“Have you made enough of a scene?!”
At that moment, a hoarse yet authoritative roar came from the courtyard entrance.
The Lu family patriarch, Lu Zhengguo, walked in with a dark expression, accompanied by his wife Xu Wenli.
The moment he stepped inside, his harsh, sharp eyes locked fiercely onto Su Wan. As for his disgraceful second son, he only glanced at him briefly without even asking a question, directing all his anger straight at his daughter-in-law.
“Su Wan! Today is your wedding day. Instead of staying properly in your room, you ran into your elder brother-in-law’s room half-dressed, and now you’re even stripping your husband’s clothes in public! Have you no shame?! You’ve completely humiliated the Lu family!”
Xu Wenli immediately chimed in, looking pained and indignant.
“That’s right, Xiao Wan. Even if Ming’er did something wrong, you shouldn’t act like this in front of outsiders! What can’t a husband and wife talk about behind closed doors? Do you have to take things this far? A vicious woman like you how could our Lu family possibly accept you!”
What a perfect case of turning the tables.
A cold glint flashed in Su Wan’s eyes.
It had been the same in her previous life no matter how disgusting Lu Ming’s actions were, the old couple would always find excuses to make him seem “understandable,” while all the blame would end up on her for being “immature” and “not virtuous.”
Because of this farce on her wedding night, she had never been able to hold her head high in the Lu family. Gradually, she had even started to believe it herself that everything was her fault.
Before Su Wan could speak, the man who had been silent behind her finally moved.
Lu Zhaoye supported himself against the wall and slowly stepped forward.
Blood was still flowing from the wound on his leg, but the fierce, intimidating aura emanating from him forced everyone around to step back.
“Face?”
Lu Zhaoye sneered, his voice hoarse and rough, like sandpaper scraping.
“Old man, when your second son was running around wearing a widow’s dudou, why didn’t you think about the Lu family’s face? And now you’re showing off your authority in front of a woman aren’t you ashamed?”
Lu Zhengguo trembled with rage.
“Rebellious son! You bastard! Who do you think you are to speak here?! I haven’t even settled the score with you for seducing your brother’s wife!”
As he spoke, Lu Zhengguo grabbed a broom leaning against the wall and tried to bypass Lu Zhaoye to strike Su Wan directly.
“A troublemaker like you if I don’t beat you to death today, I’m not surnamed Lu!”
The broom whooshed down through the air.
Su Wan didn’t move. She didn’t even blink, the faint mocking smile still on her lips.
Because she knew Lu Zhaoye would never let her be hit.
Smack!
A dull sound rang out.
The expected pain never came.
A large hand, covered in scars and bulging veins, firmly caught the falling broom.
Lu Zhaoye stood in front of Su Wan like a towering mountain.
He didn’t even turn to look at her. He simply tilted his head slightly, staring at his father with violent mockery in his eyes.
“You want to hit her?”
With a sudden twist of his wrist, he forcefully snatched the broom from Lu Zhengguo’s hand and snapped it in half with one hand.
Crack!
The sturdy handle broke like a brittle biscuit and was casually tossed to the ground.
“And did you ask for my permission?”
The entire place fell silent.
Lu Zhengguo stumbled back two steps, his face pale.
He had forgotten this eldest son was no longer the child he could beat and scold at will. This was a man who dared to stab people in the black market a madman.
Xu Wenli let out a startled cry.
“Eldest son, you’re actually protecting her? Could it be that you two really”
Her gaze moved between them, her face filled with feigned sorrow.
“Bullshit!”
Lu Zhaoye cut her off.
“You people don’t even bother to distinguish right from wrong before trying to lay hands on a girl. Is that the so-called family rule the Lu family prides itself on?!”
Su Wan looked at the broad back shielding her, wrapped in his coat that still carried his warmth and a faint scent of tobacco. The frozen hardness in her heart finally began to melt.
Peeking out from behind him, she still wore that smiling expression, her tone light as if discussing tomorrow’s weather.
“Father, Mother, since you think I’m vicious and unworthy of your ‘pure and spotless’ Lu Ming…”
Her tone shifted as her gaze swept over the disheveled Lu Ming before settling on Lu Zhaoye.
“Then that works out perfectly. This marriage I’m calling it off.”
The crowd erupted.
In this day and age, breaking off a marriage was a huge scandal!
Lu Zhengguo and Xu Wenli were also stunned.
This girl had chased after Lu Ming for so many years, and now she was just… not marrying him anymore?
And why did she look almost happy?
Before, when they had opposed the marriage, she had come to their house several times, crying and begging them to agree.
Now, on the wedding night, after barging into the elder brother’s room and before they could even deal with her she was making decisions on her own?
Xu Wenli was furious and cursed,
“Su Wan, our Lu family is not a place you can enter or leave whenever you ”
But unexpectedly, Lu Ming, as if grabbing onto a lifeline, immediately jumped up and interrupted his mother.
“Break it off! We must break it off! It’s you, Su Wan, who’s immoral and tried to seduce my brother! I, Lu Ming, won’t take a worn-out shoe like you!”
Perfect after this incident, maybe he could rightfully marry Zhang Xiulian!
“Tsk.”
Su Wan shook her head, looking at Lu Ming with pity.
“Second son of the Lu family, why are you so slow-witted? We haven’t even registered our marriage yet at most we just held a banquet. Since you like that widow Zhang so much, with my always-considerate nature, of course I’ll fulfill your wish and let you two be together.”
At this point, she suddenly turned to face Lu Zhaoye.
Under everyone’s shocked gaze, Su Wan extended her fair hand and gently grasped his blood-stained hand.
His palm was rough and burning hot. It trembled suddenly as he instinctively tried to pull away, but Su Wan held on tightly.
She tilted her head up, looking at his face filled with shock and fierceness. Her eyes curved into a smile as she spoke in a clear, bright voice,
“Since the younger brother won’t do, I’ll switch to one who will.”
“Elder brother, your reputation may be bad, your temper worse, and although you’re quite good-looking… well, you’re indeed fierce. But at least you’re a man who dares to take responsibility.”
“Anyway, you’ve already seen my body tonight, and you’ve already taken the blame for my reputation.”
Standing on tiptoe, she whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, yet firm beyond doubt:
“Lu Zhaoye, marry me.”
Then she paused, raising her voice for all to hear:
“Let’s register the marriage tomorrow!”
Boom!
The words struck like thunder, leaving everyone stunned.
She had just broken off her engagement with the younger brother and was now going to marry the rogue elder brother?
This was madness!
Not to mention, everyone in the neighborhood knew that Lu Zhaoye had been a troublemaker since childhood, always fighting, and it was even rumored that he had been expelled from the army.
And Su Wan chose to marry a man like that…
The crowd was filled with shock and confusion.
They had all watched Su Wan grow up.
But today’s Su Wan…
Was nothing like before.