Meanwhile…

Lin Shuang took five minutes to calm herself down, although she still hadn’t made up her mind as to whether she should continue running away or just accept her fate. She was suddenly wavering. D*mn it! I really want to run away, but I can’t!

Her phone vibrated just then.

Yun Ling had sent her a screenshot of He Yidu’s messages in the group chat.

[Dog He: @Everyone For the sake of the everlasting friendship between Red Flame and Shadow League, I’m willing to marry Lin Shuang.

[Dog He: I’ll take @Nine Tails.]

Lin Shuang was rendered speechless by the messages, and the name Yun Ling had saved He Yidu as.

[Yun Ling: If you betray me, I’ll die in front of you!]

Lin Shuang’s phone was on the countertop. She didn’t pick it up and just tapped on the keyboard with one hand. [Make a will before you die. Make sure to leave all your assets to me.]

[Yun Ling: Call me daddy, and it’ll be all yours.]

[Lin Shuang: Son, just admit it. He Yidu is richer than you.]

[Yun Ling: Scram! When a girl is of age, she must be married off!]

[Lin Shuang: I didn’t say I was going to get married to him.]

[Yun Ling: I bought it. I was pretending.jpg]

Lin Shuang closed her eyes and exhaled before washing and drying her hands and leaving the bathroom with a conflicted frown.

She ran into Sasha at the stair landing, but she ignored her and just proceeded to walk down the stairs.

Just then, an expensive red velvet handbag blocked her path.

Lin Shuang frowned.

“Sis.” Sasha’s voice rang out. “Are you trying to call off the marriage agreement?”

Hearing that, Lin Shuang looked over from the corners of her eyes and said in a nonchalant but frigid voice, “What does it have to do with you?”

Sasha, who wasn’t bothered by Lin Shuang’s hostile attitude, simply smiled. “I can help you if you want to call it off.”

“Help me?” Lin Shuang laughed and rested an arm against the carved floral railing in a lazy posture. “By marrying He Yidu in my stead?”

“You don’t want to get married, but Dad needs the Deiss family’s support. I’m just helping everyone here. Sis, you’re the eldest princess, so you should be better at considering the picture than me,” said Sasha righteously.

Lin Shuang cocked an eyebrow. “You’re indeed pretty good at considering the big picture.”

The meaningful tone made Sasha narrow her eyes. The next second, she heard Lin Shuang say, “Are you afraid that you and your mother will no longer have a place in the President’s House if I get married to He Yidu? Is that why you’re getting restless?”

Sasha’s smile stiffened. It seemed that Lin Shuang’s words had touched a sore spot.

Lin Shuang crossed her arms in front of her chest and lifted her chin in the direction of the stairs. “Go ask the Deiss family if they want an illegitimate daughter as their daughter-in-law.”

Country D all along had a monogamous system in place, and the topic of illegitimate births was so sensitive and abhorrent that there was even a law that dictated that all illegitimate children would be deprived of all rights. This was to protect the rights of the lawful wives.

Even though Sasha later became a legitimate child and owned the title of the second princess because her mother had successfully gotten married to Meyett, a lot of people still looked down on her. After all, the cabinet and several other prestigious families knew all about how the pair of mother and daughter got to their current positions.

Sasha was very capable, though. She gained everyone’s recognition when she became the director of the intelligence bureau at a young age through her merits, and people slowly forgot about her dark history as the years passed. It wouldn’t take long—probably a couple of years—before she inherited the intelligence bureau, which originally belonged to Lin Shuang’s mother.

From a young age, Lin Shuang started learning to program and was groomed as their successor of the intelligence bureau. The very first computer she got in her life was built together with her parents, although she later smashed it into pieces in front of her father when she found out that he had betrayed the family.

As the eldest princess, she wasn’t widely known in the country’s political arena. Everyone treated Sasha with the same respect as one would have for the eldest princess. It was like Country D only had one princess.

