Chapter 49: Forty-Ninth Day as a Salted Fish
Yang Yuyan stepped up to Father Yang’s side and coaxed soft-headedly, “Dad, please don’t be like this. It’s all my fault, I shouldn’t have made Sister angry…”
“Stop making excuses for her!” Having lost face at the banquet, Father Yang’s face flushed with anger as he announced, “Since she has the nerve to leave this house and sever ties with her parents, she shouldn’t ever dream of stepping foot into the Yang family’s doors again!”
Yang Yuyan hurriedly soothed Father Yang, telling him not to get angry and promising that she would obediently listen to her parents.
The higher the status of a wealthy family, the more melodramatic their drama tended to be. Outsiders could see the situation with total clarity: Father and Mother Yang were simply biased toward their younger daughter.
Because the younger daughter had been lost for many years, the parents felt deep guilt toward her and wanted to overcompensate. Consequently, they didn’t treat their eldest daughter as well as before. Whenever the sisters quarreled, regardless of who was right or wrong, they would always stand on the younger daughter’s side.
With the star of the birthday banquet gone, the guests began taking their leave from the Yang Manor one after another, leaving behind only a chaotic mess, with the lifelike beauty birthday cake lying broken and solitary on the floor.
Father Yang was so enraged that his blood pressure spiked, forcing him upstairs to take his medication, while Mother Yang instructed the servants to sweep up the cake from the floor and throw it into the trash.
Yang Yuyan looked coldly at the servants sweeping up the cake, a twisted sense of pleasure rising in her heart.
So what if she had gotten slapped in public by Yang Yutong? In the end, the one remaining in this home was her.
When they were little and she was out with Yang Yutong, the human traffickers had happened to pick her, selling her off to a small county town.
After escaping, she was adopted by a childless couple. Her adoptive father was an alcoholic and her adoptive mother loved to play cards; if she hadn’t been smart enough to constantly play the pity card in front of the neighbors, that couple would never have raised her properly.
In this world, the weak were naturally pitied and taken care of—she had understood since childhood how to exploit people’s sympathy to gain benefits.
She remembered that she had been abducted, and once she grew up, she was finally able to leave her poor adoptive parents’ home to find her wealthy biological parents.
Why should her older sister get to grow up in the Yang family with no worries about food or clothing, while she had to suffer for over a decade, wandering from place to place?
Everything her sister possessed should belong to her—their parents’ love, the Yang family estate—she would fight for every single bit of it.
Walking out of the Yang Manor, tears covered Yang Yutong’s face.
Qin Jiaojiao stayed by her side. “Tongtong, it’s still early. Let’s go somewhere else to celebrate your birthday.”
“I might need to go to the hospital,” Yang Yutong offered a bitter, tearful smile. “I think my arm is fractured.”
Back at the banquet, Father Yang had delivered an merciless slap across Yang Yutong’s face. Wearing high heels, Yang Yutong had lost her balance and crashed heavily onto the floor, actually fracturing her arm in the fall.
How cruel must a heart be to treat one’s own daughter like this?
Because Yang Yutong hadn’t obediently dropped her pursuit of the cake being pushed over, she had challenged Father Yang’s patriarchal authority, driving him to lay such a heavy hand on her.
Qin Jiaojiao’s nose stung, not daring to touch her as she asked, “Which arm?”
With half of her face swollen, Yang Yutong endured the sharp pain in her arm and said, “The right arm. It hurts every time I move it now.”
Zhou Shaoli, standing behind them, spoke up: “We’ll take you to the hospital.”
Driver Old Li pulled the car up in front of the manor gates. Zhou Shaoli opened the rear door, letting them get in while he took the front passenger seat.
“To the hospital,” Zhou Shaoli instructed in a deep voice.
Driver Old Li didn’t know what had transpired, but he searched for the nearest hospital and started the engine.
