Chapter 45: The Young Lady Is Remarkable

Ning Lan had torn away all pretense, revealing a side of herself that Du Xingyuan had never seen. Their relationship was finished, irreparably ended. Ning Lan believed that everything Du Xingyuan had done was for the mistress he kept outside their marriage, and her own infidelity was merely a response to his betrayal—if he could be unfaithful, so could she.

But from Du Xingyuan’s perspective, it meant something else entirely. He had worked hard for so long, only to be rewarded with Ning Lan’s betrayal. Now, with the masks off, he realized how foolish he had been, caught in her web of deception. The woman before him, furious and spiteful, bore no resemblance to the sweet and obedient girl he remembered.

"You!" Du Xingyuan’s whole body trembled with rage. He reached out a finger, as if to seize Ning Lan, but the cold smirk on her lips doused his anger instantly.

He regained his composure in a flash. Memories of their time together flickered through his mind, and he let out a bitter, icy laugh. "Ning Lan, you’ve been using me all along, haven’t you?"

Suddenly, a thought struck him. "Yun Fu—was that you as well?"

Ning Lan frowned, her gaze growing even colder. "Yes, it was me. But even if it hadn’t been, it would have been someone else. Yun Fu is a fool—you grew tired of her ages ago, didn’t you?"

She laughed too, her smile laden with sarcasm. "But I did truly love you once. Yet the unwavering love you always spoke of changed, didn’t it? It changed the moment you cheated."

"I cheated?" Du Xingyuan laughed in disbelief. "You’ve always been a master at twisting the truth. After everything I’ve done for you, you repay me by making a fool of me?"

"And weren’t you unfaithful yourself?"

"I barely have time to eat, let alone find a mistress!" Du Xingyuan roared, but neither of them calmed down. The seed of suspicion, once planted, only grew stronger and harder to eradicate.

Especially now, since Ning Lan really had been unfaithful.

Having witnessed enough of this mutual destruction, Liu Jue stepped out from the shadows where he’d been watching, emerging slowly. He took Ning Lan’s arm, his gaze steady and silent as he looked at Du Xingyuan, exhaling the last puff of his cigarette.

His tone was calm, but his words rang out with finality. "Young Master Du, I’ll be taking Ning Lan now. If the opportunity arises, I’ll pay your father a visit."

That was the difference between them. Liu Jue was the head of the Liu family, while Du Xingyuan remained merely Young Master Du.

Du Xingyuan clenched his fists tightly at his sides, his gaze fierce as he watched the pair walk away together.

Fine. Fine, indeed. All his efforts for Ning Lan had come to nothing; now, without her, he realized life might be much easier. And after all, this was Ning Lan’s fault. He was merely a pitiful man kept in the dark.

With that thought, a ruthless glint flashed in Du Xingyuan’s eyes.

Elsewhere, Ning Lan clung to Liu Jue’s arm, speaking in a coquettish voice, "Brother Liu, now that Du Xingyuan knows, he’ll definitely strike first and spread rumors about us. What should we do?"

Liu Jue smiled, his expression utterly cold. He patted Ning Lan as one would a beloved pet.

"The Du family isn’t Du Xingyuan’s to command," he said. "There are many in the Du family—if he wants to act against us, he’ll have to consider whether Old Master Du and Du Yong agree."

With Liu Jue’s reassurance, Ning Lan relaxed and smiled. Indeed, she had chosen Liu Jue because he was far more capable than Du Xingyuan. In this circle, ability was the greatest shield. She had no desire to repeat the humiliation of being thrown into prison at the whim of the Lian family.

—

Of course, Du Xingyuan and Ning Lan’s quarrel had not escaped Qin Yi’s notice. He read the reports from his subordinates with growing amusement, clicking his tongue in admiration, his eyes bright with interest.

Finally, he couldn’t resist applauding.

That very evening, he invited Lian Hanqi out for dinner.

The moment he saw him, Qin Yi couldn’t help but exclaim, "Brother Hanqi, I must admit, your little girl is truly remarkable."

Lian Hanqi raised an eyebrow, signaling him to go on, while casually rolling up his shirt sleeve to reveal a well-shaped forearm. The watch on his wrist exuded understated luxury.

"You have no idea—she somehow got hold of a video, just two blurry figures, then bought a trending topic. Now Du Xingyuan and Ning Lan are tearing each other apart, and even dragged Liu Jue down with them. Incredible!"

Hearing these three names, Lian Hanqi instantly grasped what had happened. A smile curled his lips, his eyes shining with pride.

Seeing this, Qin Yi couldn’t help but grumble to himself—what’s he so pleased about? That girl has nothing to do with him now. He couldn’t even get her to join their company, yet he still dreams about her. Wishful thinking.

But he wouldn’t dare say such things aloud—unless he was tired of living.

"I think the girl doesn’t need you at all; she’s perfectly capable of handling things on her own," Qin Yi said.

Listening to Qin Yi’s praise, Lian Hanqi’s thoughts drifted to the girl from his dreams. The warmth in his eyes slowly faded. He understood: she had grown into her current self only because she had endured hardships most girls would never face in their entire lives.

She had been forced to grow up, forced to become strong, simply to survive.

The thought made Lian Hanqi feel a pang of sorrow.

"Pack one for me," he instructed a nearby waiter.

Qin Yi wiped his mouth, teasing, "Brother Hanqi, are you planning to win her over again?"

Lian Hanqi glanced at him, offering no reply.

But Qin Yi understood—he was indeed going to chase after the girl. The old rascal!

After six o’clock, the doorbell, usually punctual, failed to ring.

Yun Fu frowned, put down her phone, and stood up. The avatar in her game stopped moving, and her teammates sent probing messages:

"Boss? Did you lag out?"

"Boss, don’t tell me you’ve disconnected?"

"Boss, this is the promotion match! Boss, you can’t AFK now! Boss!!"

Yun Fu walked to the door and peered through the peephole, seeing nothing but an empty corridor.

Her fingers twitched unconsciously. The warmth in her eyes faded abruptly. But soon, she wore a resigned expression and turned to go back.

Just then, the doorbell rang suddenly.

Her heart leapt, unsure whether from the unexpected sound or something else.

She opened the door, but it wasn’t the usual delivery person.

It was—Lian Hanqi.

He looked at her kindly, lifted the meal box in his hand and shook it. "Traffic was bad, so I’m a few minutes late. I hope you’re not too hungry."

Yun Fu glanced at him and turned to head back inside.

Lian Hanqi followed her in without hesitation, closing the door behind him.

Hearing the door shut, Yun Fu raised an eyebrow, sat back on the sofa, and frowned at the avalanche of messages filling her screen.