Song Nianyun couldn’t be bothered to deal with Chen Yunli. She turned around and walked in the opposite direction.
Chen Yunli was still waiting for her to come over and apologize on her own. When he saw her turn away after noticing him, he reacted too slowly.
Without thinking further, he quickly stepped forward and grabbed her wrist, trying to pull her along.
Behind them, their fellow students erupted into teasing and jeering.
Song Nianyun shook off Chen Yunli’s hand.
“Master Chen, our engagement has already been broken off. Your behavior is inappropriate.”
This statement stunned the students who had been joking moments before.
What? Broken off?
Chen Yunli’s expression instantly darkened. He could feel the surrounding gazes—once filled with envy—turning into suspicion and scrutiny, like needles stabbing into him.
Everyone knew he had been able to form a marriage alliance with the Song family, and many classmates had envied him for it.
He studied in the Jing Pavilion Jiazi class, where most students were poor but talented scholars from humble backgrounds. A few, like him, had secured marriages with local gentry families, allowing them to rely on their wives’ family wealth to focus on their studies.
But the women they were engaged to were, in appearance, far inferior…
None could compare to Song Nianyun’s refined beauty.
Because of this, being engaged to someone both beautiful and talented had always been a source of quiet pride for him among his peers.
Now, having Song Nianyun publicly reveal the broken engagement was like dragging his dignity through the mud.
He forced down his panic and embarrassment and lowered his voice.
“Can we talk?”
Originally, Song Nianyun did not want to deal with him at all. But after a moment’s thought, she decided some things did need to be made clear face-to-face—otherwise he would only continue to cause trouble.
She nodded slightly, her tone distant.
“Yes. But make it brief.”
They walked to a quieter corner. Song Zhuangzhuang stood a few steps away like a stone pillar, watching Chen Yunli vigilantly.
Chen Yunli looked at her calm expression, feeling conflicted.
He took a deep breath and spoke in a tone that tried to sound both gentle and reproachful.
“Nianyun, I know you are still angry. A few days ago… my mother acted too rudely and made you suffer. I apologize on her behalf.”
His words were sincere, even carrying a trace of carefully measured remorse, as if everything was merely his mother’s fault, while he himself was just an obedient and helpless son caught in the middle.
Song Nianyun listened quietly, her face unchanged. Only after he finished did she raise her eyes slightly—her gaze cold and clear, as if it could see through everything.
“Master Chen, did you only just learn today that your mother is rude?”
Chen Yunli froze.
“I…”
“You could have stopped her, couldn’t you?”
She interrupted him, her tone still calm, but each word struck like a blunt blade, slowly peeling away his pretenses.
“Every time she insulted me, every time she used so-called filial piety to suppress me, every time she shamelessly demanded silver from my Song family—where were you?”
She stepped slightly closer. Though slender, she carried an invisible pressure.
“You enjoyed every benefit of being the Song family’s future son-in-law—your classmates’ admiration, your teachers’ favor, and the financial support of my family.
You reaped all these advantages without hesitation, yet you stood by and watched your mother and your fiancée clash. Not once did you step forward to defend me or seek justice.”
Chen Yunli’s face gradually turned pale under her questioning. His lips parted, but no sound came out.
All his excuses hidden beneath “filial piety” and “helplessness” were stripped bare under the sunlight.
Now that I want to end the engagement, you think a light ‘apology on behalf of my mother’ can shift all blame onto her and win me back?”
A faint, mocking smile appeared on her lips.
“Chen Yunli, you study the classics of sages, speak of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom—but your actions are no different from opportunists and flatterers in the marketplace.”
She looked at him one last time, her eyes completely detached.
“Even if you were to achieve great success in the future, become a minister or a marquis, a man who lacks even the most basic sense of responsibility and sincerity—
I, Song Yibai, would still look down on you.”
After speaking, she no longer spared him a glance and turned to leave the academy.
The exam results would only be announced the next day. There was no need for her to wait.
Chen Yunli tried to chase after her, but Song Zhuangzhuang blocked his path.
She rolled up her sleeves, looking ready to strike.
“Master Chen, our young lady has already made herself very clear. If you dare follow her again, don’t blame me for being rude!”
She was taller than Chen Yunli by half a head, strong and sturdy like a small mountain. Her presence alone was intimidating.
Cracking her knuckles, she made an audible sound.
Chen Yunli’s steps froze. He could only watch helplessly as Song Nianyun disappeared into the crowd at the academy gate.
His chest rose and fell violently, his face burning with humiliation.
Her words were like cold water poured over him, shattering his pride completely.
He stood there, sensing the surrounding gazes filled with mockery, and felt utterly humiliated.
Meanwhile, Song Nianyun had already put all of that behind her.
She walked briskly with Song Zhuangzhuang on the way back to the Song residence.
Today’s exam results were not yet known, but she was certain she would pass Qinghui Academy.
In truth, she had deliberately considered making mistakes—but then decided against it.
She had once been extraordinary in her past life. Now that she had come into Song Yibai’s body, she saw no reason to restrain herself.
So what if it seemed unbelievable?
Who would ever suspect that Song Yibai had already been replaced?
She intended to wear the guise of a once-in-a-century genius, astonishing the world.
Only then would her future return to the capital and rise into officialdom seem natural.
Her deliberately clumsy handwriting was intentional—handwriting could not be changed overnight. Sudden improvement would only raise suspicion.
By the time they returned to the Song residence, it was mealtime.
She washed her hands and went straight to the dining hall.
Song father, Song mother, the two concubines of the Song family, and Song Mingzhu were already seated, eating and talking.
Madam Jiang did not move her chopsticks, her expression unpleasant.
“Oh my, it’s elder sister who has returned.”
“Sorry, younger sister was hungry just now. Father was afraid I would go hungry, so we started eating first.”