Xie Zheng held a mouthful of tea—unable to swallow it, yet unable to spit it out either.
Ruan Shujin withdrew her gaze from Xie Zheng.
Then she looked toward Old Master Cui.
Having lived for decades, Old Master Cui naturally understood what the young girl meant.
He turned to look at Xie Zheng.
“Since everyone in the family is here today, why don’t we set the engagement first. You can take her with you, and the two of you can slowly go through the formal procedures afterward.”
If this were her previous life, Ruan Shujin would probably already be making a scene—after all, she was being treated like a commodity, tossed back and forth.
But times were different now. She could no longer afford to be willful.
Xie Zheng was still somewhat dazed. He hadn’t expected things to move so quickly, and he felt a bit displeased as well—after all, the Cui family clearly wasn’t treating the girl as a person.
Just as the matter between the two families was about to be settled—
A figure suddenly rushed out.
“I don’t agree! This marriage was clearly supposed to be mine!”
Ruan Shujin stared at the girl who had gone hysterical. She remembered her—Cui Yingxue, the only daughter of the Cui family’s eldest branch.
Cui Yingxue stood still and touched the wound on her head that had just been bandaged. Heaven knew how miserable she felt—she had just argued with someone, been knocked unconscious, and then seen her future turn out so tragically.
The marriage agreement between the Cui and Xie families had originally been set for her. But she had disliked Xie Zheng since childhood, thinking he was cold and taciturn, and feeling he wasn’t worthy of her. Especially after learning that the Xie family was gradually declining, she refused to acknowledge the engagement no matter what.
After receiving the telegram from Old Madam Xie, she had even pretended to hang herself, feigned madness, and forcibly shoved the jade pendant onto that little white-lotus Zheng Shuya.
Who would have thought that the Zheng family also didn’t want Zheng Shuya to wade into this muddy water—and instead set their sights on Ruan Shujin.
In Ruan Shujin’s memories, she hadn’t agreed to substitute-marry Xie Zheng either. Instead, the whole family fled overnight. Zheng Shuya was stopped by the guards and lived a truly miserable life—though she was lucky enough to have an An-family lackey backing her, so her days weren’t utterly unbearable.
As for the rest of them, although they successfully escaped to Hong Kong, their money dwindled day by day. Eventually, for money, the Cui family even sold off their daughters for bride prices. Cui Yingxue herself was married to an old man twenty years her senior, forced to keep bearing children. If she failed to give birth to a son, she had to keep giving birth—until she finally died of hemorrhage.
Meanwhile, Xie Zheng had resolutely gone to the countryside, built achievements, and earned supreme honor.
So this golden opportunity—she absolutely could not lose it.
Old Master Cui slammed his cane heavily against the floor.
“Cui Yingxue, what madness are you causing again!”
Cui Yingxue clung tightly to Xie Zheng.
“Xie Zheng, my grandfather lied to you! She isn’t his granddaughter at all—they’re all working together to deceive you! I am your real fiancée!”
“Ruan Shujin is nothing more than my aunt’s stepdaughter!”
“I treated you so well when we were little—you have to marry me!”
Xie Zheng’s brows twisted tightly together. Disgusted, he flung her hand away.
“If Miss Cui believes that beating and scolding a child counts as kindness, then you’re welcome to personally experience this so-called ‘repaying kindness’ kind of life.”
Ruan Shujin didn’t know if it was just her imagination, but she felt that after saying this, Xie Zheng glanced at her.
That look—
Was deeply meaningful.
Xie Zheng’s face was stiff, his eyes cold and unfathomable as he stared at Old Master Cui.
With a sharp tone, he said, “The marriage between our two families ends here. I will immediately inform my family. Old Master Cui, please return the other half of the jade pendant as soon as possible.”
Old Master Cui’s violent coughing finally quieted the chaotic family somewhat.
“Xie Zheng, have you forgotten what your grandfather told you on his deathbed? You are his grandson—you must repay me on his behalf.”
