As soon as Jiang Wan’er looked up, she saw Qiao Xunan. She hadn’t expected to run into him here; she just wanted to earn her own living. Jiang Wan’er had been Qiao Xunan’s kept woman for several years, and she’d lived a life of luxury. While she was with him, his assistant would arrange for part-time help, so Jiang Wan’er hardly ever had to do anything herself.
Jiang Wan’er would occasionally cook for Qiao Xunan, but since he didn’t care for her cooking, he rarely ate it. Qiao Xunan even told her not to cook until she’d perfected her culinary skills. When she was at home, Jiang Wan’er did cook, and her mother and others were able to eat her meals. Qiao Xunan had tasted so many delicious dishes that he simply didn’t care for the meals Jiang Wan’er prepared.
When those people saw Qiao Xunan, they were all shocked; they hadn’t expected him to show up here.
“Nan… Young Master Nan,” someone said, their voice trembling.
Qiao Xunan let go of Jiang Wan’er; he had just seen what happened and instinctively reached out to steady her.
“Ah!” Jiang Wan’er stood on her own, letting out a cry of pain.
“What’s wrong?” Qiao Xunan frowned as he looked at Jiang Wan’er. He had been about to walk away, but upon hearing her cry of pain, he stopped again.
“Nothing, I’m fine,” Jiang Wan’er nodded slightly. “I’m fine.”
Jiang Wan’er tried to walk away, but gasped in pain again—it hurt too much.
Qiao Xunan noticed her movement and simply picked her up, cradling her around the waist. He decided to take her to the hospital first. As for what was happening with Shi Zhuojing, Qiao Xunan had forgotten all about it.
It wasn’t until Qiao Xunan was driving Jiang Wan’er to the hospital that he thought of Shi Zhuojing again. But since he was already out, going back now would take time.
Qiao Xunan glanced at Jiang Wan’er again, clearly displeased. “I gave you the house and money—isn’t that enough? Why are you dressed like that? Are you going to work?”
“Yeah, I’m going to work,” Jiang Wan’er admitted. “That money will run out someday. I figure I should work as much as I can while I’m young and save up some extra money.”
Jiang Wan’er didn’t mention that she wasn’t planning to spend that money right now, nor did she say she wanted to see Qiao Xunan again. She didn’t dare approach him directly, so she figured that by working at the luxury hotel, she might have a chance to run into him.
As for why Jiang Wan’er didn’t apply directly to the Qiao Group, it was because she was afraid that if Qiao Xunan found out, he would think she was doing it on purpose.
“When they talk about you, don’t you fight back?” Qiao Xunan asked irritably.
“I did used to be your mistress,” Jiang Wan’er said. “But they’re still guests.”
Jiang Wan’er thought to herself that as a staff member, she couldn’t very well get into a huge argument with guests—unless she didn’t want the job anymore.
“You had to go and get talked about by them just because you switched jobs?” Qiao Xunan said.
“Hong Kong isn’t that big,” Jiang Wan’er replied, feeling wronged. No matter where she worked, there was a chance she’d run into these people. If Jiang Wan’er didn’t work at a big hotel and went to work at a small shop instead, the pay wouldn’t be much higher.
If possible, Jiang Wan’er would still prefer a higher salary.
Shi Zhuojing waited for a long time, holding back the urge to hit the man who’d made a pass at her, but Qiao Xunan never showed up. Eventually, Shi Zhuojing stood up on her own. She didn’t continue talking to the man but walked away immediately.
The man still wanted to keep talking to Shi Zhuojing, but she cut him off bluntly: “We’re not a good match.”
“With your family in that state, what’s there not to be compatible about? Are you waiting for Qiao Xunan to marry you? Does his family even agree to him marrying you?” The man sneered at Shi Zhuojing. “Everyone knows you dumped him back then. Do you really think he’d want to take you back? A good horse doesn’t eat the grass it’s already grazed on!”
The man was furious. If Shi Zhuojing wasn’t interested, why had she agreed to meet him in the first place? He stormed off, feeling he’d wasted his time. He was determined to see if Qiao Xunan would actually marry Shi Zhuojing.
Later, Shi Zhuojing found out that Qiao Xunan had come, but Jiang Wan’er had intercepted him along the way. This made Shi Zhuojing extremely angry. As for the others giving Jiang Wan’er a hard time, Shi Zhuojing thought they were crazy. Couldn’t they have picked on Jiang Wan’er when no one else was around? Why did they have to do it right then, right in front of Qiao Xunan?
“Useless people who only make things worse.”
“Damn it, they don’t even know when to back off.”
“Are they afraid people won’t know they’re bullying others?”
……
Shi Zhuojing didn’t say this to their faces; she still had to maintain her image in front of them. Given the Shi family’s current circumstances, Shi Zhuojing still needed these people’s support, so she couldn’t scold them too harshly.
