I Am Already A Queen

Chapter 105: Chapter 105: Do As You Please

Bang!

A heavy wooden door slammed shut with such explosive force that the violent echo reverberated through the entire upper hallway.

Hearing the commotion, Feng Lan stepped out of her master bedroom, followed closely by Jiang Lukang, who had been drawn out of his study by the noise.

"What on earth is going on out here?" Feng Lan demanded, looking sternly at the three figures standing near the staircase.

"Chinan is throwing another childish tantrum. I will go talk to him and calm him down right now." Jiang Yanna quickly intervened, offering a sweet, dutiful smile. "Dad, Mom, Eldest Brother, Sister Meixia, you all go ahead down to the dining room. I will join you in a moment."

"He is already sixteen years old and still acting like a toddler." Jiang Lukang frowned, shaking his head in deep irritation as he looked at Feng Lan. "You really need to spend some time talking sense into him."

"Hmm... I will speak with him later." Feng Lan muttered, her expression tightening.

The family descended the staircase and gathered in the formal dining room.

It had been quite some time since Qiao Meixia had last shared a meal with Jiang Lukang. Between his demanding corporate schedule and endless business engagements, he rarely ate dinner at the estate. Once everyone took their designated seats, the meal commenced in silence.

Halfway through dinner, Jiang Lukang put down his utensils and turned his attention toward Qiao Meixia.

"Meixia, how are you finding your classes at Hannan First High?" Jiang Lukang asked, trying to sound like a concerned father.

"Hmm... Not bad." Qiao Meixia answered concisely.

Having delivered her brief reply, Qiao Meixia fell completely silent, picking up her chopsticks and quietly resuming her meal without adding another syllable.

Jiang Lukang’s brows furrowed instantly. He could acutely feel the stark contrast between Qiao Meixia and Jiang Yanna. If he had posed that exact question to Jiang Yanna, she would have launched into an enthusiastic, detailed recount of her school life, gushing about her classmates, her favourite teachers, and every minor, entertaining event that had occurred throughout her day.

Qiao Meixia, however, offered not a single extra word.

Feeling slightly slighted, Jiang Lukang turned his gaze toward his eldest son instead.

"Suhan, remember, you need to fly out to Subei City for the industrial inspection tomorrow morning." Jiang Lukang reminded him coldly.

"Hmm... I understand." Jiang Suhan replied flatly, continuing to eat his food without looking up.

Jiang Lukang paused, glancing back and forth between Jiang Suhan and Qiao Meixia.

For some inexplicable reason, he suddenly noticed a startling resemblance in the way his son and his newly reclaimed daughter behaved. Both of them delivered agonisingly short, direct answers before instantly tuning him out and returning to their food without a trace of conversational warmth.

Sensing the heavy weight of his father’s stare, Jiang Suhan raised his eyes.

"Dad, is there something else you wanted to say to us?" Jiang Suhan asked, his tone neutral.

"Nothing." Jiang Lukang muttered, looking away as he abruptly picked up his water glass.

Just as the silence settled over the table, Jiang Lukang remembered another critical matter he needed to address.

"Meixia, I plan to host a formal welcome banquet in the coming weeks to officially introduce your identity to high society." Jiang Lukang announced, his tone corporate and unyielding. "However, to avoid unnecessary scandal, you will be introduced as Yanna’s twin sister, the frail, sickly child who was sent to the quiet countryside years ago to recuperate. Since your health has finally stabilised, we brought you back home to live with us. That is the official story we will be presenting to the public from now on."

"What? A twin sister? Are you serious, Dad?" Jiang Suhan frowned deeply, his voice sharp with immediate disapproval. "People in our circles are not blind. If anyone bothers to dig into the public records, they can easily trace Qiaoqiao’s real background."

"Suhan, do you really intend to push Yanna completely out of this family?!" Feng Lan interrupted angrily, slamming her glass onto the table.

"Mom, I am not forcing her out." Jiang Suhan explained patiently, keeping his composure. "She can certainly continue living with us in the estate. But trying to fake a twin pregnancy sixteen years after the fact will only make our family a laughingstock. The most logical solution is to officially designate her as our adopted daughter."

