The chill from autumn crept into the air — the night sky was overcast, and the rain poured mercilessly amidst the flashes of lightning and the thunder crashing. There were little pedestrians, and only dim yellow lighting reflected on the roads which were continuously being washed by the rain.

“Sir — please catch up to the red Porsche in front — I’ll pay you double.” An Xiaoning had her eyes fixed ahead, and she continued to press the driver.

“Alright, sure, sit tight.” The driver stepped on the accelerator and sped closer towards the luxury car.

Finally, it followed the car to the entrance of a supermarket at Riverside Promenade.

An Xiaoning immediately handed the fare over to the driver and said, “Sir, can I sit in your car for a few minutes?”

“Sure, Miss. How is the person in that car related to you?”

“He’s my husband.” An Xiaoning kept a straight face and said bluntly, “He’s with my cousin.”

Upon hearing this, the driver seemed to have thought of something and sat there with his eyes riveted ahead — he genuinely sympathized with An Xiaoning, who was beside him.

The downpour became heavier. After more than ten minutes, the Porsche that was in front started moving.

An Xiaoning clenched her teeth, rummaged through her bag to find her spare car keys, and crossed her bag over her shoulder to one side, resolutely alighting from the car.

But the driver did not leave. He wanted to see what she was going to do instead.

An Xiaoning swiftly walked to the front of the Porsche and used the spare keys to open the car — the woman in the car screamed and was pulled out of the car by her hair. Her body was unclothed. Subsequently, the man was also kicked out of the car undressed.

What really left the driver dumbfounded was that An Xiaoning drove the car away immediately — leaving the adulterous pair in their bare skin, with no covering on their most important body parts, standing outside the supermarket and shivering uncontrollably from the cold.

In the car, the lingering message of her husband’s affair with her cousin left An Xiaoning gripping the steering wheel with her hands trembling and her emotions gradually going out of control.

At last, she stopped the car and leaned on the steering wheel, wailing uncontrollably. At a young age, she was sent to the mountains to practice her religion and was sent back home when her master passed away — only to be forced to marry the influential Shi Shaochuan. On the day of the wedding, Shi Shaochuan made his disdain for her clear, declaring that he would make her a living widow and would never lay a finger on her his whole life.

Since their marriage, two years had gone past. He really did not touch her once and even seldom spoke to her. He would rather sleep with other women than with her on the same bed.

An Xiaoning had turned a blind eye to the other women he had been with last time, but she did not expect that he would even lay his hands on her own cousin...

After crying for a full half hour, she finally composed her emotions and went home.

“Young mistress — the matriarch and madam have flown into a rage. Be careful.”

“I know. Thanks, Uncle Lin.” An Xiaoning hastened her footsteps and, in one breath, she walked to the entrance of the living room.

As one foot entered the room, a cold porcelain cup landed accurately on her forehead. Bright red blood oozed out and trickled down her forehead. Matriarch Shi swiftly cast her a fierce glance, which pierced through her like a knife. “An Xiaoning, what big guts you have, you have the nerve to leave Shaochuan naked at Riverside Promenade! If this goes on the news, I’ll hold you responsible for it!”

“So what if it goes on the news? Did I ask him to sleep with my cousin?”

“Weren’t you the one who let your cousin live here? Now you’re putting the blame on Shaochuan when you were the one who caused this — if you didn’t let that little vixen live here, would this have happened?!” Matriarch Shi furiously slammed the table. “You’ve been married for two years — you can’t even get pregnant — even a chicken would have laid its eggs already!”

An Xiaoning smirked in amusement. “I’m still a virgin now, grandma. You tell me, how can I get pregnant by myself?”

“What!” Matriarch Shi cried out in alarm. She stared speechlessly at her daughter-in-law and said, “This you can’t blame on Shaochuan — he’s even willing to sleep with your cousin but not you. It must mean that you are of such a poor standard and don’t possess any charm at all.”

“What you mean is, I’m the one in the wrong no matter what. Then what more do I have to say?”

Shi Shaochuan came downstairs, his face looking ghastly. He placed the divorce agreement on the table. “Sign it, and get out of this house immediately.”

Mother Shi went forward to persuade. “Shaochuan, when your grandfather was alive, he forbade both of you from getting divorced. You have to abide by it.”

Shi Shaochuan did not look at his own mother and turned to his grandmother instead. “Today, if you and my mother disagree with this divorce, I will not set foot in this house ever again. When I got married, I already told both of you that I don’t like her — I hate her — I would rather marry a pig or dog than marry her, but grandfather insisted on this. Now, are all of you satisfied?”

