Emperor City, Su Family Villa.
Deep into the quiet night, Su Qiao sat cross-legged in the mourning hall, silently reciting sutras with her eyes closed, with the commemorative pictures of her parents arranged before her.
In the next room, her brother-in-law, Wan Peng's sharp voice was particularly grating to the ear.
"What's up with your little sister? Who doesn't know that this sister of yours is a harbinger of doom! She was sent to the mountain when she was only three, and didn't come home for seventeen years! Now that your parents have died in a car accident, she suddenly came back pretending to be the dutiful daughter! Who would believe that she is not here to fight for the inheritance?!"
Her elder sister, Su Qian, lowered her voice uncomfortably, "Lower your voice, Qiaoqiao can hear you!"
"All the better! I'm worried she wouldn't hear!" Wan Peng deliberately raised his voice, shouting, "I'll speak the ugly truth upfront, this villa was left by your parents as our marital home! Now the Su family's company is on the verge of bankruptcy and owes a ton of debt! It's good enough that I haven't asked her to cover it! As for the inheritance, hah, there's no chance! She has been freeloading here for seven days, I have to calculate this expense with her!"
Su Qian became somewhat angry, "What are you talking about! That's my own little sister... If you're really going to charge her, then I will pay you!"
"And with what will you pay? You're a housewife, earning no money. Isn't every bite and drink of yours spent using my money..."
The man's cursing voice gradually faded.
Su Qiao slowly opened her eyes.
Her brother-in-law, Wan Peng, had been worried that she would come back to seize the property. From the moment she entered the door, she was never welcomed...
But Su Qiao did not care.
She had gone up the mountain when she was three years old, and this was the first time she met this brother-in-law. To her, Wan Peng was nothing more than a stranger.
The only person Su Qiao cared about, was her sister.
She had only lived in the Su family for three years, but in those three years, only her sister had given her warmth.
Her mother was plagued with postnatal depression, locking herself in her room. No matter how hard she cried, her mother never spared her a glance. Her father didn't like her either... only her sister did.
Su Qian was seven years older than her, but she was gentle and mature from a young age. She would lull her to sleep, feed her... In her sister, Su Qiao felt the only warmth she ever received from her family.
But that man, Wan Peng...
Su Qiao frowned at the thought of Wan Peng. His face appeared honest and decorous, but she detected a hint of evil lurking in his eyes.
Such a man with sinister intentions was hardly a suitable match.
With the death of their parents, her sister had lost her familial backing. It seemed inevitable that she would face hardships in the future...
But after all, it was the couple's life, and she was just an outsider.
All Su Qiao could do was ensure she did not become another burden to her sister.
At daybreak, Su Qiao got up and left the Su's villa.
Before leaving, she emptied all her pockets and found a total of 346 yuan.
She only saved two yuan for the bus fare; the rest was left at the doorstep of her sister and brother-in-law.
That should be enough for a few days' meals.
After leaving the Su's, Su Qiao walked for over half an hour to reach the bus station.
With only two yuan to her name, she boarded the bus.
Next to her, a working professional, squeezing in breakfast, was eating a bun. The savory aroma was tempting... Su Qiao touched her aching stomach and, to divert her attention, she closed her eyes and started to recite mantras silently.
Actually, over these past years on the mountain, she occasionally told fortunes for people, offered guidance and even managed to save a few tens of thousands of yuan. However, three days ago, her money jar disappeared along with her stingy master, leaving her nothing but a letter.
The first thing instructed in the letter was for her to go home and mourn for her departed parents.
The second thing was to direct her to go to the Shen family's Yu Garden in the imperial city, and seek Shen Xiujin...
"Apprentice, your life is fraught with perils, extreme Yin, and extreme cold, you are destined not to live past twenty! But your master has calculated your fate to be tied to that of Shen Xiujin, the second master of the Shen family. His fate this year involves a life-and-death trial. You must marry him, ensure his safety, and only then will you be able to survive!"
Although her master often acted mysteriously, his divination skills were accurate, predicting future events without faltering.
Su Qiao could also feel her body starting to weaken this year.
What would happen to her sister if anything went wrong? She did not want to die, and with all her abilities, there was no reason she couldn't protect an ordinary man like Shen Xiujin from his life-and-death fate...
'Screech—'
The bus suddenly came to a halt, jolting Su Qiao out of her thoughts. She reacted quickly, grabbing the handle in front of her just in time to prevent herself from falling.
Sitting at the front, Su Qiao looked up, the scene in front of her making her face change color...
