Chapter 7: I Would Rather Die Than Marry Him

"Bringing your mistress and illegitimate child into my home—Jiang Huaiting, do you think I, as your fiancée, would ever agree to this?"

Jiang Huaiting shot her a cold, sidelong glance. "Watch your words. The one unloved is the mistress. I'm here to inform you, not to discuss."

Li Jiuwei was momentarily stunned by his words.

She suddenly felt that entangling herself with him any further was simply exhausting.

"Let's break off the engagement. I'll step aside for your precious child."

He sneered, "There you go again, playing hard to get."

Clearly, Jiang Huaiting didn't believe her. Li Jiuwei's expression darkened slightly. She paced over to stand before him.

He arched an eyebrow in mockery. "What now? Trying to seduce me?"

"I'm examining your face, to see what it's made of. It's so thick—so utterly shameless."

"You—" Jiang Huaiting started to speak, then bit back his words, scoffing, "Don't try your tricks on me. I won't fall for them."

Just as he reached the door, Jiang Huaiting threw out one last warning. "Don't you dare hurt Xinchun, or I won't let you off."

Who gave him the right?

Li Jiuwei walked out of the bedroom and saw Jiang's mother downstairs. She was berating Li Xinchun, who stood there silently, tears streaming down her face, looking utterly aggrieved and pitiful.

"Mother, the child in Xinchun's belly is your grandchild."

"Grandchild, my foot. It's just an embryo until it's born."

Jiang Huaiting's face turned dark. "Mother, as a woman yourself, can't you show some empathy for Xinchun?"

"If I empathize with her, who will empathize with Jiuwei? They're sisters by blood, yet she insists on stealing her own sister's man. Why don't you tell Li Xinchun to show some empathy for her elder sister?" Jiang's mother glared at her good-for-nothing son, who had the nerve to bring these people into their home openly.

Where did that leave Jiuwei?

Even as her own son, Jiang's mother couldn't help but call him shameless.

"Auntie, I truly love Huaiting," Li Xinchun said tearfully, tugging at Jiang Huaiting's heartstrings.

"How much is your 'true love' worth? No morals, no manners, no decency. You're the one who wrecked Huaiting and Jiuwei's relationship—you're a disaster," Jiang's mother fumed, her hands trembling uncontrollably.

The two being scolded looked mortified, though they tried to hide it.

As Li Jiuwei came down the stairs, Jiang's mother quickly reined in her anger and looked at her with guilt. "Jiuwei, this time I won't stand in your way. Do whatever you like to deal with Huaiting—it's all his fault."

She had tried so hard to match them, but Jiang Huaiting was just hopeless.

Having nowhere else to vent his anger, Jiang Huaiting snapped, "Li Jiuwei, did you bring my mother here? You really are a two-faced snake—always scheming behind my back."

Li Jiuwei stepped forward and slapped him hard across the face, her own hand stinging from the force.

She blew on her palm. "You should be grateful I even bothered."

Jiang Huaiting stood frozen, eyes wide in disbelief. When he finally returned to his senses, his eyes were bloodshot, as if he wanted to strangle her on the spot.

"You dare hit me?"

"How could you hit Huaiting, Sister? You’ve gone too far," Li Xinchun cried, cradling his face tenderly.

Jiang Huaiting, burning with rage, was about to lunge when Jiang's mother blocked him in her wheelchair.

"Jiuwei is teaching you a lesson on my behalf, Huaiting. In the future, mind your behavior. You and Jiuwei are meant to be family."

Jiang's mother shot a deliberate look at Li Xinchun, who bit her lip, looking even more wronged.

"I'd rather die than marry her."

"Perfect. I'd rather die than marry you," Li Jiuwei retorted.

To her surprise, Jiang Huaiting grew even angrier.

Jiang's mother looked at the two of them, pounded her fist helplessly on the wheelchair armrest, and sighed, "Jiuwei, wheel me outside."

