“Fine, Gu Shaonan—we broke up ages ago, and you’re still sending her money?”
On moving day, Lin Sui found a stack of remittance slips tucked away in the back of her husband Gu Shaonan’s safe. Year after year, the payments had gone to the same person.
Chen Qinghe—Gu Shaonan’s first love.
Lin Sui felt a twinge of discomfort. Both had moved on, built their own families. By now, Chen Qinghe’s youngest child must have already graduated college. Why were they still in touch?
“Have you been supporting Chen Qinghe all these years?” she asked him on the way to their new home.
Gu Shaonan’s expression shifted awkwardly when he saw the slips in her hand, but he didn’t try to hide it. “Her husband passed away more than ten years ago. She was left caring for two elderly parents and two children all on her own. She struggled to make ends meet and even caught hepatitis. I suppose she had nowhere else to turn. Besides, her parents helped me out when I was younger. So I returned the favor. Look at us now—we’ve built our business into something huge and earned plenty. That little bit of money is nothing to our family. Why let it bother you?”
Seeing how open and calm he seemed, Lin Sui let it go. It was only right to repay old kindnesses, anyway. After so many years of marriage, there was no point in making a fuss. “But I don’t want you helping her anymore from now on. You can’t support someone forever when they stay poor. And truth be told, I just never liked her.”
Gu Shaonan readily agreed.
Just then, a large truck suddenly appeared ahead, swerving wildly as if its brakes had failed—straight toward their small car.
In the chaos, Lin Sui felt herself and Gu Shaonan thrown from the vehicle. When she opened her eyes again, she heard a woman shouting:
“Liang Fengjiang—what is the meaning of this? We already sent the betrothal gifts for our son Zhang Dongliang! And now you say your daughter refuses to marry him?”
The familiar, sharp scolding pulled Lin Sui back to reality. She was back.
Just yesterday, she and Gu Shaonan had been moving into their brand-new villa in Southern City—a luxury home worth millions. They hadn’t even had time to enjoy it before the crash took their lives. How could she wake up now, back to the days before she was even married?
She stared at her reflection in the mirror—skin plump and glowing with youth—and still felt like she was dreaming.
It was September 1988. She had just turned twenty, the brightest and most vibrant time of life. She had only recently quit her job at a factory in Shenzhen and returned home. With the busy farming season over, matchmakers from all around had begun knocking on her door. Arranged introductions were still very common in rural areas back then.
At twenty, Lin Sui was beautiful—an oval face, bright peach blossom eyes, and smooth fair skin, with a slender, well-proportioned figure. Even though she only had a middle-school education, she was a highly sought-after bride.
Zhang Dongliang from the neighboring village had been chasing her ever since sixth grade.
But her mother, Liang Fengjiao, had drunk one too many cups of rice wine and, in her inebriated state, essentially “promised her daughter away.” Zhang Dongliang, eager to seal the deal, rushed over with his betrothal gifts right away. The trouble was, Liang Fengjiao barely remembered the conversation. It wasn’t until she ran into Zhang’s mother at the town market that it all came flooding back. She hurried home to tell Lin Sui.
Of course Lin Sui refused. She had never felt anything for Zhang Dongliang—if she had, she would have dated him back in school.
“My mother may have said something, but do you have any proof?”
Zhang Dongliang sauntered over, eyes glinting like a bee drawn to nectar. “I do! It happened the night of Zhang Jiajia’s wedding. Everyone was there, including your mother. The whole village is related one way or another, so it was no secret. Your mother got thoroughly drunk and agreed right there.”
“Not just me—plenty of people saw it, and I’ve got written proof too!” He pulled out a crumpled sheet of paper. “Look—your mother’s thumbprint is right here. She accepted 1,000 yuan as the engagement fee. And it says clearly: if either party breaks the agreement, they must pay three times the amount in compensation. That means 3,000 yuan.”
It had been eight years since China’s reform and opening-up began, but 3,000 yuan was still a fortune in the countryside.
Seeing him lean in, spittle nearly flying from his mouth, Lin Sui pushed him away. “Get lost!”
Zhang Dongliang stumbled back, nearly falling over.
