Chapter 6: Rebellion

◎ Already shared a marital relationship—won’t marry anyone else ◎

When Sun Lan heard this, she froze on the spot. She was standing at the threshold and turned to glance at Zhang Kuo outside the door.

Zhang Kuo’s expression shifted. A flush crept over his naturally tan face—it was clear he had heard Gu Ying’s not-too-loud, not-too-soft complaint.

Sun Lan felt a bit embarrassed.

Gu Ying’s blunt remark left her unsure how to handle Zhang Kuo at the door.

Thinking that this was his first time visiting their home, Sun Lan decided she couldn’t let him leave with a bad first impression. She turned back with a smile and beckoned him warmly, “It’s alright, come on in.”

Zhang Kuo hesitated, not daring to step forward right away.

Only after meeting Sun Lan’s kind and encouraging smile did he finally lift his foot to step inside.

Just as he was about to enter, Gu Ying appeared out of nowhere, holding a small stool. With a loud thud, she plopped it right in the doorway, perfectly blocking the entrance and cutting him off.

Gu Ying glared at him. “Who said you could come in?”

This sentence made both people nearby feel incredibly awkward.

Sun Lan tugged at Gu Ying’s sleeve and gave a light cough. “Don’t take out your anger on him like that—it was me who invited him in. If you’re angry, be angry at me.”

Despite being shielded by Sun Lan’s words, Zhang Kuo didn’t feel the slightest bit pleased; instead, a heavier gloom settled over him.

Gu Ying had always treated him well, and now she had embarrassed him in front of her mother. It seemed this time, she was truly angry.

Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Zhang Kuo immediately lowered his stance, showing a humble and apologetic demeanor. He looked steadily at Gu Ying and said sincerely, “I know you’re still upset, but could you give me a chance to explain?”

Beside them, Sun Lan knew it was her cue to leave.

She slapped her thigh theatrically. “Oh dear, we’re almost out of salt. I won’t have enough for cooking later. I’ll go buy some.”

Without giving them a chance to react, Sun Lan turned and headed toward the supply co-op. In no time, her figure had vanished completely.

With only the two of them left in the house, Zhang Kuo visibly relaxed. He bent down and reached out, trying to move the bench blocking the doorway.

But Gu Ying pressed one hand firmly on the bench, her expression cold, clearly still unwilling to let him in.

Zhang Kuo didn’t insist on entering. Standing at the threshold, he thought for a moment before asking, “Gu Ying, are you mad because of the Chinese knot?”

Gu Ying looked at him, her emotions roiling in her eyes.

She had made up her mind not to listen to his explanation. But now that he was right in front of her, showing humility, her resolve softened. “Fine. Go ahead and explain.”

Her blunt response caught Zhang Kuo off guard. He lowered his head and mumbled, “I didn’t know that knot was so important to you.”

“Mingxue said she had never seen such a beautifully woven knot before. She wanted to borrow it for a few days to study it closely—she said she wanted to learn how to make one herself.”

“Gu Ying, I’m sorry. If I had known how much it meant to you, I would never have lent it to her.”

Zhang Kuo recalled the incident with a hint of regret.

He hadn’t had much interaction with Mingxue before. But yesterday, she greeted him warmly and proactively. He was surprised and flustered, and when she gently asked to borrow the knot, he handed it over without much thought.

She’d rarely spoken to him before, and it was just a loan—Zhang Kuo didn’t want to seem stingy, so he agreed.

But now, seeing how upset Gu Ying was, he regretted it. Maybe he should have refused Mingxue and acted selfishly just that once.

After listening, Gu Ying slowly lifted her gaze and questioned, “Just a loan?”

Zhang Kuo sensed a misunderstanding and quickly clarified, “Yes, just a loan. If it bothers you, I’ll go ask for it back right now.”

Most of Gu Ying’s anger dissipated upon hearing this. He hadn’t given the gift she made to someone else—it was just a temporary loan.

Still, she couldn’t shake her unease. With a cold expression, she said, “Then go and get it back first.”

Though her demand might have seemed unreasonable, Zhang Kuo didn’t complain at all.

He actually went to ask Mingxue for it.

Mingxue was taking a stroll near the artificial lake in the courtyard. When she saw Zhang Kuo approaching, a smile naturally crept onto her face.

As expected, her strategy was working. Yesterday, she had made a point to chat with Zhang Kuo a bit, and today he was already coming to find her. At this rate, it wouldn’t take long for them to develop feelings for each other.

In the past, she wouldn’t have spared Zhang Kuo a second glance. But since she fell and hit her head, she wasn’t the same Mingxue anymore.

She was reborn.

She knew many things that hadn’t happened yet.

That was why she now viewed Zhang Kuo differently—because years later, he would rise to fame and become the richest man in the country, living a life of luxury and wealth.

