“The Qi family is using their power to bully us!” Grandmother Chang did not fail to shout at the top of her lungs while being escorted by the guards. Floor after floor, she shouted and screamed so that the entire floor could hear what she was saying.

Since it was still lunch break, many students were talking in the corridors and all of them heard, “Even if the Qi family owns this school, they can’t force someone not to study here! Me? Regret? F*CK YOU! I don’t regret at all! Qi Chenglin is unreasonable and irrational! Take a good look, God! These young men are bullying an old bag of bones like me. Youngsters now are rude! I’m being dragged out here today! What kind of society is this!” Grandmother Chang cursed and cursed, crying out to the heavens.

The security guards were speechless.

They began feeling embarrassed after the old lady said all that. In that fleeting moment of shame, they slowed down their movements because they did not know what else to do.

“What are you doing? She’s already suffering so badly. Why aren’t you hurrying up to send her to her car? What are you going to do if something happens? Move faster, send the old lady to the car quickly!” the headmaster ordered immediately after following behind and watching the situation unfold.

The security guards immediately dragged Grandmother Chang out at a faster pace than before.

Since Grandmother Chang kicked up a fuss, Chang Jianan was too embarrassed to return to class, so Liu Xiangwen brought him home with her.

The entire fiasco was not that big, but after Qi Chenglin forced Chang Jianan to transfer schools, Grandmother Chang’s subsequent outburst made the entire school well aware of the situation. The Chang family’s reputation was resoundingly tarnished and they would be filled with shame if they appeared in public next time.

After sending Grandmother Chang home, Liu Xiangwen did not immediately go home. Although the latter was usually very petty, she did not dare to decide things on her own when it came to such a serious circumstance. She hurriedly gave her husband a call.

Upon hearing the news, Chang Zhixing told Chang Zhiyuan at once. Both brothers then rushed back home from the company.

Mo Yuxin and Liu Xiangwen were watching over Grandmother Chang in the bedroom. The elderly lady was cursing and scolding so much that her head began hurting. She finally went to rest on her bed.

Mo Yuxin and Liu Xiangwen did not dare to utter a single word, and even Chang Jianan was afraid to continue crying. He simply laid there in Liu Xiangwen’s embrace.

“What is it? Why did things escalate so badly?” Chang Zhiyuan barged in and asked sternly, with Chang Zhixing hiding behind him.

“Sis-in-law, tell us. You weren’t very clear over the phone, and Zhixing couldn’t tell me the details,” Chang Zhiyuan said to Liu Xiangwen.

Hugging Chang Jianan, Liu Xiangwen recounted everything in detail. Seeing as it was no small matter, she did not dare to exaggerate things and complain about it.

Chang Zhixing was shocked. He knew that it was all brought upon by Grandmother Chang herself. As a kid, Chang Jianan would at least be able to avail himself by saying that he was a kid. Kids lose their temper easily and think that an eye for an eye makes the world go around. Adults should be the ones advising the kids, figuring out a way to de-escalate the situation, not make things worse as Grandmother Chang did.

“Why didn’t you hold Mom back?!” Chang Zhixing released his anger on Liu Xiangwen as he was afraid to do so toward the old lady.

Liu Xiangwen cowered guiltily. “I…didn’t dare to stop her!”

“Nannan’s behavior is getting more and more out of hand! We should teach him well since he’s still young. Otherwise, he wouldn’t shoulder the blame next time!” Chang Zhixing voiced out voluntarily as he did not want his elder brother to be chastised on this issue.

“I’ll personally go and settle the school transfer tomorrow. I’ll get my secretary to head over to Shining Star Elementary right away,” Chang Zhixing said.

At the time Chang Jianan was going to enter into elementary school, Liu Xiangwen considered many other famous schools aside from Jixia Elementary—one such school was Shining Star.

Shining Star’s school fees were considerably expensive from a normal person’s point of view, as it amounted to a hundred thousand yuan a year, excluding miscellaneous fees. Most rich families would want their kids to be enrolled there because of their rigorous education. After graduating from elementary school, they could then enroll in B City’s B1 High School. B1 was one of the most renowned high schools in B City and was comprised of junior high and senior high. Their students stood a very good chance of getting into university—an aspect that was valued by many. Everyone hoped that their kids could enroll in these famous universities, thereby cementing their bright future and ensuring that they would be able to land good jobs once they graduate.

Shining Star Elementary was affiliated with B1 High School, situated in the far suburbs of the 6th Ring Road. The school was modeled after a boarding school, and rumor has it that the conditions were arduous despite the high school fees. The kids who studied there were all bookworms, going so far as to skip meals just to study. They ate steamed buns or flatbread with rice, and during winter, the water used for washing feet would turn into a block of ice by morning.

They had to wake up at five in the morning, and by five-thirty, they had to gather for their morning run. A period of self-study began at six, with their first class of the day starting at seven-thirty. Class would continue until six in the evening, and from then onward they were asked to do their own revision until nine, after which class was officially dismissed. They then returned to their dormitories and continued revising again.

High school syllabi were all taught and learned during elementary school.

According to some, year six students of Shining Star Elementary were already able to answer questions from first year senior high. Many were even crowned champions of the International Mathematical Olympiad.

As someone who had never suffered a day in his entire life, Chang Jianan would hardly be able to take it if he was enrolled into Shining Star Elementary.

“B City has plenty of other schools, and there’s no shortage of elite ones. Why must you let Nannan suffer? Even if he can’t stay at Jixia, he could still go to any of those elite schools. There will be plenty of upperclassmen there, so his status won’t be lowered. Why must he be sent to a school like Shining Star where all they do is compare their results? It’s not like our Nannan needs to rely on good academic qualifications to get a job,” Liu Xiangwen said frantically.

Chang Jianan did not know what kind of school Shining Star Elementary was, but from his mother’s expression, he knew it was not a good sign. The sheer fright made his face turn pale.

“Stop talking! It doesn’t really matter if a family like ours pamper our children, but we can’t let him grow to have a bad temper. Pampering him doesn’t mean we can allow him to be an arrogant person. You and Mom are always spoiling him, heaping praise on him in all the wrong ways. He doesn’t understand the seriousness of some things and never considers other people at all. He’s seven, and if he makes a mistake, we adults would dismiss it by saying he’s a naïve kid. But if this continues, he’ll turn into a worthless person when he grows up! We might as well correct him while we can. I won’t let you both spoil him like that anymore. He’ll be going to that school!” Chang Zhixing roared in anger.

His decisiveness left Liu Xiangwen with no choice but to hug the child. She did not have the heart to send him to school, but she did not dare to voice her objections.

Grandmother Chang massaged her temples and sat up. “Why are you taking it out on the boy?! Qi Chenglin’s the one who’s bullying people!”

“Mom, I can’t say anything because you’re my mother, but if I was in Qi Chenglin’s shoes today, I won’t be able to take it either.” Chang Zhixing tried his best to contain his anger. It was inevitable that he would get angry after his son was chased out from the school.

Fortunately, he was a rational man. One who knew that Qi Chenglin’s buttons should not be pushed and that everything happened because the old lady made a fuss.

“You feel that your grandson’s been bullied. Everyone has the instinct to protect their children, don’t they? You’d want to protect Nannan, and Qi Chenglin would want to protect his son too. If we talked about it calmly and settle this dispute amicably between our families, it wouldn’t have come to this. Instead of chastising Nannan, you blame and criticize other people’s faults. Qi Youxuan might’ve been in the wrong, but were Nannan’s actions correct? You’re aware that Qi Chenglin uses his influence to pressure you, so why did you provoke him? In the end, we’re the ones who have to suffer.”

“You… You… Fine, fine, it’s a mistake for me to care about my grandson now, is it? You only blame me if something bad happens. If everything’s going well, I don’t see you getting all angry at me when I care about my grandson. But now, you want to push the blame to me! Perfect! You’re all grown-up now, you can fend for yourself without needing to care about an old lady like me.” Grandmother Chang pointed at them and shouted, “GET OUT! All of you! Everything’s my fault. It’s my fault our family is bullied! It’s my fault for caring about my grandson!”

“It’s all because of you! You’re not good enough, and that’s what caused me—your mother—to suffer so much in public. Guards dragged me out of the school, and you blame me instead of looking at yourself.” Grandmother Chang massaged her head with one hand and punched the bed with the other. “You’re both the same! When will you spare me all these worries!”

Chang Zhixing was itching to say, ‘How about YOU save us all this worry!’

Nevertheless, he kept it to himself, otherwise the old lady might kick up another storm.

Chang Zhiyuan gave Mo Yuxin a look, hinting for her to bring Liu Xiangwen and Chang Jianan out. He pulled Chang Zhixing and said, “Mom, get some rest these few days. You’ve already suffered so much. It’s best not to go out anywhere.”

In essence, they were covertly going to let her stay at home, thus preventing her from causing any trouble.

Without waiting for the old lady to begin cursing again, he brought Chang Zhixing out and closed the door behind them.

Once they went down, Chang Zhiyuan ordered Mo Yuxin and the housekeeper to keep watch on Grandmother Chang. The old lady should not be let out of the house. Keeping her there forever was impossible, but they were told to keep her there for as long as they could.

Chang Zhiyuan felt helpless. “Also, if Jingqiu comes and tries to get on Mom’s good books by bringing her out, don’t let it happen. Jingqiu has angered the Qi family a lot too.”

Mo Yuxin nodded, as she never liked Chang Jingqiu much in the first place.

“Just bear with it for these few days. Her words may be insulting and she’ll definitely curse at you for not letting her out. Just ignore it,” Chang Zhiyuan said despondently. “Sorry for the trouble.”

Mo Yuxin shook her head and sighed. “Don’t worry. You’re in a much harder place.”

Chang Zhixing discussed it with Chang Zhiyuan. The latter agreed to it, but he still brought Chang Zhixing into the study room to warn that special attention must be paid to Liu Xiangwen.

Chang Zhixing knew what kind of person his wife was, so he simply nodded without any further comments.

He then brought Liu Xiangwen and Chang Jianan away, while Chang Zhiyuan returned to the company.

…

Ruan Danchen was worried that Qi Chenglin would have to work overtime that evening, as Jiang Yuan’s absence impacted his work efficiency significantly. She headed straight for his office after work but noticed that Qi Chenglin was in the midst of clearing his things.

“You’re here? I’ll be ready soon,” Qi Chenglin said. In truth, there was still some work to be done, but he could bring work home with him.

She then watched as he took a plastic bag, opened his drawer, and threw a few packs of cigarettes into the bag.

He noticed her looks and began explaining, “I’d have to be thorough since I’ve decided to quit. There’s no reason to keep these, so I’ll throw them away later. Those at home will be thrown away too.”

Qi Chenglin carried the bag as well as his briefcase and walked toward Ruan Danchen. All of a sudden, her face turned red, as though she thought of something.

Qi Chenglin found it particularly intriguing that her face turned red so suddenly. His slender, beautiful fingers poked her tender cheek. “What are you thinking of?”

Ruan Danchen gazed down to the bag of cigarettes and looked back up to his handsome face. “Do you want kids?”

‘Otherwise, why would he suddenly want to quit smoking?’ she thought.

Back then, Qi Chenglin had quit smoking because he wanted a kid.

“Do you want one?” Qi Chenglin looked at her half-smilingly, but for some reason, his expression was a mischievous one.

“I’m just asking because you’re quitting smoking,” Ruan Danchen mumbled. “Well, Youxuan’s grown up already, so it’s a good time to have another one.”

Qi Chenglin leaned over and kissed her on the lips. “Then let’s make one tonight.”

As for the issue involving Qi Chenglin forcing the Chang family kid to transfer, the rest of the Qi family knew about it. After all, they owned the school, so the headmaster would frequently report anything to them. No one voiced any objections however, as one would definitely side with one’s kin in such a situation.

When night came, a concerned Grandmother Qi called to get a sense of what actually happened earlier. Feeling heartbroken, she spoke to the little boy and poured her heart out, saying that the Chang kid was a terrible person, and what Qi Youxuan did was right because he could not just let anyone bully him like that.

“Great-Grandma, I don’t even have the appetite to eat rice. Looking at the rice grains reminds me of all the bugs in my food this afternoon. I can’t eat because I feel so disgusted,” Qi Youxuan said pitifully.

Grandmother Qi’s heart ached after hearing that. She muttered, “Oh no,” repeatedly before saying, “You can’t skip your meals, okay? You’ll get skinny. Is the food in school good? If you don’t have any appetite, tell your Aunt Zheng to make a lunchbox for you.”

Qi Youxuan could even hear his great-grandfather ask his great-grandmother anxiously, “What happened? What happened? Let me talk with him for a while. Ask him…”

“Don’t interrupt! Or else I won’t let you listen!” Grandmother Qi was getting annoyed with Grandfather Qi. She turned to glare at him, shocking the old man considerably.

He huffed and furiously twisted his head to one side, before straining his ears to try and listen to the conversation between Grandmother Qi and Qi Youxuan.

She continued talking for quite some time before finally passing the phone over to the old man. Not long later, the old man began to smile again after being coaxed by the little boy.

Barely moments after he hung up, Guan Liya brought along Qi Zhongxun and showed up at their doorstep. They wanted to console their shocked grandson, and the atmosphere at Prestige Residence became very lively that night.

…

Chang Jingqiu’s delays caused the DNA report to come in half a month later.

Both she and Liu Ronghua brought Huang Pinggui and Wang Lixia to get the report. Once it had been obtained, they did not choose to look at it on the spot—they searched for a restaurant instead and requested for a private room.

Similar to before, the restaurant’s location was in an inconspicuous and low-class place. Chang Jingqiu was thoroughly afraid to be seen in public with those people.

In particular, Huang Pinggui and Wang Liwei were all shifty-eyed during the entire journey. Although there was minimal interaction, Chang Jingqiu could see Huang Pinggui’s habit of rubbing his hands whenever he had the slightest of greedy thoughts.

Huang Pinggui had been rubbing his hands ever since the report was obtained.

As soon as the four of them entered the private room, Huang Pinggui stared at the paper envelope like a hawk.

“Hehe… Uh Jingqiu, let’s have a look.” Huang PInggui rubbed his hands and looked greedily at the paper envelope.

In truth, he had no doubts that Chang Jingqiu was his daughter ever since Liu Ronghua contacted them. Chang Jingqiu’s insistence on getting a DNA test was simply the result of her last struggle.

Chang Jingqiu herself believed in the same truth as well. Liu Ronghua was so confident in letting her get the test, but even before the test was taken, Chang Jingqiu believed it completely.

She did not look at Huang Pinggui because his voice was enough to make her feel repulsed. To think that the man even had the dignity to call her Jingqiu.

“Please call me Miss Chang.” She opened the envelope and took out the results while commenting, “Even if we’re related by blood, there’s no reason for you to try and get close. I’m not close to either of you.”

Chang Jingqiu was about to open the file, but before she could even look closely, Huang Pinggui snatched it away.

He flipped through and said, “Hehe, why are you being so distant for? We’ll get to know each other slowly, right? Blood relationships can’t be denied, and no matter what, you’re still my daughter. You can’t say that we’re not close.”

Huang Pinggui looked at the results and handed them back to Chang Jingqiu with a smile.

Chang Jingqiu gazed down and looked coldly at the results. She then heard Huang Pinggui say, “Our family is finally reunited! Ah, Jingqiu! I’ll bring your little brother to come and meet you, and then we’ll have a nice meal as a family!”

As he said that he rubbed his tummy. “Oh yeah, I haven’t eaten anything yet. I’m hungry!” He pushed Wang Lixia and said, “Call the waiter and order some food. Let’s have a good lunch with our daughter.”

Wang Lixia then called the waiter over immediately, then began ordering. Since they did not have to pay for anything, Huang Pinggui requested many different dishes regardless of the price or whether he could even finish them. He even ordered a bottle of Wuliangye 1 even though no one else drank it.

Chang Jingqiu was thoroughly irked, but because the situation had not yet been completely settled, all she could do was sit and bear with it.

From time to time, Huang Pinggui would use his saliva-coated chopsticks to take food from the plates. A few bites later, he would suck audibly on his chopsticks. Soon after, he rummaged around the food with his chopsticks and said, “Eat up, eat up.”

The dishes served at the restaurant were nothing special; they were simple, home-cooked dishes. By smell alone, one could tell that the oil used was of inferior quality.

Chang Jingqiu’s appetite was long gone after looking at how hideous Huang Pinggui looked when eating. Similarly, Liu Ronghua sported an unhappy expression and did not even touch the chopsticks at all.

Wang Lixia had a few quick bites, and with her mouth still filled with meat, she said incomprehensibly, “Jingqiu, the evidence is in front of you. You’re really our daughter, you can’t just choose not to believe it. No matter what, we’re still family…”

Chang Jingqiu cut her off rudely, “What do you want. Just spit it out.”

“Nothing much, really.” Huang Pinggui used a tissue to wipe his mouth. He sipped some of that alcohol, smacked his lips, then said, “I’m old. I can’t be working so much anymore and no one wants to hire me. Your mother’s bones are in bad condition and she’s aching all over because of all the work she did since she was younger. We don’t have the money to let her visit a doctor and medicine is very expensive.”

Chang Jingqiu pursed her lips coldly, “You just want money, don’t you?

“Don’t say it like that. There’s nothing wrong with children taking care of their parents. You say it as though we’re taking advantage of the situation to rip you off,” Huang Pinggui remarked unhappily and drank more alcohol. “I can’t work anymore, but we still need money to eat, don’t we? Your mother also needs to visit the doctor, right? Look at her, she looks ten or twenty years older than women of the same age because she did so much work in the past. Your little brother is going to sit for his high school exams soon too, and university fees aren’t cheap. He’s very hardworking and good in his studies, which means he’ll definitely be able to get into a good university. We’d like him to go into A University or B University. Studying overseas isn’t something we’re hoping for. We’re not greedy or anything, but we have to at least get him into a good university, right?”

“That’s right, that’s right.” Wang Lixia nodded without the slightest delay. “Speaking of your little brother, you’ll have to take good care of him once he gets into A University. He’s your family member. When the time comes, we’ll accompany him, and we’d need your help to buy a house and…”

The exuberance of their demands kept on increasing, leading Chang Jingqiu to slam her cup on the table. The resulting sound cut off Wang Lixia’s words, startling her tremendously.

“Don’t ask for so much,” Chang Jingqiu rebuffed coldly. “I don’t have any parents or any brothers. I’m the daughter of the Chang family, and my parents died when I was young. I don’t have any embarrassing relatives from the village.”

“You…” Huang Pinggui slammed his chopsticks on the table. “We gave birth to you. The DNA report says it clearly, but you still don’t want to admit it? No matter how much you refuse to believe it, we’re still your birth parents! If we didn’t give birth to you, do you think you’ll still be the Chang family’s daughter? We’re your parents, and you have the responsibility and the obligation to provide a better life for us! If not, I’ll separate you from them. Once the Chang family knows your real status, you won’t be left with any benefit!”

Huang Pinggui huffed twice. “But we won’t be that heartless to forget your good deeds. Even if you’re no longer the Chang family’s daughter, we’ll still take care of you. Although the village life is harsh and our food is simple, we won’t let you go hungry. We’re not like you. Humph. Humph.”

Chang Jingqiu’s expression did not waver in the slightest. She smiled coldly and replied, “You don’t need to use that to threaten me. If you tell everything to the Chang family and they chased me out, I’ll no longer by the Chang family’s daughter, which means I won’t have any money for you anymore. If you want money, then you’d better keep your mouth shut. If I’m not happy, then both of you won’t have it easy either.”

Huang Pinggui and Wang Lixia grew up in the village and did not pursue their studies. Huang Pinggui went to the city to work after completing junior high, while Wang Lixia only managed to complete elementary school. She could recognize a few characters and do simple math, just enough for her daily life. She did not continue her studies because the rest of her family’s money was saved up for her brother to go to school.

From Wang Lixia’s family upbringing, coupled with the villager mentality of birthing children so someone could take care of them during their later years, Wang Lixia placed more importance on her son. To her, a daughter was dispensable.

When Cheng Pinggui entered adulthood, his family called him back to meet with Wang Lixia, after which their marriage was arranged. The two of them never received much education, so their knowledge was shallow. Huang Pinggui was clever when it came to trivial matters due to the craftiness he gained during his work, but that was the extent of his intelligence—when it comes to important matters, he was simply no match for Chang Jingqiu.

As expected, the couple’s expressions changed dramatically after hearing what Chang Jingqiu said. They were alarmed and helpless.

Evidently, they knew that the matter at hand was interrelated with their benefit. Simply acting blindly without thinking was something they did not dare to do. They understood that the situation was not as easy as it looked, and if they really did provoke Chang Jingqiu too much, she would bring them down with her, leaving them without anything in return.

Chang Jingqiu then slowly took out a cheque and threw it to Huang Pinggui. “Here’s eight hundred thousand. As long as you keep away from the city and stay put in the village, it’ll be enough to last you for the rest of your life. Your son’s school fees are included too. If he’s really that smart, the money’s enough for him to get a master’s after he graduates from university. It might even be enough to let him go overseas and study.”

Huang Pinggui reached out to grab it, but Wang Lixia snatched it away at once and kept it, seemingly distrustful of Huang Pinggui.

After noticing Wang Lixia’s reaction, Chang Jingqiu pursed her lips and remained indifferent. She could not feel any familial connections between herself and the couple.

“Are you shooing a beggar?!” Huang Pinggui still felt dissatisfied. “This is too little money for us to live our lives together. It’s fine if you want to give this amount, but you have to give us living expenses every month. You’re our daughter. Your mother carried you for ten months before giving birth to you and it wasn’t easy for her to do that, but now you’re shooing us with so little money? You should repay us for giving birth to you!”

Chang Jingqiu stood up. “That’s all I’m giving. No more. Tear the cheque if you don’t want it. If you think it’s not enough, by all means, go and ask the Chang family. Tell them who you are and see if anyone gives a damn about you. Don’t blame me for not reminding you that every rich household has unethical means of settling things. The Chang family places lots of importance on their reputation, and if this matter goes public, their reputation would be lost too. I don’t know what they’ll do if they get angry, and I won’t protect you if anything happens.”

Flashing a malicious grin, Chang Jingqiu continued, “After all, I won’t be the Chang family’s daughter anymore if that happens. Think carefully before doing anything. You can either choose to put your son’s life and future on the line when the Chang family bites back, or you can seize the moment and take the money.”

Like a mute, Huang Pinggui froze and was afraid to say anything further. He savored the taste of alcohol in his mouth and found it very distasteful.

Chang Jingqiu looked at him disdainfully and said, “After you take this money, you won’t have anything to do with me anymore. Don’t come looking for me. If you show up in front of me, please don’t blame me for being discourteous. If you’re smart, you’ll take this money and live the rest of your lives properly in the same way as before, when you didn’t know that I existed.”

Her piercing gaze scared Huang Pinggui somewhat, but he simply mumbled in a dissatisfied tone, “Understood.”

Chang Jingqiu chuckled coldly. “Good that you understand. We won’t meet each other again in the future. I’ll pay for lunch.”

She turned to leave as soon as she was done talking.

Liu Ronghua was in no mood to sit together with Huang Pinggui and Wang Lixia. Upon seeing that Chang Jingqiu was leaving, she quickly caught up.

Chang Jingqiu did not thwart the approach, and both women walked together with a tacit mutual understanding. Liu Ronghua only began to speak after she got into the car with Chang Jingqiu. “I’m not like Huang Pinggui or Wang Lixia. Don’t even think about dismissing me as though I were them. Your threats to them can’t fool me.”

Chang Jingqiu simply asked calmly, “How much money do you want?”

“Five million. It’s not a high price to pay in exchange for the glory, splendor, wealth, and power associated with your status as Miss Chang,” Liu Ronghua said with a smile. “You can trust me. I’ve already promised you, so I won’t tell anyone. I’ve kept the secret with me for twenty-seven years—I can keep it for another twenty-seven years.”

Chang Jingqiu kept quiet. Her left hand was placed on the steering wheel, tapping her fingers lightly on it.

It was not obvious from her face, but deep down she was cackling at Liu Ronghua’s statement of trustworthiness. Believing that would be too naïve and stupid of Chang Jingqiu.

Within mere seconds, Liu Ronghua was capable of begging Ruan Danchen for forgiveness, then dig up the latter’s scars after that. Liu Ronghua spoke of how deeply she loved a man, yet she had no qualms about taking advantage of the man’s daughter. Was someone like her really worth believing?

Even so, Chang Jingqiu still said, “Let’s make things clear, okay? This five million is a one-time thing, right? After I give you this five million, don’t bring up anything else to blackmail me again—I’m not your ATM.”

“Of course I won’t.” Liu Ronghua snickered. “Anyway, what else can you do besides believe my words? I may promise you this now, but who knows, I might change my mind. After all, you can’t possibly write a contract for these kinds of matters.”

Seeing Chang Jingqiu’s change in expression, Liu Ronghua sniggered. “Of course I’ll keep my promise. I’m not some nobody like Huang Pinggui or Wang Lixia. You need not worry.”

Chang Jingqiu’s eyebrows knitted together. She tapped her fingers repeatedly on the steering wheel. Liu Ronghua did not press her.

In truth, if Qi Chenglin had not taken away most of her wealth, she would never have come to Chang Jingqiu. Liu Ronghua knew full well the risks of her actions. Moreover, Chang Jingqiu was not some naive woman one could easily get away with hurting either. She was vile—having wronged her meant gaining another enemy for herself. In the end, she would bite back.

“Fine,” Chang Jingqiu agreed at long last.

Liu Ronghua’s lips curled up into a smug smile. She knew from the beginning that Chang Jingqiu would not refuse.

“However, I do not govern my family’s finances. Even for me, five million is a large sum, so I’ll need some time,” Chang Jingqiu explained.

Liu Ronghua could not care less about where she would find the large sum of money. Despite all, she was still the precious daughter of the Chang family—taking out such a large sum of money may arouse suspicion, but it was not something unachievable.

“How much time do you need?” Liu Ronghua raised an eyebrow at her.

Chang Jingqiu pondered on it for a while and answered, “One week.”

“Fine.” Liu Ronghua nodded.

Chang Jingqiu’s expression was dark—her displeasure was evident. “Since I gave you my answer, get out of the car. I’m in no mood to send you home.”

Chang Jingqiu’s insolent attitude toward Liu Ronghua was fully justifiable. Thus, Liu Ronghua got out without a word of protest.

