C13 They Had Reaped the Bitter Fruit of Their Own Actions

"What's going on here..." Yichen's smile faded as he moved closer to Chuman, his expression turning serious. "Am I really that scary to you?" he whispered in her ear, feeling satisfied when she shivered slightly.

"No... not at all." Chuman closed her eyes and swallowed hard. She couldn't help but be frightened. She knew a bit about the depths of the Jiang family's affairs, which were far from ordinary family feuds. When she first heard Yichen's name, his high intelligence was as well-known as his ruthless methods. He was rumored to be capable of turning against his own family, let alone a stranger like her. Maybe the stories were exaggerated, but they weren't entirely baseless. She could act tough when he was powerless in bed, but now that he was sitting right in front of her, how could she not be afraid?

"I'm good at keeping secrets. I can pretend I know nothing," Chuman said, taking a deep breath, trying to regain his trust.

"Haven't you been suspicious for a while? You've tested me several times," Yichen replied, his smile gone as he sat back on the sofa across from her. His cold, indifferent gaze was intimidating.

Chuman closed her eyes, regretting her actions. When she first arrived at the Jiang household, the behavior of the staff made it hard not to be suspicious. Her attempts to test him had been more like playful pranks, and now she was facing the consequences.

"You don't need to worry. If I held a grudge, you wouldn't have seen the sunrise this morning. For your efforts to save me last night, you're safe for now."

Jiang Yichen was raised in luxury, always in a position of power. In the business world, he was strategic and decisive. Despite his striking looks, he commanded fear and respect, making people often forget his age.

However, the family butler, who had cared for him since childhood and loved him like his own grandson, could see that Yichen was in a playful mood. The old butler closed his eyes, thinking that Bai Chuman would have to fend for herself.

"What do you need me to do?" Bai Chuman asked. Jiang Yichen didn't seem like someone who did good deeds. Having heard stories of his coldness and ruthlessness as a child, she found it hard to believe she could easily earn his forgiveness.

Yichen's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly as he leaned back on the fabric sofa, his chin slightly raised.

"The illegitimate daughter of the Bai family, sent to live with them at fifteen, betrayed and humiliated by your own sister. You never fought back. Three years ago, when Bai Aixue wanted to take your master's degree in finance and study abroad, you finally resisted but were thrown out of the Bai family. Your mother was driven to suicide, and then there was a fire that took your first love." In just a few words, he summed up the first part of Bai Chuman's life—blunt and straightforward, yet hard to accept.

Bai Chuman lowered her eyes, trembling all over, biting her lip hard. Anyone would react if their life was summed up so simply and tragically by someone else.

Jiang Yichen, not one to let things slide, clicked his tongue twice. "People walk all over you, and you still thank them with a smile. No wonder the Bai family doesn't take you seriously. When have you ever shown them your strength to make them fear you?" He took in Bai Chuman's expression and continued, "A lot of this is because of your own weakness."

The words "your own weakness" stunned Bai Chuman, her eyes filling with red veins as she closed them in despair. Jiang Yichen wasn't entirely wrong; even if she had fought back once back then, her mother might not have ended up the way she did.

"You've lived miserably enough. It's time for a change. I can help you!"

Bai Chuman looked at him in shock, as if she hadn't heard him clearly, her eyes confused.

"I can help you, as long as you listen to me. Those who wronged you in the Bai family, I won't let any of them off..." Jiang Yichen's words, though spoken lightly, hit Bai Chuman's heart one by one. Over the years, everyone watched as the Bai family pushed her and her mother to the brink, yet no one offered a helping hand—not even Jee Hanxin, who was bound by the ties between the Bai and Jee families.