Chapter 24: Engaged to a Forty-Year-Old Divorced CEO with a Child (Please Follow and Vote)

Back at the villa, after closing the door, Chu Miaojing was still fuming as she vented to Lin Qiongqiong and An Ling:

"Is that man insane? I could overlook him clashing with He Fangfeng, but I’ve never done anything to offend him..."

An Ling asked tentatively, "Miaojing, is it possible... that he likes you?"

The air turned deathly silent.

Chu Miaojing scoffed, "Impossible! I've barely met him. If you said he liked Chu Miaoyi, that would be plausible—they grew up in the same social circle, after all."

"Didn't you?" An Ling asked.

Chu Miaojing replied, "I was lost as a child, and my parents adopted Chu Miaoyi. The Chu family didn't find me and bring me back until right before I started college. But I soon realized that they both loved Chu Miaoyi more."

Lin Qiongqiong couldn't help but interject, "Holy cow, the 'fake vs. real daughter' drama has actually come to life."

An Ling was stunned by the soap-opera-level tragedy of Chu Miaojing’s background. "No wonder that Chu Miaoyi looks like such a green-tea bitch. Is she trying to steal your fiancé, too?"

Chu Miaojing shrugged. "No, she just does it to spite me. Originally, it was her who was supposed to marry into the He family, but Mrs. He thought her college entrance exam scores were too low. She was worried about the 'intellectual quality' of future generations, so she didn't want her. Meanwhile, Chu Miaoyi had already hooked up with the Qin family heiress and wanted to marry into the Qin family instead, so the engagement fell onto me."

Lin Qiongqiong pressed on, "So, you don't like He Fangfeng?"

Chu Miaojing replied, "I would never like that idiot. I only agreed to marry him because he has a good mother."

Chu Miaojing didn't elaborate on the deal she had with Mrs. He, only noting that the woman treated her well—even better than her own parents did.

An Ling looked at her with pity. "Your parents are too much. They didn't raise you for years, and then as soon as a political marriage comes up, they push you out. Even if your mother-in-law is nice, He Fangfeng is still a moron. Besides, Miaojing, I remember you wanted to go to graduate school, didn't you?"

At these words, Chu Miaojing looked a bit dazed. In truth, she didn't want to get married so young, but to the Chu family, her only value was in her utility for a strategic marriage.

He Fangfeng was the best match she could possibly secure.

And when it came to the Chu family, she had no right to say no.

Seemingly sensing Chu Miaojing's helplessness, Lin Qiongqiong took her hand. "Miaojing, no matter what happens, you still have us. If you ever need money, just ask. Even if you don't want to go through with the marriage and end up kicked out of your home, there will always be a room for you here."

Chu Miaojing was stunned, a surge of emotion rising in her chest as she hugged Lin Qiongqiong tightly. "Qiongqiong, thank you."

In her twenty-some years of life, this was the first time she felt a sense of inner strength—a backbone she could rely on.

...

A week later, Lin Qiongqiong didn't see the wedding engagement she had expected.

Instead, on a night of torrential rain, she received a call from Chu Miaojing, who was sobbing uncontrollably.

On the other end of the line, Chu Miaojing’s voice was broken and incoherent, muffled by the sound of rain and choking sobs.

Lin Qiongqiong didn't ask what happened. She simply asked, "Miaojing, where are you? An Ling and I are coming to get you."

Chu Miaojing quickly sent her a location.

Lin Qiongqiong changed her clothes and pushed open the window to look at the downpour.

It wasn't easy to hail a cab in this weather, she didn't have a car in her garage, and neither she nor An Ling knew how to drive.

That was when she thought of Jing Huaiyao and sent him a message.

Lin Qiongqiong: [Young Master Jing, may I borrow a car?]

Jing Huaiyao: [Certainly. Which one does Miss Lin prefer?]

He immediately sent several photos of his garage. Rows of luxury cars were lined up, most of them being convertible sports cars.

Lin Qiongqiong didn't know much about cars, but she could tell which ones wouldn't get soaked by the rain. She picked a sensible business sedan and circled it in the photo.

Lin Qiongqiong: [This one. And please lend me a driver as well.]

There was a brief silence on Jing Huaiyao’s end before he asked: [Where is Miss Lin? I'll send someone to pick you up.]

Lin Qiongqiong: [I'm at home. I need to go to the Chu residence to pick up Miaojing.]

Jing Huaiyao replied with an "OK" emoji.

Half an hour later, headlights lit up outside her villa.

Lin Qiongqiong and An Ling stepped out with umbrellas, but to their surprise, the window rolled down to reveal Jing Huaiyao himself behind the wheel.

An Ling seemed to catch on, nodding knowingly as she pulled Lin Qiongqiong into the back seat.

Lin Qiongqiong asked, "Hey, Young Master Jing, don't you have a driver at home?"

Jing Huaiyao: "...I do."

An Ling covered her face with her hand.

Lin Qiongqiong looked suspicious. "That can't be right. You're a wealthy family; you must have at least one driver."

Jing Huaiyao maintained a calm expression. "They went home for the Mid-Autumn Festival break."

Lin Qiongqiong glanced at the calendar. "Your household takes a week-long break for the Mid-Autumn Festival?"

Jing Huaiyao: "..."

Jing Huaiyao said nothing, simply pressing down on the gas.

The sedan sped through the pouring rain.

They soon pulled up outside the Chu villa.

Lin Qiongqiong and An Ling got out and immediately spotted Chu Miaojing huddled against the wall.

She looked utterly miserable, wearing only a thin dress, soaked from head to toe by the rain.

When the car headlights illuminated her, she finally looked up. Her skin was deathly pale from the cold rain, and her eyes and nose were bright red.

Seeing her best friends, the emotions she had finally managed to suppress surged back, bringing fresh tears to her eyes.

"Miaojing!"

Lin Qiongqiong and An Ling rushed forward, helped her up, and headed toward the car.

At that moment, Jing Huaiyao handed them a pristine, dry blanket.

Lin Qiongqiong wrapped it around her, and all three of them squeezed into the back seat.

Jing Huaiyao glanced at the empty passenger seat in the front, sighed softly, and closed the door.

They really were treating him like a chauffeur.

In the back, Lin Qiongqiong and An Ling flanked Chu Miaojing, using tissues and towels to wipe her wet hair and face.

Chu Miaojing eventually calmed down. "Qiongqiong, An Ling, I'm so sorry to be such a burden."

An Ling was frantic. "What are you saying? We're friends."

Lin Qiongqiong asked anxiously, "Miaojing, what on earth happened? Why were you locked out of your own house?"

Chu Miaojing laughed bitterly. "I left on my own. I used to think my parents just loved Chu Miaoyi more and that they were still looking out for me, but now I understand—to them, I'm no different from the products in their company waiting to be sold to the highest bidder. If the price is right, they'll sell me off."

"The He family’s jewelry business had an inside job. Most of their inventory was swapped for worthless fakes. They’ve suffered massive losses, are facing bankruptcy, and He Fangfeng is facing a mountain of lawsuits. When the He family sought help from the Chu family, my parents immediately tore up my engagement contract with He Fangfeng. But before I could even breathe a sigh of relief, they had already set up a new engagement for me. It’s with a forty-year-old divorced executive who has two children."

"What?!"

At this, both Lin Qiongqiong and An Ling were filled with righteous indignation.

Jing Huaiyao, who was driving, also darkened, cursing under his breath: "Animals!"