Chapter 2: Family? To Hell With Them

Qin Jiang stared at the mirror. He sported the standard blond hair that all young men his age had, with a row of non-mainstream ear studs on his ear.

His whole face was covered with red pimples of all sizes, and the dark circles from long nights were more authentic than a panda’s.

His outfit was tight pants with loafers, a gaudy graphic T-shirt with loud colors—basically, someone who was a wannabe gangster of sorts.

Combined with the pale exhausted look from last night’s overexertion, he looked like trash nobody would pick up!

Even the traffickers who snapped up weak ones would shake their heads at him.

Qin Jiang, unable to bear looking at himself, shook his head and quickly slipped into the bathroom.

An hour later, Qin Jiang emerged from the bathroom in a clean, tidy outfit.

His chiseled features looked sculpted—thick brows, bright eyes, a high nose and thin lips. Two buttons of his white shirt were undone, black suit pants hugged his long legs, giving him a gentle, refined temperament.

If one ignored the acne marks and dark circles, he could pass for a nice boy next door.

In his past life, to prevent Yan Liang from taking a liking to him plus encouragement from Bai Chuchu, he deliberately disregarded his looks and dressing to disgust Yan Liang.

Luckily he was afraid of pain then and didn’t actually pierce his ears. He just glued decorative studs to his helix.

The blond hair was also done with one‑use dye paste.

All those things were easy to undo, but the dark circles and acne‑covered face made his gaze suddenly harden.

They were from the sleepless, grueling nights he spent finishing a finance proposal for Eldest Sister Qin Moyun and customizing a hit script for Fourth Sister Qin Shuyun before he married into the Yan family for Qin Yun.

As for the acne, they were poisonous sores that erupted after he was bitten by a venomous spider while trekking into the rainforest to find an herb for Second Sister Qin Muyun.

Thinking of this, Qin Jiang cracked his knuckles: in his last life he devoted himself to so‑called family affection and ended up bled dry, gutted for his kidneys, and died without even his body intact—how stupid!

In this life, he wouldn’t be stupid and let the Qin family exploit him and treat him like a beast of burden again.

Since he was reborn, everything could still be changed.

He could regroup and change his fate!

All he had given the Qin family in his past life, this life he would take back.

His abilities belonged to him alone. He no longer had to use them to keep others alive.

He was confident he could grow powerful and build his own business empire. Even if he couldn’t catch up to Yan Liang’s achievements, he’d at least become a man who could stand beside her.

Exhausted, Qin Jiang collapsed and fell asleep at once.

When he opened his eyes again, he powered on the phone he’d tossed on the bedside table.

Good grief—he’d actually slept for two days and two nights.

As expected, the missed calls list had exploded.

It didn’t take long for the number that had called most frequently to flash up again.

Qin Jiang pressed to answer. The woman’s tone was as usual condescending and extremely impatient

“Qin Jiang, all we did was to ask you to marry into the Yan family on behalf of Yun—do you really refuse even to give Yun blood?”

“How can you be so selfish!”

“I’ll give you half an hour—come to the private hospital in Jing City immediately to give Yun a transfusion.”

The caller was Fourth Sister Qin Shuyun.

As an award winning actress, Qin Shuyun’s voice was light and pleasant, clear and beautiful like jade. But now, it was laced with strong irritation.

A few short sentences made Qin Jiang laugh in anger.

The night before he was to marry into the Yan family for Qin Yun, the Qin family, citing fear that Qin Yun might have a sudden relapse, emotionally blackmailed him into letting them draw two bags of his blood, which they put in the freezer.

Only three days had passed and they’d already used it all?

“Oh, no, I can’t give any.”

“On the night of the wedding—the wife was too tempting.”

“I’ve given it all away already!”

Qin Jiang lifted an eyebrow, his tone cold and cutting.

Qin Shuyun frowned tightly, surprised that Qin Jiang had actually shared a room with that little monster and come through unscathed.

And now, he even dared talk back to her?

But she didn’t care about that. Her tone grew colder and more impatient, “Qin Jiang, that was just a lack of control on your part—Yun is weak, but you’re a grown man, so you can help Yun to serve that little monst—I mean, Miss Yan. And you insist on using this to disgust the family?”

“Even if you love Bai Chuchu…Chuchu also cares about Yun’s safety—if you really want to win Chuchu’s favor, hurry up and donate blood.”

“Otherwise, Chuchu will personally break up with you!”

One threat after another flowed out like she had rehearsed, but Qin Shuyun still couldn’t help feeling tense.

The whole family felt uneasy about the decision to have Qin Jiang marry into the Yan family for Yun.

But it was the best way to protect Yun.

Sacrificing Qin Jiang alone would safeguard the entire Qin family and Yun’s safety.

This was a fair trade—not a loss!

“Qin Shuyun, you speak so foully—did you forget to wipe your mouth after using the restroom?”

“Or a sewer was left open, so you could crawl out? “

Qin Shuyun exploded instantly, “What did you say? I’m your sister—how dare you insult me—”

Qin Jiang, “If you know how to talk, talk nicely. If you don’t, you should join the dogs.”

“Never mind insulting you verbally—if you can’t hear me, I’ll even carve these words on your gravestone for free!”

