Chapter 8: Breaking off the Engagement, You’ll Never Get Away with It in This Lifetime

“But Grandma, we were so young back then. Besides, isn’t the most important thing in marriage that it’s a matter of mutual consent? Third Brother and I don’t like each other, why can’t we break off the engagement?”

Ning Qiutang vaguely understood why Jiang Sheng was acting that way. Breaking off the engagement was much harder than she thought.

Grandma Jiang  patted her hand and sighed, “Where in the world is there so much mutual consent? What kind of family is the Jiang family, and what kind of family is the Ning family? Once a word is spoken, it must be followed through.”

“Moreover, the engagement between you and your Third Brother is known to everyone. For so many years, everyone knows you’re going to marry him. Breaking off the engagement would be a joke for you. Most importantly, this is a choice made by the families, not a choice made by you and him.”

“Matching social status is more important than anything else. And it’s not just a childhood engagement between you two. It used to be that you liked him, but now that you dislike each other, it’s love, hate, resentment, and separation.”

“…Go and watch in the ancestral hall.”

Grandma Jiang  let go of her hand and told her to go and see for herself.

Ning Qiutang was uneasy. She didn’t expect that even in this era, the reputation and prestige of a big family were still so important, and they still suppressed their younger generation so tightly.

She hurried over, and as soon as she entered the ancestral hall, she saw Old Master Jiang holding a ruler and hitting Jiang Sheng’s back hard.

One after another, heavy and cruel.

Jiang Sheng looked up at the countless ancestral tablets in front of him. The incense was burning brightly here, but he had no life left.

Ning Qiutang was scared, and tears streamed down her face. She rushed in, knelt beside Jiang Sheng, and blocked a very heavy blow from the ruler with her body. She cried until her tears flowed freely.

She couldn’t understand why they were beating him so hard just for breaking off a meaningless engagement.

“Grandfather Jiang, it’s my fault. Don’t hit him. I won’t break off the engagement.”

Old Master Jiang stared at her with a stern look, “Girl, do you think this is child’s play? Do you really think you two kids can decide your own fate and do whatever you want?”

“I know you used to like him, but now you say you want to break off the engagement, it must be because he wronged you. Don’t stop me, I’m going to beat this unfilial grandson to death today.”

Ning Qiutang suddenly hugged Jiang Sheng, her arms wrapped around his back, blocking the hard, cold ruler. While wiping her tears, she said, “It’s not like that, Grandpa. He didn’t wrong me…”

Jiang Sheng disgustedly reached out to cover her mouth, pulled her hand off his neck, and held it in his own. His voice and tone were extremely cold, “Shut up.”

Ning Qiutang stared at him with tearful eyes, You’re still yelling at me!

Old Master Jiang continued to hit him with the ruler, “Breaking off the engagement, I tell you, it’s impossible!”

“From now on, whoever mentions Jiang Sheng will be beaten.”

He didn’t hit him for long, just twenty or so strokes, and Old Master Jiang sat down to drink some tea and rest.

“Alright, get out of here.”

Ning Qiutang huddled in Jiang Sheng’s arms, looking at the thin sweat on his forehead, her heart filled with fear. So he knew how to feel pain.

Jiang Sheng let go of her mouth and hand, looked down at the red mark on her snow-white arm.

Ning Qiutang looked at him and wanted to get out of his arms.

But Jiang Sheng grabbed her wrist and took her out.

Back in the courtyard of their room.

Grandma Jiang  had someone bring over some medicine.

But Jiang Sheng took off his clothes in front of her, revealing his cold, white skin, his thin, sexy physique, and the crisscrossing red marks on his back.

Some were even bleeding.

The young man didn’t care about himself, he sat down, grabbed her wrist, and used the medicine to wipe the red mark on her arm.

Ning Qiutang sniffed, the sunlight shone through the gaps in the grape trellis above, and for a moment, the young man’s features seemed gentle, his deep facial contours appearing more charming in the light and shadow.

