Qin’s mother was the first to stand up. She grabbed a nearby plate and threw it at Su Wanning’s head.
Su Wanning hadn’t eaten all day; she was so hungry she could barely stand. Even so, she barely managed to dodge it.
Qin Zhiyuan hadn’t expected Su Wanning to survive and return, and his chopsticks dropped onto the table.
Su Weiwei stared at Su Wanning for a moment, her expression freezing, but she quickly reacted and ran over, pulling Su Wanning into her arms.
“Sister, I’m so glad you’re okay. I was worried about you all night yesterday—I couldn’t sleep a wink.”
By this time, a crowd had already gathered outside the Qin family estate, all curious onlookers.
This whole situation was bizarre from the start.
Su Wanning had been in a relationship with Qin Zhiyuan for two years, and they were almost at the stage of discussing marriage. Now, something like this had happened—it was shocking to everyone.
After all, Qin Zhiyuan had always treated Su Wanning well. They seemed deeply in love, so why did he suddenly change his mind?
Food could be skipped, but a spectacle like this was impossible to ignore.
Feeling the warmth from Su Weiwei’s embrace, Su Wanning felt even colder. She took a step back, her mouth curling with a hint of mockery.
“Is that so? Then why didn’t you call the police to save me after you came back yesterday?”
Su Weiwei’s voice went hoarse; for a moment, she didn’t know what to say.
Qin Zhiyuan, however, stood up at the right moment and scolded sharply in front of everyone:
“Su Wanning, that’s enough! Don’t think we don’t know that this kidnapping was orchestrated by you. You did it to steal our family’s money! I’ve been in a relationship with you for two years, and I never expected you to be so heartless. I even heard you conspiring with the kidnappers. Are you satisfied now that I emptied the family fortune to ransom Weiwei? Are you happy?”
Hearing this, everyone in the crowd was shocked—so it turned out that the kidnappers were actually hired by Su Wanning herself.
Ever since Qin Zhiyuan’s eldest brother passed away, leaving Su Weiwei and her mother alone, Qin’s mother had intended for her son to marry Su Wanning to take care of both families.
As a normal woman, Su Wanning naturally had no intention of complying, and the matter dragged on for a long time.
So this time, she had deliberately arranged for the kidnappers to take them both, just to get rid of the “problem” that was Su Weiwei.
What she hadn’t expected was that Qin Zhiyuan saw through it first and chose to save Su Weiwei, which backfired on Su Wanning, leaving her at the mercy of the kidnappers.
Now, no one felt sorry for Su Wanning at all. It was no wonder Qin Zhiyuan had broken off the engagement and chosen to marry Weiwei instead.
The crowd’s eyes full of scorn made Su Wanning feel suffocated.
She couldn’t understand how a man could be so shameless—last life, he had pulled out her oxygen tube by hand; this life, he had let her be violated and was now blaming her for it.
Luckily, she had escaped—she hadn’t been taken by…
Su Wanning fixed her gaze on Qin Zhiyuan. His eyes darted away slightly; he knew that taking Su Wanning’s property to ransom Weiwei had been excessive.
But he had no choice—there wasn’t enough money at home, so he had to use that box of small yellow croakers.
Last life, he failed to save his sister-in-law; this life, he couldn’t make the same mistake twice.
Su Wanning, as the daughter of a wealthy family, had suffered an injustice silently. The box of yellow croakers was her secret; even if he used it to ransom someone, she had no choice but to swallow her pride.
“Ugh! Shameless! We took you in with good intentions, and you repay us like this? From today onward, pack your things and leave. Our family doesn’t need a daughter-in-law like you. Zhiyuan has decided to marry Weiwei—you can forget about it forever.”
Su Wanning had lived well before, proud and arrogant.
Now she had fallen from grace, and many people wanted to kick her while she was down.
At this moment, Su Weiwei stepped forward.
“Mom, Wanning is my sister. I promised father I’d take care of her. If you drive her out now, how can she survive? I beg you, for my sake, let Wanning stay in the house and give her something to eat.”
Su Weiwei even went down on her knees, making Qin Zhiyuan anxious. He quickly helped her up, frustration written all over his face.
“Weiwei, you’re too kind. Don’t you realize she wanted to harm you? If I hadn’t gone yesterday, you’d already be—”
Su Weiwei took a deep breath. “It’s okay, Zhiyuan. What’s done is done. Let’s not talk about it anymore.”
Su Wanning watched this scene and the worry in Qin Zhiyuan’s eyes, and she couldn’t help but smile.
She never imagined she would fall this low.
Right now, she had nowhere to go, and revealing the yellow croaker incident would put her father in danger.
If the farm found out, they would certainly try to punish her father.
There was no rush to expose the truth; there would be time later. For now, she had to play it smart. As for that box of yellow croakers, she would let Qin Zhiyuan pay a hundredfold for it later!
So, under the disdain of everyone, Su Wanning forced herself to stay in the Qin household.
Over the next month, she saw Qin Zhiyuan showering Weiwei with all kinds of attention.
Su Wanning could only bear it quietly, planning for the future.
Of course, she didn’t stay idle. She kept thinking about the man from that night, itching for revenge, and tried to investigate his identity. She had to know who he was; otherwise, she couldn’t bear having been violated so blindly.
But that night had been dark and in the mountains, making investigation difficult.
She only vaguely remembered that the man had worn camouflage pants and had bulging muscles that frightened her.
Could he be in the military?
Su Wanning gritted her teeth. Taking advantage of a trip to buy groceries, she went to the nearby military base.
But when the soldiers came out for training, there were dozens in each squad, all dressed the same. Su Wanning couldn’t recognize anyone. After standing on the roadside for hours, she gave up and left, dejected.
Just then, two tall officers walked out of the base.
One of them seemed to sense something and stared at Su Wanning’s back, strangely familiar.
…
Su Wanning returned home listlessly.
She temporarily gave up searching for him and would have to think of another plan later.
That night, while Su Weiwei and the others were out, Qin Zhiyuan directly barged into Su Wanning’s bedroom.
“Su Wanning, don’t pretend. I know you’re reborn too. Last life, I wronged Weiwei; this life, I must save her. In a few days, Weiwei and I will marry. If you’re willing, you can stay in my house—I can take care of you, but Weiwei comes first. Do you understand what I mean?”
Su Wanning listened, feeling disgusted.
She was a modern woman—how could he expect two women to serve one man? Weiwei would be the “first,” and she the “second”?
Su Wanning hated the idea. In a few months, she would escape.
By October, policies would allow private businesses. She could start a small business and wouldn’t starve.
Just as she opened her mouth to object, her stomach suddenly churned. She doubled over, clutching her chest, retching.
Qin Zhiyuan jumped back in shock.
After a while, he stared at her, unsure.
“Su Wanning… you’re not… pregnant, are you?”
Last life, Su Wanning had been pregnant once but later had a miscarriage. Her reaction had been the same.
Su Wanning froze, forcing back the nausea.
She recalled escaping from the kidnappers that night, then… with a man in the mountains.
Could it be that she really was pregnant—just from that one encounter?
Seeing her silent, Qin Zhiyuan felt sick to his stomach. There was no trace of affection left.
Su Wanning was carrying the child of a kidnapper. There were five potential men—it was impossible to know whose child it was.
This was no different from the breeding of animals.
“Su Wanning, you’re disgusting! How could you be so filthy? You’re carrying someone else’s child. The Qin family can’t accept you anymore. Even if your father helped me, you have to leave my house!”
Su Wanning closed her eyes in despair. Just a few months… how could she not endure them?
How could she possibly be pregnant?