Back when she had followed Pei Xingzhou to the Pei Residence so smoothly, Su Qingran had already suspected that Pei Xingzhou and her second uncle were secretly working together.
One wanted her dowry.
The other wanted the Marquis Manor’s inheritance.
The two sides benefited from cooperating.
But now that she was no longer going to marry Pei Xingzhou, she refused to believe her second uncle wouldn’t start coveting her dowry as well.
Her second uncle was named Su Mingzhi, the son of her grandfather’s younger brother.
Her grandfather, Su Zhongyu, had only one son—Su Qingran’s father.
Unfortunately, her father had always been frail and sickly. He was even advised not to indulge excessively in marital relations.
After Su Qingran was born, her mother died from complications during childbirth.
A few years later, her father also passed away.
As a result, people throughout the capital often lamented that the Pingyang Marquis’s line had effectively ended.
Among all their relatives, Su Mingzhi’s branch was the closest blood relation.
Perhaps because of that, her grandfather had originally intended for Su Mingzhi to inherit the marquis title.
Unfortunately, Su Mingzhi viewed Su Qingran as an ill-fated disaster star and had always wanted to drive her out of the manor.
Still…
If there was a chance to reclaim her dowry, Su Qingran didn’t believe Su Mingzhi could resist the temptation.
Sure enough, a figure soon emerged from the manor’s main gate.
There he was—her dear second uncle.
And he was wearing an extremely warm and benevolent smile.
“Ranran, you’ve finally come home.”
The fake concern on Su Mingzhi’s face made Su Qingran sneer inwardly.
Outwardly, however, she immediately assumed the role of a pitiful, helpless young woman.
With tears in her voice, she called out:
“Second Uncle…”
The moment Su Mingzhi saw her appearance, he instantly put on an expression of outrage.
“What happened to you?”
“Is this how the Pei family has been treating you?”
“They let you end up like this?”
Although he appeared furious, his eyes kept darting around as he calculated something else entirely.
If Su Qingran’s engagement to Pei Xingzhou had fallen through…
Then what about that dowry?
The more he thought about it, the warmer his attitude toward Su Qingran became.
“Ranran, what happened?”
“Tell your second uncle everything. I’ll definitely seek justice for you.”
What a touching speech.
Anyone listening might think he genuinely cared about her.
In reality, he was simply eyeing her dowry.
“Second Uncle…”
“Pei Xingzhou’s mother dislikes me. She tormented me every day and eventually drove me out of the Pei Residence.”
“I couldn’t endure it anymore, so I wanted to come to the Marquis Manor and ask you to help me.”
“But on the way, I was kidnapped by human traffickers.”
“When I woke up, I’d already been taken outside the capital.”
“Luckily I was clever enough to escape. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.”
“I don’t want to marry Pei Xingzhou anymore.”
“Can you help me?”
“I already tore up the marriage contract, but they refuse to return my dowry.”
“I don’t have a single coin left. I haven’t eaten properly for days.”
As she spoke, tears streamed down her face.
Her acting performance had reached its absolute peak.
The more Su Mingzhi listened, the more excited he became.
This was the perfect opportunity.
A perfectly legitimate opportunity to take possession of Su Qingran’s dowry.
If the marriage was canceled, the dowry would naturally fall into his care.
And whether it was ever returned to Su Qingran in the future…
Wouldn’t that be entirely up to him?
Thinking this, Su Mingzhi immediately declared:
“This Pei Xingzhou actually dared treat you like this?”
“Come!”
“Your second uncle will accompany you to the Pei Residence and demand justice!”
Hearing those words, Su Qingran’s lips curled upward slightly.
The show was about to begin.
When the time came, all she needed to do was cry.
The rest could be left entirely to Su Mingzhi.
She was extremely curious to see how Pei Xingzhou planned to produce a dowry that no longer existed.
Such an enormous fortune.
Thinking about the two sides tearing into each other like dogs fighting over a bone, Su Qingran could barely contain her delight.
Most importantly—
Every single item of that dowry was already in her possession.
Su Mingzhi didn’t even allow her time to freshen up.
The more miserable she looked, the better.
The worse her condition appeared, the more justified their position would seem.
Even if the Pei family had a valid argument, they would end up looking guilty.
Thus, Su Mingzhi immediately dragged her into a carriage and headed for the Pei Residence.
The servants guarding the Pei Residence gates nearly thought they were seeing things when Su Qingran stepped down from the carriage.
That filthy, bedraggled young woman…
Could it really be Miss Su?
The entire residence had been searching for her.
And now she had suddenly returned.
One servant hurried inside to report the news.
Another approached them and said:
“Miss Su, where have you been? Our Pei Residence has been searching everywhere for you.”
Imagine that.
A mere servant speaking like that.
Listen to the tone.
A servant was actually complaining to his master.
Though Su Qingran had not yet formally married Pei Xingzhou, they were already considered engaged.
Yet these servants showed absolutely no respect toward their future young mistress.
No matter how much Su Mingzhi disliked Su Qingran, she still represented the face of the Marquis Manor.
And now he had personally witnessed even a servant treating her disrespectfully.
“Impudent!”
“Do you know who you’re speaking to?”
Su Mingzhi barked angrily.
Only then did the servant notice there were others standing beside Su Qingran.
His face immediately turned pale.
He dropped to his knees.
“This servant knows his mistake!”
Su Qingran looked pitifully toward Su Mingzhi.
“Second Uncle…”
“Waaah… I don’t want to stay in the Pei Residence anymore…”
Su Mingzhi’s heart leaped with joy.
But on the surface, he adopted the dignified posture of an elder.
“Don’t worry.”
“Today, your second uncle will definitely seek justice for you.”
“If Pei Xingzhou has even a shred of shame left, he’ll return the Marquis Manor’s dowry.”
He spoke righteously.
Yet he had subtly changed Su Qingran’s dowry into the Marquis Manor’s dowry.
The wording nearly made Su Qingran laugh.
“Yes.”
“We must get back the dowry Grandfather prepared for me.”
“Pei Xingzhou and I aren’t even married yet.”
“Why should he keep my dowry?”
Su Qingran spoke indignantly.
Meanwhile, the servant still kneeling on the ground was sweating profusely.
These two had clearly come looking for trouble.
He suddenly regretted opening his mouth earlier.
If the old madam decided to vent her anger later, he would be the one suffering.
At that moment, Pei Xingzhou finally arrived after receiving word that Su Qingran had returned.
The instant he saw her, his expression darkened.
He was about to speak.
Then he noticed Su Mingzhi standing beside her.
Immediately, his face transformed into a picture of warmth and concern.
Walking forward, he asked gently:
“Ranran, where have you been these past few days?”
“I practically turned the entire capital upside down searching for you.”
“But as long as you’re safe, that’s all that matters.”
“Come back home with me.”
“I’ve been worried sick.”
The moment those words entered her ears, goosebumps erupted all over Su Qingran’s body.
According to the original owner’s memories, Pei Xingzhou had never once addressed her as “Ranran.”
Not even a single time.
To protect that dowry, he was truly giving it everything he had.
He was actually willing to perform such a nauseatingly affectionate act right in front of her.