I Am Already A Queen

Chapter 112: Chapter 112: Curious About Where The Money Come From

Jiang Nianzu had recognised the machine outside instantly. It was a top-tier Ducati Panigale V4 R, completely customised with bespoke bodywork and high-end aftermarket modifications.

"Well... it seems my Third Brother dotes on my niece quite generously." Jiang Nianzu remarked, assuming Jiang Lukang had funded the purchase.

"No." Qiao Meixia replied concisely.

"Huh? No? Then who bought it for you?" Jiang Nianzu asked before whirling around to face his mother. "Did you buy it for her, Mom?"

"Of course not!" Old Madam Jiang denied immediately.

"I bought it myself with my own money. Is there an issue?" Qiao Meixia tilted her head slightly, her dark eyes looking at him with cool detachment.

Jiang Nianzu stood completely dumbfounded, his brain struggling to process her words.

"Aren’t you supposed to be poor?" Jiang Nianzu blurted out without thinking.

The entire room instantly fell dead silent. Everyone, including his own wife and children, turned to glare at him with sharp, scandalised expressions.

"Sorry, sorry! My tongue slipped!" Jiang Nianzu raised his hands in quick surrender, sweating under the collective glares. "No offence meant, truly!"

"I work and save my money." Qiao Meixia stated calmly.

Technically, she was telling the absolute truth. She did work, and she did save her earnings. It was simply that the specialised, black-market contracts she undertook yielded astronomical payouts, with her baseline fee starting at no less than ten million per assignment.

Meanwhile, Jiang Nianzu was dying to know what kind of legal job a high school girl could possibly do to casually afford a custom superbike worth over half a million dollars. If such a lucrative career existed, he wanted in on it too.

Jiang Nianzu’s eyes gleamed with unbridled curiosity as he leaned closer.

"What kind of work do you actually do?" Jiang Nianzu pressed.

"Various things." Qiao Meixia glanced at her fourth uncle, her face completely expressionless.

"What kind of various things?" Jiang Nianzu pressed again.

"Things that generate money." Qiao Meixia stated flatly.

Jiang Nianzu stood entirely frozen, utterly rendered speechless by her deadpan response.

Jiang Boqin immediately clamped a hand over his mouth, trying in vain to smother a burst of laughter. Beside him, Jiang Fenfang did not even bother exercising restraint. She threw her head back and let out a loud, ringing laugh. Even Old Madam Jiang’s lips twitched as a fond smile tugged at her mouth.

"Little Meixia, don’t mind him." Qi Meifeng interjected warmly, stepping in with a gentle smile. "Your fourth uncle is just naturally inquisitive like a child."

"I understand." Qiao Meixia nodded quietly.

"Well... I am genuinely curious! Can’t you share just a tiny detail about your job?" Jiang Nianzu scratched his head, looking thoroughly defeated.

"No." Qiao Meixia stated concisely.

"Why not?" Jiang Nianzu gasped, visibly stunned.

"Because you ask far too many questions." Qiao Meixia answered without hesitation.

Jiang Nianzu went stiff once more. Was his seventeen-year-old niece blatantly teasing him?

Jiang Boqin finally lost his battle for composure, clutching his stomach as he doubled over in uncontrollable laughter.

"Hahaha! Dad, you have finally met your match! Cousin Meixia, I hold you in the highest respect!" Jiang Boqin wheezed out between laughs.

"Jiang Boqin! I am your biological father! Instead of backing me up, you are standing there mocking me?!" Jiang Nianzu turned to glare at his son.

"Because it is genuinely hilarious!" Jiang Boqin shot back, unbothered.

"He is right, Dad! It’s extremely funny!" Jiang Fenfang chimed in happily.

"Where on earth is the humour in this?!" Jiang Nianzu barked in defensive frustration.

"Your expression right now." Jiang Fenfang stated deadpan.

Jiang Nianzu nearly choked on his breath. Old Madam Jiang shook her head helplessly at the chaos, while Old Master Jiang quietly cleared his throat to hide his own amused chuckles.

"Mom, Dad, look at how my own children treat me!" Jiang Nianzu complained pitifully.

"Enough, Nianzu. Stop badgering Meixia the moment she steps through the door." Old Madam Jiang instructed sternly.

Jiang Nianzu reluctantly fell silent, though his intense gaze remained glued to Qiao Meixia. The sheer math simply did not add up in his head.

A custom Ducati Panigale V4 R was not a toy anyone could casually pick up. The bespoke, high-grade dark purple coat alone cost a fortune.

More importantly, she had explicitly stated she purchased it with her own private funds. Where could an orphaned seventeen-year-old high school student possibly acquire hundreds of thousands of dollars in disposable income?

