The vicious female supporting role is posted in the opposite direction by the cub

Taking a deep breath, Jiang Catherine adjusted her expression and walked towards the residence of the Second Elder, Jiang Wenying.

Jiang Wenying's courtyard was as elegant and gentle as ever. She was sitting in the tea room, slowly and methodically preparing tea. When she saw Jiang Catherine enter, her signature warm and gentle smile immediately appeared on her face.

"Catherine's here? Please have a seat. Try my newly acquired Cloud Mist Tea." Jiang Wenying's voice was gentle as she personally poured a cup of tea and pushed it towards her.

Catherine Jiang had no interest in tea. She forced herself to sit down and went straight to the point: "Sister Wen Yin, Jiang Su has gone mad! The young master gave her the Far East Logistics division that I used to manage, and she refuses to exchange resources with me according to the old rules! She even told me to go find the young master! Has that girl bewitched her?"

Jiang Wenying gently blew on the tea foam, her smile unchanged: "Oh? Is that so? Elder Su is always strict and disciplined, perhaps the young patriarch gave some special instructions."

“What special instructions could there be?” Jiang Catherine said excitedly. “That section is completely irrelevant! The young master is clearly trying to annoy me and establish his authority! Jiang Su actually took it seriously, and even said that the young master was trying to revitalize her business line… Absurd!”

Jiang Wenying took a sip of tea, a fleeting, elusive glint in her eyes, so quick it seemed like an illusion. She put down her teacup, her tone still gentle: "Catherine, calm down. It's just a small part; the profits are negligible to you. Why get so worked up? It's not good to damage our sisterly harmony."

"This isn't about profits!" Jiang Catherine raised her voice. "It's about attitude! It's about face! Why did the five elders single out my things? And why did they send that blockhead Jiang Su to embarrass me? Is Jiang Xiaoxing using me as an example to scare the others?!"

“You can’t say that.” Jiang Wenying shook her head, her smile fading slightly, carrying a hint of admonition. “The young patriarch has just taken over the family affairs, so he needs to make some moves to show his abilities. The industries you’re in charge of… are wide-ranging and have long chains of operations. It’s possible that the young patriarch might feel that some aspects need to be reorganized. After all, he’s a young man, and he can’t tolerate any imperfections.”

Her words sounded like advice, but every single one was actually stirring up trouble. She pointed out that Jiang Xiaoxing was deliberately targeting her, and implied that Jiang Catherine's business was shady and that she deserved to be targeted.

Catherine Jiang was even angrier: "What's wrong with my businesses? Every single one of them makes money for the family! Without these 'unseemly' businesses, how would the family support so many people? How would it maintain its current respectability? So what if Jiang Xiaoxing invests a hundred billion in China? That little bit of money isn't even enough for half a month's turnover at ES Bank!"

“Yes, yes, the young patriarch is young and may not fully understand the family’s difficulties.” Jiang Wenying followed her words, but her tone was somewhat evasive. “However, since she has made a decision, we as elders cannot openly oppose her. After all, the Grand Elder seems to… support her.”

Mentioning Elder Jiang Jingshu, Jiang Catherine's arrogance faltered. Although Jiang Jingshu usually kept a low profile, she held immense prestige. She explicitly supported Jiang Xiaoxing's auditing of accounts and restructuring of the business, and it would indeed be unwise for her to openly oppose her.

Jiang Wenying observed her expression and then slowly added fuel to the fire: "Actually, Catherine, sometimes taking a step back isn't necessarily a bad thing. If the young master wants to make a move, let her. There's an old Chinese saying, 'The nail that sticks out gets hammered down.' You're just too stubborn. That section, if it's gone, it's gone; it won't affect you much. Why be the 'nail' for such a small matter and upset the young master and the Grand Elder?"

These words, seemingly considerate, actually put Jiang Catherine in a very difficult position. On one hand, they accused her of being petty and lacking in common sense; on the other hand, they implied that if she continued to cause trouble, she would be openly defying the head of the family and the Grand Elder, thus inviting trouble upon herself.