Zhang Kuo looked plain and average, with nothing remarkable about him. Among the young men in the compound, he was barely noticeable.

Mingxue believed it was understandable that she had overlooked him in her past life. Who would’ve thought such a boring man would one day become a titan of industry, commanding the business world and dominating the country?

But none of that mattered now.

The current Zhang Kuo had not yet shown his potential. At this stage, he was probably still being looked down upon regularly. Mingxue was confident she could win him over while he was still in this state.

His initiative today only boosted her confidence further. Overjoyed, she greeted him cheerfully, “Zhang Kuo, how did you know I’d be here? Did you go looking for me?”

Zhang Kuo didn’t look happy. To avoid awkwardness, he got straight to the point: “Mingxue, have you finished examining the Chinese knot? Could you return it to me?”

Mingxue’s smile froze on her face.

She never expected that Zhang Kuo would come looking for her just to say something so blunt.

Yesterday, she had carefully phrased her request to borrow the knot, afraid that directly asking for it as a gift would scare him off.

After all, they weren’t close yet. If she suddenly made such a demand, it might confuse or alarm him. She needed to take things slowly—there was plenty of time to build a relationship.

She’d said “borrow,” but she had never expected him to actually come and ask for it back.

And only a day later—with such blunt, unfeeling words.

Mingxue almost lost control of her expression. She worked hard to compose herself, took the Chinese knot from her waistband, and handed it back as steadily as she could. “Is this knot very important to you?”

“Yes. Very important.”

Zhang Kuo accepted the knot and exhaled in relief. He gave Mingxue a nod of apology, then turned and left without another word.

Ming Xue reluctantly called out to him and tested the waters: “Who gave this to you?”

Zhang Kuo didn’t answer. He just waved his hand in farewell.

Standing by the artificial lake, Ming Xue stared at Zhang Kuo’s retreating back, emotions surging wildly in her chest.

It was as if she were watching the bright, beautiful, wealthy life of her future slipping away forever.

Zhang Kuo actually didn’t develop the slightest hint of romantic feeling toward her? That made no sense.

Ming Xue firmly believed that her qualities were head and shoulders above all the other girls her age in the compound. None of them could match her looks or figure.

She had already taken the initiative and lowered her stance to show goodwill—there was no reason for Zhang Kuo to reject her so coldly.

Something wasn’t right. She must have missed something.

Could it be… Zhang Kuo had already met his future wife?

In her past life, Ming Xue hadn’t had much contact with Zhang Kuo. After hearing that he’d made a name for himself, she barely saw him again. Rumor had it he married before he became successful, and even after he rose to prominence, he remained utterly devoted to his wife.

Back then, Ming Xue had even felt a bit of admiration for Zhang Kuo—he was a man who didn’t forget his first wife even after achieving wealth and status. But later, when she had a chance to see his wife, she realized how wrong she’d been.

Zhang Kuo’s wife was stunningly beautiful and carried an ethereal air. Ming Xue had only caught a glimpse from afar, yet it stayed in her mind for years.

It made sense that Zhang Kuo was devoted to his wife.

It was said his wife was in poor health, and Zhang Kuo protected her fiercely, never allowing her to attend meaningless social gatherings. That’s why so few people knew anything about his mysterious wife.

Ming Xue figured that if Zhang Kuo truly didn’t care for her, it could only be because of this future wife of his.

Could it be… they had already met?

Ming Xue thought carefully and then shook her head.

Zhang Kuo worked at the factory every day and only spent time within the residential compound after work. He only interacted with people she was familiar with. If there were really a girl as beautiful as that in the area, there was no way she wouldn’t know.

Thinking from another angle—if Zhang Kuo really had started seeing such a stunning girl, the whole compound would be buzzing with gossip by now.

Since he hadn’t met his future wife yet, then why was he treating her like this?

Somehow, Ming Xue suddenly recalled the scene at Lao Chen’s food stall that morning—Gu Ying had strangely tried to snatch her Chinese knot. She hadn’t thought much of it at the time, but now that she reconsidered… Could it be…?

No. Impossible.

There’s no way it was Gu Ying. She was so plain-looking, with skin darker than wheat from the fields. She was short, had no elegance whatsoever. There was absolutely no way she could be Zhang Kuo’s future wife. The difference between the two was like heaven and earth—completely incomparable.

Ming Xue immediately dismissed this absurd thought.

Still, no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t figure out why Zhang Kuo was treating her this way. And that uncertainty bred a deep anxiety within her.

She wasn’t as confident as before.

To avoid dragging things out, Ming Xue decided to strike fast and hard.

She lost all desire to take a walk. Returning home, she saw her parents and immediately declared, “Dad, Mom, I want to marry Zhang Kuo.”

