《Mr. CEO, Your Wife is A Hidden BOSS!》 Chapter 14 - qiao nian tidied up and walked towards the stairs. just as she reached the stairs, she saw lan flying towards qiao xin from gu zhou¡¯s feet. qiao nian stopped in her tracks and looked at gu zhou with interest. she was curious as to what gu zhou was going to do. ¡°ah!¡± the moment lan got close to qiao xin, qiao xin¡¯s face turned pale and she screamed. ¡°lan, come back!¡± at gu zhou¡¯s command, lan slithered towards gu zhou smugly. qiao nian gave gu zhou a significant look. so gu zhou was testing her and qiao xin on purpose. qiao nian was curious as to why gu zhou was testing them. ¡°honey, did i disturb you?¡± gu zhou stood by the stairs and looked up at qiao nian, asking softly. qiao nian had a sweet smile on her face. she walked slowly down the stairs in a beige dress, step by step. when she reached gu zhou, she said, ¡°good morning!¡± ¡°i got the servants to prepare breakfast.¡± gu zhou raised his arm slightly. qiao nian gave gu zhou¡¯s arm a strange look. she looked up and met his smiling eyes, then took his arm hesitantly. what exactly did this man mean to do? was he putting on a show for qiao xin? gu zhou ignored qiao xin altogether and walked towards the dining room with qiao nian on his arm. qiao nian had never been on good terms with qiao xin to begin with, so she didn¡¯t even think about inviting qiao xin to have breakfast with them. qiao xin looked at the coiled snake resting on gu zhou¡¯s leg and couldn¡¯t help but tremble. however, remembering that she intended to get closer to gu zhou, she stood up and mustered her courage to follow the couple into the dining room. in the dining hall, qiao xin sat down next to qiao nian. looking at the snake from across the table, she quivered in fear. she turned to qiao nian and asked in a low voice, ¡°sister, aren¡¯t you afraid?¡± ¡°afraid of what?¡± qiao nian asked nonchalantly. ¡°that snake!¡± qiao xin found herself trembling uncontrollably. this morning, when she heard from her mother that someone from the gu family had arrived to pick her up, she had been overjoyed. if she had known that there would be a python in the gu family home, she would have refused to come. ¡°what¡¯s there to be afraid of?¡± qiao nian stared unblinkingly at qiao xin, her expression calm. she spoke unhurriedly. ¡°it¡¯s just a snake. don¡¯t you think it¡¯s cute?¡± qiao xin: ¡­ qiao nian added, ¡°lan¡¯s net worth is much higher than yours. how dare you look down on it!¡± qiao xin¡¯s entire face darkened. she was a human! how could she be put on par with a beast? no. qiao nian seemed to imply that she was worth even less than a beast! qiao xin looked down. right now, she couldn¡¯t wait to meet the owner of the jade pendant. if it was an old man, she would simply out qiao nian as the girl from years ago. if it was gu zhou, or a young, handsome and rich friend of gu zhou, she would just pretend to be the true owner of the jade pendant! qiao xin was getting excited just thinking about it. no matter who the man turned out to be, she would benefit from the situation. if qiao nian wanted to step forward when qiao xin claimed that the pendant was hers, then gu zhou would definitely realize that qiao nian was not as pure or chaste as she seemed! when that happened, qiao nian might even be fed to that snake! suppressing her laughter, qiao xin lowered her head further. gu zhou, who was sitting directly across from qiao nian, had already glimpsed the smug look on qiao xin¡¯s face. he frowned. after breakfast, qiao xin wiped her mouth with a tissue. she looked up at gu zhou, putting on a gentle facade. ¡°brother-in-law, when will that person be arriving?¡± qiao nian had been wiping her mouth as well. at qiao xin¡¯s words, she paused slightly, then continued wiping her mouth as if nothing were the matter. ¡°he¡¯d just arrived this morning by plane,¡± gu zhou said indifferently. seeing a flash of disappointment in qiao xin¡¯s eyes, he continued, ¡°wait here for a while!¡± with that, gu zhou stood up and left. however, lan didn¡¯t leave. instead, it slithered to qiao nian¡¯s side and clung charmingly onto her wrist, acting like a spoiled child. ¡°okay, brother-in-law!¡± qiao xin answered obediently, looking as pure as a white lotus. qiao nian rolled her eyes silently. ¡°sister! ah!¡± just now, qiao xin¡¯s attention had all been on gu zhou. she completely didn¡¯t notice the snake climbing onto qiao nian¡¯s wrist. utterly terrified, she quickly stood up and took two steps back, but she tripped over the chair and fell to the ground. ¡°ouch.¡± qiao nian stood up too, her gaze falling on qiao xin¡¯s face. with an unconcerned expression, she asked, ¡°have you become paralyzed?¡± qiao xin¡¯s eyes were filled with tears because of the pain from the fall, but at qiao nian¡¯s words, her expression turned to shock. she looked disbelievingly at her sister. her sister seemed to have become a different person altogether, compared to who she was in the past. looking into qiao nian¡¯s impassive eyes, qiao xin forcibly held back her resentment. she stood up and said coldly, ¡°sorry to disappoint you, sister. unfortunately, i¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°i¡¯m indeed a little disappointed,¡± qiao nian said indifferently. her gaze fell on the jade pendant around qiao xin¡¯s neck. ¡°since you¡¯re willing to help me find that man from five years ago, i¡¯ll give you some satisfaction. want to guess what your life will become if i expose your disgusting acts to the public?¡± Chapter 15 - 15 Taking Advantage 15 taking advantage translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios hearing qiao nian¡¯s words, qiao xin looked at her in disbelief. her voice shook as she said, ¡°you¡­ you would actually take advantage of me?¡± ¡°i haven¡¯t done anything.¡± qiao nian gently caressed lan¡¯s head, her voice cold. ¡°you set yourself up to be used by me!¡± ¡°sister, there may have been a misunderstanding¡­¡± ¡°misunderstanding?¡± qiao nian smiled coldly, her eyes flashing with disgust. ¡°if you want to marry into a rich family, you have to pay the price. i just don¡¯t know if you¡¯ll be able to bear it!¡± with that, qiao nian left, taking lan with her. qiao xin¡¯s gaze fell on qiao nian¡¯s exquisite clothes, and the diamond-encrusted hair clip in qiao nian¡¯s hair. the envy in qiao xin¡¯s eyes could not be more obvious. all of this was supposed to belong to her. qiao nian stole everything from her! but qiao nian¡¯s last sentence haunted her like a nightmare, lingering by her ear. qiao xin began to perspire, beads of cold sweat dripping onto the floor. when had qiao nian become so formidable? how dare she scheme against qiao xin! qiao xin¡¯s mind was in a mess as she followed the butler to the guest room. when butler zhao came out of the house, she could hear the servants gossiping from afar. ¡°there¡¯s more to qiao nian than meets the eye. she bullied her little sister until she cried!¡± ¡°she¡¯s definitely not as straightforward as she seems. i heard that the qiao family¡¯s third young mistress was supposed to marry into the gu family, but qiao nian snatched the marriage away from third young mistress qiao. there¡¯s no doubt¡ªshe¡¯s not simple at all!¡± ¡°she racked her brains to figure out how to betray her blood relatives, just to marry into a rich family. there¡¯s no way someone who did that could still have a good heart!¡± butler zhao frowned. she snapped, ¡°all of you are spouting nonsense! do you want me to tell second young master everything you said?¡± frightened, the servants immediately dispersed. they did not dare to go head-to-head with second young master. he was so fierce! after reprimanding the servants, butler zhao turned around and left. at this moment, on the top floor of the gu family¡¯s hotel¡­ matriarch gu sat idly on a chair. wearing a pair of spectacles, she looked at the photograph on her phone. her lips curved up involuntarily. ¡°madam, miss zhao has arrived!¡± a servant stepped into the room, saying respectfully. ¡°invite her in, quickly!¡± matriarch gu said with a smile, her gaze never leaving her phone screen. when she heard footsteps, she looked up and hurriedly called zhao qian over. ¡°qian qian, look! this is your second sister-in-law!¡± there was a flash of surprise in zhao qian¡¯s eyes, but she didn¡¯t let it show in her expression. instead, she smiled and sat down next to matriarch gu. glancing at the photograph of qiao nian on matriarch gu¡¯s phone screen, she said agreeably, ¡°grandma, i¡¯ve met second sister-in-law before. she¡¯s very good-looking!¡± ¡°indeed! i¡¯ve never seen such a pretty young lass in my life.¡± matriarch gu¡¯s eyes were tinged with laughter, and there were more lines on her face than usual. ¡°i¡¯m telling you, when i first saw her, i thought she was an angel!¡± an angel? how could that woman be an angel? that woman was clearly evil, through and through¡ªshe was a demon. however, zhao qian did not voice these thoughts. instead she smiled and nodded in agreement. after some hesitation, she said, ¡°but i heard that the one who was meant to marry brother gu zhou was actually the third daughter of the qiao family. second sister-in-law was the one who snatched this marriage from third young mistress qiao!¡± zhao qian just wanted grandma to hate that woman! when matriarch gu heard zhao qian¡¯s words, an expression of disbelief appeared on her face. zhao qian thought to herself: looks like grandma won¡¯t like that woman anymore! just as zhao qian was feeling smug about herself, matriarch gu continued, ¡°oh my god! this clearly means that they are a match made in heaven. she was destined to marry gu zhou right from the start!¡± zhao qian could have vomited blood. astonished, she looked toward matriarch gu, her throat working slightly. before she could finish her sentence, matriarch gu continued, ¡°from now on, nian nian will be the head of the family. when you get married in the future, she will also support you. you must get along well with her!¡± zhao qian¡¯s heart sank to the bottom. she frowned slightly. after hearing matriarch gu¡¯s words, she finally understood that grandma had already affirmed qiao nian¡¯s place in the gu family. if she wanted to have a status among her in-laws in the future, she would have to rely on qiao nian. ¡°grandma, i don¡¯t want to get married. i want to stay by your side for the rest of my life!¡± zhao qian held onto matriarch gu¡¯s arm affectionately. in a fawning manner, she said, ¡°i will take good care of grandma.¡± matriarch gu gave zhao qian a significant look. with a smile that did not reach her eyes, she said, ¡°all grown men should find a wife, and all grown women should find a husband. don¡¯t spout nonsense. go on now, i know you¡¯re busy!¡± zhao qian could tell that matriarch gu was commanding her to take her leave. after some hesitation, she stood up and walked out unwillingly. auntie li, who was sitting by matriarch gu, frowned as she watched zhao qian leave. she stayed silent and placed a cup of tea on matriarch gu¡¯s table. ¡°she still hasn¡¯t given up on gu zhou!¡± matriarch gu sighed and said helplessly. Chapter 16 - 16 Darling Child 16 darling child translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios matriarch gu was well aware that zhao qian was romantically interested in gu zhou. however, matriarch gu had never approved of it. furthermore, she felt that zhao qian was a little immature, and was not a suitable match for gu zhou. matriarch gu never expected zhao qian to badmouth qiao nian behind her back just so she could have a higher chance with gu zhou. qiao nian was her granddaughter-in-law¡ªshe wasn¡¯t someone to be trifled with. hearing matriarch gu sigh, auntie li spoke up in a consoling tone, her head lowered slightly. ¡°miss zhao will think it through.¡± ¡°let¡¯s hope so!¡± matriarch gu took a deep breath and picked up her teacup, sipping slowly. she seemed to have suddenly thought of something, and asked, ¡°have they slept together yet?¡± auntie li looked at matriarch gu and remained quiet. suddenly, she recalled what butler zhao had told her. awkwardly, auntie li shook her head and began to explain on behalf of gu zhou. ¡°second young master seems to be very busy lately. he hasn¡¯t returned to the villa much!¡± matriarch gu stopped sipping her tea and gave a helpless sigh. ¡°how can that be? how can they have a child if they¡¯re not sleeping together? i¡¯ll go back to the villa now to keep an eye on them!¡± auntie li lowered her head and remained quiet. after all, matriarch gu could do whatever she wanted. it was better for her to keep a low profile. matriarch gu glanced at little qi and said to auntie li, ¡°you stay here and take care of little qi. i¡¯ll go back to the villa!¡± ¡°yes, madam.¡± auntie li was well aware of matriarch gu¡¯s temperament, and said nothing more. matriarch gu swiftly instructed the other servants to pack up their luggage. in a flurry of excitement, she rushed to the gu family villa. when matriarch gu arrived at the villa, she saw an unfamiliar girl sitting in a pavilion in the garden. she turned to look at butler zhao, who was standing next to her. ¡°who is she?¡± ¡°that lady is second young madam¡¯s younger sister. she was specially invited over to the villa by the second young master,¡± butler zhao replied. ¡°what?¡± when matriarch gu heard this, her expression momentarily turned ugly. she frowned and said, ¡°what is this nonsense? what about second young madam?¡± ¡°second young madam seems to be resting in her room!¡± after butler zhao spoke, he seemed to remember something and added, ¡°second young madam seems to dislike third young mistress qiao greatly!¡± matriarch gu gave third young mistress qiao a disdainful look and pursed her lips. ¡°that girl looks so delicate and helpless. i don¡¯t like her much either!¡± butler zhao: ¡°¡­¡± however, matriarch gu would still treat guests with politeness and grace. she stepped towards the pavilion. seeing qiao xin stand up, matriarch gu said with a smile, ¡°third young mistress qiao, i¡¯m gu zhou¡¯s grandmother. if you have no urgent matters to handle in the gu residence, could i offer you a ride home?¡± ¡°how do you do, madam gu,¡± qiao xin greeted politely. hearing matriarch gu¡¯s thinly veiled invitation to leave, she lowered her head uncomfortably and said in a low voice, ¡°brother-in-law said he would help me find someone. i¡¯ll leave immediately after i meet that person!¡± upon hearing qiao xin¡¯s words, matriarch gu felt a little uncomfortable. the third young mistress qiao was indeed an ignorant young lady. it simply wouldn¡¯t do for someone of the younger generation to reject their elders so directly. indeed, it was fortunate that third young mistress qiao had not married into the gu family. otherwise, matriarch gu would have gone to great lengths to convince gu zhou to get a divorce. matriarch gu turned to smile at the butler standing next to her. she said, ¡°ask the servants to take good care of third young mistress qiao. don¡¯t neglect her. otherwise, outsiders will blame our gu family for being ungracious.¡± qiao xin stood rooted to the ground in shock. she could tell that matriarch gu was displeased with her, but she couldn¡¯t understand why. before qiao xin could react, matriarch gu had already left, taking butler zhao with her. qiao xin was left standing alone in the pavilion, still gaping. butler zhao followed behind matriarch gu. she found herself worrying that matriarch gu would directly seek trouble with the second young madam. however, butler zhao had been over-thinking. when matriarch gu glimpsed qiao nian, who was holding a book on medicine, she smiled brightly and tugged at qiao nian¡¯s arm affectionately, looking at her with a loving expression. qiao nian was stunned. a faint smile appeared on her face as she glanced toward butler zhao in confusion. butler zhao explained dutifully, ¡°second young madam, this is madam gu!¡± madam gu. wasn¡¯t this lady gu zhou¡¯s grandmother? ¡°grandmother.¡± as soon as qiao nian¡¯s words fell, she saw matriarch gu¡¯s face move even closer to hers. ¡°oh, my darling child!¡± matriarch gu looked at qiao nian, full of affection and warmth. with qiao nian standing in front of her in the flesh, matriarch gu thought privately that qiao nian looked even prettier than she had in the video. she grasped qiao nian¡¯s delicate hand and said worriedly, ¡°why are you so thin? butler zhao, you must prepare more delicious food for my darling child!¡± with confusion written all over her face, butler zhao gave assent. this was the first time she had seen the matriarch of the gu family treat an outsider with such warmth. that¡¯s right. previously, in butler zhao¡¯s eyes, qiao nian had always been an outsider. but now, butler zhao felt that she should take good care of qiao nian. after all, she was clearly in favor with matriarch gu. it seemed that qiao nian had secured her position as the second young madam of the gu family. Chapter 17 - 17 What a Pervert 17 what a pervert translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios qiao nian was not used to being treated with such enthusiasm, and found herself quite overwhelmed. holding onto qiao nian¡¯s hand, matriarch gu began walking into the house. her gaze landed on qiao nian¡¯s face and she spoke gently, as if she was afraid of scaring qiao nian. ¡°my darling child, how old are you this year?¡± ¡°twenty-four.¡± ¡°good, good!¡± the smile on matriarch gu¡¯s face grew even brighter. ¡°you¡¯re a good girl!¡± qiao nian grew even more confused. all she had done was answer matriarch gu¡¯s question about her age. just for that, she was called a ¡°good girl¡±? ¡°oh!¡± matriarch gu suddenly exclaimed. startled, qiao nian froze. ¡°lan is on your arm! this little pet is extremely intelligent. it likes those who are kind-hearted.¡± matriarch gu¡¯s smile was so wide, it seemed as if her face was about to split in half. she looked at qiao nian lovingly. ¡°it seems that my darling granddaughter must be a very kind angel. that¡¯s why lan is following you around!¡± qiao nian smiled awkwardly. what should she say? thank you? matriarch gu did not sense the awkwardness at all. she felt that her dear granddaughter must have sent by the heavens to rescue her grandson. her eyes sparkled as she asked, ¡°i heard that your younger sister bullied you?¡± qiao nian lowered her head and smiled faintly, remaining quiet. ¡°good girl. if anyone bullies you in the future, you have to tell me. grandma will stand up for you!¡± at this point, matriarch gu finally remembered her purpose of coming here. she said to butler zhao, ¡°don¡¯t just stand there. quickly move nian nian¡¯s things to second young master¡¯s room!¡± butler zhao was stunned. second young master was a clean freak. if second young master found out that second young madam¡¯s things were in his room, would he lose his temper and order them to renovate his entire bedroom? ¡°why aren¡¯t you going?