Tang Chuchu had been away from home for ten days, and the Tang family hadn't looked for her.
In the eyes of the Tang family, Tang Chuchu was a disgrace to the family, a laughingstock in the Jiangzhong area. Without her, the Tang family's business was destined to reach new heights.
After Tang Chuchu's appearance had returned, she went with Jiang Chen to get her marriage certificate and then returned home.
Tang Tianlong had three sons.
The eldest, Tang Hai; the second, Tang Jie; and the third, Tang Bo.
Because of Tang Chuchu, Tang Bo was not well-received within the Tang family. Despite his diligent work and significant contributions to the family's development, he held a low position within the family and had no say.
Although Tang Bo was a manager at the Tang Group, he held no shares in the company and only received a monthly salary with no dividends, leaving his family struggling financially.
Even though they'd bought a house, they still had to pay the mortgage every month.
"Chen, this is my home."
Tang Chuchu brought Jiang Chen home and pointed at the closed door, saying, "It can't compare to the palace you live in."
Jiang Chen held her hand and smiled, "With you here, anywhere is home."
Tang Chuchu felt a warm feeling in her heart. She walked to the door and knocked gently.
The door opened quickly. It was Tang Chuchu's mother, He Yanmei.
Seeing a beautiful woman and a strange man at the door, she was startled and asked, "Who are you looking for?"
"Mom," Tang Chuchu called out.
The word "Mom" stunned He Yanmei. She stared at the stunningly beautiful woman before her, unable to react for a moment.
"Mom, I'm Chuchu, Tang Chuchu."
"Huh?"
He Yanmei was stunned. She stared at the ethereal beauty, who looked like she had stepped out of a painting, and asked in confusion, "You, you're Chuchu?"
"Yes, Mom, I'm fine. My scar is healed."
"Mom." Jiang Chen also called out.
"You?" He Yanmei was stunned again.
Tang Chuchu pulled Jiang Chen and said, "Mom, this is the grandson-in-law Grandpa found."
He Yanmei finally realized what was happening. She immediately pulled Tang Chuchu closer and said coldly, "I never acknowledged having such a son-in-law."
Then she touched Tang Chuchu's fair face. "Chuchu, is it really you? You...your face, the scars on your body, what's wrong with you?"
"Mom, I've been receiving treatment for the past ten days. I'm fine now. I'm completely fine now. I won't embarrass you anymore," Tang Chuchu choked out.
Ever since the incident, she had brought shame upon the Tang family, making them a laughingstock in Jiangzhong and making her parents unable to hold their heads up in front of outsiders.
"My daughter..." He Yanmei also hugged Tang Chuchu and cried heartbrokenly. "My daughter, I'm sorry. I ignored you before, and you suffered. You were wronged. Come in and sit down."
She pulled Tang Chuchu inside.
Her daughter's restored appearance gave He Yanmei other thoughts.
With her daughter's current beauty, she could easily marry a wealthy man, even into a wealthy family, instead of marrying a useless man who was greedy for wealth, lacked ambition, and was willing to marry into a family for money.
She glared at Jiang Chen, who sat beside her, and pointed at the door. "Get out."
"Mom, what are you doing? This is my husband, the grandson-in-law Grandpa personally chose."
"Let's go home to the villa and have Grandpa cancel this marriage."
He Yanmei pulled Tang Chuchu away.
"Chen..."
Tang Chuchu turned around, a look of helplessness on her face.
Jiang Chen shrugged, his expression nonchalant, and followed the two men.
In the Tang residence, in the villa's lobby, the Tang family members looked at the beautiful woman standing next to He Yanmei with expressions of disbelief.
Is this Tang Chuchu?
Is this the Tang Chuchu who had been disfigured ten years ago?
What happened? How could she have changed so much in just ten days?
"Chuchu, is that you?"
"Chuchu, really Chuchu? You went to Korea for plastic surgery? A full-body surgery? Is plastic surgery technology that advanced these days?"
The Tang family was filled with disbelief.
They couldn't believe the beautiful woman before them was the scarred Tang Chuchu.
Had she taken a magic elixir?
He Yanmei came straight to the point, "Dad, I don't agree with this marriage. With our Chuchu's current looks, she could easily marry into a wealthy family. How could she marry a useless son-in-law?"
Tang Tianlong, sitting on the sofa, smoking a pipe, stared at Tang Chuchu.
He didn't know what had happened.
How could Tang Chuchu, so disfigured, have healed in just ten days?
But Tang Chuchu was truly a beauty now. He nodded gently and said, "Yes, that makes sense. There are many unmarried men in the major Jiangzhong families these days. I'll use my connections to contact the major families and find a good family for Chuchu."
"I disagree."
Tang Chuchu stood up, tearfully saying, "Grandpa, you were the one who decided to marry me to Jiang Chen. Now that Jiang Chen has cured me, you're going back on your word. What do you think of me?"
