The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Only now did Jiang Anzhi realize he had been manipulated all along.
He had been so focused on obtaining the position of Jiang family president that he forgot the dangers lurking around him.
Pan Yu's target was the Jiang family, and Jiang Anzhi was naturally included!
Now that the original plan had failed, Pan Yu had not given up on avenging his brother. Therefore, he had exposed his accomplice, Jiang Anzhi; in doing so, he had managed to eliminate another person surnamed Jiang.
His brother's revenge was now complete!
Jiang Anzhi, after all his calculations, had been outplayed. The thought of it felt utterly unjust.
At the same time.
Xu Qin, kicking him while he was down, added, "So, the eldest son was an accomplice. Looking at it that way, it's highly possible that Jiang Yang deliberately presented the poisoned soup earlier."
Strike while the iron is hot! Ruthless, incredibly ruthless.
Xu Qin not only wanted to eliminate Jiang Anzhi but also his son.
Jiang Anzhi shouted in desperation, "No, no, absolutely not! Mother, although I was blinded by greed and obsessed with becoming president, I would never have intended to harm you!"
Indeed, Jiang Anzhi could never bring himself to harm his mother's life.
Xu Qin let out a cold laugh, "A scumbag like you, what kind of heinous act wouldn't you commit?"
Jiang Anzhi was on the verge of tears, "Xu Qin, you gossipy shrew, shut your stinking mouth!"
Jiang Mengxin stepped forward and said, "Jiang Anzhi, how dare you speak like that? First, your son nearly poisoned his grandmother, and then you betrayed the family, colluding with outsiders against the Jiang family. Your entire family is rotten to the core, how can you have the nerve to point fingers at others?"
Jiang Anzhi was both anxious and angry.
He was bad.
But some responsibilities were not his, and now Xu Qin and Jiang Mengxin were forcing them upon him, as if his imminent downfall wasn't enough!
Only now did Jiang Anzhi truly see the ugly faces of Jiang Mengxin's family.
Compared to them, Jiang Lan and Lu Ming seemed much more "lovable."
"Haha, hahahaha~~"
Jiang Anzhi suddenly burst into laughter, his demeanor becoming deranged.
Seeing this, Cao Chunhui felt both disappointed and heartbroken. She waved her hand, her voice heavy, and declared, "Jiang Anzhi, Jiang Yang, from this moment on, you are expelled from the Jiang family. You are no longer members of my Jiang family!"
Jiang Anzhi wept profusely.
Jiang Yang stood in stunned silence.
Where there was sorrow, there was also joy. Jiang Mengxin's lips curved into a sinister smile.
Without Jiang Anzhi, there was no one left to contest the presidential position with her. She would secure her place even more firmly.
Cao Chunhui continued, "Mengxin, from this moment on, you are the head of the Jiang family! Everything within the Jiang family, from top to bottom, will be decided by you. Grandmother will no longer be involved in any Jiang family affairs."
Sorrow can be deeper than death.
Cao Chunhui had been deeply wounded by her own son's betrayal, especially from the son she doted on the most.
She no longer wished to manage this family.
From now on, she would entrust everything to Jiang Mengxin and live out her remaining years in peace, uninvolved.
Seeing his elderly mother's heartbroken expression, Jiang Anzhi was filled with regret.
"Mother, your son is unfilial, I am truly unfilial!"
Jiang Anzhi kowtowed repeatedly.
The farce he had orchestrated had taken an unexpected turn, leading to this outcome.
He had gained nothing for himself and had only ended up sacrificing himself; more importantly, he had inadvertently paved the way for Jiang Mengxin, allowing her to seize all the benefits.
Anger, hatred, regret!
"Fame and fortune turn to dust in an instant!" Jiang Anzhi sighed, weeping uncontrollably.
Soon.
Police sirens wailed in the distance, and Jiang Anzhi, Pan Yu, and others were taken away; their jointly planned terrorist attack would likely result in years of imprisonment.
Before leaving.
Jiang Anzhi suddenly spoke, "Officer, I have a few more things to confess."
The police nodded, allowing him to say his final words.
Jiang Anzhi turned around, and to his surprise, found himself in front of Lu Ming. He looked at Lu Ming with sincere eyes and said, "Now I understand why the old man so strongly recommended you to protect the Jiang family before he passed. Although you have no money or background, the talent you've displayed truly surpasses anyone in the Jiang family."
In the past, Jiang Anzhi had been jealous and resentful of Lu Ming, refusing to acknowledge him.
But now, with nothing left to lose, Jiang Anzhi finally recognized Lu Ming's abilities.
He continued, "Thinking back, if you hadn't been around, the Jiang family might have already been ruined by me, an unfilial descendant. Lu Ming, thank you for guarding the Jiang family and preventing me from making a grave mistake."
Words spoken before death are often wise.
Although Jiang Anzhi was not facing death, only imprisonment, he had gained clarity at this moment.
If it hadn't been for Lu Ming's repeated heroic performances, the Jiang family would likely have been destroyed by Jiang Anzhi long ago. The thought sent a chill down his spine.
Hoo—
Jiang Anzhi let out a long sigh and said, "Although this rat has been dealt with, the Jiang family's crisis is not over. Lu Ming, you must be wary of one person."
"Who?" Lu Ming asked.
Jiang Anzhi said with utmost seriousness, "The head of the Yuan family, Yuan Chengji! All my wrongdoings were planned and instigated by him from behind the scenes!"
Lu Ming nodded.
Indeed.
With Jiang Anzhi's dull mind, he couldn't have come up with so many wicked ideas; there must have been a "mastermind" guiding him.
That person was Yuan Chengji.
Jiang Mengxin, standing nearby, said, "Don't worry, with me here, even ten Yuan Chengjis couldn't harm the Jiang family."
"Heh heh." Jiang Anzhi let out two cold laughs, "You? You're not even fit to carry Yuan Chengji's shoes. If not for Lu Ming, the Jiang family would have been destroyed by Yuan Chengji long ago. Mengxin, you should be grateful to the old man for bringing you Lu Ming, and you must cherish him."
These were kind words.
However, Jiang Mengxin found them extremely displeasing.
As the president, she was being so lightly dismissed, deemed less capable than a mere groundskeeper?!
"Hmph," Jiang Mengxin retorted dismissively.
Finally.
Yuan Chengji looked once more at the dazed Cao Chunhui.
He bowed deeply and said with sincere humility, "Mother, your unfilial son must leave now. I hope that when I am released, I will still have the chance to show filial piety to you, my elder."
Cao Chunhui turned her face away.
Two lines of sorrowful tears streamed down her weathered, wrinkled face.
With all matters settled, Yuan Chengji was taken away by the police.
What began as a grand birthday banquet concluded in such a ludicrous and laughable manner.
Cao Chunhui, leaning on her cane, left the hotel lobby alone, without anyone to support her, slowly heading towards a solitary life.
Jiang Yang, expelled from the Jiang family, would forever be erased from its history.
Jiang Lan and Lu Ming, having witnessed all this, were unsure whether to hate Jiang Anzhi or pity him. He was truly a pathetic, deplorable, and detestable person.
A man blinded by his lust for power.
Beyond all this.
The biggest winner was Jiang Mengxin!
Now, she was not only the female president of the Jiang family but also its matriarch. No one could ever stand above her again.
"The Jiang family is mine!"
Jiang Mengxin's heart soared with joy, and she let out a resounding laugh.