Plunder
Chapter 95 - 95 95 Sell It Again

Chapter 95: Chapter 95: Sell It Again Chapter 95: Chapter 95: Sell It Again The moment Qiao En saw Ding Hao, her heart plummeted to rock bottom.

She pretended not to see him and quickly scurried into the room, swiftly moving to close the door with one hand.

Ding Hao moved faster, taking three steps in two and rushing to the doorway. As the door was closing, he squeezed half of his body inside.

“En’en, are you okay?”

He grinned mischievously at Qiao En. Her hand remained on the door, and she coldly glanced at Ding Hao.

“Doctor Ding, I’m very tired right now and need to rest. If you need something, let’s touch base after I’ve had some rest,” she said.

Qiao En’s expulsion order was particularly ruthless.

“It is urgent, extremely urgent,” he said.

Ding Hao got stuck in the doorway, raising his voice.

Qiao En let go of the door, turned around, and walked into the room, and Ding Hao immediately followed her in and locked the door behind him.

“Doctor Ding, I didn’t let you in.”

Qiao En frowned to remind him. Ding Hao gave an embarrassed smile, “I came in to protect you, En’en, come look—”

While speaking, he tugged at Qiao En’s arm and headed towards the balcony.

Looking down from Qiao En’s balcony, you could see many more people in the complex than usual.

At first glance, it was clear these were not residents of the complex. They paced back and forth around the building where Qiao En lived.

“Who are they?”

Qiao En’s brow furrowed deeper, suspecting these people were waiting for her.

“Shh—”

Ding Hao put a finger to his lips and shushed Qiao En.

Soon, there were knocks on Qiao En’s door.

Ding Hao gestured to Qiao En and tiptoed to the door. He peered through the peephole and saw that many people had gathered outside Qiao En’s door.

“Thud thud thud…”

The knocking continued, growing more urgent with each knock.

Ding Hao tiptoed back to the balcony, “There are a lot of people outside, probably all here for you.”

Qiao En’s heart instantly tightened.

How did these people know her address? What were they here for?

Before she could think further, voices came from outside the door.

“Miss Qiao, we know you’re home; could you please give us an interview?”

The people outside revealed their identity—they were reporters.

“Miss Qiao, some say that you interfered in the relationship between Nanchen CEO, Zhou Jin’an, and Miss An Kexin, leading to the cancellation of their engagement. Is that true?”

Through the closed door, the outsiders began their interview regardless of whether Qiao En responded.

She looked towards the door with a cold gaze, yet she remained silent.

“Go back to your bedroom, I’ll go tell them you don’t live here and send them away,” Ding Hao told Qiao En.

Qiao En stopped him, her voice very low, “Don’t go.”

If they opened the door at this time, whether it was Ding Hao or herself, they would be giving grounds for the troublemakers to spread rumors.

It was only at dusk that the crowd outside finally dispersed.

“Do you know who is behind this against you?” Ding Hao asked as he lounged on Qiao En’s sofa, his mood not as tense as hers.

Being trapped in a room with her, even under such restrictive conditions, he found it enjoyable.

“I know,” Qiao En responded flatly.

Ding Hao leaned in closer, his eyes darkening, “En’en, this isn’t worth it. Zhou Jin’an today acted quite admirably, but do you know the price he has to pay? At such a critical moment, to break with the An family, isn’t that digging his own grave?”

Though a cynical scion of a wealthy family, he was very clear about these underlying stakes.

“Do you know who framed my father?” Ding Hao asked nonchalantly.

Qiao En didn’t respond, and Ding Hao scoffed, “It was An Jinhua’s doing, killing two birds with one stone; both the Ding Family and the Zhou family are being manipulated by him. He thinks I don’t know, huh, am I really that foolish?”

“You’re not that foolish, so why do you still pick fights with Zhou Jin’an?”

Qiao En was somewhat puzzled.

Ding Hao crossed his legs, drawing a toothpick from the coffee table and biting it between his teeth.

“If I didn’t do so, would he spare my father and me? En’en, a wise man submits to circumstances. I can’t gamble the Ding family and my future on this. Besides, that matter isn’t unrelated to Zhou Jin’an either.”