In fact, there were a lot of times when even Sasha herself forgot about Lin Shuang’s existence. Her mother had participated in many international summits over the years, and her good image as the First Lady was deeply rooted in people’s hearts. Apparently, Sasha reckoned that they had won this game, that she was no longer that lowly illegitimate child, and that she was much more capable than Lin Shuang.

“Illegitimate daughter?” Sasha still had a smile on her face. “Sis, I think you’ve forgotten whose mother is the First Lady of Country D and whose mother is currently locked up in a nursing home.”

Lin Shuang’s eyes turned frigid.

“If we really let the Deiss family make a choice, do you think they would choose the incompetent you or me, the successor of the intelligence bureau? It’s a marriage agreement with their interests at stake. Surely you understand this, Sis?” Sasha’s smile deepened when she saw Lin Shuang’s face stiffening. What can Lin Shuang possibly help the Deiss family with? All she can do is take up a spot in their family.

Lin Shuang stared staggers at Sasha as if her cold and sharp gaze could pierce the latter’s throat.

Sasha didn’t have much contact with Lin Shuang, but it was easy for her to find out information about her half-sister since she was managing the intelligence bureau. In her impression, Lin Shuang was nothing but a wastrel who only knew how to have fun and squander money, so she couldn’t help but find it strange that the latter would have such a strong presence.

Her grip on her handbag tightened, and she glared back at Lin Shuang as if she didn’t want to lose the staring fight.

The atmosphere was tense.

Three seconds later, Lin Shuang smiled. Although the corners of her eyes were crinkled, there weren’t signs of warmth in her smile. She slowly said, “I do have the plan to call off the marriage agreement. Since you’re so eager to get married to He Yidu, I…”

Her voice suddenly trailed off. She seemed a little hesitant.

Sasha’s eyes twinkled as she tried hard to contain her excitement. She pulled her lips back into a smile and calmly said, “I’m sure Dad will be very happy that you’re willing to consider the big picture.” Without the support of He Yidu and the Deiss family, Lin Shuang and her mother can forget about staging a comeback. They won’t be able to pose a threat to us even if they return.

Lin Shuang smiled. “Given the Deiss family and He Yidu’s influential background, he’ll naturally be very happy if I agree to go ahead with the wedding.”

When she heard that, Sasha narrowed her eyes as her smile stiffened. “What do you mean by that, Sis?”

“I meant exactly what I said,” said Lin Shuang lightly and slowly before smirking and straightening herself to head downstairs.

Sasha moved a step sideways to block Lin Shuang. But before she could even say anything, she saw Lin Shuang look up with a cold and hostile expression. “Get lost.”

“You’ve made up your mind to go against me?” Sasha refused to budge and continued to stare at her. There’s no way she can compare to me in terms of our current positions in Country D. Going against me is akin to courting death.

“Go against you?” Lin Shuang scoffed. “Who are you to make me do that?”

Sister Lin looked at Lin Shuang with scorn. “I’m not much, but I’m at least better than you, who’s always indulging in a life of luxury. Even if you’re the eldest princess, I’m more suitable to be the heir of the President’s House. Don’t you agree, Sis?”

Lin Shuang kept quiet.

“Like father, I can let you live a life of luxury, but you have to give me whatever I want unconditionally.”

Lin Shuang raised her eyebrows in a cynical manner. “What if I refuse to?”

Sasha let out a low laugh and said threateningly, “Then don’t blame me for what I’m about to do to a certain person.”

“Do you have a death wish?” Lin Shuang’s eyes darkened.

“You’re the one with the death wish when you go against me.” Sasha moved closer toward Lin Shuang. “Sis, think carefully. Can you really manage the Deiss family and He Yidu? Have you forgotten why your mother was put into Nata Nursing Home?”

Lin Shuang pursed her lips.

Sasha continued speaking. “She couldn’t help Dad in any way, and all she did every day was wait for Dad to come home. You, on the other hand, only know how to eat and have fun. Aren’t you afraid of getting abandoned, going crazy, and ending up locked up for the rest of your life?”

Lin Shuang tensed up. The image of her mother going hysterical and becoming a lunatic couldn’t be any clearer at this moment. Love made a woman who was rational, intelligent, elegant, and gentle into someone completely different. The memories tugged at her nerves.