In the back seat, Qin Jiaojiao looked at Yang Yutong with a face full of heartache, letting her rest her head on her shoulder as she silently wiped away her tears with tissues.
Yang Yutong cried silently. Tonight, her heart was completely broken; all the grievances she had suffered for so long finally exploded, engulfing her like dark, surging seawater—cold and suffocating.
Zhou Shaoli glanced at them through the rearview mirror and calmly told the driver, “Drive a bit faster.”
Driver Old Li usually drove very steadily, used to maintaining a moderate speed, but hearing Zhou Shaoli’s words, he stepped on the gas. Driving quickly yet smoothly, they reached the hospital in just over twenty minutes.
Zhou Shaoli got out to open the door for them, saying warmly to Jiaojiao, “I contacted a friend on the way and booked an appointment with the chief orthopedic surgeon in advance. We can go straight over.”
Qin Jiaojiao shot him a grateful look. “Thank you.”
Zhou Shaoli led the two girls toward the hospital building. Taking the elevator, they quickly arrived at the outpatient building. Upon entering the consultation office, the chief physician stood up to greet them.
“You must be President Zhou. Who injured their arm?”
Qin Jiaojiao helped Yang Yutong sit down, saying, “Doctor, she fractured her arm in a fall. Please check her quickly.”
The middle-aged chief physician spoke with an air of authority: “Let me take a look.”
The physician examined Yang Yutong’s arm and noted, “It is indeed fractured, with slight bone displacement. It’s best to get an X-ray to check the location and severity of the fracture.”
“Alright, we’ll follow the doctor’s orders.”
Qin Jiaojiao accompanied Yang Yutong to get an X-ray first, returning to the doctor once they had the results.
The doctor reviewed the film, confirming that Yang Yutong had a minor bone displacement and needed manual reduction. If the fracture position remained stable after reduction, it would only require a plaster cast for fixation alongside subsequent treatment.
Fortunately, the fracture wasn’t overly severe; with reduction and a bandage for fixation, hospitalization wasn’t necessary.
As the doctor prepared to reduce her fractured arm, Yang Yutong looked on with fear in her eyes. “Doctor, please be gentle, I’m afraid of pain.”
The doctor suddenly asked her, “Why is your face swollen? Did someone hit you?”
Yang Yutong’s expression darkened, another pang of ache piercing her chest. Just as she was about to answer, the doctor suddenly said, “All done.”
Before she could even react, it was already finished?
The doctor’s technique was skilled and swift; setting the bone had taken only a fraction of a second. “How does it feel now? Does it hurt less?”
Qin Jiaojiao looked at Yang Yutong with concern: “How is it? Any better?”
Yang Yutong cautiously moved her arm. It certainly still hurt, but it was no longer that agonizing, bone-deep pain. She didn’t even need a plaster cast; with a bandage securing her arm suspended from her neck, her arm would fully heal after resting properly at home for a while.
Qin Jiaojiao let out a sigh of relief and quickly thanked the doctor: “Thank you, Doctor.”
“Don’t mention it,” the doctor instructed. “Try to avoid touching water once you’re back, don’t stay up late, and stick to a light diet.”
Qin Jiaojiao replied, “Understood.”
Driver Old Li dropped them off at the Huazhou International residential compound. Qin Jiaojiao accompanied Yang Yutong back into her apartment, saying, “I’m going down for a moment and will be back up shortly.”
Driver Old Li was parked downstairs, while Zhou Shaoli sat in the passenger seat, waiting quietly.
Whether in wealthy families or ordinary households, parental bias was a common occurrence.
His older brother, Zhou Shaoyan, was raised by their parents’ side, making him closer to them than Zhou Shaoli was. During his school days, his older brother could do whatever he wanted; when he didn’t want to inherit the family business and ran off to conduct medical device research, the family gave him money to fund it.
When his older brother refused an alliance marriage with an heiress of equal status, he married his first love from his student days. The couple had completely detached themselves from the Zhou family, living a carefree life.
