. He took a few bites, then set down his chopsticks. A trace of weary sadness clouded his sharp eyes. After a few seconds of thought, he couldn’t help but ask, "Jing Shan, tell your grandpa honestly, are your mom and dad happy?"

"They’re happy," Jie Jingshan replied without a moment’s hesitation.

Hearing Jing Shan’s answer, the tension in her grandfather’s face eased considerably. "That Granny of yours is no saint. Does she bully your mother?"

"She wouldn’t dare," Jie Jingshan answered honestly.

"Why not?" her grandfather asked.

"Because my mom has money," Jie Jingshan replied.

Her grandfather’s mouth twitched. ’For greedy people, money really is the best protection. Yan Qiu had ignored their objections and insisted on marrying into a family in Huaxia. The Jie family was ordinary, Jie Jianguo was a divorcé with children, and on top of it all, he had a vicious, difficult mother.’

’They had been disappointed in their daughter, but they hadn’t just left her to fend for herself. They continuously supported her financially.’

’The courtyard where Yan Qiu lived now was their old Qiao family home. After they moved to Xiangjiang, the property had been seized and converted into multiple housing units. He had to pull some strings to get that courtyard back for Yan Qiu.’

"Has your Granny ever given your mother a hard time?" her grandfather asked again.