Chapter 5: The Diluted Kinship

Li Jinghan had already started walking toward the door when he stopped in his tracks upon hearing her, turned his head to look at her, and said after a moment, "Come with me."

"Ah?" Su Jinqi didn't catch the implication of his words, "Come with you? Where to?"

"Su Jinqi, with your intelligence and reaction, how did you ever succeed in getting hired as my secretary?" Li Jinghan asked unpleasantly, then scornfully added, "Even a Labrador is smarter than you!"

That was kind of insulting, wasn't it? Su Jinqi shot him an unhappy glance from behind his back and asked bluntly, "Do you mean you're going to send me home?"

"What else?" Li Jinghan said disdainfully before opening the door and leaving first.

Seeing this, Su Jinqi hurriedly followed him out, grabbing her down jacket and bag from her workstation and then quickly following him into the elevator.

On a winter's night, the sky began to pour down heavy snow. The West City District was an old shanty town, chaotic and teeming with life. She had lived here for twenty years. She deftly maneuvered through the narrow paths, entered the building, and fumbled her way up to the third floor in the dark.

She entered the house to find her Uncle's family eating dinner. Hearing the door, they all looked over.

"Qiqi? Why have you come back?" Su Jinrong asked with a surprised face, putting down his chopsticks and coming over, asking with concern, "Did Mr. Li send you back?"

Su Jinqi harbored resentment in her heart towards her cousin and gave him a cold stare without responding, heading straight for her room.

Su Jinrong became displeased, grabbed her backpack strap with a large hand, and pulled her back, asking with a nasty tone, "I'm talking to you, have you gone mute?"

"Let go of me!" Su Jinqi's voice broke, laced with sobs and endless sorrow as tears instantly filled her eyes.

Even though this cousin was irresponsible, he had taken care of her and her brother since they were young. In junior high, when she was bullied by a female classmate, he even brought people to settle the score on her behalf. After she began earning money, he frequently conned her out of it, but she could accept all that as it was within what she could endure. However, what he did today really crossed her line and left her heart cold.

Su Jinrong flung her bag onto the sofa with a jerk, crossed his arms and demanded, "I'm asking you, did he allow you to come back?"

Su Jinqi stood her ground, tears flowing down, and yelled with fury and aggrievement, "Brother, are you even human? You only think about whether he allows it or not!"

The sound of their argument startled several people who were eating in the kitchen, and all of them came out.

Aunt Li Su'e led the way, her face full of anger, and she came forward, pointing her finger forcefully at Su Jinqi's forehead and scolded, "All this crying and shouting, what has happened to you? Your brother is doing this for your own good, trying to get some money for you to spend. Do you think anyone can just sleep with a rich person? Consider yourself lucky that they fancy you!"

"Aunt!" Su Jinqi covered her forehead, which had been poked painfully, too shocked to speak.

She knew that her Aunt had never liked her and her brother since they were little, always scolding them as burdens. She also knew her Aunt was greedy and only cared about money, willing to do anything for it. But even so, such perverse comments should never come out of an elder's mouth.

Enraged, she turned and went back to her room to start packing.

With all this ruckus, everyone's appetite was ruined.

Uncle Su Yulin looked at his good-for-nothing son with hatred and said, "Look at what you're doing. Is this how people behave? Jinqi is your cousin, and you're pushing her into a pit of fire. How is she supposed to live after this?"

Su Jinrong, with his legs crossed, reached out for Su Jinqi's bag next to him, and snorted through his nose, "Dad, if I don't push Qiqi out there, would I still be able to sit with you tonight at home for dinner and drinks? I'd have been thrown into the sea to feed the sharks by Mr. Li!" He said this and yanked open Su Jinqi's bag.

Li Su'e said, "It's fine. Girls are easily embarrassed. I'll take her shopping for a couple of outfits in a few days, and she'll cheer up. These days are different from when we were young. The whole nation is open-minded. I guess she's just embarrassed to come back and that's why she's making a scene. Just let her be dramatic then."

"What the—!" Su Jinrong suddenly let out a loud shout, jolting upright as if jolted from death.

Su Jinqi rapidly packed her luggage in the room, taking a final look around this little nest she had lived in for twenty years, and in her heart, she said goodbye.

Dragging her suitcase out, she saw Aunt, with a sycophantic smile, hurriedly coming over to take her hand, her attitude taking a one hundred eighty-degree turn as she warmly asked:

"Qiqi, where are you going this late at night with your suitcase?"

"I've been assigned work by the company. I have to catch a nine o'clock flight for a business trip. I'm leaving now," Su Jinqi said indifferently, turning her head away from Aunt's disgusting face.

Su Jinrong came over grinning and said: "Come on, cut the act. What business trip? You're the CEO's wife now. Such great news, and you're still trying to hide it from us, not letting us know?"

"Huh?" Su Jinqi was startled, her eyes immediately falling on the opened bag. She then saw Su Jinrong waving the marriage certificate in his hand, showing off. She moved forward in shame and anger to snatch it, shouting, "Give it back to me!"

Su Jinrong dodged his hand backward, and Su Jinqi missed her grab.

"Jinqi," Li Su'e smiled, her mouth splitting to her ears as she affectionately pulled Su Jinqi onto the sofa, beaming as she spoke, "Your brother stumbled upon the marriage certificate by accident. It's lucky we saw it, otherwise we, your family, would still be kept in the dark. It could have delayed the marriage, which would've been bad, wouldn't it?"

Before, Li Su'e only knew that Su Jinqi had slept with some wealthy man, but after Su Jinrong found the marriage certificate just now, she learned from her son about Li Jinghan's extraordinary identity. Immediately, her eyes were filled with visions of money raining from the sky, and naturally, her attitude towards Su Jinqi shifted swiftly.

Su Jinrong casually threw an arm around Su Jinqi's shoulder and said jokingly, "Qiqi, I really underestimated you. In just one day, you've got Ning City's infamous Young Master Li wrapped around your finger, I'm impressed!"

Su Jinqi glanced at him with disgust and without a good expression, shook his arm off her shoulder.

Unconcerned, Su Jinrong leaned in and asked with a drooling face, "Qiqi, did Mr. Li mention how much dowry money he'd give our family?"

"Yeah, the dowry money, how much can it be?" Li Su'e echoed, chiming in with the question.

Su Jinqi, speechless at this mother and son, took a deep breath and spoke, "Aunt, Cousin, I did register my marriage with Mr. Li, but he also proposed to keep it secret. There were no wedding and no dowry; please do not publicize this."

"What? A secret marriage?" Li Su'e immediately became upset upon hearing this and said in a raised voice, "I've worked hard to raise my niece, and oh, not a single penny is given before someone whisks her away. The Li Family is a wealthy family. How can they not understand such basic decency?"