"Sister, you're all I have now. Please help me, I beg you. I don't want to divorce He Yun. I truly love him; I can't live without him."
Qiao Wei cried, tugging at Qiao Xue's sleeve and pleading. She knew Qiao Xue doted on her and would grant any request.
"What about me? Qiao Wei, you love He Yun, and I love Fu Yan Ting. Because of you, my relationship with Fu Yan Ting is completely broken. I won't even have the chance to see him anymore. If you truly cared about me as your sister, you wouldn't have put me in such a difficult position."
"Then what should I do, Sister? Please, help me think of a solution. What exactly should I do?"
Qiao Wei was genuinely terrified of He Yun finding out the truth. Even if Fu Yan Ting knew, Qiao Wei wouldn't have cared; her only concern was He Yun.
"Now that it's happened, you're on your own. I don't know how to help you."
Qiao Xue had always been Qiao Wei's strategist, playing a significant role in Qiao Wei's marriage to He Yun years ago. However, Qiao Wei's actions this time had angered her so much that Qiao Xue refused to help any further.
Without Qiao Xue, her pillar of support, Qiao Wei instantly panicked. She hadn't felt this helpless even when she discovered He Yunlong's infidelity, because she knew Qiao Xue would arrange everything. With Qiao Xue around, she and her mother would never suffer. But now that Qiao Xue wouldn't help, what could Qiao Wei do?
Qiao Wei closed her eyes, her despair evident.
Eventually, Qiao Wei couldn't hold back and told Qiao Xue everything. After finishing, she grasped Qiao Xue's hand and pleaded, "Sister, that bitch Yan Xi is dead now. We just need to pretend we know nothing. Even if Fu Yan Ting suspects I did it, so what? Without concrete evidence, he can only suspect; he can never convict us."
"You underestimate Fu Yan Ting."
Qiao Xue looked at Qiao Wei, wondering why, despite being past the age of innocence, she was still so naive. Didn't she know that if Fu Yan Ting wanted to find evidence, he would? It didn't matter how Qiao Wei had made Yan Xi disappear.
Qiao Wei also knew Fu Yan Ting's cruelty, but she had already acted and there was no turning back. Qiao Xue cast a cold glance at Qiao Wei and ignored her.
News of the Qiao family's bankruptcy continued to spread. Qiao Yunlong approached Fu Yan Ting, hoping for mercy for his family, but Fu Yan Ting refused to see him. Helpless, Qiao Yunlong turned to He Yun. After all, He Yun and Qiao Wei were still married; they were family. The Qiao family's bankruptcy would also be detrimental to the He family.
He Yun's grandfather received Qiao Yunlong warmly, as always. However, Qiao Yunlong, a seasoned businessman, felt something was missing in the grandfather's pleasantries. He could only pretend nothing was amiss and feigned ignorance, hoping the elder would help the Qiao family through this crisis out of consideration for their children and their past friendship. He Yun's grandfather offered a few perfunctory words and sent Qiao Yunlong away.
Qiao Yunlong sought help from many contacts, but everyone clearly stated they wouldn't assist him. Fu Yan Ting had made it known that anyone helping the Qiao family would be acting against him. In Yan City, who dared to oppose Fu Yan Ting? Everyone weighed the consequences carefully. The Qiao family alone wasn't worth risking offense to Fu Yan Ting. Although they didn't understand Fu Yan Ting's recent behavior or what was driving him, they knew it was best not to defy him and to do as he commanded.
Dejected, Qiao Yunlong returned home, hoping Qiao Xue would plead with Fu Yan Ting. Since Qiao Xue had worked at Fu Yan Ting's company for so long and had a good relationship with Mu Jing Shen, he believed she wouldn't disappoint him.
As Qiao Yunlong approached the Qiao residence, he overheard Qiao Xue and Qiao Wei arguing. He knew this was Qiao Wei's doing. She had angered a girl named Yan Xi, which is why He Yun was angry and divorcing her. Fu Yan Ting's furious reaction and their family's bankruptcy were also consequences of this. Hearing this, Qiao Yunlong was enraged. Without a word, he entered the house and slapped Qiao Wei hard.
Her face instantly swelled. Qiao Wei looked at Qiao Yunlong in disbelief and demanded, "How dare you hit me?"
"How dare I? Why didn't I beat you to death?" Qiao Yunlong gritted his teeth. Others had achieved their success through luck and good fortune, but he had built his empire by relying on his wife's family fortune. He would not tolerate any mistakes in his business empire. He had spent years cultivating connections, meticulously working to protect the empire he had hard-won. Yet, his love-struck daughter had ruined it all. For the sake of a man, she had provoked the wrong woman, leading their family to this precipice.
As Qiao Yunlong's anger simmered, Hua Yueqing, Qiao Xue's mother, emerged from her room. Seeing Qiao Yunlong, she said softly, "Look at you. You're finally home, and you're taking it out on the children. Come, I've made your favorite dishes."
Qiao Yunlong had no appetite, but due to Hua Yueqing's influential family, he dared not speak too loudly to her. He saw an opportunity to appease her and see if the Hua family could inject more capital into his real estate project. Qiao Yunlong knew that once the initial funding was secured, he could turn things around. He cast a cold glance at Qiao Wei and followed Hua Yueqing to the dining hall.
Hua Yueqing had personally prepared a feast of his favorite dishes, but Qiao Yunlong had no appetite. He looked at his wife and suppressed his anger, saying softly, "Wife, I've been so busy with work all these years, I haven't had a proper meal with you."
"It's alright, you're with me now," Hua Yueqing replied, deboning a piece of fish for him and placing it in his bowl. She said gently, "You can remove the thorns from this fish, but that doesn't mean it grew without them."
Qiao Yunlong, astute as he was, understood the hidden meaning in Hua Yueqing's words. He looked at her, trying to read her eyes, but ultimately failed.