Liang Fengjiao looked deeply embarrassed and quickly tried to smooth things over. “Ah, we were just joking around! It doesn’t count—really, it doesn’t!”
When she had woken up that morning and found 1,000 yuan in her pocket, she’d assumed it was the wages her daughter had earned working for a year—exactly 1,000 yuan. Only now did she realize she’d carelessly taken the betrothal money instead. If her daughter didn’t want this marriage, she wouldn’t force her into it.
But Zhang Dongliang wouldn’t back down. “This is written in black and white! And look at all the gifts I brought—stereo system, sewing machine, 21-inch color TV, and even a women’s motorcycle!”
The crowd of onlookers murmured in awe. “The Zhang family sure is well-off!” His mother raised her voice triumphantly: “Even if you search the whole county, you won’t find a better match than this! If you still turn it down, don’t blame us for reporting you for swindling and demanding the 3,000 yuan penalty!”
To make matters worse, Zhang Dongliang’s uncle was the local police chief, and his father’s brother served as director of the county health bureau. After graduating middle school, Zhang had opened his own small business in town and made quite a bit of money—enough to be known as something of a local bully.
It looked like he intended to force the marriage through. Back in those days, village bullies held a lot of power. If the girl and her family were timid, they would have had no choice but to agree.
But in her past life, Lin Sui had escaped this fate. She’d run away to the county seat to ask help from her uncle—and that was the very day she met Gu Shaonan. It was love at first sight. They registered their marriage not long after.
Of course, married life had its ups and downs, but which couple didn’t? When they first wed, Gu Shaonan’s family was very poor—just his elderly mother and seven siblings, with him being the second youngest. But he was hardworking and ambitious. Working together, they bought a house in town within five years, opened a shoe factory in Southern City after seven, built their own brand, and later invested in auto parts. By the time of their fatal accident, their net worth had grown to over one billion yuan.
For the most part, they’d been a loving, devoted couple. Their only regret was having no children of their own—though the two they’d adopted had grown up respectful and filial.
In this new life, Lin Sui still intended to marry Gu Shaonan.
“You’re the one tricking people, Zhang Dongliang!” she shot back. “You took advantage of my mother when she was drunk and confused to get her signature. How dare you call this legitimate?”
“Several people saw what happened—we can all go to the police station together to give statements, if you like!”
Zhang Dongliang’s face fell. “Do you really dislike me that much? Am I not good enough for you?”
Lin Sui didn’t want to turn things even uglier. In truth, she knew he’d always cared for her. In her past life, when Gu Shaonan’s mother had suffered a burst appendix, it was Zhang Dongliang who’d rushed her to the hospital in his small truck. She hadn’t forgotten that kindness. But she also knew: you couldn’t spend a lifetime repaying someone just because they treated you well. Plenty of people had been kind to her—did that mean she should marry every single one? If there was no feeling, there was no feeling, and no further explanation was needed.
“Zhang, you’re a good man,” she said calmly. “But a relationship forced against one’s heart will never work out.”
Hearing this, Zhang Dongliang’s eyes welled up. His mother, seeing her son hurt and feeling humiliated, raised her voice again. “Fine then—let’s go to the police station and see who the real fraudster is!”
She refused to accept any compromise.
“Why not ask the newly appointed Secretary Xiao to judge this fairly?” Lin Sui suggested. “Actually, Secretary Zhou is his surname—and I’ve heard he has quite a strong background. Even the town mayor gives him respect. He absolutely despises local tyrants and troublemakers. He’s just taken office, and everyone knows how determined he is to clean things up. Which side do you think he’ll stand on?”
Zhang Dongliang froze. His mother’s mouth snapped shut as if someone had grabbed her throat.
“You expect us to believe you actually know Secretary Zhou?” she scoffed.
“I wouldn’t say he knows me,” Lin Sui replied, “but I do know him. When I was taking night classes, it turned out he was the younger uncle of one of my classmates. Secretary Zhou stands firmly against injustice—let’s see what he makes of this situation.”
Her tone sounded so convincing that even Liang Fengjiao began to hesitate.
“Very well then,” Zhang’s mother finally relented. “We won’t press charges of swindling—but you still have to pay back the betrothal gift at three times the value, just as the agreement says.”