By now the sky was no longer bright; the setting sun streamed in through the glass windows, falling directly on the side of Mrs. Qiao’s face. Her skin was far more delicate and full than most women her age, but traces of weariness were still visible at the corners of her mouth and eyes — and the more unforgiving the angle of light, the more pronounced that weariness became.
“Mrs. Qiao must not get much rest, with all she manages for the family,” Wen Tingli said, staring at Mrs. Qiao. “That makes sense — I heard the second and third branches have been working hard behind the scenes against the first branch. Old Master Qiao has long been displeased with your branch of the family.”
Mrs. Qiao, hardened by years of experience, had at first simply stared coldly at Wen Tingli. But hearing this last remark, she gave a cold laugh. “And where did you hear all this?”
Wen Tingli picked up her silver spoon and stirred it idly. “Qiao Xingchu told me himself. He also said that over the years, his uncle’s failed investments have already cost the Qiao family a great deal of money. If he defies his grandfather even over his own marriage, the first branch won’t get a single cent when the inheritance is divided. So Mr. Qiao and Mrs. Qiao should be more afraid than anyone that this marriage might fall through.”
Mrs. Qiao’s eye twitched. “Are you threatening me?”
Her gaze suddenly turned sharp as a blade. “Miss Wen, let’s speak plainly. I hear your father was hospitalized last night after a fight, and today you were expelled from school for skipping class. You might think this is already the worst luck you’ll ever encounter — but let me tell you plainly now, if you dare linger in Shanghai, endless trouble and humiliation await you both in the future!”
Before she’d even finished speaking, something silver and gleaming suddenly dropped onto the table in front of her. Mrs. Qiao jerked back warily — it was a necklace, with a heart-shaped pendant hanging from it, inside which was a black-and-white photograph of Wen Tingli performing on her school’s stage.
In the photo, Wen Tingli wore a gown as light as morning mist, looking hazily, dreamily beautiful, like something out of a painting.
Wen Tingli swung the chain in her hand mockingly. “This necklace was a gift from Qiao Xingchu — it came from a French jewelry counter at Sincere Department Store, the only one of its kind in all of Shanghai. Besides my name, Tingli, engraved on the inside of the case, your son Qiao Xingchu’s name is engraved there too. If Bai Liyun were to see this necklace on her wedding night, do you think she’d immediately understand just how much Qiao Xingchu loves me?”
Mrs. Qiao laughed instead of getting angry. “The daughter of a fallen family — no wonder your methods are so shameless. You think this alone can ruin their marriage?”
Even so, she shot two quick glances out the window without changing her expression. Outside, beside the Qiao family’s car, stood two bodyguards in black short jackets, who nodded at Mrs. Qiao upon seeing her look.
Wen Tingli caught this and sneered. “I’d advise Mrs. Qiao not to be hasty. I have several more gifts like this in my possession, each one unique — anyone could easily find out with a bit of asking around that they were gifts from Qiao Xingchu. I had originally planned to package them up and return them all to your son a few days ago, but thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Qiao’s interference, I never found the time. Before coming today, I’ve already entrusted all of them to two friends. Even if you drive me out of Shanghai, these gifts will still arrive punctually in Bai Liyun’s hands on her wedding night.”
“So what?” Mrs. Qiao scoffed. “You think Bai Liyun doesn’t already know Xingchu once dated you? These past few days we’ve already told her the whole story — how you schemed your way into approaching Xingchu, how you used Baoxin as a bridge to her brother. Liyun already knows all of this clearly. Now that Xingchu has come to his senses, and Baoxin has repeatedly promised to be more careful with her friendships going forward, Liyun doesn’t blame Xingchu at all after hearing about it — if anything, she sympathizes with him for having been deceived by some disreputable woman.”
“Is that so?” Wen Tingli said with a faint smile. “If Mr. and Mrs. Qiao are so confident, why did you come here so promptly today? And why did you just try to snatch this necklace away? You must know very well that at this point, the slightest disturbance would make Bai Liyun change her mind immediately about marrying Qiao Xingchu.”
“You, Wen girl!”
In her fury, Mrs. Qiao set her coffee cup down hard. The motion was so forceful that the dark liquid rippled in circles across the surface, but her loss of composure lasted only an instant before she regained her calm. “You’re a young girl with limited experience — I don’t blame you for being so naive. But for families like the Qiaos and the Bais, marriage was never meant to be built on emotion in the first place. As long as two people are married, everything else can gradually develop afterward. Besides, Liyun isn’t some impulsive, willful child. When it concerns the interests of both families, nothing you do at this point could possibly make her change her mind.”
With that she rose lightly, as if brushing off the whole matter. “I shouldn’t have wasted my time listening to your nonsense!”
But then she heard Wen Tingli say from behind her: “What if I told Bai Liyun that Qiao Xingchu plans to divorce her a year from now? That whether or not I’m still in Shanghai by then, he’ll find me and take me to Hong Kong to marry me — I wonder, would Bai Liyun still be willing to marry Qiao Xingchu after hearing that?”
