An Meijun didn’t look at her phone and naturally had no idea that, during what should have been a symbol of reunion, the New Year’s Eve dinner, her parents and siblings were shivering in the house. There were numerous tall and burly men with menacing looks staring at them. After two minutes of unanswered calls, a few young masters, who were smoking, sneered, “She’s not answering even after dozens of calls. Could it be intentional?”
With their shoulders tightly gripped by two expressionless men, in this heated room, An’s father’s forehead was dripping with cold sweat. He stuttered, “Wei Shao1Young Master2“Shao” (少) means “young” or “junior”, Gu Shao, Song Shao, and also Xiao Shao, Luo Shao, just wait a bit longer. Meijun should be back soon.” He was quite clever in recognizing all of them by name and didn’t miss out on the other two.
The three leaders were somewhat famous in the circle of the capital. They had been patient and gentlemanly when pursuing An Meijun, but now, their true nature was revealed as they turned hostile. Since barging into the An family’s home and taking over everything, such as putting their legs up on the sofa, enjoying the An family’s cigarettes, and plundering their belongings, the An family didn’t dare to resist. They desperately hoped that their daughter or sister would see the missed calls soon.
As time passed, this group of people became increasingly impatient, and their gazes grew more menacing. The An family’s hearts turned cold.
The most aggrieved person present was An Jun’s new girlfriend, an eighteen-year-old girl from the local area, a high-achieving college student. At the beginning, her family strongly opposed her relationship with An Jun, who didn’t even have a high school diploma. However, she saw An Jun as his name suggested3俊 (Jùn) means “handsome,” “talented,” or “smart”, handsome, well-spoken, caring toward her, with a car and a house, and reportedly a powerful brother-in-law. She foolishly agreed to the relationship.
On New Year’s Eve, she listened to him lament, so she went to spend the New Year at her boyfriend’s house. They had a simple family of three, and she thought about how lively her own family’s New Year celebrations were. Her heart softened, and she came to their house. She even turned a blind eye to the tricks played by An’s parents, such as deliberately wetting her shoes to make her stay overnight, and she even had some sweet expectations.
As a result, this would be the decision she regretted the most this year, without a doubt! Otherwise, how could she be implicated by the An family and suffer such an unjust disaster? She was now curled up in a corner of the An family’s house, sobbing softly. She was cold and hungry, forced to silently watch the several young masters feasting at the dining table. She had lost her personal freedom, even needing someone to follow her when she went to the bathroom, monitoring her every move like a prisoner, almost driving her crazy.
After they had eaten and watched several New Year’s Eve program on TV, and still hadn’t seen anyone, the few already impatient young masters started to lose their temper again. They overturned tables, kicked chairs, and smashed things, frightening the An family like a bunch of rabbits.
“Tsk, that woman must be playing us again, wasting our time here for nothing.” One of them snuffed out his cigarette butt, pressing it into the ashtray with a harsh tone.
Another said, “Her not coming back doesn’t matter. You two old-timers better spit out everything you’ve got. I spent over a million on her. It might not be a lot of money, but daring to play with me, this matter won’t be easily resolved!” The luxury handbags, women’s clothing, and jewelry—everything had been bought. He had originally thought that An Meijun was playing hard to get by not sleeping with him, but now he realized that she was keeping him as a backup? And he wasn’t the only one!
Thinking about this, he became angry. He lifted his long legs and gave An’s father’s arm a harsh kick, causing the old man to cringe. An Jun’s girlfriend was even more frightened, hammering her fists on An Jun’s shoulder. She hadn’t expected this man, who usually seemed reliable, to act so spineless in the face of trouble. Even her father and mother were right; he was just a smooth talker, outwardly strong but inwardly weak. She regretted not listening to her parents.
Moreover, she had always seen An Meijun as beautiful and dignified, never expecting that she was such a promiscuous woman, dating multiple men at the same time. And those men all had some status, with fierce tempers. After being played by her for so long, they almost tore down the An family’s house.
She hadn’t thought that An’s father and mother, who appeared mature and elegant, would turn out to be so greedy in private. This whole family wasn’t a good bunch, and she had completely walked into a wolf’s den.
Another man checked his phone and furrowed his thick eyebrows. “My old man is urging me; I have to go.”
“My old man is urging me too. He said if I don’t go back, he’ll break my legs.” After all, today was New Year’s Eve, and they had all left home, almost infuriating their elders, who thought they were wandering somewhere.
