Chapter 83: Cousin

The noise around her suddenly vanished. Ming Can’s mind seemed to fall into a vacuum, as if she didn’t recognize the word “Grandma from Mom’s side” and was struggling rigidly to grasp its meaning.

Grandma from Mom’s side meant his mother’s mother. If his biological grandmother was no longer alive, then it could only refer to the woman his maternal grandfather had married later.

So, in that future timeline, the thing Ming Can least wanted to see had happened.

Her father had remarried, and she had a stepmother.

And this stepmother had deep ties to Duan Hanyan—meaning, to her future husband’s family.

“Ming Can? Ming Can?”

It wasn’t until she heard her name called repeatedly that she snapped out of her shock and daze.

Her face was as pale as paper, but the moment she met the gaze of the man beside her, she immediately regained her composure.

Chi Xiao’s expression was also grim. A crease formed between his brows, and his gaze, as it fell on her face, carried a trace of unease. “Listen to me…”

“There’s no need to explain,” Ming Can said calmly. “I know it has nothing to do with you.”

Her black-and-white eyes met his directly, her pupils dark as ink, filled with trust.

Yet at the same time, they were also very cold.

Miaomiao tilted his head up, looking at his parents like a bewildered, helpless little animal.

Ming Can crouched down, pinched Miaomiao’s cheek, and curved her lips into a smile. She didn’t ask anything, only spoke in a gentle voice: “Your classmates are waiting for you. Go play.”

Miaomiao nodded, picked up Xiao Xiao, and turned to leave.

Halfway there, he suddenly looked back at Ming Can and Chi Xiao.

For a brief moment, he had seen the way his mother looked at his father, and it felt as if he had returned to their original timeline. In that world, his mother had always faced his father with a calm, emotionless demeanor—never as vibrant and unrestrained as she was in this one.

That glance made Ming Can feel, once again, the illusion that Miaomiao could see right through her.

She smiled and waved at him.

Today was his birthday. Ming Can didn’t want to ruin the joyful and happy atmosphere. As much as she was desperate to figure out what was going on, this was clearly not the time to ask Miaomiao.

Only after he rejoined the other children, his face lighting up with an untroubled smile, did Ming Can slowly turn around. With her back to the lively party scene, she walked to a quiet spot.

In the distance, the setting sun hung low, its crimson glow spilling over the sky, the earth, and even the air itself—like a tidal wave of fiery hues, consuming every inch of space.

Chi Xiao’s eyes were tinged with gold under the sunset. Lowering his head, he carefully held Ming Can’s hand and said, “Don’t worry. I’ll go home and look into it. I’ll find out exactly who that woman is.”

Ming Can nodded and forced a smile with difficulty. “Honestly, I’ve always been mentally prepared for this. If my father truly wants to remarry, no one can stop him—not even me. I don’t really have a valid reason to oppose it. In a family like ours, it’s unrealistic to expect guilt to tie him down for life. Now that we’ve found out about this in advance, maybe it’s actually a good thing.”

She just hadn’t expected—

That it would be connected to the Chi family.

Was this the reason her future self had come to resent Chi Xiao?

It was entirely possible.

Ming Can desperately, desperately did not want her father to remarry. It wasn’t just because she missed her mother and couldn’t bear the thought of someone else taking her place. More than that, as a daughter, her position in the Ming family was already marginal. Whatever she wanted to do in the future would depend on her father’s support. Right now, she could still believe that he valued her above all else, treating her as his one and only cherished daughter. But if he remarried—if he had more children—Would that exclusive favor still remain? Would the resources and assets that originally belonged solely to her not end up being divided?

As for the Chi family, Ming Can couldn’t quite understand.

President Chi’s recent actions all indicated that he had already approved of this marriage. So why was he now introducing a potential partner to his future in-law? What kind of move was this?

Even if this was solely Duan Hanyan’s doing, what exactly could she gain from it?

Ming Can truly couldn’t figure it out.

Regardless of what benefits others stood to gain, the only certainty in this situation was that she—Ming Can—would inevitably be the one to suffer.

Whoever harmed her interests was her enemy.

After Miaomiao’s birthday party ended, the three of them returned home together.

Miaomiao had played to his heart’s content today, using his superpowers on all kinds of small animals. Completely drained, he fell into a deep sleep on the way home.

Ming Can and Chi Xiao bathed him together, barely exchanging a single word throughout.

While drying Miaomiao’s hair, the satin ribbon tied behind Ming Can’s left ear slipped off and fell to the ground. The half-up braid that Chi Xiao had helped her weave in the morning had also loosened, merging into her cascading straight hair. She didn’t even notice. Once Miaomiao’s hair was dry, she simply carried him to bed.