When Shi Zhuojing returned home and was alone, she vented her anger at those people.
“I had everything perfectly arranged—it’s all these people’s fault,” Shi Zhuojing said through gritted teeth.
Shi Zhuojing paced back and forth in her room; she had underestimated Jiang Wan’er’s influence over Qiao Xunan. Qiao Xunan actually cared so much about Jiang Wan’er. Shi Zhuojing told herself that perhaps Qiao Xunan simply couldn’t stand seeing those people bully Jiang Wan’er. But Shi Zhuojing knew that it was impossible for Qiao Xunan to have no feelings for Jiang Wan’er at all.
In Shi Zhuojing’s view, Jiang Wan’er spraining her ankle wasn’t a big deal. The fact that Qiao Xunan carried Jiang Wan’er away—forgetting that he had come to see Shi Zhuojing—spoke volumes.
Shi Zhuojing wondered if she needed to take more initiative—she couldn’t just stay in Qiao Xunan’s presence. Perhaps she should let the Qiao family know just how much Qiao Xunan still cared about Jiang Wan’er. Rather than letting Jiang Wan’er marry into the Qiao family, the Qiao family would be better off letting her, Shi Zhuojing, marry into the family—she was far superior to Jiang Wan’er.
Qiao Yitong didn’t have anyone follow Qiao Xunan. Given the trivial matters involving Qiao Xunan, Shi Zhuojing, and Jiang Wan’er, she knew right away that those people would make a fuss. Qiao Yitong didn’t order anyone to follow him, but Qiao’s eldest aunt did.
Qiao Xunan’s behavior over the past few days had displeased both Uncle Qiao and Grandfather Qiao. Aunt Qiao didn’t want Qiao Xunan to keep making mistakes, so she had someone follow him and also had someone investigate Shi Zhuojing.
Aunt Qiao hasn’t visited the Shi family yet, nor has she personally confronted Shi Zhuojing to tell her to get out. She knows that if she were to appear in front of Shi Zhuojing, Shi Zhuojing would only use that to her advantage.
Qiao Yitong turned on her computer and found she’d received some more emails. The man she’d consulted earlier had transferred the money to her, and she’d checked to confirm it had indeed been received.
The situation with this man had progressed to the point where he’d broken off his engagement with the older sister and asked his future father-in-law to publicly state that he was engaged to the younger sister, not the older one.
Logically speaking, if this man was satisfied with the current outcome, there would be absolutely no need to continue consulting her. The key point was that the man claimed he’d been drunk and had been with the younger sister, and had been caught—which was why he now wanted to get engaged to her. The younger sister said she could pretend nothing had happened, but the man couldn’t.
Qiao Yitong looked at the contents of the email and couldn’t help but feel that this man was bragging—bragging about how the two half-sisters were causing a scene over him. As for being drunk—if he were truly drunk, a man wouldn’t be capable of doing such a thing at all. It was clearly a conscious act; he had simply given in to his own desires.
Qiao Yitong wasn’t about to play along with this guy’s story and accept some money. As for what happened afterward—whether he paid up or not—Qiao Yitong wasn’t worried. She told him straight out that science proves a drunk man couldn’t possibly do that kind of thing; he shouldn’t make excuses for himself. The problem lay with him, and he shouldn’t blame her sister later—it was simply a case of “one willing, one willing.”
As for whether the younger sister had deliberately set him up, Qiao Yitong didn’t mention it—after all, he hadn’t asked about that.
Sending emails just isn’t as convenient as using messaging apps; people aren’t always sitting in front of a computer, and they don’t constantly check their email.
When Qiao Yitong reached the living room, she saw Aunt Qiao.
“Auntie,” Qiao Yitong hadn’t expected Auntie Qiao to come over to their side of the house. “Are you here to see Mom? If Mom isn’t here…”
“How’s the renovation on your studio coming along?” Auntie Qiao asked.
“It’s almost finished.” Qiao Yitong replied, sitting there, feeling a little flustered.
Since Aunt Qiao was asking her these questions out of the blue, Qiao Yitong couldn’t help but suspect she had ulterior motives; Aunt Qiao must have something she wanted to say.
“How much do you know about your second older brother’s situation?” Aunt Qiao asked again.
“My second older brother? He had an ex-girlfriend, then took on a mistress, but now he’s broken up with the mistress and is trying to win back his ex,” Qiao Yitong replied.
Aunt Qiao looked at Qiao Yitong; what Qiao Yitong was describing were personal romantic matters.
“Your second older brother thinks of himself as the future head of the Qiao Group,” Aunt Qiao remarked.
Qiao Xunan’s attitude toward others had even begun to change; with everyone fawning over him, he’d actually started to believe he was destined to become the head of the Qiao Group.
That was one aspect of the matter; the other was Qiao Xunan’s romantic entanglements.