…

On Sunday, Qi Chenglin and Ruan Danchen sat idly at home. Thus, they decided to bring the little one to Jade Field Park to visit Qi Zhongxun and Guan Liya.

Although they have already met during their family gathering on Saturday, Guan Liya still missed her grandson and wanted to spend more time with him.

When the family of three walked through the front door, Guan Liya was taken by surprise. “Ah, what brings you all here?”

“We just want to let Qi Youxuan see you two,” Qi Chenglin answered, smiling, as he entered the house while holding Ruan Danchen’s hand.

The cheeky little boy passed through the gap beneath their intertwined hands and announced gleefully, “Grandpa, Grandma, I’m here!”

Guan Liya’s heart melted when she heard her little grandson’s greeting. Instantly, she picked up the little boy and praised, “Oh, my precious little grandson. What a good boy! What did you have for breakfast?”

Qi Youxuan reported his meal in detail. Hearing the little boy’s voice, Qi Zhongxun scurried over too. His face lit up when he saw his chubby little grandson.

Only when Qi Chenglin and Ruan Danchen had changed into indoor slippers and entered the living room did they realize there were guests in the house.

One of them was a middle-aged couple and beside them sat a young lady. The lady appeared to be in her mid-twenties. Qi Chenglin and Ruan Danchen wondered what they had been talking about for the lady to be smiling so merrily.

When the lady saw Guan Liya entering the room with Qi Youxuan in her arms, she smiled at him warmly and in a clear yet gentle voice, she said, “Ah, this must be Youxuan. He has grown so big.”

Qi Youxuan stared at the lady quite indifferently. His joy from before seemed to have disappeared. “Auntie, who are you?”

The lady did not expect Qi Youxuan to shun her like that. Awkward, she turned to Qi Chenglin. She smiled again and greeted, “Big Brother Qi.”

Ruan Danchen observed the lady’s glimmering eyes. She possessed the kittenish qualities of a youngest child—anyone would have had the urge to pamper the girl.

Qi Chenglin’s expression did not change. He did not utter a single word of acknowledgment either. He merely took the little boy from Guan Liya’s arms and put the boy on the floor, letting him stand on his own feet.

Utterly ignored by both Qi Youxuan and Qi Chenglin, the lady felt even more awkward. She could only turn her gaze to Ruan Danchen. She gazed at her curiously but did not greet her.

Ruan Danchen did not know what was Qi Chenglin’s attitude about, so she did not take the initiative to strike up a conversation with the lady either. Instead, she merely put on a courteous smile—no one could misinterpret that.

“Haha, I didn’t know you guys are coming today.” Guan Liya grinned at Qi Chenglin and Ruan Danchen, beckoning them to sit down. “Chenglin, do you remember Uncle Wu and Aunt Zhao?”

Guan Liya did not mention the young lady either.

Qi Chenglin turned to look at Guan Liya perplexedly. Making the three of them sit in front of the guests made the environment even more tensed.

“Haha, it’s been a long time since we last met.” Zhao Fengchun broke the awkward silence.

“Have you forgotten? Aunt Zhao lived in the house right next to ours since I was a child. Her whole family had now moved to Italy.” Guan Liya turned to Zhao Fengchun. “It’s been at least seven years, right?”

“That’s right. When we were leaving, this little girl clung onto me and bawled her eyes out. She was reluctant to leave this house and the big brother next door. She missed you dearly when we were in Italy. When we first arrived, there was a language barrier between us and the locals; after we became fluent in the language, we realized that due to differences in culture, we can’t integrate ourselves well with the locals. Unlike over here, we didn’t have as much freedom and didn’t have neighbors we could visit whenever we please either,” Zhao Fengchun revealed. “So, this time, we don’t plan to go back anymore. Since we didn’t sell the old house next door, we’ll just move back in.”

Zhao Chunfeng put her arms around the young lady beside her and said, “When my girl heard that we were moving back, she was exuberant. Till this day, she still misses her big brother neighbor dearly.”

Wu Qiaoyin had on a faint smile. Shy, her head was tilted down slightly as she secretly stole a glance at Qi Chenglin.

Qi Chenglin’s expression was cold—as if he did not remember her at all. The young lady was awfully disappointed.

“I can recall that when they were still children, Qiaoyin would chase behind Chenglin wherever he went. Back then, Chenglin loved to cause trouble—Qiaoyin followed in his footsteps too. When they grew older, they started to understand boys and girls are not the same. Gradually, the two of them drifted apart. Eventually, Chenglin forbid Qiaoyin from following him around. Hearing that, Qiaoyin cried for days on end when she came home,” Zhao Fengchun recalled fondly as she took a sip of tea.

Qi Youxuan was sitting on Guan Liya’s lap, chewing on a preserved plum. Suddenly, he butted in, “Granny Zhao, my dad doesn’t like women who are cry-babies.”

Zhao Fengchun was taken aback by Qi Youxuan’s words. Wu Qiaoyin blushed and argued sheepishly, “I’m more mature now—I don’t cry anymore.”

“Big Brother Qi, do you remember me now? I’m Yinyin, your old neighbor.” Wu Qiaoyin had a honeyed smile plastered on. Her voice was especially sweet.

Hearing her tone, Qi Youxuan was disgusted by her eagerness; he could not help but gag.

“What happened? Are you feeling sick?” Guan Liya asked, caressing the little boy’s face.

The boy shook his head. “This plum is too sweet! It’s making me nauseous!”

Wu Qiaoyin turned to Qi Youxuan. She could not help but think the boy was mocking her but still wondered if she was merely overthinking.

Guan Liya, on the other hand, did not think much about it. She poured a cup of tea and blew on it a few times. Then, she brought it in front of Qi Youxuan’s mouth. “Here, drink some tea—it’ll help relieve your nausea. Be careful, it’s hot.”

Seeing that Qi Youxuan was distracted for the moment, Wu Qiaoyin continued, “Now that we’ve returned, we ought to hang out together more. Isn’t this great?”

Qi Youxuan gestured to Guan Liya that he was done with the tea. He turned his head to Wu Qiaoyin and announced, “Aunt Wu, my dad doesn’t like women who take the initiative to go after him either. He likes women like Mommy, who he had to pursue for a long time before winning her heart.”

“Ah, silly child, what are you blabbering about?” Guan Liya pinched the little boy’s cheeks and turned to Zhao Fengchun and Wu Qiaoyin embarrassedly. “He’s just a little boy; please don’t take his words to heart.”

Wu Qiaoyin forced herself to smile—the corner of her lips twitching. Then, she turned to Ruan Danchen. “You must be my sister-in-law. When I was in Italy, I didn’t hear of Big Brother Qi’s engagement at all. And to think that you have such a big boy already. Though, sister-in-law, you seem quite young—only thirty-something perhaps?”

Her head was slightly tilted as she gazed at Ruan Danchen with a pair of innocent eyes—smiling as if her words hid no other meaning.

Ruan Danchen returned her smile. She was going to ask her how she knew her age, but the moment she opened her mouth, she accidentally let out a yawn. Awkwardness set in once again.

She did not do it on purpose. They must think she was a disrespectful woman who was intentionally trying to humiliate them. However, that was not the case—she was merely tired.

Expectedly, Zhao Fengchun and Wu Qiaoyin’s expression soured.

Wu Qiaoyin appeared troubled. Her well-trimmed eyebrows knitted tightly together. With a woeful expression, she asked, “Sister-in-law, did I say something wrong?”

Ruan Danchen staggered. Lately, her reaction seemed to have slowed down significantly. After what felt like an eternity, she finally answered, “No, you didn’t. It just happened. Please don’t take it to heart.”

Having said that, Ruan Danchen yawned again. Ruan Danchen felt a little sick. Somehow, she felt that their impression of her was becoming more and more tainted.

Zhao Fengchun’s expression darkened. She forced herself to smile, but in her mind, she thought, ‘How rude! How dare this granddaughter-in-law of the Qi family be so disrespectful that she cared not about the dignity of us elders! Such a disgraceful person should be kept away from the public!’

“Aunt Wu, my dad doesn’t like weak women either,” Qi Youxuan interjected again. The little boy saw the opportunity and he took it.

Wu Qianyin’s lips twitched. “Haha, what a mischievous child Youxuan is. I’ve been neighbors with Big Brother Qi since we were kids. We grew up together—like brother and sister.”

Qi Youxuan kept silent. He merely stared suspiciously at her with his big, round eyes. Evidently, he did not believe her words.

Wu Qiaoyin glared at the child, yearning to hit him to put him in his place. She wondered how Ruan Danchen educated that little brat.

“If you’re tired, go ahead and head to bed,” Qi Chenglin said when he saw Ruan Danchen’s exhausted state. She was swaying side-to-side as she sat unsteadily on the stool. Seeing this, Qi Chenglin put his arm around her shoulders and let her lean on him.

The Wu family had taken up the entire couch and Qi Zhongxun and Guan Liya each sat in a single-seater sofa. Thus, Qi Chenglin and Ruan Danchen could only settle for wooden stools.

Qi Chenglin had no problem sitting on a stool, but he could not handle seeing the drowsy Ruan Danchen sitting on the stone-hard stool without anything to lean on.

Guan Liya saw how tired she was too. She knew that this daughter-in-law of hers took care of her husband and son all by herself and had to work on top of that—it was no wonder that she would be drained.

Guan Liya knew Ruan Danchen’s personality well—despite Wu Qiaoyin’s insulting words, she knew Ruan Danchen did not yawn on purpose.

Seeing her fatigued manner, Guan Liya nodded and said, “That’s right, Danchen. You should go take a nap in Chenglin’s old bedroom.”

Having said that, she shot a disapproving glance at Qi Chenglin. “And you, how could you let Danchen be so tired?”

Qi Chenglin thought that he had not asked Ruan Danchen to do much lately—why was she so exhausted?

With guests in the house, how could Ruan Danchen possibly go to bed? Thus, she forced herself to stay awake, claiming she was alright and continued sitting on the uncomfortable stool.

Qi Youxuan clambered down from Guan Liya’s lap and climbed onto Ruan Danchen’s. Ruan Danchen wrapped her arms around him instinctively.

“Mommy, I want to sleep too. Why don’t you accompany me?” Qi Youxuan hugged Ruan Danchen and rubbed against her chest. Ruan Danchen’s heart melted.

She poked the tip of Qi Youxuan’s little nose with her finger. She knew that he only said that to get her to bed.

Just as she was going to answer, a delicious fragrance came from the kitchen where Aunt Chen was preparing lunch.

The scent made Ruan Danchen’s stomach turn. She felt nauseated and although her stomach was empty, she still felt like vomiting.

Ruan Danchen’s face was blanched. Qi Chenglin inquired hurriedly, “What’s wrong?”

Seeing this, Qi Youxuan did not dare to stay on her lap any longer. Without Qi Chenglin’s instruction, he climbed down by himself and gazed at his mother worriedly.

Ruan Danchen shook her head. “I’m fine. It’s just my stomach acting up. I’m feeling a little nauseous.”

“Did you eat something bad? What did you have for breakfast?” asked Guan Liya.

Qi Youxuan was already thinking back on the things they had for breakfast. Ruan Danchen shook her head. “I didn’t eat anything bad. It’s okay. I’ll just have some tea. It’ll go away.”

However, as the scent from the kitchen grew thicker and thicker, Ruan Danchen’s face turned paler and paler. The whole family was anxious, making the Wu family felt especially out of place.

“You really should rest.” Qi Chenglin instantly picked Ruan Danchen up from the chair and helped her to the bedroom.

Guan Liya wanted her to rest too, but something felt off, so she turned to Ruan Danchen and suggested, “Why don’t… you go for a check-up in the hospital?”

Before Ruan Danchen could decipher her words, Qi Chenglin nodded decisively. “Yes! We should head to the hospital.”

Finally, it dawned on Ruan Danchen. She looked at Guan Liya and understood her meaning. Then, she turned to Qi Chenglin—it was evident that this man was not on the same page.

Ruan Danchen pondered upon it—there might be a chance Guan Liya was right. After all, Guan Liya was not delusional. Thus, she agreed, “I should… go for a check-up.”

Zhao Fengchun tutted quietly. There were guests at home yet they just had to go to the hospital. Was Ruan Danchen really so precious? This daughter-in-law of Guan Liya seemed quite unbecoming.

Wu Qiaoyin glared at Ruan Danchen discontentedly. She felt that Ruan Danchen was merely scheming to kick them out.

Seeing Ruan Danchen’s reaction, Guan Liya pulled Ruan Danchen away from Qi Chenglin to talk to her in private. Worried, Qi Chenglin called out, “Mom!”

“Ah, you little rascal, it’s not like I’m going to bully Danchen. What’s that face for?” teased Guan Liya.

Qi Chenglin pouted and kept silent.

Only then did Guan Liya whisper to Ruan Danchen, “Danchen, you think so too, don’t you?”

Ruan Danchen was slightly troubled by Guan Liya’s expectant expression. “It’s true my period is late by around a week. It had always come on time before this, but I’m not sure yet. Mom, if the test comes back negative, please don’t be disappointed.”

“Oh, it’s alright.” Guan Liya could not help but chuckle. “After all, I already have Youxuan. You two giving me another grandchild is like icing on a cake. I’m in no hurry either. I already have a grandchild in my lap anyway. Youxuan is such an adorable child. So, Danchen, don’t feel pressured. It doesn’t matter when you give Youxuan a younger sibling; even if you don’t, that’s fine too—he still has Chengzhi and Chengyue’s children to play with.”

Ruan Danchen was relieved to hear that. She nodded. In truth, she was nervous and excited too—she hoped for a child as well.

“We don’t use any contraceptive methods. I’d love another child too,” Ruan Danchen admitted softly.

“That’s good, that’s good.” Guan Liya was overjoyed. Elders like her would always wish for more grandchildren.

After ending their conversation, they noticed the father-and-son duo was still panicking. Guan Liya could not help but roll her eyes.

What was with their expression? Did she look like an evil old lady?

Seeing Ruan Danchen’s expression, Guan Liya predicted that there was a ninety percent chance that they’ve hit the jackpot this time. She was ecstatic when she thought about getting little plump grandchildren one after another—one from her daughter’s stomach and one from her daughter-in-law’s. Oh, what a perfect life!

“Let’s go, let’s go. I’ll go with you guys.” Guan Liya took Ruan Danchen’s hand cautiously as if she was afraid she might break her. “Old Man Qi, you stay here and entertain the guests! Lao Wu, Fengchun, do have lunch here before you leave. I’m truly sorry about this but I’ll have to accompany my daughter-in-law to the hospital.”

“Hey, what happened? Is it that serious?” Zhao Fengchun stood up. “Then we won’t be bothering you anymore.”

“Oh, it’s fine, it’s fine,” Guan Liya said, grinning, “It’s nothing serious but better safe than sorry, right?”

Seeing that Guan Liya could still joke and smile, Zhao Fengchun knew it was nothing serious. In her mind, she thought, ‘Guan Liya sure pampers her daughter-in-law. She’s just a little unwell and yet Guan Liya became so anxious.’

Ruan Danchen’s pregnancy was merely speculation. Without being sure, Guan Liya would not announce it to outsiders yet.

Zhao Fengchun had similar experiences too—by observing Guan Liya’s reaction, she could guess what was going on.

However, without Guan Liya, it truly was quite awkward. Qi Zhongxun was not someone they could make much conversation with. Staring at each other, the atmosphere became increasingly tense.

Therefore, Zhao Fengchun stood up again. “We were here just to have a little chat with you two, but since the situation is as such, we won’t interfere much more and we excuse ourselves for now. After all, we live right next door—we can come to chat on any other day.”

Hearing her say that, Guan Liya did not insist they stay anymore. At last, Qi Zhongxun understood Guan Liya’s reason for joy too. He wanted to follow them and thus asked Aunt Chen to hold off on cooking lunch; otherwise, everything would be cold by the time they got home.

The two families said their goodbyes at the front door. Only after the Qi family entered their car did Zhao Fengchun turn to Wu Qiaoyin, frowning. “What were you thinking?”

Wu Qiaoyin acted baffled. With an innocent face, she looked down and tugged on her shirt. “What did I do?”

“You know full well what you did. You should know your duty as the daughter of our family—don’t go around doing things that gives others the opportunity to look down on us. You’re tarnishing your name and the family’s too,” Zhao Fengchun scolded sternly.

Wu Qiaoyin’s expression changed. She clenched her teeth and after a long while, she claimed, “I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

Having said that, she bolted back to their mansion next door.

…

Wu Qiaoyin had always thought that she hid her feelings pretty well. Nonetheless, the Qi family saw through her without difficulty. Qi Zhongxun and Guan Liya never pointed it out to avoid embarrassing Wu Chuanshu and Zhao Fengchun. After all, Guan Liya and Zhao Fengchun go way back.

Even the little boy, Qi Youxuan, read her like an open book. Needless to say, all the adults knew about it.

“Danchen, don’t mind the Wu family. I didn’t know they came back either. They just suddenly appeared in front of our house. Zhao Fengchun is an intelligent woman. I didn’t know her daughter would be so unbefitting,” Guan Liya explained. Guan Liya was quite displeased by Wu Qiaoyin’s behavior today too, but she did not want to point it out in front of her parents.

“It’s alright,” Ruan Danchen assured. “She’s just a naive little girl.”

She truly did not take Wu Qiaoyin’s actions to heart. Qi Chenglin had pampered her so much that she was no longer worried about other women. She was absurdly confident. She knew that no other woman could move Qi Chenglin’s heart; she knew no one else could seduce him.

Guan Liya was delighted. She did not want her carelessness to trigger a fight between her son and daughter-in-law. However, it seemed that she need not worry as Ruan Danchen was a level-headed lady.

When compared with someone like Ruan Danchen, Wu Qiaoyin truly seemed like an undignified woman.

Before Qi Chenglin got married, the Wu family had intentions of playing match-makers to get Qi Chenglin and Wu Qiaoyin together. However, back then, Wu Qiaoyin was still a young girl—when Qi Chenglin was 26, she was only 18 years old. In the eyes of Qi Chenglin, she was still a child. At that time, there were swarms of more mature women expressing their interests for Qi Chenglin as well. They all possessed their own unique qualities: mature ladies, innocent damsels, beauties with unfortunate backgrounds, and strong, independent women. Wu Qiaoyin failed to stand out in that diverse crowd. Nonetheless, even those women failed to catch Qi Chenglin’s eye, so Wu Qiaoyin had even less of a chance.

Zhao Fengchun knew that it was not something that could be rushed either—it would be more appropriate to wait until Wu Qiaoyin was older. Nevertheless, she did drop some hints for Guan Liya in private.

Unexpectedly, it was revealed soon after that Qi Chenglin was engaged to Shen Zhijing, causing a huge commotion throughout the city.

At that time, Wu Qiaoyin had not given up. She thought that as long as Qi Chenglin had not gotten married, she still had a chance. However, due to her young age, Qi Chenglin had never batted an eye at her. Even though she was always scheming to get closer to him, none of her plans worked. In the end, she could only watch from afar as the man she adored drifted further and further away.

Since they were neighbors, Wu Qiaoyin had known Qi Chenglin since she was old enough to recognize faces. Zhao Fengchun frequently brought her along when she visited Guan Liya. Thus, she had many chances to spend time with Qi Chenglin ever since she was young. However, Qi Chenglin was always unwilling to play with her.

Even so, due to Guan Liya’s relations with her mother, Qi Chenglin had no choice but to comply. Nevertheless, he was always emotionless toward Wu Qiaoyin—he had never even given her a simple smile.

Zhao Fengchun mentioned that Wu Qiaoyin had always chased behind Qi Chenglin since they were children—it was true. However, she failed to mention that Wu Qiaoyin never once caught up to him.

When Qi Chenglin grew older and entered middle school, he developed his signature stone cold gaze. With one menacing glance, Wu Qiaoyin would back up immediately.

Years later, Qi Chenglin got engaged, but Wu Qiaoyin still did not give up. Although she did not dare to throw herself on him, she still clung on to a glimmer of hope. To her surprise, the engagement was called off. Even so, before she could rejoice, news spread that Qi Chenglin came home with a child—his son.

Although she lived right next door, she had never seen this son of his.

Afterward, before Wu Qiaoyin could grow old enough to pursue Qi Chenglin, her whole family migrated to Italy for Wu Chuanshu’s business.

Despite Guan Liya and Zhao Fengchun knowing each other since young, they gradually stopped contacting each other due to the long distance between them. Consequently, Wu Qiaoyin stopped receiving updates about what went on in B City.

She could only wait until they come home. Unexpectedly, Qi Chenglin was already married. The child from before had grown so big. He was even calling Ruan Danchen ‘Mommy’ already. She wondered if Ruan Danchen was his biological mother or stepmother.

…

Despite it being further, the Qi family still decided to head to Chutian Hospital—since it was not an emergency, they opted for a hospital they trusted so they could be more at ease.

However, Ruan Danchen, who had never suffered from motion sickness, was struggling to keep her composure in the backseat. Her face was white as chalk.

Seeing this, Qi Zhongxun instructed Qi Chenglin to stop the car and let him drive instead, so Qi Chenglin could comfort Ruan Danchen at the backseat. Coincidentally, there was a convenience store near where they stopped. Qi Chenglin went in and bought a bottle of water for Ruan Danchen, which relieved her nausea a little.

Qi Zhongxun might not be the best at reading women’s thoughts—men were all more heedless than women anyway—but his wife did give birth to three children, so he was quite experienced in this matter. Without Guan Liya pointing it out to him, he could tell that there was almost an eighty percent chance of Ruan Danchen being pregnant—judging from her current state.

Afraid that Ruan Danchen might be too dizzy, Qi Zhongxun drove as steadily as he could.

As a result, a fifty-minute journey took an hour and a half. Nonetheless, Ruan Danchen’s condition had improved because of his steady driving.

Even so, after getting out of the car, Ruan Danchen was so nauseous that she could not walk properly. She leaned on the car and started retching.

Qi Chenglin’s eyebrows knitted tightly together as he patted Ruan Danchen’s back to soothe her. She kept on retching but nothing came out. Watching her suffer like that, Qi Chenglin would rather she did not get pregnant.

He wished that a pregnant lady’s suffering could be transferred to her husband instead. He wanted to at least be able to suffer with her.

Although she had not taken the pregnancy test yet, there could not be any other reason for her current state.

Ruan Danchen gagged for a long while, then finally managed to vomit some stomach acid. Qi Chenglin quickly took a sheet of tissue and tried to wipe her mouth. Ruan Danchen extended her hand, wanting to take the tissue, but Qi Chenglin would not give it to her. He insisted, “Let me do it.”

“It’s dirty,” Ruan Danchen muttered embarrassedly. She felt so sick that she had no strength to talk loudly.

“What do you mean ‘dirty’?” Qi Chenglin smiled. He twisted the bottle cap open and let her drink some water.

Guan Liya watched in bewilderment as her usually-aloof son took care of Ruan Danchen so attentively. He had never done this for Guan Liya. She could not help but feel a little envious. Nevertheless, the feeling of envy was not uncommon among mothers whose sons had wives.

Even so, when she thought about her daughter-in-law gifting her with a grandchild, the feeling quickly faded away.

Luckily for Ruan Danchen, she had Zen Manrong before her to set the bar ridiculously low. When compared to Zen Manrong, Ruan Danchen was tens of folds better than her. Thus, although Guan Liya was a little envious, she did not criticize them.

Ruan Danchen drank a few sips of water and finally felt better. She stood up straight and apologized to the two elders.

“Ah, what are you being so courteous for, child?” Guan Liya dismissed.

Chu Zhaoyang was not around; they did not bother to call him either. They merely took a number at the gynecology department and waited patiently like everyone else. After all, it was not an emergency. Everyone waiting in the room was just as anxious as them, so they put themselves in their shoes and decided not to take advantage of their connections with Chu Zhaoyang.

When Ruan Danchen’s number was called, the whole family scurried into the consulting room with her, making her feel excruciatingly pressured. If it was merely a false alarm, how could she ever make up for betraying the elders’ earnest hopes?

Director Lee was astonished to be met with Qi Chenglin’s family. He smiled and asked, “Why did you all wait behind the queue this time?”

“Well, it’s nothing to be hurried,” Qi Zhongxun explained, smiling nobly and elegantly.

Director Lee stared at them for a while and asked hesitantly, “Which of you is the patient?”

“My daughter-in-law,” Guan Liya answered jubilantly as she let Ruan Danchen sit on a stool. “Her period is late by almost a week and she’s constantly sleepy and feels sickened when she smells certain food, so we came to have it checked out.”

Director Lee instantly understood what she was suggesting. He smiled and brought Ruan Danchen to the testing room.

They needed to wait in line for the result too, but since Director Lee knew them, he did not let them wait any longer. He made a call to the lab and let Ruan Danchen jump the queue.

When they obtained the results, Guan Liya could not understand what was written in the report. Thus, she handed it to Director Lee.

“Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Qi. The report indicates that you’re five weeks pregnant,” Director Lee announced.

Although they had already predicted this outcome, they were still overjoyed to hear this official announcement.

Guan Liya even shrieked in joy, hugging Qi Zhongxun.

Qi Zhongxun was also grinning ear-to-ear. He squeezed Qi Youxuan’s little head. “Youxuan, you’re going to be a big brother soon. Let’s hope your mother gives birth to a little brother or sister just as adorable as you.”

Qi Youxuan took after Qi Chenglin. Qi Zhongxun believed that Qi Youxuan, just like Qi Chenglin, would grow up into a tall and slender boy after hitting puberty. After all, Qi Chenglin was once a round, chubby boy too. Even so, Qi Zhongxun thought that his plump appearance when little was just too adorable.

No matter a boy or a girl, Qi Zhongxun would be completely satisfied as long as it was a soft and plump little baby. Babies like that were absolutely adorable.

Qi Youxuan’s big, round eyes widened. He ran up to Ruan Danchen and hugged her waist.

“Hey, be gentle!” Guan Liya scolded anxiously. The first trimester consisted of the most critical months.

“I’m hugging my little sister.” Qi Youxuan hugged Ruan Danchen’s waist and rubbed his cheek against her flat stomach. “I’m being extra gentle.”

“Nonsense!” Qi Zhongxun chuckled. Did the little boy think his little sister could feel him hugging his mother’s belly?

“How do you know it’s a little sister?” Ruan Danchen asked, smiling. The truth was, she wanted another son.

