Chapter 177: Wherever I go, there are people begging for a slap in the face

Ding-dong... The doorbell rang, and hurried footsteps echoed through the not-so-small villa. The door opened, revealing a young girl in a maid outfit, who poked her head out. When she saw the two people standing outside, her eyes widened in disbelief.

"What's wrong, Xiu'e? Don't you recognize me?" Qi Li, standing outside the door, rarely showed a smile and addressed the girl inside. Upon hearing Qi Li's words, the girl exclaimed loudly.

"Miss! The son-in-law is here! Madam, the young lady and the son-in-law are back!" After hurriedly letting Jiang Hai and Qi Li into the house, she ran inside, still shouting.

Jiang Hai chuckled behind her, having met Xiu'e several times before.

Speaking of Xiu'e, she had her own tragic backstory. Four years younger than Jiang Hai and the others, she was 23 years old. Her father, a long-time employee of Qi Li's father's company, passed away in an accident when Xiu'e was only twelve. Her family had been on a trip when they were involved in a highway accident that claimed her parents' lives. Though she suffered no physical injuries, the trauma affected her deeply.

Qi Li's father, feeling sympathy for the orphaned girl, took her in and raised her alongside his own daughter. Initially treated like a daughter, Xiu'e didn't see it that way. She always felt indebted to Qi Li's family. After turning nineteen, she chose not to pursue further education, knowing she wouldn't excel, and instead decided to work as a maid in their household, despite Qi Li's family insisting she didn't need to. Her stubbornness kept her working relentlessly, even when she wasn't skilled at first. Over the years, the family had grown accustomed to seeing her in this role, though anyone who dared treat her as just a servant would be in trouble—Xiu'e was always their third sister.

Jiang Hai had seen Xiu'e several times, though never when she was a child. He had become engaged to Qi Li and frequently visited, so he recognized Xiu'e instantly.

Following the directions of the other servants, Jiang Hai changed into slippers before walking into the living room, carrying the meat he had brought.

Upon entering, he saw four people sitting there: two men and two women, of varying ages. The elderly couple was seated on the sofa, while the younger pair—one man and one woman—sat nearby. The man was playing with his phone, but his eyes shifted toward Qi Li and Jiang Hai as they entered.

Qi Li's mother, hearing the door open, stood up from the sofa with a happy expression on her face.

Normally, she rarely saw her eldest daughter, and as for her son-in-law, she hadn't seen him for months. It seemed Jiang Hai hadn't visited at all in the past six months.

"Ah, Mom, Happy New Year!" Jiang Hai exclaimed as soon as he saw Qi Li's mother. He subconsciously went to call her "aunt," but before he could finish the word, Qi Li kicked him lightly. Jiang Hai, understanding the situation, corrected himself awkwardly. At that moment, the young man who had been playing on his phone sneered in disdain.

"What? You can't even call me mom and still call me aunt? Since when did you become so formal?" The man casually put away his phone, his tone dripping with mockery. Qi Li and her mother's expressions soured at his words. The two middle-aged men only smiled but didn't speak. It was clear that Jiang Hai wasn't well-regarded in Qi Li's family.

Had this happened six months ago, Jiang Hai might have endured it, but now it was a different story.

"Hey, Mom, when did we start having guests? It's New Year's Eve, and instead of celebrating with your family, you're here visiting? How ignorant." Hearing the man's remark, Jiang Hai ignored him and addressed Qi Li's mother directly. Qi Li shot a glance at him but didn't say anything. Qi Li's mother, who had watched the young man grow up, gave him a reproachful look. She knew how bold Jiang Hai could be.

"Who do you think you're calling an outsider?" The four people in the room froze when they heard Jiang Hai's words. The woman who had been ignoring him now stood up, her face flushed with anger.

"Aunt, what's your name?" Jiang Hai retorted, unflinching.

"You!" The woman was speechless, unable to argue back since she, too, was an outsider.

"Enough! Why are you arguing on New Year's Eve?" the man said sternly, trying to defuse the situation. He had a serious expression as he spoke to the group.

Upon hearing his words, everyone fell silent. Jiang Hai rolled his eyes. If you didn't want a quarrel, why did you allow your wife and son to act like this? When they were shouting, why didn't you intervene? Yet now you take the high ground? Ridiculous. Just as Jiang Hai was about to speak, Qi Li tugged at him, urging him to keep quiet.

Jiang Hai had seen this family before. The man was Qi Yuanlong, Qi Li's second uncle, and her father's younger brother. But compared to Qi Li's father, Qi Yuanlong wasn't much of a success—he was an opportunist who squandered everything he had. If it weren't for his shares in the company and the yearly dividends, he'd probably have starved by now.

The woman sitting beside him was Zhang Yu, a third-tier celebrity ten years his junior. She had been raped a decade ago and had only secured a regular job six years ago. The young man, Qi Zhengtao, Qi Yuanlong's son, was 23 years old and a notorious playboy. His greatest ambition was to inherit the company, but despite his high opinions of himself, he was incompetent. Qi Li's father had once tried to bring him into the company, but he made a mess of everything. Eventually, he was given some money to start his own business, but he failed at that too. Still, he believed it was just bad luck and needed more investment to succeed. Jiang Hai could only laugh at such delusions.

The woman beside Qi Zhengtao was his fiancée, Lu Si, the daughter of a branch manager in the Qi Group. She was beautiful, educated, and graceful, but she was like a flower stuck in manure.

"Come, come, sit down. It's been a while since you've been here," Qi Li's mother said, trying to ease the tension. She took Jiang Hai's hand and led him to the sofa, speaking as she walked.

"Your mother's not having it easy either. She's here alone, and Qi Li has work in the capital. You've nothing to do in Bingcheng, but you're here visiting every now and then. You should consider that." Qi Yuanlong took a sip of his tea, acting as if he were the elder, addressing Jiang Hai slowly.

"Mom, I've been abroad lately. I have a manor overseas, and I brought some beef from the cattle I raise there for you to try." Ignoring Qi Yuanlong, Jiang Hai continued speaking with a smile to Qi Li's mother, handing her the beef.

"Wait, you went to the countryside to raise cattle? What kind of cattle are you raising, buffalo?" Qi Zhengtao, who had been quiet up to now, spoke up with a mocking grin on his face.

"Stop talking nonsense," Jiang Hai shot back. "City folks and country folks—everyone works hard to support themselves. It's better than living off others." He glanced pointedly at Qi Zhengtao.

Qi Zhengtao, enraged by the comment, stood up immediately. His pride, rooted in his belief in his superiority and education, made him especially sensitive to being insulted by someone like Jiang Hai, whom he had always looked down on.

"Enough!" Qi Li's mother interjected firmly. "It's New Year's Eve. If you don't want to celebrate here, then leave!"

"Sorry, sister-in-law, I misunderstood. Zhengtao was just joking. Let's not take it seriously. By the way, my eldest brother should be here soon," Qi Yuanlong quickly backpedaled, trying to change the subject.