Having lived so many years and weathered so many storms, Aunt Qiao didn’t need to ask Qiao Yitong for her opinion at all. Qiao Yitong also understood that Aunt Qiao had her own ideas and didn’t need her to meddle.
In this family, Qiao Yitong had always known that there were some matters she didn’t need to comment on.
“……” Qiao Yitong remained silent.
“Who would you prefer to see in charge—your eldest brother, your second brother, or your third brother?” Aunt Qiao asked.
Qiao Yitong knew it would never be one of her own brothers; it would have to be one of her three cousins. To be honest, this didn’t really concern Qiao Yitong much; as cousins, their relationship would be even more distant in the next generation. It would be quite difficult for Qiao Yitong to gain any significant benefits from any of them.
“It really depends on what Grandfather and Uncle want,” Qiao Yitong said honestly. “I don’t understand these things.”
Qiao Yitong would have to marry out sooner or later. Right now, her presence in the Qiao family merely earned her some pocket money; she hadn’t received any shares in the Qiao Group. Qiao Yitong owned a few properties, and when she got married, she’d receive some dowry—but the Qiao family would never give her shares in the Qiao Group as part of her dowry.
As one of the characters in the series, Qiao Yitong had never been the most important one.
Qiao Xudong was the central figure—both within the Qiao family and in the other stories in the series, where there was another main character. These men had never gone head-to-head in the business world, so it was hard to say who was more formidable.
Besides, there was no need to compare people from different industries.
“Surely there must be someone you’re closer to, someone you like better,” Aunt Qiao asked.
Qiao Yitong really wanted to retort that her grandfather was a traditional man, and as his granddaughter, she wasn’t held in such high regard—so it didn’t matter who she was closer to.
Qiao Yitong didn’t say it, but Aunt Qiao knew. Since Qiao Yitong didn’t speak up, Aunt Qiao assumed she was afraid of offending someone. And she was right—if Qiao Yitong had said she preferred Qiao Xudong to take the lead and Qiao Xunan had overheard it, who knows how Qiao Xunan might have treated her afterward.
After a while, Mrs. Qiao returned, and Qiao Yitong quickly made her exit.
Qiao Yitong wasn’t keen on facing Aunt Qiao alone—it put her under pressure. Her family had always treated Aunt Qiao and her circle with great deference, and Aunt Qiao carried herself with considerable authority. The rest of the Qiao family still had to live under the same roof, and Qiao Yitong hadn’t married out of the family yet. Even if she did, she wasn’t foolish enough to cross Aunt Qiao—after all, there was no conflict of interest between them.
“It’s not so bad for Xiaotong and Xiaobei,” Aunt Qiao remarked to Mrs. Qiao with a sigh.
“……” Mrs. Qiao thought to herself that if only her own son and daughter could be as accomplished as Aunt Qiao’s son, she’d be overjoyed. But she couldn’t blame her own children for this; after all, it was the parents who had failed them. Both Mrs. Qiao and Mr. Qiao had been too preoccupied with climbing the social ladder, so Mrs. Qiao could only smile and say, “What’s so great about them? They’re just scraping by—they’ll still have to rely on their older brothers in the future.”
Mrs. Qiao praised Aunt Qiao’s sons, implying that her own children weren’t nearly as capable. Mrs. Qiao wasn’t foolish enough to praise her own children; if she had said that, it would have been tantamount to implying that Aunt Qiao hadn’t raised her sons properly.
By the time Qiao Xunan left the hospital and went to visit Shi Zhuojing, she wasn’t there—she hadn’t stayed at home. Shi Zhuojing had deliberately stayed away from home; she wanted to see if Qiao Xunan would come looking for her and whether he could find her.
To ensure Qiao Xunan wouldn’t fail to find her, Shi Zhuojing went to the university they had both attended. Any other place would have been out of the question. Xiangjiang University was easy to find—though the campus was quite large, Shi Zhuojing and Qiao Xunan had spots there they frequented together.
Jiang Wan’er didn’t expect Qiao Xunan to drive her home. After the doctor had treated her, Qiao Xunan left. Jiang Wan’er was satisfied—at least he’d waited until her treatment was finished before having the driver take her home, rather than completely ignoring her. Since she’d sprained her ankle during a confrontation with a customer, she couldn’t continue working at that job. Jiang Wan’er wasn’t thinking about work for the time being. When she got home, her mother asked her what had happened, but she didn’t want to say much.
“Does this have anything to do with Mr. Qiao?” Jiang’s mother immediately thought of Qiao Xunan.
“He took me to the hospital—he didn’t cause my ankle to sprain,” Jiang Wan’er hurried to explain.
“He… is there still a chance between you two?” Jiang’s mother asked. She hoped Jiang Wan’er would continue seeing Qiao Xunan; after all, they weren’t married, so what did it matter?
