"Holy crap! Someone's robbing a jewelry store!"
"Where? Where? I've never seen anything like this before."
"Move over a bit. You're blocking my view."
"Are you filming? Remember to send me a copy when you get home."
The overlapping cries of surprise caught Chi Qi's attention. He looked up and glanced at the crowd gathered outside the restaurant. His instincts told him there was a spectacle worth watching.
Afraid he would miss the action, he shoveled the last mouthful of rice into his mouth, got to his feet without taking the time to chew properly, and hurried outside.
There he saw—
Heads. Countless heads.
From where Chi Qi stood at the back, there was nothing to see except the tops of heads and nothing to hear except the excited murmurs of those at the front. His curiosity was unbearable, so he struck up a conversation. "What's happening?"
The girl beside him took one look at his pretty face and volunteered, "I'm not sure either. I think a celebrity showed up?"
A celebrity warranted all this fuss?
Like a nimble little fish swimming through water, he put his extensive experience as a gossip enthusiast to good use. Without much trouble, he slipped through the crowd and emerged at the very front among the eyewitnesses.
The robber was wearing a menacing balaclava and tight black clothes. After barging into the shop, he headed straight for a display counter and started hammering furiously at the glass.
Perhaps the glass was exceptionally strong, because even after several blows, only tiny cracks appeared.
Beside Chi Qi stood a woman wearing enormous sunglasses. She sighed in exasperation. "Did that robber forget to eat breakfast?"
The woman turned to him, raised an eyebrow, and studied him for a moment. Then she opened the handbag on her arm, produced a handful of sunflower seeds, and declared solemnly, "Well spoken. You have pleased this emperor and shall be rewarded."
"…"
Delicious. He loved them!
Several minutes later, the glass still hadn't broken.
Shen Wanji spat a seed shell into her expensive handbag and remarked casually, "He's not tired of hammering, but I'm tired of watching."
Chi Qi nodded in agreement. His eyes were aching. Of all the robbers he'd encountered, this one had to be the most incompetent!
The two watched and exchanged commentary, taking turns ridiculing the unfolding spectacle.
Then someone suddenly shouted, "The police are here!"
The dense crowd immediately parted to make a path.
The robber, oblivious to the world outside his own little bubble, continued hammering at the glass, still unaware of how serious his predicament had become.
A minute later, the subdued robber lay face down on the ground, shouting at the top of his lungs, "I've got *&…_&! You can't &_!…"
Having retreated to a safe distance, Shen Wanji asked, "What's he saying? Is that a dialect?"
"A membership means he gets to rob the place? Outrageous! Even I, a top-tier global VIP, don't receive special treatment. How dare he act so brazenly?"
Huh? Wasn't her attention fixed on a rather strange detail?
Once the robber was restrained and handcuffed, the danger was over. The crowd surged forward like the tide, everyone raising their phones to take pictures.
Oh no! Someone had stolen his perfect viewing spot!
Chi Qi fought to squeeze through the gaps between people. Amid the shoving, several people stepped on his feet, leaving messy black footprints on his brand-new shoes.
Angry, he looked up to demand an apology, but the people around him had already changed.
Unable to identify who had stepped on him, he could only chalk it up to bad luck.
During that brief delay, the robber's receding figure had grown smaller and was about to disappear.
Chi Qi panicked. If he didn't get a look now, he never would! He urgently searched for a better vantage point. When his eyes fell on the mall staircase, they lit up.
There was nobody on the stairs!
He hurried over, climbed to the highest step, stretched onto his tiptoes, craned his neck, and leaned forward over the railing.
From there he had a perfect view of the police escorting the robber away.
He was watching the robber depart when someone in the crowd suddenly screamed at the top of their lungs, "Help! Someone's jumping off the building!"
First a robbery, and now someone jumping from a building?
"Who? Where? How come I can't see them?"
Chi Qi gripped the handrail and leaned even farther forward, half his body hanging out over empty space, utterly unaware that danger was creeping up on him.
He searched everywhere for the would-be jumper. Suddenly, it felt as though the ground were exerting an irresistible pull, and he toppled off the staircase.
At the same moment, a piercing scream almost shattered his eardrums. "Aaaah! He jumped!"
*
Bright sunlight streamed through the windows, mingling with the strains of gentle music.
The café wasn't crowded. Lin Qingmian pushed open its glass door and went to the seat they had agreed upon, a secluded corner. After all, what was about to happen would hardly be honorable; better not to attract attention.
Not long afterward, the wind chimes at the entrance rang again, and two newcomers took seats in the booth behind him.
Lin Qingmian glanced casually sideways and caught their profiles reflected in the window: a richly dressed woman and a young man, both with strikingly distinguished bearing.
