Chapter 010 – The Scumbag Father Made His Move, News from the Huo Family Within a Week!

By this time, it was already noon, and Qin Xiaoran decided to return to the Wang household for lunch.

She didn’t want to see her scumbag father, stepmother, or half-sister—they were an eyesore. But for convenience in her future plans, she still had to go back and say she would be living at the old residence from now on, and would no longer return home for meals or lodging.

Besides, she could grab a free meal while at it. Though she despised the Wang family, she had to admit the food was excellent—not only did they hire a skilled cook, but they were also generous with ingredients. It would be a waste not to eat.

When she returned, she found Wang Wenbin and Cui Hongyan sitting in the living room with a boy of about eleven or twelve, chatting and laughing.

That boy was their son, twelve-year-old Wang Fuxing.

Seeing him stirred up many memories in her mind, and her footsteps paused involuntarily.

The people in the living room turned when they heard her. Wang Fuxing stood up, smiled at her, and said,
“Big Sister is back.”

Qin Xiaoran snapped out of her daze. For a moment, she didn’t know what to say, so she only nodded and replied,
“I’m back.”

There was no doubt she hated Wang Wenbin and Cui Hongyan—for harming her mother, scheming to swallow up the Qin family fortune, deceiving, insulting, and hurting her.

She also hated Wang Xiaoyi, whose very birth was a mistake, and who had always bullied and harmed her.

As for Wang Fuxing, she hated him too, but not as much as the others.

Perhaps because he had never directly harmed her or her family, though his very existence still carried the original sin.

Wang Wenbin was the first to break the awkward silence in the room.
“Xiaoran, did you buy yourself new clothes?”

Sitting down at the long table, Qin Xiaoran replied vaguely,
“I bought one set, still looking at the others. I’ll see later.”

Cui Hongyan almost choked in fright. She had no idea Qin Xiaoran had already asked Wang Wenbin for money. She thought the girl only had the 180 yuan and a few ration tickets she herself had given her—barely enough for one good outfit.

Afraid her lie would be exposed, she quickly changed the subject, unexpectedly saving Qin Xiaoran from the awkwardness.
“Cough, cough… husband, did you send the letter to the Huo family? There won’t be any problems, right?”

Wang Wenbin didn’t really care about the clothing matter, but once the heavy subject of the Huo marriage was brought up, he immediately shifted focus.
“The letter was sent out yesterday.”

Qin Xiaoran wasn’t surprised. Her scumbag father was always eager to latch onto power. But his next words made her freeze.

“I left my work unit’s phone number in the letter. They should call us once they receive it. We’ll have news within a week.”

He was confident—not only because he had seen the correspondence between Old Master Qin and the Huo family, nor only because of the letter Qin Xiaoran had written—but because he had also included a Qin family portrait and a photo of Qin Xiaoran with the letter.

A letter alone was too flimsy, but with those photos, the weight increased considerably. Whether or not the marriage went through, the Huo family would at least have to give them an answer.

Still, he firmly believed the marriage would succeed.

Looking at Qin Xiaoran’s fair and delicate face, he revealed a smile of certainty.

But aside from him, no one else in the room could smile.

Wang Fuxing’s face remained blank, as if he didn’t understand anything.

Cui Hongyan’s gaze darted between Wang Wenbin and Qin Xiaoran, anxiety filling her heart—things felt like they were slipping out of her control.

She realized she had underestimated how seriously Wang Wenbin took this marriage, and she also understood that her time to act was running out.

Qin Xiaoran wasn’t feeling good either. One week—she had thought she had at least half a month.

Half a month was already tight, but now it had been cut in half, leaving her with even less time.

The thought left her briefly overwhelmed with despair. But when her fingers brushed against the jade bracelet on her wrist, she gradually calmed down again.

Thinking of the supplies she had already stockpiled in her space, she reassured herself—even in the worst-case scenario, she would never be worse off than in her past life. She had reserves. She had a way out.

What’s more, things weren’t hopeless yet. There were still many moves she could make.

Steadying her mood, she spoke casually,
“Dad, I want to move into the old residence and look through the things Grandfather left behind. Maybe I’ll recall something useful. That way, when talking with the Huo family, I’ll have more to say.”

Wang Wenbin thought for a moment, found her reasoning sound, and agreed.

Cui Hongyan felt uneasy—Qin Xiaoran’s request seemed suspicious. She quickly pulled over Wang Xiaoyi, who had just come out of her room, and interjected,
“Let Xiaoyi go with Xiaoran. With two sisters searching together, they’ll be faster.”

“No need. Grandfather didn’t leave much behind. I can handle it myself. Besides, his things are complicated and obscure. I need to rely on memory to understand them. Xiaoyi doesn’t know anything, so she wouldn’t be of help.”

Wang Xiaoyi, upon hearing Qin Xiaoran’s rejection, wanted to object, but before that she instinctively asked,
“Go where?”

“To live at the old residence.”

At that, Wang Xiaoyi immediately declared,
“I’m not going!”

Just then, the cook came in with the dishes, asking if she should serve them. Wang Wenbin nodded.
“If you don’t want to go, then don’t. Xiaoran can go alone.”

Qin Xiaoran’s goal achieved, she buried herself in eating, ignoring everything else.

And indeed, the food was delicious. By the time everyone else was full, she was already stuffed.

Afterward, Wang Wenbin left for work and Wang Fuxing went to school.

As Qin Xiaoran was about to leave as well, Cui Hongyan stopped her.
“Xiaoran, I’ve thought about it again. Xiaoyi should still go help you.”

“No need.”

Without hesitation, Qin Xiaoran refused and walked out without even pausing, leaving Cui Hongyan fuming.

And to make matters worse, Wang Xiaoyi twisted the knife.
“Mom, I don’t want to go to that creepy place!”

Cui Hongyan was exhausted, but she tried to reason with her daughter.
“Xiaoyi, listen to me. There’s definitely something strange about Qin Xiaoran. I need you to keep an eye on her.”

“Watch her carefully. Don’t let anything slip through. Time is short. I’ll work things out with the Xun family and see if we can settle this within a week.”

What she meant was obvious.

Wang Xiaoyi’s eyes lit up.
“Mom, don’t worry. I’ll keep a close watch on her!”

Saying that, she ran off after Qin Xiaoran.