Chapter 1

This is the trouble left behind by her heartless brother-in-law.

Josh came out of the funeral home at the hottest time of day.

In mid-June, the sweltering heat spread and quickly swept across Hengcheng. At this time, the sun was at its zenith, but the air conditioning in the funeral home hall was blasting, making it even somewhat eerie.

Standing at the threshold, tormented by the suffocating sensation of alternating hot and cold, Josh's mind went blank, making her feel as if the past few days had been a dream.

The funerals of Qiao Mai and Chen Zhibin exhausted all her energy.

The accident came unexpectedly, and she had to force herself to remain highly tense, like a bowstring drawn taut, always on guard.

Now that everything has been resolved, that string suddenly snapped.

The string, stretched to its limit, had fulfilled its purpose, pulling her back to her original position. But the trembling aftershocks still made Josh's head throb with pain, and she felt as if all her energy had been drained away. She could even feel the life force within her being slowly drawn out of her body, causing a dull ache in her heart.

If her body had activated its self-protection mechanism a few days ago, making her immune to all poisons, now that the protective shield has been ruthlessly removed, the long-term overload and delayed illnesses have all come knocking.

Tormented by various illnesses, she couldn't help but think about the past.

Sisters Joma and Josie depend on each other for survival.

Their mother, unable to bear Qiao Dacheng's beatings and abuse, took the opportunity to escape from the hospital after giving birth to Josh.

From then on, Qiao Dacheng changed his target for venting.

In the years that followed, the two young children were trapped in a vortex of pain and curses. They struggled desperately, but the elderly Grandma Qiao was powerless to do anything about it, torn between her own granddaughter on one side and her own son on the other.

Qiao Dacheng was useless, a good-for-nothing, and violent, but none of that could change the fact that the last bit of kinship in his blood made Grandma Qiao struggle for nearly eight years.

Until Qiao Dacheng suddenly decided to go south to do business. Ignoring his grandmother's advice, he seized all the family property and left home, never to be heard from again.

The tension that had been building within Grandma Qiao could no longer be maintained due to one of her breaking free. In December of the same year, Grandma Qiao fell seriously ill and did not make it to the New Year.

At that time, Grandma Qiao, who was paralyzed on her sickbed, was barely clinging to life. She struggled to find her treasured property ownership certificate through the cracks in the bed board, and finally handed it to Qiao Mai with peace of mind before passing away.

Grandma Qiao hid the property certificate from Qiao Dacheng, and her will had been prepared beforehand, fearing this day might come. The house wasn't new; selling it would be enough to support the two children through school. After Qiao Mai took over the property certificate, she kept it in its original place. The house itself couldn't be sold; it represented Grandma Qiao's life's work.

As long as the house is there, Grandma is there, and that's when the home has warmth.

It was tough on Qiao Mai, who was still a minor, to enter the adult world so early and take on responsibilities at such a young age. Knowing that she had limited talent in academics, she often skipped classes to work odd jobs nearby. It was during that time that she met Chen Zhibin, who shared a similar plight.

Chen Zhibin's family was originally a happy family of four. Chen Zhibin's parents were doing business in another city, and on their way back, an unexpected car accident took their lives.

Chen Zhibin dropped out of school early to make a living and support his family by doing odd jobs. While eating, he happened to meet Qiao Mai, who was being harassed by a customer. He stepped in to help her, and perhaps out of a sense of sympathy or shared misfortune, the two hit it off immediately.

One of them is meticulous, and the other is bold; they make a good team.

Knowing that he wasn't a good student, Qiao Mai simply dropped out of school and explored various ways to make money with Chen Zhibin.

They made some money in recent years, but the two were not satisfied. They used most of their assets to buy a factory, which initially worked well and was a good start.

Just when business was about to boom, trouble struck again before it even began.

Chen Zhibin was terrified of poverty and only wanted to make money from interest. However, he lacked the ability and knowledge. At a drinking party with his cronies, he believed the boasts of his so-called friends and, tempted by greed, spent all his hard-earned assets in a single swipe.

Part of it was borrowed from several bosses he knew at work, and now he can't pay them back or get his principal back. Chen Zhibin is dumbfounded.

Chen Zhibin dared not tell Qiao Mai the truth and could only keep it a secret until it came to light a month ago.

Qiao Mai was intolerant of any wrongdoing, despite Chen Zhibin's persistent pleas. The two then discussed selling the factory to pay off their debts, but after arguing and struggling, they reached no conclusion and ended up arguing so much that they ended up arguing their way into the lake.

High school was a demanding year, and Josh lived on campus instead of with them, but Joanne always made time to visit her. The last time the two sisters met was a month ago; Joanne had sent her some money and given her a few words of advice.

