After Becoming a Spare Tire, I Got Together with My White Moonlight - Chapter 50.3

But the surroundings were mostly barren land. The only shopping mall was pitch-black, its doors tightly shut, without even a neat, clean sign in sight.

So, the two of them had no choice but to wait in the parking lot.

Jiang Xuyu’s intention was clear: he hoped Yan Guiqiu wouldn’t hold any expectations toward the Jiang family and should instead be wary and guarded.

Jiang Xuehe didn’t think Yan Guiqiu needed to be on high alert, but considering what might happen in the future, she felt it wouldn’t hurt to give her a heads-up.

The mess in their family would have to be sorted out sooner or later.

Bored, Jiang Xuehe gently played with the ends of Yan Guiqiu’s hair and quietly told her about Jiang Xuyu.

Jiang Xuyu was attracted to men.

That was one of the reasons for his conflicts with Jiang Xueyang.

Jiang Xuyu had realized his sexual orientation early on but had kept it well hidden. Aside from never dating, he seemed perfectly normal in every other way.

At that time, same-sex marriage was not yet legal, and the Jiang family was rather traditional. He knew that speaking openly about such matters would bring no good, so he always avoided discussing these topics.

He was three years older than Jiang Xuehe and about the same age as Jiang Xueyang.

When Jiang Xuehe entered university and later joined the company, he had just graduated and naturally entered the Jiang family’s business as well.

Among the younger generation of the Jiang family, aside from Jiang Xuehe, Jiang Xuyu was the most talented.

However, his blood relation to the main lineage, like Jiang Xueyang and Jiang Xuehe, was somewhat distant, essentially placing him out of contention for inheritance. A leader with foresight would naturally hope for him to be as capable as possible.

But Jiang Xueyang, being of similar age and having joined the company earlier, felt increasingly displeased as Jiang Xuyu began to outshine him.

Later, during a gathering of the younger generation in the company, Jiang Xuyu was pressured into drinking too much. Coincidentally, an intern from the same group had feelings for him and, in a moment of emotional confession, revealed that Jiang Xuyu was attracted to men. Jiang Xueyang happened to witness the entire scene.

The matter could have been brushed off as drunken ramblings, but Jiang Xueyang felt he had finally caught Jiang Xuyu’s weakness. With video and audio evidence in hand, by the next morning, the entire company knew about Jiang Xuyu’s sexual orientation.

Soon after, senior members of the Jiang family summoned Jiang Xuyu for questioning.

Jiang Xuyu felt guilty, and Jiang Xueyang fanned the flames beside him.

This time, Jiang Xueyang wasn’t entirely motivated by jealousy but genuinely looked down upon homosexuality. When it was his turn to speak, he disparaged the term from start to finish, treating it as if it were some incurable disease.

Jiang Xueyang argued that employing a homosexual as a manager was a disgrace to the company and would severely damage its reputation. He suggested firing Jiang Xuyu outright and barring him from future employment, using the incident as a warning to the entire company to prevent similar scandals in the future.

At that time, public debates about homosexuality had reached a peak, with opinions split evenly between support and opposition. Some companies actively hired LGBTQ individuals to promote their “progressiveness” and inclusivity, while more traditional companies, fearing backlash, outright refused to employ them.

Though these debates seemed distant from ordinary life, in the age of the internet, constant exposure inevitably shaped people’s biases.

Jiang Xueyang presented the most extreme arguments to the senior management, making the situation appear grave. After several rounds of discussion, they ultimately decided to fire Jiang Xuyu.

The intern involved didn’t escape unscathed either.

For Jiang Xuyu, aside from the dashed ambitions, life wasn’t particularly difficult. Coming from a wealthy family, he could afford to live comfortably without working a day for the rest of his life.

But the intern was not so fortunate.

What was meant to be a private confession was blown out of proportion. The humiliation was secondary; after being dismissed from the Jiang company, no other firm dared to hire him. Coupled with the public criticism, he soon fell into depression.

Though Jiang Xuyu had no romantic feelings for him, he felt responsible for the situation. Out of guilt, he secretly provided financial support and used his connections to secure the intern a position at a decent company in a neighboring city.

It was around this time that Jiang Xuyu and Jiang Xueyang became sworn enemies.

At that time, Jiang Xuehe had just joined the company, but she mostly stayed by Old Master Jiang’s side to learn the ropes. When the turmoil broke out in the company, she was accompanying her grandfather on a business trip abroad. By the time she returned, everything had already been settled.

