During this period, Cang Xuehe had tormented Ding Hongyuan so severely that Ding’s mother likely wasn’t faring much better than her son. This time, she was presumably relying on her status as the “mother-in-law” to cause trouble.
However, as soon as they sat down, Mother Ding threw a check onto the table.
“Here is ten million. Leave my son.”
Mother Ding’s expression was cold. If it weren’t for the sake of the Cang family’s reputation, she would have rolled her eyes to the back of her head.
Listen to that! What a classic line!
Cang Xuehe adjusted her position, sitting firmly on the soft cushion, and raised her hand to call a waiter. With great interest, she ordered a drink.
While she was at it, she deliberately annoyed Mother Ding: “Mrs. Ding, why do you look so haggard? Let’s have a proper talk; whatever you do, don’t get angry. I haven’t seen you for a few days, and you look like you’ve aged ten years.”
“…” Mother Ding’s face instantly turned hideous. Ever since the engagement with the Cang family, other socialite wives had flattered her incessantly; this was the first time someone had mocked her to her face.
“I came here to tell you that as long as you leave my son, we can negotiate the terms.”
“Mrs. Ding, look at what you’re saying. Right now, it’s your son who can’t leave me. He’s stuck to me like a piece of dog-skin plaster; it’s not me pestering him,” Cang Xuehe said with a smile. “In fact, I wanted to tell you that your son is quite clingy. I hope you can keep a tighter leash on him.”
“Furthermore,” Cang Xuehe’s gaze fell on the check on the table. She put on an innocent expression and said, “Only ten million? Are you dismissing a beggar, or do you think your son is only worth ten million?”
In the real world, if an evil mother-in-law offered ten million, Cang Xuehe would have packed her bags and left immediately without a moment’s delay.
But in this world, ten million was mere pocket change for the eldest Miss Cang.
Additionally, seeing Mother Ding’s face reminded Cang Xuehe of the wicked mother-in-law’s behavior in the original novel. If she hadn’t insisted on ignoring the original female lead’s safety and pressured the doctors to “save the child over the mother,” the female lead wouldn’t have died during a difficult labor in the hospital ward.
On her deathbed, the husband she longed for was busy holding another woman. The more Cang Xuehe thought about it, the more she loathed the Ding family.
“Don’t be ungrateful!” Mother Ding lost her temper and slammed the table. “Before, you were the one shamelessly trying to marry into our Ding family. Now, before you’ve even crossed the threshold, you’re showing your true colors? Let me tell you, my requirements for a daughter-in-law are gentleness, kindness, thrift, and deference. Which of those do you possess?”
Seeing Cang Xuehe’s stubborn attitude, Mother Ding could no longer contain herself. Thinking that Cang would eventually marry in anyway, she put on the airs of a mother-in-law: “Since you are dead set on entering the Ding family, then as your mother-in-law, I will educate you on behalf of your parents!”
Mother Ding was used to being bossy in public and harbored a sense of contempt for this daughter-in-law who had previously chased after her son. Driven by a protective maternal instinct and rising fury, she reached out to deliver a slap.
Cang Xuehe firmly caught her hand and glanced up at the surveillance camera in the corner. “This time, you were the one who moved first. Don’t blame me~”
As soon as she finished speaking, a crisp slap landed on Mother Ding’s face.
“You…” This slap left Mother Ding completely stunned. Her face stung with a burning pain as she instinctively covered her cheek, her expression one of utter shock.
She never expected that Cang Xuehe—who used to be submissive before her—would not only talk back but actually resort to physical violence!
Cang Xuehe pinched a corner of the check, looked at the numbers, and displayed a disgusted expression. A second later, she tore the check in half.
Rip—
The sound was incredibly clear. It was just an ordinary sound, but to Mother Ding’s ears, it sounded terrifying.
