On the day of the party, Song Qinglan specifically sent a car to pick up Jiang Qiqi, which took her completely by surprise.
This was exactly like a weasel paying a New Year’s visit to a chicken—obviously up to no good.
Jiang Qiqi stood in front of the car for a long time, complaining to the System, “She isn’t planning to bundle me into the car and dump me in some ravine, is she?”
*…She’s not that stupid.*
Sending a car to kidnap someone openly? She wasn’t actually trying to play the outlaw.
“Close enough. She’s never been one to follow the rules anyway.”
Jiang Qiqi dragged her feet and got in. The driver in front didn’t say a word and just focused on driving. Bored out of her mind, she started chatting with the System.
“By the way, you said Song Qinglan is going to announce her engagement to Jiang Ruirui at this party. Is that true? You’re not lying to me?”
*Guess.* The System rolled its eyes mentally.
“But the Jiang family didn’t agree, right? What did she do?”
*Pregnancy.*
“PREG—!” Jiang Qiqi almost screamed out loud. “That fast!”
The System understood her shock, gave her a few seconds to process, then added, *It’s fake.*
Oh, that made sense. Jiang Qiqi sank back into her seat. Otherwise, after the way she scared Song Qinglan last time, wouldn’t she have complained already? Of course it was fake. But wait… does that mean Jiang Ruirui isn’t up to par? …Hold on, if she’s not actually pregnant, what are they going to do when the time comes for the ‘baby’ to arrive?
Jiang Qiqi thought for two seconds, then looked at herself—oh right, wasn’t the perfect sucker sitting right here in this car?
“System-chan, someone is trying to frame me.”
*Good luck ˙˙ )*
Jiang Qiqi leaned forward towards the driver’s seat. “Can you pull over for a moment?”
As expected, she was refused. It was feeling more and more like an unlicensed taxi.
“I need to buy something.”
The driver, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke. “Whatever you need, I can make a call and have someone deliver it.”
I need a voice recorder, are you going to buy that for me?! Jiang Qiqi sat back down huffing. “System, buy me a voice recorder.”
Hearing the sound of money being deducted, Jiang Qiqi’s heart ached. Items in the System shop cost about ten times the normal price—what a waste of money.
Half an hour later, they arrived at the destination right on time.
The party was held at a villa. The surroundings were decorated with all kinds of flowers, and lights stretched from the outside all the way in, making the place as bright as day.
Jiang Qiqi showed up wearing just a black hoodie, looking completely out of place among the elegantly dressed crowd. If she hadn’t been dropped off by a dedicated car, people would probably have thought she was just a passerby who wandered in by mistake.
“Miss Jiang! Long time no see!”
The overly affectionate tone made Jiang Qiqi’s skin crawl. Song Qinglan had spotted her from afar and was now hurrying over, lifting the hem of her dress.
The guests were all high society figures, and most knew about the upcoming engagement between Song Qinglan and the Jiang family’s young master. Seeing her greet an unfamiliar girl so warmly, all eyes immediately turned towards them.
Curious and probing gazes fell on her, mixed and numerous, impossible to tell apart from looks of ill intent. Surrounded by them, Jiang Qiqi felt uncomfortable. And seeing Song Qinglan running towards her made her feel even worse. She really didn’t want to get mixed up in this mess, let alone end up being the one to stop the engagement.
*Dear,* the System said, confused, *the mission didn’t say anything about stopping her engagement.*
Of course it didn’t. This was personal.
Jiang Qiqi thought fiercely, *Seeing an enemy get what they want is like someone cheating to steal my scholarship. No, it’s worse, it’s disgusting. I absolutely cannot let that happen.*
*…Human emotions are so complicated. I don’t really get it.*
Seeing Song Qinglan about to throw herself at her, Jiang Qiqi immediately darted to the side, keeping a distance of about one meter.
You are so evil. Don’t try to pin everything on me, like claiming I caused you to miscarry or something.
Song Qinglan awkwardly lunged at thin air, her expression darkening for a moment, but she quickly composed herself. She took a step forward, and Jiang Qiqi took a step back, maintaining that one-meter gap.
Just as Jiang Qiqi was about to back right out the door, Song Qinglan had to stop. The guests were watching; it was her birthday, and she couldn’t make a fool of herself.
Song Qinglan raised a hand to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear, deliberately flashing her diamond ring, and spoke with feigned grace. “Miss Jiang, we had a little misunderstanding before. Looking back, it really wasn’t necessary. You are beautiful and kind-hearted, I’m sure you won’t hold it against me. Today is my birthday party, I hope we can put it behind us and shake hands.”
She held out her hand, but Jiang Qiqi didn’t move. Qin Jiao’s injuries hadn’t fully healed yet. Jiang Tao was locked up, yet Song Qinglan was here throwing a lavish party.
There was no way she could forgive her. Even pretending made her feel sick.
Jiang Qiqi held it in for a moment, then couldn’t help but sneer. “Song Qinglan, do you really think you can just sweep everything you’ve done under the rug?”
“Oh, I heard you’re pregnant. How far along are you? Why are you wearing such strong perfume if you are? Doesn’t it make you feel sick?”
“By the way, you probably shouldn’t run around so much. You need to take good care of yourself and…” Jiang Qiqi glanced down at her flat stomach, “…the baby.”
“How did you know?!” Song Qinglan’s eyes widened, instinctively admitting it. Whispers erupted instantly around them. The sounds of doubt, loud and soft, drilled into her ears, making her heart pound.
How could Jiang Yan possibly know about this?
Having a child out of wedlock was scandalous for both the Song and Jiang families. They had been trying their best to cover it up. If the Jiang family hadn’t been stalling on approving the marriage, she never would have taken such a big risk and claimed to be pregnant in the first place.
Who told her?!
“Jiang Yan, don’t go too far!”
The venue went quiet. A car pulled up outside the villa. Jiang Ruirui got out first, followed by another man who looked unfamiliar.
The stranger placed a hand on Jiang Ruirui’s shoulder, smiling amiably. “Ruirui, don’t be angry. It’s just a little dispute between two young ladies, isn’t it?” He patted Jiang Ruirui’s shoulder, then stepped forward and stood directly in front of Jiang Qiqi.
He shared about fifty percent of his features with Jiang Ruirui, but his aura and the pressure he exuded were something Jiang Ruirui completely lacked. Jiang Qiqi frantically searched her memory for any named characters from the book, but none matched—until the man extended his hand to introduce himself.
“Jiang Heng. Nice to meet you, Miss Jiang. I’ve heard a lot about you.”