Qin Shuyun, “Qin Jiang, you’ve lost your mind!!”

Qin Jiang hung up on her.

Then he blocked her number, and casually blocked all the other sisters and his parents as well.

He didn’t need any family members in this life. Not even one.

Qin Shuyun stood stunned in disbelief when she heard the beep of the phone.

That brat Qin Jiang actually dared to hang up on her?

He even dared to insult her?!

After blocking his whole family, Qin Jiang felt refreshed.

He planned to go downstairs to find something to eat and make a nourishing soup for Yan Liang.

Qin Jiang, familiar with the kitchen, fetched a pork femur to chop. He lifted the cleaver, and with one strike, the freshly delivered, not‑yet‑frozen bone splattered fresh blood.

There was a loud bang as he did so.

Hmm, the blade was a bit dull. It needed sharpening.

So Qin Jiang went into the yard, randomly picked a really ancient-looking whetstone, squatted down and started grinding the knife with vigorous strokes.

He was sharpening with momentum when suddenly a loud crash came from outside the door.

“Qin Jiang, you coward, don’t hide inside silently—I know you’re home!”

“Get out here now!”

The person who had come kicked the door open and stormed into the manor with fierce momentum.

Qin Jiang turned and indeed saw a colorful figure rushing in like a flamboyant turkey.

The intruder was Yan Liang’s rebellious little younger brother in adolescence—Yan Zuo.

At that moment, Yan Zuo also noticed Qin Jiang.

“You… who are you? How are you in Liangyue Manor?”

“Where’s that fucking Qin Jiang?”

The seventeen‑year‑old, full of defiance, shoved up to Qin Jiang and interrogated him fiercely.

But the young man before him in a white shirt and black suit pants had a refined, clean air—despite acne marks and dark circles, his deep, handsome features couldn’t be hidden. With a little cosmetic help, he’d be a solid rising star in showbiz.

Their entertainment company was exactly lacking such a delicate leading man.

Had his sister finally changed her taste?

She finally preferred normal aesthetics now?

“Does Third Young Master need Qin Jiang for something?”

The words were naturally meant to let Yan Zuo lower his guard. In his last life, after Qin Jiang married into the Yan family for Qin Yun, he woke early, foolishly fled to the hospital to voluntarily give Qin Yun blood, and fell into a coma from over‑donation. He was on the brink of death when Yan Liang brought him back to Liangyue Manor.

Even when he was on the verge of death, upon hearing that Qin Yun still needed blood, he wanted to escape to save him.

He remembered it very clearly.

His limbs had been chained to the bed by Yan Liang, an IV hanging from his wrist to keep him alive. Yan Liang held his body tightly, trying to warm his cold frame bit by bit.

She whispered in his ear, “Jiang, others’ lives are not worth yours—if you dare to die… I’ll make sure your family’s buried with you!”

For a long time, the woman’s domineering cruelty shattered inch by inch, like a fierce beast curling in its sharp claws.

“You are mine… how could you abandon me?”

The woman’s voice was faint, and a warm liquid slid down her neck, but when he woke he only thought it a dying hallucination and never paid it any mind.

Looking back now, it definitely wasn’t a hallucination.

This life, he never went to give Qin Yun blood, so the subsequent developments naturally differed.

He looked at the boy before him. Rumor had it Yan Zuo was distant from Yan Liang, who, as the only daughter of the Yan family, now held the most central power in the Yan clan.

It was said this was because Yan Liang’s older brother was disabled and voluntarily relinquished power.

Worse yet, rumor had it that Yan Liang herself had destroyed her own older brother’s legs.

As for Yan Zuo, the fact he could still cavort under his sister’s pressure meant he had some guts.

“Heh, you’re just a hired hand in our house anyway, so it’s fine to tell you—I’m here at Chuchu’s request to get that ungrateful Qin Jiang to give blood to his dying younger brother.”

“Chuchu said, even if Qin Jiang doesn’t go himself, we’ll draw two bags of fresh blood and send them over.”

“He’s Qin Yun’s real brother—what kind of elder brother lets his own sibling die without saving him?”

“Also, if Qin Jiang wants Chuchu’s forgiveness, he should immediately transfer the $20,000 prize money he won last month under Qin Yun’s name in the university tech contest into her account so she can buy supplements for Qin Yun…”

Yan Zuo spoke on his own, feeling rather righteously indignant.

He wasn’t a particularly good person either—he’d simply come eagerly because he could pick a fight with Qin Jiang.

After all, he was a guy obsessed with looks.

He couldn’t stand how his older sister chased after an ugly, poorly dressed man like Qin Jiang so desperately.

It was an eyesore!

Every word Yan Zuo spat made Qin Jiang grind his teeth.

He was sharpening the blade with fury but found no outlet to vent.

With a backhanded slice, the cleaver brushed the youth’s crotch and fell to the ground—the blade had been sharpened by Qin Jiang until it gleamed.

Only some flecks of blood remained splattered on the spine of the knife and Qin Jiang’s collar from earlier when he chopped the pork bone…

“Third Young Master, the Qin Jiang you’re looking for is right here!”

“Any instructions for me?”

Yan Zuo: !! insert shocked pikachu face