“I just got back not long ago,” Shi Zhuojing said. “Qiao Xunan and I haven’t gotten back together yet. It’s too early to talk about a partnership right now.”
What partnership? It was clearly just a ploy to get the Qiao family to chip in more money—to get them to give the Shi family a helping hand.
“Don’t forget you’re a member of the Shi family. If it weren’t for the Shi family, would you have met Qiao Xunan so early on? Would you two even be together?” Mrs. Shi was deeply displeased, and her expression immediately turned cold. “Without the Shi family—if the Shi family were to fall—do you think your life with the Qiao family would be any easier? Shi Zhuojing, don’t forget who you are.”
“Mom, I haven’t forgotten,” Shi Zhuojing said. “If I had forgotten, I wouldn’t have come back.”
“You’re only back because the family doesn’t have enough money to support your lavish lifestyle abroad,” Mrs. Shi said. “If the family could still give you all that money, would you have come back?”
Mrs. Shi knew her daughter well; she was someone who simply had to enjoy the finer things in life. With the troubles at the Shi family, they could no longer afford to give Shi Zhuojing so much money. She could no longer maintain such a lavish lifestyle abroad, nor could she buy things on a whim. Naturally, Shi Zhuojing had to return—many of her possessions were out of season and no longer the latest styles.
This time, upon returning to Hong Kong, Shi Zhuojing bought some new, in-season clothes specifically to keep up appearances, though she didn’t dare buy anything too expensive.
Before Shi Zhuojing and Qiao Xunan broke up, Qiao Xunan had given her quite a few gifts. Shi Zhuojing would sometimes toss those things aside without even giving them a second glance. But now, she needed Qiao Xunan—only he could help her return to her former lifestyle.
“Hurry up,” Mrs. Shi said.
“Mom, I wish I could hurry up too, but Qiao Xunan’s cousin just got engaged. The Qiao family isn’t going to let Qiao Xunan get engaged to me that quickly,” Shi Zhuojing said.
“Well, I don’t care about that. Even if you two don’t get engaged early, you could still get the Qiao family to invest in our company sooner,” Mrs. Shi said. “You shouldn’t just focus on yourself—you need to take care of the household too. You’re not a three-year-old anymore—you can’t just ignore family matters.”
Shi Zhuojing felt disheartened, but she had no choice; she had to win Qiao Xunan over as soon as possible.
The Qiao family was very dissatisfied with Qiao Xunan’s recent behavior; even Zhu Shanshan had spoken to Qiao Xudong about him.
“Your second younger brother simply can’t hold his own.”
“I heard his ex-girlfriend has returned to the country, and he hasn’t paid the slightest attention to your younger sister.”
“Your younger sister got engaged, and he didn’t even find out until the press conference.”
“Can you really bear to watch Qiao Group fall apart?”
“Your uncle and his family aren’t actually bad people—they just lack ability. They haven’t caused any trouble; they’re so well-behaved.”
“You need to wake up soon. If you don’t snap out of it quickly, who knows what will happen in the future.”
……
Zhu Shanshan spoke these words to Qiao Xudong in private; she didn’t want anyone else to know what she was saying. If others found out, wouldn’t they think she was trying to sow discord? Zhu Shanshan didn’t think she was wrong; she wasn’t blind. She could see through those situations clearly—Qiao Xunan was nothing but a scoundrel.
It was fine for Qiao Xunan to date, but letting him run the Qiao Group and the Qiao family would inevitably lead to trouble down the road.
Zhu Shanshan believed Qiao Xudong would never let that happen. Though he was unconscious, Qiao Xudong had heard some of what was said, yet he still couldn’t open his eyes. Qiao Xudong’s finger twitched slightly. When Zhu Shanshan saw his finger move, she knew she’d done the right thing—and that’s exactly what she would tell Qiao Xudong later.
Qiao Xudong cared deeply about the Qiao Group and the Qiao family. From childhood onward, his entire upbringing had been dedicated to the Qiao Group and the Qiao family.
“You’d better wake up soon,” Zhu Shanshan sighed. “Don’t keep everyone waiting too long.”
When Qiao Yitong and Murong Yuchen got engaged, many people couldn’t believe the news. Especially Qiao Yitong’s friends—they’d always thought she and Murong Yuchen didn’t get along. How could these two possibly end up together?
In the evening, Qiao Yitong went out to hang out with her friends; they were hanging out at the club.
“What’s going on? Didn’t you say he was your arch-enemy?” one of them asked. “Is this a political marriage because of what happened to your older brother?”