As Sasha looked at Lin Shuang’s stricken face, she smirked and said, “Go tell Madam André that you want to call off the marriage agreement.”

Although she was fairly certain that the Deiss family would surely choose her as their daughter-in-law if they had to make a choice, she couldn’t abandon her princess identity and snatch what belonged to her sister in front of them. Hence, she could only make Lin Shuang give up.

“Call it off, and you’ll remain as the eldest princess of the President’s House and continue to live in luxury. Even when Dad retires, I’ll continue to take care of you.” Sasha acted as if she was doing this all for Lin Shuang’s sake.

Lin Shuang’s lips curled into a mocking and sneering smile. “You think nobody knows what you’re thinking when you’re always visiting the Deiss family?”

Sasha didn’t respond to that.

“Why do you think I came back?” Lin Shuang’s smile widened as she said in a lofty and disdainful manner, “I’m going ahead with this marriage. If you really want to get married to He Yidu, you ask your mother how to be a mistress. Your mother is an expert on this.”

“You!” Sasha’s face was contorted with rage.

Lin Shuang couldn’t be bothered to continue wasting her breath on Sasha, so she raised her hand and pushed her aside.

Caught off guard, Sasha stumbled on her high heels and bumped into the railing, which she hurriedly grabbed. Her dark and cold eyes glinted when she saw Lin Shuang heading down the stairs in her peripheral vision. She narrowed her eyes and then took a glance at the CCTV at the stair landing.

Lin Shuang had just descended a flight of stairs when a figure suddenly tumbled down the stairs.

…

Meanwhile, He Yidu was pulled aside by his mother for questioning.

“Where did you take Princess Xixi to just now?” An Rong whispered to her son.

“My bedroom.”

An Rong’s expression immediately became complicated. After a moment, she asked, “Aren’t you being too anxious? Why did Princess Xixi still want to run away when she likes you so much?”

He Yidu broke into a helpless chuckle. “Mom, can you stop imagining things?”

“Then what was it that you two had to talk about in your room?” An Rong asked. After estimating the amount of time Lin Shuang and He Yidu had spent inside the room, she added, “You guys came out too quickly just now. I think I should ask Young Madam Lu to take your pulse when we go back.”

He Yidu opened his mouth to say something, only to be interrupted by a horrified scream.

The scream echoed throughout the huge banquet hall and reached everyone’s ears.

He Yidu frowned and turned around, only to see Meyett, Miraine, his grandmother, and everyone else getting up and quickly walking to the sound.

When He Yidu didn’t spot Lin Shuang in the crowd, he narrowed his eyes and strode over as well.

At the staircase.

Sasha was lying on the ground with her head bleeding and her wrist twisted at an odd angle. With one hand to support herself, she had difficulty trying to get up.

“Sasha!” Miraine’s eyes widened in shock as she ran over to her daughter’s side. She wanted to help the latter up but was also afraid of hurting her. She hurriedly said, “Don’t move! Just stay still! We don’t want you getting hurt again!”

People who suffered a bad fall shouldn’t move around as it was highly likely that their bones would become misaligned, which would worsen their injury.

When everyone looked up, they saw Lin Shuang standing on the stairs of the second floor and looking down with an expressionless face. She was so calm that one couldn’t help but find it eerie. At that moment, an answer formed in their minds. They surmised that Lin Shuang had pushed Sasha down the stairs.

The Deiss family quickly ordered their servants to call the family doctor and arrange for an ambulance.

Madam André, meanwhile, took a look at the bloodstained stairs and then at Sasha, whose face was all bloodied. Eventually, her gaze landed on Lin Shuang, who was still standing in her original position and calmly watching the scene. Hints of appreciation showed up in her old astute eyes.

Miraine kneeled next to Sasha, her hands trembling in the air as she didn’t know where to place them. Her lips were also quivering when she saw Sasha’s twisted wrist. “Y-your hand…”

Everyone knew how precious Sasha’s hands were, given that she was the youngest director of the intelligence bureau’s technical division and would eventually take over the entire intelligence bureau.

