Rebirth: Exclusive Love in the End of the World
Chapter 146: The Corrupted Women

Chapter 146: Chapter 146: The Corrupted Women

The music and dancing were in full swing. Duan Shuhua slowly walked back to her seat before the music had ended.

When Qin Nanyi saw Duan Shuhua returning alone, she asked in astonishment, "...Mom?"

With an indifferent expression, Duan Shuhua took her seat, picked up the glass of wine, and took a small sip before asking, "Where’s Wenhao?"

Disgust appeared on Qin Nanyi’s face, "What else could he be doing? He took a few women up to the rooms upstairs."

"This is Beicheng, not Yunan, why didn’t you make him restrain himself?!" Duan Shuhua’s face was stern as she spoke quite displeased.

Qin Nanyi’s eyebrows furrowed with a trace of grievance in her voice, "Mom, does he listen to what I say?"

Hearing this, Duan Shuhua knew she had wrongly blamed her daughter. She sighed somewhat defeated and asked, "What about the task I gave you last time? To find suitable young men, how is that going?"

Qin Nanyi looked slightly embarrassed and didn’t speak.

Duan Shuhua asked, "You didn’t do it?"

"I did, it’s just that there wasn’t anyone suitable..."

Duan Shuhua scoffed, "I don’t think it’s that there’s no one suitable. It’s that all the men are revolving around you, right?"

"It’s not like that..." Qin Nanyi started to defend herself, but her lack of confidence made her lower her head.

Duan Shuhua spoke in frustration, "Don’t I know you? A few words of flattery and you’re over the moon, and far from pushing anyone away, you seem to be infatuated with the idea of all the men in the world revolving around you. You probably didn’t even mention Han Jiaojiao to them, did you? You’d just love to have all the men orbiting you, wouldn’t you?!"

"Mom!..." Qin Nanyi’s eyes reddened, a mix of hurt and indignation in her gaze at Duan Shuhua. What mother talks about her daughter like this?

Duan Shuhua seemed to realize her own outburst and sighed heavily, beginning to speak in a slightly grave tone, "Xiaoyi, mom understands the thoughts of someone your age; I was there once, too. But our family’s situation is not what it used to be. Your father is getting older, and people under him are growing more and more disobedient. And me, a Research Institute professor, I might seem impressive, but our situation is far from secure. Look at how arrogant Qin Xu and his son are now while your father and I are still here. Imagine what would happen if one day we were gone..."

A flicker of fear passed through Qin Nanyi’s eyes.

Duan Shuhua kept her gaze fixed on her daughter’s eyes and continued, "Xiaoyi, who would you rely on then? Will Qin Wenhao treat you, his cousin, kindly? Do you know what your uncle is using now in Yunan Base to win over superpower users with high abilities?... It’s through power and women."

Qin Nanyi’s body trembled due to Duan Shuhua’s words. How could she not know? Several of her distant relatives, young female cousins, had all been sent to the top-ranking superpower users at the base. Such practices were unimaginable before the apocalyptic world.

—It didn’t matter if one was the daughter of a rich family or came from a distinguished scholarly family; she was merely a piece of living material. If lucky, you might be sent to a man of acceptable age and appearance; if unlucky, you could end up with killers, rapists, ruffians, or gamblers.

"No, it won’t happen to me, I have special abilities... they can’t treat me like this..." Qin Nanyi said, shaking her head.

Duan Shuhua held Qin Nanyi in her embrace with a heart full of pain. Although it hurt her to do so, she continued to relay the cruel facts. "Your ability is Mental Search, which offers no means of self-protection... It only serves as an added weight to your worth; it can’t protect you. Do you understand?"

Duan Shuhua was very aware that although she and her daughter appeared to be thriving on the surface, in reality, they were walking on thin ice. Han Yi was an extremely perfect candidate; if she could win him over, then Qin Sheng would have support, and her daughter would have someone to rely on. But... she had overlooked Han Jiaojiao.

She had only heard rumors that the Han siblings were not on good terms. How could she have expected not only their harmony but also an unexpectedly intimate relationship?

A sense of foreboding crept into Duan Shuhua’s mind. She had calculated every possible outcome but had not foreseen that Han Yi might harbor special feelings for his own sister...

She recalled how Han Yi’s eyes looked when he saw Han Jiaojiao in the arms of another man. She couldn’t have misread them; they were not the eyes of a brother...

"Mom..." Qin Nanyi clutched at Duan Shuhua’s arm, a plea in her voice, "Teach me... What should I do..."

"Xiaoyi," Duan Shuhua gently patted Qin Nanyi’s back, her voice soft and soothing, "Find an opportunity to have Wenhao meet with Jiaojiao."

Qin Nanyi froze. In her eyes, Qin Wenhao was scum. Introducing Han Jiaojiao to Qin Wenhao would be harmful, wouldn’t it?... Although she wasn’t particularly fond of Han Jiaojiao, after all... after all, she was Ayi’s sister. Why would her mother do this?

Qin Nanyi pursed her lips, hesitating as she spoke, "...But their ages don’t match, do they? Wenhao is twenty-seven, nine years older than Jiaojiao."

In an even tone, Duan Shuhua replied, "Ayi is twenty-six, only one year younger than Wenhao. Some young girls like men who are significantly older."

"Mom, Wenhao’s personality... I still think it’s not quite right..."

"Enough," Duan Shuhua cut her off, "I know what you’re thinking. Listen to me, there are only two outcomes to this. First, if Jiaojiao accepts Wenhao, she will stop clinging to Ayi. Perhaps she’ll even return to Yunan with Wenhao. Ayi won’t abandon his sister, and he will naturally follow her to Yunan, making it easier for you to see him."

Qin Nanyi was stirred by Duan Shuhua’s words, yet she still thought it improbable that Han Jiaojiao would accept Qin Wenhao...

Duan Shuhua continued, "Second, if Han Jiaojiao rejects Wenhao, given his temperament, he’s accustomed to rejecting others, not being rejected. If he’s spurned by Jiaojiao, he certainly won’t leave it at that. He’ll inevitably provoke Ayi sooner or later. In terms of tactics and cunning, he is no match for Ayi and will definitely stumble in Beicheng. Although it won’t be flattering for us either, his defeat will cause your uncle’s arrogance to deflate a bit at Yunan. Isn’t your uncle currently arrogant simply because he has a son with a MAX ability?"

Qin Nanyi felt as if Duan Shuhua had cleared away the fog in her heart, illuminating her mind.

Indeed, those were the only two outcomes. Whatever the result, it would be beneficial for both her and her mother without any disadvantages. If that were the case, why should she hesitate? Besides, it wasn’t as if she was forcibly pairing Qin Wenhao with Han Jiaojiao – she was merely connecting them. Whether things worked out or not had nothing to do with her; why bear any emotional burden?

"Only..." Duan Shuhua paused, then said, "You must be discreet, absolutely not letting Ayi know that we are manipulating things."

"That’s easy." Qin Nanyi’s eyes flickered as she spoke with conviction, "All we need is to let slip a hint to Wenhao – tell him there is a woman in Beicheng Base that he absolutely must not touch. With his competitive and arrogant nature, haha... he’ll rush over on his own accord without any prodding from us."

Duan Shuhua reflected silently for a moment, then said, "That would be perfect."

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