¡± matriarch gu narrowed her eyes, displeased. butler zhao could only brace herself and carry out the command. privately, she prayed that second young master would not fly into a rage that night. ¡­ when night fell, qiao nian was still reading in the guest room. matriarch gu was sitting by her side, so sleepy that her eyelids kept sliding shut. she didn¡¯t want to disrupt qiao nian¡¯s reading, so she got up and walked outside. once outside, she took out her phone to call gu zhou, urging him to return home early. when gu zhou returned, matriarch gu was already so tired that she was practically in tears. seeing his grandmother in that state, gu zhou frowned slightly and gave butler zhao a cold glance, as if blaming her for not taking good care of matriarch gu. butler zhao hurriedly lowered her head in fear, not daring to speak. ¡°don¡¯t blame her.¡± matriarch gu spoke up first. she walked up to gu zhou and asked in a low voice, ¡°my darling child has been married into our family for quite a few days. why haven¡¯t you been taking good care of her? why haven¡¯t you consummated your marriage?¡± startled, gu zhou stood there with confusion written all over his face. could it be that grandma was referring to qiao nian? since when did grandma become so close with qiao nian? however, gu zhou chose to continue pretending to be in the dark. he asked, ¡°who is your ¡®darling child¡¯?¡± ¡°your wife, of course!¡± matriarch gu glared daggers at gu zhou, saying resentfully, ¡°i¡¯ve already asked someone to move my darling child¡¯s things into your room. you¡¯re a man, so you have to take the initiative. otherwise, your wife will run away!¡± gu zhou¡¯s expression darkened. ¡°i¡¯m talking to you. are you listening to me?¡± matriarch gu spoke without a trace of humor. she was only satisfied when she saw gu zhou turn to look at her. ¡°alright, i¡¯ll say no more. you youngsters have fun at night!¡± with that, matriarch gu left with butler zhao. seeing that the lights in qiao nian¡¯s room were still on, gu zhou walked over. the moment gu zhou entered the room, his eyes met qiao nian¡¯s glittering ones. he narrowed his eyes and commanded, ¡°sleep in my room!¡± qiao nian closed the book on medicine in her hands and replied, ¡°no, i¡¯m fine here. ah¡­¡± qiao nian had never expected for gu zhou to walk over and pick her up in his arms in a bridal carry. caught off-balance, she looked toward gu zhou in shock and unintentionally met those soul-stirring eyes. she pursed her lips slightly and said, ¡°put me down!¡± ¡°sleep in my room tonight!¡± with those words, gu zhou carried qiao nian back to his room. not far away, matriarch gu poked her head out sneakily. she watched as qiao nian was carried into the room by gu zhou and couldn¡¯t help but smile. carefully, she tiptoed to gu zhou¡¯s bedroom door. the door to gu zhou¡¯s room was tightly shut. matriarch gu pressed her ear against the door. ¡°you¡­¡± before qiao nian could finish speaking, gu zhou placed a hand over her mouth. ¡°shh!¡± gu zhou pressed qiao nian under him and gazed into her eyes. his eyes dimmed. with a low voice, he asked hoarsely, ¡°do you know how to scream?¡± qiao nian looked at gu zhou in confusion and blinked. gu zhou reached out pinched qiao nian¡¯s arm hard. ¡°ah!¡± gu zhou let go and qiao nian gave a shout of pain. he immediately placed a hand over her mouth. ¡°oh¡­¡± qiao nian glared daggers at gu zhou. she had never expected this man to be a sadomasochist. what a pervert! Chapter 18 - 18 Marriage Contract 18 marriage contract translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios the more qiao nian thought about it, the more she felt that he was a pervert. humiliated tears welled up in her eyes and she glared daggers at gu zhou, unblinking. gu zhou, meanwhile, was laser-focused on what was happening outside the room. ¡°madam, maybe we should leave!¡± judging from the voice, it was butler zhao who had spoken. ¡°stop that nonsense. let me listen carefully. has the deed been done?¡± this voice belonged to matriarch gu. slowly, qiao nian began to stop struggling. so gu zhou was putting on an act. she looked at gu zhou carefully and saw that his eyes were clear and emotionless. she realized that she had been over-thinking. after a while, qiao nian heard the sound of footsteps leaving. when gu zhou removed his hand from her mouth, she let out a sigh of relief. gu zhou tugged at his tie and glanced at qiao nian coldly, asking, ¡°did you tell tales?¡± the man¡¯s hoarse voice held a trace of sexiness. there was a hint of ridicule in his words, and it was hard to tell if he was questioning or mocking her. qiao nian gave gu zhou an expressionless glance-over. she said casually, ¡°i¡¯m not so free. if you don¡¯t have any evidence, don¡¯t spout nonsense.¡± with that, qiao nian picked up her book and walked towards the door. hearing qiao nian¡¯s words, gu zhou¡¯s brow furrowed slightly. he said, ¡°sleep here tonight.¡± qiao nian stood dumbfounded for a moment. she recalled the servant saying that gu zhou didn¡¯t like other people entering his room. could it be that gu zhou was planning to sleep somewhere else himself? qiao nian thought she understood. she was about to get into bed when she saw gu zhou walking over. ¡°second young master, if nothing else is the matter, you should rest early!¡± qiao nian said as she glanced toward the door. it was obvious that she was inviting him to leave. gu zhou calmly loosened his tie and lowered his gaze. qiao nian couldn¡¯t see the look in his eyes, but she could sense his displeasure. glancing at the bed, qiao nian instantly understood. gu zhou must have wanted to sleep in his own bed. she said, ¡°why don¡¯t i get the servants to move your bed to another room?¡± before gu zhou could reply, qiao nian added, ¡°i haven¡¯t touched your bed, so you don¡¯t have to worry!¡± gu zhou was silent for a moment, his eyes darkening. the expression on his face was intriguing. after a bit, he said, ¡°there¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡± in other words, he didn¡¯t mind if she touched his bed. qiao nian was stunned for a brief moment before she came back to her senses. it was true that they appeared in this room at the same time. gu zhou must had seen that she didn¡¯t touch the bed. she spoke, ¡°oh, that¡¯s right, you were the one who brought me here. alright, i¡¯ll get someone to move the bed out and bring a new bed in!¡± as qiao nian spoke, she walked towards the door, preparing to call for the servants. ¡°do you want grandma to know that we¡¯re sleeping in separate rooms?¡± sitting by the bed, gu zhou looked up at qiao nian calmly. qiao nian¡¯s steps came to a halt. she turned back to look at gu zhou. ignoring the impassiveness in his eyes, she continued speaking. ¡°you don¡¯t like me, do you? my departure should suit you just fine.¡± after a pause, qiao nian glanced at gu zhou with a strange expression. thinking about how gu zhou had pretended to consummate their marriage just now, she asked, ¡°why did you let grandmother misunderstand what we were doing in the room?¡± gu zhou narrowed his eyes slightly, his expression indecipherable. he stood up and stepped towards qiao nian, looking down at her with a commanding air. ¡°can you cure my illness?¡± qiao nian looked up, her long hair falling naturally onto her shoulders. she looked at the man in front of her and said, ¡°i¡¯m only 70% certain.¡± as she spoke, qiao nian finally understood what gu zhou meant. her eyes lit up, and she gave a sly smile. ¡°second young master, let¡¯s sign a contract!¡± gu zhou raised his eyebrows slightly, looking at qiao nian in confusion. qiao nian quickly walked to the side and took out the contract that she had prepared beforehand. she handed it to gu zhou and said, ¡°we¡¯ll have a marriage by contract. for one year.¡± gu zhou looked at qiao nian, his expression unpleasant. in spite of himself, his hands clenched into fists. he stared at qiao nian coldly and did not speak for a long time. ¡°for this one year, we won¡¯t interfere with each other¡¯s private lives, and i¡¯ll treat your illness. after a year, we¡¯ll get a divorce and let each other go.¡± qiao nian spoke slowly, a bright smile in her eyes. gu zhou looked straight into qiao nian¡¯s eyes. the sparkle in those eyes irritated him. qiao nian held the contract in one hand and a pen in the other. she handed both items to gu zhou. ¡°sign it!¡± upon hearing qiao nian¡¯s words, gu zhou took the contract from her, taking his time. with a calm expression, he ripped the contract in half, then tossed both pieces of paper away with an arrogant air. the two halves of the contract fell to the ground gently, almost like snowflakes. qiao nian looked at gu zhou in disbelief. she frowned slightly, puzzled. ¡°what do you mean by this?¡± qiao nian continued to stare at gu zhou enquiringly. she didn¡¯t understand what kind of tantrum gu zhou was throwing. why did he tear up the contract? shouldn¡¯t he have signed the contract without hesitation? Chapter 19 - 19 Doesnt He Despise Her? 19 doesn¡¯t he despise her? translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios gu zhou said coldly, ¡°woman, did you think that doing that would attract my attention? you¡¯re too naive!¡± then, he turned around to leave. qiao nian had never expected gu zhou to tear the contract in half. however, this was not an obstacle. out of habit, she had prepared two copies beforehand. she handed the other copy to gu zhou and said, ¡°there¡¯s one more!¡± gu zhou looked at her with contempt. his voice was cold as he said impassively, ¡°from now on, don¡¯t mention this again. treat your role as second young madam with respect!¡± qiao nian was even more confused. gu zhou couldn¡¯t be bothered to say another word to qiao nian. he turned around and walked into the bathroom, leaving qiao nian alone. qiao nian gazed at gu zhou¡¯s retreating back. the expression in her eyes grew more and more tense. she felt that there must be something wrong with gu zhou. he clearly didn¡¯t like her. was he forcing her to stay in the gu family solely because of her medical skills? but that wasn¡¯t right either. gu zhou didn¡¯t seem to be willing to let her treat his illness. qiao nian couldn¡¯t figure it out, and could no longer be bothered to think about it. instead, she found herself in a dilemma over where she should sleep tonight. when gu zhou came out of the bathroom, he saw qiao nian sitting on the sofa. he raised his eyebrows slightly. with smiling eyes, he said unhurriedly, ¡°aren¡¯t you going to go to bed?¡± ¡°i think grandma should already be asleep by now. i¡¯ll sleep next door!¡± qiao nian replied with a smile, her gaze landing on gu zhou¡¯s face. ¡°just sleep on my bed. i have an errand to run tonight, so i¡¯ll be heading out.¡± with that, gu zhou turned around and stepped into the coatroom. qiao nian was stunned. he didn¡¯t despise her? suppressing her astonishment, qiao nian spoke. ¡°my sister asked me when the owner of the jade pendant would return. she¡¯ll also be staying the night.¡± upon hearing qiao nian¡¯s words, gu zhou¡¯s expression froze for a moment. after a brief pause, he replied, ¡°he¡¯s back, but something cropped up with a project he¡¯s handling. he¡¯ll come by once the matter is settled.¡± ¡°okay, got it.¡± qiao nian saw gu zhou to the door. she was about to shut the door when she heard gu zhou speak. ¡°you seem to be very concerned about this matter.¡± gu zhou stared hard at qiao nian, scrutinizing her expression. he was hoping to see something from her reaction. qiao nian pursed her lips, giving a faint smile. her expression remained calm as she replied, ¡°i just want her to leave as soon as possible. i get irritated whenever i see her.¡± ¡°is that all?¡± gu zhou¡¯s eyes turned cold as he continued, ¡°when she appeared with the jade pendant, your reaction was abnormal. i even thought the jade pendant was yours!¡± as gu zhou finished speaking, he saw that qiao nian¡¯s hands were tightly clenched into fists. a faint smile appeared on his face as he looked calmly at qiao nian. indeed, qiao nian must have had something to do with the jade pendant. ¡°i just don¡¯t like her. it¡¯s nothing more than that.¡± qiao nian looked up at gu zhou and continued, ¡°she forced me to marry into this family for her. i just wanted to humiliate her, that¡¯s all!¡± gu zhou gave qiao nian a meaningful look and said nothing more. qiao nian swiftly closed the door. her heart, which had been in her throat, gradually settled back down. she still wasn¡¯t entirely clear on what had happened five years ago. she couldn¡¯t alert the enemy unnecessarily. what surprised qiao nian was that gu zhou was willing to let her sleep on his bed. however, qiao nian still decided to return to her guest room. she was a sensible person. qiao nian waited in the room for a while, then walked to the guest room next door. at this moment, her phone suddenly began to ring. old a had sent her a text. ¡°someone wants to investigate you. as per your instructions, i¡¯ve already prepared a copy of your information!¡± ¡°thank you.¡± qiao nian sent a text in reply. ¡°however, that person asked a really specific question.¡± ¡°what question?¡± qiao nian frowned. ¡°he asked if you¡¯ve ever given birth, and if you did, where the baby had gone.¡± looking at the message from old a, qiao nian¡¯s hand began to tremble slightly. her gaze lowered, a tinge of heartache appearing in her eyes. four years ago, she was forced to give birth, but the child had died the moment it was born. old a sent another text, perhaps because qiao nian had not replied for a long time. ¡°that person offered a high price.¡± ¡°how high?¡± qiao nian asked. ¡°a hundred million.¡± reading old a¡¯s reply, qiao nian narrowed her eyes. she couldn¡¯t help but feel tempted. ¡°who¡¯s the one investigating?¡± ¡°gu zhou!¡± qiao nian pushed open the door to the guest room and walked in, then sat down dejectedly. she could still remember the pain and sorrow from the night she gave birth, with utmost clarity. the only thing she couldn¡¯t recall was the child she gave birth to. ¡°okay, i¡¯ll send you the information later.¡± after qiao nian replied, she threw her phone aside. she lowered her gaze slightly, her lips curving up. since gu zhou suspected her, she would give him the truth. that way, gu zhou would likely get a divorce with her very soon. qiao nian wrote down the birth date of her child, and sent it to old a. after receiving a reply from old a, qiao nian quietly deleted all the chat records. then, she turned off her phone to get ready for bed. the next morning, qiao nian was woken up by a knock on the door. she went to open the door with a sullen expression and her gaze landed on that woman¡¯s face. before she could say anything, the woman began to scream as if she were a pig being slaughtered. Chapter 20 - 20 Favoritism 20 favoritism translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios qiao nian gave qiao xin a displeased look. silently, she brought up her hands to cover her ears, her expression filled with disdain. ¡°can you stop screaming? you sound like a pig!¡± qiao xin covered her mouth in panic. horrified, she looked at the snake on qiao nian¡¯s shoulder. she staggered two steps back, attempting to distance herself from qiao nian. her voice trembled as she said, ¡°sister, why are you sleeping with the snake?¡± ¡°if not the snake, then who? would you rather i slept with you?¡± qiao nian gave qiao xin a look of dislike. she had always had a bad temper upon waking up, and now she was getting more and more irritated. she said angrily, ¡°get lost, i want to continue sleeping!¡± seeing that qiao nian was about to shut the door, qiao xin hurriedly moved forward to stop the door from closing. she said anxiously, ¡°sister, madam gu and brother-in-law are waiting for you downstairs!¡± qiao nian rolled her eyes at qiao xin and went into the room to wash up. when she came out again, she was already wearing a white t-shirt and denim skirt. when qiao nian appeared in the dining room, she saw matriarch gu talking to gu zhou. ¡°you usually know how to take care of people, don¡¯t you? your wife is younger than you. why don¡¯t you take care of her? you¡¯ve been using so much strength. those who don¡¯t know might think that you¡¯re abusive!¡± gu zhou was looking at his phone impassively. evidently, he didn¡¯t take matriarch gu¡¯s words to heart at all. qiao xin listened to matriarch gu speaking, and her face turned pale. she looked toward qiao nian with jealousy. qiao nian lowered her gaze silently. so matriarch gu had fallen for their act. she had even been pinched by gu zhou yesterday night. ¡°oh, my darling girl, you¡¯re up. come and sit down!¡± matriarch gu gazed dotingly at qiao nian and waved her over. she said happily, ¡°if you¡¯re not feeling well, sleep more. you don¡¯t have to be up so early!¡± qiao nian obediently greeted, ¡°grandma.¡± she took a seat next to matriarch gu. as for qiao xin, she looked at matriarch gu in disbelief. it should be known that she had gotten up at six o¡¯clock. when matriarch gu saw her in the morning, she said with disdain that she had woken up late. it was already half past nine and qiao nian had just gotten up. not only did matriarch gu not blame her sister for waking up late, she even told her sister to rest more. qiao xin frowned as she looked at qiao nian, her expression brimming with jealousy. vaguely, she sensed a dangerous gaze on her. she looked up and saw gu zhou looking at her. qiao xin¡¯s heart flew into in her mouth. she quickly looked down to hide her anger. gu zhou¡¯s weighty gaze lingered on qiao xin. looking up, he saw that lin nan had arrived. he gave lin nan a look, then followed lin nan to the study on the second floor. in the study. lin nan handed the information he had found to gu zhou and said with a serious expression, ¡°this is the information i¡¯ve gathered on second young madam and her younger sister, from the past five years. it¡¯s all written here clearly. take a look!¡± the documents stated that qiao nian had been sent to live in the countryside when she was one year old. she was only brought back to the city when she was nineteen, and became a top student in s university¡¯s medical field. four years ago, she gave birth to a baby and was sent to a mental hospital soon after. she was now second young master gu¡¯s wife. qiao xin was the beloved and pampered daughter of the qiao family. she had never liked her sister and her biggest wish was to marry into a rich family. she was a student from a third-tier university. gu zhou lowered his gaze and said impassively, ¡°she really did have a child.¡± ¡°yes.