Zhou Shaoli had no choice, nor did he care to choose, so he complied with the family’s arrangements, growing up obediently step by step to take control of the group and sit in a high position.
However, he was fortunate that by obeying the arrangements, he had married Qin Jiaojiao, slowly falling for her after their marriage.
Only by occupying this position could he protect her in his arms.
Family affection ran thin in wealthy households; only by holding power and wealth in one’s hands—or hitting rock bottom—could one see things clearly.
Qin Jiaojiao exited the apartment building elevator and jogged to the passenger side of the luxury car parked near the entrance, knocking on the window.
Zhou Shaoli rolled down the window and looked at her.
Qin Jiaojiao let out a sigh. “Tongtong is in a very bad state and really needs someone to keep her company right now. On top of that, she’s injured, so I want to stay here with her for a few days.”
Zhou Shaoli understood her feelings; if his good friend ran into major trouble, he would also make time to comfort his brother.
“Alright.”
Qin Jiaojiao looked at him pleadingly. “I can’t head back right now, so could you please go home and have Xiaoli pack some of my clothes to send over?”
Zhou Shaoli asked softly, “Anything else?”
“Nothing for now.” Qin Jiaojiao looked at him with an apologetic expression. “I didn’t expect something like this to happen tonight. Sorry for making you run around with us.”
Zhou Shaoli gazed at her intently, his voice low and deep: “It’s no trouble. You are my wife, and she is your best friend—it’s only right that I help.”
Qin Jiaojiao was truly grateful to have had Zhou Shaoli by her side tonight; otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to stop Yang Yutong’s unhinged father, nor handle booking the appointment, finding the doctor, and paying for medication, running around back and forth all night.
“Then I’ll head back up.” She was worried that Yang Yutong would do something reckless if left alone in her distress.
“Go ahead.”
Zhou Shaoli watched her walk into the apartment building before instructing the driver to head back to the courtyard villa.
Upon returning to the villa, Auntie Zhang saw him return alone and asked, “Sir, where is Madam? She didn’t come back with you?”
Zhou Shaoli: “Something came up with her friend, so she’s staying there for a few days. Have the servants pack some of Madam’s clothes, and I’ll deliver them over.”
“Is it Tongtong?” Auntie Zhang asked.
Zhou Shaoli nodded slightly.
Tonight’s affairs weren’t easy to explain, so Auntie Zhang tactfully refrained from asking further, quickly summoning Xiaoli to pack Qin Jiaojiao’s clothes and have them sent to Huazhou International as soon as possible.
Huazhou International, Apartment No. 1.
Returning to the apartment, Qin Jiaojiao found Yang Yutong slumping on the rug, surrounded by bottles and cans of alcohol on the coffee table. Slipping off her shoes, she ran over barefoot.
“Are you crazy? Drinking while injured!”
Yang Yutong looked up at her with red-rimmed eyes, holding a can of alcohol in her hand as she choked back a sob, “My heart hurts.”
Qin Jiaojiao knelt on the rug, gently wrapping her arms around her. “Don’t cry. If you cry, I’ll want to cry too. No matter how bad you feel, you still have to care for your body.”
Yang Yutong cried, “I always thought my parents loved me. Now I know that my parents don’t love me at all—they don’t treat me as their daughter…”
“Jiaojiao, what should I do… I don’t have a home anymore…”
Yang Yutong had grown up pampered by her parents since childhood; she couldn’t understand why everything changed once her sister returned.
Just because her sister was submissive and she was not, everything she did was wrong. Was she meant to be discarded simply for not being submissive enough? Her parents’ love was so fragile it chilled her to the bone.
Holding her, Qin Jiaojiao said in a raspy voice, “Silly girl, isn’t this your home?”
“You’re an adult now, you can have a home of your own.”
Qin Jiaojiao sat beside her, offering comfort: “If your parents only want a completely submissive daughter, you don’t need to care about their words or thoughts anymore.”