She regretted not being able to raise Qi Youxuan from when he was a baby immensely. Therefore, she wanted another son—one that resembled little Youxuan.

“Uncle already gave me a little brother to bully. If I have my own little brother, I won’t have the heart to bully him, but it feels weird to not bully him… So, it’s better if you give birth to a little sister who I can pamper.” Qi Youxuan’s fair and chubby hands were cupped onto Ruan Danchen, gently rubbing her belly. “Besides, a girl is sweeter—she won’t hurt Mommy. A little brother is too naughty—when Auntie was pregnant with Youjin, he kept rolling around in her tummy.”

Ruan Danchen ruffled the little boy’s silky hair. She could not help but laugh. “Well then, we’ll find out if it’s a little sister or a little brother when we come for a check-up again in a few months. Since you’re so insistent on getting a little sister, I wish to give you one too.”

It was not Ruan Danchen’s first pregnancy, so she did not need Director Lee to warn her about the dos and don’ts anymore. Thus, the family marched off merrily.

It was just the beginning of the pregnancy, so it was not wise to publicize it yet. Guan Liya only made calls to the old mansion and Xia Wenna.

Grandmother Qi was over the moon to hear that Ruan Danchen was also pregnant. Therefore, the family went straight to the old mansion so Grandmother Qi could see Ruan Danchen.

In the car, Qi Youxuan’s tiny hand was still stuck firmly onto her belly. “Mom, when will your belly become bigger? I want Lil’ Sis to come out quickly.”

“Urgh, when she starts elementary school, I will already be in middle school. I have to protect Lil’ Sis. I won’t let her be bullied and I won’t let any boys get close to her!”

“Mommy, when can we buy clothes for Lil’ Sis? I saw a little high-chair in Auntie’s house that they use to feed Youjin1. It looks like so much fun! Let’s get one for Lil’ Sis too! And a swimming pool!”

The little boy was not entertaining the possibility of it being a boy at all. Ruan Danchen inquired, “What if it’s a boy?”

Qi Youxuan stared at Ruan Danchen with troubled eyes, “Can’t you put in some effort and make it a little sister?”

Ruan Danchen burst out in laughter. “This isn’t something within my control!”

The little boy had always been exceedingly cunning and clever, yet how could he be so ignorant in this matter?

“Then I’ll make my little brother pin his little chili pepper to the back and pretend he’s a girl,” the little boy declared as he stared fiercely at Ruan Danchen’s stomach as if trying to make the fetus a girl using sheer willpower.

“…” Ruan Danchen was rendered speechless.

“I will try my best to give you a little sister.” It would be better to not have a boy and let Qi Youxuan mutilate him.

Qi Youxuan turned to Qi Chenglin, looking for an ally. “Daddy, do you want a son or a daughter?”

“Hmm, a daughter. I hope she resembles her mother. You already bring enough mischief for us to handle.” Qi Chenglin flicked the little one’s forehead. With a warm smile, he turned his gaze to Ruan Danchen’s belly. “The words ‘son’ and ‘daughter’ when put together makes the word ‘good1‘. As they say, having both sons and daughters makes a family complete.”

Ruan Danchen looked down, feeling a little dispirited. Nonetheless, she smiled and said, “This will be our chance.”

“Mommy, I will help you take care of Lil’ Sis!” Qi Youxuan stated in a serious tone.

“Okay.”

…

When they arrived at the old mansion, the six-month pregnant Qi Chengyue was sitting on the sofa. Her stomach appeared to have expanded abruptly—it was gigantic now.

“Ah, it seems like this house is piled up with pregnant women now,” Qi Chengyue joked.

“My pregnancy will only look obvious after you give birth,” Ruan Danchen pointed out with a smile. Grandmother Qi quickly beckoned her over to sit by her side. Ruan Danchen asked, “Ah, you went to the hospital recently, right? Is it a boy or a girl?”

“It’s a girl,” Qi Chengyue revealed exultantly—she had always wanted a tender and loving daughter.

“Then I’ll have two little sisters!” Qi Youxuan widened his eyes in both astoundment and delight.

“You’re so confident that your mom is pregnant with a girl?” Qi Chengyue teased.

“If not this time, then it has to be the next! The point is, Mommy, you must give me a little sister,” demanded Qi Youxuan.

There were not many instances where Qi Youxuan could be so persistent. Ruan Danchen wondered why he was so headstrong about having a little sister.

“Tsk, Mom, with Youxuan supervising them, you don’t even need to plod Danchen to have more children anymore,” Qi Chengyue joked as she stroked her belly and opened her mouth to receive a piece of honeydew Cheng Dongge brought to her mouth. “That boy can be the ultimate helper for your relationship with your daughter-in-law.”

Guan Liya did not know if she should laugh or cry. Rolling her eyes, she commented, “You’re going to be a mother soon, yet you still say such childish things.”

Cheng Dongge glanced at Qi Chengyue, grinning. “Last night, she even said that she’s the eldest daughter I have to raise.”

Qi Chengyue was humiliated. With a flushed face, her eyes darted to Cheng Dongge. “Why did you say that out loud!”

Watching her cheeks puff up like a pufferfish, Cheng Dongge grinned and stroked her hair. His elegant fingers looked as if it was extended to play an instrument. He smiled tenderly.

In fact, he did know how to play an instrument. Qi Chengyue only found out after they got married that when he was a child, his mother had arranged piano classes for him. Although he could not play at a professional level, he was still quite skilled.

With graceful fingers like his, it would have been a waste to not play the piano.

She had no idea what came over her last night. Due to her enlarged belly, her movements were quite restricted. After bathing, he helped her out of the tub to avoid any accidents.

She did not even need to lift a finger—from putting on clothes to drying her hair, Cheng Dongge did it all. He was especially cautious when looking after her. Qi Chengyue thought that with him around, she did not need to move a muscle.

Being pampered by him scrupulously, the words accidentally slipped out of her mouth. “Being taken care of like this, I can’t help but feel like I’m your daughter.”

Cheng Dongge froze. His lips twitched. “What will I do with a daughter this old? When I kiss you later, I might even feel guilty.”

“…”

Right after claiming that he would feel guilty with a serious expression, that man turned into an animal the minute they got into bed. Her doctor told them to refrain from ‘bedroom activities’ during the first and last three months of pregnancy. However, she was six-months pregnant, so it was not an issue. Cheng Dongge must be dreading the coming months, so he wanted to take full advantage of this month and was being particularly rough. Due to her pregnancy, they could only be lying on their sides. He wrapped his arms around her and penetrated her from behind. He did it until they were both breathless and disheveled.

To her horror, Cheng Dongge revealed it to everyone. Qi Chengyue wanted to bury her head in sand.

“Ah, this child, what nonsense are you telling Cheng Dongge?” Guan Liya shot a glance at her. She was already so old, yet did not know what was appropriate or not to say.

Qi Youxuan was holding a bottle of banana-flavored milk with both hands as he squinted his eyes at Qi Chengyue. “Auntie, you’re already so old. How shameless.”

Blushing hard, Qi Chengyue poked Cheng Dongge in the waist. “This is all your fault.”

Cheng Dongge grabbed her sneaky hand. He stared at her delicate facial features—if it were not for the elders being present, he would have planted a long, hard kiss on her lips.

“It’s okay. When our daughter comes out, I will raise you both together. You’ll have the same treatment as her.” Cheng Dongge squeezed her hand and smirked.

“You animal,” Qi Chengyue grumbled softly, afraid others might hear.

Cheng Dongge’s lips curled up uncontrollably. The corner of his lips went higher and higher. He could not kiss her, but could only subtly dig at her palm. He noticed that her hand was shaking. Subconsciously, she leaned closer to his body and started grinding against him.

Cheng Dongge was burning with passion. He looked down to see her face—tinted red, her face appeared even more stunningly attractive. Her huge eyes were watery. With just a few rubs on her palm, she was already turned on.

He had secretly visited forums for mothers before, so he knew that it was common for women to be inclined to do these things when pregnant. Any contact would make them yearn for it.

Cheng Dongge looked down—his sizzling breath landed on her face. Qi Chengyue could not help but meet his gaze—her eyelashes fluttering as she stared.

She was already trying her best to suppress her urge, yet he was still pouring fuel on the fire.

“Are you tired?” Cheng Dongge asked abruptly.

Qi Chengyue had not realized his intentions yet. She wondered why he asked that when she was clearly still very awake.

Hearing that, Grandmother Qi urged, “Pregnancy makes one easily tire. You should hurry and go take a nap.”

“I—” Before Qi Chengyue could continue, Cheng Dongge had pulled her to her feet.

Cheng Dongge declared, “I’ll take her to the room.”

Just like that, he brought her out of the house.

The old mansion had a fully enclosed courtyard. Although the houses had only one floor, there were still many rooms. Qi Chengyue’s room was in the adjacent house, so Cheng Dongge brought her there.

The moment the door shut, he embraced her carefully but locked lips with her aggressively.

Qi Chengyue was in a daze from all the kissing. She stared at him with hazy eyes, struggling to catch her breath.

“Didn’t you want it just now? Your grinding made me horny too.” Cheng Dongge was rubbing is lips against hers, slowly inching forward. In response, Qi Chengyue inched backward. Unknowingly, she had led him onto the bed.

Qi Chengyue’s face had completely reddened. She did not want to admit it but could not help but give in to her urges.

She stayed silent for a while, then finally muttered discontentedly, “I hate you.”

Cheng Dongge could not help but chuckle. As his deep, husky laughs were forced out of his throat, Qi Chengyue’s body started to tremble. With his lips curled upward, he appeared alarmingly seductive. She could not help but kiss the corner of his lips. He responded immediately, sucking on her lips, kissing her deeper.

…

“A pregnant woman shouldn’t be angered! Especially in the first three months!” In the other house, Grandmother Qi was holding Ruan Danchen’s hand as she glared at Qi Chenglin and Qi Youxuan. “You two, don’t you dare make Xiao Ruan anger.”

“I’m a good boy!” boasted the little boy and he puffed up his little cheeks. “Dad, don’t make Mommy angry!”

Qi Chenglin rolled his eyes. “I’m not that kind of person.”

Grandmother Qi laughed merrily. She knew that the father-and-son duo would not enrage Ruan Danchen. Holding Ruan Danchen’s hand, she continued, “As for the others, don’t mind them. You can just treat them as a bunch of crazy dogs.”

Grandmother Qi was clearly referring to Grandmother Chang. She knew all about the things that Grandmother Chang accused Ruan Danchen of. Only people of the same generation as Grandmother Chang would be able to win an argument against her. However, Grandmother Qi thought of herself as a dignified and educated woman—she would not stoop down the Grandmother Chang’s level and lock horns with her.

“And don’t just sit there and let others yell at you—yell back. But of course, you must forget about it after screaming back at them. Don’t take their words to heart. Bottling up your rage will only bring about anguish, so let it all out and be done with it.”

Ruan Danchen was at a loss for words when she heard Grandmother Qi encouraging her to yell at others.

That evening, Grandmother Qi instructed Aunt Liu to cook food fit for the appetite of pregnant women. Thus, the dishes served for dinner were mostly sweet and sour. There were also many kinds of appetizers served.

Aunt Liu was quite experienced too—although each pregnant lady had unique reactions to different kinds of food, she knew that the odor from fish and meat would be despised by nine out of ten women.

Therefore, Ruan Danchen still had some appetite to eat that night. Even if she did not, she would force herself to eat for the sake of the child in her. Thus, she devoured quite an amount of food.

In the end, she was completely stuffed.

After they went back to Prestige Residences, Qi Chenglin went to take a bath while Ruan Danchen lied lazily on the bed. Her stuffed stomach was making her uncomfortable.

When Qi Youxuan saw Ruan Danchen’s miserable state, he inquired sympathetically, “Mommy, is Lil’ Sis being naughty? Is she kicking you?”

Hearing the naive child’s innocent words, Ruan Danchen could not help but chuckle. She patted his little head. “No. I was afraid that your little sister isn’t getting enough nutrients, so I…”

Ruan Danchen was ashamed to admit her foolish thinking to her son. Her voice softened. “So I ate a little too much.”

Qi Youxuan’s expression changed as if he had an epiphany. He nodded. “I see, so you’ve overeaten!”

“…”

Sometimes, her son being overly smart also depressed her.

The little boy shook his head and spat out, “I heard that pregnant women suffer from something called ‘baby brain’; I didn’t know it’s real.”

“…”

“Mommy, when you were pregnant with me, you already became dumber by three years1. Now you’ve only gained four years of wisdom back, but you’ll have to lose three again! You sacrificed a lot, mother.” Qi Youxuan rubbed Ruan Danchen’s belly. “Hey, Mommy, your tummy is bigger now! Has Lil’ Sis grown bigger because you ate so much tonight?”

“…” Ruan Danchen thought, ‘Child, you’re feeling my stomach. It has only bloated up because Mommy overate…’

Ruan Danchen stared at Qi Youxuan’s little hands placed on her stomach with eyes teary from laughing. She thought it would be best to not say her thoughts out loud—her son already thought she was dumb.

“Urgh!” Qi Youxuan’s little hands slid round and round her tummy. “I wish your belly would hurry up and get bigger. I still remember when Auntie was pregnant and I could feel Youjin moving around inside. He surely is naughty but it was so interesting to feel him inside!”

“It’ll be big very soon. Just wait for three or four more months. It won’t be long.” Ruan Danchen rubbed her belly. It felt exceedingly warm and touching to have a family by her side this time—to have Qi Chenglin and Qi Youxuan to share this pregnancy journey with.

“You ought to go to bed now. You need to wake up early for school tomorrow.” Ruan Danchen was going to get off the bed, but Qi Youxuan stopped her.

“Mom, you lie there. Grandma and Great-grandma said that you shouldn’t tire yourself out when pregnant. I’ll go bathe and tuck myself in.”

Ruan Danchen wanted to say she was simply pregnant, not sick, but before she could utter a word, the little boy jumped off the bed and bolted away.

Just then, Qi Chenglin came out of the bathroom to be met with Qi Youxuan darting out the room and shutting the door behind him.

“What’s up with him?” questioned Qi Chenglin curiously as he dried his hair with a towel.

His confused expression made him look distinctly innocent. However, that innocent face was coupled with a steaming hot body fresh from the shower. His hair was still wet—dripping. He only had a white towel wrapped around his waist, exposing most of his clear, fair skin. He looked exceedingly alluring, making Ruan Danchen yearn to toy with the beauty in front of her.

Ruan Danchen swallowed. She lied lazily on the bed, not moving an inch. Reiterating Qi Youxuan’s words, she could not help but burst into laughter again.

Unexpectedly, Qi Chenglin raised an eyebrow and glared at her with fires of passion in his eyes. With a stern expression, he commented, “Aren’t you naughty?”

“Huh?” Ruan Danchen stared back at him in confusion.

She was talking about Qi Youxuan—what did that have to do with her being naughty?

Qi Chenglin did not care to elaborate. He merely looked down, so she followed his gaze.

“…” Ruan Danchen was stunned.

Without her realizing, her toes were rubbing against his calf with rhythmic and enticing motions. Ruan Danchen staggered. When did she become such an expert at seducing him? Why did these actions suddenly feel so natural to her?

Ruan Danchen retracted her leg bashfully. She must have lost control when she saw Qi Chenglin’s bewitching beauty.

“It wasn’t on purpose,” Ruan Danchen claimed, putting on a guilty smile. Just as she was going to sit up, Qi Chenglin pressed her down again.

Although her belly was still flat, Qi Chenglin still took extra caution to avoid putting pressure on it. He pressed on her shoulders instead. “You know that I can’t touch you, yet you’re rubbing against me like this? Why are you so naughty?”

His eyes burned with lust. Watching him trying to suppress his urges, Ruan Danchen could not help but feel pity toward him. She pouted. “It’s not like I did it on purpose. It’s your fault for being so irresistible.”

She smiled coyly. Staring at Qi Chenglin’s tormented expression, she pitied him and gave him a kiss. “I’m going to take a bath.”

She pushed him gently, beckoning him to get up.

Qi Chenglin got up. However, when Ruan Danchen sat up, he scooped her up and carried her bridal style.

“What are you doing?” Ruan Danchen shrieked out of shock. It was awfully scary to be lifted into the air abruptly.

“I’ll bathe you,” said Qi Chenglin as he marched toward the bathroom with her in his arms.

“I can bathe myself!” From his expression, Ruan Danchen could tell that he was insistent on taking off her clothes himself and bathing her.

Qi Chenglin shot a glance at her. “You’re pregnant. What if you slip and fall?”

“We have anti-slip mats on the floor…” Ruan Danchen was going to twist her way out, but her resolve melted away when her eyes met his tender expression. She lied in his arms obediently as he entered the bathroom. Qi Chenglin filled the tub, took off her clothes, and focused all his attention on washing her.

However, there were still some places Ruan Danchen was not comfortable with Qi Chenglin washing, so she kept dodging. Qi Chenglin was drenched in sweat as he bathed her—not because it was a laborious task, but because he had to hold back his desire the entire time. He was extraordinarily hard. He knew that bathing her would only make himself suffer more, yet he could not let go. He was spellbound by the feeling of her smooth skin brushing against his fingers.

“That’s enough. I can clean myself. Get out for now. I’ll tell you when I’m done.” Ruan Danchen dodged once more, but Qi Chenglin grabbed onto her. Captivated by his searing hot hands, Ruan Danchen froze.

Qi Chenglin let go. She let out a sigh of relief, but before she was done exhaling, she saw him unwrapping the towel around his waist.

“Hey, what are you doing? Stop fooling around.” Ruan Danchen’s eyes widened as she watched his long legs step into the bathtub silently. It was evident that his resolve was so strong, it could not be moved by even nine oxen.

“I’m drenched in sweat from washing you. I’ll bathe again.” The moment he entered the bathtub, he pulled her into his embrace.

“Don’t mess around,” Ruan Danchen warned anxiously.

“You know, I’ve thought about it—it’s not like I can’t touch you at all. You can still help me,” said Qi Chenglin in a serious tone.

“…”

How could he say such crude things with a serious face!

“How shameless! Don’t mess around!” scolded Ruan Danchen—her face reddened.

He tightened his arms around her. “Three months is a long time. You’re willing to let me suffer for three months?”

He even displayed a pitiful expression.

When a man, who usually appeared all high and mighty, put on such a pitiful expression, Ruan Danchen did not have the heart to refuse. He was usually quite the animal in bed—making him control himself for three months did seem like a painful punishment. Not having the heart to let him suffer, Ruan Danchen extended her hands shyly.

Qi Chenglin squinted his eyes with satisfaction. He rested his chin on her shoulder, smelling the sweet scent of her. He felt euphoric. Time and time again, he kissed her shoulders and her lips, moaning, “My wife’s the best.”

Ruan Danchen grunted. Her hands were getting sore. Qi Chenglin said, “I’ll massage your arms later. Let’s not use hands tomorrow.”

Ruan Danchen looked up at him. What else could she use? With a stern expression, his gaze fell onto her lips, making Ruan Danchen’s blood boil with rage.

The two had worked up quite a bit of sweat. They washed themselves with the warm water in the tub. Angered, Ruan Danchen shooed him out while she stayed inside to wash her hair.

Now that he was satisfied, he did not insist on staying anymore. His long legs stepped out of the tub. He did not bother to wrap himself up with the towel anymore. Naked, he turned around abruptly. Ruan Danchen was taken by surprise. Her face was burning red. Hastily, she turned her gaze to his face, afraid to look down again.

Qi Chenglin could not help but laugh. He instructed, “Call me when you’re done. I’ll carry you out. Despite everything, I’m still worried about you.”

His last words made Ruan Danchen swallow the words she was about to spit out. She opened her mouth but no words came out. In the end, she could only nod obediently with her face flushed and her head down.

Seeing her submissive manner delighted him. He bent down with his hands holding the side of the tub and pecked her lips. Finally, he exited the bathroom.

After a while, Ruan Danchen called for him. He pulled the blanket away and hopped off the bed to carry her out. When she saw that he was still naked, she glared at him disapprovingly. However, she did not utter a word about it; he was already shameless after all—it would be a waste of her breath.

Qi Chenglin dried her body and wrapped her up in the blanket immediately—he was afraid she might catch a cold. Then, he took the hairdryer and dried her hair. Only after he ensured that her hair was thoroughly dry did he let her lie down.

Watching him take care of her so mindfully, Ruan Danchen’s heart melted. When she was pregnant with Qi Youxuan, the Shen family also treated her with the utmost care—not because they were worried about her, but because they were worried about the child; Qi Chenglin’s wholehearted care felt entirely different.

Qi Chenglin put the hairdryer aside and turned his gaze on her flat tummy. He smiled to himself.

He lifted the blanket and placed his large hand on her belly. His hand was scorching hot, making Ruan Danchen’s heart race.

“Why are you smiling to yourself? You seemed so normal during the day.” Ruan Danchen stared at his silly grin. She could not help but caress his face.

Qi Chenglin was indulged in her gentle touch—he wanted her to never stop. Subconsciously, he started rubbing against her palm, like a huge cat. He had no awareness of what he was doing.

“There were so many people around us during the day,” explained Qi Chenglin as he looked up to meet her gaze. Then, he looked down again and continued rubbing her tummy, smiling foolishly at himself.

Ruan Danchen glanced at him; speechless. It seemed he was merely holding himself back just to keep up his image.

“When you were pregnant with Youxuan, I wasn’t by your side; this time, I promise I’ll take good care of you,” whispered Qi Chenglin as he caressed her belly.

“Mmm, and I can experience having a husband to take care of me when I’m pregnant too. Not only a husband—I have my son by my side too,” murmured Ruan Danchen, smiling.

Imagining Qi Youxuan running circles around Ruan Danchen and asking how she was doing made Qi Chenglin smile too.

He kissed her belly. “My precious daughter, hurry up and grow. Don’t let your mom suffer.”

…

The one week which Liu Ronghua gave Chang Jingqiu had ended. Chang Jingqiu drove to Liu Ronghua’s residential area personally. She waited at the door.

Liu Ronghua entered the car and glanced at Chang Jingqiu. “You can just transfer the money directly to my account if you’ve prepared them all. Why do you insist on a meeting?”

“I need to look at you for assurance when you receive the money. I’ll feel more secure that way,” Chang Jingqiu replied lightly and drove away.

“Where are we going?” Liu Ronghua asked simply.

“You’ll know when we arrive,” Chang Jingqiu answered calmly.

Liu Ronghua did not give it much thought and sat on the passenger seat with ease. However, the route Chang Jingqiu was driving on got stranger as time went by. Liu Ronghua frowned and started feeling uneasy for some inexplicable reason.

“Where are you taking me?” Liu Ronghua held onto the door firmly and asked nervously.

Chang Jingqiu took a peek at her and answered, “Relax, we’re just going somewhere quiet to solve this issue. It would be too noisy to discuss such matters in a restaurant or somewhere similar.”

“Why didn’t you think that it was noisy previously?” Liu Ronghua asked immediately.

Chang Jingqiu peeked at her but remained silent.

Something fishy was going on. Liu Ronghua held onto the inner door handle and yelled, “I’m leaving. Stop the car now!”

“We’re on a highway now. How am I supposed to stop the car? Just wait for a while longer, we’re arriving soon. Are you worried that I’ll bring harm to you?” Chang Jingqiu replied and stared at her coldly.

She remained doubtful despite receiving assurance from Chang Jingqiu, but come to think of it again, what could a young lady like Chang Jingqiu possibly do to her?

Liu Ronghua would be more worried if the other party was a woman who involved herself in society and had wide social connections, but Chang Jingqiu was raised in the lap of luxury. She was acquainted with several precious ladies and gentlemen from notable families within the social circle, but most of them only indulged themselves in extravagant pleasures and entertainments. There was no way she could associate herself with anyone with abilities such as Qi Chenglin, so Liu Ronghua figured that there was no way she could bring any harm to her.

Thus, the initial anxiety was now replaced with calmness as Liu Ronghua stared at the view outside the window without giving it further thoughts.

In the end, Chang Jingqiu stopped her car at the foot of a mountain. This mountain was reputed in B City due to its potential for mountain hikers, but at the same time, it was not very famous.

Tourists from the outlands would not visit this mountain for hiking purposes. The hikers were mostly from B City and they would only visit if they were in the mood to exercise.

The weather then was pleasant and thus, a few hikers were visiting the mountain for a hike. However, Chang Jingqiu parked her car behind the mountain as a safety precaution since the area was quite deserted.

Liu Ronghua frowned. “Why did you drive to this sort of place? Give me the money and let’s head back quickly.”

“Don’t you feel safer this way? I brought the cheque with me, so there’s no need for you to worry.” Chang Jingqiu smiled.

Liu Ronghua felt that something was definitely wrong. Chang Jingqiu was blackmailed, so logically speaking, she should be unwilling to hand over the money, but why did she even had the mood to smile?

On the other hand, Chang Jingqiu opened her handbag leisurely and one of her hands reached in to search for the cheque. Liu Ronghua forced the anxiety down, and her gaze which was fixed on Chang Jingqiu’s handbag, was so avaricious and impatient that she did not notice a stranger walking toward them outside the car.

Liu Ronghua had her back facing the car door while her gaze remained on Chang Jingqiu’s hand movements. Then, the car door behind Liu Ronghua opened all of a sudden, giving her quite a shock.

The car which Chang Jingqiu owned was a luxury vehicle and there would be an automatic lock installed in it. It was impossible to open the car door from the outside unless the driver unlocked it from the inside.

Liu Ronghua wanted to turn around amidst the surprise, but her attempt was stopped when a thick cloth bag enveloped her head. It surprised her and she screamed at the top of her lungs amidst the anxiety.

There was a sharp pain on the back of her cervical spine before she could utter a sound. Then, darkness overtook her and her consciousness faded away.

Chang Jingqiu remained calm and watched everything that happened before her eyes without any signs of anxiety. A man with great physical strength dragged the fainted Liu Ronghua out of the car and stuffed her into a small and shabby van which was parked not far away. It was as if he was simply transferring a corpse.

Then, a tall and handsome, but ruthless, man exited the van and entered Chang Jingqiu’s car.

“I thank Boss Chen for his help in this matter,” Chang Jingqiu took out a cheque of one million Yuan from her handbag and passed it to the man beside her. “Please convey my gratitude to Boss Chen. I’ll be greatly honored if I can treat Boss Chen a meal personally to express my appreciation.”

