After Fang Wende finished speaking, a boy sitting nearby playing on his phone looked up impatiently. "Dad, Mom, when are we leaving? Weren't you going to take me to buy a watch? What's with all the nagging? I don't want to stay here."
"Why buy such an expensive watch? You're only in high school; you should focus on your studies," Fang Wende scolded.
"I don't care! You promised to buy me an Audemars Piguet."
Seeing Fang Wende about to speak again, Chen Haiyan immediately soothed the boy. "Be good, just wait a bit. Mommy said she'd buy it for you, so she will. You can pick it out yourself later."
After saying this, Chen Haiyan intentionally shot a glance at Zhou Ying.
Zhou Ying looked at her cousin, Fang Yuhao. He was decked out in high-end luxury brands, and his hair was dyed in a mess of colors.
Seeing the expression on Zhou Ying's face, Fang Wende glared at the two of them in embarrassment.
After all, the fact that he had dismissed them with only twenty thousand yuan back then was not something to be proud of.
And now, his son was asking for a watch worth hundreds of thousands right in front of them.
Fang Wende was very dissatisfied with Chen Haiyan's showing off and gave her a sharp glare.
"Uncle, I remember before my father passed away, the gifts you brought to our house every holiday were worth tens of thousands. Over all these years, relying on our family, your net worth must be in the billions by now, right?"
Zhou Ying's sarcasm was blatant.
Although she wasn't clear on the love-hate relationships between her parents' generation...
...her father had always supported her uncle's family.
Zhou Ying's words made Fang Wende feel extremely embarrassed.
He didn't know what to say; after all, he truly didn't have a leg to stand on in this matter.
In his embarrassment, Fang Wende glared displeasurably at Chen Haiyan again.
Chen Haiyan didn't care about his look at all. She stood up, pointed a finger at Zhou Ying, and barked, "That was earned by your uncle through his own ability! What does it have to do with your family?!"
Chen Haiyan's words made Fang Wende's face flush.
He could only stare at Chen Haiyan, hoping she would say less, but she didn't take the hint.
Zhou Ying laughed at that. "Nothing to do with our family? Ask your own conscience—before my mother married my father, what did my uncle do? And what does he do now? Your current house, your car—which of those wasn't given to you by my father when he was still around?"
Zhou Ying's voice was filled with sorrow and grievance.
She remembered the last time she saw her father; he had told her to go to her uncle for help, clearly trusting him immensely.
When they were at their wits' end, she and her mother had gone to her uncle for help.
But Chen Haiyan, who had always been incredibly polite to them, suddenly dropped her fawning act.
Coldly and right in front of Fang Wende, she had screamed that Fang Yuan coming to their door now was going to ruin their family.
Egged on by Chen Haiyan and fearing that the debt collectors would come after him, Fang Wende had heartlessly kicked them out.
With Fang Wende's wealth, helping with the remaining nine million yuan in debt would have been a simple matter.
But what broke Zhou Ying and Fang Yuan's hearts was that Fang Wende had simply handed them twenty thousand yuan and sent them away.
Out of desperation, Fang Yuan sold all her remaining jewelry.
They barely managed to scrap together over five million, and the creditors finally gave them some breathing room, turning the remaining debt into installments with interest.
Her father had supported them for so many years, yet he had received no proper return.
Chen Haiyan wasn't angry upon hearing this; instead, she looked smug and triumphant.
She crossed her arms, glanced at Zhou Ying out of the corner of her eye, and said crossly, "It's all about one's own ability. If you're so capable, then earn the money yourself to pay off the debt. Why beg us? Don't forget, the reason your debts are paid off now is still thanks to us."
"Auntie, you're wrong about that, aren't you? If Grandma hadn't left my mother an inheritance, we'd still be hiding from the interest on those debts. Speaking of which, I am truly grateful to Grandma," Zhou Ying said, staring straight at Chen Haiyan.
"What do you mean by that, huh?! You want to brush off our contribution entirely? You ungrateful brat! And speaking of this house, don't you feel ashamed? That was originally your uncle's property. He's the only son in the Fang Family, so that house should have gone to him! That old thing gave it to your mother without our consent, and I haven't even settled that score with you yet. Your mother, on the other hand, turned around and sold it. Have you no shame?" Chen Haiyan shrieked excitedly, her face turning bright red and the veins in her neck bulging.
"That house was in Grandma's name while she was alive. She could give it to whomever she wanted. It's all there in black and white, notarized by a lawyer, and legally binding. Grandma must have remembered how good my parents were to her, which is why she helped us in her final moments."
Zhou Ying's words once again made Fang Wende's old face flush red.
Chen Haiyan was also momentarily speechless.
She hadn't expected her seemingly delicate niece to be so firm.
Seeing she couldn't out-argue Zhou Ying, Chen Haiyan began to throw a fit. "Fang Yuan, let me tell you, the Fang Family has raised you for so long; don't you dare betray the kindness your parents and brother showed you! If it weren't for your brother, would you have been able to find such a wealthy family? You've enjoyed enough good fortune over the past decade, haven't you? A person should be grateful; don't be an ungrateful wolf. And look at your daughter—she has no manners at all and doesn't know how to respect her elders."
Fang Yuan had recovered by now. She wiped her tears and then awkwardly stepped out of Jiang Cheng's embrace.
Fang Yuan glanced at Jiang Cheng, but after just one look, she quickly looked away as if nothing had happened.
Seeing that his parents couldn't win the argument against Zhou Ying, Fang Yuhao looked up at her.
After frowning and sizing her up, he said suspiciously, "Cousin, this outfit isn't cheap, is it? Bvlgari? LV? My mom said your family went bankrupt. Where did you get the money?"
Hearing this, Chen Haiyan immediately stood up, circled Zhou Ying, and said in a mocking tone, "I was wondering why you were dressed so beautifully today. This outfit must be worth a lot, right? Where did your money come from?"
"I don't need to report that to you," Zhou Ying said, neither humble nor arrogant.
After being rebuffed, Chen Haiyan immediately became incensed. "Dressing up all flashy like this—anyone who didn't know better would think you're a social butterfly! If you really cared about this family, you should have saved the money instead of following in your mother's footsteps."
Chen Haiyan was a woman from a poor background, and her heart was full of inferiority and jealousy.
Ever since she married Fang Wende, she had been jealous of Fang Yuan.
She was not only jealous of her looks and temperament but even more so of her ability to marry into a wealthy family and live a superior life.
Meanwhile, she could only visit during holidays to curry favor with the mother and daughter.
When she learned that Fang Yuan's family had gone bankrupt, the hatred and bitterness in her heart began to show.
That was why she had sowed discord when they were in trouble, making sure Fang Wende stayed out of it.
"I knew you two couldn't handle hardship. You didn't sell your grandmother's house just to go buy luxury goods, did you?"
Chen Haiyan's tone was full of mockery and disdain, as if she wanted to vent all the dissatisfaction and jealousy she had accumulated over the years in one go.
Fang Yuan walked into the living room with a cold expression. Compared to her previous weakness, her eyes were now full of determination. She walked up to Chen Haiyan indignantly and said, "I won't allow you to talk about my daughter like that. What my daughter is like is our family's business; it has nothing to do with you and it's not your place to lecture her. She is not a tool for your sarcasm and bitterness. If this is how you're going to treat her, then we don't need to be relatives anymore. You can go back now. I won't trouble you with finding a job; I'll figure it out myself."