Volume One, Chapter Seventeen: Ninth Brother, Help Me Break Off the Engagement

Never before had she awoken in a man's arms.

Even in her dreams, Yan Qiuning felt enveloped by a sticky, inescapable sensation—held tightly, unable to break free, her clothes being stripped away as the man's kisses rained down relentlessly. As the dream progressed, the features of the man pressing her down became clearer and clearer. When she finally saw who it was, she cried out, pleading for her Ninth Brother to stop.

No more.

When she opened her eyes, Qin Zhan was still asleep.

Her heart pounded furiously, the dream so vivid it felt as if everything had truly happened between them. What unsettled her most was that, if it had been real, she might not have minded at all.

She looked at the man beside her, whose flawless face and striking features bore an aloofness almost divine, an air of cold detachment that only seemed more pronounced in sleep. Even in repose, he radiated an aura of dominance.

Qin Zhan stirred, shielding his eyes from the morning light as he woke. His Adam's apple bobbed, and the buttons at his collar were undone, revealing a stretch of healthy skin.

His chest was sculpted, broad but not overly muscular—lean, with an elegant strength.

Yan Qiuning found herself speechless. She hurriedly slipped out of bed and fled, the events of the previous night vivid in her mind. She could never face anyone if she had really done it.

Qin Zhan watched her retreat into the bathroom, instinctively reaching for a cigarette before realizing this was not his room. On the bedside table lay a black flash drive; he picked it up and left.

By the time Yan Qiuning had composed herself and emerged, Qin Zhan had not yet changed out of his black silk pajamas, which fit him like a model on a runway.

A living clothes hanger, she thought.

Qin Zhan casually tossed the flash drive to someone else, entrusting it to a professional for further handling.

Soon, Old Wang arrived. “I’ll look into it right away. If someone from our household is responsible, they will be dealt with according to the rules.”

The rules of the Qin family were far stricter than the flowery, ornamental codes of the Xie family.

When Yan Qiuning came out, Qin Zhan said quietly, “The Shang family has announced you are unwell. The engagement is postponed.”

Yan Qiuning, not yet fully awake, pouted with indifference. “Ugh, how annoying.”

“Ninth Brother, help me call off the engagement.”

She seemed genuinely disgusted by Shang Lu, utterly unwilling to go through with the engagement banquet.

Qin Zhan indulged her in everything. “All right.”

Yan Qiuning moved to his side, rising on tiptoe to whisper, “The rest of the Shang family doesn’t matter, but Shang Lu is ambitious. Ninth Master, you should be careful. If he managed to plant a flash drive here, he must have allies on the inside. You’d best root out any hidden threats before they can do more harm.”

A subtle transformation had come over her—her former liveliness and charm were returning. She was once again confident and radiant, no longer tiptoeing around others, no longer diminishing herself to dust.

Behind them, Secretary Zhang’s lips twitched. Good heavens, young lady, you’re the greatest hidden danger to the Ninth Master.

Though Miss Yan seemed much more stable now, who could say if it wasn’t all an act? A woman’s heart is unfathomable, and everyone knew whom she adored.

For that person, she would do anything.

“Breakfast is ready. We’ve prepared snow frog and bird’s nest soup for Miss Yan this morning,” announced Old Wang, leading a team to set the table.

Starving, Yan Qiuning immediately sat down, eyeing the lavish spread as her stomach grumbled. “Are you hungry too, little one?” she asked, patting her belly.

Qin Zhan looked at her, sensing a profound change from the person he once knew. What could have caused such a transformation, or for whom had she changed so much?

They ate together in silence.

But before long, Qin Zhan was called away by an urgent matter, leaving the table as soon as he finished his meal.

Yan Qiuning glanced up, her gaze icy as she regarded the woman across from her who had been watching her intently.

“Liu Mei.”

Liu Mei was surprised—she had not expected this foolish woman to recognize her.

Of course Yan Qiuning knew her. Liu Mei was the bird Shang Lu had placed by her side to relay messages and keep watch—a spy who, in her previous life, had delivered countless reports of Shang Lu’s betrayal and intent to marry another.

Liu Mei’s favorite line was: “Young Master Shang doesn’t love you. You should count yourself lucky he even uses you.”

Now exposed, Liu Mei showed no fear, lacking any trace of respect. “Miss Li, the young master sent me to ask if you still wish to marry him.”

Yan Qiuning shot her a glare. “Who told you to speak to me like that? Get out.”

Liu Mei’s expression darkened, staring at her as if she were seeing a ghost. “Li Qiuning, know your place. I am the young master’s most trusted.”

Without hesitation, Yan Qiuning strode over and slapped her sharply across the face. “This is the Qin household. Do you really know who your young master is here?”

“Get out. Clearly, the Punishment Hall hasn’t taught you enough about manners.”

The Qin family’s Punishment Hall was ostensibly in charge of household discipline, but in reality, it was the Ninth Master’s personal power, dealing with all the dirty business.

Liu Mei’s eyes flickered with resentment as she held her cheek, but in the end, she chose to back away. “The young master said he’ll give you one last chance. If you can obtain evidence from Qin Zhan’s hands that incriminates the Shang family, he will marry you openly.”

“Who cares? Is the Shang family so impressive? They’re not worth a single strand of the Ninth Master’s hair.”

Yan Qiuning’s retort was sharp and mocking. Gone was the desperate resolve of a woman willing to die for love.

Liu Mei stared at her in disbelief. Previously, Yan Qiuning had said she would do anything for a chance to become the young master’s wife.

What was this attitude now?

“Suit yourself. I’ve delivered the message. If you won’t do it, there are plenty who will.”

“Everyone knows Miss Li Qingran is the one fit to marry the young master. You’ll only ever be the woman he keeps in the shadows, doing the things no one dares speak of.” With that, she swaggered out.

In the Spring Courtyard, Liu Mei had some standing—not just a common servant but a minor steward.

Yan Qiuning instinctively touched her abdomen, frowning as she considered the situation.

That flash drive was likely planted by Liu Mei, confident that Yan Qiuning would help Shang Lu plot against the Ninth Master.

No doubt, they had even more schemes in play. In her past life, she had been a peripheral figure, clueless to their plans, and ended up delivering the final blow that killed the Ninth Master.

Recalling those undercurrents of intrigue and deceit, she resolved to continue her act, to carefully investigate Shang Lu’s machinations against the Ninth Master—and to uncover the real reason so many in the Yan family had died.

What monstrous crimes had they been accused of, to become everyone’s target?

The Shang family must know something—otherwise, why would Shang Lu’s hatred for the Yan family burn so fiercely, his attitude changing so drastically once he learned her true identity?

The phone on the table rang.

She glanced at the caller ID.

An unfamiliar number.

Without much hesitation, she answered.

“Li Qiuning. Xianshan gathering.”

That voice… Yan Qiuning’s fingers tightened on the phone.

The face from her past life came vividly to mind—arrogant and cruel.

“I just want a job. I want to keep my baby.”

“People like you don’t deserve a proper job. Either clean toilets or go back to picking through trash.”

“What makes you think you can give birth to this bastard? You think I’ll go soft on you—let you use it to threaten us?”

“You have no right to cry in front of me. You owe it all to Sister Ranran.”

…