Crash!

The glass cup shattered at her feet, splashing piping hot tea onto An Ning's foot and causing her to flinch subconsciously.

"Breaking off the engagement?"

Father An’s face was pallid with anger, “Once our neighbors know that you’ve been rejected by the Zhao family, where will your mother and I put our faces? The marriage of your younger brother has just found light at the end of the tunnel, and at this crucial juncture, you really know how to stir up trouble!”

Mother An, with her angry triangular eyes that seemed to be piercing needles into An Ning, chided, “Did you upset Cheng Yuan again? I’ve told you countless times that girls should be gentle and sensible, but you’re so stubborn! You’re just pulling that suitcase along, are you planning to move back here?"

"Moving back here?"

An Xiaoqiang became anxious, "Where's there a place for you here? Mom…”

In the three-room flat where the An's reside, one room was occupied by Father An and Mother An, one by An Xiaoqiang. The last one, a windowless room, had been turned into a storage room.

In the years prior to her engagement, An Ning used to sleep in that cluttered room.

Until An Ning moved out, her parents took the opportunity to convert the three-room flat into a two-room one.

If An Ning wishes to return, she could only sleep on the sofa.

"I…”

“No way!”

An Ning had just begun to speak when she was interrupted by Mother An, “This weekend, Tingting’s parents are coming over, what would it look like having you sleeping in the living room? It will mess up the house!"

"Don’t you have an employee dormitory at your company? You should stay there!”

The word from Father An sealed the decision.

"I won't come back anymore!"

Biting back her tears, An Ning turned to look at her stunned parents, "Also, starting next month, I won't be giving you my salary anymore!"

"You dare?!"

Father An stood up abruptly, his face pale with anger.

"What did you say?"

Mother An was also in a frenzy, her eyes seemingly spewing fire as she stared at An Ning, "Say it again?"

Tears were welling up in An Ning’s eyes.

She’d worked for three years, not living or eating at home, but each month she’d still have to give most of her money back to them.

They made it sound nice, supposedly saving it for her, to give as her dowry when she gets married.

With a blink of an eye, even the 200,000 yuan bridal gift was included, used to buy a new house for An Xiaoqiang.

She only arrived at the An family when she was five.

After she got into college at 18, her tuition was paid by student loans, her living expenses earned through part-time work.

Even taking into account the more than ten years before that, at ten thousand yuan per year, she'd long since paid back her dues with her earnings from these past few years of work.

She owed them nothing!

She grasped the handle of her suitcase tightly to control her trembling hands. Peacefully, Ann Ning lifted her eyes, "You let me show filial piety to my parents, yet for a dowry of 200,000 yuan, you arranged my marriage with Zhao Chengyuan without even asking my opinion. You didn’t care whether I liked him or if we would get along."

"You always said I am a big sister, I should take care of my younger brother. I paid for Ah-Qiang’s tuition, living expenses, clothes, and even his gaming console."

"But what about you? Have you ever treated me like a daughter, like a big sister?... Even though you adopted me, after all these years, I have repaid it all. I owe you nothing!"

"You ungrateful girl! You’ve grown too comfortable, you've forgotten your place!"

Looking around, Ann's mother, as usual, picked up a feather duster and hit Ann Ning, "You enjoy our food and clothing. Without the Ann family, you would be a parentless child in the orphanage. Would you have had the opportunity to grow up and attend university, to find a good job?"

"You dare to answer back, you..."

Snap!

Ann Ning grabbed the feather duster from her hand and threw it on the ground. "You think I'm willing to carry the Ann surname? If I could, I would rather never have been adopted by you!!!"

Slap!

Ann's father swung his hand and slapped her, "Get out! You don’t want to be an Ann, you don’t want to acknowledge us, right? Get out! I want to see how capable you are!"

Her head was pounding, and her vision began to darken in waves.

Ann Ning's left cheek swelled visibly.

If time could turn back, she would rather spend her whole life in the orphanage.

That would be better than these years of having to walk on eggshells, getting up before dawn to make breakfast, being punished for breaking a single bowl.

Fuming, she glared at her father. Dragging her suitcase, Ann Ning stormed out of the house.

Behind her, Mother An chased out and roared, “You unruly girl, I dare you to never come back! You want to take a different surname? There's no chance! Without a household registration, I won't let you get married in your lifetime!"

Back then, when Zhao Chengyuan came with the matchmaker to propose, he made it clear that this marriage only needed to be postponed for a couple of years.

By the time his girlfriend from overseas returned, both families could call off the engagement. The 200,000 Yuan bride price would essentially serve as compensation for An Ning's youth spent on this farce.

An Ning dreamt of leaving the An family?

In her dreams!

Bang!

With a heavy slam of the house door, Mother An looked up to meet An Xiaoqiang's resentful gaze, "Mom, you drove her away, but who is going to pay the mortgage of my house? Over 3000 Yuan per month, where will I find that money?"

"You…"

She had just finished her harsh words when the trouble immediately followed.

The harsh reality was giving Mother An heart palpitations.

After a while, her face lit up with gleam and she hurried to make a call, "Sister Fen, didn't you say yesterday that the eldest son of a certain family was looking for a spouse? How much is the bride price they're offering?"

"That much? What do you think about my daughter An Ning? …Yes, An Ning is not flesh of my flesh, but I have nurtured her all these years, don't I have to find her a good match? A high bride price shows the family's generosity, wouldn't An Ning lead a good life if she marries there? …An older man can be more caring. Please go and inquire as soon as possible, let me know as soon as you have any news. Once it's settled, I will give you a hefty matchmaker's red envelope."

Hanging up, Mother An let out a sigh of relief, her face filled with elation.

She couldn't possibly believe that this stubborn girl could ever fly out of the palm of her hand!

…

Her face throbbed with a burning pain, causing passersby to frequently turn their heads for a second look.

An Ning, seemingly oblivious to it all, walked briskly along.

She glanced at the black Volkswagen that the ride-hail app indicated had arrived.

She then looked at the black Volkswagen that was parked on the roadside.

Taking a few strides forward, An Ning opened the trunk to put her suitcase in it, then slid into the back seat.

Tears fell drop by drop, each one a heavy weight. Bending over, An Ning buried her face in the palms of her hands and began to cry.

Meanwhile, in the driver's seat, Ji Cheng was soaked with sweat.

He wanted to say, “Miss, you've taken the wrong car. The one flashing double signals in front is your ride.” However, seeing how violently her shoulders were shaking, her face covered, and heavy tears that were falling one after the other, he realized she must be heartbroken.

Unable to contain himself, Ji Cheng glanced back at the Boss in the back seat.

The tension within the car had reached its peak.

Just from a side profile, it was evident that the Boss was on the verge of exploding in anger.

The rigid line of his jaw was a clear indication of his simmering rage.

Ding-ding-ding…

Her cell phone rang abruptly.

It was her phone ringing.

She picked up her phone and glanced at it. Seeing that it wasn't someone from the An family calling, Anning answered the phone, "Hello..."

"Is this the customer with the last four digits 1216? I'm here already, parked by the side of the road with my hazards on. Are you near?"

The voice from the other end of the line came through clearly through the cheap phone receiver.

Ji Cheng could see that the girl's body instantly stiffened.

"Okay."

After hanging up the phone, Anning unconsciously looked up.