"Let go! Who told you to move! Move aside! Don't you want your money? You could have any woman you want with money, why do you have to choose this old hag?" Zhu Xu pushed the dead man aside, and Su Ju trembled as she got up, gathered her torn clothes, and cowered in the corner.

"What do you want? I'll give you money, let me go!" Su Ju was only thinking about how to escape.

"It's simple, just get me Qin Xiaoyu's design for the competition." Zhu Xu said this with some reluctance. If it weren't for Gao Daxiong's insistence, he really wanted to submit his own original design.

"Where am I supposed to get that? I really don't have any. I can give you money, really, I've saved up some money..."

"Do you think Boss Gao is short of money? You don't have any plans, huh? Then I'm leaving." Zhu Xu said, making a move towards the door. This damned man was like a beast, waiting for her, and was about to pounce on her.

"Wait! Let me think, let me think..." Su Ju certainly couldn't afford to suffer a loss now, so she frantically tried to come up with a solution.

"You're thinking of agreeing for now and then backing out later, right?" Zhu Xu smiled contemptuously. "Fine, you can go now. I'll take him with me. We'll go somewhere else. Your little daughter is waiting to reunite with her father."

"You're not human! You're a beast! If you dare touch my daughter, I'll kill you all!" Su Ju howled, like a wounded mother animal.

But she didn't have much strength to deal with two men, especially since they also had Zhenzhen in their hands.

Emerging from the old house, Su Ju was soaked to the bone by the rain, and a glimmer of hope slowly rose within her. She ran frantically towards home, hoping Zhenzhen was still there, hoping Zhu Xu was just threatening her…

But the reality was that Zhenzhen didn't go home after school; her room was completely dark.

Su Ju knelt on the ground in despair and burst into tears. Why did Heaven have to abandon her? What had she done wrong?

No matter what, she had to rescue her daughter. She looked up, her gaze falling on Xu Jingye's desk. He had only tidied up briefly before leaving. Su Ju had seen the three design drafts for the competition on that desk before; she prayed they were still there.

Su Ju found them in a file folder.

She held them close to her chest, her heart aching as if cut by a knife. She was about to betray the two people who were best to her: Qin Xiaoyu and Xu Jingye.

Someone like her deserves to be struck by lightning.

Zhu Xu had already guessed she would come. He looked at the blueprints, gave her an address and a key.

“Go ahead, just pretend this never happened. If you don’t tell and I don’t tell, Qin Xiaoyu won’t know. You’re safe. Boss Gao promised you he wouldn’t cause you any trouble, so he won’t dare to go.” Zhu Xu’s last sentence gave Su Ju some hope.

Maybe so. They just wanted the picture, and they've already got it.

Surprisingly, the following period was quite peaceful. Having always lived a life of compromise, she had long since learned to disguise herself, and no one noticed anything amiss.

Qin Xiaoyu was still immersed in joy and lived a happy life every day, so she didn't pay attention to the details.

When Xu Jingye returned, she brought back a gift from her mother: a gold ring given to her by her mother-in-law when she got married. It was a simple saddle ring, thick and heavy, with a pure gold luster that differed from modern ones, having a slightly reddish sheen.

“My mom said she wants you to give us a son,” Xu Jingye whispered, biting her ear.

This was something they had discussed long ago: having a child that belonged to both of them. Before, hearing this topic would have warmed Su Ju's heart, but now she felt a strange sadness.

"What's wrong? I was just saying it casually. Don't feel pressured. If we have it, we'll take it. If not, that's fine too." Xu Jingye misunderstood.

The two began preparing for their wedding, with Xu Jingye even more invested than she was. Although she was constantly busy, she kept making mistakes, to the point that Xu Jingye eventually stopped using her.

"What's wrong with you?" Xu Jingye was still sensitive.

"It's nothing, I just feel like I'm not good enough for you." Su Ju had this thought before, but now it's even stronger. Not only is her body tainted, but her heart is too.

"What nonsense are you talking about? I'm just glad you don't mind." Xu Jingye held her in his arms and gently kissed her face. He accidentally kissed a tear, but he just assumed it was pre-wedding anxiety and didn't think much of it.

When they went to the capital, Qin Xiaoyu and her husband took a soft sleeper train first, because they were afraid that Su Ju would find it too slow, so they booked her a plane ticket.

Su Ju had seen the finished fashion pieces for the competition, and the workmanship was excellent. She knew that Gao Daxiong's counterfeit skills were not to be underestimated, and whether Qin Xiaoyu could win depended entirely on luck.

I heard that Gao Daxiong and his group have already set off, probably to smooth things over as soon as possible. Su Ju breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed no one would cause her any trouble.

But she was dreaming. Gao Daxiong and Zhu Xu were gone, but there was still a lackey named Huo Jinghong.

He brought direct instructions, telling Su Ju to tamper with the wedding dress.

"We agreed that we would only need the design drawings, but now you want to mess with the fashion? I won't do it!" Su Ju refused resolutely.

"This is what Boss Gao told you to convey. Whether you do it or not is up to you. He just said that if you do this well, you can pick up your daughter. Otherwise, the father and daughter will be reunited."

"What did you say? What did you do to my daughter?" Su Ju didn't expect that Boss Gao was such a persistent ghost and had no intention of letting her go.

"She's in the capital. With Boss Gao. If you do well, I'll give you some money, and you and your two daughters will disappear. If you don't, don't go see him again; he'll hand your daughter over to their father." Huo Jinghong's sinister smile sent chills down Su Ju's spine. She realized she was trapped, with no way out.

Su Ju arrived in the capital, her mind in turmoil. On one hand, she hoped Qin Xiaoyu could find a way to thwart Gao Daxiong's underhanded schemes; on the other hand, she feared being implicated if things went wrong.

Only after learning that Qin Xiaoyu had reversed the order did she reluctantly remove the stitching from the wedding dress.

The next day, she arrived at the competition venue and met up with Gao Daxiong. He was then taken to a private residence by his men and met his two daughters.

But what awaited them was no money to get out of there.

When she left, she had her savings with her. She didn't intend to go back; she just planned to take her daughter as far away as possible.

But upon arrival, she was placed under house arrest; the door was locked from the inside, and she couldn't get out. Gao Daxiong and Zhu Xu never showed up, so she had no idea what was going on. Later, when they had eaten everything in the house and were out of food and supplies, they had no choice but to break a window for help.

This plea for help had no serious consequences; the person was immediately taken to the police station. Gao Daxiong's report also arrived, stating that Su Ju was a fugitive.

She had told her daughters beforehand to only talk about things at home and not to mention that Qin Xiaoyu knew about it. This was her last way of repaying her benefactor. If they couldn't even keep this bottom line, they really wouldn't be human.