Velvet Chains of a Tycoon

It was getting late, and after stepping off the subway, Qin Ran scanned a shared bike and pedaled home. The tree-lined road outside her residential complex was poorly lit, the dim streetlights casting faint shadows. Lost in thought about the pharmacy, she wasn't paying attention.

At the bend, she forgot to brake—*thud!*

The front wheel of her bike slammed into a parked car, and she tumbled off the saddle.

Qin Ran sat up, rubbing her sore backside. When she looked up, her face went pale.

It was a Maybach!

The driver stepped out, his expression grim as he approached her. "Young lady, are you hurt anywhere?"

He had slowed down at the turn, but this cyclist had been reckless. Instead of braking when she saw his car, she'd charged straight into it. By all accounts, the cyclist should bear full responsibility. But this was a blind spot—trees blocked the view, and there were no surveillance cameras. If she claimed an injury, the traffic police might side with her entirely. And if she were one of those professional scammers, she could even demand compensation from his employer.

"I landed on my butt," Qin Ran said, brushing herself off as she stood up and righted the bike. "But it's fine, just a bruise. No real harm done."

"Sorry about that—the brakes on this shared bike must be broken," she added before limping away with the bike. In truth, the pedal had grazed her calf, leaving a small abrasion. But compared to the scratch the handlebars had left on the car, it was nothing. A Maybach! Even a tiny scratch could cost thousands to repair. That the driver hadn't asked her to pay felt like a stroke of luck.

After Qin Ran disappeared into the neighborhood, Lu Sheng finally stepped out of the car. What was Qin Ran thinking? Riding a shared bike so late—and being so absent-minded?

"Boss Lu, there's a slight scratch on the car door," the driver reported quickly. "Should we call the police?"

"Call the police for what? To make her pay?" Lu Sheng shot him a look. "You think the cops will believe she intentionally rammed us with a shared bike?"

The driver fell silent.

"The scratch isn't obvious. Either file an insurance claim or take it to the dealership for a touch-up," Lu Sheng said, grabbing the car keys and heading toward the BYD Tang parked nearby. The driver had pulled over earlier to drop him off so he could switch vehicles.

When Qin Ran got home, she rolled up her pant leg to inspect the scrape. It was just a faint blood mark—not serious. She grabbed some iodine and dabbed it with a cotton swab to disinfect the wound. Afterward, she pulled out the pharmacy agreement and began reading it carefully from start to finish.

She'd only gotten through a third of it when she heard a noise at the door. Turning around, she saw Lu Sheng walking in.

"What happened to your leg?" Lu Sheng asked, eyeing her exposed calf.

"Oh, it's nothing. I fell off the bike, and the pedal scraped me. It's already scabbing over," Qin Ran said casually, glancing at her leg without concern.

Lu Sheng: *...* This woman was tougher than he'd expected.

"What are you reading?" he asked, noticing the document in her hands.

"A lease renewal contract for a friend's pharmacy. Their current lease is almost up, and they're planning to renew. I'm helping them review the terms," Qin Ran replied calmly.

"Ah," Lu Sheng responded flatly.

He'd assumed she might ask for his help, but clearly, he'd overestimated himself and underestimated her. Not only had she not sought his assistance, but she hadn't even mentioned the issues with the pharmacy she co-owned with her friends. It seemed she intended to handle everything herself. For a couple in a marriage of convenience, keeping their affairs separate was probably for the best—it avoided unnecessary complications.

"Mr. Lu, good night!" Qin Ran said, taking the document to the spare bedroom.

"Good night!"

The night passed uneventfully.

Though Qin Ran had stayed up late studying the contract, she still woke up promptly at 7 AM. She hadn't eaten dinner, and her stomach felt a little uneasy in the morning. She bought two buns and a cup of soy milk from a nearby shop and ate while hurrying to the subway station.

Binhai City, a bustling first-tier metropolis, was packed during rush hour. As soon as Qin Ran entered the station, her sister-in-law Du Xiaomei called.

"Qin Ran, why didn't you go to the hospital to see Yang Cheng last night?"

"No, I didn't," Qin Ran replied curtly.

"Why not? Do you have any idea how much trouble this has caused our family?" Du Xiaomei's voice rose sharply.

Qin Ran raised an eyebrow. "Trouble for *your* family?"

"Yes! Yang Cheng's mother just called. She said if you don't go to the hospital to apologize, she'll make sure your brother loses his job at the gas company."

Qin Ran frowned. "Is the gas company owned by Yang Cheng's family?"

"Not exactly, but the manager of your brother's branch is Yang Cheng's uncle."

Du Xiaomei's tone shifted between pleading and threatening. "Qin Ran, please, be reasonable. If you keep acting like this, you're not only hurting your friends but also ruining our entire family. Just buy a bouquet of flowers, go to the hospital, and apologize to Yang Cheng. What's the big deal? It won't kill you."

"It won't kill me, but it'll cost me my dignity. And it's not my fault—the one who needs to apologize isn't me," Qin Ran snapped.

Du Xiaomei's voice rose again. "So you're willing to let your friends go bankrupt, your brother lose his job, and our whole family suffer because of you?"

Qin Ran took a deep breath. "...Don't worry. I'll handle this."

"You'll handle it? With what?" Du Xiaomei shouted angrily. "Qin Ran, you're just a college student who hasn't even graduated yet. After this mess, whether you can even find an internship is uncertain. How do you plan to fix your brother's job?"

"I'll tell you what—you go buy a bouquet of flowers right now, rush to the city hospital, and apologize to Yang Cheng. Agree to whatever he demands, even if he asks you to sleep with him—"

Before Du Xiaomei could finish, Qin Ran hung up. To prevent further calls, she temporarily blocked the number.

She had underestimated the tactics of nouveau riche families and the power of capital. She hadn't expected the Yangs to target her brother.

Her brother was the family's breadwinner. If he lost his job, his household would collapse!

But how could she stop Yang Cheng's retaliation?

Even as she boarded the subway, Qin Ran was still mulling over the problem, so distracted that she missed two stops before realizing it.