“That can’t be it. Murong Yuchen is the kind of guy who’d swat a female mosquito if it flew past him. At that banquet, Yitong kissed him—she actually kissed him,” another person said. “I think he let Yitong get the upper hand on purpose.”
“It’s the female mosquitoes that bite,” Qiao Yitong said.
“Oh my, Yitong, the way you put that—you’re really starting to sound just like Murong Yuchen,” Zhao Yufei said with a laugh.
These friends they hung out with were mostly people who hadn’t inherited much of their family’s fortune—both men and women. They hung out together regularly and sometimes made fun of certain people, but they didn’t dare to be too harsh—they were a bit timid.
“You used to say that Murong Yuchen always liked to talk about science,” said Pei Jiayi.
“Just to clarify,” Qiao Yitong said, “it wasn’t because of my older brother. Murong Yuchen said he likes me. He’s the head of the Murong family—getting engaged to him wouldn’t be a bad deal. As for that ‘arch-rival’ thing? That’ll be a thing of the past.”
“Is that what they call ‘lovebirds’?” Zhao Yufei teased with a laugh.
“Call it whatever you want. If an opportunity like that were right in front of you, would you seize it?” Qiao Yitong asked.
“Of course I’d grab it,” Zhao Yufei said. “I heard… I heard that Yun Ruozhu also went to your family to ask for your hand in marriage?”
Qiao Yitong smiled; she didn’t want to talk about Yun Ruozhu.
“You’d better get engaged to Murong Yuchen. Whatever you do, don’t end up with Yun Ruozhu. ” Zhao Yufei said, “I can’t stand the sight of him. Whether we’re cowards or have no ambition—what does that have to do with him? If he looks down on us, he shouldn’t hang out with us.”
Zhao Yufei and her friends didn’t like hanging out with Yun Ruozhu. When Yun Ruozhu came over occasionally, there was still a look of disdain in her eyes. Zhao Yufei and the others weren’t particularly fond of Yun Ruozhu. They believed they weren’t getting in her way, so what was with that look on her face?
“He came on his own—it wasn’t like we asked him to,” Zhao Yufei said. “If you get together with him, there’s no way he’ll let you hang out with us.”
“It’s impossible for me to be with him,” Qiao Yitong said honestly.
Qiao Yitong didn’t say much more about Yun Ruozhu, nor did she mention that Yun Ruozhu had come to propose without her consent. Qiao Yitong felt that after this incident, she and Yun Ruozhu could never get along the way they used to.
“Good thing it’s not going to happen. We actually thought you were going to end up with Yun Ruozhu,” Zhao Yufei said, lifting her juice glass. “Come on, let’s have a drink. ”
This group didn’t drink much. Unlike other cliques who loved to drink and cause a ruckus, Qiao Yitong and her friends weren’t like that. They were rather timid and didn’t really enjoy drinking.
Birds of a feather flock together. Qiao Yitong liked to enjoy herself and would also curry favor with the powerful. The same goes for Zhao Yufei and her crowd—they all know their place in their families and are quick to kowtow. When it comes to backing down, they’re all one-up on each other; they’ll cave even before their family members have a chance to speak up.
Logically speaking, Yun Ruozhu has the home-field advantage, and since he’s in contact with Qiao Yitong’s friends, they should be on his side. But Yun Ruozhu made no secret of his dislike for them. While others held their tongues out of respect for Qiao Yitong, that didn’t mean they didn’t take offense.
“Cheers,” Qiao Yitong said, raising her juice glass.
The boys in the clique didn’t think much of Yun Ruozhu either. Since the girls didn’t like him, the boys disliked him even more. They saw themselves as just having a bit of fun; their families had told them they didn’t need to work hard—as long as they didn’t get into trouble, they could keep living the life they had now.
If they did get into trouble, their families would have to clean up the mess, and they certainly weren’t willing to do that. When Qiao Yitong and her crew decided to take someone on, they’d weigh their options carefully—they rarely charged in headlong like fools.
If these guys were the type to recklessly stir up trouble, Qiao Yitong wouldn’t hang out with them in the first place.
“I heard you’re opening a studio?” Zhao Yufei asked.
“Did Jia Yi tell you that?” Qiao Yitong said.
“Don’t you still lack clients? If you need referrals, they can hook you up,” Pei Jia Yi said.
“Sure,” Qiao Yitong nodded. “As long as they pay, it’s no problem. Don’t even bother asking for a consultation—if they won’t pay, my time is too valuable.”
The wealthy ones are fine—they’re not short on money. But some people, even if they have a little money, still think they can get something for free—and that’s out of the question.
