Chapter 23: Utter Humiliation and Grievance

Li Yuyan was shocked that Xu Tao would appear at such an important internal meeting of the Li family.

Xu Tao, however, offered a scornful laugh and said, "Why wouldn't I dare to come?"

He pointed to the injuries on his face, his hand trembling as he spoke: "My men were crippled in your territory by that Guan Sheng!"

"Last night, I was just having a peaceful meal at Old Jiangnan, and this guy stormed in for no reason and beat me into this state."

"Why shouldn't I come? What reason do I have not to come? Li Yuyan, I heard you were the one who personally brought that guy into the group; don't you owe me an explanation?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd was stunned. Looking at the injuries on Xu Tao's face, they could hardly believe what kind of conflict had occurred at Old Jiangnan the previous night.

"No wonder the Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce removed our Li family from their ranks. It turns out that the head of the security department, this Guan Sheng, beat up Young Master Xu!"

"Where on earth does this Guan Sheng get the nerve? He deserves to die."

"Exactly! Li Yuyan, where did you find such a troublemaker? Hand him over at once!"

"..."

Li Yuyan clenched her fists, glaring at Xu Tao: "An explanation? What kind of explanation do you want?"

"Your men were crippled because they were the ones who attacked our group's staff first."

"As for you being beaten, I think you deserved it. Do you dare to admit that the one billion you donated wasn't a scheme to get me to sleep with you?"

Xu Tao shrugged, spread his hands, and shamelessly shook his head.

"I don't admit it. Do you have any proof?"

"You!" A rush of anger surged to Li Yuyan's heart; she never expected Xu Tao to be so shameless.

Xu Tao arrogantly teased, "Tell me, Li Yuyan, what kind of twisted thoughts are you having to ask such a stupid question?"

"Or is it that you actually want to sleep with me and just can't find an excuse?"

"Hahaha... I know, Young Master Qi has kept you waiting too long, leaving you lonely and starved for affection. But you don't have to be so desperate to sleep with me!"

"Whether I'm willing is another matter entirely!"

"You beast!" Humiliated to this extent, Li Yuyan's face turned ghastly.

Just then, Li Yuxue added insult to injury: "Young Master Xu, is she not desperate?"

"She has already found herself a gigolo to keep. I reckon this slut has long been tangled up with that Guan Sheng."

"Grandfather, if you don't punish this wretch Li Yuyan, and Young Master Qi finds out that the woman he reserved is this kind of trash, our Li family will be finished."

"..."

With the two of them trading barbs, Li Yuyan felt like an ant on a hot pan, frantic and at a loss for what to do.

A slut? A wretch?

A few sentences had painted her as so despicable that she couldn't clear her name even if she jumped into the Yellow River.

"This is slander, Grandfather! It’s not what you think."

"They are lying."

Li Jianjun sat with a grim face, the dark veins on his forehead becoming more prominent.

Xu Tao scoffed: "Slander? Really?"

"I have witnesses."

With that, he clapped his hands: "Come in!"

As the words fell, a young man with dyed yellow hair led a group of sturdy men into the room, carrying a stack of documents.

Seeing the yellow-haired youth, Li Yuyan felt a vague sense of familiarity, though she couldn't place him immediately.

After they entered, they all bowed to Old Master Li.

Xu Tao stood with his hands behind his back, speaking coldly: "Introduce yourselves."

"Yes."

The yellow-haired youth nodded and immediately knelt before Li Jianjun.

Seeing this, Li Jianjun stood up abruptly: "What is the meaning of this?"

The youth held the documents up with both hands: "Reporting to Old Master Li, my name is Liu San. I am from a poverty-stricken household in the Laolao Mountains in the west. Because I had a heart condition, I received donations and help from the Li Family Charity Group."

"The people beside me are also from the Laolao Mountains, and we all view you as our benefactor."

"If it weren't for the charity group you founded, our village would likely have been trapped in that remote corner forever, never able to leave the mountains."

"You built us mountain roads, you built us schools, and you gave hope to children like us left behind. You are truly a righteous official."

"Let me kowtow to you..."

With that, Liu San was the first to knock his head against the floor, and the others immediately followed suit, bowing to Li Jianjun.

Seeing this act of devotion, the stern look on Li Jianjun's face softened considerably, replaced by a kindly smile.

"Stop kowtowing, get up, everyone get up. This is only what I should have done."

"Being able to help you is my blessing. Everyone, stand up!"

He even walked forward personally to help Liu San up. At the same time, he took the documents from them, examined them, and confirmed the authenticity of their identities.

