Chapter 7

Hearing this, Xia Xue still felt uneasy. What if Lin Wanting changed her mind, got back together with Wang Xing, and made a fool of her?

She decided she had to ask Lin Wanting directly why they’d really broken up.

That day, the Lin family had guests—ladies from similar backgrounds, gathered for leisure. To everyone’s surprise, Lin Wanting set aside her usual aloofness, coming out to serve tea with practiced grace, handling social niceties flawlessly.

“How old are you now, Wanting? Do you have a boyfriend?” one middle-aged woman asked, clearly fishing for a matchmaking opportunity.

“I’m twenty this year, and I’m not planning on finding a boyfriend…”

“That’s the perfect age! I know a military officer who’s just looking for a wife—good in every way, except his standards are high. But with your looks, Wanting, you’d definitely measure up.”

Wanting thought to herself, If a man’s so perfect, why is he being set up like this? People like Wang Xing could look fine on the surface but hide massive problems underneath.

“Haha, thanks for the compliment. I’ll head back to my room.”

She had planned to linger a little longer, but suddenly becoming the center of attention—and facing forced matchmaking—made her beat a quick retreat.

Qiao Yilan, however, was tempted. An officer was a promising match, and given their current family situation, she couldn’t help but think of Wanting’s future. That was a mother’s instinct.

A loud, urgent knocking came from the door. Gu Qingqing went to open it, and in barged Xia Xue, making a beeline for Lin Wanting’s room. The middle-aged woman noticed her too—everyone here moved in the same circles, so they knew one another to some extent.

Still, she had no desire to introduce Xia Xue to anyone; only Lin Wanting was the type adored by both elders and children.

Gu Qingqing hurried after her. “Miss Xia, it’s not convenient for you to go in there. Please stop.”

Xia Xue ignored her completely. Hearing her voice, Lin Wanting didn’t want her barging in and stepped out to meet her instead.

“Xia Xue, we have guests today. What’s with you barging in like this?”

Xia Xue rushed forward and grabbed Wanting’s arm. “I went to Wang Xing’s house—it’s so shabby! Is that why you broke up with him?”

Wanting was startled. Wang Xing had brought Xia Xue home so soon? That was reckless overconfidence. She had thought the two of them were as good as locked in; clearly, Xia Xue wasn’t easy to deal with either.

“I’ve never been to his place. Honestly, my family didn’t agree to the match. If I married him, my parents would cut me off. And with my mother’s health failing lately, I can’t be unfilial. Sigh… maybe when she’s better, I might still…”

Xia Xue finally heard the “reason” for the breakup and eagerly described Wang Xing’s home in detail.

“But he told me that after the wedding he’d buy a place in the city—we wouldn’t live in the countryside. So give up any ideas about getting back together!”

Wanting forced out two tears, mentally replaying every sad thing she could think of to summon them.

“Xia Xue, I treated you as a friend, and you go and do this? Snatch up Wang Xing the moment we split? I haven’t even decided how I feel yet!”

The more Xia Xue spoke, the more excited she got. Wanting’s words only intensified her sense of triumph—it was exactly the validation she craved.

“Wanting, you broke up with him, so why can’t I go for him? I was just curious about your reason for ending it. Now that I know, I feel relieved. Don’t worry, I won’t tell Wang Xing. I’m leaving now—”

She didn’t finish before Wanting slapped her. Xia Xue had taken more than a few slaps in recent days. She tried to strike back, but Gu Qingqing blocked her.

“You’re quite the loyal servant, huh? Deserve a beating yourself.”

Xia Xue smacked Gu Qingqing twice for good measure. Wanting pulled Qingqing aside and continued raining slaps on Xia Xue, hitting her hard enough that she nearly fell to the ground.

“I haven’t even hit you—why are you going so hard?” Xia Xue cried.

“Because you’ve done wrong, and debts must be repaid in this life.”

Staggering to her feet, Xia Xue fled, while Wanting felt a rush of satisfaction.

Still, her acting needed work—she had nearly laughed out loud at her own absurd excuse and clumsy fake tears.

On her way home, Xia Xue recalled what Xiao Min had told her. With her own wealth and parents who didn’t interfere, and Wang Xing’s ambition, what was there to fear about housing?

She decided then and there to set a wedding date quickly.

Back at the Lin residence, Wanting, still unsure of her performance, asked Gu Qingqing, “Do you believe what I said just now?”

“Of course, miss. But… what’s wrong with Madam’s health? I’m new here, so I don’t know. I’ll pay more attention from now on.”

Wanting patted her shoulder. “Loyal but a bit slow—not many servants like you left these days.”

The middle-aged guest, still fond of Wanting, spoke to Qiao Yilan: “You should seriously consider this officer. He’ll be back next month. This is a rare chance—why not meet him first and see for yourself?”

“All right, let me know when,” Yilan replied.

Still, she was irritated by Xia Xue’s behavior. Their home wasn’t a public place; she had no right to come and go as she pleased. Yilan resolved to have a word with Xia Xue’s family.

But her parents had long since given up on controlling her, focusing all their attention on her younger brother and merely sending her an allowance.

After the guests left, Yilan went to Wanting’s room. Wanting was lying down, eyes closed—not asleep, just resting. Until Wang Xing and Xia Xue were married, there was a stone in her heart that wouldn’t move.

“Tingting, I know you’re not sleeping. What did Xia Xue want today?” Yilan didn’t know what had been going on between the two lately.

“Mom, don’t worry about it. I’m fine. I just want to be alone for a while.”

Yilan hesitated—she was her only daughter, and she didn’t want to put more pressure on her.

Closing the door softly, she left. Wanting watched her mother’s retreating back. These good days wouldn’t last forever; she needed to grow stronger so she could take her mother away when the time came.

Meanwhile, Wang Xing, worried his prize might slip away, came looking for Xia Xue—and ran into her just as she returned.

She threw her arms around him, catching him off guard. Xia Xue really could be unpredictable.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I misunderstood you. Xiao Min told me everything—turns out Lin Wanting broke up with you because she thought you were poor.”

Wang Xing remembered her saying they were mismatched in background. It all lined up.

“So… do you mind?”

“Of course not. You’re handsome and ambitious. I believe we can make something of ourselves.”

Her words made him look at her in a new light. Truthfully, he himself disliked his family’s circumstances—that was one reason he’d been so eager to marry into wealth.

“So… does that mean you’ll marry me?”

Xia Xue nodded.