Shen Zhijing stood in front of Ruan Danchen and glared at her coldly. She harbored great animosity toward Ruan Danchen, and she examined her from head to toe. When Shen Jialiang first suggested that they find a lady to take her place, Shen Zhijing had fumed with discontent.

How could she be pleased when that woman would sleep with her future husband in her own home? If it were not for her wish to marry Qi Chenglin, there was no way she would agree to that.

She had agreed to it reluctantly. Then, she realized that Ruan Danchen was younger than her. Her skin was fair, and she had a pair of large, innocent eyes. She also had a pure and lovable appearance. Even though Shen Zhijing would never admit it, Ruan Danchen was truly more attractive than her.

When Shen Zhijing knew that, she was even more furious about the situation

"Hmm, this must be a real bargain for you." Shen Zhijing commented coldly.

Ruan Danchen bit her lips. Her eyes were slightly red. "I don't want this kind of bargain."

When she said that, Ruan Danchen strode past Shen Jialiang, and paid no more attention to her.

However, after just two steps, Shen Zhijing grabbed her arm. "Listen up. You can't tell anyone about this. And don't you dare think about developing a relationship with Qi Chenglin either. After tonight, this matter will no longer have anything to do with you!"

Ruan Danchen pouted indifferently. "I hope that all of you can hide this for the rest of your lives. If Qi Chenglin is as outstanding as you claimed him to be, I doubt you can keep this a secret for long."

She pulled her hand away and continued to walk forward.

Aunt Li quickly caught up to her, but Liu Ronghua did not. Instead, she turned to Shen Zhijing and apologized to her courteously. "Zhijing, Danchen is only saying that because she's angry. Don't stoop down to her level. Relax, I will keep an eye on her. She won't reveal this to anyone, and she will definitely not have any ideas about Qi Chenglin."

"Hmm, she had better not," Shen Zhijing spat coldly. She did not show a hint of respect toward Liu Ronghua even though she was an elder. "You better keep a close eye on your daughter and don't think that you can move into our home so easily. If anything goes wrong, we can still kick you out."

It was not a long hallway, and Liu Ronghua did not lower her voice. Ruan Danchen heard every word her mother had said before she entered the guest bedroom.

Her heart ached. It looked like Liu Ronghua gave no second thoughts about sacrificing her own daughter to move into the mansion. However, with one look at Shen Zhejing's attitude toward Liu Ronghua, how could she live a comfortable life there?

Ruan Danchen closed her eyes. She looked up to prevent the tears that welled up in her eyes from falling. She entered the room and shut the door without listening to Liu Ronghua's reply.

A few minutes later, Liu Ronghua opened the door and walked into the room. She saw Ruan Danchen as she sat on the bed and stared out the window. Liu Ronghua wondered what she was looking at, or rather, what was in her thoughts.

"Danchen, can you be more polite with Zhijing?" Liu Ronghua said as she walked toward her.

"She's rude to me, so why should I be polite to her? I don't even want to be here. When you said those things to her just now, did you even think about me? You're afraid that she would be mad, yet you're willing to sacrifice me for your status. Besides, Shen Zhijing clearly treats you with contempt. She was not the slightest bit polite and didn't even have a hint of respect for you. Do you really think your life would be awesome after this? If this the life you want?"

"Yes, it is," Liu Ronghua said without any hesitation. "Anyway, Zhijing doesn't stay here often as she has a house in the city, so she'd be far away from me. I've lost the chance to live a good life for so many years to raise you, so now, I want a life of my own. Why won't you help me? I've suffered so much for you, so why can't you suffer just a little and help your mother? Danchen, I don't owe you anything."

"And you think that I owed you?" Ruan Danchen gaped at Liu Ronghua. She was baffled. She did not know that Liu Ronghua viewed her as a burden for all those years.

"No, that's not what I meant." Liu Ronghua shook her head immediately and grabbed Ruan Danchen's arm. "I just… I just want to live a good life. I'm old now, and I can't struggle like before anymore. If Shen Jialiang breaks up with me, who can I find that still wants me? There are so many young ladies out there. Why would anyone want an old lady like me?"

