Chapter 1: The Humiliation of the Engagement

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At Jingshan Sanatorium, surrounded by mountains, the air was particularly damp and chilly, likely due to the recent rain. A black extended Maybach was parked in front of the rusty iron gate, starkly out of place amid the desolation.

With a creak, the iron gate swung open, and a girl dressed in a dull gray patient uniform stepped out. Her figure was frail, and with every step, her clothes fluttered wildly.

As she walked, her head remained bowed, eyes fixed on the ground—not a trace of the proud Red Rose of Kyoto from three years ago.

“Mr. Gu.”

Qiao Weiwei approached the car with utmost respect, greeting the man inside.

Her tone was unusually distant, lacking the coquettishness and willfulness she once had.

The man didn’t even lift his head, merely signaling for her to get in.

Then, in a cold voice, he said, “Three years have passed. It’s time to be sensible.”

So fast.

She had been here for three years already.

Qiao Weiwei stared at the rapidly passing scenery outside the window and forced a self-mocking smile, the scars on her body beginning to burn again.

Five years ago, her parents died in a car accident, and the Gu family of Haicheng, old acquaintances, stepped forward to adopt her.

Some in their circle looked down on her and humiliated her openly, but Gu Huaijin would stand in front of her, forcing them to apologize.

To assert her position in the Gu family’s hierarchy, Gu Huaijin would prepare for her birthday a whole month in advance.

He even once purchased a gemstone brooch worth over a hundred million just because of a single word from her.

She believed Gu Huaijin’s feelings for her matched her own.

So on her eighteenth birthday, she confessed her love to him publicly.

She never expected Gu Huaijin to coldly utter two sentences: “We are siblings. How can you harbor such despicable thoughts?”

She still remembers clearly the look in her brother’s eyes that day.

Disgust, disdain, even hatred.

From that moment on, she was no longer the cherished pearl held tenderly in his palm, but a mentally ill outcast whom her brother shunned like poison.

Yet, all she had done was fall for someone, and Gu Huaijin used the excuse of schizophrenia to send her to a sanatorium.

At first, she thought her brother was just angry and would come to take her away soon.

But days passed, then weeks, months, and a year.

Her brother never showed.

And what followed were electric shocks, fasting treatments, even being deliberately left on the mountain, falling and breaking the tendons in her hand under a huge boulder.

The car finally stopped at a villa halfway up the mountain, and the gate slowly opened.

Nothing had changed since her first arrival five years ago.

Only today, the servants were unusually busy; the manor was adorned with roses, giving the impression of a wedding.

At that thought, Qiao Weiwei felt an emptiness in her heart.

Surrounded by a cluster of servants, Gu Zhiyuan stepped out of the car first.

Seeing Qiao Weiwei remain still, he directly reached out and pulled her out of the car.

He pulled so hard that it tore at her old injuries, making her gasp sharply.

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Gu Zhiyuan’s gaze fell on the girl’s emaciated hands, surprise flickering in his eyes.

Qiao Weiwei had always aspired to be a world-class violinist. Those hands, the most precious of all, were maintained at a cost of tens of millions every year.

How could they be so scarred now?

“What happened to your hands?” he frowned and asked aloud.

Qiao Weiwei looked down at the deep, bone-penetrating scars on her wrist—wounds from her first failed escape attempt at the sanatorium, when someone had broken her tendons.

She gave a self-deprecating smile. “Just some minor injuries, Mr. Gu. No need to worry.”

After all... to Gu Zhiyuan, she was merely a speck of dust.

His frown deepened, about to question further, when a woman in a red dress approached and familiarly linked her arm with his.

“You’re back…”

She coquettishly nestled close to the man’s side.

This scene stabbed painfully at Qiao Weiwei’s eyes.

“Weiwei! You’re finally back.”

Lin Zhiyi smiled brightly and excitedly held her hand. “Sorry for the earlier embarrassment. Your brother and I are getting married, and we can’t do it without you.”

“It’s been three years. You’ve lost so much weight. If I’d known, I would have brought you out earlier.”