One of the men’s bodyguards walked out of the room, took out a bank passbook and a few thousand dollars in cash, and handed it to his young master. The young master looked at the figures and showed a look of disdain. He scolded harshly, “Is this all you’ve got? Are you treating me like a beggar? Have you checked thoroughly?”
“We’ve checked thoroughly. This family is living beyond their means, and they don’t have much in savings.” Another bodyguard said. He dragged out a large box from An Meijun’s room, filled with stylish clothes, expensive designer brands, and some jewelry they had sorted out. “All the valuable stuff is in here.”
He had practically turned the place upside down, emptying the room of the woman who had toyed with his young master. Because they couldn’t distinguish which items were given by these several young masters, they simply dragged everything out.
“So much stuff?” The young master fell silent for a moment, and the anger that had been building up dissipated halfway. He thought that maybe he wasn’t the unluckiest sucker among them. The other four also had similar thoughts, and they felt somewhat balanced now.
The tension in the room eased a bit. These young masters, who usually couldn’t stand each other, were now enjoying a harmonious atmosphere of camaraderie.
“So, Wei Shao, what should we do with this box of stuff?” one of them tentatively asked another, “Should we sell it all? Once we have the money, we can split it evenly among us five brothers?”
“I don’t have time to waste here with them. I’ll have the bodyguards take it to the second-hand market another day. Whatever we can get, we’ll take it. And those two old-timers who are smashing their pots and selling their iron4卖瓮破铁 – someone who is in dire financial straits and is selling off everything, even their household items like pots and iron, to make ends meet. must spit everything out for me, not a single bit left. If they can’t produce it, they can use property certificates as collateral.” This man was the most vengeful of them all. He could remember a petty grudge for a lifetime. The An family had played him for months, making him almost a laughingstock in the circle. How could he easily let it go?
“If they’re unwilling to use their property, we can use them as collateral. Make them work for me and pay off the debt. I’m still short of a few car washers and guards for my nightclub. Even if you and An Jun retire, you’ll still have to work for me!”
The An family members were forced to sign a “voluntary agreement to sell themselves” by the bodyguards who were pressuring them relentlessly. If they couldn’t come up with the money, the elderly couple and An Jun would genuinely have to work as car washers for those wealthy individuals. The thought of working as car washers, bowing and scraping to wealthy individuals, made An Jun’s face pale.
An Jun’s new girlfriend was also included in the agreement. She had initially been told that the nightclub needed a server for pouring drinks. However, she was now trembling with fear at the thought of serving these wealthy individuals. She vigorously denied any connection to the An family, developing a strong resentment toward them.
Seeing the girlfriend crying, disheveled, and sobbing, the young masters who had been harassing them seemed to have lost their appetite for further harassment. After all, they had the An family under their control, and they were somewhat satisfied with what they had achieved.
The group that had come in with a lot of noise left in a similar fashion.
Looking at the chaotic scene in the room, the An family members slumped to the ground in despair. An Jun’s girlfriend wiped away her tears and picked up her handbag from the floor. Without waiting for the An family to apologize, she immediately turned and gave An Jun a hard slap before ignoring his attempts to stop her and angrily stormed out of the house.
She had had enough of this family of troublemakers! She would tell her parents and close friends about the embarrassing ordeal she had experienced in An Jun’s family. She wanted them to learn from her mistake and be more discerning when choosing partners in the future.
The An family members, realizing they were in the wrong, dared not pursue her. They could only regret that this promising marriage had fallen apart.
The noise created by the group, who had overturned things and kicked chairs, had attracted the attention of their neighbors in the hallway. People had come out to see what was happening and were pointing fingers at the commotion. The An family hurriedly closed the door, suppressing their urge to shout, and desperately called An Meijun.
On the other side, An Meijun’s phone, which already had low battery, had completely run out of power due to the overwhelming notifications. When she finally got her phone, she was surprised to see that it had run out of battery. However, she didn’t pay it much mind.
So, she had no idea that her room had been completely emptied, with her precious clothes, exquisite jewelry, and valuable makeup all gone. Even some of the priceless cosmetics had been overturned and broken by the bodyguards who didn’t know their worth. Only a few bottles had survived.
She also didn’t know that, because of An Jun’s girlfriend’s refusal to acknowledge her connection to the An family and her refusal to work as a server at the nightclub, the bodyguards had allowed her to leave. However, they had forced An’s father and mother, in the name of parents, to sign a “voluntary agreement to work as servers” on behalf of An Meijun. They even considerately mentioned that they knew An Meijun was a college student, so they would allow her to finish her classes before starting work, as college students were more valuable.