The man accepted the cheque and simply glanced at it before keeping it. “Brother Chen said Miss Chang is a sensible woman who won’t let Brother Chen suffer losses, so there’s no need to show any appreciation in this matter. Consider this a business transaction and that we had a pleasant collaboration.”

Chang Jingqiu nodded and remained silent. To be honest, she had no desire to associate herself further with the likes of Boss Chen.

Liu Ronghua thought all of Chang Jingqiu’s network connections only consisted of those who were born with a silver spoon, but she had completely forgotten about the fact that Chang Jingqiu was a reporter too. It was fortunate that Chang Jingqiu chose to work in this profession which allowed her to be acquainted with people from various professions.

Boss Chen was one of them. He seemed to be engaged in legitimate businesses but in fact, some of the money he earned came from disingenuous trades. Organ trading in the black market and some human trafficking organizations had some inextricable connections with him. Even though he did not participate in those illegal trades himself, he provided those organizations with distribution channels and some other conveniences for easier trades.

These were only some of the information she had in hand, but there was still a lot that remains unknown about Boss Chen and some of it was probably illegal too.

Thus, Boss Chen was one of those individuals whom she could not provoke at all. She would not associate herself further with Boss Chen unless absolutely necessary. This issue with Liu Ronghua was an exception because there was no guarantee that Liu Ronghua would stop blackmailing her again once all the money had been spent in the future.

Liu Ronghua was well known for not keeping promises. Even though she gave Chang Jingqiu assurance that she would stop threatening Chang Jingqiu after receiving five million Yuan, how could Chang Jingqiu believe such verbal agreement when there was no black and white?

The way Liu Ronghua treated Ruan Danchen raised Chang Jingqiu’s vigilance. She would rather believe a gilt could climb trees than to trust Liu Ronghua’s promises. Thus, she wanted Liu Ronghua gone in order to eliminate any potential trouble in the future.

Liu Ronghua’s presence felt like a sharp blade hovering over Chang Jingqiu’s head, on the verge of falling.

Thus, Chang Jingqiu wanted Liu Ronghua gone. In all honesty, her initial intention was twisted and sinister. She wanted Liu Ronghua dead because only a dead man could bring secrets to the grave and stay silent forever.

However, she could not do it. She had to contact Boss Chen despite the reluctance and fear, so that Liu Ronghua could leave forever and never come back again.

She had no idea where to send Liu Ronghua to so Boss Chen would be the decision-maker in this situation. Since Boss Chen had connections with human trafficking organizations, so naturally he would know where would be the best location to send her to.

Liu Ronghua demanded for five million Yuan initially, but the payment to send her off was one million Yuan only. Since Chang Jingqiu could save four million Yuan, why would she give extra money to Liu Ronghua for no reason?

The man returned to his small and shabby van after accepting the money without attempting to continue the conversation.

Then, Chang Jingqiu drove away after the van disappeared from her sight through the rearview mirror.

…

…

Liu Ronghua noticed that she was in a van after regaining consciousness. Judging from the darkness outside, the van was rushing to its destination throughout the night.

“Mm—” Liu Ronghua tried to speak but her mouth was covered by duct tape. Her arms were tied behind her back and her legs were tethered directly under the car seat, so she was immobile.

She struggled with all her might, looking bewildered.

A man who was sitting opposite her and dozing off initially opened his eyes upon hearing the movements. He peeked at Liu Ronghua nonchalantly before speaking to another man in the passenger seat. “She’s awake.”

The man in the passenger seat turned his head around and glanced at Liu Ronghua indifferently. There was no attempt in engaging conversation or letting her go.

“Mm! Mm Mm!” Liu Ronghua tried to yell but the sound produced was not loud since her mouth was taped shut. She tried to lean forward with all her might but all she could feel was pain in her wrists and ankles due to the ropes that bound them. She had achieved nothing despite the struggle.

Where were they taking her? What were they planning to do with her? Liu Ronghua had so many questions in her mind but she could not ask them with her mouth sealed shut.

Liu Ronghua stared at the man sitting opposite her, trying to get him to untie her or at least remove the tape on her mouth. However, the man closed his eyes and ignored her, covering himself with a jacket before continuing his slumber.

Her heart raced at an incredible speed as anxiety started to consume her. She did not dare to fall asleep either. Obviously, these men were not kind individuals, so what exactly were they planning to do with her?

Liu Ronghua recalled that she was sitting in Chang Jingqiu’s car when her head was enveloped by a cloth bag all of a sudden. Then, she understood everything. This was Chang Jingqiu’s doing!

Chang Jingqiu was unwilling to pay Liu Ronghua but she was worried about the disclosure of her true identity, so she ordered a kidnap attempt on Liu Ronghua.

Chang Jingqiu was indeed a vicious lady with a malicious mind!

Liu Ronghua really wanted to remove the tape on her mouth and explain to the kidnappers. She would provide more money than what Chang Jingqiu paid them initially, but these men were determined to ignore her.

Finally, the sun had risen after Liu Ronghua rocked in the van for the whole night. She did not get much sleep throughout the night because of her anxiousness.

Her eyelids would shut for a while when she could no longer bear the sleepiness, but would always jolt awake after some time.

The ashen-faced Liu Ronghua appeared haggard and the wrinkles on her face were more prominent. Moreover, the tape which remained on her lips made her breathless and incredibly uncomfortable.

Furthermore, she had not eaten after being kidnapped yesterday, so she was famished and felt very light-headed from hunger.

The van parked at a rest area located next to the highway after a long drive for them to switch drivers. One of the kidnappers went to the convenience store and purchased a bag of bread and ham sausages to split among the kidnappers.

The scent of cheap bread and sausages felt irresistible as hunger gnawed at Liu Ronghua. The urge to eat was so strong that she had to swallow back a pool of saliva even though the scent emitted from the sausages were from food additives.

“She hasn’t eaten for a long time. Should we give some of the food to her?” The man opposite her asked the man in the passenger seat while gulping down the food.

“No, it’ll be troublesome if she starts making noise once the tape is removed. Besides, she won’t cause trouble upon arrival when she’s hungry and weak,” the man in the passenger seat replied coldly.

“You’re really not going to give her food?” the man opposite her asked in shock.

“Since when are you so kind?” the driver asked with food in his mouth. One of his hands was holding the bread while another was on the steering wheel.

The man sitting opposite her remained silent and finished the bread and sausage quickly.

Liu Ronghua’s eyes widened in disbelief. She did not expect that these men planned to starve her throughout the journey.

Where were they taking her? How long was the journey? How long did she have to starve?

Fear tortured her guts, churning her stomach in intense cramps. She had never experienced any suffering in her life because men with different financial status complied to her in relationships, but now she was being kidnapped. Her life was in danger.

Tears started to stream down her cheeks out of fear. She missed living leisurely in her home and the gated community. How luxurious her life was when the sun shone brightly in her home.

Soon, Liu Ronghua became emaciated due to intense hunger and dehydration. Even though she was too frightened to fall asleep, her consciousness would still fade away due to her lack of energy.

The van bumped along the rutted and desolate roads while Liu Ronghua remained unconscious. Occasionally, there would be a few dilapidated houses along the unpaved roads. Judging by the broken roof tiles from those houses, it was obvious that the residents in this area lived a difficult life and that each meal would not satisfy their appetites.

The roads remained bumpy as the van traveled further into the mountain. The van drove along the rugged mountain path and finally stopped upon reaching an area close to the mountain top.

There were a few houses along the road at the mountainside, and they looked more ramshackled than the houses near the foot of the mountain. There were hardly any visitors in the area, so it was a rare sight for a modernized vehicle to appear in such a desolate place, hence the noise emitted from the van attracted the attention of children and women.

All the children appeared filthy—as if the dirt were literally smeared across their faces. Their initial black hair had turned slightly yellow as they were caked in dried mud after not being washed for a long period of time. All the boys and girls’ cheeks were flushed red as the wind blew consistently on them, but they were tainted by the dirt that appeared to be glued on them all these while.

The girls were wearing faded patched-up clothes while the shirts on the boys were ripped. The only similarity between them was the broken and dirty shoes.

However, these remained unknown to the unconscious Liu Ronghua, and naturally she did not hear an elderly woman yelling out of exhilaration, “Crippled Wang’s wife arrived?”

“Judging from the direction, I think they’re going to the Wang house. Let’s check it out.”

“Crippled Wang finally married a wife!”

The children even clapped their hands and joined in the fun at once.

“Crippled Wang’s wife! Crippled Wang’s wife!”

The women marched up the mountain as the children followed closely behind and yelled, “Crippled Wang remained single even though he’s in his late forties now. I wonder how does his wife looks like this time.”

“Never mind the looks. It’s good enough to have a wife to warm the bed and serve him. He doesn’t have a choice too even if she’s a yaksha1.”

“You bet! It’ll be hectic if she’s really a yaksha! He doesn’t even have an attitude of a man thanks to his ferocious mom. His house will be turned upside down if his wife is another ferocious woman. I don’t believe that the old lady will tolerate a ferocious daughter-in-law.”

“Hey, his wife will be tortured by the old lady if she’s a naive one.”

“I wonder how old is Crippled Wang’s wife.”

“She must be young since it’s difficult to kidnap an older woman. Usually, they’ll sell their young children when facing financial difficulties.”

“Isn’t that too rewarding for Crippled Wang?”

“Not necessarily in my opinion. You know of our village’s condition. All of us are poor and Crippled Wang is the poorest among us. How much do you think he can pay? You can’t buy a young and strong wife for a cheap price.”

In actuality, these women were sold to this village too.

Some of them were sold directly by their parents to the human traffickers, and some of them were kidnapped. This village was considered the most reputed wife-purchasing village in the area.

This village was slowly closed off to the public due to poor economic status and its location. Its remote area makes transportation a huge inconvenience. Outsiders had trouble visiting and the villagers did not have any means to leave the mountain. There were not many villagers in this area and all of them lived a self-sustaining life, managing to survive based on their farms alone. Every month, they would spend a few days on the road travelling to a market by oxcarts to purchase some fabric to make clothes, which would last them for years.

It was expected that no woman was willing to marry into this village because of its terrible economic status and remote location, which does not even have any other shops or villages nearby, so the only choice left was to buy wives.

The family would start saving up money if a boy was born. If any woman in the same village was willing to be a bride, then the male would give the money he saved as the bridewealth. The only problem was that there were many intermarriages within the village and most of them were related to certain degrees.

Initially, some took the risk to allow consanguineous marriages, but the offsprings were usually born with genetic disorders in the form of mental or physical disabilities. It was impossible for them to raise a deformed child when they were faced with financial difficulties in the first place. Thus, all who were born unhealthy would be thrown into the mountain to face his inevitable fate.

None dared to allow consanguineous marriage after a few attempts, so they were left with no choice but to buy wives by paying human traffickers with their savings.

If they bought a young girl, they would treat her as a child bride who would assist in house chores too. The adult women were more troublesome as they would attempt to escape after being sold, but they would behave themselves after taking a few beatings.

The women who were chatting at the moment had the same experiences. They felt unwilling when they first came and had suffered a great deal too, but they accepted their fates after getting used to it for a long time, counting their remaining lives with each passing day. Whenever there were new women who were sold to the village, they would gloat over their misfortunes.

The crowd had reached Crippled Wang’s house after chatting for some time.

They saw two figures standing at the doorstep. One of them was a woman in her sixties. Her white hair was tied behind her and no one would dare to provoke her just by the look of her face—fierce and cruel.

The old lady was of medium height but her built was humongous. She was involved in heavy work all her life and every movement radiated power.

Beside the old lady stood a man with a crutch who appeared to be in his forties. His hair was almost the same as those children and women along the road—caked in dry mud, yellowish and oily. This sort of appearance was unsightly and intolerable.

A fragile woman whose face appeared battered and pale laid down before the duo. Obviously, she was tortured on her way to this village but one could still visualize that this lady lived a prosperous life in the city before.

This lady had smooth skin despite being middle-aged, and the outfits on her appeared exquisite too. The villagers were poor and only a few could afford televisions with limited channels, such as CCTV channels one to eight. The women in the village figured that the outfits Liu Ronghua wore was much more exquisite and expensive than those in televisions.

Mother Wang stared coldly at Liu Ronghua who remained unknowing of the current situation with intense dissatisfaction. “We spent so much money on this ill lady!”

On the other hand, Crippled Wang was quite satisfied with Liu Ronghua’s beauty. Moreover, he had never tasted a woman before despite his age and now that he finally had a wife, he had to fight the urge to experience the euphoric bliss.

“Mom, they explained just now, right? They didn’t provide her with any food in fear that she would cause trouble on the road, so she’s unconscious now. She should be fine after having some food, and she can start working for us once she regains her energy,” Crippled Wang explained before shifting his center of gravity to his unaffected leg and poked Liu Ronghua’s face with his crutch.

Mother Wang remained unhappy and spat on the unconscious Liu Ronghua. “We need to waste food on this money-wasting b*tch. How much food does she have to eat after starving for days? Judging by her delicacy, she doesn’t look like one who knows how to work too. I was told that she created trouble on her way here, so she must be unwilling to marry you and work for us, but don’t you worry, give her to me. I’ll be sure to teach her a lesson until she learns her place.”

“Alright, Mom. She’s yours now,” Crippled Wang said.

Mother Wang bent down and grabbed one of Liu Ronghua’s arms. “Come, help me drag her into the house.”

Crippled Wang walked forward and grabbed Liu Ronghua’s other arm. The lower half of Liu Ronghua’s body, which remained on the ground, rammed into the rocks in the potholes while she was dragged into the house by the duo.

Her body ended up in a mess after crashing into a tall stoned door sill in the house.

The crowd outside the house noticed that the duo had no intention of showing mercy to this poor, unconscious lady and treated her like she was just livestock. They felt sorry for this poor soul but none of them uttered a sound, and they returned home after the fun was finally over.

…

…

Qi Chenglin had his guards up against all possible dangers now that Ruan Danchen was pregnant, and he even wanted Ruan Danchen to quit her job. Ruan Danchen merely felt that it was good enough to be more cautious but not necessarily to such an exaggerated extent.

Moreover, the doctor declared that she was healthy during her antenatal checkup and even advised her to engage in exercises whenever possible instead of rotting at home.

Thus, Qi Chenglin asked Chu Zhaoyang for Director Lee’s phone number and called him personally for a detailed questioning, which he assured repeatedly that working was acceptable as long as she does not do overtime and get over-exhausted.

According to Ruan Danchen’s daily working routine, it was not over-exhausting for her anyway.

Thus, Qi Chenglin was left with no choice but to agree to Ruan Danchen’s request to continue working reluctantly.

In the morning, Qi Youxuan was staring at Ruan Danchen’s abdomen and asked grudgingly, “Why does my sister grow so slow?”

“You were growing quite slow before too. If my stomach is big now, it’s due to fat instead of your sister growing bigger,” Ruan Danchen stroked his hair gently.

The kid caressed Ruan Danchen’s abdomen and sighed heavily. “I want to take a look at my sister.”

“Don’t be absent-minded and concentrate in class later,” Ruan Danchen advised.

The car stopped before the school gate and Qi Youxuan kissed Ruan Danchen and her belly before bidding goodbye. “Goodbye dad, goodbye mom, goodbye sister.”

Qi Youxuan rambled repeatedly about his sister every day after finding out that Ruan Danchen was pregnant. Even though it was impossible to check the fetus’s gender at such an early trimester, Ruan Danchen was almost convinced that she conceived a baby girl.

This was exactly why they said Qi Youxuan’s brainwashing ability was really powerful.

Qi Chenglin ignored Ruan Danchen’s protest upon arriving at the company and insisted to walk with her to the design department. He would feel satisfied only after watching Ruan Danchen going towards her seat safely and unharmed.

Ruan Danchen reminded him softly when they arrived at the entrance. “Don’t forget to keep this a secret until after the first trimester is over. It’s alright for our family members to know about this but don’t spread it to the public. I know this is a little superstitious but since it’s a tradition from our ancestors, best to keep it that way.”

Ruan Danchen trusted Qi Chenglin’s calmness initially, but it was fairly obvious to others that something was definitely wrong by the anxiousness on his face.

The result of Ruan Danchen’s confirmed pregnancy came out only last week, but Qi Chenglin called Manager Zou out of his office first thing they arrived at the company on Monday. Qi Chenglin gave a few instructions for Ruan Danchen’s sake such as no overtime or strenuous work, disallowed extended computer usage, and was only allowed to draw graphic designs for a short amount of time and leave the rest to assistant designers.

Manager Zou was on the verge of crying when that happened, assuming that Qi Chenglin was blaming him for his lack of care that had exhausted the General Manager Qi’s wife. He even presumed that the general manager thought the workload on General Manager Qi’s wife was too much and that Manager Zou himself was acting disrespectful towards General Manager Qi’s wife.

Thus, Ruan Danchen had absolutely nothing to do now and was bored to death after the discussion between Qi Chenglin and Manager Zou.

Occasionally, Manager Zou assigned a few leisurely design drafts to Ruan Danchen so that she could draw just a little each day.

It was fortunate that Manager Zou was a man who remained inattentive to details, so he failed to realize that Ruan Danchen was pregnant.

Since then, Qi Chenglin would give her a call every hour. Initially, Qi Chenglin dialed her cell phone number, but Ruan Danchen was too annoyed at his constant phone calls, so she told Qi Chenglin to quit calling her with the excuse that she was exposed to huge and harmful radiofrequency radiation by holding the phone so close to her.

Qi Chenglin then called her via the landline phone on her office desk.

The first time Qi Chenglin dialed her landline number, Ruan Danchen had no idea that it was him. Thus, she accepted the call and greeted politely. “Hello, this is Qilin’s design department.”

“How are you feeling? Are you feeling unwell?” Qi Chenglin’s voice traveled through her landline phone.

“…” Ruan Danchen was left speechless.

“I’m fine, I promise. I’ll let you know immediately when I’m feeling slightly unwell. Am I disturbing your work when you’re calling me every hour?” Ruan Danchen asked grudgingly.

“Not really, I can rest while giving you a phone call. Besides, how do you even make a phone call when you’re feeling unwell?” Qi Chenglin figured that he killed two birds with one stone using this method.

“…” Ruan Danchen did not expect his excuses to be so ‘logical’. “Don’t I have a whole office of colleagues to help me if I can’t make a phone call?”

“…” Qi Chenglin remained silent on the other end of the phone.

However, he did not attempt ending the conversation. Ruan Danchen figured something out suddenly and asked, “Am I right to assume that you’ve set alarms to ring every hour?”

“…” Qi Chenglin failed to muster a reply.

“…” Ruan Danchen took his silence as a sign of a guilty conscience. “You really set alarms?”

“Well, I’ve set alarms for myself to rest every hour. Don’t you remember that you’re the one telling me to limber up occasionally instead of constantly working?” Qi Chenglin’s mellow voice sounded especially serious and made others feel embarrassed to even doubt him upon hearing such tone.

“I’m walking around my office now while giving you a call since there’s nothing for me to do.” Qi Chenglin was really strolling around in his office.

“…” Ruan Danchen said helplessly, “I’m fine, really. Are you feeling more assured now?”

“Yes.” Qi Chenglin delayed the phone call for a while before continuing, “I’m going to a meeting later and it might take some time, so I won’t be able to call you an hour later.”

Ruan Danchen let out a sigh of relief. “I feel really good right now, so don’t worry.”

Ruan Danchen finally managed to coax Qi Chenglin and hung up the phone call.

Then, she continued her leisurely work assigned by Manager Zou.

Qi Chenglin’s secretary exited the secretary’s room and came down to the design department an hour later. She was the secretary who replaced Jiang Yuan during his period of absenteeism.

“Madam, this is from the general manager.”

It was a carton of milk and various desserts.

“The general manager was worried that you may be hungry,” the secretary explained.

Then, Xiao Fan arrived with an insulation pot in his hands after the secretary finished the sentence.

“Madam, this bird’s nest was prepared under Old Madam’s instruction,” Xiao Fan placed the insulation pot on Ruan Danchen’s office desk.

Dumbfounded, Ruan Danchen stared at them, and that was when she received Grandmother Qi’s phone call.

“Grandma,” Ruan Danchen greeted.

“Xiao Fan called me just now stating that he had arrived at the company. Did you receive the bird’s nest?” Grandmother Qi asked.

“Yes, I’ve received it. Xiao Fan just arrived a few seconds ago,” Ruan Danchen smiled at Xiao Fan.

“Good, don’t forget to eat it quickly. Send me a picture of the empty pot once you’re done with it so I won’t get worried,” Grandmother Qi said. She came up with this idea since she could not stare at his granddaughter-in-law until all the bird’s nest was finished.

“…” Ruan Danchen felt that Grandmother Qi was really quick-witted. “Alright.”

“I’ll let Xiao Fan deliver bird’s nest to you every day from now on. Don’t just work and neglect your health. You need to replenish your nutrients after exhausting yourself at work,” Grandmother Qi advised. She figured that it was good enough for her granddaughter-in-law to enjoy it leisurely at work.

“Grandma, there’s no need to deliver every day.” Ruan Danchen felt extremely stressed all of a sudden.

“No can do. There’s no one else in the in-laws to take care of you so naturally, that’s our responsibility now. That way, you won’t feel aggrieved,” Grandmother Qi explained earnestly.

Grandmother Qi figured that the Qi family must take over the in-laws’ responsibilities now. Normally, the mindsets between the husband’s family and a woman’s family were different. Their intentions were good but there would be some treatment differences between a daughter and a daughter-in-law. Most mothers-in-law would focus their attention solely on their daughters. They meant no harm to the daughters-in-law but would neglect them somehow.

Thus, Grandmother Qi felt the need to take this as a warning, especially when Ruan Danchen had no one else left other than the Qi family. She would treat Ruan Danchen as her own granddaughter instead of granddaughter-in-law so that she would do her very best to take care of Ruan Danchen.

Ruan Danchen put on a warm smile after listening to Grandmother Qi, no longer rejecting her kind offer. However, there was so much food now and she could not finish them all. Thus, she had decided to share them with Qi Chenglin instead of wasting Grandmother Qi’s kindness.

Subsequently, Xiao Yang arrived with a big bag in his hand before Xiao Fan even left the office.

Ruan Danchen’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped, feeling speechless at the moment.

Xiao Yang shifted his gaze between the secretary and Xiao Fan and smiled embarrassingly. “Mrs. Guan instructed me to deliver bird’s nest to you. She said she purchased bird’s nests for both Mrs. Qi and you so she sent me here to deliver them.”

Xiao Fan and Xiao Yang left together after Ruan Danchen accepted the food.

After that, she asked the secretary, “Is the general manager in a meeting now?”

“No, the meeting will start in half an hour,” the secretary answered with a smile.

Ruan Danchen nodded and took a pot of bird’s nest before going up together with the secretary.

Jiang Yuan noticed Ruan Danchen and put on a joyful expression immediately, which gave Ruan Danchen quite a shock. She looked around at the surroundings and found out that they were alone here.

This was the first time Jiang Yuan expressed such joy and even felt touched upon seeing Ruan Danchen.

Jiang Yuan had always been a calm and steady person who appeared very trustworthy. One would feel that he could accomplish anything and his presence could easily induce confidence in others.

However, such a man was grinning at Ruan Danchen like a blooming flower, as if Ruan Danchen had descended as a lifesaver. This was unsettling and made her feel anxious.

“Special Assistant Jiang, what happened to you?” Ruan Danchen stared at Jiang Yuan and asked curiously.

“Enter the office quickly, there’s a ‘nymph’ inside,” Jiang Yuan struggled for a moment before continuing, “The ‘nymph’ brought backup this time. The general manager didn’t want to trouble you and wanted to solve this himself without telling you.”

However, Jiang Yuan figured that it was more appropriate for a woman to settle a woman’s issue because a man would have trouble fighting back sometimes.

“…” Ruan Danchen was at a loss for words.

She did not know Special Assistant Jiang had the potential of a patron saint who guarded home and warded off evil spirits.

Ruan Danchen coughed and nodded in response, but when she was about to knock on the door, Jiang Yuan stopped her.

The glance Ruan Danchen gave Jiang Yuan conveyed a message. “Didn’t you want me to enter the room quickly? Why are you stopping me now?”

“There’s no need to knock on the door. That only shows that you’re not on intimate terms with the general manager. The general manager announced that no matter what he’s doing, you can enter the room directly without knocking.” Jiang Yuan smiled. Even though his smile appeared faint, the curvature in his eyes was not.

This way, the ‘witch’ in the room would realize how close and stable the relationship between the general manager and his wife was, and that General Manager Qi’s wife had high authority in the company.

Ruan Danchen stared at Jiang Yuan and tapped on his shoulder gently with a wide smile on her face. “I didn’t expect Special Assistant Jiang to be a friend of women.”

“…” Jiang Yuan choked upon hearing the nickname Ruan Danchen gave him.

How did the name ‘a friend of women’ sound nice at all?

Ruan Danchen was amused by Jiang Yuan’s dispirited look and tapped on his shoulder again. Jiang Yuan normally had a calm and well-controlled impression but once he started acting humorous, his good image shattered immediately.

Initially, Ruan Danchen only had respect for Jiang Yuan—there was no closeness between them. That was because of her feeling that Jiang Yuan’s style and temperament was considered on a higher level than the rest. However, looking at Jiang Yuan’s current confusion, she felt that he was actually a humorous guy. Thus, she dared to make jokes with him.

Ruan Danchen took Jiang Yuan’s suggestion and barged into the room. Two women were sitting opposite Qi Chenglin with their backs facing Ruan Danchen.

It was fairly obvious that one of the women was older than the other. They had no idea that Ruan Danchen had entered the room so the older woman continued talking. Her voice sounded familiar but Ruan Danchen had trouble recalling its owner.

Qi Chenglin was facing the door with an impatient look on his face, but it was soon replaced by unconcealable jubilation as soon as Ruan Danchen barged in. “Why did you come suddenly?”

Normally, Qi Chenglin had to call Ruan Danchen for her to reluctantly come up to his office. It was rare for her to take the initiative and visit him in the office, and when she did, it was mostly for some issue that required his attention.

Zhao Fengchun was talking to Qi Chenglin initially but he remained expressionless and inattentive, not even trying to answer her. If it was not for the fact that she was Guan Liya’s childhood friend and Qi Chenglin had to protect Guan Liya’s reputation, she figured that Qi Chenglin would not even let them enter Qilin’s main entrance.

