After Breaking the Engagement, She Was Pampered by a Tycoon

An Ning was adopted by the An family at the age of five and spent her entire life serving them as a financial resource. For three years after graduating from university, she worked at Remote Group, sent more than half her salary to her adoptive parents, and lived in a windowless storage room in their three-bedroom apartment. Her adoptive brother, An Xiaoqiang, used her money for his tuition, living expenses, and even a new house down payment. When the Zhao family offered a 200,000 yuan bride price to engage An Ning to Zhao Chengyuan as a placeholder while he waited for his first love to return, her parents pressured her into accepting. Upon learning that the engagement was merely a transaction to fund her brother’s life, An Ning refused to comply. A violent confrontation ensued in which her adoptive father struck her and her mother threatened to keep her household registration booklet hostage to prevent her from marrying or leaving. An Ning stormed out, cutting off all financial support, and intended to start a new life independently.

Disoriented and weeping after the altercation, An Ning mistakenly entered a ride-hailing car belonging to Lu Qingze, the cold and ruthless CEO of Dijing Group, instead of her own vehicle. She left her suitcase, containing all her identification and belongings, in his car. Lu Qingze, who had been forced to Sicheng to find a renowned ophthalmologist for his grandmother’s surgery, felt an unusual pang of sympathy for the distressed girl. He ordered his assistant to return the suitcase to the police station. Later, under pressure from her adoptive mother who threatened to ruin her reputation at work, An Ning agreed to a blind date arranged by a matchmaker. She arrived at the café to find Lu Qingze waiting, having mistaken her for the woman her friend Qin Jiangzhou had set him up with. When Zhao Chengyuan appeared to confront her, An Ning stood up for herself, shocking her ex-fiancé with her newfound assertiveness.

An Ning, desperate to obtain her household registration booklet to escape her family, proposed a fake marriage to Lu Qingze, offering him 100,000 yuan. Lu Qingze, facing pressure from his own family to marry and finding An Ning’s practicality and resilience intriguing, agreed to the arrangement. Their paths crossed again when An Ning, working a part-time job as a caregiver, was assigned to Lu Qingze’s grandmother, Lu Madam. An Ning’s gentle and competent care soothed the elderly woman’s irritability, endearing her to the matriarch. Lu Qingze observed their interaction and realized the depth of An Ning’s capability and kindness. He invited her to his home, where she prepared meals and cared for his grandmother, further solidifying his decision to pursue a genuine relationship rather than a mere contract.

Lu Qingze accompanied An Ning to meet her adoptive parents to formalize the marriage. He posed as a humble IT engineer from a modest background, concealing his true wealth. To secure the household registration booklet quickly, he offered 150,000 yuan as a bride price, significantly exceeding An Ning’s expectation of 50,000 yuan. The An family, greedy for the money, agreed immediately and handed over the booklet. Lu Qingze’s willingness to spend the extra money demonstrated his respect for An Ning, moving her deeply. They registered their marriage the following day. Lu Qingze insisted that An Ning move into his residence, where she continued to care for his grandmother. The story concludes with An Ning beginning to reclaim her autonomy and Lu Qingze developing genuine feelings for her, setting the stage for a relationship that transcends their initial agreement.