Catherine Jiang sensed the underlying meaning in Jiang Wenying's words, and her heart turned completely cold. Looking at Jiang Wenying's perpetually gentle, smiling face, she suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of hypocrisy and coldness. This woman had never intended to help her! She was merely watching the show, watching Catherine Jiang fight with the young master, and whoever suffered the loss, Jiang Wenying would reap the benefits!
“Fine, very well.” Jiang Catherine stood up abruptly, her blue eyes seemingly frozen. “I see now. You all have your own agendas. Jiang Su played dumb, while you watched from the sidelines. You all thought I, Jiang Catherine, was an easy target, deserving to be the first one to be dealt with, right?”

Jiang Wenying's smile remained unchanged, even tinged with a hint of helplessness: "Catherine, you're exaggerating. We're all thinking of the family..."

“For the family?” Jiang Catherine sneered, interrupting her. “You’re doing this for yourselves, aren’t you? Fine, since you both think this is a trivial matter, then I won’t trouble you two any further.” She turned and left, her high heels clicking crisply and angrily on the floor.

Jiang Wenying watched her departing figure, her smile gradually fading, a cold glint flashing in her eyes. She picked up the now slightly cool tea, took a small sip, and muttered to herself, "Fool."

Catherine Jiang stormed back to her room, her delicate face contorted with rage. A disgrace! A blatant disgrace! Of the five elders, the First Elder, Jiang Jingshu, sided with the young patriarch; the Third Elder, Jiang Su, betrayed them at the last minute; the Second Elder, Jiang Wenying, smiled daggers while standing idly by; and that fool, the Fourth Elder, Jiang Na, only cared about the Luo Weier family's meager profits!
She became utterly alone! She became the first among the elders to be openly humiliated by the young master, yet no one stood up for her and she was even betrayed by her companions—a laughingstock indeed!
The section itself wasn't particularly valuable, but as Jiang Su said, it concerned an important channel. More importantly, through this action, Jiang Xiaoxing sent a signal to everyone—she, Jiang Catherine, could be manipulated at will! Her interests could be sacrificed first!
She simply couldn't swallow this insult!

Didn't Jiang Xiaoxing value China? Didn't she invest hundreds of billions there in new energy, and even want to shift the family's focus back home? Fine, she'll show Jiang Xiaoxing just how deep the waters are in China, and how much power she, Jiang Catherine, wields!

She walked to the encrypted communicator and quickly typed in a series of commands. The screen lit up, connecting to an overseas number. After a few rings, the call was answered, and a deep, husky male voice spoke in English: "Mrs. Catherine? What's the rush at this hour?"

“It’s urgent.” Jiang Catherine replied in fluent English, her voice still filled with anger and determination. “I’m in City C, China. Give me some trouble with the ‘Haixing New Energy’ project and ‘Kuang-Chi Materials’. Not serious, but disgusting enough to let that ‘young master’ know that overseas is not a place for her to play house, and that her reach has gone too far.”

There was a moment of silence on the other end: "Haixing New Energy is a key project supported by the government, with a very deep background. Kuang-Chi Materials... seems to be involved with some local forces as well. Making too big a move could easily backfire."

“I know!” Catherine Jiang said impatiently. “That’s why I said, let’s cause some ‘trouble.’ Tax audits, environmental reviews, safety accidents, media storms…aren’t you guys best at these things? I’ll make sure her investments in China hit a wall at every turn, and let her know that without our ‘cooperation,’ her so-called plans in China are a joke! I’ll pay you double the funds.”

Another silence fell, seemingly a deliberation. After a while, the male voice spoke again: "It's possible. But Madam, things are a bit tense in China lately. We might need to use some unconventional connections, and the price..."

“Price is not an issue,” Jiang Catherine said firmly. “I want to see results as soon as possible.”

"Understood. I will give you initial feedback within a week."

Communication was cut off.

Jiang Kaiserlin stared at the darkened screen, her blue eyes flashing with a cold and venomous light.

Jiang Xiaoxing, you think you can control me just by taking back a small piece of land? I'll show you that the Jiang family's influence runs much deeper than you imagine. You want to go back to China? You want to take a bite out of our territory? First, see if your foundation in China can withstand the storm!
She walked to the liquor cabinet, poured herself a glass of strong liquor, and downed it in one gulp. The burning sensation of the alcohol calmed her down slightly, but humiliation and anger still burned within her.

Just you wait and see, young master. This is only the beginning. (End of Chapter)