Matriarch Shi fixed her gaze at him. “Have you really thought through this?”

“I’ve long thought through this.”

“Then just get a divorce. Your grandfather is not around anymore — even if he learns about this and gets angry in the underworld, your grandmother has your back.”

On Shi Shaochuan’s face emerged a glimpse of a smile. He had yet to open his mouth to get An Xiaoning to sign the papers, but the papers were already signed.

“Smart enough of you.” He snorted coldly, signed his own name, then passed her a copy. “See you at eight o’clock tomorrow at the Civil Affairs Bureau. Now you can get out of here with nothing in your possession.”

An Xiaoning suddenly laughed. “Sure. Many thanks to Master Shi for returning me my freedom — I’ll go and pack my belongings now and get out of here immediately with no delay.”

She did not care about the blood stain which had dried on her forehead, or the flabbergasted looks on the others, and returned to the bedroom. She quickly packed her clothes and carried her luggage downstairs. Without looking back at the Shi family again, she went out in the heavy rain.

—

She did not know where she could go from there — there was no place for her in her family. She had little money, and she only knew fortune-telling and communicating with spirits. All she could do now was to use her strengths to live on well.

Standing outside a household to seek shelter from the rain, she used the internet from her phone to search for the youngest corporate businessman in S Nation. Eventually fixing her target as Jin Qingyan, she read about his family and all of his information. As her eyes landed on information on his mother, An Xiaoning threw her phone into her pocket and quickly moved to another neighborhood district.

She stood before a door. She was about to reach out to press the doorbell, but a flash of blinding light projected from the side and a white Bentley speeding in the rain stopped behind her.

An Xiaoning turned around, her eyes fighting hard against the rain to look at the male driver.

The car door opened, and a shiny leather shoe landed. Jin Qingyan held a black umbrella in one hand and slowly walked to her. The umbrella landed above her head. His low and deep voice was masculine and attractive. “A woman should cherish herself — how can you stand outside in the rain?”

An Xiaoning gazed at his looks, her heart slightly moved. “Can you invite me in to sit?”

With a long deep look and a significant smile, he inquired, “You’re not afraid that you won’t be able to get out after you enter?”

An Xiaoning pursed her lips. “After passing through this door, I have no thoughts of coming out again.”

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!

As she walked through the door, An Xiaoning realized that the villa was much bigger than she imagined. It looked more spacious under the warm yellow light that was cast across the room.

Feeling chilly, An Xiaoning headed straight to the bathroom for a hot shower. Clad in Jin Qingyan’s white shirt and black trousers, she plonked herself down on the sofa and sipped on the hot ginger tea he made. The entire situation seemed rather peculiar and inappropriate since he was considered a stranger.

“If it were anybody else, they probably wouldn’t take me in,” said An Xiaoning.

“I’m not just anybody else,” Jin Qingyan said gently, swirling the glass of wine he was holding. “An Xiaoning, while I was on my way home, I happened to chance upon the marvelous feat that was you chasing your Husband and his Mistress out of the car, stark naked at the junction. If it hadn’t been for that, perhaps I would’ve just behaved like ‘anybody else’ and refused to take you in. Congrats, you’re now famous.”

Startled by Jin Qingyan’s words, An Xiaoning quickly explained, “Mr. Jin, I’m actually here to discuss a deal with you.”

“Oh?” said Jin Qingyan with raised eyebrows as he placed his feet on the table and wiped his mouth with a handkerchief. “What would you like to discuss with me about?” he questioned calmly.

“Your mother has been feeling a constant pain in her calf that won’t go away — even after multiple treatments by different doctors. Am I right?” An Xiaoning asked.

“Yes.”

“I have a permanent solution for your mother’s condition. If you trust me, she will never experience the pain ever again,” An Xiaoning said, her eyes fixed on him.

Jin Qingyan was surprised, for not a single soul except his family was aware of his mother feeling pain in her calf. Due to her strong sense of pride, she demanded that her family members not spread the word about her condition. In fact, she was now secretly receiving treatment, but the results had constantly been unsatisfactory.

Just how did An Xiaoning find out? he thought to himself as his mind filled with other questions.

“If you don’t believe me, give me a set of women’s clothes and I’ll go with you to visit your mother,” An Xiaoning said convincingly.

“What do you want in exchange?”