Ming Deyong had just received a pack of Pu’er tea from the factory director and rushed home, urging Yang Yongmei to boil some water.

The two were seated at the table preparing tea when they heard Ming Xue’s sudden statement, as if struck by lightning.

The teacup toppled over with a loud crash. The freshly steeped Pu’er spilled all over the floor, forming dark stains on the ground.

Ming Deyong’s face turned a ghastly shade. He gritted his teeth and growled, “What did you say? Say it again!”

“I said, I want to marry Zhang Kuo—the Zhang Kuo from our compound,” Ming Xue said, word for word.

Ming Deyong nearly lost his balance and almost fell to the ground in rage.

He was breathing heavily and practically roared, “Ming Xue, have you lost your mind? You want to marry Zhang Kuo? You refused Gui Xiwen, who has such excellent prospects, and now you want to marry that nobody Zhang Kuo?”

“I’m telling you—absolutely not!”

Yang Yongmei saw that Ming Deyong was struggling to breathe. She didn’t even bother cleaning up the mess on the table and hurried over to pat his back to help him catch his breath.

With one hand gently patting Ming Deyong’s back, the other was quietly wiping away tears.

She couldn’t understand what was wrong with Ming Xue. A while ago, she’d fallen down and spent days lying in bed—no serious injury, but it seemed like she’d hit her head. As soon as she woke up, she insisted on breaking off the engagement with Gui Xiwen.

Gui Xiwen had such excellent qualities—tall, handsome, college-educated, with a promising future. His father might even be promoted soon. He was the kind of match you couldn’t find even with a lantern. Everyone was envious. Yet Ming Xue simply said she wouldn’t marry him.

Yang Yongmei had tried everything to change her mind, but nothing worked. The whole affair had been a disaster.

The Ming family had been the ones to propose the match in the first place. Now they were the ones breaking it off. Ming Deyong had to offer all kinds of apologies to Gui Xiwen’s parents, Gui Xiangrong and Zhang Dongling.

Just when things had barely calmed down, and after days of stewing in anger, Ming Deyong had finally cheered up today—thanks to the Pu’er tea from the factory director. Who would’ve thought he’d hear such a ridiculous statement from Ming Xue again?

Yang Yongmei was terrified the household would fall back into the tense, gloomy atmosphere of a few days ago. She quickly pulled Ming Xue to her side and asked gently, “Xiaoxue, you’re not joking with us, are you?”

“I’m not joking,” Ming Xue replied firmly. “I really want to marry Zhang Kuo.”

Seeing how determined she was, Yang Yongmei’s heart sank completely. She fought to control her emotions and patiently tried to reason with her daughter. “Xiaoxue, you turned down Gui Xiwen who has such good conditions, and now you’re insisting on choosing someone like Zhang Kuo. Why?”

Zhang Kuo was average in every aspect. There wasn’t a single thing about him that could compare with Gui Xiwen. Yang Yongmei truly didn’t understand what was wrong with Ming Xue—why she would insist on choosing the worse option.

But in her heart, Ming Xue sneered.

Gui Xiwen might have good conditions, but what good were they if he was already dead?

She didn’t want to be a widow a second time.

That’s right, in her previous life she did marry Gui Xiwen.

Even though Gui Xiwen didn’t intend to marry her and even proposed breaking off their engagement after graduation, she still used some means to make him marry her. But because of that, they completely fell out.

She had no regrets. As long as she married Gui Xiwen, she wouldn’t regret it at all. Even if Gui Xiwen ignored her and didn’t touch her, she didn’t care. Just being able to enjoy the envious gazes from those around her satisfied her vanity.

Besides, life was long — she didn’t believe Gui Xiwen would treat her like that forever.

But she never got to see the “after.” Soon after their wedding, Gui Xiwen died unexpectedly, and she became a widow.

Her husband died shortly after the wedding, and because of that, she was branded as unlucky. Even though she looked good and came from a decent family, in the end, she couldn’t find a second husband with comparable status.

Her whole life, you could say, was ruined by Gui Xiwen. If she hadn’t married him in the first place, everything would have been different.

So this time, after being reborn, she unhesitatingly broke off the engagement. This time, in her new life, she wanted to make a different choice.

Ming Xue knew all this, but Ming Deyong and Yang Yongmei did not.

Ming Deyong saw that Ming Xue was determined to be with Zhang Kuo. He stood up and slapped Ming Xue hard across the face, trying to wake her up.

“Do you know what you’re doing?”

Ming Xue’s left cheek turned bright red from the slap, but she showed no sign of backing down. She covered her face, then looked up straight at Ming Deyong, unleashing her final trump card.

“Dad, Zhang Kuo and I already have the reality of a husband and wife. I will marry no one but him.”