Qiao Yitong meant what she said. Don’t think you can just ask a few questions and get away without paying. Anyone who won’t pay shouldn’t even show up in front of her.
“Of course they have to pay,” Zhao Yufei said. “Those people have plenty of money. If they don’t pay, do they even have any self-respect?”
Zhao Yufei didn’t see anything wrong with what Qiao Yitong said. Just because they don’t have that much clout—no, not because they lack ability—but just because their status at home isn’t high, doesn’t mean they shouldn’t pay. That’s not right.
“Why are you thinking about starting a business all of a sudden?” Zhao Yufei asked, puzzled.
“Just something to keep me busy. Setting up an office in the Qiao Group building doesn’t cost much,” Qiao Yitong said.
“No wonder,” Zhao Yufei nodded. No wonder Qiao Yitong was thinking of opening a studio. No need to spend her own money, a place to set up a studio, and no need to pay for utilities—Zhao Yufei thought that sounded great. “If I find a suitable one, I’ll definitely introduce you to it.”
“No need to go out of your way,” Qiao Yitong said, taking a sip of juice. “Someone’s bound to come knocking.”
Qiao Yitong had created the pop-up ads precisely so that people could inquire anonymously. Qiao Yitong was confident that someone would definitely ask—it was impossible for no one to inquire.
Shi Zhuojing asked Qiao Xunan to meet up. As soon as he heard her, he rushed out immediately. A single phone call from Shi Zhuojing was enough for Qiao Xunan to drop everything else. Qiao Xunan had just returned home when Aunt Qiao was about to speak to him.
“Xunan…” Aunt Qiao had barely called out Qiao Xunan’s name when he ignored her completely.
Qiao Xunan acted as if he hadn’t heard her at all and walked right out.
Aunt Qiao fell silent. Just how important could Qiao Xunan’s business be that he had to leave right now? Aunt Qiao really didn’t understand—Uncle Qiao had just returned, yet Qiao Xunan had to go out at a time like this.
Seeing Aunt Qiao like this, Qiao’s mother’s eyes darted back and forth.
“Maybe he has something important to do,” Qiao’s mother said.
“How important could it possibly be? ” Aunt Qiao wasn’t very pleased with Qiao Xunan.
At times like this, Qiao Xudong’s virtues stood out all the more—he was incomparably better than Qiao Xunan. Aunt Qiao missed Qiao Xudong; he would have handled all the household matters perfectly, sparing her so much worry.
“……” Mrs. Qiao hesitated.
“I don’t need you to tell me—I know exactly what he’s after,” Aunt Qiao said. “It’s that girl from the Shi family.”
There was no way Aunt Qiao would ever allow Shi Zhuojing to marry into the family. Shi Zhuojing had wanted to break up with Qiao Xunan back then, and now she wants to get back together with him—what kind of behavior is that?
With such a major scandal rocking the Qiao family, Qiao Xunan was still getting all lovey-dovey with Shi Zhuojing—Shi Zhuojing was no good at all. Given the Shi family’s situation, what else could Shi Zhuojing possibly be after by getting together with Qiao Xunan?
Aunt Qiao knew full well: Qiao Yitong was already engaged to Murong Yuchen, and what about Qiao Xunan? To put it bluntly, even Qiao Yitong—who usually seems like a good-for-nothing—can bring benefits to the Qiao family, yet all Qiao Xunan knows how to do is chase after Shi Zhuojing.
“The Shi family’s daughter…” Qiao’s mother didn’t know what to say. What if Shi Zhuojing ended up marrying into the Qiao family after all?
Qiao Yitong’s earlier words reminded Qiao’s mother that her eldest sister-in-law would certainly side with her daughter-in-law rather than with her. If a problem were to arise, and her eldest sister-in-law blamed it on her, that would be disastrous.
“She should be all right,” Qiao’s mother said. “That young lady has received a decent education.”
Mrs. Qiao didn’t bring up Qiao Xunan’s mistress; after all, many people already knew about her. Since Qiao Xunan hadn’t brought her into the Qiao family, everyone pretended not to know about it—so why go out of her way to bring it up?
Qiao Xunan had broken up with his mistress, but no one knew how things would ultimately turn out.
“His younger sister is already engaged, yet he hasn’t shown the slightest interest,” said Aunt Qiao.
“It’s fine; these are just minor matters,” said Mrs. Qiao. “Sister-in-law, aren’t you all here?”
Mrs. Qiao wondered if Aunt Qiao was deliberately putting on a show for her, so she decided not to say anything else.
“Sister-in-law, Xunan is old enough; he can handle things on his own,” Mrs. Qiao said. “Maybe something happened to his older brother, and he’s just a little flustered right now. His younger sister understands him—it’s no big deal.”
