The five kidnappers were immediately brought back to the country and handed over to the police.
The old man was rushed to the hospital. Apart from a severe relapse of his leg injury, there were no other major issues.
Only when she heard the distant sound of police sirens did Guan Yiling finally believe that Jiang Fuyue was serious.
“You can’t do this! If I go to jail, what will happen to the Qin family’s reputation?”
The old lady was the first to speak: “The Qin family’s reputation doesn’t need to be maintained by shielding criminals. If Old Qin were here, I believe he’d make the same decision.”
Guan Yiling’s face turned pale. She turned to Qin Lin for help, eyes filled with tears: “And you? Are you going to just watch me go to prison?”
Qin Lin looked away. “Everyone must pay the price for what they’ve done.”
“Heh… Hehehe…”
Guan Yiling laughed through her tears.
Over twenty years of companionship—turned out to be a mistake.
Police cars arrived with a roar and left just as quickly.
Guan Yiling wasn’t wrong—her imprisonment would indeed bring shame to the Qin family. The old lady and Qin Lin had to rush back to the Imperial Capital immediately to handle the aftermath.
Shi Qingzhi said, “I’ll go back too, check on Old Qin. Otherwise, I can’t rest easy.”
Qin Lin had taken a major hit, but as the backbone of the Qin family, he had no right to fall apart.
“Little Ru, I promise I’ll give you an explanation for what happened back then.”
Han Yunru smiled gently. “It’s all in the past. I’m doing well now. You don’t need to blame yourself—it wasn’t your fault.”
“Little Ru…”
“Brother Lin, I really don’t blame you.”
The man’s eyes turned red.
He took a deep breath, turned to Jiang Fuyue, and apologized, then thanked her—
“I’m sorry…” for not trusting her earlier.
“Thank you.” for saving the old man’s life.
That evening, the old lady and Qin Lin flew back to the Imperial Capital.
On the day Guan Yiling’s verdict was announced, Qin Lin called Han Yunru with the result: “…Ten years.”
During their conversation, he asked about Jiang Fuyue.
Han Yunru replied, “She’s at school—final exams today.”
At that moment, Jiang Fuyue had just finished the last question on her exam.
She set down her pen and raised her hand. “Teacher, I’m done.”
The rest of the class: “……”
Student A glanced at their own scratch paper—still on the fill-in-the-blank section.
Student B silently put down his scantron and 2B pencil. He was worse off—only finished the multiple choice.
Student C…
Forget it, no point looking—it only hurts more.
After two days of final exams, winter break officially began.
Zhong Ziang: “Come on, it’s super fun!”
On the phone, Young Master Zhong made a pitiful-sounding invitation.
Jiang Fuyue was doing practice problems, her phone on speaker beside her. Her hand didn’t slow down a bit as she replied, “Isn’t Tianluo Mountain still under development? How can you ski there?”
“Hiss… you even know that? Amazing!”
Jiang Fuyue finished another problem, flipped the page, and continued.
On the other end, silence for two seconds. “…Don’t tell me you’re still doing practice tests.”
“It’s fine, you talk, I’m listening.”
Zhong Ziang: “……”
“Tianluo Mountain is a joint project between the Zhong and Xie families. It’s been two or three years. Even though it’s not officially open yet, it’s basically done. Internal staff are testing it first. It’ll open to the public next spring.”
Jiang Fuyue understood.
Newly developed resorts like this naturally let their own people enjoy everything first before opening to the public to make money.
“Is it safe? Staff hired? Equipment checked?”
“Relax,” Zhong Ziang almost pounded his chest. “Several groups have already been there. If anything was going to go wrong, it would’ve happened already. Would it still be our turn if it weren’t safe?”
Jiang Fuyue: “You never know.”
Zhong Ziang twitched. “Can’t you just hope for the best?”
“Statistically speaking, the probability of something happening or not happening is 50/50.”
Young Master Zhong felt a headache coming on.
Jiang Fuyue scribbled the final answer on her test: 6√3. Then she put down her pen and packed up the paper.
“Who else is going?”
“The Ling and Yi families are also investors. I bet Ling Xuan and Yici will be there.”
“That’s it?”
Zhong Ziang: “Yeah.”
“Did you invite anyone else?”
“Uh… do I need to?” Isn’t two people enough for a cozy time?
Zhong Ziang: “I only invited you.”