Hong Kong was quite tolerant of such matters. Jiang’s mother reasoned that since her daughter was already being supported by Qiao Xunan, being with someone else might not be as good as staying with him.
“Mom, please don’t bring that up,” Jiang Wan’er said. “Look at our social statuses—he’s in a completely different league. He just saw I was injured, felt sorry for me, and that’s why he took me to the hospital.”
Jiang Wan’er didn’t dare to harbor any grand hopes. She didn’t have a prestigious degree, and her family background wasn’t impressive—how could she possibly compare to Qiao Xunan’s ex-girlfriend?
Meanwhile, Qiao Xunan quickly made his way to Xiangjiang University. He’d called around to ask others, and someone had suggested he look for her there. Qiao Xunan and Shi Zhuojing had dated during their college days; they’d shared many memories at this very university.
When Qiao Xunan arrived at Xiangjiang University, he indeed found Shi Zhuojing sitting by the lake. Shi Zhuojing gazed at the lake; a breeze blew, sending ripples across the water.
“Do you think… do you think we can ever go back to the way things were?” Shi Zhuojing asked.
Shi Zhuojing had originally intended to wait for Qiao Xunan to speak, but as she waited and waited, she realized she wouldn’t get an answer that way—she had no choice but to ask herself. Shi Zhuojing thought back to when Qiao Xunan had walked out of the store holding Jiang Wan’er in his arms—many people had seen it.
What would people say when they saw Shi Zhuojing again? Especially those who knew she had been at that shop—wouldn’t they say that Qiao Xunan cared more about Jiang Wan’er than he did about Shi Zhuojing?
“……” Qiao Xunan listened to Shi Zhuojing’s words and remained silent for a moment. He could hear the wind rustling as well. “The past is the past. We still have a future.”
“The future?” Shi Zhuojing looked at Qiao Xunan. “Do we really have a future together?”
Shi Zhuojing couldn’t quite believe what Qiao Xunan was saying. “I want you to take me to meet your mom. Let’s make our relationship official—is that okay?”
“My… my older brother is still in a coma… You can meet my mom, but…”
“But we can’t make our relationship official? Not even as boyfriend and girlfriend?” Shi Zhuojing asked. “We can’t even be boyfriend and girlfriend without an engagement. It’s all my fault for breaking up with you back then.”
Shi Zhuojing stood up and walked toward the lake, intending to jump in. Qiao Xunan quickly grabbed her; there was no way he could actually let her jump.
“I’ll take you to meet my mom. We can be boyfriend and girlfriend,” Qiao Xunan said.
Qiao Xunan embraced Shi Zhuojing; he couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to her.
That evening, Qiao Xunan took Shi Zhuojing back to the Qiao family home.
The Qiao family was just about to sit down for dinner when they saw Qiao Xunan arrive with Shi Zhuojing. Qiao’s mother couldn’t help but wonder if they should just go eat at their own home instead—that way, they wouldn’t have to dine with everyone else or sit in the large living room.
“Sister-in-law, I… suddenly remembered something. We’ll head home first,” Qiao’s mother said, pulling Qiao Yitong away.
Everyone from Father Qiao’s branch of the family left quickly; they didn’t stay any longer.
Father Qiao and his family had no intention of getting involved in the matter between Qiao Xunan and Shi Zhuojing. It wasn’t that Mother Qiao disapproved of Shi Zhuojing, but rather that, at this moment, it wasn’t appropriate for their family to meddle in such matters—it was best to leave as soon as possible.
Shi Zhuojing didn’t care about Mr. Qiao’s side of the family; they could come and go as they pleased. What she wanted was for Qiao Xunan to bring her to the Qiao family and have them all accept her.
Qiao’s eldest aunt hadn’t expected Qiao Xunan to bring Shi Zhuojing over so quickly; this must mean things at the Shi family were already in a terrible state.
Qiao Yitong peeked over, but Qiao’s mother quickly turned her head back. “Let’s go.”
“Just one look,” Qiao Yitong whispered.
“I wonder if they’re really going to be together,” Qiao’s mother said. “The girl from the Shi family is certainly better than that mistress of Xunan’s.”
“Who knows?” Qiao Yitong muttered.
Qiao Xunan was currently flitting from one person to another, and Qiao Yitong didn’t like him that way. In her previous life, she’d written characters like Qiao Xunan because that kind of plot was very popular for a while back then.
“Mommy, I’m hungry.” Qiao Yitong had thought it was finally time to eat, but she hadn’t expected Qiao Xunan to bring Shi Zhuojing back at that very moment.
“Go home and eat,” Qiao’s mother said. “You’ll get something to eat eventually.”
When Old Master Qiao learned that Shi Zhuojing had arrived, he didn’t go to see her himself; instead, he left it to Aunt Qiao and the others to handle.
