After the man in the suit driving the Volvo picked up Feng Xiaohe, his gaze never left her legs, tightly wrapped in black stockings.
Feng Xiaohe was already twenty-two this year, but the suited man thought her skin was so well-maintained she looked like a nubile eighteen-year-old.
“Careful! Watch the road!”
The suited man jerked his head up.
If it hadn’t been for Feng Xiaohe’s warning, he would have rear-ended the car ahead.
But with such a peerless beauty in the passenger seat, what man could keep his cool?
“Why don’t you come over to my place for a bit later, Xiaohe?” the suited man said. “I’ve heard you have a great tolerance for alcohol, and you’re quite the connoisseur of red wine. I just happen to have a bottle of Mouton 93 at home.”
“Brother Chen, isn’t Mouton 93 pretty expensive?”
“It’s not that expensive. When you get to share fine wine with a beauty like you, no price is too high.”
The suited man flashed a generous, gentle smile.
But Feng Xiaohe’s eyes remained fixed outside the car window. She knew perfectly well that his real intentions lay elsewhere—the wine was just an excuse. And he wasn’t the only man who had his eyes on her alluring body.
However, she wasn’t interested in this Chen fellow. To put it bluntly, he was just a good-for-nothing rich kid. Without his family’s backing, he’d be nothing.
“Xiaona, did you finish your homework?”
“No, Sis,” said Xiaona from the back seat. “Teacher Wang assigned a ton of worksheets today.”
“Is that so…” Feng Xiaohe murmured, then turned to the suited man. “Brother Chen, as you can see, kids these days have a lot of academic pressure. Xiaona is in her second year of junior high, and next year she’ll be taking the senior high school entrance exam…”
“Xiaona can just do her homework at my place,” the suited man persisted shamelessly. “It’s just homework, after all. What does it matter where she does it? Right?”
“Xiaona, would you want to do your homework at Brother Chen’s house?”
Feng Xiaohe glanced at her younger sister.
Xiaona immediately caught on and said,
“Sorry, Sis. I left two workbooks at home, and they’re due tomorrow.”
The Chen man sighed.
“Ah, what a shame. I’ll take you home, then.”
Feng Xiaohe glanced at the somewhat dejected man and said,
“Thanks for the ride, Brother Chen. I’ll pay you a visit another day.”
After using a tool, one had to give them a sliver of hope, so they’d be willing to play their part again.
This had always been Feng Xiaohe’s way of doing things.
“Being a chauffeur for a beauty like Xiaohe is my greatest honor.”
Soon, they arrived in the Old Town.
This was where Feng Xiaohe and Feng Xiaona lived. The surroundings were desolate, nearly devoid of life, decrepit and decaying like a snapshot from the last century.
The nearby park was empty—it was winter now. Even in autumn, it only saw elderly ladies doing square dancing and old men taking leisurely strolls.
A few buildings looked practically like condemned structures.
Seeing such poverty in the Old Town, the suited man was visibly moved. He spoke with what he thought was reason and emotion:
“Xiaohe, be with me. I’ll give you a happy family. Don’t you want to leave this neighborhood? Even if you’re willing to stay in such a desolate place, you have to think of your sister, Xiaona.”
But Feng Xiaohe responded to his sweet talk with vague, noncommittal replies, never giving a clear answer.
Five minutes later, the navigation ended—the Feng sisters were home.
In front of the car stood an old building with over forty years of history. Naturally, there was no elevator. Everything about it exuded an air of decay, and the exposed pipes on the exterior were rusted all over.
“Thanks a lot, Brother Chen. See you another day.”
“See you another day. As for what I said just now, I hope you’ll give it some serious thought.”
“I will.” Feng Xiaohe patted her sister’s shoulder and urged, “Xiaona, say goodbye to Brother Chen.”
“Bye-bye, Brother Chen.”
“Alright, be good, Xiaona. Another day, Brother will take you out for some treats.”
Feng Xiaohe took her sister’s hand and headed toward home without looking back.
The weather remained cold today, yet Feng Xiaohe still wore her office lady uniform.
She walked briskly, eager to get indoors and warm up.
“Are you going to marry Brother Chen in the future, Sis?”
“You don’t have to call him Brother Chen when he’s gone.” Feng Xiaohe kicked at the snow covering the ground with her high heel, as if venting her displeasure. “I’d never marry a sweet-talking scumbag like him, a man who overindulges in pleasure. He was just a driver to take us home. There’s no need to show him too much respect.”
“Sis…”
“Don’t worry, Xiaona. Your sister will work hard to earn money.” Feng Xiaohe stroked her sister’s hair. “No matter what, we must have self-respect and self-love.”
But those were just words she didn’t truly believe.
Watching the Volvo drive away, Feng Xiaohe’s face was full of cold laughter.
Anyone who wanted to marry her would at least need a luxury car worth over ten million, and they’d have to drink Romanée-Conti. If a man didn’t have several publicly listed companies and still dreamed of marrying her, he was just daydreaming.
As for that man just now, he was fine to use a little.
After all, there were plenty of men who wanted her. She wasn’t going to lose her senses and fall for some loser driving a Volvo, was she?
When she got married, the least she could do was ensure her sister could live a happy life from then on.
When they got home, the apartment—less than fifty square meters—was filled with outdated furniture. Feng Xiaohe opened the wardrobe; there wasn’t a single winter coat inside.
Back when they were trying to treat their terminally ill mother, Feng Xiaohe had sold off every valuable item, including all her clothes, of course.
At the same time, she had to make sure her sister’s education didn’t suffer.
Now, nothing was left…
In the end, they still had to say goodbye to their mother.
The once family of four was now just the two sisters relying on each other.
“Xiaona, you must study hard. You can’t end up a failure like your sister.”
“Sis is not a failure.”
“Silly girl.”
Fortunately, Feng Xiaona’s grades placed her in the top ten of her grade at school. Getting into a key high school was practically a sure thing.
After high school, university.
After university, she could either pursue further studies or find a job, but Feng Xiaohe planned to send her sister abroad for school, to let her see the wider world.
She wanted her sister to have the right to choose her own destiny, not be forced like herself to become a gold digger, a baton passed from one successful man to the next.
The phone in her pocket vibrated.
Feng Xiaohe took out her phone and glanced at the QQ group chat. Disappointment immediately filled her beautiful eyes.
Ai: Sorry, bros, I got kidnapped by a yandere beauty. Can’t update today.
Little Ai’s Fiancée: One day, I’m going to lock Little Ai in the basement and turn him into a writing machine.
Sri Lanka: Sweeping the Bishop’s grave.
Feng He: Ai keeps going on hiatus all the time. No wonder he’s not popular. An author like that deserves to flop forever!
Assassin: Lewd pic 1, lewd pic 2, lewd pic 3.
Ai: Stop scolding me, stop scolding me! I’m breaking down here!
“Sis, what’s wrong?”
Feng Xiaona seemed to notice her sister was a bit upset, and couldn’t help but worry.
“It’s nothing, Xiaona. It’s not a work problem.”
Feng Xiaohe turned off her phone.
Since that author wasn’t going to update today, she’d just spend more time helping her sister with her studies.
