Ch. 1281..1290

Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1281

After sending the text, Jiang Xiaobai placed her phone down and continued to put on her makeup.

At first, she wanted to wear a more casual attire to attend the party, but Du Xiaoyu came earlier in the morning and stared at the former. Du Xiaoyu commented that no matter what, Jiang Xiaobai needed to put on her makeup to attend the party. Most people here came in pairs and they were in proper attire, so Jiang Xiaobai shouldn’t be an exception. Jiang Xiaobai couldn’t argue with Mrs. Jiang. Hence, she resignedly agreed to her mother and changed her clothes.

“This is more like it. By the way, where is that boyfriend of yours? You must remember to bring him along with you too,” Du Xiaoyu reminded her.

Thinking about it, Jiang Xiaobai let out a soft cough. “I know. He is now busy with his work, so he’ll be going there later. We can go there first.”

Du Xiaoyu frowned her brows in suspicion after hearing Jiang Xiaobai’s words. “Is he not coming to pick you up?”

“Yeah, he’s busy with something now. Let’s go first, Mom.” Mrs. Jiang stood stationary as she stared at Jiang Xiaobai. “Mom, don’t you believe me? When I say he’ll go, he will go. Don’t worry.”

Jiang Xiaobai dragged Mrs. Jiang outside and the two of them entered the car. Mrs. Jiang mumbled constantly the moment they entered the vehicle, “What is it that’s so important to him? Didn’t he promise you to come? Why isn’t he here yet?”

“Mom…”

“Xiaobai, if you want to find a boyfriend on your own instead of going on a blind date, I won’t control or stop you, but look at what your house looks like now that you’ve moved over there. You actually moved all of your things. Doesn’t he have these things at home? Is he poor?”

Jiang Xiaobai was rendered speechless at first. “What nonsense are you thinking of?” However, she wasn’t sure whether Xiao Su was poor or not. Besides, she never cared much about his financial status since she wasn’t a materialistic woman. She had money herself and she made a living on her own, so it never mattered whether a man was wealthy or not. What was most important to her was a man’s charm, manner and character.

Du Xiaoyu had a serious look at her daughter. She perfectly inherited my beauty. Even though she doesn’t usually dress up, her frame is still exquisite. Now, after wearing such simple makeup and a mini skirt, she is even more eye-catching. Logically, she should be able to find a good man with these looks.

However, Jiang Xiaobai had the ability to make a living of her own and never focused her mind on anything else, which was why she remained single up until now. Du Xiaoyu, on the other hand, was also not the kind of person who would sell her daughter for fortune. If that Xiao Su is really a poor person, I will still help them out if Xiaobai really likes him. Thinking about it, Du Xiaoyu stopped talking.

The 70th birthday party happened like this. At first, they initially planned to have it in the Jiang Residence, but the eldest son of the Jiang Family later proposed to hold the party at a hotel since it was annually held in the Jiang Residence. So, he wanted to try a fresh location. Therefore, the party was held at a hotel.

The Jiang Family had three sons and Jiang Xiaobai’s father was the youngest of the three. The eldest son was married at a young age to a wife for three years, but the wife wasn’t able to produce any son for him, so he divorced her and remarried another woman. After that, she delivered three sons for him. Later on, he had a successful career with a small company that he founded. Therefore, he became the favourite of Old Madam Jiang. Even though the second son didn’t succeed as well as his big brother, he still had a boy and a girl, so Old Madam Jiang never had much complaints with him.

Jiang Xiaobai’s father, Jiang Yanke, was the only one who had a daughter. He and Mrs. Jiang were determined not to bear a second child because they had a different mindset. They felt that if they had many children, it would be unfair for the kids, so they decided to have Jiang Xiaobai as their only child and planned to properly raise her so that they lived up to their responsibilities as parents. However, Old Madam Jiang was never fond of this. She felt that Jiang Yanke was foolish for thinking this way and he should have produced a son instead of a daughter. Not only that, Jiang Xiaobai wasn’t the kind of person who was good at flattery. As time passed, Old Madam Jiang became even more disdainful toward her. No matter what she said or did, Old Madam Jiang would always assume that this kid had a problem.

Therefore, Jiang Xiaobai was never fond of this granny of hers too. Even when Old Madam Jiang rambled about the importance of having a son, Jiang Xiaobai would always desire to talk back to her. Does she really think that there is a throne in the family for us to inherit? Why must it be a boy? We are now living in the modern world and girls are not certainly weaker than boys. She is even a woman herself. How could she depreciate herself as a woman to help the growth of patriarchy?

When they reached the hotel, Du Xiaoyu took out a small mirror to check on her makeup. After making sure it was fine, she spoke out, “Xiaobai, give your makeup a quick check to see if there’s any problem. If there isn’t, we can go out now.” However, she never received any reply, so she asked curiously, “Xiaobai?” After turning her head around, she saw that Jiang Xiaobai had fallen asleep on the seat. Du Xiaoyu was initially shocked before she erupted and roared, “Jiang Xiaobai!”

Jiang Xiaobai was still in her dream when Mrs. Jiang suddenly roared, waking her up immediately. “What is it?” She instinctively reached out to rub her eyes, but just as she was about to do so, Mrs. Jiang stopped her. “What are you trying to do? Don’t forget that you’ve put on mascara and eyeliner this morning!”

Jiang Xiaobai was startled for a moment then she slowly returned to her senses. Finally, she remembered what she was going to do today. When she had a look outside, she realized that they had already arrived at their destination. “Oh, we’re already here? Why do I feel like I haven’t slept enough…” she mumbled before Du Xiaoyu suddenly slapped the former’s arm hard.

“Are you awake now? Everybody else is trying to be beautiful, yet here you are, sleeping soundly in the car after getting your hair and makeup done! Hurry up and see whether you’ve drooled all over yourself!”

Jiang Xiaobai took her mirror and had a look at herself while touching the corners of her mouth. “It’s still good. It’s actually quite clean. I don’t usually drool when I sleep.” My makeup is still fine. Perfect!

“Quickly put on some more lipstick and we’ll need to prepare to enter. Your granny is already dissatisfied with both of us. If anything happens to your makeup later, she will definitely hate us even more. Today is her birthday party, so we can’t afford to have any mishaps.”

“Alright. Alright.” Jiang Xiaobai took her mirror and put on some lipstick while looking at the mirror. Then, she said to her mother casually, “Actually, I’ve always felt that granny hates us all the time. No matter what we do, she still won’t like us.”

“Sigh,” Mrs. Jiang sighed. “You’re right, but on the surface, we still need to look past it. She is still your dad’s mother after all. If it’s not for your dad, I wouldn’t want to come to this occasion to be looked down by everyone. By the way, when is your boyfriend coming?”

When Mrs. Jiang mentioned Xiao Su, Jiang Xiaobai’s expression slightly changed and she quickly changed the subject. “Mom, I think my mascara is smudged.”

“What?” As soon as Mrs. Jiang heard her, it immediately triggered her sense of crisis, so she leaned over instantly to Jiang Xiaobai to check her thoroughly.

Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1281

After checking, Mrs. Jiang didn’t notice anything wrong about it, so she heaved a sigh of relief. “There’s not much problem. Have you put your lipstick on?”

“Yes.” Jiang Xiaobai put the makeup mirror and lipstick into her bag. “Shall we enter?” she asked.

“Sure.” Because of the incident with the eyelashes, Mrs. Jiang quickly forgot about what had happened with Xiao Su. After getting out of the car with her daughter, she reminded her as they walked to the hotel, “Today is very different from usual. Your Uncle Yanming invited many people, so you must make yourself presentable to let them know that even though we only have a daughter, you are much better than the rest of them. Got it?”

Jiang Xiaobai replied, “Mom, why do I always have to compete with others? I don’t like that, and I’m too lazy to do that.”

“Silly girl, it’s not a competition at all! You just take it as making your parents proud. After all, you are the only child of our family—the responsibility lies on you.”

“Fine.” Jiang Xiaobai sighed. It’s so mentally tiring!

While they were making their way to the hotel, a few people beside them walked toward them. From afar, Jiang Xiaobai felt they looked familiar. Just when Mrs. Jiang was about to ask if Jiang Xiaobai knew them, she heard one of them ask, “Isn’t that Xiaobai?”

Upon hearing their voices, Mrs. Jiang focused her gaze, and her face immediately fell. “It’s your second aunt and Jiang Mei.”

Jiang Mei? Upon hearing the name, Jiang Xiaobai’s spirits sank a little more. Jiang Mei was of the same age as Jiang Xiaobai. When they were still studying, she liked comparing herself to Jiang Xiaobai, and she also liked taking Jiang Xiaobai’s things, even though they didn’t belong to her. She just wanted to own everything that Jiang Xiaobai had. All in all, she was very eager to prove herself.

