“Xiao Jiang, you can’t get out of bed—sit back down!”  

The auntie that Gu Jiaoxia had invited pressed Jiang Zhen firmly back onto the wedding quilt with a laugh, whispering in her ear, “You’ve been married before, don’t you know the customs? The groom has to put your shoes on for you and carry you downstairs in one go. Your feet aren’t supposed to touch the ground.”  

Jiang Zhen smiled awkwardly. “I know, I just forgot. I was worried Gu Liancheng and Dr. Qi would fight over who gets to come upstairs first.”  

The auntie said, “That shouldn’t happen. But the Qi family is acting strange—why isn’t Dr. Qi the one coming to fetch the bride? Instead, it’s his older brother. Did something happen to Dr. Qi? Should I go check?”  

“Yes, please go take a look.”  

With the Qi family causing this standoff, Gu Liancheng’s groomsmen couldn’t come up. Jiang Zhen wasn’t superstitious about wedding timings, but she wanted to see Qi Junshan—the one-eyed man—who had come to fetch the bride. Today, she’d finally get a look at him.  

…

Downstairs, Qi Junshan, who had come to pick up the bride, spoke with absolute certainty:  

“The marriage talks were always about **me**, not my brother. How could your family have mistaken it for him? My mother and Gu Liancheng’s eldest sister have been at odds for over a decade—everyone in the neighborhood knows that. Did you really think she’d let the woman Gu Liancheng rejected marry her favorite youngest son? If I hadn’t lost an eye, and if An Xiuqing hadn’t come to my house declaring she’d been secretly in love with me for years, my family would never have agreed to this match.”  

He paused, his tone mocking.  

“Anyway, your family has already broken off one engagement. You’re free to call it off again. I can be as magnanimous as Gu Liancheng—after this, we’ll each go our separate ways, no hard feelings.”  

An Qihui was humiliated beyond words. She had thought the Qi family agreed too easily—it didn’t seem like Ji Fengmei’s style.  

But she never expected the Qi family to be this despicable, using such an underhanded trick to make her sister marry the one-eyed older brother instead of the doctor.  

Even if he hadn’t been disabled, An Qihui wouldn’t have wanted this match. Fancheng had only been liberated this year—before that, Qi Junshan had been involved in shady business. A man like that was **not** marriage material!  

“This is outrageous! The wedding is off—get out of here!”  

Qi Junshan had achieved his goal. The Qi family **wanted** the engagement broken. If it happened today, no matter how shameless An Xiuqing was, his younger brother wouldn’t dare get close to her. Did a woman rejected by Gu Liancheng really think she could marry into the Qi family? They weren’t that pathetic.  

Before leaving, Qi Junshan couldn’t resist twisting the knife:  

“This is the second time your family has called off a wedding at the last minute, Elder Sister An. Unless your sister never marries, a third time might not go so smoothly. She won’t find another family as easygoing as mine or the Gu family.”  

An Qihui had been completely outmaneuvered. The first broken engagement had been the An family’s choice, but karma had come back swiftly.  

If the Qi family didn’t want the match, they could’ve just refused. Why resort to such a cruel trick? If she refused to marry, they’d humiliate her? How vicious!  

…

When Gu Liancheng saw Qi Junshan arrive, he finally understood the true meaning behind the note from An Xiuqing’s father.  

If he had known about the Qi family’s scheme, he should’ve spoken plainly. A vague note like that could never have stopped anything.  

And since it failed, why hadn’t he stepped in to fix things? Gu Liancheng wasn’t surprised—An Xiuqing’s father had always been ruthless toward his own daughter, letting his family exploit the Gu family for favors.  

Whether the An and Qi families called off the wedding or went through with it, it was none of his business. Gu Liancheng couldn’t afford to delay his own wedding.  

His eldest sister had warned him—the bride **had** to leave the house at **8:08 AM** for the marriage to be smooth and harmonious. If they were even a minute late, his sister would never let him hear the end of it.  

And he didn’t want Jiang Zhen to suffer the slightest grievance. Even though theirs was a marriage of convenience, he intended to treat it with full sincerity.  

Gu Liancheng turned to his groomsmen—fellow soldiers who’d come to help.  

“The An family can’t make up their minds, but I can’t wait. Let’s go up first.”  

His comrades had been waiting for this. With a cheer, they rushed upstairs, eager to see what their new sister-in-law—the one who’d agreed to all the terms—looked like.  

“She must be **really** kind-hearted,” they joked.  

Over the past few days, Jiang Zhen had taken on most of the heavy work preparing the bridal chamber. She got along well with the four children, especially Gu Pan, who clung to her like a shadow. The two had whispered many secrets together, making even Jiang Tang a little jealous—until Gu Pan shared half her New Year’s money with her, smoothing things over.  

Both his eldest sister and brother-in-law were relieved. Gu Liancheng considered himself lucky to have found Jiang Zhen as a partner.  

“I got lucky—she doesn’t get angry easily. But today’s our wedding, and I’m not about to test her limits. Let’s go.”

“Go, go, hurry up! Don’t crowd—let Liancheng go first!” The group surged forward.  

Suddenly, **An Qihui** blocked the stairwell, refusing to let the Gu family’s groomsmen pass.  

“Gu Liancheng, you can’t get married today!”

…

The An family had a habit of bullying the weak—but the Gu family **wasn’t** weak. They’d only tolerated her demands out of a sense of obligation.  

But now that An Xiuqing’s father was confirmed **alive**, there was no life debt to repay.  

An Qihui wasn’t someone who could be reasoned with. Arguing with her would take all day, so Gu Liancheng cut straight to the point—threatening to call the police.

“Just because your sister didn’t get her way, you’re trying to stop my wedding? Is there anyone in the An family who speaks sense? If not, I’m calling the cops!”

Once the police arrived, they’d definitely side against the troublemakers. The An family had already lost face today—they couldn’t afford the added humiliation of a public scene.  

Some of the An family elders knew what An Qihui was really after—she wanted Gu Liancheng to abandon his bride and marry her sister instead.  

*Was she out of her mind?*  

Even if they tried to play the “life debt” card again, the Gu family would never agree to something so absurd.  

Gu Liancheng’s marriage was his own choice. He wouldn’t break his promise.  

And the woman upstairs, **Jiang Zhen**, might seem gentle, but she had a temper. If she made a scene at their workplace, several An family members could lose their jobs. 

There was no winning this fight—only more losses.  

The elders pulled An Qihui aside, urging her to stop.  

“Why are you interfering with the Gu family’s business? Right now, you need to decide—marry the Qi family or call it off.” 

“You seriously think Gu Liancheng would ditch his bride on their wedding day just to run home for your sister? That’s beyond delusional. Honestly, it’s embarrassing to even say out loud.” 

“If you keep causing trouble, we’re all walking out. You and your sister can handle the mess yourselves.”

…