Aunt Qiao glanced at Mrs. Qiao. She knew Mrs. Qiao always spoke this way—she never wanted to offend anyone. Aunt Qiao wasn’t really worried about upsetting Mrs. Qiao; she was afraid Qiao Xunan would ruin his life.
It wasn’t that Qiao Xunan lacked ability; it was just that whenever he faced emotional issues, he tended to lose his head.
Shi Zhuojing had gone to the hospital with a cold and called Qiao Xunan. She’d deliberately asked the doctor to make her condition sound more serious so he’d admit her.
Shi Zhuojing was putting on an act; she wanted Qiao Xunan to feel sorry for her and to get him to support the Shi family sooner. Shi Zhuojing wanted to take things slowly, but since her family couldn’t wait, she had no choice but to speed things up.
“Maybe it’s because I just got back to Hong Kong not long ago and haven’t adjusted yet, which is why I got sick,” Shi Zhuojing said. “I already told the doctor it’s nothing serious—I can go home and don’t need to be hospitalized—but they still made me stay, saying I need to be observed.”
“You should stay in the hospital,” Qiao Xunan said. “What if it gets worse?”
Qiao Xunan peeled an apple for Shi Zhuojing. “I was in a bit of a rush when I came over, so I didn’t have time to buy better fruit.”
“It’s great that you came. I thought… I thought… I thought you weren’t coming,” Shi Zhuojing said deliberately, her voice still tinged with tears.
“I would have come,” Qiao Xunan said firmly. “As long as you need me here, I’ll be here. ”
“Thank you,” Shi Zhuojing said, touched. “I didn’t expect you to be so kind.”
“It’s no big deal,” Qiao Xunan said.
“Nothing’s wrong here—I can handle it myself. If something’s going on at your place, you should go back,” Shi Zhuojing said deliberately.
“It’s nothing major,” Qiao Xunan replied.
“How can it not be a big deal? Something’s happened to your older brother—you must be really busy at work,” Shi Zhuojing said, wanting to know if the Qiao family planned to make Qiao Xunan the future head of the family.
“I am a bit busy. My older brother is in a coma, so there are some matters that need to be handled,” Qiao Xunan said honestly, unaware of Shi Zhuojing’s thoughts.
“Your older brother will definitely wake up,” Shi Zhuojing thought to herself—hoping that Qiao Xudong would never wake up, not ever in this lifetime.
Qiao Xunan stayed at the hospital with Shi Zhuojing; he didn’t return to the Qiao family residence, spending the entire night at the hospital looking after her.
Qiao Yitong returned home and didn’t concern herself with Qiao Xunan’s situation.
The next day, Qiao Yitong turned on her computer and checked her email. She had just had someone set up small pop-up ads, and already people were sending emails to inquire.
Qiao Yitong thought to herself that these days, many people have relationship problems. The internet isn’t that developed yet, and it’s unlikely that people would post everything online. Sending anonymous emails made them feel a bit more at ease.
This person sent more than one email. The first briefly outlined the problem, while the second asked if payment was required before receiving a response.
Seeing how eager this person was, Qiao Yitong provided her bank account information and instructed them to transfer the money. Of course, she also provided a brief reply regarding the question.
The person hadn’t paid yet, though it wasn’t a large amount.
He said he liked both the older sister and the younger sister, and found it a bit hard to choose between them.
What a jerk, what a jerk!
Qiao Yitong had indeed written about this kind of plot in her novels—where the male lead’s heart leaned toward the illegitimate younger sister rather than the legitimate older sister. This man is very similar to that male protagonist. Someone like this, wavering back and forth, will ultimately choose the illegitimate younger sister.
You can see it right in this man’s email. He describes the younger sister as a tenacious wild grass; between the lines, it seems as though no one would care for her if she left him, while the older sister has so many things.
With a man like this, there are two possible outcomes: if he ends up with the illegitimate younger sister and they get married, since she isn’t as smooth and worldly as her older sister, he might end up missing the older sister; if he ends up with the legitimate older sister, he’ll miss the younger sister’s charm, and who knows—he might even end up taking a mistress down the road.
This isn’t the kind of decision you can make with your eyes closed; he might even be wondering how he can’t have both. Back in ancient times, it was rare for sisters to marry the same man at the same time. Don’t go thinking about the legend of Ehuang and Nüying—he’s not the emperor. In ordinary families, it was usually the case that the older sister died first, and then the younger sister married into the family.
