Volume One, Chapter Five: Insisting on Staying

The three words "Jiang Jinglan" were like a switch deep within her soul; the moment Bai Ruoxi heard them, an inexplicable tightness gripped her heart.

She regained her composure and said, "He’s fine."

Qin Yu cast a gentle, amused glance at the bag beside Bai Ruoxi and smiled faintly. "It’s good that he’s fine. Yesterday was my welcome banquet. All our mutual friends with Jinglan were there."

There was a trace of apology in Qin Yu’s tone, but it only made Bai Ruoxi feel more uneasy.

"Jinglan drank a bit too much when he was happy and insisted on staying at my place. I didn’t agree, so I had someone send him home."

Insisted on staying at Qin Yu’s house?

Bai Ruoxi was stunned for a few seconds, a dull ache settling in her chest.

In a marriage, the one who loves more is always at a disadvantage.

Last night, Jiang Jinglan’s tenderness was what Bai Ruoxi yearned for but rarely received.

She clung to the man’s embrace and warmth, grateful and believing that Jiang Jinglan had come home early for her sake, that he hadn’t spent the night elsewhere.

But unexpectedly, it was because Qin Yu had rejected him that he returned—not out of consideration for Bai Ruoxi’s dignity as Mrs. Jiang.

Perhaps even when Jiang Jinglan held her, his heart was thinking of Qin Yu.

Bai Ruoxi’s nose tingled with a faint sourness. She thought bitterly: What am I? A backup? A trash bin? Qin Yu doesn’t want him, so he comes to me.

Sensing Bai Ruoxi’s mood, Qin Yu felt guilty. "Ruoxi, what’s wrong? Did I say something to upset you?"

"I’ve always been clean with Jinglan. He just lost control last night because he drank too much..." Bai Ruoxi pursed her lips slightly, unconsciously fiddling with her fingertips. The disappointment in her voice was impossible to hide.

"He rarely loses control..."

Jiang Jinglan was unlike Bai Ruoxi; when drunk, he simply slept deeply.

Bai Ruoxi had never seen Jiang Jinglan lose control after drinking—yet he had done so in front of Qin Yu.

It seemed the rumors outside were true: Jiang Jinglan truly adored Qin Yu, and Bai Ruoxi, as Mrs. Jiang, was nearing the end of her role.

Love was like a softening agent, softening a lover’s pride and strength.

Even though she told herself countless times not to be sad or to avoid becoming a laughingstock, Bai Ruoxi still couldn’t stop the faint redness in her eyes.

Her heart felt heavy and stifled, afraid that Jiang Jinglan would really divorce her for Qin Yu.

The thought of divorce made her unbearably distressed, as if she could suffocate at any moment.

Chen Chunrong glanced at Bai Ruoxi. The corners of her lips, hidden by the coffee cup, lifted in a pleased smile. She leisurely took over the conversation.

"Xiao Yu, only a gentle and talented woman like you could make Jinglan lose control."

"Unlike some people... who hold the title of Mrs. Jiang but can’t even lay an egg."

Chen Chunrong turned to Bai Ruoxi, her half-closed eyes like blades, slowly scanning from her smooth forehead down to her flat belly.

"Bai Ruoxi, if there’s no sign of a baby by the end of the year, I’ll have Jinglan divorce you."

Divorce! Divorce! Again with the divorce!

Bai Ruoxi’s face paled slightly. She clenched the hem of her skirt tightly, silent.

Did she not want children? But Jiang Jinglan wouldn’t give her any!

Regarding the matter of children, it wasn’t that Bai Ruoxi didn’t want to explain.

She had explained countless times before, but Chen Chunrong simply refused to listen.

It was always Jiang Jinglan who took measures to prevent children, but Chen Chunrong insisted it was because Bai Ruoxi lacked femininity, didn’t cherish her man, was unfilial, and offended the deity of fertility...

The reasons were endless, but the blame always fell on Bai Ruoxi.

Eventually, she understood that Chen Chunrong only wanted an excuse to pick on her, not genuinely to have grandchildren.

