Capítulo 785: Chapter 785: Would You Die for Her?
“He is Gong Chen’s child, so naturally he should bear the Gong surname. I’m sure his mother would be comforted by that,” Old Mr. Jiang said with a sense of righteousness.
Lin Zhiyi sneered coldly.
She always thought Mrs. Jiang was kind and open-minded, so she believed the Jiang Family wouldn’t be another Gong Family.
Unfortunately, she was wrong.
The business world is like a battlefield.
The Jiang Family suffered a heavy blow back in the day, yet they managed to withdraw with many of their enterprises intact.
They preserved the capital needed for the Jiang Family to rise again.
How could someone like Old Mr. Jiang, who achieved this, be a simple person?
Moreover, he and Old Mr. Gong fought each other to the death, engaging in relentless schemes.
It showed that his shrewdness was no less than Old Mr. Gong’s.
In fact, they were all the same.
Lin Zhiyi stepped forward to stand in front of Gong Chen, her demeanor turning colder.
“Don’t dress it up so nobly; it’s you who wants a child with the Gong surname in the Jiang Family, isn’t it?”
“Lin Zhiyi, this has nothing to do with you. You’re a mother too. You can’t just forbid others from having children because you had one for Gong Chen.”
“Of course I won’t allow it! What do you take me and Fu Shu for? Baby-making machines? And what do you take the child for? A bargaining chip for threats? Whether my Xingxing bears the Gong surname or not doesn’t matter, because she’ll always be the child of Third Young Master and me, but you’re forcing Third Young Master to acknowledge a child because you want this child to bear the Gong surname.”
Lin Zhiyi spoke directly, exposing the truth.
Even Fu Shu stood frozen, frowning in silence, her eyes lowered as if deep in thought.
“Lin Zhiyi, do you even respect your elders? I said it’s for Gong Chen’s child only!” Old Mr. Jiang shouted in anger.
“Is that so? So when Fu Shu returned to the country for a pre-pregnancy checkup, you weren’t aware? Or perhaps, Fu Shu’s purpose in getting close to Third Young Master was to bear his child for the Jiang Family?”
Lin Zhiyi pressed on step by step, questioning him word by word.
Old Mr. Jiang, angered, yelled, “Lin Zhiyi!”
Despite the overwhelming fury, Lin Zhiyi remained incredibly calm.
“Old Mr. Jiang, I advise you to save your energy. I’ve been tired of hearing such words back at the Gong Family in earlier years!”
She looked at Old Mr. Jiang with utter disappointment.
“I thought you truly cared about Third Young Master, but I didn’t expect you to be using him too! Even his child, you want to use!”
“I did not!” Old Mr. Jiang vehemently denied, raising his hand towards Lin Zhiyi.
Before the slap could land, Gong Chen intercepted it mid-air.
Old Mr. Jiang’s gaze faltered, “Gong Chen, do you trust her or me? When your mother wasn’t around, I was the one who watched you grow up!”
Gong Chen’s grip on his hand tightened before he suddenly let go.
“I trust her.”
“You…”
“Was it the banquet where you helped Fu Shu approach me?” Gong Chen asked directly.
“…”
Old Mr. Jiang pursed his lips and forcefully withdrew his hand.
Gong Chen lowered his hand and continued, “When something happened to me at the banquet, no one would believe it was your doing. But after eliminating all other possibilities, only you could ensure nothing went wrong at any stage.”
“You invited the Bai Family mother and daughter because you knew that inviting them would bring Gong Yao, and then my and Zhiyi’s attention would be focused on them.”
“No matter what happened, they would be the prime suspects first.”
“The waiter serving drinks, the Bai Family mother and daughter, the conference room’s tea, the blind spots in surveillance, Fu Shu’s timely appearance, and knowing I hadn’t had a vasectomy.”
“Who else but you could manage all of this?”
The corners of Old Mr. Jiang’s severe face twitched.
“The one who could manage this might also be…”
“My father, that’s why yesterday when Fu Shu exposed her pregnancy as planned, you preemptively had someone inform my father. He would never allow someone associated with the Jiang Family to bear my child, so he would definitely threaten Fu Shu harshly.”
