Chapter 27

Xia Chu Wei shook her head lightly, her tone firm as she said, “Auntie, please don’t say that. I don’t feel wronged at all.”

“All these years, I’ve kept in my heart every bit of kindness you and Uncle have shown me.”

Her gaze was clear and steady.

Taking a deep breath, Xia Chu Wei went on slowly, “Between Beichen and me… perhaps it’s just that we had fate without the destiny to be together.”

The words carried a touch of helplessness, but more than that, they held a sense of release.

She knew some things simply couldn’t be forced. Even if there was still a trace of attachment in her heart, she could only choose to let go.

Seeing Chu Wei’s resolute attitude, Madam Mu felt a little regret, but she also knew this was the best choice for her.

She nodded gently. “Alright, Auntie understands. Don’t worry—your uncle and I will never let you be wronged again, not even a little.”

“You just rest here for now. I’ll go tell them.”

After saying that, Madam Mu carefully pulled the blanket up over Chu Wei before turning and walking out of the room.

Mu Junze had been waiting anxiously right outside the door for his wife to come out.

The moment he saw her, he hurried forward, grabbing her hand. “How is she? Is it serious? Should we take her to the hospital for a checkup?”

Standing off to the side, Mu Beiwang’s lips twitched into a faintly exasperated expression.

He glanced helplessly at his father and interjected, “Dad, what’s wrong with you? Did you forget what Mom does for a living?”

Only then did Mu Junze come to his senses. He smacked his own forehead and laughed awkwardly. “Ah, look at me—my wife’s a doctor, and I somehow forgot that!”

Madam Mu shot him a fierce glare. “You’ve got the nerve to say that? Look how you beat someone until they bled!”

“I’ve already put medicine on her. Fortunately, there’s no serious injury—otherwise you’d be the one regretting it!”

Knowing he was in the wrong, Mu Junze stood there like a scolded child, keeping his head down and letting his wife lecture him.

After a while, he couldn’t help asking, “So… can I go in and see her now?”

His voice was filled with worry and guilt. After all, he had meant to stick up for Chu Wei, not accidentally hurt her.

Madam Mu shook her head. “I’ve told her to rest. Don’t disturb her.”

At that moment, Mu Beichen walked over. Looking at his mother with a serious expression, he said, “Mom, let me go in and explain to Chu Wei that our engagement will not be canceled.”

Hearing this, Madam Mu turned her head toward her eldest son, her expression darkening at once.

She frowned and said sharply, “There’s nothing for you to explain. Chu Wei and I both heard what you said outside just now.”

“She said she wants to break the engagement—that the two of you had fate but no destiny. That means your engagement ends here. It’s over.”

Mu Beichen stared at his mother in disbelief, as if unable to process her words. “Mom, that’s impossible! How could Chu Wei break off the engagement with me? She clearly likes me.”

Madam Mu gave a short, cold laugh. “Yes, she does like you. She treats you better than anyone else—something we’ve all seen clearly.”

“But what about you? How have you treated her?”

Her voice rose with anger. “Mu Beichen, you have the nerve to ask why she wants to break the engagement? Don’t you know in your own heart?”

Beichen’s face turned sour, and he lowered his head, not daring to meet her gaze.

“She likes you. She’s your fiancée. She treats you so well. And you? You take advantage of her feelings and hurt her without restraint!”

Madam Mu’s tone grew harsher. “You’ve made her cry, you’ve made her sad—on what grounds can you expect her to keep liking you?”

“I…” Mu Beichen wanted to defend himself, but found he had nothing to say.

“Tell me, Mu Beichen—on what grounds?”

She pressed him relentlessly. “Don’t think that just because you’re only engaged, it’s somehow different. Even if you were already married, if you made Chu Wei sad and she wanted to divorce, we would support her without hesitation.”

Beichen’s lips moved, his eyes fixed on the closed door in disbelief. Could Chu Wei really want to break the engagement?

“I don’t believe it. She can’t really mean to break up with me.” He shook his head, and as if suddenly making up his mind, reached for the doorknob to go in and ask her directly.

But Madam Mu stepped in front of him. “Enough! What more do you want from her? Do you think she’s a fool—or that we are?”

“All your friends think, because you never denied it, that Xu Xueqing is the woman you like. Where does that leave Chu Wei? You say you’ll keep the engagement, but then what?”

Her face full of anger, she demanded, “Are you going to let your friends talk as if Chu Wei’s the one using the engagement to break up you and Xu Xueqing, some so-called ‘true lovers’?”

“Let her be whispered about and judged by others—is that what you want to see?”

Mu Beichen looked frustrated. He truly couldn’t understand why they refused to believe him.

Keeping his tone as even as possible, he said, “Xueqing and I are just colleagues. There’s nothing between us. As for what my friends say—they’re just joking.”

But Mu Beiwang scoffed at this explanation. “Please. You didn’t stop them from talking. You didn’t speak up—that’s the same as agreeing with them.”

Beichen’s face darkened. He hadn’t expected his younger brother to press him this hard.

Beiwang sneered. “Makes me wonder how you even got the grades to become a doctor.”

He met his brother’s reddened eyes without fear, knowing that no matter how angry Beichen got, he wouldn’t dare lay a hand on him in front of their father.

And so he went on mercilessly, “Even if you and Xu Xueqing are innocent, isn’t it obvious that, in your heart, Chu Wei is less important than she is?”

“The day you and Chu Wei agreed to get the marriage certificate, you didn’t go. Instead, you went to pick up Xu Xueqing.”

His voice carried a sharp edge of anger.

“And on Chu Wei’s eighteenth birthday—you were at the very same restaurant, yet you couldn’t be bothered to go over and say happy birthday. But you hosted a welcome party for Xu Xueqing.”

Beiwang’s words came like a rapid-fire assault, leaving his elder brother no room to breathe. “You even had a dress custom-made long in advance to give Chu Wei as a birthday present. But instead of giving it to her, you handed it to Xu Xueqing.”

“And in the end, you sent Xu Xueqing back to her dorm instead of going home to be with Chu Wei. Do you even know she came home crying that night?”

Beiwang’s eyes were rimmed red—he truly felt it was unjust for Chu Wei.

“You’ve only treated her this way because you know she likes you, haven’t you? You think no matter what you do to her, she’ll never leave you, isn’t that it?”