Chapter 4 – Nobody Gets Away Unscathed

Rubbing his eyes, Ye Song came out of the house.
“Dad, Mom, why aren’t you opening the door? Who’s outside?”

Yawning, he shuffled toward the main gate.

More and more villagers gathered to watch. The couple had wanted to avoid the confrontation, but since it was inevitable, they had no choice but to open the door.

Ding Yuxiang stepped forward and pulled the door open. Putting on a look of false surprise, she said,
“Oh! In-laws, what brings you here?”

With so many people outside, Liu Wenxiu gestured for them to go inside first.

As soon as they entered the courtyard, Huo Tingwu, who came in last, shut the gate, cutting off the prying stares of the onlookers.

“What’s so secretive about this?” someone outside muttered.

The nosy ones refused to give up—some pressed their ears to the gate to eavesdrop, and a few even climbed onto the wall to peer inside.

Ye Hongjun quickly invited the guests to sit inside the house.

Ye Tao walked past expressionless, standing close to Huo Tingwu.

Seeing the way she was forcing herself to stay calm, Huo Tingwu felt a tightness in his chest. She must be suffering inside too.

Ye Song scratched his head. Wasn’t Second Sister resting at home? Why did she come in together with Second Brother Huo? He couldn’t figure it out.

Liu Wenxiu sat down and struck first:
“Ding Yuxiang, are you not going to explain what’s going on here? Weren’t we promised Ye Xuan? How did she suddenly become Ye Tao?”

Ye Song: “?!” What did I justhear?!

“Mom, what’s going on?” he asked in shock.

Ding Yuxiang quickly shoved him back toward his room.
“Go back to sleep! You’re still half-dreaming.”

“I’m awake now!” he tried to insist.

But she pushed him inside anyway and slammed the door shut.

Turning back with a forced smile, she said,
“Ye Xuan is too unruly and not suited for Tingwu. Ye Tao is honest and obedient. After marrying Tingwu, she can help manage the household. It all happened suddenly—we didn’t have time to discuss it with you.”

She jabbed her elbow at Ye Hongjun, signaling him to add something.

“Yes, sister-in-law,” Ye Hongjun chimed in,
“Ye Tao has been capable since she was little, much better than Xuan. You won’t be losing out with her as your daughter-in-law.”

But Huo Tingwu’s brows knitted tightly, his gaze cold. Ye Tao is not an object. How could they just decide her fate like this, without the slightest regard for her wishes? Even parents have no such right.

“That’s right,” Liu Wenxiu snapped.
“And why didn’t you tell us beforehand? Instead you pulled this substitute-bride trick. Do you think shaming everyone like this makes you happy?”

She nearly rolled up her sleeves to beat them right there. When she first saw Ye Tao, her heart nearly stopped. Outside, dozens of relatives and neighbors were gathered—who among them didn’t know the two sisters?

Huo Xiaolin’s expression was dark and terrifying.
“Old Ye, you’re the head of your family. Explain everything, word for word. Maybe we can still remain in-laws. Otherwise…”

The threat in his tone made Ye Hongjun shrink. But then he thought—broad daylight, so many witnesses—even if he is the brigade leader, what can he really do to me? Putting on a shameless front, he acted like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water.

Ding Yuxiang never dared speak until her husband did.

But Huo Xiaofeng, who had seen plenty in his years of roaming, read Ye Hongjun’s mind at once. His words carried a veiled threat: Ifyoudon’t tell the truth, don’t expect any benefits in the future.

That worked. Despite Ye Hongjun’s attempts to stop her, Ding Yuxiang spilled everything.

Everyone ground their teeth in anger. What kind of cruel parents drug their own daughter and send her off in marriage like this?

The Huo family’s eyes turned toward Ye Tao, worried she might collapse under such a blow.

“Don’t cry.” Huo Tingwu sighed softly, raising his hand to gently wipe away a tear on her cheek.

The warm touch startled Ye Tao. She hadn’t even realized when her tears had fallen—perhaps they were remnants of the original Ye Tao’s emotions.

Shaking her head to show she was fine, she forced herself to smile despite the heaviness in her chest.

But to Huo Tingwu, it looked like she was faking it.

He pinched her cheek.
“If you don’t want to smile, then don’t. You look terrible.”

Ye Tao smacked his hand away with a slap, rubbing her cheek. That hurt! Bad man! She glared at him, clearly displeased.

The room went silent. She quickly realized—they weren’t alone. Sneaking a glance up, she saw everyone staring in shock.

Huo Tingjie gave her a secret thumbs-up. Second Sister-in-law sure has guts—to hit Second Brother in front of everyone!

Huo Xiaolin coughed, breaking the awkwardness, and the crowd quickly looked away.

“If Ye Xuan wasn’t happy with this marriage, she should’ve rejected it outright instead of running away and leaving such a mess behind,” Liu Wenxiu said angrily.
“And to think I treated her like my own daughter all this time. This is how you raise your children?”

Ye Hongjun and Ding Yuxiang had no reply. Had they known Ye Xuan planned to flee, they would have tied her up and delivered her to the Huo family.

What angered Huo Xiaolin most was that the letter of introduction Ye Xuan used to escape was one he himself had signed. She’d said she was going to the city to shop, and thinking they would soon be one family, he hadn’t questioned her. He never imagined he’d become her “accomplice” in running away.

Face dark as iron, Huo Xiaolin sat stiffly. Liu Wenxiu glanced toward the doorway, where Ye Tao sat with Huo Tingwu. Looking closely, she realized Ye Tao actually had fine features—big round eyes, pale skin—usually hidden by her hair.

Compared with Ye Xuan, Ye Tao was starting to look more pleasing to the eye. So Liu Wenxiu proposed directly:
“Then let’s switch. Ye Tao will marry into our family instead. Let’s hold the wedding ceremony right now, before everyone. If she agrees, she will be our daughter-in-law. If not, we’ll annul the engagement—but the bride price must be returned in full.”

The matter was set. For Ye Tao, arguing was pointless. Even if the engagement was broken, she had no wish to remain in this family. Marrying Huo Tingwu might be better—at least she’d be free of her parasitic parents.

Ye Tao spoke up:
“Father, Mother, since I’m the one marrying Huo Tingwu, the bride price is mine. I’ll be taking it with me later.”

Ding Yuxiang slammed the table.
“You ungrateful little—”

But her words died in her throat when she met the icy glare in Huo Tingwu’s pitch-black eyes.

“And the dowry,” Ye Tao added.
“Don’t think I don’t know you gave Ye Xuan a hundred yuan as dowry money.”

The demand stung more than death itself for Ding Yuxiang. Forcing down her fury, she snapped,
“Who said that? Xuan’s dowry money was her own savings. Your father and I didn’t give a cent!”

Liu Wenxiu sneered,
“What? Is the Ye family really so poor that you can’t even prepare a dowry for your own daughter?”

Ye Tao knew they wouldn’t admit it.
“If Ye Xuan didn’t want it, that’s her choice. But I want my dowry. Considering all the years I’ve worked for this family, asking for a hundred yuan isn’t too much.”

Ye Xuan had already taken both the bride price and the dowry money with her. Now, being forced to hand over another sum felt like having their flesh cut out.

But Ye Tao didn’t care. Nobody was going to cheat her out of what was hers.

She gave her final warning:
“If you refuse, I’ll report Ye Xuan for running away from her marriage. When that happens, none of you will get away unscathed.”