C7 Chapter 7

“Smack!” Bai Jinda didn’t hesitate—his palm cracked across Bai Nuochu’s face.

“So you secretly started a company this big just to go after your own father!” Bai Jinda backhanded her again. “And you think you get to negotiate with me? You eat my food and live under my roof—anything you built in secret is mine!”

“So Qinnuo was a subsidiary of Bai’s all along? Well, isn’t that a twist,” Jiaang Wanmei said, instantly lighting up as she hurried over and yanked Bai Ni’an to her side. “Now Vivian will have even more leverage marrying into the Gu family.”

Shock flickered in Bai Ni’an’s breathtaking eyes. When the servants dug up Qinnuo’s company seal and the share certificates, Jiaang Wanmei clutched them to her chest like treasure. A flash of jealousy cut through Bai Ni’an’s gaze—Bai Nuochu’s net worth was actually higher than her own red-hot value in the entertainment world.

Bai Ni’an crouched in front of Bai Nuochu, whose clothes were soaked through with sweat, malice churning in her eyes:

She’d never liked Bai Nuochu—not as a child, not ever. Even after she’d stolen the Bai family’s “daughter” title for herself, even after she’d kept every bit of the privilege that should’ve belonged to Bai Nuochu clenched tight in her fist, even after Bai Nuochu had been reduced to the lowest kind of student. She’d even ordered people to ruin Bai Nuochu’s life, to make sure her fiancé’s father died because of her—then painted Bai Nuochu as trash, a monster. She’d gone so far as to spread lies that Bai Nuochu had already had a child. All of it had been thrown out into the world, and still, her disgust for Bai Nuochu only grew.

But the moment she saw Qinnuo’s share certificates, Bai Ni’an finally understood why this woman was so infuriating.

Behind that meek, lowly mask, she’d built something powerful enough to drive Bai’s into the ground.

So what?

“Bai Nuochu, I thought you’d be smarter. Turns out you’re just as delusional as your sister,” Bai Ni’an said, elegantly lifting the share certificates and tapping them against Bai Nuochu’s sweat-damp face.

“You think handing over Qinnuo’s shares buys you a safe exit? All it does is make the Bai family want you gone even more. Bai Nuoqing thought she could take Bai’s back by guarding that acupuncture technique of hers. Want to guess who snapped her fingers one by one?”

The moment Bai Nuochu heard that even the share certificate couldn’t buy her another chance, her eyes flew wide. Then a terrifying thought flashed through her mind—so sharp it cut through the drug’s rush for an instant. She shot to her feet.

Bai Ni’an only chuckled and stepped back, like someone teasing a caged beast. Bai Nuochu lunged and came up empty, crashing to the floor like a cornered animal.

Bai Ni’an rose with practiced grace and addressed everyone. “A bone our family dog dragged back belongs to the Bai family. Overnight, Qinnuo Pharma will erase Bai Nuochu’s name. It’ll be my dowry when I marry into the Gu family.”

She looked down at Bai Nuochu sprawled on the ground, as if she were staring at a dog. “And you—serve Boss Tong well.”

“Take her away, take her away. Tell Mr. Tong not to let her out of bed for the next month!” Bai Jinda said, happily flipping through the share certificate without sparing Bai Nuochu a glance.

Bai Nuochu stared at the three of them, giddy with triumph. These were her own flesh and blood.

The drug’s effects kept swallowing what was left of her reason. She didn’t have the strength to fight anymore as the men hauled her up and dragged her off. Inside her, it felt like a castle was collapsing.

“Bai Nuochu, tonight you lose everything. And I’ll step over your filthy, ruined body, take the shares you coughed up, and become Ningcheng’s most dazzling, most untouchable Mrs. Jue!”

Behind her, Bai Ni’an’s arrogant voice rang out, but Bai Nuochu no longer had the energy to listen.

The Qinnuo company she built with her own hands. Her plan to bring her sister home. Even that last, foolish hope of waiting for him—gone.

Jian Tangye… Nuochu’s world is over…