Even so, Zhao Fengchun remained indomitable in continuing the conversation. The office was full of Zhao Fengchun’s voice without a moment of awkward silence at all.

However, this man who had on an annoyed expression initially suddenly lifted his gaze towards the door with exhilaration. Zhao Fengchun was taken aback by his sudden change in expression.

Zhao Fengchun heard the door open without any prior knockings and wondered who was acting unruly to barge in when they were having a conversation in the office.

Zhao Fengchun turned around and saw Ruan Danchen entering the room with an insulation pot in her hand. Zhao Fengchun frowned upon noticing a pair of flat shoes on Ruan Danchen’s feet which appeared incompatible with the formal outfit she wore. Judging by the looks of it, Ruan Danchen seemed to be working in Qilin instead of visiting Qi Chenglin purposely from outside.

Zhao Fengchun did not know much about Ruan Danchen because of her prolonged stay in Italy—even the huge commotion on the internet happened before her arrival to B City. Since there was no resentment between her and Ruan Danchen, there was naturally no need for her to investigate Ruan Danchen’s past on purpose. Thus, she knew nothing about Ruan Danchen at all.

Judging by Ruan Danchen’s current appearance now, Zhao Fengchun figured that she probably worked in Qilin, and she despised Ruan Danchen for that. Was Zhao Fengchun right to assume Ruan Danchen used her relationship with Qi Chenglin, depending solely on her man to work here?

It would be a joke if the public realized that Ruan Danchen’s in-laws provided a job for her.

Moreover, how bad the influences would be for her to work in Qilin?

Ruan Danchen could come up casually just to find Qi Chenglin without distinguishing between public and private interests, and she even entered the room directly without knocking on the door. What would Qi Chenglin’s subordinates think when they saw this?

The Qi family’s reputation would be damaged. Zhao Fengchun figured that the Qi family prioritized nepotism only instead of one’s ability at work. How would Qi Chenglin maintain his prestige when he permitted his wife’s capricious acts in the company?

Zhao Fengchun sized Ruan Danchen up without expressing her disdain.

Ruan Danchen was taken by surprise when the two women were actually Zhao Fengchun and her daughter, Wu Qiaoyin. A grin then broke across her face as she recalled Jiang Yuan referring to them as a ‘nymph’ with a backup just now.

The corner of her lips curled up involuntarily, but Ruan Danchen realized this smile was inappropriate in this current situation. Thus, she quickly readjusted her facial expression and put on a decorous and polite smile before greeting them. “Mrs. Wu, Miss Wu.”

“Haha, what a coincidence, Qi Chenglin’s wife. You’re here too?” Zhao Fengchun remained seated and merely lifted her gaze to meet Ruan Danchen’s and smiled.

The reason why Zhao Fengchun asked that question was to probe for information whether Ruan Danchen was indeed working in Qilin, and if not, why did she was she there for no reason.

Zhao Fengchun maintained a polite smile but deep down, she felt disdainful towards Ruan Danchen.

Ruan Danchen smiled and answered, “Yes, I didn’t expect Mrs. Wu and Miss Wu to be here too.”

Zhao Fengchun’s smile froze for a moment and figured that Ruan Danchen was terrible in engaging a conversation. Anyone who heard her question would answer, right?

Who would throw the question back at her like how Ruan Danchen did?

“What are you holding in your hand?” Qi Chenglin stared at the insulated pot in her hand.

Ruan Danchen walked forward without pretending to ask if she was interrupting them since her very presence here was indeed meant to disturb them.

“Grandma instructed Xiao Fan to deliver bird’s nest just now, but I want to share it with you since I can’t finish them all by myself. I asked your secretary just now, and she told me your meeting starts half an hour later, so here I am. Since you’re calling me every hour, I might as well come up here personally to let you have a look, so you’ll feel assured that way,” Ruan Danchen placed the insulated pot on the table.

Zhao Fengchun and Wu Qiaoyin stared at Ruan Danchen in shock and doubt. Did Qi Chenglin really give Ruan Danchen a call every hour? Qi Chenglin really valued Ruan Danchen this much?

Even Grandmother Qi instructed her driver to deliver bird’s nest to Ruan Danchen.

Ruan Danchen was here to work, and it was not labored work too. Was it really necessary for Grandmother Qi to do so?

Qi Chenglin knew that it was inappropriate for the pregnant Ruan Danchen to stand for long periods of time, but opposite them sat Zhao Fengchun and Wu Qiaoyin. Qi Chenglin would surely accompany Ruan Danchen to the couch if they were alone in the office.

However, those two women remained ignorant at the fact that Ruan Danchen entered the office and made no attempt in leaving them alone. They even sat comfortably on the couch while Ruan Danchen stood by Qi Chenglin’s side.

Qi Chenglin’s expression turned as cold as ice due to annoyance at those two women, but as soon as he faced Ruan Danchen, his cold expression melted immediately. Such a drastic change in his expression darkened Zhao Fengchun and Wu Qiaoyin’s expressions.

“Don’t just stand there,” Qi Chenglin stood up and said. One of his hands held onto Ruan Danchen’s hand while another grabbed the insulated pot, leading Ruan Danchen to the couch and sitting down together with her.

Qi Chenglin ignored Zhao Fengchun and Wu Qiaoyin and opened the insulation pot without needing Ruan Danchen to move a muscle. Then, he poured the bird’s nest into the insulated pot’s cap which also functioned as a small bowl for Ruan Danchen. “Drink it first, I’ll drink the rest if you can’t finish it.”

Ruan Danchen did not attempt inviting Zhao Fengchun and Wu Qiaoyin. To be honest, she did not want to associate herself further with these two women.

Not just Ruan Danchen, even Qi Youxuan was fully aware of the Wu Qiaoyin’s thoughts, and since Zhao Fengchun was a smart woman, she must be aware of her daughter’s mindset as well.

Zhao Fengchun brought Wu Qiaoyin over to Qi Chenglin’s office even though Wu Qiaoyin’s intention was very obvious, so Ruan Danchen figured that Zhao Fengchun was not a good person either.

However, there was no need for Ruan Danchen to bicker with Zhao Fengchun and her daughter since Qi Chenglin’s attitude was more than enough to embarrass them.

Ruan Danchen agreed with a smile and started drinking the bird’s nest with a spoon.

Qi Chenglin then looked up at Zhao Fengchun calmly without even glancing at Wu Qiaoyin. “I won’t take up your time now, you may leave us.”

It was obvious that Qi Chenglin wanted them to leave.

Displeased, Zhao Fengchun stood up. She did not expect Qi Chenglin to show such little respect for her. Qi Chenglin normally treated people indifferently with a good sense of proper etiquette, but he had never disregarded a guest like that. Zhao Fengchun figured that it was Ruan Danchen who led Qi Chenglin astray for him to behave this way.

Ruan Danchen ignored them after entering the room and started drinking bird’s nest without much consideration. This was the perfect example of one takes the behavior of one’s company. Thus, it was very important for a man to marry a woman for her good qualities, as a family’s worst fear was the introduction of an unvirtuous wife who could lead a good man astray.

“We’ll leave now,” Zhao Fengchun replied with a polite smile to show that she was a well-educated woman.

Wu Qiaoyin immediately felt anxious when she noticed that Zhao Fengchun wanted to leave without further attempt to bring up their initial intention. Thus, she asked quickly before Zhao Fengchun could stop her, “Big Brother Qi, the issue that I asked for your help just now… You…”

Wu Qiaoyin appeared like a small white flower—coquettishly cute and timid—as she stood before Qi Chenglin across the coffee table. Both of her hands were clutching the edge of her shirt as she stared at Qi Chenglin with a reddened face.

Ruan Danchen was unbothered by Wu Qiaoyin’s behavior. She continued drinking the bird’s nest from the insulation pot’s cap, enjoying its sweetness and smooth texture while watching the fabulous show Wu Qiaoyin was putting up.

Qi Chenglin frowned when he noticed his wife looked as if she was enjoying a show. He wondered if his wife was coming up with different ways to punish him due to jealousy.

Thus, Qi Chenglin put on a serious and stern expression and answered firmly, “The Wu family has its own company that has a large business scale too. It’ll be more convenient for Miss Wu to work at your own company.”

“But—” Wu Qiaoyin pouted slightly with her seductive red lips but was interrupted by Qi Chenglin again.

“Miss Wu knows nothing about interior or architectural design, so naturally there’s no suitable job position for you in the design department. There’s no need for you to accept another job vacancy in Qilin too since there’s plenty of them in the Wu family’s company. If something goes wrong and we neglect Miss Wu, then our families’ friendship may be damaged. It’ll be more convenient for Miss Wu to find a suitable job position in your own company based on your own major. Besides, Qilin doesn’t necessarily have a job vacancy that’ll meet your expectations too,” Qi Chenglin answered lightly. He peeked at Wu Qiaoyin but shifted his gaze almost immediately to Ruan Danchen who was still drinking the bird’s nest, as if the very sight of Wu Qiaoyin would hurt his eyes.

“It’s alright if the job position isn’t suitable for me. I can take it as a form of training and gain more experiences that way,” Wu Qiaoyin said shyly. All her fingers interlocked with each other as she stared at Qi Chenglin expectedly.

“There are various ways to train yourself. Miss Wu, if you’re really ambitious and motivated, you can conceal your own identity once you start working in your company. Getting promotions step by step based on your abilities is really inspirational, frankly speaking. I assume all the staff in your company don’t know anything about you since you’ve just returned home. I bet Mr. and Mrs. Wu will feel proud to have such an ambitious daughter,” Qi Chenglin smirked.

“I…” Wu Qiaoyin failed to come up with another reason after Qi Chenglin blocked all her possible paths to convince him.

Zhao Fengchun could not stand by and witness her precious daughter getting embarrassed, so she quickly dragged Wu Qiaoyin out of the room.

They heard Qi Chenglin talking to Ruan Danchen before exiting the office. “I have to entertain clients tonight so I can’t return home together with you after work. Leave work earlier today and immediately fetch Youxuan before heading home. Don’t wait until after working hours.”

Qi Chenglin was worried that she would be exhausted at work, and it was uncomfortable to sit in the office all day long too.

Since Manager Zou was reluctant to assign work to Ruan Danchen, she figured that it was better for her to leave work earlier to fetch Youxuan instead of waiting for time to pass. Thus, she agreed with Qi Chenglin’s suggestion.

…

…

It was four o’clock in the evening when Xiao Yang picked up the car at the parking lot and waited for Ruan Danchen at the main entrance.

Ruan Danchen arrived at Jixia Elementary School a quarter of an hour late due to traffic congestion. When the car stopped at the school’s main entrance, she saw Wu Qiaoyin standing together with Qi Youxuan.

However, it was obvious that Qi Youxuan was confronting Wu Qiaoyin with his class teacher, Teacher Liu standing beside him.

Ruan Danchen got down from the car quickly and hurried to them. Qi Youxuan relaxed immediately upon seeing Ruan Danchen—as if she was his backup and pillar of strength—and yelled while running toward Ruan Danchen with extended chubby arms, “Mom!”

Qi Youxuan performed an emergency stop all of a sudden when he was about to reach Ruan Danchen for a hug. Then, he moved forward cautiously and hugged Ruan Danchen gently while rubbing his face on her belly.

Grandmother Qi and Guan Liya had instructed Qi Youxuan to refrain from publicizing Ruan Danchen’s pregnancy, so he fought the urge to ask for his sister’s condition in agony at the crowded school gate.

“Mom, why did you come here together with Uncle Xiao Yang today?” the kid asked excitedly, and the tone he used to yell ‘Mom’ was especially thunderous.

“Your dad allowed me to leave work earlier just to fetch you.” The kid’s charm elated Ruan Danchen. She had no idea how he grew into such an adorable boy, like a cute little lucky doll.

“Where’s dad?” Qi Youxuan asked.

“He’s going for a corporate event tonight so he won’t be joining us, that’s why I’m here to fetch you.” Ruan Danchen stroked his hair and looked at Wu Qiaoyin. “Miss Wu, why are you here? I didn’t know the Wu family’s children attended this school too.”

Awkwardness flashed by Wu Qiaoyin’s expression as she spoke timidly, “I overheard Big Brother Qi saying that he couldn’t fetch Youxuan because he was busy with work. I’m worried that the kid will be scared so I’m here to help Big Brother Qi fetch Youxuan home.”

She even winked at Qi Youxuan and said, “See, I didn’t lie to you, right?”

Ruan Danchen’s smile faded away as Teacher Liu asked, “Mrs. Qi, do you know this young lady?”

“Not really, since we’ve only met twice,” Ruan Danchen peeked at Wu Qiaoyin coldly and answered.

“Mom, I was waiting for Uncle Xiao Yang to fetch me at the school gate just now. Then, this auntie came over and told me that my dad couldn’t come fetch me because he had to attend an event, so she purposely came to bring me home instead, but I don’t know her at all. Who knows if she’s a human trafficker who came here specifically to abduct me? I’m a cute and clever boy, so I’m easily targeted by human traffickers.” The kid pulled Ruan Danchen’s hand.

Then, his arms encircled around Ruan Danchen’s arm and rubbed the back of her hand with his chubby cheeks, like a little piggy.

“Correct, it’s good for you to always stay alert. You can’t follow a stranger anywhere,” Ruan Danchen praised softly and caressed his head.

The kid immediately stood up proud and tall, with his chest out and his head high. “Mom, don’t you worry. I’m smart enough not to follow strangers anywhere.”

“I don’t even know this lady, and dad won’t send an unfamiliar auntie to fetch me home. Besides, Uncle Xiao Yang usually fetches me alone, and then sends me straight to you afterward, so most of the time dad won’t have the time to fetch me personally. He won’t point out specifically that he can’t fetch me and let a strange auntie pick me up instead.”

Qi Youxuan frowned impatiently at the sight of Wu Qiaoyin’s whitish flower-like appearance.

Wu Qiaoyin explained after being wronged. “Youxuan, how are we not acquainted? Didn’t I just visit your grandma’s house last time? You were there too. I live just beside your grandma’s house so I’m your neighbor too. I even hugged you when you were young.”

The kid pouted unhappily after listening to Wu Qiaoyin. “I’ve met many strangers on the road too. If acquaintances are made after the first glance, does that mean I know everyone? Is it possible for me to know all of them?”

Ruan Danchen squeezed Qi Youxuan’s shoulder gently. “You shouldn’t act so rudely.”

The kid pouted again. “Mom, you have no idea what happened just now. She insisted on bringing me back just now. Luckily, Teacher Liu was there to stop her from taking me away. After that, Teacher Liu stayed here and accompanied me until your arrival. Who knows where she would take me later.”

Ruan Danchen quickly expressed her gratitude to Teacher Liu. Qi Youxuan may not encounter any danger if Wu Qiaoyin had fetched him back home, but if Ruan Danchen came to school only to realize that a strange woman had taken Qi Youxuan away, would she not feel worried at all?

“Teacher Liu, thank you so much,” Ruan Danchen said earnestly and sincerely.

“It’s nothing, that’s my duty,” replied Teacher Liu.

“Teacher Liu, I’m sorry to trouble you further in the future. If my husband and I can’t fetch him and we can’t send our driver too, I’ll let you know if I send anyone other than my family members to fetch Youxuan back home. You mustn’t let anyone take him away if we didn’t inform you earlier,” Ruan Danchen said.

“Don’t worry. I’ll inform other teachers and the security guard at the school gate too and let them know about this,” Teacher Liu promised.

Ruan Danchen thanked Teacher Liu again before Teacher Liu left after fulfilling her responsibility.

Wu Qiaoyin stared at Ruan Danchen as if she was wronged. “Sister Ruan, you… How can you say that? I meant Youxuan no harm. Big Brother Qi has a corporate event tonight and you have to work too. That’s why I came here. I was worried that no one else would come and fetch Youxuan back home, and I planned to leave after sending Youxuan straight to your home. I… I just wanted to help, but why… Why did you think that I’m a bad person?”

Ruan Danchen fought the urge to roll her eyes. Wu Qiaoyin referred to them as Sister Ruan and Big Brother Qi which nauseated Ruan Danchen. She was unsure if it was due to her pregnancy.

“Miss Wu, when you come here to fetch my son, did you get permission from Chenglin or me? Did the elders in my family give you permission in advance for you to fetch him?” Ruan Danchen’s tone was firm and stern.

Wu Qiaoyin opened her mouth, struggling to find the appropriate words to protest. “I just wanted to help…”

Wu Qiaoyin put on a poor expression as if she was scolded by Ruan Danchen.

Ruan Danchen pouted, fully aware that Wu Qiaoyin was putting up this show on purpose for those who came to school to fetch their children.

The only problem was, did Wu Qiaoyin really think this could damage her reputation?

These people were smart and experienced individuals. They had discerning eyes and could easily figure out what Wu Qiaoyin was planning based on her attitude alone. Thus, who would defend a mistress for receiving injustice?

Those who came to fetch the kid were not drivers or babysitters; they were wives.

Not every rich family was as clean as the Qi family. Men, especially those from rich families who could send their children to study at Jixia Elementary School, mostly had one or a few mistresses.

Some wives had effective means to control their husbands, but some men were scumbags who cheated on their wives. In that case, even though the wives tolerated their husbands’ indecent behaviors to keep mistresses, they would not allow those mistresses to endanger their status in the family and would limit their husbands from giving too much benefit to them. On the other hand, those wives who lacked effective means to control their husbands would end up miserably. They only had reputations as wives but their husbands seldom returned home, and they would only bring their mistresses to attend entertainments or banquets.

Any wife would despise a mistress in any case. Thus, Wu Qiaoyin’s acts in front of the school gate had gone to waste since no one would think that Ruan Danchen was in the wrong.

Was a wife expected to treat a mistress kindly instead of attacking her?

No matter what kind of identity or background Ruan Danchen had before this, the Qi family accepted her and she was Qi Chenglin’s wife now. It was fine if Wu Qiaoyin tried other methods, but she dared to use Ruan Danchen’s son and was caught red-handed by her. Was Wu Qiaoyin trying to get a beating from them?

If this situation happened to any of them, their actions would be more furious than what Ruan Danchen did.

Such a shameless woman did not deserve to be forgiven easily!

Thus, no one disagreed with Ruan Danchen’s behavior. They even gathered around while waiting for their children to watch a battle of the legal wife versus mistress and stared at Wu Qiaoyin scornfully.

However, Wu Qiaoyin assumed all these disdainful gazes were meant for Ruan Danchen. Thus, she tried desperately to express her weaker self like a soft white flower in order to gain more support from the crowd.

“Miss Wu, what kind of help do you think you’re giving? Miss Wu came to my husband’s office today and overheard Chenglin telling me that he had an event tonight, so Miss Wu rushed here to fetch my son, am I right?” Ruan Danchen narrowed her eyes.

Ruan Danchen was unsure if Wu Qiaoyin figured that Ruan Danchen could not retaliate against her if there was no clear declaration that Wu Qiaoyin wanted to be a mistress. Anyhow, Ruan Danchen felt that Wu Qiaoyin’s action was merely a joke. Wu Qiaoyin’s behavior explained her true intention even though there was no clear announcement, so why did Ruan Danchen even need to treat her nicely?

“I just wanted to help,” Wu Qiaoyin’s tone sounded pathetic and aggrieved.

Ruan Danchen pouted coldly. “Chenglin was actually talking to me at that time. It’s extremely rude to eavesdrop on our conversation, and you had decided all by yourself to come here and ‘help’? Did Chenglin send you to fetch Youxuan? Did I make such a request or any elders in my family told you to do so before you came? Miss Wu, this is my family’s matter after all. Don’t you think it’s inappropriate to meddle in our affairs without asking for permission?

“You said you wanted to help, but Chenglin told me to come and fetch Youxuan today. If you fetched my son before I did and I came to school only to realize that my son had gone missing, how do you think I’ll feel? Won’t I feel frantic with worry? Who gave you the right to fetch my son? It’s common knowledge that for families like us, own children’s safety is of utmost importance and we only send those we trust to fetch our children home. Who’ll take responsibility if something goes wrong? What will happen if the children met an accident? Can you bear the responsibility when something goes wrong after you’ve fetched my son?”

“I… I didn’t realize that. I just wanted to help. I meant no harm. Sister Ruan, don’t criticize me like that. I feel uncomfortable.” Wu Qiaoyin’s face went as white as snow as she pouted with her hands on her chest.

“Don’t do it if you failed to realize the potential consequences. Xiao Yang will come and fetch him when we’re busy. Besides, Youxuan mentioned just now that Xiao Yang was the one who usually fetches him. Our family has maintained that habit for so long before you returned home, so why did you put it as if we can’t take care of our child and needed an outsider like you to trouble yourself for us behind our backs? Do I have to thank you for it?” Ruan Danchen replied coldly without showing any respect.

Wu Qiaoyin was on the verge of collapsing. Her lips quivered and tears were welling up in her eyes.

“Sister Ruan, why… Why are your words so harsh?” Wu Qiaoyin sobbed.

“If my harsh statement makes you learn your place and stop meddling in our affairs, then I’m willing to treat you harsher. This is the first time I met with such a natural socializer like Miss Wu who can refer to my husband as ‘Big Brother Qi’ freely in my presence, and now you’re referring to me as ‘Sister Ruan’. It seems like Miss Wu is a courteous and enthusiastic lady too. You planned to fetch my son away behind our backs and insisted to take him away when he rejected you. Such enthusiasm is more than I can digest.” Ruan Danchen remained unbothered and appeared at ease.

The kid nodded vigorously while hugging Ruan Danchen’s thighs. “That’s right. Mom, I’ve already told Auntie Wu just now that Uncle Xiao Yang will fetch me home later and I won’t leave with anyone else other than my family members and Uncle Xiao Yang, but Auntie Wu ignored me. She insisted that she’s dad’s good friend and told me that dad was busy tonight so she wanted to take me home instead.”

Then, Qi Youxuan pushed his face into Ruan Danchen’s thigh, using it as a cover and poked his eyes with his chubby hands stealthily. When he lifted his head again, his eyes were reddened and appeared as if he had received unjust treatment.

His chubby arms encircled Ruan Danchen’s thigh tightly and complained piteously. “I’m scared to death. The way she dragged me felt like she was about to kidnap me. Luckily Teacher Liu arrived just in time. Otherwise, who knows where she was going to take me afterward, and I probably won’t see you ever again!”

Tears streamed down his cheeks, and perhaps he was getting uncomfortable during the complaint, so he started wailing. The piteous cry was unbearable to the crowds who listened.

Someone could not help but said, “So immature.”

Everyone knew who was the one acting immaturely here.

“Boohoo, Mom, how could she do that? She didn’t inform you before fetching me and insisted on bringing me back when I wanted to wait for Uncle Xiao Yang. Who is she? Why did she act like she’s my boss? I don’t even know her! I recognize all my dad’s friends and he doesn’t have any female friends at all, so I knew she was lying immediately after hearing her. How could she lie to an innocent child like me?” The kid rested his forehead on Ruan Danchen’s thigh and started rubbing vigorously.

“She’s so scary. I’m going to tell dad later that this auntie is a bad lady and ask him not to pay any attention to her anymore. She’s a bad lady.” The kid lifted his head and his face was a mess after all that crying. Snot streamed from his reddened nose as he inhaled deeply. Then, he lifted his sleeve and showed it to Ruan Danchen.

“Mom, look at how hard she grabbed my wrist, it’s all red now. She’s a bad auntie!” the kid complained aggrievedly.

Even though Ruan Danchen knew that Qi Youxuan was putting on a show rather than actually feeling pain, her heart still wrenched when she saw a red palm mark on his fair and delicate wrist. She quickly grabbed his small hand, which was so soft that it almost felt boneless, and touched the red palm mark cautiously and softly without using much force. Her hand barely touched his wrist but she withdrew her hand immediately in fear that she would induce further pain in him.

“Painful?” Ruan Danchen asked while feeling her heart twist.

To be honest, the kid did not feel much pain at all but he had decided to embarrass Wu Qiaoyin in front of the crowd first before coaxing Ruan Danchen in the car later.

Thus, he answered with teary eyes, “Quite painful.”

Wu Qiaoyin got anxious now as she finally realized that those disdainful gazes the crowd gave were actually meant for her.

“No, I didn’t use much strength, I—”

“Don’t you know how delicate a child’s skin is? I feel reluctant to even hit my son once. Look at the wound you’ve inflicted. Who do you think you are? The Wu family’s education is terrific!” Ruan Danchen scolded out of exasperation.

“You said you wanted to help, but you insisted on dragging my son away. Now you’re telling me that you didn’t use much strength. Do you think I’ll believe you?” Ruan Danchen carried Qi Youxuan in her embosom. “Miss Wu, if you really want to apologize, then stay away from my son from now on.”

“I, it’s not…” Wu Qiaoyin felt the need to explain in order to prevent everyone from misunderstanding her, so she reached out to grab Ruan Danchen’s hand.

Just as she stretched her hand, Qi Youxuan let out a sudden, “Waaaa!” Feeling incredibly fearful, he buried his face in Ruan Danchen’s shoulder and said, “Don’t come near me. Mom, I’m scared.” He sobbed with abandon, then said, “The bad auntie wants to bully me,” before continuing his sobbing once more.

“Don’t be scared, don’t be scared,” Ruan Danchen consoled the little boy immediately. Her fingertips felt searing hot when she wiped off his bean-like teardrops.

Xiao Yang shielded mother-and-son behind him and prevented Miss Wu from going near. “Miss Wu, please don’t bother them anymore. Our Little Master is already scared to death.”

Wu Qiaoyin was not about to let Ruan Danchen and Qi Youxuan leave just like that. Doing so would cause a big misunderstanding, would it not?

She had even been accused of bullying a small boy!

Unbeknownst to her, everyone else had already labeled her that. Not only was she trying to be a third party in the relationship, she even wanted to take away someone else’s child. That was her level of shamelessness.

“I’m didn’t… I didn’t want to hurt Youxuan. He’s Big Brother Qi’s son. I didn’t even get the chance to care about him, why would I hurt him! I…” Wu Qianyin advanced persistently, but Xiao Yang was blocking her well.

By then, Ruan Danchen had already carried the little boy into the car and closed the car door, leaving Wu Qiaoyin outside.

She tried to feign gentleness by speaking in a soft tone, but it was obvious that her voice could not be heard from within the car.