Meyett panicked, too, as he had taken much effort to groom Sasha. He looked at Lin Shuang darkly before walking over to Sasha’s side.

Just then, He Yidu came over from the side. All he did was take one glance at Sasha before he quickly went up to Lin Shuang’s side, climbing three to four steps at a time. He stood on a step lower than hers and looked at her.

Lin Shuang’s chin was slightly lifted, and her eyelids were lowered as she calmly looked down the stairs.

He Yidu looked at the crowd below and then asked her, “Do you want to settle it yourself or do you need my help?”

Just as he said that, however, Miraine turned her head and glared at Lin Shuang with bloodshot eyes. She squeezed her hands tightly to maintain the composure and poise a First Lady should have. “I wonder how Sasha has offended Princess Xixi that you had topush her in this state?”

Sasha’s chest was heaving, her lips were pale, and the sweat and blood were mixed together on her face. With much difficulty, she said, “I fell on my own. Sis didn’t push me.”

Hearing that, Miraine nearly lost her cool right there and then. She spoke through clenched teeth, “You fell on your own?! Everyone knows how agile you are. Don’t you know how important your hands are?!”

“It’s true… I really fell on my own. It has nothing to do with—” Sasha coughed just then. It seemed that she had tugged onto her wound as her face became paler the next second.

Miraine held back her tears. “I’ll get someone to collect evidence. We’ll know whether she pushed you or not once we check for fingerprints.”

An Rong, who still believed in Lin Shuang, spoke up. “There’s CCTV over by the stairs area. We’ll know what happened when we take a look at the footage. Don’t accuse my future daughter-in-law without any evidence.”

Lin Shuang’s eyes wavered slightly when she heard that.

Just then, a servant respectfully said, “The CCTV at the stairs landing suddenly broke down this morning. We haven’t had the chance to replace it.”

Lin Shuang recalled herself pushing Sasha to the side earlier. She let out a laugh when she realized that the evidence was against her since Sasha had her fingerprints on her body and the CCTV wasn’t working. She’s got it all planned out, huh?

“I’ll take care of it myself.” Lin Shuang responded to He Yidu and then slowly made her way down the stairs.

Everyone’s eyes were on Lin Shuang, watching her walk down to the first floor and over to Sasha, who was lying motionlessly on the ground.

Miraine glared at her with eyes filled with hatred. “I won’t let this matter slide if there’s a problem with Sasha’s hand.”

“How well-played.” Lin Shuang smiled. Her faint blue eyes were frighteningly cold. “Why don’t I help you guys out?”

Miraine frowned, not understanding what Lin Shuang meant. But the next second, she saw Lin Shuang bend down and grab Sasha by her clothes before lifting her up. Just from this action alone, she could tell that Lin Shuang definitely was trained.

“What are you doing?!” she cried out in panic. She then moved to stop Lin Shuang but ended up getting blocked by He Yidu’s arm. Not daring to offend him, her eyes turned bloodshot.

Just like that, everyone watched Lin Shuang drag Sasha up the stairs.

In order to make her fall more realistic, Sasha had deliberately hurt herself hard while falling down the stairs. Thus, she couldn’t do anything but try her best to put up a struggle now.

“Sis, what are you doing?” Sasha’s heart started racing when she saw Lin Shuang’s nonchalant expression and the smile on her face.

Lin Shuang didn’t say anything and just continued dragging her up the stairs in what seemed to be an effortless move. No matter how hard Sasha struggled, it was useless against Lin Shuang.

In fact, Sasha didn’t even know where Lin Shuang had pressed her such that she couldn’t even exert her force. She stared at Lin Shuang in shock. She… She’s definitely better at fighting than me… But how can this be possible?!

She was completely panicking now.

The rest of the people didn’t know what Lin Shuang was doing, but they saw her walking up to the second floor before standing still with Sasha in her hand. The next second, however, she released her hand and pushed Sasha down the stairs in front of everyone.

