He had long lost the refined demeanor of a noble young master. His eyes bulged, face red, looking like a lunatic!
He swung a fist at Xie Li, who quickly squatted down to polish her shoes, muttering as she worked:
“Oh dear, how did these oil stains get on my shoes? They’re brand new!”
Bam!!!
In full view of everyone, Pei Shuchen’s punch sent Xie Silin flying.
And she really flew.
Silin was slim to begin with. After these past days of stabbing herself daily and bleeding, her body was weak. When she flew through the air, she was as light as a paper doll.
She flew two meters and landed squarely on a plate of roasted pork.
Everyone froze.
Even those opportunists who had brought their own containers to secretly pack food while watching the chaos stopped moving.
The whole world went silent.
Then, murmurs broke out:
“Goodness! I’ve never seen a groom beat the bride at her own wedding!”
“Do you think men with… small ‘equipment’ have bigger tempers?”
“I think Pei Shuchen is just a deeply insecure pervert!”
“Oh wow! No kidding! His… thing must really be small, and his temper is terrible!”
Pei Jianmin and Qi Yuehua had just come in from outside and were instantly dumbfounded at the scene.
What on earth happened? They only went out for a moment to make arrangements!
Pei Shuchen realized he’d made a huge mistake and froze in place, pretending to be unbothered.
“Ah!! Ah!! Ah!!”
From the crowd came a loud kettle-whistling sound as Wu Fengrao rushed out to Silin’s side.
“Silin! Silin, Mom’s here!”
Seeing Silin’s crooked face and closed eyes, nearly unconscious, Wu Fengrao nearly fainted herself.
Xie Qingsong ran forward, scooped Silin up, and started walking out, scolding as he went:
“Today’s mess isn’t over with your family, oh-ho-ho!!”
Some soup had spilled on the floor. Xie Qingsong, walking in a rush, slipped. Silin flew out of his arms and landed straight in a bucket of kitchen waste at the door.
Like a javelin.
With this chaos, the wedding of the Pei and Xie families became the biggest joke in Shanghai.
People summarized: Pei Shuchen was a tiny pervert, Silin was a petty schemer, and Xie Li was a kind-hearted unlucky girl.
But a blessing in disguise.
Escaping a man like Pei Shuchen was truly fortunate!
Everyone agreed that good things come to good people and felt relieved for Xie Li.
Silin was hospitalized after the punch, severely anemic, and with an inflamed chest wound almost dying.
The Xie family cut ties with the Pei family, never speaking again.
Silin remained hospitalized and unconscious, while Xie Qingsong and Wu Fengrao, though claiming to care, never missed a day of drawing her blood to nourish the jade bracelet.
Xie Li, meanwhile, was busy corresponding with her future husband.
Grandpa Xie had sent Xie Li’s household registration and photo to him, and the local authorities had arranged the marriage application.
Xie Li received the marriage application from the Liaoning Military District. The application was approved; she only needed to go and register the marriage.
Holding the document, Xie Li breathed a sigh of relief. Her escape route was secured.
Soon, during the political movement, she would transform from a wealthy young lady envied by all into a capital heiress reviled by everyone.
Capitalist, petty bourgeois, elitist!
Everyone would criticize and despise her.
For a big capitalist family like hers, the entire fortune would be confiscated. They’d be made an example, publicly humiliated.
Without protection, she would be arrested by the revolutionary committee, sent to labor reform, and forced into hard labor.
Criticized, paraded, branded, shaved…
Some with connections could escape to Hong Kong early, never to return.
For someone like her with no connections, even her vast fortune would be nothing but a liability potentially turning against her.
The more property she had, the harsher the criticism and punishment.
Many heiresses from large capitalist families ended up perishing in labor camps.
Grandpa Xie’s arrangement of this marriage was a perfect escape plan.
Her future husband was a soldier. Being a soldier’s wife would be a strong protective shield.
She had no other choice. In this political movement, even vast wealth was worthless compared to a secure identity.
The envelope contained not only the marriage application but also a letter with the soldier’s full address, unit number, and name:
Shen Huainian.
Xie Li now knew her future husband’s name.
Beneath the name and address was a sentence: “When you’re ready, I’ll come get you.”
The handwriting was precise and strong, each character like a drawn sword restrained yet sharp.
Xie Li thought for a moment and replied:
“There’s some business at home, so I can’t leave yet. Don’t come for me. I’ll go myself one month from now.”
She mailed the letter back; she still had things to handle here.
Not long after, she received a reply containing a recommendation letter and a bundle of cash.
Xie Li knew it was Shen Huainian providing money to buy train tickets.
Back then, traveling far or buying a ticket required a recommendation letter; money alone wouldn’t suffice.
Sneaking out without it risked being caught by the local defense squad, scolded, and sent back home. Such actions were considered delinquent behavior.
Xie Li’s first impression of this man: generous, thoughtful, and efficient.
Along with the money and recommendation letter was a reply from Shen Huainian with a phone number and a note: “Call this number if anything urgent comes up.”
Curiosity got the better of her. She dialed the number.
“Hello, this is Liaoning Provincial Naval Headquarters.”
Xie Li held the phone and said:
“I’m looking for Shen Huainian.”
“Yes, transferring your call now!”
A few seconds later, the line connected, and a clear, crisp male voice came through the receiver:
“Hello, hi!”