That combination… Why did it seem oddly familiar?
Because of the angle, they couldn't see him. Lin Qingmian discreetly looked a few more times.
The young man had delicate, refined features. In an oversized T-shirt and jeans washed almost white, with his eyes demurely lowered, he resembled a little white flower—stubborn yet resilient.
The wealthy woman surveyed their surroundings with undisguised distaste. Irritation and frustration spread across her face. "This is where you arranged to meet me?"
The young man blinked and answered softly, "I'm sorry, Auntie, but we're here to negotiate a transaction. I don't think we need particularly luxurious surroundings, do we?"
The woman felt a headache coming on. "Just look at how mercenary you are! What on earth does A-Yue see in you?"
Her son was wonderful in every respect, except that he was hopelessly lovesick. The idiot had been thoroughly hooked and thought he'd finally found true love, even going so far as to fall out with his family.
The young man's expression didn't change. He continued smiling pleasantly. "Can't be helped. He simply likes me."
The woman clutched her chest in fury. "…"
Surely not. Could it really be such a coincidence?
The booths were close together, and neither of them had lowered their voice. Lin Qingmian heard every word.
But before he could keep watching, the person he was meeting arrived as well.
Lin Qingmian pressed his lips together, suddenly anxious. Unless something unexpected happened, something unexpected was definitely about to happen.
It was his turn to star in a melodramatic scene.
That's right: the person coming to meet him was the mother of the husband he'd recently married under a contractual arrangement. From his limited experience, Lin Qingmian concluded that this was an ambush disguised as an invitation.
Ah, life was hard. There were obstacles everywhere.
A loud, friendly female voice sounded above his head. "Mianmian! Have you been waiting long?"
Mianmian… Was she talking to him?
The greeting was nothing like the hostility he'd imagined. Lin Qingmian froze, then reflexively waved a hand. "No, I only just arrived."
After speaking, he lifted his coffee and took a sip to hide his nerves.
What was going on?
Were they really on terms that allowed such a friendly greeting?
Was this some unique new tactic?
Countless possibilities flashed through his mind. He put on his professional smile. "Hello, Auntie."
"Hello, Mianmian! You're even prettier than your photos."
Lin Qingmian merely smiled at the compliment. This was the calm before the storm. He mustn't lower his guard.
Mrs. Chi examined him carefully, delighted. Her son really knew how to pick them! Look at those big eyes, high nose, and little mouth. A beauty through and through.
Just like her. Excellent taste!
The scrutiny made Lin Qingmian's back stiffen. He sat up straighter. Here it came. Their one-sided "battle" was about to begin.
Mrs. Chi deliberately lowered her voice. "I came because I want to discuss something with you—about you and Tingsi."
Lin Qingmian had a good idea what was coming. Apparently she wanted to make this quick and leave as soon as possible. But… couldn't she give him a little time to prepare?
No matter how loudly he screamed inwardly, his smile remained perfectly measured. "Auntie, you've misunderstood. Chi Tingsi and I haven't—"
Mrs. Chi interrupted calmly. "Don't deny it. I know everything."
Damn. She'd come prepared.
Lin Qingmian immediately went on high alert, his thoughts racing as he waited for the difficult question to come.
"Mianmian, could you stop calling me Auntie?"
Lin Qingmian: "?"
Was she warning him not to presume a family connection?
Lin Qingmian didn't understand, but he respected her wishes and obediently changed his form of address. "Of course, Madam."
Mrs. Chi: "…"
She could tell how nervous Lin Qingmian was and sighed inwardly.
Never mind. As long as the boy was happy, he could call her whatever he liked. He would change it sooner or later. It was a pity, though: she'd even prepared a cash gift for him to mark the change in how he addressed her, and now she couldn't give it to him.
At the end of the day, her son was simply useless. He'd taken so long to "win" the boy over. If she hadn't been clever enough to notice something amiss, she'd still be completely in the dark.
A few days earlier, after a relentless barrage of questions from his mother, Chi Tingsi had grudgingly revealed a tiny part of the truth, then threatened her and forbidden her from meeting Lin Qingmian.
What was she, some kind of monster that would eat the boy alive?
It was perfectly proper for a mother-in-law to meet her son-in-law. Tingsi was being completely unreasonable.
At the thought, Mrs. Chi couldn't help frowning. Still, he was her biological son. Out of consideration for the meager bond between mother and child, she decided to give him a helping hand.
Lin Qingmian, who had been silently observing every detail, took another sip of iced water to steady his nerves.
Wait. From this angle, Madam seemed to be staring at the coffee.
