A meal was not yet finished when visitors arrived.
They were looking for Nan Bei, intending to capture Zhu Jin.
Of course, out of unknown caution and their "gentlemanly" demeanor, they couldn't directly say they were there to apprehend someone. Instead, they brought Zhu Jin's mother and brother.
Jiang Jin did have a brother, but compared to her, the inferior product, he barely met the Jiang family's standards and was not sent to the slums.
Nan Bei watched the visitors expressionlessly.
"May I ask what brings you here?"
The well-maintained middle-aged woman cried, looking at Zhu Jin, "Jin'er, I am your mother! Do you remember? It's your mother!"
"I don't remember." Zhu Jin was teasing the soft and cute little cub in her arms, pinching his chubby cheeks, and watching him bounce excitedly. It was a rare good mood.
"It's my fault, if it weren't for my incompetence back then... But I had no choice, Jin'er. If I hadn't sent you away, you wouldn't be alive now. I had my reasons, Jin'er..."
"What exactly are you here for?"
Jiang Tao did not pay much attention to Nan Bei. In his eyes, both Nan Bei and Jiang Jin were lowlifes from the slums, not worthy of speaking to him.
However, he was under orders from the higher echelons of Heaven, so he wouldn't be foolish.
"Mr. Nan, long time no see. How are you and your cousin doing? Why haven't I seen him out?"
Jiang Feng's Jiang family and Jiang Jin's Jiang family were from the same clan. Jiang Feng was a legitimate heir, while Jiang Tao was a collateral descendant, several generations removed, a byproduct... one of them.
Jiang Feng's pursuit of Nan Bei had been a sensation. He was a top-tier heir, one of the best in all of Heaven. Even his smallest actions were magnified, let alone publicly pursuing a "lowlife" from the slums.
Many people gossiped about him and Nan Bei behind their backs.
This included Jiang Feng himself.
He envied and was jealous of Jiang Feng, yet he felt that pursuing a lowlife was beneath his status.
"Cousin?" Nan Bei's expression was one of disgust and indifference. "What are you? Does Jiang Feng know what kind of person you are?"
Jiang Tao's face stiffened, and he barely managed to suppress his anger. He forced a smile and said, "Mr. Nan is right. I am overreaching. Madam Li and I are here today to bring back my sister, Jiang Jin. My father wishes to see her."
The self-proclaimed noble, a high-class individual, even referred to his mother as a concubine.
Nan Bei wore a look of mockery.
"Miss Jiang is our guest. Whether she is willing to leave with you is her freedom. I will not obstruct our guest's departure, nor will I allow anyone to go against her wishes."
The meaning was clear: if Zhu Jin was unwilling to go, they could not take her.
Jiang Tao's expression was beginning to crack after being humiliated twice.
He gritted his teeth, "...Fine, then I'll ask my sister."
"As you wish."
"Jiang Jin, I am your brother. Father wants to see you. Can you come with us?"
"No."
Zhu Jin placed the little cub in a nearby cradle. The cub, however, refused to let go of her finger, wanting to "take advantage" even though its eyes were already closing.
"Little rascal."
She didn't forcibly pry his hand open.
"Ah Jin." He started to butter her up, "Madam Li's decision to send you away back then was out of helplessness. She did it for your own good. Now that you've grown up, father wants to see you for your own good. Perhaps you can stay here in the future. Don't you like it here?"
"I don't like it."
If it weren't for her desire to avoid killing and karma, she would have preferred to kill.
Jiang Tao hit a wall, and the woman continued her brainwashing, "Jin'er, Mother knows she wronged you, but now Mother truly wants you back. As long as you go back and see your father, you're so beautiful, your father will definitely acknowledge you. Then he'll find you a rich man, and you'll be set for life. Jin'er, Mother is doing this for your own good!"
"Damn it! I'm about to puke from disgust!" Zhan Ying heard this and became furious, lashing out violently.
"Auntie, where do you get off? You lost your daughter for over a decade and now you want her back? Are you trying to fool ghosts? And find a rich man, aren't you disgusted with yourself for pimping out your own daughter? If you're disgusted, fine, but you're dragging your daughter into it. It's truly your daughter's misfortune! Miss Jiang, don't listen to her, this old woman is venomous."
The woman, accustomed to the frailty of a honeysuckle, had never encountered such a scene. She could only cry when Zhan Ying scolded her.
Jiang Tao frowned with disgust, "As expected, a lowlife from that side, no manners at all."
Zhan Ying stood up and kicked him, "I have manners for your mom! Get lost, you great idiot! Scram!"
With several kicks, Jiang Tao was rendered speechless.
"Ah! Don't hit me! Don't hit me..."
The honeysuckle-like woman rushed forward to protect her son, "Young Master Liu, what's wrong? Are you hurt anywhere? Let me see..."
Everyone could no longer bear to watch.
Nan Bei stood up, "Show them out!"