The subordinates reported the matter to Old Master Jiang, thinking it wasn’t a big deal and Old Master Jiang didn’t seem to have any objections either.

He belonged to the older generation, still holding an attitude toward homosexuality as if it were some kind of illness. He felt that having Jiang Xuyu go back to cool off and temper his sharpness wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

After all, capable people would never truly be buried.

But Jiang Xuehe insisted that Jiang Xuyu should be invited back.

She had many reasons, but the main ones were threefold. First and most importantly, Jiang Xuyu was highly competent at his job. In less than two years at the company, both his superiors and subordinates had come to respect his abilities. Second, dismissing Jiang Xuyu over such a matter would make the company appear indecisive and overly susceptible to public opinion. Who knew if the next target would be employees who chose not to have children? Such actions would inevitably dishearten the staff. Third, even back then, she believed that the same-sex marriage law would eventually be passed. If the old incident resurfaced then, it would damage the company’s image.

In the end, the old master Jiang left the decision to her but also made her fully responsible.

The implication was clear: if there were any negative repercussions, she would have to bear them alone.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Jiang Xuehe called Jiang Xuyu back and placed him directly under her supervision.

Not long after, the online disputes and arguments gradually subsided. The voices of reasonable people began to dominate some in favor, some opposed, but all able to calmly discuss the pros and cons.

No one in the company deliberately brought up Jiang Xuyu’s matter again, and the incident slowly faded into the past. Moreover, Jiang Xuyu’s outstanding performance and achievements earned genuine respect from others.

Later, when Jiang Xuehe left the company to go abroad and Jiang Xueyang took over, some people eagerly anticipated drama between the two. To their surprise, Jiang Xuyu simply packed up and left, establishing his own venture.

Though it still couldn’t compare to the Jiang family’s enterprise, over the years, he had managed to achieve some success on his own.

Most people only knew that Jiang Xuehe and Jiang Xuyu had a good relationship, but few were aware that they still maintained some business ties privately.

In a way, even after leaving the Jiang family, Jiang Xuyu was still working for Jiang Xuehe.

But Jiang Xuyu acknowledged Jiang Xuehe’s capabilities and was content to work under her, even if it meant playing a supporting role.

Of course, there was also a hint of schadenfreude in his attitude.

Ever since Jiang Xuehe went abroad, he had been counting the days, eagerly awaiting her return so she could give her brother a good slap in the face.

No wonder Jiang Xuyu was so devoted to Jiang Xuehe.

Yan Guiqiu listened to the story as if it were a tale from another world, feeling little personal connection. In her previous life, the idea of a same-sex marriage law had been nonexistent, and in this life, she had never imagined she would fall for a woman or even have any interest in love or marriage. Naturally, she hadn’t paid much attention to such matters and thus had no strong feelings about them.

But this time, she felt somewhat relieved.

Knowing that someone was there to support Jiang Xuehe eased her worries about the latter bearing too much burden alone.

“It seems we’re quite lucky,” Yan Guiqiu remarked in the end.

“Mm,” Jiang Xuehe smiled. “Perhaps it’s fate.”

Yan Guiqiu blinked, recalling their earlier conversation about fate when they first met.

In truth, not much time had passed since they officially got to know each other.

But in the blink of an eye, it felt as though half a lifetime had fast-forwarded by.

She could hardly remember what her life had been like when she was alone.

“That Jiang family.” Yan Guiqiu pondered Jiang Xuehe’s meaning, “What exactly are your thoughts on it now?”

“Grandfather recently has plans to open a new branch company near Yunhua City,” Jiang Xuehe said. “I want to secure it.”

“Oh.” Yan Guiqiu certainly had no objections, but thinking about the Jiang family side, she felt somewhat worried. “It probably won’t be easy now.”

In the original plot, Jiang Xuehe’s rise to power was swift, mainly because Jiang Xueyang had made mistakes.

But now Jiang Xueyang was still dutifully doing his assigned work, and Jiang Xuehe had been away for so long. Wanting to get a share of the pie again those on the other side would definitely not sit idly by.

“Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” Jiang Xuehe wasn’t too concerned. She gently smoothed Yan Guiqiu’s hair as she spoke slowly, “Actually, leaving those things for them originally wouldn’t have mattered much. Grandfather had already made his will long ago they are part of the Jiang family after all, so inheriting a portion of the estate is only natural. But…”

She looked into Yan Guiqiu’s eyes, as if afraid of frightening her, and unconsciously softened her voice.

“When I realized they might use those things to harm what I truly care about, I suddenly felt that I can’t leave them any room at all.”

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