"This really is the seal of my charity group. I do recall the Laolao Mountains, though that was seven or eight years ago. I didn't realize you had all grown up so much."

"Tell me, what brings you to Jiang City..." Li Jianjun asked.

Xu Tao immediately interjected: "Old Master Li, you should ask your granddaughter, Li Yuyan, what she has done."

Hearing this, Li Yuyan realized something was wrong: "What have I done?"

"Xu Tao, what are you planning?"

Xu Tao said indifferently: "Li Yuyan, I gave you a chance, but you didn't want it."

"Since you refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit, don't blame me."

"Old Master Li, listen well to what comes next. Make sure you don't faint from anger."

Li Jianjun's expression tightened: "Yuyan, what on earth have you done?"

Li Yuyan looked blank: "I don't know, Grandfather."

The yellow-haired youth, Liu San, immediately grabbed Li Jianjun's hand, tears streaming down his face: "Old Master, don't blame Miss Yuyan. It's our fault, it's all our fault."

"Miss Yuyan did nothing wrong!"

Li Yuyan: "??"

Li Jianjun seemed to realize something, shouting: "What did she do?"

Liu San said in a hoarse voice: "Nothing much. It's just that our village school only had one or two children left studying. Miss Yuyan felt it was a waste of money, so she withdrew the funding, pulled out the teachers, and even cleared out the desks and chairs."

"What?" Li Jianjun's brow arched.

Hearing this, Li Yuyan suddenly remembered a piece of information from the documents she had been organizing the night before regarding the Laolao Mountains. She froze slightly.

Li Jianjun looked at her with cold eyes: "Is that true?"

Li Yuyan hesitated for a moment and replied: "Yes... that did happen."

"But it wasn't me! I only took over the position yesterday; I haven't had time to deal with it yet..."

Over on the side, Li Feng was pale with shock—that was something he had done to save on expenses.

"Dad, this wasn't Yuyan's doing; it was mine."

"Shut up! I am asking her, not you." After shooing Li Feng away, Li Jianjun looked at Li Yuyan with even deeper disappointment.

Liu San said with ironclad certainty: "It was Miss Yuyan who did it. We even saw Miss Yuyan personally..."

"What?" Li Yuyan was dumbfounded: "You're lying! I've never even been to the Laolao Mountains."

Liu San pulled out a photo, which clearly showed Li Yuyan posing at the Laolao Mountain school.

Li Jianjun's gaze hardened: "What else do you have to say for yourself, Yuyan?"

"Oh, now you've learned how to lie, have you? You say you only took over for a day, but who in the Li family doesn't know that ever since Young Master Qi said he would marry you three years ago, your parents have already given you the management rights? Otherwise, why would you have gone abroad to study and gain experience?" Li Yuxue added, twisting the knife.

Li Jianjun trembled with anger: "Li Yuyan, tell me the truth!"

"I... Grandfather... it's not like that, it's not like that." Knowing how much her grandfather valued the charity projects, Li Yuyan shook her head repeatedly, denying it.

It was then that Liu San dropped another piece of news that shocked everyone.

"Old Master, don't blame Miss Yuyan anymore. If you must blame someone, blame us!"

"Miss Yuyan actually gave us a chance. She said that as long as we could satisfy her desires and make her happy, we could regain the funding."

"We tried our best, but we have been malnourished for years, so we couldn't make Miss Yuyan happy. It was our fault for lacking endurance."

"If it wasn't for us being inadequate, that guy named Guan Sheng wouldn't have had the chance to satisfy Miss Yuyan's desires, which is how he turned from a nobody into a phoenix and became the head of your security department!"

"Old Master, it's all our fault."

"..."

*Whack! Whack! Whack!*

As these words fell, everyone was frozen in place.

Li Feng and Xu Hong jumped up, unable to believe what they were hearing.

"This is slander!"

"This is all a lie!"

They argued, but no one paid them any attention.

Li Yuxue, as if having seized an opportunity, sneered: "No wonder Li Yuyan walks so strangely. It’s obvious she’s no longer a virgin!"

"You wretch, you slut! I never thought you were this kind of trash."

Li Yuyan’s breathing became rapid, and tears of grievance flowed uncontrollably: "No, it's not like that, it's not like that! This is slander!"

"Grandfather, this is slander, this—"

"Slap!" Before she could finish, the sound of a heavy blow rang out.

Li Jianjun’s eyes were dark and gloomy as he struck her hard across the face.

"Li Yuyan!"

"You are a member of the Li family."

"You... you... you have disgraced our family name!"