The crowd: Five hundred yuan!
“Qiao Chengyi, I say you’re being unreasonable! Seventy or eighty yuan a month, nearly a thousand a year—it’s been over ten years now, that’s at least ten thousand yuan. And now you’re still holding onto the five hundred yuan in survivor benefits?”
“Exactly, you can’t really let a young girl head north without a penny to her name, can you?”
“And here I thought they were so good to their niece. Turns out they’re just a family of black-hearted scoundrels.”
The Qiao family, suddenly being scolded, were almost caught off guard. Yet they couldn’t argue back, forced to watch helplessly as Qiao Ruan’s eyes welled up with tears.
Uncle Qiao awkwardly said, “Who said we weren’t giving it? I just forgot for a moment, forgot…”
Auntie Qiao pinched him secretly under the table. Five hundred yuan! Are we really giving it? She couldn’t bear to part with it.
But what could Uncle Qiao do? Right in front of so many people, he couldn’t bring himself to swallow his niece’s living expenses.
“Ruanruan, come, take this money. Uncle will add another three hundred for you. When you go to the Fu family, be obedient, alright?” He counted out a sum of money and handed it to Qiao Ruan.
Qiao Ruan took it without hesitation. In her past life, she had been muddle-headed and forgotten about this money, allowing the Qiao family to pocket it for themselves!
This time, they wouldn’t get a single cent of hers!
Holding the money, she finally walked up to Fu Hanchen. “I’m ready. Let’s go.”
Fu Hanchen stared at her without a word. Just now, in front of the Qiao Village crowd, she had put on a pitiful act—her feigned grievances and perfectly timed tears might have fooled others, but they couldn’t deceive Fu Hanchen.
He detested scheming women the most. This one before him might look delicate, but in reality, she was sharp-tongued and skilled at putting on a show—far from innocent.
Even though he believed the survivor benefits rightfully belonged to her, she could have handled it in a more straightforward and honorable way.
Instead, she had to put on such a performance!
Fu Hanchen couldn’t even be bothered to engage with her further. He turned and strode out.
The driver, however, was enthusiastic. He came over and asked, “Miss Qiao, where are your belongings? Let me help you load them into the car.”
Belongings? Qiao Ruan shook her head. “I don’t have any.”
It was laughable—after living with the Qiao family for so many years, she didn’t even have a single piece of clothing to call her own, only hand-me-downs from Qiao Meng.
“Let’s go.” Without looking back, she followed the driver outside.
Just like in her past life, she was leaving Qiao Village, but this time, she would live differently!
She would live well!
Once seated in the car, Qiao Ruan glanced somewhat uncomfortably at the man beside her.
The back seat of the jeep was spacious, but the man, tall and long-legged, took up a considerable amount of space. To make matters worse, he wore a cold expression, as if warning others to keep their distance.
In her past life, he had been the one to pick her up as well, but back then she had been too timid to even look at him properly. Later, he had simply dropped her off at the Fu family and left.
After a moment’s thought, Qiao Ruan turned to him sincerely and expressed her heartfelt gratitude: “Thank you for coming all this way to pick me up.”
Trying to cozy up to him? Flirt with him? Fu Hanchen shot her a cold glance. Seeing her obedient demeanor, he couldn’t resist a jab: “Miss Qiao leaves everyone astonished.”
Huh?
“Your father passed away, yet you’ve accepted your circumstances so quickly and are ready to move on with your life. Truly… admirable.”
He was mocking her.
Qiao Ruan suddenly curved her lips into a faint smile. “My father once said that for a man to die on his own battlefield is the highest honor, the ultimate homecoming.”
“My father walked the path he chose for himself. I respect him, admire him, and though I haven’t seen him for many years, he lives on in my heart.”
After speaking these words with unwavering honesty, Qiao Ruan turned her head away from him. She had finally realized—this man did not like her, so there was no need for her to extend any further goodwill.
She had originally intended to get along amicably, but since things were like this, forget it.
As for Fu Hanchen… he gazed thoughtfully at her profile as she looked out the window, her cheeks visibly puffed out with a hint of anger.