Chapter 3: Dad, Mom, I Had a Terrifying Dream

As soon as those words left her mouth, the Jiang parents were stunned, looking at each other in disbelief.

They had assumed that this young man came to propose because he had long been fond of their daughter.

Lu Yaozu was also dumbfounded, as if he had suddenly seen her in a completely new light. He no longer dared to look down on her and hurriedly tried to explain in a stammering voice, “Xiaoci, it’s not like that…”

But no matter what excuses he tried to make, Jiang Xiaoci no longer cared to hear a single word of it.

She directly cut him off. “No need to say more. Lu Yaozu, I will not accept this proposal, and I will never marry you. Please leave my house!”

The scenes from her past life still flashed vividly in her mind: her father’s despair when he was sent down to the countryside, the pain of enduring domestic abuse, Bai Miaomiao’s vicious and triumphant smile… With all this flooding her memory, it was already an act of extreme restraint that she could remain this calm in front of Lu Yaozu.

But the Jiang parents, unaware of the situation, were both shocked and confused.

Mrs. Jiang, seeing how coldly her daughter was treating Lu Yaozu, couldn’t help but urge, “Xiaoci, speak nicely. He’s still a guest in our home.”

Jiang Xiaoci looked at her mother with gentle eyes, but her tone was anything but soft: “Mom, from now on, this man will never be a guest in our home again.”

Her words were firm and resolute. Mr. and Mrs. Jiang were both stunned. Mr. Jiang gave Lu Yaozu a somewhat apologetic glance.

He adjusted his reading glasses and looked from his daughter to Lu Yaozu. He remained silent, but he already had a good idea of what was going on.

His daughter wasn’t the kind of unreasonable girl. From what she said, it seemed Lu Yaozu was already involved with someone else and still came to propose. There must be more to this.

Mr. Jiang began to scrutinize Lu Yaozu subtly. Although he didn’t say anything outright, his earlier warmth was gone.

Lu Yaozu was fuming inside. What was wrong with the Jiang family? Spoiling a girl like this! If she became his wife, would he have to treat her like a princess?

Hmph, typical bourgeois behavior!

What made it worse was that Jiang Xiaoci rejected him so bluntly—without even a trace of politeness.

Still, no matter how angry he was, he had to keep up the act and appear gentlemanly.

“Sorry, Xiaoci, I was too abrupt.”

Mrs. Jiang, still confused, said apologetically, “Well, if Xiaoci isn’t willing, Yaozu, then perhaps we should just…”

Lu Yaozu put on a hurt expression but still spoke graciously, “It’s alright, Uncle Jiang. If Xiaoci’s unwilling, then let’s forget it.”

He turned to Jiang Xiaoci, his voice full of fake gentleness and affection. “Xiaoci, don’t be angry. I’ll leave now. But please believe me, I truly care about you. That’s why I came to propose. I’m serious about you. I’ll explain everything to you when I get the chance. There’s no one else in my heart but you.”

Jiang Xiaoci felt nauseated. She looked at Lu Yaozu, sneering inwardly.

This man really was the master of pretending.

Unmoved, she sat still and coldly said, “Take everything you brought with you. I don’t want any of it.”

In this life, she wanted nothing more to do with Lu Yaozu.

Not even the things he brought.

Lu Yaozu’s expression stiffened, and he had to exert great control to maintain his composure. Mr. Jiang spoke up, “Take your things and go.”

Then he turned to his wife and said, “You see Yaozu out.”

Mrs. Jiang responded with an “okay.” In front of her husband and daughter, Lu Yaozu couldn’t bring himself to pick up the items, so Mrs. Jiang had to do it herself, shoving them into his hands.

“Yaozu, Xiaoci is still young and doesn’t quite understand things. Don’t take it to heart. Be careful on your way home.”

To his credit, Lu Yaozu really could endure. Even now, he managed to smile at Jiang Xiaoci with fake warmth, still acting deeply affectionate. “It’s alright, Uncle Jiang. It’s my fault for not telling Xiaoci beforehand about the proposal and startling her.”

Jiang Xiaoci turned away, expressionless.

Such nice-sounding words might deceive others, but they couldn’t fool her anymore.

Seeing that she didn’t react at all, Lu Yaozu had no choice but to leave, pretending to be disappointed. Mrs. Jiang saw him out. Only when he was far away did she finally shut the door and return inside.

Mr. and Mrs. Jiang sat beside their daughter, both concerned and about to ask questions, but Jiang Xiaoci’s long-suppressed emotions finally burst forth.

“Waaah—!” Before they could say anything, she burst into tears and threw herself into her parents’ arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

Seeing Lu Yaozu again had filled her with rage and disgust.

At the same time, she felt an overwhelming surge of emotion and gratitude—she had been reborn, her parents were still alive, and she had a chance to change the fate of herself and her family.

Her emotions were a turbulent mix of sorrow and joy.

The Jiang parents were completely confused and quickly tried to comfort her.

“Xiaoci, what’s wrong? Why are you crying like this?” Mrs. Jiang held her daughter and gently patted her back, just like she used to when she was little.

Mr. Jiang also said, “Xiaoci, even if what you said about Lu Yaozu is true—that he’s seeing someone else and still came to propose—you don’t have to cry so hard. He’s not worth it. Our daughter can find someone way better. If he’s no good, we don’t need him.”

Their concern and affection for her were so genuine that Jiang Xiaoci felt both moved and heartbroken.

She cried as she tried to explain, “Dad, Mom, it’s not that. I… I just had a terrifying dream. I dreamed that I rejected his proposal, and then he got furious and secretly reported our family for having capitalist leanings. You were both sent down to the countryside. To keep me from being sent down too, you married me off to him. You even gave him half of our family fortune as a dowry, thinking it would be seized anyway. After that… he abused me and eventually caused your deaths…”

By this point, she was sobbing uncontrollably, choking on her words.

Mrs. Jiang, heartbroken, held her daughter tightly and soothed her, “There, there. It’s okay, don’t be scared. Mommy and Daddy are right here. It was just a dream. Just a dream.”

“But Mom, Dad—what happened today was exactly like my dream.”

The Jiang parents were stunned and asked instinctively, “Really?”

“Yes—really. What he said, what he wore when he came to propose… it was all exactly the same as in my dream. Dad, Mom, I’m scared! I’m really scared—waaah…”

Jiang Xiaoci sobbed harder, shaking her head. That wasn’t a dream. It was something she had actually experienced. It was what had truly happened in her past life.

But how could she explain such a cruel and fantastical past life to her parents?

Mr. Jiang, however, remained calm. As the head of the family, he retained a certain level of composure.

“Xiaoci, don’t cry. Dad believes what you dreamed was real. Of all days, you just happened to have this dream today—that’s no coincidence. It must be a message from the heavens for our family.”

He exchanged a glance with Mrs. Jiang. Both of them were the kind of people who believed in fate and divine guidance. They firmly believed in karma and spiritual omens.

Realizing something was amiss, their expressions turned solemn. Mrs. Jiang held her daughter even tighter and said tenderly, “That’s right. This must be a prophetic dream. Our Jiang family has always done good and treated others kindly. It must be the gods above, protecting us.”