“Cousin, look at this dress… Cousin?!” A clear, young female voice rang out from the doorway of the adjacent changing room. A slender figure let out a startled cry and jogged over to Qian Weidong. “Cousin, are you okay? Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.” Qian Weidong gritted his teeth against the pain, forcing a smile onto his deathly pale face. “A-Zhen, help me up.”
Jiang Fusheng narrowed her eyes as she watched the two people in front of her.
The girl in the plaid skirt with a single braided ponytail was Liu Suzhen, Qian Weidong’s first love in the original story—and his childhood cousin. Before Qian Weidong, the male lead, met the female lead, he had been deeply devoted to this childhood sweetheart.
Though they were cousins, they shared no blood relation; Liu Suzhen was the daughter of Qian Weidong’s aunt and her ex-husband.
Liu Suzhen had been with Qian Weidong since childhood. They had always liked each other, appearing to share a deep bond as cousins on the surface, but behind the scenes, they did whatever they pleased.
Back then, Qian Weidong married the original host for two reasons: first, to absorb the original host’s good fortune and strengthen the Qian family; second, to use the original host as a decoy to mislead everyone, so that his relationship with his childhood cousin wouldn’t be noticed!
What a scheming scumbag!
“Cousin-in-law, you must know how well my cousin has treated you all these years, right? How could you team up with outsiders to bully him like this?” Liu Suzhen said reproachfully, feigning concern and sympathy.
Jiang Fusheng rolled her eyes. “Which eye of yours saw me bullying him? It was clearly him groping me, and he got a good scolding from my lover!”
“Lover? What lover?” Liu Suzhen froze, then covered her mouth. “Cousin-in-law, have you done something to betray my cousin…”
“Stop right there!” Jiang Fusheng raised her hand. “Your cousin and I are already divorced. Don’t keep calling me ‘cousin-in-law’—it makes me sick.”
“Cousin-in-law, you…” Liu Suzhen pouted, her eyes suddenly reddening. She turned and tugged at Qian Weidong’s sleeve, as if she’d suffered the greatest injustice. “Cousin, she says I’m disgusting. She really has always looked down on me. All the kindness she showed me before was just a lie…”
“……” Jiang Fusheng’s lips twitched, her eyes brimming with contempt.
Playing the victim again. She’s pulled this stunt so many times—doesn’t she ever get tired of it?
【La la la, Master, I’m here!】
“Spit it out already, I’m busy!”
[Mini-Quest: Through your efforts, raise Xiao Changhe’s Affection Level for you to 100. Current level: 20. Completing this quest earns no points, but grants a prize draw.]
A prize draw?
That’s not bad. What if I win another TV? I could flip it for a profit.
I already have 20 Affection Points before even accepting the quest—that’s a good sign!
“I accept!”
【As you command!】
Thinking of Liu Suzhen’s reaction, Jiang Fusheng’s lips curled into a faint smile. Out of everyone’s sight, she reached down and pinched her waist hard, then lowered her head and said in a pitiful tone:
“It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that. I should have blessed you two as cousins! Before I married your cousin, I didn’t know you two were meant for each other. I’m the one who tore you apart! At the Qian household, you used me as a shield, making me deal with outsiders while you were in the room…”
She paused at just the right moment.
This made the sales clerk standing nearby widen her eyes in shock.
Cousins?
That’s just a scandalous affair!
What era is this? There are still remnants of feudalism—how dare cousins get involved with each other!
Qian Weidong’s face darkened. “Jiang Laidi, what nonsense are you spouting?”
Liu Suzhen panicked as well. “Cousin-in-law, don’t say such things. Nothing happened between me and my cousin.”
If her uncle and aunt found out about her relationship with her cousin, she’d surely be kicked out!
She couldn’t live without her cousin!
