After the Bankrupt Heiress Married into a Rich Family - Chapter 7

Chapter 7

She undressed as she walked.

On the way home, just as Mingzhu was about to grab her coat and step out of the car, she heard Rong Zhao’s voice—as calm and still as the windless weather—offering a light reminder: “Put your coat on before getting out.”

Mingzhu was in a good mood, so she didn’t find Rong Zhao’s meddling annoying. She put her coat on inside the car before stepping out. Once her feet hit the pavement, her movements were crisp and light; the back of her head, with its hair redder and more vibrant than cherry blossoms, vanished in an instant.

Xiang Xi turned the car around steadily and drove straight toward the Rong-Tech Group. President Rong had to visit a factory today, and her schedule was actually quite tight.

In the back seat, the privacy screen was active, blocking the view from the front. Rong Zhao slowly unwrapped the candy Mingzhu had given her. The pink sugary square rolled onto Rong Zhao’s pale pink tongue, like a boat tossing on a sea of rising waves, slowly melting its sweetness into her mouth.

Rong Zhao lowered her gaze and picked up the red marriage certificate that she had seemingly tossed aside earlier. The three characters for “Marriage Certificate,” embossed in fresh gold, were etched into her gaze for a long time before she finally flipped it open.

Holder: Rong Zhao. Date: March 21st.

In the photo against the red background, Mingzhu was on the left and Rong Zhao was on the right. Mingzhu smiled brilliantly, while Rong Zhao’s smile was subtle. Mingzhu leaned slightly to the right toward Rong Zhao’s shoulder with an intimate, reliant expression; Rong Zhao also tilted slightly toward Mingzhu. They looked as if they were deeply in love, their affection palpable.

Rong Zhao’s slender fingertips landed on the corner of Mingzhu’s rosy lips, her thumb lightly caressing the image. Her gaze deepened as she moved her finger to Mingzhu’s eyes—the eyes that had shed so many tears over the last two nights. Her expression shifted to one of heartache.

Mingzhu didn’t dare to cry when she was awake; she put on a brave front. But after falling asleep, tears would always leak from the corners of her eyes in her dreams, disappearing into her hair or the pillow. To Rong Zhao, those tears felt like hot candle wax dripping onto her heart.

Suddenly, Rong Zhao pressed down hard on the image of Mingzhu’s smiling lips. That heartless creature. Did Mingzhu really think she, Rong Zhao, was the type of person who would be so pressured by marriage that she’d just marry anyone at random?

After getting home, Mingzhu tossed the marriage certificate and her ID into her bedside drawer, keeping only the supplementary credit card in her hand.

Her phone had been in her bag the whole time. After a moment of hesitation, she took it out and sat on a balcony chair to turn it on.

First, she set it to vibrate. It still had half its battery. Immediately, WeChat exploded with a barrage of vibrating notifications. Mingzhu pursed her lips, ignoring all the unread messages that threatened her peace of mind. Instead, she first linked Rong Zhao’s supplementary card to her accounts—this was her most important lifeline right now.

Afterward, Mingzhu removed her parents’ supplementary cards one by one. As she watched the cards disappear from her list, one, two, then three droplets of “rain” suddenly hit the phone screen.

If the “True/False Daughter” incident hadn’t happened, her parents would have been so happy to see her marry Rong Zhao. They would have blessed her, helped her pick a wedding dress, and attended the ceremony with beaming faces.

Then again, if that incident hadn’t happened, she and Rong Zhao would never have gotten married.

Mingzhu sniffled, wiped the moisture away, grabbed her car keys, and went out to buy a wig before heading to Mingzhu International Travel Agency.

Today was clear and bright, with a gentle breeze. It was the second day of the Spring Equinox. Plants were budding, flowers were blooming; it was the peak of spring.

Mingzhu bought a coffee after parking and walked into the office building. The receptionist and security guards looked normal, and Mingzhu swiped her card to enter as usual. She went up to the office floor; employees were working or slacking off just like any other day. Mingzhu concluded that the company was likely still a while away from bankruptcy.

When she had heard her mother mention bankruptcy that day, she had two theories: one was that her Second Uncle’s insistence on investing in an amusement park in a small foreign town had failed, leading to a cash flow crisis; the other was a hostile takeover. The worst-case scenario was both—that someone had set a trap for her Second Uncle.

She was here today to find her father’s special assistant, Assistant Jiang, to understand the company’s current situation.

“Assistant Jiang isn’t in the office today. If it’s urgent, you should call him,” a colleague told Mingzhu.

Mingzhu: “…”

She was certain her parents had gone to Nanmin to find Qin Yining, but she hadn’t expected Assistant Jiang to be away from the company as well. She needed to speak with him in person. If she called him, he would likely report to President Bai immediately after hanging up. She didn’t want her father to know she had been here.

“Alright, I’ll give him a call then. Thanks.” Mingzhu turned and left, deciding to come back on Monday.

She was wearing a neck-length black wig to hide her red hair and a standard light blue mask. No one looked at her closely, and no one recognized her. She walked with the confidence of a branch manager, coming and going as she pleased.

When Mingzhu had no money, she could stay idle. Now that she had money, she couldn’t stay still. She went to get a full-body spa treatment.

Rong Zhao had told her to stay beautiful, so she quite righteously had everything done—from her hair to her face to her body. Afterward, she went shopping. Rong Zhao’s walk-in closet was full of clothes, but they were all too pale and plain for her taste.

Since the seasons were changing, Mingzhu happily bought three outfits for herself. After the purchase, she checked the app for her used limit. One look, and her world went dark.

She had spent 40,000 yuan in half a day, and she hadn’t even bought shoes to match the clothes yet.

Mingzhu felt like a college student who had just received their monthly allowance and spent half of it immediately. Looking at the remaining limit, she bitterly used a calculator to figure out how much she could spend per day. The conclusion: no more clothes; the money had to be spent where it mattered most.

Rong Zhao returned home from work on time that evening. She walked in to see Mingzhu lying lazily on the sofa, aimlessly pressing buttons on the remote. Her legs were curled to the side, and she was hugging a throw pillow, looking intensely bored. She didn’t even react to Rong Zhao’s return.

Didn’t she get a facial and go shopping? Why is she still so unhappy?

Rong Zhao raised an eyebrow at the housekeeper. The housekeeper immediately stepped forward and whispered, “She’s been like this since she got back. I’m not sure if someone said something to her outside that made her upset.”

Rong Zhao’s expression darkened. Aside from her best friend Jiang Jiang, who was currently abroad, Mingzhu’s former circle of socialites included many who loved to compare and gossip. If they had heard about the Ming family’s situation, they likely had things to say. Furthermore, she wondered if Mingzhu’s biological parents would try to find her.

“I see,” Rong Zhao said softly. “Don’t call her, and don’t tell her I’m back. I’ll go shower and change first.”

“Understood,” the housekeeper whispered back.

Rong Zhao handed her coat to Auntie Rong and stepped lightly upstairs. She had only taken a few steps when she heard urgent footsteps behind her. She paused, planting her feet firmly, and then someone lunged forward and hugged her from behind.

“Rongrong, you’re back!” Mingzhu’s voice was sweet as honey. “I missed you so much, Rongrong!”

Rong Zhao suddenly realized why Mingzhu had looked so bored earlier. If she had actually encountered trouble outside, Mingzhu wouldn’t be acting this sycophantic.

Rong Zhao: “You’re pinning my hair.”

“Oh.” Mingzhu quickly loosened her grip.

Rong Zhao turned to look at her. “Out of money?”

Mingzhu’s face stiffened for a second, then she turned the tables. “I have money! Look at you—I tell you I missed you, and you actually bring up money.”

“Oh,” Rong Zhao pulled Mingzhu’s hand away. “No money talk then. Fine.”

Mingzhu: “…”

I actually wanted to talk about it, but now I’m too embarrassed to bring it up directly.

Mingzhu continued her attentive act: “Working all day must be exhausting. Do you want to shower first or eat first?”

“Shower.”

“Then I’ll walk you upstairs. I’ll run a hot bath for you; soaking for a bit will help relieve your fatigue faster.”

Rong Zhao unfastened her cufflinks and undid the top two buttons of her shirt.

There she goes again, Mingzhu thought, stepping down one stair. Does this person spend every day outside with her nerves pulled taut in debates, only to be this eager to relax the moment she gets home?

“No need,” Rong Zhao said, turning slightly toward Mingzhu and lifting her chin. “I want a drink tonight. Go to the wine cellar and open two bottles to breathe for me.”

Mingzhu was surprised. “Don’t you usually avoid drinking?”

Rong Zhao pointedly glanced toward the housekeeper.

Mingzhu understood instantly. It was the first day of their marriage license; this was a performance for the housekeeper. She immediately grew interested. “Any requests? What do you want to drink?”

“Whatever you choose.”

With that, Rong Zhao headed upstairs while unbuckling her watch and removing her jewelry. She pulled her shirt out from her waistband, her waist slender and her posture languid. She undressed as she walked, finishing just as she reached the bathroom.