For example, when Jiang Xiaobai was still in high school, one of the male classmates who excelled in everything started courting her. However, Jiang Xiaobai didn’t have the time to deal with him. Apart from going to the canteen to have lunch, she spent the rest of her time reading books, even after school had ended. She even used the few love letters sent by him as bookmarks. Jiang Xiaobai had no idea how Jiang Mei got to know about it, but she started to court the guy as well. It only took little effort for her to conquer him, and she even flaunted in front of Jiang Xiaobai. At that time, Jiang Xiaobai was speechless when she saw that.

After that, during the school annual festival, Jiang Xiaobai was convinced by her class representative to participate in a marathon. Right after that, Jiang Mei joined the marathon as well. No matter what Jiang Xiaobai did, Jiang Mei would definitely be there as well. On top of that, Jiang Mei would always do a better job than Jiang Xiaobai did and flaunt in front of her. Of course, she would also brag in front of Old Madam Jiang. After some time, even Old Madam Jiang thought that Jiang Xiaobai was a good-for-nothing and couldn’t do a single job well. She couldn’t compete against Jiang Mei, who outshone her in every area.

Sometime later, Jiang Xiaobai graduated and stayed at home to write novels, and Jiang Mei finally couldn’t do anything about it. After all, she didn’t like to read. Even if she wanted to imitate Jiang Xiaobai, she didn’t have the capabilities to do so. As for Jiang Xiaobai, she could finally enjoy a few years of peace. However, they met again today.

From afar, Jiang Xiaobai saw Jiang Mei wear a turquoise sleeveless dress and a little cardigan with pearls on it. It was also rather obvious that the bag around her waist was expensive, and she had curled her hair into waves that befitted the current fashion, looking very attractive and beautiful. Well, she does know how to doll herself up, Jiang Xiaobai thought to herself.

When Jiang Mei got closer, she went over to hold Jiang Xiaobai’s hands, pretending to be very close to her. “Xiaobai, I didn’t expect you to be here too! I thought you’d be rotting at home by now!”

Her first sentence to me is already so sharp. Heh. Jiang Xiaobai snorted coldly in her mind. However, she didn’t let any of it show on her face as she greeted Jiang Mei’s mother, “Second Aunt.”

Jiang Xiaobai’s second aunt answered while her gaze swept over Jiang Xiaobai. Upon seeing the clothes Jiang Xiaobai was wearing, contempt was immediately shown on her face as she sighed. “Xiaobai, why did you stay at home all the time after graduation? You don’t even hang out with us, your relatives, anymore. And when you finally came out of your house, why didn’t you buy better clothes for yourself?”

What? Jiang Xiaobai lowered her head to look at the dress she was wearing. Fang Tangtang bought this off an auction some time ago because she thought that the design was quite unique, and this dress showed off her figure extremely well. However, after she bought it, she realized that her waist was too thick and that she couldn’t wear it. Hence, she gave the dress that cost 500,000 to Jiang Xiaobai, who didn’t want to accept it initially. However, Fang Tangtang insisted on giving it to her, saying that it would be a waste if no one ended up wearing it.

As the dress was too expensive, Jiang Xiaobai didn’t have the courage to wear it, but after opening her wardrobe today, she suddenly realized that she had such a dress, so she wore it over. The main point was that Jiang Xiaobai had a slender waist and a pair of long legs, so she looked tall and slim after wearing it. From afar, Jiang Mei was already jealous after seeing Jiang Xiaobai’s figure. After she saw that Jiang Xiaobai was just wearing a normal dress, she looked triumphant.

“Indeed, Xiaobai! We are already working now, so it’s better if we buy branded stuff. You must have bought this dress from those cheap online shops, huh?”

“What?” Jiang Xiaobai exclaimed. “Who set the rule that one must wear branded stuff after they started working?”

Listening to their exchange, Du Xiaoyu frowned in displeasure. Then, she turned around to look at the dress her daughter was wearing. Be it design or material, the dress was of high quality, so it was rather impossible that it was cheap. However, she had never seen the brand before as well.

“Of course it’s not a rule. But you must remember that we are from the Jiang family, and today is Granny’s birthday. Seeing how casually you dress yourself, isn’t that considered disrespecting her?” Jiang Mei covered her mouth as she laughed before she patted Jiang Xiaobai’s shoulders. “Or is it because you aren’t earning much as an online writer? I heard that the salary for online writers is not too high. Sometimes, they can’t even provide for themselves and even have to rely on their family members.” With that, she glanced at Du Xiaoyu. “Aunt Xiaoyu, you must have been having a hard time, seeing that Xiaobai is so unsuccessful.”

Jiang Xiaobai twitched the corners of her lips as she thought, Are you retarded? You’ve always loved to compete with me since we were in school. However, after such a long time of not seeing each other, you still want to compete with me?

Thinking of this, Jiang Xiaobai smiled nonchalantly as she spoke casually, “You’re right indeed. My mom has been having a hard time. But Jiang Mei, you’ve been working for quite some time now, yet you still don’t know how to speak politely. With such conversational skills, how do you manage to survive at your work?”

No one thought that Jiang Xiaobai would suddenly retaliate. On top of that, she did that right in front of Jiang Mei’s mother. The four of them there, except Jiang Xiaobai, were stunned.

Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1283

Du Xiaoyu knew that her daughter had the same temperament as her—they both couldn’t stand being bullied.

However, she also knew that Jiang Xiaobai knew her place in front of older relatives. If the other party didn’t go overboard, she would not retaliate. Usually, she would just shrug it off by saying, ‘You are absolutely right’.

Why did Xiaobai suddenly retaliate today?

However, Du Xiaoyu soon returned to her senses. No matter what, she would always support her daughter, and it was even better that Jiang Xiaobai retaliated, because now, the pair of mother and daughter knew how embarrassment felt. Serves them right for finding trouble with us every time!

When Jiang Xiaobai’s second aunt returned to her senses, she immediately looked at Jiang Xiaobai in a displeased manner. “Xiaobai, is this how you usually talk?”

Jiang Mei also returned to her senses with an awkward look on her face. “Indeed, Xiaobai. What did you mean by that?”

Jiang Xiaobai smiled and took her arms from Jiang Mei’s hold. “I was just returning the favor. Jiang Mei, I was complimenting the way you communicate with others. Can’t you tell?”

“Jiang Xiaobai, you were not complimenting me. Obviously, you were being sarcastic. How could you do this?”

Compared to Jiang Mei’s flustered look, Jiang Xiaobai looked rather calm.

“So what if I was being sarcastic? Based on what you said just now, you should be glad that I didn’t outright yell at you.”

“How dare you!”

Jiang Xiaobai’s second aunt looked at her incredulously. “Xiaobai, how come you’ve suddenly changed so much? In the past, you were still polite, but now, your manners are all gone. It’s bad enough that you can’t earn a living, but you’ve become so unreasonable as well. Xiaoyu, what’s wrong with you and Yanke? Is this how you educate your child?”

Hearing her own name being mentioned, Du Xiaoyu smiled coldly. “Please. If you have the time to criticize my daughter, why don’t you spend more time educating your own daughter? Since she saw me, she hasn’t greeted me. At least Xiaobai has already greeted you. Speaking about manners, I’m afraid you guys are no better than us.”

Both Jiang Xiaobai and her mother were quite good at picking fights, but they were usually just too lazy to do that. Nevertheless, if they retaliated, they would not leave any face for their opponents.

Indeed, when Jiang Mei and her mother heard that, they were stumped. Both of their faces alternated between green and white as their fury peaked.

Jiang Xiaobai couldn’t help feeling happy secretly when she saw that.

Ha, you guys asked for this! Since you like to speak ill about others and look for trouble, we’ll let you have a taste of your own medicine!

Just when the atmosphere between them grew pretty tense, another group of people walked to them. It was Jiang Xiaobai’s first aunt with a few of her sons. Once she got out of the car and saw the other two families talking to each other, she couldn’t help smiling widely.

“Why are you guys standing here without entering?”

Jiang Xiaobai smiled and greeted her, “First Aunt.” As Jiang Mei had just been lectured, she also followed suit reluctantly.

Jiang Xiaobai’s first aunt answered and walked to them. “Come on. Let’s enter together. Since everyone has come today, mother should be quite happy.”

Seeing that her first aunt held her second aunt’s hand with her left hand and Du Xiaoyu’s hand with her right, Jiang Xiaobai slowed her pace and followed behind them.

Her first aunt had three sons, each with different personalities. The youngest one was quite carefree, and he also slowed his pace to walk beside Jiang Xiaobai.

