“Of course not, of course not,” Qiao Yitong couldn’t possibly say that.
In the eyes of the Qiao family, she, Qiao Yitong, didn’t have a boyfriend yet; she was still single.
Besides, her older brother was still in a coma. There was no way Qiao Yitong could admit she had a boyfriend at a time like this. The “marriage for good luck” was about her comatose older brother taking a wife—not about Qiao Yitong having a boyfriend.
“Where’s your amulet?” Mrs. Qiao gestured for Qiao Yitong to take it out.
Qiao Yitong reached to remove the amulet hanging from her wrist, only to discover it was gone. The amulet was housed inside a specially crafted bead, which Qiao Yitong wore as a bracelet.
Where could such a large bead have gone?
“Where could it have gone?” Qiao Yitong wondered in surprise; she hadn’t paid any attention to the bracelet she was wearing just a moment ago.
“Did you leave it in your room?” Mrs. Qiao asked.
“It’s all right,” Lady Qiao interjected as she walked over. “Xiaotong has been wearing that amulet for so long; let her keep wearing it.”
Lady Qiao wasn’t thinking about Qiao Yitong’s amulet—it was one that Qiao’s mother had specially obtained for her when she was a child and had a fever. Lady Qiao knew this; Qiao’s mother had always made her wear it out of concern for her well-being.
“I’ll go to the temple another day to get one for my older brother. Mine’s been around for so many years—it’s long since warded off misfortune for me, so I doubt it’s of any use anymore,” Qiao Yitong said. “Don’t the masters always say that when something like this goes missing, it means it’s already warded off misfortune?”
“Right, right, right. Get another one, get another one.” ” Mrs. Qiao shot Qiao Yitong a stern look—how could her daughter have lost something so important?
“That’s perfect. Let Xiao Tong go to the temple with her older sister-in-law tomorrow to get one,” said Old Master Qiao.
“……” Mrs. Qiao hadn’t expected Old Master Qiao to say that.
“Xiaotong isn’t… isn’t very close with her…” Mrs. Qiao said softly; she was a little afraid that Lady Qiao might be displeased.
“Living under the same roof, they’ll get to know each other quickly!” Old Master Qiao said discontentedly. “Do you think I’m about to die, that you don’t take my words to heart?”
“I’ll… I’ll take it to heart,” Mrs. Qiao hurriedly replied, feeling a bit afraid as she quickly lowered her head.
Mrs. Qiao did indeed think that, given Old Master Qiao’s advanced age, he might kick the bucket any day now. She wanted to curry a little more favor with Lady Qiao so as not to upset her.
“Let Xiaotong go with her elder sister-in-law,” Lady Qiao said. She knew this younger sister-in-law had always been quite deferential toward her, and that she was also rather timid—she herself didn’t dare to openly argue with Old Master Qiao, let alone her younger sister-in-law.
“I’ll go with my elder sister-in-law,” Qiao Yitong replied. She stole a glance at her aunt; since her aunt had referred to her as “elder sister-in-law,” she, too, would have to call Zhu Shanshan “elder sister-in-law.”
After leaving the main living room, Qiao Yitong looked around. Once they reached the area designated for her branch of the family, she whispered, “Mom, Grandpa has accepted this granddaughter-in-law, and my eldest aunt has given in. Shouldn’t we…”
“Your eldest aunt hasn’t given in—she’s just biding her time,” Qiao’s mother said.
“Whether it’s a strategic retreat or not, my eldest aunt will have to accept this daughter-in-law sooner or later. If you take the lead on this, won’t that just mean you’re alienating your future sister-in-law?” Qiao Yitong said. “A mother-in-law and daughter-in-law shouldn’t have conflicts—they need to get along harmoniously. When that time comes, won’t you end up being the scapegoat?”
Mrs. Qiao was taken aback; she hadn’t considered that. She wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed—she’d simply been focused on flattering Lady Qiao, never imagining that Lady Qiao’s mother might eventually accept this daughter-in-law, much less that she herself would become the scapegoat.
