Chapter 245 Wavering, Soaring, Yao Yao

At the entrance of the hall, the elderly man holding tightly onto Situ Jingyao was already quite drunk, though he was in his sixties, his spirit was remarkably good. His attire was elegant yet opulent, further highlighting his distinguished demeanor. This man was Jiang Chongzhi, the president of the Jiangcheng Chamber of Commerce, revered by the media as the godfather of Jiangcheng's business world. However, he did not dare to claim the title of "Mount Tai and the Big Dipper," as the old man of Phoenix Mountain Villa had yet to pass away. With such a prestigious title, even if Jiang Chongzhi had eight lives, he would not dare to assume it.

"Please take your time, I won't see you off," President Jiang said with a smile, waving his hand. The three elderly men who had already stepped outside were also half-drunk, each with their own little birds, and bid farewell, "President Jiang, you're too polite. Please, go back quickly; it's windy outside."

"Yes, President Jiang, please go back to your room. I can see Miss Jingyao is also a bit tired. You two should rest early."

"Oh? Miss Jingyao probably won't be able to sleep tonight, right? Hahaha..."

Situ Jingyao maintained a perfectly appropriate smile—polite yet not distant, charming yet not flirtatious. She teased, "I'm actually not tired; I just wonder if my old Jiang is up to it?"

As she spoke, she turned her face to look at President Jiang, but her gaze inadvertently caught sight of Chu Yuxuan coming down the stairs. Situ Jingyao's body stiffened for a moment, but her smile remained charming and enchanting. She continued to look at President Jiang, playfully saying, "Why don't you tell me, are you up to it?"

President Jiang laughed generously, "Whether I'm up to it or not, don't you already know?"

The other three elderly men all began to tease, "President Jiang, tonight you must do well! Hahaha..."

Chu Zhiqing once said, "Most of the upper class are lower-class people, and they are best at using their high status to do lowly things." These old geezers perfectly exemplified that saying.

Situ Jingyao remained composed, removing President Jiang's hand from her waist. After joking with a few people, she walked towards Chu Yuxuan. "Are you leaving?"

Chu Yuxuan nodded, "Yes."

"Why don't you wait for me a moment? Let's chat for a bit," Situ Jingyao smiled. "It's been a while since I've seen you."

Chu Yuxuan glanced at President Jiang and replied with a faint smile, "Another time. I need to go home and accompany my wife."

Situ Jingyao shrugged, "Alright then."

After a pause, she continued, "I've been looking into the Tianji Society you mentioned, but... there's still no progress. Give me a bit more time."

Chu Yuxuan replied, "Actually, if it's inconvenient for you, don't worry about it. I really don't want to cause you trouble."

Situ Jingyao playfully lifted her face, "I'm willing, it's my own fault. Is that alright?"

Chu Yuxuan's eyes softened with sincerity, "Thank you..."

At that moment, President Jiang had finished seeing off the guests. While walking towards the elevator, he called out, "Yao Yao, come here and help me."

Situ Jingyao responded and, with an unnatural expression, said to Chu Yuxuan, "He's the president of the Jiangcheng Chamber of Commerce."

It seemed that the beautiful lady wanted to explain or prove something, but she eventually fell silent, her eyes showing some embarrassment. She lowered her head and said, "Be careful going home, Brother Yuxuan."

Chu Yuxuan was unsure what to say, nodded lightly, and walked towards the door. He couldn't help but feel puzzled—he had always thought Situ Jingyao's background was the owner of the Red Building. Chu Zhiqing said the owner of the Red Building was "authority," but this President Jiang was clearly a businessman.

It seemed Situ Jingyao couldn't be connected to the owner of the Red Building. So what was the relationship between President Jiang and the Red Building?

Chu Yuxuan was baffled and didn't want to dwell on it, quickening his pace to leave the hall.

Situ Jingyao helped President Jiang take the elevator to the top floor. Once inside the room, President Jiang removed his coat and handed it to Situ Jingyao. She pursed her lips, looked at him for a moment, took the coat, and hung it on the rack, her expression gradually darkening.

