The mistress was being manipulated?

When they found Assistant Wang, she was sitting at the end of the bridge.

Her neatly pinned-up hair had come loose, flowing freely in the wind, and she had changed out of her luxurious gown into a simple shirt and trousers.

The magnificent bridge spanned the river. The woman tilted her head up slightly, lifting her gaze. Beneath her calm expression lay sorrow and reluctance she could not conceal.

"Assistant Wang!" Zheng Mother quickened her pace and shouted from the bridge, "Please don't do anything rash! With your abilities, you can succeed somewhere else even if you leave Zheng Corporation!"

"That's right!" Ning Shile hurried to add. "We can talk this through. There's nothing you can't get past!"

Assistant Wang had not expected them to come, much less for Zheng Mother to try to talk her down. Touched, her eyes glistened with tears. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Zheng. I lost my head."

As she spoke, her gaze fell on Zheng Father. Assistant Wang bowed her head sincerely. "I'm sorry, Chairman Zheng. It was my fault. I betrayed your trust."

Assistant Wang clenched her fists, her voice trembling. "I don't even know what I was thinking. How... how could I do something like that..."

"Maybe Mom was right. I'm just a selfish person. Ever since I was little, all I've done is take other people's things and cause trouble. Wherever I go, I'm someone nobody needs."

"But now..."

Assistant Wang smiled in resignation, closed her eyes, and softened her voice. "That won't happen anymore."

Without the slightest hesitation, she tipped backward.

"Don't!!" Ning Shile shouted.

Below her, the river surged, its icy waters battering the bridge pillars with a terrifying roar. The fierce, merciless current seemed capable of swallowing everything.

In an instant, a figure lunged forward.

Beneath the hazy moonlight, they barely even caught sight of him. By the time they registered what had happened, the man was already sprawled against the edge of the bridge, leaning out and gripping Assistant Wang tightly.

"Let go!" Assistant Wang hung in midair, held only by the man's grip on her wrist. She shouted, "Let go of me! I have nothing left to live for!"

Zheng Ye did not let go. He held Assistant Wang with one hand, veins bulging across it.

The cold wind cut through the air, and his brows furrowed.

But Assistant Wang had clearly lost all desire to live. She kept struggling and pulling away, and her hand began to slip. Zheng Ye simply reached his other hand down as well and seized hers.

Ning Shile also rushed to the edge of the bridge and reached out. "Take my hand!"

Assistant Wang continued struggling, paying no attention to what Ning Shile said. "You don't understand! I can't go on living! This is my escape!"

"Nonsense!" Ning Shile was getting angry, and his voice rose without him realizing it.

"Is suicide freedom? Suicide is running away!"

You only got one life, one chance to live. Why give up on yourself?

His shout left Assistant Wang momentarily stunned. Then tears trickled from the corners of her eyes, and she grew agitated. "I have no other choice! No one can help me! No one!"

"I can!" Ning Shile reached out, looking at Assistant Wang earnestly. "I know what you're struggling with. I can help you."

Assistant Wang pressed her lips together and looked at Ning Shile.

His gaze was resolute and earnest, his eyes shining in the darkness. His voice was slightly hoarse, and his eyes were a little red. "Trust me."

Trust him?

Something inside Assistant Wang loosened, and she looked up into his eyes.

After a long moment, she reached out and took Ning Shile's hand.

She was not even afraid of death. Why should she fear giving herself another chance?

"Together," Zheng Ye said. "Pull."

"Okay!" Ning Shile gripped Assistant Wang with both hands and gritted his teeth.

Ning Shile and Zheng Ye pulled together, hauling Assistant Wang back up.

Dragging someone back from a suicide attempt took no small amount of strength. Ning Shile shook out his wrists, panting lightly.

[Thank goodness. We talked her down...]

Ning Shile drew a deep breath, then sighed it out. [If Assistant Wang had killed herself like that, it definitely would have had an even bigger impact on Zheng Corporation.]

