After the divorce, he went on a motorcycle trip, and his ex-wife and daughter were filled with regre

Shen Qinghan stared at Jiang Ye nervously, her eyes filled with pleading and warning.

Jiang Ye didn't even glance at her.

He simply smiled faintly, grasped the old lady's hand in return, and said in a relaxed tone, "Grandma, don't be nervous. The bathroom floor was slippery when I was taking a shower the night before last, and I accidentally slipped and fell on the sink. It was just a minor injury, nothing serious."

Upon hearing Jiang Ye's words, Shen Qinghan's tense nerves instantly relaxed, and he let out a long breath, feeling his back soaked with cold sweat.

"You careless child! How can you be so clumsy! You're a grown adult, how can you fall and hurt yourself while taking a shower!"

Although the old lady was scolding her, she couldn't hide the heartache in her eyes: "I'll have the kitchen make you some gastrodia elata and pig brain soup later, to nourish you properly."

"Thank you, Grandma."

Jiang Ye smiled and nodded, then handed over the red gift box in his hand: "Grandma, this is a birthday gift I prepared for you. I know you usually like to chant Buddhist scriptures, so I specially picked it out. Please see if you like it."

"Grandma will like anything you give her."

The old lady beamed from ear to ear and personally accepted the gift box.

Seeing this, the butler quickly stepped forward to help open the lid of the gift box.

The moment the gift box was opened, the somewhat noisy discussions in the hall instantly fell silent.

On the red velvet lining, there was a solid little golden Buddha, about the size of an adult's fist, placed neatly.

The golden Buddha statue is exquisitely crafted, with a benevolent and lifelike face. Illuminated by the crystal chandelier overhead, it radiates a dazzling and profound golden light.

"hiss--"

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd.

"My God! This solid gold Buddha is so huge, how many grams does it weigh?!"

"Judging by its quality and weight, it must weigh at least over a thousand grams! The material cost of the gold alone would be hundreds of thousands, and with this masterful carving, the value of this golden Buddha is definitely over a million!"

"Who said this live-in son-in-law is penniless? He's spending way too much!"

"Jiang Ye really knows how to give a thoughtful and generous gift! The old lady is a Buddhist, and this golden Buddha is perfect for her!"

"Exactly! Look at Gu Ziming again. All he did was bring a box of tattered tea leaves, and he acted all sentimental. Compared to Jiang Ye's solid gold Buddha, he's utterly shameful!"

Hearing the sudden shift in the tone of the discussions among the surrounding guests, Gu Ziming's face turned pale and then red, feeling even worse than if he had swallowed a fly.

He had originally intended to use the opportunity of presenting the Da Hong Pao tea to make a name for himself in front of the old lady and the business tycoons of Hanzhou, showcasing his taste and power. But now, not only was he publicly ignored by the old lady, but he was also thoroughly trampled underfoot by Jiang Ye, the good-for-nothing he had always looked down upon!

The intense sense of disparity and humiliation made Gu Ziming wish he could disappear into the ground.

"Qinghan, I... I have some urgent business at work that I need to take care of, so I'll have to go now."

Gu Ziming was too ashamed to stay any longer. He shoved Shen Xinyu into the nanny's arms, hurriedly said goodbye to Shen Qinghan, and then slunk away from the hall.

Watching Gu Ziming's disheveled departure, Shen Qinghan's expression turned extremely ugly.

She never expected that Jiang Ye would bring out such an expensive gift!

While the old lady was happily playing with the small golden Buddha and talking to the relatives around her, Shen Qinghan quickly walked to Jiang Ye's side, grabbed his arm, and forcibly pulled him to a secluded terrace outside the hall.

"Jiang Ye, what the hell are you doing?!"

As soon as they reached the terrace, Shen Qinghan lowered her voice and angrily questioned, "You're quite extravagant, aren't you! You just casually bought a gold Buddha worth millions! Are you crazy? To show off in front of the old lady, to outshine Zimo, you actually used my card to buy something so expensive?!"

In Shen Qinghan's view, Jiang Ye, an unemployed man who had even quit his job, couldn't possibly have that much money. The only explanation was that he had used the card Shen Qinghan had given him before.

She would deposit 20,000 yuan into that card every month. Over seven years, along with some bonuses and pocket money, she had indeed saved more than one million yuan.

"Your card?"

Jiang Ye's eyes turned cold the moment he saw Shen Qinghan's self-righteous and arrogant expression.

He took a cigarette out of his pocket, lit it, took a deep drag, and then exhaled a thick cloud of smoke into Shen Qinghan's face.

"Cough cough... What are you doing!" Shen Qinghan coughed twice, choked by the fumes, and waved his hand in disgust.

"Shen Qinghan, are you mentally ill?"

Jiang Ye, a cigarette dangling from his lips, spoke with undisguised sarcasm: "I returned that worthless card of yours to you when I went to the US that day. You can call now and check your bank statements to see if I've touched a single penny in your account over the past seven years!"

"What?!"

Shen Qinghan was stunned, her face filled with shock and surprise.

She had always assumed that Jiang Ye had been living off her money for the past seven years. She never imagined that Jiang Ye hadn't touched a single penny!

"Impossible! You didn't touch my money, so where did you get the money to buy such an expensive golden Buddha?!" Shen Qinghan asked incredulously.

"Where I get the money is none of your business!"

Jiang Ye flicked his cigarette ash and said calmly, "Don't forget, we're divorced. Do I need to report to you, Mr. Shen, when I spend my own money to buy things for my elders who are good to me?"

Seeing Jiang Ye's unyielding and extremely indifferent attitude, Shen Qinghan suddenly felt a surge of inexplicable irritation and panic.

"Jiang Ye, stop pretending."

Shen Qinghan took a deep breath: "You deliberately dressed like this to attend the birthday banquet today, and spent a fortune on such an expensive gift to please Grandma. Isn't it all just to show off in front of Grandma and get her to back you up?"

"Let me tell you, don't think that by speaking ill of me and Zimo in front of the old lady, you'll have a chance to return to the Shen family! Your scheming and manipulative tactics will only make me despise you more, and will only backfire!"

Shen Qinghan paused, his tone softening slightly, as if he were bestowing a favor: "If you really want to come back, then compete with Gu Ziming fairly and squarely! Show your abilities! For the sake of you being Xinyu's father, as long as you're willing to work hard, you still have a chance."

Listening to Shen Qinghan's long, self-righteous, and logically flawed speech, Jiang Ye almost laughed out of anger.

Just how high is this woman's self-esteem?

Does she really think that all the men in the world should revolve around her? Does she really think she cares about that damned status as the son-in-law of the Shen family?

Jiang Ye didn't even want to say a word in argument.

Trying to reason with a narcissist who lives in his own world is a complete waste of breath.

"Okay, whatever makes you happy."

Jiang Ye nodded perfunctorily, turned around, walked to the other side of the terrace, leaned against the railing, and started smoking alone, not even bothering to give Shen Qinghan a second glance.

Shen Qinghan stomped her feet in anger as she watched Jiang Ye's aloof back, but there was nothing she could do. She could only snort coldly and turn back to the hall.

……