“I don’t—”

Du Chenrong tightened his grip slightly, “Vivi, a woman’s temper can be charming, but you must know when it’s appropriate. With women I’ve been with, whether it’s a casual affair or not has always been my decision alone. If you didn’t want to be with me, why did you dance to seduce me at the Spring Banquet?”

He hadn’t brought any new women home for years.

For women he liked, sleeping with them outside was enough. He didn’t lack children now, and bringing too many women home would only cause chaos when they gathered together.

However, once he decided to marry someone, the other party had no right to refuse.

Just like Vivi, who had readily agreed to sleep with him initially, was now refusing to become his Fifth Mistress?

He wasn’t like “Master Qiu,” that foolish cuckold who accepted his women’s infidelity.

Du Chenrong released her wrist, “I said I wouldn’t let you suffer any grievances. I’ll definitely give you a grand wedding when you enter the family. You’ve had a shock today, get some good rest tonight.”

Du Chenrong didn’t stay to comfort Wu Ziyu.

He told Sister-in-law Sun to take good care of her. After Du Chenrong left, the maid was even more excited than Wu Ziyu:

“Miss Vivi, Master Du wants to make you his Fifth Mistress!”

What was so exciting about being the Fifth Mistress?

Du Chenrong already had three mistresses at home, each with sons and daughters. She was more comfortable living independently.

However, with Du Zhaohui’s people pressing her, and Du Chenrong running out of patience, Wu Ziyu reluctantly accepted becoming the “Fifth Mistress.”

Du Chenrong returned home late that night, called everyone together, and directly announced his intention to take a fifth wife.

Liu Keping was devastated. Was this what the Second Mistress meant by eliminating Vivi?

Before the Second Mistress could act, Du Chenrong was rushing to marry the woman. She didn’t want to break with Liu Keping:

“Master, isn’t this…”

“I’ve made my decision. I want to see who makes the decisions in this house!”

Naturally, Du Chenrong had the final say.

With shares undivided and power retained, Du Chenrong remained the Du family’s dictator.

Liu Keping began crying, “Master, you once told the media I would be the last woman you’d marry into the family. How can I show my face in social circles now?”

Du Chenrong had suspected Liu Keping was behind the threats to Vivi, and her words now confirmed his suspicions.

Vivi posed the greatest threat to Liu Keping’s position.

Perhaps Liu Tianquan had grown too ambitious…

Du Chenrong showed no sympathy, instead warning her: “If you’re embarrassed to socialize, then stay home and work on self-improvement.”

Du Chenrong’s public humiliation of Liu Keping made her hate both the yet-to-enter Vivi and the Second Mistress. No matter how the Second Mistress tried to explain afterward, Liu Keping no longer trusted her. While pressuring the Second Mistress to repay her debt, Liu Keping contemplated how to regain Du Chenrong’s favor.

With the Fourth and Second Houses at odds, the Second Mistress privately sought loans everywhere. When Du Zhaohui received this news, he laughed while clutching his stomach:

“Ah Hua, didn’t I say even useless people can serve a purpose? My soon-to-be Fifth Mother does have some skills.”

But Ah Hua was worried, “Young Master, I’m concerned Wu Ziyu isn’t sincerely trying to help you.”

When he delivered the message to Wu Ziyu, he noticed she was remarkably calm, very different from before.

Du Zhaohui’s smile remained: “What use do I have for her sincerity? Ah Hua, do you think I’d put everything on this woman? I don’t need her to whisper in his ear to help me. Just her entering the Du family will naturally throw the three houses into chaos!”

Chaos was good – Du Zhaohui liked fishing in troubled waters and didn’t want his father’s mistresses too united.

As for Wu Ziyu, she surely wouldn’t be content being controlled by others.

Did she want to escape his control?

Then Wu Ziyu would have to work hard to see if she could influence the old man’s decisions… This would require her to compete for a favor, which would make Liu Keping view her as a mortal enemy – a cycle Wu Ziyu couldn’t escape.

Once people taste a life of luxury, they rarely willingly return to a humble existence.

Especially someone like Wu Ziyu, who had lived in Hong Kong’s Kowloon Walled City, would cherish this hard-won wealthy life even more.

Unfortunately, she’d only enjoy it for a few more months.

Du Zhaohui sat with his legs crossed:

“At father’s age, still taking a young concubine with such vigor – as his son, I must personally attend to offer congratulations and drink to their happiness. That good-for-nothing Du Zhaoqi will surely return to Hong Kong too…”

Though speaking these words, his thoughts wandered.

Somehow, while he used to feel great joy at making the Du family women suffer, now he felt happy.

Yet not as excited as he’d imagined.

Had he become too low-key lately, losing his drive for family power struggles?

By now, Wu Xiaolan must have reached America.

Was she attending classes at Cornell University?

Discussing incomprehensible knowledge with those bookworms.

Du Zhaohui felt inexplicably envious.

“Damn, I must be sick. Ah Hua, make me a doctor’s appointment.”

The Young Master was perfectly healthy – what need was there for a doctor?

Last time he claimed heart problems.

This time what would it be – perhaps a psychiatrist appointment… Maybe the Young Master did need his head examined.

Ah Hua felt his employer was becoming increasingly mercurial.

…

Wu Xiaolan had indeed reached America.

Leaving Kennedy Airport, she saw several imposing cars. Mrs. Wilson wore all black with a small black hat, dressed as if attending a funeral.

Seeing Wu Xiaolan exit the airport, Mrs. Wilson approached.

What seemed like a chance encounter was a deliberate wait. Wu Xiaolan wasn’t surprised Mrs. Wilson could obtain her flight information. Foreigners claimed to value privacy rights, but with enough dollars, they’d sell even their sex tapes to TV stations – so much for privacy rights!

“You murderer!”

Mrs. Wilson, struggling to control her emotions, couldn’t suppress her anger: “I opposed it before, saying you shouldn’t have directly approached Cui. Your radical actions caused both of their deaths! Ivan and I lost important friends, Tina lost her parents – how dare you return to America, to New York!”

Wu Xiaolan wanted to clean her ears out.

Had she heard wrong?

“Sorry, could you repeat that?”

“You killed Cui—”

“Stop!”

Wu Xiaolan gestured, “Stop! That’s where you’re wrong. How did I kill Cui Yiru? She had an extramarital affair, betrayed her husband, implicated her family, and couldn’t handle the truth being exposed. She lost control and committed suicide – how did that become me killing her? If I remember correctly, Cui Yiru came to America in 1965 when I was only one year old. Did I somehow encourage her affair across the Pacific as a one-year-old?”

Wu Xiaolan was amazed at this logic.

She took responsibility for her actions.

But she wouldn’t take the blame for others’ deeds.

Cui Yiru might have been Mrs. Wilson’s friend, and she could understand the pain of losing a friend, but she wouldn’t indulge it.

These rich people all had the bad habit of self-righteousness!