Chapter 9 : A Fait accompli

“Yanwen, here’s some water for you.”

Xu Yaqiu’s hands were naturally not as fair and delicate as Fang Xiaoluo’s, but in this regard, she was certainly more proactive than Fang Xiaoluo.

Zhou Yanwen hummed lightly, not suspecting anything, and took the water, drinking it down in large gulps.

Xu Yaqiu felt nervous inside, afraid that Zhou Yanwen might not drink it.

When she saw Zhou Yanwen finish the water, she immediately took the cup, “Yanwen, do you feel better?”

Zhou Yanwen tugged at his collar, feeling like something was off.

After a while, he began to feel dizzy and his body started to heat up.

Soon, he started to think that the woman in front of him was Fang Xiaoluo.

Fang Xiaoluo not only appeared in front of him but also gently spoke to him in a soft, coaxing voice.

Zhou Yanwen yanked the woman toward him, “Fang Xiaoluo, stop pretending. You’re still madly in love with me!”

He heard a woman’s voice crying, “No, Yanwen, don’t do this…”

Zhou Yanwen felt like his body was about to explode, but the woman in front of him definitely seemed to bring him comfort.

He forcefully tore at the woman’s clothes, feeling a sense of relief when their skin touched.

Zhou Yanwen exerted all his strength, feeling as though he had unlimited energy.

The woman in front of him was crying, and he muttered impatiently, “Why are you crying? Who told you to come near me!”

Xu Yaqiu was doing this on purpose. She couldn’t wait any longer.

Since Fang Xiaoluo and Shen Zheng hadn’t taken the plunge, she believed she could quickly get things going with Zhou Yanwen and marry him.

Once their marriage was settled, her life of wealth and luxury would be secure.

In her past life, she and Shen Zheng had done nothing, and their marriage was so brief.

But she couldn’t endure it anymore.

Even without remarrying, she had secretly done such things with several men.

What she hadn’t expected was that after Zhou Yanwen took the drug, he became so vigorous. This was her first time in this body after being reborn, and it almost felt like being torn apart.

She felt like she couldn’t go on, but she had to grit her teeth and endure, this was her one shot at happiness.

She didn’t know how much time had passed, but finally, the sound of the door opening reached her ears.

Xu Yaqiu immediately cried out, “Yanwen, please, don’t treat me like this.”

“Yanwen, please, let me go. We can’t do this…”

Zhou Yanwen’s parents, Zhou Ping and Qian Haixia, had just returned. As soon as they entered the house, they heard Xu Yaqiu’s heart-wrenching cries.

Without thinking, they pushed open the door.

What they saw inside shocked them completely.

Zhou Ping shouted angrily, “What are you two doing?!”

“Ah!” Xu Yaqiu’s scream brought Zhou Yanwen back to his senses.

He stopped, looking at everything in front of him, unable to make sense of it.

Xu Yaqiu quickly grabbed a nearby blanket to cover herself, her eyes swollen from crying.

Zhou Ping was furious, but since Xu Yaqiu was still there, he could only retreat first, “Put your clothes on!”

Qian Haixia was also stunned. Just as she was about to speak, one corner of the blanket Xu Yaqiu was holding slipped, revealing the shocking bruises on her shoulder.

Zhou Yanwen hurriedly put on his clothes and jumped to the ground, confused. He had clearly seen Fang Xiaoluo just now, but why had she turned into Xu Yaqiu?

And why hadn’t he been able to control himself?

“Can you… can you get me some clothes?” Xu Yaqiu trembled as she spoke.

Zhou Yanwen’s face darkened as he realized that Xu Yaqiu’s clothes had been torn apart.

He walked out, and not long after, Qian Haixia brought in some clothes. Xu Yaqiu cried while putting them on.

Once she finished dressing, Qian Haixia asked, “Yaqiu, you and Yanwen, you two…”

Xu Yaqiu choked up, “Aunt, I… I came to deliver something to Yanwen. I don’t know why, but… but then he… he just…”

She seemed unable to continue, crying uncontrollably, “No matter how much I scream and cry, it’s useless. What should I do? What should I do now?”

Qian Haixia was actually not very fond of Xu Yaqiu, she still preferred Fang Xiaoluo.

Although Fang Xiaoluo had gone back to the countryside, she had spent many years in the Xu family and was certainly different from Xu Yaqiu, who had always lived in the countryside.

