Chapter 12: You Are Unhappy

However, unlike the others, what Xiao Yunchen thought about wasn’t business, parties, or the endless glory and wealth he could enjoy.

What came to his mind was the unopened box of condoms sitting on his coffee table yesterday.

XXL?

Human-sized?

Jian Qing, could you even handle that?

What a hypocritical man!

His lips twitched with displeasure, and a dark expression clouded Xiao Yunchen’s face. He looked like a dog who wanted to bark and bite but was too cowardly. He paced in circles for a long time, finally dropping into silence on the sofa’s armrest.

“Ren Yishan, go on with what you were saying just now. You said you ran into He Jiangyu at the party. Then what? Did you exchange contact information? Strike a business deal? Or...”

Jian Qing mouthed silently to Ren Yishan: “Did you sleep together?”

Ren Yishan’s face flushed red, then went pale. She’d only wanted to put her father and Xiao Yunchen at ease—who could have guessed her show would play out in front of the very people she was pretending for?

Ren Tianchuan turned to look at her, and she scrambled to explain, “We met at the party, but I didn’t have my phone with me. I thought I’d add Mr. He as a friend next time, to make business easier.”

“Oh? Is that so?” Jian Qing tugged at Number 33’s sleeve. He bent over slightly, the sharpness in his eyes softening.

“Well, what a coincidence. He Jiangyu is right here. Why not add each other now?”

“That’s great, Qingqing, thank you.” Ren Yishan nervously picked up her phone from the table, leaned toward Li Jingche, and brought up her QR code. “Mr. He, let’s connect.”

Her collar was slightly open, and her soft curves pressed against Li Jingche’s arm.

Looking up, Li Jingche took out his phone and tossed it into Jian Qing’s bag. “Miss Ren, when you asked for my contact yesterday, I told you—I only keep in touch with legitimate heirs.”

Ren Yishan sucked in a sharp breath and stepped back, accidentally treading on Xiao Yunchen’s foot.

He steadied her with a hand and sneered, “Shanshan is an heir too, and she’s Jian Qing’s elder sister, Mr. He. It’s just adding a contact—why make things difficult?”

Jian Qing’s gaze turned icy. Watching Xiao Yunchen holding Ren Yishan in his arms, the woman nestled coyly against him. Even though this was her own act of revenge, a bitter anger welled up inside.

So, she leaned into Li Jingche’s embrace as well.

He glanced down at her, and the view down her collar was quite the sight.

The kiss in the restaurant still lingered on his lips. The problem with only tasting the surface was that desire became insatiable.

“Mr. Xiao, don’t forget to bring over what Jian Qing and I left in your room yesterday. We’ll need it again tonight.”

With that, Li Jingche, every inch the master of the house, put his arm around Jian Qing and smoothly led her upstairs to her room.

Downstairs, the three of them exchanged glances. After a long silence, Ren Tianchuan finally spoke.

“Shanshan, what’s going on?”

Ren Yishan’s eyes reddened as she looked pitifully at her father. “Dad, I think my sister used some underhanded means to strike a deal with Mr. He. He made things difficult for me at the party yesterday, I...”

The moment his daughter’s eyes filled with tears, the father’s heart softened. He patted Ren Yishan’s back and exchanged a look with Xiao Yunchen.

“Jian Qing has gone too far! She’s enjoyed years of luxury in this family. You’re her elder sister—you deserve compensation! Shanshan, we’ll stand up for you regarding Jian Qing. But when it comes to getting closer to Mr. He or even Li Jingche, you’ll have to try harder.”

Xiao Yunchen fanned the flames. “Exactly, Shanshan. He Jiangyu is just helping the Jian family, so Jian Qing’s mother will think well of you. But if you can get to know Li Jingche, our family might just be saved. Next week is Li Jingche’s birthday. All the industry elites will be there. Make us proud!”

Leaning against her father’s shoulder, Ren Yishan’s squeezed-out tears had long since dried.

Upstairs, Jian Qing was not as pleased as she’d imagined.

She stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows, watching the staff clean the garden fountain. Her fingers traced the fountain’s shape on the glass.

She’d lived in this house for twenty-two years, yet now she was the outsider.

Aside from her mother, no one truly loved her.

“What’s wrong? Did I not perform well just now?”

Li Jingche’s expression darkened as he stood behind her, his hands gently resting on her arms.

Jian Qing shook her head. “It’s nothing. I’ll send you the money soon.”

“You’re not happy.”

He turned her to face him, bending down to look carefully into her eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

Dropping her guard, Jian Qing forced a smile and glanced away, not wanting him to notice the moisture gathering in her eyes.

“I want to go back to Haiyan Heqing. I miss my little brothers. What should I do, Number 33?”

Number 33.

That name made it sound as if she’d really hired him as a male model.

But Li Jingche had planned long ago to break her of this habit.

He still held Jian Qing’s handbag, slinging it over his shoulder with a cold, mocking smile.

“All right, take me with you. Let me see how you rich folks have fun. If the pay’s good, maybe I’ll get a part-time job there myself.”

At least, for tonight and tomorrow morning, those three downstairs would have a rough time. Jian Qing didn’t refuse.

“Fine, I’ll even hire a couple of girls for you. Wait here, I’ll go change.”

She walked alone into the dressing room and, after closing the door, slid weakly to the floor.

A sense of utter betrayal enveloped her. Her eyes were downcast, like the shadow of the moon sinking into a pond—

Revenge was one thing.

Pain was another.

Some people, after all, could cry and still carry on.

She both loved and hated at once.

Those she once considered family were now her enemies.

Just a wall away, Li Jingche tried to take the phone he’d tossed into Jian Qing’s bag.

But as he opened it, something else caught his eye—a little pink bunny.

Made of silicone, soft to the touch.

There was a button on it, and when he pressed it, the bunny began to vibrate.

And on the bottom, written in marker, was a string of numbers—a phone number.