In the height of summer, the scorching heat had emptied the streets by afternoon. A black car raced down the shaded avenue like a mad thing. Inside, a stunning, heavily pregnant woman was struggling fiercely.
"Leng Qingle, Leng Qingle, let me go!"
"Let you go? Keep dreaming! You're going to die, sister. You ruined our family, do you think we'd let you off? From the moment our parents died, we swore you'd live a life worse than death! It's all because of you. Everything turned out like this because of you!"
Leng Qingqing's eyes blazed with fury as she screamed hysterically.
"Ah Yuan! Please come, help me!" Leng Rongrong glanced at her swollen belly, despair welling up in her voice as tears brimmed in her eyes.
"Mo Linyuan won't save you. He's long forgotten you! You can go to your grave with those twins of yours!"
Leng Rongrong's heart thudded in terror. Her babies, sensing the danger, kicked wildly within her.
These people are insane!
With a final burst of strength, she broke free from the ropes and lunged for the front seat, grabbing the steering wheel in a desperate attempt to stop the car.
Just then, another car rammed into them from behind. The black car flew off the road, crashing against the high bridge's railing.
Leng Qingqing and Leng Qingle quickly opened the doors and scrambled out.
"No—!" Leng Rongrong's horrified scream echoed as the car plunged into the river below.
Will I die here?
What about my children?
They haven't even been born yet!
As the car hurtled into the water, Leng Rongrong shielded her belly with trembling hands. These were Ah Yuan's children. She couldn't let anything happen to them, even if Ah Yuan had forgotten her and them both.
Flashes of past memories flitted through her mind, a bitter smile tugging at her lips.
Perhaps we won't survive this…
Mo Linyuan, even if you've forgotten us, you—must live on.
On the bridge, another black car screeched to a halt. A tall, handsome man with a cold and stern expression stepped out, rushing towards the injured Leng Qingqing and Leng Qingle. He seized Leng Qingle by the collar, his eyes red with fury.
"Where is Rongrong? Where have you hidden her?"
"She's dead. She's finally dead!"
"Hahahaha! Leng Rongrong, that wretch, is finally gone!"
Leng Qingqing, her face smeared with blood, laughed madly, pointing at the broken railing like a crazed woman. "She fell! She and the car, both are gone—straight to hell!"
"Rongrong!" Mo Linyuan flung Leng Qingle aside like a ragdoll, striding to the edge of the bridge. His gaze fell upon the calm waters below—no sign of the car in sight. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Rongrong. I just remembered you, and yet, I had forgotten you! I deserve to die!"
***
Five years earlier.
"Dad, are you sure Leng Rongrong is willing to marry that cripple in my place?"
"Why else would I bring her back? I'm her father—if she doesn't listen to me, who will she listen to? Don't worry, that fool actually thinks we brought her back because we love her. Say a few kind words, and she'll definitely agree to help you."
Leng Rongrong had been brought back to the Leng family after spending nearly twenty years in the countryside. She had believed her father had repented and was finally bringing her back after abandoning her for so long.
But less than a week after her return, she overheard this conversation between her father and her half-sister.
It all made sense. Why else would they have treated her so well over the past week, after twenty years of neglect? The flattery was hollow, devoid of sincerity.
Their sole purpose was to have her replace Leng Qingqing in an arranged marriage.
Leng Qingqing's wedding had been the talk of the town. It was a marriage arranged by the elders of both families when they were children.
Back then, Mo Linyuan, the fourth young master of the Mo family, had been quite impressive. But in recent years, he'd met with an accident and become disabled.
It was said that he was now a shadow of his former self—crippled, gaunt, and hideous. No woman wanted to marry him, for it would be a life sentence of misery.
The Mo family, unable to find anyone to wed Mo Linyuan, had used the marriage contract to pressure the Leng family, insisting that Leng Qingqing marry him.
But Leng Qingqing, beautiful and healthy, had no intention of marrying a cripple.
Once, Mo Linyuan had been a coveted prize despite his looks, because of his family's wealth and power. But now, with his disability, he had fallen out of favor, and the family fortune was no longer within his reach. He had become a black hole of bad luck, and no woman wanted to marry into such misfortune.
Leng Rongrong wasn't foolish. The moment she overheard their scheming, she burst into the room, flatly refusing: "I will not marry!"
Leng Guantang and Leng Qingqing, caught off guard, stared at her in shock.
"You heard everything?" Leng Guantang asked, his eyes narrowing at his unfamiliar daughter.
Though she was his child, she had not grown up by his side. Having left her in the countryside for over twenty years, she was practically a stranger to him. Now that he had a proper family, Leng Rongrong was nothing more than an unnecessary extra.
"I heard everything. I will not marry him. If this is why you brought me back, you can forget it—I won't agree!"
Leng Rongrong stood firm. Though she had been raised in the countryside, she had several powerful mentors who had taught her much and broadened her horizons. She possessed a certain fiery strength and determination.
"Rongrong, you're Qingqing's elder sister. Isn't it your duty to protect her?" her stepmother, Li Mulan, feigned sorrow as she spoke. "This was supposed to be Qingqing's marriage, but she has someone she loves. As her mother, how could I bear to break them apart? Besides, the Mo family is prestigious, and Mo Linyuan is still the fourth young master. His health may not be good, but his family is wealthy. You'd be the fourth young madam of the Mo family, and once he dies, you could inherit his fortune and live a good life."
Leng Rongrong: ???
Ha! Why don't you let your precious Qingqing inherit his fortune and then marry her beloved?
Leng Rongrong couldn't help but laugh in disbelief. No matter how much the Leng family begged, she remained unmoved. She would rather leave than marry a man she had never met, let alone one who was disabled and living on borrowed time.
At first, she thought she could stand her ground. After all, she was no pushover. But when her stubbornness didn't work, Leng Guantang grew angry and threatened to burn all her mother's belongings. He even said he'd set fire to the small house her mother used to live in.
Furious, yet helpless, Leng Rongrong had no choice but to agree.
The Mo family was easy to deal with. No one wanted to marry Mo Linyuan, and the arrangement with Leng Qingqing had been tentative at best. If Qingqing was unwilling but her elder sister was, then so be it.
Old Master Mo had only one goal: to find someone who could care for Mo Linyuan.
(End of Chapter)