Back at the Ji family’s house, Qu Jingwan went straight to her room. She had never felt so indignant since she became an adult. How could that woman treat her this way if she did not have that man’s affections?

  She took out her phone and phoned her brother, but none of her calls went through.

  At that moment, Qu Qingyu was sleeping in a dark room with two scantily clad women. Alcohol bottles and snacks littered the table, and his face and neck were covered in lipstick marks.

  The room was a mess.

  His cousin only managed to get through to his phone after two hours of repeated attempts. The moment the line connected, she started crying and complaining at him.

  “What do I do? I can’t stay in this family anymore; I don’t want to stay here anymore……”


  The man immediately struggled to get up as he drove away the women when he heard that his cousin wanted to leave the Ji family. He asked viciously, “What did you say?”


  Qu Jingwan, who did not catch the anomaly in his voice, proceeded to whine and complain, “Pei Ge’s too hard to deal with, and her two children aren’t much better, either. Most importantly, Ji Ziming doesn’t pay any attention to me—”


  “Are you saying that you wanna give up?” He cut her off before she could finish speaking.

  “Yes. I really, really don’t wanna stay in this house anymore. I-I don’t want to marry that man. Let me go home—”


  “Qu Jingwan! I’m telling you: If you can’t marry into that family and be Mrs. Ji, then I’m done for. As for you, don’t even dream of seeing me ever again!” His loud voice scared her.

  “I……”


  “You what? You can’t even get something so small done, yet you dare to say you love me?”


  When she heard that, Qu Jingwan felt indignant and heartache. This was the man she loved—he was so coldhearted and heartless.

  When the latter realized that he had been too harsh with his words, he softened his tone. “Be a good girl, alright? Have you forgotten about our promise before you went to the Ji family?”


  “I-I……” She trailed off. How could she possibly forget?

  She still remembered him gently hugging her; his voice sweet—


  ‘Jingwan, after you become the Ji family’s mistress, I’ll become heir to the Qu family. Once I inherit the family, I’ll bring you back and let you marry me in glory……”
……

  Before she came to the Jis, her beloved man’s words were like honey, but his actions proved otherwise. Not only did he not come to see her, he did not even call her.

  “Are you listening to me?”


  The man’s voice came through the receiver.

  Holding her phone as tears welled up in her eyes, Qu Jingwan began to think that her decision to stay here was a mistake. This was especially so since Qu Qingyu’s attitude toward her was cold.

  “I’m listening,” she replied softly.

  “Listen properly: Who are you? You’re Jingwan, the Qu family’s young mistress. You’re an elegant swan, and Pei Ge is just an ugly duckling. The Jis will never acknowledge her, so you just need to stay there obediently and not imagine things.

  “Think about it; Ji Ziming is someone with so much influence, not only in the capital, but also all over the globe. If you marry him, you can have anything you want. By then, that ugly duckling won’t even be fit to hold your shoes, won’t she?” His Qu Qingyu’s deep voice was tempting, and she allowed him to continue.

  “But he’s with Pei Ge now.” She voiced her biggest conflict.

  “So what if they’re together? You can be together with him, too. Use all that you have to get rid of that sl*t. Don’t forget that you have a trump card in your hands.”


  “What trump card?” she asked, feeling confused.

  “Are you dumb? Ji Chi.”


  “Oh, right. I still have him.” Her eyes lit up. She only remembered at this point that she had not taken care of the boy for days after the man’s reminder. She had been too preoccupied with following Pei Ge around.

  In her momentary desire for freedom, she had tossed her trump card aside.

  Feeling the change in her tone, Qu Qingyu continued encouraging her. “That’s why you don’t need to worry at all. With the kid, you’re still afraid that that woman won’t give in to you?”


  “I understand.” Qu Jingwan felt more confident now.

  “You have to get the child over to your side. Doesn’t he already treat you like his mom? Just continue making him treat you like his mother, and don’t let him recall anything from the past. Don’t let him have any further contact with that woman, alright?”


  “Alright.” She nodded, holding onto her phone.

  “That’s my good girl.” He gave a scheming smile as he looked at the sleeping woman in front of him. He sat down and squeezed her chest hard. Glancing at the six-figure bill on the table, his eyes sharpened as his voice dipped.

  “Do you have money on hand? Can I borrow some?”


  “Again? How much?” asked his cousin on the other end with a frown.

  “One million.”


  He kept kneading the breast of the woman dressed in a red bunny costume, asking impatiently, “Why, you don’t even have a million?”


  “Why will I have a million? Didn’t I already give it all to you before I came to the Ji family? You promised me that you’d take your time going through that money. It hasn’t even been half a month, yet you’re already asking me for more?” Qu Jingwan was exasperated.

  “I’ll take that as a no.” Qu Qingyu could not be bothered with her preaching.

  “I just don’t have that much on me.”


  “How much do you have?” He picked up the bill on the table impatiently. Seeing the unfinished wine on the table, he lifted it up and gulped it. “Are you kidding me? Are you just gonna toss me aside now that you’re in that family? Even if you don’t have a million, you should at least have half a million, right?”


  “I only have fifty thousand,” she replied, all choked up.

  “What’s fifty thousand good for?” The man cursed to himself. Fifty thousand was not enough to cover the alcohol costs.

  “But that’s all I have.”


  “Is your brain filled with stuffing? Where are you now? You’re in Ji Ziming’s house. He’s the richest man in the capital. You can easily get millions from his family if you just ask.”


  “I don’t—”


  He interrupted her. “I don’t care. You figure something out. Use your trump card if you must. I’m hanging up now. If you don’t transfer me the money today, there’s a possibility of me dying.”


  When she heard his words and the moans of the woman over the phone, Qu Jingwan immediately suspected where the man was. “Are you at—”


  “If there’s nothing else, I’ll be hanging up now.”


  She slammed the phone down and sat down in bed with tears in her eyes.

  In less than ten minutes, her phone rang again.