Chapter 8

“Song Qingdai?”

At first glance, Song Mingshan thought she was seeing things.

That woman in the beige dress—was that really Song Qingdai?

Although she knew Qingdai was quite good-looking, with very refined features, even Zhang Shaoxing’s eyes revealed a flicker of surprise when he saw her.

With her fair skin and slender waist, even without any jewelry to enhance her appearance, her bold and striking face alone delivered a strong visual impact.

“What are you doing here?” Song Mingshan’s tone was harsh.

Because the moment she saw Song Qingdai, all she could think of was her own miserable past life.

Abused by Jiang Zhaoyun until she miscarried, insulted daily by her mother-in-law, forced to do all kinds of chores—while Song Qingdai lived the life of a wealthy and pampered socialite.

Why?!

It was completely unfair!

The one who should’ve enjoyed a good life, who should’ve married into wealth, should’ve been her.

And Song Qingdai should’ve been the one to suffer and live in misery!

“Why shouldn’t I be here? Is this street named after you or something?” Song Qingdai raised her brow as she looked at Song Mingshan.

She really couldn’t wait to marry Zhang Shaoxing, huh?

They were already out shopping together.

There was even a small car parked behind them—it was obvious they had driven here.

And Zhang Shaoxing had already noticed the motorcycle parked behind Gao Han. Although he was momentarily surprised, it passed quickly.

“Comrade Gao, out shopping with Comrade Song today?” Zhang Shaoxing asked.

“Is that not allowed?” Gao Han stepped forward and laced his fingers with Qingdai’s.

Looking down at Zhang Shaoxing from above, he exuded a bandit-like air. One glance told you he wasn’t someone to mess with.

Zhang Shaoxing adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and looked up at Gao Han, adopting a patronizing tone.

“Comrade Gao, if I may say so—you should be focusing on your career while you’re still young, not wandering around aimlessly.”

“And you, Comrade Song. Even if you didn’t want to marry me, you didn’t need to throw away your entire future. A woman who marries the wrong man—she’ll regret it for the rest of her life.”

The implication was clear: by rejecting him, Song Qingdai had made a mistake she’d one day regret.

Sure, he was divorced and had three kids, but he had resources.

He had money, he had looks.

So what if he was a little shorter than that peasant Gao Han?

What use was height? Could it be eaten? Could it be spent?

Zhang Shaoxing’s tone was lofty and self-assured, clearly looking down on someone like Gao Han, who he deemed a failure.

In his mind, Song Qingdai had to be blind to choose someone like Gao Han—and she’d suffer for it soon enough.

Just as Song Qingdai was about to respond, Gao Han pulled her close. His long arm wrapped around her waist, his broad palm resting against her lower back. Even through the thin fabric, she could feel the warmth of his touch.

The possessive nature of the gesture made one thing clear:

Song Qingdai had chosen him.

Not Zhang Shaoxing, no matter how polished and respectable he tried to appear.

“Nice outfit, slick talk, talking about ‘career’—you mean that deputy factory director title your wife pulled strings to get for you?” Gao Han sneered, his gaze sharp and cutting.

A flash of embarrassment and guilt quickly crossed Zhang Shaoxing’s face, though he tried to mask it.

“And how exactly are you so sure that Song marrying me would be a mistake?”

Gao Han had a sharp tongue—and he wasn’t the type to give face, especially not to people like Zhang Shaoxing.

“Comrade Gao Han, Shaoxing-ge was just trying to offer some advice to my sister,” Song Mingshan cut in, trying to defuse the situation despite being clearly nervous.

She was sure Zhang Shaoxing must be incredibly grateful to her right now for standing up for him.

A woman like her, who didn’t mind that he had three kids, still insisted on marrying him, and even defended him in public—how could he not be moved?

After they married, he’d surely treat her even better. And once he built his own company and factory, everyone would know she was the virtuous and capable woman behind his success!

A kind, virtuous stepmother praised by everyone!

Before Song Qingdai could respond, Gao Han let out a scornful laugh.

“Wow, never seen someone so eager to become a stepmother. Good thing Comrade Song isn’t blind.”

“You—!”

That mockery felt like a slap to Song Mingshan’s face—it burned.

Who, in this day and age, would willingly become a stepmother? Let alone to three children?

Zhang Shaoxing didn’t even have a good reputation in Hongxing Town. No one was willing to marry their daughter to him.

Marrying into the Zhang family was like stepping into hell, especially with those three unruly kids—violent, spoiled brats known as the town’s little tyrants.

In her past life, when Song Qingdai was forced to marry into the Zhang family, the entire Song family was harshly judged and gossiped about behind their backs.

Now that Song Mingshan was volunteering to marry in, the gossip hadn’t stopped either. People whispered that she was money-hungry and desperate to latch on as a stepmother.

They said she’d suffer plenty in the years to come.

But Song Mingshan only sneered internally when she heard these things.

Ignorant, narrow-minded gossiping women—what do they know? When I rise to wealth and status, they’ll be the ones scrambling to flatter me.

Let them laugh now. Soon enough, they’d be crying instead.

“Comrade Gao Han, I think you’ve misunderstood Shaoxing-ge. Yes, he’s divorced and has three children. And people say being a stepmother is hard—but I believe, as long as I love them wholeheartedly and treat them sincerely, they’ll grow up into fine young men one day!”

Exactly!

In her past life, Zhang Shaoxing’s three sons had all found success. One had made great strides in technology, inventing numerous things and becoming a role model for the younger generation.

Another became a lawyer, winning cases and gaining public praise. The third became a doctor, saving lives and earning admiration.

Everyone said it was because Song Qingdai had raised them well.

“Raised them well,” huh? What a joke.

Song Mingshan had seen it herself—Qingdai had spent most of her time yelling or beating those boys.

They had grown up successful on their own—yet Qingdai had claimed all the credit.

So Mingshan was sure: once she married into the family and treated those boys well, they too would shine.

Love would change them.

Song Qingdai couldn’t help but laugh aloud when she heard that.

Love would change those little devils?

If that were possible, she wouldn’t have nearly died at their hands more than once.

Oh, Song Mingshan… even after being reborn, you’re still so naïve.