I Know I Was Wrong

"You know the answer in your heart," the man sneered coldly.

Grandpa Jiang turned to Lin Li with a grim expression. "Lin Li, do you have anything else to say?"

Lin Li's mind was still in chaos, but he knew he had to handle this situation carefully today—otherwise, he was finished.

"Grandfather..."

Struggling to his feet, Lin Li grabbed Grandpa Jiang's arm.

Grandpa Jiang shook him off immediately.

"We share no blood ties. Though you were adopted by Jiang Shuqin, our family has severed all relations with her. That means you and I are nothing to each other. I am not your grandfather," Grandpa Jiang said icily.

In his life, he despised nothing more than being deceived.

Lin Li...

Good. Very good.

"Grandfather—no, Mr. Jiang," Lin Li said, his eyes reddening. "I never meant to deceive you. When you were seriously ill, I only wanted to fulfill my mother’s duty by caring for you. Later, your two granddaughters treated me so kindly that I couldn’t bear to leave."

"Enough!" Jiang Yutong cut him off impatiently. "Lin Li, I’ve never once been kind to you. Don’t spin this into some sentimental tale."

Crossing her arms, she snorted. "Save your act. I’m not buying it."

Lin Li shot her a dark glare.

Damn it!

Jiang Yutong was ruining everything again!

With a mocking smirk, she added, "Go on, Lin Li. Keep talking—I won’t interrupt this time."

She wanted to see just how far he’d take this performance.

Lin Li’s eyes welled up again as he put on a pitiful expression.

"Mr. Jiang, I never claimed to be Mother’s biological son. I truly just wanted to honor her by caring for you..."

Snickers erupted from the crowd.

"Isn’t Lin Li just the male version of a white lotus?"

"No wonder he managed to charm the Lin family into favoring him, their adopted son, over their real heir, Lin Xuan."

"Ugh, his fake innocence is disgusting."

Grandpa Jiang remained unmoved.

Having dominated the business world for decades, he wasn’t some senile old man easily fooled.

"Lin Li," Grandpa Jiang said coldly, "since you dared to put on this charade in front of my family, you should’ve prepared for the consequences."

His cane struck the ground with a heavy thud.

Lin Li’s heart pounded violently.

Seeing the expressions on the Jiang family’s faces, overwhelming dread and panic surged through him.

He’d heard the rumors about the Jiangs.

They were usually amiable, but those who crossed them faced dire retribution.

He had deceived them.

They wouldn’t let him go.

Lin Li was terrified.

With a loud thud, he dropped to his knees.

"Mr. Jiang, I’m sorry! Please, for the sake of my mother and my filial devotion, give me another chance!"

Grandpa Jiang laughed coldly. "The Jiang family has never been humiliated like this before. If I let you off, what would people think of us?"

This wasn’t just about the family’s pride—it was also vengeance for his true grandson.

"Today, I, Jiang Liangjun, declare that no Jiang-owned or affiliated company will ever employ Lin Li or engage with any business he establishes."

This was a complete blacklist.

The Jiang family’s influence stretched across Yundu City and even all of Xia Country. Other corporations followed their lead.

With this decree, no company would dare hire Lin Li. Even if he started his own business, he’d never secure funding.

His life was over.

"No! You can’t do this to me!" Lin Li’s face turned ashen. He was a computer genius with sharp business acumen—his future couldn’t end like this.

"My mother is Jiang Shuqin! She loves me dearly! Mr. Jiang, if you do this, she’ll resent you even more!"

Grandpa Jiang closed his eyes briefly, masking his pain.

"She is no longer my daughter. Whether she resents me or not means nothing to me now," he said frostily.

Lin Li kept kowtowing desperately.

"Mr. Jiang, even if not for my mother’s sake, think of how I cared for you while you were unconscious! After you woke up, I stayed by your side, tending to you with all my heart!"

"Please, have mercy! I swear I’ll never deceive you again!"

Thud! Thud! Thud!

His forehead slammed against the floor, the dull impacts ringing out.

Blood trickled from his brow, yet Grandpa Jiang didn’t spare him a glance.

Jiang Yutong smirked. "You only took care of Grandpa to manipulate us into accepting you. Did you really think the Jiang family would be so softhearted?"

Still, there was one thing she had to thank Lin Li for...

If it weren’t for Lin Li’s scheme of falsely claiming to be part of the Jiang family, she wouldn’t have known that Xiao Xuan was actually her biological cousin.

Grandpa Jiang coldly ordered, "Someone, drag Lin Li out of the banquet right now."

Lin Xuan sat quietly at the table the entire time, not saying a word.

A faint smile played at the corners of his lips.

He loved nothing more than watching Lin Li being made a fool of.

Amusing. Truly amusing.

Butler Wang chuckled and said, "Lin Li’s life is as good as over now."

"No, it’s not over yet," Lin Xuan interjected.

"Huh?" Butler Wang looked at Lin Xuan in confusion. "Lin Li’s been blacklisted by the Jiang family. He won’t find decent work, and starting a business is out of the question. How is that not the end for him?"

Lin Xuan raised an eyebrow. "There’s still Jiang Shuqin. Do you really think she’d let her beloved son suffer?"

So, Jiang Shuqin would inevitably plead for leniency on Lin Li’s behalf.

Even though she had cut ties with the Jiang family, the Jiangs were known for their deep sense of loyalty.

If Jiang Shuqin truly begged for mercy, the Jiang family would let Lin Li off the hook.

Butler Wang frowned. "If I’d known Jiang Shuqin would intervene, I would’ve had someone quietly take her away beforehand."

"No," Lin Xuan said, his lips curving into a smirk. "I want her to plead for him. I want Lin Li to walk away unscathed from this mess."

Hearing this, Butler Wang’s interest was immediately piqued.

"Young Master Lin, do you have some kind of plan?"

Lin Xuan merely smiled and didn’t answer.

With his hopes of clinging to the Jiang family dashed, Lin Li had no choice but to rely on himself now.

Lin Xuan would let him start a business—and then watch as he squandered every last penny of the Lin family’s fortune.

Goodnight, everyone!

Special thanks to the lovely gift-givers: Rouge Charm →_→, Evil Spirit~, Xiao Zhou Who Hates Green Onions, and Little Panda 06.

Take care!