Rean Danchen nodded dejectedly. Liu Ronghua had always been like that; she had always been reliant on men and not herself. It was as if her life would end if she did not have a man in her life.

"That's enough. Let me sit quietly, alright? It's not like I will go back on my promise." Ruan Danchen shuffled to lay down on the bed and then covered her face with the blanket.

Liu Ronghua stared at Ruan Danchen, who was wrapped in the blanket. Tears rolled down Liu Ronghua's face as she moved away from Ruan Danchen.

In the afternoon, Aunt Li brought lunch for both of them.

Once Aunt Li left, Liu Ronghua sat down next to Ruan Danchen and pulled the blanket away to reveal her sweaty face.

"Danchen, get up and eat," Liu Ronghua said softly.

Danchen kept her eyes closed and remained silent. She pulled the blanket to cover her head again. As time passed by and night closed in, she got more anxious. Her stomach twisted with disgust, and yet there was nothing that she could purge from her system. How could she muster an appetite for food?

Liu Ronghua sighed and did not pester her further. Since Ruan Danchen refused to eat, she was ashamed to eat too. So she only ate a bit to keep her hunger at bay.

An hour later, Aunt Li came back to collect the plates. She noticed that Ruan Danchen hid under the blanket and asked Liu Ronghua, "The young miss did not eat?"

Liu Ronghua shook her head.

Initially, Aunt Li thought that Ruan Danchen was the same as Liu Ronghua. She felt that she was the type of person who would be willing to do anything for the Shen family's luxury. Furthermore, Qi Chenglin was an outstanding young man, so she thought that Ruan Danchen might see that as a once-in-a-lifetime chance to sleep with Qi Chenglin.

However, when she saw Ruan Danchen that day, Aunt Liu realized that someone had forced her into it.

Liu Ronghua was not a mistress, and Aunt Li had no problem with her when she and Shen Jialiang merely dated. Her impression of Liu Ronghua crumbled when she realized that she sacrificed her own daughter for her own benefit. She wondered about what kind of mother Liu Ronghua was that she would be so selfish to sacrifice her child for her gain?

She could not help but wonder about Ruan Danchen's life when she lived with Liu Ronghua for so many years. When she saw Liu Ronghua dolled herself that day and then continued to push her daughter into such a horrible situation, Aunt Li knew that she must not have been a very responsible mother.

"I'm sorry, but you will have to have dinner in the room too. I'll bring dinner for the both of you before Mister Qi arrives. No matter what—" Aunt Li looked at the girl bundled up on the bed empathetically. If it were her, there was no way she would ruin her daughter like that. "You should let Miss Ruan eat something for dinner. After all, she needs to… It's important to take care of her health. Otherwise, she might not be able to take it later."

Liu Ronghua nodded. Aunt Li took that plates and left.

At five o'clock in the evening, Aunt Li brought them their meals for dinner. She saw that Ruan Danchen was still curled up in the same position. She appeared as if she had not moved for the whole day.

After Aunt Li left, Liu Ronghua advised Ruan Danchen to eat again. However, she did not need to uncover the blanket as Ruan Danchen did that herself.

Liu Ronghua was delighted. She thought that Ruan Danchen had finally thought it through. However, she did not expect Ruan Danchen to sit up abruptly. She jumped off the bed and rushed into the toilet. Then she knelt in front of the toilet bowl and threw up.

She had only eaten a little bit for breakfast, and she did not have a single bite after that. All that came up was only bile.

After she dry-heaved for a long time, she finally dragged her frail body back to bed. Her face was ashen.

At nine o'clock that night, someone knocked on the door. It was Shen Jialiang and Aunt Li.

"Qi Chenglin is already in the room. Aunt Li will bring you there," Shen Jialiang announced apathetically.

Ruan Danchen felt frigid. Her body shivered as she followed behind Aunt Li. Shen Zhijing's room door was open. She stood at the doorway and glared at Ruan Danchen with much hostility.

Aunt Li opened the door to the room, and Ruan Danchen stood at the doorway. She noticed that the room was pitch-black. All the curtains were closed to block the dim moonlight from outside. One could not even see the fingers on one's hands.

"Come on, head in." Aunt Li got a little impatient.

