Chapter 1
Just past June, Beijing has already experienced several days of high temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius.
The outdoor streets were as hot as ovens in the afternoon, while the air conditioning in the most upscale shopping mall in the city center was blasting.
Inside the Xinyue Pilates studio on the second floor, some people were shaping their bodies and others were burning fat, seemingly unaffected by the sweltering heat.
Shi Qing rushed to the bathroom right after finishing her private coaching session.
This organization has a great location and employs excellent coaches. It has always had a good reputation, attracting many wealthy women and urban elites.
Although Shi Qing has only been here for a few months, many people have come to her because of her good reputation.
In addition, she also helps mentor new students, so she has a full schedule of classes most of the day, with almost no break time between classes.
In addition, most of the clients are wealthy people, many of whom are difficult to please. Shi Qing is like a taut spring every day at work, always maintaining a good state.
It's not only tiring here, but also very stressful. Fortunately, the salary is good, so Shi Qing is willing to continue working here.
After leaving the restroom, Shi Qing returned to the practice room to disinfect the core bed and laid out a new yoga mat so that guests could use it directly after class.
After everything was tidied up, the students still hadn't arrived.
Shi Qing sat cross-legged in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, staring blankly out the window. Outside were towering skyscrapers, one of which, not far from their shop, was the headquarters of Keyu Group.
The shopping mall where their store is located also belongs to Keyu Group.
Shi Qing suddenly realized that her husband, whom she had just married not long ago, was the future head of Keyu.
In Beijing, where land is incredibly valuable, Shi Qing couldn't imagine how much money one would need to build such a massive structure in the city center.
Her family wasn't considered poor in Beijing; both her parents had jobs and owned a small, old house.
But ever since her brother got married two years ago and her sister-in-law moved into their house, she's felt like an outsider.
Shi Qing quickly interrupted her negative thoughts and silently encouraged herself: I will definitely live a good life in the future, better than them!
At that moment, Shi Qing's mother, Zhang Mei, called, and she frowned slightly.
Zhang Mei usually calls her either asking for money or pressuring her to go on blind dates; otherwise, she wouldn't call her for no reason.
After a few seconds of pause, Shi Qing pressed her temples and answered the call: "Hello."
Zhang Mei immediately began lecturing: "You girl can't even call me 'Mom' properly, you're getting more and more unruly."
"Mom, what's wrong?" Shi Qing is usually gentle and friendly to people, but for some reason, she becomes sharp-tongued when facing her family, sometimes without even realizing it herself.
Zhang Mei's tone left no room for negotiation: "Come back for a meal next time you're off, I have something to tell you!"
The VIP customer for the next class was already changing clothes. This person was not easy to talk to, and Shi Qing was worried that she would come back and complain to the store manager, so she casually agreed and hung up.
Despite her bad mood, Shi Qing immediately adjusted to her best state and greeted the customer with a smile.
Shi Qing didn't finish all her classes for the day until 9 p.m.
Fortunately, she usually maintains good physical strength through exercise; otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to work all day if she had insufficient blood and energy.
She changed into her usual clothes, slung her bag over her shoulder, and prepared to go to the subway station.
I passed by a trendy toy store on my way out. They had a new blind box doll that's been really popular lately, and Shi Qing really likes it.
But every time she saw the price, she silently gave up. Shi Qing secretly complained, "Why is it so easy for other people to make money?"
It was already past ten o'clock when Shi Qing got off the subway. Feeling a little hungry, she went to a convenience store on the street and bought a cup of oden.
There weren't many people in the store at this time, so Shi Qing found a corner to eat and browse her phone. Just then, she came across her best friend Zhou Han's information on WeChat.
Zhou Han: [Qingbao, are you done with class yet? I'm so bored lying at home. When are you free to keep me company?]
A smile finally appeared on Shi Qing's face: "I just finished class. I have Sunday off. Shall I come find you then?"
Zhou Han: [Great! By the way, how are things going between you and my cousin? You finally have a day off and don't have to go on a date, right?]
