Chapter 4 — Cashing Out of a Broken Past

"Are you trying to hurt yourself again, is that it?"

His gaze fell upon the severed ring, his voice choking in his throat. He stammered, his eyes wide with disbelief, "How could you... how could you dare to cut this ring? Why would you do such a thing?"

"Si Han, it was me who wanted this ring."

Only then did Qi Si Han notice Lin Huan standing beside him. Her complexion was sour, her fingers clutched tightly around the hem of her dress.

"She already sold everything to me for thirty million. Si Han, you crafted this ring yourself. Now that I want to take it back, surely you won't hold it against me, will you?"

Qi Si Han hurriedly released me, turning to bestow a doting, indulgent smile upon Lin Huan. "Huan Huan, the design of this ring is quite dated. If you like gold, I will have a brand new pair crafted for you."

Lin Huan’s eyes welled up with tears. "In that case, I want you to melt this ring down and use the gold to make me something new."

"I have already promised you, once our child is born, I will grant you anything your heart desires."

Qi Si Han fell silent for a long moment, before nodding with an air of reluctant resignation. "Very well."

I curled my lips in a mocking sneer, pulled the ring from my finger, dropped it onto the cold ground, and turned my back on them. But Lin Huan called out to me once more.

"Sister, you said earlier that you were no longer associated with the Meng family. There is one more thing you must return." Her eyes reddened as she turned to the three men behind her. "Father, brother, Si Han, I am a daughter of the Meng lineage. I wish to change my name and return to the family name."

My father nodded in frantic agreement. "Yes, it is a wonderful thing for you to return to the Meng family. I shall find a fortune teller to choose a new name for you..."

Lin Huan interrupted him, a faint curl of a smile playing on her lips. "Father, I have already chosen my own name. I want to be called Meng Sui An." She looked directly at me. "So, sister, it would be a trouble if you could kindly change your name."

"Si Han, this is my final request. You will make sure it happens for me, won't you?"

Sui An... that was the name my mother had given me, a name meant to bestow peace and tranquility upon my life forever. Qi Si Han knew this well. Yet, after a moment of visible inner turmoil, he finally spoke. "Sui Sui, why don't you simply choose a different name? I will provide you with ample financial compensation."

I curled my lip and nodded. "Very well. As long as you provide me with enough money, it shall be done."

Qi Si Han let out a sigh of relief. "I will have my people transfer an additional fifty million to your account immediately."

Before long, Qi Si Han’s men escorted me to the police station to register the change. I held up my pristine, brand-new identification card and smiled up at the vast, open sky. My name, my identity, my love—I had left every fragment of my past behind. From this day forward, I was finally, truly free. As I arrived at the airport, Qi Si Han called me.

"Sui Sui, once you have finished the paperwork, head to the villa in the south of the city. I have already sent people to move your belongings there. Huan Huan is just going through a spoiled phase, acting like a child. In a little while, I will ask her to change her name back; please, do not hold a grudge against her."

I gave a faint, detached acknowledgment and hung up. On my screen, a message from the real estate broker appeared: "Dear, the villa has been sold exactly according to your instructions. The buyer knew it was a quick-sale price, so the deal was finalized instantly. The funds have been transferred; please verify that you have received them."

I replied with a brief confirmation, and once the money was secured in my account, I pulled the SIM card from my phone and dropped it into an airport trash bin. I then turned to the young man beside me with a bright smile.

"Let’s go. Our flight is about to depart."

Half a month later, at a high-end business gala in S City, Lin Huan stood with her arm linked through Qi Si Han’s. She wore a radiant, triumphant expression. A guest approached them with a fawning smile.

"This must be Madam Qi, the esteemed Meng Sui An, is it not? Years ago, when my company was on the brink of bankruptcy due to a capital crisis, it was your intervention, ignoring all the rumors, that convinced the Qi Corporation to partner with us. I have always held that kindness in my heart, though I have never had the opportunity to express my gratitude in person."

The man raised his glass in a toast. "I never expected that the formidable business tycoon, Madam Meng, would look so young and gentle in person."

Lin Huan froze, her expression shifting in confusion, yet she did not utter a single word to deny it.