“Xiaobai, I heard that you are a freelancer now. It must be nice that you don’t have to clock in daily.”

Jiang Xiaobai glanced at him with a smile on her face. “It’s not bad. You can try it if you want to know how nice it is.”

“Oh, I’ll pass. My head hurts once I see words. Alas, look at how much we have grown now. Back then, you were only half my height, yet you are a grown woman now after so many years. Do you have a boyfriend? When are you planning to get married?”

The familiar questions troubled Jiang Xiaobai. Before he got to ask her one more question, she quickly interrupted, “Stop right there, Yoo. You are only a few years older than me—can you not ask those traumatizing questions? Don’t you know how I feel when I hear those questions? I believe you understand very well.”

Jiang Yoo couldn’t help smiling. “Xiaobai, I asked you those questions precisely because I know how it feels.”

Jiang Xiaobai was speechless upon hearing that.

“For real, though—do you have a boyfriend?”

Jiang Xiaobai thought of Xiao Su. However, he was just pretending to be her boyfriend, so she pouted and answered, “No one wants me.”

“How is it possible? You are so pretty and outstanding! Those men must be blind. Do you want me to recommend some suitable bachelors to you?”

“No, no, no.” Jiang Xiaobai quickly rejected him. “There’s no need for that.”

“Young lady, you have the audacity to say that no one wants you? I bet you are the one who’s not looking for a boyfriend!”

They followed behind the rest while joking around with each other.

On the other hand, Jiang Mei was furious beyond belief as she turned around to look at Jiang Xiaobai before turning away angrily.

I’m so angry! Since when did she become so sharp in retaliating? She was so rude to me!

Hmph! She only has the chance to be gleeful for now. When we meet granny later, let’s see if she would continue to be like this. If she dares to retaliate in front of granny, I will definitely complain about it.

At this moment, Jiang Xiaobai had no idea that such thoughts were on Jiang Mei’s mind. When they entered the venue for the birthday celebration, the adults were busy preparing for the event, so the younger people could only find a place to chill on their own.

Thinking that it was quite boring here, Jiang Xiaobai decided to take a walk outside and return after a while.

When she walked out, she brought her phone with her in case she got bored. When she was about to message Fang Tangtang, she saw Xiao Su’s name.

I wonder what he is doing right now. Sigh! How good would it be if he were willing to come to this event with me?

What a pity…

Jiang Xiaobai shook her head and called Fang Tangtang immediately.

Then, she leaned against the window as she chatted with her.

When she mentioned the dress she was wearing, Fang Tangtang became quite agitated.

“What the hell? Are her eyes ornaments with no function? How dare she say that you bought this off Taobao? Even if she can’t recognize that this was specially designed, she should have been able to distinguish the quality! How can she not notice its high-quality materials? She must be blind! Xiaobai, you can tell that relative of yours that she might as well as donate her eyes to people who need them.”

Upon hearing that, Jiang Xiaobai burst out laughing. “I bet she would not be willing to donate it. After all, she has to keep her eyes to look at me and pick on me.”

“You are so capable, Xiaobai, so you don’t have to worry about that! By the way, didn’t you bring Xiao Su over?”

Upon the mention of Xiao Su, Jiang Xiaobai went silent for a while.

“Why should I bring him? This occasion seems peaceful on the surface, but truth be told, it is vicious and daunting. Who would be willing to come to this kind of a place? Furthermore, our relationship isn’t real to begin with, so it wouldn’t be nice to have him here to be ridiculed together with me.”

Fang Tangtang replied, “You are quite right too…”

Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1284

As a matter of fact, Xiao Su had a social engagement today, and coincidentally, it was arranged at the same hotel where Jiang Xiaobai was.

There were people smoking in the private room, and the smell of the cigarettes was strong. With the excuse to use the washroom, Xiao Su got out from the room to get some air. However, when he just exited the room, he heard a sound of a girl talking.

The girl’s voice was pleasant, lively and energetic. It was very familiar. After making a turn at the corner, he saw a tall and slim figure leaning against the window while talking on the phone.

“Why should I bring him? This occasion seems peaceful on the surface, but truth be told, it is vicious and daunting. Who would be willing to come to this kind of a place? Furthermore, our relationship isn’t real to begin with, so it wouldn’t be nice to have him here to be ridiculed together with me.”

“Right? If it hadn’t been for my mom forcing me to come, I would have stayed at home and watched drama, or I could have been sleeping now. But now, even before the birthday feast officially started, I’m feeling extremely sleepy.”

“Bear with it? I need to bear with it for the whole day. This is really upsetting.”

Her face clearly showed her unwillingness to continue staying here. Xiao Su, who was standing at the corner, heard her words and involuntarily frowned.

Vicious and daunting? Isn’t this her grandmother’s birthday feast? How is this vicious and daunting? Xiao Su was a little puzzled, but what was even more surprising was the fact that he coincidentally bumped into her here.

Just as he was hesitating on whether to go to greet Jiang Xiaobai, a person appeared behind her. “If you’re unwilling to attend granny’s birthday feast, why are you being a hypocrite by coming here? After you came here, you went outside to make calls. Jiang Xiaobai, you are such a hypocrite.”

The person who appeared was Jiang Mei.

Enraged by Jiang Xiaobai’s mortifying word’s just now, she had yet to vent out her anger. Coincidentally, the birthday feast had not started yet, so she could not control the urge to give her trouble.

After searching all over, she found her outside and heard her saying that she was unwilling to stay here.

“Who’s that?” Fang Tangtang, who was at the other side of the phone, probed nosily when she heard some sudden voice.

Shooting a glance at the person who appeared, the corner of Jiang Xiaobai’s lips curled up into a sneer before she uttered, “An annoying fly appeared.”

Hearing Jiang Xiaobai describing her as a ‘fly’, Jiang Mei’s facial expression changed. Gritting her teeth, she walked up to Jiang Xiaobai before loudly questioning her, “Jiang Xiaobai, what do you mean? Have I offended you? Why are you targeting me this time when we meet?”

“Tangtang, I’m hanging up the phone. I’ll call you again after the birthday feast. Love you.”

With that, she hung up the phone and kept her phone before looking at Jiang Mei with a sneer. “Jiang Mei, who’s the one targeting the other, me or you?”

Jiang Mei was utterly speechless.

“I came outside to make a call, but you still chased after me to scold me. I wonder who is targeting whom.” Tucking a loose strand of hair behind her head, she pulled a long face. “You keep lingering around me like a ghost, but here you are, blaming me for being an eyesore?”

“Stop being a hypocrite! If you didn’t say what you did just now, would I even need to follow you out here? Obviously, you were the one who started it!”

“Jiang Mei, are you sure about that? I wonder who was the person who saw me from afar and eagerly came to insinuate me; I’m just giving you a taste of your own medicine!”

“How dare you!”

Upon seeing Jiang Mei’s reaction, Jiang Xiaobai scoffed in amusement as she approached her and lightly tapped on her nose. “Why? Are you feeling aggrieved? If you can’t handle this, you should just lay low and stop deliberately coming to mess with me. I am not someone you can easily mess with now, unlike how I was back then when we were studying.”

After saying that, she retracted her hand, and the smile on her face disappeared as she walked back inside.

Jiang Mei stood at her place, her face red from fury, but there was nothing she could do.

After Jiang Xiaobai left, she cursed furiously, “Jiang Xiaobai, you are such a b*tch. I’ll watch how you humiliate yourself in front of granny later!”

With that, she waved her hand and walked back inside.

After both of them left, Xiao Su walked out from the corner, frowning.

It was obvious that he had heard the conversation between the two girls, which naturally included the last sentence that Jiang Mei just said.

Though he had no idea what happened between the two of them before this, judging by their conversation, Xiao Su could roughly tell that the two of them did not get along well with each other. On top of that, Jiang Xiaobai was not someone who would stay quiet when being provoked; therefore, the two of them argued so terribly with each other. He had never thought that a birthday feast would have such an inside story…

Just when he took out his phone in an attempt to text Jiang Xiaobai, someone patted once on his shoulder from behind. “Assistant Xiao, what are you doing here? You went outside for quite a long time; I thought that you were still in the washroom.”

Xiao Su returned to his senses and turned his head around. “President Zhao.”

“Let’s go. Everyone in the room is still waiting for you to return.”

Xiao Su paused for a moment as Jiang Xiaobai crossed Xiao Su’s mind, but in the end, he pressed his lips together and went back to the room together with President Zhao.

…

When Jiang Xiaobai went back inside, the birthday feast was about to start.

