Reversed Fate in the 70s: Marrying the Factory Director rather than Rough Man Chapter 140

Chapter 140 : Wife, She Said I Was a Gigolo

The man who stepped out of the car was handsome, about thirty years old, with round-framed glasses that gave him a scholarly appearance.  

When his gaze landed on Jiang Li, he froze for a moment. Seeing her face, which bore a resemblance to his aunt, he immediately realized this must be the cousin his grandmother mentioned in her letter.  

“Cousin,” he greeted, a bit formally.  

Fang Peilan smiled warmly and introduced them, “This is your uncle’s son, your cousin, Xu Siyan. He was in the west doing experiments with his professor for a while and only returned yesterday. He didn’t even make it home for the New Year’s Eve reunion dinner.”  

“Hello, cousin!”  

Jiang Li had prepared gifts for Fang Peilan, including a trendy down jacket and wool scarf from the south. She had also heard of this cousin and had thoughtfully brought a set of clothes for him as well.  

Xu Siyan looked slightly flustered, fumbling awkwardly as he realized he hadn’t brought any gift for their first meeting. After some searching, he pulled out a piece of raw stone he had kept in his pocket.  

The stone, sourced from the mountains during his research, had been cut to reveal a milky-white jade interior. “I found this while doing experiments with my professor. He told me to select the best piece to polish into jade pendants. Once it’s ready, I’ll send you one.”  

“Thank you, cousin,” Jiang Li said with a smile.  

“No need to thank me,” he replied modestly.  

After chatting briefly, Jiang Li grew restless and decided to take her new car out for a spin. Since they’d agreed to have dinner with Fang Peilan another time, Qi Shaoqiang carefully helped her to the car.  

As they passed by the kitchen window, Jiang Li noticed Zhou Taohua chatting with the nanny while occasionally helping out, a smile on her face. Jiang Li glanced at her through the window, then got into the car.  

“Do you want me to drive?” Qi Shaoqiang offered.  

“Do you know how to drive?”  

“I used to drive in the army,” he replied confidently.  

The weather was freezing, and the roads were icy. Jiang Li, feeling tense and sweating after driving for a while, gladly handed the wheel to Qi Shaoqiang.  

As they turned a corner and exited the Xu family’s area, two figures suddenly jumped in front of the car.  

One was bald, and the other was stout and stumbling in the snow.  

“Stop! Stop!”  

Du Ling threw herself in front of the car, arms outstretched. She and her mother, Zhou Hui, had been waiting for ages, watching for a car to leave the Xu household.  

Qi Shaoqiang quickly hit the brakes and immediately turned to Jiang Li, “Are you okay?”  

“I’m fine,” she assured him, though slightly startled.  

Qi Shaoqiang’s face darkened with anger. He got out of the car, walked straight to Du Ling, grabbed her by the collar, and tossed her into a snowdrift.  

Zhou Hui hurried forward to help her daughter, but she too was unceremoniously thrown into the same pile of snow.  

Du Ling, spitting out a mix of dirt, leaves, and ice, began shouting curses.  

“Why did you throw me? You think you’re so great now, don’t you? Leeching off that bitch Jiang Li to cozy up to the Xu family! What a useless man, living off a woman, are you even a real man?”  

“Jiang Li, don’t think you’ve won! Sooner or later, someone will bring you down, and you’ll end up like your mother, dying miserably!”  

Qi Shaoqiang, who was already walking back to the car, froze at these words. He turned slowly and strode back to them. Zhou Hui, terrified, clung to Du Ling, trying to shield her.  

“What are you going to do?” she stammered.  

Before she could finish, a frozen piece of dog feces, likely left by a nearby pet, landed directly in Du Ling’s mouth.  

Qi Shaoqiang calmly removed his dirty leather gloves and threw them at Du Ling’s head. His voice was low and menacing, carrying a clear warning: “If I hear you spew filth like that again, I’ll make sure you disappear from Haicheng. If you don’t believe me, try it.”  

Inside the car, Jiang Li only caught fragments of what was happening. She understood that Zhou Hui and Du Ling were at their wits’ end, having lost everything. Their desperate, venomous words didn’t bother her in the slightest.

Qi Shaoqiang returned to the car, his handsome face tense. He gently touched Jiang Li’s hair, trying to soothe her, then slowly started the car.

Jiang Li, drowsy from the warmth of the car heater, was startled when Qi Shaoqiang’s aggrieved voice broke the silence. “Wife, she said I was a gigolo.”

“She’s just jealous that you’re good-looking and can make a living just by relying on your looks. Don’t pay her any mind,” Jiang Li replied, her tone calm. “Besides, the senior leaders have said that women hold up half the sky. I’m responsible for external matters, and you take care of the internal ones. We’ve got a good division of labor. It’s not for outsiders to make irresponsible ments.”

A light laugh escaped Qi Shaoqiang, and his deep voice came through clearly, “Well, wife, from now on, you’ll have to support me. I’m counting on you.”

He turned his head to look at her, a teasing, mischievous look on his face.

“Okay, you’re not angry at all…” she teased.

The car slowed to a stop outside the city hospital near their home. Although Jiang Li had said she was fine, Qi Shaoqiang insisted on acpanying her for a check-up to ease his mind.

After a leisurely Spring Festival holiday, Jiang Li’s clothing store reopened on the eighth day of the Lunar New Year.

Wang Juan and Ding Meifang arrived early in the morning to clean and set up the shop. They opened the store with high spirits.

Customers came in waves, and just as they were about to enter, Gu Zhanjin appeared with his two sons and announced, “Let me inform you that, starting today, you can no longer operate this store. We are reclaiming it.”

Ding Meifang was busy applying medicine to customers as per Jiang Li’s instructions when the hostile men scared off the customers who had been waiting.

Jiang Li gave a quick glance to Wang Juan, who silently reached for the phone to call Qi Shaoqiang, Fang Peilan, and report to the police.

“Our contract is for three years. You can take the house back if you wish, but we’ll only leave after the liquidated damages are paid!” Jiang Li said firmly.

“What the hell is this penalty for breach of contract? It’s my property, and I can take it back whenever I want. Get lost! I won’t allow you women to ruin my family’s reputation with your business!” the eldest son of Gu Zhanjin yelled.

Ding Meifang, frustrated, tried to argue, “You old fool, keep your mouth shut!”

Jiang Li stepped forward, stopping the confrontation. There were only a few women present, and she knew they would bear the brunt if things escalated.

“What did you say?” The eldest son slapped Ding Meifang across the face, leaving it red.

“e at me if you have a problem!” Jiang Li said fiercely, stepping in front of the others to shield them. She twisted the eldest son’s arm tightly, and with a snap, the sound of broken bones filled the air.

“This girl is strong! What a surprise!” the younger son muttered.

Furious, the younger son grabbed a chair and swung it at Jiang Li’s head.

“Boss!” Wang Juan cried out.

“Li!”

At the critical moment, Wang Juan rushed forward and stood in front of Jiang Li, taking the full force of the blow on her shoulder. The pain caused tears to stream down her face, and her hands trembled from the shock.