Chapter 5

Early Monday morning, I took the money Wendy had given me to school, planning to sneak out during the long break between classes when no one would notice. I needed to go to a brokerage firm to open an account.

But just as I had ridden my bike a short distance from the school gates, a figure suddenly darted out from an alley ahead.

The person swung a spiked wooden club at me. I hurriedly tried to dodge but fell off my bike, hitting the ground hard.

Ignoring the pain, I clutched my backpack protectively. It contained all the money Wendy had given me.

A pair of shiny designer shoes appeared in front of me. Looking up, I saw a round face leering down at me with a malicious grin.

I recognized him.

He was Quincy Young, my sister's husband in her past life.

Quincy had been Yvonne's devoted lapdog since middle school.

He was a rich kid whose father did business down south. While the rest of us were still wearing drab school uniforms and cheap sneakers, Quincy could rattle off the names of luxury foreign brands.

Quincy had pursued Yvonne for many years. Yvonne found Quincy's looks distasteful, but she couldn't give up his wealth. So throughout her teenage years, she strung him along hot and cold, keeping him as her number one backup plan.

Later when Yvonne got older and hadn't found a better man, she ended up marrying Quincy.

Who knew that soon after the wedding, Quincy's family would go bankrupt. Yvonne, who had invested with them, was also implicated. The whole family became deadbeats who couldn't even take the high-speed rail.

But no matter how down on his luck the future Quincy would be, right now he was still that arrogant young master from a prominent family, someone not to be trifled with.

So I hugged my backpack tightly and carefully inched backwards, not wanting to provoke a direct confrontation.

But Quincy wouldn't let me go.

He kicked my face with the toe of his shoe, sneering: "Yvonne's always telling me what a dishonest little bitch her sister is. Looks like I caught you red-handed - sneaking out of school like this, what are you up to?"

I said quietly: "Just buying some things."

"Buying things?" Quincy laughed.

His smile suddenly vanished as he roughly grabbed the strap of my backpack, dumping out all the contents.

Pencil case, books, and papers scattered on the ground. An envelope fell out with them.

I tried to grab it, but Quincy was quicker, snatching up the envelope.

"Well well, look at all this cash," Quincy said, waving the bills. "What exactly are you buying? Wedding candy for your sister and me?"

He pocketed the envelope and said coldly: "Don't think I don't know. Yvonne told me all about how you're so vain and jealous of her that you'd even become someone's mistress just to buy pretty dresses. So, did you steal this money or con someone out of it? I'm telling Yvonne."

Quincy kicked me into the corner of the wall. As dust flew up, making me cough, my mind suddenly became clear.

Quincy had followed me on Yvonne's orders.

She had been reborn along with me. Even though she'd already snatched Zack, she still didn't trust me. So she sent her lapdog Quincy to keep tabs on me.

But that wasn't the important part.

The key was what Quincy had inadvertently said just now.

"Wedding candy for your sister and me."

I suddenly burst out laughing.

Perfect.

Quincy clearly didn't know that my sister was already with Zack.

Come to think of it, he still had value to Yvonne. If she told Quincy she was engaged to someone else, how could he still be useful to her?

Quincy had been about to leave, but seeing me smile, he frowned: "What are you laughing at?"

My smile grew even brighter: "I'm just happy for my sister."

"You love her so much, always protecting her. I'm sure I'll have a great brother-in-law soon." I said softly. "I can't wait for you two to get married."

This was music to Quincy's ears.

His expression softened, though he still eyed me suspiciously: "Saying nice things now to get me to let you off the hook?"

"You don't need to let me off. I haven't done anything wrong," I said, standing up and brushing the dirt off myself. "This money is from my cousin's wife. She heard about my sister's happy news and wanted me to buy some gifts for her."

Quincy's expression suddenly changed. He frowned: "What happy news?"

I feigned confusion: "I'm not sure either,, but I heard our parents say they're planning to arrange an engagement for my sister before she goes to college. After all, in our hometown where everyone knows each other, childhood sweethearts are better than risking her getting tricked by some bad guy in the big city."

I studied Quincy's expression, then smiled: "Silly, haven't you figured it out yet?"

Quincy looked bewildered: "Figured out what?"

"The one my sister's engaged to must be you, of course," I said with a smile. "Think about it - everyone knows you like my sister. My parents mentioned childhood sweethearts, so out of all the guys around here, who could be a better match for my sister than you?"

Quincy's face lit up, but he still hesitated: "Why hasn't Yvonne ever mentioned this to me?"

I chided him: "My sister's shy, of course she'd be embarrassed to say it. But she should tell you in the next few days - oh, I've often seen her running to that little grove behind the school lately. She must be preparing some surprise for you."

Quincy's lovesick brain went into overdrive: "Really?"

"Why don't you go see for yourself?"

I held out my hand to Quincy: "Give me back the money. I still need to pick out a dress for my sister - brother-in-law, do you prefer pink or blue? I'll choose based on your taste."

One "brother-in-law" was enough to make Quincy's heart soar. Without thinking, he slapped the envelope into my palm: "Pink!"

With that, he took off running towards the school.

He must have been eager to see what surprise Yvonne had prepared for him.

I smiled and got on my bike, whistling cheerfully.

This surprise... would surely be unforgettable for Quincy.

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