Du Xiaoyu tugged her shoulder and asked quietly, “Where did you go? Why did you wander around at such a place? Aren’t you afraid that granny’s impression of you would worsen?”

Hearing that, Jiang Xiaobai shrugged indifferently. “Mom, there is no limit to her bad impression of me; she could only hate me more. Since it would be impossible for her to have a good impression of me, just let it be. Why should I please her?”

Since she was young, this grandmother of hers had never liked her just because she was a girl. Though she had never thought that there was anything wrong with being a girl, her grandmother’s attitude gave her an impression it was. Therefore, forget the fact that her grandmother did not like her; she disliked her grandmother as well.

“Nobody asked you to please her; just be yourself. Also, don’t allow her to have a chance to pick on your faults. There are so many people here today, so if she picks on your faults right before everyone and comments on your shortcomings, it will be humiliating for a girl like you.”

“Mom, you’ve underestimated granny. No matter how perfect I am, she will certainly pick on my faults. Do you believe me?” Jiang Xiaobai asked.

Du Xiaoyu was speechless. I definitely believe that this will happen, since this kind of situation has happened for more than once. Sigh.

“Are you blaming me for asking you to come?”

“No. Because I came, I got to scoff at someone, and it felt pretty good. Hehe!”

After scoffing Jiang Mei and her mother, seeing their facial expression gave Jiang Xiaobai so much pleasure that she felt relieved all over.

Therefore, at that moment, she made a decision to never allow anyone to pick on her faults or insinuate her. She would definitely fight back without mercy to whomever dared to insinuate her. Since she would be in the wrong regardless of what she did, she would first make sure that she would at least make herself feel good.

“By the way, where’s my dad?”

“He’s helping out at the back.”

“Ugh, how long do we have until the birthday feast starts?”

“Soon. Later, when you give her your present, remember to say some nice words.”

“Okay.” But I don’t really know how to say nice words. Ugh, I need to think of what to say. How about I say something basic, like wishing her a good fortune and longevity?

Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1285

Before the birthday feast started, everyone gathered at the hall. As there were many people who were invited to attend the event, when they saw Jiang Xiaobai, who was slender and pretty, a lot of people came over to ask questions about her, such as her age and qualifications.

Upon hearing that she was a freelancer, they even praised her capability and encouraged her to continue to work hard.

Jiang Mei, who was at one side listening to this, felt uneasy, and she was so jealous that she was sulky.

Though the Jiang family had three sons, the three sons gave birth to only two daughters.

Since young, Jiang Mei liked to compare herself with Jiang Xiaobai. She would do everything that Jiang Xiaobai did. However, there was one thing that Jiang Xiaobai had that she could never catch up with—her appearance.

That was because Jiang Xiaobai inherited both her mother’s beauty and her father’s tall figure and long legs. Therefore, she not only had enviable long legs and a tall build, she was also blessed with a face that would arouse the jealousy of many. She was that kind of a person who would look beautiful even without dressing up, and when she dressed up, she would become the most outstanding one. Therefore, before Jiang Mei came today, she had specially dressed herself up.

Moreover, she had been dissatisfied with her single eyelids for a very long time, so she finally made up her mind to find a doctor and go through surgery to have double eyelids. She had even gone through plenty of aesthetic medicine products and surgical procedures, such as mesotherapy and hyaluronic acid.

Jiang Mei thought that she was already gorgeous, while Jiang Xiaobai, who always stayed at home and seldom went out, would definitely not be as pretty as she used to be. However, when she met her today, she found out that she was wrong. Jiang Xiaobai was not only pretty now; she was also a natural beauty, whose skin would look fair and silky even without much skin care. This really enraged Jiang Mei! Now, when she saw most of the guests present striking conversations with Jiang Xiaobai, she was beyond furious.

Therefore, when someone brought up the question of whether Jiang Xiaobai’s monthly income from writing was enough to support herself, Jiang Mei could not hold back herself anymore. Without any regard for courtesy, she directly stepped forward and chimed in, “How can she make enough money to support herself? Xiaobai, when you were in school, you didn’t like studying. Why didn’t you try harder to find a job after you graduated? Though we are cousins, I really can’t hold back myself from saying this to you—you are not a child anymore, and you are going to get married and have kids in the future, so you need to quickly find a proper job and save up some money. You should stop making your parents work too hard.”

Jiang Xiaobai was speechless. As expected, this annoying fly is back. Sigh, that annoying fly really can’t help herself.

Upon having such thoughts, Jiang Xiaobai glanced at her with a faint smile. “My parents? You are junior to them; don’t you know how to address your elders?”

Jiang Mei’s facial expression changed as she did not expect her to pick on her using this, so she could only quickly make up to it. “I was just speaking casually. Uncle Yanke and Aunty Xiaoyu have worked hard for you, and you are the only daughter in your family. But you don’t work nor make money, and you even need your parents to feed and support you. This is quite embarrassing.”

“Then, according to you, what should I do?” Jiang Xiaobai was not mad, and she still wore a faint smile on her face, as if she was saving her energy and preparing herself for an ultimate move.

Although Jiang Mei had a sense of foreboding, when she saw the scornful looks cast by the surrounding people at Jiang Xiaobai after hearing her words, she could not help but secretly feel pleased at herself. “There are so many people here. How about we have everyone here help you and see if they have any jobs they can introduce to you?”

“Huh? Her academic results were not good, and she has been staying at home for free for such a long time without working any job. I bet that she can’t do anything well even if she goes out to work.”

“That’s right. She has never had any hardship; how is she able to join the taskforce?”

Jiang Mei lightly coughed. “Xiaobai, I have a colleague at the company I’m working at whose family owns a western cuisine restaurant. Coincidentally, I heard that they are recently hiring a waitress. Though the pay is not high, they cover three meals per day. It is a little tiring to be a waitress, but judging by your current condition, why don’t you go and try? Don’t make Uncle Yanke and Aunty Xiaoyu worry for you anymore.”

“Waitress? This is quite a good job,” replied Jiang Xiaobai as she quirked up her lips.

In her opinion, provided that one stood on their own two feet, whatever their profession was would be worthy of respect from others. Everyone worked hard to do what they could without stealing nor snatching, and as long as that job could generate legitimate income, there was nothing to be ashamed of.

However, Jiang Mei used the job of a waitress to demean her.

“I know, right?” Upon hearing her praising the job, Jiang Mei thought that she was tempted by it. At the same time, she exclaimed inwardly for how thick-skinned Jiang Xiaobai was—even though she was humiliated in public, she actually did not turn her head away and leave.

“If you think that this is suitable for you, I can introduce my colleague to you.”

“Sure,” Jiang Xiaobai uttered.

However, Jiang Mei felt that something was wrong. When they were outside just now, Jiang Xiaobai was not as nice as she was now.

Therefore, she approached Jiang Xiaobai before asking in a voice so low that was audible to both of them, “What are you scheming?”

Hearing that, Jiang Xiaobai blinked innocently. “Huh? I’m not scheming anything.”

Jiang Mei did not believe her. “Despite what I said, you are still not mad. Jiang Xiaobai, you are really thick-skinned.”

“I’m still not even half as thick-skinned as you. You relied on a man to enter a company, but you couldn’t manage the work. In the end, you had to rely on a man to support yourself. Jiang Mei, seeing that both of us are women, I can’t help but to remind you something—if that man is willing to let you to rely on him for your whole life, you can consider yourself lucky; but if he leaves you halfway down the road, what else would you have left?”

Jiang Mei was stunned.

“Do you think that you can continue to stand here gracefully like now, wearing pretty clothes and branded perfume, while arrogantly offering to find a job for me? I’m afraid that when that time comes, you won’t be able to find a job that you wanted to get for me for yourself.”

After saying that, Jiang Xiaobai wore an exquisite smile while she whispered, “Aren’t you saying all this in public to let everyone know that you are living very well, have a position in a company, and even know some impressive people, while I have nothing? You want to embarrass me and watch me panic; am I right? Let me tell you something—don’t you even think about it.”

After that, she looked around and announced with poise, “Currently, my working hours are indeed more flexible. If anyone wants to introduce a job to me, I can spare some time to work part-time. After all, working hard makes me feel proud of myself.”

Everyone did not expect her to be so poised and brave. Feeling embarrassed, they touched their own nose without knowing what to say. Jiang Mei, whose aim was not achieved, was extremely displeased as well.

Jiang Mei grabbed Jiang Xiaobai’s hand, and just when she was about to say something, Old Madam Jiang appeared while surrounded by people.

“Why are you gripping my hand? Miss Jiang Mei, granny is here; aren’t you going to let go of my hand and go to butter her up? You may lose your chance if you go there too late.”