Xiao Yang pursed his lips. “Miss Wu, who are you to give your affection to our Little Master? In fact, his condition and whether he’s good or not has nothing to do with Miss Wu. It’s best that you don’t make remarks that might cause others to misunderstand you. We can’t do anything if people form these misconceptions, but our Young Master Lin values his dignity a lot. The Qi family wouldn’t want a misunderstanding to happen.”

Wu Qiaoyin’s face reddened due to her indignance while her expression turned timid. “You… How could you accuse me like that? I never… You… You’re bullying me! I just wanted to help! How could all of you say that about me!”

She covered her face with her hands and cried, though it did not look pitiful.

“Big Brother Qi… Does he know that you’re tarnishing his name by being so out-of-control in public?! I was being kind, but you… I can’t believe that you…” Wu Qiaoyin wept and lamented, but all she heard was a slam.

She looked up to see Xiao Yang going into the car—he had enough of her complaining. He started the car and drove off, deserting her at the entrance with a ton of people looking on.

Wu Qiaoyin was angry and resentful. She looked down and wondered whether there was anything she could do to regain her image again.

She then heard someone from the group of people talking to their child. “You saw that right? If a lady you don’t know comes and picks you up, you must never go with her. Just run into the school. Outsiders can’t go into the school, so just give Mommy a call from inside and wait for Mommy to come pick you. You mustn’t ever go with those bad ladies.”

“Mm, I understand, Mommy.”

Someone else then remarked, “Seems like there are even more shameless women at the start of the year. Learn from your friend Youxuan, don’t let strangers take advantage of you.”

Another voice offered, “Sigh, there’s just too many terrible people this year. Putting your guard up isn’t going to be much help. Does it really feel good to destroy someone else’s family? Doesn’t it make you feel guilty?”

Wu Qiaoyin’s anger and resentment were unparalleled. She looked down and ran off crying.

…

Within the car, Ruan Danchen looked heartbreakingly at Qi Youxuan’s wrist. His other hand was rubbing Ruan Danchen’s belly, although Ruan Danchen did not know if that was to comfort her or the baby.

“Mom, I’m actually not in pain. It’s the mark that looks scary, but truthfully, it’s not painful.” Worried that his mother might not believe him, his fat and soft fingers pinched his tummy a few times, causing red marked to form. “I’m just like you. Just a little touch to my skin and it turns red. See?”

As he said that, he pressed again on a few other non-reddened areas, with the red marks forming instantaneously there.

He shoved his short, fat, and fair-skinned arms to Ruan Danchen. “If you don’t believe me, you can try.”

“I know.” Ruan Danchen massaged his reddened areas. “Come on, stop pinching yourself.”

“Hehe,” the boy giggled. A hint of craftiness flashed across his big eyes. He had cried earlier, and although he was not actually feeling emotional deep inside, he felt that his cries were not sincere. Afraid that someone might see through his ruse, he poked his own eyes to force out his tears.

The redness in his eyes lingered on and so did his tears. Despite the clarity shown by his eyes, his pitiful look tugged at one’s heartstrings.

“Mom, how’s Lil’ Sis today?” The little boy’s eyes were sparkling as his little hand drew circles on Ruan Danchen’s stomach.

Ruan Danchen knew that there was no use in telling him that she felt nothing. She figured that Qi Youxuan believed that there was a tiny human inside her already.

“She’s a good girl today,” Ruan Danchen said. During lunchtime, Ruan Danchen made yet another trip to the bathroom and vomited.

It happened in Qi Chenglin’s office, fortunately. Qi Chenglin was peeved by the unhealthiness of added oil in outside food, so he ordered delivery from Dynasty.

In spite of that, half of what Ruan Danchen ate was expelled out again.

Ruan Danchen and Qi Youxuan were heading back to Prestige Residence. Ever since the pregnancy, Qi Chenglin decided that she would not be allowed to do any work at home. Still, Ruan Danchen gave her assurances that cooking was not a problem, saying that normal households would not hire a servant when a woman gets pregnant—she would still be required to cook at home even if she was pregnant.

Qi Chenglin countered by saying that they were no ordinary household, and thus she should not use such strict methods of comparison with him.

Under Qi Chenglin’s insistence and Aunt Zheng’s fervent cooperation, they took over all of Ruan Danchen’s duties at home and forbade her from doing anything at all.

By the time mother and son reached home, Aunt Zheng was already preparing dinner in the kitchen. She came out and said, “Wait a while, yeah. Dinner will be done soon.”

Ruan Danchen went into her room to have a change of clothes. Qi Youxuan did the same and changed into more comfortable clothes.

All three of them had dinner, and soon after, Qi Chenglin called Ruan Danchen to ask if she had eaten yet.

“Yes, I’ve just finished eating. I ate a lot, don’t worry.” Ruan Danchen sat on the sofa and supported her waist with a pillow. Her waist was not that sore yet since her stomach was still small, but she had a little too much to eat that night.

“Did you vomit?” Qi Chenglin’s voice was crisp from the other end.

“I didn’t. Aunt Zheng’s food is perfect for my taste. Instead of vomiting, I ate a lot.” Ruan Danchen watched as Qi Youxuan leaned over and laid his head on her lap. He faced her stomach and began touching it.

Ruan Danchen went blank. She recalled suddenly what Qi Youxuan said that day and was worried that he would say it again.

“Hasn’t the dinner ended yet?” Ruan Danchen looked at the time and figured that it would not be so quick.

Little did she expect to hear Qi Chenglin’s rich voice saying, “I left earlier. Jiang Yuan will deal with the rest of it. You’re pregnant. I don’t have the time to accompany those old men.”

Ruan Danchen had a hard time trying to keep in her laugh when she heard his rascally tone and thought about how Jiang Yuan would be left behind all pitifully. “Where are you now?”

“I’ll reach in about twenty minutes,” Qi Chenglin said. “Let’s end the call here. Radiation from the cell phone isn’t good for you.”

Ruan Danchen hung up and saw Qi Youxuan mumbling at her tummy.

Upon listening closely, he was actually singing, “You’re so beautiful, so charming. You’re such a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful little sis.1”

“…” Ruan Danchen twitched her lip and could not resist flicking his forehead. “What are you singing?”

“I’m praising my little sister,” the boy said with a smile. He then continued his singing and humming, but it all revolved around that one sentence.

She wondered whether he forgot the rest of the lyrics or whether he realized they were inappropriate, but all in all, it was nice that he repeated that verse over and over again.

Ruan Danchen became sleepy easily. She covered her mouth to stop a yawn, but the little boy saw it and said, “Mom, if you’re sleepy, you should go to bed.”

“I’ll wait for Dad,” Ruan Danchen smiled and caressed the boy’s head.

Like a piglet, Qi Youxuan nuzzled in Ruan Danchen’s tummy, but after noticing that Ruan Danchen was no longer caressing him, the red-faced boy rolled around in her embrace and said, “Mom, touch my head again.

Although Zhang Mingming said that it was not good to be caressed on the head by a woman, Qi Youxuan really enjoyed it when Ruan Danchen touched his head. It was gentle and very comfortable.

Ruan Danchen continued to touch his head, but as she did so, the two of them fell asleep.

When Qi Chenglin came back, he noticed his wife and son sleeping on the sofa. Ruan Danchen was leaning against the sofa and her head was tilted backward. Her hand even remained on the little boy’s head. Meanwhile, Qi Youxuan was hugging Ruan Danchen’s waist, sleeping so soundly that his saliva was drooling out.

Qi Chenglin saw that Qi Youxuan had already changed into his pajamas, meaning he was all ready for bed. He then gently lifted the boy up.

Qi Youxuan did not enter into too deep a sleep, so the slightest touch roused him up. Dazed, he looked at Qi Chenglin and was about to call out, ‘Dad,’ but Qi Chenglin stopped him before that could happen.

“Shh, don’t be so loud. Mom’s asleep.”

The little boy stretched his head over Qi Chenglin’s shoulder and saw Ruan Danchen sleeping with her mouth agape. He smiled in secret and allowed Qi Chenglin to bring him into the room.

As soon as Qi Chenglin placed him on the bed, Qi Youxuan turned out swiftly and switched on the light beside his bed.

He pulled his sleeve up to reveal the red mark on his wrist. “Dad! Look!”

“How did that happen?” Qi Chenglin knew it was an adult’s hand just by looking at it.

“That Auntie Wu we meet at Grandma’s house the other day, she came to school. I don’t know how she knew that you had an event at night. She told me she was your friend and insisted on bringing me away. I didn’t want to, so she pulled me—hard. Luckily, Teacher Liu came, so Auntie Wu did not bring me away,” Qi Youxuan’s voice was gentle and pleasing to the ear.

His gaze then shifted to Qi Chenglin. “Dad, why do you attract so many women? Mom’s mad. If you keep doing this, what’s going to happen if Mom gets tired? You need to be careful. If Mom doesn’t want you anymore, don’t blame me. I’m siding with Mom.”

Seeing Qi Youxuan’s displeased expression, Qi Chenglin’s lips twitch involuntarily. The boy was still his son though, so he asked, “Did you suffer?”

“Of course not.” Qi Youxuan rolled his sleeves back down and reclined on the bed. He pulled his blanket to his chin, leaving only his round face exposed, and said, “Good night, Dad.”

Qi Chenglin looked at his blanket and said, “Don’t cry so loud when you complain later, or else mom’s gonna get worried after thinking that you suffered terribly.

“…” Qi Youxuan did not expect Qi Chenglin to see through him completely. His originally guilty looking face then decided to put it all out in the open.

He took out his cell phone in front of Qi Chenglin and called the manor.

When Qi Chenglin went out, he heard Qi Youxuan’s pitiful cries, “Great-Grandma, uhuhuhuhuhu…”

Qi Chenglin cocked a brow and shut the door immediately. In one of his recent dinners, Han Zhuoli mentioned that his company was looking for a new child star, and Qi Chenglin felt that Qi Youxuan fit the bill.

Ruan Danchen was still asleep when he went back to the living room. He proceeded to carry her up.

She was sleeping soundly, much unlike Qi Youxuan who woke up with a single touch. She curled herself into his embrace, but once her nose picked up on his alcoholic scent, her stomach began churning. Frowning, she gradually began waking up. Her face was pale and she wanted to vomit.

“You… Please put me down first.” Ruan Danchen tried hard to bear with the ill-feeling inside her stomach, thus making her voice falter.

“What is it? You don’t feel good?” Qi Chenglin’s face tensed up after seeing her unwell expression.

Ruan Danchen frowned and said in disgust, “The alcohol smell makes me wanna puke.”

Qi Chenglin immediately brought her up to the upstairs toilet, whereby Ruan Danchen began vomiting as soon as she faced the toilet bowl. Qi Chenglin wanted to look after her from beside and pat her on the back, but Ruan Danchen waved him off and signaled him to leave.

“You smell of alcohol, I can’t take the smell. Don’t lean over to me,” Ruan Danchen said, followed by some more puking.

Qi Chenglin was feeling very resentful. His wife was already avoiding him after a few drinks. Ever since Ruan Danchen’s presence around the house, he refrained from drinking too much whenever he had to entertain clients, perhaps three glasses or so just to keep up appearances. Even so, the smell of alcohol would inevitably cling to his body because others were drinking a lot.

In the past however, Ruan Danchen never avoided him. In contrast, she was attentive enough to prepare a bath for him and the alcohol smell never stopped her from kissing him continuously. Once she was pregnant, he felt that his position in her heart had dropped significantly. If he had known earlier that it would turn out that way, he would not have hoped for her to get pregnant again.

Being on the receiving end of his wife’s disgust prompted Qi Chenglin to rush into the bedroom with an angry aura surrounding him. He brushed his teeth quickly and cleansed his mouth of the alcoholic taste before taking a bath.

When he came out, a worn-out Ruan Danchen was lying on the bed, having vomited until her eyes turned red.

Qi Chenglin rushed over. “Smell me. There’s no alcohol smell on me anymore.”

It was then that Ruan Danchen nestled herself in him, curling her neck like a little puppy. “I don’t dislike you. I just can’t stand the alcohol smell. I know you don’t drink much. Before the pregnancy it was just a faint smell, but when I smell that now, it’s very obvious to me.”

Qi Chenglin secretly exhaled into his palm and smelled it forcefully. He scrunched his brows and made sure that there was absolutely no smell before kissing her.

“Can you still smell it now?” Qi Chenglin asked hesitantly.

His expression was like an open book for Ruan Danchen, and it seemed as though it would be a severe blow to him if she were to tell him that the smell still lingered. He looked very pitiful, and she did not have the heart to say that.

Ruan Danchen rubbed both hands on his shoulder and kissed him on the lip. “The smell is gone. I didn’t mean it. I like all of your smells last time, but I’m not sure why I’m reacting so badly this time around. It wasn’t like that with Youxuan last time.”

She scrunched her nose. “Maybe our child is being finicky because she’s a girl.”

“I’m always beside you. You can be as finicky as you want.” Qi Chenglin lifted her up to his lap and made sure she was comfortable. “I wasn’t there when you were pregnant with Youxuan. I can’t make up for my past regrets, but I’m glad that I can take care of you now. That’s why I’ll take care of you no matter how fussy you are.”

Being able to take care of his pregnant wife made him feel very emotional.

“You got angry at Youxuan’s school just now?” Qi Chenglin’s slender fingers began slowly combing her hair.

“Was it Youxuan or Xiao Yang who told you?” Ruan Danchen narrowed her eyes and smiled. “I think it was Youxuan.”

“Mm. He’s probably done speaking with Grandma now and moved on to complain about it to Mom,” Qi Chenglin said in a warm, husky voice.

Ruan Danchen’s soft fingertips drew circles on Qi Chenglin’s naked chest. “Speaking of anger, I’m mostly angry about Wu Qiaoyin trying to manipulate Youxuan. Just imagine how frantic we would’ve been if she brought him away behind our back without us knowing at all. The fact that she could do all that is a clear sign that she doesn’t know right from wrong and does things inappropriately. What if some accident happens? Who in the world takes away someone’s else’s child without even letting the parents know? How is that any different from kidnapping a child? Even if Mom went and fetched him, she’ll remember to let us know so we don’t get worried. Who does that outsider Wu Qiaoyin think she is?”

Ruan Danchen’s pointy lashes seemed to curl up as she stared at him. The hand with which she used to draw circles on his chest poked him forcefully. “I never expected you to be court such disaster!”

“What are you talking about?” Qi Chenglin wrapped himself around her hand. “I didn’t want to attract all those annoying people. I’m the victim too, you know.”

“Mom’s relationship with Mrs. Wu is good, so I’m treating them courteously,” Ruan Danchen grumbled.

“Just wait till Youxuan finishes complaining. Mom will be even angrier than you. Next time, you don’t need to be hesitant. If the situation is appropriate, just scold her. It was her family who so eagerly came looking for us. I wonder who’s the shameless party here.” Qi Chenglin twirled a lock of her silky hair between her fingers, finding it incredibly amusing.

“If all she did was offend me, I might probably just watch her acting without getting mad. But once Youxuan is involved, I won’t just let her off that easily,” Ruan Danchen grumbled.

Having just finished her sentence however, Qi Chenglin pinched her on the waist.

He did not dare to squeeze her waist too hard for fear that it would injure her stomach.

Ruan Danchen tilted her head up dolefully and stared at him helplessly. “Why did you do that?”

“Does that mean you’ll be courteous if she drags me into this? She likes me, so you must not treat her with any courtesy at all.” Qi Chenglin sported a serious-looking face. He wanted to show her how unhappy he was after feeling that his wife did not attach too much importance to him.

“You’re an adult. You’ve got what it takes and a little lady like her can’t do anything to do. Most importantly, I trust you because you love me very much. No matter how many vixens come and lure you away, they’ll never succeed. Why must I be angry at her about this? But it goes without saying that if she chooses to be shameless, I won’t give her any respect at all. Nobody told her to have such bad intentions toward my man.”

Qi Chenglin looked at her proud face and snickered, “No problem if you want to be thick-skinned now.”

However, Ruan Danchen noticed that the tips of his ears were red. She immediately leaned over and kissed him there, watching as his entire ear began reddening.

“Behave yourself!” Qi Chenglin roared hoarsely.

Ruan Danchen smiled and gave him a bear hug. Once her face came in contact with his chest, she remained glued there.

“Oh yes, your birthday. All you wanted was to have cake at home, right? Let’s invite Ruan Zeer over too,” Qi Chenglin suggested out of the blue. His long lashes obscured his gaze and his voice was deeply warm.

Ruan Danchen was confused. She never saw Qi Chenglin being overly friendly with Ruan Zeer when the lad came; on the contrary, Qi Chenglin heaped on a mountain of pressure onto Ruan Zeer. Why was Qi Chenglin being so friendly with Ruan Zeer, to the extent that he would invite the young man over to celebrate something as private as a birthday celebration?

Long ago, Ruan Danchen told Qi Chenglin that she did not want her birthday to be a grand affair. The hubbub of such a birthday celebration was not to her liking. The rest of the Qi family’s siblings, like Qi Chengzhi for example, might not care so much about her birthday and would definitely be more interested in their own wife and kids.

Ruan Danchen was content with celebrating her birthday with only Qi Chenglin and Qi Youxuan at home. That was what she wanted. It was the first birthday she ever had because no one had ever celebrated it with her in the past except for Liu Ronghua.

As a kid, she used to yearn for it when she saw adults carrying a birthday cake while holding their children’s hands. Back then, no one celebrated with her, so she drew the cake on a piece of paper along with the appropriate number of candles for her age. She would then walk to the window, look at the moon, and make a wish.

When she got older, Liu Ronghua sometimes gave her pocket money. She could not buy anything because the money was not that big an amount, so she saved it. Once her birthday came, she bought a small cake, about the size of her palm. Owing to the small size, she could not put too many candles, so she only lit one for symbolism’s sake.

Many years later, she gave birth to Youxuan and left Liu Ronghua to become her own person. She was already working by then, and although she did not earn much, cakes could still be afforded. She bought a six-inch cake and two numbered candles. The cake was much bigger and tasted even better than before, but she still spent her birthday by herself.

Ruan Danchen finally had family beside her for the first time ever that year, and they were eager to give her a birthday celebration.

She felt her eyes heat up, but she was happy and excited. She did not want a grand event with many guests as long as she could celebrate it at home with the people she cared about.

It, therefore, perplexed her that Qi Chenglin would call Ruan Zeer over.

She was not unhappy about Ruan Zeer’s presence though since she really did treat him as her little brother, especially after Qi Youxuan remarked on their facial similarities. Ruan Danchen was even happy to hear that, and through more interactions with Ruan Zeer, she began treating him like a little brother more and more.

Ruan Danchen looked puzzlingly at Qi Chenglin. She treated Ruan Zeer as a little brother, but why did Qi Chenglin—someone who was not on close terms with Ruan Zeer—think of the young man so suddenly?

Qi Chenglin’s eyes were languid and he said, without batting an eye, “Ruan Zeer, that kid. I like him.”

Ruan Danchen, “…”

‘How could he say that without blushing?’

Ruan Danchen beamed with a smile. She took her phone and looked for Ruan Zeer’s number. “I’m glad. It’s not too late and his rest won’t be disturbed. Let’s tell him earlier.”

…

Guan Liya hung up the call and Qi Zhongxun could see her marked dismay. He took a piece of watermelon and gave it to her. “What happened? Who made you angry? What did Youxuan say to you?”

As she ate the watermelon, she huffed angrily and recounted the incident with Wu Qiaoyin.

The more she thought of it, the angrier she became. “Danchen was right. Wu Qiaoyin is going overboard. Who the hell is she to pick up Youxuan behind our back? Is she going to pay if something happens to my grandson!”

Guan Liya gnashed her teeth. “Who would’ve known that Zhao Fengchun gave birth to such an ignorant daughter.”

“Drink some tea, don’t get angry. It’s not worth it to get so riled up over that ignorant girl,” Qi Zhongxun tried consoling her.

Guan Liya rejected the teacup and said, “This is unacceptable. I’m going to see the Wu family.”

She glanced at the time and said, “It’s still early. I don’t think they’ll sleep so fast. After so many years without meeting them, I’m curious to see the Wu family’s family teachings.”

Afraid that Guan Liya might be at a disadvantage, Qi Zhongxun hurried over. Aunt Chen could even hear Guan Liya’s voice at the door, “This is between women. Don’t get yourself involved.”

“I’m not getting involved. I’m just going to sit down and talk with Old Man Wu.” Qi Zhongxun’s voice sounded incredibly solemn.

Guan Liya knew that he followed her because he wanted to give her some support. She knew he fears that she might not have enough influence if she were to go alone, which might cause her some problems with the Wu family.

His presence would be a constant reminder of the Qi family’s prowess. Guan Liya smiled and led Qi Zhongxun out.

Qi Zhongxun felt happy after seeing his wife’s expression soften, but his reserved and staid temperament made Guan Liya smile even brighter.

…

Upon seeing Guan Liya and Qi Zhongxun, Zhao Fengchun warmly welcomed them in with a smile.

“What brings you here all of a sudden? Come sit, come sit.” Zhao Fengchun invited the couple in. Wu Chuanshu was standing in the living room, looking on with a smile.

“Hehe, I’m not bothering you by coming at this hour, am I?” Guan Liya sat down, smiled, and asked. Beside them, the television was on a news channel, reporting various happenings and events.

“No, it’s still early. We weren’t doing anything at home, just drinking tea and chatting,” Zhao Fengchun took the liberty of taking two ceramic tea bowls from the tray before pouring tea for the couple.

“Where’s Qiaoyin? She’s not in?” Guan Liya pretended to ask mindlessly and even put on a very friendly expression on her face.

“Ah, we’ve spoiled her since young. She went out today without doing anything, but she came back saying she was really tired because of jet lag. She went straight to her room and slept. We’ve been here for so long already, there’s no such thing such as jet lag. She’s just stubborn.” Zhao Fengchun may have been saying that, but she was clearly very loving toward her daughter.

“Oh, maybe she’s tired from waiting too long for Youxuan at his school. Our Youxuan is stubborn too.” Guan Liya sipped some tea. “I’ve already lectured Youxuan when he called just now. Qiaoyin has never faced difficulty since she was young. Perhaps I can take a look at her?”

“Don’t need to care about her. She’ll be okay after sleeping.” Zhao Fengchun stopped Guan Liya, who was just about to get up. Feeling slightly shocked, she asked, “But why…was she waiting for Youxuan at his school?”

“Sigh, it’s not that big a deal.” Guan Liya smiled and began telling them about everything that happened earlier that noon.

She approached it from a different angle to try and relieve Zhao Fengchun’s apparent anxiety. “We’ve always taught Youxuan not to follow any strangers. What if it’s a kidnapper? Besides, the Qi family has a public reputation. We don’t mind paying money if a kidnapping happens, but we’re worried that it’ll negatively impact the boy. We don’t have the heart to let him go through all that when he’s such a young boy. We care deeply about Youxuan since he was young, and we won’t let him suffer even in the slightest.

“But the little boy is stubborn, and as a kid, his memory isn’t that good yet. Even though he met Qiaoyin once, he couldn’t remember her after that. His mind went blank and was afraid to go with Qiaoyin. It’s probably also because we’ve told him not to follow anyone he doesn’t know unless our family explicitly agreed to let that person pick him up. We’re not being prejudiced here, but we have no choice but to be on guard. Nowadays, there’s no telling what a person can do. We have no idea if anyone we know is going to betray us by manipulating the child, right?”

Guan Liya sighed helplessly. “I only have one grandchild now. He was wronged many times when he was younger, so we have to care for him properly. The child remembered our words and knew that Qiaoyin didn’t inform us. He was afraid that my daughter-in-law would be worried sick when they couldn’t find him there. He was hell-bent on staying put and not going with Qiaoyin, even dragging his class teacher to keep watch over him. He only felt calm after my daughter-in-law came.

“And she…how could she come to the school so late? She knew there was going to be a traffic jam but didn’t leave earlier. The child was really scared. After hearing Youxuan’s words, I felt that it wasn’t right to say anything tonight, but tomorrow I’ll be sure to have a word with Danchen. She has to take care of her own child with all her heart. She can’t blame anyone else for giving her own child a scare,” Guan Liya said slowly.

Zhao Fengchun could clearly discern that despite Guan Liya’s insistence that it was not about Wu Qiaoyin, the fact was that she went there specifically to tell them that their daughter was doing that kind of thing outside of the home.

Zhao Fengchun placed her teacup forcefully on the table and said angrily, “Qiaoyin’s too ignorant!”

“No, it’s not Qiaoyin’s fault. Our daughter-in-law went overboard. I heard that Danchen got really angry at Qiaoyin, but Danchen didn’t stop to think that you and I are such good friends. Why did she not respect that in the first place! No matter what, she has to take into account my dignity and our friendship, right? How could she make a spectacle of Qiaoyin in public?”

Zhao Fengchun was beginning to feel that something was not right. She kept feeling that Guan Liya was making indirect accusations on the pretense of criticizing her own daughter-in-law. Zhao Fengchun felt that those criticisms held water when shifted onto Wu Qiaoyin.

The nagging feeling was that Guan Liya made discreet jibes at Wu Qiaoyin under the supposed criticism of her own daughter-in-law.

Guan Liya was smart and the Qi family’s daughter-in-law was no buffoon. Openly showing displeasure with Zhao Fengchun by lambasting Wu Qiaoyin was not an option, so Guan Liya decided to talk about her own daughter-in-law. After all, Qi Chenglin and Ruan Danchen were their family, and an outsider like Zhao Fengchun would have no place to interject.

The Wu family’s housekeeper came over to serve some refreshments, and in her heart, she was giving Guan Liya a big fat thumbs-up. Guan Liya was an expert in covert fights—Zhao Fengchun was no match at all!

Zhao Fengchun mustered a stiff smile. “Don’t blame your daughter-in-law. My daughter’s the one who was in the wrong. She doesn’t understand things yet. Don’t take offense. Anyone would get angry if it happens to them. It’s Qiaoyin’s fault—she’s getting out of hand.”

“Don’t say that.” Guan Liya waved her hand as if wanting to stop Zhao Fengchun from making things difficult for Wu Qiaoyin. “This really is a lack of consideration on Ruan Danchen’s part. I can understand her anger, but she shouldn’t have just lashed out in the school entrance, am I right? There are so many people there, all of whom went to pick their children up. You know that the school belongs to us, right? Don’t all the great families scramble to get their children into the school? They’re all accomplished and respectable people, aren’t they? Wouldn’t this tarnish Qiaoyin’s reputation? The action was just too rash.”

