At the Qiao family’s villa.

Qiao Xi put her identity card and household register into her backpack. Finally, she glanced at the empty attic before turning to leave.

“Sister, must you register your marriage with Brother Ling?”

Qiao Rou stood at the door, her delicate face full of sorrow. She pulled Qiao Xi’s arm and begged softly, “Sister, the Gu family is a big family with strict rules. You just came back from the countryside and don’t know anything. Brother Ling doesn’t like you, so you won’t be happy if you marry him.”

Qiao Xi instinctively stopped walking.

She was only marrying Gu Moling for the sake of fulfilling Grandfather’s wish. As for whether she would be happy or not, Qiao Xi had never considered it.

Before she could say anything, she heard Qiao Rou scream in shock. Her frail body slammed against the metal gate with a bang. She reflexively held her stomach and looked up in disbelief. “Sister, why did you… I know you’re jealous of my relationship with Brother Ling, but you’re about to marry him. I won’t go near Brother Ling anymore. What I said just now was to remind you that the Gu family isn’t that easy to enter. You didn’t need to get angry and attack me…”

A distance away, Gu Moling ran over. After helping Qiao Rou up with heartache in his eyes, he slapped Qiao Xi without asking any questions. “B*tch, you actually dared to push Rou Rou?! Who gave you the guts?!”

His slap was too forceful and five red finger marks instantly appeared on Qiao Xi’s fair cheeks.

The sharp pain penetrated her mind and awakened Qiao Xi’s senses that had yet to recover.

“I didn’t push her.”

No one listened to Qiao Xi’s explanation. Mr. Qiao, who came out as well, knew that Qiao Xi wanted to get a marriage certificate with Gu Moling. He barked out, “What marriage certificate? Moling and Rou Rou are childhood sweethearts and they share a good relationship with each other. As the elder sister, what reason do you have to snatch your younger sister’s boyfriend? Moreover, the Gu family has high requirements. You, a country bumpkin, will only bring shame to our Qiao family if you marry into their family. We’ve already decided that Rou Rou will take your place in marrying into the Gu family.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his hand and gestured for the servants to bring Qiao Xi into the villa so that she would not continue embarrassing herself at the entrance any longer.

“You’re letting her take my place?”

Qiao Xi took a step back to avoid the servants’ outstretched hands and her gaze landed on Mr. Qiao, Qiao Rou, and Gu Moling. The corners of her mouth were slightly raised. “So all of you had planned this out since a long time ago and had an ulterior motive while I was kept in the dark? In the end, I was played by all of you?”

Mr. Qiao was dissatisfied with her attitude. “What are you talking about? Rou Rou was raised and educated by the family since she was young. She has a noble character and an elegant temperament. She’s known as a genius young lady in Li City. How can a country bumpkin like you compare to her? We brought you back from the remote countryside to let you enjoy a life of luxury that you otherwise would never have been able to enjoy. What else are you not satisfied with?”

Qiao Xi tilted her head. “Didn’t you bring me back because of the shares in Grandpa’s hands?”

Grandpa said that after she got married, she would have 65% of Qiao Corporation’s shares and become the largest shareholder of Qiao Corporation.

“Let me guess. Not only do you not want me to marry Gu Moling but you also want me to never marry anyone in my life. That way, I’ll forever be under your control, right?”

Mr. Qiao’s expression changed slightly.

Gu Moling lowered his head, seemingly deep in thought. He thought that getting 65% of Qiao Corporation’s shares by marrying Qiao Xi was just a rumor…

Qiao Rou had been staring at Gu Moling’s expression. When she saw that he was deep in thought, her heart tightened. Suddenly, she cried out in surprise and held her stomach. “It hurts, my stomach hurts…”

A pool of blood slowly spread from her lower body.

Qiao Rou panicked when she saw the blood. She grabbed Gu Moling’s shirt and begged, “Brother Moling, save me, save our child…”

When the word ‘child’ sounded, everyone was stunned!

Qiao Rou said in a sobbing tone, “I’m sorry, Brother Ling, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hide it from you, but my sister wanted to marry you. I didn’t want to hurt my sister. I just wanted to give birth to the child alone. At the very least, the child could be a token to remember our years of relationship.”

Hearing Qiao Rou’s words, Gu Moling’s heart ached even more. He bent down and pulled Qiao Rou into his arms. “Why are you so silly? Our relationship has lasted for so many years and can’t be destroyed by some marriage contract. Besides, even though you treat a certain someone as your sister, she has never done the same!”

Gu Moling’s sharp gaze landed on Qiao Xi as he threatened her sinisterly. “You’d better hope that the child in Rou Rou’s stomach is fine. Otherwise, I’ll make you regret coming into this world.”

After he carried Qiao Rou and left, Mr. Qiao came back to his senses and hurriedly chased after her.

This farce ended so abruptly.

The sun was scorching in the sky.. Qiao Xi stood at the entrance and pondered for a while before leaving.

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Qiao Xi leaned against a large tree at the entrance of the Civil Affairs Bureau and surveyed the people entering and exiting with narrowed eyes.

She needed to pick a marriage partner among these people.