Jiang Fusheng wiped the corner of her eye, looking aggrieved. “Right, there’s nothing between you two. Whatever you want to buy, your cousin always accompanies you to get the latest items. As the young wife of the Qian family, all I get are the things you don’t want. In three years of marriage, your cousin hasn’t even shared a bed with me—he’s always gone to pamper you… Oh, no, I promised your cousin I wouldn’t say anything. I’m sorry, it’s my fault…”
The number of onlookers had grown from one to several.
“Oh my God! Is it really that bad? I’ve heard rumors about the Qian family too. It was already outrageous enough that Young Master Qian married a village girl, but I never imagined she was just a front—that he did it so he could fool around with his own cousin!”
“It’s disgusting! We’ve been in the new era for so many years! How can a cousin and his cousin still be getting involved with each other?”
“Pfft! Messing around with his cousin behind his wife’s back—shameless!”
“……”
Although the sales clerks were whispering, Qian Weidong and Liu Suzhen still heard them.
“Shut up!” Qian Weidong roared. “If you know what’s good for you, keep your mouths shut. Otherwise, don’t blame me for being rude!”
The sales clerks fell silent.
The Qian family was well-connected and wealthy in the city. For ordinary people like them, keeping their jobs was hard enough—it was best not to meddle in other people’s business.
“Shengsheng…” Xiao Changhe looked at Jiang Fusheng with heartache, his eyes filled with an indescribable ache.
So, these past three years since Shengsheng married Qian Weidong, she hasn’t been happy at all!
Her clothes and food are all hand-me-downs!
And she’s even forced to help cover up the affair between that scoundrel and that woman!
Poor Shengsheng…
[Heartache level skyrocketing. You’re amazing, Master!]
“Of course! Don’t you know who I am?”
Playing the damsel in distress?
Who doesn’t know how to do that!
Compared to Qian Weidong, Xiao Changhe—that clueless, love-struck fool—is definitely much more to her liking!
Xiao Changhe gripped Jiang Fusheng’s shoulders, pulling her into his embrace, his throat tightening. “Shengsheng, don’t… don’t be sad. It’s all… in the past. Now you’re… you’re my wife. You have… nothing to do with… the Qian family anymore!”
That bastard Qian Weidong—he’s wasted three years of Shengsheng’s youth for nothing!
They’ve never even shared a bed, so those rumors about Shengsheng being “barren” must have been deliberately spread by the Qian family!
That damn bastard!
If they weren’t in the city—where he’d risk getting arrested by the police and endangering Shengsheng—he would’ve already laid his hands on that beast and taught him a lesson!
Leaning against Xiao Changhe’s chest, Jiang Fusheng heard his heartbeat racing and felt the overwhelming rage radiating from him, sending a chill down her spine.
He’s this angry—does that mean he’s thinking of killing Qian Weidong, skinning him alive, and eating him?
So scary!
“007, have you had enough of feeling sorry for me?”
[Almost.]
Jiang Fusheng clenched her teeth, lifted her head, and looked up with tear-filled eyes. “Brother Changhe, I’m fine. Even though these past three years haven’t been easy, it’s okay. If Qian Weidong hadn’t abandoned me, I never would have met someone as wonderful as you. From now on, I’ll take good care of you both—as long as… as long as you love me, even just a little bit is enough. Just a little bit…”
Hearing her humble words and seeing her red-rimmed eyes, Xiao Changhe felt his heart ache and twist in pain.
Just a moment ago, she had been as cheerful as a sunflower, but now…
It’s all those two’s fault!
【It’s exploding! It’s exploding! Heartache levels are off the charts! Congratulations, Master, on completing another mini-quest. You’ve earned 1 lottery draw. Would you like to draw now, Master?]
“In a minute. I’m waiting to see the show!”
She could clearly sense that Xiao Changhe’s anger was already beyond control.
A major showdown was bound to follow.
“Don’t cry.” Xiao Changhe reached out to wipe the corner of Jiang Fusheng’s eye, then let go. “Wait for me.”