"Isn't it you who said you didn't want to marry him?" Inside the room, Jiang Chi took a step forward, pressing Xu Changxia aggressively.
Xu Changxia retreated another step, her back already pressed against the sofa behind her with nowhere left to retreat.
"You're drunk," she replied expressionlessly.
The day before the engagement banquet, Xu Changxia had indeed taken the initiative to find Jiang Chi.
However, what she said were words to break up and draw clear boundaries, roughly meaning: she would become his sister-in-law in the future, and from then on, they should pretend not to know each other and never have met.
She and Jiang Chi had actually met as early as last year.
She had gone swimming in the reservoir with her classmates when, after just a short while, she suddenly got a leg cramp and nearly drowned. Fortunately, Jiang Chi, who was skilled in swimming, happened to pass by and saved her.
Jiang Chi was tall and handsome, the movie-like rescue, plus the Da Jipu parked by the roadside—clearly indicating he was from a cadre family—made Xu Changxia almost fall in love with him at first sight.
"Is that so? I'm drunk?" Jiang Chi sneered coldly, pointing backward toward the door. "Then why did you chase my brother out? Isn't it because you still have feelings for me?"
As he spoke, he moved another step closer to Xu Changxia. "Xiaxia, we still have a chance. It was my fault for not treating you well enough before, I…"
While saying this, he reached out, seemingly wanting to pull Xu Changxia into his embrace.
Outside the door, Jiang Yao's hand subconsciously clenched.
He hesitated for a moment, about to barge in, when he suddenly heard Jiang Chi roar from inside, "Xu Changxia, have you gone mad!!!"
Inside the room, Xu Changxia, who had been forced into a corner, was now tightly gripping a blood-stained pair of scissors, the tip aimed at Jiang Chi's neck. "Dare to touch me again! I'll kill you!"
Her words were filled with a fierce, bloodthirsty madness in her eyes.
Jiang Chi clutched his stabbed thigh, staring at Xu Changxia in disbelief.
Just a little more, and Xu Changxia's scissors would have made him unable to have descendants!
Now he was completely sober.
How could this be? Hadn't Xu Changxia always been infatuated and devoted to him? How could she change so drastically overnight!
"I'm your sister-in-law now! Behave yourself! If there's a next time, watch out for your third leg!" Xu Changxia glared fiercely at Jiang Chi.
It wasn't until many years after marrying Jiang Chi in her previous life that Xu Changxia realized he had married her only for that green card to the United States, to settle there long-term.
She was just a stepping stone for Jiang Chi.
He had only ever used her, with no real feelings.
Even on the day their son A Su, whom she had conceived at an advanced age, was kidnapped and had his limbs severed, Jiang Chi was still by that woman's side, warmly celebrating another child's birthday as a family of three!
Due to delayed treatment leading to severe infection, each of A Su's organs failed one after another. The doctors had long issued an ultimatum.
She held on for three years, until the doctors told her that one of A Su's lungs had necrotized, and with a ventilator, he could only live for a few more months at most. For the child, living on meant endless torture and suffering.
So, before A Su's tenth birthday, she killed the remaining kidnappers who had escaped, and then, together with A Su, quietly left this world.
The next moment she opened her eyes, she had returned to today!
When A Su was dying, the flesh on his body had already begun to rot. He was still crying out in pain when she held him, his weak cries of "Mom" still echoing incessantly in her mind.
She wished she had never given birth to A Su.
And now, heaven had given her a chance to make amends!
She would have to be insane to continue entangling herself with Jiang Chi!
"Get out!" The scissors in her hand moved a few centimeters closer to Jiang Chi's neck.
The sharp, cold blade forced Jiang Chi to shrink back: "Alright! Calm down! I'll leave right now!"
Jiang Chi took a few steps out, then turned back unwillingly to look at Xu Changxia.
Yet this glance sent an inexplicable chill down his spine.
The hatred and disgust in Xu Changxia's eyes as she stared at him felt as if… he had done something terribly wrong to her.
Originally, Jiang Chi had been dating her with ulterior motives. Her stare made him feel guilty.
He didn't dare say another word, turning around to leave.
Only when Jiang Chi's figure disappeared down the corridor did Xu Changxia let out a long sigh of relief.
Worried he might return, she hurried to the door to lock it. Just as she reached the doorway, she thought she saw a figure flash past the corner.
Jiang Yao stood in the shadows. Just as he was about to turn and go downstairs after Jiang Chi left, a clear voice suddenly called out from behind him: "Jiang Yao!"
Jiang Yao's steps halted. After a two-second pause, he turned to look at Xu Changxia.
Actually, during tonight's engagement banquet, he had already noticed something off between Jiang Chi and Xu Changxia.
Originally, he had planned to turn a blind eye to whatever was happening between Jiang Chi and her.
Yet, Xu Changxia acted as if nothing had happened, walking straight up to him and asking: "Why did you come back?"
She looked at him, her eyes filled with light and surprise.
Jiang Yao lowered his gaze to stare at her, his expression complicated. He wanted to read some other emotion in her eyes.
Because just half an hour ago, she had been guarding her purity for Jiang Chi, even going so far as to threaten him with biting off her tongue.
But now, right before his eyes, she had stabbed Jiang Chi with scissors.
He had seen how resolute and swift that stab was.
He even suspected that she might have noticed him standing outside the door earlier and was putting on an act for his benefit.
What did she really want? What was she after?
"You came back to apply medicine to me, right?" Xu Changxia looked down and noticed the hemostatic medicine in Jiang Yao's hand, asking with some surprise.
It seemed Jiang Yao wasn't as cold-blooded as the rumors said.
Jiang Yao's expression turned somewhat awkward as he stiffly replied: "Apply some hemostatic medicine first. The driver will take you to the hospital later."
With that, he turned to leave.
"Hey! Wait…" Xu Changxia instinctively called out to stop him.
She had been planning to look for him, and here he was!
"What?" Jiang Yao paused and turned back to look at Xu Changxia.
In her haste, Xu Changxia's loosely fastened collar slipped open again. When Jiang Yao turned back, his gaze inadvertently followed the open collar, catching a glimpse of what was inside.