He was not the only one mulling over the mystery. Jiang Fenfang bounced on her heels, eyeing the sleek machine with sudden fascination.

"Cousin Meixia, do you actually know how to command a beast like that?" Jiang Fenfang asked eagerly.

"Hmm." Qiao Meixia gave a small nod.

"Is it difficult to handle?" Jiang Fenfang asked again.

"No." Qiao Meixia shook her head.

"Can I try riding it?" Jiang Fenfang asked, her eyes sparkling with hope.

"No."

"NO!"

Two resounding refusals echoed simultaneously. The first came from Qiao Meixia’s calm, flat voice, while the second boomed from Old Madam Jiang with absolute, ironclad authority.

Jiang Fenfang’s eager smile instantly froze on her face. "Why not?!"

"You will crash it." Qiao Meixia and Old Madam Jiang answered in perfect, chilling unison.

Now it was Jiang Fenfang’s turn to be rendered completely speechless.

Jiang Boqin burst into another loud laugh. "Hahaha! Cousin Meixia hit the nail right on the head! Fenfang, have you already forgotten what happened last year? You begged Grandma just to sit on her parked superbike, and even without the engine running, you somehow managed to topple the entire machine over! Grandma nearly had a heart attack! You are an absolute walking hazard."

"That was a complete fluke! I am not a hazard!" Jiang Fenfang protested, her face flushing red.

"Oh really? What about last month when you nearly drove Grandpa’s golf cart into the lotus pond?" Jiang Boqin listed off casually.

"That was a technical accident!" Jiang Fenfang argued back loudly.

"And when you were ten, you crashed your bicycle straight into a brick wall—" Jiang Boqin continued.

"That was also an accident!" Jiang Fenfang stated.

"And you fell into the swimming pool—" Jiang Boqin wanted to continue, but Jiang Fenfang cut him off.

"Jiang Boqin! Shut up right now!" Jiang Fenfang screeched, her face burning with utter embarrassment as her brother publicly aired her tragic history of clumsiness.

Qiao Meixia silently observed the lively bickering between the two siblings. A quiet realisation washed over her.

This family branch was noisy. Exceedingly noisy.

Yet, unlike the suffocating atmosphere at the main Jiang Family Residence, where every spoken sentence was laden with hidden schemes, polite malice, and calculated manipulation, the energy here was remarkably genuine and unburdened. No one was calculating profit margins or weighing their words against social standing. They simply spoke whatever crossed their minds.

Old Master Jiang caught the subtle softening in Qiao Meixia’s quiet gaze.

"Meixia, don’t mind their racket." Old Master Jiang said warmly, stepping closer. "Your fourth uncle’s branch has always been a chaotic bunch."

"I noticed." Qiao Meixia replied honestly.

The old man chuckled softly. "Do you find it unpleasant?"

Qiao Meixia paused, considering the feeling before shaking her head. "No."

Old Master Jiang’s eyes instantly lit up with genuine delight upon hearing her answer. "Then you should come over and stay at the ancestral manor far more often!"

"Grandma invited me to stay overnight." Qiao Meixia mentioned.

"Wonderful! Excellent!" Old Master Jiang nodded repeatedly, a bright, grandfatherly smile gracing his features. "You ought to stay for a few more days."

"She specified one night." Qiao Meixia clarified matter-of-factly.

"One night can effortlessly extend into two." Old Master Jiang countered smoothly with a wave of his hand.

"That..." Qiao Meixia glanced over at Old Madam Jiang for confirmation.

"You are welcome to stay as long as you wish, child." Old Madam Jiang assured her gently. "Having you here for the weekend brings immense warmth to this old house."

Jiang Nianzu, who had been quietly brooding over the superbike, suddenly remembered an upcoming event and chimed in.

"Mom, Dad, what about Third Brother’s upcoming banquet?" Jiang Nianzu asked, changing the topic.

"What about it?" Old Madam Jiang’s warm expression cooled slightly at the mention of her third son.

"The formal banquet to officially introduce Meixia to high society." Jiang Nianzu clarified.

"Ah, that." Old Madam Jiang turned her gaze to Qiao Meixia. "Did your father discuss the details with you?"

"Yes." Qiao Meixia nodded calmly. "He did."

"Are they truly proceeding with the original plan?" Jiang Nianzu asked, a subtle frown forming on his brow.

"Hmm. They stated they will formally announce my identity to the public." Qiao Meixia confirmed.

"Why were we not informed of such a major family development?" Old Master Jiang’s brow furrowed tightly into a deep scowl.

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