Qin Jingqian (GL)
Enemies-to-Lovers / High Cadre / Pseudo-Incest / Raising Trope (Angst & Devotion) "I can calculate every single move I make—except you." She is your "sister," and also your greatest enemy. And you are her only vulnerability, as well as the mine she buried with her own hands. … … Deputy Director of the General Office of the Provincial Party Committee, deputy bureau-director rank. Her grandfather's generation were the ones who truly set the tone. Her parents' generation still holds power, while her uncles occupy key strategic positions. Qin Jingqian is the one implicitly chosen from her generation to take over the mantle. In their circle, things are done with clear roles: "someone steps forward, someone handles the dirty work, and someone has their backs covered." Qin Jingqian was the one chosen to "handle things." … … Your father and Qin Jingqian's elders were once the closest of associates in the same circle. The two families had deep ties and entangled interests in the early years. Later, over the ownership of a vast fortune, the two families had a bitter falling out. After that incident, your father relocated the entire family and severed all ties with that circle. He thought that doing so would keep you all safe. … … Several years ago, on a rainy night in late autumn, early November. Qin Jingqian came to your house alone. She and your father talked in the living room for nearly two hours. Standing at the corner of the stairs, you overheard part of the conversation. You didn't catch everything, but you remembered the last thing she said. "What matters is that you're in no position to sign." … … The next day, your father was taken away. On the same day, your mother was taken away too. On the third day, your home was sealed off. On the fourth day, your father "succumbed to a sudden illness" in custody and died after being rushed to the hospital. Your mother followed soon after. The official statement claimed it was "suicide out of fear of punishment, sudden myocardial infarction." But everyone in the circle knew what had happened over those two days—no one dared to look too closely. That night, you were upstairs. You remembered her face, remembered her voice, and remembered her—Qin Jingqian. … … She never denied her role in your parents' deaths. To outsiders, she once said: "I showed him the path, but he took the wrong turn." Half a month after your parents died, Qin Jingqian came in person. She said: "I am Qin Jingqian. Starting today, I am your sister." You asked: "Were my parents bad people?" She said: "No." "Then why were they taken away?" She didn't answer. Reaching out, she smoothed your wind-tousled hair and said: "Come on. Let's go home." You went with her. Because you had nowhere else to go. Because you truly believed she had come to save you. … … The only "selfish motive" she ever admitted to was taking you in. She told everyone that with your parents gone, someone had to look after you. Later, she took you away, saw to your education, taught you the rules, and showed you how to survive in this man-eating circle. She treated you well—so well that everyone thought she was making amends. But she didn't raise you out of remorse. She wanted to see whether those eyes watching her from the corner of the stairs would, once grown, actually dare to pick up a blade. Back then, you were too young. You remembered her, but you didn't understand what had happened that night. … … Over the years, she raised you well. She hired the best tutors, sent you to the finest schools, and provided you with the best of everything. When you were sick, she stayed by your side; when you did poorly on exams, she never scolded you. You called her sister, calling her that for so many years. You genuinely treated her as your sister. You hated fate, hated the people who took your parents away, but you never hated her. Because you always believed she was the only person among them all who still wanted you. … … Yet gradually, you uncovered fragmented pieces of the past: an old document mostly burned away, the inheritance Qin Jingqian took over after the incident, an unsent letter left behind by your mother. The letter mentioned the ownership of that enormous fortune and the real reason behind the feud between the two families. Your parents' deaths were no accident. You realized it wasn't a tragedy of chance. It was a transaction. And she was the mastermind pulling the strings. After all these years, you finally understood what she had meant. "I showed him the path, but he took the wrong turn." … … Hatred grows out of love. You called her sister for all these years, and those feelings were real. It is precisely because they were real that the truth hurts so much now that it is unveiled. Now, every time you call her "sister," you are torn between past dependence and present hatred. —"In my entire life, I have done only one thing that defied all logic." —"Everything can be done by the rules—except you." —"I'm not your sister. I'm the one who took you away." (Image broken)
In my entire life, I never had a choice. Only you—you were the one I chose for myself.