The Ex-Wife Of A Wealthy/Powerful Family Tempts Me To Treat Her Badly/Betray Her - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: “Are you suggesting you want to marry me?” [Revised]

6:00 PM, the height of rush hour.

Jiang Yu stood up, stretching her body, preparing to leave the small, temporary office she was renting.

Her assistant, Lin Yao, walked in, looking a little flustered.

“Ms. Jiang, your father, Qin Yuanshan, Chairman Qin, has arrived.”

Jiang Yu paused for a moment: “Please show him in.”

Almost immediately, Qin Yuanshan entered from outside.

He was over fifty, but long-term high status had kept him well-maintained, showing no signs of aging. His eyes often held a faint hint of arrogance.

Jiang Yu disliked it.

Qin Yuanshan looked around, then spoke in a deep voice: “How are the company preparations coming along? This environment looks a bit too simple. Do you need your father’s help?”

Jiang Yu didn’t reply immediately. She poured Qin Yuanshan a cup of tea, then said, “No need to trouble you. I’ll be returning to Li City in a while. I won’t be staying here for long.”

Qin Yuanshan sat on the sofa, observing his daughter.

Jiang Yu was the daughter of his deceased mistress. She hadn’t received an elite education, but she was exceptionally beautiful and had a great figure. Years ago, she had gone abroad to become a model, and her career was now booming. She had returned to the country recently to establish her own modeling agency.

After a brief exchange of polite words, Qin Yuanshan smiled, seemingly casually but aiming directly for the main topic: “You’re not getting any younger. It’s time to consider your future.”

“The Han family is quite interested in a girl from our family. I was thinking of having you enter into a marriage alliance with them.”

Jiang Yu took a sip of her water, her expression showing no surprise.

She was not close to Qin Yuanshan, and he was never going to play the role of a loving father. Every time they met, he always had a strong objective. This time, it was to push her into a marriage alliance.

Jiang Yu didn’t hesitate, responding with a smile: “Father, I’m afraid that won’t be possible.”

Qin Yuanshan looked up, his gaze sharp.

Jiang Yu showed no fear, still smiling: “I have a girlfriend, and we are planning to get married soon.”

Qin Yuanshan frowned, staring at Jiang Yu: “As far as I know, you haven’t been dating anyone these past few years.”

“I just started recently. If you don’t believe me, Father, I can show you the marriage certificate in a while.” Jiang Yu looked directly at Qin Yuanshan, her response resolute.

Qin Yuanshan frowned, momentarily surprised. A man of his status was always good at tempting people with benefits: “What can she offer you? Marrying into the Han family means being a young mistress, living a wealthy and perfect life.”

Jiang Yu’s eyes flashed briefly. She registered the terms Qin Yuanshan offered for the alliance, but felt no emotional stirring.

A bright smile remained on her face, and her tone was neither humble nor overbearing: “Many things are more satisfying and fulfilling when you experience and achieve them yourself.”

“I assume you won’t make things difficult for me, Father.”

This hit a sore spot for Qin Yuanshan, who was very concerned with appearances. Since the conversation had reached this point, he couldn’t press the matter further.

He stood up, looking ready to leave, and added: “Think carefully. Sometimes, it’s not necessary to be so stubborn.”

“I understand.”

Jiang Yu stood up as well, walking with Qin Yuanshan to the door.

“Goodbye, Father.”

The door closed. Jiang Yu turned around, massaging her temples, and instructed Lin Yao, who was beside her: “Please compile a list of single women between the ages of twenty-five and thirty-five who are beautiful, intelligent, and need to get married.”

“Make it quick. Ideally, we should be able to finalize the marriage within a month.”

Lin Yao had worked with Jiang Yu for many years and was a highly competent assistant. She immediately responded: “Understood, I’ll have the list for you in two days.”

Jiang Yu nodded.

With the day’s work finished and Qin Yuanshan gone, she left the office and headed home to do her daily workout.

…

Everything was proceeding in an orderly fashion. Two days later, back in Jiang Yu’s office.

Lin Yao walked in, carrying a stack of A4 papers.

“Ms. Jiang, here is the compiled information. Please take a look.”

Jiang Yu looked up, realizing what Lin Yao had brought, and didn’t say much.

She put down her work and took the thick stack of papers, flipping through them casually.

She had a mild form of face blindness; to her, unfamiliar people, no matter how beautiful, often looked the same.

The date to return to Li City was set for late March, and she had many things to deal with before then. The contractual marriage was only to appease Qin Yuanshan. Jiang Yu didn’t want to spend too much energy on it, and since she trusted Lin Yao’s efficiency, she didn’t look closely. She simply pulled out one sheet at random and said, “Her, then.”

Lin Yao nodded: “Understood, Ms. Jiang. I’ll make the arrangements now.”

Lin Yao was quick and efficient, promptly arranging the chosen candidate for the contractual marriage.

…

The agreed-upon marriage registration was scheduled for the morning of the day Jiang Yu was due to fly to Li City.

To save time, Lin Yao had already taken the luggage to the airport. Jiang Yu was alone at the entrance of the Civil Affairs Bureau.

The time on her watch had just switched to nine o’clock in the morning.

It was the original agreed-upon time, but after Jiang Yu got out of the car and waited a while at the entrance, she didn’t see anyone resembling the person in the photo.

Her flight was at two in the afternoon; any more delay would jeopardize her schedule.

Jiang Yu took out her phone, about to message her assistant to ask what was going on, when she received a call from Lin Yao instead.

Lin Yao’s tone was anxious.

Jiang Yu’s eyebrows twitched fiercely twice, and she quietly listened to Lin Yao speak.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Jiang, there’s been a sudden situation…”

“I actually prepared a backup plan, but that person’s phone can’t be reached right now.”

…

The situation was quite simple: the agreed-upon marriage partner had backed out at the last minute, no longer wishing to go through with the contract marriage.

At this point, chasing the reasons for the change was pointless. It was just bad luck. Jiang Yu was used to facing challenges; she wouldn’t be stumped by a minor issue like this.

Her tone was calm: “If she backed out, she backed out. A contractual marriage is the same with anyone. I’ll just find another person.”

Though it might be slightly rushed and troublesome, the prenuptial agreement guaranteed that nothing could go seriously wrong.

Lin Yao, familiar with her boss’s temperament, apologized and quickly hung up the phone without further disturbance.

The entrance to the Civil Affairs Bureau was mostly full of couples, with only a few young girls passing by alone who looked like passers-by.

Jiang Yu took a deep breath, walked up to one, and politely began: “Hello, may I bother you for a moment?”

The young girl turned around, looking at Jiang Yu with confusion.

Jiang Yu knew her behavior was presumptuous right now, but her plane was taking off soon, and she had no time to waste. She went straight to the point, clearly explaining the situation’s cause and course, and concluding with: “Would you be willing to marry me? I will offer you a generous compensation.”

The young girl looked utterly disbelieving, pursed her lips, stared at Jiang Yu for a few seconds, and then walked away without hesitation.

Jiang Yu fell silent.

The refusal was expected, but she didn’t lose heart. She turned and continued to ask other young women nearby, but without exception, she was met with rejection.

This kind of thing was more difficult and troublesome than she had imagined.

Jiang Yu looked up, stretching her neck, and continued to scan the surroundings.

She had light blonde hair and was tall, making her stand out in the crowd. Jiang Yu noticed her instantly.

But they were a fair distance apart, so Jiang Yu hadn’t approached the woman yet.

As if sensing her gaze, the beautiful woman looked up, perfectly catching the source of the attention.

Their eyes met more clearly.

Jiang Yu saw that the owner of the golden hair had a pair of stunning icy blue eyes, deep and captivating. She was likely of mixed heritage, with delicate and striking facial features that appeared sharp and slightly aggressive at first glance. However, her complexion was gentle, possessing a profound classical charm, especially with her cool, fair skin, which made her look considerably softer and contributed to a calm and composed aura that didn’t feel unapproachable.

Under the beautiful woman’s gaze, Jiang Yu walked through the crowd and stopped in front of her, initiating the first conversation.

“Hello, are you busy right now?”

The woman didn’t speak but calmly looked at her. Her posture was relaxed and comfortable, not suggesting she was about to leave.

Jiang Yu paused: “The thing is, I came here today to get married, but my intended marriage partner had some sudden issues.”

She hesitated, reaching into her bag to pull out the agreement to show the woman.

At that moment, the woman spoke first, her tone calm and gentle, similar to her temperament.

She went straight to the point: “Are you suggesting you want to marry me?”