Chapter 16: Good Tactics

When Yang Hu stepped towards her, he was only a step away, capable of pulling back in time if he wanted to.

But did Muwan give him the chance?

No.

Not only did she not give him the chance, but she also stepped forward to meet him, bearing the brunt of the slap.

Why?

To make the old master feel sorry for her, to undermine Yang Shan's status in this family.

Jiang Muwan never did anything in her life that was useless; she would make people pay as much as the pain she endured.

This slap from Yang Hu, she would not take lying down.

Crash--------Standing by the door, the old master grasped a small potted plant from the higher table next to him and hurled it at Yang Hu, not controlling his strength in the slightest.

And he bellowed, "Have you grown so bold to barge into my home and strike a member of the Jiang Family?"

"Are you insane?" Yang Shan's brief moment of schadenfreude lasted but a second before being startled by the old master's furious roar, promptly retracting her shock and fear, and this loud rebuke undoubtedly shifted the entire blame onto Yang Hu.

As if she had absolutely no idea that Yang Hu had rashly hit Jiang Muwan.

On her face the expressions of shock, innocence, and heartache interchanged repeatedly.

As if this were not enough, she even moved closer to Jiang Muwan with feigned concern, taking her hand to pull her aside as if Yang Hu were an unforgivable murderer, intent on dragging Jiang Muwan away from him.

This change happened too suddenly.

Since ancient times, men have been half-confused in the struggles within families.

They're simply no match for the scheming women.

Therefore, Yang Hu was currently confused.

It wasn't until Yang Shan harshly pushed him that he finally snapped out of it.

"Jiang Muwan was insolent first------."

"Smack-----" Before Yang Hu's explanation could finish, Yang Shan raised her hand and struck his face with a swift slap, adding fiercely, "Since when does an outsider have the right to make a scene on the Jiang family's territory?"

With the sound of that slap, the words the old master was about to utter were silenced.

What is breaking and remaking?

What is striking first to gain the upper hand?

Yang Shan's slap was aimed at Yang Hu, but it also served to protect him.

On the side, the butler seeing this, glanced at the old master and noticed his tightly pursed lips and silence, realizing there was anger brewing in his heart.

However, since Yang Shan had already struck the first blow, it wasn't appropriate for him to add insult to injury. Yang Shan's face could be disregarded, but they still had to consider Jiang Lin's standing.

"Please show Mr. Yang out," the butler glanced at the servant nearby and spoke in a cold voice.

And Yang Hu? Clearly, he was still in shock and hadn't regained his senses.

"Haven't you left yet?" Seeing Yang Hu motionless, Yang Shan coldly uttered those words.

Upon regaining his senses, Yang Hu tried to take his leave. Just as he lifted his foot, a cold and emotionless voice echoed out of nowhere: "You hit someone and think to leave without even an apology?"

Yang Shan wanted to protect him, but that depended on whether Jiang Muwan would give her that face.

And the latter was clearly not one to suffer a loss.

For a moment, there was a serene silence.

According to Yang Hu's nature, he would never apologize to Jiang Muwan; he couldn't bring himself to do something so humiliating.

Yet behind him, the old master said nothing, seemingly not taking any sides, but the more this happened, the heavier the pressure became on Yang Hu.

That day, the tranquility of Mengxi Garden was shattered by a series of urgent siren wails.

The sound rang loudly in the luxurious villa area, making all who heard it crane their necks to look around.

The police car stopped at the Jiang Family's doorstep, sparking curiosity among everyone.

What's more, someone even made a remark, "The Jiang Family is probably not going to have peace now."

Jiang Muwan was hit after entering the house, and the colleague waiting outside had the presence of mind to call the police right away.

As a result, the police arrived before Yang Hu's apology did.

The Jiang Family patriarch cared deeply about the family's reputation. If the issue was handled in private, it could be resolved easy enough but with the doors thrown open like today, it wouldn't be so simple.

Dealing with the police was one thing; dealing with Yang Hu was another entirely.

With the old master present, the incident wouldn't become too ugly, but the news of the police entering the home would likely be impossible to contain.

After a while, the butler saw the police out.

Yang Shan stood by, trembling with rage, but held back because of the old master's presence. After a long moment, she gritted her teeth and spat out, "You're quite crafty."

Jiang Muwan heard this and her lips curled into a slight smirk, "If I were that crafty, I wouldn't have been slapped."

Having said that, she reached out and gently touched her own fair cheek, her gaze soft and cool as a whisper of chilly breeze.

---------,

That evening, Gu Jiangnian returned to Mengxi Garden for dinner with Madam Yu.

In her lifetime, Yu Se had seen many ups and downs, so by this age, she viewed many things with detachment.

Whenever mother and son dined together, she would personally cook the meal.

For someone of Gu Jiangnian's status, exotic delicacies had long since lost their appeal. Instead, it was these simple, homemade dishes that satisfied him.

A full Manchurian-Han banquet couldn't compare to the comfort of these four dishes and one soup.

In the kitchen, Madam Yu dried her hands, ready to serve the food, when Gu Jiangnian rolled up his sleeves and came in to help bring the simple spread to the table.

As Yu Se was about to turn back to get the rice, he lifted his hand and said, "Mother, please sit. I'll do it."

Yu Se didn't say much, pulled out a chair and sat down at the table, watching Gu Jiangnian stand in front of the Liuli Platform scooping rice, unaware that people in C City knew, once this man who commanded power and respect returned home, he was just like any other ordinary person.

"I heard there was trouble at the Jiang's this afternoon, with police cars rushing over," she said as they talked about family matters and the gossip within Mengxi Garden.

But she did not know that these trivial matters caused the usually composed Gu Jiangnian to become distracted.

His hand, holding a bowl, paused mid-air; after a long silence, he casually asked, "What happened?"

"I didn't hear the specifics, just that Mrs. Jiang's brother hadn't been inside long before the police arrived."

As he handed the rice to her, Madam Yu took it and said, "I heard Jiang Muwan has returned. It seems the Jiang Family might not find peace now."

"Whether they find peace or not, that's someone else's family affair, let's not talk too much about it," he replied.

In Gu Jiangnian's view, all the unrest in the Jiang Family stemmed from Jiang Muwan stirring trouble.

The greater the unrest, the more likely she was to achieve her goals. The worries of others were, quite frankly, superfluous.

What loss could that woman possibly suffer?

"Do you still remember that childhood incident?"

Other than the event at Hou Lake, what else could Yu Se be referring to?

But Gu Jiangnian, always serene like a warm breeze, looked at his mother and countered, "What incident?"

At his words, Yu Se faltered for half a second, then sighed softly, almost in a whisper, "It's good that you've forgotten."

Gu Jiangnian sat opposite her, seemingly untroubled on the surface, but his grip on the chopsticks was tight.

He acknowledged with a "hmm" and continued eating.

However, when he lowered his gaze, the light in his eyes was sharp and clear.