In other words, apart from class time, you darn well better work for me!
And they’ve also heard that An Meijun used to work as a caddy at a golf course frequented by wealthy people. She suddenly turned cold, thinking that returning to her old job should be easy for An Meijun.
Those sneers and grimaces scared the An family into a huddle, and they couldn’t say a word of protest.
After An Meijun was ready, she headed to the child’s room. She guessed her husband was probably there, and as expected, she ran into Yin Yunqiu, who was tucking in the child’s blanket. His expression was indescribably cold, but in contrast, his movements were extremely gentle.
This stark contrast was enough to make any woman’s heart race.
An Meijun was no exception; her heart pounded like a drum. Standing in front of this man, she felt as if she had recalled their first meeting from several years ago. It was at the Kun City Golf Course, where among a group of rude and uncouth men, Yin Yunqiu stood out with his outstanding demeanor. Back when she was still an inexperienced young girl, she immediately fell for him, forgot her actions, and neglected her job responsibilities.
He glanced at her as if her arrival was not unexpected at all, just adjusting the child’s blanket until it covered the neck. He silently thought that not being parents, they couldn’t understand the worries parents had. Just after hosting guests and serving drinks downstairs, he couldn’t relax completely; he was worried that Minglu might kick off the blanket again. Although the weather was cold, the room had heating, but he couldn’t completely relax. He was afraid of encountering a rosy-cheeked and drowsy little face with misty eyes the next morning. After all, such things had happened before, so after the banquet, he personally came up to check.
Upon opening the door, he saw that indeed, the child had kicked the blanket to the side again and was sleeping restlessly, as if swimming in a dream and not staying still. Yin Yunqiu sighed, but it was this restless little thing that softened his heart completely. For the first time, he experienced the joy of being a father.
He smiled, and the dim light shone on him. His cold and rigid expression melted slightly, like melting spring snow.
This act made An Meijun infatuated as well. She thought about her past suitors; none of them could compare to Yunqiu. The best one that had ever appeared in her life had slipped through her fingers because she hadn’t cherished him properly. She wouldn’t miss the chance this time.
“Yunqiu…” With a captivating fragrance, she walked towards him, and just as she was about to call his name, Yin Yunqiu’s cold gaze interrupted her. His eyes seemed to signal her to be silent.
She shivered suddenly, almost forgetting her words. But when she followed the man out of the child’s room and spoke again, her words had been preempted by the man’s cold and distant gaze. His eyes formed a stark contrast with the tenderness he showed while taking care of the child, which left her trembling and unable to speak.
“I heard you spilled chicken soup today and were forced to stay overnight,” Yin Yunqiu said first. His eyes were sharp, and he could see that the clothes An Meijun was wearing were not cheap. Even if the spilled soup was cleaned up, those clothes would still be ruined. She had spent a considerable sum, all just to stay the night.
His question seemed like a simple statement, but to An Meijun, it was embarrassing, and her expression briefly turned unnatural. She understood that Yin Yunqiu had seen through her little tricks.
However, what was a bit of face value worth? She subtly opened her bathrobe a little, “Yunqiu, it’s been a long time since we sat down and talked about our child’s future… ”
As she made this gesture, Yin Yunqiu’s gaze turned even colder, and An Meijun’s expression became slightly uneasy. She understood that Yin Yunqiu’s comment was because he had seen through her intentions.
He said, “Your child’s future is none of your concern. In the future, I will arrange for you to meet with the child once a year, and I hope you can take advantage of that opportunity. I don’t want Minglu to grow up and find out that his own mother is a shameless woman. Tonight, rest well, and tomorrow morning, I will have someone send you back.” To stay the night at a man’s house, use some underhanded tactics that couldn’t be put on the table, and then not be afraid of the cold, wearing revealing clothes to knock on a man’s door—this series of actions made him secretly glad that Minglu was a boy and not a girl. Otherwise, if he had been truly influenced by An Meijun, he wouldn’t know what to do in the future.
“I-I’m not, Yunqiu, you’ve misunderstood. I just…” An Meijun bit her lip and struggled, “I genuinely want to talk to you about our child. There has been a misunderstanding between us, and I truly want to accompany the child. I don’t want to miss any moments of his growth. Half a year without seeing him, seeing how much he has grown, I, as a mother, feel both happy and sad… I was wrong before, but at that time, I was so young and prone to making mistakes. You know, this is my first time being a parent, and I have no experience. Making mistakes is inevitable. As the saying goes, ‘Spare the rod and spoil the child.’ When I disciplined him, I felt relieved, but afterward, my heart ached too! I have realized my mistakes now, and I won’t hit the child again. I will take good care of him!”