Josh, who had just finished his college entrance exams, was full of enthusiasm and planning a wonderful trip with his friends after graduation when he received the news of the two people's deaths.

She still remembers that day. After finishing the last English exam, she rushed out of the exam hall, eagerly waiting for Qiao Mai to pick her up and take her home. But what she received was the devastating news from her homeroom teacher.

By the time she rushed there, it was already late afternoon.

Josh stood alone on the shore, expressionless, gazing at the vast, still lake, a crowd of onlookers gathered behind her. Police, rescue teams, and medical teams passed by one after another. She seemed oblivious, staring blankly at the lake.

As evening fell, the blue lake stretched to the horizon. The sunset that day was truly beautiful; the crimson setting sun encompassed the vast lake, painting its surface a crimson hue.

The calm lake surface was still and undisturbed, with ripples occasionally spreading across the withered grass on the shore. Josh stood alone on the bank, watching coldly. His face was expressionless, and he remained motionless.

Not far away, a black Audi plunged into the lake stood out conspicuously, half of the car submerged in the blood-red lake that seemed to devour people.

Silently.

The investigation did not end until late at night.

The dashcam recorded the entire process, and the staff informed her of the findings of their investigation.

The two people in the car had a heated argument over a factory issue. Qiao Mai, who was driving, lost control of his emotions, stubbornly turned the steering wheel, and crashed through the guardrail, eventually plunging into the lake with his car.

She couldn't remember anything else, except for the wind that night, which was very cold, just like the air conditioning in the funeral home.

In the quiet and solemn rest room of the funeral home, a huge display screen hangs on the wall.

Josh sat directly in front, head tilted back, unable to take his eyes off the screen.

Two familiar names were clearly displayed on the blue screen. Time seemed to freeze at that moment, leaving only her heartbeat and the two names on the screen lying quietly.

Josh witnessed the entire process, from their preparation to their entry into the crematorium and their turning to cold ashes. The whole process was like a silent movie, relentlessly flashing before her eyes frame by frame.

The whole process was so fast that she felt numb, and she went through it all without expression.

But now, as Josh holds the scalding hot urn in her arms, she suddenly realizes that Joe's warmth and voice are slowly fading away with the fire.

A profound sense of powerlessness suddenly washed over her. Josh closed her eyes, forcing herself not to think about it, but she seemed to hear the sound of a cold container closing, shutting her out. The scorching heat almost consumed her; at that moment, Josh desperately wished she were in that sea of ​​fire.

"sister."

A timid child's voice suddenly pulled her out of her painful memories.

Josh was startled and looked in the direction of the sound with a blank expression.

A boy stood blankly at the bottom of the steps outside the hall. Despite the sweltering heat, he stubbornly stayed outside. He was not tall; although he was already fifteen years old, he was still thin and small.

The oversized, dark green short-sleeved shirt made him look even thinner. His face was small and slender, his skin was sunburned, his chin was pointed, and the black hair at his temples clung tightly to his cheeks. Tear stains and sweat mingled together, making him look just like a tabby cat.

But this tabby cat is nothing special; no one would notice it if it were left on the street.

Only those eyes, those dark pupils, flickered when they met Josh's gaze.

Those two black pupils were clear and bright, like ink that had been ground in circles on an inkstone, both black and shiny.

Josh stood on the steps, scrutinizing him from top to bottom without uttering a word. Her fists were clenched, struggling to control herself, and she glared coldly, as if seeing someone else through him.

In the long, silent standoff, their eyes met again by chance.

Feeling the cold gaze, the sharp edge aimed at the boy was like a dagger. He was deeply shocked, tried to shrink his shoulders, and subconsciously took a step back, only to stop in an instant.

The boy moved cautiously, as if engaged in a great internal struggle. After a long while, when he looked up again, he offered a shy smile with a hint of ingratiation.

But this smile was uglier than a cry.

This time, the boy mustered up his courage and raised his voice a bit.

"sister."

Another sound.

But Josh's gaze toward him remained just as cold.

Josh stared at him intently, her resentful anger finally finding its source and an outlet. She wanted nothing more than to abandon all reason and tear the person in front of her to shreds.

This trouble was left to her by her heartless brother-in-law, Chen Zhibin.

[Author's Note]

Thank you for reading. (Bowing version) The romance in this book develops slowly. If you can't wait, you can start from Chapter 10, after the male lead comes of age.

If you like it, feel free to add it to your favorites and read a few more chapters. Thank you everyone! [Hands clasped in prayer][Hands clasped in prayer][Hands clasped in prayer][Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers]