“Hey, I didn’t do anything! Don’t drag me into this!” Liu Cuihua shouted as she rushed over, only to be treated like a thief.

The officers stepped forward to take them away. Bai Wanrou anxiously denied involvement. “It wasn’t me!”

But her nervous gaze landed on Ma Xiangyang. The message in her eyes was clear.

Ma Xiangyang finally dropped the act. His face darkened, and he snapped, “Jiang Manyue, I took the money.”

“You said it would be part of the dowry when we got married. I just took it early. That’s not stealing.”

“So it really was you.” Jiang Manyue stared at him coldly, eyes filled with disdain. “Ma Xiangyang, taking something without asking is stealing.”

With pressure mounting, he admitted it in public, causing a wave of murmurs through the crowd.

That was exactly what Jiang Manyue wanted—his confession out in the open.

“I don’t want to marry you anymore,” she said flatly. “Return my money.”

“What did you say? You don’t want to marry me?”

Ma Xiangyang looked like he had heard the biggest joke of his life. His eyes filled with mockery. “Who else would even consider marrying you?”

He believed she was only saying that to force him into returning the money, forgetting that he had once been the one she pursued desperately.

Trying to keep his composure, Ma Xiangyang spoke in a softer tone. “Don’t make a scene over 3,000 yuan. We’re family, aren’t we?”

Bai Wanrou joined in with her usual gentle voice, standing protectively beside him.

“Manyue, don’t make things hard for Xiangyang. Just tell the police it’s all a misunderstanding.”

Jiang Manyue turned to her. “Oh? Did he give you my money?”

“N-no. It has nothing to do with me,” Bai Wanrou mumbled and quickly went quiet.

She looked down tearfully, clearly afraid she might be forced to return the money.

When Ma Xiangyang saw her cry, he slammed the table in anger.

“I took the money. What does it have to do with my sister-in-law? Why are you always targeting her?”

He defended Bai Wanrou without a second thought, even after admitting he stole Jiang Manyue’s money. He acted as if Jiang Manyue was the one in the wrong.

The bystanders couldn’t take it anymore and began scolding them loudly.

“Tsk tsk. This man has no shame. First he gave his fiancée’s job to her widowed sister-in-law, now he’s stolen her parents’ compensation money too.”

“He’s clearly preying on her because she has no family to defend her.”

“Anyone who thinks there’s nothing going on between him and his sister-in-law must be blind. They’ve probably been scheming together this whole time.”

“She’s right not to marry him. This kind of trash should be thrown straight in jail.”

The crowd was furious, their voices condemning the shameless pair and dragging their reputations through the mud. With the entire room turning against them, how could they ever show their faces again?

The police officer, clearly fed up, snapped at Ma Xiangyang.

“If it was her dowry and there’s no marriage, then give the money back.”

Give it back? How? Ma Xiangyang’s face turned gray. The money was long gone. He had given it to Bai Wanrou’s brother, Bai Dazhuang, for his wedding.

Jiang Manyue, the girl he thought was easy to manipulate, was now refusing to back down.

“If he doesn’t pay me back, I’ll press charges.”

Seeing she was serious, Ma Xiangyang pointed at her with a trembling hand. “Fine, Jiang Manyue. Don’t regret this later.”

“I don’t have the money right now. I’ll write you an IOU.”

With the factory leadership watching, there was no way he could wriggle out of it.

“Alright.” Jiang Manyue didn’t push further. She just wanted her money.

Ma Xiangyang gritted his teeth, grabbed pen and paper, and wrote the note with shaking hands. He shoved it toward her with resentment in his eyes.

“Here. Satisfied now?”

“Not yet,” Jiang Manyue replied coldly.

“I want the factory director to cosign. If Ma Xiangyang can’t repay, the textile factory must.”

“What did you say?” Ma Xiangyang looked stunned.

She didn’t trust him. If he denied everything later, what could she do?

The factory director, dragged into the mess, gave Ma Xiangyang a fierce glare but reluctantly agreed.

“Fine. I’ll guarantee it. If he doesn’t repay, we’ll deduct it from his salary.”

Ma Xiangyang, the deputy director of procurement, earned 87 yuan a month. Even without eating or drinking, it would take him over three years to pay her back—never mind that he already owed the factory 3,000 yuan.

With both the money and the signed note secured, Jiang Manyue finally climbed down from the windowsill.

Her legs were numb from sitting so long, but she was satisfied. She put the note and the money into her pocket.

The crowd let out a collective sigh of relief. No one had died. Thank goodness.

The officer gave her a stern look. “Comrade Jiang, threatening suicide isn’t the way to solve things.”

“I’m sorry, Officer. I’ll be more careful in the future.”

Seeing her calm and cooperative attitude, the officer dropped the issue, and the crowd gradually dispersed.

“Ma Xiangyang, you have one month to return the money. If not, I’ll still report to you.”

Ma Xiangyang was trembling with anger, fists clenched. “Jiang Manyue, you’re unbelievable.”

“You think I won’t cut ties with you forever?”

As if that were some kind of threat.

In her past life, it might have broken her, but now Jiang Manyue only looked at him like he was filth. For the first time, she truly saw what kind of man he was.

The face she once thought handsome now looked disgusting and twisted.

She laughed softly, covering her mouth. “Ma Xiangyang, who gave you that kind of confidence?”

“You don’t have a mirror? At least look at your reflection in some water. See what you look like now.”

“Your face is disfigured, your leg is broken, and you think I’d still want you?”

“You—what did you say?” Ma Xiangyang’s face had been burned, and the leg injury wasn’t serious, but it was enough to humiliate him.

Now Jiang Manyue was tearing open his wounds and stomping on his pride in front of everyone.

Bai Wanrou, distressed, scolded, “Manyue, how could you say that? He’s still your husband.”

“Husband?” Jiang Manyue sneered. “I used to think he was good-looking, but now he’s nothing more than a crippled eyesore.”

She looked at him like she was seeing something disgusting. “Ma Xiangyang, this is your official notice. I’m breaking off the engagement.”

“Breaking off the engagement?” Ma Xiangyang clutched his chest, stunned by the coldness in her eyes.

She didn’t want him anymore. And that hurt more than anything else.