“Money. I want money,” she bluntly replied, with no intention of hiding her thoughts at all.

“How much?”

“I’m not a greedy person. Just 100 thousand yuan will do.”

In a moment of recklessness, Jin Qingyan gave his assistant a call and ordered her to deliver a set of women’s clothes for An Xiaoning. This was all done without hesitation.

“Are you aware of the consequences of lying?” Jin Qingyan questioned rhetorically.

“If what I said is not true, you’re free to do whatever you want to me,” replied An Xiaoning confidently, smiling as she finished her ginger tea.

Noticing how confident she was, Jin Qingyan decided to give her a shot.

An Xiaoning quickly put on the set of women’s clothes and followed him to visit his mother at his family mansionette.

“Qingyan, who’s this lady you’ve brought?” asked Jin Qingyan’s grandmother, the old Mrs. Jin.

“Just a specialist for Mother’s condition,” he replied. Then he asked, “Father, where’s Mother?”

“She’s in her room, resting in bed,” answered his father.

Jin Qingyan cast a glance at An Xiaoning, signaling for her to follow him to his mother’s bedroom. His father and grandmother also tagged along.

“Mother, this lady here says she can treat your calf,” he said immediately after opening the bedroom door.

“There had been so many experienced professionals who tried, but they all failed. Will she really make the cut?” asked Jin Qingyan’s mother as she broke out in a cold sweat, trying to bear with the nagging pain.

“Auntie, no amount nor type of medicine can heal your calf. This is because the pain is not caused by an illness,” An Xiaoning said to his mother bluntly. Moving to the bedside, she continued, “Auntie, I can ensure that the pain in your calf will completely subside in two minutes, if you will believe me.”

Mrs. Jin nodded along and agreed to give it a try. This was because she had no other resort, even though she was doubtful of An Xiaoning’s words.

An Xiaoning closed her eyes and began chanting with great speed. Once the time was right, she then pasted a yellow amulet that had words written in red onto Mrs. Jin’s calf. A miracle happened almost immediately. Mrs. Jin sprung up joyously and exclaimed while looking at her calf in disbelief, “It doesn’t hurt anymore! It really doesn’t! How incredible!”

“Auntie, the pain in your calf was caused by spirits. Thus, no medicine can help curb the pain,” said An Xiaoning with a smile.

“Spirits? Please take a seat and tell me more,” asked Mrs. Jin as the smile on her face stiffened.

Making herself at home, An Xiaoning sat down as instructed.

“In your situation, it is a case of karmic retribution,” An Xiaoning explained. “During March this year, you accidentally knocked down a young child while driving, crushing his stomach and legs under the wheels twice. It was so severe that it resulted in instant death. Although you’ve paid a hefty amount of money in compensation, you’ve never once visited the child’s grave to express your apology and remorse. Hence, the child bears hatred towards you for causing his death, even though it was not intentional. I suggest you go to his grave tomorrow morning and burn some paper clothes, along with 30 paper gold ingots, as a form of offering. I’ll then perform a ritual to send his spirit away, after which your calf will no longer hurt.”

Upon hearing what An Xiaoning had to say, Mrs. Jin said eagerly, “Yes, indeed. I accidentally ran over a child while driving, sometime in March. The injuries were fatal. I didn’t think much of the matter after compensating his parents a huge sum of money. So that explains it. I’ll atone for my sin tomorrow.”

With a nod, An Xiaoning continued, “Leave this amulet on your calf overnight, and the pain will have subsided when you remove it in the morning. However, it will continue to hurt, should you not do as I instructed earlier.”

“Of course, I’ll do as you say. Will the amulet still be effective after I remove it tomorrow?” asked Mrs. Jin, who was entirely convinced that An Xiaoning could help her.

“I’m afraid not. The amulet is only effective for one night. Rest assured, the pain will be gone once I perform the ritual tomorrow,” reassured An Xiaoning. “I’m hungry. Is there anything to eat?” she asked, feeling famished since she skipped dinner.

“Hubby, go get the kitchen to prepare some food for Ms. An, quick,” instructed Mrs. Jin.

“Thank you,” said An Xiaoning as she stood up.

After everyone else left, Mrs. Jin asked her son, “Qingyan, where did you find that lady?”

“I didn’t. She came forth to look for me, out of her own accord,” Jin Qingyan answered.

“Out of her own accord?” questioned a puzzled Mrs. Jin. “No one except our family members knows about my condition. Yet, not only is she aware, she even treated my calf using only an amulet. Wow, how strange.”

