The others joined in, jeering at Ye Qiaoqiao.
Ye Qiaoqiao thought about how they had followed Zhou Cong in her previous life, living a life of luxury and comfort, and felt a pang of frustration. It wasn’t that she was worried about being poor—she had her mother’s inheritance.
She simply couldn’t stand the thought of these scumbags living well.
“Don’t worry, I can live better than all of you lackeys on my own!” Ye Qiaoqiao retorted. With her memories of the past life, Zhou Cong wouldn’t be able to run his business smoothly!
Xu Zhengqing and the others left with dark expressions.
Ye Qiaoqiao turned to Fu Juechuan and said apologetically, “Brother Fu, I’ve dragged you into this again. Please don’t take their words to heart. I’ve never looked down on your military rank, nor do I expect any extravagant bridewealth. I don’t care about what they say at all.”
Xu Zhengqing and the others hadn’t just mocked her—they had also insulted Fu Juechuan.
“They said those things deliberately to drive a wedge between us. Think about it: if you exhaust yourself to provide the bridewealth and they still laugh at you, you’ll get angry, and cracks will form in our marriage.”
“If they succeed, they’ll be overjoyed.”
As she spoke, Ye Qiaoqiao also felt a sense of regret. No matter what, the harm done to Fu Juechuan was undeniable.
“I’m sorry, Brother Fu. It’s my fault. Otherwise…” Otherwise, maybe they shouldn’t get engaged after all.
Fu Juechuan sensed what she was about to say and suddenly spoke up, “I don’t care about what they say. I only care about what you say.”
“As long as you don’t look down on me, nothing will change.”
“Really?” Ye Qiaoqiao looked up hopefully.
She felt a sense of dependence on Fu Juechuan, who had helped her right after her rebirth. Moreover, he had also helped her father in her previous life. All these things combined made Fu Juechuan a true benefactor and a good person in her eyes, and good people always drew others closer.
“Hmm, you don’t mind that my family background is ordinary?” Fu Juechuan asked hesitantly.
Ye Qiaoqiao blinked. She knew Fu Juechuan’s family background was anything but ordinary, and he certainly wasn’t poor. But as the disguised Fu Juechuan, he was now just an ordinary soldier. He couldn’t reveal his true identity for her sake, nor was there any need to do so.
“Brother Fu, marriage is something we live ourselves. It has nothing to do with outsiders. As long as I know you’re responsible, that’s enough for me.” Ye Qiaoqiao smiled at him.
Fu Juechuan said softly, “As long as I’m responsible, you’ll be satisfied?”
“Yes. You have good character and a strong sense of responsibility. You’re the perfect match in my eyes.” Ye Qiaoqiao’s gaze was sincere. “As for money, having enough is fine. Besides, I have my mother’s inheritance, and Dad and you won’t let me go hungry. I think I’m already very happy. There’s no need to compare ourselves to outsiders.”
Fu Juechuan’s eyes were firm and steady. “I understand.”
Thinking he didn’t care about Xu Zhengqing and the others’ words, Ye Qiaoqiao instantly felt relieved.
“Brother Fu, where are you going now?”
“What about you?” Fu Juechuan asked in return.
“I’m going to see Director Zheng Yunshuang.” Ye Qiaoqiao didn’t explain what she was going to do.
Fu Juechuan didn’t press further. He only escorted her to the logistics department before turning to leave.
Ye Qiaoqiao hadn’t expected that Zheng Yunshuang wanted to see her to introduce her to another potential match.
She didn’t refuse. Instead, she let Zheng Yunshuang speak to her father directly, so he could see her true colors. There was no way Zheng Yunshuang would pick a good match for her!
That evening, Commander Ye returned home, angrily fuming, "That Zhou Cong not only tried to destroy the evidence that could convict Jiang Yao, but also attempted to bail her out. He's truly going too far!"