¡± lin nan nodded. he could feel the coldness radiating from second young master gu. sensing that misfortune was about to befall qiao nian, lin nan silently lit a row of prayer candles for qiao nian in his heart. ¡°the qiao family must be really bold!¡± gu zhou frowned slightly. he wasn¡¯t angry at qiao nian, but he felt that qiao nian¡¯s parents were truly eccentric. if qiao nian had the ability to resist, gu zhou guessed that she would not have been forcibly sent to the mental hospital by the qiao family. it seemed that qiao nian being sent to the mental hospital had a lot to do with her having a child. qiao nian, having a child? four years ago, giving birth? a trace of surprise flashed in gu zhou¡¯s eyes. at this moment, there came a knock on the study door. before gu zhou could say anything, the door opened and he saw qiao nian standing at the door with a cup of tea. the sunlight from the corridor scattered over her, painting her in a layer of gold. she looked like an otherworldly fairy. qiao nian gave a small smile. ¡°did i come at the wrong time?¡± ¡°no.¡± casually, gu zhou placed a file of papers on the pile of documents he had been reading. he looked at qiao nian intently and said, ¡°let the servants do this kind of work in the future.¡± smiling, qiao nian brought the tea in and placed it on the desk. she pursed her lips slightly and said, ¡°grandma asked me to send it over.¡± gu zhou looked at qiao nian¡¯s small face, barely bigger than his palm. for a brief moment, a trace of heartache appeared in his eyes. he finally understood why qiao nian was no longer afraid of snakes. he guessed that living under the qiao family, she had no choice but to evolve from a docile little rabbit to a poisonous beast. qiao nian put down the tea and turned to leave, not forgetting to close the door. in a low voice, lin nan spoke. ¡°second young master, should we send second young madam back to the qiao family?¡± ¡°there¡¯s no need.¡± gu zhou frowned and took out the documents again. ¡°help me find someone!¡± Chapter 21 - 21 Jealousy 21 jealousy translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios gu zhou¡¯s gaze fell on the last line of words on the document. ¡°qiao nian and su yan used to date. because qiao xin stepped in, qiao xin got together with su yan instead.¡± gu zhou closed the file and stuffed it into lin nan¡¯s hands. calmly, he said, ¡°go and investigate the reasons behind qiao nian and su yan¡¯s breakup. investigate su yan as well, and find mr. w.¡± ¡°yes.¡± lin nan committed everything gu zhou said to memory. when qiao nian went downstairs, she saw gu zhou and lin nan following her downstairs as well. she was surprised but did not show it on her face. gu zhou caught up with qiao nian in two or three steps. he walked closer to her and said into her ear, ¡°mr. w has left again. something cropped up.¡± qiao nian froze for a moment and looked at gu zhou in confusion. she didn¡¯t know any mr. w. ¡°the owner of the jade pendant.¡± gu zhou said, standing on the stairs. he looked down and saw qiao xin standing in the living room. he frowned unhappily. a little girl who had stolen her sister¡¯s boyfriend must have some ulterior motive. ¡°ask your sister to return home first!¡± qiao nian agreed and followed gu zhou down the stairs. she was curious why gu zhou had even brought qiao xin here in the first place. was it really because of the owner of the jade pendant? gu zhou went downstairs and politely exchanged a few words with matriarch gu before leaving. ¡°sister!¡± qiao xin quickly went up to qiao nian and looked at her ingratiatingly. in a stark contrast to the disdain that qiao nian was used to, qiao xin stepped forward and grasped qiao nian¡¯s arm affectionately. who didn¡¯t know how to act? sisterly love? qiao nian looked at qiao xin with a smile and slipped her arm out of qiao xin¡¯s grasp in a smooth motion. she said languidly, ¡°xin xin, your brother-in-law told me that the owner of the jade pendant, mr. w, is busy and will only come over after some time. why don¡¯t you go back home for a while?¡± qiao xin naturally understood that qiao nian wouldn¡¯t dare to give her the wrong information under gu zhou¡¯s name. she lowered her gaze slightly, the corners of her lips still raised, hiding the disdain in her eyes. sweetly, she replied. ¡°alright, i will.¡± qiao nian glanced toward the door. seeing that qiao xin was still standing there, unmoving, qiao nian raised her eyebrows and said, ¡°i have other things to do, so i won¡¯t accompany you!¡± qiao nian then walked towards matriarch gu. qiao xin stood there coldly, her hands clenched into fists. she turned back and saw matriarch gu gazing at qiao nian dotingly. how was this fair?! how could qiao nian be loved by matriarch gu? she was clearly much better than qiao nian in every way. her academics were much better than qiao nian as well. qiao nian was just a lunatic! qiao xin hid the coldness and loathing in her eyes. she couldn¡¯t give away her true emotions so early in the game. she had to protect herself first. at this thought, qiao xin took a deep breath and walked in front of matriarch gu, saying politely, ¡°grandma, i¡¯ll¡­¡± ¡°any tom, dick or harry dares to call me ¡®grandma¡¯. surely the threshold to enter the gu family isn¡¯t this low?¡± matriarch gu cut in sarcastically. she gave qiao xin an indifferent glance, lips curving up coldly. qiao xin felt as if someone had emptied a bucket of cold water onto her head in the dead of winter. she stood rooted to the spot, clenching her fists involuntarily. ¡°madam gu, qiao xin still has work to do. i¡¯ll leave first!¡± qiao xin said in reply, smiling sweetly. sitting at the side, qiao nian suddenly felt that qiao xin¡¯s shamelessness was truly unrivaled. qiao xin was obviously livid, but she could still put on a sweet and charming mask with ease. ¡°hurry up and leave. after you leave, it¡¯ll be easier for the servants clean the villa thoroughly. otherwise, i keep thinking that there¡¯s some strange smell around here!¡± matriarch gu said rudely, completely disregarding etiquette. she turned her head to the side and took no notice of qiao xin¡¯s pitiful expression. qiao xin bit her lip and turned away, beginning to walk towards the door. her hands were clenched tightly into fists and her nails dug into her palms. seeing that qiao xin had left, matriarch gu turned to look worriedly at qiao nian, who was sitting beside her. she said anxiously, ¡°my darling child, your younger sister is a little scary. if she bullies you again, don¡¯t be afraid. tell grandma, and grandma will help you chase her away!¡± qiao nian felt warmth touch her heart. although she knew that matriarch gu only doted on her so much because of gu zhou, she was still touched. smiling, she replied, ¡°i understand. thank you, grandma!¡± ¡°oh, my darling girl, why are you so polite?¡± the more matriarch gu spent time with qiao nian, the more she felt that qiao nian was an obedient and sensible girl. she was a perfectly suitable granddaughter-in-law. matriarch gu continued, ¡°oh right, i have something to give you. use this to buy some clothes!¡± as she spoke, matriarch gu took out a black card and handed it to qiao nian. without waiting for qiao nian to decline, she continued, ¡°this is what you deserve. this black credit card doesn¡¯t require a password, nor fingerprint authentication. you can use it to pay for anything without hassle. take it. when you have your wedding with gu zhou, grandma will have more gifts for you!¡± hearing matriarch gu¡¯s words, qiao nian quickly lowered her gaze. she did not speak. she knew that gu zhou would refuse to marry her. of course, she would not marry gu zhou either. Chapter 22 - 22 Provoked by a Two-Faced Person 22 provoked by a two-faced person translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios with qiao nian¡¯s abilities, she could leave the mental hospital any time she wanted. the reason why she married into the gu family was because she did not want to be monitored by the qiao family after leaving the mental hospital. no matter how long her marriage with gu zhou would last, it would not affect her investigation of what happened five years ago. now, she could make use of gu zhou to investigate what happened five years ago. matriarch gu repeatedly urged qiao nian to buy more clothes. after talking for a while, she grew worried that qiao nian would be embarrassed to use the black card to spend money on new clothes. she hurriedly looked toward her and said, ¡°my darling girl, why don¡¯t i go shopping with you? i¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t be willing to spend money.¡± qiao nian smiled and quickly said, ¡°grandma, i can do it myself.¡± ¡°alright. but if you don¡¯t go shopping today, i¡¯ll be going with you tomorrow.¡± matriarch gu stood up as she spoke, her gaze landing on qiao nian¡¯s face. ¡°i have something on today, so i¡¯ll leave first. remember, you must buy more clothes. women should treat themselves better!¡± ¡°okay.¡± qiao nian agreed obediently. seeing qiao nian like this, matriarch gu was overjoyed. after seeing matriarch gu off, qiao nian looked at the black card in her hand. she thought for a while and decided to follow matriarch gu¡¯s instructions to buy some new clothes. she didn¡¯t have many clothes after leaving the mental hospital. when she reached the mall, qiao nian walked into a branded shop and looked though the clothes calmly. qiao xin and her friend zhou xue were also shopping at the same mall. zhou xue wasn¡¯t very well-off, and usually went out with qiao xin. qiao xin would gift her some clothes when she was in a good mood. zhou xue¡¯s gaze landed on the person not far away from them. she frowned slightly and whispered, ¡°xin xin, look. is that person your older sister?¡± without waiting for qiao xin to reply, zhou xue continued in confusion, ¡°didn¡¯t you say that your sister was in the mental hospital? why has she come out?¡± qiao xin was looking through some clothes when she heard zhou xue¡¯s words. she looked over and saw qiao nian doing the same not far away. she rolled her eyes and said in a low voice, ¡°sister came out a few days ago. she¡¯s already gotten married.¡± hearing qiao xin¡¯s words, zhou xue looked at qiao xin in disbelief and asked in a low voice, ¡°your family must be so nice. they gave your sister such a large dowry for her marriage!¡± at that, qiao xin was momentarily stunned. she thought of the shares qiao nian had extorted from her, and silently agreed with zhou xue. zhou xue¡¯s gaze fell on the sales assistant behind qiao nian. the sales assistant was already holding seven to eight pieces of clothing. one had to know that the cheapest item here cost around ten thousand dollars. qiao xin naturally noticed the clothes qiao nian had selected. rolling her eyes, she continued, ¡°sister took half of my company shares!¡± ¡°what!¡± zhou xue looked at qiao xin in shock. qiao xin owned 20% of the qiao company shares. according to qiao xin, qiao nian had taken half of her shares, which meant¡­ ¡°your parents gave those to her willingly?¡± qiao xin lowered her head dejectedly, her eyes watery as she said, ¡°she¡¯s my older sister. i should give in to her!¡± with those few casual words, qiao xin aired out all her grievances. ¡°this won¡¯t do. we have to get your shares back. back then, she tried to snatch your boyfriend; now, she¡¯s stolen your money. you can¡¯t give in to her so easily!¡± pulling qiao xin with her, zhou xue began to walk towards qiao nian in a rage. she had to seek justice for her good friend. qiao nian was standing in front of the mirror, holding a floral dress and examining it carefully. after looking at it for a while, she shook her head in dissatisfaction and put the dress back onto the rack. she was about to look for other clothes when she saw zhou xue and qiao xin walking towards her. ¡°qiao nian, you¡¯re so shameless!¡± zhou xue¡¯s fury exploded when she saw qiao nian. she had never seen such a brazen woman in her life. ¡°in the past, you tried to snatch qiao xin¡¯s boyfriend and now you¡¯ve even stolen her shares. how can you be so vicious!¡± qiao nian was no longer in the mood to shop. she couldn¡¯t be bothered to talk to someone who clearly lacked intelligence. she turned to the sales assistant and said, ¡°help me wrap these things up.¡± ¡°yes, ma¡¯am,¡± the sales assistant answered. holding the items, she walked towards the cashier. qiao nian stepped towards the cashier, preparing to pay, but zhou xue grabbed hold of her arm. she turned around and saw zhou xue raising her hand, preparing to give her a slap. without waiting for her to make a move, qiao nian swiftly slapped zhou xue, causing zhou xue to stagger two steps back. in the space of that slap, zhou xue had no choice but to let go of qiao nian¡¯s arm. in a panic, she held onto the shelf beside her, barely managing to keep her balance. qiao xin glared at qiao nian with an ugly expression, then hurriedly lowered her gaze. she quickly walked to zhou xue¡¯s side, holding out a hand to support her. rolling her eyes, qiao xin said softly, ¡°xue¡¯er, let¡¯s go. you won¡¯t be able to beat her. i remember your boyfriend liked her back then, but she¡­¡± Chapter 23 - 23 The Black Card! 23 the black card! translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios ¡°what?¡± zhou xue had been feeling frustrated, but upon hearing qiao xin¡¯s words, she narrowed her eyes and asked coldly, ¡°li zheng liked her?¡± qiao xin¡¯s breath caught. she looked toward zhou xue in a panic, and quickly explained, ¡°don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t think too much. it¡¯s not like that. li zheng did nothing w-with her¡­¡± the more qiao xin explained, the more anxious she became. cold sweat began to break out on her forehead. in the end, she sighed helplessly and looked at zhou xue with red-rimmed eyes. she said in a soothing tone, ¡°xue¡¯er, let¡¯s leave!¡± from zhou xue¡¯s point of view, qiao xin¡¯s actions made it more obvious that she was trying to cover something up. she looked toward qiao nian, who was standing at the cashier counter, with a sour expression. zhou xue¡¯s eyes were burning with anger. her best friend had been bullied, and her boyfriend had once liked that bitch. zhou xue had always valued her friendships. at this moment, she was so angry that she could have vomited blood. she straightened her back, pushed qiao xin¡¯s hand away, and walked towards qiao nian without hesitation. ¡°qiao nian, you¡¯re too shameless!¡± zhou xue walked up to qiao nian with her hand raised, ready to slap her. qiao nian frowned, a little annoyed by zhou xue¡¯s behavior. she turned and said to the staff, ¡°this person is causing trouble. please call security!¡± the sales assistant looked at the pile of clothes in front of her. her sales performance this month would definitely be the best among all the employees. smiling, the assistant picked up the phone, preparing to call security. naturally, zhou xue saw the salesperson¡¯s actions. she put down her hand angrily and glared at qiao nian, livid. with malice written all over her face, she said, ¡°qiao nian, you impudent bitch. you stole your sister¡¯s boyfriend and now you¡¯re stealing her shares. have you no shame at all?!¡± at zhou xue¡¯s words, qiao nian¡¯s gaze landed on qiao xin, who was standing not far away. qiao xin had donned a worried facade, looking like an innocent little bunny. the pretense was obvious! ¡°the bill, please.¡± as qiao nian spoke, she swiftly took out a black card, glancing at zhou xue with contempt. ¡°zhou xue, i advise you to be aware of what exactly you are doing.¡± a black card? the sales assistant took the black card from qiao nian reverently. there were only a handful of people in this city who owned such black cards. so the young woman in front of her was a rich person! the people around them, who were watching the spectacle unfold, immediately understood. why would someone who could afford a black card even care about the small amount of shares in other people¡¯s hands? such a rich and pretty young lady could just wave her hand, and a bunch of handsome men would probably fall to her feet! ¡°this young lady is really rich. that zhou xue must be slandering her!¡± ¡°exactly. everyone knows that a black card holds more wealth than a small country!¡± ¡°why would a rich young lady lack a boyfriend? what a joke!¡± ¡­ zhou xue¡¯s expression grew darker and darker as she heard the mutterings of the people around her. her gaze fell on the black card in qiao nian¡¯s hand. her eyes bulged and she shouted, ¡°you are a thief! tell me, where did you steal that black card from?¡± the sales assistant had just swiped the black card. smilingly, she indicated for qiao nian to carry out fingerprint authentication. qiao nian casually placed her finger on the device. zhou xue¡¯s eyes were fixed on the fingerprint machine in the sales assistant¡¯s hands. the error report she had pictured did not appear. ¡°miss qiao, this is your card!¡± the black card displayed the owner¡¯s surname on the screen. the sales assistant smiled and handed the black card to qiao nian respectfully. qiao nian calmly placed the black card back into her bag. her movements were unhurried, and the people crowding around her saw that there was another black card in her bag! everyone was stunned. it was all their first time seeing someone who owned two black cards. ¡°excuse me.¡± qiao nian spoke to the sales assistant beside her. ¡°miss zhou xue here has framed me for stealing. please call the police!¡± the sales assistant smiled and nodded. however, before she did so, she still called the security guards over. she waited for the security guards to subdue zhou xue before she called the police. within 15 minutes, the police would arrive! zhou xue flew into an instant panic. she was a nurse in the first hospital. if the people in the hospital knew that she had slandered someone, they might chase her out of the hospital. zhou xue turned to look at qiao xin, who was standing not far away. in desperation, she cried out, ¡°xin xin, save me! i can¡¯t be arrested!¡± even if she hadn¡¯t committed any crime, her future would be ruined as long as she was arrested! qiao xin had initially wanted to take the opportunity to slip away, but when she heard zhou xue calling her, she hesitated. for a long moment, qiao xin stood rooted to the ground, unmoving. in the end, she hardened her resolve and turned to leave. qiao nian looked at qiao xin¡¯s departing figure and gave a faint smile. she walked to a nearby stool and sat down, crossing her legs elegantly as she waited for the police to arrive. she glanced at zhou xue and asked, ¡°where did your good friend go?¡± at this moment, zhou xue felt as if the sky had collapsed. she looked at qiao nian in a daze, bit her lip and said fiercely, ¡°qiao nian, you framed me. you will die a horrible death!