“Xiao Xi… I don’t have any strength left. Take the child and go first. I’ll hold them off…”
“Take this jade pendant… and find the child’s father…”
Covered in blood, the woman shoved both the jade pendant and the baby into Qiao Xi’s arms before running in the opposite direction.
…
“You bitch! You still dare to run? I’ll kill you!”
A cold flash of steel cut through the darkness. The blade pierced the woman’s body, and a shrill scream ripped through the night sky…
Inside a hotel room, a woman in a wedding dress lay on the bed.
Her brows were tightly furrowed as she remained trapped in the nightmare of her past.
Two people stood beside the bed, looking down at her from above.
“Mom, isn’t this a little inappropriate? What happened between Brother Jinghao and me was already unfair to Sister. And now we’ve tied her up here and are forcing her to marry Young Master Chen…” the younger woman said uneasily.
“What’s inappropriate about it?” the middle-aged woman waved dismissively. “She and Lu Jinghao were never a good match anyway. They would’ve broken up sooner or later. Better for her to give up early and marry into the Chen family.”
A trace of triumph flashed through the younger woman’s eyes, though she still pretended to hesitate.
“But… we never discussed this with Sister…”
The woman glanced at the figure on the bed, not a shred of pity in her eyes.
“With her temper, do you think she’d agree if we discussed it with her? You’re just too soft-hearted. Once she’s no longer in the way, you and Lu Jinghao can finally get married openly and properly. That’s a wonderful thing!”
Qiao Xi jolted awake from the suffocating memories. Before she could scream, the nonstop chatter of the two women entered her ears.
The one who had cheated on her yet still acted innocent was her younger sister, Qiao Ying’er.
And the one plotting how to sell her off… was her own mother, Feng Jiao.
A wave of sorrow surged through her heart, quickly followed by boundless fury.
“I will never agree to this marriage. Give up already.”
She sat upright, jumped off the bed, and strode toward the door.
Feng Jiao immediately panicked. Young Master Chen would be arriving any minute. If Qiao Xi escaped now, things would definitely spiral out of control.
She hurriedly blocked Qiao Xi’s path and snapped loudly:
“Where else do you think you’re going? This wedding is happening no matter what! Do you want the Qiao family to gain a reputation for breaking promises because of you? When will you finally stop causing trouble for your father and me?!”
A mocking smile appeared on Qiao Xi’s face.
Moral blackmail was Feng Jiao’s specialty.
Qiao Xi was the Qiao family’s biological daughter. She had been kidnapped as a child and wasn’t found again until high school.
Those years living in the slums had tortured her endlessly. She had practically grown up beneath the beatings of her foster parents.
She once believed that finding her biological parents would finally end her suffering.
But reality proved far more cruel than she had imagined.
Qiao Qilin and Feng Jiao only truly cherished the adopted daughter they had raised like a socialite — Qiao Ying’er.
After all, with Qiao Ying’er around, the Qiao family had the easiest possible ticket into high society.
As for Qiao Xi…
She was the family’s greatest embarrassment.
And now, they even wanted complete control over her marriage.
She would never let them succeed!
Qiao Xi shoved the two women aside and dashed out of the hotel room.
“Go after her!” Feng Jiao screamed furiously.
The security guards waiting outside immediately rushed after Qiao Xi.
The stairwells and elevators had already been blocked off, leaving her no choice but to run toward the other end of the corridor.
Throwing open a hallway window, she spotted a sea of pink flowers below. She had no idea what place it was, but it had to be better than crashing onto concrete.
Without hesitation, she leapt.
She landed in the flower field — only to plunge straight into a swimming pool with a loud splash!
Ripples spread across the clear water as countless eyes instantly turned toward her.
Only then did Qiao Xi realize in shock—
She had fallen directly into someone else’s wedding ceremony?!
This was the most luxurious VIP section of Yaoshi Hotel, the grandest hotel in Hai City. Holding a wedding here required not only immense wealth, but also terrifyingly powerful connections.
“Who’s that? That doesn’t look like Xiao Chuyin.”
“What are you talking about? Xiao Chuyin is overseas performing right now — there’s even a livestream. There’s no way she’s here.”
“I heard Old Master Nangong is seriously ill. Could it be that Xiao Chuyin couldn’t make it, so they found another bride at the last second to fool the old master?”
Qiao Xi’s eyes darkened as she rapidly pieced together the important information from the guests’ whispers.
The groom of this wedding was the famous Nangong He of Hai City.
His bride had abandoned him at the altar.
And by pure coincidence, she had just been mistaken for the missing bride.
Her gaze shifted toward a tall man standing not far away.
His perfectly tailored suit outlined a flawless figure, while his noble and commanding aura made him impossible to ignore.
Some people were simply born to be the center of attention.
Even standing there silently, they would still draw every eye in the room.
Qiao Xi clenched her fists and made up her mind.
There was no turning back now.
If those people caught up to her here, things would only become even worse.
Then… she might as well gamble everything on this one chance!