When Qiao Yitong replied, she analyzed the man’s email, noting that he felt more sympathy for the younger sister; she could satisfy his emotional needs, while the older sister was better suited to be a comrade-in-arms.
As for whether this man would send money, Qiao Yitong didn’t care. The fact that he’d asked this question now meant there would be more to come. Unless he stopped asking questions altogether—or unless he was wealthy—and if he were the male lead, he certainly wouldn’t have skipped out on this consultation fee.
Qiao Yitong shut down her computer; she didn’t wait for him to reply to her email. Qiao Yitong loved the era of the internet and the advent of smartphones. As soon as money was deposited into her bank account, she’d receive a text message—she didn’t even have to check her account.
Murong Yuchen had come to see Qiao Yitong. Now that they were engaged, they could see each other openly and honestly.
“Aren’t you busy with work?” Qiao Yitong asked, puzzled.
“Grandpa’s here,” Murong Yuchen said.
“Your grandpa’s getting on in years—don’t overwork the old man,” Qiao Yitong said.
“Grandpa suggested it himself,” Murong Yuchen replied. “Aren’t you planning to redecorate your office? Have you bought everything yet?”
Old Master Murong was still capable of handling some matters; it wasn’t as if he couldn’t manage them.
Of course, Old Master Murong didn’t have that many things to handle; he just wanted Murong Yuchen to go out on a date and take a little break. Murong Yuchen had been working a lot of overtime recently, and seeing him work so hard, Old Master Murong felt sorry for him.
“Not yet,” Qiao Yitong said. “I bought some wallpaper, but I’ll need someone to put it up—I’m not doing it myself.”
Qiao Yitong had no intention of taking Murong Yuchen along to hang the wallpaper; she didn’t like doing it.
“You can have the wallpaper custom-made; it’ll look nicer and match the overall style,” ” Qiao Yitong said, “Let someone else do it.”
“Okay.” Murong Yuchen had actually been wondering if he should go with Qiao Yitong to pick some out.
“They’ll finish it quickly,” Qiao Yitong said. “Just wait a couple of days. We do need to buy a computer, though—we can’t go without one.”
“Buy one,” Murong Yuchen said. “Don’t go out to meet those people casually—some of them might be bad people.”
“I know,” Qiao Yitong nodded. “If we have to meet outside, it has to be in a crowded place. I won’t just go into a private room, and I definitely won’t go alone.”
Qiao Yitong knew full well that going out with strangers could lead to serious trouble. Qiao Yitong wasn’t that foolish. In this day and age, there were plenty of unsavory characters out there, and if something were to happen, they’d make a clean getaway.
Murong Yuchen didn’t ask Qiao Yitong what she’d said to Yun Ruozhu. As a grown man, he could handle it. Yun Ruozhu was in the past; there was no way she and Qiao Yitong could ever be together.
Murong Yuchen was incredibly preoccupied with it, yet he had to pretend nothing was wrong.
“I need to check out some sofas and stuff. Want to come along?” Qiao Yitong joked. “Since you’re here, you’re picking up the tab.”
“Sure.” Murong Yuchen had no objections; spending money on his future wife was only natural.
Jiang Wan’er, the mistress who had split up with Qiao Xunan, went to the hospital with her mother for a follow-up checkup. When Jiang Wan’er went to pay the bill, she happened to spot Qiao Xunan.
Jiang Wan’er hurriedly hid herself; she didn’t dare look at Qiao Xunan. She wondered if he was sick. Otherwise, why would Qiao Xunan be at the hospital?
Where was Qiao Xunan’s assistant? Why wasn’t his assistant handling the payment? Why was Qiao Xunan paying for it himself?
Just as Jiang Wan’er had composed herself and was about to step out, she turned and saw Qiao Xunan smiling as he walked toward her. Jiang Wan’er had assumed Qiao Xunan had spotted her and was coming over to say hello, but instead, he walked right past her.
Jiang Wan’er froze in her tracks. Had Qiao Xunan not seen her?
“Zhuo Jing.” Qiao Xunan spotted Shi Zhuo Jing and walked straight toward her. “The settlement’s done. We can head back now.”
“I’m so sorry to have put you through all this trouble,” Shi Zhuo Jing said sheepishly. “You haven’t had much rest all night, and yet you still had to handle all this.”
“Just a few minor things,” Qiao Xunan said as he helped Shi Zhuo Jing to her feet. “Is there anywhere else you’re feeling unwell?”
Jiang Wan’er watched helplessly as Qiao Xunan treated another woman with such warmth. That must be the “white moonlight” of his heart. Jiang Wan’er had long known that Qiao Xunan had someone special in his heart, and she knew his “white moonlight” had returned, but seeing him treat another woman so well still broke her heart.
