A whirlwind marriage: The real heiress marries a warlord.

Qin Yan unintentionally ran into the Lan family.

No matter what Madam Lan said, Qin Yan felt awkward.

She arrived at the newspaper office, but Ling Manyun did not come.

She called to the junior clerk and asked, "Have you seen Miss Ling?"

Miss Ling arrives at the newspaper office at eight o'clock every day and is never late.

"I didn't see him," the junior clerk said. "It was Chief Editor Ge who opened the door this morning."

Qin Yan stood up.

Qin Yan decided to go and check on Ling Manyun's apartment since there was no telephone.

She had just come downstairs when Ling Manyun rushed over. She was so flustered that her hair wasn't even properly combed.

"...Are you going out?" she asked Qin Yan.

Qin Yan: "I was about to go find you. What happened?"

"I'll talk to you during lunch, but I need to get to work first," Ling Manyun said.

The two went upstairs together.

Nothing much happened in the morning, and Qin Yan quickly finished his work. He then invited Ling Manyun to have lunch at a small restaurant at the end of the street.

"I talked with Qin Yao last night," Ling Manyun said.

Qin Yao waited outside Ling Manyun's residence for several days in a row.

He didn't speak or visit anyone. He would park his car under a tree on the street and sit there alone for hours before leaving late at night.

Ling Manyun went downstairs at nine o'clock last night.

She knocked on his car window.

"Would you like to find a place to talk?" she asked.

Qin Yao said, "I thought you didn't want to talk. I didn't mean to coerce you."

"You always sit here like a lost soul; the neighbors have something to say about you," Ling Manyun said.

Then I asked him, "Where would you like to talk? A coffee shop or a bookstore?"

Qin Yao said, "I'd like to visit your home."

Ling Manyun led him upstairs.

There was cooking going on in the hallway on the first floor. Dinner time had just passed, and there was still a lingering smell of smoke and food, mixed with the musty smell in the hallway. It was a warm yet pungent odor.

As they walked upstairs, a neighbor had strung up a rope to hang diapers, which were almost touching Qin Yao's face.

Ling Manyun said to him from the shadows, "Lower your body a little."

He went up to the third floor with her.

The house looked dilapidated and messy from the outside, but the small apartment was very clean. The walls were whitewashed, the floor was clean, the furniture was brand new, and the doors and windows were new, as they had been specially replaced.

Qin Yao looked around.

"Is the rent expensive?"

"No rent required. This is an apartment Qin Yan bought when she first arrived in Nancheng. It has two rooms, and I stayed with her after I came. She moved out after she got married," Ling Manyun said.

"She actually lives in a place like this?"

Qin Yan is quite wealthy.

She worked as a hitman in Guangzhou and the port city for a period of time.

I heard that she took a sum of money with her when she went south, which she hid very well and never lost; plus the income she earned over the years.

A decent mansion would cost three or four thousand silver dollars, which Qin Yan could afford.

"If you shout here, all the neighbors will come out to see what's going on. Every house is full of people, making it the safest place for a young woman," Ling Manyun said.

Although the apartment was old and run-down, it was not far from Hongxia Road, in a relatively bustling area of ​​the southern part of the city, and the price was not low.

The people who live here are not idle; most of them are diligent, hardworking, and ambitious.

"...I didn't consider that aspect," Qin Yao said.

Ling Manyun: "You've probably never lived in such a run-down place before."

"Back then, my father was defeated in battle and fled. My mother, younger brother and sister-in-law and I lived in a fishing village, where the environment was much worse than this," Qin Yao said.

He added, "On the contrary, you, born into wealth and with your ancestors possessing mountains of gold and silver since the previous dynasty, are able to endure such hardship."

Ling Manyun: "Before I came to Nancheng, I had never experienced financial hardship. But the Ling family has many children and grandchildren. In my large mansion, there are more than thirty cousins. We had to fight for everything. It was tough, and I was exhausted. It's hard to say which was more difficult."

After saying that, they both fell silent.

Ling Manyun poured him a glass of warm water and asked him to sit down on the narrow sofa.

Qin Yao said, "We've been engaged for four years and have never talked about these things. You're a rich heiress born with a silver spoon in your mouth, and I'm a powerful young marshal."

Ling Manyun nodded.

Qin Yao: "I went out to sea with fishermen when I was only twelve years old. I supported my mother, younger brother and sister, a family of six, with that meager income. I lived like that for two years."

She added, "My mother was in poor health during that period, and it was Aying's parents who took care of her."

Ling Manyun remained silent.

Qin Yao adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and remained silent.

After a long silence, Ling Manyun said, "I grew up in the Ling family, and no one understands better than me that 'human affairs are not simply black and white,' and that human relationships are even more complicated."

I understand your family's situation. But I don't want this kind of marriage. You're not wrong, your mother isn't wrong, and that girl is even more innocent. Everyone has their reasons, their own circumstances. I don't blame you.

"Are you coming back with me?"

Ling Manyun shook her head firmly: "I don't like you anymore, and I will not marry you."

Qin Yao tightened his grip on the cup slightly.

He raised his eyes, his gaze flickered slightly, then fell silent again: "The Ling family will not agree. Manjun, resistance is futile; they will find you sooner or later."

"I will not resist," Ling Manyun said. "The Ling family wants to form a marriage alliance with the warlord family, and I am the most clever among the granddaughters. My grandparents value me the most."

If the Qin family isn't there, there's the Cheng family, the Xiang family; further north, there are other prominent families. Warlords come and go, but powerful clans remain. My enemy has never been you, and my husband may not be you either.

Qin Yao slammed his teacup down.

Ling Manyun raised her face in a defiant manner: "You don't believe me? Qin Yan married Cheng Tianxun. With that connection, I have connections to marry well."

She was later pinned down on the sofa by Qin Yao.

They had kissed several times, but none of them had been as intense as this. Qin Yao felt as if he were tearing at her, wanting to devour her.

He threw his glasses aside.

Ling Manyun noticed for the first time how dark and bright his eyes were. They were so dark that they gave him an exceptionally authoritative air when he looked at people.

The previous kisses were just light, gentle touches on the lips.

Ling Manyun thought he was being polite. Now, looking back, it was just him being perfunctory. He didn't even take off his glasses on those occasions.

"You used to like me." Qin Yao's voice was low, his anger hidden in his eyes.

"I don't like it now."

"No!" he said. "Don't force me to use underhanded tactics against you, Manjun. If you say that again, I won't let you off easily!"

"You're asking for too much." Ling Manyun's restrained anger also erupted. "You want beautiful wives and concubines, you want a military-business alliance, you want to live up to past favors and meet worldly expectations."

Not only that, you also need my sincere heart. You're too greedy; you want everything.

"Yes."

"You can't catch Qin Yao," Ling Manyun said.

"Why don't you give it a try?"

His face was expressionless, but a tear fell onto Ling Manyun's cheek. "Manjun, a fishing net falls apart if one line breaks. To make a living, you have to hold on to everything; you can't let go of anything."

Ling Manyun seemed to have been burned.

She let the tear slide down her cheek.

However, her voice softened considerably: "Of all the things you want to hold onto, I am the least important."

She added, "There are many girls of marriageable age in the Ling family, and many of my cousins ​​are beautiful and obedient; as for sincerity, that Miss Liang has it too, but is even more genuine. Don't waste my time."