Sent to Jail

At a press conference, Miss Zhao publicly announced the cancellation of her engagement with the eldest son of the Ling family, bluntly stating, "We broke up due to irreconcilable differences." This bold move caused fluctuations in the stock prices of both the Zhao and Ling families, with their shares dropping significantly.

When Qin Ran met Miss Zhao again, Miss Zhao wore sunglasses. After taking them off, her face still showed signs of weariness. Qin Ran couldn't help but admire her resolve. "Miss Zhao, you are indeed a decisive person. In just a few days, you've not only announced the end of your engagement with the Ling family but also managed to buy back a large portion of your own family's shares during the stock dip."

Miss Zhao chuckled. "I have you to thank, Qin."

"Do you think you acted too impulsively?" Qin asked.

Miss Zhao took a sip of her coffee, the brown liquid swirling in her cup. "Life is about taking risks. If everything follows a predetermined path, wouldn't it be too boring? Now that there's an alternative path before me, if I don't take it, I might regret it later as the matriarch of the Ling family."

Their meeting didn't last long. After exchanging a few words, Miss Zhao stood up and left.

Qin Ran finished her coffee slowly. Her maneuver had gone surprisingly well, and Miss Zhao's decisiveness had impressed her. As a pampered daughter of a wealthy family, she didn't hesitate to choose the more challenging path when given an alternative.

Qin Ran didn't remember much about Miss Zhao's character in the original novel, but she vaguely recalled that the character was always portrayed as gentle and unassuming. Yet in reality, she was anything but unremarkable—she was radiant and full of potential.

Surely, the eldest son of the Ling family must be in quite a bind now. His best business partner had just stabbed him in the back.

Indeed, the eldest son of the Ling family was facing a major crisis as the stock prices fluctuated wildly. Even his father, who was vacationing abroad, called to reprimand him. "What's going on? Why did you break off the engagement? Can't you handle a single woman? Do you know how much the Ling Group's stocks have dropped? Even from abroad, I can see the impact!"

The eldest son could only assure his father, "I'll take care of it."

"You'd better!" With that, his father hung up.

He immediately called Miss Zhao again. It took a long time before she answered, speaking bluntly. "Hello, Mr. Ling. What do you want?"

Before she could respond, he fired off his words like a machine gun. "What were you thinking, unilaterally canceling our engagement? Do you realize how much damage this has caused both the Zhao and Ling families?"

Miss Zhao laughed lightly. "Of course, I know. But compared to tying my life to yours, only to be left alone at home all the time, breaking off our engagement seems like the better option."

"What?" The eldest son couldn't understand her logic. "Our engagement is a business arrangement without love; I thought you understood that. Are you throwing a tantrum just because I canceled one date? You never used to be like this; you used to be a woman who knew her place!"

Miss Zhao laughed even harder. "Knowing my place doesn't mean I don't have hopes for marriage. And if you're going to lecture me about what kind of woman I should be, perhaps you should teach your dear sister to know her place first. At the very least, she shouldn't interfere in our dates."

"Are you insane? You're jealous of Miaomiao? She's my sister!"

"I'm not jealous, but I suggest you and your sister lock yourselves away and stop bothering others. Goodbye, and don't call again. We're not that close." Miss Zhao hung up immediately. When he tried calling back, she had already blocked his number. Fuming, he ordered his assistant to keep trying to contact her, but she simply turned off her phone.

This infuriating move made the eldest son so angry that he swept everything off his desk in a fit of rage, shouting her name. Meanwhile, Miss Zhao sipped her coffee at home, ignoring her father's criticisms.

Who wants to become the matriarch of someone else's family? It's such an outdated notion. Now that she has a chance to stand at the top herself, she'd obviously choose to take action.

After throwing a wrench into the Ling family's plans, Qin Ran withdrew happily. With nothing much to do these days, her greatest joy was video-calling Yu Shuman in the evenings and counting down to the weekends when she could visit the film set.

What frustrated Qin Ran the most was that after the Spring Festival, there were no more holidays until May. By then, Yu Shuman would have finished filming and returned; she wouldn't need to go visit her on set anymore.

The wait was torturous, and the only source of entertainment for Qin Ran was the drama unfolding between the Zhao and Ling families. With their engagement officially off and the public feasting on the fallout, Miss Zhao managed to enter the fray, holding all the right pieces to become a key player.

