Chapter Forty: One Hundred Thousand? I'll Give You One Million!

"Useless trash. I gave you an opportunity to negotiate personally, and you dare to refuse? What use are you?!"

On the surface, these words were directed at Jiang Yang, but throughout the entire exchange, Jiang Jianmin’s gaze never once left Xu Ye’s eyes. The meaning was clear: the person he was truly scolding was Xu Ye.

"Dad." Jiang Yang called out, feigning grievance, though his lips curled into a sneer of mockery and amusement.

Jiang Jianmin ignored him, his eyes still fixed on Xu Ye. "Young man, I know what happened last night. I admit, my son was in the wrong, but you weren't injured. On the contrary, it was my son who ended up with both legs broken. You’re old enough to understand the principle of leaving a way out for others. Let's call it even. What do you think?"

He was a businessman, and he considered himself a man of high status. So what if he knew Boss Hu? Boss Hu wasn't here today! With his own presence and aura, intimidating the son of a lowly servant should be child's play. Otherwise, he would actually have to pay the other party for an Audi A8 and ensure they were satisfied? That would cost at least a million, and he was supposed to pay the very person who broke his son's legs? He was lucky he hadn't killed the boy himself; this was nothing but a pipe dream.

"There are 100,000 in this card. Take it, and let's call this matter settled." Resisting the urge to slap the boy dead on the spot, Jiang Jianmin slapped a bank card onto Xu Ye’s chest. His demeanor was arrogant and overbearing. Surely, a kid like this would be scared witless by such an imposing display of authority, right?

Xu Ye was amused. He casually pulled a checkbook from his pocket, wrote out a check for one million, and slapped it onto Jiang Jianmin’s face. "Here is one million. Take it back and buy a better mirror to take a good look at yourself. You have the nerve to try and act tough in front of me with a measly hundred thousand? And you managed to act like you were throwing around a hundred million? Who gave you the audacity? Do you dream too much? Do you think you’re the richest man in Jiangshi Province?"

Jiang Jianmin froze for a moment before flying into a rage. "Boy, you dare speak to me like that? Do you know who I am?"

"I’m trying to reconcile with you out of the kindness of my heart, don't push your luck! Do you really think you're something special just because you know a few thugs? Do you believe me if I say I’ll go all out and take your pathetic life in minutes?"

He was wild, absolutely rampant! Did the boy really think he didn't know the truth? He was just the son of a servant in the Xu family. Who gave him the courage to talk to him like this? Was he relying on his connections to those thugs? His own son knew the young lady of the Xu family! If it weren't for the fact that his son wanted to pursue Miss Xu and didn't want to look like a pathetic, incompetent coward in her eyes, he would have...

"I really don't believe you. Why don't you try it now?" Xu Ye retorted, cutting through his delusional fantasies.

"You... are you really forcing me to lose my temper? Are you sure you, a mere servant, can handle the consequences of provoking me, Jiang Jianmin?" Jiang Jianmin’s expression turned hideous, but he decided to give the boy one last chance. If he could avoid it, he didn't want to go to the final step. After all, the consequences of doing so might mean his son would lose any chance of winning over Miss Xu.

"The consequences are not for me to worry about; on the contrary, they are for you." Xu Ye took a step forward, looking down at him from a height. "I gave you one last chance, and you were the ones who didn't cherish it. Since that’s the case, I hope you won't regret it when the consequences finally fall upon you."

"You—" Jiang Jianmin was completely incensed, but before he could finish, Jiang Yang interjected, unable to hold back any longer.

"Xu Ye, you are too arrogant! Are you really forcing me to contact your master?"

"Your master would let you slap her twice and not say a word, then turn around and run away?" Xu Ye shook his head with a scoff. "Forget it. I know you wouldn't believe me even if I told you. Didn't you want to contact her? Then hurry up, or it’ll be too late."

Having said that, he couldn't be bothered to deal with them anymore, pushed past Jiang Jianmin, and strode out of the hospital room.

"You bastard, just you wait! You are truly too rampant!!!" Jiang Yang’s eyes were bloodshot with rage. He turned to Jiang Jianmin and said, "Dad, where’s my phone? I need to contact Ruowei. If I’m late, it’ll be too late!"

Jiang Jianmin didn't dare delay and handed over his phone. Their greatest reliance was the young lady of the Xu family. Since that stinking lackey Xu Ye was being unreasonable, they could only rely on her now.

When Xu Ruowei received Jiang Yang’s call, she hurried over from home. It wasn't for any other reason—the Jiang family had some assets, and she never minded having a handsome, wealthy "sycophant" around.

Upon arriving at the hospital, she immediately feigned concern. "Senior Jiang, how did you get hurt? What on earth happened?"

Jiang Yang recounted the story, downplaying his own role and distorting the truth entirely. Finally, looking aggrieved, he grabbed Xu Ruowei’s hands and cried, "Ruowei, I did it all for you. I wanted to vent your anger. And now... you must help me... no, you must vent this anger for me."

"This... how can I help with something like this?" She cursed inwardly. If this had been in the past, it would be fine, but now it was obvious that Xu Ye had lost his mind and was constantly causing trouble for her. What could she do? Others might not know, but she knew the truth: she was a fake, and Xu Ye was the real young master of the Xu family!

But looking at the suspicion in Jiang Yang's eyes, she hesitated for a moment before changing her tune. "I... well... I'll make a phone call and see."

She couldn't say she couldn't do it; that would make Jiang Yang suspicious. After all, with her persona as the dignified young lady of the Xu family, how could she not handle such a trivial matter? But a fake was a fake—what could she use to contend with Xu Ye?

Going through Xu Ye was definitely not an option; that guy was likely waiting for her to beg him. If she really went to him, making up might be easy, but she could forget about anything else. She would never be able to hold her head up in front of him again, let alone treat him like a dog as she had in the past.

That left only Xu Zhengjie. The most suitable person would have been Uncle Fu, who had always treated her as the future mistress of the Xu family. But that cursed uncle of his...

There was no choice; she had to settle for second best. The bodyguard captain, Xu Zhengjie, also treated her with great respect. If she asked him for help, it should be fine.