Ruan Danchen trembled vigorously. She felt like she wanted to puke again. Her face was completely drained of color. She did not want to enter, but Shen Jialiang shoved her into the room.

Ruan Danchen stumbled, and the door behind her was closed, and the room was enveloped in total darkness.

Once her eyes gradually got used to the darkness, she finally saw the figure on the bed. Qi Chenglin's body was exceptionally slender and attractive. He still had his clothes on — both shirt and trousers. Even though he laid still on the bed, he had an aura of excellence.

Ruan Danchen could not see his face clearly even though she stood beside the bed. She bent and touched his face with her shaky fingers. She wanted to feel his features to get an idea of his appearance.

However, her fingers burnt the moment they touched his face. She wondered what Shen Jialiang did to him that made his body boil.

Suddenly, his eyes opened, and they shone in the dark. Ruan Danchen was startled. She wanted to step back as she thought that he had awakened.

However, he abruptly grabbed her hand that she had on his face and pulled her onto the bed. He flipped himself over and pressed her into his embrace. His movements were lightning fast, and her reactions were too slow.

Ruan Danchen exclaimed as she panicked. That was when she realized that something was odd with Qi Chenglin. Even though the two of them were fully dressed, she could still feel the heat that radiated from his body. His eyes were not as bright as she thought it was. She was so surprised that she did not notice them sooner.

At that moment, she saw that his eyes were a little cloudy. Even though she had never seen his usual appearance, she knew that he must have been drugged.

Qi Chenglin was a smart and intelligent man, so what could Shen Jialiang have possibly done to him?

Ruan Danchen knew that Qi Chenglin was only 26 years old, so by comparison, he was still very young. He must have been too naive to see through Shen Jialiang's wicked schemes.

Ruan Danchen suddenly regretted her decision. Her stomach twisted in pain, but it was not because of her previous reasons. Instead, it was because she felt that it was unfair for Qi Chenglin.

The Shen family should not have tried to trap him with vile tricks. She was forced into that predicament, but was it not the same for Qi Chenglin?

He should not have been deceived like that.

Ruan Danchen started to cry. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"

Ruan Danchen repeated that sentence over and over again. She wanted to get off the bed. She could not bring herself to ruin an innocent man, even if it meant that Liu Ronghua would blame her for ruining her chance with the Shen family for her entire life

At that moment, Qi Chenglin's head started to clear a little. He heard the woman in his arms whimpered her remorse. However, due to the effect of the drug and the pitch-black setting, his mind was clouded again, and his rationality drifted away.

When Ruan Danchen wanted to leave, she shuffled around in his arms, and it enticed the fire he had been holding back.

When he was alone, he was confident that he could endure it. However, there was a soft and sweet lady who whimpered pitifully in his arms. Even though he could not see her face, all that he wanted to do was to embrace her.

Qi Chenglin was oblivious to the fact the Shen Jialiang had drugged him with exceedingly strong drugs to ensure that the effects would last. It was also to guarantee that Qi Chenglin could get hard multiple times throughout the night.

Even if it failed in the beginning, there would still be ways to impregnate Ruan Danchen with his child as long as they could keep their hold on Qi Chenglin.

Qi Chenglin trapped Ruan Danchen firmly in his arms when she tried to leave. When he heard her repeated apologies, he leaned in and covered her lips with his.

Her soft and warm lips had a hint of a sweet fragrance, and Qi Chenglin's heart melted as he kissed her.

His palm pressed against her soft body and tugged against her blouse. His searing palm crept under her blouse, and then he swiftly yet forcefully slid upward from her waist.

No one had touched Ruan Danchen like that before. She was nervous, and yet her heart was tender. An indescribable and strange pulse of electric surged from his sizzling palm and onto her smooth skin.

She trembled eagerly. She grabbed his shoulders with both hands and pushed him away from her. "Mister Qi, please snap out of it, Mister Qi. I can't… We can't… You will regret this. I can't do this…"

Qi Chenglin lifted his head abruptly and stared at the dark figure in his arms through his dim eyes. Then, he kissed her passionately again, sometimes gently while other times forcefully and eagerly. Ruan Danchen had never experienced that before. As he kissed her, she felt faint and feeble. Her hands, which were pushing him away, grabbed onto his shoulders instead.