Mr. Qiao’s wishful thinking was to snatch the Qiao Corporation’s shares through her marriage. How could she let him have his wish?

…

Not far away, Gu Zheng was leaning against the front of the car, looking at his wrist from time to time. Even though there was no expression on his handsome face, one could still sense that he was extremely unhappy.

The driver kept wiping his sweat. “Young Master, we just received news that the Meng family is trying their best to find Miss Meng. You might have to wait a little longer.”

“I’ve been waiting for 20 minutes.”

Gu Zheng lowered his head and adjusted his watch. His tone was calm and emotionless when he said, “Tell the Meng family not to look for her anymore. We’ll cancel the marriage.”

He did not have a hobby of forcing people. Since Miss Meng did not want to marry him, he would not marry her.

The chauffeur hesitated. “But the old chairman…”

The old chairman was looking forward to getting Gu Zheng married as soon as possible. They thought that the marriage was set in stone, but Miss Meng still managed to escape in the end.

“Hello, I’m sorry for interrupting. Did your arranged marriage partner run away?”

Qiao Xi had observed them for a long time before deciding to go up and test them out. She smiled lightly at Gu Zheng. “It just so happens that my fiancé has escaped as well. Since we’ve both been left behind, should we get married?”

Gu Zheng raised his head upon hearing that.

The woman in front of him was carrying a canvas bag. Her legs were straight and slender under her wide sweater. Her long black hair was casually tied up behind her head. Her facial features were exquisite, and her skin was fair. She was eye-catching.

“Huh?”

Gu Zheng raised his hand to stop the chauffeur who was about to speak. He said playfully, “I don’t even know you. Why should I marry you?”

Qiao Xi touched the tip of her nose. “If you marry me, you can get 65% of Qiao Corporation’s shares. Is this reason enough?”

Gu Zheng raised an eyebrow.

Qiao Xi pointed at the chauffeur at the side and said, “I just heard the conversation between you and him. I know that you’re being forced to marry by your family. As long as you marry me, not only will you be able to give your family what they want but you’ll also be able to obtain 65% of Qiao Corporation’s shares. It’s like killing two birds with one stone.”

Perhaps she was afraid that Gu Zheng would not believe him, so Qiao Xi opened the share transfer document and showed it to him.

“Qiao Corporation’s…”

A name appeared in Gu Zheng’s mind. “You’re Qiao Xi?”

Qiao Xi was surprised. “You know me?”

Gu Zheng shook his head. He did not know Qiao Xi, but he could not stop the people around him from gossiping. They said that the eldest daughter of the Qiao family who was brought back from the countryside was weak and sick. Her survival relied on medications. They also said that she would take advantage of her status as the eldest daughter to boss around ten servants. She was said to be brainless and vulgar.

However, from the looks of it, the rumors could not be trusted.

Actually, before Gu Zheng appeared, Qiao Xi had also tried to approach a few people but they all treated her as a lunatic after listening to her. There was even one who wanted to call the police, saying that she was a scammer.

Perhaps because she was used to being rejected, so after waiting for a moment and not getting a response, she intended to look for someone else.

However, before she could even lift her foot, her arm was grabbed.

“Where are you going?”

“Since you don’t agree, I’ll go look for someone else.”

Gu Zheng was amused. “There’s no need to look for anyone else. I agree.”

Ignoring his chauffeur’s shocked expression, Gu Zheng walked toward the Civil Affairs Bureau. “Did you bring your identity card and household register?”

Qiao Xi reacted and took the initiative to follow behind Gu Zheng. “I did.”

She paused for a moment before adding, “Thank you. Don’t worry. After we get the certificate, I’ll transfer the shares to you. I won’t let you suffer.”

Gu Zheng smiled but said nothing.

20 minutes later, Qiao Xi and Gu Zheng came out of the Civil Affairs Bureau with a red booklet in their hands.

The chauffeur’s expression completely collapsed.

“Where are you going? I’ll get the chauffeur to send you there.”

Gu Zheng tilted his head and looked at Qiao Xi, who had been playing with her phone with her head lowered.

Qiao Xi did not even raise her head. “To your house.”

She had originally planned to go to Gu Moling’s house after registering her marriage with him today, so she had already packed all her belongings in the Qiao family’s villa.

Although she had changed her marriage candidate, her plans had not changed.

Gu Zheng raised an eyebrow. To his house?

He looked down at the little red booklet in her hands. It seemed to make sense?

The chauffeur went into the driver’s seat. He still could not accept the fact that his young master had gotten married to a strange woman!

Qiao Xi noticed the driver’s expression and seemed to ask Gu Zheng with her eyes, ‘Is your driver reliable?’

She did not want to get into an accident right after getting her marriage certificate.

Gu Zheng coughed lightly and reminded the chauffeur to drive properly.

After Qiao Xi confirmed the issue regarding her safety, she turned her attention to her phone again.

The entire journey was silent.

Then, Qiao Xi’s phone rang.

“What’s the matter?”

Qiao Xi’s voice was cold and indifferent.

“What’s with your attitude? I’m your father!”