A flash of cruelty crossed Chen Chunrong’s eyes as she signaled Jiang Yuhuai.

Jiang Yuhuai sneered, pulled a thermos from her bag, slammed it on the table in front of Bai Ruoxi, and said impatiently, "Here, my mother got this medicine for you; it can help with fertility."

Bai Ruoxi frowned deeply at the thermos, lips pressed thin.

"I’ll drink it when I get home."

Chen Chunrong raised an eyebrow, tapping the table with a finger, issuing an order.

"No, you must finish it in front of me."

Qin Yu kindly advised, "Ruoxi, you better not anger your aunt. She is your mother-in-law after all. Don’t make things hard for Jinglan..."

Staring at the dark liquid in front of her, Bai Ruoxi clenched her back molars tightly but didn’t move.

Seeing Bai Ruoxi hesitate, Chen Chunrong frowned and commanded, "Yuhuai, force her to drink it."

Jiang Yuhuai was seventeen years old.

She bore none of the appearances of a wealthy heiress. Even after puberty, she was rebellious to the extreme, so much so that Grandfather Jiang forbade her from stepping foot into the ancestral home.

No one in the Jiang family could control Jiang Yuhuai; she rarely appeared in public.

Today, no one knew why Jiang Yuhuai unexpectedly obediently followed Chen Chunrong to Jin Zhi.

Upon hearing Chen Chunrong’s command, Jiang Yuhuai rolled her eyes, chewing gum disdainfully, and said, "That countryside chicken’s dirty. I don’t want to dirty my hands."

Then, fiddling with her phone game, she added casually, "I don’t want to touch something laced with poison."

Poison?

Bai Ruoxi’s eyes suddenly sharpened. She fixed Chen Chunrong with a furious glare.

"Are you insane? Poisoning someone in broad daylight!"

The usually meek Bai Ruoxi suddenly erupted in anger, causing Chen Chunrong’s eyes to shrink in fear.

What right did such a lowly woman have to get angry with her?!

Recalling that Jiang Jinglan had called to warn her today, Chen Chunrong’s fury deepened.

Though not Jiang Jinglan’s biological mother, Jiang Jinglan had always been polite to her.

But today, he had even called to warn her about a few pieces of furniture—that was outrageous.

No matter what, she had to teach this unknown woman a lesson. She would use this medicine to drive her out of the Jiang family.

Chen Chunrong stood, stepped past Jiang Yuhuai, grabbed the thermos, and pressed Bai Ruoxi’s head down to force the liquid into her mouth.

Bai Ruoxi instinctively raised her hand and flicked it aside, spilling the dark, fishy-smelling liquid onto Chen Chunrong’s face.

"Swish—"

The bitter, medicinal smell instantly spread.

Jiang Yuhuai, doused in the liquid, screamed as her pink camisole under the denim jacket stuck wrinkled to her skin.

Her eyes widened, and she jumped up like she’d been shocked.

"What are you doing? This medicine’s been tampered with!"

With that, Jiang Yuhuai grabbed her bag and fled out the door, her face ashen.

The medicine was definitely wrong...

Bai Ruoxi’s hand clenched into a tight fist by her side. Her gaze was as cold and sharp as a blade as she stared directly into Chen Chunrong’s eyes and asked coldly,

"What did you put in the medicine?"

Chen Chunrong’s previous methods of tormenting Bai Ruoxi had been simple and crude.

At most, forced unnecessary chores, made her kneel, or humiliated her publicly.

To avoid troubling Jiang Jinglan, Bai Ruoxi had endured them all.

But drugging her—this she could not tolerate...

Bai Ruoxi locked eyes with Chen Chunrong and pressed forward step by step, her gaze nearly piercing through the middle-aged woman opposite her.

Chen Chunrong panicked, unable to think of anything else.

She summoned all her strength to push Bai Ruoxi away, her lips trembling as they dripped with the medicinal liquid.

"Quick! Xiao Yu, take me to the hospital! Hurry!"