“Ms. Chen, you keep saying that I killed your grandson. Do you have any evidence?” she asked.
“Evidence? There were only the two of you by the staircase. If you didn’t push her, then who did?” Mother Chen sneered. “Qianqian, I never thought you could be so vicious! Zhenzhen is such a kind child—how could you bring yourself to do this? That was the eldest grandson of the Chen family!”
“Is that so?” Weiwei smiled faintly. “Then are you sure that child is really the eldest grandson of the Chen family?”
Mother Chen froze. “What do you mean?”
“What I mean is…” Qianqian took a step forward and lowered her voice, while making sure everyone around them could still hear. “You’d better go home and ask your beloved son whether the child in Mu Zhenzhen’s belly should call Chen Ke its father—or Chen Ge its father.”
The surroundings instantly fell silent!
Mother Chen’s face went from white to red, then from red to green. Her lips trembled. “You… You’re talking nonsense!”
“Whether it’s nonsense or not, you know very well.” Qianqian took a USB drive from her pocket. “But since you’ve come today, I happen to have something I’d like you to see.”
She walked to the computer at the reception desk in the lobby. Under everyone’s watchful eyes, she inserted the USB drive and opened the video file.
The surveillance footage appeared on the screen.
It was exceptionally clear.
Mu Zhenzhen grabbed Lin Qingqian’s wrist, then released it herself and fell backward.
The smile on her face just before she fell was especially clear after the image was enlarged.
When the video ended, the lobby was utterly silent.
Mother Chen stood rooted to the spot, all color drained from her face.
“Did you see clearly?” Lin Qingqian pulled out the USB drive. “Mu Zhenzhen fell down by herself. I didn’t even touch the hem of her clothes. As for why she did it—”
She turned toward Mother Chen and enunciated each word. “Maybe the child was already unstable, so she took the opportunity to frame me, killing two birds with one stone! Or maybe she wanted to make Chen Ge feel guilty toward her in this way, so that he would dump me and marry her as Mrs. Chen, securing her position in the Chen family.”
“You… You’re slandering her!” Mother Chen finally came to her senses and shrieked. “This video is fake! You must have forged it!”
“Whether it was forged can be determined by professionals,” Lin Qingqian said calmly. “Or we can go to the police station right now and have the police investigate it.”
Mother Chen was rendered speechless.
Of course she didn’t dare go to the police station. The Chen family couldn’t afford any scandal right now.
“And there’s this.” Lin Qingqian took another document from her bag. “This is the hospital’s injury report. It has already been notarized. Chen Ge used violence against me and caused minor injuries. A lawyer’s letter will be delivered to the Chen Group this afternoon.”
Mother Chen panicked completely.
She had never expected Lin Qingqian to have prepared so many contingencies. When had this usually gentle girl become so difficult to deal with?
“You… What do you want?” Mother Chen’s voice softened.
“I don’t want anything.” Lin Qingqian put the documents away. “I just want to tell you that, from today onward, your Chen family and I have nothing more to do with each other.”
She took an envelope from her bag. “This is a list of every gift you’ve given me over the past three years. I’ve already packed everything up and sent it to your residence. Please make sure to check for it.”
Mother Chen did not take it. The envelope fell to the floor.
Lin Qingqian did not care. She turned and prepared to leave.
“Wait!” Mother Chen called out to her, her voice carrying the last trace of struggle. “Lin Qingqian, A-Ge loves you. The three years you’ve shared…”
“Ms. Chen.” Lin Qingqian turned around and interrupted her. “Once feelings become tainted, they can never be pure again.”
After a pause, she added, “Oh, right. Give Mu Zhenzhen a message for me. I hope she’ll cherish the man I don’t want. After all, Chen Ge is the only bit of straw she has left to clutch at.”
With that, she walked toward the elevator without looking back.
Behind her, Mother Chen collapsed onto the floor, her face ashen.
The elevator doors closed, cutting off all the gazes and sounds outside.
Lin Qingqian (Weiwei) leaned against the elevator wall and let out a long breath. Her hands were still trembling slightly, but she had done it.
She had not cried, broken down, or compromised.
He was nothing more than a man rotten to the core. Lin Qingqian was not so desperate as to grieve over him.
Three days later, at Nightfall Bar in Haicheng.
Xiaoxi had reserved a booth by the window, saying she wanted to hold Lin Qingqian a farewell party to “welcome her new life.”
Also present was Gu Yu—Xiaoxi’s pursuer, the third young master of the Gu family from Gangcheng, who had just returned to the country to take over the family’s hotel business in Haicheng.
“Come on, let’s raise our glasses to celebrate this new life!” Xiaoxi called out loudly.
“Come on, to new beginnings.” Lin Qingqian raised her glass, forcing a smile with the corners of her lips.
“Qingqian, this toast is for you.” Gu Yu raised his glass, his smile gentle. “You’re finally free!”
Lin Qingqian smiled and raised her glass. “Thank you.”
The three glasses lightly touched, and the amber whiskey glowed warmly beneath the lights.
“What time is your flight tomorrow?” Xiaoxi asked.
“Ten in the morning,” Lin Qingqian said. “My older brother said he’d come to pick me up.”
“That soon…” Xiaoxi was a little reluctant, but quickly rallied. “That’s good, too. Leave this infuriating place as soon as possible. Jingbei is your home turf. Go back and develop your career properly, and make that bastard Chen Ge regret everything!”
Gu Yu smiled as he poured them more drinks. “I heard the Chen family hasn’t been doing well lately. The banks are pressing them to repay their loans, and several partners have suspended their projects. Chen Ge has been begging people for help everywhere these past few days. His face is practically about to hit the ground.”
“Serves him right.” Xiaoxi snorted. “A scumbag like him deserves to be ruined.”
Lin Qingqian said nothing, only drinking quietly.
A great deal had indeed happened over the past three days.
After Mother Chen had caused a scene at the company that day, she had quieted down for several days. But this morning, Chen Ge had gone to the company looking for her—that was what Lin Qingqian had heard from her coworkers. It seemed Chen Ge had been accompanying Mu Zhenzhen in the hospital these past few days and had no idea that she had resigned from Leyu Media. Apparently, all his attention was focused on the person in that hospital room.
That was fine, too.
At least she could have some peace during the few days before she returned to Jingbei.
She had bought a new phone and backed up the data from the old one onto it.
She had blocked every one of Chen Ge’s contact details.
Three years of love had come to an end.
She had always been decisive and disliked dragging things out. A relationship that was no longer pure was like milk past its expiration date.
“What are you thinking about?” Xiaoxi nudged her arm.
“Nothing.” Lin Qingqian shook her head. “It just feels… a little unreal. Three days ago, I still thought I would marry Chen Ge. Three days later, I’m about to leave Haicheng—the city where I’ve lived for five years.”
“It’s better to leave.” Xiaoxi took her hand. “What’s so good about Haicheng? Get away from Chen Ge and his whole family and shake off that bad luck as soon as possible.”
Xiaoxi tipped her head back and drank.
Gu Yu looked at Lin Qingqian and said softly, “Actually, I’ve met Chen Ge a few times. That man… his character is crooked. He’s not a good match for you.”
“It’s not too late to leave now. Once Xiaoxi and I have some free time, we’ll go to Jingbei to visit you.”
“Now you know.” Lin Qingqian smiled bitterly. “All right, then. I’ll await good news from you in Jingbei.”
“Mm. Wait for us.” Gu Yu’s tone was earnest.
The three of them were chatting when a sudden commotion broke out at the entrance of the bar.
Xiaoxi’s seat faced the main doors. She looked up, and her expression changed instantly.