Qi Yunan knelt by the edge of the cliff, her soul seemingly departed and her eyes devoid of light. She should have come out sooner. She shouldn't have insisted on that pointless engagement just to vent her spite. If she had been just a moment faster, Que Tang wouldn't have fallen before her eyes; she could have saved her.
When the Qi family bodyguards arrived, they found their young mistress kneeling alone at the precipice, a single step away from falling herself. Terrified, they rushed forward to pull her back to safety. As for the culprits who had pushed Que Tang, they saw that Qi Yunan’s reaction was entirely different from what they had anticipated; they had already fled in a panic while she was lost in her grief.
The next morning, a chilling atmosphere permeated the campus. The culprits, realizing they might have committed a grave error, had banded together in a pact of silence. To their surprise, the eldest miss of the Qi family showed no reaction at all, treating them with the same proximity as always.
"She was just a commoner; she cannot affect the relations between our families," Qi Yunan remarked with airy indifference. Her perfect features betrayed not a single flaw, leading the group to believe her. Soon, they returned to their old ways, following her lead as they always had.
However, within a few years, the family businesses of these individuals began to fail one by one. Malicious closures, bankruptcies, embezzlement, and criminal activities were exposed in rapid succession. For a time, the wealthy scions of the school were paralyzed with fear, never knowing when it would be their family's turn. Anyone with a discerning eye could see these events followed the same pattern, yet no one could discover who was pulling the strings.
During this time, Qi Yunan decided to study abroad. Ren Aotian intended to follow her.
"No, we both need to learn to stand on our own. If I am always at the same school as you, I fear I will become too dependent. I want to be able to hold my own. Only then can I truly stand by your side," Qi Yunan said, her back turned to him. Her expression was cold, yet her voice was tender and lingering as she rejected him.
Moved by her words, Ren Aotian stepped forward and embraced her from behind.
Qi Yunan suppressed the urge to shove him away.
Later, while in the United States, she used her own capital to establish an obscure little company alongside her studies. With her precise investment instincts, this small firm became one of the top five hundred enterprises in America within just a few years, gradually evolving into a powerful conglomerate through aggressive mergers.
The year Qi Yunan graduated with her Doctorate in Business Administration, she used this company as bait. She lured the Ren family into a massive international development project while simultaneously arranging for her own family to withdraw all capital from their joint ventures with the Rens, citing "irregularities" in the Ren family's conduct.
The sudden break in the capital chain was catastrophic. No matter how large the Ren family was, they couldn't possibly circulate enough cash to cover the gap. The family they thought would be their in-laws stood by and watched—or rather, they were the very architects of this predicament.
Because they could not raise the funds before the deadline, the Ren family defaulted on the international project, resulting in massive liquidated damages and a mountain of lawsuits.
In a high-rise office in the most expensive district of downtown New York, Qi Yunan had been standing by the window all night. Memories of the past flooded her mind. The face she thought would fade with time only grew more vivid. She reached out to touch the glass as if she were caressing someone’s cheek.
"Que Tang..." Qi Yunan murmured.
"Miss, there is no longer any liquid cash in any of the Ren family's public or hidden accounts. The massive penalties have left them breathless. All their projects and cases have ground to a halt. The Qi family just collaborated with outsiders to swallow their assets. We can declare the Ren family bankrupt at any moment." A man in black stood behind her, respectfully reporting the current situation.
Qi Yunan gazed at the fading darkness of the distant horizon. She spoke softly: "It is dawn. Let the Ren family fall into bankruptcy."
The man in black acknowledged her and left the office, thoughtfully closing the door behind him.
Qi Yunan remained alone, looking out the window. She had avenged Que Tang. But Que Tang would not come back.
No, there was still one way.
Qi Yunan’s eyes widened. She immediately turned and found a pair of scissors on her desk. Gripping them with both hands, she thrust them toward her heart without hesitation—[BEEP! To prevent minors from viewing, scenes that are too bloody, violent, or erotic are automatically censored]. In an instant, blood erupted from her chest like a fountain. Qi Yunan collapsed, her face pale, but a peaceful smile graced her lips before her consciousness faded.
*I’m coming to find you, Que Tang.*
Just as her eyes were about to close forever, a voice suddenly echoed in her ear:
"Hidden branch mission 'Capture the Heroine' initiated by the first world's female lead. Upon merging the soul fragments from the various missions the heroine completes hereafter, a new life may be obtained to start over. Meow~"
Qi Yunan’s eyes flew open. she opened her mouth to speak, but it was too late; she drew her final breath.
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Transmigrated as the Mary Sue: The Villainess's Revenge System | Chapter 6 | The Price of Loss | Novela.app | Novela.app
