Jiang Hua lowered her head to look at the piece of fish placed in her bowl. The tears welling up in her eyes were held back, and when she raised her head again, a bright smile adorned her face. “No matter how extravagantly I spend, I’ll never run out of the money you’ve earned. Let’s just leave it at that.”
“How strange. I wonder who it was that said, ‘Who could possibly live on the money you earn?’ Was it you?”
“I was just joking with you!”
After finishing her meal, Jiang Hua returned to her room. Sitting cross-legged on the sofa, she stared blankly at the scenery outside the window, surrounded by complete silence where nothing could be heard.
Truth be told, Jiang Hua never enjoyed being alone in silence, especially when she had things on her mind—it would lead her to overthink.
Just like at this moment… Jiang Hua was wondering why Pei Zhan loved Song Qingran so much…
Why he protected her so well, for five years…
A full five years, and she knew nothing about her…
Everyone envied her for being born into the Jiang Family, for living in luxury…
But even she could feel unhappy.
Faced with this completely unknown Song Qingran, Jiang Hua felt a sense of inferiority rising from the depths of her heart.
Sensing the intense emotions in her heart, Jiang Hua knew she couldn’t afford to overthink any longer. She quickly composed herself, took a shower, swallowed two sleeping pills, and went to bed.
It took Pei Zhan over an hour to travel from downtown Di Du City to the Jiang Family Villa.
An hour later, a black car pulled up outside the Jiang Family Villa. The maid cleaning the living room heard the noise and hurried over to wake Jiang Weiguo, who was dozing on the sofa with his eyes closed.
“Sir, your son-in-law is back.”
Jiang Weiguo opened his eyes. “You may all go and rest now.”
As Pei Zhan entered, all the servants withdrew.
Pei Zhan greeted, “Chairman Jiang.”
Jiang Weiguo fixed him with a sharp gaze. “Even after three years of marriage, do you still resent me for forcing you to marry Huahua?”
Pei Zhan bowed his head slightly. “I wouldn’t dare, Chairman Jiang.”
Hearing this distant form of address, Jiang Weiguo’s eyes grew even sharper. “Come with me to the study.”
The night was pitch black. On the expansive lawn outside the Jiang Family courtyard, a Western-style white marble statue stood in the center of a fountain, water spraying around it. Under the glow of the lights, the pool shimmered with a fluorescent radiance.
Viewed from afar, the massive Jiang Family Villa resembled a magnificent, dazzling castle.
Even when everything outside was enveloped in darkness, the Jiang Family Villa alone remained illuminated.
A faint click of the lock sounded, and a dark figure entered the room. The man stood in the dim light piercing through the darkness, his gaze fixed on the woman lying in bed.
Jiang Hua was sleeping soundly, her silk-like long hair spread across the pillow, her straight legs bent as she lay on her side.
Pei Zhan could clearly recall Jiang Weiguo’s warning to him: “The moment Huahua returned, I knew she had been wronged while staying with you.”
“Even if you have a woman outside, no matter what, I demand that you always put Huahua first.”
“Even if you have to pretend, make it convincing. If you let a single tear fall from her eyes…”
“Everything you’ve gained from the Jiang Family over the years—I’ll make you pay it back double.”
In her sleep, Jiang Hua heard the sound of a shower running. When she fully woke up, she realized it wasn’t a dream.
Jiang Hua checked the time on her phone—it was already 11 p.m. Why would he come back here?
Since their marriage, Pei Zhan’s visits here could be counted on one hand…
Unless Jiang Hua pestered him to the point of exasperation, only then would Pei Zhan… reluctantly come over.
Jiang Hua knew that Pei Zhan didn’t want to see her father, and at the same time… he also harbored disgust toward her…
Pei Zhan emerged from the bathroom wearing a dark bathrobe, the front open to reveal his robust, powerful muscles. Seeing the lit room, their eyes met in a moment of unspoken understanding, neither breaking the silence.
