Chapter Five: The Hypocritical Elder Sister

“Miss!” Qingyue cried out in alarm, rushing toward Qin Wanru.

A large crowd appeared at the doorway, countless maids and matrons surrounding an elderly lady. When they saw Qin Wanru lying in a pool of blood, the old lady’s expression changed drastically and she shouted anxiously, “Quick, fetch the physician!”

Several maids hurried off to call for the doctor.

“Zhuozhuo, Zhuozhuo, what on earth happened?” Madam Qin, the matriarch, rushed over and gathered the barely breathing Qin Wanru in her arms, so distraught that her tears threatened to fall.

Zhuozhuo was her childhood name, but only Madam Qin called her so intimately.

“Grandmother, Eldest Sister wants me to marry Brother Qi, but… but I don’t want to… Eldest Sister disagrees… I won’t marry, don’t let Eldest Sister kill me…”

Qin Wanru struggled to speak, her voice broken and weak, then her hand loosened and she fainted.

She had already quarrelled with Madam Qin over this marriage for Qin Yuru; if she didn’t go to extremes this time, neither Di Shi nor her daughter would believe or stop. And it wasn’t just Madam Qin she had to contend with—Qi Tianyu, too, had been tricked. He would surely storm in to demand answers.

“Zhuozhuo, Zhuozhuo, wake up!” Seeing Qin Wanru pass out, Madam Qin’s voice grew frantic. The small figure in her arms was pale as porcelain, with a pool of fresh blood beneath her, making her appear like a shattered doll. “Quick, see if the physician is here yet!”

More maids scrambled out to check.

Qin Wanru was awakened by a buzzing noise, voices seemed to be speaking loudly near her, sometimes distant, sometimes close, gradually becoming clearer.

And clearer still, a man’s voice, sharp with anger and disgust.

“Madam Qin, I don’t know what your Second Miss is up to—one moment she insists on marrying, the next she has people smash the bridal sedan and refuses. But no matter what, I would never agree to marry your Second Miss. I will not accept this match, nor will I marry her! If she wishes, she can marry my younger brother instead.”

Slowly opening her eyes, she looked around. No one was by her side; this wasn’t her own room, but seemed to be Grandmother’s inner chamber. The angry voice was coming from outside.

It was Qi Tianyu!

As expected, Qin Yuru had secretly informed Qi Tianyu about the matter of the younger sister marrying in place of the elder. Qi Tianyu hadn’t exposed it earlier because he was waiting to carry the bridal sedan to the Qi residence, then humiliate her at the gate and publicly withdraw the marriage, ruining her reputation.

A cold, silent smile curved her lips. She painfully grasped the bed rail, gritting her teeth and forcing herself to sit up.

Once, she had been a pampered and naive girl, but now, a ruthless determination shone from her.

No matter how much her body hurt, her heart hurt more.

She had been reborn, so she would no longer be led astray by others’ deceit. She would expose Qin Yuru’s false mask.

She would personally withdraw from this marriage—it would be her decision, not Qi Tianyu’s.

“Master Qi, to avoid marrying Zhuozhuo, are you intending to take her life? Did you conspire with her maid to kill her?” Madam Qin’s voice burned with fury. She slammed her hand on the table and spoke sharply. Thinking of her beloved granddaughter’s uncertain fate, how could Madam Qin not be angry?

The smashed bridal sedan paled in comparison.

The words Qin Wanru had uttered before fainting stabbed at her heart. She had been preoccupied with the physician and hadn’t questioned them yet. Now, with Qin Wanru stabilized and not in mortal peril, she breathed a sigh of relief. Just as she was about to interrogate Fang Mama, Qi Tianyu arrived, and her anger was redirected at him.

Qi Tianyu had brought many people, intending to humiliate Qin Wanru. He had invited numerous clansmen for the wedding procession, and when he burst into the mansion, they followed.

He didn’t believe for a moment the claim that the maid tried to kill Qin Wanru—it was clearly another scheme of hers, more trickery, he thought.

“Her life?” Qi Tianyu repeated coldly, his gaze falling on the tearful Qin Yuru, who sat to the side, head bowed, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. He felt a pang of pity and immediately snapped, “Madam, could it be your granddaughter knows I won’t marry her and is using this ridiculous excuse to force me?”

“Ridiculous? Master Qi, you flatter me.” Qin Wanru’s voice, though weak, echoed stubbornly through the room.

At her words, everyone looked up in surprise. There she stood, propped against the screen, barely able to remain upright—a delicate girl with lips pale as snow, eyes dark as ink, heavy white bandages wrapped around her arm, with fresh blood seeping through. It was clear her injury was severe.

Wasn’t this supposed to be a ruse? Yet she was clearly gravely wounded.

The Qi family clansmen, who had come with Qi Tianyu to break off the engagement, were all astonished.

Qin Yuru, who had been watching with a sense of foreboding, could no longer pretend. She put away her handkerchief and hurriedly rose to support Qin Wanru, her face full of concern. “Second Sister, you’re hurt—why are you getting up?”