Ms. Jiang was utterly defeated and made her exit.
Before hanging up, she proactively revealed that it was Tao Ruanruan who told her about this.
"Your romantic entanglement," Chen Liuyue said, handing the phone back to him.
Qin Xuanye immediately raised both hands, his face serious as he declared:
"Liuyue, I broke off the engagement with her and deleted all contact methods immediately after returning from Tao Village."
Just then, Chen Liuyue's phone also rang.
It was Wei Miao calling.
He got straight to the point: "Yueyue, Tao Ruanruan called me, saying she saw you and Qin Xuanye at the school."
Qin Xuanye hurriedly leaned in.
Cutting in, he said, "Didn't we agree that today is my day?"
Wei Miao's tone was impatient: "Isn't the real point that Tao Ruanruan is trying to stir up trouble?"
Chen Liuyue wasn't surprised.
She recounted the incident of Tao Ruanruan and Ms. Jiang tattling on them, and speculated:
"She probably got the cold shoulder here, so she turned to call Qin Xuanye's mother instead."
Wei Miao's tone turned cool.
"Do you need me to take action?"
Chen Liuyue shook her head, saying:
"No need, my 'dear brother' probably can't bear to let anything happen to her."
"Let her jump around for now. The money she has should be almost used up."
"I'm quite looking forward to seeing whether she'll grow wings of her own, or return to Chen Haotian's protective wing."
...
Tao Ruanruan originally thought that after her tattling, Qin Xuanye would break up with Chen Liuyue.
Unexpectedly, she still often saw him coming to the school to find Chen Liuyue every few days.
As for Wei Miao and Chen Liuyue's engagement ceremony, it also proceeded smoothly.
All of this made Tao Ruanruan find it unbelievable.
Meanwhile, the allowance money she had originally received from the Chen family was almost spent.
Finally, she tentatively called her biological father, Tao Tian.
"Dad, could you give me some allowance?" she asked nervously.
On the other end of the line, Tao Tian's tone was gentle:
"Of course, but the household money is all managed by your mother. Give her a call."
"Oh, and since you don't live with the Chen family anymore, you should come home to live after graduation."
"Although our home isn't as big as the Chen family's, we won't let you suffer any grievances."
Tao Ruanruan nodded perfunctorily, saying, "Okay, thank you, Dad."
She then turned around and called Jin Minjia.
The phone rang for a long time before it was answered, and background noise of her scolding a student could be heard.
"Hello? Ruanruan, you finally deign to call me? I thought you didn't acknowledge me as your mother anymore." Jin Minjia's tone clearly carried lingering anger.
Tao Ruanruan quickly shook her head (though unseen), saying:
"No, Mom, you've misunderstood. Actually, after that incident, and with brother's broken leg, I've been busy appeasing the Chen family's anger."
"They originally planned to use underhanded methods against Tao Hui and Tao Cong. It was all me mediating over there."
After hearing this, Jin Minjia was half-convinced, half-doubtful: "Is that so?"
"Yes, Mom."
"Alright! Don't change the subject. What's the reason for your call today?"
"Mom... my allowance is running a bit low," Tao Ruanruan said cautiously.
"Why is it running low? Didn't the Chen family and that Chen Haotian keep saying they treated you like a real daughter, a real sister? They're not giving you an allowance?"
Tao Ruanruan took a deep breath and said, "Brother... has impure intentions towards me, so I don't want to get too close to the Chen family."
Upon hearing this, Jin Minjia said decisively, "See! See! I knew your foster brother had improper thoughts about you. Well, at least you have some principles."
Tao Ruanruan mustered her courage and said with a smile, "Then, Mom, could you give me some allowance? Dad said you manage all the household money."
Jin Minjia suddenly asked, "Ruanruan, how old are you this year?"
Tao Ruanruan: "Twenty-one."
Jin Minjia: "Exactly! You're an adult. Adults don't need an allowance. If you're short on money, you can work part-time to support your studies."
Tao Ruanruan couldn't help but speak up: "Mom, I..."
Before she could finish, she was interrupted again:
"I didn't pay a single cent for Liuyue's university; she worked part-time for all of it. If she could do it, so can you!"
"Alright, I have things to do. I'm hanging up now!"
Click
The call ended.
Tao Ruanruan was stunned.
What? Liuyue's university tuition and living expenses all came from her own part-time work?
How is that possible?
And her biological mother is too much. This isn't raising a daughter; it's practically abusing her.
So now, it's her turn to work part-time.
Tao Ruanruan bit her lip, mustering up courage for herself.
"If Chen Liuyue could do it! Why can't I!"
...
The city's luxurious five-star hotel.
Today was the engagement banquet for Chen Liuyue and Wei Miao.
It was also the important day when Wu Hongjun announced he would formally hand over the Wu Group to his granddaughter.
Numerous guests were in attendance.
Chen Liuyue wore a noble and aloof black mermaid gown, with a large ruby necklace around her neck.
Her jet-black long hair was swept up, adorned with a few pale peony flowers at her temples.
A few strands of hair naturally fell by her ears.
Her lips were full and red, radiantly beautiful, breathtaking beyond compare.
She was ushered to the center of the guests, flanked by Wei Miao and Wu Hongjun.
The crowd praised her and the young master of the Wei family as a perfect match, a talented man and a beautiful woman.
They also praised Elder Wu for finding a qualified successor.
For a while, the atmosphere was extremely lively.
"Nervous?" Chen Liuyue slightly curved her red lips, looking at the man beside her.
Wei Miao adjusted his tie. Dressed in a well-tailored grey suit, he also wore a small pale flower on his lapel.
He slightly lowered his head, his narrow phoenix eyes reflecting the bright and dazzling woman.
Taking her hand, he said teasingly:
"I'd like to save the nervousness for our wedding day."
"Oh? That will probably be several more years," Chen Liuyue teased.
Wei Miao: "It doesn't matter. I'm willing to wait however long it takes."
Not far away, amidst the crowd, Qin Xuanye watched the scene with a face full of envy.
Just then, a commotion suddenly erupted from behind.
"What's wrong with you, server? Can't even hold a tray steady? This suit on me costs tens of thousands. Can you afford to pay for it?" a middle-aged man with a large head and ears cursed.
Opposite him was a slender, frail girl wearing a hotel server's uniform, nodding repeatedly and apologizing.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."
"What's the use of saying sorry? Pay up!" the man insisted, not letting it go.
The girl slowly raised her head, revealing a familiar face.
It was Tao Ruanruan.
She said, "I'm working part-time to support my studies. I haven't even earned today's wages yet. How could I afford to pay?"
"Can't pay? Fine. You look pretty good. Keep me company," the man said with a lecherous smile.
Tao Ruanruan glared at him, then quickly locked eyes with Qin Xuanye in the crowd.
She hurried towards him, crying out:
"Xuanye, quick, save me! This man is harassing me!"
