Qiao Xi wore a faded floral dress, sitting in an extravagantly luxurious villa.

Her mother, whom she hadn't seen in twenty years and now extravagantly dressed, held her hand and wept, "Xixi, you've lived a hard life in the countryside, but by marrying into the Huo Family, you can enjoy wealth and honor."

A pang went through Qiao Xi's heart, and any extravagant hopes she had for maternal love vanished.

She looked expressionlessly at Zhao Yuzhen and said, "I am your biological daughter, are you sure you want me to marry in place of your stepdaughter, Su Weiwei, to ward off misfortune? And that man has become a comatose vegetable from a car accident?"

The Su Family wanted to grab the olive branch offered by the Huo Family to ward off misfortune, but they didn't want Su Weiwei to suffer by marrying into it.

It turned out she was the sacrificial lamb, the one meant to be sacrificed from the beginning, and that's why Zhao Yuzhen brought her back from the countryside.

She had thought that it was Zhao Yuzhen's conscience catching up with her, wanting to be a good mother.

Zhao Yuzhen cried pitifully, kneeling in front of her and saying, "I had no choice. I am a remarried woman, a stepmother! It seems like I'm a rich lady, but I have had many hardships. I gave birth to you, so just help your mother out! Marry in place of your step-sister!"

Qiao Xi took a deep breath, her eyes slightly red.

Zhao Yuzhen had abandoned her when she was just a baby to marry into the Su Family as a stepmother. She doted on her stepdaughter, Su Weiwei, as if she were the apple of her eye, and had ignored her own daughter in the countryside for twenty years.

She thought Zhao Yuzhen had brought her back out of a guilty conscience, remembering her abandoned daughter, but it turned out she was just squeezing out her last value.

"Fine, I'll marry."

Consider it as repaying the debt of birth.

Zhao Yuzhen's tears turned to laughter, hurriedly drying her eyes and pulling her up, "The Huo Family has prepared a phoenix crown and bridal attire, all in red festivity, quickly change into them."

All she cared about was achieving her goal, bustling with excitement.

Qiao Xi shook off her hand, her radiant face filled with coldness, "This is the last time. After this, I have nothing to do with you."

Zhao Yuzhen froze for a moment, then quickly acted as if nothing had happened and instructed the maids to help Qiao Xi into her wedding dress.

Qiao Xi stood still as a puppet while they fitted her with those clothes, her already decent looks now even more stunning and lustrous.

Her gaze flickered to the staircase, where a graceful figure appeared. Her step-sister, Su Weiwei, was standing there with a smug smile at the corners of her mouth, silently saying, "Poor thing without a mother."

Qiao Xi's hands hung by her side, tightly clutching the medical kit she had brought from the countryside.

The maid reminded, "Madam, the Huo Family's car is already at the door."

Zhao Yuzhen repeatedly said, "Xixi, don't let the Huo Family wait too long. You might as well leave this junk here, lest you become a laughingstock." She pushed and shoved Qiao Xi towards the outside, trying to snatch the medical kit from her hands.

Qiao Xi dodged, causing Zhao Yuzhen to lose her balance and nearly fall.

"This is my personal belonging. You have no right to handle it."

Qiao Xi said coldly, her eyes full of distance.

The medical kit was her lifeline; she relied on it to heal and save people.

Behind her.

Su Weiwei helped Zhao Yuzhen up and said contemptuously, "Stepmom, it seems like Qiao Xi is reluctant. Having your biological daughter take her place in marriage, wouldn't that be unfair to her?"

Zhao Yuzhen said fawningly, "This is her good fortune, even the vegetative second young master of the Huo Family is out of her league. She could never live such a good life in the countryside."

Qiao Xi's hopes were thoroughly crushed.

Bang!

She closed the car door, shutting out their disgusting voices.

The car drove all the way to the Huo Family's estate as dusk fell.

The Huo Family was among the top tycoons of Haicheng, and the Su Family was also fortunate to have secured this marriage connection. The legitimate line of the Huo Family was divided between the main and the second branches.

Huo Xingzhou, the second young master of the Huo Family, was exceptionally capable and the most powerful contender to be the Family Head. However, a month ago, he had a car accident and had been in a coma ever since, essentially given a death sentence by the hospital.

The most sought-after young talent in Haicheng had suddenly turned into someone that all the ladies wanted to avoid as much as possible.

It was said that he had even lost the ability to have children.

How pitiful!

The second branch of the Huo Family had no other choice but to believe the superstition about warding off ill luck.

Qiao Xi's vision was obscured by the red bridal veil as Aunt Qian, a servant of the Huo Family, supported her into the villa, with the phoenix crown on her head so heavy she could barely lift her head.

She was led into a spacious bedroom and sat down by the bed.

Aunt Qian used a red cord half a meter long to bind her right hand in loops, tying the other end to the left hand of the man on the bed.

"You mustn't untie it; it's the rule," Aunt Qian cautioned, "If you ruin this, you won't be able to bear the consequences."

Qiao Xi nodded slightly, her neck so stiff and swollen it was almost impossible to straighten.

Seeing her compliance, Aunt Qian added, "You'll have to endure the night with the young master. Call me if you need anything."

After saying this, she closed the door and left.

The vast room was terrifyingly quiet, with only the "beep beep" sounds from the machines and the faint breathing of the unfamiliar man.

Qiao Xi gently placed the medicine box at her feet, the faint scent of medicinal herbs offering her a little reassurance.

As long as she had the medicine box, relying on her expertise in acupuncture, she felt confident.

Her whole body was stiff and sore from sitting, so she subconsciously bent her pale, lotus-root-like fingers to massage her neck, forgetting about the red cord in her hand.

She was yanked hard.

The beads on the phoenix crown clinked crisply as she fell onto the bed, and the red bridal veil flew off.

Her entire body was pressed against a warm one, her red lips brushing against the man's cheek.

The man lying beneath her had a pale complexion, his eyes closed tightly, and long curled eyelashes casting shadows, giving him a stunningly handsome appearance that dazzled onlookers. However, the bright red lipstick mark on his cheek marred his aloof demeanor.

Her cheeks flushed, she abruptly got up, frantically trying to rub the lipstick mark off his handsome face, but her hair was hopelessly entangled in the buttons of the man's pajamas, and she couldn't untangle it!

"Ah!"

Qiao Xi let out a cry of pain, her scalp burning, as her eyes began to well up with moisture.

The more she struggled, the tighter it got.

Her red lips kept brushing against the man's thin lips, again and again.

If anyone from the Huo Family saw this scene, they would surely think she was audacious to the extreme, not even sparing a man in a vegetative state!

"I'm sorry, I have no other choice," Qiao Xi said in a soft voice, looking at the man with his eyes tightly closed.

She spread her legs and, despite the pain, mounted the man, grabbing at the collar of his pajamas.

With a ripping sound,

the cotton pajamas tore open, and buttons fell off.

Phew, at last, it came loose.

Qiao Xi looked down.

The man lying on the sickbed slowly opened his eyes.

His eyes were deep, exuding endless coldness as he looked at her.

The torn pajama top exposed his sexy Adam's apple and broad chest.

He looked as though he had been ravaged.

Qiao Xi was so frightened that she froze, clenching her legs tight on top of him.

"Hmm..."

The man let out a muffled groan.