The cheerful music reached its crescendo. Lin Qingmian's heart seemed to rise with it. Nervously rubbing his fingertips together, he lowered his eyes to the cup on the table and contemplated its eventual fate.
Most likely it would be thrown over him. His nerves stretched taut, his lips pressed into a straight line. Should he dodge or not?
Better not.
He looked up at Mrs. Chi and estimated their heights and the distance between them. When she stood to pick up the cup, he would immediately stand as well. He needed to move quickly.
Otherwise the coffee would splash over his head, drip from the ends of his hair, and trickle down his neck. That would be terribly uncomfortable.
She's moving.
Lin Qingmian began counting down silently.
Huh? Why was her hand going into her bag?
Mrs. Chi took a bank card from her purse and declared grandly, "Don't worry. Our Chi family would never treat you unfairly! There's five million on this card. Take it and—"
Here it came. Lin Qingmian knew this famous line. He supplied the ending inwardly: *Leave my son.*
Sure enough, the next second, a shrill voice rang out. "Leave my son!"
An eternal classic of wealthy-family melodrama. Now it was time for him, the poor little white flower, to perform.
Lin Qingmian's face turned deathly pale. Biting his lip, he swayed as if torn by terrible indecision. "Madam, I…"
"I will never leave him!"
Why had someone stolen his line?
An even louder young man's voice rang out, filled with grief and indignation. "In your eyes, am I the kind of person who'd only be with A-Yue for his money?"
Mrs. Chi froze with the bank card in her hand. She and Lin Qingmian turned toward the voice in perfect, astonished unison.
The wealthy woman raised a trembling finger. But her good upbringing prevented her from uttering anything too nasty, and the insults lodged in her throat, making her miserable.
"You've insulted me, and you've insulted my love for A-Yue! Is your son worth a mere one million to you?"
Grinding her teeth, the woman raised her offer. "Three million."
"I will absolutely never leave A-Yue!"
People throughout the café were starting to look. Unwilling to endure their strange glances, the woman swallowed her anger. "Five million."
The young man evidently knew that was the best offer he would get. His eyes sparkled. "Deal."
He stood. "Let's go."
"Where?" the woman asked, baffled.
"To get the gift notarized. What if you change your mind and try to take the money back? Then I'd lose both the man and the money."
"Shameless!"
"Mm-hmm. Don't worry, Auntie. Once the paperwork is done, you'll never see me again. I won't trouble you anymore. I'll even recite prayers for your happiness every day."
Mrs. Chi had thoroughly enjoyed the show. But when she turned back, she discovered that her dear son-in-law's expression was filled with horror. His eyes practically spelled out eight words: *Wealthy families are terrifying after all.*
Mrs. Chi came to her senses. "…"
Only belatedly did she realize that she might have ruined everything.
She attempted damage control. "Mianmian, I…"
"You don't have to say anything. I understand. President Chi is beyond someone like me."
"No, you don't understand. I'm giving you the money because—"
*Once you accept it, you'll feel too guilty to divorce him.*
Mrs. Chi's thinking was simple. People found it hard to refuse someone whose money they'd accepted. If she gave Lin Qingmian enough, he'd hesitate when the time came to seek a divorce—and hesitation meant defeat.
Unfortunately, things had now gone slightly off course.
Lin Qingmian interrupted, carefully choosing his words. "I won't accept the money. No matter how much you offer, I won't. I…"
Bzzz! Bzzz!
The sudden ring of a phone shattered the awkward atmosphere.
Mrs. Chi glanced at the caller's name and answered. "Hello?"
Anxious Auntie Zhang, the family's housekeeper, spoke from the other end. "Madam! Something terrible has happened!"
Mrs. Chi sounded puzzled. "I'm perfectly fine."
Auntie Zhang: "No, please change where you pause in that sentence."
"…" Mrs. Chi exhaled. "Go on. What's happened now?"
"Your son has been injured."
Mrs. Chi went pale. "Did Tangyuan eat something he shouldn't have?"
"No. Tangyuan is perfectly healthy. He's lying by the door waiting for you."
"Oh, then it's all right. Don't panic. Take a deep breath and tell me slowly." Mrs. Chi's heart settled. Tangyuan was her Samoyed, and she treasured him like the apple of her eye, forever afraid he might suffer the slightest bump or scrape.
As for her biological son? He was tough. A little injury didn't matter.
Auntie Zhang was infected by her calm. When she spoke again, her voice was composed. "It's the youngest young master, Chi Qi. He jumped off a building."
"Jumped off a building? That's perfectly normal. No need to make such a fu—"
Several seconds later, Mrs. Chi's brain finally caught up. "WHAT? He jumped off a building?"
"Say that again?"