Mrs. Qiao froze mid-step.
“So it seems Mrs. Qiao didn’t know about this,” Wen Tingli said, raising her eyebrows. “Qiao Xingchu has partnered with someone in Hong Kong to open two wineries. The business is only just getting off the ground, but a year is enough time for Qiao Xingchu to get established in Hong Kong. He kept this from everyone else, but told me alone. Bai Liyun only needs to have someone look into it, and she’ll know that Qiao Xingchu really did make me this promise. Whatever her reasons for agreeing to this marriage are one thing — but whether she can accept a marriage that only lasts a year is quite another.”
“He wouldn’t dare!”
“Who wouldn’t dare?” Wen Tingli laughed lightly. “Your son doesn’t dare, or I don’t dare? If your son didn’t dare, why is he being held under house arrest by his father in his study right now? And as for me — someone the Qiao family has already pushed to the point of having nothing left to lose — what wouldn’t I dare to do?! Mrs. Qiao, you don’t know this yet, do you — all of this was told to me by Qiu Dapeng. While currying favor by reporting to you on one hand, he’s been spreading the Qiao family’s private affairs everywhere on the other. I believe by now, besides me, there are plenty of people in Shanghai who already know Qiao Xingchu swore he’d rather die than agree to this marriage.”
Mrs. Qiao stared fixedly at Wen Tingli, who met her gaze without a trace of fear. Killing intent slowly gathered in Mrs. Qiao’s eyes. She turned to glance out the window, then sat back down at her seat, unhurried.
“How does Miss Wen intend to get word of this to Liyun’s ears? Why don’t you try it right now — see if you can even make it out of this café and safely reach your father and sister afterward.”
“Since I’ve already decided to negotiate with you, of course I’ve made preparations in advance. Before coming here, I wrote a letter. That letter, along with those gifts, are all currently in the hands of a friend of mine.”
“Your friend?” Mrs. Qiao nearly burst out laughing. “Your classmates and teachers at Xiude? What makes you think they’d have any chance of getting close to Liyun?”
Wen Tingli simply gazed at Mrs. Qiao with a smile.
Mrs. Qiao’s smile slowly faltered. After a moment’s thought, her expression darkened. “Who exactly did you find to help you?”
“All I know is that this person will definitely be present at Qiao Xingchu and Bai Liyun’s wedding, and that seeing Bai Liyun in ordinary times is nothing difficult for them either. Can you guard against me for a while? Can you guard against me for an entire year?”
Mrs. Qiao thought warily for a long moment, then suddenly relaxed. “Huang Yuanshan? That’s right — I forgot you made quite an impression at our Qiao household that night. She’s so eager to get you into a film, she might really agree to help you. Unfortunately, that girl’s father and I are close friends — as long as I make things clear to her, there’s no way she’d let herself be used by you.”
She shot a disdainful glance at Wen Tingli. “Say what you like — these are nothing but underhanded tricks, unfit to see the light of day—”
She picked up her purse to rise again, but Wen Tingli merely watched her as if enjoying a joke, which made Mrs. Qiao narrow her eyes.
Could it not be Huang Yuanshan?
Then who could it be? Who would dare, at a time like this, risk offending the Qiao family to help Wen Tingli?!
Wen Tingli toyed leisurely with the pastries on her tray. “Mrs. Qiao, you know very well I’m skilled at ‘making connections.’ That night your Qiao family had no shortage of distinguished guests — surely you don’t think I’d have only befriended a single Huang Yuanshan. Don’t bother trying to work out who it is — this person has a strong sense of justice, and the moment anything seems off on my end, they’ll hand the items straight to Bai Liyun. Whether the winery story is true or false, Bai Liyun can verify it on the spot. No woman could endure such humiliation — Bai Liyun wouldn’t just refuse to marry Xingchu, she’d consider him an enemy from that day on.”
Mrs. Qiao cut Wen Tingli off flatly. “What won’t a man say to trick some woman outside his marriage into bed with him? Xingchu was simply bewitched for a time — now that he’s seen through your true nature, this so-called one-year promise doesn’t exist at all. Liyun is a sensible girl who knows what matters — how could she be fooled by such ghostly tricks?”
“Mrs. Qiao is welcome to test whether she wavers or not,” Wen Tingli said, blossoming into a flower-like smile. “The more she cares for Qiao Xingchu, the greater the shock this gift will deliver on the wedding day. Honestly, if I weren’t so preoccupied with my own troubles, I’d want nothing more than to tell Bai Liyun everything Qiao Xingchu has said to me right now. She deserves a man who truly loves her — and Qiao Xingchu doesn’t deserve her!”
At this, Mrs. Qiao’s true vicious nature finally showed through completely — her expression was so full of hatred it seemed she wished she could tear Wen Tingli in half on the spot. Wen Tingli simply picked up her bag and rose as well. Mrs. Qiao’s face shifted through several expressions. “Stand still! What exactly do you want?”
