C8 Chapter 8

After that night, the relationship between Luh Yubai and Qiu Anan only got stranger.

Yubai didn’t say a word, but he started coming home more often. And every time he looked at Qiu Anan, his expression grew more complicated—darker, harder to read. Qiu Anan pretended not to notice any of it.

Job hunting. Writing a résumé.

Only now did Qiu Anan realize how hard it really was to find work. Back then, she’d stubbornly told Luh Ningying she didn’t need to join Luh’s. Now she could admit it: she’d been naive.

Right then, Qiu’s Mother called—dropping her usual disdain and acting unusually warm, inviting her home for dinner.

Knowing her mom’s personality, Qiu Anan’s head started to ache. She forced herself to go back, and sure enough, Qiu Dong was sitting there with that smug look on his face.

“Anan, you’re the last one. Come eat,” Qiu’s Mother said. She’d made a whole spread, but Qiu Anan could barely taste a thing. After what happened last time, she’d completely given up on Qiu Dong. Even looking at him felt like a waste.

Qiu Dong, on the other hand, didn’t care. He just thought his sister was stuck-up. Halfway through the meal, Qiu’s Mother finally showed her hand.

“Did they? I wouldn’t know.” Qiu Anan paused, then picked up a bite of food.

“How could you not know? Go talk to Yubai. Our Dong is a college graduate—top of his class. Making him president of a branch office would be more than fitting.” Qiu’s Mother leaned in eagerly. In her eyes, her son was something special—he’d just had bad luck.

Qiu Anan’s headache flared. Her voice dropped. “Mom, don’t let Qiu Dong embarrass himself.”

“Qiu Anan, what the hell is that supposed to mean? How am I embarrassing myself?” Qiu Dong exploded, flipping the table with one sweep of his arm. He glared at her, eyes blazing. “Don’t think marrying Luh Yubai makes you so great. You’re only where you are because of our family!”

“Qiu Dong, do you have any shame? You’re in your twenties, you’ve done nothing with your life, and you still want to muscle in on the Luh family!”

“What do you mean I can’t? What’s theirs is ours!”

“Bullshit!”

Qiu Anan couldn’t hold it in and snapped. The two of them immediately went at each other, voices rising, and their mother stood off to the side, rattled. “Stop it, stop it. Anan, how can you talk to your brother like that? He’s doing this for the good of the family.”

“For the good of the family?” Qiu Anan’s eyes turned red. She pointed at Qiu Dong, getting more worked up by the second. “Why don’t you ask him where that one million dollars went last time? He blew it gambling in Vegas—one night, and it was gone!”

Their mother’s eyes flickered, and it was obvious she’d known all along. Seeing that, Qiu Anan’s heart sank. She felt nothing but exhaustion. “Mom… do you really want to ruin me?”

Qiu’s Mother went pale. She was a helpless woman with no real backbone, and when she saw the dead look on Qiu Anan’s face, she flinched and blurted out, “Dong knows he was wrong. He’ll change.”

“Qiu Dong, I’m not covering for you. And I’ve already made it clear to Luh Yubai—don’t even think about getting another dime from the Luh family.”

“Qiu Anan, you bitch—how dare you cut off my money!” Qiu Dong’s eyes went bloodshot. He swung a slap at her, but Qiu Anan turned and dodged.

“Qiu Dong, stop making a fool of yourself!” The old man had spent his life in the military, and the Luh family had professional trainers. Qiu Dong’s flashy, useless moves were nothing compared to her.

“Qiu Anan, I don’t have a daughter like you! Look at you now—so high and mighty, ready to ditch your brother and your mother! Why don’t you just go die!” Qiu’s Mother only cared about Qiu Dong. When it came to choosing between her daughter and her son, she sided with her son without a shred of reason.