[Actually, the fact that she reached the point of attempting suicide probably wasn't entirely because her scheme was exposed. There were other reasons too.]

[Her family raised her by constantly tearing her down. Her parents often belittled her, verbally abused her, and even slandered her. Growing up in that environment made Assistant Wang independent yet insecure, ambitious yet lacking courage.]

Hearing this, Zheng Father and Zheng Mother did not know what to say.

That kind of harsh parenting was inevitable. Parents feared their children would become conceited and arrogant, believing they were doing it for their children's own good.

[Assistant Wang also has a younger brother. Her parents always saved the good things for him and often made her transfer half her salary to him. They dressed it up by saying he was her younger brother, the person closest to her besides her parents.]

[That would have been bad enough, but now they're making Assistant Wang get married so they can use her bride price to buy her brother a house and get him a wife!]

What? How was that any different from selling their daughter?

Zheng Father and Zheng Mother frowned. Wasn't this a textbook case of favoring sons over daughters?

[Assistant Wang did have a boyfriend before. He treated her well and got along with her parents, and he was willing to pay a bride price of three hundred thousand.]

[Before they got engaged, Assistant Wang, who had never checked her boyfriend's phone before, inexplicably decided to look through it. And she discovered he was a regular client of prostitutes! He'd been doing it for eight years!]

[Disgusted, Assistant Wang broke up with him on the spot.]

As she should!

Zheng Mother nodded.

[But to her surprise, when her parents found out, they actually thought she was making a fuss over nothing. They refused to let them break up, and even... they even...!]

Thinking of what happened next, Ning Shile's temper flared instantly. He was so furious that he pinched the spot above his upper lip.

Zheng Father and Zheng Mother's curiosity was piqued as well.

Even what?

What had they done?

[They even conspired with her ex-boyfriend... Her parents drugged Assistant Wang, then let her ex-boyfriend...]

What!?

Zheng Mother was so angry that her head hurt, and she almost could not catch her breath.

How could they do something like that! Was that... was that something any parent should do!?

Zheng Father hurried to soothe her, his own expression equally grim.

Animals! This was a crime! They could go to prison for this!

[The baby Assistant Wang is carrying belongs to her ex-boyfriend. And actually, she knows that...]

"I'm sorry, Chairman Zheng. I actually knew you hadn't done anything that night..." Filled with remorse, Assistant Wang covered her face, her voice shaking. "I'm sorry. I really am... I'm sorry. I lost my head. It was my fault..."

Assistant Wang broke down, tears falling without pause.

Her parents had done something like that, but she could not bring herself to call the police and have her own biological parents arrested.

Her ex-boyfriend had even used the baby to threaten her, saying that since she was already carrying his child, she might as well marry him sooner rather than later! If she had an abortion, other men would look down on her and see her as damaged goods. No one would ever marry her!

Assistant Wang's mind had been a tangled mess. She had thought that if she could make Zheng Father get divorced, then pretend she was involved with him and act as though they had something going on, perhaps that would solve her problem.

The Zheng Family was in an entirely different league from her ex-boyfriend. Her parents would dream of striking it rich and no longer force her to marry that scumbag.

Now that Zheng Mother knew the full story, she could understand Assistant Wang, but she could not forgive her.

Personal suffering was no excuse to hurt others.

Assistant Wang gave a faint smile and looked up at Ning Shile. "You said there was a way you could help me... What is it?"

Ning Shile thought it over. A problem like this needed a solution that addressed its root cause.

"Your parents are forcing you to get married because they want your brother to be able to buy a house for his girlfriend." A mischievous smile curled Ning Shile's lips. "I can make them stop forcing you."

Assistant Wang raised her head. "R-really?"

"Really." Ning Shile nodded. "Send me your brother's WeChat contact."

As he spoke, Ning Shile took out his phone to scan the QR code.

Zheng Ye raised an eyebrow and took out his own phone, scanning it before Ning Shile could.

Ning Shile said, "Huh?"

Zheng Ye said, "I'll add him."

Ning Shile considered it, then put his phone away. "That works too."