Chi Xiao bent down, picked up the butterfly ribbon from the floor, and slipped it into his pocket without saying a word.

He truly didn’t know what to say. This situation had caught him off guard as well, and he had no solid ground from which to offer an explanation. Besides, she didn’t seem in the mood to hear one.

Miaomiao nestled peacefully under the blankets. With that, the two of them parted ways and returned to their respective rooms.

Chi Xiao sat by the window, absentmindedly playing with the pale pink satin ribbon, letting it wind around his fingertips—just like her long hair had wrapped around them that morning.

Her words echoed in his mind.

There’s no need to explain. I know it has nothing to do with you.

Fifteen days of being together, and it had earned him a single moment of trust. He should be grateful for that.

But then what?

For some reason, Chi Xiao suddenly recalled something from his childhood—words he had overheard during one of his parents’ arguments. His mother’s voice, sharp and bitter—

“If I had known the Chi family would treat me like this, I never should have given birth to him…”

“I almost got rid of him…”

He knew that his father had wronged his mother. And his mother, too, had always known that none of it was the fault of the child caught in between.

Yet in the end, she still grew to resent him—her own flesh and blood. She had even wished he would disappear from the world entirely.

From that moment on, Chi Xiao had come to understand many things.

For example—

Never take yourself too seriously.

And never, ever use something as insignificant as emotions to challenge someone else’s interests.

—

The weekend passed quickly.

One evening during the week, just before dinner—

Chi Yanpeng, for once, returned home early. His secretary followed closely behind, briefing him on work matters. As the two of them stepped through the wrought iron gates of the villa, Chi Yanpeng suddenly paused mid-step, as if he had stumbled upon something unexpected.

Dusk had settled, the sky dimming with the last traces of light. Under that fading glow, a tall young man in a loose blue sweater was feeding snacks to a small dog.

Two tiny figures surrounded him, chirping excitedly, their voices overlapping as they reported all the mischief the dog had gotten into today, yesterday, and the day before.

The young man had his head slightly lowered. Unlike his usual cold and impatient demeanor, he didn’t seem indifferent toward his chatterbox younger siblings. Occasionally, he even responded to them with a few words.

Chi Yanpeng waved a hand, signaling his secretary to leave before walking alone toward the garden.

“It’s not the weekend. How come you’re home?” he asked Chi Xiao.

“Came back to grab something.” Chi Xiao straightened up, his gaze now a few centimeters higher than his father’s.

After a brief pause, he asked, seemingly offhandedly, “Aunt Duan went abroad?”

“Mm.” Chi Yanpeng nodded. “She went to visit her cousin.”

“What happened to her cousin?” Chi Xiao asked. “I saw her social media—she’s been abroad for days. Did she just leave Ah Heng and Ah Yue behind without a second thought?”

Chi Yanpeng gave him a somewhat puzzled look.

He knew Chi Xiao disliked Duan Hanyan, but his son had always been quiet and reserved, keeping everything to himself. He had never been the type to gossip behind someone’s back. Yet today, it seemed, was an exception.

Although Chi Yanpeng found it odd, he didn’t overthink it. Instead, he explained on his wife’s behalf, “Two days ago was the first anniversary of her cousin’s husband’s passing. She went abroad to accompany her cousin and take a short trip to relax.”

Chi Xiao asked, “Are they very close?”

“Mm.” Chi Yanpeng nodded. “Apparently, they grew up together and were quite close as kids.”

Noticing the increasingly suspicious look his father was giving him, Chi Xiao didn’t press further.

Internally, he felt a sense of relief.

From the current situation, it seemed that Duan Hanyan’s cousin had always lived abroad and hadn’t yet gotten involved with Ming Can’s father. Chi Yanpeng also appeared completely unaware of any connection between his in-law’s cousin and his future in-laws.

Everything should still be in time.

—

Scotland, UK—inside a seaside garden villa.

Jiang Yichu lounged lazily against the back of her chair, listening to her cousin, Duan Hanyan, complain about the troubles at home. Strangely enough, Duan Hanyan looked even more distressed than she did—despite the fact that she was the one who had lost a husband.

Jiang Yichu had never liked hearing about the Chi family’s affairs. Someone as simple-minded as Duan Hanyan had somehow managed to marry into one of the top three wealthiest families in Beicheng—what was there to complain about?

It just gave off the impression that she hadn’t truly suffered any hardship.

