The house was in disarray. Two of her uncles, several female and male cousins, her maternal uncle, and female cousin were all in the living room. Her mother sat on the sofa, weeping, while Wen Jing stood beside her, her own eyes red, offering comfort.
"Mom, Xiao Jing..."
Her mother, who had been crying, suddenly looked up. Wen Nuan saw only bloodshot eyes and a face contorted with fury. With surprising agility, her mother sprang from the sofa and slapped Wen Nuan hard across the face. The stinging pain left a red mark on Wen Nuan's pale cheek, making her stagger.
"Mom, what are you doing? It has nothing to do with Elder Sister!" Fifteen-year-old Wen Jing quickly stepped forward, pulling back their mother, who still seemed intent on hitting Wen Nuan. Wen Nuan's mind was a complete blank.
Her uncles, cousins, and maternal relatives all stared at her with expressions of animosity. Their gazes felt like sharp thorns pricking her skin, chilling her to the bone. They were all blaming her, looking at her with resentment.
What had she done? She didn't understand.
"Wen Nuan, you are truly despicable! How could you conspire with Fang Liucheng to send Uncle to prison? What were you thinking?" her eldest female cousin, Wen Xiuli, said.
"Humph, and she didn't even come home last night! She must have been out fooling around with Fang Liucheng! How can she face Uncle?" her second maternal cousin, Wen Meili, sneered.
"Sister-in-law, why haven't you kicked this kind of daughter out of the house yet? If it weren't for her infatuation with Fang Liucheng and her stealing Elder Brother's information for him, would the Wen family have ended up like this?" her second uncle roared angrily.
...
Wen Nuan laughed, a bright, almost radiant laugh that spread from her lips to her eyes, a laugh that made everyone around her uneasy. Wen Nuan was the kind of woman who could still manage a brilliant smile even in the depths of despair.
That smile seemed as though it had never truly left her face.
Wen Jing quickly embraced her. "Elder Sister, it's not your fault. Don't listen to their nonsense."
Turning her head sharply, Wen Jing pointed a finger towards the front door. "Get out! All of you, get out of our house!"
The Wen family was somewhat well-known in A City. While not exactly upper-class, they were comfortably wealthy. Mr. Wen had built his business from the ground up, going from a small-time contractor to the chairman of a construction company. Wen's Construction Co., Ltd. had a decent reputation in the industry.
Fang Liucheng had gradually taken control of the company and then reported Mr. Wen for bribery and suspected commercial crimes. He had already been detained by the police for investigation. A large-scale family-run smuggling case in coastal cities had implicated many people over the past few months, with officials and business figures being arrested one after another. Unbelievably, Mr. Wen was also suspected of involvement in this major economic crime.
With Mr. Wen's arrest and the Wen family business already hollowed out by Fang Liucheng, it crumbled rapidly. He successfully took over the Wen family assets, leaving them with massive debts of over ten million yuan. The Wen family villa would be sealed up and auctioned off in a few days, and all their assets would be confiscated.
Unknowingly, Wen Nuan had become an accomplice. For so many years, she had only focused on her affection for Fang Liucheng, never considering why he always asked her about her father's whereabouts and the details of his business dealings...
Fang Liucheng walked into the Wen family home, his hands clasped behind his back. His white suit accentuated his athletic build, and his handsome features had sharp lines, giving him a somewhat cold and imposing air. His mere presence at the entrance exuded an air of command. Wen Nuan's heart grew cold. So, all those years of gentleness and kindness had been a façade. Her mother, as if gone mad, rushed forward to hit him, only to be pushed aside by his bodyguard. Wen Nuan and Wen Jing hurried to help her up.
Her mother pointed a finger at his nose,骂他 for being ungrateful and repaying kindness with enmity. Fang Liucheng gave a mocking smile. Wen Nuan had been looking down the whole time but suddenly raised her head and asked, "Fang Liucheng, why?"
Fang Liucheng was momentarily taken aback by her address, then a cold smile curled his lips. "Why? I want your Wen family to taste the bitterness of ruin and despair."
More than a decade ago, the Fang family was just a small construction company. Mr. Wen had acquired their business, forcing Fang Liucheng's parents to commit suicide by jumping off a building, leaving the young Fang Liucheng to fend for himself in an orphanage. Mr. Wen, during one of his inspections, learned about the orphaned child of the Fang family. Feeling a moment of pity, he adopted Fang Liucheng. He grew up almost alongside Wen Nuan and eventually joined Mr. Wen's company, ultimately orchestrating the Wen family's downfall.
And it was at this moment that Wen Nuan finally understood that Fang Liucheng had long since achieved success, possessing his own business empire. His presence in the Wen family had only been a calculated move to destroy them.
Excellent, a perfectly executed plan.
