Chapter 672: Just Put on a Show

Chapter 672 Just Putting on a Show

Jiang Yu had no interest in getting involved in the He family's mess. This mess was none of her concern—it was entirely their own doing.

She looked at He Tingyue. "Should we head back?"

He Tingyue nodded. "Let's go."

As they stepped out of the restaurant, He Dongqi came running after them.

"You happy now?" he roared.

He Tingyue raised his eyelids, his deep eyes calm and steady, as if He Dongqi had never been worth his attention.

"Happy about what? Who caused all of this?"

He Dongqi froze, his entire body deflating like a punctured balloon.

"Isn’t this what you wanted?" He Tingyue said coolly.

Then, he took Jiang Yu’s hand and walked away.

Jiang Yu looked up at him, lacing their fingers together.

"Don’t be angry."

He Tingyue gazed at her glowing face and smiled genuinely.

He always avoided meddling in the He family’s affairs—precisely because he didn’t want to let them affect his emotions.

Out of sight, out of mind.

Now, with everything that had happened, he wasn’t worried about He Jingyi, but he couldn’t help worrying for the old man.

"Grandfather is getting old. If he finds out..."

Jiang Yu sighed and lowered her eyes. She had no regrets about telling Chu Yunmei.

Was it really the right thing to do—to keep choking down disgust and playing along for the sake of the old man?

Just like how He Jingyi and Wei Xiuru had gotten married.

Did the old man really not know what kind of person Wei Xiuru was? Yet he still let her into the He family.

It was pure self-deception, an attempt to maintain the illusion of a happy, united family.

"Even if Grandfather gets angry, it’s not our fault."

He Tingyue tightened his grip on her hand, his voice low. "I know."

While the banquet was dramatic, neither took any satisfaction. Instead, their hearts were heavy.

When they returned home, Jiang Yu got distracted by news from their neighborhood.

"Jiang Ting’s child was stolen!"

Jiang Yu asked right away, "What happened?"

Xu Lihua replied, "Apparently Wang Moli’s mother-in-law took the child. They called the police, but no sign of the child yet."

"Where could that old woman have gone?"

"Supervisor Deng got her a train ticket to return to the countryside today. By the time Old Lin noticed the kid was gone, she was already on the train."

They still weren’t sure if Old Lady Qian took the kid, but everyone was searching everywhere.

Yao Xiangling massaged her temples, annoyed. The housing complex was lively alright, but the nonsense never stopped.

"What the hell is this about? Why would she snatch someone else’s child for no reason?"

Xu Lihua scoffed. "What else? She likely snatched it for her country bumpkin of a son."

Or else her daughter-in-law would’ve killed her when she got home.

Several hours later, Old Lady Qian was caught and brought back.

But the child was still missing.

Someone saw her boarding with a kid in her arms.

But then—poof—the kid was gone.

Jiang Ting went straight for her throat, demanding her child back. Old Lady Qian insisted the child had been kidnapped.

"I just asked someone to hold him for a moment while I went to the bathroom. When I came back, he was gone! It wasn’t me—I ran into a trafficker! They took him!"

Old Lady Qian was bawling too—the grandson she’d barely gotten to hold, snatched away just like that.

Jiang Ting completely lost it. She let out a shriek and passed out cold.

Jiang Yu and Jiang Ting might’ve been on bad terms, but it still hit her hard.

She looked at Ning Ning in Yao Xiangling’s arms, trembling at the thought.

She couldn’t imagine how she’d feel if it were Ning Ning who went missing.

Days went by with no sign of Jiang Ting’s baby.

In the whole Fu household, only Jiang Ting seemed genuinely broken up about it.

Life went on like normal for everyone else.

Without this child, Lin Hongxia still had two other grandsons to dote on.

She lectured Fu Xiangyang sternly, "You better be good to these boys—love them as if they were your own. That’s the only way they’ll look after you when you’re old."

Fu Xiangyang hesitated. "Mom, let’s not talk about this now. The child hasn’t been found yet. Jiang Ting is heartbroken."

Lin Hongxia’s expression turned ugly. "That brat was never really Fu family to begin with. He can’t compare to my real grandsons. You should know where your loyalties lie. Just fake some sympathy—how can we possibly find him now, like finding a needle in a haystack?"

After a pause, Fu Xiangyang nodded.

Truthfully, he felt the same way.

But these words happened to reach Jiang Ting’s ears. She came charging in from outside, yanked Lin Hongxia’s hair, and started wailing on her.

In her fury, even Fu Xiangyang was no match for her—he took several slaps himself.

In the end, the whole family had to step in just to pull Jiang Ting away.

"You old witch, you'll meet a nasty end sooner or later! I don't need you to find my son, I'll find him myself. Let's see how long you rotten lowlifes can keep laughing!"

"I curse you, I curse your whole family to die horribly and die without heirs!"

Jiang Ting was blinded by rage, and in a frenzy, she trashed everything in the He family's home before grabbing her things and leaving.

As she stormed out of the estate, she paused and glanced back, vaguely remembering the day she first entered this place.

Back then, she had been over the moon, believing she had married into a good family.

The past few years now seemed like an illusion, gone like smoke.

Jiang Ting marched off, her figure resolute.

Xu Lihua wanted to chase after her but didn’t know what to say.

She turned to Jiang Yu and asked, "Aren’t you going to go after her?"

Jiang Yu shook her head. "No."

Outsiders might think her heartless, but the incident with the Du family was a wound that never healed in this lifetime.

Jiang Ting wasn’t a child—she had her own path to walk and couldn’t rely on others forever.

After that day, Jiang Ting never returned.

No one from the He family went looking for her either. Only Fu Xiangyang went through the motions of worrying for a few days but took no real action.

As for the situation with the He family, Jiang Yu was in the dark about it, as she hadn't been there for days.

May was a mild season.

People shed layers, and the weather warmed.

It was also time for Jiang Yu to begin her studies at the Textile Science Research Institute.

Accompanying her were a handful of others from textile and garment factories.

All were more experienced and naturally older than Jiang Yu.

She greeted each of them, but the three just eyed her coldly without responding.

Jiang Yu was certain this was their first meeting, so she was baffled by the cold shoulder.

Since they didn’t respond, she didn’t bother kissing up to them.

They were all here to learn—nobody's better than anybody.

Leading the four of them was the institute’s deputy director, surnamed Song.

Lao Song had graying hair and wore glasses, giving them the once-over.

"Do we have a fresh face this time?" His gaze settled on Jiang Yu.

"You're just a kid. How old are you?"

Jiang Yu replied, "I just turned twenty-three this year."

Lao Song cocked a brow. "Which factory? Position?"

"No. 3 State Cotton Mill. Assistant manager."

Lao Song squinted at her but said nothing more, simply jerked his head toward the door for them to follow.

"My specialty is synthetic fiber technology research. Aside from working with me, you’ll also attend my disciples’ lectures. It'll be grueling. If anyone can’t handle it, don't bother saying goodbye—just go."