Chapter 18: The Bride Turns Out to Be Herself

Surprised, she found it deeply unsettling.

In her memories of her previous life, there had been no mention of Wei Shen taking a wife.

Whether the Wei family army had saved her after she fled her marriage or not, given her temperament, she would never have returned to Xilin Village. Nor should she have had any connection to Wei Shen.

Unable to make sense of it, Yu Tingwan decided not to dwell on it further.

She glanced at the bride on the bed, then at Wei Shen.

Wei Shen’s world-weary face bore a mix of gloom, frustration, and faint disgust—not a hint of the joy that should accompany a wedding.

Still, there was no denying his striking features.

But Yu Tingwan remained unimpressed.

She preferred men built like her father: broad-shouldered and solid, inspiring a sense of security.

Wei Shen plucked the garish red flower from his chest and finally lifted his eyelids to glance at the bride on the bed, his emotions unreadable.

Not even a hint of a smile.

For someone supposedly getting married, his demeanor more closely resembled that of a mourner.

As Wei Shen stepped toward the bed, Yu Tingwan felt no concern about witnessing something inappropriate. Instead, she followed to watch with mounting curiosity.

Hurry up and lift the veil.

She wanted to see which unfortunate girl had ended up with such a man!

“Miss Wan.”

“Miss Wan, are you alright?”

Anxious voices called to her, distant and ethereal.

Yu Tingwan looked around blankly but could grasp nothing.

It lasted only a moment. The next sound was the dull creak of the old bed as Wei Shen leaned over the bride. Two buttons had already been undone, revealing a stretch of porcelain-white neck.

Wei Shen spoke, surprise coloring his voice.

“How fair…”

Was he really so eager?

And just moments ago, he had been putting on such airs. Yu Tingwan was about to mock him when she caught a clear glimpse of the bride’s face.

Her smile froze.

No one knew this face better than she did.

Yu Tingwan’s hands began to tremble uncontrollably.

It… it was herself.

“Miss Wan, Miss Wan!”

Hui Niang quickly steadied Yu Tingwan as she began to slide down.

Yu Tingwan struggled to stand upright, her eyes slowly regaining focus.

“Are you feeling unwell?” Hui Niang asked with concern. “Shall I take you to Doctor Qian?”

Yu Tingwan muttered, still dazed, “I’m fine.”

But it was all too absurd.

In her past life, she had resisted marrying into the Dong family, earning herself a slap from Scholar Dong. Even then, she had continued to fight back.

Seeing her defiance escalate, Aunt Wang had forced medicine down her throat, planning to quietly spirit her away in the dead of night.

Yu Tingwan had bitten her tongue until it bled, desperately trying to maintain clarity.

Only the village chief could have stopped it all.

But he was too far away.

When Aunt Wang and Scholar Dong lowered their guard, she had chosen to flee to neighbor Aunt Wu’s door, seeking refuge.

But no one was home.

And Aunt Wang had caught up.

She could only run blindly forward. But the drug was too potent—her body weakened, her feet slipped, and she fell against the stone slab at the Wu family’s entrance.

The impact split her forehead open.

Not long ago, she had seen in her previous life’s memories that when she fled the Dong family in her bridal attire, there had been a faint scar on her forehead.

But now, as Wei Shen’s bride, there was none.

Yu Tingwan’s breathing quickened.

There was only one explanation: what she had just witnessed wasn’t her past life, but… her future.

Hui Niang continued speaking beside her, but the words no longer reached her ears.

The young girl’s expression turned strange, unable to process this revelation.

Seeing her fixed stare, Hui Niang asked cautiously, “Miss Wan, why do you keep staring at my son like that?”

Any other young man might have been flustered, but her son remained unmoved.

Yu Tingwan could hardly explain she was studying the man who would one day pin her down.

She mumbled softly: “I just thought the safety charm around his neck looked nice.”

Hui Niang, being simple-minded, believed her!

But she noticed Wei Zhao had a strong reaction.

He furrowed his brow, tucked the charm inside his clothes to wear against his skin, and despite his wounds, turned away from Yu Tingwan to continue his brooding.

Yu Tingwan: …

What perfect timing!

She wasn’t trying to steal it!

Everyone who knew Wei Zhao understood his nature.

Though he appeared indifferent to everything, whether people or objects, once something was his, he wouldn’t allow anyone to covet or touch it in the slightest.

When the inkstone his father had given him was provocatively touched by Xiao Huaiyan, the heir of the Loyal and Brave Marquis, he had wiped it no less than ten times with a handkerchief.

That night, Xiao Huaiyan’s arm mysteriously became dislocated.

Everyone knew Wei Zhao was favored at court—even the imperial physicians dared not reset Xiao Huaiyan’s arm.

Wei Zhao’s actions thoroughly frightened the Wei couple. Though he hadn’t aggravated his wounds, they remained deeply unsettled.

The couple dared not delay. Seeing that Yu Tingwan was truly fine and fearing Wei Zhao might cause more trouble, they hurried home.

Yu Tingwan watched the donkey cart disappear into the distance. Thinking of Wei Shen’s reluctant demeanor at marrying her, she decided to set it aside for now—the matchmaking would continue.

The path of her previous life had already changed; who could say what would happen in the future?

She turned and entered the mountain.

This time’s harvest wasn’t much, as mountain yams weren’t easy to dig up. Though Xilin Village was poor, it backed up to vast mountains.

She gathered some wild vegetables, picked fruit on her way down, and finally discovered mushrooms beneath a tree.

Yu Tingwan wasn’t sure if these mushrooms were poisonous. She decided to gather them all and ask about them later.

If edible, excellent; if not, she would dispose of them.

On her way back to the old house, Yu Tingwan encountered a group of women gathered in conversation.

“Hey, have you seen the foolish girl? Her mother’s searching for her again.”

The notorious gossip Granny Fan was prominently among them.

With a sideways glance, she declared with certainty, “She must have been lured away by some rascal with candy to roll in the hay again.”

Shameless..

“She wasn’t bright to begin with, and now she’s even more addled. Every time she returns from outside, she’s filthy, her clothes disheveled, her neck marked, and she just grins like an idiot.”

“If I were her mother, I’d have strangled her already. Such an embarrassment.”

Yu Tingwan had no desire to listen to this, nor did she wish to engage in others’ gossip.

Seeing Yu Tingwan pass by without acknowledgment, Granny Fan pursed her lips.

She couldn’t help turning around: “She used to hide her face and barely venture out, but now she can’t wait to run up the mountain daily. Look, look—there are even unmarried young men following her out the door to watch her.”

Someone spoke up for Yu Tingwan: “Miss Wan is a proper person. She never responds to those young men who whistle at her.”

Granny Fan lowered her voice: “But she looks like a seductress. Where’s the dignity in that?”

Someone countered: “That’s not right. She hasn’t stolen or robbed anything.”

“I heard that before her family’s troubles, she had studied and was educated. Most literate people understand proper conduct.”

Granny Fan, still bitter about Yu Tingwan rejecting her two nephews, scoffed: “Who can be certain about that?”

“Her mother even…”

Just as she began, Yu Tingwan suddenly stopped in her tracks.

She turned around, her expression cold and composed.

“If you don’t know how to speak properly, then keep quiet.”

She said icily, “All day long, you only gossip about others. Don’t you know how annoying you are?”