Chapter 1 — The Betrayal and Escape

Rain poured heavily over the small city, turning the streets cold and empty. Inside a tiny apartment, the sound of shouting echoed through the walls.

Nineteen-year-old Lin Yue stood frozen in the middle of the living room, her college bag slipping from her shoulder. Her eyes trembled as she looked at the woman she had called “Mother” her entire life.

“W-What did you just say…?” Yue whispered.

Her mother, Madam Zhao, crossed her arms coldly.

“You heard me correctly,” she snapped. “You are not my daughter.”

The world around Yue seemed to stop.

Madam Zhao pointed at her angrily. “I picked you up from the streets when you were a baby. You were abandoned like garbage! If I hadn’t brought you home, you would’ve died long ago.”

Yue’s lips trembled. Tears slowly filled her eyes.

“All these years…” she said softly, “I called you mother…”

Before she could finish, another girl walked down the stairs wearing expensive clothes and jewelry. She was Madam Zhao’s real daughter — Qing Qing.

Qing Qing smirked proudly.

“Mom, why are you wasting time explaining things to her?” she mocked. “She should feel grateful we even fed her.”

Yue looked at Qing Qing in disbelief.

“You knew…?”

“Of course I knew,” Qing Qing laughed. “And now it’s time for you to repay our kindness.”

Madam Zhao suddenly threw a contract onto the table.

“Tomorrow, you’ll marry Mr. Liu.”

Yue’s face turned pale.

“Mr. Liu? That old man is almost sixty!”

“So what?” Madam Zhao shouted. “He offered two million yuan! Our family debt will disappear after this marriage.”

Yue stepped back in horror.

“You’re selling me…?”

Qing Qing rolled her eyes. “Don’t act innocent. A poor orphan like you should be thankful someone even wants you.”

Yue clenched her fists tightly.

“No… I won’t do it.”

Madam Zhao’s expression darkened instantly.

“You don’t have a choice!”

She grabbed Yue’s arm harshly, but Yue pushed her away for the first time in her life.

“I spent years loving this family,” Yue cried. “I worked part-time jobs, cooked, cleaned, and obeyed everything you said… but to you, I was nothing more than a tool!”

For a moment, silence filled the room.

Then Madam Zhao slapped her hard across the face.

“Ungrateful girl!”

Yue held her burning cheek, tears falling endlessly.

At that moment, something inside her finally broke.

Without another word, she grabbed her bag and ran out into the storm.

“Stop her!” Madam Zhao screamed.

But Yue kept running.

The rain soaked her clothes as she ran through the dark streets, her heart full of pain and betrayal.

She didn’t know where to go anymore.

Suddenly—

SCREECH!

A black luxury car lost control near the roadside and crashed violently into a barrier.

Yue gasped.

People nearby panicked and ran away, afraid of getting involved.

But Yue rushed toward the car.

Inside, a handsome man in a black suit leaned weakly against the seat. Blood stained the corner of his lips, and his breathing was unstable.

His sharp eyes slowly opened.

“Help…” he whispered painfully.

Yue noticed his body burning with fever and poison.

“Oh my god…”

The man suddenly grabbed her wrist tightly.

“They betrayed me…” he murmured. “My third brother… poisoned me…”

Yue hesitated for only a second before helping him out of the car.

Far away, hidden in another vehicle, a man watched coldly.

The Third Young Master of the Song family narrowed his eyes.

“So he’s still alive…” he muttered darkly.

Back in the alley, Yue struggled to support the injured man.

“Stay awake!” she said anxiously.

The man looked at her blurry face under the rain.

For the first time in years, someone had chosen to save him instead of abandoning him.

“What’s your name…?” he asked weakly.

“Lin Yue.”

The man’s lips moved slowly.

“Song… Chen…”

Before Yue could respond, he collapsed into her arms unconscious.

Thunder roared across the sky.

And neither of them realized—

This accidental meeting would completely change both their lives forever.

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