Just as she was about to close her eyes and keep pretending to be unconscious, she realized that if she did, she would really lose her virginity.
Creaaak—
The moment the door opened, a flash of inspiration struck Lin Yuqing.
She shot upright from the bed.
The sudden movement startled Zhong Shuwen so badly that he froze in place, his face turning pale.
“Q-Qingqing… you’re awake?”
“Yes, I am awake…” Lin Yuqing replied casually, suppressing a laugh as she recalled the conversation she had overheard earlier.
Apparently, the original owner of this body had the same constitution as her—she was resistant to anesthetics.
Lowering her gaze, she idly picked at the large pink floral pattern on the bedsheet.
Then, once Zhong Shuwen stepped close enough—
Smack!
Smack!
She sprang to her feet and swung both arms with all her strength, slapping him hard across both cheeks.
The blows landed solidly.
Caught completely off guard, Zhong Shuwen’s head snapped to one side. When he turned back, his jaw was clenched tight and his eyes had turned red with anger.
“Qingqing, what are you—”
Before he could finish speaking, Su Jinjin heard the commotion and rushed over from the living room.
“What happened? What’s going on?”
Smack!
Smack!
Since she was here too, she got the same treatment.
Without hesitation, Lin Yuqing delivered an identical pair of slaps to Su Jinjin.
The impact left her own palms stinging.
Then, before either of them could react, she dove face-first into the pillow and burst into tears.
“Why did it take you so long to save me?!”
“Do you know that if you’d come a few days later, I would’ve been forced to marry that country bumpkin?!”
With her face buried in the pillow, she cried as though her heart were breaking.
Crying and cursing at the same time.
“Get out! I don’t want to see either of you!”
“…”
Anyone watching would think she was the one who had just been slapped.
The apartment building had thin walls. A neighbor threw open a window and shouted,
“It’s broad daylight! What are you wailing for? Someone die or what?!”
Su Jinjin and Zhong Shuwen exchanged a glance.
Looking at each other’s swollen cheeks, they swallowed down their anger.
After all, Lin Yuqing had always been a spoiled young lady with a terrible temper.
Today’s plan to consummate the marriage was clearly impossible.
Fortunately, she didn’t seem to have discovered that she’d been drugged.
That alone was a blessing.
Su Jinjin secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Her expression changed instantly as she frowned and signaled Zhong Shuwen to leave.
Then she sat beside the bed and coaxed gently,
“Sis, I only just found a chance to come. Stop crying, okay? This is all my fault.”
“It is your fault!”
Lin Yuqing showed no mercy.
Su Jinjin nearly ground her teeth to dust, but she nodded meekly.
“…You’re right.”
“But, Sis, now isn’t the time to cry. The Lin family has probably already discovered that you ran away. It’s only a matter of time before they find you. Why don’t you hurry up and pack your things and go hide with Brother Shuwen for a couple of days?”
“Once the wedding is over, it’ll be a done deal. Surely Commander Lin won’t force you to marry someone else then, right?”
She spoke in a soft, coaxing tone, trying to lure her in step by step.
In the original story, this was exactly how the original Lin Yuqing had been manipulated.
Lin Yuqing sneered inwardly.
Suddenly sitting upright, she asked,
“Hide?”
“When you brought me here, didn’t you say Zhong Shuwen was going to marry me? Why would I need to hide? Unless you’re trying to make me elope and ruin my reputation?”
The sharpness in her eyes caught Su Jinjin completely off guard.
For a moment, she couldn’t even answer.
Since when had Lin Yuqing’s gaze become so intimidating?
Feeling guilty, she coughed awkwardly.
“O-Of course not. It’s not eloping. It’s getting married.”
“But weddings need preparation…”
Her mind raced as she tried to come up with an excuse, but before she could think of one—
Lin Yuqing waved a hand impatiently.
“If you know time is short, then why aren’t you making preparations? What are you waiting for?”
Su Jinjin choked on her words.
Lin Yuqing ignored her and looked toward the door.
“Zhong Shuwen! I want the bride price to include the Three Turns and One Ring, plus nine hundred and ninety-nine yuan in cash!”
Her tone was that of a pampered young lady issuing orders, not negotiating.
Nine hundred and ninety-nine yuan was equivalent to several years of living expenses for an ordinary family.
Zhong Shuwen instinctively frowned.
Lin Yuqing pretended not to notice and stared at him.
“What? Got a problem?”
“No.”
Grinding his teeth, Zhong Shuwen steeled himself.
You can’t catch a wolf without sacrificing a lamb.
Compared to becoming the son-in-law of a military commander, this amount was worth it.
He nodded.
“I’ll go home and prepare everything.”
Then he hurried out.
Once he was gone, only the two sisters remained.
Lin Yuqing took a leisurely stroll around the apartment.
It was actually quite spacious.
Eventually, she sat before the dressing table.
Looking at her reflection, she saw bright, lively energy shining from her eyes.
She smiled.
Sure enough—
A woman looked best when she stopped caring about being reasonable and started acting crazy.
Adjusting her bangs, she casually asked,
“By the way, what time is it? Why haven’t Dad and Aunt Yang come home yet?”
“What are you planning now…?”
Su Jinjin’s temple twitched.
Lin Yuqing had been acting so strangely all day that she was certain whatever came next wouldn’t be good.
“To discuss my dowry, of course!”
Lin Yuqing rolled her eyes.
“Why do you keep asking stupid questions today? If you decided to become a pig, you should’ve informed me first.”
