Velvet Chains of a Tycoon

When Qin Ran received a call from her brother Qin Jian, she was shopping for clothes with Lu Sheng at Wan Hui City Mall.

She had planned to simply buy a summer outfit from the discount section on the first floor. Upon entering the mall, she noticed that some items were being sold at just 20% of their original price, and they appeared to be of decent quality. However, Lu Sheng dismissed them as unattractive and took her directly to the third floor, where he encouraged her to choose something from a boutique.

Qin Ran wasn't picky about clothing; she believed that anything comfortable and presentable would suffice. She paid little attention to trends or styles. When the sales assistant recommended this season's new arrivals, Qin Ran glanced at the price tags and immediately gave up.

"I'll look over there," she said, heading straight to the area offering clothes at 30% of their original price. There, she picked out a cotton-linen short-sleeved top and matching skirt-pants.

The sales assistant chimed in, "Miss, you have such a great figure. You'd look stunning in a dress."

Qin Ran pressed her lips together. "I don't like wearing dresses."

Curious, the assistant asked, "Why not?"

"Because they're too revealing," Qin Ran replied matter-of-factly.

"But you can wear leggings underneath! Besides, this dress falls below the knee—it's not one of those ultra-short ones," the assistant persisted.

"Still, dresses require high heels, and I dislike wearing them," Qin Ran countered.

The assistant fell silent. It was rare to encounter a young woman who didn't enjoy wearing heels.

Of course, Qin Ran didn't elaborate further. She disliked dresses because they made it harder to handle unexpected situations.

When Qin Ran emerged wearing the skirt-pants and sneakers, Lu Sheng pursed his lips but said nothing, simply pulling out his card to pay. Qin Ran knew these boutiques weren't cheap, but she hadn't expected that even last season's styles, discounted to 30% of their original price, would still cost over a thousand yuan.

As they left the store, Qin Ran was about to ask Lu Sheng if they should stop by the supermarket to pick up some gifts when Qin Jian's call came through.

"Xiaoran, your sister-in-law has taken the property deed, and her phone is turned off. I don't know where she is..."

Qin Jian sounded close to breaking down. Until this argument with Du Xiaomei, he hadn't realized how unfamiliar he was with her social circle. Apart from her family, he didn't recognize any of her other friends.

Since marrying Du Xiaomei, Qin Jian had been consumed by work—long hours, frequent overtime, and only occasional breaks on Sundays or holidays. On those days, Du Xiaomei stayed home, cooking meals while he helped with household chores.

Their life had been peaceful, so he never questioned what she did during the day or whom she associated with.

Qin Ran quickly reassured him, "Brother, don't worry. I've managed to gather the money. I'll transfer it to you right away. Your sister-in-law probably still doesn't want to take out a loan or sell the house."

As his younger sister, Qin Ran refrained from criticizing her sister-in-law, focusing instead on calming her brother, fearing he might act impulsively in his distress.

Hearing that she'd borrowed the money, Qin Jian grew more puzzled. "Five hundred thousand? Xiaoran, where did you get that much?"

"I borrowed it from your brother-in-law."

Qin Ran didn't hide the details. "But I wrote him an IOU, and I'll repay it eventually. Brother, are you at home? I'll come over and bring the card, then transfer the funds."

"I'm home. Writing an IOU is the right thing to do. Even though you're married, we shouldn't take his money without obligation. Tell your brother-in-law I'll sell the house and repay him before the New Year."

No matter how long his sister and brother-in-law had been married, Qin Jian wouldn't accept financial help without intending to repay it.

After hanging up, Qin Ran approached Lu Sheng.

"Mr. Lu, my brother is facing an urgent situation. I need to go back for a bit—it'll take about half an hour. Could you wait here for me?"

"Waiting will only waste more time," Lu Sheng remarked, glancing at his watch. "Let's go. I'll drive, and you can navigate using your phone. We'll save time that way."

They had promised Grandpa they'd return for lunch at noon, and it was already ten o'clock. The drive would take over an hour.

Qin Ran didn't object, knowing time was tight.

Fifteen minutes later, Lu Sheng parked outside Qin Jian's building. This was an older residential complex with no underground parking—all spots were on the street.

"I'll be quick. I'll be right back," Qin Ran said, grabbing her bag and rushing toward the entrance.

Watching her sprint, Lu Sheng finally understood why she avoided dresses. A woman who moved with such speed and purpose wasn't suited for skirts.

Qin Jian lived on the third floor. Qin Ran hurried up, unlocked the door, and found him sitting dejectedly on the sofa. She quickly handed him the bank card and transferred three hundred thousand yuan via WeChat—the amount Lu Sheng had given her earlier.

"Brother, on the way here, I transferred another hundred thousand. With the hundred thousand already in the account and the three hundred thousand I just added, there's now five hundred thousand in total."

She handed the card to Qin Jian. "Go to the gas company and settle the compensation. I'll also investigate the copy shop. Once we find out who altered the plans, we can hold them accountable."

"Alright. Go ahead—I'll head to the gas company too."

Qin Jian accepted the card, his voice trembling with emotion. "Xiaoran, thank your brother-in-law for me. I'll sell the house as soon as possible and repay him."

"Don't rush. Let's focus on solving the immediate problem first," Qin Ran consoled him. "Brother, I need to go. My brother-in-law is waiting downstairs."

"My brother-in-law is downstairs?" Qin Jian tensed instinctively. "Should I go meet him and thank him in person?"

Qin Ran was already at the door. "No need. He's busy—we have to hurry back to his hometown."

Lu Sheng hadn't mentioned coming upstairs to meet her family, so why would she suggest her brother go down? Besides, Lu Sheng might be wealthy, but her brother wasn't poor either—he owned a house in Bincheng. In Chinese culture, it wasn't customary for an older brother to initiate meeting his younger sister's husband.

Meanwhile, in the car, Lu Sheng was on the phone with his younger brother.

"Brother, have you and Sister-in-law left yet? Grandpa has been calling to check on you."

"We just left. What's worrying him? I'm driving a car, not a helicopter. Rushing won't shorten the distance."

Lu Yu joked, "You could always fly your helicopter back. The small fishing village has space to park it, you know?"

Lu Sheng retorted, "Get lost!"

He hadn't even brought a luxury car, let alone a helicopter. If Qin Ran discovered how wealthy he truly was, it might complicate things if they ever divorced.