Volume One, Chapter 14: Qin Wanqiu’s Sacrifice to Repay the Debt?

“She truly is an innocent woman,” Shen Man murmured, watching Yan Fengjia being forcibly pulled into the car by Gu Qinghan. She leaned against the iron gate, a faint bitterness and loneliness flickering at the corners of her mouth.

For some reason, Shen Man—the shrewd and calculating woman who had maneuvered her way step by step through the Shen family—felt as if something was missing inside her when she saw this scene.

Empty.

She was two years older than both Yan Fengjia and this Gu family heiress, yet she could not be as clear-headed and grounded as Gu Qinghan.

Money was just an external possession?

Could one really stake everything on the line to repay the Yan family’s debts?

But Shen Man’s journey had been one of clawing and scraping, scraping every penny from others’ fingers bit by bit.

She could not afford to help others without expecting something in return, nor could others help her without it costing them.

“Mom, I miss you so much, so very much,” Shen Man stumbled forward into the darkness of the villa.

“What do you mean? I told you not to.”

The car drove from the mountain villa into the city center. Gu Qinghan’s large apricot-shaped eyes shimmered with tears. “Here, take this. It’s money I earned myself. Pay back whatever you can.”

Gu Qinghan had sold all her designer bags, jewelry, and so forth on secondhand websites, combining them with her previously saved salary—amounting to nearly twenty million.

Yan Fengjia stared at the bank card hot to the touch as it was stuffed into his hand, a bitter smile tugging at his lips.

He wanted to refuse, but seeing Gu Qinghan’s almost pleading, pitiful eyes made him sigh.

“This amount is just a drop in the ocean,” he said.

“Our family owes more than a billion in debt.”

Gu Qinghan wiped her tears and nose, no longer the aloof CEO at the company.

“I’ll find a way to help. My father’s already considering reallocating funds,” she grasped Yan Fengjia’s hand tightly. “Just promise me you won’t become a kept man, okay?”

Yan Fengjia frowned. “Who said I was?”

“You still deny it? That woman was touching your belly the whole time.”

Yan Fengjia laughed and shook his head. “Alright, I’ll listen to you. I won’t be a kept man. The night’s late; you should head back.”

“I’ll see you home.”

Yan Fengjia’s car stopped outside Shen Man’s house. Gu Qinghan stubbornly insisted on escorting him inside.

“I’m here. My house is simple now, and my father’s probably asleep. You should go back.”

Getting out, Yan Fengjia waved goodbye.

Gu Qinghan hesitated, “Won’t you invite me in for a moment? A glass of water?”

“No, thanks,” Yan Fengjia’s brows knit slightly.

He did not want to involve Gu Qinghan any further, nor would there be any story between them in the future.

Ever since he had reclaimed his ancestral identity, he was no longer just Yan Fengjia, and Gu Qinghan was no longer the eighteen-year-old she once was.

“Alright, I have to go back and take care of my father, but please don’t sell your body. I’ll raise money for you as soon as possible.”

Watching Gu Qinghan walk away, Yan Fengjia took out a cigarette and stood at the door for a long time before resolutely turning back.

“Fengjia, why hasn’t Wanqiu come back yet? Did she say anything to you?”

---

Yan Fengjia had just arrived home when Yan’s father was sitting on the sofa, waiting.

“Has sister-in-law gone out?” Yan Fengjia was taken aback.

Where could she possibly be at this hour?

“That girl Wanqiu said she had some company matters to attend to. The company is closed now, so I’m puzzled about what she’s doing.”

“But it’s been over three hours, and she still hasn’t returned. I’m worried.”

Sensing something was wrong, Yan Fengjia called Qin Wanqiu’s phone.

No one answered.

“This isn’t right. Could sister-in-law be doing something foolish again to repay debts?”

Yan Fengjia’s unease deepened as he turned and left.

“Dad, you get some rest. I’m going to the company to pick up sister-in-law.”

The family had long since sold off their car.

Only an electric scooter remained—Qin Wanqiu’s.

