Any quibbles were useless in the face of strong evidence.The members of the Sheng Family sent reproachful glances towards Liang Xiaohui.
"Xiaohui, how can you do this to Sheng Xun?" Grandmother Sheng had a look of disappointment.
A faint smile appeared on Sheng Xun"s eldest sister-in-law"s face before she swiftly retracted it and said sarcastically, "Xiaohui, you have really made a big mistake. A day spent together as husband and wife means that you must be devoted for life. Younger Brother-in-law threw you out of the house previously because you stole Jiaoyang"s jewellery, resulting in her maternal grandfather appearing at the doorstep to reclaim those items. Younger Brother-in-law is a CEO, and that incident was definitely very embarra.s.sing for him!”
"Enough, keep your remarks to yourself," Grandfather Sheng shot a glance at Sheng Xun"s eldest sister-in-law.
"This is a ward. The patient has to rest, so please keep your volume down," a nurse entered the ward and reminded them.
"If only our noisy quarrel could wake him up. My son, please wake up quickly!" Grandmother Sheng threw herself to the side of the bed.
Liang Xiaohui wanted to get closer to Sheng Xun, but the eldest sister-in-law stopped her with an outstretched arm. "Don"t get too close. Who knows what other drastic actions you might take."
Sheng Jiaoyang looked on coldly at the show before her. What a hypocrite!
*In the entire Sheng Family, is there anyone who truly worries and cares for Sheng Xun?"
The two Sheng elders were worried for Sheng Xun, but at the same time, they had already prepared themselves for his death, and they had even found him a successor. As for Sheng Xun"s two elder brothers, they were only thinking about their gains. Both Liang Xiaohui and Sheng s.h.i.+yun were not even worth mentioning, as they only had their eyes on Sheng Xun"s a.s.sets.
Sheng Xun"s bed was surrounded by these people while Sheng Jiaoyang was pushed aside.
Sheng Jiaoyang looked up, only to see Liang Xiaohui looking at her with a cold gaze. She slightly c.o.c.ked her eyebrow to express her satisfaction. Sheng Jiaoyang really enjoyed getting these types of looks from the people who she hated. The look which conveyed just how much they wanted to get rid of her, but yet could do nothing about it.
"Jiaojiao—" Sheng Xun"s second sister-in-law approached her.
When Sheng Xun"s second sister-in-law called her name so affectionately with that shrill voice of hers, Sheng Jiaoyang narrowed her eyes and looked at her nonchalantly.
"We didn"t know of your existence back then, but now that we do, we will treat you like family from now on," Sheng Xun"s second sister-in-law said. In terms of seniority, she was considered to be Sheng Jiaoyang"s second paternal aunt.
Family? The corner of Sheng Jiaoyang"s lips twitched. Initially, I wanted to treat them as family. When Liang Xiaohui and Sheng s.h.i.+yun were brought home, I did go and look for these so-called uncles and aunties. On the surface, they promised that they would help to persuade my father, but behind the scenes? Hah. They schemed with Liang Xiaohui.
"I am unworthy of your affection," Sheng Jiaoyang said cynically.
"Don"t say that, come here—" Sheng Xun"s second sister-in-law held Sheng Jiaoyang"s arm and dragged her to the balcony.
"Jiaojiao, for you to come back and see your father when he is in a critical condition proves that you must be a really filial child. Unlike what those short-sighted people are saying, I know you are not back to fight for the inheritance. With your current status and ability, a single advertis.e.m.e.nt job would earn you a few million dollars. Why would you even care about that small amount of inheritance, right?"
Sheng Jiaoyang smiled and stared at Sheng Xun"s second sister-in-law with bright eyes, “And? What are you trying to say?”
"From now on, we are one family. In the future, if anything happens, we can help each other. I may not have the money, but if you need manpower, feel free to look for your second uncle or me at any time. We might not have anything else, but we still have strength."
“Mmhmm,” Sheng Jiaoyang replied affirmatively before she went silent.
This is how Second Aunt usually acts. Nice and affectionate words come out from her mouth, but in her heart, she is definitely scheming something.
If the person standing here was really an illegitimate daughter desperate for family warmth, she would probably be fooled by Second Aunt"s glib tongue.
Since Sheng Jiaoyang remained mum, Sheng Xun"s second sister-in-law looked into the ward and said, "Don"t take your Eldest Aunt"s words to heart. She is just afraid that you are back to fight for the inheritance. She wants her son to be adopted under your father"s name so that she can legally inherit your father"s a.s.sets. So now, everyone is like a thorn in her eye."
A slight crack appeared on Sheng Jiaoyang"s poker face. Creating strife behind their backs, well done!
When she saw the changes in Sheng Jiaoyang"s expression, a satisfied smile appeared on Sheng Xun"s second sister-in-law"s face. Like a gentle and caring elder, she lifted a hand and patted Sheng Jiaoyang on her arm.
She continued by saying, "We might all be relatives, but… how should I say this… her son, Sheng Yi looks pleasant to the eyes, but he is utterly useless. Previously, he begged your father to allow him to enter the company, but when given the chance, he couldn"t even do a good job at the gra.s.sroot levels. So how would he be able to manage the whole corporation?! But your grandparents felt that he is the only grandson in the Sheng Family, and hence, he should inherit the family business. The family business wasn"t even started by Elder Brother-in-law, so how does it even concern them?"
Then, Sheng Xun"s second sister-in-law paused and observed Sheng Jiaoyang"s expression. After seeing that Sheng Jiaoyang appeared to be listening attentively, she smiled and continued.