Qian Haixia hadn’t been thinking much about how much dowry the Xu family could give, she just hoped that someone would treat her son well and that the young couple could live happily together.

But how did things go wrong like this?

Qian Haixia sighed, “Yaqiu, you… you should go back for now. We won’t let you suffer from this. My husband and I will go to your family to propose.”

Xu Yaqiu felt pain all over her body, especially in that area. But when she heard Qian Haixia’s words, her heart blossomed with joy, though she dared not show it.

“Aunt, I don’t know how to talk to my parents. They’ll probably kill me,” Xu Yaqiu cried.

Qian Haixia cursed her son inwardly, “Alright, wait here. I’ll call your father at the factory and have them come over so we can discuss things.”

Xu Yaqiu nodded, “Okay.”

In the living room, Zhou Ping was holding a feather duster. “Zhou Yanwen, you’ve grown bolder. If you like Xu Yaqiu, just say it! We’ll go to the Xu family and propose, but what kind of mess is this that you’re doing now?!”

Zhou Yanwen couldn’t explain himself. He had done it, but he couldn’t understand why he hadn’t been able to control himself.

He had thought it was Fang Xiaoluo at first, but now that he knew it was Xu Yaqiu, he felt disgusted.

Qian Haixia came over, “I’ll call Yaqiu’s dad. Since you two are already in this situation, it’s time to get married.”

Zhou Yanwen clenched his neck, “I… I don’t want to get married!”

Qian Haixia slapped him, “You don’t want to get married? If we don’t handle this with the Xu family, it’ll spread everywhere, and what about the Zhou family’s face? Can your father keep his job?”

Zhou Yanwen didn’t say anything.

Qian Haixia made the call, and not long after, Xu Zhigang and Zhao Lihong arrived in a hurry.

When Zhao Lihong saw Xu Yaqiu, she hugged her and cried, “My dear daughter, you’ve suffered so much.”

Xu Zhigang angrily said, “Zhou Ping, you raised a good son! What do you want my daughter to do in the future?”

Zhou Ping and Qian Haixia were in a very passive position now. The daughter came to their house and this happened, so they had no argument.

Zhou Ping quickly had Xu Zhigang sit down, “Old Xu, this is indeed Yanwen’s fault. I’ve already scolded and punished him. I asked you to come over because I didn’t want this to spread everywhere and affect the future of the two kids.”

Qian Haixia also added, “Yes, Old Xu, Lihong, since the two kids are in love, why don’t we choose a date and arrange the wedding?”

Zhao Lihong was actually happy inside. Since Fang Xiaoluo had gone back to Honghe Village, she had hoped Xu Yaqiu would marry Zhou Yanwen. She could tell that Xu Yaqiu liked Zhou Yanwen.

This really worked out well.

Seeing that Zhao Lihong and Xu Zhigang weren’t objecting, Qian Haixia continued, “Lihong, don’t worry, the Zhou family won’t skimp on what’s needed for the wedding.”

Zhao Lihong and Xu Zhigang exchanged a look before saying, “I’m not unreasonable. Since this has happened, in the end, it’s our Yaqiu who’s at a disadvantage. You can bring a matchmaker to our house tomorrow, buy whatever needs to be bought, give the betrothal gift, set the date, and everything.”

Qian Haixia sighed with relief, “That’s only right. As for the betrothal gift, Lihong, how much do you think is appropriate?”

Originally, they had planned to marry Fang Xiaoluo, and the betrothal gift would have been around a thousand yuan. Although Zhou Ping was the factory manager, he didn’t earn much, and after the family’s expenses and social obligations, they had barely five hundred left at the end of the year.

A thousand yuan wasn’t just about the money, it was also about the Zhou family’s status.

Zhao Lihong held up three fingers, “Three thousand yuan!”

Zhou Ping and Qian Haixia gasped.

Qian Haixia forced a smile, “Lihong, we know this is our fault, but three thousand is a bit too much. We really can’t come up with that much.”

Zhao Lihong stood up, “I’m telling you, Qian Haixia, I know your son made a mistake, but three thousand isn’t much.”

Zhou Ping said, “Old Xu, you know our family’s financial situation. Three thousand yuan is really too much for us to afford. How about this: one thousand five hundred yuan for the betrothal gift, and after the kids register their marriage, I’ll arrange for Yaqiu to work in the factory. What do you think?”

They say, “The barefoot don’t fear the ones with shoes,” and if any gossip spread, Zhou Ping’s position as factory manager might come to an end.