Duan Hanyan and Jiang Yichu had grown up together. Jiang Yichu was both beautiful and intelligent, whereas Duan Hanyan had only her looks and terrible grades. Before adulthood, she had always been her cousin’s little follower, obediently doing whatever Jiang Yichu said.

Even though their sisterly relationship had always carried undertones of rivalry, envy, and complex emotions, after all these years, Duan Hanyan still considered Jiang Yichu her most important friend and loved sharing everything with her.

Seeing that her cousin wasn’t particularly interested in her complaints, Duan Hanyan suddenly recalled an old piece of gossip and chuckled.

“Do you know who my future daughter-in-law’s father is?”

Jiang Yichu hadn’t been paying attention at all. She hadn’t even caught the name of this so-called future daughter-in-law. “Who?”

“Ming Zheng—the famous third young master of the Ming family back in the day. He was known as the most handsome man in Beicheng,” Duan Hanyan said with a smile. “Sis, didn’t you used to like him a lot?”

Jiang Yichu froze.

That was so many years ago that she could hardly remember.

Ming Zheng was several years older than her. With his strikingly handsome, almost otherworldly face, he had captured the hearts of countless young women from high society.

Back then, Jiang Yichu had harbored a secret crush on him for a few years. She had heard that he was quite the playboy, always surrounded by girlfriends, which made her think that maybe—just maybe—she had a chance.

Unfortunately, he had dismissed her as too young and never paid her any attention. By the time she had grown up, Ming Zheng had already married a wealthy heiress with a respectable family background and a gentle temperament. After that, he seemed to settle down—at least on the surface.

Jiang Yichu remained silent for a long time. When she finally spoke again, it was as if she had just woken from a dream.

“You just said… Chi Xiao is going to marry Ming Zheng’s daughter?”

“That’s right.”

“The difference between the two families is a bit much, isn’t it?” Jiang Yichu frowned. “Ming Zheng is his father’s youngest son—he’s never been given much power, and from what I’ve heard, the Ming family hasn’t been doing well in recent years. Why would your husband take a liking to his daughter?”

“The Ming family, no matter how bad things get, is still the Ming family. Just their factories in Beicheng alone are worth hundreds of billions,” Duan Hanyan sighed. “And now that they’re marrying into our family, if my husband is willing to lend them a hand, their cash flow will improve. A resurgence isn’t impossible.”

The more she thought about it, the more she felt they should have chosen the Chu family instead. The entire Ming family was far more powerful than the Chu family.

“That’s true.” Jiang Yichu nodded, then asked, “Is Ming Zheng still single?”

Duan Hanyan answered casually, “Yeah, he’s been single for years.”

As soon as she said that, she noticed her cousin falling silent again, her gaze wandering as if deep in thought.

Something about that question suddenly struck Duan Hanyan as odd. Her brows furrowed. “Sis, what are you thinking about?”

“Nothing,” Jiang Yichu said with a faint smile, her tone carrying an unspoken meaning. “I just feel like going back to China for a visit. It’s been years.”

Hearing this, how could Duan Hanyan not catch the hidden implication?

She had never been particularly clever, but after years of marriage, the naïveté of her youth had long since faded. There was no way she believed that her cousin suddenly wanted to return just to chase after a love she never obtained in her younger days. If that were the case, she would have come back last year, the moment her husband passed away.

Why wait until now—right after hearing about the Ming and Chi families’ engagement—to suddenly have such thoughts?

Duan Hanyan abruptly stood up, staring at Jiang Yichu with wide eyes. “Sis, once Chi Xiao marries the Ming family’s daughter, the entire Ming family will be my enemy—an enemy to Ah Heng and Ah Yue too! And you’re thinking of getting involved with Ming Zheng? Are you planning to stand on the opposite side from me?”

Jiang Yichu looked at her, slightly surprised.

Over the years, her younger cousin had actually gained some sense, finally able to analyze family politics and power struggles.

After a brief silence, Jiang Yichu’s lips curved into a smile. Yet, her voice, though soft, carried a chilling indifference.

“You really think Ah Heng and Ah Yue can compete with Chi Xiao?”

“Stop dreaming,” Jiang Yichu said bluntly. “Your children will never be able to fight against Jiang Liyuan’s children. The only thing you should focus on is protecting your own tiny piece of territory and not stirring up trouble.”

“As for Ming Zheng—you know the Ming family’s traditions. If he wants to climb up the ladder, he’ll have to remarry sooner or later.” Jiang Yichu spoke candidly. “If it’s not me, it’ll be someone else. At least if it’s me, I’ll have your best interests in mind. Do you understand?”