An Rong’s jaw dropped in shock as she watched Sasha roll down the stairs.

The sound of bones breaking could be clearly heard in this silence.

By the time Sasha rolled all the way down to Miraine’s side, she had completely passed out, and the bone in her wrist had completely shattered.

“Sasha!” Miraine screamed hysterically.

“Lin Shuang!” Meyett’s eyes were fiery. He was so furious that the way he called Lin Shuang’s name had changed.

A wide smile spread across Lin Shuang’s face, making her look extremely beautiful but also extremely cruel. She crossed her arms in front of her chest. “There you go, you guys saw how I pushed her down the stairs with your own two eyes. There’s no need for you to check for fingerprints anymore.”

…

Meanwhile, at World Restaurant.

Everyone was used to Qin Fang calling them out to gather and have fun after he completed a project.

Yu Mufeng, Ji Heng, and Qin Rui came together.

Qin Fang exuded a melancholy aura as he lay slumped on the sofa.

Yu Mufeng sighed and patted him on the shoulder. “Brother Fang, why don’t you go find a girlfriend too?”

Ji Heng laughed, having heard the news about He Yidu going to Country D to look for Lin Shuang. He figured they would hear good news from them soon, which made Qin Fang the only one out of the trio still single.

Just then, Jiang Shenyuan, Meng Jinyang, and Qin Yaozhi pushed open the door and came in together.

Since Gu Mang would be here today, Meng Jinyang didn’t refuse Jiang Shenyuan’s invitation to come over. Though she usually avoided large gatherings like this and would even avoid her own class gatherings, she was known as the ice beauty of the law department.

Qin Fang rolled his eyes when he saw Jiang Shenyuan and Meng Jinyang. When was there ever a girl in our midst when we hung out together in the past? We didn’t even take Qin Yaozhi out, even though she was just a little girl back then. Now, they’re all in pairs!

Everyone greeted each other.

Ji Heng was just about to light a cigarette when he suddenly remembered that Gu Mang would be coming later. He shoved the pack of cigarettes back into his pocket and continued their earlier conversation. “Go find a girlfriend, Qin Fang. We’re not always so free to hang out with you.”

Yu Mufeng seriously said, “You just need to be more proactive to get a girlfriend, Brother Fang. Go learn from Brother Du.”

Qin Fang scoffed. “People have faith, the nation has hope, the country has power, Confucius had a wife, but I need none!”

Qin Yaozhi sighed and spoke from experience. “Love might be late, but it won’t be absent.”

Just then, the private room’s door was pushed open once more. This time, Lu Chengzhou and Gu Mang walked in with Lu Qi in tow.

The moment Meng Jinyang saw Gu Mang, she stood up and walked over to greet her with a smile. “Gu Mang.”

As usual, Gu Mang pinched her cheeks. “Your dark circles look quite dark.”

“Huh?” Meng Jinyang touched her eye bags. “Are they really that bad?”

She had been burning the midnight oil lately, preparing for a mock case.

Gu Mang raised her eyebrows.

“In that case, I’ll sleep a little earlier tonight.” Meng Jinyang bit her lower lip.

When Jiang Shenyuan saw how slim Gu Mang still looked, he said, “Is the Lu family’s dietitian not up to par?”

“Not bad.” Gu Mang and Lu Chengzhou walked over and sat down.

The latter then reached his hand out to take a thermal flask from Lu Qi and poured the hot milk into its cap before passing it to Gu Mang. “You’ve gained some weight, but you’re still too skinny.”

He didn’t know where all the food she ate went when he had been feeding her a lot of food every day.

Jiang Shenyuan laughed and said to Gu Mang, “You should wash your hands off the school matters at the seventh month of your pregnancy and recuperate properly.”

Gu Mang nodded.

Now that everyone had arrived, Qin Fang pressed the pager to have the food served.

During the meal, Qin Fang showed some concern for his buddy first before asking Gu Mang, “Sis-in-law, how are things going for He Yidu and the rich lady? I haven’t heard from him lately, so I don’t know what he’s been up to.”