“You are an independent person. You need to put yourself at the center and live for yourself.”
“But it’s so hard for me not to care about them,” Yang Yutong shed bitter tears. “They are my parents! As long as they treat me just a little bit better, say a single word of concern, or peel a piece of fruit for me, I feel like they actually love me.”
Her parents’ love was like a string tightly tethering her wings—at times loosening to let her fly, at times tightening so she couldn’t soar, leaving both wings bloodied and scarred.
Qin Jiaojiao couldn’t truly experience what she felt, but she could sense Yang Yutong’s deep sorrow and despair.
“I know why he threw a birthday banquet for me tonight,” Yang Yutong murmured softly. “He wanted to find me a husband with a good family background in our circle.”
“I’m not young anymore, and I’ve played enough. I was supposed to listen to my parents and marry a man with a good background. I didn’t want to… but under their painstaking persuasion, I agreed…”
“And what did my sacrifice bring me…” Yang Yutong let out a self-deprecating laugh. “Getting slapped in front of all the guests on my birthday.”
Qin Jiaojiao felt deeply grieved for her, saying in a pained tone, “Don’t think about it anymore. Forget about tonight and love yourself properly from now on.”
Yang Yutong turned to look at her. “Jiaojiao, you don’t know what I’ve done for the family over the years. I originally had fifteen percent of the Yang family shares—shares left to me as an inheritance by my grandmother. My dad said he had no say in the company, so he took three percent from me…”
“When Yang Yuyan returned, I gave up another two percent to her under my parents’ persuasion…”
Yang Yutong said bitterly, “My parents told me that after I marry, the shares would become joint marital property, so they wanted me to transfer the shares under their names for safekeeping…”
Qin Jiaojiao was startled, hurriedly asking, “Did you transfer them over?!”
“No, I haven’t lost my mind completely,” Yang Yutong mocked herself. “Tonight woke me up completely. Parents aren’t necessarily reliable in this world—I must rely on myself.”
Qin Jiaojiao gave her a hug. “It’s good that you didn’t give them up. Tongtong baby, don’t be sad anymore. Look on the bright side: you’ve escaped the fire pit, and things will only get better from now on.”
Her phone vibrated; Qin Jiaojiao picked it up to see a message from Zhou Shaoli, asking her to come downstairs to get her clothes.
Qin Jiaojiao stood up. “I’m going downstairs to get my clothes. I’ll stay here to keep you company these few days. No drinking allowed—I’ll be right back.”
“Mm, I won’t drink.” Yang Yutong knew she had to treasure her body; she wouldn’t let herself be defeated, but live a better life instead.
Qin Jiaojiao hurried downstairs.
Seeing the black luxury car Zhou Shaoli usually rode parked by the curb with its hazard lights flashing, she stepped forward.
The man in the driver’s seat got out.
Qin Jiaojiao was slightly taken aback; she had assumed a servant would pack her luggage and have a driver deliver it over, never expecting Zhou Shaoli to drive over personally to bring her clothes.
Zhou Shaoli retrieved a suitcase from the trunk, walked up to her carrying it, and asked with polite concern, “Is your best friend feeling any better?”
Qin Jiaojiao let out a soft sigh before him. “Tongtong is still very sad. It will probably take her a long time to move past this.”
Zhou Shaoli handed the suitcase to her, opened the rear car door, and pulled out a square gift box, bringing it over to her.
“You two didn’t get to eat birthday cake tonight. I bought one on the way over—take it up so you can celebrate her birthday properly with her.”
Qin Jiaojiao felt her heart flutter like a startled deer as she raised her eyes to stare blankly at him. For a moment, she didn’t know what to say, a warm current flowing through her heart.
No wonder people said not to look for someone who was only good to you but had a bad personality, but rather someone who was inherently a good person.
