When Yang Qing returned to her hometown, she happened to arrive during a bustling village festival.

The village square was filled with flowing banquets of over forty tables, creating a very lively atmosphere.

As the prettiest girl in the village and someone who had just returned from a prosperous metropolis, Yang Qing was naturally ushered to the main table.

"Allow me to toast you all first!" Yang Qing said, standing and raising her glass to the crowd.

Her graceful demeanor and composed poise, combined with her delicate features, left the young men of the village completely mesmerized. The elders at the main table gladly drank with her, exclaiming in admiration.

"My, how a girl blossoms by eighteen. Yang Qing, you're more beautiful than ever."

"I wonder which lucky young man will win her heart."

"Indeed! Does Yang Qing have a boyfriend? How about you let Auntie Li introduce you to a few?" the crowd chattered excitedly.

Yang Qing politely declined their offers, but inwardly, she was seething with resentment.

If it hadn't been for that disastrous setback because of Xu Ke in Tianhai, which left her with nowhere else to go, why would she have ever returned to her old home? Now, sitting at the main table and looking at the fawning expressions of the crowd, Yang Qing felt nauseated. These people actually wanted to introduce some village bumpkin to be her husband? They should take a look in a puddle and see what kind of ugly rejects they were proposing. Were they even worthy of her?

Yang Qing felt a pang of regret.

If she had succeeded with Sun Luo back then, she would be meeting Wong Ting abroad by now, wouldn't she? If it hadn't been for that bastard Xu Ke ruining her entire plan, how could she have ended up in this predicament? The more she thought about it, the deeper her resentment grew.

But on the surface, she still had to flash a sincere smile before the feast of food and wine. If she didn't present herself this way, how could she possibly gain control of the resources in this village?

That's right... Yang Qing's plan for returning was simple: get in the good graces of the village's powerful and wealthy families, use them to build up her own strength, and then return to Tianhai for revenge. Her first step was to market herself as a sophisticated woman from the city, one who possessed intelligence, beauty, and other assets these country folk lacked. In her eyes, conquering a beautiful, intelligent woman was a common goal for many of the nouveau riche who held power and wealth. As long as she successfully cultivated this image, how could she possibly worry about a lack of men falling at her feet? When that time came, she would have them in the palm of her hand, naturally reaping both power and wealth...

「...」

"Yang Qing," a pot-bellied middle-aged man at the table said with a smile, turning toward her. "My son, Qian Li, will be back soon. He's a finance major, too. You two should get acquainted when he's back."

He was very pleased. He had heard that Yang Qing was a top university graduate, beautiful, and came from a clean background—a perfect match for his son.

Once his son grew tired of fooling around with other women, he could marry Yang Qing. It was a perfect plan!

Seeing the middle-aged man speak, Yang Qing did not refuse as swiftly as she had the others. Instead, she acted a bit demure and seized the opportunity to build rapport. "You mean Qian Li? I think I remember going to school with him as kids, and we used to walk home together."

Yang Qing was secretly thrilled. This middle-aged man was Qian Du, the wealthiest tycoon in the village. For Qian Du himself to initiate a conversation with her just went to show how special her status here had become.

Seeing Qian Du talking to Yang Qing, the many matchmakers at the tables immediately looked disheartened.

This wasn't fun anymore!

Many others at the banquet who were interested in Yang Qing as a potential daughter-in-law also retreated. They knew they couldn't compete with a tycoon like Qian Du.

"Haha, then that makes you two childhood sweethearts!" Qian Du laughed heartily. "I heard from your father that you're a bank president in Tianhai, right?" he added, his eyes beaming at Yang Qing.

Yang Qing's heart skipped a beat, but she kept a composed expression. "Yes!"

After getting help from the Huang Family, she had regained her post, but it was still lower than Qi Tianming's former position. However, now that she was back in the village, she figured that if she didn't embellish her title, no one would be impressed. How else was she supposed to increase her own value?

"So, if you were doing so well as a bank president, why did you come back to the village?" Qian Du asked, a flicker in his eyes.

"Well," Yang Qing began with calm composure, "a senior executive's son at headquarters, a man named Xu Ke, tried to get aggressive with me. I couldn't stand it, so I slapped him... As a result, I was targeted, and they made it impossible for me to do my job properly. I was furious, but he's from a powerful family, and I was all alone with no way to fight back. After giving it some thought, I felt I had no choice but to come back."

As she finished speaking, angry murmurs erupted from the crowd.

"Wow, how can those city people be so vile?"

"They even persecuted you?"

"Seriously! How dare they mess with someone from our village? Are they looking for death?!"

The raw indignation was palpable as everyone cried foul on her behalf.

"It's okay, I'm tired anyway," Yang Qing said quickly. "I may not have earned a lot, but it's enough to buy my parents a house and a car. We'll be able to live a quiet life as a family of three, and that's all that matters. I've also thought about it, and maybe my skills just weren't a match for a city like Tianhai. So I decided to put all that behind me and come home to be with my parents."

She had prepared this excuse long ago. Claiming she was forced to return after being harassed wouldn't make people think she'd been driven out of Tianhai. Instead, it would paint her as a capable victim who had been crushed by the powerful. This would only earn her more sympathy.

When the others heard that even after such a terrible ordeal, Yang Qing could still afford to buy a house and a car for her parents, they were stunned. "Incredible!"

"Now that's what I call talent! To be able to buy a house and car even after being persecuted like that!"

"She's so much better than that good-for-nothing son of mine!"

"Marry a woman like that into the family, and just imagine how much sharper and more capable your descendants would be!"

Hearing this, Qian Du's eyes narrowed into a smile.

Perfect. This was exactly what he wanted. She was a former manager with experience, and she had already settled down with no ambition to fight her way back to the top. She would make the perfect supportive wife. Plus, Yang Qing was beautiful; she could certainly improve the Qian Family's gene pool...

"In that case, Yang Qing," Qian Du said, making a snap decision. "I was wondering if you're free. When that boy Qian Li gets back tomorrow, I'll have him take you abroad so you two can get to know each other. You can take him to Wall Street, teach him the practical applications of his financial knowledge, and broaden his horizons. Get him to stop relying on textbooks and gain some real-world experience. In return, Qian Li can show you the local sights and help you unwind. You can forget all about that garbage and those trashy people from Tianhai."

A trip abroad was surely the best way to foster a relationship, Qian Du thought. Besides, it was a good chance for Qian Li to sound her out. If there was something off about Yang Qing, a single trip would bring it to light. This kind of test was expensive, but he had more money than he knew what to do with! Of course, he could offer to help Yang Qing deal with her enemies in Tianhai, but wouldn't that just be pushing his future daughter-in-law away? If he succeeded, wouldn't she just go right back to Tianhai? Qian Du was no fool!

Hearing his offer, everyone else at the table fell silent. Money really did let you do whatever you want!

Seeing her chance, Yang Qing immediately adopted a demure attitude. "Uncle, I think it would be fine just to get acquainted here in the village. Brother Li just got back from overseas; there's no need for him to go running abroad again. Besides, a trip like that would be so expensive."