Chapter 15

Noon, at the Qin residence.

A loud slap echoed through the hall as the old master of the Qin family struck Qin Xiaomeng across the face, the sting burning hotly on her cheek.

"Sever ties with the family? How dare you!" he roared. "You carry the blood of the Qin family, and you should make sacrifices for our rise! Don’t forget who raised you, who sent you to one of the top universities! Your marriage to Mr. Lu was decided long ago by the Qin family. It’s not for you to refuse!"

Leaning heavily on his cane, the old man thudded it against the ground with force, trembling with rage as Qin Xiaomeng, suitcase in hand, prepared to leave.

Around her, the elders of the Qin family began to point and scold, without a shred of mercy. In their eyes, Qin Xiaomeng was born to be used as a bargaining chip, an icy family devoid of warmth or affection.

"Mr. Lu? Grandfather, do you even realize that man is as old as you? I will never marry a seventy-year-old decrepit man!" she cried. "I have someone I love!"

Her eyes were red, tears threatening to fall as the elders’ harsh words surrounded her. Despair had long since settled in her heart, but this time, she would not bend to the Qin family’s will.

"Insolence!" the old man thundered. "You’re as foolish as your sister—because of that Chu Tianhe, is it? What did he do to bewitch the two of you? You are a daughter of the Qin family; your marriage is not yours to decide!"

He knew well enough that Chu Tianhe was the man in her heart, and that knowledge only fueled his wrath. Because of Chu Tianhe, the Qin family had already lost Qin Xiaorou as an asset. Now, Qin Xiaomeng was standing against them as well.

In his fury, the old man raised his hand to strike again, but this time, her mother, Yang Huijuan, rushed forward to shield her daughter.

The slap landed hard on Yang Huijuan’s face, so forceful it drew blood at the corner of her mouth.

"Get out of my way!" the old man shouted, eyes wide with rage.

"Father, Xiaorou was already forced to her death by the Li family. Now I have only this one daughter left—do you mean to drive her to death as well?" For the first time, the ever-timid Yang Huijuan found a surge of courage, standing firm in front of her daughter, refusing to yield even an inch.

"You… You foolish woman!" the old man spat. "Don’t forget, all these years you survived only because of the Qin family’s money! Without our support, you and your daughter would have starved on the street! Sever ties with the Qin family? Fine! Step out that door and you’ll be left in the cold, living in a dog’s den! Even the house you live in belongs to us—I have every right to reclaim it!"

Qin Xiaomeng’s father had died young, leaving her mother to raise two daughters alone, enduring hardship and humiliation for years. Her low status in the family allowed the Qin family to treat her daughters as pawns to be traded at will.

Yang Huijuan’s face crumpled with hurt and helplessness, tears streaming down her cheeks. She had suffered so much, raising her daughters singlehandedly, knowing all too well how vital money was in this world. Without it, not even a hero could get by. It was why, time and again, she had compromised with the Qin family. Now the old man was using money as a weapon once more, striking right at her greatest vulnerability.

"I don’t want your money!" Qin Xiaomeng suddenly declared, stepping forward with unwavering resolve, now shielding her mother in turn. "I have my own hands and feet—I won’t starve just because I don’t spend your money!"

Her voice was hoarse with emotion, every pent-up feeling unleashed. Turning to face her mother, she said, "Mom, I was too young before, unable to earn a living, so we had no choice but to depend on others. But I’m grown now. I can work—I’ll take care of you from now on."

She turned again, fixing the old man with a fierce, confident gaze. "When my sister knelt outside this door for two days and nights, you all ignored her, even locked my mother away to stop her from helping. That’s what your Qin family did!"

"I am not like my sister. I will not kneel and beg before you! I, Qin Xiaomeng, am no pushover, to be squeezed and discarded at your whim."

"You will watch me walk out of this house. You will watch me rise, step by step. You will see the day when the Qin family is beneath my feet, when I have become someone far beyond your reach!"

Her words rang out, powerful and commanding, exuding a heroic spirit despite her delicate appearance—a stark contrast to her sister’s gentleness. She had never been one to endure humiliation in silence. If life made her an ant, she would dream like an eagle; if fate was as thin as paper, she would forge a heart of steel.

The colder and crueler the Qin family became, the more determined she was to live with dignity.

"You…" The old man began to cough violently, choked with rage at her defiant words. He swung his cane at her, but this time, Qin Xiaomeng caught it, wrested it from his grasp, and slammed it to the ground.

"Mom, let’s go. Let’s leave this heartless house behind."

She took her mother’s arm, and together they turned to leave the villa. But at that moment, the doors were suddenly thrown open with a deafening crash.

With a thunderous sound, a dozen black coffins were hurled into the villa—seventeen in total, lined up neatly in the courtyard, landing with a heavy thud.

"Qin Xiaomeng, you’re not going anywhere today," came a cold voice.

It was Lu Liang.

Outside the Qin family villa, thousands of ruthless assassins from the Rakshasa Group stood armed with short blades, murderous intent radiating from them.

Lu Liang had made his move.

In an instant, the entire city of Jiangzhou was shaken to its core. His power far surpassed that of the Li family; every assassin under his command was a notorious killer, their hands stained with blood.

Such overwhelming force left the Qin family utterly terrified.

They had always known Lu Liang was a formidable presence lurking in the shadows of Jiangzhou, one whom even the Li family had to bow to. But they had never imagined his might would be so overwhelming.