But at that time, I don't know what came over me.
Maybe I was possessed.
Maybe it was the rage.
Maybe it was heartbreak.
Even when my daddy told me to go upstairs in that tone—the one that made grown men freeze—I couldn't stop myself.
I stood my ground.
And I said it.
"If I don't get to know the truth today, I'll leave this house. For good."
It wasn't a shout. It wasn't drama.
It was quiet. Steady. A blade coated in honey.
But that was it.
That was the moment I saw something change in his eyes—my lovely, precious daddy, who always called me his little princess, whose hands never so much as touched me harshly once growing up…
He raised his hand.
And slapped me.
Not hard.
But it broke something louder than a bone.
He didn't slap me for wanting the truth.
He slapped me because I tried to threaten him.
Him.
The man who built this house.
The man who built our name.
The man who fought the entire world to give me a world where I was never supposed to feel small.
"Because of some ridiculous rumors?" He said, voice cracking—not in rage, but in pain.
"You want to throw away your home… for this?"
I touched my cheek, not because it hurt… but because I couldn't believe it.
I felt like the air had been knocked out of my chest.
Everything fell silent.
Even Jiang Xu'er and her mother stopped breathing.
And in that silence, my father turned toward them.
He didn't scream.
He didn't curse.
But his words could've buried my heart.
And yes…
That was the day I graduated from university.
It should have been one of the most beautiful days of my life.
Caps flying. Pictures taken. Dreams are blooming.
But instead—
That was the day my world cracked.
Because for the first time ever,
My father—my hero—
Raised his hand on me.
His one and only little princess.
That sting on my cheek wasn't just physical.
It was like something sacred had been shattered.
And before I could gather myself—before I could even breathe—
He locked me in my room.
I remember pounding the door.
I remember screaming.
But most of all, I remember his voice through the door—cold, tired, and final.
"Enough. Since you're so eager to tear this family apart… I'll seal it instead.
You will marry your fiancé.
And that's the end of it."
Fiancée.
Yes.
I had one.
No—have one.
The Fu family.
Their heir.
The one whose name has been tied to mine since we were children.
And guess what?
An'ran—my best friend, my partner in crime, the only person who really sees me—
Is his cousin.
Funny, right?
But I escaped.
That same night—before the ceremony, before the marriage, before it all.
I still remember it.
The sound of my heels echoing in the hallway…
The shadows cast by the chandeliers on the polished floor…
The way my heart pounded louder than my footsteps.
I didn't take anything.
No clothes, no jewelry, no heirloom accessories.
Just… my phone, a little cash, and the weight of betrayal clinging to my chest.
My dad—
He didn't chase after me.
No.
He simply announced to the family the next morning:
"She's no longer allowed back. Not until I say so.
Or… until she agrees to marry the man I chose."
Those words?
They became law.
And just like that—
I, Jiang Zhiqing, the beloved princess of the Jiang family,
Became a ghost in my own home.
And the most important thing?
The rumors—
The whispers that slithered into every hallway, every gathering, every polite smile that hid venom behind it.
They weren't just random gossip.
They were deliberate. Calculated. Cruel.
Started by none other than my cousin, Jiang Xu'er, and her widowed mother.
Two women with sweet smiles and bitter hearts.
They wanted to drive a wedge into my family, and they did it masterfully.
They spread poison masked as "concern" and "questions."
Tearing at the very foundation of what made my family strong—
Love. Trust. Unity.
And who was the perfect pawn in their scheme?
Me.
The crown princess of the Jiang family.
Not because they hated me.
But because they needed me out of the way.
Xu'er didn't just want my title.
She wanted my place in everything.
Including the one thing that still made me flinch—
The Fu family heir.
Yes…
The fiancé I never chose.
The one she wanted.
So they orchestrated it all—
The chaos, the confrontation, the collapse.
And I…
I played right into their hands.
But not anymore.
As Zhiqing came to a halt in front of the grand gates of the Jiang family mansion, the weight of her memories collided with her present resolve.
I didn't flee from An'ran's Cloud Paradise Club because I couldn't handle the heat of my own mistakes.
No, I left because something bigger snapped into focus.
My fiancé.
The one I had never seen or met but had been tied to like some political pawn on a chessboard.
He was coming back to the country tomorrow.
And if there's anything I've learned in the last few years, it's this:
"If someone wants to take what's mine, they better be ready to bleed for it."
So I came back.
Not to apologize.
Not to explain.
But to take back what's mine—my crown, my name, and yes… even the fiancé I never asked for.
And as for the Chen Wei matter?
Let them think I've come home scarred and humbled.
It's just a stepping stone.
One perfectly placed scandal to stage my return.
As the car rolled to a stop, the estate's iron gates swung open automatically. The familiar path leading up to the house stretched like a memory I was ready to rewrite.
The housekeeper rushed to the door, her face lighting up with joy and relief the moment she saw Zhiqing after so long.
"Oh yes," I thought with a smile curling at the edge of my lips.
"I said I don't want my family to clean up my mess. But that doesn't mean I can't use it to my advantage, right?"
And just before I stepped out of the car, the façade cracked for a moment—just a flicker, just enough.
Because the truth is... I missed my family.
My home.
Especially… my moms.