Chapter 12: She Can’t Do Without Me
Knowing full well that Wei Xifeng’s actions were deliberately meant to make her jealous, Qiao Yiran still felt a wave of discomfort welling up inside her.
She bit her lip hard, though even if he had really bought her something, she wouldn’t necessarily have cared.
She had long grown tired of such superficial things.
Only Jiang Liwu, who had never possessed any of these, could be so desperate.
What surprised Qiao Yiran even more was that Jiang Liwu was unharmed.
She stood there perfectly fine, full of vigor, exuding both presence and charisma.
But hadn’t Wei Xifeng suffered an episode? What exactly had happened afterward?
Wei Xifeng instructed his bodyguards to move all of Jiang Liwu’s belongings into the other master bedroom closest to his own.
Before Wei Xifeng and Jiang Liwu returned, Uncle Wang had already ordered that this master bedroom be cleaned and prepared.
Jiang Liwu felt indifferent about changing rooms. She had been temporarily placed in the guest room before, but had never actually slept there, so she didn’t have the sense of unfamiliarity with the bed.
Qiao Yiran, however, was taken aback. There were only two master bedrooms in the entire villa, and the other one was just given to Jiang Liwu?
She had lived here for three years, always in a secondary bedroom.
Jiang Liwu arrived and immediately took the prime room...
The words Song Jinwei had once said to her echoed in her mind—that the stand-in had climbed over her head.
Qiao Yiran stared intently at Wei Xifeng, a flash of humiliation and hurt passing through her eyes. Was this also his way of provoking her and making her jealous?
Since Wei Xifeng needed to rest after his episode, when he walked toward her, Qiao Yiran pursed her stubborn lips and stepped forward a few paces, intending to take him from Jiang Liwu’s hands.
Jiang Liwu, seeing this, willingly prepared to hand Wei Xifeng over.
The dynamic between Wei Xifeng and Qiao Yiran reminded Jiang Liwu of Wei Xifeng’s parents, so she instinctively categorized Qiao Yiran as Wei Xifeng’s partner—whether now or in the future.
Qiao Yiran was surprised Jiang Liwu so readily relinquished her place beside Wei Xifeng. She had expected Jiang Liwu to seize the chance to cling even more to him.
The next moment, her hand was slapped away—a sharp, clear slap that left her hand reddened.
Qiao Yiran’s lashes trembled as she widened her eyes. Wei Xifeng still held the dismissive gesture, his handsome, rugged face furrowed with brows, “I don’t need you.”
In the past, Wei Xifeng had always ordered her, leaving no room for refusal—he insisted she support him.
But this time, her initiative was met with his disdain.
A flood of grievance, panic, shame, and embarrassment instantly overwhelmed Qiao Yiran. She dared not meet the eyes of those around her, feeling as if they all stared in surprise and mockery.
Her eyes reddened with humiliation as she covered her hand and immediately buried her face, rushing back to her own room.
---
“Hey.” Jiang Liwu tried to call after Qiao Yiran, but she had already fled too quickly.
Jiang Liwu frowned at Wei Xifeng disapprovingly. “Xifeng, pushing away the one you like like this will only drive her further away.”
Like who? Qiao Yiran?
Wei Xifeng felt that Jiang Liwu had misunderstood something.
Before he could explain, Jiang Liwu continued, “You should act gentler—soft voice, gentle movements, tender expressions. It’s best if you smile.”
“Come on, let’s try a smile first.”
Wei Xifeng instinctively complied. He revealed a strange, fierce smile—like a wild beast baring sharp teeth, his expression terrifying.
Jiang Liwu was speechless.
“Well, that’s pretty good already. It’ll be better with more practice.” She nodded confidently, firmly convinced.
Seeing Jiang Liwu shamelessly compliment him like that, Wei Xifeng knew his smile was a failure.
He suppressed his grin and stated, “Qiao Yiran won’t leave.”
“Huh?”
Wei Xifeng was nonchalant. “She just went back to her room. Where else could she go? She can’t leave me.”
Jiang Liwu looked surprised, hesitating to speak.
Why was Wei Xifeng so certain Qiao Yiran couldn’t leave him?
Jiang Liwu immediately thought of how Wei Xifeng’s father had imprisoned his mother to keep her.
Could Wei Xifeng be about to follow in his father’s footsteps?
Indeed, Wei Xifeng’s upbringing and environment made him highly susceptible to his father’s influence. No one taught him what it meant to like someone or how to behave when you do. All he knew was that what he obtained belonged to him.
Whether person or object.
No matter how he got it, once in his hands, it was his private property.
Jiang Liwu patiently explained, “Her body may be here, but her heart might have long since left.”
“Even if you have her physically, it’s hard to truly possess her heart.” Like Wei Xifeng’s father, who never won his mother’s heart—an extreme, twisted entanglement that ended in one death and one injury.
---
Why did he want to win Qiao Yiran’s heart?
Wei Xifeng’s mind stuttered like a malfunctioning CPU. “Teacher, things aren’t as you think.”
He didn’t want to talk about Qiao Yiran anymore, but Jiang Liwu’s serious expression showed she clearly wanted to discuss it further.
Leaning his hand on his forehead, two strands of hair falling down, Wei Xifeng looked unwell. “Teacher, my head feels dizzy.”
Hearing this, Jiang Liwu immediately focused on his physical condition.
She helped him into the bedroom.
Knowing that Wei Xifeng wouldn’t easily change now, she decided to take it slow. If problems arose later, she would correct him properly—after all, she was here.
...
After returning to her room, Qiao Yiran immediately called Song Jinwei. She wanted to know if Song Jinwei had caused trouble for Jiang Liwu and what had happened after Wei Xifeng’s episode.
Song Jinwei had recovered somewhat, though her voice was still hoarse. She kept breaking down as she complained, “Yiran, my date’s ruined! It was so hard to get the chance, and now it’s all destroyed. It’s all that stand-in’s fault, and Wei Xifeng and the others teaming up to bully me.”
“Yiran, you don’t even know Wei Xifeng went insane and hit me.”
“I only said a few words to that stand-in. I didn’t do anything else.”
“He hit you?” Qiao Yiran was shocked.
Out of consideration for her, Wei Xifeng hadn’t said anything—but as a lady of the Fu family, Song Jinwei deserved some respect.
“Did he really hit you without care?”
Song Jinwei clutched her neck tightly. “Do you think I’d lie? He not only hit me but also hurt Brother Qi Nian.” Seeing Fu Qi Nian’s face, battered and bruised beyond recognition, blood still in his mouth, Song Jinwei’s heart ached deeply. She ground her teeth and cursed, “Wei Xifeng is a madman!”
So Wei Xifeng’s episode did involve violence, but the victims were Song Jinwei and Fu Qi Nian—not Jiang Liwu. No wonder Jiang Liwu remained unscathed.
Qiao Yiran clenched her fingers tightly, her mind swirling with thoughts.
“Yiran, you’re right to want to escape Wei Xifeng. He’s a monster, a devil—a violent man who hits women.”
“He hit me just now, and he’ll definitely lose control and hurt you in the future. Leave him, Yiran. Let that stand-in take that fortune.”