Cuiwei Residence, Main Hall.
Zhou Xiao'e sat on the sofa with her head lowered, a tissue crumpled in her fist as tears fell drop by drop onto the back of her hand.
She wore a wrinkled floral dress, her hair was disheveled, and her eyes were red and swollen. She looked utterly haggard and pitiable.
"This child has had a hard life since she was little." Lin's mother sat beside her, gently patting her back as she sighed.
"Her mother died early. Her father remarried afterward, and after having a son, he barely cared about her anymore.
She relied on student loans to attend university, worked part-time at school, and even during breaks, she never went home, instead working outside to earn her living expenses.
She finally found someone she liked, and then this happened..."
Zhou Xiao'e spoke through her sobs.
"Cousin, I know I shouldn't have come to trouble you, but I really had no other choice... He's very good to me.
No one has ever treated me this well... I don't want to lose him..."
Lin Mo leaned back on the sofa, holding a teacup in his hand.
"What's his name?"
Zhou Xiao'e raised her head, her eyes red. "Andre. Andre Smith."
"What does he do?"
"He said he's an executive at a multinational corporation. He's worked in Great Xia for several years, entered legally, has a work visa and residence permit, and all his paperwork is in order."
As she spoke, she rummaged through her bag and pulled out a photograph, handing it over.
The photograph showed a Western Continent man, around thirty-seven or thirty-eight years old.
His dark brown hair was combed impeccably, and he had pale blue eyes, deep, well-defined features, a high nose bridge, neatly trimmed stubble, and a faint smile at the corners