Seacity

Hotel

Hai Qianli stares at the man lying by her side, momentarily dumbstruck.

Qin Junze?

Why would she be lying in the same bed as her future brother-in-law?

She remembers now. She was originally waitressing at a restaurant with her best friend, but for some reason, she fainted. Upon waking up, she finds herself here, with Qin Junze next to her.

Hai Qianli glances at the ultra-short strap dress she's wearing, a sinking feeling emerging from within. Her phone is also nowhere to be found.

Not daring to delay, Hai Qianli puts on her shoes and leaves. As she is about to open the door, the journalists who had been staking out at her doorstep rush in, catching her completely off guard.

"Miss Hai, did you call us to reveal your secret affair with your future brother-in-law?"

"I didn't call you."

A journalist pulls out a phone from his pocket, showing the most recent call history. The number at the very top is unmistakably Hai Qianli's.

Hai Qianli shakes her head. No, she didn't call the journalist. Her phone was missing, too.

At this moment, the still reclining Qin Junze stirs awake. "How did I end up here?"

Seeing the situation, a journalist seizes the opportunity and approaches him. "Young Master Qin, this is a hotel room where you're alone with Miss Hai. What exactly were you two doing?"

Qin Junze sits up, disgust filling his eyes. "Why would I ever do anything with that shameless woman?"

"Shameless?"

These words stabbed into Hai Qianli like sharp knives. She could still recall when Qin Junze used to intimately call her 'little Qianli', treating her with the utmost gentleness. But ever since she lost the title of the Miss Hai family, she had been labeled as a shameless woman.

Qin Junze stared at his empty self under the blanket, recalling something, he furiously pointed at Hai Qianli and scolded her, "Hai Qianli, you texted me saying Yun Rou was drunk at the hotel and wanted me to pick her up. I had no idea I would be knocked out as soon as I arrived here. Tell me, what did you do to me?"

Upon hearing these groundless accusations, Hai Qianli instinctively retorted, "I didn't send you any text."

Qin Junze took out his phone, found the text message, and ruthlessly smashed the phone onto Hai Qianli's forehead.

"Take a good look at this."

"Ah—"

A sharp pain hit her forehead. A warm stream trickled down.

The vibrant, seductive red liquid blurred Hai Qianli's vision.

Looking at the heartless man, the pain in her heart was a hundred times worse than the pain in her forehead.

She should have understood that the moment her identity was exposed, the Qin Junze she adored was dead in her heart.

The reporter picked up the phone from the ground and compared the phone number in the address book, confirming that both the text and the phone call were from Hai Qianli. His expression became even more intriguing.

"Miss Hai, what are you trying to accomplish by plotting this scenario today?"

"Is it because your sister has returned to the Hai family, and you hate her for returning you to the ordinary, that you're trying to steal her man out of revenge?"

"I didn't expect that you would be such an ungrateful person."

"You know, it just occurred to me, four years ago your false heiress identity was revealed. Is it true that you, in order to stay in the Hai family, even expelled your biological parents from Hai city?"

Hai Qianli responded seriously, "No."

"If not, then why did you continue to stay in the Hai family and not return to your biological family?"

The truth about the events of that year are hidden, but she had promised Yun Rou that she wouldn't tell a second person.

As they were speaking, Hai Yun Rou arrived.

Hai Qianli's eyes lit up, "Yun Rou, you..."

Slap—

A crisp slap landed on Hai Qianli's beautiful face. Her delicate body heavily crashed onto the bed, her fair face quickly swelling up, a trace of fresh blood trickling from her lips.

She looked at Hai Yun Rou in disbelief, "Yun Rou, don't you trust me?"

Hai Yun Rou spoke heartachingly, "Sister, I want to trust you too, but all the evidence points to you, how can I trust you?"

Hai Qianli explained, "I was framed."

Deep down, Hai Qianli felt that someone was manipulating everything from behind the scenes.

The plot was seamless, making her explanation seem more like a flimsy excuse.

"You were framed? Fine, let me ask you, do you really not like brother Junze?"

"I..." Hai Qianli was left speechless.

The Qin family and the Hai family had arranged a marriage between Hai Qianli and Qin Junze when they were should girls. She had always seen Qin Junze as her future husband, how could she not love him?

But four years ago, the Hai family suddenly told her that she was not the real daughter of the Hai family. She was swapped at birth, and the arranged marriage naturally fell on the real daughter of the Hai family, Hai Yunrou.

She didn't dare to compete with Hai Yunrou, so she willingly gave up the marriage arrangement.

She could give up, but she did not want to deny.

"Hehe ……"

Hai Yunrou accepted Hai Qianli's answer and suddenly laughed, her smile was full of sorrow and desolation. "Sister, the accident happened more than twenty years ago caused us to switch places. I always tolerate you because I was afraid that you would feel uncomfortable. I didn't dispute or contend with you.”

“You could have told me if you were fond of Brother Junze, I would have given up him for you. But why did you say you didn't like him, and why did you embarrass me when we were engaged?”

Hai Qianli stared at Hai Yunrou with a dull expression. She was the one who was always compromising and retreating, why would she say that?

Qin Junze felt more and more pity for Hai Yunrou, he held Hai Yunrou tenderly, “Yunrou, the one I love is you, I will only be with you in this life. The despicable woman isn’t worth even touching my little finger.”

“I will take you to get a marriage certificate now, and let’s get married.”

Qin Junze walked to the door and asked the reporters, “Please report the truth about today's news.”

He glared at Hai Qianli with fury, “I want Hai Qianli to lose face and reputation!”

Hai Qianli felt a cold chill all over her body.

……

Late at night.

Hai Qianli was walking aimlessly alone on the empty and lonely streets.

Her entire body was covered in grime, an offensive odor lingered around her.

Her family had publicly announced their disconnection with her, and her 'wrongdoings' were exposed by the media. No matter where she went, people threw rotten eggs and spoiled vegetable leaves at her. Only under the cover of dark night, could she stride freely.

On the large screen by the roadside, the figure of Hai's mother came into view. She was no longer the previously gentle woman, she accused Hai Qianli of her 'wrongdoings' with disgust.

"The one thing I regret most in my life is, four years ago, I didn't hand Hai Qianli back to her biological parents when the truth was revealed."

"Qianli used to be a gentle and obedient girl. I thought she could coexist harmoniously with her sister. However, she changed unexpectedly, became a stranger when Yun Rou came home."

Hai's mother lowered her eyes in sorrow, "She sidelined Yun Rou at home, vied for fame, power and profit outside, and tried by every means to stay in Hai's family and drive away her biological parents."

"Now she even tried to sabotage the happiness of my daughter's whole life, I think I can't let this pass any more."