Mrs. Qiao regretted her words as soon as they left her mouth.
Whether Jiang Yan can be found or not was another matter. Her original aim in agreeing to this marriage was to gain some benefit from the Jiang Family. Otherwise, who would want to marry their daughter to someone so unreliable?
If she agreed to annul the engagement unconditionally, how would she gain any advantage?
However, before she could change her words, Jiang Li in front of her had already raised her phone, playing back the ruthless words she had just uttered in a moment of panic,
"Alright, if you can find Jiang Yan today, I'll agree to annul the engagement unconditionally!"
Jiang Li looked at her, a faint smile on her lips, "Mrs. Qiao, this is evidence, and with so many witnesses around, you can't go back on your word later."
Mrs. Qiao's face turned pale, and she whispered, "Let's talk about it after you find him."
Now she just hoped Jiang Yan was gone for good!
This way, her daughter wouldn't have to marry into the family, and she could even gain some shares for security!
Jiang Li put away her phone, turned around, and pulled her mother Lin Manru aside.
Lin Manru was still overwhelmed by the drastic change in her daughter's character. She was in a daze for a long time before she asked, "Do you really have a way to find your brother?"
Jiang Yan's disappearance happened over half a month ago. That night, she just revealed the marriage alliance between the Jiang and Qiao families to him. He got angry and disappeared without a trace overnight.
She knew her son's temperament well, so she hadn't bothered him, figuring that as long as his spending records were active, she could trace him.
But a few days ago, his card stopped showing activity, and she couldn't get any information about him either.
She was petrified and quickly mobilized the Jiang Family's resources to investigate, but there was no result so far.
As the engagement banquet of the two families approached, fearing any mishap would upset the old master and ruin the marriage, Lin Manru reluctantly hosted this banquet.
Yet, it was ruined anyway.
Jiang Li hummed in response, then held her mother's hand.
For some reason, Lin Manru, who was initially uncomfortable, suddenly calmed down due to Jiang Li's hum and this handholding gesture.
Because she felt an inexplicable, reassuring strength emanating from her daughter.
But before Lin Manru could breathe a sigh of relief, she heard a puzzling statement,
"Give me Jiang Yan's birthdate, it has to be precise to the two-hour mark."
Lin Manru showed confusion, "Why do you need such a thing to find your brother?"
Jiang Li couldn't quite explain it just yet.
After she found herself in the Daqi Dynasty, she was discovered by the State Preceptor at a young age and became his last disciple, learning all sorts of mysticism skills.
While her expertise wasn't honed to her master's level of distinguishing yin and yang or altering fate, she was capable of calculating fortunes and deducing locations.
In the novel, Jiang Yan was the female lead's number one follower. Although his ending was tragic, his fate wasn't short-lived and he wouldn't end easily.
And in her memory, Jiang Yan deliberately disappeared to escape the marriage, although in her past life, she was so indifferent to family matters that she knew little about this part of the plot.
But from the current perspective, retrieving Jiang Yan and calling off this marriage was the best strategy.
"Mother, just tell me. I have a way, don't worry."
Jiang Li's voice was soft and gentle, yet it carried an inexplicable steadiness which made people feel comforted upon hearing it.
Seeing the determined light in her daughter's eyes, Lin Manru gradually dispelled her doubts.
Since things had escalated to this point, she figured it was better to try an unconventional approach; as long as Jiang Yan could be found, it would work.
After obtaining Jiang Yan's birthdate, Jiang Li gave a few more instructions before heading out.
This series of seemingly superstitious measures made Mrs. Qiao sneer.
"A little girl acting mysterious, learning fortune-telling, what is this nonsense? Is this how you Jiang Family folks educate your children?"
Lin Manru's face turned ugly at these words, but remembering what Jiang Li had said before leaving, she held her fist and pretended not to hear, turning instead to graciously attend to the other guests.
Mrs. Qiao's jab landed on cotton, making her grit her teeth in anger.
However, with so many people present, she couldn't keep berating Lin Manru, who was busy hosting, and had to sit aside seething with fury.
The receptionist had just finished a phone call and looked up to see a guest walking in through the entrance.
The girl didn't seem very old, but her aura was extraordinary. With black hair, red lips, almond eyes, and peach-like cheeks, she resembled a classic beauty right out of a traditional painting, exuding elegance and composure with every graceful movement.
Especially those eyes, which held a kind of calm wisdom not belonging to someone her age.
Unlike others who might glance every few steps, the girl walked straight to the counter and gave the receptionist a gentle smile.
"Hello, my name is Jiang Li. I'm here looking for someone."
The voice flowing from her red lips was as melodious as a gentle stream.
The receptionist couldn't help but smile back, politely asking, "Hello, miss. Could you please show your ID? May I ask who you're looking for?"
Realizing that Jiang Yan likely wouldn't use his own identity to register, Jiang Li pulled out his photo from her phone and showed it to the receptionist along with her ID.
"I'm looking for this person; he should have come with a woman."
She had calculated Jiang Yan's fortune for the day, and it showed on the Life Plate that he was now in an area where water and wood intersected. The approximate location was nearby.
Li Garden Hotel was initially chosen for its setting by the mountains and waters, providing excellent Feng Shui. As a result, it had flourished among the hotels in the Capital over the past few years.
Moreover, she vaguely remembered that in her past life, the Jiang Family was manipulated by the Qiao Family partly because Jiang Yan caused a scandal on the day of the engagement,
footage of him with another woman in bed was leaked during the engagement banquet.
The receptionist was initially smiling politely, but as soon as she saw the photo, her expression froze, and she quickly returned Jiang Li's things.
"Sorry, I haven't seen this person."
Jiang Li noted her reaction and immediately suspected she might have been bought off by Jiang Yan in advance.
Her brother was a rascal, but he wasn't without brains.
Jiang Li wasn't in a rush. She turned and sat casually on a nearby sofa, smoothing her skirt with her legs crossed, exuding calm confidence.
"You should realize by now the significance of the person I am looking for and myself. This is not something you can bear, better call your manager over."
The receptionist's face turned pale, her mind flashing through scenes she had seen on TV, where a wealthy wife took over a hotel to catch her cheating husband.
As a mere receptionist, she couldn't afford to provoke these rich people.
She hurriedly called the manager over.
From the words of the receptionist, the manager also grasped the gist of the situation. He didn't make any promises but instead called a few attendants to prepare coffee and desserts.
Clearly, this wasn't his first time dealing with a wealthy wife coming to catch an adulterer.
In such matters, offending either side was unwise.
Finally sitting down, the manager offered an apologetic smile and said, "Sorry, ma'am, as you know, we in the hotel business must protect our guests' privacy. It's difficult for us when you ask for a guest's room number and key right away."