The Fu family hall.
Jin Zhaozhao gazed curiously at the man sitting on the sofa.
He had sharp features, with sword-like eyebrows and eyes as bright as stars. Dressed in a black suit, he appeared cold, ruthless, aloof, and indifferent.
This was the husband she was about to marry, and the man she was destined to wed.
Fu Tingyuan likewise narrowed his long, narrow phoenix eyes as he scrutinized Jin Zhaozhao.
The girl’s long hair was tied in a ponytail, and she wore a tattered cloth shirt covered in mended patches. Fortunately, it had been washed very clean.
Elder Fu sat on the other side of the sofa. Seeing that neither of them was speaking, he gave a dry laugh and explained, “Tingyuan, Zhaozhao is your fiancée. This marriage was arranged when you were both around ten years old. Now that Zhaozhao has come to fulfill the betrothal, you should prepare to marry her into the family.”
Fu Tingyuan spoke in a cold voice, “What era is this? Why are we still talking about childhood betrothals? I think we should just call it off.”
Jin Zhaozhao immediately shook her head. “It cannot be called off. When our engagement was made, we already petitioned the ancestors. If we do not fulfill the contract, we will face Tianqian.”
Listening to her sophistry, Fu Tingyuan’s expression grew even more unsightly. “To marry me, you’d even make up a reason like that. Do you even know who I am?”
Fu Tingyuan—the outside world’s evaluation of him was: an old fox in the business world, intelligent, calculating, decisive, and showing no mercy.
Countless women in the world dreamed of marrying him.
Jin Zhaozhao nodded solemnly. “You are Fu Tingyuan. Since I was little, Grandma has been whispering in my ear, telling me I must marry you when I grow up.”
Fu Tingyuan felt like his punch had landed on cotton.
He almost wanted to laugh.
This woman knew nothing about him, yet she dared to dream of becoming Mrs. Fu.
He rubbed his temples impatiently and stood up to look at Elder Fu. “I won’t go through with this marriage!”
Elder Fu’s face turned cold.
“If you don’t listen to me, don’t call me Grandpa anymore.”
Fu Tingyuan’s sharp brows furrowed; he was unmoved by either threats or persuasion.
Elder Fu walked up to Fu Tingyuan and said earnestly, “Back then, you personally paid your respects to Zhaozhao’s ancestors. According to the rules of Xuanmen, you are already their son-in-law.”
Fu Tingyuan let out a cold, mocking laugh. “You’ve actually come up with such an excuse just to force me to marry.”
Elder Fu was nearly spitting blood from anger.
When Fu Tingyuan was a child, his health was very poor, and he was constantly falling ill.
When he was twelve, he suffered from a persistent high fever for over ten days. His life was hanging by a thread until an expert pointed them toward the reclusive Xuanmen clan.
The old woman back then had only one requirement: that a childhood betrothal be arranged between the two children.
On the night the engagement was set, Fu Tingyuan’s illness miraculously vanished, and he had never been sick again since then.
Every time he mentioned this to Fu Tingyuan, the young man had no recollection of it at all and believed he was lying to deceive him.
Jin Zhaozhao frowned in distress. A second later, she seemed to think of something and took a scroll out of her bag, handing it to Fu Tingyuan. “Look for yourself. This is the marriage contract!”
Fu Tingyuan took the scroll skeptically and unrolled it for a brief look.
The marriage contract was covered in text, but he only glanced at a single passage.
“A single marriage contract, presented to the Heavens above. It petitions the Nine Heavens and resonates in the Underworld. Announced to the Saints and proclaimed throughout the Three Realms, witnessed by the Ancestral Masters of the Heavens. Let Heaven and Earth be our witness, and the Sun and Moon share one heart. To betray the lady is to deceive Heaven. To betray the gentleman is to defy the will of Heaven. The sin of deceiving Heaven results in Shensi Daoxiao.”
The signatures were Jin Zhaozhao and Fu Tingyuan!
Fu Tingyuan stared at the mentions of the Heavens and the Underworld, his face full of ridicule.
He returned the marriage contract to Jin Zhaozhao. Not wanting to get entangled further, he used the excuse of being busy with work and left quickly.
Facing Jin Zhaozhao, Elder Fu spoke with embarrassment and difficulty, “Girl, how about you stay at our house for now? Leave this matter to Grandpa to handle; you just need to wait with peace of mind.”
Jin Zhaozhao could only agree for the time being.
Elder Fu arranged for her to stay in the room next to Fu Tingyuan’s.
The room was fully furnished, though it lacked some daily necessities. Fortunately, Jin Zhaozhao had brought everything with her.
Inside the exquisite and cozy bedroom.
Jin Zhaozhao was packing her things when the door behind her was suddenly pushed open with great force.
A girl about twenty years old burst in rudely.
Fu Xiaoan raised her chin and stared at Jin Zhaozhao arrogantly. “Oh, so it’s you who wants to be my sister-in-law? You’re not very old, but your courage and your heart are outrageously large.”
Jin Zhaozhao stopped what she was doing and turned to look at Fu Xiaoan.
Dressed in designer clothes, the jewelry on her fingers and neck was of immense value. Her already pretty face was adorned with light makeup, making her look as refined as a little princess.
However, beneath such an exquisite appearance, a thick Xueguang Qixi loomed between her eyebrows.
Jin Zhaozhao ignored her mockery and instead sat down elegantly on the sofa.
She looked at Fu Xiaoan and spoke nonchalantly, “How about we make a bet?”
Fu Xiaoan’s tone was full of disdain. “Bet on what? Bet that you can become my sister-in-law?”
Jin Zhaozhao picked up the teacup on the table, poured herself some water, and spoke with a smile, “Bet that you will face a disaster tonight.”
Upon hearing this, Fu Xiaoan immediately bristled, her eyes widening. “Are you cursing me?”
Jin Zhaozhao shook her head. “I forgot to introduce myself. I am the sole successor of Xuanmen. Fortunetelling, physiognomy, divination, feng shui, and ghost catching—I know a bit of everything. Seeing as we will have a family connection in the future, I am merely giving you a kind warning.”
Fu Xiaoan didn’t believe her at first, but when she saw Jin Zhaozhao’s eyes—dark, bright, and steady—she didn’t seem to be joking.
Only then did she carefully observe the woman before her.
Despite being dressed in rags and having no valuable items on her person, she gave off a feeling of being so clean she was untainted by a speck of dust.
Especially those eyes, which sparkled like little suns; looking into them, an inexplicable sense of peace rose in her heart.
Fu Xiaoan was startled by her own thoughts.
Her face instantly turned red. “Why should I believe you? What era is this? You’re still going around using the banner of Xuanxue to scam people. I won’t fall for it!”
Jin Zhaozhao put down the teacup and leaned back on the sofa with a smile. “You don’t have to believe me, but don’t regret it when the time comes!”
Fu Xiaoan’s heart suddenly felt unsettled.
She had originally heard that some unknown girl wanted to marry Fu Tingyuan, and she thought the girl was simply delusional.
To be her sister-in-law, one had to be excellent in both character and learning, possess peerless beauty, have a great personality, and be exceptionally intelligent.
A poor and rustic person like Jin Zhaozhao was simply not worthy.
But Jin Zhaozhao had come right out and said she was facing a great disaster.
Damn it…
Who wouldn’t be flustered after hearing that!
Fu Xiaoan gritted her teeth and comforted herself. This was definitely a low-class trick Jin Zhaozhao was using to scare her. She couldn’t believe it.
Leave, leave, get out of here quickly.
But after she walked out of the room, her heart remained uneasy.
Would she really encounter something bad?