Qian Peng reacted quickly, grabbing onto his assailant's hand. The knife in Lu Shu's hand was now only a few centimeters from his chest. Only then did Qian Peng realize—Uncle Lu truly wanted him dead.

He stared at him in disbelief.

"When you people used me back then, what did you say? And now you actually want to kill me?"

He had put his life on the line for them, served them loyally, and yet, in the end, he was thrown away like a pawn. What a joke.

"Orders from above. You can't blame me for this." Uncle Lu was old, after all, and couldn't match Qian Peng's strength.

Qian Peng shoved him aside, threw open the car door, and bolted.

By the time Uncle Lu chased after him, Qian Peng was already gone.

…

The day of the Little New Year* arrived.

Yvonne Sung and Eva Snow were about to get married.

It should have been a joyous occasion, but there wasn't a single happy face among the Snow family. The entire household was shrouded in a heavy, suffocating gloom.

The day before the ceremony, Eva Snow was in her room picking out a dress for the wedding toast. As she looked at the gown the servants brought, her face was clouded with resentment.

"What are these ghastly things? Not a single one is to my taste!"

It was already the fifth dress she'd tried on. No matter how luxurious the clothes, none of them seemed to suit her.

Faint scratch marks remained on her face from the last time Yana Quinn had clawed her. Looking in the mirror, a wave of anger welled up in her chest, and she vented it at the servants in a torrent of furious scolding.

Mandy Snow appeared in the doorway and, hearing the commotion, shooed the staff away.

"Tomorrow is your wedding day. Are you trying to make even more of a scene?"

On hearing her aunt's voice, Eva Snow spun around, a mocking smile on her face. "Did you come to laugh at me too, Aunt?"

"To laugh at you? Hmph." Mandy Snow sneered. "If I wanted to mock you, I wouldn't have come to your room. I could gossip about you with the other relatives behind your back. Wouldn't that be more satisfying?"

Eva Snow sat dejectedly on the edge of the bed, her face full of bitterness. "It's all that Lauren Shaw's fault. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't be like this. I could have married Yancy Shaw..."

"Just give up on that delusion! You think the Shen family is so easy to marry into? Every single one of them is a piece of work. I'm warning you right now, squash this idea for good."

Even someone as cautious as Mandy Snow was seen through by Yancy Shaw. Eva Snow used to think Yancy Shaw was just astute, but never realized how deeply he could hide his hand. In just over a month at the company, he rooted out every person Mandy Snow had planted over years.

His cunning could only be imagined.

Eva Snow was about to retort, but one glare from Mandy Snow—so much stricter than her own mother—made her swallow her words. She'd always been a little afraid of this aunt.

"Go pick a dress already. Tomorrow's your wedding, and you've already made enough of a spectacle. Or do you want to be the butt of everyone's jokes even more?"

Grudgingly, Eva Snow nodded her agreement.

Voices drifted up from downstairs—Yvonne Sung's parents had arrived. Standing on the balcony, Eva Snow watched as Yvonne Sung led his parents inside.

She curled her lips in a sneer, contempt gleaming in her eyes.

Zoe Carter greeted the Snow family with a fawning smile as she clung to Yvonne Sung's sleeve. "Yuche, this mansion is so much grander than our old home."

Ever since the Sung family went bankrupt, she'd followed Su De'an back to his hometown. She had been used to a rich lady's life, and after the bankruptcy, she harbored much resentment toward Su De'an, though she dared not voice it.

Now that Yvonne Sung was about to become the Snow family's son-in-law, it meant the Sus could reclaim their former glory. She couldn't wait to show off and make those who used to look down on her envious.

"Second Madam, the guests have arrived." The servant addressed the stately woman in front of her with great respect.

Fang Lin eyed the couple before her with icy pride. With a haughty tilt of her chin, she glanced at Yvonne Sung and asked, "Are these your parents?"

Before Yvonne Sung could answer, Zoe Carter eagerly beamed at Fang Lin. "In-laws, I'm Yuche's mother."

Her gaze swept covetously over Fang Lin as she hurriedly added, "Rest assured, once Yue marries into our family, I'll treat her like my own daughter. She'll never be mistreated."

"Who said my daughter is marrying into your family?" Fang Lin looked at her with disdain. As if she would willingly marry her precious daughter off to them — they should be grateful she even let them inside. What a farce.

Zoe Carter froze, confused. "Isn't Yuche marrying Eva Snow tomorrow? If you aren't sending your daughter to us, how are they supposed to get married?"

Fang Lin's scorn made Su De'an feel utterly humiliated. He'd once been a successful businessman worth millions, but now, after bankruptcy, he had to endure such treatment. He didn't even know where to put his face.

Yvonne Sung tugged on Zoe Carter's hand, quietly signaling her to keep quiet. "I'll explain when we get home."

He hadn't yet told them about moving into the Xue household as a live-in son-in-law, but from the looks of things, Su De'an was beginning to piece it together. He kept his silence.

Once inside the living room, Fang Lin seated herself on the sofa, radiating superiority.

Zoe Carter couldn't help but whisper resentfully, "So what if she's rich? It's not like we've never been wealthy! Look at that sharp-tongued shrew!"

She ground her teeth and muttered to herself: 'Just you wait. When your daughter marries into our family, I'll make her pay for this humiliation. Thinking about it cheered her up.'

Fang Lin took a slow sip of tea. "Yue is my only daughter. I don't want her to suffer—and she wants to stay by my side. So after the ceremony, she will live with the Snow family. She won't be going to the Su house."

On paper, it's a wedding, but in truth this arrangement was only to quiet the gossips. After today's fiasco, it would be tough for Eva Snow to marry well anyway—no decent family would want her now.

"But—how can a bride not move in with her husband's family?" Zoe Carter was clearly upset. Wasn't this just tramping all over the Sus? Snow family proposed the marriage, but gave them no respect—now even the wedding was a sham. Was this all just for show?

Having had enough, Fang Lin dropped her pretense, tears brimming in her eyes as she snapped, "You think I want this? If your son hadn’t ruined her, would my daughter have to marry him?"

So, she thought her daughter was a treasure, while her son was nothing?

Zoe Carter refused to back down. "What do you mean, ruined her? With her attitude, we wouldn’t even want her as a gift! The Snow family only bullies us because we Sus are too honest. Forget it—maybe this wedding isn't worth it anyway!"