Jiang Wan’er felt incredibly upset; her eyes were red. She rubbed her eyes—she still had to pay the bill and couldn’t just keep standing there. Jiang Wan’er walked in the opposite direction, her back to Qiao Xunan.
By the time Jiang Wan’er had finished her business and turned back, she could no longer see Qiao Xunan or Shi Zhuojing.
Shi Zhuojing, however, had spotted Jiang Wan’er. Even though Jiang Wan’er and Qiao Xunan had parted ways, Shi Zhuojing was still worried that their old feelings might reignite. After all, Jiang Wan’er and Qiao Xunan had been together for several years—a period of time that was by no means short.
Shi Zhuojing didn’t know why Jiang Wan’er had come to the hospital; she would have to have someone find out. It would be best if Jiang Wan’er wasn’t pregnant at a time like this. Shi Zhuojing didn’t tell Qiao Xunan about what she’d seen; she had no intention of bringing up Jiang Wan’er in front of him. Since Qiao Xunan and Jiang Wan’er had broken up, Shi Zhuojing chose to pretend she didn’t know.
Unless someone else mentioned Jiang Wan’er in front of both Shi Zhuojing and Qiao Xunan, she wouldn’t bring her up on her own. Those were all things that happened when Shi Zhuojing and Qiao Xunan had broken up. Bringing them up now would only make her seem petty and might upset Qiao Xunan.
“What took you so long?” Jiang’s mother couldn’t help but complain when she saw Jiang Wan’er return.
“There were so many people,” Jiang Wan’er replied. “I had to wait in line, so it took a little while.”
Jiang Wan’er didn’t dare mention that she’d run into Qiao Xunan; she and Qiao Xunan weren’t from the same social class.
When Qiao Xunan drove Shi Zhuojing back to the Shi family home, the Shi family members welcomed him warmly the moment they saw him.
“Xunan, it’s been so long since we’ve seen you,” Mrs. Shi said with a smile.
Mrs. Shi’s husband was also home; they had been waiting specifically for Qiao Xunan, hoping he might bring Shi Zhuojing back. The Shi family desperately needed Qiao Xunan’s help and couldn’t wait any longer.
“Since you’re here, why don’t you stay for a meal?” Mrs. Shi said.
“Yes, stay for a meal. ” Mr. Shi said eagerly, “That’s perfect—we can catch up a bit.”
“Daddy, Mommy, Xunan stayed with me at the hospital all night. He hasn’t had a proper rest yet, so let’s let him go home and rest first,” Shi Zhuojing said.
Shi Zhuojing said this on purpose; she had to show a little concern for Qiao Xunan and not act like Mrs. Shi and the others.
“It’s just a few words… Here’s what we’ll do: let Xunan rest at our place,” Mr. Shi said. “We still have a guest room.”
Although the Shi family’s fortunes had declined, they still lived in their original house. They hadn’t considered moving to a smaller one; they had to maintain their appearance of affluence. The Shi household still employed several servants—they needed to let others know that the Shi family wasn’t in such dire straits.
“Daddy. ” Shi Zhuojing looked irritated.
“Uncle, just get to the point,” Qiao Xunan said. He was well aware of the Shi family’s situation; he’d known for a long time that their company was struggling.
“Here’s the thing: could your Qiao family inject capital into our company? We could partner with you, or we could sell you some shares,” Mr. Shi said bluntly. If they waited any longer, the Shi family’s situation would only get worse.
“I can invest in your company in my personal capacity,” Qiao Xunan said.
“You personally?” Mr. Shi sounded somewhat dissatisfied. “Isn’t this the Qiao Group?”
“I can’t make decisions for the Qiao Group on my own—I need my dad’s approval. Only if he agrees can I invest,” Qiao Xunan explained. “I’ve already asked my dad, and he doesn’t agree.”
Qiao Xunan had long wanted to help the Shi family—he felt a sense of obligation toward Shi Zhuojing—but the eldest Qiao uncle refused. Qiao Xunan had even approached Qiao Xudong, but Qiao Xudong shared the same view as the eldest Qiao uncle. In the eyes of the eldest Qiao uncle and Qiao Xudong, the Shi family’s company was nothing more than a bad asset; they saw no reason to support the Shi family.
“Why won’t they agree? Is it because Zhuojing broke up with you in the past, which upset your family, so they…”
“No.” Qiao Xunan knew Mr. Shi was anxious, but his father and older brother definitely weren’t acting this way for that reason. “The Shi family’s company is in a very difficult position. If it’s to recover, it would require massive capital injections, and the return on investment is low.”
