1 Flushing Joy

"Qu Yue, whether you're willing or not, you have to marry into the Shen family obediently. You've been eating and living with me for so many years. You have to repay me!"

Wang Lan angrily dropped the bowl and chopsticks in her hands onto the table. She glared fiercely at the girl seated opposite her and said in a rage, "If you don't repay my kindness, I'll blow this matter up. Let's see who will be the one to be embarrassed!"

Qu Yue put down her bowl and chopsticks expressionlessly and raised her small, palm-sized face. Her brows furrowed slightly as she looked at Wang Lan calmly.

She was wearing a school uniform — a white, short-sleeved top with a blue mini skirt — making her look beautiful and clean-cut.

A cold glint flashed across her eyes as she asked indifferently, "Why didn't you let your biological daughter marry him?"

Wang Lan's expression changed and she stood up angrily. She was about to say something when her biological daughter, Qu Xi, stopped her.

"Sister, I'm already pregnant. If I marry over, Second Young Master Shen will definitely become a father. Do you think the Shen family will let us off if they know about this?" Qu Xi looked at Qu Yue with a smile. She slowly stroked her stomach and raised her eyebrows slightly.

Pregnant? That is just an excuse!

Qu Xi seemed to have fallen in love with a rich, second-generation heir in school. It was precisely because of this that Qu Xi started accumulating more clothes and accessories recently. Why would Qu Xi marry a vegetative man instead of a rich second-generation heir?

Qu Yue looked at him indifferently. Deep down, she scolded the fortune-teller who worked for the Shen family. That fortune-teller told the Shen family that Second Young Master Shen had a chance of survival only if Wang Lan's daughter from the Qu family village married him to flush joy in the Shen family.

The Shen family was a wealthy family with immense power and influence in the country. Naturally, Old Master Shen came to propose marriage with a handsome array of betrothal gifts.

When Qu Yue saw Wang Lan staring at the betrothal gift list, she knew that Wang Lan would definitely sell her off.

If she married over and Second Young Master Shen woke up, she would be fine. However, if Second Young Master Shen did not wake up, her life in the Shen family would be difficult.

Qu Yue frowned slightly. Wang Lan was pressuring her because of the gratitude she owed to her, and she was thinking about the matters in the capital. Qu Yue said indifferently, "I can go, but I have a condition."

Hearing Qu Yue's words, Wang Lan frowned and said unhappily, "I gave you a chance to repay me, but now you're talking about conditions!"

"Since you've already sold us off, there's nothing binding us anymore." Qu Yue looked at Wang Lan calmly and said slowly.

"Impossible!" Wang Lan was so infuriated that her temples were throbbing. She said sternly, "I am your mother. I'll be your mother for the rest of your life. Let me tell you, you won't be able to escape from me no matter where you run to!"

Without waiting for Qu Yue to speak, Wang Lan silently wiped her tears and blubbered, "It wasn't easy for me, you know. I'm a widow. I worked so hard to bring you and your sister together. You're not even my biological child and I've never let you starve. I provided for you to go to university. Everyone says that majoring in finance is profitable, but you didn't go and insisted on learning medicine. I can't control you anymore. Now that I'm asking you to repay me, you want to sever ties with you. God, why am I so miserable..."

Wang Lan was crying her eyes out as if she had been wronged greatly.

Qu Xi sat at the side and watched Wang Lan's crying state. She said furiously, "Sister, look at how angry you made Mom. Mom can't bear to let us leave her, but what kind of person is the Shen family? Our family definitely has to marry over a daughter. If no one marries over, our whole family will suffer! Why are you so insensible!"

"Yueyue, don't worry. After you go to the Shen family, I will definitely take good care of your grandmother." Wang Lan wiped her tears as her eyes darted around furtively.

"I have agreed to it." Qu Yue's lips curled coldly. Seeing Wang Lan and Qu Xi looking at her impatiently, she said, "Remember your words. Take good care of Grandma!"