“You—!”
Su Jinjin’s face flushed red with anger.
At that moment, the front door opened.
Su Yong and Yang Lan had returned.
Lin Yuqing immediately headed into the living room.
“Dad, Aunt Yang, we were just talking about you.”
The words Aunt Yang were spoken with such unusual warmth that Yang Lan froze.
When had this spoiled young lady ever called her that?
Interesting.
Looks like she really wanted something from them.
Now that she knew how to be sensible, Yang Lan’s confidence soared.
She lifted her chin proudly, puffed out her chest, and sat down on the sofa in the manner of an elder.
After a long pause, she slowly raised her eyes.
“What is it, Qingqing?”
“…Sis wants to discuss her dowry.”
Su Jinjin emerged while covering her swollen face, quietly reminding her mother.
“Dowry?!”
Su Yong reacted even more strongly than Yang Lan.
His booming voice nearly shook the room.
“What dowry are you asking me for? Didn’t your precious stepfather prepare one for you?”
Clearly, he intended to contribute nothing.
Lin Yuqing lowered her eyes and snorted.
She thought about the original owner’s background.
Lin Yuqing wasn’t actually Su Yong’s biological daughter.
The tragedy was that the original owner never learned this truth, even until her death.
According to the novel, Lin Yuqing’s mother, Lin Yinyin, became pregnant before marriage.
Needing someone to marry so the child could be registered legally, she was desperate to find a husband.
Coincidentally, Yang Lan had also just become pregnant.
Su Yong’s mother looked down on Yang Lan’s poor family background and insisted her son marry someone with better prospects.
Lin Yinyin was the perfect candidate.
She was an orphan, beautiful, and had inherited a substantial fortune from her ancestors.
Su Yong eagerly pursued her.
The arrangement progressed smoothly.
The two parties reached an agreement:
Su Yong would give the unborn child a legitimate identity.
In return, Lin Yinyin would publicly claim she had given birth to twins.
That was how Su Jinjin became Lin Yuqing’s “younger sister.”
Sadly, the original Lin Yuqing never knew the truth.
She spent her entire life treating Su Jinjin like a real sister.
Faced with Su Yong’s questioning, Lin Yuqing remained calm.
Instead, she let out a cold laugh.
“Listen to yourself. If I were asking Dad Lin for a dowry, then wouldn’t that mean I was marrying into the Gu family after all?”
Since she had run away specifically to avoid that marriage, Su Yong was left speechless.
Even so, he still refused to discuss the dowry.
Lin Yuqing nodded calmly.
“Fine. If you won’t give me a dowry, that’s okay.”
“It’s not dark yet. I can still pack my things and head back.”
She stood up as she spoke.
Su Jinjin immediately panicked.
She looked desperately toward Yang Lan.
“Mom, say something!”
Yang Lan was panicking too.
Forgetting her pretense of dignity, she hurried over and grabbed Lin Yuqing’s arm.
“Qingqing, don’t go! Why are you so impatient?”
“Your father was just angry. Of course he’ll prepare a dowry for you!”
Su Yong stood nearby with a dark expression.
His silence was effectively an acknowledgment.
Seeing the three of them forced into a corner made Lin Yuqing want to laugh.
She barely managed to suppress it.
“Alright then. Just don’t give me cheap things like washbasins and quilts.”
“They’d be a hassle to carry.”
“Just give me my mother’s bracelet, and five thousand yuan in cash.”
“What?!”
Yang Lan’s voice cracked in shock.
Meeting Lin Yuqing’s calm gaze, she took a deep breath and forced herself to stay composed.
“Qingqing… how much did you say?”
“Five thousand.”
Lin Yuqing repeated each word clearly.
The number enraged Su Yong.
He immediately smashed a teacup.
“Lin Yuqing! You’ve got some nerve!”
“What can I do?”
Tears instantly filled Lin Yuqing’s eyes.
“Who told me to run away from home?”
“If I can’t return to the Lin family and don’t have any money, am I supposed to survive on thin air?”
“Dad, surely you wouldn’t want me to suffer for the rest of my life…”
Her voice trembled pitifully.
It looked as though she was about to cry loudly enough to bring the neighbors over again.
Yet Su Yong still refused to answer.
So she dropped the act.
Standing up and smoothing her skirt, she said,
“Forget it. Five thousand is probably too much.”
“Dad, I won’t make things difficult for you.”
“I acted impulsively when I ran away. I’ll just go back and marry Gu Chenzhou.”
“After all, he’s a battalion commander. Marrying him wouldn’t be so bad…”
She had barely taken a step when Yang Lan stopped her.
“It’s not difficult!”
The words were squeezed out through clenched teeth.
“Your father was just angry. Of course he’ll give you money.”
Lin Yuqing looked directly at Su Yong, waiting.
After a long silence, he finally nodded grimly.
The matter was settled.
Back in their room, Su Yong slapped Yang Lan across the face.
Smack!
“Five thousand?! Since when do you make decisions for me?!”
After more than ten years of marriage, this was the first time Yang Lan had ever been hit.
She froze in disbelief.
Then she threw herself at him, pounding his chest.
“What right do you have to hit me?! Didn’t you agree too?!”
A woman’s screams were piercing.
Su Yong quickly clamped a hand over her mouth.
“Keep your voice down!”
As he barked at her, he nervously glanced toward the door and lowered his voice.
“Don’t you understand yet? The only reason I agreed was because—”