Qiao Xunan had no choice but to say these things. He wanted Shi Zhuojing to know that it wasn’t that he hadn’t approached his father and older brother—he’d already done so long ago—and that he hadn’t waited until she returned to ask them.
“For now, I can only invest in my personal capacity,” Qiao Xunan said. “Using my own money.”
“But how much do you have…”
“That’ll do,” Shi Zhuojing tugged at her father’s sleeve. The fact that Qiao Xunan was willing to agree to invest a portion of his own funds was already quite good. They couldn’t expect the Qiao Group to inject capital immediately—haste makes waste. Shi Zhuojing motioned for her father to stop speaking, then turned to Qiao Xunan. “Xunan, I’m sorry to have made a spectacle of you.”
“Zhuojing, isn’t this all for your sake? If the Shi family is in trouble, and you leave, won’t everyone make fun of you?” Shi’s father said. “Everyone says you came back only because our family is in trouble. People think you’ve fallen on hard times; they…”
“Daddy.” Shi Zhuojing stopped her father from speaking again. It was enough that Qiao Xunan had heard what he’d said so far. “Let them say what they want. I’m fine.”
Qiao Xunan thought of Shi Zhuojing as such a strong-willed person, and seeing her so distressed, he couldn’t bear it.
“I’ll ask my dad about it when I get back,” Qiao Xunan said. “I asked him last time, but this time, I’ll ask again.”
“Thank you for your trouble,” Shi’s father said. “Would you like to stay for dinner?”
“No, thanks. I’ll head home first,” Qiao Xunan replied. “I wasn’t home last night, so I need to stop by today.”
“All right,” Shi’s father said. “Shall I walk you out, or should Zhuojing see you to the door?”
“No, that’s not necessary. Let Zhuojing get some rest.” ” Qiao Xunan quickly added, “Zhuo Jing, go get some rest.”
Mr. Shi still walked Qiao Xunan to the door. As they stood there, he spoke highly of the Shi family’s company, explaining that if it weren’t for a temporary cash flow problem, he wouldn’t have considered selling his shares to anyone else.
“I’ll definitely ask my dad about this when I get back—I’ll ask him right away,” Qiao Xunan said.
At the mall, Qiao Yitong and Murong Yuchen were window-shopping. With Murong Yuchen by her side, Qiao Yitong didn’t have to worry about the prices of anything. Murong Yuchen was so wealthy—he certainly wasn’t short on money.
Qiao Yitong wasn’t worried that she’d have to reimburse him for these expenses after she and Murong Yuchen broke up. Murong Yuchen valued his reputation too much to ever do something like that. Besides, Murong Yuchen loved Qiao Yitong so much. She had been reincarnated from the womb—she hadn’t taken someone else’s place. Murong Yuchen loved her—the real her—not some stand-in for someone else.
“Don’t you want another set of sofas?” Murong Yuchen asked. “That genuine leather one.”
“No,” Qiao Yitong shook her head. “It’s not about the money. It’s just that sofas like that require maintenance and wear out easily. I won’t necessarily be spending much time in the office anyway, so I’d rather buy something durable.”
Qiao Yitong didn’t plan on replacing things often; office furnishings just needed to be adequate. If it really came down to it, she could just use sofa covers in different colors—wouldn’t that make them look almost as good as new?
As for those seeking relationship advice, who knows—maybe they’d prefer to email her rather than come to her office.
“This morning, I checked my computer and saw someone had emailed me for relationship advice. I guess you could say I’ve officially opened for business,” Qiao Yitong said. “I just don’t know if that person will actually make the payment. If they don’t, there won’t be a follow-up.”
“You’ve just opened your practice; there’s no need to rush,” Murong Yuchen said.
“It’s not that I’m in a hurry; it’s just that these people all prefer to stay anonymous,” Qiao Yitong said. “If it were you, would you want others to know what’s on your mind? Would you want them to know about your relationship problems? Would you be willing to talk to others about your past?”
“……” Murong Yuchen certainly didn’t like talking to others about it; it was only his secondary personality who knew much of it.
Murong Yuchen also didn’t like it when his alter ego kept saying those things, but fortunately, the alter ego hadn’t gone running off to tell others—that would have been a total social disaster. Murong Yuchen maintained a certain image in front of outsiders, and besides, he felt that if others knew too much, they might end up hurting Qiao Yitong.
“Everyone has their own secrets,” Murong Yuchen said.
“So, is there a secret you haven’t told me?” Qiao Yitong leaned in close to Murong Yuchen.