Zhao Fengchun’s expression was stinking to high heaven. She could already imagine Wu Qiaoyin’s actions in front of all those people there.

Her daughter was spoiled to the point of being completely brainless, capable of hatching plans but stupid when the situation called for astuteness. With all those accomplished and respectable people around, they had the wit of mind to see through Wu Qiaoyin’s intention.

Wu Qiaoyin was so dunderheaded that she did not even know how to conceal her intentions, laying it all out in the open instead. Even during the other day at Guan Liya’s place, Qi Youxuan was able to see through her intentions. Surely those renowned families could read her like an open book when they saw what she did at Jixia Elementary’s entrance!

No one would look kindly upon someone who seemed so eager to be a mistress!

“Don’t blame Danchen. Qiaoyin’s actions were simply too much. If she embarrasses herself, she has only herself to blame,” Zhao Fengchun said coldly.

“Sigh, I came here not to complain to you. I just wanted to give you a heads up so you don’t get surprised when you head out and socialize. My daughter-in-law…” Guan Liya smiled and sported a kind expression. “I offer an apology to you on her behalf. Don’t take offense against them young folks. You know that my daughter-in-law has been separated from Youxuan for so many years. Now that she’s reunited with him, she really does care for Youxuan a lot. She’s worried that something might happen to him, so I don’t think it’s right to blame her after knowing that she acted rashly here.”

“I understand.” Zhao Fengchun’s face had already stiffened. She no longer had the mettle to keep up her forced smile to face Guan Liya.

She felt that her close childhood friend was being self-centered. Back then things were great between the two, but once Guan Liya’s daughter-in-law suffered a wrong, Guan Liya came over just to annoy her.

Zhao Fengchun said nothing further after those last two words and did not trade pleasantries with Guan Liya. A moment of chilly silence ensued.

Guan Liya’s mission was fulfilled. Zhao Fengchun was made to feel guilty—she should control her daughter and stop the young woman from embarrassing not only herself but Guan Liya’s son and daughter-in-law too. Wu Qiaoyin even tried to get Qi Youxuan involved, and that was what Guan Liya could not tolerate at all.

Feeling content, Guan Liya stood up. Qi Zhongxun, being the unwavering support that he was, stood up immediately too. Guan Liya smiled amicably. “In that case… we’ll be going. It’s getting late and I wouldn’t want to disturb your rest.”

Zhao Fengchun took a deep breath before standing up. She put a smile that did not extend to her eyes and sent the couple off.

The instant she closed the door, she pulled a long face and went up to look for Wu Qiaoyin.

Guan Liya led Qi Zhongxun by the arm and felt glad. Qi Zhongxun smiled too after seeing her in such a good mood, as though she had just released all her negative energy.

“Hmph, the daughter wasn’t even taught well came running to destroy my son’s marriage. Looks like I’d need to put an end to it.” Guan Liya took a deep breath and inhaled the fresh, cool, night air. “I still showed Zhao Fengchun some respect tonight. This is just a small reminder for her to keep control of her daughter.”

Before Guan Liya even finished talking, Qi Zhongxun gave her a sideways glance.

Was that really a show of respect? Guan Liya did not spare Zhao Fengchun any blushes, and with that insinuative tone she used when speaking, she had nearly infuriated the hell out of Zhao Fengchun.

“If Wu Qiaoyin wants to be shameless, I have no reservations in letting everyone know that she doesn’t have a sense of shame nor any honor. Let’s see if she manages to get married in the future next time,” Guan Liya huffed. She seemed adamant on decimating Wu Qiaoyin should the latter decide not to repent.

“Alright, alright, don’t get angry anymore. We’ll see if she courts disaster again in the future. You shouldn’t get angry ahead of time,” Qi Zhongxun advised immediately.

Guan Liya huffed a couple more times. Letting off her steam earlier made her feel slightly better.

Back home, she gave Ruan Danchen a call at once.

Ruan Danchen saw that Guan Liya was calling and figured that the young boy had finished complaining. She surmised that Guan Liya was probably calling about what happened in the afternoon.

After picking up the call and greeting Guan Liya, she heard Guan Liya’s tender and loving voice say, “Ah, Danchen. About this afternoon, I’ve already helped you vent your anger. Don’t keep being angry and don’t worry. If that Wu Qiaoyin still wants to be shameless, I won’t forgive her! Tell me if anything happens again in the future, I’ll vent it out for you. You’re still pregnant, and getting angry is bad for your body and the baby. Don’t let my granddaughter get a bad temper.”

Guan Liya said a ton of things that left Ruan Danchen feeling surprised.

She understood however, that Guan Liya vented anger on behalf of her to show the Wu family how much Guan Liya valued and supported her.

Ruan Danchen felt a sudden sourness in her throat and was momentarily unable to utter a single word.

Sometime later, she gulped and said softly, “Thank you, Mom.”

“You silly child,” Guan Liya said. “Rest earlier.”

Ruan Danchen hung up and told everything to Qi Chenglin. She was still rolling her face in his embrace. “I’m so glad I married you. I have such caring elders.”

“They’re incidental. I’m the best.” Qi Chenglin was feeling slightly dissatisfied that she praised everyone else except for himself.

“Mm, that’s right. You’re the best thing to happen to me.” Ruan Danchen smiled contentedly.

Delighted, Qi Chenglin’s spirits soared high.

…

Ruan Zeer hung up the phone and turned to Chen Minxia, saying, “Mom, next Saturday is Big Sis Ruan’s birthday. She invited me over.”

Chen Minxia answered without much thought.

Back inside her room, she leisurely looked at next Saturday’s date. Once her eyes caught sight of it, the calendar dropped to her feet, landing onto the floor with a loud thud.

At that time, Ruan Keshan was sitting on the bed while watching the news on the wall-mounted television. He got quite a fright when he heard the sound, and the sight of a pale-faced, shell-shocked Chen Minxia greeted him when he turned around.

“What happened?” Ruan Keshan quickly pulled Chen Minxia over to sit on the bed.

She was absent-minded for a long time before she grabbed the remote and switched off the television. Then, she picked up the calendar and handed it over to Ruan Keshan.

“The Qi family’s madam, Ruan Danchen, she gave Zeer a call. She said it’s her birthday next Saturday and she invited Zeer to her home,” Chen Minxia said. Her voice was weak as if she had just suffered a great shock.

“It’s no big deal. Are you still thinking that Ruan Danchen…”‘…doesn’t have any good intentions toward him? Surely not.’

“NO! Look at the date next Saturday!” Chen Minxia urged anxiously.

Ruan Keshan looked at the calendar scrutinized the date carefully. His pupils contracted and he looked up suddenly at Chen Minxia, staring at her with eyes wide open.

“Are you saying that Ruan Danchen… She… She’s…” Ruan Keshan was getting tongue-tied. His eyes were red and he seemed as though he was going to cry at any time.

“Her surname is Ruan and her birthday is on that date. No matter how much of a coincidence it is, it wouldn’t be that coincidental, right?” Chen Minxia stood up suddenly and headed out.

“Wait. Where are you going?” Ruan Keshan followed close behind and held her.

“I’m going to ask Zeer if this birthday is according to our lunar calendar or the solar calendar,” Chen Minxia explained.

Ruan Keshan was stumped, but he quickly understood why.

Dates in the lunar and solar calendars were vastly different from one another.

Chen Minxia paid attention to detail.

“I’ll follow you.” Ruan Keshan tailed behind Chen Minxia.

Ruan Danchen might just be the niece that he had been searching for all those years. There was no way he was going to just sit there and wait for the answer.

Chen Minxia nodded, and together with Ruan Zeshan, they went into Ruan Zeer’s room.

Ruan Zeer was reading a book while lying on his bed. He saw his parents come in so solemnly, and a second look revealed that their expression was exceedingly convoluted—there was apprehension, excitement, anticipation, and fear. Ruan Keshan’s eyes were reddened, too.

From what he could remember, the one thing that could elicit such a strong reaction from his parents was the whereabouts of his missing cousin sister.

Ruan Zeer placed his book aside and looked at his parents with the same expression. “Dad, Mom, what is it?”

“Zeer, your Miss Ruan. Is the date of her birthday according to the lunar calendar or the solar calendar?” Chen Minxia asked in a faltering tone. Ruan Keshan was lost for words at that point and simply held his hands together in silence. He was afraid that he would collapse if he received anymore stress.

“This… I don’t know.” Ruan Zeer could already guess his parents’ thoughts by their reaction.

“Mom, are you saying that… Big Sis Ruan… She… She could be…” Ruan Zeer was stuttering because he was getting emotional too.

“Her surname is Ruan, and her birthday falls on that date too. If… If it is the lunar calendar, then it’s a misunderstanding on our part, but if it is according to the solar calendar, then…” Chen Minxia clasped her hands. All those years of hope were culminating right in front of her, causing her palms to sweat.

“I… I’ll give Big Sis Ruan a call and ask.” Ruan Zeer flipped through his phone immediately, but in his nervousness, he could not even hold his phone properly.

Chen Minxia was no better than Ruan Keshan. She was unable to pull herself together and held Ruan Keshan’s arm.

“Let’s… Let’s sit down first.” Her bottom collapsed onto the bed as soon as she finished speaking, dragging Ruan Keshan along with her.

Ruan Keshan looked at his son anxiously. Things had already reached such an advanced stage, yet he found himself feeling timid.

He had always been praying to the deities and to Buddha to let him find his niece, but he was now afraid and unsure of how he should face it all.

What if Ruan Danchen was not the niece?

‘No, that’s impossible. Ruan Danchen is Liu Ronghua’s adopted daughter, bearing the Ruan surname and born on that very same day. It couldn’t be that coincidental. If Ruan Danchen wasn’t, then…’

‘But if she was….’ Ruan Keshan could no longer pull himself together anymore.

Ruan Zeer was feeling very tense too. His fingers were shaking and it was not easy for him to locate Ruan Danchen’s number. In the end though, he tapped on the wrong contact—instead of Ruan Danchen, he tapped on the contact above her. It was already dialing, and by the time he realized the mistake, the other side had already picked it up.

He had no choice but to apologize and say that he made a mistake.

Fortunately, the receiver of the call was Ruan Zeer’s classmate. Sensing that something was not right with Ruan Zeer’s voice, the friend asked if something happened, but Ruan Zeer simply said that everything was fine.

Ruan Zeer’s reluctance prompted the other party to hang up without pressing for further information.

“Don’t be nervous. Just take it easy,” Chen Minxia consoled from beside. Being jittery herself, she knew that Ruan Zeer would feel even more anxious.

It was a struggle for him to dial the right number, and when he finally heard Ruan Danchen’s voice, he said emotionally, “Big Sis…Ruan.”

The pause in the middle could have been on purpose or due to the influx of emotions. The words ‘Big Sis’ was enough to make his eyes redden.

Chen Minxia’s eyes turned red too. When she turned around to look at Ruan Keshan, she noticed that Ruan Keshan was wiping his face.

He was unable to stop his tears from flowing out, so he wiped them with his palm to prevent anyone from seeing it.

“Zeer, what’s wrong?” Ruan Danchen felt that Ruan Zeer’s voice did not sound too reassuring.

She began worrying and subconsciously turned to Qi Chenglin. She relied on the man beside him for support, and at some point, she formed the habit of looking at him whenever something happened.

Even though she was certain that Qi Chenglin knew not of what was going on, one look at him gave her all the comfort she needed.

Qi Chenglin wrapped himself around her arm and trailed his fingers through her hair. He gave her a smile that made her feel calm after seeing how she turned to look at him.

Ruan Danchen’s heart felt much better when she heard Ruan Zeer’s dithering voice, “Nothing, I just wanted to ask… Your birthday, is it according to the lunar calendar or the solar calendar?”

“Solar calendar. Why are you asking this?” Ruan Danchen asked. “Zeer, you don’t sound okay. What happened?”

“No… It’s nothing. I’ll call you back again.” Ruan Zeer hung up without so much as a word of goodbye.

Ruan Danchen blinked and stared puzzlingly at the already cut-off call. “He doesn’t sound alright. I don’t know what happened.”

Qi Chenglin continued combing her hair. “He isn’t someone that will just leave things hanging. He’ll explain everything to you.”

“If I knew his address, I would go there to have a look myself,” Ruan Danchen said with a frown.

…

Ruan Zeer hung up and turned to his parents with reddened eyes. “She said it’s the solar calendar.”

“IT’S HER! It’s definitely her!” Ruan Keshan began exclaiming emotionally. He constantly rubbed the tears on his face, but his cries only got stronger. “She’s definitely Keyu’s daughter! She’s definitely my niece! Zeer, she… She’s your cousin sister! She is! I… We should go and look for her now!”

“WAIT!” Chen Minxia held him back. “Zeer, give Ruan Danchen a call and ask if it’s convenient for her to meet us. We can’t just go over without considering this properly.”

Ruan Zeer nodded, as did Ruan Keshan. “Yes, I need to call Dad. He’ll be very happy that we found Keyu’s daughter.”

“Don’t be rash.” Chen Minxia slapped his arm. “Even if we believe that she’s our niece, Keyu and Yuehuan are no longer in this world. We can’t do any DNA test with them. Only you and Dad can. We’ll go and meet her today, understand whatever we can, then tell Dad. He’s already old. He’s already suffered so much disappointment in the past, and all these years we’ve seen his energy weaken year after year. He’s aging faster than anyone else. If this time…

“There’s plenty of hope this time, but if it turns out otherwise, the blow will be just as…” Chen Minxia wiped her tears. “You might not even be able to take it.”

Ruan Keshan nodded, to which Ruan Zeer called Ruan Danchen.

She did not expect to receive that call barely a few minutes after hanging up.

She heard him say, “Big Sis, are you resting now? I… I’d like to come by your house with my parents. Is it convenient for you?”

Ruan Danchen looked at the time. It was already over nine, so it was neither early nor late. They were not going to bed yet, but it was not the kind of time that someone would come over to visit. It would already be ten by the time they visit.

Ruan Zeer’s parents came from a cultured and educated background. Ruan Zeer himself was brought up properly and from that, she could discern that his family background was surely a good one.

His parents were undoubtedly the kind that knew how to act appropriately. Scholars like Ruan Lichuan and Ruan Keshan were held in high regard by Ruan Danchen, who felt that those people were a cut above mortals and conducted themselves with the utmost dignity.

Something urgent must have happened for them to insist on coming over so late.

Ruan Danchen responded, “It’s convenient. We’re not going to bed yet.”

Nevertheless, Ruan Zeer felt that it was not too nice to disturb them at night. After a few more exchanges, he hung up.

“What is it?” Qi Chengzhi touched her hair and his voice was crisply warm.

“Ruan Zeer wants to come over with his parents. Don’t you think it’s something urgent?” Ruan Danchen frowned and sat up from Qi Chenglin’s embrace. “I’m thinking about why his parents would want to come when I don’t know them? I kept feeling that Ruan Zeer wasn’t okay. He couldn’t possibly be in trouble, could he?”

If Ruan Zeer had any issues, she would definitely come to his aid.

Qi Chenglin sat up straight too, with his dark eyes gazing deeply at Ruan Danchen.

Sometime later, he said, “Have you ever thought about how you share the same surname with them? Why is it so fated? Remember the other day, Youxuan said that you looked similar to Ruan Zeer.”

Ruan Danchen’s mind went blank. “What are you trying to say?”

Qi Chenglin’s sharpened his gaze and after a while, he looked at Ruan Danchen again, “Do you remember Ruan Zeer telling you that his uncle passed away long ago?”

Uneasiness began creeping in. Ruan Danchen nodded and clutched Qi Chenglin’s hand subconsciously.

Qi Chenglin held her in return and massaged her to soothe her nerves.

“He also said that his uncle had a daughter, but was separated at birth. They couldn’t find her until now,” Qi Chenglin said. He kept a close watch on Ruan Danchen, afraid that she was unable to take everything in one go.

Ruan Danchen was clearly rattled. She opened her eyes wide, with fear and shock plastered all over her face. “You’re saying… You’re saying that I’m…”

Knowing that she could not say it out loud, Qi Chenglin did not have the heart to keep her suffering, so he said, “When Jiang Yuan went on a business trip the other day, he actually went to Shuo City. Since there was no conclusion yet at the time and it was purely my suspicions, I didn’t tell you. Ruan Keyu and his wife were both born in Shuo City. Ruan Keyu lost his life in an explosion while his wife died in childbirth. Their child’s whereabouts were unknown too. On the second visit, I discovered some new information—Liu Ronghua had a good relationship with the couple. When Mrs. Ruan gave birth, sources say that a woman was with her in the delivery room. I suspect that the woman was Liu Ronghua.

“It was such a coincidence because when the child went missing, Liu Ronghua brought a baby from Shuo City to B City. After checking the baby’s date of birth, it was the same as your birthday.”

“I don’t know what time I was born,” Ruan Danchen mumbled. “She never told me that. When I was young, I was always curious about my father and what kind of person he was, but she never told me about him.”

“All these years, Ruan Zeer’s parents have never given up on finding Ruan Keyu’s child,” Qi Chenglin explained softly.

“So that was why you wanted to invite Ruan Zeer to my birthday celebration.” Ruan Danchen looked at him.

He nodded. “Ruan Zeer is a good kid. He will tell his parents, and if they knew your birthdate, there’s no way they wouldn’t respond.”

“No wonder his reaction was weird,” Ruan Danchen muttered.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Ruan Danchen hugged his waist and planted her forehead on his chest.

“We have to see their reaction first.” Qi Chenglin’s fingers brushed across her face as he sighed. “You’re someone that I must protect. I don’t want to see you suffer in any way whatsoever. I don’t want to see you hurt, even if it’s from your own family. They have good character, but I have to feel it myself.”

“Do you blame me for doing it out of my own accord and keeping you in the dark?” Qi Chenglin was heartbroken when he saw how she hugged him. She might even be unaware of the sheer force she used when wrapping her hands around him.

Ruan Danchen shook her head while her forehead was still on his chest. “I know you want the best for me. Since you’re around, I don’t need to think much anyway. I’ll turn into an idiot soon.”

“It’s not that bad to turn into an idiot.” Qi Chenglin rubbed her cheek. “You have me now, right?”

“I’m a bit scared.” Ruan Danchen hugged him tighter. “They searched for me for such a long time, so they must’ve put in a lot of hope this time. If I wasn’t her, they’ll be really disappointed and sad. If I am her, I… How should I face them? I’ve never had any family since I was young. I… I’ll be really happy if they turned out to my family. I’m very nervous now. I really hope I’m the one that they’re looking for. At least they don’t need to search the world for her again, and I’ll have a family.”

“You already have a family, don’t you? I’m your husband and Youxuan’s your son. You still have us as family… You’ll always have a family,” Qi Chenglin said. “Even if this is all a misunderstanding, it’s no big deal. You still have us. Mom treats you just like how she treats Chengyue. Whatever Changyue has, you’ll have it too. Didn’t she just kick up a storm with her childhood friend for you just now? As for the Ruan family, if you’re not her and I’ve let them down, I’ll definitely do my very best to find Ruan Keyu’s daughter for them.”

Ruan Danchen knew that Qi Chenglin dared to do that because he was confident—it may not be a hundred percent confidence, but at the very least he was eighty or ninety percent sure. Moreover, the matter had everything to do with her, so the man was surely extra careful with it; otherwise, he would not have kept it a secret from her.

Ruan Danchen took a deep breath. Breathing in his scent calmed her down.

“No matter what happens, I won’t be sad because you’re here with me.” Ruan Danchen kissed him on the chest through his pajamas.

“One more thing,” Qi Chenglin said, with a tone much graver than before.

Ruan Danchen looked up in befuddlement. “What is it?”

Seeing Qi Chenglin’s gloomy expression, Ruan Danchen grasped his hand and placed it to her lips, kissing him on the back of his palm. His hand was fair-skinned and skinny, and through the layer, she could already see his green veins and his bones.

“Tell me. I won’t be afraid of anything. I have you, don’t I?” Ruan Danchen urged softly. She smiled to soothe him, as though she had a simple mind.

Qi Chenglin raised his hand to touch her forehead and said, “Ruan Keyu’s wife, her name is Chang Yuehuan.”

Ruan Danchen did not know the name of the Chang family’s deceased elder daughter, so she did not think much of it. On second thought, however, her heart skipped a beat once Qi Chenglin dropped the Chang surname.

Responding quickly to it, the only reason Qi Chenglin would specifically tell her that was because…

“It can’t possibly be the Chang family?” Ruan Danchen asked in shock. Her feelings were all negative.

Qi Chenglin nodded and told her everything about Ruan Keyu and Chang Yuehuan.

Jiang Yuan’s investigations did not reveal as much information compared to Liu Ronghua and the Ruan family’s understanding of the event, but Jiang Yuan did his utmost best to find out whatever he could. From J University to Shuo City, Jiang Yuan left no stone unturned when it came to Ruan Keyu and Chang Yuehuan’s relationship.

Even if their classmates back then led their own lives now, Jiang Yuan tracked them down and managed to get in contact with a few of them. A couple of questions was then enough for him to roughly understand the entire situation.

“Then… Chang Jingqiu…” Ruan Danchen’s eyes widened. In truth, the entire surge of information that night was beginning to be a bit hard to handle.

“I thought Chang Jingqiu was the daughter of the Chang family’s deceased elder daughter? How am I…” Ruan Danchen’s brain was struggling to cope. She did not dare to think too much about any unfathomable scenarios.

Qi Chenglin narrowed her eyes and explained coldly, “The only thing it points to is that Liu Ronghua switched you both at birth. She loves Ruan Keyu, do I have no idea why she would do such a thing. But in light of all her actions up until now, her thinking is not easily deciphered by any ordinary person.”

As smart as Qi Chenglin was, he could not wrap his head around why Liu Ronghua would be so devoted to Chang Jingqiu and tell the young woman all those things. How did her mind even work for her to think of such a thing?

Ruan Danchen frowned and was unable to accept it. If she really was Ruan Keyu and Chang Yuehuan’s daughter, she was not at all angry that Chang Jingqiu stole her status from her.

It was the thought of Grandmother Chang that frustrated her most. She was utterly and unequivocally unwilling to be a part of the Chang family.

Seeing her expression, Qi Chenglin knew what she was thinking. He understood her well, after all.

“If you don’t want that, then we won’t tell them. It’s not like our family needs the Chang family’s wealth.” Qi Chenglin stroked her hair and pinched her nose. “Just treat it as information that can be used against Chang Jingqiu. If she brings any disquiet, we’ll kick her out from the Chang family. If you don’t want to get involved with them, we don’t need to tell them the truth until desperate times call for it. You can be close with only the Ruan family because you’re their niece whom they went to great lengths to search for all those years. Don’t bother about anything else.

“But if you want to get to know the Chang family, it’s not a big issue either. You have me. The old lady can’t cause trouble and I won’t let her take advantage or anything like that. Don’t worry about it being a burden on our family. To tell you the truth, Chang Zhiyuan is a good person. His relationship with Chang Yuehuan was the best, and because of that, he cares deeply about Chang Jingqiu. He would’ve ignored her otherwise. If he knew your identity, it’ll be nice to have an uncle like him to care about you.”

Ruan Danchen shook her head. “In any case, I’m not familiar with them. We won’t know what’s going to happen.”

After a pause, she chuckled and said, “Actually, everything’s still up in the air. If I’m not the person that the Ruan family was looking for, isn’t it a bit too presumptuous to be saying all this right now? It’ll look funny.”

Qi Chenglin tapped her forehead and smiled. “Don’t hide from it. Do you still not trust me?”

Ruan Danchen’s eyes narrowed as she smiled. She then heard Qi Chenglin say, “The person who piled pressure on their daughter and subsequently caused the daughter to lose her life, was none other than the old lady herself. Later on, she was also the one who regretted it and tried making up to the things she did to her daughter, but was it even possible to make things right when the loss has already occurred? I think Grandmother Chang doesn’t feel like she let her daughter down. She’s only worried that she destroyed her good fortunes. She tried to make amends just so she can sleep at night. Deep down, she probably doesn’t feel any sort of obligation toward Chang Yuehuan and was only doing it so to put herself in a good light. Grandmother Chang is old, and I heard that she’s been praying to Buddha these past few years. It’s all because she’s afraid that her misdeeds will cause her to have an unpeaceful death.”

Qi Chenglin snickered. “She’s using what happened to her daughter to replenish whatever blessings that had been lost as a result of her past misdeeds. She’s scared that her daughter’s resentful spirit would come to her. She’s just doing it for appearances’ sake. The way she treats Chang Jingqiu isn’t sincere, because if she was, she wouldn’t have inappropriately praised Chang Jingqiu. If you don’t want to acknowledge them, it’s fine. With Grandmother Chang’s attitude, she would be the first to betray her own granddaughter if the smooth-sailing Chang family is in crisis.

“She’s also still dependent on her two sons. Chang Jianan is her only grandson and she wouldn’t have the heart to do anything to him. From the old lady’s antics in public, something would surely happen to the Chang family sooner or later. Severing all ties with them is a good thing too,” Qi Chenglin said.

Ruan Danchen was saying that everything was still up in the air, but in fact she was worried that her joy was short-lived. She would finally have a family, but if it ended in disappointment, she felt that she would not be able to bear the pain that stemmed from that disappointment. Hence, she kept reminding herself not to be too hopeful until the ultimate conclusion was reached.

In her heart, however, she was convinced of the truth.

She believed Qi Chenglin. For him to tell her everything and disclose it to the Ruan family, she knew deep down that everything was a hundred percent true.

“As for Chang Yuehuan.” Qi Chenglin gazed down at Ruan Danchen. To relieve her anxieties in advance, he said, “Back then she had already left the Chang family. She did not even go back when she was pregnant because she knew her mother’s character. If a woman is pregnant, any normal mother would acknowledge it and want the best for the daughter even if the mother isn’t happy herself. If the daughter was so wary of her own mother and didn’t dare to come home, then it looks likely that she doesn’t want the baby to face difficulties created by Grandmother Chang. Since she could decide to sever herself from the Chang family, her daughter shouldn’t be blamed for wanting nothing to do with the Chang family too.”