She poured her heart out, but her earlier two-faced behavior had already left a deep impression. So, despite her sweet words, Yin Yunqiu didn’t believe a word she said. On the contrary, he felt that she was using sweet words to hide her true intentions.
He said, “If you want to see the child in the future, I’ll send you photos. There’s no need for you to be physically present.” Kindergarten enrollment, classes, parent-teacher meetings, parent-child activities—he would participate in all of them. When the time came, if there were any photos taken, he would send every single one to An Meijun. This could be seen as easing a mother’s longing heart.
She was just saying it, who would genuinely want to see pictures of that little brat! An Meijun’s face turned pale, and she almost choked on her words, but before she could respond, Yin Yunqiu seemed to have anticipated that she would want to say something and cut her off forcefully. “Rather than worrying about the child, you should worry about yourself. Your parents have called me over a dozen times.”
Her parents, who were clearly afraid of him and always cowered in front of him, now called him repeatedly. There must be something wrong at home, and they needed him to notify An Meijun.
“Oh, something’s happened at home? What could possibly go wrong on New Year’s Eve?” She
reluctantly nodded, not taking it seriously, and was about to continue struggling. However, when she saw Yin Yunqiu turn and leave, she wanted to reach out and stop him, but when she touched him, she was frozen by his cold, penetrating gaze. That gaze gave her an instant chill, as if her feet were stepping on ice crystals, sending a wave of coldness from the soles of her feet to her heart.
She was startled, immediately let go of her hand, and shivered. After coming to her senses, she found herself covered in goosebumps. Seeing the man’s decisive attitude, she didn’t dare to pull him again, afraid that it would anger him and lead to her being kicked out of his house tonight.
After returning to her room, she reluctantly plugged in her phone and was about to scold her parents. She couldn’t believe that on such a special occasion during the Lunar New Year, knowing that she was staying overnight at Yunqiu’s house, they had been calling her continuously.
However, as soon as she turned on her phone, a barrage of explosive messages flooded in, causing her phone to lag for over a minute. Her attitude went from casual to suddenly alarmed and anxious. She answered her younger brother’s call and heard his voice, which sounded as if he had been beaten and had a swollen nose. Her mind exploded, and she stammered, “What… what did you say?”
After listening to the whole story, knowing that all the valuable items in her room had been stolen and her parents had to sell everything cheaply at the second-hand market, her vision darkened, and she almost passed out.
Letting her brother shout on the phone for a while, she finally regained her senses. Cold sweat soaked her clothes, her face drained of color, and her mind was blank. How could this happen? She had planned to break up with those people in a few days. How could they suddenly turn on her like this? Isn’t it normal for an attractive woman to have multiple pursuers at the same time? How could they label her as a backup plan? It’s like degrading herself, something she had never thought of! She had taken those wealthy young men seriously as her pursuers! And even if she was considered a backup, isn’t it normal for an outstanding and beautiful woman to have several backup plans? Weren’t they initially attracted to her because she was outstanding and beautiful?
When they pursued her, they were persistent and acted like they couldn’t live without her. How could they suddenly turn heartless like this? Including Yunqiu, why were all these men so fickle, and why did they raid her home, forcing her parents to pay up or sign a contract to sell her body? This behavior was no different from that of thugs!
She was shaking with anger.
What An Jun didn’t mention was that the agreement to sell her body involved everyone in their family. Under the pressure of the situation, her parents had no choice but to include her name in the agreement. They had retired early and hadn’t worked in years, so they couldn’t remember what it was like to work anymore. Now, they were forced to go back to the lowest-paying jobs. An Jun, too, was unwilling. Since his sister married Yunqiu, he had considered himself a young master from a wealthy family. Going from luxury to hardship was not something he was willing to accept.
Now, the entire An family was counting on An Meijun to get some money from the Yin family. They hoped that she could plead with Yin Yunqiu to help them fill this financial hole, so they could escape the fate of all four family members having to work as laborers.
An Meijun asked, “How much money do you need?”
An Jun replied, “At least five to six million.”
Wasn’t this the entire income that Yin Minglu had earned in one night? An Meijun had a thought.
—
Author’s note: Happy Qixi Festival, my dear readers!
Even though this chapter is only about a breakup, there’s no love involved. 0v0
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