Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
After some time, Qiao Zijin finally realized a flaw in that. She could never find him when she needed to. She didn’t think that it was a problem, but she started to figure out the reason.
Did that man prepare for this day to come from the beginning? She had been the one speaking to the media, so the government would only look for her if something went wrong. There was no way of finding out the mastermind.
It seemed like she had become the scapegoat of someone else. It was just like her mother, who would do anything in her place to get what she wanted.
There was clearly someone else who wanted to frame Qiao Nan, but he couldn’t do it himself. Thus, he took the opportunity to use her as a weapon against Qiao Nan. If anything went south, that man would stay hidden in the dark while she was the one under the spotlight.
Was she going to spend the rest of her life in prison? Qiao Zijin felt her legs go soft as she broke into a cold sweat.
Ding Jiayi had not told Qiao Zijin her address, but Qiao Zijin did get her number from Qiao Nan. At times of crisis, Qiao Zijin could only dial that number and seek help from Ding Jiayi. “Hello, Mom, it’s me. Mom, you have to help me. You can’t let Qiao Nan put me in jail. I’m still young. My future will be ruined if I end up in prison.”
She was over thirty, and she would turn forty if she stayed behind bars for a few years. She had a marriage with a daughter, and now she even had criminal records under her name. Would there still be a man that would marry her and treat her well?
Qiao Zijin suddenly realized that her life in the Zhou family was cozy and comfortable. It was like a dreamland where she had everything she needed. In comparison, she scrambled around every day for the past two weeks but couldn’t even get a single cent in return.
“What’s wrong?” Ding Jiayi paused. “I saw you appearing in magazines every day. Isn’t your life pretty glorious? Many say that you show up more frequently than some celebrities. Why are you going to prison all of a sudden?”
Ding Jiayi sounded a little jealous as she spoke.
Which woman wouldn’t want to live under the spotlight? Seeing reporters queuing up to interview Qiao Zijin every day had made her slightly envious.
If she weren’t living in the house that Qiao Nan provided and spending money that Qiao Nan gave, Ding Jiayi might have joined Qiao Zijin long ago. For now, Ding Jiayi didn’t dare to do so as she wasn’t sure if Qiao Zijin was going to come up on top.
“It’s gone. It’s ruined. Qiao Nan wants to destroy me forever. Mom, Qiao Nan is not going to let me off!” Qiao Zijin did think that she was living a glamorous life just a day ago. She wouldn’t have spent so much effort responding to reporters otherwise. However, just after a day, Qiao Zijin loathed those reporters and magazines. They sabotaged her.
“What happened?” Ding Jiayi could feel her heart beating rapidly. It seemed like her worry did come true in the end. She had known how ruthless Qiao Nan was years ago. Before Qiao Dongliang, Qiao Nan had never helped her out. It was like Qiao Nan wanted her to divorce him. Qiao Nan had never wanted her to live a good life.
If that’s how Qiao Nan would treat her mother, she would never go easy on her sister, Qiao Zijin. “Calm down and tell me everything.”
Ding Jiayi took a deep breath and pressed the cell phone against her ear. “Oh, I see. Is it… is it that bad? Does the government have the authority to arrest you? It’s not like you did anything against the law. You are Qiao Nan’s sister. Why would the government intervene with our family business?”
While Ding Jiayi blathered, she was pondering whether she would be locked up as well if she were the one that did the framing.
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It was an important question, for it would change how Ding Jiayi would approach Qiao Nan in the future.
Qiao Zijin started bawling. “How would I know if the government would step in? This is clearly between Qiao Nan and me. What does our family issue have to do with them? God knows what’s wrong with the government to mind our business. Don’t they know the difference?”
If she knew that the government would take care of Qiao Nan, she would have figured out other ways to reach her goals. At least, she wouldn’t have gotten herself so deep in trouble.
“What can you do now?” Ding Jiayi didn’t know what to do. Since the situation couldn’t be changed, it was better to think of a solution than crying over spilled milk.
The howling grew louder. “That’s the thing! I’m asking you because I don’t know what to do. Mom, you have to help me. You can’t watch me being put in jail by that heartless woman. I’m only over thirty. It won’t be hard to find a man. If I go to jail, no one would marry me when I’m out. Mom, do you want to take care of me for the rest of your life?”
She would have a husband to look after her, but that wouldn’t happen unless she was married. In that case, she could only follow her mother around for the rest of her life.
Ding Jiayi almost dropped the phone, terrified upon hearing those words. “There are so many people who had been in prison. It wouldn’t be that bad.”