If it wasn't for Grandma, she would have left this place long ago.

"Okay, okay, okay." Wang Lan nodded vigorously and immediately added, "Remember to send your grandma's living expenses!"

Qu Yue blinked and said, "Mom, I'm not your biological child. If the Shen family knows about me..."

"Mom will take good care of Grandma for you. Definitely!" Wang Lan said eagerly. Isn't it just sustaining an old woman on her deathbed? There's nothing difficult about it!

...

The August heat baked the earth.

A black, luxury car appeared on the concrete road of Qu family village where only bicycles or motorcycles passed by.

Everyone in the village came to watch the commotion. They watched as the luxury car bumped up the road towards Wang Lan's alley and stopped outside her house.

Wang Lan was famous for being a shrewd widow in Qu Village. On a normal basis, no one was willing to talk to her.

Wang Lan watched as a woman in a white suit alighted from the car and strutted up to her with her head tilted up and chest puffed out. Wang Lan cleared her throat deliberately and said, "You are..."

"Madam Wang, I'm the butler of the Shen Family. I'm here today to pick up the Second Young Mistress." Housekeeper Zhao smiled.

"Qu Yue, come out quickly!" Just as Wang Lan finished speaking, she saw the person walking out of the house and was stunned.

What was Qu Yue doing?

She was sporting dark skin, had pimples all over her face, and was even wearing a pair of black-rimmed glasses. She looked so old-fashioned and disgusting!

At that moment, Butler Zhao did not know whether to sympathize with Second Young Master Shen or Second Young Mistress.

Throughout the whole journey, everyone was quiet.

When the car arrived at the Shen residence, three hours had passed.

The Shen family's castle sat on the outskirts of the capital surrounded by dense forests. It was glorious and spectacular, with a shroud of mystery that made people want to head towards it.

The Shen family was the richest family in the city's capital. Old Master Shen had four sons and one daughter. The youngest was his daughter who rarely appeared in public. It was said that she was still schooling.

First Young Master Shen was in charge of all the Shen family's businesses. Third Young Master Shen was obsessed with research in physics, while Fourth Young Master Shen was a superstar.

Old Master Shen felt the most guilty towards his second son who had been bed-ridden for seven years. Right now, all he wanted was to see his son awaken, compelling him to believe in the saying of 'flushing joy in the family'.

When Old Master Shen saw Qu Yue getting out of the car, he was stunned for a moment. Although from a photo he saw that Qu Yue looked ordinary, he did not expect her to be ugly beyond words. He suspected that the people from the Civil Affairs Bureau had doctored her looks.

"Yueyue..." Old Master Shen called out hesitantly. He had heard that Qu Yue was Wang Lan's most outstanding eldest daughter. He passed the marriage certificate to Qu Yue. "The marriage certificate. My second son doesn't look like he's suitable for a wedding. It's been hard on you."

"Alright." Qu Yue nodded and left with Housekeeper Zhao.

Old Master Shen looked at Qu Yue's cold aura and recalled her face. He was deep in thought.

Butler Zhao brought Qu Yue to the room on the fifth floor and reminded her, "Second Young Master was a special forces soldier. When he was carrying out a mission, he was embroiled in a crossfire and was shot in the head by a bullet. At that time, he underwent surgery which saved his life. However, he might be in a vegetative state for the rest of his life."

"Second Young Master is conscious. Second Young Mistress, you must talk to him more so that he might wake up."

"Second Young Master wants to listen to the newspapers in the early afternoon..."

When Qu Yue stopped in her tracks, Butler Zhao looked at her puzzled. She had stopped mid-sentence and thought that Qu Yue could not remember what she had said, so she reassured her. "Second Young Mistress, don't worry. I will pass Second Young Master's timetable to you!"

Qu Yue glanced coldly at Housekeeper Zhao and said indifferently, "Are you done?"