Shi Qing felt a little unfamiliar with the word "date". She and Liang Yuheng had only been married for less than a month, and they could count the number of times they had met on one hand since they met.
Their WeChat conversations were still from half a month ago; they hadn't even gone on a date, and were practically strangers.
However, since Zhou Han was her matchmaker with Liang Yuheng, Shi Qing couldn't say anything about their current cold relationship, otherwise it would make things very awkward for them.
Shi Qing then made up an excuse: "He's currently on a business trip."
Zhou Han expressed her anger: "This guy is married and still a workaholic. If it were me, I definitely wouldn't want to lose such a beautiful woman like you!"
Shi Qing, worried that the student was about to arrive, said: "Alright, let's not talk about him anymore, little beauty. What are your plans for Sunday?"
Zhou Han suggested, "Let's go play badminton! I haven't exercised in ages, I want to get some activity."
Shi Qing: [Okay. The racket you gave me in college is still at my house. I'll go back and pick it up this Sunday.]
Zhou Han was Shi Qing's college classmate, and the two were very close. Zhou Han knew a little about Shi Qing's family situation.
Zhou Han asked worriedly, "Is something wrong at home?"
Shi Qing finished the last Arctic wing: [It should be nothing serious, probably just another blind date they're setting me up with.]
Zhou Han: [Didn't you already get your marriage certificate with my cousin?]
Shi Qing told the truth: "I didn't tell them, otherwise they would definitely be urging me and your cousin to meet their parents."
Zhou Han: [Let's meet. It's bound to happen sooner or later anyway.]
Shi Qing: [My mom will kill me if she finds out I had a whirlwind marriage, so I'm planning to mention it to her first.]
Zhou Han: [Okay, be careful on your way home tonight, and send me a message when you get home.]
Shi Qing: [Okay, sending heart~]
Zhou Han: [Bye-bye, Muah!]
Shi Qing turned off her phone and looked up to see a couple walking by hand in hand outside the window, their actions very intimate.
For some reason, she suddenly thought of Liang Yuheng again.
I wonder if he's back from his business trip?
Shi Qing hesitated whether to send a message to ask, but after thinking for a moment, she decided against it.
-
On Sunday morning, Shi Qing didn't dare to sleep too long, because if she went back late, Zhang Mei would nag her to make dinner first.
Because she had arranged to play ball with Zhou Han in the afternoon, Shi Qing changed into a sports skirt.
Shi Qing knocked on the door just after she got home at ten o'clock.
"Sister-in-law." Shi Qing greeted Qian Min politely when she saw that she had opened the door.
Qian Min smiled and said, "Qingqing is back. Your parents have been missing you so much since you last came back."
Qian Min has always been two-faced; if Shi Qing hadn't known her, she would have believed it to be true.
She could tell that Qian Min meant she was being immature.
Shi Qing: "I have a lot of classes scheduled by the institution lately."
Qian Min thought Shi Qing was showing off. She felt that as a teacher in a public school, she looked down on Shi Qing's job from the bottom of her heart.
But Shi Qing's salary was higher than hers, which made her feel even more uncomfortable.
"Can you guys have as many classes as we do? We're usually so busy." Qian Min complained about how busy she was, but her words revealed a sense of superiority.
Shi Qing was too lazy to say anything more to her, so she changed into slippers and went inside.
"Why are you only arriving now? Look, you even remembered this!" Zhang Mei was in the kitchen preparing to make dumplings, her tone displeased.
Shi Qing felt uncomfortable listening to this, but she couldn't argue with her family in front of Qian Min, so she had to hold back and said, "I was stuck in traffic on the bus."
Zhang Mei: "Why is there traffic on the weekend? It must be because you slept in. Go wash your hands. Girls should be more diligent."
After washing her hands, Shi Qing started helping to roll out the dough, while Qian Min sat on the sofa eating sunflower seeds.
Shi Qing: "Mom, is there something you need from me to come back?"
Zhang Mei sighed, "It's all because of your marriage. It's driving me crazy. Look at you, you're already twenty-six this year, your job is unstable, and you're not getting married. You even rejected that boss from your brother's workplace who was such a good catch."
