Qiao Xi wore a faded floral dress and sat in the extravagant villa.
Before her was her biological mother, dressed in luxurious clothes, sobbing as she held her hand. "Xi Xi, you've suffered in the countryside. Marrying into the Huo family will bring you wealth and honor."
Qiao Xi's heart ached, and her hope for maternal love shattered.
With a cold expression, she looked at Zhao Yuzhen and said, "I am your real daughter. Are you sure you want me to marry off in place of your stepdaughter, Su Weiwei, to bring luck? The man was in a car accident and is now a vegetative state?"
The Su family hoped to secure wealth through the Huo family by using this marriage for good fortune, but they didn't want Su Weiwei to endure such a fate.
She had been the sacrificial lamb from the start, the one already doomed, which is why Zhao Yuzhen had brought her back from the countryside.
She thought Zhao Yuzhen was finally acting out of conscience, wanting to be a good mother.
Zhao Yuzhen wept pitifully, kneeling before her. "I have no choice. I'm a remarried woman, a stepmother! I may look like a wealthy wife, but I have many struggles. I gave birth to you—please help me, marry in your stepsister's place!"
Qiao Xi took a deep breath, her eyes slightly reddening.
Zhao Yuzhen had abandoned her as an infant, marrying into the Su family as a stepmother. She pampered her stepdaughter, Su Weiwei, as if she were her own, while neglecting her real daughter in the countryside for twenty years.
She thought Zhao Yuzhen had come to her senses and wanted to make amends, but it turned out she was just exploiting her for whatever value she had left.
"Fine, I'll marry."
It was the least she could do to repay the debt of life.
Zhao Yuzhen smiled through her tears, quickly wiping them away and pulling her up. "The Huo family has prepared a phoenix crown and red bridal gown. Hurry and change!"
She was so focused on achieving her goal that she busily directed everything with joy.
Qiao Xi shook off her hand, her beautiful face full of coldness. "This is the last time. After this, I want nothing to do with you.
"Zhao Yuzhen froze for a moment, then quickly went on as if nothing had happened, instructing the maids to help Qiao Xi change into the bridal gown.
Qiao Xi stood motionless, like a puppet, as they draped the gown over her. Her originally elegant looks were now accentuated, making her even more radiant and alluring.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a graceful figure at the top of the stairs. Her stepsister, Su Weiwei, stood there, a smug smile on her lips, silently saying, "Pitiful thing, no mother."
Qiao Xi's hands hung at her sides, tightly gripping the medicine box she had brought from the countryside.
A maid reminded, "Madam, the Huo family's car is already at the door."
Zhao Yuzhen quickly said, "Xi Xi, don't keep them waiting. Don't bring that shabby thing with you to the Huo family, you'll just be laughed at." She shoved Qiao Xi toward the door, trying to snatch the medicine box from her hands.
Qiao Xi dodged, and Zhao Yuzhen lost her balance, almost falling.
"This is my personal item. You have no right to handle it."
Qiao Xi's voice was cold, full of distance.
The medicine box was her lifeline. She relied on it to heal and save others.
Behind her, Su Weiwei helped Zhao Yuzhen up and mockingly said, "Step-mom, looks like Qiao Xi doesn't want to. Don't you think it's a bit much to make your own daughter marry in her place?"
Zhao Yuzhen smiled ingratiatingly, "This is her fortune. Even the comatose Second Young Master of the Huo family is out of her league. She could never have such a good life in the countryside."
Qiao Xi's heart hardened completely.
Bang!
She slammed the car door shut, blocking out their disgusting voices.
The car drove straight to the Huo family, the evening darkening around them.
The Huo family was the most powerful and wealthy family in Haicheng, and the Su family had only gained this connection due to luck. The Huo family had two branches.
The second son of the Huo family, Huo Xingzhou, was talented and the most likely heir, but a month ago, he had been in a car accident, falling into a coma and becoming a vegetable, nearly declared dead by the hospital.
The city's most sought-after young talent had instantly become someone society avoided.
It was said he had even lost his ability to have children.
How pitiful!
With no other options, the Huo family's second branch had turned to the rumor of "marriage to bring luck.
"Qiao Xi's vision was obscured by the red veil, and Aunt Qian, the Huo family's maid, helped her into the villa. The weight of the phoenix crown made it hard for her to lift her head.
She was led into a large bedroom and sat by the bed.
Aunt Qian wrapped her right hand with a long red rope, securing the other end to the left hand of the man lying on the bed.
"Do not untie it. It's the rule," Aunt Qian warned. "If something goes wrong, you can't bear the consequences."
Qiao Xi nodded slightly, her neck stiff with pain.
Seeing her obedience, Aunt Qian said, "You'll have to stay with the young master tonight. If you need anything, call me."
With that, she closed the door behind her.
The room was eerily silent, the "beep beep" of medical equipment and the faint sound of a stranger's breathing filling the space.
Qiao Xi gently placed the medicine box at her feet, its faint herbal scent offering some comfort.
As long as the box was with her, her acupuncture skills were her assurance.
Her body ached and stiffened, so she instinctively rubbed her neck, forgetting about the red rope in her hands.
It was yanked harshly.
The beads on the phoenix crown clinked, and she fell onto the bed, the red veil flying off.
She ended up lying on top of a warm body, her lips brushing against his cheek.
The man beneath her had pale, flawless skin, his eyes tightly shut, long lashes casting a shadow over his face. His handsome features were mesmerizing, though the red lipstick stain on his cheek shattered his cold demeanor.
Her face turned bright red. She quickly got up, flustered, trying to wipe the lipstick off his face, but her hair got caught in the man's nightshirt button, and she couldn't untangle it.
"Ah!"
She cried out in pain, her scalp burning, tears welling up in her eyes.
The more she struggled, the more tightly she was caught.
Her lips met his again.
If the Huo family saw this, they would think she was shameless, even taking advantage of a comatose man!
"Sorry, I had no other choice," Qiao Xi whispered to the man, whose eyes were still closed.
She straddled him, enduring the pain as she tugged at his nightshirt collar.
With a ripping sound.
The cotton fabric tore, a button falling off.
Finally, she freed herself.As she looked down, the man on the bed slowly opened his eyes.
His deep gaze was filled with coldness, staring at her.
The torn nightshirt exposed his sexy Adam's apple and broad chest.
He looked like he had been mistreated.
Qiao Xi froze in fear, clamping her legs together.
"Mmm..."
The man groaned softly.