Volume 1 Chapter 3: The Ex-Husband’s Brother
On the other end of the phone came the sound of a sudden brake.
“Bang—”
A tremendous noise followed, as if the sky had collapsed and the earth had split open.
The sound wave traveled through the electric current, causing Ruan Wan’s heart to shudder. It felt as though she had suffered a violent impact herself, her mind ceasing to think, plunging into disorder and panic.
“Li Yuan, don’t die.”
She found her trembling voice, but the connection was cut off.
In the darkness, all was silent. Ruan Wan could clearly feel the violent pounding of her own heart.
Until she saw the news.
【Latest Update: Partial section of Jingjiang Expressway collapses, no casualties reported】
Ruan Wan’s tense nerves relaxed at that moment. She felt like a spring that had lost all its strength, overwhelmed by a wave of immense exhaustion.
Fighting off the drowsiness, she held Li Minglan’s phone, not dialing proactively as if seeking credit, but waiting for Li Yuan to call back.
Surprisingly, it was her own phone that rang.
From the receiver came a deep voice.
“It’s me, Li Yuan.”
Like the man himself, it was cold and sharp, like the winter winds of Mohe, where even breathing felt like the air carried knives, cutting through flesh and blood.
Ruan Wan snapped awake instantly.
Was she really going to make such a request to someone like him?
As she pondered, she obediently said, “Big Brother.”
Li Yuan didn’t ask how Ruan Wan had foreseen the danger, only saying, “You saved me. You can ask for whatever you want.”
“Anything?”
“Yes.”
Li Yuan’s voice came again, devoid of any warmth.
Ruan Wan paused briefly, her gaze sweeping over her sleeping husband on the bed. Clutching the phone tightly, her pale fingertips turned a vivid crimson, like pomegranate juice, from the force.
“I want a child. Will Big Brother give me one?”
The next day, waking up from sleep.
Ruan Wan reached out to turn off the alarm and habitually glanced at her phone.
Among the dozen or so messages displayed, aside from China Mobile wishing her a happy birthday, all were from Su Tongan.
Asking where she was.
Asking why she hadn’t arrived yet.
Asking why the “soup” had been delivered by a courier.
Listening to the increasingly anxious voice of the young man, Ruan Wan remained expressionless and sent over a concerned message.
【Ruan Wan】: My husband drank too much yesterday, and I really couldn’t get away. Are you feeling better now?
The message was sent, but it seemed to vanish without a trace.
Guessing that Su Tongan was likely still asleep, she set her phone aside and recalled Li Yuan’s response from the night before.
He had only said, “I’ll be back on Thursday,” before the signal cut out again.
She tried calling back but couldn’t get through.
It was probably a polite refusal.
But it didn’t matter. Ruan Wan hadn’t expected Li Yuan to agree in the first place.
She had merely proposed an outrageous request first, so that when Li Yuan refused, she could then make another request.
Namely, for Li Yuan to step forward and tell Old Master Li the truth—that she wasn’t pregnant.
In psychology, this was the concession effect.
Knowing Li Yuan wouldn’t refuse her second request, Ruan Wan felt the weight lift from her heart. After a quick wash, she headed to the company.
At 9:30, Ruan Wan clocked in on time.
She worked at a fashion magazine company, located in a red-brick Western-style building in the prime, expensive area of Jiangcheng.
As soon as she entered, she saw Lin Yuying holding a cup of coffee, walking up with a smile. “Sister Ruan Wan, the editor-in-chief is calling a meeting. Everyone is here, just waiting for you.”
Gao Yue chimed in, “Yeah, Ruan Wan, not to be harsh, but just because you know you missed out on the deputy editor position, do you have to slack off like this? How could you be this late?”
Ruan Wan glanced at her wristwatch and smiled.
“Late? Not at all.”
“It’s exactly nine-thirty Beijing time, the official start of the workday.”
“I forgot, Team Leader Gao follows Tokyo time.”
Instantly, Gao Yue’s eyes widened in anger.
Last month, Gao Yue’s article had sparked controversy online for “substituting Japanese elements for Chinese ones,” which only subsided after an apology statement was issued. Gao Yue also had her half-year bonus revoked.
Now, Ruan Wan’s words were like poking Gao Yue right in the sore spot.
