Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The First Daughter

"It's not your place to meddle in my affairs." Qin Yan said as he grabbed Xu Hanyan's hands from his waist. "Let go!"

Xu Hanyan winced in pain, "Gently, gently! You're going to break my hand!"

Ignoring her complaints, Qin Yan coldly continued to pry her hands off, and once freed, he prepared to chase after Lin Le again.

Xu Hanyan scornfully said, "Really, you're going to chase her? She sees you as a natural disaster, didn't you notice?"

Qin Yan turned sharply, his eyes cold enough to freeze ice.

Xu Hanyan rubbed her wrist, tender from Qin Yan's firm grip, now reddened and aching.

She was displeased and spoke coolly to Qin Yan, "What's wrong, Brother Yan? Do you think I'm wrong? You know exactly what Lin Le means to you. She clearly wants to keep her distance from you, yet why do you persist? Intimidation and force, Brother Yan, you've really broadened my horizons."

Qin Yan: "You've been investigating me?"

"Yes," Xu Hanyan admitted openly, "After I saw your little lover last time, I decided to do some homework. I didn't expect you and that crybaby had such a history."

"This is my business, not yours," Qin Yan narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "Xu Hanyan, remember our agreement. Even if we get married, we lead separate lives. Whatever I choose to do is my business, not yours. You better understand this. You've already broken the rules and caused me trouble last time. If there's a next time, we don't even have to get married."

"No need to get married?" Xu Hanyan scoffed, "Brother Yan, have you been bullying Lin Le so much that you think all women are like her, forgetting who I am?"

Qin Yan's gaze sharpened, and Xu Hanyan continued with a mocking smile.

"Brother Yan, my surname is Xu, from the Xu family. Remember, I'm not one of those little lovers you can push around. Since I agreed to marry you, whether we get married is not up to you anymore."

The Xu and Qin families thought of pairing them together not only because they were both outrageous and suited each other, but also because of the deep private friendship between the two families, with both patriarchs keen on the match.

"We're just a match of equal social standing. I agreed to marry you because you were decent, and I happened to need someone to marry. None of us was desperate for marriage, so, Brother Yan, don't think too highly of yourself."

Qin Yan's face turned very unpleasant, Xu Hanyan could understand his feelings. Being the precious and only child pampered by his family, having a bit of a prince's temperament was expected, but—

She was also spoiled growing up and wasn't about to cater to anyone's prince syndrome.

Qin Yan was left breathless with frustration by Xu Hanyan, yet he had no comeback. Their marriage was arranged by their grandfathers, who had shared life-and-death experiences on the battlefield, valuing this marriage to bring the families closer.

No one would easily break it—not even if that person was Qin Yan.

Qin Yan was fuming.

Xu Hanyan was right; she wasn't Lin Le, who could be easily manipulated due to her weak background. Xu Hanyan was the heiress of the Xu family, with both the background and the power to back her up.

He truly had no way to handle her.

"So, what do you want?" Qin Yan, stifling his frustration, asked with a taut face, "Did you come here just to tell me this?"

"Of course not." Xu Hanyan smiled again, "Brother Yan, you've been here long enough. In a few days, it's my grandfather's grand birthday celebration, and you need to come back with me."

Qin Yan narrowed his eyes and nodded, "Alright."

Xu Hanyan's delicately arched eyebrows lifted, her gaze flirtatious, "Brother Yan, it's best to behave these days. Our circle is small, and your actions, no matter how discreet, can't always stay hidden. If I lose face because of you at my grandfather's celebration, don't expect to get off easy."

"...," Accustomed to holding back his breath, Qin Yan was surprisingly calm, "Are you done?"

Xu Hanyan: "Not yet." She paused, then coquettishly added, "Your mom, my future mother-in-law, knows we're coming back. She's booked us a flight at 2 PM and even suggested it's a perfect time for you to take me out to eat first, Brother Yan."

Now that it was lunchtime, dining together would mean he'd have to spend the entire time with Xu Hanyan.

Looking at her — moments ago, her words were like daggers coated in sarcasm, and now she was all smiles and coquetry — Qin Yan's temples throbbed.

...........

Once out of the apartment, Lin Le, realizing Qin Yan hadn't followed, finally relaxed a bit, then quickly hailed a cab to the hospital.

"Lin girl, you're here." Zhang Guoliang was already waiting in the hospital corridor.

Seeing him, Lin Le rushed over to ask, "Uncle Zhang, how is my mom?"

Zhang Guoliang replied, "She's alright, just in a bad mood and not talking to us. Your Aunt Xuimei has been trying to console her for a while now, but we're not sure if it's working. You better go in and see."

"Okay, Uncle Zhang." Lin Le thanked him and then pushed open the door to enter the ward.

Inside, Li Xiumei was earnestly persuading, "You and Lin girl have always relied on each other. She values you more than herself. If you really do something foolish, how do you expect her to live? We're all family; can't you discuss whatever it is directly with her, instead of resorting to this?"

"Sister Li, you don't understand... my existence is a burden to her..."

"No, that won't happen!"

