A whirlwind marriage: The real heiress marries a warlord.

After the ball, Ling Manyun found Lin Zi.

"Lin Zi, can you give me a ride in your car?" she said.

Lin Zi glanced at Qin Yao, who was following closely beside her, and immediately agreed: "Okay."

He added, "Young Marshal Qin, my elder brother seems to have something to say to you. Why don't you go and talk to him?"

When she mentioned the word "elder brother," her tone was different from usual, and it always felt like she was deliberately emphasizing it.

Qin Yao glanced at Ling Manyun and nodded: "I'll be back later."

Lin Zi's car set off.

"He also lives in my cousin's small mansion, under the same roof as you?" Lin Zi asked Ling Manjun.

"No, he's staying at Luo Qisheng's house temporarily. If he insists on staying, I'll move out," Ling Manyun said.

Lin Zi: "He's very clingy."

He then said, "Do you have a solution? Why don't you ask my cousin-in-law for help?"

Ling Manyun knew that the relationship between the three warlords in the south was intricate and complex. A single mishanded pulling of the fishing line could cause the entire fishing net to collapse.

She didn't want to be that "loose thread," inconspicuous but unintentionally causing a major disaster.

"I already have a plan, don't worry," Ling Manyun said.

In Lin Zi's eyes, her cousin-in-law is very capable, and Miss Ling is equally sophisticated. They are both career women, people that Lin Zi looks up to.

Ling Manyun said she knew the answer, so Lin Zi didn't ask any more questions.

"...Do you think I should go abroad?" Lin Zi suddenly asked Ling Manyun. "Would my future sister-in-law mind?"

"Does the Xiang family know about your situation?" Ling Manyun asked.

"Know."

"If Young Master Xiang doesn't tell his future wife, that's his fault. Some things should be made clear earlier."

His wife was able to marry him because they were well-matched in terms of social standing, and she had ways to find out the secrets of the Xiang family, especially since your matter didn't cross any lines.

"If she minded, she shouldn't have married into the family; if she had no choice, she should understand that you're in a similar predicament. In short, it's not your fault," Ling Manyun said.

Lin Zi felt slightly relieved, yet her heart sank even further.

Ling Manyun added, "This is the ideal scenario. But if anything goes wrong with Young Master Xiang's marriage in the future, everyone will blame you."

Lin Zi suddenly turned her head: "Why?"

You just said it wasn't my fault, that it wasn't my fault.

"Because it's the easiest and costless way to take out your anger on you. Neither you nor your parents have any standing in the Xiang family," Ling Manyun said.

Lin Zi's face turned pale and then even paler.

"Young Master Xiang may have considered this point. Even if he protects you with all his might in the future, you will still suffer because of him," Ling Manyun added. "That's why he suggested you leave."

Lin Zi remained silent.

"You can choose to go abroad, or you can choose to get married. In short, you are no longer suitable to stay in the Xiang family mansion," Ling Manyun said.

It wasn't for anyone else, but because "a wise man does not stand under a dangerous wall."

Don't bother arguing about why this wall had to be thrown at her.

It's pointless to argue with established facts; getting entangled with them only leads to further losses. The only way out is to avoid them.

"You know that Young Master Xiang is not only an adopted son, but also a subordinate, right? He is the heir of the Xiang family. If he opposes, he is not only defying his father, but also military orders."

Everyone says military orders are absolute. He's not even their biological son; he's betrayed the kindness of his parents. How will he survive in this society? It's tantamount to suicide. This world is so chaotic; if he chooses to take his own life, what can he give you or protect you from?" Ling Manyun added.

Xiang Cenyan is in a situation where no matter what he does, it's wrong.

He is bound to let one side down.

Lin Zi remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "I know. I shouldn't have liked him."

"I shouldn't have liked Qin Yao either," Ling Manyun said.

The two remained silent.

As the car passed a small mansion, Ling Manyun suddenly said to the driver, "Stop the car. Stop in the shade of the trees up ahead."

The driver stopped.

Ling Manyun looked back and saw Du Zhuojun, and apparently another young woman as well. The two of them entered a small mansion.

She called for the car to stop because the small mansion looked familiar.