Only then did she realize that he had already removed his shirt. Her hands were placed directly on his sizzling velvety skin. Her blouse had also been unbuttoned without her knowledge. His hot lips worked their way from the edge of her mouth and down to her neck.

"No, you can't." Ruan Danchen cupped her hands on his face and pushed him away. As she gazed into his eyes, which burned with passion, her body and voice trembled wildly. "Mister Qi, please wake up. It's for your own good, Mister Qi. Snap out of it."

Qi Chenglin did not utter a single word. Instead, he kissed her again.

While Ruan Danchen was still trying to wake him up, his lips were already pressed against her breasts. They lingered on her chest and sucked all of her strength. She felt so frail and delicate. Suddenly, she let out a delicious moan. Ruan Danchen hurriedly covered her mouth. She could not believe that she made such a humiliating sound.

In a flash, his huge hands grabbed hers and pressed them down beside her head.

Immediately, he kissed her again. His sizzling palm slid down her smooth and sensitive skin, all the way to the waistband of her pants, and he went further down.

Ruan Danchen was still trying to think of ways to wake him up. Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain surged from her woman part below. She could feel him completely inside her.

Tears flowed out of her eyes. Her face was pale, and she had lost all strength. She stopped talking.

Her mind was blank. She had no idea what to do after that. After that exact moment, she knew that there was no going back.

Her mind was all over the place, and she did not even realize that Qi Chenglin had stopped.

She felt different as he went in deeper and deeper. Ruan Danchen could not help but hug him tightly. She looked up, and her forehead was at his shoulders. She sobbed quietly, "I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"

…

…

Ruan Danchen woke up at dawn.

She did not get any sleep that night, and Qi Chenglin had just finished another round with her.

She wondered about the strength of the drugs that Shen Jialiang had used on him as he had multiple erections that night. She was so tired that she stopped keeping track.

Each time he took her, he rendered her breathless. Just as she was about to fall asleep, he would pull her over again. They did it again and again throughout the night until finally, Qi Chenglin fell asleep.

Ruan Danchen predicted that the drug's effects must have faded by then. He was not likely to wake up or to want to do it again.

Every part of her body ached — her neck, shoulders, arms, abdomen, buttocks, and thighs all ached tremendously. She could barely sit up from all the pain.

Furthermore, she could only move slowly as she did not want to wake Qi Chenglin. Nonetheless, he slept like a log and would not be easily disturbed.

After she got out of bed, she quickly put on her clothes, but they were all wrinkled.

After she got dressed, she took advantage of the little light in the room to find out what Qi Chenglin looked like.

Ruan Danchen felt a twist in her stomach. Qi Chengli was an attractive man, and he possessed a certain kind of masculine beauty. The features on his face were delicate when observed individually, but when they were all grouped, they appeared especially manly.

His eyebrows were full and black. Even though his eyes were closed, Ruan Danchen could tell that his beautiful eyes were exceptionally bright, even in the dark. She also noticed that his eyes were particularly deep, as well.

His eyelashes were long and thick. He had a high nose bridge and a pair of thin lips, and yet not too thin. He also had a defined jawline. No matter from which angle, his face was remarkably charming.

It was especially so when he laid on the bed with his upper body exposed. The blanket only covered him from the waist down, and it revealed a large portion of his abs, his narrow waist, and a glimpse of his V-line.

Suddenly, Ruan Danchen's eyes began to sting. They felt warm, and gradually, her tears obscured her vision.

She quickly turned away and kept her eyes closed to stop her tears from falling. She wiped away the tears on her cheeks with her fingers and opened her eyes again. Her eyes were red. She glanced at Qi Chenglin again, then finally headed toward the door. She was afraid to look back.

She stood at the door with her hand on the handle. She took a deep breath, and finally, she turned the handle to open the door. However, a surprise awaited her there.

Shen Zhijing stood in front of the door, and no one knew for how long. She had a cold expression on her face, and she glared at Ruan Danchen enviously. It was as if she had heard everything she had done with Qi Chenglin.

In reality, Shen Zhijing had stood there for a majority of the night.