¡± qiao nian looked at the unrepentant zhou xue and silently took out her mobile phone to send a message to old a. Chapter 24 - 24 Not Holding Back 24 not holding back translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios in this city, the zhou family name barely held any weight. zhou xue often used to fool around, so her grades were not good. in the end, through the machinations of her father, she studied nursing in university and became a nurse. in university, zhou xue did not study hard either. she would watch dramas and play games all day. after she graduated, she became a nurse in the best hospital only with the help of her father¡¯s connections. her father continually reminded her to work hard. in the future, he expected her to marry a rich man as well. zhou xue looked at the security guards standing to her left and right. she felt that her world was about to collapse. if her father knew that she had been arrested, he would definitely beat her to death. zhou xue¡¯s gaze fell on qiao nian¡¯s face. she hated qiao nian with all her heart, and yearned to tear her to shreds. but now, her only option was to beg qiao nian for help. ¡°sister.¡± zhou xue stepped in front of qiao nian shakily. with a flattering smile on her face, she said ingratiatingly, ¡°sister, i was in the wrong this time. you¡¯re the bigger person; why don¡¯t you forgive me just this once?¡± the moment zhou xue¡¯s words fell, the police arrived. qiao nian briefly explained what had happened. the police officer gave zhou xue a severe dressing down, then looked at qiao nian and said, ¡°miss qiao, regarding whether this matter should be settled privately or not¡­ we suggest that you settle it privately. after all, this matter¡­¡± the police were too embarrassed to say that this was likely just a misunderstanding. but when they thought about how zhou xue had accused qiao nian of stealing the black card, they realized that the black card had more than 100 million in savings. ¡°it¡¯s fine if you¡¯d like to settle it officially. after all, this matter involves a black card!¡± the police officer said with a serious expression. seeing qiao nian looking toward him, he said tentatively, ¡°why don¡¯t the two of you have a private chat? miss qiao can make a decision after that.¡± qiao nian thought about zhou xue¡¯s words just now and nodded. she took a seat on a chair nearby. zhou xue trembled as she walked towards qiao nian under the policeman¡¯s encouragement. her mind was in a daze and all she could think about was how to get out of the situation. ¡°sister.¡± zhou xue stood in front of qiao nian and bowed perpendicularly. her tears of grievance fell as she said, ¡°sister, i was in the wrong. please forgive me!¡± qiao nian¡¯s gaze fell on zhou xue¡¯s face and her lips curved into a bright smile. ¡°zhou xue, there¡¯s no enmity between us, right?¡± zhou xue straightened her back hesitantly and glanced at qiao nian¡¯s face. she quickly lowered her gaze to hide the hatred in her eyes. ¡°it¡¯s all my fault!¡± ¡°i don¡¯t want to reconcile with you,¡± qiao nian said impassively. she knew that zhou xue had no intention of admitting her mistake. with that, she got up and walked towards the policemen. ¡°are you crazy!¡± zhou xue grabbed qiao nian¡¯s arm and glared daggers at her, her eyes red-rimmed. she pursed her lips and shouted in a rage, ¡°it¡¯s all your fault, it¡¯s all your fault! why can¡¯t you let others speak the truth?¡± qiao nian calmly pushed zhou xue¡¯s hand away, signaling for the police to take her away. the police officers glanced toward zhou xue. there was a strange light in zhou xue¡¯s eyes, and she seemed as though she wanted to eat qiao nian alive. the police officers didn¡¯t expect this young lady to still have a face full of hatred. she simply didn¡¯t know how to repent! qiao nian watched as the police took zhou xue away. then, she took her new clothes home. on the way back, qiao nian saw that old a had replied to her message. she asked curiously, ¡°what are you busy with? it took you so long to reply!¡± soon, old a sent a text back. ¡°i just got up from bed. i was playing video games, so i slept too late last night!¡± qiao nian pursed her lips. she no longer knew what to say to old a. ¡°help me investigate two people, li chun and zhou xue, especially regarding that day five years ago, plus their whereabouts after that.¡± five years ago, qiao nian went drinking with her good friend li chun in a ktv room. in the end, she got drunk and fainted! before qiao nian lost consciousness, she saw qiao xin pass li chun a sum of money. li chun soon disappeared from country z. when she was in the mental hospital, she had tried to investigate li chun¡¯s whereabouts, but she found nothing. after that, she gave up investigating li chun. when she saw zhou xue today, the memories hidden deep in qiao nian¡¯s mind were finally roused. that night, she thought she had seen zhou xue as well. her memories were a little blurry. she seemed to remember qiao xin and zhou xue entering the ktv room together, but she also seemed to remember qiao xin entering the room herself. there seemed to be something wrong with her memory, which was why she wanted old a to help her conduct the investigation. after getting an affirmative reply from old a, qiao nian turned off her phone and went to buy a car. it took her a long time to hire a taxi today, and she didn¡¯t want to have to repeat the experience again. qiao nian drove home and parked her car outside the villa. she then walked in with her new clothes. once she got home, she took a shower, then washed both her new clothes and old clothes. she put on her soft pajamas, and settled down to read her books on medicine. at this moment, her phone rang. qiao nian looked at the caller id and smiled. she picked up the phone and greeted, ¡°teacher liu.¡± Chapter 25 - 25 Banquet 25 banquet translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios ¡°nian nian, s university is holding a banquet tonight. doctor wang from the field of traditional chinese medicine will be attending too. aren¡¯t you interested in this field? you could speak to him.¡± qiao nian¡¯s smile widened. after thanking teacher liu and asking for the address, she took out a dress and dried it in the dryer, then put it on and headed out. butler zhao, who was carrying a platter of fruits, saw that qiao nian was about to leave the house. she looked at qiao nian in surprise and asked, ¡°second young madam, it¡¯s already so late. where are you going?¡± ¡°there¡¯s a banquet i¡¯m planning to attend. i might be back quite late tonight.¡± qiao nian stepped out in her high heels, no longer paying butler zhao any attention. butler zhao¡¯s face clouded over as she watched qiao nian leave. a thought seemed to strike her, and she took out her cell phone to call gu zhou. qiao nian drove to the university, parked her car outside and walked in. when she arrived at the banquet hall, qiao nian saw that teacher liu had not yet arrived. she started eating dessert alone. qiao xin and her boyfriend, su yan, appeared at the entrance of the banquet hall. su yan studied medicine, and qiao xin was invited as his date. qiao xin held su yan¡¯s arm affectionately. she could tell that he was a little nervous, and spoke comfortingly. ¡°brother yan, don¡¯t worry. you will definitely be chosen by dr. wang!¡± on the surface, this banquet was just a networking event for the big shots in the medical field, but in fact, it was for dr. wang to select a few young doctors to participate in his cancer research project. su yan was one of the most handsome gentlemen in an city. he had a good family background, a good education, and good looks. for countless girls, su yan represented the ideal boyfriend. su yan was quite different from the other rich young heirs in an city. he was obsessed with the field of medicine and had a straightforward nature. many medical professors praised him for his talent and intelligence, saying that would definitely achieve great things within the field of medicine in the future. back then, qiao xin had seen how close qiao nian was with su yan. she had always liked to steal what qiao nian had, so she confessed to su yan in public and made him her boyfriend. qiao xin and su yan were casually having a bite in the banquet hall when her gaze landed on her sister not far away. she whispered, ¡°brother yan, i see my sister. i¡¯ll go greet her!¡± qiao xin had only been with su yan for such a long time because she hadn¡¯t found a better man yet. su yan was momentarily stunned when he heard qiao xin¡¯s words. he followed her gaze and saw qiao nian wearing a white evening gown, casually eating some refreshments. he felt a wave of disgust, and averted his gaze in displeasure. qiao xin naturally sensed su yan¡¯s change in attitude and she hurriedly consoled him. ¡°brother yan, i¡¯m sorry. i didn¡¯t mean to tell sister that you will be attending tonight.¡± in other words, qiao nian was here for su yan. su yan¡¯s eyebrows knit tightly together, his frown growing deeper. he didn¡¯t think that being missed by a lunatic was anything to be proud of. he turned away and replied lowly, ¡°go ahead!¡± five years ago, su yan was discussing medicine with qiao nian. he felt that qiao nian wasn¡¯t too bad a person. later on, he heard from other people that there was something wrong with her character. not only did qiao nian announce to everyone that she was his girlfriend, but she also bullied her weaker classmates. because of this incident, the value of su yan¡¯s scholarship was deducted. he had spoken to qiao nian about this and explained the situation to her, asking her to stop spreading rumors. but qiao nian pretended to be ignorant and even argued that she didn¡¯t do anything. her innocent look made su yan want to throw up. however, two days later, qiao nian wrote him a letter and booked a room for the two of them. when qiao nian returned to school, she went around frantically looking for li chun, and even set fire to his desk. after that, qiao nian was diagnosed with a mental illness and sent to the hospital. su yan had thought that qiao nian would have a clearer mind after recuperating in the hospital for five years. he didn¡¯t expect her to continue pestering him, almost akin to a ghost haunting its murderer. su yan walked to the door in frustration. he was about to light a cigarette when his gaze landed on the man not far away from him. he immediately put on a polite smile. it was gu zhou! he was the most famous man in an city! even though su yan didn¡¯t care about his family¡¯s affairs, his parents had always told him to be polite to gu zhou even when su yan was a child. that man wasn¡¯t someone the su family could afford to offend. ¡°second young master gu.¡± he strode towards gu zhou. seeing the other man stop, su yan smiled. ¡°i¡¯m su yan.¡± gu zhou stared coldly at the man in front of him for a while, then recalled that this man was indeed su yan. he gave an impassive grunt, then seemed to have thought of something, asking in a hoarse voice, ¡°what time does the banquet start?¡± su yan saw gu zhou¡¯s brief glance toward the banquet hall, and instantly understood. ¡°it starts at 8 p.m. second young master gu can come back later!¡± gu zhou didn¡¯t reply. with his hands in his pockets, he turned and left with chen qing. su yan gazed at gu zhou¡¯s retreating back as he left. his eyes sparkled with admiration. Chapter 26 - 26 Doting 26 doting translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios su yan¡¯s bad mood vanished in an instant. he walked calmly into the banquet hall and saw qiao xin looking for him. he walked towards qiao xin and whispered, ¡°i¡¯m back.¡± qiao xin pursed her lips and smiled. she turned to glance at qiao nian with a guilty expression. ¡°brother yan, i¡¯m really sorry for making things difficult for you. no matter what, she¡¯s my sister. i¡­¡± as qiao xin spoke, her eyes grew red-rimmed. she began to sob softly. su yan took out a tissue and gently wiped qiao xin¡¯s tears away. softly, he said, ¡°it¡¯s okay, don¡¯t worry. don¡¯t blame yourself for other people¡¯s mistakes.¡± ¡°thank you, brother yan.¡± qiao xin sniffled and whispered, ¡°my sister¡¯s emotional state is quite stable now, but let¡¯s not mention what happened five years ago in front of her. i¡¯m afraid she¡­¡± qiao xin didn¡¯t have to continue her sentence. su yan knew what qiao nian could do. back then, qiao nian had burned down an entire school building! at the thought of this, su yan silently drew qiao xin into his embrace. back then, people had cast blame on qiao xin behind her back for what qiao nian had done. his heart ached as he said, ¡°i know. you¡¯re too kind. back then, she even tried to say that you were the one who burned down the school building. why do you still consider her feelings?¡± ¡°s-she¡¯s my older sister!¡± qiao xin lowered her gaze, saying pitifully right now, qiao xin hoped that qiao nian would keep a distance from su yan. she wasn¡¯t sure what mr. jade pendant looked like and whether his family was rich. she had to keep su yan in her clutches until then. qiao nian stood at a distance, slowly nibbling at her pastry. seeing the pretentious act qiao xin was putting on, she couldn¡¯t help but frown. su yan. an ordinary yet overconfident man who kept insisting that she liked him. qiao nian was sure that there was something wrong with his brain. to be precise, he was too narcissistic! seeing that it was about time for the banquet to start, qiao nian stopped eating. she wiped her mouth clean and walked towards the door. seeing qiao nian walking over, qiao xin looked at her nervously. su yan looked at qiao nian with a face full of disgust. he thought to himself that if qiao nian tried to talk to him, he would refuse to reply. qiao nian walked past qiao xin, ignoring her panicked expression. she walked towards the door and her gaze landed on the male professor who had just walked in. ¡°teacher liu.¡± qiao nian walked up and greeted, smiling. ¡°nian nian, you¡¯re here. i have something to tell you. come here!¡± teacher liu said, bringing qiao nian to the side of the banquet hall. su yan had wanted to greet teacher liu, but when he saw his attitude towards qiao nian, he hesitated. teacher liu was famous for being taciturn. su yan didn¡¯t understand why teacher liu treated qiao nian so gently¡ªhe even had a smile on his face. his brow furrowed deeper and deeper. just as he was contemplating chasing after the two of them, a group of people arrived at the door. su yan turned to see the medical professors from the university entering the banquet hall with doctor wang. there were a great number of professors who wanted to participate in doctor wang shuo¡¯s research project. ¡°teacher wang!¡± su yan pushed qiao xin away and strode towards wang shuo, smiling. ¡°oh, it¡¯s su yan.¡± wang shuo had taught su yan a few classes in the past. when he saw su yan approaching, he smiled and greeted him. then, he glanced at the hall and continued, ¡°alright, let¡¯s talk later. i have errands to run.¡± ¡°teacher wang, please go ahead!¡± su yan replied politely, beaming brightly. after greeting su yan, wang shuo strode towards teacher liu. su yan watched by the side as qiao nian spoke to teacher wang and teacher liu. hidden in his pocket, his right fist was clenched tightly. he had never expected qiao nian to gain the attention of the two teachers! ¡°teacher liu, long time no see!¡± wang shuo went up to teacher liu, shaking his hand. teacher liu gave a bright smile. he greeted wang shuo politely before introducing qiao nian to wang shuo. ¡°teacher wang, this is my disciple, qiao nian.¡± qiao nian smiled and greeted, ¡°how do you do, teacher wang!¡± wang shuo gave qiao nian a glance-over. his gaze fell on teacher liu¡¯s face, and he asked curiously, ¡°is she the disciple you¡¯ve been so proud of?¡± ¡°yes. i was thinking of letting her join your research project this time round. after all, this is a rare opportunity!¡± teacher liu knew that wang shuo¡¯s research project was extremely important. furthermore, this project was well-funded, so qiao nian could take the opportunity to learn more. ¡°you¡¯re willing to let her go?¡± wang shuo smiled and looked toward teacher liu. while wang shuo studied chinese medicine, teacher liu studied western medicine. ¡°she can learn even more from you. why don¡¯t you take her along for the project? or, we could give her a test right now.¡± teacher liu had absolute faith in qiao nian, so he was not at all worried that qiao nian would not be able to answer wang shuo¡¯s questions. ¡°that won¡¯t be necessary.¡± previously, wang shuo had already heard from his good friend that qiao nian was really gifted in medicine. he looked at qiao nian kindly and said, ¡°the day after tomorrow, just look for me at the research institute.¡± ¡°thank you, teacher wang.¡± qiao nian had a pleasant disposition to begin with. coupled with her exquisite outfit and makeup, she looked like a sunny young lady. anyone looking at her would have been unable to summon the tiniest bit of disgust. Chapter 27 - 27 An Ordinary Yet Overconfident Man 27 an ordinary yet overconfident man translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios wang shuo said a few more words to teacher liu before leaving to greet the others. fussing a little, teacher liu gave qiao nian a few more reminders. finally, he said, ¡°study well under doctor wang. he is very talented in chinese medicine.¡± ¡°thank you, teacher. it must have been difficult making plans for me.¡± qiao nian looked at teacher liu gratefully. if teacher liu had not gone against public opinion, she would not have been able to complete her phd. ¡°why are you being so polite? i¡¯m your teacher. of course i have to plan for you.¡± teacher liu really wanted to continue taking qiao nian under his wing, but he had already taught qiao nian everything he had learnt in medicine. ¡°alright, this matter is settled. i¡¯ll leave first. if you need anything, look for me.¡± smiling, qiao nian walked teacher liu to the entrance of the banquet hall. she wanted to continue seeing teacher liu off, but teacher liu refused. ¡°you¡¯ll be studying under teacher wang soon. he¡¯ll be the one teaching you. you don¡¯t need to send me off.¡± teacher liu smiled. he gave qiao nian a few more reminders, then left. qiao nian turned around and entered the banquet hall. the moment she entered, she saw wang shuo waving at her. qiao nian walked over, smiled and greeted, ¡°teacher wang.¡± she obediently stood still. ¡°su yan, this is qiao nian. she¡¯s teacher liu¡¯s inner disciple. do study well with her in the future.¡± wang shuo glanced at su yan with a cold expression, then he turned to qiao nian, a bright smile overtaking his features. ¡°has teacher liu returned home?¡± ¡°yes.¡± qiao nian replied, smiling. the smile on her face faded when she thought of teacher liu¡¯s health. ¡°don¡¯t worry, your teacher liu is blessed by the heavens. he will definitely be fine.