President Jiang walked into the living room, sat on the sofa, burped from the alcohol, and began to light a cigarette. He said, "Yao Yao, bring me the ashtray."

Situ Jingyao took a deep breath, her face growing even darker. She picked up the large, heavy glass ashtray, not holding it respectfully with both hands but by gripping the inner edge with her fingertips and carrying it over.

"President Jiang, have you sobered up yet?"

At the cold words, President Jiang trembled violently, his eyes widening. As he turned his head, the ashtray came crashing down on him.

"Have you sobered up?" Situ Jingyao's eyes were fierce, and her hand gripping the ashtray turned white from the force.

President Jiang clutched his bleeding head tightly, quickly getting off the sofa and huddling on his knees in front of Situ Jingyao. His voice trembled, "Sober... sober... Miss Situ, I..."

Before he could finish, Situ Jingyao raised the ashtray again and brought it down heavily. Fortunately, the once-respected but now despised President Jiang had kept his hand over his head, so the ashtray only hit his hand and didn't kill him, but it still caused him to scream in pain.

Situ Jingyao's face was angry, her tone icy, "Old man, if you ever dare to touch me again, I'll kill your whole family!"

President Jiang begged repeatedly, his eyes filled with fear as he looked at Situ Jingyao. The woman in the qipao, who was once his little bird, had now soared to become a phoenix. He had contributed to her rise, but back then, Jiang Chongzhi, who prided himself on having known many women, never imagined that the destitute woman he met on a rainy night was not just after his money but was using him as a stepping stone for her connections.

"Miss Situ, didn't we agree before to be flirtatious in front of others? I... I..."

"You were just supposed to make others think you were him, not to replace him! Old man, you'd better not get too into character!"

"Understood, I... I won't drink so much in the future and won't overstep..."

Situ Jingyao took a deep breath, glared at President Jiang, threw the ashtray on the floor, and stormed out.

If it hadn't been for Chu Yuxuan's sudden appearance, she wouldn't have lost control of her emotions so much.

Back in her room, Situ Jingyao lit a cigarette. Halfway through, she called "Rufeng."

"Yao Yao, have you finished dealing with things?"

Situ Jingyao replied with a muffled sob, "Just finished..."

"What happened? Did Jiang make you angry again?"

Situ Jingyao choked up, "No, I just feel wronged... You put me in this Red Building and don't come back often, leaving me to handle so many things alone. How can I not feel wronged?"

Rufeng said, "Alright, alright, special times call for special treatment... When that old foe from the supervisory team leaves Jiangcheng, I'll come back and be with you every day, okay?"

Situ Jingyao scolded, "Don't come back. I don't want to see you again..."

Rufeng sighed, "It seems Jiang really did make you angry... Yao Yao, bear with it. Just teach him a lesson, don't take his life. That supervisor from the supervisory team has a blood feud with me. He has been tracking me for years. There are rumors that the master of the Red Building is a high-ranking official who retired from Beijing. He must have heard something and volunteered to come to Jiangcheng. However, he probably still can't be sure that I am the master of the Red Building. Jiang, who used to be an official in Beijing and is now the president of the Jiangcheng Chamber of Commerce, fits this rumor perfectly. Letting him be my stand-in is just right. I promise you, as long as the supervisory team leaves Jiangcheng, I won't let him live. Is that alright?"

Situ Jingyao sobbed, "I don't care about him, I just... miss you a bit."

"Alright, alright. I'll come back to see you in a couple of days. Be good, okay?"

"You old liar, always saying things you don't mean..."

"This time, definitely."

"Hmph... Then let me know in advance. I'll pick you up at the airport... I'm tired, so that's it for now. Good night."

After hanging up, Situ Jingyao's sobbing stopped abruptly. She took a gentle drag on her cigarette, her demeanor elegant. The tears at the corners of her eyes reflected a hint of cunning.