“My jade bracelet?!” The jade bracelet had shattered to pieces. Guo Caifeng’s eyes widened, and Yang Xiaobei was also shocked. This jade bracelet was the most valuable thing in the house; it was given to her mother by her maternal grandmother, which was later on passed down to her by her mother.
The reason behind Guo Caifeng’s thought of giving the bracelet to Xiaobei’s grandmother was simple. Since her man was lying on a bed in a vegetative state, she had no more hope. So, she just hoped that her daughter would live up to her expectations in the future and be an asset to the family. If only they could make the old granny happy, Xiaobei would be able to gain an advantage in the family. Otherwise, if Guo Ru managed to gain complete power in the future, they would be in big trouble.
But now, the jade bracelet had actually been shattered to pieces! Obviously, this was Yang Ye’s intention.
“You pay me back for my jade bracelet! Pay me back for my jade bracelet!” Guo Caifeng nervously went forward and grabbed Yang Ye by her collar. This scene attracted the glances of the surrounding crowd.
“Stop it! Have some discipline!” Madame Yang said angrily. She cared a lot about her image.
“Mum, Yang Ye did it on purpose. He purposely broke the Cloud of Dragon Jade Bracelet!” Guo Caifeng said anxiously.
“Eh, Caifeng, let me tell you this, this is just a cheap bracelet, it might even be a fake. It doesn’t matter even if it’s real.”
“You are all grown up and yet you still argue with the young ones. You have no discipline at all!” Aunt Xu Sen, the second-eldest aunt added.
“Today is mom’s birthday, and yet you’re actually fighting during mom’s birthday. No discipline at all!” Yang Yuting added in a chilly tone.
“Alright, it’s just a jade bracelet. It’s not a big deal that it’s broken. I’m already so old and I won’t be wearing it anyway. What Guo Ru said was not wrong. You don’t need to argue with the child,” Madame Yang said faintly.
Guo Caifeng looked wrongly accused and her eyes were full of tears. However, Chen Hao could tell that Madame Yang was showing favoritism to Yang Ye. Chen Hao bought the Cloud of Dragon Jade Bracelet, so naturally, he knew that the jade bracelet was real. Plainly speaking, Yang Ye was only worried that Xiao Bei was favored. After that, everybody turned their attention to Chen Hao.
“Chen Hao, you came here with empty hands?” Guo Ru asked with a cold glance in her eyes. Of everyone within that extended family, Guo Ru hated the family of the fifth youngest son within the big family, the family of the fourth youngest son came next in her hate list. And as for now, the people she hated included Chen Hao, especially after what happened the day before.
“Hmph, Guo Ru, you have guessed correctly. He can’t afford a present. Hah!” said Aunt Xu Sen.
And when Madame Yang saw that Chen Hao’s hands were really empty, she felt unhappy. “Forget it. I don’t want his present anyway,” Madame Yang said faintly.
Chen Hao kept quiet and didn’t open his mouth.
“My gosh, we must talk about Xiaobei more. Her heart is not in her work. I think that she’s just waiting for her share of your estate. This won’t do!” Guo Ru said.
Guo Caifei replied anxiously, “Guo Ru, what do you mean? When is Xiaobei ever not hardworking at work?”
“Stop bickering. I don’t dare to determine if what you both said is true or not. However, the Yang Family has never given resources to anybody that doesn’t deserve it. I will investigate the matter of Xiaobei after this. If you really don’t have any results to show, don’t blame me for being harsh,” Madame Yang said.
“Hehe, grandma, don’t waste your efforts. Just go with whatever Aunt Guo Ru said. Grandma, I’m not feeling well and I won’t be eating anymore. I’ll take my leave first,” Xiaobei said with her eyes red. As soon as she finished speaking, she stood up and left.
“Xiaobei!” Guo Caifeng chased after her.
Chen Hao frowned. From the looks of it, it had been a common occurrence in the family since a long time ago that Guo Ru and her son had been bullying the family of Uncle Yuxing. Worried about Xiaobei’s mood, Chen Hao followed behind.
“Mum, did you see that? This Yang Xiaobei behaved like that in front of you. She was even more so in front of me at the company!” Guo Ru accused.
“Hmph, let her go. I feel better if I don’t see her,” Madame Yang said coldly. She turned around and looked at the venue of the birthday feast.
“What happened? At this time last year, there were many guests. Why are there so few this year?” Madame Yang said when she realized this.
Yang Yuting answered, “Right. Something is indeed off. Why are there so few guests? I personally invited them after all.”
Madame Yang had an ugly expression on her face. Immediately, she shouted for the family butler, Ashen. She asked him the reason that the guests weren’t all present yet.
Ashen said, “Madame Yang, I don’t know what happened today. Many guests and their business partners called and said that something suddenly came up and that they won’t be attending. They sent their good wishes. Up to this point, more than thirty CEOs had called me!”
“What?” The old woman was very angry. “Hmph, I understand now. They must have discussed this among themselves. From the looks of it, our Yang Family’s position has really declined. Decades ago, whenever the Yang Family had any event, the place would be packed. But now, even when we invite them, they won’t come.”
Yang Yuting and the rest didn’t speak.
“Yuting, did you plan the projects like I asked you to? Or are you going to tell me that there are no projects now?” Madame Yang asked.
“Right now, we have a problem with the capital turnover. Mum, I’m already trying my best. Today and tomorrow, I will settle the problem with the resource chains. Then, I will proceed with bidding for the projects!” Yang Yuting replied.
Madame Yang sighed. “First, the enterprise is no longer like a proper enterprise. Then, our home doesn’t feel like a home anymore. Have we inevitably lost to both the Long and Qin Family?” the old lady asked, looking dejected.
And right at this moment, the family butler anxiously rushed in from the compound outside.
“Chairman! Chairman!”
“Ashen, what happened?” the old lady asked.
“C-Come out and take a look. There is a convoy here to send you a congratulatory gift!” Ashen appeared to be very nervous.
“Huh?” Madame Yang said, surprised. If it was an ordinary birthday gift from a guest, Ashen wouldn’t have reacted like this; who could it possibly be? Despite her astonishment, she stood up and followed behind Ashen and the rest. Yang Yuting, Guo Ru, and the rest of the family walked out together curiously.
Outside, they saw more than ten extra long Phantom limousines; every car cost more than twenty million. A team of bodyguards stood there, all dressed in black, and each of them carried a box.
“This congratulatory gift is for Madame Yang from Young Master Chen of the Chen Family,” said the leading bodyguard who was also dressed in black.
Madame Yang and the rest were already shocked; the convoy was beyond ordinary luxuriousness.
Immediately, the first bodyguard opened a box. “A millennium old ginseng!”
“What? A millennium old ginseng?” The crowd was stunned.
“A white limestone cauldron!”
“Huh?” Madame Yang’s face looked deeply moved.
Yang Yuting and Guo Ru were so nervous that they gulped.
The third box was opened. “An original Tang Bohu [1] painting!”
“An original Tang Bohu painting?” The people crowded around this gift.
“Young Master Chen from the Chen Family? Who is he? How is he this capable?”
[1] Tang Bohu, whose original name was Tang Yin, was a Chinese painter, calligrapher, and poet of the Ming dynasty period whose life story has become a part of popular lore.