Ling Xuan and Yici couldn’t be helped—their families were shareholders and probably got invited by the developers too.
Jiang Fuyue thought for a moment. “Can I bring people?”
“Who?”
“Jiang Han, Ge Meng, Liu Sisi, Wan Xiutong, Lin Qiao, Liu Bowen.”
Zhong Ziang almost fainted on the spot. So many bright, shining third wheels—how was he supposed to enjoy his two-person world with Jiang Fuyue?
“Problem?” Jiang Fuyue asked. “Then forget it. I won’t—”
“No problem! Absolutely no problem!”
“Really?”
Zhong Ziang choked on his words. “Truer than gold—I got this!”
“Alright, then… see you tomorrow?”
Zhong Ziang felt instantly revived. “You got it! See you tomorrow!”
….
The next day, the sun made a rare appearance.
At 9 a.m., Jiang Han drove over with Ge Meng and Liu Sisi, arriving at Yutianhua Residence.
Ge Meng: “Wow! Sister Yue’s house is huge and gorgeous!”
Liu Sisi had never been here either. She looked around curiously. “Hey, are those irises?”
Ge Meng: “Looks like it, but I’m not totally sure… I guess we’ll find out when they bloom in spring.”
Jiang Han stood on the lawn, thoughtfully staring at the grand and elegant villa.
She was wondering if her rich dad owned anything similar. Once final grades came out, maybe she’d get one under her name. If it was in this neighborhood, all the better.
Hehe… then she could be neighbors with Sister Yue.
Even if not, no biggie. Just buy one with half a month’s rent money!
Easy!
Ten minutes later, Liu Bowen, Wan Xiutong, and Lin Qiao arrived by cab.
Since security didn’t allow taxis in, they didn’t want to bother Jiang Fuyue, thinking it’d be a short walk.
But then—
Wan Xiutong: “Why is it so big in here? Shouldn’t a complex have a lot of houses? Why is it just lawns, fountains, and pavilions?”
Liu Bowen: “I think we’re in the right place—these signs all say ‘Yutianhua Residence Property.’”
Lin Qiao: “But walking navigation says we still have 6 kilometers to go—like, over 30 minutes.”
Wan Xiutong: “My legs are shaking…”
Lin Qiao: “My feet hurt.”
Liu Bowen: “So what do we do? Honestly, I don’t want to walk either…”
Just as the three were despairing, a golf cart rolled up and stopped in front of them.
“Excuse me, are you guests of the Jiang residence?”
“Jiang… Yes! That’s the surname! And you are?”
“Oh, I’m with the community staff. Miss Jiang called just now saying you might get lost. She asked me to come get you. Hop in~”
“Perfect timing! You’re a lifesaver—quick, get in…”
Once everyone was seated, the cart drove off smoothly.
After passing six lawns, five fountains, and twelve pavilions, they finally stopped in front of a gate.
Staff: “We’re here.”
Liu Bowen led Lin Qiao and Wan Xiutong off the cart in a daze, staring blankly at the ornate iron gate and the luxurious villa beyond.
“Uh… are we sure this is the place?”
Wan Xiutong: “No idea…”
Lin Qiao: “Did we get scammed?”
Liu Bowen wanted to ask the staff, but the guy had already driven off.
Just as he was about to call Jiang Fuyue, Jiang Han and Ge Meng walked up behind them—
“You guys finally made it! Why’re you standing at the back gate? Come to the front!”
Wan Xiutong: “There’s a front too?”
Ge Meng: “Yep! This is the backyard. The front entrance is way prettier.”
Lin Qiao smacked her lips. “This really is Sister Yue’s place?”
“Of course. We were just inside having drinks. Come on, we’ll show you.”
The three followed Jiang Han and Ge Meng around a long path and finally reached the front door.
Only then did Liu Bowen truly grasp the meaning of “way prettier.”
Wan Xiutong blinked.
Lin Qiao swallowed.
The two girls were practically bewitched by the refined elegance of the villa.
But once they went inside, what they’d seen before paled in comparison—the interior was even more luxurious, dazzling, and overwhelming.
Wan Xiutong: “Is this the joy of the rich? The foyer’s bigger than my whole room.”
Lin Qiao: “Uh-oh, I’m starting to feel a little jealous.”
Liu Bowen pushed up his glasses and only managed to mutter four words: “…Sister Yue is bad*ss.”
Besides showing them around, Han Yunru had also prepared desserts and drinks in advance.
