“You’ve had everything you wanted since childhood, because Lian Shuguo and Wu Xiuzhen were terrified of mistreating you and gaining a bad reputation. But my wishes were never met. In your family, was I simply born inferior? You had hundreds or thousands in spending money, while I had a pitiful twenty yuan. Ask yourselves honestly. If you were in my place, would you want to return to that home?”
“Go back and tell Lian Shuguo and Wu Xiuzhen that whether my life turns out well or badly, I, Lian Qiao, will never set foot in your home again. They didn’t help me in my hardest times, so they don’t deserve to share in my glory. No one would demean themselves by eagerly offering themselves up to be mistreated. Their unhappiness is their business. It has nothing to do with me. It’s getting late. I won’t keep you company any longer.”
Expressionless, Jiang Chan pulled open the meeting room door and walked out. Lian Yanbin and Wu Jin stood where they were, their faces shifting between pale and ashen. It was quite a sight.
Sitting in her office chair, Jiang Chan rubbed her chest. That wave of sorrow had come particularly quickly. She guessed it had been the original owner’s emotions. This sudden surge of empathy had nearly made her lose control.
If even someone as rational as her had nearly lost control, one could imagine how much sorrow and pain the original owner carried. Jiang Chan pressed her lips together, opened the documents her secretary had brought, and put Lian Yanbin and Wu Jin completely out of her mind.
She was not afraid of them playing any underhanded tricks. The public knew her background. If she had been in a weaker position, many people might have criticized her once the story was reported.
But now that she had reached this height, anyone wishing to criticize her would first have to consider their own standing. To put it plainly, the power to shape the narrative was ultimately in the hands of a minority.
By now, Jiang Chan had more or less completed the mission left by the original owner. But she could not submit it yet. When she first met Lian Qiao, Lian Qiao had been in a wheelchair. She needed to avert that calamity first.
Lian Qiao had lost the use of her legs through no fault of her own. In her original life, she had studied hard despite the Lian family’s neglect and gained admission to a university in her city.
But because Lian Yanbin was about to marry, Wu Xiuzhen had forcibly changed Lian Qiao’s university preferences to save on tuition. Lian Qiao could only attend an inferior undergraduate university.
How desperately she had wanted to escape the cage of the Lian family. Yet time and again, Lian Shuguo and Wu Xiuzhen had broken her wings. Wu Jin, by contrast, could choose the university and major she liked.
Even when her life had become this difficult, Lian Qiao had not given up. She had learned at a young age that she could rely on no one. Even in such circumstances, she still struggled tenaciously to live.
At university, she earned scholarships every year and worked during her breaks. After entering university, she stopped returning to the Lian home and rented a place on her own.
But one night, returning from a late shift, she was struck by a wealthy heir driving drunk and was left paralyzed from a high spinal cord injury. The wealthy heir not only drove drunk but also fled the scene. Later, the driver’s parents approached Lian Shuguo and his wife. The two accepted a private settlement of three million yuan and promptly bought one home each for Wu Jin and Lian Yanbin, completely forgetting Lian Qiao.
In that state of bitter resentment, Lian Qiao met Qingyuan and made a deal with her.
To be honest, when she first saw Lian Qiao’s memories, Jiang Chan had been deeply shocked. Even beasts were especially protective of their young. How had things become the opposite with Lian Shuguo and Wu Xiuzhen?
Lian Qiao did not seem like their daughter, but rather a child they had picked up outside. Perhaps even a child they had picked up would have been treated better. At least the couple would have cared about maintaining a good reputation.
There were still two years until that wealthy heir’s drunk-driving incident. Jiang Chan needed to eliminate this hidden danger. With Lian Qiao absent this time, the wealthy heir might well hit someone else.
In the days that followed, Jiang Chan proceeded methodically, working hard to expand her business empire. By twenty-two, she had reached eighth place on the Forbes rich list and was its youngest member.
Everyone ahead of her was a major figure in the business world. Reaching the rich list at twenty-two was itself proof of her ability.
During those two years, Jiang Chan’s company expanded into many industries, including logistics, catering, entertainment, and hotels. It could be said that she covered every aspect of food, clothing, housing, and transport.
As the date of Lian Qiao’s injury in her previous life drew nearer, Jiang Chan put the matter on her agenda. She had long since investigated the wealthy heir thoroughly. That person had not met a good end later either, dying young while street racing.
This drunk-driving incident had also happened after a night out partying with friends. After leaving the bar, she had not hired a designated driver, leading to disaster. In her previous life, Lian Qiao had hated this wealthy heir with gritted teeth. Without her, would Lian Qiao’s life have fallen to such a state?
From a dark corner, Jiang Chan watched a drunken figure stagger out of the bar. She wore a tight short dress that outlined a slender figure, but now she swayed and stumbled as she walked, plainly having drunk too much.
Watching her get into the car, start the sports car, and drive off erratically, Jiang Chan took out her phone. “Hello? I’d like to report someone driving drunk here…”
Jiang Chan followed slowly behind the wealthy heir’s sports car. Ten minutes later, watching her being taken away, Jiang Chan’s lips curved in satisfaction. Drunk driving. Hah!
Lian Qiao’s mission was now completely finished. Jiang Chan had also obtained what Qingyuan needed half a month earlier. She knew it was time to leave.
After meeting with her executives to discuss the company’s development over the coming year, Jiang Chan submitted the mission in her office. She had paved the way for Lian Qiao. How to proceed next would be up to Lian Qiao herself.
If Lian Qiao truly was not suited to the business world, she could leave all this to her executives and live a comfortable life of leisure. That would be quite good too.
Lian Qiao only felt as though she had slept for a very long time after meeting the mission taker. Seeing the bright sunlight outside the window, she was a little dazed.
How long had it been since she had seen such a blue sky and such brilliant sunshine? Looking at the spacious, elegantly furnished office, Lian Qiao deeply understood that she had truly escaped the Lian family’s cage.
Her life was only just beginning. Seeing the documents the mission taker had left, Lian Qiao slowly curved her lips. Whatever happened, simply being alive was already wonderful.
“Knock, knock.” The secretary came in. “President Lian, you have a lunch appointment with Mr. You…”
Lian Qiao nodded. “Make the arrangements first. I’ll be there on time.”
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