Aunt Qiao didn’t directly criticize Shi Zhuojing; she remained silent, while Qiao Xunan stood there announcing that he was in a relationship with Shi Zhuojing.
“Mom, we’re together now,” Qiao Xunan said.
Qiao’s eldest aunt glanced at Qiao Xunan; she didn’t even want to say much.
“I know Brother Xunan is still in a coma, but… we truly love each other,” Shi Zhuojing said excitedly. “We…”
“Since you two truly love each other, then the Qiao Group will no longer provide capital to the Shi family,” Aunt Qiao said, looking at Qiao Xunan. “If you use your own money to invest in the Shi family, that’s your personal business.”
Shi Zhuojing clenched her fists tightly; she had originally planned to talk to Aunt Qiao in a day or two.
“Mom, Zhuojing didn’t mean it that way,” Qiao Xunan said. “Right now, we’re just…”
“You’re just dating,” Aunt Qiao said. “Since marriage hasn’t been discussed, consider it a personal matter between the two of you.”
Shi Zhuojing had thought that coming here with Qiao Xunan would make Aunt Qiao think highly of her, but she hadn’t expected this outcome.
Qiao Xunan and Jiang Wan’er hadn’t been all over each other, and Qiao Xunan hadn’t said he was going to marry Jiang Wan’er. Shi Zhuojing had returned a bit too early; the timing wasn’t quite right. If Qiao Xunan had come at a time when he was determined to marry Jiang Wan’er, Aunt Qiao might have sided with Shi Zhuojing first.
But now, Shi Zhuojing was being a bit too impatient, and the Shi family business was collapsing far too quickly.
Shi Zhuojing couldn’t wait any longer; she’d already resorted to quite a few underhanded tactics over the past few days. Both Shi Zhuojing and the rest of the Shi family were hoping that the Qiao Group would inject capital into the Shi family business as soon as possible. Shi Zhuojing thought that by joining the Qiao family herself, she might be able to get the Qiaos to agree more quickly.
As long as Qiao Xunan was willing to continue seeing Shi Zhuojing, she could bring up the matter of capital injection with the Qiao family. Shi Zhuojing looked at Aunt Qiao, who glanced at her—and Shi Zhuojing felt as though Aunt Qiao could see right through her thoughts.
“Xunan, your older brother hasn’t woken up yet. Given our family’s situation, we won’t be able to keep our guests here,” ” Aunt Qiao said.
“Mom,” Qiao Xunan had thought that since he’d brought his girlfriend along, she could stay for dinner. “Zhuojing has been here before.”
“She’s your girlfriend, so she should be treated more formally,” Aunt Qiao said. Since Qiao Xunan had brought Shi Zhuojing along so casually today, he shouldn’t expect them to treat her properly.
Aunt Qiao didn’t mention to Qiao Xunan what she’d found out; right now, Qiao Xunan was completely focused on Shi Zhuojing.
Shi Zhuojing suddenly stood up, and Qiao Xunan hurriedly rose to his feet, clutching her hand tightly.
“Xunan, let’s come another day,” Shi Zhuojing said, her eyes red. “I didn’t think this through.”
Shi Zhuojing turned and walked away, and Qiao Xunan hurried after her.
When Qiao Yitong learned that Aunt Qiao hadn’t kept Shi Zhuojing there, she began to recall some of the plotlines from the original novel. In the original story, Aunt Qiao had been quite kind to Shi Zhuojing at first—mainly because the Shi family had fallen from grace so quickly. Shi Zhuojing couldn’t help but hope that Qiao Xunan would get back together with her soon.
In the end, Qiao’s father’s branch of the family didn’t join Uncle Qiao and the others for dinner; they didn’t join the group.
After dinner, Murong Yuchen came to find Qiao Yitong, so she went downstairs to meet him.
“Did you have a fight with your mom?” Qiao Yitong asked.
Qiao Yitong and Murong Yuchen were standing there alone. She hadn’t asked earlier—it wasn’t convenient to ask over the phone, so she had to ask in person.
Murong Yuchen looked at Qiao Yitong, seemingly pondering how to respond.
“Didn’t you have a fight?” Qiao Yitong raised an eyebrow.
“It wasn’t a big deal,” Murong Yuchen said.
“If this isn’t a big deal, what is?” Qiao Yitong asked.
“What happens between us isn’t for her to decide,” Murong Yuchen said.
“Since you don’t live together, it’s not so bad,” Qiao Yitong said. “It’s actually better that you didn’t used to live under the same roof. Distance makes the heart grow fonder.”
Qiao Yitong had no intention of living with Ms. Murong. Even though she’d taken the bankbook Ms. Murong had given her, she kept her personal affairs separate.
“Right,” Murong Yuchen nodded.
Qiao Yitong looked at Murong Yuchen. Oh, this must be the primary personality. Qiao Yitong’s eyes darted about; she couldn’t quite control herself and just wanted to give Murong Yuchen a hard time.