“You brat!” Once she regained her senses, Mother Ding was enraged. She grabbed Cang Xuehe’s clothes to retaliate, but Cang Xuehe calmly raised her hand and said, “You’d better think carefully. If I lose even a single hair, you know what my eldest brother will do.”
Following that, she pointed to the camera above. “You were the one who struck first; I am merely acting in self-defense. Your son has been my punching bag lately; do you want to try it out too?”
Their dispute drew the concerned gaze of a waiter. Cang Xuehe raised her hand to beckon him over. “Is the surveillance camera here on?”
The waiter quickly replied, “Yes, it is.”
“Very good.” Cang Xuehe revealed a satisfied smile. “Copy a version for me.” Her gaze fell back on Mother Ding. “As for Mrs. Ding—I will tell my brother every single detail of what happened today. Since you oppose my marriage to your son so strongly, I will grant your wish.”
“No, don’t!” Panic appeared in Mother Ding’s eyes. She had sought out Cang Xuehe to settle this privately; she hadn’t expected her emotions to flare up and lead to this situation.
Cang Xuehe taking money to break the engagement voluntarily versus her hitting Cang Xuehe and causing a rift between the two families were two completely different concepts. If her husband found out she had ruined his plans, neither she nor her son would have a good life in the Ding family.
“You should save your breath to explain this to my father.” Cang Xuehe shook off Mother Ding’s hand and disgustedly wiped her own hands thoroughly with a towel. “I am actually looking forward to seeing how much trouble the Ding family gets into once they lose the support of the Cang Group.”
Cang Xuehe had already investigated the Ding family’s mess. Ever since the engagement, the Ding family had used the Cang Group’s reputation to secure many partnerships. Now that the engagement was canceled, countless deals would fall through, and they might even have to pay compensation. Instead of calling off the engagement herself and bearing the infamy, it was better to let the Dings turn on each other.
Coming out of the shop, Cang Xuehe looked at the colorful streets and slowly exhaled. She calmly uttered the classic line: “The weather is getting cold; let the Ding family go bankrupt.”
The surveillance footage she obtained was 4K high-definition. The only downside was the lack of audio, but this worked perfectly in favor of Cang Xuehe’s next plan.
She sent the video directly to the family group chat. Very quickly, the third brother, Cang Lao San, initiated a group voice call.
Cang Lao San said urgently, “What happened?! That old woman dared to hit my sister?!”
Just as Cang Xuehe was about to speak, the eldest brother, Cang Lao Da, called her phone.
Cang Xuehe took the opportunity to describe the meeting with Mother Ding with a bit of “added flavor.” After listening, the atmospheric pressure on the other end of the line seemed to drop several degrees.
“Big brother will handle this matter,” Cang Lao Da said after a long silence.
Based on those words alone, Cang Xuehe knew the Ding family’s good days were over. After wasting so much time on Ding Hongyuan, it was time to move on.
Why waste time on a scumbag when she could enjoy the life of a wealthy socialite?
However—Cang Lao Da’s next topic took a 180-degree turn.
“As for you, Xuehe.” Cang Lao Da paused. “You’ve wasted so much time on Ding Hongyuan. It’s time for you to do something productive, isn’t it?”
“!!!” Alarm bells rang in Cang Xuehe’s head. Did a socialite have to work too?! How was this any better than her previous life as a corporate slave?
Cang Xuehe asked tentatively, “Then… what should I do?”
“That depends on what you want to do.” Cang Lao Da flipped through some files. “Do you want to manage a hotel, or just collect rent? Our family has several apartment buildings in the Second Ring area… As for the real estate company, it’s hard work; a girl like you doesn’t need to push herself that much.”
“Of course, if you want to stay at home, that’s fine too. I can find you a nominal position at the company.”
Cang Xuehe was very tempted by what the eldest brother said. To do nothing and have a massive amount of income flowing in every day—this was the life she had dreamed of in the real world.
“Sigh…” As soon as she sat down, Cang Xuehe let out an extremely long sigh.
