“Bah!”
Jiang Xingyao was furious now too. “Who do you think you are? Why would I have to resist this marriage by dying? Zhao Hewen, listen carefully. I have never loved you. Just look at that disgusting face of yours. I’m afraid the only creatures capable of loving you are flies. Even Shen Jiaoli rejected you, didn’t she?”
Zhao Hewen was so angry that the veins on his forehead bulged. “Hmph! Don’t think I don’t know. You only deliberately got married out of spite because the person I like is Lili. Deep down, you love me. You just—”
“Ah… Zhao Hewen, what are you doing?”
Jiang Xingyao had truly had enough. Before Zhao Hewen could finish speaking, she deliberately interrupted him with a loud cry.
“Help… Help! Zhao Hewen has gone crazy…”
Her shouting brought not only the people from their own courtyard outside, but also neighbors from all around, who quickly gathered around.
Xu Xiangmei nervously pulled her into her arms. “Xingyao, what happened?”
Jiang Xingyao secretly pinched Xu Xiangmei’s hand.
Xu Xiangmei immediately understood. Her daughter was putting on an act.
“Mom, Zhao Hewen is awful. When I used to treat him well, he said he looked down on me and that he only liked Shen Jiaoli.
“This morning, he confessed his feelings to Shen Jiaoli and she rejected him. Now he’s come to tell me that he likes me. But my fiancé came over this morning to deliver the betrothal gifts, and Zhao Hewen was standing right there watching the whole thing. I think he’s deliberately trying to ruin my reputation… Boo-hoo…”
As soon as Jiang Xingyao finished speaking, everyone began whispering among themselves.
“Sure enough, all men are jerks. Even college students are no exception.”
“Zhao Hewen just can’t stand seeing how good Xingyao’s husband is now. He’s jealous, so he had to come over and make trouble for her.”
“What he’s doing is misconduct. Xingyao, report him to his work unit!”
…
Zhao Hewen panicked. “Don’t listen to Jiang Xingyao’s nonsense! How could I possibly like her? She’s just an unemployed woman who graduated from a vocational school. She’s not good enough for me at all. She’s only saying all this because she can’t have me. Everyone, don’t believe her!”
Jiang Jiandong said sternly, “If you don’t like her, then why are you hanging around our front door harassing her? You don’t even earn a hundred yuan a month, while my son-in-law came to give the betrothal gifts, and the cash alone was sixty-six thousand yuan. How dare you say my daughter isn’t good enough for you? Even the mud on the soles of her shoes is more than enough to crush you!”
“Heh…”
Zhao Hewen stared at him and gave a crooked, mocking smile. “I see now. Your Jiang family only agreed to let Jiang Xingyao marry that Xie Jingsi for the money. You don’t care who she loves at all. All you care about is money! You’re selling your daughter to support your sons. Jiang Jiandong, you’re the one who should be investigated by your work unit.”
“Slap!”
Jiang Jiandong’s broad palm landed squarely across Zhao Hewen’s face.
“Bullshit! My daughter’s marriage was arranged by the Shen family. Stop talking nonsense here. I’m taking you to see your supervisor right now. You dared to come to my house and humiliate my daughter, so no matter what, I’m going to get justice for her.”
With that, he grabbed Zhao Hewen by the collar and tried to drag him away.
Zhao Hewen’s mother, Cao Guilan, hurriedly grabbed her son by the arm.
“Jiandong, Jiandong, don’t be angry. Hewen and Xingyao grew up playing together. Now that she suddenly got married, it’s understandable that Hewen feels a little lost and said a few things he shouldn’t have.
“But don’t worry. Hewen is a college student. He would never do anything morally corrupt. This is just a petty matter between neighbors. How could we trouble his supervisor over something like this? I’ll take him home right now.”
“You mean my daughter is making false accusations against him?”
“It’s a misunderstanding. It’s all a misunderstanding.”
Jiang Jiandong remained firm. “I don’t care whether it’s a misunderstanding or not. My daughter has been wronged, and I won’t let it go. In front of everyone here, Zhao Hewen must apologize to my daughter and promise that he will never come harass her again. Otherwise, we’re going to see his supervisor today!”
“All right, all right.”
Cao Guilan smiled and said to Zhao Hewen, “Son, a wise man doesn’t fight when the odds are against him. Protect your job first. You can deal with that little bitch Jiang Xingyao later.”
Zhao Hewen took a deep breath and looked at Jiang Xingyao with eyes that seemed poisoned with hatred.
“Jiang Xingyao, you really are something. I’m sorry. I was wrong. I’ll never come and… bother you again!”
Jiang Xingyao sniffed. “You’d better keep your word. Never come bother me again!”
Zhao Hewen’s fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles cracked.
“You’d better never come begging me either!”
He simply refused to believe that Jiang Xingyao, who had loved him so deeply, could really stop herself from looking for him.
There was no way a person’s feelings could simply be severed overnight!
…
That evening, Jiang Xingyao was in the courtyard teaching Xu Xiangmei how to use the washing machine.
Suddenly, a pleasant, cheerful voice came from the front gate.
“Xingyao!”
Jiang Xingyao turned around and saw a fashionable woman.
She was in her early twenties, with long, wavy hair. She wore a leopard-print jacket, a short leather skirt, tights, and high heels.
Jiang Xingyao hurried over to greet her. “Xixi! When did you get back?”
Chen Xi and the original Jiang Xingyao had been classmates and best friends since middle school.
Chen Xi had been picked up by her adoptive mother from the roadside. At first, her adoptive parents treated her fairly well, but after they had children of their own, they began treating her like an animal.
She had only attended high school for one year before her adoptive parents demanded that she drop out and get married.
Chen Xi refused, so she secretly ran away to the south to find work. Three years had passed since then.
Chen Xi gave Jiang Xingyao a hug and laughed. “I came back yesterday, and I came straight to see you today. That counts as being a good friend, right?”
Jiang Xingyao patted her back. “More than good enough.”
Xu Xiangmei came over as well. “Xixi, you’re back! What do you want to eat tonight? Auntie Xu will make it for you.”
“No need, Auntie. I’m planning to take Xingyao out for dinner tonight.”
“Eating out is so expensive. Why waste the money?”
Chen Xi joked, “It’s okay. I have money now.”
As she spoke, she handed the things she was carrying to Xu Xiangmei.
“Auntie, I bought these for you and Uncle. There’s malted milk powder, black sesame paste, and American ginseng.”
Back when she was still in school, the Jiang family had helped her countless times.
They knitted scarves for her, made shoes for her, and every now and then, they would even have Jiang Xingyao bring her a few steamed meat buns.
Even her tuition for her first year of high school had been paid by the Jiang family.
If her adoptive parents had cast a lifetime of darkness over her, then the Jiang family had been a ray of warm sunlight in the middle of an icy wilderness.
She would never forget their kindness.
Xu Xiangmei took the gifts. “This must have cost you one or two hundred yuan, right? Whenever you come here, just treat this as your own home. Don’t buy things anymore.”
Jiang Xingyao, however, teased her. “Looks like our Xixi has made a fortune out there.”
Chen Xi laughed. “I made just a tiny little fortune. A while ago, I was trading clothes and actually made tens of thousands of yuan. I’m not leaving this time. I’m planning to open a clothing store.”