Volume 1, Chapter 33: Madam, please go over there quickly.

“Madam, sir, you’re back…”

At Cloudsea Residence, Auntie Wang came out happily to greet them when she saw the car approaching.

“In that case, I won’t stand on ceremony!” He took all the cards directly, then placed the Purple Star Pills he had prepared long ago on the table.

The Third Prince of Waci, Karlle, still had an army of two hundred thousand. He had fought his way along the coast to Andong Guard. Upon hearing of Guliqi’s defeat, he was gathering his forces and forming an alliance with the Rong people to resist Great Chu and divide the northern half of its territory between them.

“Mommy, just trust big brother. He has never done his homework and even sleeps in class, yet he comes first in every exam, so you don’t need to worry!” Gong Yue said. It was hard to tell whether she was praising Gong Yao or tattling on him.

Huang Tao watched my retreating figure, feeling utterly helpless. If I needed money, no matter how much, Huang Tao would give it to me. But there was nothing he could do about what I was facing now, because it was no longer something money could solve.

“Then what should we do?” Matron Zheng felt that, at such a critical moment, they absolutely could not fall out openly.

Feng Qingyu smiled, as though deliberately keeping everyone in suspense. After a long pause, she finally said slowly, “Aunt is clearly not suffering from a cold, but rather…”

She stopped. Princess Duanyang’s heart leaped. Could it be that the lingering poison from before had not been completely purged, and that something had gone wrong with her body?

Zheng Zitong seemed somewhat regretful and kept glancing toward where Lin Xinxin stood.

With a loud crash, Shen Zhan kicked the table holding the champagne glasses. The crystal glasses fell one after another and shattered across the floor, interrupting Shen Tianhao’s words. The entire venue instantly fell silent, and no one dared meet Shen Zhan’s gaze.

“I know. As long as your calculations are accurate, a high fee is only fair,” Shen Mengxia said with a nod to my master.

Qiao Ye and I exchanged another glance, but neither of us responded. The word “wife” was far too much of a stretch when applied to Chen Yi and me, while Qiao Ye had never regarded Qin Miao as his wife for even a single day.

Approving the salary of a trainee teacher required only a word from Vice Dean Jing Yiyang. But to approve the salary of a branch dean, a vice dean’s authority was insufficient; the dean himself had to give his consent.

Hearing me say that, Xu Minghui finally relaxed. He hung up, and the matter temporarily came to an end.

At that moment, I should really have followed my instincts, held my head high with my dignity intact, and walked away proudly and calmly. After all, in this world, no one is incapable of living without someone else.

Yet today, General Qin had shown such consideration toward a newly hired employee, speaking with such gentleness. He was nothing like the aloof, cold-blooded, and heartless man others had described…

Could the rumors have been false?

His tone was calm yet suggestive as Xie Cunhui pushed the burgundy card a little closer to me.

Lu Zhihong was already covered in blood and had lost consciousness, while Lu Wulizhen still had her eyes open, staring at her as though trying to say something.

“Uncle, I wanted to ask what you’ve decided about the matter we discussed last time.” Lu Shuangshuang went straight to the point.

In Tie Fengba’s eyes, there was no suspense left in this match. Ye Zihan’s strength completely overwhelmed everyone technically—indeed, it could even be called an absolute crushing victory.

The days passed one after another. Every day, I was forced to go to work and return home with Qin Luofan, eat with him, take walks with him, and sleep beside him.

Even the places on my face where that old bastard had touched me felt as though something filthy had stuck to them—slimy and greasy, making me want to peel away an entire layer of skin.