Zhao Yi looked puzzled and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I heard your eldest brother acquired the Ding Group. You’ve completely dumped that scumbag—shouldn’t you be happy?”
“Dumping him was a foregone conclusion a long time ago.” Cang Xuehe glanced at her. “Tell me, what should I do now? My brother wants me to manage the hotels.”
“That’s pretty good,” Zhao Yi said with a smile. “The cash flow from your family’s hotel chain is no small amount. You’ll have plenty of pocket money for cars and bags in the future.”
“That’s one way to look at it.” Cang Xuehe looked Zhao Yi up and down, her eyes lingering on the earrings the other woman was wearing.
In the original novel, there wasn’t much written about Zhao Yi; Cang Xuehe had simply assumed she was just another pampered socialite like the original female lead.
“You like them? I’ll give you a pair.” Zhao Yi touched her earrings.
“They’re very pretty. Where did you buy them?”
“…”
As soon as she said that, Cang Xuehe felt the air freeze.
After a long pause, Zhao Yi pursed her lips, looking utterly speechless.
“I keep telling you that you prioritize romance over friends, but you refuse to admit it.”
“???”
Zhao Yi stroked the pavé diamonds on the earring. “I designed these myself. They’re going into mass production next month.”
Good grief. Cang Xuehe only now realized that the person in front of her wasn’t some idle, wealthy second-generation heir. She was a professional jewelry designer who, after graduation, had traded a life of comfort for entrepreneurship and opened her own studio.
Cang Xuehe looked at Zhao Yi, then looked at herself. She suddenly felt that in the prime of her youth, perhaps she really shouldn’t choose comfort.
“Never mind, let’s talk about this next time.” Feeling frustrated, Cang Xuehe had come out for a drink to relax, only to be inadvertently demoralized. She chose to escape the topic for now.
“Fair enough.” Zhao Yi didn’t push it. She patted Cang Xuehe’s shoulder and laughed. “But your family is so well-off that even if you just stayed home, you wouldn’t have to worry about food or drink for several lifetimes.”
“I’m going to the restroom first. When I get back, let’s go get a spa treatment; it’s still early anyway.”
Soaking in a bar all night wasn’t really her style, so Cang Xuehe readily agreed. While waiting for Zhao Yi to return, she noticed it had started raining outside.
She hadn’t brought an umbrella.
“Xuehe, something came up and I can’t stay with you tonight.” Zhao Yi rushed back, looking anxious.
“Hey—” Before Cang Xuehe could even raise her hand, the other woman had vanished into the crowd. Whatever it was, it was clearly urgent.
She could only withdraw her hand awkwardly. It looked like she’d be heading back alone.
“Miss Cang, it’s raining. Please take an umbrella.” Just as she reached the door, a waiter caught up to give her an umbrella. “Would you like me to call a car for you?”
Cang Xuehe looked at the drizzling rain outside. Suddenly wanting to take a walk, she declined the waiter’s offer and took the umbrella.
The rainy air had a distinct scent—a mix of water and green grass. Standing in the rain, Cang Xuehe suddenly didn’t know which way to go. Most people around her were in pairs, accompanied by someone, while she stood alone under her umbrella.
She remembered when she had first graduated and started working; a heavy downpour had trapped her at the office, and it was Chen Zixin who had come with an umbrella to pick her up.
Thinking about it now… she really did miss her.
Cang Xuehe gripped the umbrella handle tightly and let out a soft sigh. She wondered when she would be able to return to the real world.
She craved the easily accessible luxury of this world, yet she missed her friends from reality. After all, in this world, she had no one she could truly open her heart to.
Screeech—!
The sharp, piercing sound of brakes interrupted her thoughts. When she snapped back to reality, she saw a woman collapsed on the ground. Her white shirt was instantly stained by a mix of rainwater and mud, and the cyclist stopped, looking panicked and helpless.
The woman looked utterly wretched.