Yan Fengjia rode into the night, “Yan Qiluo, check where my sister-in-law has gone.”

“Yes.”

Yan Qiluo responded swiftly.

“Master, Miss Qin Wanqiu seems to have gone to a hotel. The address is...”

Yan Fengjia’s face darkened. That foolish woman always did reckless things.

Could it really be a case of beauty without brains?

...

A couple’s hotel, room 406.

Inside the vast, dimly lit hotel room, a middle-aged man, corpulent and balding, lay sprawled on the sofa.

“Take it off,” the fat man licked his thick, dark purple lips greedily, his eyes fixed hungrily on Qin Wanqiu’s feminine figure.

Her long black hair cascaded over her shoulders; the simple white women’s blouse accentuated her high, curvaceous form.

Below, light blue skinny jeans hugged her long, shapely legs, which were nervously pressed together, trembling slightly.

Qin Wanqiu clenched her fists tightly, biting her red lips. “Do you really mean what you say?”

“I’m not short on money. You know my background well. That Yan family debt is nothing more than a word to me. How much I help repay depends on how proactive you are tonight.”

Qin Wanqiu took several deep breaths, her trembling, icy fingers slowly moving to the taut white blouse.

“Snap!”

One button, unable to hold any longer, popped open under her delicate touch, instantly freeing her.

The fat man’s eyes gleamed as he sat abruptly upright, parched and eager.

“Damn, you sure take your time. Beauty, I’ve coveted you for so long; I can’t hold back.”

He roughly pushed Qin Wanqiu onto the sofa, his fat, stubby fingers clawing at her.

Just then, the front door crashed open with a thunderous bang.

---

“Who’s there!”

The fat man was startled, spinning around to see a broad, knobby hand grabbing the scant hair left on his head and yanking him up.

“Looking for death?”

Yan Fengjia had arrived just in time. Seeing Qin Wanqiu trembling beneath the fat man sparked a fury within him.

“Who are you? Who let you in? Guards! Guards!” the fat man shouted hoarsely.

But the hallway was already littered with his incapacitated bodyguards.

“Bang!”

The room shook as Yan Fengjia slapped the fat man across the face, forcing him to kneel against the wall.

“You... do you know who I am? Do you want to die?”

“I think the one who doesn’t want to live is you,” Yan Fengjia’s expression was icy, his murderous intent surging.

“Fengjia, don’t be impulsive. He is the bank manager here in Qinghai City. He can lend me money. As long as we have funds, I’m willing to sacrifice myself,” Qin Wanqiu cried, grabbing Yan Fengjia’s arm, afraid he would do something rash.

Yan Fengjia shook her off, snarling, “Qin Wanqiu, have you lost your mind? Who gave you permission to make decisions and sell your body?”

Qin Wanqiu was stunned—this was the first time Yan Fengjia had spoken to her so harshly.

“It’s... my fault for dragging your family down. I’m guilty. I have this body, and I want to help you.”

“No need. I’m figuring out the money. If you ever go behind my back again, I won’t spare you.”

Yan Fengjia’s anger slowly dissipated. He unbuttoned his neatly pressed shirt and draped it over Qin Wanqiu.

Her blouse buttons had all burst, and the springtime radiance beneath could no longer be concealed.

Tall and broad, Yan Fengjia’s shirt covered her well down to her thighs.

Without a word, he grabbed Qin Wanqiu and left.

“Let’s go home.”

Qin Wanqiu’s heart fluttered as she looked at his back, feeling an unprecedented sense of safety.

Just then, the fat man spat on the ground.

“Fine, go ahead, bitch. If you have the guts to walk out that door, I swear the Yan family won’t get a single loan in Qinghai City. Go on.”

Yan Fengjia paused, his gaze icy.

“Fatso, if you want to die, fine. I’ll grant you that.”

“Fengjia, what are you going to do?” Qin Wanqiu’s scream shattered the silence.

In the dead of night, the fat man crashed through the fourth-floor glass window and plummeted, landing heavily on a van parked below, crushing it into a mangled wreck.