National Heartthrob Falls in Love with Me

"All right, we're all family here, sisters at that. It's not like 'Qiao' can be written in any different way, so why the rush to anger?" Fang Xiaoxia said. "Xiao Xia, I wanted to talk to you about something today, too. Can you destroy the photos you took last night?"

"Aunt Fang, you..." Qiao Xia's heart sank to the bottom. She actually knew about it, and she was implicit too?

Qiao Lan became confident and arrogant once more, looking down at Qiao Xia. Indeed, thirty years for the east river bank and thirty for the west, the saying couldn't be truer. Even if she couldn't compete with the Qiao Xia and Qiao Dong sisters in her childhood, what did it matter now? Qiao Dong was dead, and Qiao Xia had gone from being the young miss of the Qiao family to a nobody, while she was now the young miss.

What right did Qiao Xia have to possess a man as outstanding as Li Hui anymore?

"The matter between Ah Hui and Xiao Lan, she has told me all about it. Their mutual affection led them to lose control, which is understandable. If your photos are released, it would ruin Ah Hui's image and our Li family's reputation," Fang Xiaoxia said. "A melon forced off its vine is not sweet; you understand this principle too. You and Ah Hui were childhood sweethearts, but that's all in the past now, and today, you're no longer a match for Ah Hui."

As she spoke these words, Fang Xiaoxia also released the resentment that had been hidden in her heart for twenty years.

She and Qiao Xia's Mother were college classmates, she knew Father Qiao first and had feelings for him, but she felt she wasn't good enough and didn't dare to confess. Qiao Xia's Mother was her good friend, and she often brought her out to play. Over time, Qiao Xia's parents unexpectedly developed feelings for each other. She was both anxious and angry then, wanting to sever ties with Qiao Xia's Mother.

In her heart, Qiao Xia's Mother had always been a 'green tea bitch', someone who stole her boyfriend.

She always believed that Father Qiao chose Qiao Xia's Mother because of her decent family background, which meant marrying her would have spared him ten years of struggle.

Now, she could finally tell Qiao Xia, you're not worthy of my son.

Li Ying, your daughter is not good enough for my son.

Qiao Xia felt as though her heart was being torn apart. Was this what Li Hui meant?

More than a decade of feelings, just ended by saying she's not good enough?

When she was the young miss of the Qiao family, why didn't you, Aunt Fang, say she wasn't good enough?

Who exactly does Li Hui want to marry, someone he truly loves, or the young miss of the Qiao family? Now that her parents have passed away and the inheritance has been taken by her uncle, she's lost everything. Is she not good enough anymore?

"Xiao Xia, don't blame your aunt for being blunt. If you married Ah Hui and people asked what my daughter-in-law does, what her family background is, how could I proudly tell them that my daughter-in-law is a paparazzi with no family background? That would be a disgrace to our Li family," Fang Xiaoxia said with seeming helplessness. "Reality is cruel. In the past years, you were young, and I didn't want to say it, but now you've grown up and should accept reality."

"Is this Li Hui's intention?"

Fang Xiaoxia said, "This is the unanimous decision of our family. You and Ah Hui, you're just not suited for each other, not of the same social circle. Breaking up after a relationship is no big deal; those old customs of childhood betrothals are long outdated."

"Aunt Fang, if my parents were still alive and Qiao's company was still ours, would you still say the same thing?" Tears filled Qiao Xia's eyes.

Struck at the heart of the issue, Fang Xiaoxia became angry and ashamed: "You know that's just a hypothetical. The reality is, your parents are long gone, you're an orphan, and you still think about entering my Li family's door?"

She paused, realizing her reaction was too intense, and continued lightly, "Having self-awareness is valuable, and it spares you from being despised by others. Think about the situation with the photos yourself, unless you want to lose your job as well."

After Fang Xiaoxia left, Qiao Lan looked at Qiao Xia triumphantly: "Did you hear what Aunt Fang said? Hand over the photos, because if they're exposed, the Li family won't let you off, and you won't be able to stay at the company. I know you took those photos to threaten me, but let me tell you, I won't be intimidated by you."

Qiao Xia remained indifferent, it seemed as though all her tears had been shed the previous night.

Why are they so aggressive?

She had already let go of everything and didn't care about anything; she just wanted to create a warm little home with Li Hui, yet they still had to be so relentless.

"Qiao Lan, you feel triumphant, don't you? You always take what's mine; you're so childish." Ever since they had moved into the ancestral home, whatever was hers, Qiao Lan would take: her toys, her beautiful watch, her clothes. Now, even her boyfriend was being taken by Qiao Lan.

"Don't flatter yourself, what do I have that you think I would envy? Li Hui doesn't love you anymore; he likes me now. Don't you see your status? A toad lusting after a swan's flesh."

Qiao Xia smiled brightly: "We are the Qiao family's daughters; if I'm the toad, what does that make you?"

"You..." Qiao Lan was overcome with frustration, glaring at Qiao Xia. "You're just a woman who was dumped, and I can't be bothered to argue with you. The fortune teller was right—the two hundred-year-old ancestral home really does have spiritual energy, prosperous for its owners and their wealth. And now you're nothing more than a nobody, how can you even compare to me?"

She strode off in her high heels, full of pride.

Qiao Lan's words reminded her of the legend surrounding the Qiao family's ancestral home.

The Qiao family ancestral home had stood for over two hundred years and was said to be located on a spot with excellent feng shui, especially propitious for the prosperity and wealth of its owners. Anyone who owned this house was said to gain endless wealth.

The Qiao family ancestors came into possession of the house over a hundred years ago and had prospered from then on. During the Cultural Revolution period, the house was appropriated for public use, causing the Qiao family's decline until Mr. Qiao's high school years when the house was returned to their possession.

From then on, the Qiao family's fortunes slowly began to rise again.

Anyone who had ever owned the house had been very wealthy and esteemed.

Qiao Xia had never believed in any of this, always maintaining that it was her parents' hard work that changed the Qiao family's fortunes.

Now Qiao Lan brought it up again, and she suddenly realized—was this why her uncle and aunt had tried so hard to drive her out of the ancestral home, fearing she would take advantage of the house's good feng shui? How ludicrous.

She really had nothing left now, did she?