After listening to Jiang Xiaobai’s words, Jiang Mei seemed to have realized something. She then asked Jiang Xiaobai to wait for a moment before turning around and squeezing her way through the crowd.

This kind of a person who likes to butter people up just can’t bear to be triggered.

Jiang Xiaobai turned around and let out a resigned smile.

Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1286

Since the eldest son of the Jiang family was quite successful, everyone who was invited to attend the birthday feast was willing to show some respect to Old Madam Jiang. One after another, they presented their gifts and said nice words.

Jiang Xiaobai’s mother squeezed to Jiang Xiaobai’s side without her noticing, and the two of them stood together as they looked at each other without saying anything.

Suddenly, a soft conversation was heard from behind them. “Look at Old Madam Jiang. I heard that her family was not rich, yet she risked her life and gave birth to three sons. Now, when her sons have become successful, she has started to put on airs. Years ago, when her children were still young, everybody knew about this Old Madam Jiang’s depressed look. She wore a gloomy face every day, and she was an unfashionable and ugly hag; her husband abandoned her and left because of that.”

Upon hearing such words, another person secretly mocked, “This Old Madam is really pathetic. Did she think that her husband would obey her if she risked her life to give birth to three sons? Who would have guessed that she was so ugly that her husband ran away?”

“Yeah, I never saw how she used to look, but if you look at her face now, you’ll see it’s full of wrinkles.”

When Jiang Xiaobai heard this conversation, she involuntarily frowned. Though she disliked Old Madam Jiang, she kept it to herself. No matter how much she disliked this grandmother of hers, she would never bring it up publicly. After all, regardless of her dislike for her, she was still her grandmother, who was also her father’s mother.

Therefore, when she heard someone bad-mouthing Old Madam Jiang behind her back, Jiang Xiaobai naturally could not bear to continue listening. Subconsciously, she met Du Xiaoyu’s eyes, and they found a sense of displeasure in each other’s eyes.

It seems like mom has the same feeling as I do.

The two of them exchanged glances before simultaneously turning around, and they looked at the two people who were gossiping just now with a grin. “Today is my granny’s birthday feast, but this hotel didn’t do a good job in ensuring its hygiene and cleanliness. There are flies flying around, and it is so noisy that it gives me a headache.”

After Jiang Xiaobai said this, Mrs. Jiang immediately understood and supported her daughter; she sniffed around in a dramatic manner before sighing. “Xiaobai, try smelling around. Can you tell what the smell is?”

When the two people who were gossiping just now saw the pair of mother and daughter’s sudden move, they were bewildered at first, and then they heard Du Xiaoyu continue, “I can smell a sour, pungent smell. Xiaobai, this hotel really did a bad job in maintaining its hygiene. Not only are there many flies here, there is actually a strong sour smell.”

Jiang Xiaobai nodded with a stern face. “I picked that up as well. It is really sour. Ugh, after the feast ends, shall we go and complain? The hotel staff have not done their job properly, so we shouldn’t go easy on them.”

“You are right. Our Jiang family paid for this feast today, but they didn’t clean up properly and allowed the flies to stay here. This is really affecting our appetite.”

One of the two people who were being insinuated was foolish; when she heard Jiang Xiaobai and her mother’s words, she actually looked around curiously and asked puzzledly, “Where are the flies? Why didn’t I see any? And I don’t smell any strange smell as well. How did you—”

Before she could finish her sentence, her partner cut her off, “Idiot!”

After being scolded by her partner, she blinked as she still could not comprehend the situation.

“Idiot! Stop embarrassing yourself. Jiang Xiaobai and her mother were insinuating us; they were talking about us!”

“Us?”

“Yes!” That woman responded furiously before looking at Jiang Xiaobai. “Jiang Xiaobai, why are you sticking up for her? As the family members of the third son of the Jiang family, haven’t you always been treated coldly and contemptuously by her? She is old-fashioned and favors males over females. Your father only has a daughter, which is you, but in comparison, she gave birth to three sons, which would make you an eyesore to her. Now that I have just said a few words, is there a need for you to speak up for her?”

Hearing that, Jiang Xiaobai chuckled disdainfully before she took two steps toward her and spoke in a light voice, “Madam, what you just said is really funny. You insulted the Jiang family right in front of me; am I not from the Jiang family? Should I be thanking you for your disrespectful words? I know perfectly how my granny usually treats me, and that is also my personal matter. What does it have to do with an outsider like you?”

Du Xiaoyu approached her and patted her shoulder before uttering in a gentle voice, “Xiaobai, why are you speaking to this madam in this way? Don’t you know how to be more courteous? Though she is an outsider, she is still someone who has nothing better to do than to gossip. We should be more broad-minded and let it pass.”

Her words sounded generous, but it in fact made another sharp cut in the listener’s heart.

Being attacked by Jiang Xiaobai and her mother, the woman was soon defeated. “Y-You two ingrates! I was speaking up for both of you!”

Jiang Xiaobai’s lips curled up. “Were you speaking up for us, or were you trying to vent your own jealousy? As humans, we all have a bit of unpleasant thoughts, but you should have hidden it properly instead of airing it out all the time and talking nonsense on an occasion like today’s. Probably everyone knows that I am a hot-tempered person; hence, if you continue to behave like a b*tch, I might do something that is out of my own expectation.”

“Xiaobai, calm down. You are a girl, you know?” Du Xiaoyu stated.

The onlookers around them were speechless.

The third son of the Jiang family married an impressive woman, and his daughter is ferocious. I wonder what is his usual status in his family; I bet that his life is miserable, the crowd thought.

At that moment, the third son of the Jiang family, who was Jiang Xiaobai’s father and Du Xiaoyu’s husband, suddenly walked toward them. At first, he searched for them in the crowd, and when he saw his wife and daughter, a smile appeared on his face as he quickly marched up to them. “Xiaoyu, Xiaobai, why are both of you still here? We need to go and say our wishes to mother.”

Jiang Xiaobai’s father, Jiang Yanke, did not look as stunning as Du Xiaoyu, but he was still considered good-looking. Moreover, he groomed himself well, and he did not have a moustache or stubbles on his face. Unlike most men who had oily faces, he looked pleasing to the eyes, and he even had the charm of a middle-aged man. He was a gentleman, who seemed a little silly in front of his wife, and he was very obedient to his wife and daughter.

Everyone thought that he had a low position in his household, but to their surprise, Jiang Xiaobai voluntarily hugged her father’s arm and spoke in a soft tone, “Dad, there were too many people at your side just now, so we had a casual chat with everyone here.”

As Jiang Xiaobai was hugging Jiang Yanke’s left arm, Du Xiaoyan naturally held Jiang Yanke’s right arm.

 

Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1287

“That’s right, hubby. There were too many people, and we couldn’t say our wishes even if we went there, so Xiaobai and I waited here. We had a great time chatting with everyone here just now.”

The onlookers, who watched the battle of words just now, were at a loss for words.

Had a great time chatting? Like hell I’d believe that! I think it is more like they had a great time insulting people!

However, Jiang Yanke revealed a contented smile as he looked at the two most important women in his life holding both his arms, and he felt such happiness! “It’s great that you two had a great time chatting. I was worried that both of you would not be used to the atmosphere here today, but it seemed I was overthinking it.”

No! You were indeed overthinking it. But it wasn’t that they are not used to this; it was just that they are too bold! everyone exclaimed inwardly.

Du Xiaoyu no longer had the strong vibe she had just now; she was now cuddling up to Jiang Yanke like a submissive woman. Meanwhile, although Jiang Xiaobai was not like Du Xiaoyu, who was gentle and tender, she was obviously playing the role of a meek daughter. With a person calling him dad and the other one calling him hubby, the family of three walked toward the crowd affectionately.

After they left, everyone looked at one another speechlessly. Suddenly, one of the people exclaimed softly, “Why do I suddenly feel that the third son of the Jiang family seems to be quite happy?” The person who said this was a man, and his words expressed the voices of the men who were present at the scene.

He had a wife, who was tender and gentle, and a daughter, who was meek and obedient; they were strong against outsiders but obedient to him. One was his wife and the other his daughter, and both of them not only would not quarrel, but they even got along well with each other. Isn’t this the perfect family?

The men present, who initially pitied Jiang Yanke, were suddenly envious of him.

Meanwhile, Old Madam Jiang was surrounded by people. Today was her 70-year-old birthday feast. Decades ago, she risked her life to give birth to three sons, but when she was young, her husband abandoned her and left, so she had to raise her three sons alone. Now when she finally witnessed her sons become successful and even organized such a grand birthday feast for her, her heart was full of a sense of accomplishment.