Jiang Sheng moved quickly, the cotton swabs he had used were scattered on the ground.

“Thank you.” Ning Qiutang looked at the red mark on her arm, it still stung, but it was much better.

Jiang Sheng stared at her wet eyelashes and eyes, his thin lips spoke lightly, “Why did you want to break off the engagement?”

Ning Qiutang was taken aback. Why would he ask that? It wasn’t like he cared, was it?

Jiang Sheng turned his back to her, gesturing for her to help him apply the ointment.

Ning Qiutang came back to her senses and, mimicking his method, used a cotton swab to apply the ointment to his back. The injuries on his back were far more terrifying than her own.

It was truly shocking. Old Master Jiang was truly ruthless.

“I don’t want to marry someone I don’t love.”

“Especially when the other person doesn’t love me either. I don’t want to be mutually disgusted, and end up in a state of love, hate, resentment, and separation.”

Jiang Sheng asked again, “Then who do you like?”

Ning Qiutang fell silent.

The cicadas were noisy, like her own messy and tangled thoughts.

“I don’t like you anyway,” she said insincerely.

Jiang Sheng’s voice was as cold as water, like a divine judgment devoid of any emotion: “Then you better like me. You’ll never get this divorce.”

Ning Qiutang’s hand froze. She didn’t understand what he was trying to do. He didn’t like her, yet he wouldn’t let her go. She wouldn’t have any more expectations. She only felt trapped in a deep quagmire with no escape.

“I know you must have a way. Why are we torturing each other like this? You have someone you like, after all. You can’t make her your mistress, can you?”

Jiang Sheng suddenly turned his head back, “Is that so? I don’t even know who I like. Who the hell do I like?”

Ning Qiutang was startled by his demeanor, her eyes reddening as tears welled up. “Scumbag! Everyone knows about your relationship with Shen Wanwan. You didn’t deny it, did you? You like her, but you’re still trying to have your cake and eat it too.”

Jiang Sheng’s gaze was as dangerous as a cold blade, fixed on her with a cold tone: “Not denying it means I like her. There are countless people in this world who like me. Should I deny them all?”

Ning Qiutang dropped the cotton swab in her hand. She didn’t care if he liked anyone. She avoided his fierce gaze, “No matter what, I want a divorce.”

“Fine. The ancestral hall door is still open. Go ahead and say it again.”

Jiang Sheng, not even bothering to apply the ointment, went to put on his clothes.

Ning Qiutang gritted her teeth, “The ointment isn’t finished yet.”

Jiang Sheng looked at her with a playful smirk, his tone unpleasant, “Why bother with the ointment? You want me dead anyway. It’s useless even if you apply it.”

Ning Qiutang glared at him. Why was he saying that? “Apply the ointment first. Sit down.”

Jiang Sheng stood there in a stalemate with her for a couple of minutes before finally sitting down and letting her continue.

Ning Qiutang said softly, “Think of a way, okay?”

Jiang Sheng gave a perfunctory reply, “There’s no way.”

Ning Qiutang didn’t believe him. He was so omnipotent in the past life. “Then we’ll all be dead and gone. No one will blame anyone.”

Jiang Sheng remained silent, finally saying, “A year from now, you’ll get your wish.”

Ning Qiutang didn’t ask why, because it was also a year later in her past life when she was forced to break off the engagement. In front of everyone, at a meticulously planned engagement party, Jiang Sheng not only didn’t show up, but he chartered a luxury cruise ship to set off fireworks for his white moonlight.

Then, Jiang Sheng, for his white moonlight, publicly broke off the engagement, completely disregarding her face and her family.

“Okay, we’ll get divorced a year from now.” Ning Qiutang breathed a sigh of relief, as if this was her only lifeline.

Jiang Sheng’s face was cold as ice. His inherent nature would never allow her to get her way. Divorce? Dream on.