“Who do you want to ransom?”
On a desolate mountain, inside a small hut made of straw, a deep, grim male voice sounded.
The man wore a Zhongshan suit, his fists clenched, eyes fixed on the short-haired girl to his right. Then he nodded decisively.
“This one on the right. I want to ransom her!”
The short-haired girl on the right stared at him in disbelief, secretly thrilled. She never expected that, although she and Su Wanning had been captured at the same time, Qin Zhiyuan would choose to save her instead.
“You’re strange. Leaving your fiancée behind to save your sister-in-law? Interesting. But you only have this box of small yellow croakers, and it’s enough to ransom only one. A deal’s a deal. Since you’ve paid, take her and go.”
Qin Zhiyuan nodded, not even glancing at Su Wanning.
After handing over the box of croakers, the bandits released Su Weiwei. She ran crying into Qin Zhiyuan’s arms.
“Don’t be afraid, sister-in-law. You’re safe now.”
Su Weiwei looked up, eyelashes quivering, then hesitated. “But what about my sister? I promised my family I would take care of her.”
Only then did Qin Zhiyuan look at Su Wanning, who was still bound. Meeting his gaze, Su Wanning froze.
She recognized that look too well. In her previous life, she had spent decades living with Qin Zhiyuan—from mutual affection to eventual resentment.
In the end, lying on her sickbed, it was Qin Zhiyuan who pulled out her oxygen tube.
He had said he owed Su Weiwei the most: if he had accepted his elder brother’s dying wish and married Su Weiwei, taken care of the two of them, Su Weiwei and her child would not have died, and the Qin family would not have ended.
As for Su Wanning, she was useless—a woman who never bore him a child yet tried to bind him with her connections and abilities. Qin Zhiyuan had said that in the next life, he would not look at her again.
At that moment, Su Wanning realized that not only had she been reborn, but Qin Zhiyuan had as well.
They were back in 1978, on the very day she and Su Weiwei had been kidnapped by bandits.
This time, Qin Zhiyuan decisively chose Su Weiwei and abandoned her.
In her previous life, Qin Zhiyuan had chosen her, leaving Su Weiwei violated by the bandits, returning to the compound the next day in tattered clothes, miserable beyond words.
Now, he had chosen his sister-in-law—her father’s second wife’s daughter, Su Weiwei—and left her behind.
Seeing Su Wanning’s composure, Qin Zhiyuan seemed to sense something.
He showed no hesitation and helped Su Weiwei leave.
Su Wanning watched as they disappeared from sight.
That box of small yellow croakers had been hers. With her father sent away, she had temporarily lost her footing. They had been together for two years, a stable relationship, even living in Qin Zhiyuan’s house and leaving her father’s possessions in his care.
Now, to see him use her own croakers to ransom Su Weiwei… thinking of the decades she had spent with him—washing his clothes, managing his finances, helping him become a top boss—Su Wanning felt nothing but bitter sorrow.
The bandits bit one of the croakers from the box, saw the mark of teeth, and laughed loudly.
“Brothers, we’re rich! With this box of croakers, we won’t have to worry about food and money anymore.”
“Boss, what about this girl? I don’t think anyone will come to ransom her now.”
The bandits turned to look at the striking Su Wanning, rubbing their hands together with lecherous grins.
“You’ve lived all these years on the edge, licking blood off the knife. Today, boss will let you have some fun.”
…
The next day, Su Wanning appeared at the entrance of the mechanical factory’s residential compound, hair messy, clothes torn.
It was lunch time, and passersby stopped in their tracks, staring at her.
A few bold ones even pointed, whispering:
“Look at her. She’s probably been violated by bandits—look at her clothes, torn to shreds. Must have happened more than once.”
“What’s going on? Didn’t Su Wanning get kidnapped with her sister? How come Su Weiwei came back yesterday, and Su Wanning only returned today?”
Another woman shushed them. “You don’t know. I heard Qin Zhiyuan raided the family’s money to save Su Weiwei. And there’s more—you wouldn’t believe this.”
“A sister-in-law becomes a bride?”
“That Qin Zhiyuan has no conscience! No matter what, Su Wanning was his long-time partner. If he didn’t want her, fine, but to leave her on the mountain and let her be violated? That’s cruel.”
“Cruel? She deserved it! She’s a wealthy heiress. How much profit did she make before? If her father hadn’t been affected by his previous wife, would he have been sent away? She survived thanks to the Qin family’s status; otherwise, she would’ve gone to the farms too. This outcome is her own doing.”
All these eyes pierced Su Wanning like daggers, leaving her nowhere to hide.
Feeling the sting below, she bit her lip tightly.
In her previous life, she might have smashed her head and died in public, humiliated, never returning.
But she had lived once—what hadn’t she been through? Even now, violated, she would not give up on herself.
Why should she suffer disgrace when both she and Qin Zhiyuan were reborn, and he lived well?
Soon, the country would restore private businesses, her family would be vindicated, and she could start over. Nothing was unbearable.
Ignoring the gazes, Su Wanning walked straight toward the Qin residence.
At that moment, the Qin family was having lunch. Madam Qin smiled at Su Weiwei, “Weiwei, eat more. Once Su Wanning is gone, you and Zhiyuan can settle your marriage. You’ll be my daughter-in-law.”
Qin Zhiyuan was over the top, feeding Su Weiwei with chopsticks. Since returning yesterday, she had been crying, apologizing to Su Wanning, and traumatized—pitiful beyond words.
Qin Zhiyuan was heartbroken for her, wishing he could treat her like a queen.
Knowing Su Wanning, if she had been violated by the bandits, she likely wouldn’t have survived the trip home—he would find an excuse, and no one would say anything.
After all, a wealthy heiress losing her life in this era would be nothing unusual.
No one expected Su Wanning to return boldly.
Seeing her battered appearance, Qin Zhiyuan’s eyes narrowed. “Su Wanning… you still have the nerve to come back!”