Fang JunRong had never crossed paths with Jiang WenYu in her previous life. She and her daughter were in the first half of the book, while Jiang WenYu was in the second half.
In the book, Jiang WenYu and Zhang Bi, a suitor of Jiang YaGe's, were twins. Jiang WenYu was kidnapped when he was a child. The Zhangs were able to reunite with him again after he had grown up and brought him back home. However, Jiang WenYu harbored hatred for the Zhangs, which also extended to Jiang YaGe.
Jiang WenYu was very talented in the medical field and every bit as good as the miracle doctor Zhang Bi. After rejoining the Zhangs, his knowledge increased like a sponge soaking up water. In particular, he was a genius when it came to pharmaceuticals. He was especially sensitive in the area of taste and smell and could figure out ingredients from medicines.
He had caused trouble for Jiang YaGe over and over again. If it weren't for Jiang YaGe's Detoxification Pills, he probably would have wiped out the entire Zhang family. In the end, Jiang WenYu was no match for Zhang's and Jiang YaGe's cheat code and died from being poisoned. Zhang Bi, who "couldn't take it anymore," was the one who did it.
From the perspective of Jiang YaGe and the Zhangs, Jiang WenYu had it coming and only got what he deserved.
He was exhibiting all the symptoms of the Zhang's poison as described in the book. However, according to the book, Jiang WenYu was only discovered by the Zhangs and rejoined them[1] after he received a medical award overseas a year from now. At this time, he should just be a University professor.
Fang JunRong turned her attention back to the Buddha that was hanging around Jiang WenYu's neck. It gave her a familiar feeling, somewhat similar to what she felt from her jade.
Jiang WenYu was collapsed on the ground, his blood, black, came out of him and dripped onto the Buddha.
But nothing happened.
Fang JunRong turned to her bodyguards and said, "Take him with us. We should at least try to save him."
The bodyguards picked him up and shoved him into the backseat of the car.
Fang JunRong did not bring him back to her home but to another residence under her name that was close by. Jiang WenYu was unconscious the entire time, his brows furrowed deeply.
Once they had arrived, Fang JunRong gave him a Detoxification Pill, had the bodyguards watch over him, and turned in.
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When Jiang WenYu opened his eyes, the very first thing he did was to reach for the Buddha around his neck. He was glad that it was still there. He had been wearing this Buddha since he was a child. It was gold-colored initially. Over time, Jiang WenYu noticed that the statue would heal him every time he was injured. Each time he was healed, the color would fade a little more. It had turned almost all white now.
He looked around the room. There wasn't a lot of furniture – just a bed and a desk, however, it was obvious that they were very pricey from their quality.
He had walked outside the campus to mail something to his mother when he was attacked and forced to swallow a pill before being tossed under the bridge. Since then, he had experienced the pain of his life leaving his body bit by bit.
His face felt as if it were rotting, and his limbs felt weak. He didn't even know who he had offended that would want him dead. He struggled to remember the ingredients that were inside the pill that he was forced to swallow.
When he was fading in and out of consciousness, he heard a pleasant and majestic voice, "Take him with us. We should at least try to save him."
So, was that the person who had helped him? He wasn't feeling as awful as he had before he lost consciousness, and had regained a little bit of strength. One of the bodyguards, stood unassumingly next to the door, noticed that his eyes were open, nodded at him, and left.
After a short wait, Jiang WenYu saw a woman in a black dress walking over to him. The black dress contrasted greatly with her pale skin and made her look surreal. The woman was beautiful and graceful. Her temperament was elegant, and the way she looked at him nonchalantly seemed to have a hint of a smile in it.
"Thank you," said Jiang WenYu with his hoarse voice. He was gone so far this time that he wasn't even sure if his Buddha statue would have been able to save him. He likely would have died in that filthy corner without anyone even knowing about it.
"I just happened to be there at the right time," said Fang JunRong. She asked about his identity, as there shouldn't be any reason why she'd know who he was.
Out of his appreciation for her, Jiang WenYu did not hide anything, therefore Fang JunRong had learned that he was 29 years old and was a professor of science[2] at a nearby college.
"Do you need me to take you back to your place?" asked Fang JunRong.
Jiang WenYu paused for a second, then shook his head. "No, not yet." He didn't know who, but someone wanted him dead. Returning to his place before he found out what was going on would be a bad idea.
Fang JunRong thought about it for a bit. As much as Jiang WenYu was portrayed as the villain in the book, looking back at everything that he had done, he had never hurt any innocent people. He had always aimed his ammunition at the Zhangs. Plus, he was very loyal to those who had helped him in the past.
She produced an azure porcelain[3] bottle, put it on the nightstand next to his bed, and said, "This is the medicine that you had last night. It works for the poison that was in your body. You can give it a try. If you can make this from scratch, you would be doing me a huge favor."
Two of the ingredients used to make the detoxification pills – Phymatopsis trisecta and Qingxia – were not from this world. She had tried to plant them in the real world, but they both died within a couple of days. If Jiang WenYu could figure out what ingredients could replace those two, even if the effects weren't as good as the original, it could still benefit others and would be a contribution to the world.
She picked up a notebook nearby and scribbled the formula in it. Granted, she left out Phymatopsis trisecta and Qingxia, as they did not exist in this world.
Jiang WenYu cleared his throat, and his eyes seemed to sparkle. In a very definitive tone, he said, "I will be able to create them." He had no idea why she had such faith in his ability, but he was willing to give it a try.
Fang JunRong nodded satisfactorily and added. "Don't worry, I will compensate you fairly for your work."
