My Online Girlfriend Has a Twin Sister

"You’re truly hopeless!"

Jiangg Ning bit her lip, her chest heaving with anger.

If it weren’t for the fact that the woman before her had given birth to her, Jiangg Ning would have washed her hands of the whole affair and stormed out right then and there.

She wasn’t concerned about the inheritance. If she were, she wouldn’t have offered to use it for compensation. The money was already in her and her sister’s names, merely managed by Jiangg Ruxue. Once the money was spent, it was spent. What infuriated her was Jiangg Ruxue’s eternal obstinance, which had single-handedly created this disaster.

The money was gone. It was too late for words.

The way Jiangg Ning looked at her now was like looking at a gambler through and through. The hatred in her eyes wasn’t for what her mother had done, but for the fact that she’d had so many chances to turn back, yet had stubbornly forged ahead to this point.

Just moments ago, she was still trying to twist her words with Jiangg Ning, refusing to admit she was wrong no matter what.

’Yes... hasn’t she always been this way?’ Jiangg Ning thought.

’Otherwise, I wouldn’t have taken Yaoyao so far away from her to live in Lanjing, or worked so hard to get settled there.’

"I’ve lost count of how many times I went to the bank to withdraw money," Jiangg Ruxue said in a low voice, her eyes vacant as she stared at a fixed point. "Your father left behind six properties. I mortgaged them to the bank, and along with various other sums, it came to over forty million—a very substantial amount. Six years ago, I sold a villa in Longjing Bay, paid salaries, and took on a new project to secure seed money. By then, the investment funds were already gone..."

"So you conspired with the finance department to falsify financial reports and deceive the shareholders?"

"I had no choice... If I didn’t, the company would have had to declare bankruptcy. I couldn’t accept that outcome. I thought I still had a chance!" Jiangg Ruxue covered her face in anguish. "Looking back now, declaring bankruptcy then would have actually been the best ending."

"It’s too late. It’s useless now," Jiangg Ning couldn’t bear to look at her mother’s current state. Even as her own daughter, she had rarely seen Jiangg Ruxue like this. "Fraud lands you in prison. The most important thing is to pay back this debt."

"But where am I going to get the money? It’s just like you said, Ningning, I have no one left. Even your uncle is keeping his distance... Two days ago, I made countless calls trying to borrow money, but it was no use..."

Chen Yuan watched as Jiangg Ruxue actually began to cry.

’Are those crocodile tears?’ He didn’t know.

Having just witnessed Jiangg Ruxue’s viciousness, he found it impossible to empathize with his potential mother-in-law. Even seeing her cry didn’t make him feel sorry for her.

Jiangg Ruxue continued, "To be honest, I’ve been living under so much stress these past few years. I can’t sleep soundly at night; I wake up several times... Sometimes, when I really can’t sleep, I’ll stand on the second-floor landing and look down at the empty tea table... I’d think about you two as children, bickering around that very table... But you and Yaoyao aren’t here. You’ve been away for years and rarely come back. I’m afraid of the night. Sometimes I feel like I’m getting old, that my life is so lonely."

Now she was starting to speak of sad things, putting on a desolate look.

Her performance was so masterful, it would be a crime if the judges didn’t give her an Oscar for Best Actress.

Chen Yuan watched for a long while, and for a fleeting moment, he felt a pang of sympathy.

He was a little surprised at himself for actually feeling a stir of compassion.

"If you really thought that way, you wouldn’t have put on a stern face and lectured us so many times when Yaoyao and I came home, just like when we were little... You also wouldn’t have forced me into blind dates with random strangers. In the end, wasn’t it all to keep your company afloat? You don’t have to put on this act for me."

"How can you say that about your mother?"

"You don’t think you’re wrong; you just know you’re really going to jail... You defrauded the investors of so much money, and you can’t fill this hole. You know no one can help you."

"That’s why I’ve been trying to find a way these past two days. As long as President Qi is willing to offer a high price!" Jiangg Ruxue lifted her face, her eyes flickering. "No, that’s not enough. I also need time to negotiate."

At this moment, Jiangg Ruxue was already imagining the best-case scenario.

In reality, there was no such possibility.

After she had defrauded people of their money, she’d be lucky if they didn’t eat her alive. How could they possibly give her time to negotiate? Besides, President Qi, the one willing to buy the building, would surely kick her while she was down, take advantage of her misfortune, and drive a brutally hard bargain.

He had been willing to pay up years ago, but Jiangg Ruxue’s arrogance from back then was deeply etched in his memory.

Now, the tables had turned.

Unless... someone operating on a completely different level was willing to broker this deal, and at the same time, convince the investors to give her some face and allow her time to negotiate.

But where would Jiangg Ruxue know such a person? She had no idea that her savior, the one who could get her through this crisis, was right under her nose—Chen Yuan, sitting on the sofa.

If she knew, Jiangg Ruxue would undoubtedly be on her knees right now, face streaming with tears and snot, begging him. It would be an ugly sight, but she would never let go of a lifeline like this. Even if Chen Yuan demanded to marry both sisters at this very moment, Jiangg Ruxue would surely agree in a heartbeat.

Without a single "no."

For a mercenary person like her, there was no such thing as a bottom line.

...

In the office, Chen Yuan gradually lowered his head, thinking deeply. ’Could this be the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity I’ve been waiting for?’

’All it would take is for me to speak up, and the problem that has been tormenting me for so long would be perfectly resolved.’

’The price might be a bit high...’

’But for the two sisters, he was willing to bear any cost, to say nothing of mere worldly possessions.’

Lost in thought, he looked over at Jiangg Ning, but to his great surprise, she was also looking at him.

Their eyes met.

Jiangg Ning gently shook her head, her gaze holding a hint of pleading.

"Don’t..."

When it came to sharp intuition, Jiangg Ning was in no way inferior to Chen Yuan. With just one glance, her mind raced, and she instantly understood his intentions.

"Let me be selfish just this once... This is for the best for everyone, Ningning," he whispered. "You’re asking me to refuse, but I can’t. This is for your mother’s sake, too."

Chen Yuan could forgive his own selfishness.

After all, he had been thinking about Ningning and Yaoyao nonstop lately, to the point where he was about to go mad from the torment.

Besides, was he just supposed to stand by and watch Jiangg Ruxue go to prison?

How would he ever explain that to Yaoyao?

"I’m begging you..." Jiangg Ning reached out and gripped his knee, her grasp a little tight. "At least leave me a little dignity."

"You’ll have your dignity later. I can’t just stand by and watch your mother go to prison. In the future, she’ll be my mother, too..." Chen Yuan said shamelessly. "To be honest, this won’t be easy to handle. How about you consider it the bride price for you two sisters?"

Jiangg Ning looked at him with an incredibly complex expression.

Perhaps she also knew that, realistically, this was indeed the only viable solution.

But that was her dignity, her bottom line...

It was precisely because she had dignity that she lived so proudly...