Then her gaze fell on Qiao Weiwei’s hands, feigning surprise. “And these hands—violinist’s hands—how could they end up like this?”

...

Hearing these words, Qiao Weiwei finally understood.

This was why she was given the chance to escape that hell.

She looked at Lin Zhiyi, born into a diplomatic family and Gu Zhiyuan’s childhood friend, often visiting the Gu family’s old mansion. She had once been Weiwei’s best friend.

Back then, Lin Zhiyi had secretly encouraged Weiwei to confess her love to Gu Zhiyuan, telling her to bravely pursue love.

But shortly after the rejection, Lin Zhiyi became Gu Zhiyuan’s girlfriend. She claimed it was a marriage alliance between their families, that Gu Zhiyuan was forced into it, speaking against his will.

Lin Zhiyi often urged Weiwei to provoke Gu Zhiyuan, saying it would stir his true feelings.

But in the end, it only made Gu Zhiyuan detest her more.

When she was often depressed, Lin Zhiyi took her to skip classes and unwind at bars.

When friends at school tried to stop her, Lin Zhiyi drove a wedge between her and them.

Her grades plummeted, and she even fell into drug addiction.

Eventually, she was sent to the sanatorium.

Lin Zhiyi held her closely, eyes full of sincerity. “Weiwei, you’re my best friend and the most beloved sister to Zhiyuan. Without your blessing, this wedding wouldn’t be complete.”

Now, seeing the woman’s pretentious act, Qiao Weiwei felt only disgust.

She took a deep breath, recognizing her place.

An orphan—how could she stand against a powerful family?

“Congratulations. I wish you a happy marriage.”

When she spoke, Gu Zhiyuan’s lips suddenly tightened. He gave her a deep look before turning toward the study.

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Seeing that she hadn’t lost her mind, Lin Zhiyi seemed surprised, quickly restoring her hostess demeanor and leading Qiao Weiwei to the third floor.

“Weiwei, I was ill last year. Zhiyuan let me stay in your old room to take better care of me.

But your current room’s furnishings haven’t changed.”

“These are dresses you can wear for tomorrow’s wedding. Pick one.”

Each was crafted by world-renowned designers, diamonds sparkling brilliantly.

Qiao Weiwei felt dazed, as if the three years at the sanatorium had been a dream, and she was still the little princess cherished by Gu Zhiyuan.

“Cough, cough…”

She clutched her chest, pale, leaning against the bedside, sweat pouring from the pain.

This was the lingering damage from repeated electroshock therapy, each attack piercing like a drill.

Lin Zhiyi saw her sweating profusely but didn’t call anyone else. Instead, she closed the door.

She sat leisurely nearby, as if admiring a finished masterpiece.

“Qiao Weiwei, you’re truly lucky. After three years of torment, you’re still alive and back.”

Qiao Weiwei hated feeling looked down upon.

Enduring the pain, she stood to meet Lin Zhiyi’s gaze.

“What do you mean?”

“Zhiyuan said to make you suffer so you’d remember your lesson.”

Though she had long moved on, hearing those words still sent chills down her spine.

Gu Zhiyuan truly hated her to this extent.

Qiao Weiwei sneered, “If you hate me so much, why invite me to the wedding? Aren’t you afraid I’ll ruin it?”

She had done plenty of outrageous things before; one more wouldn’t matter.

Lin Zhiyi’s smile froze, and the next moment, she grabbed Qiao Weiwei’s chin tightly.

Her eyes filled with venom. “I hate that attitude of yours the most. You’re a beggar living off my charity, yet you act like you’re untouchable.”

“Ruin the wedding?”

She sneered scornfully. “Go ahead and try. You’ll only be humiliated by Zhiyuan in public again.”

“Then locked away until you die. Don’t even dream of coming out.”

“By the way, don’t you think this mansion is missing someone?”

At this, Qiao Weiwei panicked, a bad premonition creeping over her.

“Grandmother…”

Since she had arrived, no one had mentioned Grandmother.

Every time she came home before, Grandmother was the first to greet her.

Lin Zhiyi’s next words crushed her completely.

“You know, before she died, Old Madam Gu was still thinking of bringing you home.”