¡± wang shuo spoke a few words of comfort, then turned to leave. qiao xin and zhou xue stood some distance away, eating refreshments. seeing qiao nian and su yan standing together, zhou xue frowned. ¡°xin xin, is that b*tch qiao nian here to look for su yan on purpose?¡± zhou xue had been taken to the police station, and the zhou family had to spend money to bail her out. her father was so furious that he refused to give her any allowance for the next two months. qiao xin¡¯s eyes gleamed. her eyes darted to the side and she said, ¡°i don¡¯t know. this is a banquet for medical students. why is she here?¡± with those words, zhou xue instantly understood. qiao nian had been sent away before she finished her first year at the university. apart from su yan, no one else here today would have been her classmate! ¡°i¡¯ll go speak to her!¡± zhou xue thought of how she had been thoroughly embarrassed in the shopping mall. this time, she had to regain her dignity. although qiao xin had abandoned her back then, qiao xin later explained the situation to zhou xue. qiao xin had wanted to go to the qiao residence to seek reinforcements, but when she saw zhou xue coming out of the police station, she felt immensely guilty. as compensation, qiao xin gave zhou xue 100,000 yuan. after zhou xue received the 100,000 yuan, her anger dissipated somewhat. with immense generosity, zhou xue forgave qiao xin. qiao xin even invited her to this banquet, saying that she hoped for zhou xue to find a boyfriend soon. zhou xue walked up to qiao nian in her high heels and looked at her, brimming with arrogance. she said furiously, ¡°how dare you attend this banquet? don¡¯t you have any shame? you¡¯re not even a student of s university. you¡¯re a lunatic. don¡¯t you feel uncomfortable here?¡± su yan turned around and walked towards qiao xin. every second he spent around qiao nian was utter torture. ¡°was being arrested not enough for you?¡± qiao xin raised her eyebrows and looked at zhou xue with a smile, saying lightly, ¡°do you want to go in there again?¡± ¡°if it wasn¡¯t for you, how could i have been arrested? you b*tch!¡± zhou xue raised her hand, ready to slap qiao nian¡¯s face. ¡°pa!¡± without waiting for zhou xue to make a move, qiao nian slapped her first. zhou xue stumbled, collapsing onto a table nearby. drinks and pastries were strewn all over the floor, and her gown was stained. with that, zhou xue had drawn the attention of everyone in the banquet hall. qiao xin looked worriedly at zhou xue. she pursed her lips and said anxiously, ¡°sister hit xue¡¯er during the day, and now she¡¯s hit xue¡¯er again. this¡­¡± ¡°let¡¯s go take a look!¡± su yan didn¡¯t want to have anything to do with qiao nian, but he frowned when he saw that zhou xue had been hit. in the past, qiao nian put on a meek facade. now, much to su yan¡¯s disbelief, not only did she stop pretending, but her mental illness had worsened. she actually hit someone in public! ¡°how dare you hit me!¡± zhou xue glared at qiao nian viciously, as if she wanted to swallow qiao nian whole. qiao xin walked to zhou xue¡¯s side and took out a tissue to help her wipe her face. she said worriedly, ¡°xue¡¯er, are you okay? oh my god, you¡¯re bleeding!¡± seeing qiao xin step out to defend her, tears of grievance fell from zhou xue¡¯s eyes. su yan shielded qiao xin and zhou xue behind him. he glared at qiao nian and said in disgust, ¡°qiao nian, i¡¯ve told you many times that i don¡¯t like you. please stop disturbing me!¡± Chapter 28 - 28 Misunderstood 28 misunderstood translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios qiao nian did not seem to have heard him speak. her gaze was still slightly lowered as she toyed with the ring on her finger. her nails were pink and glossy. the whole image made one feel warm, as if all the chaos had nothing to do with qiao nian. su yan frowned when he saw that qiao nian was paying him no heed. he stepped forward and said, ¡°qiao nian, i know that you¡¯ve come out from a mental hospital. i advise you to quit teacher wang¡¯s project as soon as possible. otherwise, it won¡¯t look good for you if your past is exposed!¡± everyone in the banquet hall gasped when they heard su yan¡¯s words. many of them were here for dr. wang¡¯s project. some of them wanted to join the project, some wanted to invest in the project, and others wanted to discuss other projects with dr. wang. su yan¡¯s words made it clear to everyone that qiao nian was a lunatic who had already been selected by doctor wang. ¡°so this person is actually from a mental hospital!¡± ¡°how can dr. wang work with such a person?¡± ¡°if dr. wang brings her into the project, i¡¯m worried that my investments might go down the drain!¡± ¡­ qiao nian didn¡¯t even bat an eyelid as she listened to the discussion taking place around her. scornfully, she strutted over to su yan in her high heels and looked straight into his eyes. as if the matter was of little importance, she spoke. ¡°classmate su, do you think i¡¯m not fit to participate in teacher wang¡¯s project?¡± hearing qiao nian¡¯s words, zhou xue didn¡¯t bother waiting for su yan to respond. haughtily, he replied, ¡°at least you know your place. i advise you to leave this project as soon as you can. if anything happens in the future, you won¡¯t be able to bear the consequences!¡± qiao nian¡¯s beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, her gaze lingering on zhou xue¡¯s face as she spoke. ¡°haven¡¯t you learnt your lesson by now? do you still want another slap?¡± ¡°you were only in university for half a semester and you didn¡¯t even get your diploma! what right do you have to join dr. wang¡¯s project?¡± su yan glared at qiao nian coldly. the more he looked at her, the more disgusted he felt. he hoped that he would never see her again in his life. su yan had just finished speaking when a sweet-looking girl with two symmetrical ponytails stepped forward. she glanced at qiao nian and sneered. ¡°you must be senior qiao nian. i¡¯ve heard your name everywhere since i entered university. i heard that you slept with many men in your class, and you¡¯re a sex addict. aren¡¯t you mentally ill as well? you didn¡¯t even get your diploma. how are you qualified to participate in teacher wang¡¯s project?¡± before qiao nian could speak, wang tian continued her interrogation. ¡°or did you use other unsavory means to secure a place? for example, your body?¡± the people crowding around were looking at qiao nian differently now. it was impossible for a mentally ill patient to become a doctor. doctor wang had been discussing the project with a friend in a corner of the room. when he heard the commotion, he walked over and asked, ¡°what happened?¡± su yan had always prided himself on being a humble gentleman. he hesitated to speak up. but zhou xue was different. zhou xue hated qiao nian¡¯s guts for sending her to the police station, so she immediately stood up and explained the situation. ¡°teacher wang, qiao nian has only attended one semester of classes. she was locked up in the mental hospital after that, and she was just released a short while back. you can¡¯t let someone like this participate in your project!¡± when wang tian heard zhou xue¡¯s words, she immediately nodded in agreement. ¡°grandfather, you must not let a mentally ill person join our projects. if anything goes wrong with this project, then everyone else¡¯s efforts will be wasted!¡± as wang tian spoke, she gave qiao nian a vicious glare. ¡°yes, teacher wang. qiao nian is still mentally ill. she has never even studied medicine before, not properly. you can¡¯t let her participate in your project. if she makes a mistake, it will bring harm to your entire team!¡± zhou xue quickly added. in the past, dr. wang had only heard from teacher liu that qiao nian was talented in the field of medicine. he didn¡¯t know qiao nian very well either. after listening to what everyone around him had to say, he frowned and asked, ¡°qiao nian, is all this true?¡± ¡°actually, i already have a p¡ª¡± ¡°sister.¡± qiao xin cut in, looking at qiao nian with teary eyes. she sniffled and said in a shaking voice, ¡°let¡¯s go home. do stop fooling around!¡± although qiao xin didn¡¯t say explicitly that qiao nian was mentally ill, every word she spoke made it clear to everyone present that qiao nian had a mental illness! qiao nian turned to look at qiao xin and frowned slightly. just as she was about to explain the situation to dr. wang, she heard dr. wang say coldly, ¡°qiao nian, don¡¯t follow me around anymore!¡± qiao nian¡¯s expression darkened slightly as she explained, ¡°teacher wang, i¡¯ve already graduated with a phd!¡± when zhou xue heard qiao nian¡¯s words, the corner of her lips curved up slightly. she laughed scornfully and said, ¡°qiao nian, you¡¯d better go back to the mental hospital and recuperate properly, lest you come out and embarrass yourself!¡± Chapter 29 - 29 A Lunatic 29 a lunatic translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios all the onlookers were staring at qiao nian. they were all smiling disdainfully. ¡°how can a lunatic be a doctor?¡± ¡°keep your voice down. she must be hallucinating as a doctor.¡± ¡°ugh, that¡¯s truly pitiful. she¡¯s so pretty. too bad there¡¯s something wrong with her brain.¡± ¡­ sensing the skepticism aimed at her from all directions, qiao nian said, ¡°teacher wang, i¡¯ve published theses in multiple universities. if you don¡¯t believe me, you can check!¡± doctor wang glanced at qiao nian suspiciously. she was clearly a young lass in her twenties, but her aura was no less strong than that of a man in his forties or fifties. could qiao nian be telling the truth? doctor wang was starting to have doubts. sizing qiao nian up, he was about to speak when he heard zhou xue¡¯s voice. ¡°qiao nian, you must really have an exaggerated opinion of yourself. your name is so ordinary¡ªthere are tons of people with the exact same name. your mental illness must be getting worse and worse. now, you¡¯re even starting to make up falsehoods!¡± zhou xue clicked her tongue twice and shook her head, her face full of disdain. the surrounding onlookers also began to laugh at qiao nian mockingly. qiao nian turned to look at zhou xue and smiled. ¡°zhou xue, you¡¯re not a medical student, are you?¡± the smile on zhou xue¡¯s face froze. ¡°teacher sun, do your legs ache often?¡± qiao nian asked indifferently, glancing at teacher sun, who was standing a distance away. teacher sun nodded in confusion. his legs had only started aching in the past two days. they had never ached before that. how did qiao nian know? seeing teacher sun nod, everyone glanced toward qiao nian in disbelief. ¡°teacher feng, do you frequently have headaches?¡± qiao nian spoke with certainty. everyone turned to look at teacher feng. seeing teacher feng nod as well, they looked at qiao nian strangely. ¡°teacher zhang, has your liver been unwell?¡± qiao nian asked. everyone thought that there was no way qiao nian could have guessed correctly this time. one by one, they looked toward teacher zhang expectantly. when they saw teacher zhang nod, they were all so shocked that their jaws nearly dropped to the ground. doctor wang looked at qiao nian in disbelief. he had thought that qiao nian was a lunatic with no medical training at all. but now that didn¡¯t seem to be the case! how was qiao nian aware of each teacher¡¯s health problems? zhou xue sensed that everyone¡¯s opinion of qiao nian had shifted. she said disdainfully, ¡°qiao nian, you¡¯re really good at spouting nonsense. i was wondering why you didn¡¯t talk to anyone after you arrived. so you¡¯ve just been eavesdropping!¡± zhou xue¡¯s words were ingenious. what she implied was that qiao nian was only able to identify which teachers were feeling unwell because she had eavesdropped on their conversations. when doctor wang heard zhou xue¡¯s words, he secretly heaved a sigh of relief. he knew it. how could a mentally ill patient possess medical skills? doctor wang¡¯s gaze fell on qiao nian¡¯s face. he said, ¡°qiao nian, you don¡¯t have to explain anymore. i understand now. i know that your illness is very serious. there should be a psychiatrist present. i¡¯ll get them to take a look at you.¡± at that moment, a loud voice resounded from the doorway. ¡°who dares to bully my disciple!¡± teacher liu had been preparing to return home, but he soon realized that he had forgotten to pass qiao nian¡¯s doctoral diploma to her, so he returned to the banquet. when he saw everyone talking about qiao nian¡¯s illness, his expression darkened. ¡°teacher!¡± qiao nian called when she saw teacher liu enter. teacher liu looked at qiao nian with heartache. out of all his disciples, he was the proudest of her. yet, she was rumored to be a mentally ill patient! this had gone too far! when doctor wang saw teacher liu, he hurriedly said, ¡°teacher liu, that¡¯s not what i meant. why don¡¯t you treat your disciple¡¯s illness first?¡± ¡°what exactly is her illness?¡± mr. liu looked toward dr. wang with a sour expression. upon seeing teacher liu¡¯s displeased expression, doctor wang began to bristle as well. he had trusted teacher liu so much, but he never expected teacher liu to foist a lunatic upon him! the more doctor wang thought about it, the angrier he became! ¡°she just came out of the mental hospital!¡± doctor wang spoke, forcibly suppressing his anger. he turned to look at qiao nian. ¡°tell your teacher yourself! did you, or did you not, just come out of the mental hospital!¡± qiao nian gave doctor wang an indifferent glance. doctor wang felt a little uncomfortable under her gaze and turned his head to the side. ¡°where would she go to study psychiatry, if not a mental hospital?¡± mr. liu was so angry that his face and neck were flushed red. he glared at doctor wang coldly. he had never expected doctor wang to say that his disciple was a lunatic, especially when he had just entrusted his best disciple to dr. wang. ¡°she has already graduated with a doctorate. which of you here said that my disciple has never studied medicine?¡± zhou xue was surprised by teacher liu¡¯s words. ¡°qiao nian is only 24 years old this year! how is that possible?¡± ¡°why not? do you think she¡¯ll only graduate with a doctorate at the age of 30 like you idiots?¡± teacher liu questioned, his expression dark. Chapter 30 - 30 Offense 30 offense translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios everyone present was dumbfounded. they felt offended. most of them had only graduated at 30 years old! they glared at teacher liu angrily. teacher liu had graduated with a doctorate at the age of 26. they did not expect teacher liu¡¯s disciple to be even more formidable. she graduated at the age of 24! zhou xue turned bright red in embarrassment. she seemed to have recalled something, and hurriedly spoke. ¡°that¡¯s impossible. you must be having an improper relationship with her. otherwise¡­¡± ¡°pa!¡± qiao nian walked up to zhou xue and gave her a brutal slap across the face. then, she took out a tissue and began to slowly wipe her hands, making sure every finger was pristine. when she spoke, her voice was as clear as a stream. ¡°how dare you slander my teacher? you¡¯re too brazen.¡± ¡°nian nian, it¡¯s because you¡¯re usually too low-profile. this is why people misunderstand you!¡± teacher liu took out qiao nian¡¯s phd diploma from his bag, handing it to her. ¡°congratulations, addie, you¡¯ve graduated early. now, which hospital do you want to work at?¡± addie! there was an uproar. everyone was shocked! everyone present had heard of this name, addie. this person was a rising star in the medical field and had once won a world-renowned medical award. however, this person maintained a very low profile. all the doctors in country z knew that she was a woman, but none of them knew anything else. none of them could have guessed that addie and qiao nian were one and the same. ¡°thank you, teacher liu. i haven¡¯t decided.¡± qiao nian had initially wanted to go to doctor wang¡¯s hospital to join his project, but now she had changed her mind. ¡°impossible! you can¡¯t be addie!¡± su yan strode towards qiao nian and yelled, ¡°you have got some nerve! how dare you impersonate her?¡± su yan had always treated addie as a beacon he strove towards. he had always tried his best to be on par with her, but he had never expected the person he admired for so long to actually be qiao nian, the woman he despised the most! su yan hated qiao nian more than anyone else in the world. that woman pretended to be innocent and acted like she knew nothing, but she had committed so many despicable acts! qiao xin frowned. she didn¡¯t know why everyone was looking at su yan with disdain. she tugged at zhou xue¡¯s sleeve, her voice quavering as she spoke. ¡°sister, you¡¯ve told such a big lie. what will you do if it¡¯s exposed?¡± when zhou xue heard qiao xin¡¯s words, her eyes darted to the side. immediately, she stepped forward. she said loudly, ¡°you¡¯re talking nonsense. do you think you can take on addie¡¯s identity just by claiming to be her? how dare you lie in front of everyone? qiao nian, your mental health is truly deteriorating. you should go to the hospital as soon as possible!¡± at this moment, qiao nian¡¯s cell phone began to ring. qiao nian took out her cell phone and placed it beside her ear. she couldn¡¯t hear the other party¡¯s voice. ¡°hello, who¡¯s speaking?¡± ¡°you¡¯re really addie!¡± the white-haired director zhao, who oversaw the school of medicine, stepped out of the crowd. he looked at qiao nian in disbelief, his lips trembling slightly as he exclaimed, ¡°i saved your phone number in the past! i¡­¡± director zhao¡¯s phone was still placed next to his ear. he had only been testing out a theory just now, but he had not expected qiao nian to really be addie. qiao nian smiled. she greeted, ¡°director zhao.¡± ¡°this is impossible, you can¡¯t be addie!¡± zhou xue seemed to have lost her mind. she didn¡¯t expect that qiao nian¡¯s name would be cleared. her voice trembled as she spoke. ¡°you clearly¡­ you¡­¡± ¡°who¡¯s mistreating my wife?¡± a cold voice came from the doorway. the temperature in the banquet hall seemed to have dropped by a few degrees. everyone turned to look toward the door. they saw a man in a well-tailored suit entering the banquet hall, his stance elegant and his steps unhurried. the moment he stepped in, he attracted everyone¡¯s attention. a select few of the people present recognized him. one by one, the gazes of the young female students present all turned shy, as though they had become girls with a crush. they had never seen such a handsome man in their lives. his face was like the most perfect masterpiece bestowed by heaven. they were unable to take their eyes off him. qiao nian stood there calmly. she frowned slightly when she saw gu zhou walking towards her. why was he here? gu zhou walked unhurriedly in front of qiao nian. in a natural motion, he put his arm around qiao nian¡¯s waist, tugging her towards him. his narrow phoenix eyes swept coldly across everyone present. ¡°honey, who bullied you?