1 Prologue:

"You're going to be a perfect wife to your husband someday, Ivy."

Ivy looked up at her mother who was giving her an encouraging smile that could probably shine a path to a hopeless man.

Unfortunately, Ivy finds this kind of smile dreadful.

Or maybe, it wasn't the smile that was so dreadful but the idea of her being a 'perfect wife' or even just the idea of becoming a 'wife' to anybody.

"Oh, please. I'm a real catch." Ivy rolled her eyes.

"Dear!"

Zhao Wei wanted to reprimand her only daughter but ended up releasing a helpless sigh as she didn't know how to change her daughter's behavior.

Maybe it was because of the fact that in the Lin family, anyone of a female gender was treated as nothing but as a tool for benefits that Zhao Wei spoils Ivy.

The Lin's was a family of a military lineage decades ago and until now, every male in the family are required to continue that, making sure that they will get bountiful of achievements and needs to have a strong desire to protect the country.

And every female in the family has to be poised and trained to be a lady, enough to represent their family in front of the upper class socialites and capture the attention of anyone from a respectable and wealthy family.

"Anyway, make sure don't do anything that will put us into an embarrassing state. Do you understand?" Zhao Wei reminded her daughter once more.

"Yeah… Well, since there's nothing else for me to do here, I'll go and eat some chocolates in the corner." Ivy nonchalantly said yes and didn't wait for her mother to stop her from going to the long table where different kinds of high class desserts lined up.

Ivy looked around the event hall filled with different kinds of people from the upper class. Dressed in their most expensive clothing, trying to boast to their peers what their families could buy.

If Ivy didn't know better, this party would have been a massive matchmaking party rather than celebrating the old Chen patriarch's 70th birthday.

Several young ladies of her age wore their finest dresses, making a few signals to their counterparts, flirting in order to catch a big fish.

Honestly, Ivy would rather sleep than be around this type of party, however, her upbringing and her strict family forbids her to do so.

Well at least, there are foods that she can eat while everyone was preoccupied with their own thing.

Ivy was almost finished filling up her plate when someone went to her side and nudge her gently.

"That's a lot of desserts you got there. Sis."

Ivy looked at the mountains of variety high class desserts on her plate and frowned. Surely, the desserts on her plate cannot be considered as 'a lot' right?

The person standing beside Ivy was Lin Yi Ran, her second oldest brother.

"Not really, I still didn't get that blueberry tart over there. "Ivy made a gesture using her chin.

Lin Yi Ran sighed and put his champagne glass on the long table, "Oh sure, I bet you're going to get more of our father's reproach for your behaviors later."

"Party pooper… Come on, he's busy talking to his friends. He wouldn't even notice me if I were to dance right now."

"Are you sure about that?"

Lin Yi Ran heartlessly smiled, challenging her as he looked behind her.

Ivy also gave him a smile not letting herself fall for his trap.

"Ivy… I'm not lying."

Upon hearing Lin Yi Ran's stern and serious tone, Ivy suddenly felt tense and said, "...Please tell me father's not standing behind me."

"Nope. He's not." Lin Yi Ran shook his head and saw Ivy releasing a relieved sigh when he suddenly added, "But he's definitely watching us right now."

Just as Ivy's relieved sigh left her, her body tensed up once again after Lin Yi Ran's words.

Just as Ivy's relieved relieved sigh left her body, her soul that was at the verge of being picked up by death himself was suddenly screaming for help.

Ivy put her plate reluctantly and regretfully on the table and hoped she could wipe the imaginary tears that she was shedding for not being able to eat her treats.

"Look at her…"

"Ooh. She's just as what the rumors say. Beautiful."

"Look at her skin. It's so white that I almost mistook it as the color of milk. I bet she's tastier than that."

Three men not far from where Lin Yi Ran and Ivy was eyeing her, speaking without restraint and didn't bother looking at Lin Yi Ran who was glaring at them.

"Dont." Ivy reminded her brother.

She knew that out of all of her brothers, Lin Yi Ran was the only knight in shining armor who will save and do anything for her but that didn't mean Ivy could just let her brother tell those men off while in this party.

While Ivy felt gratitude towards Lin Yi Ran, this event was made to celebrate the old patriarch Chen's birthday and they both knew that no matter what, they need to act their best and avoid making a scene.

"I know." Lin Yi Ran struggled to keep his calm and took a while controlling his impulse to throw a punch to any one of the three men.

"Why don't you go and talk with father."

"And leave you here?"

"Don't worry… I have company." Ivy smiled at her brother while pointing towards the countless fine desserts spread on the long table.

Lin Yi Ran shook his head helplessly and turned to leave.

