Chapter 5

Ning Qian nimbly dodged the slap and smiled without really smiling. “Mom, I’m going to marry Brother Xue soon. If you hurt my face, the bride price might end up being cut in half.” She knew that what her mother cared about most was money. Ning’s mother was speechless. Something just didn’t feel right. In the past, this girl could barely squeeze out a few words in half a day. How had she suddenly become so sharp-tongued? Taking advantage of her mother’s momentary distraction, Ning Qian quickly opened the door and slipped outside. Beyond the door was a long corridor with rust-colored railings along the edge. After years of exposure to the elements, they were covered in rust. There were six households on each floor, and their family lived at the far right end. To get outside, they had to pass two other households before reaching the staircase in the middle. Almost every family had placed a small table outside their door. During mealtimes, they would gather around it, eating while chatting about everyday gossip. The woman living right next to their family, Aunt Wu, was especially fond of gossip. Farther down was Madam Wang, who was no pushover either. Sure enough, the moment Ning Qian stepped outside, she saw the two women eating bowls of porridge while chatting about gossip. As soon as they saw her, they immediately fell silent. Ning Qian noticed that the way they looked at her was clearly tinged with contempt. She was stunned for a moment. She hadn't offended them, had she? Why were they looking at her like that? Still, she smiled and greeted them. “Aunt Wu, Madam Wang, having breakfast?” The two women looked slightly embarrassed, so they casually asked, “Heading to work?” “Mm.” Ning Qian had just reached the bottom of the stairs when she heard the two women start gossiping. “Who would’ve thought? She looks so honest, but she’s actually got so many tricks up her sleeve!” “Exactly! She actually tried to seduce her own sister’s fiancé. That’s just too much…” “Everyone knows Director Xue may have a slight limp, but he’s handsome, and he’s capable too. I reckon he’ll probably become the factory director soon…” “That’s why she’s jealous! She actually went all the way to the bathhouse to seduce him. How shameless…” “…” Ning Qian sneered. Needless to say, that girl must have wailed all the way home last night, making sure everyone knew that she had supposedly seduced her fiancé! But she was no longer the naive, timid girl she had once been. These rumors couldn’t hurt her at all. Several families were having breakfast in the corridor on the first floor. When they saw her, they also gave her unfriendly looks. Ning Qian paid them no attention and walked out of the building. She followed the steps upward. Toward the end of her previous life, after starting her own business, she had gradually developed a habit of going for morning runs in order to stay healthier. However, her ankle injury had only just healed, so she didn’t dare run too fast and could only jog. She jogged all the way up the steps. This area was also filled with residential buildings, and Xue Yunkai lived in the one farther inside. Ning Qian subconsciously glanced in that direction before continuing forward. Farther ahead was a gravel road, full of potholes and uneven patches, stretching all the way toward the mountains. There were large fields of crops surrounding the road. This was no longer part of the factory housing compound but belonged to the nearby rural area. The air was fresh here, and there was plenty of open space, making it a good place to run. After running for a while, she reached another fork in the road. She had barely gone a few steps down one path when she noticed someone else running ahead—a tall, broad-shouldered man. There was something strange about the way he ran. Suddenly, he lost his balance and nearly fell. After steadying himself, he bent over and angrily pounded his leg. Xue Yunkai? The moment he bent down, Ning Qian caught sight of his stern face. She quickly turned around, only to accidentally kick a stone. Hearing the noise, the man looked over, and his expression immediately darkened. “Hi. What a coincidence…” Ning Qian greeted him awkwardly. Xue Yunkai hadn’t expected to run into this girl again so early in the morning, much less have her witness him making a fool of himself. “You came out for a run too? Is your foot healed?” After all, he had never seen her running before, and almost no one around here had the habit of going for morning runs. Ning Qian smiled brightly. “I’ve put on some weight recently, so I wanted to run and lose some. Thank you for asking, Director Xue. My foot is much better now.” Put on weight? Xue Yunkai instinctively glanced at her. Under the bright morning sunlight, the girl stood tall and graceful. Her skin was smooth and delicate, like a peeled egg. Her palm-sized face was delicate and captivating, her small nose straight and refined, and her red lips formed a beautiful curve. He had to admit that Ning Qian was prettier than her younger sister, Ning Lan, and her skin was better too. He couldn’t help feeling annoyed with himself. What was he thinking? Why was he comparing the two sisters? Suppressing his jumbled thoughts, he said indifferently, “I told you before. You and I are impossible.” He seriously suspected that she had deliberately followed him. Otherwise, how could they have coincidentally met like this? Ning Qian smiled lightly. “Director Xue, don’t worry. Even though everyone misunderstood what happened between us at the bathhouse, and I’ve already heard quite a few rumors this morning, it’s fine. I won’t force you to take responsibility.” “…” Xue Yunkai frowned slightly. Was she saying this because she genuinely didn’t want him to take responsibility? Ning Qian thought to herself with a chuckle: I’ve already made myself this clear. Whether you want to take responsibility is up to you. Originally, she hadn’t planned on clinging to him. But her situation at home was too difficult now. With all the rumors circulating outside, she probably wouldn’t have an easy time in the future either. Therefore, she had to escape her current predicament first. Only then would she have the time and energy to save money and build her own career. Xue Yunkai pondered for a long time before saying, “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of this matter.” With that, he ran ahead by himself. It was obvious that he didn’t want to talk to her. Ning Qian thought about it and turned around, jogging back. She couldn’t put too much pressure on him. Otherwise, things might have the opposite effect. As soon as she entered the house, she saw Zhou Jianan sitting on the sofa, with Ning Lan pressed closely against him. The two of them were laughing and chatting together. As Ning Lan moved, her chest repeatedly brushed against the man’s arm, yet he showed no intention of pushing her away. The corner of Ning Qian’s lips curled upward. Sure enough, the two of them had already been involved in something ambiguous. She had simply been too foolish to notice. Hearing the noise, the man immediately stood up, his eyes flickering uneasily. Ning Qian said indifferently, “Am I interrupting you two?” Zhou Jianan froze for a moment, clearly feeling guilty. But soon, his expression turned furious as he demanded, “Ning Qian, how could you do this to me? Haven’t I treated you well enough? And yet you still went and seduced your younger sister’s fiancé?” Ning Qian glanced at Ning Lan and said calmly, “Did she tell you?” Ning Lan immediately snorted. “Sis, you did something so disgraceful. Am I not allowed to tell anyone? I just don’t want Brother Jianan to be deceived!” “Ning Qian, tell me, how could you do this to me? I’ve devoted myself to you all these years, but you actually cheated on me!” Zhou Jianan’s face was filled with anger. Ning Qian sneered. “You treated me well, did you? Then take a good look at the clothes I’m wearing. Have you ever bought me a single piece of clothing? As far as I remember, the only things you ever gave me were two hair ties… Fine. I’ll return them to you right now!” With that, she removed the hair tie from her head and tossed it at him. “From now on, we’re done with each other! Haven’t you always been acting ambiguously with my sister? Fine. Now you have the perfect excuse to break off our engagement and marry her…” “…” Zhou Jianan was stunned. His face flushed bright red! It was true. Just moments ago, Ning Lan had acted coquettishly and asked him to break off his engagement and marry her, and he had already agreed. But now that Ning Qian had said it first, he felt strangely uncomfortable. He had originally expected her to burst into tears and cling to him, begging for forgiveness. He had never imagined that she would end things so decisively. This didn’t make sense. Although Ning Qian had never been good at expressing herself, he knew that she loved him desperately. So how could she suddenly agree to break up so easily?