Lin Le suddenly rushed to the bedside, "Mom, after dad died, you're my only relative. You've raised me through hardships; you are my hope, my life... how could you ever be a burden..."

Lin Le cried intensely, both scared and pained by those words. Jiang Su was pulled by the hand, and as the mother and daughter reunited, Li Xiumei silently left the room.

Soon, only Jiang Su and Lin Le were left in the ward. Lin Le, kneeling by the bed, held Jiang Su's hand tightly, crying, "...It's all my fault, everything. Mom, I promise, I won't do anything anymore, I won't go anywhere, just don't hurt yourself, don't leave me, okay..."

Jiang Su, with tears in her eyes, silently stared at Lin Le.

Lin Le, both shocked and scared, didn't understand why she was acting this way, and after calling out "Mom" a few times, Jiang Su seemed to come back to her senses, slowly saying, "Your father passed away early, leaving us alone. All these years, you've followed me through hardships without a single complaint. I know you're not as those people say, craving wealth. You agreed to Qin Yan... surely because of my illness. I am dragging you down. If not for my health, you could have a better life, without suffering or being humiliated. Being with a man who already has a fiancée, what will become of you?"

"I'm sorry, Mom..." Lin Le felt ashamed and guilty. She has her pride; knowing Qin Yan had a fiancée, she decisively left him. Yet now, even knowing he was engaged, she considered being his mistress out of desperation, which was utterly shameful.

Thus, she felt guilty towards Xu Hanyan and her mother.

Jiang Su shivered, "Mom raised you through hardships; you are all my hope. If because of me, you are humiliated, it's worse than killing me, do you understand? I would rather jump off the rooftop than see you compromise for my sake. Do you get it?"

According to V0's script, the original Chen Honglian never knew about Qin Yan and Lin Le's affair. Initially, Lin Le thought their relationship was just dating and planned to tell her once it was stable. When Xu Hanyan appeared, realizing Qin Yan only saw her as a mistress, Lin Le decisively left him, and thus, never told Chen Honglian.

Now that Jiang Su has become Chen Honglian, considering her character and temper—

From the moment her husband died, Chen Honglian's entire emotional world revolved around Lin Le, her daughter. She valued Lin Le more than her own life, so one can imagine if she knew Qin Yan was threatening Lin Le using her, she would certainly see herself as a burden, leading to thoughts of self-sacrifice.

Originally, Qin Yan manipulated Lin Le by exploiting her feelings for Chen Honglian, repeatedly forcing her into submission. And Chen Honglian, unaware of Qin Yan's true nature until he started to court Lin Le earnestly, even thought of him as a good son-in-law, constantly facilitating their relationship.

It can be said that Lin Le eventually ended up with Qin Yan not just because of his relentless pursuit and her personality, but also due to Chen Honglian's repeated "assistance".

Now, the future mother-in-law who would have sided with Qin Yan has been replaced by Jiang Su, who is indifferent or even averse to him. With the child that once made Lin Le relent not yet in the picture, if Lin Le still ends up with Qin Yan, Jiang Su, as a task performer, would be utterly ineffective.

"I understand now, I know I was wrong, Mom..." Lin Le, holding Jiang Su's hand tightly, felt a release for all the pressure she had been under these days as Jiang Su spoke to her, crying profusely.

While sobbing and apologizing to Jiang Su.

Agreeing to Qin Yan's terms was solely to save her mother's life, but if her mother would resort to self-destruction because of it, then she would definitely not proceed with that decision.

Jiang Su could be said to have forced Lin Le in a manner not unlike Qin Yan's, both exploiting Lin Le's care for Chen Honglian.

This time, Lin Le was truly frightened by Jiang Su. She recounted everything about her and Qin Yan to Jiang Su. Even though Jiang Su already had a rough idea of the story, hearing it directly from Lin Le still made her feel suffocated and frustrated.

After Lin Le had explained everything and reassured her several times that she would no longer interact with Qin Yan, Jiang Su immediately said, "The Qin family is wealthy and powerful. As long as Qin Yan still harbors those feelings for you, staying here will only invite more coercion. Lin Le, we need to leave. Only by leaving can we avoid these people and live a peaceful life."

Lin Le had considered this but had her concerns, "But what about your illness?"

Jiang Su: "My illness requires money and life. Not to mention the money for a kidney transplant, whether or not we can find a suitable kidney also depends on luck. The current hospital doesn't have a suitable kidney for me; staying here is just waiting for death. It might be better to try another hospital, perhaps luck will be on our side, and we'll find a suitable kidney."

Jiang Su's words sounded light, but Lin Le only felt more distressed. With her mother's current health, rashly changing hospitals was not a good idea. Yet with Qin Yan around, staying would only bring unknown dangers. Lin Le felt helpless and hated her powerlessness.

"Don't worry too much, do what we can and leave the rest to fate. Maybe, the heavens will pity us and give me a bit of luck," Jiang Su said softly, patting Lin Le's head, "This afternoon, if we have time, let's see the doctor for a check-up, then ask if we can be discharged. If yes, we'll leave; if not, we'll find another way."

Lin Le, after thinking, agreed with the plan, "Let's do as Mom says."