“You’ll find out eventually,” Murong Yuchen replied. He didn’t dare let Qiao Yitong know about his split personality just yet—this was the most important matter. He believed that once this was out in the open, everything else would be much simpler.
“‘Eventually’—how long will I have to wait?” ” Qiao Yitong raised an eyebrow. “Are you still going to keep hiding things?”
“I’m not hiding anything,” Murong Yuchen said. Both his primary and secondary personalities had appeared in front of Qiao Yitong before; he had never gone out of his way to hide anything. Hadn’t Qiao Yitong herself said that sometimes he seemed like two different people?
“There are things you don’t want others to know—and so do those people,” Qiao Yitong said. “When they click on the ad page, it says they can arrange to meet in person. But most of them choose to send emails instead. Although there aren’t that many yet, hardly any of them have asked to meet in person.”
Qiao Yitong glanced through the emails briefly, skipping some of them altogether. She didn’t reply to every single one—after all, she hadn’t received any payment from them, so she certainly wasn’t obligated to respond.
“They’re all being secretive,” Qiao Yitong said. “When it comes to relationship advice, who wants others to know too much? They could ask their friends, but maybe their friends didn’t give them a better answer, or maybe they just don’t want to talk to their real-life friends about it. They just want to stay anonymous. And when they make a payment, they don’t have to show their real names either.”
“Aren’t you afraid they’ll find out who you are?” Murong Yuchen asked.
“I’m not afraid. I’m running a business—what’s there to be afraid of?” Qiao Yitong said. “If they find out, so be it. Would they really dare to come after me and cause trouble? They can always choose not to consult me. It’s a straightforward transaction—cash on delivery. Do they really think I can’t figure out who they are? If they don’t give me trouble, I won’t give them trouble either.”
This circle may seem big, but it’s not that big after all.
Qiao Yitong knew those people wouldn’t dare make a big deal out of it. “I have professional ethics; I wouldn’t just blab about it. With something like this, it’s fine if people know they came to me for advice—as long as they don’t know the specifics, there’s no problem, right? It’s not like it’s something to be ashamed of.”
Those people weren’t afraid that others would know they’d sought her advice; they just didn’t want anyone to know the details. They also didn’t want others to know about it from the very beginning; if anything, they wanted to wait until they’d succeeded before letting others in on it.
“Do you think there’s nothing I can do about this? Do you think I’m bound to fail?” Qiao Yitong faced Murong Yuchen. She was the type who would give him a hard time even when she was in the right—and even when she wasn’t, she still wanted to give him a bit of a hard time.
Qiao Yitong knew that Murong Yuchen was her official love interest, but she still couldn’t bring herself to like him right away and wanted to give him a hard time.
“You’ll succeed. You’re definitely going to succeed,” Murong Yuchen said. “You’ve already won me over!”
If Qiao Yitong could win over Murong Yuchen, no one would question her abilities; they’d simply think she was quite capable.
“……” Qiao Yitong shot Murong Yuchen a glare. Was he indirectly complimenting himself?
“A classic success story,” Murong Yuchen said. “Have your friends asked you how you ended up getting engaged to me?”
“It wasn’t like I was the one chasing after you,” Qiao Yitong said. “And I wasn’t secretly in love with you either.”
“I liked you, so I pursued you,” Murong Yuchen said. He already knew he couldn’t let the woman he loved be unhappy.
“Those people did say I’m manipulative,” Qiao Yitong snorted lightly. “At that banquet, I’d had a little too much to drink and wasn’t paying attention.”
“Don’t drink out in public anymore,” Murong Yuchen said, worried that Qiao Yitong might not recognize people—if she started kissing everyone she saw, that would be a real problem.
“Seriously, how did you end up liking me? Wait, no—I’m so great, so it’s only natural that you like me,” Qiao Yitong said.
Qiao Yitong stroked her chin. When people asked her how she ended up with Murong Yuchen, or how he could possibly like her, she really had no idea.
“We’re engaged, and we’re going to get married someday—that’s the outcome,” Murong Yuchen said. “All they need to know is the outcome. The process is ours to experience on our own.”
Qiao Yitong wondered, “Does whatever I say just count as the truth? Should I just make something up?”
“We’re in the process right now, too,” Murong Yuchen said, taking Qiao Yitong’s hand while resting his other hand on her waist.
When Qiao Xunan returned home, he washed up and then lay down in his room to rest for a while. When it was time for lunch, Qiao Xunan got up. Instead of going straight to his dad, he went to see his grandfather.
“Grandpa,” Qiao Xunan paused for a moment before speaking up. “Could you ask Dad to invest in Shi’s company?”