"If I have to say, I think you should inherit the business. Firstly, you are Younger Brother-in-law"s biological daughter, so it"s a given that you should inherit it. Secondly, Aunt trusts your abilities very much. Just look around. In just a year, you were able to turn from an ordinary person to an actress that is of the same tier as those famous celebrities. Who else could do the same? You are so capable at earning money that you can surely take your father"s company to the next level. Whereas, Sheng Yi would only squander the family fortune. If he really inherited your father"s company, I"m afraid that your father"s 20 years of efforts will go down the drain."
"Your grandparents are muddle-headed too, for insisting on those archaic thoughts of the past. Now, capable women are everywhere. Who said that only a man can inherit the family business? So, Jiaojiao, fight for what should be fought for. You definitely wouldn"t want your father"s effort to be in vain, right?"
Every remark Second Aunt made was logical and reasonable. If I didn"t know her true nature, I would have thought that she was truly looking out for me.
Of course, Sheng Jiaoyang knew very well the intention behind her second aunt"s words.
All along, Second Aunt and Eldest Aunt are at loggerheads. Second Aunt only had a daughter, while Eldest Aunt gave birth to the only grandson in the Sheng Family. Hence, Eldest Aunt had always positioned herself to be more n.o.ble before Second Aunt. Compared to Eldest Aunt, who idles around at home playing mahjong, Second Aunt, who has to work a job in the prefecture city, naturally despises Eldest Aunt. But because of Sheng Yi, Second Aunt could only watch helplessly as the two old folks sided with Eldest Uncle"s family.
Second Aunt has always hated the fact that Eldest Uncle"s family reaped all the benefits, so she definitely doesn"t want to see Sheng Yi inheriting Father"s a.s.sets.
"Why didn"t you support Sheng s.h.i.+yun?" Sheng Jiaoyang asked.
Second Aunt smiled and said, "I"m not trying to talk bad about her behind her back, but after all these years, s.h.i.+yun"s mother has brought her up to be too petty and short-sighted; how can she compare to you?! By the way, our Jiajia really likes you. Jiajia is your elder cousin, and she is a few years older than you. She is in her senior year now. When I tell her that you are actually her younger cousin, she will be so elated."
Sheng Jiaoyang didn"t know if that elder cousin, Sheng Jiajia, really liked her that much, as Second Aunt claimed. She only knew that some words by certain people can only be listened to, but not be taken seriously.
Just then, Sheng Jiaoyang"s phone rang. She took a look at Second Aunt, and the latter immediately said, "Pick up the call first, I shall not disrupt you." Second Aunt then tactfully headed back into the ward.
"What were you two whispering about?" Second Uncle asked immediately when Second Aunt returned to his side.
Seeing that Eldest Brother and his wife were also staring at her, Second Aunt said to her husband, "Hubby, let"s go and buy some fruits."
She then pulled her husband out of the ward.
"What did you discuss that couldn"t be said in front of everyone?" Second Uncle had a puzzled expression.
"Are you dumb? Why should I share my conversation in front of everyone? Anyway, your parents are biased towards your elder brother, so we should make plans for ourselves too."
"Make what plans? Father and Mother will definitely not allow that illegitimate daughter to s.n.a.t.c.h the inheritance."
Second Aunt rolled her eyes and said, "Didn"t I say it just now? Xu Jiaojiao is a famous celebrity. Do you know what that means? She can easily earn big money. If Jiajia can tag along with her and get famous eventually, isn"t it better than being a small staff member at Sheng Xun"s company?"
Second Uncle"s eyes brightened up.
"If we manage to help Xu Jiaojiao fight for the inheritance successfully, she will definitely remember what we did for her, won"t she? When Jiajia makes a name for herself in the future, she wouldn"t have to put up with other people. Am I right?"
"Yes yes yes! Dear, you are so smart. But if we help Xu Jiaojiao fight for the inheritance, how would Father, Mother and Elder Brother see us? This doesn"t seem that nice?"
"Who cares about them? When they were planning to let Sheng Yi inherit your younger brother"s inheritance, have they ever spared a thought for our family? Oh, in their eyes, Jiajia would be married out in the future. But does this mean that they shouldn"t be bothered about her? Then what about the two of us? If we don"t depend on Jiajia, are we gonna depend on Sheng Yi to provide for us when we grow old? Stop dreaming."
Second Uncle"s gaze turned determined. In the first place, he was already bitter about it. Anyone who experienced this would be upset too. Even if my parents can"t be impartial, they should at least not swing so far to one side of the scale!
Just as Second Uncle and Second Aunt were devising their plot, Sheng Jiaoyang had received Xu Ping"s call that "Double-Faced Lovers" had pa.s.sed the screening and obtained the TV distribution license. Getting the license meant that the drama could now be broadcasted on TV.
"Sis Ping, help me to arrange a meeting with Qin Anliang and Ma Tingting at our usual place." Standing on the balcony, Sheng Jiaoyang finally replied.
"Alright," Xu Ping answered on the other end of the line.
Sheng Jiaoyang then left the ward.
Grandmother Sheng, who was in the ward, looked in the direction of the door and said angrily, "She is indeed here for the inheritance. All of us elders are here, and yet she left without even bidding us goodbye. I wonder which woman nurtured such a rude daughter like her!"
"Younger Brother-in-law is such a player. Now, we have an illegitimate daughter that suddenly appeared. Who knows if two days later, another illegitimate son will appear?" Eldest Aunt commented.
Liang Xiaohui, who was keeping quiet at the side as though she was invisible, had a twisted expression on her face. She secretly sneaked a glance at Eldest Aunt, like a viper waiting for the chance to strike and take revenge.
However, Eldest Aunt was a dense person who didn"t feel anything. Moreover, at this point, she already felt that her son would naturally inherit Sheng Xun"s a.s.sets. Hence, she totally disregarded Liang Xiaohui.Previous ChapterNext Chapter