Chapter 128: Sold the Stocks

Jiang Jinhui’s eyes dimmed slightly after hearing this. He had not expected that what she truly coveted was that twenty percent stake. Clearly, there was a hint of a transactional exchange in Jiang Ciyou’s words. However, Jiang Jinhui was a businessman. He understood this behavior perfectly well and even approved of it. He could only conclude that this daughter was sharp, knowing exactly when to secure the greatest benefit for herself.

Jiang Xiaoxiao’s expression, however, changed drastically. She pointed at Jiang Ciyou’s face and cursed, "Jiang Ciyou, have you no shame? You are nothing but an outsider! Out of the kindness of his heart after all these years, Dad already gave you twenty percent of the shares, yet you are still unsatisfied and are now eyeing the shares in my possession. You are simply insatiable, and I will never give them to you!"

Jiang Xiaoxiao was deeply anxious. There was a secret she absolutely could not let Jiang Jinhui and the others discover. She took a few steps to Jiang Jinhui’s bedside and knelt down immediately. She grabbed Jiang Jinhui’s hand and pleaded, "Dad, I was wrong. I know I was wrong. I will never be headstrong again; I will settle down and study design properly. I will succeed, Dad. Please believe me, I will succeed!"

Jiang Jinhui remained completely unmoved. In his heart, he had reached the point of total disappointment in this biological daughter. He spoke coldly, "You two previously made a bet: whoever lost would transfer their twenty percent stake to the other, and the Yan family acted as witnesses." His voice was heavy with implication: "Xiaoxiao, since you made the bet, you must be willing to accept the loss."

Jiang Xiaoxiao had not expected Jiang Jinhui to show no mercy at all. But she absolutely could not let anyone find out... She turned directly to Jiang Ciyou, her face shifting instantly. She put on a fawning, flattering expression: "Sister, my dear sister, I was wrong, I really was. I will never do anything stupid again. Let’s live in peace, shall we?"

Jiang Ciyou pulled her hand away and toyed with her long, wavy hair. She looked at her with calm eyes, though a trace of mockery played on her lips. "Jiang Xiaoxiao, what is the meaning of this?"

"Let’s just treat the matter of the shares as a joke, okay?"

"We are sisters; what kind of deep hatred could we possibly have?"

"From now on, I will listen to everything you say, all right?"

Jiang Ciyou laughed, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "A joke? Jiang Xiaoxiao, you are truly naive. Can every single thing just be brushed aside with a simple 'it was a joke'?" She raised a finger, admiring her freshly done manicure. "Last time you bet with me, saying that if I knew Miss Y, you would kowtow to me and call me your grandmother. You lost, but I let it slide when you brushed it off as a joke. Now you want to use the same excuse to skate by again. Is your 'joke' some kind of cure-all ointment that you just slap on wherever it’s needed?"

Jiang Xiaoxiao froze. She hadn't expected that she would still remember that incident from so long ago. She hadn't expected Jiang Ciyou to be so petty. Jiang Ciyou’s meaning was clear: she was still holding a grudge because Xiaoxiao hadn't kowtowed to her last time.

In order to appease Jiang Ciyou, Jiang Xiaoxiao hardened her heart. With a thud, she knelt before Jiang Ciyou. Her teeth dug into her lip until it almost bled. She kowtowed several times on the floor: "Grandmother, I was wrong." Her voice was filled with resentment, but she had no other choice. She absolutely could not let Jiang Jinhui and Yao Shulan discover her secret. She kowtowed a few more times and then stood up, her eyes brimming with tears of humiliation and spite. She was at the very limit of her endurance. "Jiang Ciyou, are you satisfied now?"

Jiang Ciyou merely smiled, light as a breeze. She folded her arms and leaned forward slightly, closing the distance between them. "My dear sister, if you were in my position, would you give up such an opportunity just because of a couple of apologies?"

Jiang Xiaoxiao was stunned, then erupted in rage: "Jiang Ciyou, are you playing with me?"

Jiang Ciyou remained firm. "Dad, the moment the shares under Jiang Xiaoxiao’s name are transferred to mine, I will go find Miss Y to handle the legal notice."

Jiang Jinhui knew deep down that someone like Jiang Xiaoxiao could no longer be relied upon. The future of *Qing Ben Jia Ren* depended on Jiang Ciyou. Furthermore, she was finally willing to call him "Dad" again. His daughter of twenty years, who possessed both talent and capability, was certainly a much safer bet than handing the company over to a professional manager.

"I will have the lawyer come over shortly," Jiang Jinhui said. He turned to Jiang Xiaoxiao: "Xiaoxiao, stop being willful. You created this mess, and your sister is willing to help—you should be thanking her properly. If Miss Y doesn't drop the lawsuit, the company’s stock will only continue to hit the limit down. Before long, we'll be bankrupt. Those shares in your hands would only be worth a pile of waste paper."

It was true; only by reconciling with Miss Y and issuing a public statement could *Qing Ben Jia Ren* be saved. Never mind twenty percent of the stock—even if he had to give the whole company to Jiang Ciyou, he had no other choice.

Jiang Xiaoxiao’s face turned deathly pale. Jiang Jinhui was already dialing his lawyer. Seeing that she could no longer cover it up, Jiang Xiaoxiao collapsed to her knees by Jiang Jinhui’s bedside once more. "Dad, the company shares... I have already... sold them..."

When Jiang Jinhui heard this, it was like a bolt from the blue. For a moment, he couldn't even process it. "Jiang Xiaoxiao, what did you say?"

Jiang Xiaoxiao closed her eyes, throwing caution to the wind. "I sold the company shares a month ago."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Jinhui pointed a trembling finger at her, his entire body shaking with rage. "You beast! Say that again!"

Yao Shulan also realized the gravity of the situation. She rushed to Jiang Xiaoxiao’s side and shoved her shoulder. "Who did you sell them to? Why would you sell them?"

Jiang Xiaoxiao naturally couldn't reveal the reason. She kept her head down and muttered, "I don't know, it was just some company. Everything was handled by lawyers when the contract was signed."

"You wretch! You don't even know who you sold them to? You actually sold off the company’s shares—how much did you sell them for?"

Jiang Xiaoxiao trembled as she answered, "Thirty million..."

Jiang Jinhui couldn't catch his breath, and he fainted from the shock. A month ago, given the share price of *Qing Ben Jia Ren* at the time, the market value was at least one billion. She had actually dumped them for a measly thirty million...

Yao Shulan was also beside herself with fury. She slapped Jiang Xiaoxiao across the face. "You... you... you are truly hopeless!"

At that moment, the regret in Yao Shulan’s heart reached its peak. She had always thought Jiang Xiaoxiao was just a bit headstrong, a bit rude, and a bit petty. She never imagined she would cause such a catastrophic disaster.

There wasn't a trace of surprise in Jiang Ciyou’s eyes, though she put on a look of utter shock. "Sister, you sold shares worth one billion for thirty million—are you trying to be the death of Father?"