"You idiot girl, what are you talking about? Slap..." He Yanmei slapped Tang Chuchu's fair face and scolded her, "What good is it to be with this poor boy?"
Tang Chuchu covered her bruised face with her hand, then picked up a fruit knife from the table and brought it to her face. "If you keep pushing me, I'll disfigure you."
"You..." He Yanmei trembled with anger.
"Enough!" Tang Tianlong roared, scolding, "How disgraceful! Tang Chuchu, Grandpa is doing this for your own good. With your current looks, marrying into a wealthy family is perfectly fine. Wouldn't it be nice to enjoy wealth and luxury? Why insist on following a poor boy?"
At this moment, Jiang Chen, who had been silent the entire time, stood up. Looking at the Tang family members present, he said calmly, "I, Jiang Chen, don't insist on being a live-in son-in-law of the Tang family, but this is between Chuchu and me. We've already obtained the marriage certificate. If she agrees to a divorce, I have no say. But if she doesn't, no one can force her."
"Boy, do you have a say here?"
Tang Lei, the eldest grandson of the Tang family, stood up, pointed at Jiang Chen's nose, and cursed, "You're just a useless son-in-law of the Tang family. You have no say in the Tang family. If the Tang family tells you to leave, you must leave."
Jiang Chen reached out and bent Tang Lei's finger, saying with a cold expression, "No one has ever dared to tell me what to do."
"Ah, it hurts."
Tang Lei cried out in pain, his body flexing, his face etched with pain. He pleaded, "I, I was wrong. Let go first."
Jiang Chen let go of him.
Tang Lei gasped for air, looking at Jiang Chen's impassive expression. Anger welled up in him, and he picked up the ashtray on the table and was about to smash it against Jiang Chen's head.
"What are you doing?" Tang Tianlong yelled. "Are there any more family rules? Put them down."
Tang Lei turned to look at Tang Tianlong with a mournful expression. "Grandpa, this kid's gone too far. You have to take care of this for me."
"Alright," Tang Tianlong puffed on his pipe and waved his hand slightly. He then looked at Jiang Chen standing before him and said, "I'll give you 500,000 yuan, and you divorce Chuchu. From now on, you have nothing to do with her."
"I won't," Tang Chuchu roared.
"You're rebelling!" Tang Tianlong slammed his hand on the table and shouted, "I'm still alive and still the head of the Tang family. I have the final say on Tang family matters."
Jiang Chen didn't want to see Tang Chuchu fall out with the Tang family.
He came back this time for two reasons: first, to repay a favor, and second, to seek revenge.
He didn't want his act of gratitude to cause Tang Chuchu any hardship or cause her to break away from her family.
"Grandpa, please give me a chance to prove that I, Jiang Chen, am no less capable than anyone else."
"A chance?" Tang Lei sneered. "Jiang Chen, your profile shows you're an orphan, raised in an orphanage, and only served in the military for a few years. How could you possibly be worthy of Chu Chu? I'll give you a chance. Qianjun Group, you know, our Tang family has always wanted to partner with Qianjun Group, but we've never been able to connect with them. If you can get Qianjun Group to work with the Tang family, then why wouldn't we acknowledge you as their son-in-law?"
Tang Lei had long disliked Jiang Chen. A retired soldier with no money and no power, what was he really so arrogant about?
He devised a plan to make things difficult for Jiang Chen, forcing him to give up.
He already had a suitable candidate for his sister-in-law in mind: Xiao Chen of the Xiao family, the foremost of the four wealthy clans.
"Grandpa, let Jiang Chen go get an order from Qianjun Group. If he can secure one, I'll recognize him. If not, get out."
Tang Tianlong puffed on his pipe and said, "Well, it's feasible. The Tang family specializes in medicinal herb processing. Qianjun Group has been expanding production recently and has been placing many orders. Countless medicinal herb processing companies are vying for orders from Qianjun. If you can secure a 30 million yuan order from Qianjun, I'll recognize you as the Tang family's son-in-law. I'll give you ten days..."
"Not ten days, I'll give you the order tomorrow."
With that, Jiang Chen took Tang Chuchu and left.
"That brat is so arrogant! Qianjun is the leading pharmaceutical group, with a market capitalization of hundreds of billions. Wanting to get orders from Qianjun is simply wishful thinking," Tang Lei said with disdain.
He Yanmei pleaded, "Dad, don't be soft-hearted. A 30 million order is nothing. With Chuchu's current looks, she could easily marry into one of the Four Great Families."
Tang Tianlong waved his hand slightly, saying, "Don't push too hard. Qianjun's orders are controlled by the Four Great Families, so they won't be easy to get. Let this bra back off. Then we can find a way to get Chuchu married into a wealthy family. As long as we can form an alliance with the Four Great Families, our Tang family will rise rapidly in Jiangzhong."