“Although it may seem hard to believe, it is indeed so,” said Jin Qingyan.

On his way out, Jin Qingyan noticed his grandmother chatting merrily with An Xiaoning, who sat opposite her.

He had never seen his grandmother so elated before.

If only Grandma was as warm and friendly towards Rui’er , he thought.

Unfortunately, Rui’er was simply too embarrassing and lowly in her eyes.

In that instant, his eyes turned dull as he felt a tinge of sadness.

——

While driving home, Jin Qingyan casually asked An Xiaoning, “Did you date and marry Shi Shaochuan out of your own will?”

“No,” An Xiaoning replied, a tone of melancholy in her voice. “Ever since I was young, my parents had sent me to the mountains to learn from a master. When I reached the age of 20, I left the mountains and happened to save an old man, who then asked for my name. Little did I know, he was Shi Shaochuan’s Grandfather, and he personally asked for me to marry his grandson shortly after. Enthralled by the large sum of betrothal money that Shi Shaochuan’s Grandfather offered, my parents secretly agreed to let me marry him, without my knowledge. Growing up in the mountains, I had no experience in dating, and so I never thought much about marriage. Thus, I simply agreed to marry Shi Shaochuan, thinking that he wasn’t a bad choice anyway.”

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!

Staring out of the window, An Xiaoning continued, “I have no idea why, but ever since we got married, Shi Shaochuan had always disliked me — we’ve never shared the same bed. Later on, his grandfather’s illness deteriorated, and he passed away shortly after. Ever since, my presence in the Shi family seemed almost redundant. Wait, shouldn’t you be more curious about why I ended up at your doorstep?”

“Well, to be honest, I’m more interested in finding out what else you’d wish to have, other than money,” replied Jin Qingyan.

“I wish to have a warm family,” replied An Xiaoning.

He had wanted just the same. With a slight smile, he stared coldly at the road ahead.

Making things clear beforehand, An Xiaoning said immediately after they arrived at his home, “I’d like for you to pay me half of the agreed sum in advance. You can pay the remaining half after the ritual is completed tomorrow.”

“Why are you rushing me? Rest assured, I will pay you what is due. But first, let me take a shower,” Jin Qingyan said in response, loosening his tie and taking off his coat.

He then put on his bedroom slippers and went upstairs while An Xiaoning waited for him in the living room.

Ten minutes passed. Then twenty... and now, thirty...

Yet, he still hadn’t returned.

Not wanting to wait any longer, An Xiaoning proceeded to look for him upstairs.

The moment she entered his bedroom, she was greeted by a Jin Qingyan who was dressed in nothing else other than a bathrobe, his back facing her. It was nothing like she had expected.

Jin Qingyan turned around and questioned, “Getting anxious?” His lips thinned into a smirk at the same time, startling her.

Not feeling like herself, An Xiaoning felt her heart racing out of the blue as she stared at him. “I-I-I... decided to come up to look for you because you haven’t returned even after a long time...” she said with a stutter.

“Are you going to barge in without knocking, even if I’m showering?” Jin Qingyan asked, voice delicate.

Is he implying that I was being impolite? An Xiaoning thought to herself.

Upon hearing his words, she blushed with embarrassment and wished that the earth would swallow her up.

“Of course not, you’re reading too much into things,” she answered.

“Come here,” instructed Jin Qingyan as, baring his olive skin, he sat on the sofa and poured two goblets of wine.

An Xiaoning proceeded to sit opposite him. “This is a cheque for 100 thousand yuan,” said Jin Qingyuan as he slid her the cheque.

Surprised, An Xiaoning asked, “Aren’t you afraid that the effects of my ritual are only temporary?”

“Well, you can be sure that I’ll hunt you down no matter where you go, if that happens,” answered Jin Qingyuan. Offering her a goblet of alcohol, he continued, “Try this. It’s a drink you’ve never tasted before.”

An Xiaoning picked up the goblet and gave it a sip. “What type of liquor is this?” she asked curiously after finding that it had a unique taste as he mentioned.

“It’s a concoction I mixed myself, which I named ‘Dreamyanghe’,” answered Jin Qingyan.

“What does ‘Dreamyanghe’ mean?”

“Dreamy Yanghe liquor.”

An Xiaoning enjoyed a drink every now and then, but she had good control and was never an alcoholic. However, she could not help but continue to down this liquor, sip after sip, goblet after goblet.