She knew what he was thinking—he was surely worried that she could not make it through that obstacle in her heart, and was therefore trying his best to loosen her up. Ruan Danchen was touched by his meticulous thoughts, and like a little puppy, she buried her forehead in his chest. After a quick rub there, she looked up and kissed his stubble-filled chin.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to spend so much thought on this. If she’s really my mother… She’ll be the only one in my heart. After all, I’ve never met her and I don’t have any affection toward the Chang family. I wouldn’t want our family to suffer just for the sake of the Chang family, and there’s nothing to be guilty about. If anyone in the Chang family treats me well, I’ll treat them the same. All I have to do is separate those that treat me well and those who don’t. Those who treat me well are their own person, while the Chang family is the Chang family,” Ruan Danchen said. “But if we can keep it a secret, let’s just do it. It’s better to have less to think about than to have more.”

Despite that, she felt some guilt in her heart, because according to Qi Chenglin, Chang Zhiyuan and Chang Yuehuan were on very good terms. Chang Zhiyuan’s kindness toward Chang Jingqiu was not because of Chang Jingqiu per se, but because he thought that Chang Jingqiu was Chang Yuehuan’s daughter.

If Chang Jingqiu was not the daughter, then Chang Zhiyuan’s kindness was misplaced. That was what led Ruan Danchen to feel guilty.

With a shake of the head, Ruan Danchen sighed. Things ought to be dealt with one step at a time while keeping an eye out for future developments.

Once Ruan Danchen thought of that, she pushed Qi Chenglin away and jumped off the bed all of a sudden.

Qi Chenglin felt helpless after being pushed away by Ruan Danchen. He was slightly displeased. A minute ago, his wife was still being all meek and docile in his embrace. It was so wonderful to be hugging her gently, and his mood was exponentially good. Nevertheless, she could be averse to it so suddenly and push him away.

“We don’t have time to keep talking about this. Ruan Zeer is bringing his parents here and we need to prepare at least a bit. We can’t possibly just welcome them without doing anything,” Ruan Danchen remarked. She opened the cupboard and began looking for some clothes.

She was wearing her house clothes as she did not manage to change into her sleepwear just yet. However, wearing house clothes was not proper enough when welcoming guests.

“You have to change your clothes too.” Ruan Danchen turned around and pulled Qi Chenglin up.

Qi Chenglin was lazing around, but he knew from her nervous demeanor that she was excited to see her uncle and aunt.

“It’s okay if you’re dressed like this. You look good in your house clothes. If you dress too well, they’ll feel uncomfortable,” Qi Chenglin advised. He hugged her from behind and kissed the corner of her lip. “Don’t be nervous. Just take it easy.”

“I… I’m worried about disappointing them.” Ruan Danchen’s heart was so restless that she felt like it could jump out.

“Of course not. You’re amazing. They’ll cry tears of joy once they know you’re their niece.” Qi Chenglin’s hand traveled to her stomach. “You’re pregnant now. You need to wear bigger clothes at home.”

Ruan Danchen felt that the two Ruan elders would be glad to meet their niece regardless of whether it was her or not.

At the mere mention of her child however, Ruan Danchen did not insist anymore.

Her stomach had not ballooned up yet so she still did not prepare any maternity clothes. She planned to drag Qi Chenglin along to get them that weekend. Most of the clothes she had in the cupboard were tight to some extent.

Her body may not have changed yet, but she did not want to wear restrictive clothes at home.

She looked at the mirror and realized that her clothes were still quite proper. It was sufficient if she were to go out for a walk around the neighborhood.

Qi Chenglin dug up a T-shirt and a pair of long pants, both of which were casually-styled articles.

“Aunt Zheng’s already asleep. I’ll go and boil some water and make tea for them. I’ll cut some fruits too,” Ruan Danchen said, as she turned to the mirror and smoothed her hair and clothes.

Qi Chenglin wanted to remind her that the only thing they would do when they came later was cry. Sipping tea and eating fruits would be the last thing on their minds. Still, Ruan Danchen’s actions were sincere and she wanted to leave a good impression on the Ruan family. Qi Chenglin thus stopped himself from saying that and left those words in his thoughts instead.

He followed Ruan Danchen down as she headed to the kitchen and began preparing. She did not call Aunt Zheng, but Aunt Zheng could hear the ruckus from above. After coming down and seeing Ruan Danchen getting busy, Aunt Zheng was given a fright.

“Danchen, why are you all busy here? What do you need to do? Let me do it,” Aunt Zheng said. She was wearing her pajamas with a thin jacket providing extra layer.

She was narrowing her eyes when she got out earlier as she was not accustomed to the bright light yet.

“It’s okay. Aunt Zheng, go ahead and rest. I want to prepare this myself,” Ruan Danchen said.

Aunt Zheng was about to protest, but Qi Chenglin walked in and said warmly, “Let her do it. I’ll be here helping her. This is her token of sincerity toward the guests.”

Aunt Zheng was wondering what guest was so important that Ruan Danchen was allowed to do everything without any prohibition from Qi Chenglin.

Aunt Zheng nodded, but added, “If you need me, please let me know.”

Seeing as Ruan Danchen’s insistence on not letting Aunt Zheng help, the latter went back to the room and continued sleeping.

Qi Chenglin took the tea leaves and began preparing, before getting some water to boil.

…

Ruan Keshan was driving, though he wished the car could fly to Prestige Residence immediately.

Chen Minxia watched Ruan Keshan while he drove. There was a frown on his face, so she advised him, “Don’t think so much when you’re driving. Remember to be safe.”

Ruan Keshan nodded, with his brows slowly relaxing. Something was bugging him however, and he was unable to relax completely.

He exhaled and asked, “Tell me, why did Liu Ronghua lie to us? What was her intention in doing that? Ruan Danchen’s surname is Ruan and her birthday is the same as our niece. Liu Ronghua’s the one who adopted her too, so that means she’s our niece!”

Ruan Keshan hit the steering wheel and said, “That Liu Ronghua was on such good terms with Keyu and his wife, but when they were gone, she quietly took away their daughter without saying anything. We’ve been searching for her for so many years! That Liu Ronghua is really…is really…”

‘A piece of garbage!’

Ruan Keshan was thinking of that, but in the end, his innate character precluded him from actually uttering it out loud.

“We even asked her that day but she didn’t admit to it! What kind of heart does she have! I’m so angry! I’m so angry right now! That woman! She’s so terrible, so selfish. She! She! She!”

Saying the word ‘she’ three times in a row sufficed to let Ruan Keshan feel an intense amount of hatred.

Chen Minxia could not understand why either. She shook her head. “That time, it was obvious that she likes Keyu. Those feelings alone makes it hard to understand how she could let Keyu’s daughter suffer so much. How was it possible that a person like Liu Ronghua could even exist in this world?”

Chen Minxia gnashed her teeth and felt resentful too.

At the red light, Ruan Keshan stopped the car and turned to his wife. Feeling uncomfortable, he asked, “Tell me… If she’s really our niece, will she be angry at us and be reluctant to acknowledge us? We never managed to find her after all these years. We weren’t there when she went through hard times and we never helped her a single bit. She’s living a good life now because she’s now the Qi family’s young madam. If we suddenly come forward and call her family, will she think that we’re just some unprincipled family members who came just to take advantage of her?”

When the light turned green, Ruan Keshan looked back ahead and stepped on the gas pedal. He mumbled to himself, “If I were in her shoes, I’d actually think that way too. I won’t be happy. In my time of desperation, my family didn’t even show themselves, and when I’m living a good, steady life, they appear all of a sudden.

“Oh, Minxia, tell me…is it right for us to go and meet her? Our family is too far behind the Qi family. Even if Ruan Danchen doesn’t think of us like this, would the Qi family think the same? Would they think less of her once they know she has family members like us?” Yu Keshan sighed.

He was at odds over it. On one hand, he wanted to meet her because she was his younger brother’s sole descendant and her niece. At the same time, he was afraid too—he was afraid of being estranged with her and being a burden on her.

“That won’t happen,” Chen Minxia reassured from the side. “The things that Liu Ronghua did gave her so much trouble, and wasn’t there some bad news about everything earlier? The Qi family still treats her the same. They won’t hate her because of us.”

“If that’s true, then she’s blessed. But we still have to think of her even if she has so many blessings. Her life has been rough, and it was difficult for her to get in a good place and live a stable life. Is it right for us to go and meet her like this? Truthfully speaking… As long as I know my little brother’s daughter is living a happy life, I won’t ask for anything else,” Ruan Keshan mumbled.

“If you’re afraid of that, then let’s not go. It’s all good if she lives her life well,” Chen Minxia said softly.

As soon as she finished speaking, a bright light shone from up ahead. Chen Minxia was only able to hear Ruan Zeer shout from behind, “DAD!”

…

After Guan Liya left, Zhao Fengchun pulled a long face and ran upstairs angrily. She pushed open Wu Qiaoyin’s door and barged in.

Wu Qiaoyin was sitting up on the bed and staring into space. Shocked, she asked unhappily, “MOM. Why did you come in without knocking?”

“Why did you do such an embarrassing thing this afternoon? You never thought of telling us that?” Zhao Fengchun had an ugly expression when she asked that.

Wu Qiaoyin was shocked. She looked gloomy to begin with, but her expression turned even worse when she thought that Ruan Danchen was trying to make life difficult for her.

Zhao Fengchun got angry simply by looking at her daughter. She went and pinched Wu Qiaoyin’s arm immediately.

“OW! MOM! What are you doing?!” Wu Qiaoyin held her arm. Tears were pooling up in her eyes due to the pain.

“You’re asking me what I’m doing?! You did such a stupid thing in public but you came home and acted as though it didn’t happen?” Zhao Fengchun pinched her hard once more. “Did you think of our family when you embarrassed yourself in public just now? Huh? Did you think of us? You think it’s all right if you just hide it from us? Didn’t you ever think that we’ll learn about it when we go out in public? Did you think about how we’ll be clueless and friendly with everyone, but they’re actually despising us without us knowing? How did I even get such a stupid daughter like you! You could’ve chosen anywhere to embarrass yourself, but you chose the place that had the most people in our circle!

“Jixia Elementary brings together all of B City’s greatest families. If you embarrass yourself there, isn’t that the same as letting all those people know about it? If they knew about it, word will spread, and everyone in the circle would know. Other than being made the butt of jokes, how will you continue to socialize with them? How will you find someone to marry? You were scolded by someone’s legal wife in public and people are calling you a third party. Which family would want you now?” Zhao Fengcun got incredibly exasperated just by looking at Wu Qiaoying. She really wanted to slap the girl.

How could Wu Qiaoyin be so brainless!

Wu Qiaoyin’s father was an accomplished businessman while Zhao Fengchun herself was an astute person. How did they managed to give birth to such an idiot!

“What do you mean third party? Don’t say such nasty things. I went there to help! You heard what Big Brother Qi said in the office just now right? He said he had to work overtime and couldn’t pick up his son, so since I’m free, I went to pick him! It’s not like Youxuan never met me anyway, and I’m not a bad person too. I’ve no idea that Ruan Danchen would badmouth me like that. Is there any bad blood between us? Why must she accuse me like that? She’s just pretending in front of Big Brother Qi and in Auntie Guan’s house. She looks like a nice little girl, but no one knows how devious she is. I didn’t offend her, but she accused me of being a third party in front of everyone there! I’m the victim here, and you’re scolding me?!” Wu Qiaoyin was about to cry as she said that.

“Did Qi Chenglin say that to you? You selectively chose to listen to the first half. Didn’t you hear what he said after that? He asked Ruan Danchen to pick their son up. You didn’t hear that? That’s their son, why are you getting so involved for? If you’re really sincere and wanted to show yourself in a good light, you’d tell their family before going to pick Youxuan up, not go behind Ruan Danchen’s back to pick up the child. If that’s not having bad intentions, then what is? You’re the one who revealed that side of yourself and allowed people to use that against you. If you’re an idiot, don’t blame others for using similar methods to deal with you!” Zhao Fengchun was explosively angry. Her voice could be heard from downstairs.

Wu Chuanshu heard their bickering and looked at the housekeeper, hinting at the latter to hide. Wu Chuanshu then went up to see things for himself.

The two women’s arguing was so loud that it resonated through every corner of their villa. Despite going into her room, the housekeeper could still hear their arguments.

“MOM! I’m your daughter! Why are you scolding me instead of helping me?” Wu Qiaoyin wept, cried foul, and said, “I was just being kind! Ruan Danchen’s the one who treated my kindness as if it was a terrible thing. You’re Auntie Guan’s good friend, and Auntie Guan watched me grow up too. How could Ruan Danchen be so rude to me!”

“You really think I don’t know if you have good intentions or not? You should know better not to deceive yourself and others. Even a little kid like Qi Youxuan could see through you. You think Ruan Danchen wouldn’t? You can keep lying to yourself and saying that you went there purely to help, but the parents of Jixia’s students are all smart people. Do you really think they’ll believe you? You’re only fooling yourself,” Zhao Fengchun said tensely.

Instead of deceiving others, she deceived herself. What kind of fool was she?

“I don’t care if you want to get close to Qi Chenglin through Qi Youxuan, but be smart about it. Who the hell’s going to believe you if you do it so obviously? Letting his parents know is the smart and logical thing to do. Everyone knows that, so don’t tell me you didn’t know!” Zhao Fengcun was itching to squeeze her daughter’s brain and wring out some common sense.

“I… Big Brother Qi definitely won’t agree to it. Ruan Danchen wouldn’t have let me talk to Qi Youxuan,” the upset Wu Qiaoyin replied.

“Did you think that they won’t blame you or anything if you brought their child away without letting them know?” Zhao Fengchun was at wit’s end. “I’m saying you’re an idiot, but you refuse to admit that you’re one. If Qi Chenglin and Ruan Danchen doesn’t agree, couldn’t you have asked Guan Liya? You said it yourself that she’s my good friend and someone who watched you grow up. Do you think she’ll refuse you if you said you were going to pick up Youxuan and didn’t show any ulterior motives?”

“I…” Wu Qiaoyin’s upper lip trembled and she mumbled, “I didn’t think of…”

“That’s right. You didn’t think of that at all, so you did something stupid. Now look at what’s happened. Guan Liya came to our home and criticized you! Things were in your favor before this, but you squandered it all! Amazing!” Zhao Fengchun could no longer tolerate it anymore. Her restless fingers finally reach out and flicked Wu Qiaoyin’s head.

“If you went and informed Guan Liya, she’ll treat it as though you were her niece that cared about her grandson. You could even get close to her. Now? She thinks your behavior’s inappropriate and you were trying to exploit her grandson. Do you think she’ll think well of you when she only has one grandson? Whatever good impression is now gone simply because you dragged her grandson into this.”

“I…” Wu Qiaoyin felt regret too. She wanted to try and make a good impression, but in the end, she not only failed—she even managed to make herself look absolutely horrendous.

“I know you like Qi Chenglin, but he’s married. You can’t possibly be thinking of being a mistress and becoming his extramarital lover? Our family is not that low-class. Are you going to embarrass us publicly in the worst way possible? I never stopped you in the past because our family has a good relationship with theirs. If you had a good relationship with them, you’ll get into a good marriage too. It’ll help both our families. But you, you can’t think ahead. You insist on butting in and throwing all that away. If you really have what it takes to exile Ruan Danchen and let Qi Chenglin divorce her to marry you, then I’ll support you. Even if there’ll be a period of time where your reputation isn’t good, no one will remember after a while. You’re already his wife anyway, and what matters is the ending. Eventually, the only thing people will remember is who his wife currently is. No one will remember the past. It’s clear that you don’t have what it takes, so you’d better know your place.” Zhao Fengchun glared at her.

“Who said that I don’t have what it takes?” Wu Qiaoyin was getting anxious. She originally thought that it would be difficult for her to face the hardship alone, but after realizing that her mother’s mindset was such, she knew that her mother would support her as long as she did better. It was an opportunity she did not want to let slip.

Zhao Fengchun pursed her lips and kept quiet. Wu Chuanshu stepped in with a frown and glared at Wu Qiaoyin, before shooting Zhao Fengchun a glance. “Don’t you say anything that’ll put all those nonsense thoughts in her brain! Who in the world encourages their daughter to wreck another family! They’re a happy family, why must the both of you interfere?!

“You know her brain doesn’t understand things, but you still made statements that give her hope. There’s plenty of other good men in this world, so why must you do something as disgusting as going after a married man with kids? They’re enjoying their lives and yet you still think it’s reasonable for you to destroy that. Don’t you feel guilty?” Wu Chuanshu looked at his wife and daughter and felt angst. He wondered how the two of them became so unreasonable.

“BUT I LIKE HIM!” Wu Qiaoyin felt that her father did not understand the pains of true love.

“You like him, but his wife likes him too! Are you going to interfere in their marriage on the grounds that you like him? What right do you have? If you want to get close to his son out of love for him, she can also scold you in front of everyone out of love for her husband. You’re not even being rational here. How can you be so confident that you’re right?”

Wu Chuanshu still remembered his daughter’s embarrassing actions next-door. Due to those disgraceful actions, he did not speak much, as he was afraid that he could not control himself from scolding her if he opened his mouth.

When Guan Liya visited them that night and said all those things, Wu Chuanshu felt his internal organs twist up in pain.

“And you.” Wu Chuanshu looked at Zhao Fengchun in a very displeased manner. “Guan Liya’s your childhood friend, where’s the logic in allowing your daughter to pester Guan Liya’s son and daughter-in-law? Putting in another way, if a young girl runs to our family, cries out true love, and is determined to tempt me into divorcing you and be with her, would you be happy?”

Zhao Fengchun’s silence made him wonder if she was using her expression to show his dissatisfaction or whether she felt that he did not accord her enough respect in front of their daughter.

“If you won’t be happy about it, then why would you let our daughter go around disgusting others like that?” Wu Chuanshu then pointed at Wu Qiaoyin. “You’ll follow me to work tomorrow and learn. You’ll sit in my car when we go to work and when we leave. If you have nothing to do, don’t go and stir up trouble!”

After saying that, he hauled Zhao Fengchun out without bothering about Wu Qiaoyin’s dissatisfaction.

Wu Qiaoyin’s room door was slammed shut, and she could hear her father chastising her mother outside. “Don’t talk nonsense in the future. If this mess affects our family business, both of you will be the ones crying in the future!”

Wu Qiaoyin did not hear a reply from Zhao Fengchun and was unable to see the latter’s expression. Then, she heard Wu Chuanshu say, “Stop your ridiculousness with Qiaoyin. If you anger the Qi family, do you think your friendship with Guan Liya will count for anything? Today is a clear sign that she protects her daughter-in-law. If she wasn’t unhappy with Qiaoyin, she wouldn’t have visited us to tell us all that. Angering them will only cause problems for our business. I’ll leave you to cry yourselves if you ruin our family by doing all those vile things in the name of love! Why are you still doing all that when you know the feelings won’t be reciprocated!”

…

Ruan Danchen was in the dark about what happened to the Wu family. She had already prepared the fruit and refreshments, while the water had been boiled and she had rinsed the tea leaves once already.

Everything had been prepared and all that was left was for the Ruan family to come.

Ruan Danchen was nervous and had a nagging feeling that something was not right. She went to and from the kitchen numerous times but found nothing unusual. She then went to take a look at the mirror and tidy up her already-tidy hair.

“How about I have a change of clothes?” Ruan Danchen turned to look at Qi Chenglin. She was breathing erratically due to her anxiousness.

Qi Chenglin looked at her fidgetiness. He was just about to let her go have a change of clothes so she would feel at ease, but her phone rang at precisely that time.

He went to get her phone for her and seeing Ruan Zeer as the caller, Ruan Danchen picked it up immediately. “Zeer, are you here yet? I’ll go down and open the door.”

“No, we… We got into a car accident. We’re at the hospital now so we can’t make it tonight. So sorry for troubling you,” Ruan Zeer’s guilty voice was heard through the phone. “And we’ve already agreed to come over too.”

“Car accident?” Ruan Danchen’s heart jumped to her throat. She asked frantically, “How’s everyone? Are the injuries bad? Is the accident severe? Which hospital are you at right now? We’ll go visit.”

Ruan Zeer did not expect Ruan Danchen to be so worried. Evidently, it was different from Ruan Keshan’s expectations that she would be unhappy because they did not look for her all those years.

Ruan Zeer’s mouth remained agape. Although he did not show it, he was very worried about Ruan Danchen’s reaction. He would be very sad indeed if Ruan Danchen did not care about him again after the incident.

Relief finally set in, causing his eyes to redden. “Big… Big Sis, don’t worry. It’s a minor injury. Mom and I are okay. Dad suffered the impact because he didn’t want us to get injured, but luckily, it’s only some abrasions on his arms and legs. Everything else is alright.”

On past occasions, Ruan Danchen felt that him addressing her as ‘Big Sis Ruan’ was merely forging a closeness between them. She did not think much either when Ruan Zeer called her twice earlier that night.

When she heard him address her as Big Sis again, the feeling was completely different. Ruan Danchen finally understood the significance behind the way he addressed her during the earlier phone call.

Ruan Danchen asked which hospital they were at, but Ruan Zeer felt that it was too late. It was not good to let her rush over, as they had already troubled her a lot that night. Nevertheless, he divulged the information under Ruan Danchen’s insistence, as well as Qi Chenglin’s action taking the phone over and telling Ruan Zeer that Ruan Danchen could not sleep well if Ruan Zeer did not tell her.

After hanging up, Qi Chenglin said without being prompted by Ruan Danchen, “Let’s go. It’s cold at night, so wear a few more layers. I’ll take you there.”

Ruan Danchen nodded. She did not want to change into any other clothes, so she merely put on a thick overcoat and left with Qi Chenglin.

He held her by the waist and frowned. “Take it easy. I know you’re anxious, but you need to adjust your state of mind. You’re pregnant.”

Ruan Danchen nodded and took a few deep breaths. She covered her stomach and finally calmed herself down. “Okay.”

…

Very soon, the couple reached the hospital. Ruan Zeer waited at the entrance as he knew they were coming.

Catching sight of Qi Chenglin and Ruan Danchen, he ran over, but just before he went up to Ruan Danchen, his footsteps slowed down, as if he was lacking courage.

“Big Sis,” Ruan Zeer greeted.

Addressing her as so was not too out-of-place since he had been calling her that anyway.

With Qi Chenglin however, he was afraid to be presumptuous by addressing him as elder brother-in-law. Ruan Zeer moved his lips, but in the end, he did not know how best to address him.

“I… I’ll bring you both over,” Ruan Zeer said. He looked down and walked straight up ahead.

After the three of them entered the elevator, and Ruan Zeer looked at Ruan Danchen a couple of times. She looked like she wanted to say something but was afraid to do so. If it were any other time, Ruan Danchen would be amused if he gave her that expression, but in her nervousness, all she could do was smile warmly at him.

She would always feel like vomiting if she got anxious.

A few deep breaths later, she managed to calm herself down again. Following Ruan Zeer out from the elevator, she turned and gave Qi Chenglin and anxious look.

“What are you afraid of? You’re meeting your family,” Qi Chenglin said softly and held Ruan Danchen’s hand.

Ruan Zeer was walking with them, and although Qi Chenglin’s voice was low, it was not like those words were whispered into Ruan Danchen’s ear. Ruan Zeer could hear everything clearly.

He looked at the Qi Chenglin in shock and his jaw was left hanging. He asked sheepishly, “You… You know about that?”

Qi Chenglin did not answer him, but simply cocked a brow and asked in a crisp voice, “We’re not there yet?”

Looking at his calm character, Ruan Danchen took a deep breath and eased her worries.

Ruan Zeer went blank, he looked around red-faced and said, “We’re here.”

He nearly walked past it.

It was a single-bed ward, and Ruan Danchen stood by the door and felt Qi Chenglin squeeze her hand a couple of times. She looked up at his calm and tranquil demeanor, then turned to Ruan Zeer. The boy did not open the door immediately but stood by the door. With Ruan Danchen’s nod, he pushed the door open and entered himself.

Hearing sounds by the door, Ruan Keshan looked over in anticipation but was somewhat disappointed to see his son only.

“Dad,” Ruan Zeer greeted and moved aside.

Ruan Danchen’s heartbeat quickened as she walked into the ward with Qi Chenglin.

Nervous, she opened her eyes wide, making them look even bigger than before and displaying a restlessness that could not be helped.

Ruan Danchen did not know how to address the two people in front of them. She opened her mouth but did not know what to say.

Before her eyes, she saw Ruan Keshan cry the moment he laid eyes on her. His thick glasses were clouded in tears. Ruan Keshan took them down, but his fuzzy eyesight forced him to put them on again.

He blinked a couple of times and looked at Ruan Danchen, exclaiming in between sobs, “Minxia, she’s really Keyu’s daughter! She is! She looks just like Keyu! She looks just like him! Exactly like him! There’s… There’s no proof, but I know she’s Keyu’s daughter!”

Chen Minxia was stunned as well. She did not expect Ruan Danchen to be the woman she encountered that fateful day in the mall!

No wonder she felt that Ruan Danchen looked very familiar back then. At that time, she was unable to recall who Ruan Danchen resembled, and since they were both strangers, Chen Minxia would not put too much thought into figuring out who a stranger looked like, much less connect the dots to her deceased brother-in-law.

Ruan Keshan’s mention of it made her realize that Ruan Danchen shared similar features with Ruan Keyu.

Ruan Keyu had delicate features, and even his daughter took after him rather beautifully. Ruan Keshan need only look at Ruan Danchen’s nose, eyes, and mouth, to see that they were completely similar to Ruan Keyu

Chen Minxia wiped her tears and nodded repeatedly. “Yes, she looks just like Keyu. She’s definitely his.”

Ruan Keshan took off his glasses and cried even harder, sobbing uncontrollably even. It was a terrible sight to see when grown men cried, but no one there thought less of him for doing so.

Ruan Danchen’s heart was crumbling to pieces. Other than the Qi family’s elders, it was the first time she truly received familial love.

Despite having little conversation, Ruan Danchen could see Ruan Keshan’s deep emotion through his cries. He was someone related by blood to her—her family.

Seeing Ruan Keshan cry like nobody’s business made Ruan Danchen realize that she could rely on him without any reservations and that he would treat her unequivocally well too.

“Child, we weren’t good enough, you suffered so much when we weren’t beside you,” Ruan Keshan cried and said.

Ruan Zeer was the reason that they paid attention to news involving Ruan Danchen. When the explosive allegations surfaced, they knew it was biased, and at the same time, they were aware that Ruan Danchen would not have had a good life with a person like Liu Ronghua by her side.