A whirlwind marriage: The real heiress marries a warlord.

Ling Manyun was speechless.

She said, "How am I supposed to find out about Luo Qisheng?"

Then he asked Qin Yan, "Didn't he contact you?"

"We probably don't know how to face each other," Qin Yan said. "I feel incredibly pained when I see him, and so does he."

Ling Manyun pondered these words, then asked in surprise, "Your love is still this deep?"

Qin Yan: "Is this love?"

Ling Manyun: ?

"Perhaps it's because of the deaths of his mother and sister," Qin Yan said.

Ling Manyun: "That makes more sense. You yourself said last time that you don't have that many strong feelings."

When the two finished their meal and returned to the newspaper office, Du Zhuojun arrived.

Both Qin Yan and Ling Manyun were somewhat surprised.

Du Zhuojun did not bring any attendants this time.

She came alone.

"Mrs. Cheng, I'm here to formally declare war on you," Du Zhuojun said. "You not only bullied me, but you also poached my chief writer. This isn't over."

"Whom did I steal?"

"Don't think I don't know about you and Luo Qisheng," Du Zhuojun said. "You're already married, yet you're still so restless. I'm truly amazed by your behavior."

He then asked, "Is this how your mother taught you?"

She really wanted to say, "Your mother is a mistress herself, shameless, and she teaches you to seduce men like this?"

Qin Yan replied, "I don't have a mother, and no one taught me."

Du Zhuojun: "..."

Qin Yan's insults were far more vicious than Du Zhuojun's, leaving Du Zhuojun speechless for a moment.

Du Zhuojun's expression changed repeatedly, looking quite unpleasant.

"Last time, when I failed to poach your chief writer, you didn't hesitate to shoot me; now that Qi Sheng is gone because of you, should I shoot you too?" Du Zhuojun asked.

Qin Yan: "His resignation has nothing to do with me. Please remember that fact. But if you insist on declaring war, then bring it on."

Du Zhuojun sneered, "We'll see, Mrs. Cheng. All the underhanded tricks in this world will eventually be exposed. You won't be smug for long."

She turned and left.

Ling Manyun shouted loudly from behind, "Has this person lost her mind? Her newspaper is about to go bankrupt!"

Du Zhuojun was so angry that he wanted to turn back and argue a few more times.

She thought to herself, "I am a lady from a prestigious family, with both wealth and education. Why should I lower myself to the level of these vulgar shrewish women and ruin my own refinement?"

When jade clashes with a stone, only the jade will suffer the loss.

She strode away.

I was still seething with anger, so I went back to figure out a solution.

Qin Yan pondered for a moment.

Ling Manyun said, "She's planning to use dirty tricks on you."

Qin Yan nodded.

Definitely.

Du Zhuojun hated Qin Yan to death.

Ling Manyun added, "I really didn't expect her to dare come to my door. She slanders you everywhere, yet she blames you for not being willing to be slaughtered."

Qin Yan pondered.

After a moment of deep thought, Qin Yan said, "She was so frightened last time that she went crazy. And when she met me afterward, she seemed somewhat timid. Her coming to my door today doesn't seem so simple."

"You mean, she's already set a trap for you?"

"It might not just be her alone," Qin Yan said.

Ling Manyun's eyes widened in shock and anger: "The Du family wants to harm you?"

On second thought, it makes perfect sense.

Qin Yan wields considerable influence in the press. With her in charge, Chief Du can no longer control the press. He used to be able to.

The bond company's absconding with the money has severely damaged Chief Du's reputation. He probably sees himself as completely innocent, believing Qin Yan was behind it all.

"Du Rongfei wants to take control of the cabinet," Qin Yan said. "He has deep connections with the military, government, and business, and has invested heavily in these areas over the years. Once he controls the cabinet, even the most powerful firepower of the warlords will be suppressed by him."

Because there is more than one warlord in this world.

With Du Rongfei taking control of the cabinet, he could "legitimately" sow discord and use one warlord to attack another.

Just as rumors of "military disarmament" were circulating in the north, the three families in the south were restless. If it weren't for the fact that Governor Cheng and the Xiang family were related by marriage and had a close relationship, and that the Cheng family was geographically distant, they would have been suspicious of each other and started fighting each other.

Ling Manyun understood the same principles that Qin Yan understood.

"This Du, he's quite ambitious," Ling Manyun said.

Qin Yan: "In these chaotic times, he has a lot of money. This money, along with the Du family's prestige in Nancheng, allows him to thrive in the political arena, and he has indeed become arrogant."

"Is the Du family trying to destroy you?" Ling Manyun said. "Du Rongfei supported his daughter in buying the Nancheng Daily News because he wanted to control the mouthpiece and use it for his own purposes, to create momentum for him."

But you made a name for yourself with the Vernacular Times, disrupting his plans, while his daughter was really mediocre.

Recent events have shown him that his fears have come true: if the newspapers aren't in his hands, they'll fall into someone else's. You are a formidable rival.

Qin Yan nodded.

Ling Manyun: "Take more people with you when you go out these days. Cheng Tianxun arranged several adjutants for you before."

Qin Yan: "I understand, I will be careful."

He added, "Even if we guess correctly, Du Rongfei won't act rashly. This plan has only just begun."

"We were right!" Ling Manyun said. "Maybe he sent Du Zhuojun here just to lull you into a false sense of security, but he didn't expect to give you a heads-up."

Qin Yan nodded.

Before she could say anything more, Ling Manyun noticed that the clock on the wall showed two o'clock and said, "Let's get to work first."

Qin Yan: "..."

In a life-or-death situation, as long as you're alive, you have to put aside everything else and get to work.

Qin Yan and Ling Manyun said that things were going smoothly at the newspaper recently, so there was no need to worry and they would leave work promptly at 3:30 pm every day.

Even Ling Man-kwan herself was not allowed to linger at the newspaper office, in case of any accidents.

Qin Yan went home early.

That day, after Qin Yan finished work, he went downstairs and ran into Luo Qisheng.

He was still impeccably dressed. With his fair skin and good figure, he looked more refined than others no matter what he wore, further highlighting his fashionable and elegant demeanor.

"Qin Yan," he called to her.

Qin Yan instantly felt short of breath.

—Does it even matter whether you are innocent or not?

My mother and my sister died.

These words are like thorns.

What stung Qin Yan was not his words, but the truth.

Madam Luo was preparing a wedding dress for Qin Yan, and she was originally going to have a new life. She was very certain of this, feeling that she had put down roots.

Finally, it was uprooted.

Perhaps the pain was too intense, overshadowing the agony of being abandoned by the Lan family. When Qin Yan thought of the Lan family, it was as if there was a layer separating her memories.

She quickly got into her car.

She didn't want to gossip with Luo Qisheng.

Instead, Ling Manyun went downstairs and chatted with Luo Qisheng for a few words as she walked across the street.

"Do you know that Du Zhuojun and the Du family hate Qin Yan to death?" Ling Manyun asked him.

Luo Qisheng nodded: "I know."

"You've aided and abetted evil," Ling Manyun said. "You'll be punished."

"I have resigned."

"Then don't bother Qin Yan unless it's absolutely necessary. She's none of your business," Ling Manyun added. "She's doing very well now."

"She should have told me that herself," Luo Qisheng said. "I'm not trying to bother her, I just have something to tell her. But you can pass it on for me."

"What is it?"