Word had it that when Miss Zhao and the eldest son of the Ling family crossed paths at various events, neither of them looked particularly happy.

Qin Ran had won this round, but the messy aftermath left her somewhat dissatisfied. To keep things interesting, she decided to take down the third son of the Ling family. His actions were becoming increasingly reckless. He had crossed many legal boundaries, especially when dealing with the Zhao family amid the engagement fallout. Of course, he didn't forget to cause trouble for his old nemesis, 99 Entertainment.

Qin Ran wasn't concerned about his antics; they only paved the way for his downfall.

With a clear head, Qin Ran gathered all the evidence and even sent a copy to Miss Zhao. Now a sworn enemy of the Ling family, Miss Zhao was more than happy to kick them while they were down. Without Qin Ran needing to lift a finger, the third son of the Ling family found himself back in custody for violating the terms of his probation.

This time, he was truly locked up. There'd be no getting out until he served his full sentence.

Qin Ran couldn't have been happier. She even attended the court hearing and sat in the public gallery, coincidentally catching the eye of Ling Miaohan. Without waiting for the final verdict, Qin Ran left the courtroom early.

Ling Miaohan chased after her, panting as she caught up to Qin Ran. Qin Ran felt a sense of pride; this proved her year of training hadn't gone to waste.

The protagonist called out to her from behind, demanding she stop. Qin Ran halted and turned around, her face expressionless. Her bodyguard stepped forward to block Ling Miaohan. In a loud voice, Ling Miaohan demanded, "Qin Ran, why did you do this?!"

The case had already attracted media attention, and reporters were swarming outside the court. Although they were not at the main entrance, a few curious paparazzi rushed over. They couldn't enter the courtroom and could only point their cameras at the two women inside.

"I don't understand what you're talking about," Qin Ran feigned ignorance. After all, they were in front of cameras, and she didn't want to give these annoying paparazzi anything to work with. Ling Miaohan, however, was reckless. "If it weren't for you targeting my third brother, he wouldn't have ended up like this!"

"He brought it on himself," Qin Ran replied calmly. "I'm just here to see what happens to a lawbreaker who tried to harm 99 Entertainment with illegal means."

Qin Ran almost burst out laughing at Ling Miaohan's righteous indignation. Sure, she had targeted Ling Miaohan's brother, but come on—did Ling Third Young Master need her help to commit crimes? Even in a novel world, you couldn't break the law and get away with it.

Qin Ran's thoughts drifted as she pondered this.

Seeing Qin Ran's indifferent expression was more than Ling Miaohan could bear. Her always composed face now showed a hint of hysteria. "But without you, my brother wouldn't be in trouble!"

"Oh, really?" Qin Ran couldn't help but laugh. "What kind of nonsense is that? If your brother hadn't done what he did, would anyone have been able to touch him? If you want to blame someone, you should blame yourself. If it weren't for wanting to protect his beloved sister, he wouldn't have hacked into 99 Entertainment, giving me the chance to catch him. If anyone is to blame, it's you."

Qin Ran kept her voice low; the media couldn't hear this far. However, Ling Miaohan's earlier outburst had been loud enough. Qin Ran didn't want to talk to Ling Miaohan anymore and was about to leave, but something she said seemed to have hit a nerve.

"That's nonsense! It's not my fault! It's all your fault!" Ling Miaohan's hysterics intensified.

Seeing her like this, Qin Ran questioned what kind of novel she had read. Most heroines in initial web novels took the blame upon themselves, saying things like, "It's my fault." But here was Ling Miaohan, saying, "It's all your fault!"

Qin Ran's thoughts wandered. She looked around Ling Miaohan, suddenly realizing, "By the way, I wanted to ask earlier—where's your beloved Pei Qi brother? Isn't he always with you? Why isn't he here now?"

Qin Ran's question made Ling Miaohan fall silent. Qin Ran's mischievous streak took over. She smiled with a hint of malice, like a proper villain. "Could it be that your family's stock prices have been dropping, and your Pei Qi brother doesn't want you to see how much he's struggling, so he's avoiding you?"

Ling Miaohan clenched her fists, her beautiful eyes filled with anger. "Don't get too cocky! Don't think no one can deal with you!"