Shi Qing knew perfectly well that while they claimed to be introducing her to a potential partner, they were actually helping her brother curry favor with the boss.
She had been on several blind dates before, and every man was a weirdo. But no matter how bad their conditions were, in her mother's eyes, Shi Qing was always marrying above her station.
So when Zhou Han mentioned that her cousin was still single, Shi Qing said she was willing to give it a try.
Unexpectedly, Liang Yuheng took the initiative to propose marriage. If marriage is inevitable sooner or later, it's better to choose this reliable man than to spend one's life with those weirdos.
Although Shi Qing knew there was a significant difference in their social statuses, since the other party didn't mind, she had no objections either.
Shi Qing had met Liang Yuheng a few times before and had a good impression of him. He was approachable and kind to her.
"How good are the conditions? He's almost the same age as my dad. You want me to be his child's stepmother?" Shi Qing didn't even lift her eyelids when she spoke.
Zhang Mei was furious when she noticed that Shi Qing was starting to talk back: "Then tell me what kind of person you're looking for? You're so arrogant, you're almost thirty, who will want you in the future?"
Qian Min said with a smile, "Mom, our school's dean of students has a nephew who works at the police station. He asked me to ask Qingqing if she would like to meet him."
Zhang Mei: "Okay, okay! Come back and visit. Look how good it is for your sister-in-law to be a teacher, she has connections everywhere. What kind of prestigious university did you go to? Now you're a fitness instructor, what's the difference between you and a waitress? When I go out and people ask me what I do for a living, I'm embarrassed to tell them."
"No need, I already have a boyfriend." Shi Qing felt that if she didn't say it now, she didn't know how long she would be nagged about it.
"What?!" Zhang Mei exclaimed in surprise, forgetting what she was supposed to be doing with the dumplings she was making. "What does the other party do?"
Shi Qing casually said, "Start a company."
At this moment, Qian Min suddenly became interested and came over to help make dumplings: "In this day and age, anyone can register and start a company. Qingqing, don't be fooled."
Shi Qing said calmly, "I'm not that stupid."
Zhang Mei glared at her: "How dare you talk to your sister-in-law like that? She's doing this for your own good. I think what your sister-in-law said makes sense. Let us meet her when she comes back. If it doesn't work out, break up with her quickly and find a stable job as a civil servant or a teacher."
"Does Qingqing have any photos? Let Mom see them." Qian Min asked with genuine concern.
Shi Qing replied truthfully, "No, he doesn't like taking pictures."
When Qian Min heard that the other person didn't like taking pictures, she thought he must be the kind of pot-bellied man.
Shi Qing's father and brother only showed up during meals. They were neither enthusiastic nor surprised by Shi Qing's return, and barely exchanged a few words with her during the meal.
After finishing her meal, Shi Qing remembered that she hadn't brought her racket yet, so she went to the room where she used to live.
To her surprise, when she opened the door, she found a completely unfamiliar scene. Inside, there were Qian Min's clothes hanging everywhere, and many express delivery boxes piled up, clearly indicating that it had been used as a warehouse.
Shi Qing's belongings were either pressed to the ground or had disappeared.
Shi Qing felt a pang of sadness and, holding back her tears, went to look for her racket, searching for a long time before finally finding it.
She had always been reluctant to use it, but now it was thrown into a corner.
Perhaps she was an unnecessary part of this family.
Shi Qing didn't want to stay there for another second, just then Zhou Han called her to say she was downstairs.
Shi Qing didn't say anything, grabbed her bag and went straight out.
While waiting for the elevator, she could still hear the reproachful voices coming from inside the door.
Although she had been treated this way since she was a child, she was still very sad.
Shi Qing tried to hold back her tears, but they kept welling up in her eyes.
Stepping out of the elevator, Shi Qing didn't see Zhou Han's red Porsche, but instead a luxurious black sedan parked downstairs.
Just as she was about to call Zhou Han, the rear window of the car slowly rolled down.
Then a handsome face appeared; it was Liang Yuheng.
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