“Don’t you want to be with me anymore? Why are you being so cold?” ” Qiao Yitong said, “Do you think I shouldn’t have taken the passbook your mom gave you? Do you think I’m not doing a good job? You…”
The next moment, Murong Yuchen pulled Qiao Yitong tightly into his arms.
Qiao Yitong had been about to say more, but she hadn’t expected Murong Yuchen to simply embrace her.
Murong Yuchen didn’t say a word; he just held her there. Qiao Yitong opened her mouth, but in the end, she didn’t go on with what she’d been saying to tease him.
Shi Zhuojing and Qiao Xunan were out to dinner. Shi Zhuojing felt a bit irritable; some things hadn’t gone as she’d expected. Shi Zhuojing didn’t dare show too much dissatisfaction in front of Qiao Xunan; she felt frustrated inside.
At this moment, it was Shi Zhuojing who needed Qiao Xunan, not the other way around.
Qiao Xunan comforted Shi Zhuojing, “It’s because of Big Brother’s situation that Mom is acting this way.”
“It’s not your fault,” Shi Zhuojing had to say, of course.
Shi Zhuojing didn’t dare lose her temper in front of Qiao Xunan, but once she returned to the Shi family home and spoke privately with her relatives, she felt that Qiao Xunan was useless.
“Why do you think I broke up with him back then?” Shi Zhuojing said. “He’s not as good as his older brother!”
Back then, Shi Zhuojing had wanted Qiao Xunan to go head-to-head with Qiao Xudong so that Qiao Xunan could become the future head of the Qiao Group. At the time, Qiao Xunan had said it was fine for Qiao Xudong to be the future head of the Qiao Group; he had no intention of competing with Qiao Xudong, explaining that Uncle Qiao and others all held Qiao Xudong in high regard.
“His older brother is in a coma,” Shi’s mother said.
“That’s just luck,” Shi Zhuojing said. “I don’t think the Qiao family has given up on his older brother yet.”
“So what if they haven’t given up? He won’t wake up,” Shi’s mother said.
“What if he does wake up?” Shi Zhuojing asked.
“If he were really going to wake up, he would have done so by now,” Shi’s mother said.
“Those people aren’t willing to pay. As for our Shi family…”
“They’ll come around eventually,” Shi Zhuojing said through gritted teeth.
Shi Zhuojing wondered what Qiao’s aunt would think if she found out about the affair between Qiao Xunan and Jiang Wan’er.
Shi Zhuojing had some photos of Qiao Xunan and Jiang Wan’er together in her hands—they’d been sent to her by others earlier. She thought that by the time Aunt Qiao saw those photos, Jiang Wan’er probably still hadn’t given up on Qiao Xunan.
On his way back, Murong Yuchen stopped by to check on Qiao Xudong.
Qiao Xudong was still lying in bed, not moving.
“I’m engaged to your sister,” Murong Yuchen said.
Qiao Yitong heard Murong Yuchen say that, and then she heard him repeat, “I’m engaged to your sister.” “ I’m engaged to your sister.”
“Is that all you’re going to say?” Qiao Yitong reached out and poked Murong Yuchen.
“That’s the most important thing,” Murong Yuchen said. “He doesn’t care about you, so he won’t wake up.”
Qiao Xudong: …
Qiao Xudong heard these words. He really wanted to wake up, but unfortunately, he didn’t. Qiao Xudong struggled with all his might, but still couldn’t wake himself up.
“See? Your older brother doesn’t care about you!” Murong Yuchen said to Qiao Yitong.
“……” Qiao Yitong was speechless. Did he really say that?
Why didn’t Murong Yuchen say that Qiao Xudong didn’t care about his parents, which was the only reason he hadn’t woken up yet?
“Are you trying to torment me—to make my older brother wake up out of anger at you?” Qiao Yitong couldn’t help but ask.
“I’m not trying to torment you,” Murong Yuchen said. “Later on, we’ll bring our kids to visit him.”
Qiao Yitong glared at Murong Yuchen. “Are you trying to provoke my older brother, or are you just showing off your affection?”
“Let him rest easy,” Murong Yuchen said. “He loves lying around so much—let him keep lying around. He doesn’t need to worry that you’re not doing well.”
Qiao Yitong thought about it and decided to let it go. Murong Yuchen was just like that—no matter what she said, it wouldn’t make a difference. As Murong Yuchen had said, she was just his younger sister—and a cousin at that—so she wasn’t exactly indispensable.
“If you ask me, we should see if Big Brother feels any shame. His wife comes to talk to him every day and takes care of him—does he really have the nerve to let her look after him like that?” Qiao Yitong said. “Doesn’t he ever think about what kind of person his wife is?”
“He’s a workaholic,” Murong Yuchen reflected on Qiao Xudong from before. While he himself would still think about Qiao Yitong, Qiao Xudong just worked—nothing but work, all the time.
Murong Yuchen wanted to hear Qiao Xudong talk about his younger brother and sister, but Qiao Xudong rarely mentioned them in front of him. Sometimes Murong Yuchen would try to coax Qiao Xudong into talking about family matters, but Qiao Xudong still wouldn’t say much.
When Qiao Xudong occasionally mentioned Qiao Yitong, it was only to say that his sister had brought him some delicious food or bought him something. He never boasted about it; he’d just say a few words.
To say that Qiao Xudong didn’t sense any of Murong Yuchen’s intentions would be a lie. Murong Yuchen didn’t say it outright, and Qiao Xudong didn’t say much either.
Murong Yuchen was the head of the Murong family, while Qiao Yitong had a rather bad temper—a spoiled, high-and-mighty young lady. She wasn’t the kind of person who was dignified, gracious, or considerate of others. Don’t be fooled by the fact that Qiao Yitong clings to Qiao Xudong and others within the Qiao family—Qiao Xudong didn’t want her to keep seeking support from others after she was married off.
Murong Yuchen remained silent. Since Qiao Xudong hadn’t spoken up, he didn’t want to make the Qiao family’s daughter seem too cheap. Besides, Qiao Xudong believed Murong Yuchen was looking for someone who could be a proper matriarch.
“All he cares about is work,” Murong Yuchen emphasized.
“Isn’t work all you care about, too?” Qiao Yitong asked.
“No,” Murong Yuchen denied. “He relied on a ‘lucky marriage’.”
Qiao Xudong only got a wife through a ‘lucky marriage,’ whereas Murong Yuchen could simply go to her family to propose.
Zhu Shanshan arrived at Qiao Xudong’s doorstep. She didn’t go inside; she just leaned against the door. Zhu Shanshan overheard what Murong Yuchen said to Qiao Yitong, and she couldn’t help but feel that Murong Yuchen was actually quite right.
Once Qiao Xudong woke up, Zhu Shanshan thought he might no longer have a wife and would have to find a new one. No, wait—she wasn’t really Qiao Xudong’s wife to begin with.
“He’s not awake yet,” Murong Yuchen said, glancing at Qiao Xudong once more.
“It’s getting late; he needs to rest, ” Qiao Yitong said. “Come on, come on, come on—you should go too. Go back and get some rest.”
Qiao Yitong gave Murong Yuchen a gentle nudge, and he followed her out.
Zhu Shanshan, who was standing by the door, heard their conversation and hurried back to her room. As she tried to close the door, she accidentally made a loud noise.
Both Qiao Yitong and Murong Yuchen heard the sound of Zhu Shanshan closing her door, and soon after, they saw her open it again and step out.
Zhu Shanshan had also heard the sound of her own door slamming; she felt it wasn’t quite right, so she opened it again.
“Little sister,” Zhu Shanshan cleared her throat softly, “Have you two finished visiting your older brother?”
“We’re done, we’re done,” Qiao Yitong said hurriedly. “Sister-in-law, are you going to visit our older brother?”
“I was planning to,” Zhu Shanshan said. Her tone sounded a little off—she’d just been running back and forth, so she was a bit out of breath and nervous.
“Go ahead,” Qiao Yitong said. “Sister-in-law, you should get some rest early too. Don’t wear yourself out.”
“It’s fine—it’s just a few steps.” Zhu Shanshan asked, “Are you two leaving?”
“Yes, we’re leaving,” Qiao Yitong said. “I’ll walk him out. Sister-in-law, you should go see Big Brother right away.”
Qiao Yitong nudged Murong Yuchen’s arm with her finger. Come on, come on, let’s go.
Zhu Shanshan watched as Murong Yuchen and Qiao Yitong walked away. They really were close. She turned her gaze back toward Qiao Xudong’s room. As for what would become of her relationship with Qiao Xudong in the future—well, that remained to be seen.
Qiao Yitong didn’t walk Murong Yuchen to the front gate; instead, Murong Yuchen walked her to the door of her room. Of course, Qiao Yitong wasn’t going to let Murong Yuchen come into her room. She waved goodbye to him and gave him a parting kiss; only then did Murong Yuchen leave.
When Murong Yuchen reached the front gate, he happened to spot Qiao Xunan. Just as Murong Yuchen was about to leave, Qiao Xunan stepped in front of him.
“What’s up?” Murong Yuchen asked.
“Why? Why did you get engaged to Yitong at a time like this?” Qiao Xunan asked.
“We didn’t get engaged at this time, and you and Shi Zhuojing can’t get engaged at this time either,” Murong Yuchen said. “The Shi family’s situation can’t be hidden from others.”
If Qiao Xunan were to get engaged to Shi Zhuojing, it would only drag the Qiao Group down, rather than give it a boost. The Qiao family would certainly never agree to it. Even if they didn’t force Qiao Xunan to break up with Shi Zhuojing, they would still drag their feet to prevent him from getting engaged to her right away.
Murong Yuchen walked past Qiao Xunan, took two steps, then stopped. “You should be thanking Tongtong, not blaming her. Have any of the things you’ve done these past few days actually helped the Qiao family?”
Murong Yuchen didn’t say much more to Qiao Xunan. These past few days, Qiao Xunan had been preoccupied solely with his romantic entanglements; he hadn’t given the Qiao Group a second thought. If it weren’t for Uncle Qiao holding the company together—and Grandpa Qiao still being alive—there would likely be plenty of people looking to take advantage of the internal chaos at Qiao Group to grab a piece of the pie.
Not to mention others—some have even approached Murong Yuchen, asking if he’s interested in Qiao Group.
Those people would never have any sympathy for the Qiao Group; they’d only be thinking about whether the company was in trouble and whether they could profit from it, while Qiao Xunan was only concerned with his ex-girlfriend.
Murong Yuchen immediately saw right through Qiao Xunan’s true intentions. Qiao Xunan shouldn’t have asked Murong Yuchen that question. The matter between Qiao Xunan and Shi Zhuojing had nothing to do with anyone else.
Murong Yuchen didn’t know what Shi Zhuojing had said to Qiao Xunan, but he knew that Qiao Yitong was the love of his life, and he couldn’t let her be wronged.
Qiao’s eldest uncle had more than just Qiao Xunan as a son; to put it bluntly, Murong Yuchen could support Qiao Xuxi in opposing Qiao Xunan.
Qiao Xunan turned to watch the car drive away; he wasn’t so naive as to miss the implication behind Murong Yuchen’s words. Qiao Xunan couldn’t help but think of what Shi Zhuojing had said earlier that day—that someone in the Qiao family was undergoing a “marriage to ward off misfortune,” while another was entering a “marriage of equals,” and that the Qiao family truly didn’t need the two of them to get engaged at this time.
“To help the Qiao family…” Qiao Xunan muttered under his breath.
Qiao Xunan had argued with the eldest Qiao uncle over the Shi family. He’d even brought Shi Zhuojing to meet the Qiao aunt, and it was already quite generous of her not to have sent Shi Zhuojing away immediately. At the very least, she’d allowed Qiao Xunan to speak with Shi Zhuojing for a while and let Shi Zhuojing stay at the Qiao residence for a short while.
Zhu Shanshan was in Qiao Xudong’s room, thinking about what Murong Yuchen and Qiao Yitong had said in front of Qiao Xudong.
“They’re right. You need to wake up soon so you can stand up for your sister.”
“Your second younger brother came back with his girlfriend.”
“I didn’t go see them—I didn’t even dare to walk over.”
“I’m supposed to be your wife here to ward off bad luck, but I’m not really your wife—I have no right to meddle in those matters.”
……
Zhu Shanshan would keep to herself; she wouldn’t take the initiative to get involved in those matters. It wasn’t that Zhu Shanshan lacked common sense or didn’t think about it.
If Zhu Shanshan were to get involved in those matters on her own, it would only upset Aunt Qiao. Unless Zhu Shanshan actually married Qiao Xudong—and even then, she’d have to consider whether it was any of her business.
“Your second younger brother really doesn’t care about your well-being, nor does he care about your younger sister.”
“If your second brother really does become the future head of the Qiao Group, who knows what he’ll turn into.”
“As for your uncle and the others… I won’t say much; you know how they are.”
…
Zhu Shanshan hadn’t had much contact with Qiao’s father’s side of the family; she suspected these people must be even more cautious now. Zhu Shanshan wondered if Qiao Xunan would take Qiao Xudong’s place should he remain unconscious.
Listening to Zhu Shanshan’s rambling, Qiao Xudong truly didn’t want to lie there—not one bit. Qiao Xudong told himself he had to fight his way back to consciousness—he absolutely had to wake up; he simply couldn’t afford not to.
Even though Murong Yuchen and Qiao Yitong seemed to be doing fine, Qiao Xudong still felt uneasy. And then there was his second younger brother—since he’d broken up with Shi Zhuojing back then, they should have parted ways for good.
Qiao Xudong also thought about Zhu Shanshan coming to the house to bring good luck—he couldn’t let her down.
The next day, after Qiao Xunan left for work, Shi Zhuojing took a folder of documents to the Qiao residence to see Aunt Qiao. Shi Zhuojing had originally intended to have someone else deliver the documents to Aunt Qiao, but she knew that might upset Aunt Qiao even more—Aunt Qiao would surely realize it was Shi Zhuojing’s doing.
“Do you want Xunan to be with her?” Shi Zhuojing placed the photos of Qiao Xunan and Jiang Wan’er together in front of Aunt Qiao.