"Dad, don't be angry. I'm not surprised by anything Zhou Cong does for Jiang Yao. You should be glad I discovered his true colors before marriage, avoiding suffering after marrying him." Ye Qiaoqiao was not at all surprised by Zhou Cong's actions—after all, Jiang Yao was his white moonlight.
Commander Ye thought it made sense upon hearing this.
He gently patted Ye Qiaoqiao's back, comforting her, "Qiaoqiao, Dad has let you down by not seeing through his nature earlier."
"Dad, it's not your fault—it's Zheng Yunshuang's." Ye Qiaoqiao seized the opportunity to say.
"Your Aunt Zheng? How could that be? Although she introduced Zhou Cong to you, she didn’t know he was capable of such things. This afternoon, she even came to see me, saying she went to the Zhou family to give them a piece of her mind. Then she found you another good match. I told her I’d already chosen Juechuan for you, so I turned her down." Commander Ye harbored no suspicion at all.
The more she saw her father’s trust, the more she hated Zheng Yunshuang for deceiving both her and her father’s feelings!
"Dad, then tell me, who did she introduce to me?"
"It’s the second son of your Uncle Qin. You used to play together when you were younger. Your Uncle Qin is stationed in the Xiangcheng Military District. Qin Lang just returned from studying abroad and is a good candidate."
Ye Qiaoqiao clenched her fists tightly, speaking earnestly, "Qin Lang fooled around a lot abroad. He’s only twenty-two but has already gotten a girl pregnant and only paid for her abortion."
"…What!" Commander Ye was furious.
"But… Qiaoqiao, how did you know about this?" Commander Ye hadn’t even heard of it himself and gave Ye Qiaoqiao a puzzled look.
"Dad, didn’t I dream about Zhou Cong and Jiang Yao’s affair the day before yesterday?" Ye Qiaoqiao knew that if she revealed everything about her past life outright, her father might not believe her. Even if he did, some details would change because of her presence.
Besides, her father’s downfall in her past life wasn’t solely due to Zhou Cong—many enemies surrounded them.
The best approach was to constantly remind her father to stay vigilant and adapt to circumstances.
"Yesterday, I saw Aunt Zheng, and last night I had another nightmare. I realized she’s been deceiving me too."
"In the dream, she colluded with Zhou Cong to frame you, even getting involved in Jiang Yao and Zhou Cong’s secret dealings."
Ye Qiaoqiao had been looking for an opportunity to reveal Zheng Yunshuang’s true nature to her father, to prevent him from being deceived further.
She never expected that, in just half a day, Zheng Yunshuang would scheme against her again.
Did she really think she was an easy target?
"What!" Commander Ye slammed his hand on the table, rattling the dishes and nearly breaking them.
Seeing her father’s furious expression, Ye Qiaoqiao steeled herself and continued, "Dad, you’ll know once you investigate. Zheng Yunshuang’s kindness toward me is all an act. She resents us because you refused to marry her."
"That Zheng Yunshuang!"
Commander Ye had treated her kindly only because she seemed to care for his daughter.
Who would have thought she was a venomous snake?
The thought of what Ye Qiaoqiao described in her dream filled Commander Ye with dread.
"Qiaoqiao, don’t be afraid. Dad will arrange for someone to interrogate Jiang Yao right away." Commander Ye’s focus had now shifted squarely to Zheng Yunshuang.
Such a venomous snake must be dealt with; she cannot be allowed to stay by Qiaoqiao's side.
Ye Qiaoqiao knew her father would help her, and she did not refuse his kindness.
"Qiaoqiao, are you really willing to marry Juechuan?" Commander Ye worried she might be forcing herself or feeling wronged. "Although I care for every soldier, I also know that marrying a military man—Juechuan's current rank is still a bit low, his salary isn't high, and he has few family members. Qiaoqiao, wouldn't you suffer if you married him?"
"If you're unwilling, Qiaoqiao, I'll go talk to Juechuan and call off the engagement."