Of course, it wasn’t that Qiao Chuchu was particularly cruel—her relationship with her family was one of mutual restraint and harm.
After she was fostered by the Pei Family, Old Lady Qiao had already begun scheming to take her wealth.
Because Pei's Mother was willing to spend money on her, the dowry for her future marriage had been prepared from the day she entered the Pei Family.
If she died, her grandparents would be the first inheritors of her wealth, not Pei's Mother, who had invested so much in her.
After Pei's Mother bought her a mansion worth hundreds of millions, she had narrowly escaped kidnapping several times.
It was only after Pei's Mother set a trap to counter the Qiao Family that her life was spared.
Looking at Old Lady Qiao’s pitiful state, Qiao Chuchu couldn’t help but smirk. "What could be happier than receiving a fortune in the prime of my youth? After all, I didn’t lose out."
Actually, if she calculated it, she had lost—not just a life, but also endured great suffering to be reborn.
But it didn’t matter. What mattered was that she hadn’t lost too badly, while Old Lady Qiao had suffered a complete defeat.
This was revenge for the time the old woman had tried to dig up her birth mother’s remains to arrange a ghost marriage.
Stimulated by Qiao Chuchu’s words, Old Lady Qiao seemed to foresee the Qiao Family’s downfall, her eyes bulging in fury. "No! Impossible!"
The old woman lunged at her, claws outstretched, but the police restrained her, leaving her to rage helplessly. "As long as I’m alive, you won’t lay a finger on the Qiao Family’s wealth! You’ll get nothing!!"
Her voice trembled as she broke down in despair at the thought of Qiao Chuchu inheriting her fortune. "You can’t take my money! No matter what, you can’t take my money!!!"
Then, her face turned ashen, and she curled up in pain. "My heart—my heart hurts!"
The officers paled, quickly supporting her toward the emergency room. "At her age, a heart attack could be fatal—get her to treatment, now!"
The other officers turned to Qiao Chuchu. "Please come with us. We need a detailed statement."
Qiao Chuchu nodded obediently. "I’ll cooperate fully."
She then suggested, "Bring Xia Xuechun in too. My grandmother may have done wrong, but Xia Xuechun was the one who incited her to crash the car."
Unfortunately, Xia Xuechun had disappeared.
Surveillance footage showed her fleeing immediately after Old Lady Qiao’s failed attempt, and she had since gone off the grid.
When Old Lady Qiao heard this, her already failing heart took another blow. Furious, she suffered a stroke and a heart attack, landing her in the ICU.
Seated in the car, Qiao Chuchu watched the scenery blur past.
She was now in District 14 of Country D, having brought her entire entourage to hunt down Xia Xuechun.
Yise, Ying Chen’s subordinate, turned from the passenger seat to address her. "Miss, District 14 isn’t safe. Our boss has ordered us to oversee your movements for the next few days."
She nodded, eyeing the lavish storefronts outside. "I thought District 14 would be too chaotic for such refined places."
Yise chuckled. "Even the worst districts have wealthy areas. And no matter how rough it gets, it’s still a tourist hotspot—many people love visiting."
"Have you checked hotel records? And chapels—places where people might hold weddings?"
Yise sighed apologetically. "We have, but there’s no trace. We don’t know where Xia Xuechun and that man are hiding. I’m sorry, Miss."
"Don’t apologize." Qiao Chuchu kept her gaze outside. "If someone doesn’t want to be found, how could you?"
Suddenly, the passing scenery shifted into a vision.
Frowning, Qiao Chuchu focused.
In the vision, she violently swept everything off a table, jabbing a finger at the person across from her. "Are you out of your mind?! I brought you here so you could avenge your daughter, not to let Long Yunxiao and Xia Xuechun escape!!"
The elderly woman, chastised, wrung her hands in regret—yet her tone was defiant. "I didn’t mean to let them go! Long Yunxiao begged me, saying he never meant to push my daughter down! He said the child couldn’t grow up without a father, promised me shares as compensation! He tricked me!"
"What matters more—shares or your own child?!"
Qiao Chuchu stormed around the table. "He’s the reason your daughter is paralyzed! And you actually believed he’d take responsibility?! He dangled shares in front of you, and you fell for it?! Has he given you anything yet?!"
The old woman sobbed, pleading. "I know I was wrong! I shouldn’t have trusted his sweet talk—please, get him back!"
"How?! You begged me to bring you here for revenge! I finally caught them, handed them to you to deal with however you saw fit—and you let them go! You even stalled me for two hours! They could be on a ship halfway across the world by now—do you understand that?!"
The vision faded, reality snapping back.
"Damn it…"
Just watching it had pissed her off.
This time, she had brought along Mother Liu—Long Yunxiao’s mother-in-law, Liu Shi’s mother.
Mother Liu had heard about Qiao Chuchu’s vendetta against Xia Xuechun and begged to join the hunt.
She hadn’t wanted to bring her, but Mother Liu had wept so dramatically she nearly knelt.
So Qiao Chuchu had relented, arranging for her to confront Long Yunxiao alone in the vision.
And what happened? Mother Liu let him go!
She even stalled Qiao Chuchu in the basement for two hours.
In the vision, Qiao Chuchu had found the delay suspicious, but Mother Liu insisted she needed more time for "private matters."
Only after two hours—when Long Yunxiao’s phone went dead, proving his promises empty—did Mother Liu confess the truth.
Xia Xuechun and Long Yunxiao, right within her grasp, had slipped away because of this idiot. How could she not be furious?!
But it was fine.
At least now she knew who the weak link was.
And she knew where she had caught Xia Xuechun.
Irritated, she cracked her neck. "Head to the chapel near the lighthouse."
Since it wasn’t yet the day she’d received the incriminating photos in her past life, she hadn’t focused on the lighthouse, instead searching high-end hotels and chapels.
Turns out, the two had held their ceremony right by the lighthouse.
The car changed course. Stepping out, Qiao Chuchu adjusted her cap.
Huai Ling bounded over cheerfully, slinging an arm around her. "Sis!"
Lou Tingsi sidled up with a smirk, prying Huai Ling’s hand away. "No touching."
Weisheng Lin circled around from behind, eyeing the unremarkable surroundings skeptically. "Would those two really be here?"
Qiao Chuchu didn’t answer. Finding a vantage point, she raised her binoculars toward the chapel.
Weisheng Huailing felt a sudden impulse and leaned down closer to her face, using the telescope as an excuse: "Well, can you see it?"
