An Ruo received her salary, which was double what she had expected. She decided to discharge An Che from the hospital, and after paying off the surgery fees, she still had a considerable amount left. She rented a small apartment, planning to settle An Che there.
His condition gradually improved, and the doctor found no major issues after an examination, recommending he leave the hospital to recuperate slowly.
But now she was marrying Shen Xiaoxing in An Qing's place. An Qing had no younger brother, so she couldn't bring him to the villa to care for him. She had no choice but to let him stay in the rental apartment.
An Ruo cleaned the rental on the weekend. An Che was introverted and shy, and she worried he wouldn't get along with roommates. After some thought, she rented a small one-bedroom, one-living-room unit.
An Che helped wipe the table and looked around, raising his head. "Sis, there's only one room. Wouldn't it be inconvenient for the two of us to stay here..."
"I'm not staying here."
"Not staying here? Then where will you stay?"
"The school has dorms. It's livelier with more people there." An Ruo glanced at him and said, "By the way, I've already talked to your teacher. Once you're a bit better in a while, how about going back to school?"
She had deliberately rented the apartment near An Che's school to make it convenient for him to commute.
"Sis, when I graduate and get a job, I'm definitely going to buy you a big villa!" An Che gave her a silly grin. "Then we'll live together and never be apart."
The siblings chatted and laughed, quickly cleaning up the place.
She made his bed and put the frozen food from the supermarket into the fridge. They made a simple lunch together.
After eating, An Ruo had promised Shen Xiaoxing to accompany him for his rehabilitation. She gave An Che a few brief instructions to take care of himself and hurriedly left.
A silver supercar was parked in the modest residential area. The man inside saw the girl's hurried figure under the building, tapped his fingers rhythmically on the steering wheel, and curled his lips into a sinister smile.
The door to the private room burst open, and two burly men dragged in a crying woman, tossing her inside. Qi Ming raised his chin. "Mr. Shen, I've brought her for you."
An Qing lay on the floor, her knees aching from hitting the marble tiles. She held back her tears and looked up at Shen Tingfeng, who was lounging on the sofa surrounded by women.
His shirt buttons were undone a few, giving him a wild and seductive air.
"Mr. Shen..." a woman pouted, pinching a grape and holding it to his lips.
Shen Tingfeng smirked and pushed her hand away, straightening up to beckon the panicked woman with a curl of his finger. An Qing scrambled to his side, trembling, and stammered, "S-Sec-Second Young Master..."
The man smirked, lifting his foot to tilt her chin with his toe, forcing her to look at him.
"Do you know what price you'll pay for deceiving me?"
An Qing swallowed hard, tears welling in her eyes from fear, her voice choked. "I didn't... I didn't deceive you."
Shen Tingfeng lifted his foot slightly. "Still not telling the truth?"
"What do you want me to say..."
"Heh," Shen Tingfeng chuckled softly, lowering his leg, and used his long fingers to lift her chin. "You said you were the adopted daughter of the An family. But how could an adopted daughter wear such high-end clothes?"
"I..."
"Your name is An Qing, the An family heiress who was supposed to marry Shen Xiaoxing. And the one who married him now is your substitute—she's the real adopted daughter of the An family, right?"
Shen Tingfeng's voice was light, but in the room filled with music, it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
"No, that's not it..." An Qing shook her head frantically, fear gripping her heart. "I'm the real An Ruo. The one who married the eldest Shen is the real An Qing."
Shen Tingfeng rubbed her chin with his thumb, his peach-blossom eyes narrowing with a smile. "Do you really need me to resort to torture to get the truth?"
Qi Ming crouched down and blew a puff of smoke at her. "Be smart and come clean quickly, or we'll all have a go at you, and you won't be able to handle it."
An Qing gritted her teeth hard. If she revealed the truth that An Ruo had married into the Shen family in her place, the An family would definitely suffer.
But if she didn't, Shen Tingfeng wouldn't let her off easily.
Shen Tingfeng's eyes turned cold, and several men moved to grab her. An Qing, terrified, quickly hugged his leg and begged through tears, "I'll talk!"
She bit her lip. "I'm An Qing. The one who married Shen Xiaoxing is An Ruo, the An family's adopted daughter. But she's still part of the An family. The Shen family only said a marriage alliance; they didn't specify that an adopted daughter couldn't take the place..."
"Swapping the real for the fake." Shen Tingfeng sneered. "Grandfather clearly said the An family's legitimate daughter should marry in, but you used an adopted daughter to pass off as the real thing. If this gets out, do you think the An family business can still hold its ground in Shencheng?"
"Second Young Master, I beg you, please spare me, spare the An family... I'll do anything you say!"
Shen Tingfeng sighed lightly, took a sip of red wine, and looked at her. "Anything, really?"
"...Yes."
As long as she could save her life, she'd do anything, no matter how heinous.
Seaside Villa.
The doctor was conducting Shen Xiaoxing's routine rehabilitation, sent by the old man, but Han Chong had already smoothed things over in advance.
An Ruo watched the silent, taciturn man, mistakenly thinking he was nervous. She gently walked over, crouched beside him, and held his large hand resting on the armrest. "Don't be afraid. I'm right here with you."
The man, who had been lost in thought, felt a slight tremor in his heart at her words. He turned his hand over and held her small one.
During the eye rehabilitation, An Ruo watched intently, constantly asking if he felt any discomfort or had any sensations.
Each time, Shen Xiaoxing disappointed her, but she quickly mustered a smile to encourage him. "It's okay. Don't rush. We'll take it slow."