Jiang Hua wore a seductive slip nightgown, its thin strap slightly slipped to expose large areas of snow-white skin and partially concealed curves, carrying an alluring charm. Half-asleep yet fully aware, Jiang Hua resembled a bewitching enchantress.
She slowly asked him, “When did you arrive?”
Pei Zhan: “Nine-thirty.”
“Did Dad contact you?”
Pei Zhan didn’t conceal it. “Yes.”
Jiang Hua lowered her beautiful eyes, lost in thought. “Don’t take his words to heart.”
“Mm.”
While Pei Zhan went to dry his hair, the phone on the bedside table suddenly vibrated. Jiang Hua glanced at it.
Song Qingran: You don’t need to pick me up tomorrow. I’ll go to school myself.
Her again!
The moment Jiang Hua realized Pei Zhan was cheating, she felt trapped in this unbearable truth.
Her hands trembled uncontrollably!
An uncomfortable ache spread through her heart.
When Pei Zhan returned from the bathroom and checked his phone by the bed, Jiang Hua’s hand beneath the covers tightly gripped the sheets. “Who are you messaging so late?”
Pei Zhan: “Work.”
Lies!
Jiang Hua left one bedside lamp on and curled into the blankets, turning her back to him.
Feeling the mattress dip beside her, Jiang Hua closed her eyes.
Since her discharge from the hospital, they had slept separately. Initially, she stayed in the guest room, but after waking up in the main bed once with Pei Zhan making do in the study, this arrangement had persisted—him sleeping in the study.
When she felt his slightly warm hand rest on her waist through the thin fabric, seeping into her skin, Jiang Hua tensed. Knowing what he intended, she said, “Supporting Song Qingran while sleeping with me—Pei Zhan, isn’t that filthy?”
Jiang Hua lay motionless with closed eyes, remaining fully awake. She didn’t know how much time passed until dawn broke outside and the figure beside her stirred.
A phone ringtone accompanied the movement, but Pei Zhan quickly silenced it.
Jiang Hua’s chest constricted as if drowning, pain spreading densely throughout her body.
Several minutes later, a door shut.
Jiang Hua felt as though she had plunged into an ice cellar.
Roughly minutes after, Pei Zhan drove off in a black car. Hugging her arms, Jiang Hua stood by the floor-to-ceiling window watching the departing vehicle and made a call.
“My husband will drop off a female university student at Imperial Capital University in two hours…”
“Whatever it takes, I need a clear view of her face.”
“Preferably, capture any intimate moments between them.”
The other party: “But…”
Jiang Hua: “Two hundred thousand.”
Without hesitation, they agreed. “Very well, Miss Jiang. We won’t disappoint you this time.”
This time, Pei Zhan, you won’t get another chance to hurt me.
After the divorce, Dad will remove you from your position at the company. Even if you’re no longer the CEO of Jiang Corporation, with your capabilities, you could still give Song Qingran a bright future.
But I can’t… stand by and watch the Jiang Family’s hard-earned legacy destroyed by your hands.
In order to maintain a low profile while picking up and dropping off Song Qingran from school, Pei Zhan switched to a car worth around four to five hundred thousand yuan. In Di Du City, such a vehicle was instantly recognizable as neither particularly good nor bad.
Song Qingran wore her hair in a neat ponytail and dressed in seemingly casual T-shirts and pants. However, these clothes were all privately customized branded items, with each piece costing around five figures.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Song Qingran’s innocent face was filled with extreme displeasure. Her backpack rested on her lap as she said, “…Just drop me off at the subway station. I’ll take the subway myself later. It wouldn’t be good if someone saw us.”
Pei Zhan replied, “It’s on the way.”
Song Qingran had never met a man as domineering, unreasonable, and authoritarian as him.
When they arrived at the entrance of Di Du University, Song Qingran, afraid of being seen by others, hurriedly tried to open the car door to get out.
After pressing the button several times without success, she turned to him impatiently and demanded, “What else do you want?”