She immediately took back her earlier praise calling this man a gentleman.
Not wanting to argue over such meaningless things, Meng Yu took a step forward.
“Ready?”
Hearing this, Zhou Sinian let out a slow breath and gave a hum of acknowledgment.
Seeing this, a small smile curved at the corner of Meng Yu’s mouth—then, in the next instant, her expression suddenly changed. Tears sprung forth, and with a loud wail, she charged straight toward the Meng family home!
“Dad! Mom! Help me!”
“Dad, save me! Zhou Sinian is going to beat me to death!”
Her piercing cries echoed over the entire Da Fan Village, even scaring the birds in the nearby woods into flapping away.
Zhou Sinian’s lips twitched.
With his exceptional hearing, he could even hear the sounds of neighbors rushing to their doors to see what was happening.
The next moment, Zhou Sinian’s face turned grim. His expression fierce as a tiger, he charged toward the Meng household.
“If you, the Meng family, don’t give me an explanation today, we’ll settle this at the station!”
The entire Meng family was present. Hearing the agonized screams outside, Meng Jixiang was so startled he jumped to his feet from the stool.
“Dad! Dad, hurry and chase her away! They can’t come and take me instead! Dad, you have to help me!”
How could she not panic? After all, the one marrying into the Zhou family was her!
Before the second son of the Meng family could react, the door was slammed open!
Meng Yu’s lean little frame charged in, tear-streaked eyes scanning rapidly before locking onto her target: Meng Jixiang.
“Dad! Dad, help me!”
Like a demon released from its cage, Meng Yu’s sudden appearance terrified Meng Jixiang so much that he scrambled onto the kang for cover!
“Huh?”
Meng Yu froze in place.
Especially when she caught sight of the patches stacked layer upon layer in the hole under Meng Jixiang’s seat, she was completely dumbfounded.
When Zhou Sinian followed in and saw Meng Yu stunned on the spot, he frowned slightly—but, adhering to the script they had agreed upon, he continued professionally.
“Are you Meng family trying to play me for a fool?”
“To think of swapping daughters like this—that’s plain fraud! Today, you’re all coming with me to the police station!”
Meng Yu’s sudden appearance like a vengeful ghost, coupled with Zhou Sinian’s fierce expression, scared Meng Jixiang into silence, pressed into the corner!
Zhou Sinian hadn’t expected this. After all, anyone daring enough to attempt swapping a daughter for marriage should be bold—but seeing this man now, he realized he wasn’t nearly so daring.
He glanced at Meng Yu again.
What now?
Meng Yu was a little speechless herself.
She had thought Meng Jixiang would be a tough nut to crack—but this?
Meng Jixiang, now terrified, was useless. Meng Yu immediately shifted her gaze to Meng Jixiang’s older brother, Meng Jixiang’s father.
“What… what are you doing?”
Seeing her gaze, Meng Jixiang flinched two steps back.
She had never wanted to marry into the Zhou family—what could someone sent back from the army possibly achieve? Such a person was hardly worthy!
Letting Meng Doyu marry in her place had taken a long time and a lot of begging to convince Meng Jixiang’s father.
So no matter what now, she would never go with the Zhou family.
“Meng Doyu, I’m telling you! You’re already married into the Zhou family, so you’re one of them now! Stay out of trouble!”
She glared fiercely at Meng Doyu.
As the lowest-ranking member of the family, Meng Doyu had no say.
But that was the old Meng Doyu—submissive, beaten, and scolded at will.
The current Meng Yu would not take any loss.
Still tear-streaked, her gaze full of anguish, she looked at Meng Jixiang.
“Big sister! He’s hitting me! Since I married into the Zhou family, he’s been beating me all the time! Big sister, I beg you! Let’s swap back! Or he’ll kill me!”
Meng Yu cried and wailed, gripping Meng Jixiang’s father’s arm with all her strength.
Meng Jixiang was shocked and scared, eyes wide in disbelief.
Zhou Sinian, on the other hand, tried to maintain a stern, intimidating expression.
But hearing Meng Yu ruin his reputation, even he had trouble keeping a straight face.
You’re human too, aren’t you?
As a soldier, he always acted with honor and fairness, yet in Meng Yu’s mouth, he had become a violent abuser!
If not for the fear of ruining the plan, Zhou Sinian would have clarified immediately.
After subtly nudging her small arm, he sighed inwardly but focused on Meng Jixiang.
“The one marrying me should be you, right? Then come back to the Zhou family with me.”
He stepped forward, reaching to pull Meng Jixiang along.
“Ahhh! No! Get away! Dad, help me!”
Screaming, Meng Jixiang climbed onto the kang, pressing behind Meng Jixiang’s father.
Zhou Sinian scanned again. The rest of the Meng family, like a small horde, all climbed onto the kang, crowding behind Meng Jixiang’s father and gradually pushing him closer to Zhou Sinian.
Meng Jixiang’s father tried kicking backward, but with the whole family behind him, he had nowhere to hide!
Meng Yu and Zhou Sinian exchanged a glance, slightly exasperated.
Wasn’t this…
They were making it look like they were the bullies!
Even Zhou Sinian could no longer maintain a fully fierce demeanor.
Meng Jixiang’s father was genuinely terrified.
He was always bold at home, but this time, it wasn’t bravado—it was real fear!
Especially seeing Zhou Sinian’s solid, muscular build—one punch and he might not survive.
“Let… let’s talk this over…”
Meng Jixiang’s father stammered, voice trembling.
Meng Yu squinted, suddenly recalling a line about him in the original story:
Plays dumb, but is the worst!
With that thought, Meng Yu’s tears poured even more violently. She dashed up to Meng Jixiang’s father, grabbed his arm, and yanked him down with all her might!
“Dad! He didn’t marry me! He came today to take big sister away! Please let him take her! Or he’ll kill me!”
“Dad! I’m your daughter too! You can’t ignore me!”
Tears streaming, Meng Yu held onto Meng Jixiang’s father with full strength.
Meng Jixiang tried to struggle, screaming in refusal:
“No! I won’t go to the Zhou family!”
“It’s you who married him! Not me! Nothing to do with me!”
Then, in a fit of anger, Meng Jixiang emerged from behind his father, raising a hand and slapping toward Meng Yu.
“You jinx! You’re the one who married into the Zhou family! You’re the one getting beaten every day!”
Meng Jixiang was taller and sturdier than Meng Yu. That slap could have easily crushed her small frame!
At that moment, Zhou Sinian’s normally cold eyes blazed with sharp, ferocious anger.