"Nuan Nuan, thank you so much," Fang Liucheng said, his voice laced with a hint of malice and a triumphant satisfaction of revenge.
Wen Nuan straightened her back, a sweet smile gracing her lips. Clenching her teeth, she said, each word distinct, "Fang Liucheng, fortunes change. Your day will come when you'll be overturned in a ditch. I'll be waiting."
He seemed to see a striking brilliance within her.
Rarely had he seen this woman, who always chased after him, display such a compelling spirit. Fang Liucheng's gaze darkened slightly.
In her youth, she had fallen for a man. He was debonair and refined. Her young heart was filled with passion and impulsive infatuation, and she had poured all her energy into pursuing him. Standing on the highest rooftop in A City, she had exclaimed that one day she would marry him.
From childhood to adulthood, she had always chased after him. He would sometimes dote on her and sometimes distance himself, being deliberately elusive. The more he did so, the more it fueled her desire to conquer him. Young Wen Nuan had never understood that this was also a tactic.
Yesterday was her birthday. He had asked her what gift she wanted, and she had shyly proposed they become a couple. Fang Liucheng had smiled and told her to wait for him in the presidential suite of the GK Eastern Hotel. She had initially wanted to refuse, as Wen Nuan was a girl who valued her purity, but under the encouragement of her friends and after drinking quite a bit of alcohol, she had agreed and vaguely made her way to GK Eastern International, going up to the 52nd floor.
Wen Nuan had just learned that she had placed her affection in the wrong person and was filled with deep regret. On her way back, a fierce determination had taken root in her heart: she wouldn't let whoever it was get away with it; she would make them pay dearly for taking advantage of her.
But at this moment, she felt a deep gratitude towards the man from last night. Thank goodness it was him, not Fang Liucheng. Otherwise, what would be left of her, Wen Nuan?
Fang Liucheng's dark eyes flickered with a subtle light. Standing with his back to the light, she couldn't see his expression, only hear his cold laughter. "Wen Nuan, admit it. You love me. You lost, lost completely."
Wen Nuan, who had once been a carefree little princess, had been turned into a Cinderella by Fang Liucheng.
The Wen family was completely ruined.
The company was swallowed up by Fang Liucheng, and all the Wen family's senior executives were driven out of Wen's Enterprises by him.
Her second and third uncles vented their anger on her and her mother and sister, turning a blind eye to their plight. They watched coldly as the three women were forced onto the streets, offering no help. Her maternal uncle's family also stood by indifferently.
Her mother took her two daughters back to her maiden home, only to be driven out by her own brother's family with cold words and harsh treatment. Wen Jing and Wen Nuan were both proud girls and wouldn't tolerate such treatment. Ungrateful relatives like these were better off gone.
Many offered superficial kindness, but few offered genuine help in their time of need.
In just two short days, Wen Nuan experienced the coldness of human relationships to the fullest.
Her head throbbed with pain. She was still a sophomore in university, Wen Jing was in middle school, and her mother had been a housewife for years. All their savings were frozen by the bank. They were penniless.
Her mother pawned her jewelry at a low price, using all the money to hire a lawyer. She wanted to hire the best lawyer to defend Mr. Wen, hoping for an early family reunion.
With all the money spent on the lawyer, the three women had no extra money to rent an apartment. They ate dry bread for every meal, and at night, they huddled together by the riverbank, silently watching the night scene as curious tourists looked at them.
Wen Nuan had never imagined that one day she would fall to such a state.
But perhaps, the worst was yet to come.
One day, while discussing Mr. Wen's case with the lawyer, Fang Liucheng strolled in. Her mother was furious, Wen Nuan was numb, and Wen Jing was cold. The lawyer gently shook his head, signaling them not to provoke him.
The current Fang Liucheng was the chairman of the Fang Group, a rapidly rising conglomerate in recent years, involved in construction, entertainment, and aviation. Now, Fang Liucheng was a young talent in A City, second only to Ye Feimo, the president of Anning International Group.
With power and influence, they, as ordinary people, couldn't afford to offend him.
"I heard that the three of you have been living on the streets for two days?" Fang Liucheng asked Wen Nuan, his gaze deepening slightly.
"It's none of your business."
"Wen Nuan, let's make a deal. Become my mistress, and I'll guarantee you a life of comfort for the rest of your days. Your mother and sister will receive the best care," Fang Liucheng said.
Her mother almost fainted from anger, clutching her chest and gasping for breath.
Wen Nuan's nails almost pierced her palm, her body trembling with extreme fury, yet she gave a sweet smile. "Fang Liucheng, I would rather be with a stranger than let you touch me."
Fang Liucheng's eyes narrowed coldly. Hearing her mention a stranger, a surge of anger welled up within him. Something pricked at his heart. He gave a cold laugh, ruthless and cruel. "Wen Nuan, you will beg me to take you. I swear."