She was abandoned by her husband when she was young, and it made her feel disgruntled, furious, and also aggrieved. However, as a mother, she could not abandon her children and run away. Therefore, she endured through all the hardships and brought up her three children.

Jiang Xiaobai knew about all this as she had heard her father talking many times about how difficult it was for her grandmother to raise three children alone. It was also because of this that her impression of her grandmother was not too bad. It was just that her grandmother’s conviction of favoring males over females was deeply ingrained in her, but looking at it from another angle, Old Madam Jiang was an incredibly strong and mighty woman.

It would be better if only she could get rid of her prejudices about me, dad, and mom.

“Mom, Xiaoyu and Xiaobai are here,” Jiang Yanke brought his wife and daughter in front of Old Madam Jiang as he stated gently.

At that moment, the wives and children of Old Madam Jiang’s first and second son had already greeted her, and they were standing nearby while looking at them.

As a mother, Du Xiaoyu set an example and said her wishes to Old Madam Jiang before Jiang Xiaobai did. Their wishes were much simpler, unlike the exaggerated wishes said by the wife of the second son.

It was her birthday feast today, so she was clear that there were plenty of outsiders at the scene. Therefore, though Old Madam Jiang disliked the wife and daughter of her third son, she naturally did not make any comments about them; she just nodded indifferently, which was unlike how warm she was with the family members of her first and second sons.

After saying their wishes, Jiang Xiaobai and Du Xiaoyu stood aside, together with everyone.

Jiang Mei stood beside her mother. When she was saying her wishes just now, she said long wishes to please Old Madam Jiang so that her grandmother would like her even more. She intended to seek a payback at Jiang Xiaobai through her grandmother for what she had put her through today. However, she did not expect her grandmother to not give trouble to Jiang Xiaobai and her mother today; she did not even say anything to them.

How could this be?

When the disgruntled Jiang Mei saw that Jiang Xiaobai was about to return to her original spot, she immediately stepped forward and ran to Old Madam Jiang’s side before holding her arm. “Granny, I have something to tell you.”

Upon seeing Jiang Mei running to her grandmother, Jiang Xiaobai’s brow throbbed as she suddenly had a sense of foreboding. Don’t tell me that this Jiang Mei is going to cause troubles now…

Just when this thought crossed her mind and Jiang Xiaobai was about to say something, Uncle Yanming’s eldest son, Jiang Yoo, suddenly said, “Jiang Mei, today is granny’s birthday feast, and there are many guests still waiting. If you have anything to tell granny, tell her later.”

As Jiang Mei did not expect Jiang Yoo to stop her, she was stunned for a moment. “I-I have something to tell granny now. It’s just a few words.”

With a long face, Jiang Yoo asked, “If it’s just a few words, can’t you wait until later? There are so many guests at the scene now; are you going to let everyone wait for you?”

Hearing that, Old Madam Jiang put on a smile and patted on Jiang Mei’s hand. “Mei, if you have anything to tell me, tell me later. You should go back first.”

“But…” Jiang Mei refused to give up, and her eyes glared at Jiang Xiaobai.

Upon seeing Jiang Mei looking at her, Jiang Xiaobai curled up her lips and raised her brows while blinking at her.

When Jiang Mei saw her reaction, she found it a blatant provocation, and it instantaneously enraged her. “Jiang Xiaobai, what kind of an expression is that? I just wanted to talk to granny. Seeing that I was rejected makes you feel so pleased, huh?” she directly exclaimed loudly.

Jiang Xiaobai was utterly speechless.

Is this Jiang Mei an idiot? Old Madam Jiang has already asked her to not say anything first, which obviously showed that she cares about this birthday feast today. But how can she not value this feast? This is the first time the three sons of the Jiang family organized such a grand birthday feast for their mother, and they even invited so many people. Who doesn’t know how much Old Madam Jiang cares about her own image? On top of that, this is her 70-year-old birthday feast, so Jiang Mei’s action is like giving her a slap in the face.

“Granny, what I wanted to tell you is, Xiaobai has taken it too far. Not only did she not earn money after she graduated, she even stayed at home, waiting for Uncle Yanke and Aunty Xiaoyu to take care of her. Granny, you taught us to stand on our own feet and don’t rely on our parents, didn’t you? But Xiaobai didn’t keep this in mind. She didn’t work hard when she was studying, and even after she graduated, she is still so useless. Granny, since she is here today, you need to give her some advice. If she continues to behave like this, I feel bad for Uncle Yanke and Aunty Xiaoyu…”

Jiang Xiaobai and everyone who was present there was speechless as they looked at Jiang Mei.

I used to think that Jiang Mei at least had some brains, but now, I have an insight of what a complete idiot she is. I wonder how much she hates me that she so hastily complained about me at this moment, and she is even willing to drag me into this.

Propping her chin with one hand, Jiang Xiaobai seemed to have some thoughts going on in her mind.

Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1288

Could it be that what I said today drove Jiang Mei to a corner? It might be true, since I used to ignore her. I insulted her a few times today, so she became vindictive and intended to grab this opportunity to step on me?

Meanwhile, Jiang Mei’s mother nearly cried due to her daughter’s idiocy. Her daughter used to be the pride of their family because she was good at pleasing Old Madam Jiang. Therefore, Old Madam Jiang treated their family almost similar to how she treated the family of her eldest son, and they even managed to outshine the family of her third son. But now, Jiang Mei actually did such a foolish thing during this important occasion!

Jiang Mei’s mother reprimanded her quietly, “Mei, what nonsense are you saying? Come here now!”

Pouting, Jiang Mei refused to relent. “Mom.”

“Come here now!”

Jiang Mei still stood there without budging while she indignantly looked at Jiang Xiaobai, who just stood there without any intention to explain. Compared to Jiang Mei’s expression, which was full of resentment, Jiang Xiaobai seemed calm and collected.

Old Madam Jiang was rather infuriated. This is my birthday feast, so the theme and core of this occasion should be about me, but this Jiang Mei ran to me and started making complaints out of nowhere. Is she planning to ruin my birthday feast?

However, since she had brought up the matter, it would be useless even if she shut her mouth now.

Perhaps seeing that Jiang Mei still remained there, her mother directly stepped forward to pull her in an attempt to pull her back into the crowd.

“Hold on.” Unexpectedly, Old Madam Jiang stopped her.

Hearing that, her mother’s facial expression changed as she tried to explain, “Mom, Jiang Mei is still an immature kid; you don’t need to listen to her nonsense. Today is your birthday feast, so you should just enjoy yourself. I’ll ask her to apologize to you later.”

However, Old Madam Jiang was already unhappy, so she did not accept her explanation; she just peered at Jiang Mei. “Jiang Mei, repeat what you have just said.”

Jiang Mei did not know how to reply. Her timidity suddenly kicked in as she saw the stern look in her grandmother’s eyes. Besides, her grandmother did not call her ‘Mei’ anymore; she called her name together with her surname instead.

“Granny, I…”

“Just tell me. Since you have started the topic, there should be nothing for you to be afraid of.” Since everyone had heard that, it would not be easy to just pretend that nothing had happened.

“Mom, today is your birthday feast. I think that it’s better to not let such a matter affect the mood of the occasion.” Jiang Mei’s mother still tried to salvage the situation; even her father tried to speak for her.

Nevertheless, Old Madam Jiang refused to just let it off. Since Jiang Yanming had yet to arrive, Old Madam Jiang waved at his wife, her first daughter-in-law, to have her come over. “First daughter-in-law, what do you think we should do with this?”

Being called by Old Madam Jiang, she felt helpless, but there was nothing she could do as well since she was the eldest there. She took a look around before suggesting in a soft voice, “Mom, today is your birthday feast, so aside from those matters that are relevant to you and will affect your mood, other matters are insignificant. Besides, what Jiang Mei said just now were merely matters of the children. They are still young, so as long as they didn’t do anything immoral or conscienceless, it is understandable to make some mistakes and be lazy. I watched Xiaobai and Jiang Mei grow up, and now they are adults. If you wish to have some entertainment, you can ask them to explain themselves. Nonetheless, these are merely some disagreements among the young ones, so you don’t need to be mad; just listening to them will do.”

Obviously, what she meant was that those were words by the young, and it did not concern the elders of the Jiang family. No matter what Jiang Xiaobai and Jiang Mei said or did today, these were merely the young people having fun, and Old Madam Jiang was just entertaining herself out of boredom by listening to the stories that happened among the young ones. This was not something anyone should pay attention to.

After listening to her explanation, everyone involuntarily glanced at the first daughter-in-law of the Jiang family. No wonder the first son of the Jiang family is so successful in his career; it turns out that he has a capable wife.