“What I want, Mrs. Qiao knows very well. For someone in my position right now, the worst outcome imaginable is simply mutual destruction!”
Though her tone remained light, every word cut like a blade. The café continued playing its languid music, but the air around their table had grown as cold and bitter as deep winter. After a long moment, Mrs. Qiao relented, forcing out through gritted teeth: “Sit down. Let’s talk this through properly.”
“Have Xiude School immediately withdraw the expulsion notice against me. Also, have several of the trustees write a joint letter of recommendation immediately, for me to attend Wushi Girls’ Middle School.”
Mrs. Qiao gave a scoff — the nerve of this girl. Wushi was practically the best girls’ school in the city, founded through a donation by the illustrious Lu family. Xiude was already a stretch for someone like Wen Tingli — and she dared set her sights on Wushi as well?
Yet Wen Tingli’s tone made it clear this wasn’t a joke.
Mrs. Qiao’s face turned mocking. “First of all, how do I know you’re not making all this up to deceive me? I still don’t believe you really have such a ‘friend.'”
Without a word, Wen Tingli pulled a faded, gilt-edged crimson invitation card from her schoolbag. The date on the invitation was some day in July of the previous year — the day of Mrs. Qiao’s forty-fifth birthday.
Mrs. Qiao’s gaze shot immediately to the “guest name” line, but unfortunately, it had already been blotted out in advance with Western ink.
“This friend of mine attends your Qiao family gatherings often. This is just one of the invitations the Qiao family sent them.”
Mrs. Qiao’s face darkened as she thought back. She remembered this banquet — that was around the time her husband’s investments had first run into crisis, and to help bolster his standing in the business world, the Qiao family had sent out invitations broadly, inviting prominent guests to a feast. The guests had spanned the political, business, and cultural worlds — anyone who received this particular invitation would have held no small standing in the city.
Truthfully, she had briefly suspected that Baoxin had gone to Qiguang for help on Wen Tingli’s behalf. Baoxin had always sided with her brother, and Qiguang was known to be reckless and freewheeling — if Baoxin had appealed to him on Wen Tingli’s behalf, Qiguang might well have agreed to help an outsider.
But the instant she actually saw this invitation, her confidence wavered. The Qiao family had no business whatsoever that would call for sending Qiguang an invitation like this. So then, who exactly was this person!
She slowly turned her gaze back to the face across the table. She had underestimated this Wen Tingli after all!
“Do you see it clearly now? My friend has several more invitations like this one in their drawer — every single one personally, individually delivered by your Qiao family in the past.”
A green beaded chandelier hung overhead, its light illuminating a sheen of oily perspiration across Mrs. Qiao’s forehead. Once powder mixes with oil, even the most exquisite makeup takes on a greasy, unclean look. The veins at Mrs. Qiao’s temples were faintly visible as she thought furiously — hating, above all, that Wen Tingli had struck straight at hers and her husband’s weakest point the very first move.
This marriage truly couldn’t withstand the slightest disturbance now.
“Fine.” Her tone finally softened. “I can agree to help you resolve some of your difficulties, but I still hope you’ll leave Shanghai for a while — at the very least until after Xingchu and Liyun are married before you come back.”
Wen Tingli said, word by word, “I won’t be leaving. My conditions have already been stated clearly — I won’t repeat them a second time. Mrs. Qiao, rather than living in fear day and night, why not just keep me under your watchful eye instead? Let’s formally draw up an agreement — I promise not to see Qiao Xingchu or Bai Liyun again, and you promise not to make things difficult for us. In a year and a half, I’ll personally hand that pile of items over to you. By then, Qiao Xingchu and Bai Liyun will have already developed real feelings for each other, and naturally, my words won’t be able to do them any harm anymore.”
After considerable thought, Mrs. Qiao’s attitude softened further, though her tone remained sour. “I’m not close with Principal Zou at Wushi Girls’ Middle School — I can only try my best to help with this.”
“I’m confident Mrs. Qiao will manage it!” Wen Tingli said, the corners of her mouth lifting. “By tomorrow evening, I need the acceptance letter from Wushi Girls’ Middle School in hand. Also, you must have Liu Liangcai continue renting the property to us. Third, my father is severely injured — if the Qiao family hadn’t been secretly backing him, Qiu Dapeng would never have dared bully my father like this. Going forward, all of my father’s medical expenses must be covered entirely by the Qiao family. Fourth—”
“There’s a fourth as well?!”
“My father’s life hangs by a thread. The assailant Qiu Dapeng must be properly punished — but he’s in hiding now. Today when the Public Concession police came to handle the case, their attitude was extremely perfunctory. I suspect this is largely because the Qiao family has been secretly protecting him behind the scenes. I demand that the Qiao family stop interfering in this matter immediately!!!”