Once they were in the courtyard, Jiang's mother took Li Jiuwei's hand and sighed softly. "Jiuwei, can't you forgive Huaiting just this once? I like you so much, always dreamed you'd be my daughter-in-law."

Li Jiuwei shook her head and smiled. "Auntie, whatever bond I had with Jiang Huaiting was broken long ago."

"Is there really no hope? Can't you try again?"

"Feelings can't be forced. Better to part ways than to live in mutual resentment." This engagement was doomed from the start.

Jiang's mother was heartbroken. "When you were children, you got along so well... How did it come to this?"

Li Jiuwei remained silent.

It was over—she and Jiang Huaiting had no future.

After seeing Jiang's mother off, Li Jiuwei received a call from Zhang Bing. Li Xinchun, who was in charge of the Feng Corporation project, had made a mess of things.

The design department was in chaos.

At the company, Zhang Bing rushed over as soon as she saw Li Jiuwei and filled her in: Li Xinchun had altered part of Li Jiuwei's design draft—not only that, but she had plagiarized.

Now, the original artist had posted a detailed exposé online, complete with a clear timeline, original drafts, and side-by-side comparisons with Li Xinchun's work.

Most damning of all, the original artist was a popular microblogger with half a million followers, and her fans were besieging the Jiang Group's official account.

The scandal was trending higher and higher.

"Where's Manager Wang?"

"Manager Wang is trying to get the trending topic suppressed," Zhang Bing reported.

Li Jiuwei's expression darkened. "That's not a solution. The more you try to suppress, the worse the backlash. Jiang Group must make a statement. What are Jiang Huaiting and Li Xinchun saying?"

"The CEO says he believes Li Xinchun, claims the artist is just attention-seeking, and the legal department is ready to respond."

...Is he out of his mind? Does he really think he's some invincible corporate tycoon?

Li Jiuwei's face fell. "Find Vice President Liu. She'll know what to do."

"VP Liu is on vacation," Zhang Bing replied worriedly. "She's hard to reach when she's away."

"I'll contact her myself."

"Oh, you all make such a fuss over nothing. Some minor blogger just wants to leech off our big company. Xinchun would never plagiarize. Similar artwork isn't proof of anything! And now you want to bother VP Liu? Hmph, you're just out to make trouble for General Jiang and Xinchun," Chen Cai suddenly chimed in, her tone accusing.

"You know better than anyone what's true. Chen Cai, this is a negative news story. If it affects the company stock, can you take responsibility?"

"I—" Chen Cai opened her mouth but said nothing.

She stomped her foot in frustration and, as soon as Li Jiuwei and Zhang Bing left, immediately dialed Li Xinchun's number.

"Xinchun, something terrible has happened..."

—

On vacation, Liu Ruyan exploded when she got Li Jiuwei's call—the handsome young man in her arms instantly lost his appeal.

"Jiuwei, I'll catch the next flight back. I'll make all the necessary arrangements at the company. When I return, I'll make sure to deal with that idiot Jiang Huaiting properly."

After hanging up, Li Jiuwei immediately contacted the PR department.

An apology statement had to be issued.

The PR manager hesitated, but with Liu Ruyan's orders, the statement went out. If the CEO kicked up a fuss, VP Liu would handle him.

Li Jiuwei sat in her office, watching the online reaction closely.

Her phone buzzed.

A message from Feng Su popped up—seductive photos, a washboard stomach, a shot of him caressing his collarbone in the shower—

Li Jiuwei arched an eyebrow. He really knew what he was doing.

"Sis, do you like it? Can you come keep me company? I think I still have a bit of a fever."

"It is pretty hot," she replied.

She couldn't help but smile—Feng Su's photos were truly a feast for the eyes.

Bang!

The office door flew open again.

Li Jiuwei looked up to see Jiang Huaiting, seething with rage. What kind of tantrum was he throwing now?