She contacted her lawyer and had him come over to draft a contract. His base pay would start at 50,000 yuan. For every worldwide publication that he published, he'd receive a 10% raise. Jiang WenYu would need to quit his current job before he could sign the contract.
Fang JunRong wasn't in any hurry. She had time. She could wait.
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On the other end, Jiang YaGe was staring at the portrait of 'Beautiful Women' laid out in front of her. This painting was given to her by Fang JunRong when she first came to the Li's. Jiang YaGe was very appreciative of it at the time and felt that her adoptive mother was genuinely nice to her. No, she couldn't call her her adoptive mother anymore.
She never would have thought that it was a counterfeit!
Did Fang JunRong use a counterfeit painting to trick her for her affection? Or did Fang JunRong consider her a fake? She gave Zhong Yi expensive jewelry!
Her eyes reddened. She had already spent the remainder of her money hiring appraisers to appraise the painting. She refused to believe it when the first appraisal result came. She had subsequently hired a few other appraisers, and every single one of them told her definitely that it was a counterfeit and that it was painted within the last five years.
Thinking about the looks of disgust that she had received from everyone, her hatred of Fang JunRong doubled. Why did Fang JunRong have to insult her so?
She wanted to tear the painting that had caused her such pain into pieces, but she also didn't want to let Fang JunRong get away with it just like that. But the gap between her and Fang JunRong was too big, plus Fang JunRong was ShiZe's mother. If she didn't handle it delicately, it might negatively affect her relationship with ShiZe.
Li ShiZe was the most elite person Jiang YaGe had ever met, and he happened to be fond of her. Especially after they had inadvertently become a couple, the two of them had been very close to each other. She already saw Li ShiZe as her husband in her mind, which meant Fang JunRong would be her future mother-in-law.
All of a sudden, Jiang YaGe felt very torn.
That quickly turned into self-pity. Why did she have to run into such an evil mother-in-law?
"YaGe, what's the matter?"
Jiang YaGe saw Li WangJin standing in front of her with a look of concern. She recollected herself and wiped away her tears, holding herself back. "Nothing. Nobody has mistreated me."
Li WangJin had been dealing with a string of misfortunes lately, and his company had lost several big orders. He had buried himself in work and didn't have that much time to comfort Jiang YaGe. He loosened his tie and said, "Good. We wouldn't want anyone to mistreat you."
Jiang YaGe tried and tried, but she finally couldn't help herself. Feeling unjust, she said, "Dad, this painting that Mom gave me seems to be a counterfeit.
"Why would she do that to me? Did she hate me from the very beginning?" The more she thought about it, the more unfair it felt, and she started crying all over again.
Li WangJin froze and looked over at the painting in question. His voice became louder. "That's not possible! JunRong isn't that kind of person. It must be the appraisers that you have hired. All they want is to trick you for money. You shouldn't fall for them!
"And why did you have the painting appraised for no reason? Do you not trust us?" Thinking that his reputation would be ruined should it ever come to light, Li WangJin couldn't think about anything else, and his voice became very severe.
Jiang YaGe was startled and dumbfounded, she felt even more unjust. Why did her adoptive father get angry at her? She was the victim here!
But she knew very well that she was only able to be a wealthy girl because of her adoptive father. She sniffled and gave him her usual delicate smile. "Yes, I understand. It's my fault. I shouldn't have misunderstood Mom."
Even though she had said that, Li WangJin was still worried. With a solemn look, he said, "School is about to start soon. If you have time to goof around, you might as well do some studying at home. You said you wanted to pick up the piano before? How's that coming along?
"What about your calligraphy and painting? I can sign you up for a few classes."
Perhaps it was precisely because Jiang YaGe had too much free time that she'd be messing around with this. He needed to fill up her schedule so she would stop thinking about all kinds of things. His heart almost popped out of his chest earlier.
Jiang YaGe felt like she was struck by lightning. Stuttering, she said, "No, no. That won't be necessary. I need to help ShiZe. I am his assistant now." She quickly threw out Li ShiZe as her excuse.
Li WangJin was no fool. "Yeah, right. You are not a professional. What could you do around him? Make him tea? You'd just distract him! I will hire a few tutors for you tomorrow."
He was the one who suggested that Jiang YaGe become Li ShiZe's assistant, and now he was the one who said it was a bad idea?
In the half an hour that followed, Jiang YaGe was flooded with all sorts of subjects. She was very dissatisfied. Finally, she walked back to her room, dazed. What had just happened? This was all Fang JunRong's fault!
She happened to see the painting that she had brought back with her and got an idea. There was a very hot show lately that would appraise antiques live. She could go on the show.
When the expert announced that this was a counterfeit, then it would have nothing to do with her. She wasn't the one who gave it away as a gift; it was Fang JunRong who did that!
She might naturally be a mild-tempered person, but she couldn't just let this go. It's time to find justice for herself! Her auntie was right; she shouldn't be a pushover. She needed to change.
[1] This would mean that even if Jiang WenYu wasn’t poisoned by Zhang Bi, it must have been someone from the Zhang’s
[2] none of the translations said what type of professor he was, so I added in that he's a science professor to make it more believable that Fang JunRong would immediately seek out his professional opinion as a scientist over her medication
[3] so I assume this is stating that the bottle is made of a porcelain with an azure blue color to it, but it could also mean the brand Azure Porcelain. The brand is a long standing brand that crafts high quality items made of porcelain, crystal glass, and porcelain adjacent pottery. Their creations are expensive, based in New Delhi and meant to embody Indian Craftsmanship, they have made porcelain bottles with blue azure color to it, so it could be both