Nearby, a few interns secretly gave thumbs-up and whispered among themselves:
“As expected of Team Leader Ruan, rubbing salt in the wound~”
“That was a savage burn, I love it!”
Gao Yue, flushed with anger, snapped, “Ruan Wan, don’t get too cocky! Let me tell you, the theme for the next issue is motorcycles. Yu Ying plans to invite Jiang Song. You know Jiang Song, right? The eldest son of the Jiang family.”
“What a coincidence.” Ruan Wan smiled faintly, her dimples showing. “I plan to invite Jiang Song too.”
Beside them, Lin Yuying froze.
Gao Yue, meanwhile, laughed exaggeratedly. “Ruan Wan, there’s a limit to boasting. Yu Ying is the young lady of the Ruan family, with connections to the Jiangs. That’s why she can invite Jiang Song, who never appears in the media. What makes you think you can?”
Ruan Wan smiled. “The young lady of the Ruan family? Then why is her surname Lin?”
Gao Yue sneered, “You don’t even know that? Ruan Enterprises is Yu Ying’s mother’s business. She took her father’s surname. The current chairman of Ruan Group, Lin Tangsheng, is surnamed Lin.”
Ruan Wan laughed.
If she weren’t the true Ruan family heiress, she might have believed it.
Ten years ago, a woman came to their home to apply for a housekeeper position, bringing along a girl about Ruan Wan’s age—Lin Yuying.
Feeling sorry for the mother and daughter, Ruan Wan’s mother hired her.
From a young age, Ruan Wan’s father had taught her, “Guangguang, Yu Ying grew up without a father. She’s pitiful, so you should give in to her more.”
Later—
“Your grandfather gave you a new dress. Why don’t you give it to Yu Ying, Guangguang?”
“From now on, let the driver take Yu Ying first. Guangguang, you’ve gained some weight recently and should exercise more.”
Eventually, at school, classmates began treating Lin Yuying as the Ruan family’s young lady, while Ruan Wan was mistaken for the housekeeper’s daughter.
Ruan Wan felt wronged and wanted to explain.
But her father stepped in again.
“Yu Ying is fragile and sensitive. If people find out she’s the housekeeper’s daughter, she won’t be able to handle it. Guangguang, you’re my daughter. How can you be so petty?”
It wasn’t until Ruan Wan awakened that she learned Lin Yuying’s mother—Auntie Wang, their housekeeper—was her father’s first love.
In the end, Ruan Wan’s mother, who was recuperating abroad, passed away due to worsening illness. Her father, Lin Tangsheng, drained Ruan Enterprises to establish the Lin Group and reunited with his first love.
Ruan Wan’s own brother, who shared both parents with her, married Lin Yuying.
“…”
It was a niche storyline.
In short, from her mother’s perspective, it was a melodramatic tale of a wealthy heiress being taken advantage of by a gold-digging man, while her own son gloriously married the daughter of the other woman.
It was vicious.
Ruan Wan lifted her gaze and looked at Lin Yuying, who had remained silent. “The young lady of the Ruan family? But as I recall, you’re my family’s hou—”
Before she could finish the words “housekeeper’s daughter,”
Lin Yuying averted her eyes, pulled Gao Yue aside, and said hurriedly, “Yueyue, stop talking. We’re all colleagues here. Regardless of our family backgrounds, we rely on our own abilities.”
Gao Yue sighed, “Yu Ying, you’re just too kind-hearted, always wanting to save face for certain shabby things.”
“What status does Ruan Wan have to invite Young Master Jiang? It’s simply a joke.”
“She may be good-looking, but Young Master Jiang isn’t short of beauties around him. Even if she stood naked in front of him, he’d only find it an eyesore.”
“The editor-in-chief said whoever secures the cover this time will be promoted to deputy editor. Some people are just waiting to lose!”
After delivering her harsh words, Gao Yue linked arms with Lin Yuying and headed to the meeting room.
Others might not have noticed.
But Ruan Wan didn’t miss the fleeting look of smug confidence on Lin Yuying’s face.
She took out her phone and contacted Jiang Song, extending an invitation for a photoshoot and interview.
The reply came quickly.
[Jiang Song]: Sure.
[Jiang Song]: But how will you thank me? With your hand in marriage?