¡± hearing gu zhou¡¯s words, the onlookers were all stunned. their gazes lingered on qiao nian and gu zhou¡¯s faces. they had never expected gu zhou to marry qiao nian. teacher liu was also stunned. he blinked in confusion, pushing his glasses up his face. he asked calmly, ¡°nian nian, when did you get married?¡± ¡°teacher, my husband and i registered our marriage a few days ago. we haven¡¯t held our wedding yet. we had important matters to settle just now during the banquet, so i haven¡¯t had the chance to tell you yet.¡± qiao nian explained with a smile. in her heart, she had already scolded gu zhou a few times over. she did not know what gu zhou was up to. she couldn¡¯t believe that he had come to the banquet, and even made their relationship public. Chapter 31 - 31 When Is The Divorce 31 when is the divorce translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios hearing qiao nian¡¯s words, teacher liu nodded in understanding. although he was getting old, he knew that young people nowadays would typically register their marriage before holding a wedding. it was different from teacher liu¡¯s era. in fact, among everyone present, qiao xin was the one who was most upset. she looked at qiao nian in utter shock. she had never expected gu zhou to stand up for qiao nian. qiao xin glanced up at gu zhou. sensing the coldness radiating from him, she couldn¡¯t help but shiver. by her side, su yan was staring at gu zhou in shock, his lips pressed together. he had made a mistake. he had never expected qiao nian to marry gu zhou. what should he do now? su yan recalled how he had insulted qiao nian over and over again. his father had repeatedly exhorted him to get along well with the gu family, but now, he had offended qiao nian. if qiao nian told gu zhou what he had said, he would¡­ su yan¡¯s face turned paler and paler. he wanted to seize the opportunity to retreat quietly from the scene, but there were many people standing behind him. he had no choice but to stand still. ¡°which of you here said that my wife is mentally ill?¡± gu zhou asked coldly. zhou xue had never seen gu zhou before, so she naturally didn¡¯t know who gu zhou was. she only felt that this man had a foul aura around him. frowning, she stepped forward. ¡°don¡¯t be fooled by qiao nian. she¡¯s not a good person at all!¡± zhou xue spoke firmly, ¡°she was really a patient in the mental hospital!¡± ¡°is that so?¡± gu zhou gave zhou xue a cold glance, then spoke to chen qing, who was standing not far away. ¡°there seems to be something wrong with this lady. take her away.¡± ¡°yes, sir,¡± chen qing responded. he walked forward to take zhou xue away. zhou xue¡¯s expression changed. she said anxiously, ¡°who are you? don¡¯t touch me!¡± as soon as zhou xue finished speaking, chen qing knocked her out without hesitation. swiftly, he carried her out of the banquet hall. when teacher liu saw that the troublemaker had left, he smiled at qiao nian and said, ¡°that annoying little girl has finally left. the entire hall has finally quietened down.¡± everyone thought to themselves, ¡°of course it¡¯s quiet. no one dares to speak!¡± seeing gu zhou walk over, dr. wang put on a fawning smile and said, ¡°second young master gu, how do you do!¡± gu zhou raised his eyebrows slightly. he did not seem to recognize the man in front of him. ¡°i am wang shuo. i thank the gu family for investing in this research project.¡± wang shuo smiled eagerly and extended a hand to gu zhou, wanting to shake his hand. gu zhou didn¡¯t shake hands with wang shuo. instead, he turned to gaze at qiao nian gently, speaking in a low voice. ¡°if you need anything in the future, just ask for my help directly. it¡¯s useless to ask these shady people for help. after all, they clearly can¡¯t understand people of high intelligence, like you.¡± everyone: do you think we¡¯re all dunces? wang shuo¡¯s hand hovered awkwardly in midair. he did not dare to retract it. teacher liu agreed with gu zhou. he said approvingly, ¡°nian nian, if you want to continue studying chinese medicine, then¡­¡± ¡°honey, why didn¡¯t you just tell me that you wanted to work in a laboratory? we can just build a laboratory.¡± gu zhou gazed at qiao nian dotingly, his voice gentle. hearing gu zhou¡¯s words, qiao nian gave a sweet smile. ¡°thank you, hubby.¡± gu zhou then turned to look at wang shuo and continued, ¡°i¡¯m sorry, i want to withdraw my investment.¡± the color on wang shuo¡¯s face instantly drained away. he felt as if the sky was collapsing! qiao nian, too, was privately stunned. she didn¡¯t know why gu zhou had changed so much. in the past, gu zhou didn¡¯t even want to interact much with her. after a while, gu zhou brought qiao nian out of the banquet hall. seeing that qiao nian was still holding her phd diploma, he said, ¡°your mentor likes you a lot.¡± ¡°teacher liu is a good person.¡± qiao nian looked down as she spoke, her voice impassive. actually, teacher liu was aware that her family had locked her up in the mental hospital on purpose. he would often send her lesson materials, and meticulously answered any questions she had regarding medicine. gu zhou had asked other people to investigate the relationship between qiao nian and teacher liu. seeing that they had nothing to do with the rest of those people, he was relieved. ¡°can you treat my illness?¡± gu zhou asked calmly, his arm still around qiao nian¡¯s waist. ¡°yes, i can try.¡± thinking about gu zhou¡¯s illness, qiao nian said thoughtfully, ¡°gu zhou, when do you plan to divorce me?¡± the flirtatious atmosphere between the two of them instantly vanished. a gust of wind blew, causing qiao nian to feel a little cold. qiao nian did not receive any response from gu zhou. she smiled and said to him, ¡°don¡¯t worry, i¡¯ll continue to treat your illness after the divorce.¡± ¡°divorce?¡± gu zhou gave qiao nian a cold look, his eyes filled with ice. ¡°i will never divorce you!¡± qiao nian stopped in her tracks and turned to look at gu zhou, blinking in confusion. under the silvery moonlight, her small face looked even fairer. qiao nian¡¯s lips parted slightly in confusion. ¡°why?¡± Chapter 32 - 32 Not an Outsider! 32 not an outsider! translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios qiao nian felt that something was wrong. shouldn¡¯t gu zhou be eager to divorce her? just then, lin nan walked over with a folder in his hand. he greeted politely, ¡°second young master, second young madam.¡± ¡°secretary lin.¡± seeing that lin nan was hesitating to speak, qiao nian prepared to find an excuse to leave. ¡°just say it here!¡± gu zhou gave qiao nian a meaningful look, then looked toward lin nan calmly. ¡°she is not an outsider.¡± qiao nian looked at gu zhou with a complicated expression, frowning slightly. she stood there with her head lowered, trying to reduce her presence as much as possible. ¡°i¡¯ve withdrawn the investment in wang shuo¡¯s company. second young master, i¡¯ve bought that new medical company too. the renovations will start tomorrow,¡± lin nan said respectfully. at lin nan¡¯s words, gu zhou nodded with satisfaction. he turned to qiao nian and said, ¡°would you like to visit the research company tomorrow?¡± qiao nian nodded blankly. the more she spent time with gu zhou, the more she found herself puzzled by him. when they returned to the house at night, gu zhou did not request for qiao nian to sleep with him. qiao nian privately heaved a sigh of relief and hurriedly ran back to her room. qiao nian lounged lazily on the bed after taking a shower. when she thought of gu zhou¡¯s strange behavior tonight, she couldn¡¯t help but frown. she knew that no matter what she asked, gu zhou wouldn¡¯t say anything if he didn¡¯t want to. the next day, qiao nian was reading a book on medicine at home. when she heard from butler zhao that matriarch gu had returned, she closed the book and walked downstairs. ¡°my darling girl, you¡¯re finally here.¡± matriarch gu smiled at qiao nian and said gently, ¡°i have something to tell you.¡± qiao nian smiled and nodded. ¡°today is madam shen¡¯s 70th birthday. come with me to her birthday banquet. i¡¯ve already prepared the birthday gift for you!¡± matriarch gu smiled at qiao nian. in a tone that left no room for argument, she said, ¡°i¡¯ll bring you to select a gown first, then bring you to the stylist. then, you¡¯ll be able to visit the shen family tonight.¡± the shen family? qiao nian lowered her gaze. could it be shen yue¡¯s family? that night five years ago, when she was in a daze, the person supporting her seemed to have met shen yue along the way. qiao nian had asked someone to contact shen yue in the past, but shen yue seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving no trace behind. how odd. both li chun and shen yue had disappeared after that incident five years ago. li chun came from an ordinary family. the qiao family would only need to raise a finger, and li chun would naturally be unable to fight back. but shen yue was different. shen yue was the eldest daughter of the shen family. the qiao family did not have the ability to do anything to shen yue. if they did, the qiao family would have easily been ruined five years ago. what went wrong? qiao nian¡¯s brow furrowed slightly. ¡°my darling?¡± ¡°grandma.¡± qiao nian came back to her senses. with a warm smile on her face, she gazed unblinkingly at matriarch gu. matriarch gu grasped qiao nian¡¯s hand and patted it gently. she said softly, ¡°i know you¡¯ve never attended such an event before. you must be afraid. but don¡¯t worry. with grandma around, no one can bully you!¡± ¡°thank you, grandma.¡± qiao nian smiled. qiao nian left the house with matriarch gu. in the car, she secretly sent a text to old a, asking him to continue investigating shen yue. in the past, qiao nian had attended several banquets with su xue. at that time, she was still young, and she had grown up in the countryside. every time su xue tossed her a gown, she would change into it, and that would be all! after that, she was locked up in the mental hospital, and rarely appeared at any social events. last night was her first time attending a school banquet. that banquet was mainly a networking event, so it did have high standards for make-up or style. however, the shen family¡¯s birthday banquet was different. matriarch gu led qiao nian to the store and asked the service staff to help qiao nian pick a gown. qiao nian had always been the kind of person who preferred staying at home most of the time. after choosing a dress, she would try it on and buy it if there were no problems. but today, she couldn¡¯t. when qiao nian came out of the fitting room wearing the twentieth dress, she was so exhausted she could have collapsed. she stood in front of the fitting room mirror and looked at herself, not understanding the differences between each of the dresses. ¡°this one looks good!¡± matriarch gu, who was sitting on the sofa, saw that qiao nian was wearing a light blue gown that hugged her waist. the back of the dress extended all the way to her ankles and the front to her knees. it was breathtakingly beautiful. matriarch gu said to the service staff, ¡°this one will do!¡± qiao nian secretly heaved a sigh of relief. she had already been picking a dress for two hours. the morning was almost over. smiling, the service staff paid qiao nian a few compliments, and didn¡¯t forget to issue the bill. matriarch gu walked in a circle around qiao nian. this gown made her look even more elegant, fitting qiao nian¡¯s aura perfectly. matriarch gu said admiringly, ¡°this gown seems to be tailor-made for you.¡± qiao nian smiled lightly. lowering her gaze, she said, ¡°grandma, may i change out of it now?¡± ¡°alright, you may!¡± matriarch gu nodded in satisfaction. Chapter 33 - 33 Investigation 33 investigation translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios qiao nian heaved a sigh of relief and swiftly changed out of her gown. initially, qiao nian had thought that that would be the end of it. however, by the time afternoon rolled around, she realized that this morning was just the beginning of her preparations for the banquet. matriarch gu had hired a makeup artist to help her with her makeup. four hours later, qiao nian changed into a gown, her makeup immaculate, and made her appearance at the gu family villa. matriarch gu¡¯s gaze fell on qiao nian¡¯s face. qiao nian¡¯s beautiful eyes were clear and bright, like those of a forest deer, making it impossible for one to look away. when qiao nian appeared at the shen family¡¯s banquet, everyone was stunned. she looked like a fairy maiden from the heavenly realm, pure and flawless. she was so perfect that no one quite dared to touch her. qiao xin stood next to su xue, her hands clenched into fists. her nails dug into her palms as she glared at qiao nian with hatred. she yearned for qiao nian to disappear from this world. five years ago, she managed to destroy qiao nian after much effort. she didn¡¯t expect qiao nian to bounce back. however, she was going to make qiao nian hit rock bottom tonight. when qiao nian got together with other men at madam shen¡¯s birthday banquet, she wanted to see if gu zhou would still want her! qiao xin lowered her gaze, worried that others would see the hatred in her eyes. she initially wanted zhou xue to do it, but gu zhou had sent zhou xue to the mental hospital, so qiao xin could only get others to help. matriarch gu had brought qiao nian to the banquet today to let everyone know that qiao nian was now the second young madam of the gu family. it was also a show of support for qiao nian. matriarch gu wanted everyone to forget about qiao nian¡¯s past! zhao qian was wearing a white gown. when she went to pick out a gown today, she saw her great aunt coming out of the dress shop with qiao nian. zhao qian recalled that her great aunt used to go with her to pick out dresses in the past. today, not only did she not do so, but she also did not bring her along to the banquet. seeing matriarch gu exchange greetings with matriarch shen, zhao qian obediently walked up to old madam gu and greeted sweetly, ¡°great aunt!¡± when matriarch gu saw zhao qian, the smile on her face widened. she said softly, ¡°qian qian, you¡¯re getting prettier!¡± ¡°thank you for your compliment, great aunt!¡± matriarch gu turned to look at qiao nian, her eyes gentle. speaking in a soft voice, she said, ¡°go somewhere else and have fun. call me if you need anything!¡± qiao nian had initially wanted to leave to ask the other members of the shen family about shen yue anyway, so she nodded in assent. matriarch gu glanced at zhao qian and instructed, ¡°take your second sister-in-law somewhere else to play!¡± zhao qian led qiao nian out of the room sullenly. her face was expressionless as she said, ¡°i¡¯ve never been here before either. you can hang out here by yourself!¡± with that, zhao qian left, betraying no emotions. after leaving, zhao qian bumped into her friends. they stood together, chatting and laughing. zhao qian secretly kept an eye on qiao nian, who was not far away. in the beginning, qiao nian stood where she had left her, scrolling through her cell phone. after a while, she went up to the second floor. seeing that, zhao qian began to sneak after her quietly. in a room beside the bathroom on the second floor. zhao qian hid herself in the room. she pushed the door slightly ajar. from afar, she saw qiao nian talking to a man in the bathroom. strange. how could a woman like qiao nian be acquainted with other men? zhao qian wanted to move closer and eavesdrop on qiao nian¡¯s conversation with the man, but she thought that she might expose her identity if she did so. she could only remain hidden where she was. in the bathroom. ¡°doctor qiao, you and matriarch gu¡­¡± shen mo lowered his gaze, looking at the young lady in front of him. his words were a little hesitant. the news about qiao nian had long since spread in their social circle, but he had never believed that she would marry gu zhou. ¡°young master shen, where has your cousin shen yue gone?¡± qiao nian could not find out where shen yue was. her only hope was to get information about shen yue from shen mo. at qiao nian¡¯s words, shen mo¡¯s heart, which had been in his throat, gradually settled back down. clearing away his private conjectures, he said in a low voice, ¡°she¡­ she went overseas to study.¡± ¡°which country is she in? do you have her contact information?¡± qiao nian asked eagerly. if the shen family wanted to hide someone, it would be an easy task. shen mo looked at qiao nian in confusion. softly, he asked, ¡°miss qiao, you¡­¡± ¡°i would like to consult shen yue regarding some matters. i didn¡¯t see miss shen yue downstairs just now, so¡­¡± qiao nian¡¯s expression took on a tinge of disappointment as she spoke. ¡°as you know, i¡¯ve been trapped in a mental hospital all this time. in the past, i couldn¡¯t sneak out of the hospital in case my family found out. this delay has lasted for five years!¡± at qiao nian¡¯s words, shen mo frowned slightly and said, ¡°miss qiao, don¡¯t worry. i¡¯ll help you ask.¡± ¡°thank you, young master shen.¡± shen mo looked at qiao nian¡¯s faint smile and the dimples in her cheeks. he could not help but smile in return. ¡°doctor qiao, you¡¯re too polite. i still have to thank doctor qiao for saving my life back then!¡± Chapter 34 - 34 Plotted Against 34 plotted against translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios ¡°that was in the past, young master shen. you shouldn¡¯t feel obliged,¡± qiao nian said as she tucked her hair behind her ear. she saw someone approaching from afar. ¡°young master shen, please excuse me!¡± shen mo nodded slightly. qiao nian walked towards the stairs in her high heels. along the way, she passed by qiao xin, but left without even turning to look at her. qiao xin gave qiao nian a strange look. she had wanted to speak to qiao nian, but seeing qiao nian ignore her completely, she couldn¡¯t be bothered to speak up. she would just be snubbed anyway. qiao xin walked towards the bathroom. when she saw shen mo, she smiled and greeted, ¡°young master shen.