Before Feng Lan could voice a response, a soft, heartbroken sob echoed from the entrance of the dining room.

It was Jiang Yanna. She stood alone, as Jiang Chinan had stubbornly refused to come down for dinner. The moment she had stepped into the room, she had overheard her eldest brother suggesting to their parents that her status be reduced to an adopted daughter.

To her, that suggestion was an intolerable humiliation. She refused to be stripped of her proud title as the legitimate eldest daughter of the Jiang Family. She wanted to retain her position as their true, biological bloodline in the eyes of the world.

"Eldest Brother..." Jiang Yanna choked out between muffled sobs, tears streaming down her pale cheeks. "Do you really despise me so much that you want me to yield everything to Sister Meixia?"

Seeing her beloved daughter weeping so bitterly, Feng Lan’s heart broke. She immediately dropped her chopsticks, rushed over to Jiang Yanna’s side, and pulled the trembling girl into a tight, comforting embrace.

"This is not about yielding." Jiang Suhan stated firmly, remaining unmoved by the dramatic display. "This is simply about acknowledging the objective truth."

"Jiang Suhan, that is enough!" Feng Lan snapped, glaring venomously across the table at Qiao Meixia. "Yanna will forever be known as my daughter, my legitimate daughter! Even if I was not the one who physically carried her, I have raised her in my arms since she was a newborn baby! She is my daughter, and no one in this house will ever deny that fact!"

Yet, despite the fierce glare directed her way, Qiao Meixia did not bother to spare Feng Lan a single glance. She casually picked up a piece of meat with her chopsticks and continued eating with complete, unbothered serenity, as if the hysterical drama unfolding before her was nothing more than background noise.

Jiang Lukang’s eyes narrowed slightly as he observed Qiao Meixia’s stoic demeanour. This daughter of his... did she truly feel no emotion whatsoever after hearing her own birth mother disown her place in the family so openly?

"Meixia," Jiang Lukang called out, throwing the question directly at her. "What is your stance on this arrangement?"

Qiao Meixia finally paused, slowly raising her eyes to survey the faces gathered around the dining table. Every pair of eyes was fixed on her, waiting to see if she would throw a tantrum or beg for her rightful title.

"Whatever." Qiao Meixia replied flatly, her voice void of any emotional disturbance. "Do as you please."

Without waiting for their reaction, she smoothly set her chopsticks down and stood up from her chair.

"I am finished." Qiao Meixia stated.

Leaving those brief words behind, she turned on her heel and glided out of the dining room without offering another glance.

Seconds later, Jiang Suhan also put down his utensils and stood up.

"I am finished as well." Jiang Suhan stated coldly.

He turned and strode out of the house into the cool evening air. Having spent the last few days observing Qiao Meixia, he had quickly learned her subtle daily habits. Whenever she finished eating dinner at the estate, she preferred taking a quiet, solitary stroll around the private garden to unwind. And his assumption proved correct.

Under the soft glow of the landscape lights, Qiao Meixia was walking slowly along the stone path through the garden. Jiang Suhan picked up his pace, quickly catching up to her side.

"Qiaoqiao." Jiang Suhan called out gently.

Qiao Meixia paused, turning her head toward him with a slight nod to acknowledge his presence. Jiang Suhan fell into step beside her, walking in quiet harmony for a few paces before speaking up.

"Qiaoqiao... Do you feel hurt?" Jiang Suhan asked softly, his eyes filled with unspoken concern.

"Huh? Hurt?" Qiao Meixia tilted her head slightly, her pitch-black eyes reflecting genuine confusion. "About what?"

She truly could not fathom why Jiang Suhan was asking her such a dramatic question.

"You saw how Mom dotes on Yanna." Jiang Suhan clarified, his tone heavy with sympathy. "Don’t you feel any resentment or sadness seeing your own biological mother shower all her affection onto someone else?"

Qiao Meixia came to a complete halt, gazing into the quiet darkness of the garden as she pondered how to articulate her thoughts.

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