The lights were still on in the living room on the first floor of the villa.
Ning An took a deep breath and pushed the door open.
She changed her shoes, and just as she stepped into the foyer, the voice of her foster father, Xiao Chang, drifted from the living room: "Why didn't Awang drop you off at the door?"
Ning An walked over obediently and stood before him. "A different friend brought me home."
"Where is Awang? Did you two have a fight?"
Ning An hesitated, wondering if she should confess the truth to her father right now.
Xiao Chang took her silence for consent.
He set down his documents and removed his glasses. "You must have made him angry again, didn't you?"
"Wait until he cools off tomorrow, then go apologize to him. Try to coax him a little."
"..."
It wasn't hard to guess: Qin Wang was likely comforting Tang Meng, who was currently embroiled in a scandal.
Qin Wang would handle the person he truly cared about himself.
As for the ones he didn't care about, it wouldn't matter if you pampered them to the heavens—it would be useless.
"Dad."
Ning An clenched her hands into tight fists and took a deep breath. "I want to break off the engagement with Qin Wang."
"What did you say?"
"I told Awang today that I wanted to call off the engagement..."
"Slap—"
"Who gave you permission to call off the engagement on your own?"
A heavy palm struck her face.
Ning An fell to the floor, her head buzzing.
Xiao Chang’s silhouette loomed over her like a mountain, looking down at her from above.
He was just like the demon that had tormented her in her childhood dreams.
Xiao Chang stepped closer. "Who gave you the nerve?"
The living room lights were not on; the dimness made it impossible to see his face clearly.
It was just like those times in her childhood when she would be beaten and left on the floor, shrouded by his towering figure—vague and indistinct, yet enough to haunt her with nightmares every single night.
A long-forgotten sense of terror washed over her. Ning An’s lips parted, but she couldn't make a sound. Her body couldn't stop trembling.
She had thought that by steeling her nerves the entire way home, she would be able to endure this beating.
She had forgotten that the fear rooted deep within her soul had never disappeared; it had merely been buried by time.
Her cheek burned with pain, and the shadow of a hand slowly rose, landing on her head.
Ning An shook more violently. She mustered all her strength to force out a voice: "Awang... doesn't like me."
Xiao Chang paused. "What?"
Ning An bit her lip until it bled, finding a sliver of clarity. "He doesn't love me. Our engagement will be dissolved sooner or later."
"Then make him fall in love with you."
His gaze swept over her pitiable face, and Xiao Chang frowned, looking away. "Just like how you got him to agree to the engagement in the first place—you can do that, can't you?"
Ning An shook her head. "It's not the same."
Among all of Qin Wang's many girlfriends, Tang Meng was the only one he had pursued himself, the one he couldn't forget after they broke up, the one for whom he had nearly severed ties with his own family.
In the years after they split, it was she who had stayed by his side, tending to his daily needs and helping to mend his relationship with his parents.
She had thought that his marriage proposal meant he had finally forgotten Tang Meng and had fallen for her.
But what was the result?
What Qin Wang needed was a tool to cover for him and Tang Meng.
And she just happened to be the most suitable one.
"He loves someone else. Even if we end up married, he will divorce me sooner or later."
Ning An slowly looked up. "Dad, Qin Wang agreed to get engaged to me only because he needed such a tool. He never liked me. Once he takes over the Qin family and I lose my utility, he will discard me without a second thought."
"Besides, he seems to hate me. If we push him too far, he might retaliate against the Xiao Family."
Her father didn't care about her; he cared even less about whom she liked or who didn't like her back.
What he had always cared about was himself and his own interests.
If she wanted to persuade him, this was the only angle she could take.
Xiao Chang watched Ning An for a moment, then lowered his hand.
He remained silent for a while before asking, "Is he back together with Tang Meng again?"
Ning An was stunned. "You know about Tang Meng?"
Suddenly, Ning An remembered how, back when she was caring for Qin Wang and asked her father for permission to come home late or go out on weekends, he had acted uncharacteristically—not only had he asked no questions, but he had even made an exception by giving her money to take Qin Wang on a trip to clear his head.
So, her father had known about Tang Meng’s existence all along.
Xiao Chang didn't answer her, only saying, "No matter how good Tang Meng is, she can only ever be Qin Wang's mistress."
"W-what does that mean?"
