Volume 1, Chapter 14: Kicking the Scum to the Curb!

A sharp pain shot through her palm. Jiang Yunyao squeezed her hand, her exquisite features hardening with icy fury. "Are you awake now?"

Duan Yixiao’s jaw tightened. His eyes, dark and gloomy as ink, swirled with a gathering storm as he glared at her in anger.

"Do you even hear yourself? You would abandon your seven-months-pregnant wife on a dark, desolate road just to go to a bar to find your first love? Is this the behavior of a sane person?" She met his gaze with piercing intensity, questioning him in a low, stern voice.

Duan Yixiao couldn't stand her mocking look. "I was just worried about her. If it weren't for you back then... she wouldn't have been so devastated that she left the country and fell into a depression, taking a whole year to recover."

The driver had already pulled the car over to the side of the road.

Jiang Yunyao said, "Since you’re so worried about her, why aren't you going to find her yet?"

"What do you mean?" Duan Yixiao was stunned; was she letting him go or not?

"Li, please ask Mr. Duan to get out of the car," Jiang Yunyao commanded.

Li Kang had been hired by Jiang Yunyao years ago, and she had even helped his wife land a cleaning job at the company, ensuring their family's financial stability. He had always been deeply grateful to her. Without hesitation, he stepped out and opened the door for Duan Yixiao.

Realizing his previous words were inappropriate, Duan Yixiao softened his expression slightly. "If you’re willing, we can go to the bar together—"

"I am not!" Jiang Yunyao interrupted him sharply and kicked him out of the car!

"Let's go, Li!" Jiang Yunyao pulled her leg back and rubbed it.

Duan Yixiao stumbled to find his footing, but the car had already sped away, leaving him in a cloud of dust. His expression was grim, but as he recalled the look in Jiang Yunyao’s eyes, his heart gave an involuntary pang. It seemed as though the light had gone out of her eyes. However, he had no time to ponder it before his phone rang again in his pocket.

***

When Duan Yixiao arrived at the bar, Chen Nianke was slumped over in a booth, looking hopelessly drunk. He frowned subconsciously.

Lin Yi looked anxious, knitting his brows. "Why are you only here now? She insisted on waiting for you before she’d leave. Hurry up and take her home."

"How much did she drink? Why didn't you stop her?" Duan Yixiao chided.

"Do you think I didn't try? But those people at the Jade Plaza investment center are arrogant. Nianke needed them happy if she wanted her brand to move in. Luckily, they knew she was the heiress of the Chenxing Group, so they didn't dare cross the line," Lin Yi explained the situation briefly.

"A-Xiao, you're here," Chen Nianke murmured, looking at him through bleary eyes.

"Yes, I’m taking you home," Duan Yixiao said, leaning in to help her up.

Chen Nianke was completely limp, unable to stand, so Duan Yixiao had to lift her into his arms. She instinctively wrapped her arms around him, burying herself into his chest. Anyone watching would have thought they were a doting young couple.

"Wait, her coat!" Lin Yi chased after them, clutching her coat and draping it over her shoulders. "It's cold outside, don't let her catch a cold."

The winter night air was biting, hovering below freezing, making one shiver the moment they stepped outside. Chen Nianke sobered up slightly. "No, my parents are home. They’ll worry if they see me like this." She trembled from the cold as she spoke.

Duan Yixiao pulled her coat tighter. "Then... shall we go to the Xifu Garden apartment?"

Chen Nianke nodded. "Yes."

"Are you feeling very unwell?" Seeing her brows furrowed in pain as she collapsed onto the sofa, Duan Yixiao’s voice was filled with deep concern.

Chen Nianke tapped her forehead, her speech slurred. "My head hurts."

Duan Yixiao couldn't help but think of how Jiang Yunyao used to brew him hangover soup whenever he was drunk, and how much better he felt after drinking it. He wondered how she made it. Searching for a recipe online that had high ratings, he retreated to the kitchen.

After letting it cool, he brought the soup to her. "Drink this; you’ll feel better." He helped her up, letting her lean against him.

Chen Nianke drank it from his hand with a hazy expression.

"Rest well," Duan Yixiao said, intending to leave once she was settled.

Chen Nianke grabbed his arm, her voice raspy with intoxication. "Are you leaving?" Her tone was laced with reluctance.

Duan Yixiao remained firm. "I'll come see you tomorrow."

"Can't you stay with me?"

Perhaps it was the alcohol, but her flushed cheeks held a hint of allure, and her eyes shimmered with a coquettish charm. Duan Yixiao felt a flicker of emotion, but his mind suddenly flashed to Jiang Yunyao slapping him and kicking him out of the car; she had clearly been furious.

"I have some things I need to take care of," he said softly.

Chen Nianke watched him walk away, her hand slowly clenching into a fist. The haze in her eyes vanished, replaced by a cold, sharp clarity.

Not long after, her mother sent a message: [How did it go? Did you keep him there tonight?]

Chen Nianke sat up, her eyes dark and unfathomable. She massaged her temples and called her mother back.

Seeing the callback, her mother understood that she hadn't succeeded and complained, "After all that effort, how could you let him leave?"

Chen Nianke frowned, a trace of resentment flashing in her eyes. "One cannot be too hasty. What if he notices something? He still has feelings for Jiang Yunyao. The best strategy is to proceed slowly and dismantle their bond step by step."

Her mother sighed anxiously. "That may be true, but you must hurry. Chenxing is on its last legs, just barely keeping up appearances. We must be deeply tied to the Duan family to have any hope of survival, so you must keep a firm grip on Duan Yixiao."

Chen Nianke shifted her posture, her expression turning serious. "I know what I'm doing. Honestly, you and Dad—you looked down on him so much back then. Now that he’s successful, you want me to swallow my pride and cling to him."

At the mention of this, her mother regretted it so much she could have slapped her thigh. "How were we to know he would actually make something of himself and catch the eye of Duan Zhenhong?" She sighed again. "Who would have thought that the original Mrs. Duan would die so young? That little girl Jiang Yunyao just picked up the scraps and became the young mistress of the Duan family."

Chen Nianke gritted her teeth, a look of grim determination in her eyes. "Don't worry. Everything she snatched from me, I will make her pay back in full!"