¡± shen mo nodded elegantly in response. he walked towards the stairs, his expression blank. zhao qian, who had been hiding in the room, saw that qiao nian and shen mo had left. only then did she step out of the room, frowning. zhao qian mused to herself. shen mo and qiao nian had met up privately, without anyone else knowing. could it be that they were having an affair? as she thought about this, zhao qian¡¯s eyes lit up. if brother gu zhou knew that qiao nian was together with another man, he would definitely divorce her. when that happened, she could marry brother gu zhou! zhao qian regretted not taking a photo of shen mo and qiao nian together. if she had, she could have sent it to brother gu zhou. however, she felt that qiao nian would definitely meet shen mo again. qiao nian went downstairs. sitting alone, she began to eat quietly. after a while, her phone buzzed. she unlocked her phone and saw that old a had sent shen yue¡¯s information over. the information that old a had found covered all the same bases, but shen yue¡¯s information was still only from five years ago. in the end, the words ¡°whereabouts unknown¡± indicated the time she had disappeared. frustrated, qiao nian took a sip of her wine, then calmed down. her only hope was with shen mo. after a while, a maid passed by qiao nian with a tray of drinks and said in a low voice, ¡°young master shen is waiting for you by the pool!¡± qiao nian glanced at the maid¡¯s retreating back. she stepped out of the villa. after leaving the villa, qiao nian felt that the whole world had become much quieter. at long last, she no longer needed to listen to the cordial yet wholly insincere conversation of the people inside the house. the shen family¡¯s garden was quite big. if qiao nian hadn¡¯t asked the servants beforehand, she might have gotten lost. she walked over to the pool. seeing that there was no one around, qiao nian grew doubtful. at this moment, a figure walked over from afar. qiao nian turned around and saw a dreadful-looking man walking towards her. ¡°hey, gorgeous! are you waiting for me?¡± the man looked at qiao nian lewdly. his adam¡¯s apple bobbed in his throat as he rubbed his hands together. ¡°don¡¯t be shy. come with me, we¡¯ll have fun together!¡± qiao nian spun around. she was about to leave when she saw a young lady in a gown standing behind her. the young lady was holding a bat in her hand. without hesitation, she brought the bat down on qiao nian¡¯s head. did someone set her up? qiao nian was already holding a coma-inducing drug in her hand. without hesitation, she threw the drug in the girl¡¯s face and was about to leave when the man walked up to the girl, grabbing hold of her. ¡°miss, what happened? are you alright?¡± the man looked at the young lady anxiously. qiao nian immediately turned to walk towards the villa. from afar, she saw many people walking out of the villa. she had no choice but to hide in a dark corner. could someone have set her up? qiao nian looked towards the side of the pool. the young lady had thrown herself into the man¡¯s arms. the two of them were entangled together in a fit of passion. something was wrong. the drug she gave the girl would only have made her unconscious. qiao nian suddenly recalled that when she left, she had smelled the fragrance of the girl¡¯s perfume. it seemed to be mixed with some other scent. it was a lust drug! the powdered drug should have been on the gown that the young lady was wearing. the drug would take effect immediately after touching the skin, and someone standing one meter away would also be aroused by the smell. if qiao nian wasn¡¯t wrong, someone must have invited the young lady and the man to the pool at the same time. if qiao nian had smelled the scent of love powder, she might be locked in an embrace with the two of them now. what a vicious scheme! qiao nian¡¯s gaze fell on the group of people coming out of the villa. zhao qian was at the front, qiao xin was at the back, and there were a few socialites in between that qiao nian didn¡¯t recognize. qiao nian¡¯s expression darkened. she took out her cell phone and took a photo of the six of them. it must have been one of them who had planned this. qiao xin, zhao qian, and the others walked to the pool, only to glimpse the young lady and the man having sex. ¡°ah!¡± zhao qian¡¯s scream rang out, frightening away all the birds in the garden. ¡°don¡¯t scream!¡± qiao xin covered zhao qian¡¯s mouth and said softly, ¡°right now, we should pretend that we didn¡¯t see anything. let¡¯s get out of here!¡± zhao qian nodded, dazed. just as she was about to leave, she saw many servants running over towards them. her expression instantly turned ugly! Chapter 35 - 35 Framed 35 framed translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios ¡°what should we do? someone¡¯s coming!¡± zhao qian was at her wits¡¯ end. although she had meant no harm, if others found out that miss shen xing was fooling around with a man in public, shen xing would definitely bear a grudge against her. so would the entire shen family. a trace of panic flashed in qiao xin¡¯s eyes. she had initially thought that qiao nian would also be present, but contrary to her expectations, there was only shen xing, together with a wretched man. this was terrible. if matriarch shen knew that qiao xin had caused shen xing to ruin her purity in front of everyone, then the qiao family¡­ this wouldn¡¯t do. she could not allow the qiao family to fall into danger. seeing a socialite taking out her phone to record the scene, qiao xin seemed to have thought of something. she turned to leave, but saw qiao nian looking at her meaningfully from not far away. qiao xin quickly looked away, not daring to meet qiao nian¡¯s eyes. slowly, she pressed her slender fingers to her temple and collapsed to the ground weakly, pretending to faint. zhao qian had wanted to ask qiao xin for help. seeing qiao xin faint, she hurriedly shouted, ¡°qiao xin! qiao xin, what¡¯s wrong? wake up!¡± when the socialite heard zhao qian¡¯s words, she turned to look at qiao xin, who was now lying on the ground. just as she was about to speak, a servant hurried over. ¡°what happened?¡± butler shen looked at qiao xin, lying prone on the ground. just as he finished speaking, he heard the sound of making love from not far away. he looked over and saw his family¡¯s third young mistress sitting naked on a man, bouncing up and down. ¡°miss!¡± at this moment, butler shen had no time to pay any attention to the person lying on the ground. he quickly ran toward the two people locked in an embrace on the lawn. when he saw that his family¡¯s young mistress was completely naked, his expression instantly soured. he immediately took off his suit jacket, draping it on shen xing¡¯s body. ¡°go away!¡± shen xing was already wholly under the control of the lust drug. she pushed away butler shen, who was trying to pull her off the man, and flung away the suit jacket. she then threw herself onto the man in excitement. butler shen had no choice but to knock shen xing out and forcibly take her away. ¡°what¡¯s going on here?¡± along with many others, matriarch shen rushed to the scene. when she saw shen xing in butler shen¡¯s arms, her gaze landed on shen xing¡¯s bare legs. in that instant, she understood everything. she shouted sternly, ¡°butler, what¡¯s going on?¡± matriarch shen was known for being strict with her children. however, on this special day, her granddaughter actually had sex in front of everyone. how could she tolerate this! matriarch shen gripped her walking stick tightly. in order to protect the shen family¡¯s reputation, she could only let shen xing suffer. ¡°wake her up!¡± matriarch shen pointed at shen xing and said furiously, ¡°and that man, bring him over!¡± butler shen splashed pool water on shen xing, waking her up from her coma. he then tied the man up and threw him in front of matriarch shen. ¡°ah!¡± when shen xing woke up, she discovered that she was only wearing a suit jacket. the suit jacket barely covered her thighs. if she moved slightly, she would be exposed in public. she clutched at the jacket in a panic, her face red with embarrassment and fear. shivering, she curled in on herself. everything that had just happened replayed in her mind. it was over! it was all over! shen xing drew a cold breath. how could she be so desperately eager to be with a man like ah san? no, she couldn¡¯t possibly be so wanton. shen xing suddenly remembered that qiao nian had sprinkled some powder on her earlier. her eyes lit up and she immediately shouted, ¡°grandma, please save me! i¡¯ve fallen into someone¡¯s trap!¡± when the onlookers heard shen xing¡¯s words, they all expressed their disbelief. one by one, they began to mutter softly. ¡°i didn¡¯t expect young mistress shen to be so uninhibited.¡± ¡°who knew? young mistress shen¡¯s amorousness has truly broadened my horizons!¡± ¡°i heard that it was young mistress shen who pounced on the servant. that poor servant. he might lose his job because of miss shen.¡± ¡­ matriarch shen had already thought of how to punish shen xing. however, when she heard shen xing¡¯s words, her eyes flickered. ever since she was a child, shen xing had grown up by matriarch shen¡¯s side. although shen xing was arrogant and willful, she would never do such an outrageous thing. ¡°tell me, what really happened?¡± hearing the discussion of the surrounding onlookers, matriarch shen spoke sternly, her eyes as cold as ice. qiao nian stepped in slowly from the other side. she looked at qiao xin, who was still lying on the ground, and casually stepped on qiao xin¡¯s hand. seeing that qiao xin remained unmoving, she stepped again on the back of qiao xin¡¯s hand, her expression blank. qiao nian thought to herself, ¡°let¡¯s see who¡¯s better at acting!¡± ¡°grandma, you have to uphold justice for me!¡± with tears running down her face, shen xing pointed at qiao nian in the crowd, shouting loudly. ¡°it¡¯s qiao nian! she¡¯s the one who wants to harm me!¡± matriarch gu was standing beside matriarch shen. at shen xing¡¯s words, her expression immediately soured. without waiting for matriarch shen to speak, she said, ¡°miss shen, you have to take responsibility for your words. my granddaughter-in-law would never do something so despicable!¡± Chapter 36 - 36 Outrageous 36 outrageous translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios matriarch shen and matriarch gu had always been close. at matriarch gu¡¯s words, matriarch shen¡¯s expression turned ugly as well. shen xing stood rooted to the spot, stunned. her face was extremely pale, and her lips were trembling. she swallowed nervously. what was matriarch gu trying to say? was she trying to say that she was framing qiao nian? shen xing was about to take a step forward, but sensed that any movement would lead to a wardrobe malfunction. she had no choice but to stand on the spot, glaring at qiao nian viciously. she had initially wanted to harm qiao nian, but she had never expected that she herself would end up getting into trouble! she knew very well that if she didn¡¯t cast the blame on qiao nian, her future would be ruined. ¡°qiao nian, are you the one who drugged me? if you have any courage at all, then step forward!¡± shen xing yelled. she was determined to make sure that qiao nian was utterly destroyed. if she couldn¡¯t ruin qiao nian, then her name wasn¡¯t shen xing. once again, everyone¡¯s gaze fell on qiao nian¡¯s face. there was no one present who didn¡¯t know who qiao nian was. the moment qiao nian made her appearance at the banquet, she immediately became familiar to everyone present. qiao nian stood there calmly, her lips pursed into a straight line. looking at shen xing coldly, qiao nian began to walk towards her. wherever she walked, the crowd parted automatically. qiao nian met shen xing¡¯s resentful gaze fearlessly, her red lips curving upwards. it was as though she was telling shen xing that if she committed any more unjust acts, she would bring about her own destruction! shen xing looked into qiao nian¡¯s eyes, and a tinge of panic flashed through her mind. she gripped the sleeves of the suit jacket uneasily, her heart beating wildly. at this moment, matriarch shen¡¯s eldest son, shen ming, arrived at the scene as well. shen ming was shen xing¡¯s biological father. shen ming stood rooted to the ground. behind his gold-rimmed glasses, his dark eyes were filled with shock. he had no idea how to react. that was his youngest daughter. she had been pampered and spoiled ever since she was young, but he never expected shen xing to do something so shameless in public. in shen ming¡¯s pocket, his right hand clenched into a tight fist. he willed himself not to explode. shen xing saw that her father was at the scene as well. she had been on the verge of breaking down, but now her emotions quietened. her tears fell uncontrollably, glittering strangely under the streetlights. ¡°father.¡± shen xing gripped the suit tightly, still uneasy. the suit had been given to her by butler shen. without butler shen¡¯s help, she could only stand there naked. the socialites who were usually on good terms with shen xing silently distanced themselves from her. they were afraid that they would be labeled as shen xing¡¯s good friend. if their reputations were affected by any gossip related to shen xing, it would be difficult for them to get married in the future. because of shen ming¡¯s arrival, the surrounding people no longer dared to gossip carelessly. after all, the status of the shen family was clear to everyone. who would dare to challenge the shen family? if they did, it would be impossible to even remain in an city. ¡°what on earth did you do?!¡± shen ming¡¯s voice trembled with rage. he had never expected shen xing to do something so despicable. shen xing looked at her father as though she was looking at her life savior. tears of grievance fell as she said, ¡°father¡­ it¡­ it was qiao nian who set me up!¡± shen xing¡¯s words were like an explosive bomb, causing everyone to be dazed with shock. all the onlookers turned to look at qiao nian. qiao nian¡¯s expression was calm. she stood there nonchalantly, as though she were a lotus flower which had sprouted from mud, yet remained wholly untainted. it was as if everything happening around her had nothing to do with her. shen ming and matriarch shen turned to look at qiao nian, their twin glares like a pair of sharp swords. qiao nian¡¯s eyes turned cold. it seemed like the shen family wanted her to be a scapegoat in order to clear shen xing¡¯s name. following the other gentlemen, su yan arrived at the scene and saw qiao xin sitting at the side, her face pale. he walked towards her and asked worriedly, ¡°xin xin, what¡¯s wrong? are you feeling unwell?¡± qiao xin looked up and shook her head gently. she turned to look at qiao nian, who was standing in the middle of the crowd some distance away. adding fuel to the fire, qiao xin said, ¡°sister is in big trouble. shen xing doesn¡¯t seem to like her at all.¡± before su yan arrived, he had already seen the comments in the group chat about how qiao nian had caused shen xing to lose her virginity. now that he heard qiao xin¡¯s words, he was even more certain that qiao nian was indeed the culprit. fortunately for him, he didn¡¯t get together with qiao nian back then. what a vicious woman! su yan glanced at qiao nian. she still looked pure and innocent. looking at her face, he felt nauseous. ¡°father,¡± shen xing sobbed. ¡°you have to believe me¡­ it really was qiao nian. i¡­¡± shen xing cried until she was out of breath, but did not forget to direct blame. shen ming looked at shen xing, who was sobbing heart-wrenchingly. shen xing had been born in her parents¡¯ later years, and shen ming had always doted on her the most. he looked toward qiao nian furiously and shouted, ¡°qiao nian!¡± matriarch gu looked at qiao nian worriedly. she stepped forward and said, ¡°i refuse to believe that my granddaughter-in-law could be someone so despicable!¡± shen xing could no longer care about her status as a socialite. she took a step forward and pointed at qiao nian. ¡°she¡¯s escaped from the mental hospital!¡± Chapter 37 - 37 Refutation 37 refutation translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios the mental hospital? the onlookers were stunned. even matriarch gu was stunned. she would never believe that her darling child had come out of a mental hospital. she quickly said, ¡°miss shen, you¡¯re clearly in the wrong, yet you still want to drag my granddaughter-in-law into this. when we arrived, qiao nian wasn¡¯t even here!¡± as soon as matriarch gu said this, the people who had suspected that qiao nian was the culprit instantly fell silent. indeed, they hadn¡¯t seen qiao nian. ¡°no, it¡¯s not like that at all!¡± shen xing screamed like a shrew, her hair disheveled. ¡°qiao nian drugged me. she¡¯s the one who caused me to end up like this!¡± glaring daggers at qiao nian, shen xing roared hysterically, ¡°you¡¯re a lunatic. you killed your good friend li chun and caused my sister to disappear off the face of the earth. now, you¡¯re even trying to harm me! you¡¯re a demon from hell. you deserve to die and go to the eighteenth level of hell!¡± everyone looked at qiao nian doubtfully, narrowing their eyes. qiao nian looked like a fairy maiden, innocent and gentle. at the thought that she could have killed someone in the past, they couldn¡¯t help but take a step back in fear. li chun was dead? shen yue was missing? qiao nian¡¯s face was expressionless, but her heart was already surging with emotions. she had never managed to find li chun. why did shen xing say that li chun was dead? qiao nian walked gracefully to shen xing. her gaze finally landed on the adulterer. she asked curiously, ¡°miss shen, who is this person?¡± hearing qiao nian¡¯s voice, everyone¡¯s gaze landed on the adulterer. previously, they had only wanted to watch the show, and had completely forgotten about the adulterer. ¡°isn¡¯t he the shen family¡¯s gardener?¡± a socialite who was not on good terms with shen xing said bluntly. ¡°oh, i see. so he¡¯s the gardener of the shen family,¡± qiao nian said casually, her beautiful eyes shining with a strange light. there was an aura of power around her. ¡°this is my first time coming to the shen family. how did i collude with the gardener of the shen family and let him ruin miss shen¡¯s innocence?¡± she was clearly only a young lady in her twenties, but her aura was not in any way weaker than that of shen ming, who had been in the business world for thirty years. qiao nian¡¯s casual words easily extricated herself from shen xing¡¯s accusations. there wasn¡¯t a single person present who didn¡¯t admire qiao nian. seeing the challenge in qiao nian¡¯s eyes, shen ming walked in front of her and questioned, ¡°aren¡¯t you a sharp-tongued girl? you¡¯ve been plotting behind our backs¡ªthere¡¯s no way you would admit to your deeds out loud!¡± qiao nian hadn¡¯t wanted to continue pursuing the matter, but after hearing shen ming¡¯s words, she knew that shen ming was trying to smear her reputation on purpose. her beautiful eyes narrowed slightly as she raised her brows and retorted, ¡°you¡¯re spouting nonsense without any evidence. shen xing, let me ask you. when did i drug you?