After three goblets of wine, she still wanted more. “You’ve had enough. The effects of this drink are too strong, you should not be drinking that much,” said Jin Qingyan while stopping her from pouring herself a fourth goblet.

“Mr. Jin, the effects don’t seem that strong to me. It tastes pretty good. Let me have another one, please, just one more,” An Xiaoning pleaded, licking her lips.

He had no choice but to give in and allow her to pour herself one last drink, after which he put the liquor away.

“I said it would be the last, why are you still putting it away? You miser!” she exclaimed in a drunken stupor.

“A miser? I’ve already offered you four goblets of the liquor, yet you are still not content. Do you have any idea how much each goblet costs?” retorted Jin Qingyan.

“A few hundred yuan... Or is it one thousand? Or two?”

“Twenty thousand yuan. You’ve finished 80 thousand yuan’s worth of liquor, and you’re still calling me a miser?” he replied.

An Xiaoning chuckled and stood up, almost losing her balance. “Wow, the effects are really strong. My head is spinning,” she continued, letting out a burp as she walked away from the sofa.

To Jin Qingyan’s surprise, An Xiaoning started walking towards his bed instead of leaving. Failing to stop her in time, he watched as she crawled onto his bed like a toad and kicked off the bedroom slippers.

“Get up and go sleep in the guest room,” he instructed, extending his hand to help her up. However, An Xiaoning turned around and whined with her eyes closed, “I’m only going to sleep for a while. Just a little while.”

Not expecting An Xiaoning to be an alcoholic, Jin Qingyan began to deeply regret his decision to offer her some liquor.

He really could not tell she was one.

After half an hour of waiting while sitting on the sofa, she still did not wake up — he had no choice but to resort to forcing her.

He had originally planned to carry her to the guest room. Little did he expect for An Xiaoning to react in such a way — she tugged at his bathrobe, causing it to fall to his waist instantly. After that, it continued to slide down further.

Jin Qingyan put her down so he could adjust his bathrobe. At that very instant, An Xiaoning suddenly threw up all over him.

The pungent odor of her vomit infiltrated his senses. He zoomed towards the bathroom, his hands covering his nose.

An Xiaoning slipped back into her sleep after throwing up, leaving behind the mess she created, which Jin Qingyan would have to clean up.

——

It was daybreak. An Xiaoning awakened from her sleep, and the scene before her robbed her of her senses the moment she opened her eyes.

She was lying stark naked in Jin Qingyan’s bed, and he was nowhere to be found.

What actually happened last night? she thought to herself.

Hearing the sudden noise of water coming from the toilet, she quickly covered herself with the duvet. Jin Qingyan walked out of the bathroom wearing a look of disdain as he looked at her and said, “What are you looking at? Put on some clothes and we’ll make our way to the old mansionette.”

“How... how did I end up in your bed?” An Xiaoning asked, bewildered.

“You should be asking yourself that,” answered Jin Qingyan. He left without another word.

She then hopped off the bed while holding onto the duvet which was covering her naked body, then picked up the clothes on the floor. After putting on her clothes, she noticed a few bloodstains on the white sheets, giving her yet another shock.

A terrifying image began to form in her mind.

Last night...

Did they do something they weren’t supposed to?

An Xiaoning quickly got dressed and took a photo of the stained sheets with her mobile phone. She hurried downstairs after taking the cheque left on the table.

Remembering that it was the day she had to file for a divorce, she took out from her still-drenched luggage a pouch containing her bank account passbook and personal identification card.

“What did you do to me last night?” An Xiaoning asked Jin Qingyan.

“Don’t you remember at all?” he replied, looking at her as if to say she was a fool to even ask.

“Of course I don’t.”

“Splendid,” remarked Jin Qingyan, his cool and calm reply driving her crazy as she thought, What does that mean?

“Last night, did we... do something upsetting?” she continued to ask.

“It was joyous for you, but not so much for me. Quick, go have your breakfast,” he instructed while putting on his shoes.

That darned jerk. How dare he say... it wasn’t great for him! An Xiaoning cursed in her head.

Her reaction was so boring. How infuriating! Jin Qingyan thought.

After putting on her shoes, she said strangely, “Anyway, I can’t recall what happened last night. Neither does it feel like anything. If not for the bloodstain on the sheets, I wouldn’t have believed something like that actually happened.”

Having just realized what she meant, a startled Jin Qingyan said casually without exposing her, “If you’d like me to prove it to you again while we’re sober, we can do it tonight. I’m all game for it.”

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!