Gong Chen interrupted Old Mr. Jiang’s words.
A deep wrinkle spread across the eye of Old Mr. Jiang, making him appear particularly profound.
With his hands behind his back, he asked, “And then?”
Gong Chen replied, “Then you would seize the opportunity to force me to protect Fu Shu and the child, successfully creating a rift between Zhiyi and me.”
Upon hearing this, Lin Zhiyi understood the cause and effect.
“The one who most desires for Third Young Master and me to part is Old Mr. Gong. If he caused a scene at the Jiang Family, it would only make Third Young Master feel like he and Fu Shu were performing a double act, deepening the estrangement between Third Young Master and Old Mr. Gong.”
“Even if Third Young Master were to investigate deeply, he would only feel that the problem lies with the drink I handed over. Third Young Master mistakenly consumed traditional medicine because of me, while Fu Shu was an innocent victim. For the sake of reputation, Third Young Master must protect Fu Shu.”
“And the gap between Third Young Master and me would only grow wider.”
Old Mr. Jiang sneered.
“Nonsense. If Fu Shu were my person, and you suspected her to be Old Man Gong’s, it would only make Gong Chen detest her further!”
Lin Zhiyi looked up at Fu Shu, who stood straight but with her head bowed low.
Like her brother, standing there, she had the bearing of a subordinate.
She said, “Because Old Mr. Jiang only wanted Fu Shu to bear a child for Third Young Master, not to develop feelings with him; whether Third Young Master liked her or detested her, as long as the child’s safety was ensured, it was fine. After all, Fu Shu could never marry Third Young Master.”
Lin Zhiyi stared at Fu Shu, asking, “Right, Fu Shu? Didn’t Mrs. Jiang say your parents weren’t in good health back in your hometown, and you siblings relied on each other in Jing City? Thus, one of you was used heavily in the company, and the other worked as a tutor in high society circles, all thanks to Old Mr. Jiang’s nurturing and trust, right?”
Fu Shu’s body stiffened, and she suddenly looked up at Lin Zhiyi.
Her tightly pressed lips seemed as if something was blocking her throat.
“Fu Shu, no matter what, the child inside you is yours; are you really willing to become a birthing machine, letting the child be used? Do you know what that child has to face in such a situation? They…”
“Shut up!” Old Mr. Jiang snarled, his face twisted, “It’s all because of you!”
“How am I related! I’ve never interfered in any Jiang Family matters,” Lin Zhiyi argued back.
Old Mr. Jiang closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
“You saved the twins, but you and your mother are part of the Gong Family! Even your child is tied to the Gong Family! If I were to eliminate you and Xingxing, Gong Chen would certainly investigate thoroughly! He wouldn’t spare anyone!”
Lin Zhiyi found it hard to believe that even saving people could result in such an issue.
Old Mr. Jiang was afraid she would demand repayment for her kindness, afraid that the twins would trust her too much.
Even more afraid of her relationship with Liu He in the Gong Family, which would be detrimental to the Jiang Family.
So…
Thinking about what followed, Lin Zhiyi looked towards Gong Chen with concern.
How would Gong Chen face all this?
Unexpectedly, Gong Chen was extraordinarily calm.
Lin Zhiyi hesitated, then immediately realized that Gong Chen had long known.
He just couldn’t give up, so he set this trap today.
He gave Old Mr. Jiang another chance.
He hoped against hope the one to come save Fu Shu wasn’t Old Mr. Jiang.
Gong Chen coldly said, “You were afraid I’d side with Zhiyi, with my second brother, with the Gong Family because of the child, so you wanted someone to bear my child for the Jiang Family, so I’d be forever at the Jiang Family’s disposal.”
“Uncle, do you really not trust me this much?”
Seeing the failure, Old Mr. Jiang stopped pretending.
He raised his hand to point directly at Lin Zhiyi, questioning, “How many outrageous things have you done for Lin Zhiyi? Now that you have power in your hands, no one dares say anything, but if one day you’re plotted against, Lin Zhiyi will be your Achilles’ heel. What will you do then?”
“Will you die for her? What about us, your family?”