Chapter 574: Could She Really Be Great-grandma?
“Pfft!!!”
“Cough, cough, cough…”
Ma Da nearly spat out all his tea, his face turning red from holding it in. Once he finally caught his breath, he burst into laughter: “Hahaha… Young Mistress, he actually called you Great-grandmother!”
“That’s some seriously far-fetched relationship claim. Why not just go all the way and call her Ancestor?!”
Jess looked completely serious. “Can I?”
Ma Da: “…….”
Liu Yutong: “…….”
“Ma Da, say one more word and I’ll exile you to Africa!”
Ma Da instantly shut his mouth, clamping both hands over it, not making another sound.
Liu Yutong was just about to say, “Don’t call me that, we’re not related at all,” but before the words could leave her mouth, she saw Jess slap his thigh forcefully.
“I… I’ve figured it out!”
“Great-grandmother! I’ve finally figured it out! Everything makes sense now! No wonder you have that necklace, no wonder you have that photograph.”
“You must be a descendant of my great-grandfather’s foster great-grandfather, right?”
“According to generational hierarchy, if my great-grandfather called your great-grandfather his foster great-grandfather, then that’s my great-great-great-great-grandfather. You would be the great-granddaughter of my great-great-great-great-grandfather… Calculating this way, you’re exactly four generations above me, which makes you my Great-grandmother!”
“No wonder I sensed such an extraordinary presence from you when we first met—it turns out we’re family! Great-grandmother!”
“Great-grandmother! Your great-grandson Jess was blind and ignorant before and offended you greatly. Please forgive me. I’ll tell my father when I return that our Corallo Family has such a noble elder in the East. This is truly God’s blessing!”
Jess kept calling her Great-grandmother, each time more fluently and naturally, leaving Liu Yutong completely bewildered.
What kind of confusing mess is this, with great-grandfathers and foster great-grandfathers?
She had just obtained this necklace and photograph not long ago. How did she suddenly gain a great-grandson out of thin air? And a foreigner at that.
But for the moment, she couldn’t directly deny it, since Jess recognized these two items. If she denied any connection, how would she explain where they came from? She could tell this guy had no idea these things were related to the badge.
Liu Yutong pondered for a moment, then could only reply ambiguously: “Mr. Jess, it’s good that you understand in your heart. There’s no need to make a big deal of it.”
She neither confirmed nor denied, letting him think whatever he wanted.
Jess was instantly overjoyed in his heart: Great-grandmother admitted it! She admitted it! She recognizes me as her great-grandson!
“Yes, Great-grandmother! I understand. I’ll only tell my father that I found his dear grandmother.”
Liu Yutong: “……”
“Don’t call me Great-grandmother anymore!”
Jess: “Okay, Great-grandmother!”
“…….”
Listening to Jess call her Great-grandmother one after another, Liu Yutong felt her temples throbbing. What kind of grandson behaves like this!
She directly changed the subject.
“Mr. Jess, now that the items have been returned to their rightful owner, what are your plans going forward?”
This question immediately struck at Jess’s sore spot. He lowered his head to look at the broken key and badge in his hand, and the excitement from moments ago instantly dissipated, leaving him deflated once again.
Perhaps because he had suddenly gained a “relative” from thousands of miles away, he no longer hid anything and spilled everything, revealing the predicament he faced.
“Great-grandmother, to be honest, the Corallo Family is now like a sinking ship—it won’t stay afloat much longer.”
“My father, your grandson and the head of the Corallo Family, was in a car accident three months ago. Though he survived, his legs were disabled and his mental state is much worse than before. He’s already struggling to manage the overall situation. My uncle, Karl Corallo, took advantage of this to win over and threaten the family’s elders and key members. Now, more than sixty percent of the family’s business and armed forces, both openly and secretly, are under his control.”
“Karl claims it’s for family stability, but he actually just wants to seize power. Those loyal to my father have either been marginalized or have had various ‘accidents.’ Now everyone within the family is afraid for their own safety, and fewer and fewer people dare to speak up for us father and son.”
“Father said this badge is the family’s inherited token, and obtaining what’s inside would give us a chance to turn things around… but now, I actually destroyed it!”
“I’m the family’s sinner!”
The more Jess spoke, the more he blamed himself. He was so frustrated he wanted to slap himself across the face several times. As for why he didn’t do it, it was because he was afraid of pain.
“Great-grandmother, without what’s inside the token, if I go back I’ll be walking into a trap. Uncle definitely won’t let me off!”
“Great-grandmother… why don’t you, um, take me in?”
Ma Da, standing nearby, couldn’t help but interject: “If the Young Mistress takes you in, what about your father? He’s hoping you’ll return.”
Jess: “It’s fine. I’ll tell my father that from now on I’ll be serving Great-grandmother in her presence. Even if Uncle… ‘takes care of him,’ he won’t have any complaints.”
Ma Da: “……”
“You really are a model of filial piety, you bastard!”
At this moment, Liu Yutong slowly stood up and went upstairs. When she came back down, she was holding a check, which she handed to Jess.
“Take it.”
Jess instinctively took it and looked down, his pupils suddenly contracting.
The amount field on the check showed a long string of numbers: $20,000,000.00.
Twenty million US dollars!
He suddenly looked up, staring at Liu Yutong in disbelief.
“Great-grandmother… this… is this for me?”
This sum of money was undoubtedly a lifesaver for him in his current desperate situation. The reason his uncle was able to take control of the family so quickly was by using money to buy people over, in addition to force.
Now that he had such a large sum of money, he had much more room to maneuver. Plus, there were more elders in the family loyal to his father to begin with, so he had a real chance to reclaim control of the family.
At the same time, he was incredibly moved in his heart.
If his recognition of kinship before had contained some element of deliberate flattery, at this moment he was genuinely starting to waver.
Could it be that he had truly, fatefully encountered his real great-grandmother?
It must be! It must be!
Otherwise, who would be so generous, handing out twenty million US dollars right off the bat!
As expected, Great-grandmother still cared for her great-grandson.
“Great-grandmother, you’re too good to me! In the future, I’ll definitely care for you in your old age and see you to your final rest!”
Liu Yutong: “……”
“Shut up! Take the money and get the hell back home. Contact me after you’ve handled your family matters. I still have tasks for you.”
“Yes! Yes! Great-grandmother! Don’t worry! I definitely won’t disappoint you!”
Jess made his pledge with soaring morale.
After he left.
Ma Da couldn’t help but ask: “Young Mistress, you’re just giving him the money like that? That’s twenty million bucks. What if the kid takes the money and runs?”
Liu Yutong was unconcerned: “If he runs, he runs. Anyway, the money was obtained for nothing.”
She was telling the truth—she really didn’t care much.
This money, along with the Dragon Dawn necklace around her neck, had all been windfalls to begin with.
If Jess is capable and can retake control of his family while keeping his promises, then he could become a major asset for her in the future. If he betrays his word… she has plenty of ways to cause him trouble.
Not long after Jess left, Liu Yutong received a phone call saying that Shen Hao had gotten into a fight with his family—and it had gotten serious!