Qin Jiaojiao hadn’t expected Zhou Shaoli to buy a cake and bring it over. She had been so focused on comforting Yang Yutong that she hadn’t remembered this at all—a birthday naturally required eating cake and making a wish.
“Thank you, Zhou Shaoli. You’re really so good.” Her eyes shone brightly as she carefully took the cake.
Zhou Shaoli said calmly, “Head on up and rest early.”
Qin Jiaojiao hummed an assent, pulling her suitcase and holding the small cake. Turning back, she took another look at the tall, slender figure standing by the car before entering the apartment building with light steps.
Zhou Shaoli watched her enter the building, stood leaning against the car for a moment, then got back inside and dialed Han Xiao’s number.
“Postpone the reservation at the sky restaurant for a few days.”
Han Xiao was bewildered; he was just preparing a grand grand grand grand gesture, having just finalized the details with the restaurant, so why the sudden postponement?
“Is Madam’s schedule inconvenient?”
Zhou Shaoli: “Mm.”
“Then how long should we postpone it?” Han Xiao asked, considering that the sky restaurant was lavish and expensive, requiring advance bookings for reservations.
Zhou Shaoli said, “We’ll see.”
Yang Yutong’s arm would likely take half a month to fully heal, and having suffered such a major blow, Qin Jiaojiao would stay with her for at least three days, so he couldn’t confirm the exact date either.
For the first time, Han Xiao failed to get a precise answer from Zhou Shaoli, replying, “Understood.”
Carrying her things, Qin Jiaojiao exited the apartment building elevator, entered her passcode, and unlocked the door. “Tongtong, look what I brought you.”
Sitting on the rug before the sofa, Yang Yutong looked listless, raising her eyes in a daze.
She had thought her birthday had passed so miserably without even getting to eat cake, never expecting Qin Jiaojiao to bring a cake back.
“Did you just go down to buy this?”
Qin Jiaojiao set the cake on the coffee table. “How could I have bought it so fast? Zhou Shaoli bought it when he brought my clothes over.”
Yang Yutong was even more surprised. “Thank him for me.”
Qin Jiaojiao: “Tonight we’re going to celebrate a happy birthday. Go wash your face in the bathroom, and I’ll touch up your makeup so we can take pretty photos later.”
The usual Yang Yutong was lively and vibrant, but right now she looked like a pitiful flower beaten by the rain. Heartbroken, Qin Jiaojiao gently wiped away her tear tracks and patiently touched up her makeup.
As Yang Yutong sat back down on the rug, Qin Jiaojiao pulled out her phone. “I’ll take a few pretty photos of you—not of your body, just your gorgeous face and the cake.”
Yang Yutong put her acting skills to work, displaying a lovely, flawless smile that paired with the fresh little cake to make for stunning photos.
After taking photos of Yang Yutong, the two took a few group photos together.
After making a wish, Qin Jiaojiao handed the small cake knife to Yang Yutong, saying, “There are still many people in this world who love you—I love you, your fans love you, and most importantly, you love yourself.”
Yang Yutong felt like crying again at her words, sniffing, “Jiaojiao, you’re being way too cheesy.”
Qin Jiaojiao giggled. “Just speaking from the heart.”
Yang Yutong cut a slice of cake onto a plate, pushing it in front of Qin Jiaojiao. “As agreed, you take the first bite.”
Qin Jiaojiao poked her fork into the cake, tasted it, and praised, “So sweet.”
Yang Yutong revealed a smile. “It really is sweet.”
The cake was moderate in size, enough for two or three people, and the two sat on the rug, finishing off the sweet treat.
Having eaten and drunk their fill, they found a way to take a shower. Qin Jiaojiao applied medicine to Yang Yutong’s face, and the two lay on the comfortable large bed, chatting for a while before Yang Yutong fell asleep.
Qin Jiaojiao picked up her phone to play for a bit, sending Zhou Shaoli a “Goodnight” before sleeping.