People are selfish; in the face of interests, turning black into white and sacrificing others to save oneself are nothing unusual.

But from the bottom of her heart, Qiao En despised Ding Hao’s actions.

“En’en, do you think An Kexin will let you off this time?” Ding Hao leaned back on the sofa, suddenly asking.

When had she ever let Qiao En off?

“Whatever she wants.”

Qiao En replied, settling herself on a single-seat sofa.

All along, she had been a thorn in An Kexin’s side. Now that Zhou Jin’an had broken off their engagement, she naturally wouldn’t let it go.

Thus, Qiao En would certainly become her target to vent her anger.

“You might not care, but what about your family? What about your uncle and aunt? What about Ah De? En’en, you couldn’t possibly be indifferent to your family, right?”

Yes, she cared.

Because she cared, these had become the vulnerabilities An Kexin could use to hurt her.

Qiao En remained silent.

“An Jinhua has ambitious and ruthless plans; he’s set on Nanchen, and he’s determined to win. The An family and Zhou family have been competing in Rong City for nearly a century. Whether we win or lose, what does it have to do with us? But if you get involved in this strife, won’t you just be cannon fodder?”

In that moment, Ding Hao seemed somewhat strange to Qiao En, but what he said made a lot of sense.

“Then Doctor Ding, how do you think I should stay out of this?”

Qiao En’s gaze shifted toward Ding Hao as he laid out the implications for her; clearly, it wasn’t just about making her understand the situation.

As expected, Ding Hao smiled.

He pulled out a sheet of paper from his pocket, spread it on the coffee table, and pushed it toward Qiao En.

“Here’s a partnership agreement. If you agree, just sign your name here, and I promise, I will fulfill my duties as stated in the agreement.”

Qiao En curiously picked up the agreement, the black letters on white paper startling her.

This was a marriage partnership agreement. According to the agreement, Qiao En would marry Ding Hao, and they would hold a wedding ceremony without registering the marriage. The contract would last for three years, during which Ding Hao would have the duty to protect Qiao En and her family. At the end of the contract, if Qiao En did not fall in love with him, the agreement would terminate, and Ding Hao would not pester her.

Qiao En quickly read through the agreement. It had to be said, Ding Hao had been meticulous.

The details were tailored specifically for Qiao En, resolving her current troubles and even her future worries, and avoiding her involvement in the strife between the An and Zhou families.

“What does Doctor Ding expect in return?”

Qiao En put down the agreement, asking very seriously.

Ding Hao shrugged his shoulders, “An opportunity, an opportunity to protect you, or perhaps, an opportunity to make you fall in love with me.”

“What’s the condition?”

Qiao En asked again.

There’s no such thing as a free lunch; Qiao En understood this very well. While Ding Hao waved the banner of love, his actions seemed to be for her benefit, but appearances are just that, and Qiao En wanted to understand the essence of the matter.

Ding Hao smiled, “En’en, do you know why I like you so much? Because you are the smartest woman I’ve ever met. I have only one condition, and that is you must stay by my side for these three years.”

The condition wasn’t too excessive or harsh.

Qiao En’s mind raced as she weighed the pros and cons, calculating the gains and losses.

“If I give birth to this child, it must bear the surname Qiao, not Ding,” she said, her eyes coldly fixed on Ding Hao.

When wise people interact, there aren’t many roundabouts.

Without much thought, Ding Hao raised his right hand, giving a pledge, “I promise you.”

He had agreed to everything, so what was she still worrying about?

This marriage partnership was a case of Zhou Yu hitting Huang Gai, one willing to strike and the other willing to endure.

Although the Ding family’s power was not as robust as the Zhou family’s, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse. With Ding Hao’s umbrella of protection, Qiao En could immediately extract herself from the strife between the An and Zhou families.

Of course, most importantly, those people would leave her family alone.

And Zhou Jin’an, he also wouldn’t have to struggle because of his concerns for her.

Three years ago, to save her father’s life, she had sold herself to Mrs. Zhou; today, three years later, to extract herself from the whirlpool, she decided to sell herself once more.

Thus, Qiao En stood up, fetched a pen, and signed the agreement.