"Tang Meng is a child born from her father's affair. The Qin family would never allow a starlet with no background and a base-born status to be their daughter-in-law."
"..."
"With the Old Madam protecting you, once you are married, you will be the young mistress of the Qin family, the future lady of the house. You can deal with her however you want then."
"In the entertainment industry—that cesspool of riff-raff—without a background or connections, and without formal training, it's hard enough to get a role. Yet she landed a lead role before she even reunited with Qin Wang. How do you think she got that part?"
Xiao Chang scoffed and patted Ning An on the shoulder. "Be patient and endure it. Once you get what you need to get, you will have plenty of time to deal with her later."
Ning An stared at him, dumbfounded.
Although she had expected that her father would not agree to calling off the engagement, she never imagined that knowing everything, his solution would be to simply accept Tang Meng...
Xiao Chang crouched down in front of her, increasing the pressure on her shoulder. "Can't accept it?"
Ning An kept her head down, saying nothing.
Xiao Chang pushed her away, his tone brooking no refusal. "Then start getting used to it now."
Ning An was shoved to the floor.
Xiao Chang stared at her with eyes as sharp and greedy as a hawk's. Suddenly, not knowing what he was thinking, he softened his voice. "An'an, I’m doing all this for your own good."
Ning An froze, alarms bells ringing in her heart. "For my own good?"
"That's right, for you."
Xiao Chang reached out again.
Ning An, thinking he was going to hit her again, reflexively flinched.
Xiao Chang's hand paused, then he gently brushed away the long hair obscuring her eyes.
"Dad knows you've liked Qin Wang since you were little. I know how much you love him and how much you want to marry him."
"That's why I know that you're just unable to accept his reunion with Tang Meng for the moment, and that you made this decision on impulse. Once you calm down, you will definitely regret it."
Ning An did not speak, just watched him quietly.
When she first said she wanted to call off the engagement, her father hadn't known that Qin Wang and Tang Meng had reconciled.
Now he was saying he was opposing it for her own good...
In the end, he simply could not allow her to cancel the engagement and hurt his interests.
Ning An remained silent.
Xiao Chang couldn't read her thoughts, but that didn't matter.
"Even though you aren't my own flesh and blood, I have never treated you poorly. We paid for your medical treatment and provided you with the best. In my heart, you and Xiao Xi are both my precious daughters."
Xiao Chang alternated between threats and inducements.
His gentle voice was like a guide for a lost soul, coaxing and leading her out of her confusion.
"You are soft-natured and not good at dealing with people. If you married some other spoiled playboy, you would definitely be bullied by your in-laws."
"Dad couldn't bear for you to suffer that kind of hardship, so I wanted to find someone who understands you and cherishes you to spend your life with."
"Awang grew up with you, and you happen to like him—he is the most suitable choice."
Ning An whispered a rebuttal: "He doesn't like me right now..."
"Men... who isn't a bit wild when they're young?"
Xiao Chang dismissed her words lightly. "Before he met Tang Meng, wasn't he quite the playboy himself?"
"The only reason he can't forget Tang Meng is because the Qin family interfered with him, which wounded his ego."
"Once Awang realizes that being back with her is nothing special, he will leave her and return to your side."
"Don't forget, you are his officially wedded wife."
Xiao Chang was set on not letting her break the engagement.
Ning An knew it was impossible to convince him in one go.
If she took another beating today and was locked in the dark room, his decision wouldn't change.
This matter would have to be handled over the long term.
Ning An bit her lip, pretending to be persuaded, and looked at him with feigned anticipation. "Really?"
Xiao Chang smiled with satisfaction and patted her head. "Dad is a man, too. Men understand men best. You have to trust your father."
Ning An pretended to be happy, but still looked uneasy, tugging cautiously at the corner of Xiao Chang’s shirt. "But what if he still doesn't like me later?"
Xiao Chang, who despised cowardly fools, grew impatient.
He shook off her hand and stood up, looking down at her from above. "Even if you don't do it for yourself, you should consider the orphanage, shouldn't you?"
"The Qin family also funds Jianxin Orphanage. If your engagement is called off, do you think they will continue to provide money?"
"Do you want the children at the orphanage to keep living in that dilapidated building?"
Ning An's pupils constricted.
Just as she had guessed, her father was indeed using the orphanage to threaten her!