Rebirth of a Star

“It’s a surprise to see Second Master here in person. Is something the matter?”

Fu Bainian unhurriedly stepped in front of Jiang Baitao and faced him, neither obsequiously nor superciliously.

Jiang Baitao also had influence in the underground market, so his conduct was vicious and ruthless. Lan Jinyao had heard of his infamous name before. Contrariwise, Jiang Cheng seemingly didn’t resemble his Grandfather that much. Jiang Baitao always carried a smile on his face and looked amiable; his expression remaining the same, no matter what. On the other hand, Jiang Cheng had more expressions; he’d smile when he was happy, and look frosty when he wasn’t.

At this moment, Jiang Baitao smiled at Fu Bainian, and said, “It’s nothing, I simply wanted to have a heart-to-heart talk with Mrs Fu. People my age tend to feel lonely at times, so I wanted to have a chat to free my mind of worries.”

“You simply wanted to have a heart-to-heart chat? Then, you can look for me directly! Luckily, I happen to be free at the moment, so if you don’t mind, we can talk now.”

Then, Lan Jinyao opened the door and welcomed them inside.

At home, Lan Jinyao habitually wore casual clothes. This kind of clothing wrapped around her body tightly, but it looked proper, so she didn’t feel uncomfortable wearing this in front of guests at all. Yet, when Jiang Baitao’s gaze landed on her, he had a displeased look on his face.

“Mrs Fu, I’ve previously heard that you were an open person. Surprisingly, you’re still the same after your marriage.”

When Lan Jinyao heard this, she felt somewhat uncomfortable and simply smiled back at him. “I truly didn’t anticipate your sudden visit, so I had no time to change into a different outfit. What’s more, you actually brought so many people along with you and stood outside my house. I must say, it seems that you’re much more informal.”

Fu Bainian immediately walked over and held her hand as he said, “Meimei, you haven’t fully recovered yet, so you should go back and rest! I’ll keep Second Master company; don’t worry.”

Lan Jinyao nodded and obediently walked back to the bedroom. However, Jiang Baitao’s cold and gloomy gaze was fixated on her all this while. That piercing glare was seemingly glued to her back, making her feel quite uncomfortable and restless. So, she quickened her pace and quickly returned to the room, closing the door behind her.

She then dragged the carpet towards the door and sat down, quietly listening to the movements outside.

Jiang Baitao burst into laughter and said, “President Fu, you sure dote on your wife an awful lot. I just arrived not long ago, and yet you’ve already hurried back. If this reached the ears of outsiders, they would surely think that I was making things difficult for a junior!”

“Everyone’s aware of Second Master’s might, so who’d dare to gossip about you?”

With time, they were then spouting bureaucratic jargon. And, Lan Jinyao, who was listening in on their conversation, felt her head ache. This scenario was actually quite similar to a TV drama’s scene, which she’d filmed before. Back then, she’d confronted her opponent just like this. She didn’t rashly explain the reason for her visit and kept her opponent in suspense, making her opponent panic. However, Fu Bainian was seemingly doing great out there; he wasn’t flustered at all and remained calm and collected.

Jiang Baitao then asked, “In this world, there will always be people who aren’t that discreet; don’t you agree?”

Upon hearing this, Fu Bainian remained silent for a while before saying, “There are indeed a few people like that. Nevertheless, Second Master, if the purpose of your visit is to apologise to Meimei, then there’s no need for that. In any case, President Jiang has already received the punishment he deserves.”

Jiang Baitao had indeed come on behalf of his grandson. But, since he’d rushed over, did this mean that he had a bargaining chip in his hand?

Jiang Baitao smiled and said, “Yes, that child always like to do things carelessly. When he’s in the wrong, it’s only right for him to be punished. I came here today to ask if Mrs Fu could forgive that impetuous grandson of mine. After all, he’s already received his punishment.”

Upon hearing this, Lan Jinyao secretly praised Fu Bainian’s performance. The Jiang family had a powerful background, and they were also renowned in the business world. Yet, Fu Bainian was still able to force them into such a helpless state. Jiang Cheng did something wrong and had troubled his Grandfather to come to clean up his mess. This poor elder had lost all face and must be feeling embarrassed to death by now.

However, Jiang Baitao certainly wouldn’t scold his grandson, Jiang Cheng. Instead, he’d see her as a femme fatale and scold her instead.

At this moment, Fu Bainian’s voice had turned cold as he replied, “Forgive him? Second Master, you must be joking. Meimei’s a frail woman, and she’s not as broad-minded as Second Master thinks. After all, Jiang Cheng was the one who…caused the death of our child. Jiang Cheng is a murderer, so how can we forgive him?”

At this moment, Lan Jinyao couldn’t help but clench her hands into fists as tears started to trickle down her cheeks.

Jiang Cheng had made her suffer so much that he’d basically torn her heart apart. How could she possibly forgive him?!

She wouldn’t forgive Jiang Cheng nor would her husband. Fu Bainian had restrained his emotions with just sending Jiang Cheng to prison. In their eyes, this was already considered as a light punishment. If it were up to her, she’d rather have killed that man.

Jiang Baitao’s expression remained indifferent as he continued trying to persuade Fu Bainian by saying, “I know this is a difficult request, so how about this? As long as President Fu lets Jiang Cheng off, I’ll immediately send him abroad and only let him come back after he’s thought things through. Before then, I’ll do my utmost to make it up to you guys.”

Fu Bainian didn’t say anything in response. Jiang Baitao’s words had sounded like a request on the surface, but they were, in fact, a threat. Jiang Baitao could actually take care of this matter himself, but he’d chosen to come here in person to test the waters. It seemed that he was still cautious of Fu Bainian.

Following this, Lan Jinyao suddenly opened the door and rushed out in tears.

“If I were to kill Jiang Cheng, would you be able to forgive me? Would you be able to do so?” Lan Jinyao felt that her current appearance must be very unsightly as Fu Bainian was looking at her with a grief-stricken expression.

Jiang Baitao suddenly froze. He’d seemingly not expected her to rush out so abruptly like this.

After a while, he finally returned to his senses and smilingly said, “Of course, I’ll forgive you.”

How fake and hypocritical! Lan Jinyao ferociously glared at Jiang Baitao through gritted teeth.

“You sure are magnanimous, but I’m not as broad-minded as you, so I won’t forgive him. Please go back. This scar will forever remain in my heart. It is impossible to make up for it!”

Jiang Cheng had already gone mad. If she were to let him off, it would be equivalent to planting a time bomb in their lives which would one day explode and blow them into pieces, not leaving even their corpse intact…That last incident was a lesson that would be etched in her heart forever. If she were to experience that a second time, she’d undoubtedly go mad.

Fu Bainian stood up and held Lan Jinyao’s hand tightly in his in a consoling manner.

He then said to Jiang Baitao, “Second Master, I’ll grant your request this one time. I’ll let Jiang Cheng off the hook, but you need to stay true to your words and send him abroad as soon as possible, and not allow him to come back.”

Lan Jinyao looked at Fu Bainian, astounded. She seemingly didn’t believe the words she’d just heard.

“What did you just say?”

Jiang Baitao also stood up and said, “Alright, I promise. You sure are discreet. I will immediately leave and make the necessary arrangements.”

After Jiang Baitao left, Lan Jinyao glared at Fu Bainian and asked in a hoarse voice, “Why did you do that?! You’re afraid of Jiang Baitao, aren’t you?”