Chapter 8

Chapter 8: 008 – Forcing Her to Submit?

Inside the van sat a richly dressed noble lady.

Madam Wang.

Qiao Qing Yan’s lips curved faintly. “Madam Wang…”

The driver and the assistant retreated without a word. As they closed the door, the outside noise vanished, leaving only the soft hum of the car and the woman’s perfume.

Madam Wang’s posture was even more upright than this morning, her confidence sharpened into arrogance.

“Miss Qiao,” she said smoothly, “can you reconsider my suggestion now?”

“You should know the Wang family isn’t easy to enter.” Her gaze swept over Qiao Qing Yan like an assessment. “This is your only chance to marry into a wealthy family.”

If not for her son’s insistence—swearing he’d marry no one but Qiao Qing Yan—Madam Wang would never have bothered to come in person.

Qiao Qing Yan smoothed the skirt pooling around her feet, unhurried. “Was this Wu Lan’s idea, or Madam Wang’s own idea?”

Her tone was almost conversational. “Aren’t you afraid the other ladies in your circle will laugh at you later?”

Marrying a female celebrity with a fresh romantic scandal into the family would be the kind of joke wealthy women fed on for years.

Madam Wang turned the bracelet on her wrist, the gems flashing. “As long as Miss Qiao is sensible, those messages will disappear immediately. The truth will surface as well.”

Qiao Qing Yan glanced out the window at another company van parked not far away.

She knew exactly who sat inside.

Wu Lan’s wishful thinking had gone sideways. Madam Wang was not anyone’s chess piece.

Wu Lan thought she could use Madam Wang to clear Xu Shu Jing’s name. She hadn’t realized Madam Wang didn’t even bother placing Xu Shu Jing on the board.

“Don’t worry, Miss Qiao.” Madam Wang smiled, as if offering mercy. “The Wang family keeps its promises. Not only will we let you leave the industry cleanly, we’ll also let you walk out of the entertainment world in glory—holding a trophy—and become a wealthy Madam.”

She leaned forward slightly, voice low, edged with certainty.

“Miss Qiao, think carefully. Before the award ceremony officially starts, give me your answer.”

Madam Wang left a business card on the seat and rose.

This time, she didn’t feel like she was negotiating.

She felt like she was collecting what she was owed.

The message was clear: as long as Qiao Qing Yan nodded—

Xu Shu Jing would be pushed back into the light.

And Qiao Qing Yan would still win an award tonight.

But did Beauty Qiao care?