Upon seeing his mother being called out to handle the situation, Jiang Yoo’s hatred for Jiang Mei deepened. Intentionally, he nudged himself to stand behind Jiang Xiaobai before asking her in a low voice, “Did you offend her?”

Hearing that, Jiang Xiaobai was stunned for a moment while she blinked. “Who knows?”

“If you didn’t offend her terribly, Jiang Mei wouldn’t have dragged you into this during such an occasion.”

Jiang Xiaobai smiled. “Yeah. I was puzzled too. In order to drag me into this, she’s made a huge sacrifice.”

Looking at her unflustered and extremely calm look, as her cousin, he found it amusing. “She is pointing out your flaws, you know. Aren’t you afraid?” he asked jokingly.

As a matter of fact, among his two cousins, Jiang Xiaobai and Jiang Mei, Jiang Yoo had always disliked Jiang Mei. He felt that that girl was too crafty, and the way she looked at others was unpleasant. She would please her male cousins by pretending to be meek. However, he had seen how she talked ill of Jiang Xiaobai in private.

As for Jiang Xiaobai, he initially thought that she would go to battle with Jiang Mei, but unexpectedly, she did not even put up a fight.

For instance, years ago, their school had once organized a night event. After Jiang Xiaobai signed up for the event, Jiang Mei instantly signed up as well, and she even intentionally snatched Jiang Xiaobai’s role in the dance performance.

Jiang Yoo thought that Jiang Xiaobai would certainly be mad, since her role was taken away from her, and she definitely would want to get it back. However, unexpectedly, she casually responded, “She wants it? Just give it to her, then. That’s great; I never wanted to dance. Now, I can finally go back to my dorm to sleep and watch drama.”

At first, Jiang Yoo thought that she was just putting on an act, but deep in her heart, she would be bothered by it. However, who could have guessed that, during the night of the event, she actually slept in her dorm, and she even ordered a grilled chicken because she was hungry and gobbled up the whole chicken.

She ate up the whole chicken.

When he went to look for her, her mouth was oily from eating the chicken. Until now, Jiang Yoo could not forget this scene; it was ever so vivid in his mind even when he recalled about it now.

Remembering about this sent shivers down his spine as he glanced deeply at Jiang Xiaobai.

This girl is really unbelievable.

“Why do I need to be nervous if I haven’t done anything wrong?” Grinning, Jiang Xiaobai turned her head around and blinked at him. “Jiang Yoo, do you believe that what goes around comes around?”

“What goes around comes around? It seems like you are sure of your victory,” Jiang Yoo spoke cryptically.

“No, no,” she waved as she stated quietly. “I just think that God will help the innocent. Look at me; I didn’t do anything, but someone accused me for no reason. God will treat me nicely and help me, right?”

Jiang Yoo did not reply. By the looks of Jiang Xiaobai, he had a feeling that she was about to take action, so he faintly looked forward to it.

At that moment, Jiang Mei looked at Jiang Xiaobai. “Jiang Xiaobai, do you have the guts to come out and explain this?”

Jiang Xiaobai came to her senses. Raising her head, she looked straight into Jiang Mei’s eyes. “Jiang Mei, why are you so fierce? Though we are not sisters, we are still cousins. Can’t you be gentler and more ladylike?”

Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1289

After saying that, Jiang Xiaobai shook her head, as if she felt resigned. “I’m not very sure what you want me to go out and explain. I’m a little slow; why don’t you say it out clearly?” she asked.

The more innocent Jiang Xiaobai looked, and the more she seemed to not know the situation, the more it enraged Jiang Mei.

When Jiang Yoo, who was standing at the side, saw the method she used to tackle Jiang Mei, he could not help but lower his eyes and slightly smiled. It seems like she is planning to goad her.

The more agitated Jiang Mei seemed, the calmer Jiang Xiaobai looked. Through this way, Jiang Mei would be humiliated in front of all the elders. Though this method was a little despicable, somehow, he felt excited to watch this. Well, Jiang Mei started this.

“Jiang Xiaobai, stop pretending. You have heard what I just said, but now, you want me to say it out clearly. Aren’t you ashamed? You still let Uncle Yanke and Aunty Xiaoyu take care of you when you are almost 30 years old and are no longer a child.”

The surrounding onlookers listened to their conversation and compared their current demeanor—Jiang Xiaobai maintained her composure, but Jiang Mei was making a fuss. It was obvious who was more mature.

The second daughter-in-law of the Jiang family, who was also Jiang Mei’s mother, had been observing the surroundings. Upon noticing the disdain toward her daughter in everyone’s eyes, she realized that the incident was progressing toward an undesirable direction. Instantly, she tugged Jiang Mei’s hand in secret. “Mei, stop making a scene. Why are you creating troubles on such an occasion?”

However, Jiang Mei retracted her hand. “Mom, I’m just asking for justice on behalf of Uncle Yanke and Aunty Xiaoyu. They don’t have a son, but only a daughter, and a useless one at that. I cannot bear to see this carry on.”

Hearing her words, Jiang Xiaobai’s lips could not stop twitching because Jiang Mei actually said that she was about to turn 30 years old.

Geez, I’m just barely over my twenties. What do you mean by saying that I’m almost 30 years old?

Upon having such thoughts, Jiang Xiaobai let out a scornful laugh before saying, “Jiang Mei, we are both the same age. You can think of yourself as someone who is almost 30 years old, but I don’t think of myself that way. If you really want to defend my parents against injustice, let’s talk it out. From your tone, you seem to have some comments with my parents for having only a daughter.”

When this topic was brought up, Jiang Mei felt full of herself. “That is the truth. Everyone knows that in Chinese culture, there are three unfilial acts, and one of them is to not have a son. You are the only daughter in your family, but you are such a failure.”

“Oh, do you mean that women are incomparable to men?”

Jiang Mei, who had a brother, arrogantly remarked, “All I know is that I have an elder brother, but you don’t.”

“Heh. Jiang Mei, you are a woman, yet you are not proud of yourself; you’re proud of a man instead. I wonder how you regard all the women here now. How do you regard granny?” Jiang Xiaobai sneered.

Jiang Xiaobai threw the question back at Old Madam Jiang as she clearly knew that although Old Madam Jiang was unsatisfied with their family, she had never shown it on the surface. However, Jiang Mei pointed out that it was considered an unfilial act to not have a son. Therefore, Jiang Xiaobai used this as her weapon against Jiang Mei.

As expected, when Jiang Mei heard her words, which asked about how she regarded Old Madam Jiang, she felt a little panicked and subconsciously looked at Old Madam Jiang.

Meanwhile, Old Madam Jiang, who was dragged into the situation by Jiang Xiaobai, looked at Jiang Mei in displeasure.

Feeling flustered, Jiang Mei immediately explained, “Granny, this wasn’t what I meant. Since the three children you gave birth to are so outstanding, of course you are impressive.”

After she coaxed Old Madam Jiang, the guests, who were standing at one side, were uncontented.

“Jiang Mei, judging by what you said, are you saying that it’s my fault for not having a son? You are a young lady and also someone from the modern generation; how could you have such an old way of thinking?”

“Oh, my. How could a young lady like you have such a horrifying opinion? In the future, if you get married but don’t have a son, are you going to feel so ashamed of yourself that you can’t afford to live?”

“I wonder how this second daughter-in-law of the Jiang family brought up her daughter. Not only did she stir things up at this kind of an occasion, she even insulted her cousin in front of everyone, and not to mention she also demeaned us women.”

“Is this something that a normal human would’ve done?”

The discussion got louder and louder, and all of them were about their dissatisfaction toward Jiang Mei.

Jiang Mei became utterly panicked. She wanted to explain, but she was helpless as whatever she said was refuted. In the end, she yelled while pointing at Jiang Xiaobai, “It was her! She was the one who dragged me into this mess. Jiang Xiaobai, you intentionally put me through this; you just wanted everyone to reprimand me.”

“Jiang Mei, how did I put you through this? If you didn’t have such thoughts, it would have been impossible for me to force you to say it.” Jiang Xiaobai looked shocked.

“This young lady looks young; how could she be so vindictive toward her cousin?”

“It was probably out of jealousy. Jiang Xiaobai is so good-looking, so she felt dissatisfied. Look at her face—she had a nose job and even a chin surgery…”

“Oh, I see. Now that you mentioned it, this Jiang Xiaobai is really pretty. She has completely inherited her mother’s beauty.”

Women’s mouths could be terrifying, especially when it came to mocking people. When the victim they intended to insult happened to be of the same gender, they would know what to say that would hurt her the most.