There was a faint voice coming from the other side of the phone. The person seemed to be saying that Qiao Xi was indeed from the countryside and had no manners…

The person who said that was Xu Mei, Qiao Xi’s stepmother and Qiao Rou’s biological mother.

20 years ago, less than a week after Qiao Xi’s mother died, Mr. Qiao married Xu Mei.

What was worth mentioning was that before Xu Mei joined the family, she had already given birth to Qiao Rou. Mr. Qiao had claimed that Qiao Rou was his biological daughter.

Qiao Xi was three years old then while Qiao Rou was only two months younger than her.

In other words, Mr. Qiao had an affair with Xu Mei when Qiao Xi’s mother was pregnant with her!

The first thing Xu Mei did after joining the family was throw the insensible Qiao Xi to the countryside to fend for herself.

Since Qiao Xi had what they wanted, she ended up returning to the Qiao family. Xu Mei pretended to take good care of her and was very careful around her as well. However, now that Qiao Xi had caused Qiao Rou to miscarry, everything was brought back out into the open again.

“Qiao Xi! Ever since you returned to the Qiao family, I’ve been looking for a doctor to treat your illness. We’re spending a fortune on all kinds of tonics and medications. You wanted to stay in a big room, so I gave you the entire fourth floor. You didn’t know anything when you came back to the countryside, so I spent money to get a teacher to teach you. I was considerate toward you in every way as I was afraid that you wouldn’t get used to it at all, but what about you?”

Xu Mei questioned her at the top of her voice, “You stole my daughter’s fiancé and caused her to miscarry. How can there be such a vicious woman like you in this world?! I’ve been so sincere to you, yet this is what I got. Qiao Xi, you’ll die a horrible death!”

Gu Zheng, who was resting with his eyes closed, was awakened by a chuckle. He turned his head to look at Qiao Xi.

The sun was blazing in the afternoon, and scorching rays of light shone on Qiao Xi’s body through the car window. It was clearly a very warm scene, yet an indescribable coldness spread within the car.

Qiao Xi moved her stiff neck, then relaxed her body and leaned carefreely on the back seat. “I stole your daughter’s fiancé? Madam Xu, forgive me for reminding you, but I’m the legitimate eldest daughter of the Qiao family. The fiancé you’re talking about is my fiancé. It was your daughter who shamelessly became the third party and stole my fiancé.

“Back then, you snatched my father from my mother. Now that your daughter has snatched my fiancé away, shouldn’t I say that the apple certainly doesn’t fall far from the tree? Madam Xu, let me kindly remind you that there’s a price to pay for stealing someone else’s things. I’ll take back everything that you stole from my mother and what your daughter stole from me. Be prepared.”

Xu Mei did not seem to expect such a reaction from Qiao Xi and did not say anything for a long time.

The phone returned to Mr. Qiao’s hand. “Qiao Xi, I’ll give you 20 minutes. Come to the hospital and apologize to Rou Rou immediately. You’ve caused Rou Rou to have a miscarriage. As long as you kneel down and apologize to Rou Rou sincerely, I won’t hold you responsible. I’ll also plead with Moling for you and ask him to let you off.”

He spoke with a strong sense of righteousness. It sounded like he was thinking for Qiao Xi’s sake, but in reality, he was trampling on Qiao Xi’s dignity to the ground.

“Mr. Qiao, on the account that you’re my father, I’ll tell you that I got married ten minutes ago. You should get ready to give up your position as CEO of Qiao Corporation.”

Without waiting for Mr. Qiao’s reaction, Qiao Xi hung up the phone.

Qiao Xi was not as calm as she looked after having a falling out with her biological father.

It could only be said that this family was too good at pretending. Right after Qiao Xi returned to the Qiao family, they were kind and friendly to her, causing her to mistakenly think that she could marry in peace and fulfill her grandfather’s wish.

Their kindness might have seemed like sweet honey, but it was worse than arsenic. If she were not careful, they would have come after her life.

Qiao Xi took out a mint candy from her bag and popped it into her mouth.

The bitter and cold taste spread in her mouth, suppressing all the emotions that were in her mind.

Gu Zheng’s gaze was still on Qiao Xi, carefully capturing every single change in her expression. His gaze was extremely invasive, making it difficult to ignore.

Qiao Xi turned her head to meet his gaze and asked, “What’s the matter?”

Gu Zheng pointed at her phone and said, “You seem to have caused a lot of trouble.”

Of course, this so-called trouble was nothing to him.

On the account that he and Qiao Xi had gotten their marriage certificate, if Qiao Xi asked for his help, he would not mind doing her a small favor.

Unfortunately, Qiao Xi did not understand the hidden meaning behind Gu Zheng’s words at all.

“Don’t worry. You’ll still get the shares that I promised you, but it’ll take some time. It’ll be done after I handle the Qiao family’s matter.”

Transferring the shares to Gu Zheng now was equivalent to transferring the Qiao family’s power to him. Gu Zheng agreeing to marry her was already a great help. Qiao Xi could not repay his kindness with ingratitude.

Hearing her words, Gu Zheng was silent for a long time. Finally, he could not help but ask, “You don’t seem to know who I am?”