Last year, a reporter photographed Cheng Tianxun having a secret rendezvous with Du Zhuojun late at night, right in this small mansion!

She wanted to publish it at the time, but Qin Yan disagreed and told the reporter to sell it to other newspapers to earn some pocket money.

"That's Lan Muhe," Lin Zi said.

A moment later, someone else went in.

It was Cheng Tianxun.

Why is he here?

Does he secretly have an affair with Du Zhuojun?

Ling Manyun frowned, and then heard Lin Zi say, "Cheng Laosan has come to join in the fun too."

"Who?"

"Cheng Tianyu, the one who just went in," Lin Zi said.

"But he looks like Cheng Tianxun."

Lin Zi's eyes widened: "Aren't you always so wise? How could you mistake this?"

Cheng Laosan doesn't resemble her second brother at all, not even a hair on his head. How could she mistake him for her second brother?

Does he even deserve it?

When the second brother heard this, he was so angry that he wanted to beat up both Miss Ling and Cheng Tianyu.

"Lin Zi, do you know the address of this little mansion? Let's find out who the owner is later," Ling Manyun said.

Xiang Linzi knew.

Ling Manyun thought to herself, "Luckily it wasn't published last time, otherwise Young Marshal Cheng would have wiped them out for spreading such a huge rumor about him."

Fortunately, Qin Yan wasn't allowed to question him, otherwise his wife would have mistaken his back view, and he would probably have been at a disadvantage in future arguments.

This is because Ling Manyun misled Qin Yan, and the reporter also misled Ling Manyun.

She broke out in a cold sweat.

The two brothers have similar builds and somewhat similar profiles, so people who aren't particularly familiar with them would often mistake them for each other.

While she was thinking about this, Xiang Linzi suddenly thought of Lan Muhe.

"She and Du Zhuojun, those two cousins, don't get along very well. Why are they out together at night? Oh right, who said Lan Muhe went to Gangcheng last time?" Lin Zi wondered.

Lan Muhe has indeed returned.

After disembarking, the second concubine of the Cheng family sent someone to pick her up.

She met with the second concubine, and surprisingly, Du Zhuojun was also present. She disliked Du Zhuojun quite a bit and couldn't be bothered to talk to her.

When Lan Muhe returned to the Lan family, she went directly to her parents' courtyard.

Only Mrs. Lan was at home.

She was in the small reception room, meeting with three trusted stewards to discuss matters concerning the Du family and Du Rongfei. Her expression was not very pleasant.

When she saw her return, Madam Lan felt that she was completely unfamiliar with her, as if she were not her own child at all—she had never felt this way even when she was separated from her other children for a long time.

Lan Zheng had been abroad for several years. When he returned, Madam Lan only felt that he had changed a bit, that he was fairer and thinner, but she didn't think, "Who is this person?"

Madam Lan dared not reveal her thoughts, and immediately smiled: "Mu He is back?"

In front of all the managers, Lan Muhe angrily questioned Madam Lan: "Mother, I've been trapped in Hong Kong for almost three months, and you don't care about me at all, as if I just came back from shopping?"

Madam Lan was slightly taken aback.

Lan Muhe showed no respect to Madam Lan whatsoever.

Even Lan Changming wouldn't dare to do that.

The stewards lowered their heads, holding their breath. Madam Lan's anger surged instantly, but she clenched her fingers tightly and suppressed it.

"You may all leave now," she said to her steward.

The stewards left, and Madam Lan closed the door to the reception room.

Her face darkened: "Mu He, you have absolutely no manners!"

"You don't care about me, and you're even blaming me." Lan Muhe's face was even darker than hers. "Mom, why do you have to hate me?"

Mrs. Lan was speechless for a moment.

"You're even wary of your own daughter, that's incredibly foolish." Lan Muhe was morally superior and more confident. "If I were to argue with you, do you think my father, my brothers, or even the rest of the family would be on my side?"

Mrs. Lan took a deep breath.

They are mother and daughter, not enemies.

Once they start arguing, it's just a domestic matter, of course.

As for which side her family members took, Mrs. Lan didn't really care.

"Why are you throwing a tantrum again?" Madam Lan tried to remain calm. "Just tell me what's wrong."