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After Wu Tianyou was discharged from the hospital, he stayed home to recuperate. But the Wu family wasn’t about to let the matter slide.
“We only dated for one day and my son nearly lost his life. Our Wu family can’t possibly want such a woman.”
Liu Shuhong sat proudly at the square table in the living room, her expression cold and arrogant.
“My son not only failed to get a fiancée, he almost lost his life. The so-called ‘engagement compensation’ doesn’t count anymore. Hand over the five hundred yuan. If you can’t, who’s to say Cheng Jiafu won’t end up back in prison?”
Shen Xiuying looked troubled.
“Tianyou’s mother, can’t we just let this matter go? It wasn’t our Ayuan who refused to date Tianyou. This has nothing to do with our family at all.”
After all, it was Wu Tianyou himself who got bitten by a snake—it wasn’t their fault.
“What, your family wants to renege on the debt now?” Liu Shuhong’s face hardened.
Old Madam Cheng glanced at Cheng Yuanyue and cursed in her heart. This damned girl, such a hard life! We wanted to marry her off, and now they’re bringing her back like unwanted goods.
“If it really doesn’t work, let them try again,” Cheng Jinshan muttered woodenly.
Liu Shuhong slammed the table.
“What, are you saying my son didn’t die yesterday so you want to let him risk dying again? If she hadn’t already jinxed one man to death before, calling it a coincidence might make sense. But in one day, someone died, and my son almost followed. Is that coincidence?”
“We don’t have the money. So, what do you suggest?” Shen Xiuying’s face darkened as her tone cooled.
“That depends on your sincerity. I have a friend who isn’t married yet. Clearly my Tianyou doesn’t have the blessing to wed your daughter. If you don’t object, I’ll decide for you and marry Ayuan to him. His family background is very good—Ayuan won’t suffer. If we didn’t owe him a favor, we wouldn’t be giving you this bargain.”
“Ayuan is yours to arrange as you see fit. We have no objections.” Old Madam Cheng, terrified she’d change her mind, agreed without hesitation.
“Of course. A girl with a reputation for cursing her husband to death—what decent family would dare take her? Still, I haven’t spoken to him yet. Whether he’ll agree remains to be seen.”
“Ayuan’s so-called reputation is only known in our village. As long as everyone keeps quiet, no one else will know. Besides, my Ayuan can cook, work hard, and she’s beautiful—whoever marries her will be blessed.” Shen Xiuying hurried to speak for her daughter.
“Such blessings… aren’t something just anyone would dare to accept.” Liu Shuhong left those words behind and walked away, telling them to wait for news.
Soon enough, Liu Shuhong returned and took Cheng Yuanyue away.
She claimed it was to buy her a couple of new outfits before taking her to meet the prospective man.
Following behind, Yuanyue recalled the Wu family’s storyline.
Right—why had her brother fought with Wu Tianyou again?
It had been because of the heroine, Su Peipei.
Both her brother and Wu Tianyou liked Su Peipei.
That day, Wu Tianyou had blocked Su Peipei and tried to make her his girlfriend. Her brother happened to pass by, saw it, and immediately fought with him.
Su Peipei had only muttered “crazy” before leaving the two men brawling behind.
Which meant—the heroine was already pushing the plot forward from the very beginning.
If it hadn’t been for Su Peipei, her brother wouldn’t have fought Wu Tianyou, Wu Tianyou wouldn’t have called the police, and none of this marriage nonsense would’ve happened.
So, as long as it involved the heroine, she was bound to suffer. From now on, she must stay far away from Su Peipei. No matter how the plot moved forward, she couldn’t let herself get caught up in it.
The man Liu Shuhong wanted to introduce her to was He Shenhua, a colleague of Wu Tianyou’s uncle, Liu Youwei.
Liu Youwei was the director of the county’s state-owned machinery factory. He Shenhua held the same rank, and currently the two were competing for the factory director position. Three years ago, He Shenhua lost his wife and had not remarried since.
Liu Shuhong shoved Cheng Yuanyue into a guesthouse room and warned her:
“Your family handed you over to me, so you must behave. If you don’t, I’ll just send you back and make them pay us instead.”
Yuanyue blinked innocently.
“Auntie, what do you want me to do?”
“In a while, Director He will come to this room to rest. You don’t have to do anything—just obediently wait for him on the bed.” Liu Shuhong’s lips curled into a smile at the thought. “Between men and women, it’s just like that. Afterwards, the more pitiful you act, the better. He’s a state factory director, with salary and status. If you can get him to marry you, that’s a bargain for you.”
Yuanyue instantly understood her meaning.
She nodded sweetly.
“Auntie, don’t worry. I’ll do exactly as you say.”
“Good girl.” Liu Shuhong’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction. “Remember—make him marry you. If he does, you’ll be the director’s wife, a life of glory. Isn’t that better than marrying some old man?”
With that, she shoved Yuanyue into the room and left without another word.
The room wasn’t large, but it was clean and tidy.
Yuanyue secretly cracked the door open. Seeing Liu Shuhong gone, she was about to slip out when she noticed a middle-aged man not far away, supporting an unconscious young woman.
Her hair covered her face, but from her figure and skin it was obvious she was a young girl. And from the way she was being dragged, she definitely wasn’t there willingly.
The man shoved the unconscious woman into the next room, tossed her on the bed, and left with a calculating look.
As soon as he left, Yuanyue slipped inside, intending to wake the poor girl and help her escape.
But the moment she entered—click. The door locked from the outside.
Damn it! she cursed inwardly.
Forget it. First, she had to wake the girl.
But when she looked at the bed—it was empty. The woman was gone.
Yuanyue’s eyes widened. Where could she have disappeared to? Out the window? But this was the fifth floor—jumping meant certain death.
“Mr. Lu, we’ve arranged this room for you to rest in. Please enjoy your stay. If you need anything, just call us.” A voice came from outside.
The tone was filled with deference. Whoever this “Mr. Lu” was, his power clearly far outweighed theirs.
“I’ll be resting here for a few hours. Don’t disturb me.”
The reply was a deep, magnetic, slightly hoarse voice.