Chapter 27: I Would Rather Go to Prison!

"Qin Haoran? Why him?" Li An'an was startled. She looked at Mo Han, then shook her head, indicating that there was nothing between her and Qin Haoran.

In truth, Qin Haoran had been her classmate in university. There had once been a chance for them to become a couple. Back then, Qin Haoran had openly pursued her several times, and Li An'an had not been entirely averse to his advances. But that year, she was suddenly struck by a strange illness that no hospital could cure. Upon hearing the news, Qin Haoran took the initiative to sever all contact with her.

At the time, Li An'an had been deeply hurt; after all, Qin Haoran had once made her heart flutter. This was one of the reasons that, after she recovered, she decided to truly marry Mo Han.

"President Li, Young Master Qin only has your best interests at heart. You're such a beauty—what a shame it would be for you to go to prison. Young Master Qin said that if you beg him, not only can he keep you safe, but he can also use the Qin family's power to suppress this matter entirely," Wu Tao said with a faint smile.

Li An'an trembled; she understood Wu Tao's implication. But what she couldn't fathom was: why did it have to be Qin Haoran?

"Don't worry. You don't have to beg anyone. I will handle this," Mo Han said, gripping her hand firmly, offering her comfort.

"You'll handle it?" Wu Tao sneered at Mo Han. "I didn't expect a loser like you to be afraid of being cuckolded. Who knew you still had a man's temper?"

Crack! Mo Han slapped Wu Tao across the face, his eyes icy cold. "Go back and tell Qin Haoran: if he dares lay a finger on my wife, I'll ruin him!"

"You idiot—you dare hit me?" Wu Tao's face twisted in anger, and he looked ready to strike back. But the next moment, confronted by the chilling glare in Mo Han's eyes, he felt a surge of fear and didn't dare move.

"Idiot. If you dare go up against Young Master Qin, you're dead!" Wu Tao spat, then turned to Li An'an with a threat. "Li An'an, let me be frank with you: only Young Master Qin can save you from this. If you don't go to the Grand Hyatt tonight and beg him, you can look forward to prison!"

With a snort, he left.

Li An'an's heart was in utter chaos. She saw hope, but it was a hope she could not bring herself to accept.

"Come on, let's go to the lab," Mo Han said, squeezing her hand.

"An'an, come here and thank Young Master Qin." At that moment, Xu Fang walked over with a well-dressed young man.

"Qin Haoran!"

Seeing the young man, Li An'an shuddered. She hadn't expected her mother to bring Qin Haoran!

Qin Haoran's gaze slid past Mo Han and brazenly swept over Li An'an's body, his eyes full of greed. That a beauty like her had married a useless man like Mo Han—what a waste of a fine woman.

Still, Qin Haoran didn't regret the choice he made five years ago. At the time, Li An'an had an incurable illness. As the Qin family's heir, there was no way he would marry someone so sickly. What surprised him, though, was that just a month later, Li An'an miraculously recovered. That left him with a trace of regret and astonishment.

This time, in his scheme to swallow up the Li family, Qin Haoran hadn't originally planned to involve Li An'an. But the Li family, desperate, sacrificed her to protect the rest, pushing Li An'an out as the scapegoat. That caught him off guard. To make Li An'an submit, he'd prepared on two fronts: first, plunging her into despair, then having Wu Tao give her a taste of what to expect, and finally, sending in her mother, Xu Fang. Each step meticulously planned. Li An'an would not escape his grasp.

Still, if Li An'an was willing to pay the price, he didn't mind letting her go.

"An'an, Young Master Qin has already made those troublemakers leave. He also said he can help our family out of this mess—you should thank him," Xu Fang said as she pried Mo Han's hand away from Li An'an's, scolding, "What are you doing here? Go home and look after Xiaoxiao!"

Xu Fang had never liked Mo Han. Now that Qin Haoran was willing to help solve their troubles, she was even more eager to curry favor with him.

And what better way to please Qin Haoran than to belittle Mo Han and elevate Qin Haoran? As long as Qin Haoran helped them, they could acquire the pharmaceutical factory for free—truly a win-win.

"An'an, I've reserved a table at the Grand Hyatt. Would you do me the honor of joining me for lunch?" Qin Haoran said with a smile. "Besides, we can discuss how to resolve your problem."

"Thank you for your kindness, Young Master Qin, but we’ll handle this ourselves," Li An'an replied, refusing directly. She didn't want any entanglement with Qin Haoran, even though the situation felt like a mountain crushing her. But she would not do anything that crossed her bottom line.

"Don't be foolish. Go have lunch with Young Master Qin! Without his help, do you want to end up in jail?" Xu Fang glared at her daughter.

"I'd rather go to jail!" Li An'an snapped.

Qin Haoran's expression darkened, his eyes flashing with menace. "Auntie, it seems you really don't need my help. I suppose I should go, then."

"Wait, Young Master Qin! I'll persuade An'an to go with you!" Xu Fang pleaded.

"An'an, why are you so foolish? Mo Han can fight, but that's all he's got. Now that Young Master Qin fancies you, this is your best chance to get rid of that deadweight!" Xu Fang urged earnestly.

"That's right, An'an. I don't care that you were married to that loser. Divorce him and I'll marry you immediately," Qin Haoran declared, laying his intentions bare.

"Thank you for your favor, Young Master Qin," Li An'an replied with biting sarcasm. "Do you even believe the words you say? Besides, I have a husband and a daughter. I will not divorce, nor remarry. I am very happy—thank you for your concern."

If it weren’t for his status, she would have cursed him to his face.

"An'an, please stop pretending," Qin Haoran said with a mocking smile. "Auntie has told me everything; your daughter's corneas were taken by the Tan family, and you can't even afford treatment. Where's your so-called happiness? And I've heard the Tan family has no intention of letting you go. How do you plan to handle their threats?"

"Are you some backwater know-it-all?" Mo Han snorted. "Why don’t you find out what's happened to the Tan family before you act all high and mighty?"