“Someone has to be at fault. Think about it—whose fault could it be?” Qiao Yitong said.
“Me?” Mrs. Qiao pointed at herself.
“Exactly,” Qiao Yitong said. “Aunt Qiao has to fulfill her role as the matriarch of the household and keep Grandpa satisfied. Mom, you shouldn’t get involved—just keep your comments to yourself. Instead of worrying about Uncle and Aunt, you should worry about Big Brother—and about me, your daughter.”
“You? What’s there for you to worry about?” Mrs. Qiao poked Qiao Yitong with her finger. “I’ve told you before: spend more time with your big brother. See if he can introduce you to a good match—his friends are all quite nice.”
“It’s not appropriate for a girl like me to be hanging around my older brother all the time,” Qiao Yitong said. “Mom, don’t worry. I’ll bring you a future son-in-law who’ll make you happy very soon—you’ll be absolutely satisfied.”
“If he really can satisfy me, will he be better than your older brother?” Qiao’s mother asked quietly. “Will he be as wealthy as the Qiao family… as rich as your older brother and his friends?”
“He will be. Trust me,” Qiao Yitong nodded. “My future husband will definitely be wealthy.”
Qiao Yitong smiled. After all, that big shot was actually her arch-rival. She’d never really liked him; she felt he constantly outshone her in every way, and she found him utterly detestable. Even when she dressed up a little, he’d criticize her outfit.
So how on earth had she ever written novels like that before?
My Arch-Rival Becomes My Husband, My Obsessive, Dark, and Double-Personality Husband, Domineering CEO’s Forced Love…
As a failed writer, why did I have to pile on so many elements?
Qiao Yitong was so frustrated she was about to cry. Why did she have to give the male lead such powerful traits, while she herself was just a bit pretty, a rich family’s daughter, and a graduate of a prestigious foreign university…? She seemed to have her merits, but she wasn’t as wealthy as the male lead, nor as powerful. With a strong female lead and an even stronger male lead, she had to maintain a certain level of “sweet romance” appeal…
Bullshit, it’s all bullshit!
No matter how powerful the male lead is, he’s still no match for the female lead herself!
It’s not that Qiao Yitong hasn’t written novels where the female lead is stronger—but she’s not the kind of heroine you’d find in those stories. If she weren’t the author herself, she’d really draw a circle and curse the author.
“As women, we must never be blind—don’t believe in so-called love. Love will fade sooner or later; the money you can actually hold in your hands is what really matters,” Qiao’s mother said. It wasn’t that she insisted her daughter marry into a wealthy and powerful family; it was simply that so many men were scumbags.
No matter how deeply in love they once were, eventually, those men would still do things that betrayed the women.
Given that, why should women believe in so-called love? Why should they take on the burden of supporting a man? Women need to think more about themselves.
“We’re not doing this to climb the social ladder—we’re doing it for ourselves, do you understand?” Mrs. Qiao had always taught her daughter this way, telling her not to feel ashamed about it. There’s nothing shameful about it at all—if women don’t look out for themselves, who will?
Mrs. Qiao had been through it all; she’d seen too many relationships come and go, with couples breaking up and getting back together only to end up in violent fights. So-called love was all for nothing. While a few people did indeed find happiness after experiencing true love, they were, after all, just a minority.
“Your older brother and his family will get additional shares in the company, but what about you? Your grandfather didn’t give you any shares—he just gave you some pocket money. Later on, when you get married, you’ll only receive a dowry,” Mrs. Qiao said. “Don’t think just because you’re the Qiao family’s daughter now—once you’re married, if you don’t marry well, your children won’t have much either. “You’re right—we can’t treat your eldest sister-in-law too badly. If your eldest brother wakes up, accepts this marriage, and your eldest sister-in-law has a child, that child will inherit company shares!”
“……” Hearing her mother’s analysis, Qiao Yitong thought to herself, Thank goodness Mom understands.
“So, in that case, you’re actually worse off than your older sister-in-law,” Qiao’s mother concluded, slapping her thigh suddenly. “Oh my, your older sister-in-law is moving up, while you’re moving down.”