¡± before shen xing could speak, qiao nian continued, ¡°i didn¡¯t speak to you the entire night. how could you have fallen into my trap?¡± at this moment, a man hurried over from afar. it was none other than shen mo. shen mo had been helping qiao nian investigate shen yue¡¯s whereabouts. when he sneaked out of shen ming¡¯s office, he saw that there was no one left in the hall. shen mo took out his phone and saw that the wechat group chat was already in an uproar. he could hear shen xing accusing qiao nian from afar. he could not help but frown. shen mo walked up to qiao nian and shielded her behind him. he said, ¡°uncle, miss qiao is not that kind of person!¡± with the appearance of shen mo, those who initially believed in qiao nian¡¯s innocence began to doubt her as well. qiao nian had said that she wasn¡¯t familiar with the shen family. wasn¡¯t this a direct contradiction? shen ming was already very angry. he looked at shen mo with a surly expression and raised his hand to slap shen mo. however, shen mo dodged the blow. ¡°uncle, let¡¯s call the police!¡± shen mo said without changing his expression. he had faith that qiao nian was not that kind of person. shen ming found himself at a disadvantage. even though shen xing¡¯s reputation had been completely ruined, he was still worried that the shen family¡¯s reputation would be ruined as well. he shouted sternly, ¡°shen mo, how dare you help an outsider! get out of my way! i¡¯m going to make this vicious girl suffer the consequences of her own actions!¡± ¡°mr. shen sure is arrogant!¡± gu zhou¡¯s deep voice resounded from the back of the crowd, his voice rising slightly. upon hearing his voice, everyone was stunned for a moment. they turned their heads and looked over. most people did not recognize gu zhou and began whispering to one another. gu zhou had a hand in his pocket. with two bodyguards behind him, he walked elegantly from the crowd to shen ming. there was a faint coldness at the corner of his lips and his eyes were slightly narrowed. he had a natural sense of alienation and indifference, and his entire body emitted a cold aura. when shen ming saw gu zhou, a trace of astonishment flashed across his face. frowning, he silently took a step back. su yan had coincidentally seen a photograph of gu zhou in the past. seeing gu zhou approach, he knew that this farce would definitely end with the defeat of the shen family. Chapter 38 - 38 He Will Protect Her 38 he will protect her translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios seeing gu zhou appear, qiao xin shuddered involuntarily. su yan sensed that qiao xin wasn¡¯t feeling well. he looked at her worriedly and whispered, ¡°xin xin, if you¡¯re unwell, can i take you to the hospital?¡± su yan had never been interested in gossip. he felt that he might as well use the time to read more books. ¡°i¡­ i¡¯m fine,¡± qiao xin said gently. how could she leave? she wanted to see qiao nian humiliated by gu zhou. gu zhou stood next to qiao nian. his facial features were well-defined, and he looked extremely distinguished. he raised his chin slightly, like a proud and aloof king. someone recognized gu zhou and exclaimed, ¡°isn¡¯t this the second young master of the gu family?¡± everyone gasped and looked at gu zhou in disbelief. ¡°he¡¯s not ugly at all!¡± ¡°he¡¯s so handsome. i want to give birth to his child!¡± ¡°oh dear, if i had known, i would have married into the gu family!¡± ¡­ the socialites present murmured among themselves. the gu family was the most powerful family in an city. no aristocratic family dared to go against the gu family. even though it was rumored that second young master gu was ugly and short-lived, many socialites still volunteered to marry into the gu family. however, the gu family did not find any of them suitable. everyone stared at gu zhou. they knew that gu zhou was someone they could not afford to offend. gu zhou¡¯s tone seemed to indicate that he disapproved strongly of shen ming¡¯s actions. although everyone knew that qiao nian was gu zhou¡¯s bride, they also knew that the two of them hadn¡¯t been married for long. moreover, some people had heard that gu zhou didn¡¯t seem to like qiao nian. otherwise, gu zhou would be the one bringing qiao nian to this banquet. qiao nian stood beside gu zhou. lifting her eyes slightly, she glanced at the cold aura surrounding gu zhou. she narrowed her eyes. she was curious about what gu zhou intended to do. ¡°second young master, long time no see,¡± shen ming said through gritted teeth. he had wanted to make qiao nian take the blame while gu zhou wasn¡¯t around. but by the looks of it, this plan would no longer work. gu zhou lifted his eyes and looked at qiao nian. the coldness in his aura dissipated to a considerable extent as he said gently, ¡°nian nian, you¡¯re too good-tempered. that¡¯s why you get bullied.¡± shen ming felt like he had been slapped in the face. he felt awkward and helpless, but he couldn¡¯t say anything because the shen family still had to rely on the gu family. matriarch shen looked at qiao nian with a complicated expression, then her gaze fell on matriarch gu, who looked gratified. her heart skipped a beat. she did not expect gu zhou to stand on qiao nian¡¯s side. matriarch shen had already sent people to keep an eye on gu zhou and qiao nian. the information she received was that gu zhou didn¡¯t like qiao nian, but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case now. qiao nian lowered her gaze. obediently, she gave an affirmative response. gu zhou walked up to matriarch shen and matriarch gu and asked, ¡°grandma, madam shen, how have you been?¡± matriarch shen¡¯s heart was in her throat. she had been living quite well, but her life would take a turn for the worse very soon. however, matriarch shen still had to follow the rules of etiquette. ¡°thank you for your concern. i¡¯m fine. i just can¡¯t believe that such a thing has happened¡ªwhat will outsiders think!¡± gu zhou¡¯s cold gaze fell on shen ming¡¯s face. he continued, ¡°the events today have to be investigated thoroughly. we can¡¯t let outsiders make fun of us!¡± as gu zhou spoke, he gave lin nan a look. wearing a well-tailored suit, lin nan looked around at the entire crowd. with a cold expression, he pushed his gold-rimmed glasses up and said loudly, ¡°everyone, please don¡¯t record any videos or take any photographs. if any videos are leaked tonight, i¡¯m afraid none of you will be able to attend banquets of this kind ever again!¡± most of the guests here today were people with money and status in an city. hearing lin nan¡¯s words, they weren¡¯t too annoyed and deleted the videos on their phones quietly. as for what they were discussing in the group chat, it hardly mattered anymore. after all, everyone in the group was present today, which meant that this incident would not be leaked to anyone else. knowing that this matter would not spread further, shen ming secretly heaved a sigh of relief. he did not have the ability to openly threaten those people. only gu zhou had the capability to do such a thing. shen ming looked toward the gardener and asked sternly, ¡°useless thing, what¡¯s your name? tell me the whole story!¡± ¡°my¡­ my name is sun jiu,¡± sun jiu said shakily. he lowered his head even more, his voice trembling. ¡°tonight¡­ tonight¡­¡± before sun jiu could finish speaking, shen xing spoke impatiently, ¡°sun jiu, do think this through carefully. tell us the truth. otherwise, don¡¯t blame me for being rude!¡± when sun jiu heard shen xing¡¯s words, he couldn¡¯t help but tremble. he looked at shen xing with trepidation and pursed his lips slightly before saying, ¡°m-miss qiao gave me money to¡­¡± upon hearing this, the corners of shen xing¡¯s lips turned up slightly. she looked at qiao nian with a haughty expression. her eyes were vicious as she snapped, ¡°qiao nian, so it really was you!¡± Chapter 39 - 39 Being Taken Advantage Of? 39 being taken advantage of? translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios lin nan walked towards sun jiu, his expression calm. he gazed at sun jiu¡¯s face for a long while before he spoke. ¡°mr. sun, every word you say will be recorded. please tell us everything that happened from the beginning. if we find out that you are lying, the consequences¡­¡± lin nan paused for a second and pushed his glasses up. he continued, ¡°the last person who lied¡­ his family is already begging on the streets. none of the companies under the gu family will hire him or any of his family members.¡± the blood drained from sun jiu¡¯s face. most of the companies in country z were related to the gu family. even those companies who were not would still not hire them out of respect for the gu family. sun jiu was so frightened that his legs gave way, and he sank to his knees. naturally, shen xing knew lin nan was threatening sun jiu. her heart skipped a beat. if she could not drag qiao nian down this time, her reputation would be ruined. however, beyond that, the entire shen family would definitely become a thorn in the gu family¡¯s side. if she had known this would happen, she wouldn¡¯t have targeted qiao nian in the first place. but it was too late for regrets. shen xing wanted to kick sun jiu, who was kneeling beside her, but she was afraid that she would be exposed. she could only stand on the spot and glare at sun jiu with a ferocious expression. she said furiously, ¡°i told you to tell the truth. hurry up!¡± shen ming glanced at shen xing with a peculiar expression before turning his gaze toward sun jiu, who was still kneeling. he had initially planned to make use of this opportunity to get shen xing and sun jiu engaged. however, it appeared that sun jiu wasn¡¯t someone who could be placed in a position of importance. shen ming only hoped that this matter would end as soon as possible. then, he could send shen xing overseas and never allow her to return. thus, he said, ¡°xing xing, you tell the story. you¡¯re not allowed to lie!¡± shen xing did not understand her father¡¯s good intentions. she continued to glare at qiao nian angrily and berated loudly, ¡°qiao nian, you¡¯re so vicious. i didn¡¯t expect you to ruin my reputation. i know you¡¯re the second young madam of the gu family now, but i¡¯d rather die than submit to you!¡± qiao nian looked away with an impatient expression. she was not the least bit interested in what shen xing was saying. she glanced at shen xing indifferently and said, ¡°miss shen, regarding what has happened tonight, i advise you to think carefully before you speak. don¡¯t let anyone with ulterior motives take advantage of you!¡± shen xing¡¯s heart sank. ulterior motives? shen xing subconsciously glanced at qiao xin, who was sitting not far away. if qiao xin had not told her about those things, she would never have thought of going against qiao nian. moreover, she wouldn¡¯t have known that qiao nian was the person who had hurt her older sister. shen xing saw that qiao xin had her head lowered. she glanced back at qiao nian. qiao nian¡¯s indifferent expression seemed to be giving her one last chance. was qiao xin trying to harm her? no, she was young mistress shen. she had never interacted with qiao xin at all. why would qiao xin do this to her? ¡°miss shen.¡± when shen xing heard qiao nian calling her, she looked toward her, still stunned. ¡°miss shen, your gown today is very unique. there¡¯s even a strange smell.¡± qiao nian felt that with shen xing¡¯s pig-like brain, she probably wouldn¡¯t be able to figure out what was going on. all qiao nian could do was help shen xing get there. strange smell? shen xing¡¯s face turned paler and paler. she swallowed nervously and looked at qiao nian in panic. turning to glance at qiao xin not far away, she saw that qiao xin was about to leave. shen xing shouted, ¡°qiao xin, stop right there!¡± due to shen xing¡¯s warning, gu zhou¡¯s men immediately stopped qiao xin and su yan from leaving. a trace of panic flashed in qiao xin¡¯s eyes before she reverted back to her gentle and weak facade. su yan helped her walk back. zhao qian stood at the side with a stunned expression. she glanced at qiao xin, then at shen xing who was not far away. her gaze fell on shen xing¡¯s gown hidden in the grass, and she cried out in surprise. everyone looked at zhao qian in confusion. seeing that zhao qian was hesitating to speak, matriarch gu waved at her and asked softly, ¡°qian qian, what¡¯s wrong? what do you have to say?¡± before zhao qian could say anything, shen xing shouted at qiao xin, ¡°qiao xin, get over here! let me smell you!¡± even though shen xing was only wearing a suit jacket, the powerful aura radiating from her was still impossible to overlook. her legs were tense. seeing that qiao xin was dawdling on purpose, shen xing roared angrily, ¡°qiao xin, is your leg broken or what? why are you walking so slowly? do you need me to carry you over?¡± ¡°young mistress shen, xin xin has just fainted. she isn¡¯t feeling well right now.¡± su yan frowned. he didn¡¯t understand why shen xing had asked qiao xin to go over. he didn¡¯t want xin xin to get hurt. shen xing had no time to waste on su yan. she pulled qiao xin over and sniffed her. she frowned, looking at qiao xin with a complicated expression. qiao xin coughed lightly and glanced at shen xing confusedly, looking as if she were in pain. Chapter 40 - 40 Murderer! 40 murderer! translator: atlas studios editor: atlas studios shen xing glared at qiao nian angrily. she was almost misled by qiao nian. she thought it was qiao xin who wanted to harm her. now that she thought about it, if qiao xin had wanted to harm her, why would she use the same perfume as her? ¡°qiao nian, you¡¯re clearly the one who gave me the lust drug, yet you still want to implicate others. you¡¯re truly shameless!¡± shen xing yelled in exasperation. previously, she had heard qiao xin mention how awful qiao nian was. ¡°you killed your good friend and made my sister disappear. do you think no one knows what you¡¯ve done?¡± shen ming was slightly taken aback by shen xing¡¯s words. he asked in astonishment, ¡°xing xing, what did you say? are you talking about shen yue?¡± ¡°dad, sister went missing because of qiao nian!¡± as soon as shen xing¡¯s words fell, chaos erupted. everyone looked at qiao nian in disbelief. they never thought that this little-known young girl would have so many tricks up her sleeve. ¡°where is shen yue?¡± shen ming¡¯s eyes had turned red, and he was panting heavily. shen yue was his most beloved daughter. five years ago, shen yue had disappeared. he had been searching everywhere but could not find her! ¡°miss shen, i don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about. i didn¡¯t kill anyone, and i didn¡¯t kidnap your sister.¡± qiao nian paused, took out her cell phone and played a video. the video was of sun jiu and shen xing trying to harm her. qiao nian looked at the clothes not far away and continued, ¡°miss shen, i¡¯ve only given you a slight dose of a coma-inducing drug. there¡¯s definitely some on the outside of your clothes, but the inside of your gown is stained with a lot of lust powder. as long as the police come, they¡¯ll know if i¡¯m right!¡± when butler shen heard qiao nian¡¯s words, he immediately walked to the clothes and sniffed. then, he nodded at shen ming. ¡°miss shen, i only gave you the drug in self-defense. the drug i¡¯ve given you only lasts for a minute, and it will only make you dizzy for a little while,¡± qiao nian said expressionlessly. ¡°the thing that really made you lose your mind was the lust drug in your clothes. i don¡¯t have any enmity with you, and it¡¯s impossible for me to get to your gown before the banquet to add the lust drug. someone should already have sprinkled it on your gown before you wore it.¡± the moment her words fell, everyone got excited. qiao nian¡¯s rebuke was truly amazing. gu zhou gave qiao nian an approving look and nodded slightly. shen xing looked at qiao nian in frustration. her face was flushed red as she said angrily, ¡°since you knew that there was a lust drug in my clothes, why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± qiao nian shook her phone and said innocently, ¡°miss shen, you wanted to beat me to death with a stick. what should i say to you? i¡¯m not interested in saving someone who wants to kill me!¡± shen ming was on the verge of collapse. although his daughter was framed, shen xing had already angered the gu family. he was worried that¡­ ¡°enough!¡± matriarch shen snapped. she glared fiercely at shen xing. shen xing was not as obedient and sensible as shen yue. ¡°miss qiao, i would like to ask if you know where shen yue is?¡± when shen ming heard matriarch shen¡¯s question, he looked toward qiao nian in anticipation. he said, ¡°we¡¯ve been looking for shen yue for five years, but we couldn¡¯t find her. she met you before she disappeared!¡± five years? gu zhou, who had been standing at the side, frowned imperceptibly. he had previously investigated what happened five years ago and found out that li chun and shen yue had disappeared. he had thought that what happened five years ago was just between the two of them, but when he found out that the jade pendant was in qiao xin¡¯s hands, he didn¡¯t dare to jump to conclusions. ¡°i¡¯m sorry, i¡¯ve not seen her,¡± qiao nian said without hesitation. just then, everyone heard qiao xin¡¯s scream of pain. ¡°ah!¡± ¡°i¡¯m going to strangle you to death!¡± shen xing clutched at qiao xin¡¯s neck with both hands, glaring at her with a sinister expression. ¡°i¡¯m going to strangle you to death!¡± shen xing¡¯s terrifying appearance gave shen ming a shock. he stepped forward, slapped shen xing and said in a rage, ¡°what are you doing?¡± shen xing was bleeding at the corner of her mouth. she pointed at qiao nian and said furiously, ¡°five years ago, qiao nian strangled li chun to death like this. then, she strangled my sister like this!¡± at first, everyone had thought that this was just a simple incident of shen xing falling into someone¡¯s trap. however, they did not expect li chun and shen yue to be involved. shen xing even accused qiao nian of being a murderer in front of everyone. shen xing knew that everyone thought that she was a dirty rat that had crawled out of the gutter. all they felt towards her now was disgust and detestation. but even if her reputation was ruined, she had to find her sister and seek justice for her! shen xing stood up in tears and pointed at qiao nian as she sobbed. ¡°it¡¯s been five years. sister and li chun have already disappeared for five years. qiao nian, you¡¯re awful. if you didn¡¯t kill them, how could they have vanished from the face of the earth?¡± ¡°you killed my sister. for that, i won¡¯t let you off. i¡¯m telling you¡­¡± before shen xing could finish her sentence, she blacked out and collapsed.