In his bedroom, Zhou Shaoli received her goodnight message, typed out several words, deleted them, and ultimately replied with a single “Goodnight”.
The night passed.
Both Qin Jiaojiao and Yang Yutong slept late and woke up late. Waking up in the morning, Qin Jiaojiao let out a yawn, went to the bathroom to wash up, and pulled out her phone to order takeout.
Perhaps her taste buds had been spoiled by the private chef at the courtyard villa, as she had zero appetite looking at the takeout options around Huazhou International.
As Qin Jiaojiao was ordering takeout, Yang Yutong woke up, sitting up slowly and leaning against the headboard, looking down at her injured arm, her cheek still red, swollen, and aching.
Looking at her injuries, she would recall being slapped at her birthday banquet last night.
Seeing Yang Yutong’s sorrowful expression, Qin Jiaojiao knew she hadn’t let go yet and quickly asked, “What do you want to eat for breakfast?”
“Whatever,” Yang Yutong said listlessly.
Qin Jiaojiao said, “Then soy milk, fried dough sticks, and steamed buns, plus a portion of porridge and rice rolls.”
Looking thoroughly defeated, Yang Yutong said, “Mm, okay.”
The events of last night were still fresh in her mind. Did she really want to disown her parents and sever ties with them? They were her only remaining family in this world.
That white-lotus younger sister who only knew how to play pitiful didn’t count.
If she completely fell out with her parents, where would she go from here? She had shares of the Yang family under her name, and many people were eyeing her greedily; she hadn’t majored in finance, so what was she supposed to do holding those shares?
How had things suddenly devolved to this point?
Her arm and face were injured, but fortunately, she had no schedule for the next two weeks; otherwise, her acting career would be delayed.
Qin Jiaojiao placed the takeout order and set down her phone, thinking to herself that neither she nor Yang Yutong knew how to cook. With Yang Yutong’s arm injured, she couldn’t keep eating takeout and needed some nutritious soup to recover.
Maybe she should try making soup for Yang Yutong.
After eating breakfast, Qin Jiaojiao watched TV at home with Yang Yutong for a while, then ordered groceries via an app for delivery.
Looking at the two large bags of groceries, Yang Yutong asked, “Eldest Miss, what are you doing?”
Qin Jiaojiao explained, “Your fractured arm needs proper nourishment, so I’m going to make soup for you.”
Yang Yutong asked with deep skepticism, “Do you even know how to make soup?”
“If I don’t know, can’t I learn?” Qin Jiaojiao said with full confidence, “Just wait, I guarantee I’ll cook you a pot of nourishing soup.”
Yang Yutong’s eyes remained doubtful. Qin Jiaojiao had been pampered since childhood and had never stepped into a kitchen. After marrying Zhou Shaoli, there were several private chefs at the courtyard villa, making it impossible for the young miss to cook.
Should she really drink nourishing soup made by someone with zero culinary skills?
Following a video tutorial, Qin Jiaojiao carefully chopped the vegetables and ingredients, spending over an hour and a half before adding everything into the pot according to the video.
She set a timer on her phone and returned to the living room with a face full of confidence.
“The nourishing soup will be ready soon.”
Yang Yutong actually believed her. “I’m in for a treat, getting to taste nourishing soup personally cooked by Eldest Miss Qin.”
Qin Jiaojiao glanced at her and said, “Even Zhou Shaoli hasn’t had any.”
“Jiaojiao, you really are the best to me,” Yang Yutong smiled.
As soon as the alarm went off, Qin Jiaojiao immediately went to the kitchen to turn off the heat, ladling the soup into a bowl and carrying it to the table with heat-resistant gloves.
Qin Jiaojiao ladled a bowl for Yang Yutong and set it before her. “Hurry, taste it.”
Yang Yutong lowered her head, took a sip, and froze.
“…”
Qin Jiaojiao asked her, “Is it delicious?”
Yang Yutong raised her head to look at her. “How about we order takeout instead?”
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