After a few minutes, Ivy felt full after eating all her favorite desserts and was about to tip mouth of the champagne glass on her lips when she heard the three men talking once again.

"You're part of his batch right?"

"Who?"

"That bastard, Lin Yi Ran."

Ivy let her champagne glass hang on the air and looked at their direction. Unfortunately, they were too preoccupied with their conversation that they didn't even notice her looking.

"Aren't you upset that he somehow surpasses you in ranks just because his family is a military lineage?"

"Bah! Why wouldn't I? Out of all of our batch, he only gets to become a lieutenant and boss us around!"

Ivy continued to listen with her champagne glass in her hands but her feet were slowly walking towards them.

The man who appeared to be a batchmate of Lin Yi Ran was someone Ivy was not unfamiliar with.

Though they weren't close since she only seen his face from a few feet away, that man was definitely the man Lin Yi Ran brought to their home once to have dinner with them.

As far as she could remember, that man's name was Qiu Liren. He was the third son of a renowned chef who got 3 Michelin Stars and was the President of the Qiu.Co in New York.

"I even went to his home and asked if his father could pull some ranks for me but that bastard got the nerve to refuse. I bet that promotion he got was from his family!"

Qiu Liren continued grumbling about his dissatisfaction of Lin Yi Ran's promotion.

"What military lineage?! They're just a bunch of frau--"

Before Qiu Liren could finish his words, something wet was thrown at his face, drenching his customized and fine suit.

He was completely off guard and looked like a wet cat, his nicely done updo was thrown into a mess.

And when Qiu Liren raised his head to look at the direction where the liquid was from, he saw a beautiful woman standing across the table with an empty champagne glass.

"You!!" Qiu Liren roared at the top of his lungs, catching the attention of the people around them and spread throughout the event hall.

Eventually, the bustling and joyful event turned into an impregnable silence and disaster.

While Ivy could swear she could hear a pin drop in the silence.

Suddenly, Ivy's arm was pulled from behind her and she heard her brother say: "What have you done!"

...…

After being forcefully pulled out of the party and being sent home, Ivy stood in front of her father and mother while Lin Yi Ran stood on the side with his arms crossed on his chest.

Ivy felt worse by the seconds that passed and felt guilty for ruining the party and tarnishing their reputation.

She knew what she did was wrong and would throw dirty water to their family but Ivy only did it because of the bad things they've said to her brother.

However, even after explaining what really happened at the party to her parents, they seemed to think what she did was unladylike and embarrassing, not bothering to understand her sentiments.

Turning her head to look at her brother, Lin Yi Ran chose to keep quiet and didn't even bother sparing her a glance.

Cursing inwardly, Ivy thought that her brother's display of sibling love an hour ago was just an illusion.

No matter how much Lin Yi Ran cared for her, if he were to choose between the wrath of their parents and siding with Ivy, he will always pick the former even if Ivy turns to hate him just like his other brothers.

"Are you listening?!!" Lin Feng roared, snapping Ivy out of her thoughts and making her jump slightly.

"Yes, father." Ivy bowed her head lower and didn't look at her father's face.

"Time and time, you caused us trouble and embarrass the family! Why can't you just act like those young ladies at the party?" Lin Feng smacked down his palms on his desk, "I should've never let you live!"

Lin Feng looked down disdainful at the young woman before him.

Not even once did he consider Ivy as his daughter and only with the coaxing of Zhao Wei and the beneficial trade he would get using the marriage of Ivy in mind did he allow her to live.

In the Lin family who never wanted to have female born in their family, Lin Feng was someone who follows through their tradition and he believed that women are nothing but tools for reproduction.

Ivy raised her head to look at her father and then her mother.

She saw Zhao Wei standing still and didn't even have any intention to protect Ivy from Lin Feng's harsh words.

Like a lone soldier betrayed and pushed to the frontline, Ivy was being trampled and humiliated by her own family.

Suddenly, Ivy felt horrible and wanted to flee as soon as Lin Feng's mouth opened.

"Good thing I reached my hands first to propose a marriage between you and the young master Zhang."

"No you're not!"

Ivy felt like she was dumped with ice cold water as she protested.

However, her voice drowned out as thunder poured in the sky and the figure of her parents and Lin Yi Ran was slowly falling to the ground like marionettes whose strings were cut.

Her body couldn't move and the more she wanted to speak, the more it got covered with radio static interference, cutting off all the words she wanted to say to her parents.

In the end, Ivy gasped for air and her tears fell down on her face.

The place she was in was turning murky and squirmed like a worm.

It was a horrible sight but Ivy didn't try to get out of it as she dreamed of what happened two nights ago.