Xie Zheng frowned, then suddenly let out a laugh.
“Then feel free to try. See whether I’ll let you manipulate me like you did back then.”
Ruan Shujin watched as Xie Zheng strode away, disappearing before everyone’s eyes, and hurriedly stood up to chase after him.
Behind Ruan Shujin, the Cui family had once again descended into a brawl.
Outside the house.
Ruan Shujin shouted herself hoarse, cursing her short legs.
“Hey—wait for me!”
“I’m calling you!”
“Are you deaf, Xie Zheng?!”
Xie Zheng suddenly stopped. Ruan Shujin couldn’t slow down in time and slammed straight into his solid, muscular back.
Ruan Shujin rubbed her forehead and looked up at Xie Zheng.
“Putting the Cui family aside—Xie Zheng, are you willing to become my husband?”
Xie Zheng looked at her, pondering her words, then nodded almost unconsciously.
If he truly had to marry someone to put his family in the capital at ease, then why couldn’t it be the person before him?
After all, a life-saving favor should be repaid a hundredfold.
Ruan Shujin found a quiet spot, and the two of them sat facing each other.
“My name is Ruan Shujin. You’ve probably heard of me—after all, my family and the Cui family go way back. From what you said earlier, you stayed in Shanghai for a period of time, so you must know about all the messy affairs between our two families.”
“Our Ruan family runs textile mills in Shanghai. We were once quite glorious—well-known and respected. It’s just that I was foolish.”
As she spoke, Ruan Shujin glanced at Xie Zheng.
“My father has been having an affair for years. My mother not only failed to protect me, she even sided with them. After my maternal grandfather passed away, my hard days began. I carried the title of ‘young miss,’ but in reality, I was poor as dirt. In recent years, with the situation worsening, I just wanted to find a place of shelter.”
Ruan Shujin took out the jade pendant hanging at her neck.
“Anyway, the engagement jade is in my hands now. You don’t like the Cui family, and I’m not a Cui either. If you marry me instead, wouldn’t that be even better?”
Xie Zheng thought for a few seconds.
“Why do you have to marry me?”
“Because you are Xie Zheng.”
The air seemed to freeze for a few seconds. The two of them looked at each other, each harboring their own thoughts.
In Xie Zheng’s bones flowed the sincerity he had inherited from his parents.
Looking at Ruan Shujin, he said, “Are you sure about marrying me? Although my hometown is in the capital, I don’t want to stay there guarding my ancestral assets and living a so-called safe life. So I enlisted in the army—I want to do what I like.”
“You were pampered and cherished in Shanghai, but before this home visit, I had already applied to go to Mengdu to control desertification…”
“How do you know I can’t endure hardship?!”
One sentence left Xie Zheng stunned.
“Since you’re in the military and came to Shanghai on leave from the capital, you must know that my current position is very dangerous. But I don’t want to run. This is the place that raised me, and I want to do my small part and contribute something.”
“I won’t lie to you. I have a bit of selfishness in choosing you—but more than that, I’m gambling that you’re not a bad person.”
“Since I’ve chosen to marry you, then I’ll follow you wherever you go. Wherever you are, I’ll be there too. But my identity may hinder your promotions in the future.”
Xie Zheng spoke faster than his brain.
“I don’t care about promotions.”
As soon as he said it, Xie Zheng felt a bit annoyed at himself. Looking at Ruan Shujin’s innocent eyes—
He stood up straight, like a pine tree.
“I’ll submit the paperwork as soon as possible and try to schedule the marriage.”
After sending Ruan Shujin back to the Ruan residence, Xie Zheng stood downstairs for a long time.
All these years, he had deliberately hypnotized himself, trying to forget that painful memory. Yet the more he wanted to forget, the clearer it became.
It was just that the young miss who once handed him a steamed bun seemed to have forgotten the little beggar locked inside a dog cage.