“Mom, don’t worry. I definitely won’t end up with a man who’s too bad!” Qiao Yitong gritted her teeth—she had no intention of falling behind. “I’m going to start my own business!”
“No, no—don’t start a business! Your dad lost so much money when he started his business, and now he’s just sitting back, waiting for his dividends. And you want to start one too?” Mrs. Qiao shook her head. “Where are you going to get the money to start a business?”
“I don’t need money!” Qiao Yitong said. “I know a little bit about computer programming and a little bit about emotional counseling.”
“Computers?” Mrs. Qiao eyed Qiao Yitong up and down. “What can you actually do with a computer? Send emails?”
Personal computers had only been introduced to Hong Kong a few years earlier—around 1990—and the internet wasn’t particularly developed yet. Mrs. Qiao didn’t think Qiao Yitong could do much with a computer; she simply didn’t believe it.
“It won’t cost anything,” Qiao Yitong said. “I have a computer—that’s all I need.”
“You don’t need an office space?” Qiao’s mother asked again.
“I have my own place; I don’t need to be in an office building,” Qiao Yitong replied. “Besides, I can meet clients at a café—that works just fine.”
“Remember, don’t waste money,” Qiao’s mother said. “We can’t bail you out financially. Don’t even think about running up debts out there and expecting us to pay them off. If that happens, we’ll sell you off.”
Qiao’s mother was deliberately scaring her daughter; she was genuinely afraid her daughter would start a business. Starting a business wasn’t that easy—so many people had failed at it.
“I know,” Qiao Yitong said.
Mrs. Qiao didn’t ask any further questions. As long as her daughter wasn’t borrowing money to start a business or running up debts—and was simply spending her allowance—then there was no problem. It wasn’t that Mrs. Qiao didn’t want to ask; it was that young people needed their own space. She was afraid that asking too many questions would upset her daughter, and she considered herself a progressive mom.
Lady Qiao was indeed very dissatisfied with Zhu Shanshan, but since Old Master Qiao had already made up his mind, she had no choice but to grit her teeth and accept it.
Zhu Shanshan’s reputation outside the family wasn’t very good, and this had a lot to do with the Zhu family.
After Mr. and Mrs. Zhu returned home, they announced in front of their two daughters that Zhu Shanshan would replace Zhu Jiaojiao as the bride entering the Qiao family.
“Shanshan, we’ve already worked everything out with the Qiaos, and Old Master Qiao has approved of you. Go pack your things; we’ll be heading over shortly,” Mrs. Zhu said.
“Did you sell me for a high price?” Zhu Shanshan asked sarcastically.
In the past, Zhu Jiaojiao had often told Zhu Shanshan not to get her hopes up and not to even think about marrying into the Qiao family—she, Zhu Jiaojiao, was the one destined to marry into the Qiao family. But now, fearing that Qiao Xudong would remain in a vegetative state, Zhu Jiaojiao didn’t want to marry into the Qiao family herself, so she had to force Zhu Shanshan to do it instead.
“What are you talking about? This marriage was arranged long ago by your late grandfather. If it weren’t for him, you wouldn’t be able to marry into the Qiao family at all,” Mrs. Zhu said, looking at Zhu Shanshan with impatience.
“If the Qiao family’s eldest son hadn’t fallen into a coma, it wouldn’t even be my turn to marry into the Qiao family!” Zhu Shanshan despised her parents; they always favored her older sister and younger brother, while completely ignoring her.
When she was little, Zhu Shanshan had hoped her parents would like her and treat her a little better. As she grew older, she realized her parents would never treat her well, so she gave up.
“Zhu Shanshan!” Mrs. Zhu gritted her teeth.
“That’s just how it is.” Zhu Shanshan stood her ground. These people had made arrangements with the Qiao family without consulting her, Zhu Shanshan. They had never cared about her feelings. With tears welling in her eyes, she declared, “Fine, I’ll marry into the Qiao family, but you have to give me a dowry—and one that satisfies me. Otherwise, I won’t go. I’d rather jump off this building than go!”