Volume 1 Chapter 7 The Double

“Thud—”

The coffee spoon fell onto the table, producing a soft clink.

In Bai Ruoyun’s eyes, curiosity and mockery were swiftly replaced by shock.

The matter of Ah Hai was something she had overheard by chance.

Ah Hai was a boy Bai Ruoxi met after returning to the Qiao family.

They had been together less than a year when Ah Hai was swept away by the sea while saving Bai Ruoxi, who had fallen into the water.

Bai Ruoxi owed Ah Hai her life, and Ah Hai became a scar etched deep within her soul.

Looking at the gentle and petite Bai Ruoxi across from her, Bai Ruoyun’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Her mouth opened and closed, finally forcing out a question from deep within her throat.

“You… you treated Jiang Jinglan as a substitute?”

A substitute?

Bai Ruoxi’s gaze darkened.

A strong wave of bitterness spread through her heart as she struggled to voice the words she had kept buried for three years.

“I didn’t.”

“Originally… I only wanted to have a child who resembled Ah Hai, but I think I really fell in love with Jiang Jinglan…”

Hot tears fell, one by one, onto the back of her hand.

Bai Ruoxi looked at Bai Ruoyun, whose face was filled with disbelief, and spoke hoarsely.

“At the time, I was blinded by desire. I wanted to use Jiang Jinglan to leave an heir for the Qiao family and avoid an arranged marriage.”

“But I fell in love with Jiang Jinglan, and he didn’t love me back…”

“Bai Ruoyun… tell me, isn’t this some form of retribution?”

Even Bai Ruoxi couldn’t pinpoint exactly when she had fallen for Jiang Jinglan.

Perhaps it was the moment he lifted the bridal veil, his eyes shining brightly.

Or maybe it was when both the Jiang and Bai families scolded and humiliated her, and Jiang Jinglan shielded her, promising that as long as Bai Ruoxi became his wife…

Or perhaps it was when the whole city mocked her for climbing into Jiang Jinglan’s bed, and he flamboyantly gave her a sapphire worth millions as a wedding gift.

…

There had been brief moments of happiness between Jiang Jinglan and her.

But almost overnight, Jiang Jinglan changed without warning, treating her coldly like a stranger.

He never touched her, yet his detached attitude was like a slap to the soul.

The meals she prepared with care were never touched by him; he would even pour them into the trash in front of the servants.

He called her vain and sick, unworthy of the title Mrs. Jiang.

Though Jiang Jinglan was the one who took the initiative, he soon grew tired of her.

The coldness was a far harsher wound than any physical blow.

---

The air was faintly scented with coffee.

Bai Ruoyun sighed softly.

“I always suspected you were a little crazy—after all, you grew up in the Bai family—but I never imagined you would do something like this…”

Bai Ruoyun couldn’t bring herself to reproach Bai Ruoxi, having lived in that household for two years herself, and she was naturally protective of her own.

After a long silence, Bai Ruoyun, growing somewhat annoyed, muttered, “That scumbag—if he didn’t like you, why did he touch you?”

“He doesn’t like you, and everyone around him makes things difficult for you.”

Bai Ruoxi’s voice was low. “People tend to enjoy watching the drama unfold. Many things can be endured and eventually pass.”

“Endure?”

After three years apart, how had Bai Ruoxi become such a pushover?

Bai Ruoyun rolled her eyes and grew more indignant.

“Your life at the Jiang family isn’t a secret. The whole city knows you live worse than the Jiang servants.”

“Last New Year’s, they locked you in the old estate’s storage room, and you nearly froze to death.”

“Jiang Jinglan had some conscience and finally found you, but the servants turned it into a joke online—with a picture of a frozen chicken.”

Bai Ruoyun curled her fingers and slammed them heavily on the table.

Matters concerning Bai Ruoxi’s life were toyed with as jokes by the Jiang servants online. What kind of Mrs. Jiang was she?

Meeting Bai Ruoyun’s gaze, Bai Ruoxi felt a burning ache in her heart.

She couldn’t say whether it was shame or sorrow.

Ah… frozen chicken…

Thinking back to that New Year’s incident still sent chills down Bai Ruoxi’s spine.

That day, she had avoided the Jiang family and gone alone to the corner of the manor’s storage room to video call her grandparents for New Year’s greetings.

But as soon as the call ended, the door was locked from the outside.

To make matters worse, her phone died, and Bai Ruoxi could only pound on the door for help.

The storage room had no heating, no light, and even drafty cracks; if she stayed there overnight, she would have been in serious trouble.

She banged and called out desperately until her strength was spent.

She counted twelve people who passed by outside between dusk and nightfall.

They all knew it was Bai Ruoxi locked inside, yet not one came to help.

Just as she was about to lose consciousness from the cold,

A tall figure broke in.

Then, she finally collapsed into darkness.

Someone wrapped a warm coat around her and carried her out of the storage room.

In her haze, she vaguely felt a cool, calloused hand gently stroking her forehead, softly whispering, “Xiao Xi…”

---

When she woke again, she was back home at Nanyue Elegant Residence.

Jiang Jinglan sat on the bedside with a somber expression.

He looked at her coldly and said, “If you want to die, don’t choose New Year’s; it makes the whole family unhappy,” then left.

Having just survived this ordeal, Bai Ruoxi curled up under the covers and cried for a long time, until her voice was hoarse and nearly gone.

“Bai Ruoxi, do you want me to remind you? Your surname isn’t Bai; it’s Qiao!”

Bai Ruoyun sighed deeply.

“If you’d told Jiang Jinglan you were the Qiao family heir, the Jiang family wouldn’t have treated you like this.”

Bai Ruoxi lowered her gaze and whispered, “My grandfather doesn’t like Jiang Jinglan.”

“My grandmother persuaded him for a long time before he reluctantly gave me four years.”

“If after four years Jiang Jinglan can’t treat me well or win my grandfather’s approval, I have to return to the Qiao family and marry whoever they choose.”

“During this period, I can’t reveal my identity as a Qiao.”

Qiao Jinbo’s view of Jiang Jinglan was far more than mere dislike.

He said Jiang Jinglan was a lowlife thug who lucked into becoming the Jiang Group’s CEO.

At heart, Jiang Jinglan was a rotten scoundrel, no different from the old patriarch Jiang Chenyu.

Qiao Jinbo, who was completely submissive to Bai Ruoxi, was especially stubborn about this matter.

Bai Ruoxi vaguely felt that Qiao Jinbo might have some old grudge against Jiang Chenyu, which implicated Jiang Jinglan.

“Oh, that’s another matter…” Bai Ruoyun shook her head. “There’s really no way around it. By the way, do you want me to clear something up for you?”

“There are rumors all over the city, painting you in such a bad light. They say you helped me escape an arranged marriage, but it ended up with you stealing my place out of vanity.”

“I’ll clear it up for you so you can live more peacefully.”

Her grip tightened around the spoon handle.

Bai Ruoxi shook her head slightly.

“No need. I’m used to it. Every time someone deliberately stirs things up, Jiang Jinglan has people delete posts and pull down trending topics.”

Sometimes even Bai Ruoxi thought she was strange—liking to find sweetness among shards of broken glass.

Things like Jiang Jinglan helping her erase those posts were clearly to protect the Jiang family’s reputation, but Bai Ruoxi always romanticized it as if he was protecting her.

It was those false moments of sweetness that gave her a sliver of hope when she was down.

Bai Ruoxi sighed softly.

Now that Qin Yu had returned, her last bit of hope was probably about to shatter. She didn’t even know when Jiang Jinglan would bring up divorce.