Gu Mang ate a prawn and replied in a nonchalant manner, “He’s on a blind date.”

“What?!” Qin Fang was shocked to hear that. “Didn’t he leave to steal a bride? How did he end up on a blind date?”

He Yidu’s two hijackings had left a deep impression on the others as well, and they couldn’t help wondering if He Yidu had a change of heart in this short time. Everyone put down their chopsticks and eagerly looked at Gu Mang for more gossip.

“Oh, I forgot to mention that Lin Shuang’s fiancé is He Yidu.” Gu Mang then ate the piece of mala fish Lu Chengzhou gave her.

Qin Fang’s eyes and mouth widened. It took him some time before he snapped out of it. “Jeez! How much gossip have I been missing out on?!”

Lin Shuang’s fiancé is He Yidu?! When was he engaged? How come I didn’t know about it when I’m so close to him?! He felt a little sad about this.

Ji Heng was even more surprised by the news because he had even advised He Yidu not to act rashly since Lin Shuang had a fiancé.

Lu Qi, as the person with the first-hand gossip, smugly said, “Ms. Lin is Country D’s eldest princess and has a marriage agreement with the Deiss family. There’s a gathering between the President’s House and the Deiss family today.”

Qin Fang knew about He Yidu’s relationship with the Deiss family and even how his buddy had prepared a lot of things to ruin Lin Shuang’s wedding. His lips twitched. So… the fiancé turns out to be He Yidu himself? This world sure is small…

Lu Qi then revealed He Yidu’s relationship with the Deiss family to everyone, and those who weren’t aware of it couldn’t help but twitch the corners of their lips.

“They’re already engaged,” Yu Mufeng said. “It looks like wedding bells will be ringing soon.”

The rest of the people couldn’t help but be impressed by the speed of the three big shots. He Yidu’s wedding would mark him as the second person to get married this year.

Yu Mufeng poured a glass of wine for Qin Fang. “Brother Du is getting married soon. Brother Fang, you have to step up your game.”

Qin Fang cursed.

“Don’t curse in front of my daughter.” Lu Chengzhou pointed his chopsticks at him.

Both Qin Fang and Gu Mang were speechless by this.

Lu Chengzhou then filled Gu Mang’s cup with warm water and gently said to her, “Don’t eat so much spicy food. It’s late at night now.”

“Okay.”

While Lu Chengzhou chatted with the others, he gently kneaded Gu Mang’s waist with one hand.

After the meal, Qin Fang arranged other activities. He looked like he wanted to stay up all night partying. However, Qin Yaozhi and Meng Jinyang had classes the next day, so Jiang Shenyuan sent them back. Gu Mang and Lu Chengzhou were prepared to head back to Royal Garden as well.

The group arrived at World Restaurant’s entrance when Gu Mang suddenly felt her phone vibrating in her pocket. She realized that it was a video call from Yun Ling after taking her phone out. As usual, she changed it to a voice call and lazily answered, “What’s the matter?”

Everyone thus stood in place and stopped talking while Lu Chengzhou held Gu Mang’s hand.

For some reason, Gu Mang suddenly frowned, and a cold aura enveloped her out of nowhere. There were hints of viciousness in her eyes as well.

It had been some time since Lu Chengzhou saw her looking like this.

Gu Mang soon ended the call. She turned to Lu Chengzhou and said seriously, “I’m going to Country D.”

Lu Chengzhou nodded and looked at Lu Qi, who immediately started making calls to make arrangements.

Given Gu Mang’s current condition, nothing can possibly make her leave the capital so easily and attend to it in person. Judging her reaction… things must be somewhat serious… Qin Fang immediately became serious as he asked in a grave tone, “Did something happen, Sis-in-law?”

Lu Chengzhou looked at Gu Mang. “Is Lin Shuang in trouble?”

Lin Shuang was the only person who could make Gu Mang go to Country D in person.

“Yes, let’s go over first.”

“The rich lady is in trouble? But isn’t she on a blind date with He Yidu?” Qin Fang frowned. What can possibly happen on a blind date such that Gu Mang has to go to Country D right away…