Therefore, everyone deliberately attacked her weaknesses. Being insulted in front of everyone, Jiang Mei’s eyes turned red, and her tears instantly fell. She ran to Old Madam Jiang and cried, “Granny…”

Old Madam Jiang had been pampering Jiang Mei and disliking Jiang Xiaobai all this while. Therefore, when she saw her granddaughter crying terribly, her brow involuntarily furrowed as she looked at Jiang Xiaobai before stating in a stern voice, “Xiaobai, no matter what happened, you two are cousins. You shouldn’t mislead everyone to rebuke Jiang Mei. She’s just a girl.”

Her words left Jiang Xiaobai speechless. We are cousins? When she was trying to mislead everyone to disdain me, why didn’t anyone consider that we are cousins? Also, is Jiang Mei the only one who’s a girl? Am I a boy, then?

Of course, Jiang Xiaobai did not have the guts to throw these harsh words directly at Old Madam Jiang. She merely put on a faint smile, and her voice and tone became even calmer. “Granny, you’ve misunderstood me. I didn’t mislead everyone to rebuke Jiang Mei. It was just that, as a girl, she mocked us females by saying that we are useless. As a girl, I would certainly be angry.”

Old Madam Jiang pulled a long face. “Are you saying that I favor her?”

“No, no.” Jiang Xiaobai shook her head. “You’re the fairest and most impartial person. This is a fact that everybody knows, right?”

Everyone was speechless. Fairest, my foot! However, they were willing to save Old Madam Jiang’s face.

“Of course. You’re the fairest and most impartial person, Old Madam Jiang. You most certainly won’t be biased.”

“That’s right, Old Madam Jiang. This Jiang Mei from your family went a little overboard. However, considering the fact that she is still young, we will let her off. Old Madam Jiang, you must know that it is easy for one to be impulsive when they are mad, so please don’t take the things we just said to heart.”

Nothing To Give But My Heart Chapter 1290

Old Madam Jiang felt much better after she heard that.

However, she knew she could not possibly take Jiang Mei’s side again, and so she bowed her head while looking at Jiang Mei.

“Jiang Mei, as a girl, who would fight for you if you don’t even cherish your reputation? You shouldn’t repeat such a mistake in the future.”

Jiang Mei was about to retort, but she could only nod in silence under her mother’s scrutiny.

“I understand, granny. I will never spout nonsense again.”

“Mm-hmm.”

Things seemed to have resolved itself, but it appeared as if someone wasn’t happy to leave it at that.

Jiang Mei’s mother was upset because she witnessed her daughter being reprimanded. Hence, she was determined to seek justice for Jiang Mei.

After Jiang Mei admitted to her mistakes, her mother stood forward and spoke gently, “Mom, Jiang Mei has admitted that it was her fault. However, our problems did not stem from Jiang Mei, did it? It all started from Xiaobai. I heard Xiaobai isn’t working now; instead, she’s been living at home and is financially dependent on her parents. It could be argued that Xiaobai’s thoughts are in line with women nowadays, but it just doesn’t seem right for her to hang around, doing nothing. Mom, you should have a word with Xiaobai today. You shouldn’t allow Yanke and Xiaoyu to suffer in vain.”

Just listen to her; she sounds so righteous and considerate.

Unfortunately, she is obviously throwing me under the bus! Nevertheless, I won’t make it so easy for her to humiliate me.

Before Jiang Xiaobai could say a word, Jiang Yanke came forward this time. He looked like a gentleman, and he rarely showed his temper. He was just about to reprimand Jiang Mei earlier when she accused his daughter, but his wife stopped him just in time.

She explained that the younger generation should solve their issues among themselves. They should only speak up if the older generation got involved after the younger generation had said their piece.

Jiang Yanke was now speaking up since his second sister-in-law had decided to get involved.

He was scowling, and he was clearly upset.

“Second sister-in-law, I assume you heard these rumors. In that case, could you tell me where you heard that from? Who spread those rumors?”

Jiang Mei’s mother fell silent.

Why isn’t he playing by the rules? Why is he asking where I’ve heard that rumor from? I obviously heard people talking about it.

“Yanke, I’m not targeting you. However, I’m sure you know that rumors and gossip spread like wildfire. We all know that you and Xiaoyu only have one daughter, and so you spoil her. Nevertheless, Yanke, you can’t spoil your child blindly.”

However, no matter what Jiang Mei’s mother said, Jiang Yanke insisted, “Second sister-in-law, please tell me whom you heard that news from. I would like the name of the person who spread the rumor. I’d like to ask the person what my daughter has done to offend them so much that they spread such vicious rumors about her.”

Looking at her stubborn father, Jiang Xiaobai couldn’t help but feel that he was especially adorable!

Why didn’t I notice that in the past? Hehe.

Jiang Mei’s mother couldn’t endure it much longer, but Jiang Yanke persisted, “Second sister-in-law, don’t be afraid. You just have to tell me who it was. I’ll find that person, and I will not hold it against you.”

Jiang Mei came forward while blurting out, “Uncle Yanke, there must be many people gossiping about this since it’s a rumor. It’s not gossip from one person.”

“Oh, is that so?” Jiang Yanke nodded blankly before asking again, “In that case, Jiang Mei, please give me all those people’s names. I’ll have a chat with all of them to find out who spread the news.”

Everyone was rendered speechless by his response.

Why is this man so stubborn?

Du Xiaoyu couldn’t endure it anymore, and so she whispered to Jiang Xiaobai, “If this goes on, your dad might drive your Second Aunt nuts.”

Jiang Xiaobai smiled when she heard that while folding her arms in front of her chest. “Isn’t that great, though? She would stop causing trouble for our family if she went mad. Her family has been outstanding throughout the years, and so it’s about time for them to reap what they sow.”

Du Xiaoyu answered, “Well, it’s the Jiang family’s dignity after all. Your dad and I don’t care about such things, but Old Madam Jiang does. Besides, your dad is a filial son; apart from the part of giving birth to boys, your dad has always gone along with whatever Old Madam wants. That is why…”

Du Xiaoyu did not complete the rest of her sentence, but Jiang Xiaobai understood what she meant anyway. Hence, she nodded. “Don’t worry, mom. I will not humiliate her openly.”

Jiang Mei’s mother couldn’t endure it much longer. This man is so hard to deal with. He is focusing on the wrong point, and he has led me off topic.

Hence, she stated directly, “Yanke, you don’t have to care who said it because there were many people spreading news like these. It’s difficult for me to pinpoint those who were involved in it. Besides, I brought this matter up with good intentions, and I hope you’ll take it seriously.”

Jiang Yanke looked bewildered.

“Take it seriously? Our Xiaobai is doing well. The news was fabricated. I know you mean well, second sister-in-law. However, if those rumors continue spreading, it will ruin Xiaobai’s reputation. As her father, of course I’ll take it seriously.”

“Yanke, you claim that these are rumors, but do you have proof? Xiaobai has never had a proper job till now. Yanke and Xiaoyu, both of you should not indulge her.”

In the beginning, Jiang Xiaobai took the matter jokingly, but she suddenly felt really resentful when she saw Jiang Mei’s horrible attitude.

Hence, Jiang Xiaobai came forward to stand beside Jiang Yanke.

“Those are all rumors; I might not have a proper job, but I’ve always been supporting myself through my own efforts. Firstly, you have all not seen how my life is; secondly, there’s no proof. Does it make sense for you to accuse me of not working while relying on my parents at granny’s birthday feast?”

After that, Jiang Xiaobai turned to Old Madam Jiang.

“Granny, I might not earn much, but I think I’ve fulfilled my role as a child to support myself while occasionally providing for my parents. Don’t you agree?”

“Mm-hmm,” Old Madam Jiang mumbled with a grave voice.

“Since we’re on this topic, I’d like to ask one thing. Who did this? Who spouted nonsense to ruin a girl’s reputation without clarifying the situation? How much does that person hate me to have spread such rumors?”

Everyone was at a loss for words.

“Second Aunt!”

Jiang Xiaobai called Jiang Mei’s mother suddenly, and so she answered reflexively, “Huh?”

“Second Aunt, can you please tell me who spread those rumors to you in the first place? It’s obvious what kind of person they are to be able to spread such untrue and vicious rumors. Second Aunt, you have to recall who it was for the reputation of the Jiang family!”

Jiang Xiaobai smiled faintly, but her eyes were sharp when she stared at Jiang Mei’s mother. For some reason, her gaze felt intimidating, and it formed an invisible pressure on Jiang Mei’s mother.

Jiang Mei’s mother had a weird sensation; there was quite a distance between the two of them, but somehow, Jiang Xiaobai’s chilly intimidation sent chills down her spine.

Is Jiang Xiaobai possessed? Why is she so smart all of a sudden? Had she been playing dumb all along?