Li Zhenting expressionlessly threw off the covers and got out of bed. He quickly pulled on his trousers, fastened his belt, and then curled his lips into a cold, mocking smile.
“If you don’t believe me, you can go ask Lingwei, Baozhu, and those so-called girlfriends of yours. Let them tell you exactly how you clung to me last night!
“I really didn’t expect this from you. Just before, you were acting as though you were madly in love with Third Brother and would never marry anyone but him. Yet in the blink of an eye, you were throwing yourself at me? I suppose studying abroad for two years has really made you much more uninhibited!”
Du Shiru trembled with rage. Her chest heaved violently as anger surged through her. She stared fixedly at the cold and heartless man before her, her lips trembling as she tried to defend herself, but her throat felt as though something were lodged in it. Not a single word would come out.
Li Zhenting glanced at her. Far from showing any sympathy, he looked her over with contempt before continuing.
“There’s no point covering yourself up. What part of you haven’t I seen? Not only have I seen you, I’ve kissed you too!
“But compared with the women I’ve slept with before, your figure is far too lacking. You’re about the same age as Baozhu, aren’t you? Eighteen this year? My mother was already giving birth to me when she was eighteen. How did you end up so… flat? Haven’t you developed properly? You really don’t arouse the slightest bit of interest.”
By now, Du Shiru was absolutely furious. She felt as though a rush of hot blood had shot straight to her head, and she nearly fainted.
Faced with Li Zhenting’s relentless insults and ridicule, she could do nothing but sit on the bed, gasping for breath. She was completely powerless to fight back. All she could do was glare at him with eyes filled with hatred, wishing she could tear him to pieces.
“All right, enough. What’s the use of glaring at me? What’s done is done. It’s already happened, so what exactly do you intend to do now?”
Only after hearing those words did Du Shiru gradually calm down. Her mind raced as she tried to figure out how she should deal with this difficult situation.
From Li Zhenting’s words, it wasn’t hard to deduce that many people had witnessed what happened between them last night. It was practically impossible to keep it hidden.
Someone as distinguished as Li Juechen would never be willing to accept a woman who had already lost her virginity. At the thought of this, Du Shiru was consumed by regret. Why had she gotten drunk out of spite and allowed herself to fall into such a humiliating predicament?
Time passed second by second.
Du Shiru remained silent, while Li Zhenting did not rush her. He simply sat in a chair, leisurely fingering the string of prayer beads around his wrist.
After a long while, Du Shiru finally summoned all her courage and raised her head.
“I am willing to marry you and become your wife. I can also have my father give you his full support. But I have two conditions.”
Hearing this, Li Zhenting knew that his plan was almost certain to succeed. His mood immediately brightened. With a smile on his face, he nodded patiently.
“Go ahead.”
Du Shiru sighed and slowly said, “First, I must be your legal wife. There can be no negotiation on that. Second, I don’t care what you do outside, but for the next three years, you absolutely cannot bring a concubine into the household.
“Don’t think I don’t know that you have your eye on that fool, Huang Xuejian. As long as I am your wife, I will never live under the same roof as her!”
Li Zhenting was so furious that he laughed instead.
“Who told you I like Huang Xuejian? How could I possibly like her? If you weren’t in the picture, I might have considered her. At least she’s Huang Qiusheng’s only daughter. You know perfectly well what kind of fortune the Huang family has. But compared with you, your father’s power is far more attractive to me than money.”
Du Shiru let out a cold snort and looked at Li Zhenting with undisguised disdain. Her voice was icy and mocking.
“How can you say something so shameless so openly and without the slightest embarrassment? You trample on women just to climb your way to the top. No wonder you’re nothing more than the son of a concubine!”
Li Zhenting’s face turned livid with rage. He strode over and viciously seized Du Shiru by the chin, his voice filled with fury.
“So what if I’m the son of a concubine? Are you really any nobler than I am? A shameless woman who offered herself to me dares to mock me? Where did you get the nerve?
“But I’m in a good mood today, so I won’t argue with you. Get your dowry ready. I agree to all your conditions. After all, Du Bin’s daughter is worth making those concessions for.”
With that, he violently flung her aside. Du Shiru’s head was jerked to the side, and without looking back, he strode out of the room.
Du Shiru was left sitting alone on the bed.
Her eyes were empty and lifeless as tears uncontrollably streamed down her cheeks. She never could have imagined that her life had only just begun, yet from now on, would she really have to spend it facing such a shameless man?
The more Du Shiru thought about it, the more grief and fury overwhelmed her. Her heart filled with hatred for Li Juechen and that woman. If it weren’t for the two of them, how could she have made such a foolish, utterly disastrous mistake?
Her current predicament was entirely their fault!
Since they were determined not to let her live in peace, then none of them should expect to have an easy life either!
Whether it was Li Juechen or that woman, she would make every one of them pay, little by little. She would make them taste the pain she had suffered!
When Li Zhenting returned to the Marshal’s residence, he immediately told his concubine mother about the matter. His Second Concubine was naturally overjoyed about the marriage.
“My son really is capable! Marrying Du Bin’s daughter is like gaining a powerful ally. Your father will value you even more. Once this marriage is settled, Baozhu will also be able to marry into a much better family.
“Although it won’t be as prestigious as the Second Young Miss’s marriage, at least she should be able to marry a legitimate son!”
The moment the Second Concubine finished speaking, however, Li Zhenting’s expression suddenly darkened.
Ever since childhood, he had hated it when people constantly went on about legitimate sons and sons of concubines.
So what if he was the son of a concubine?
If he had been given a choice, who would willingly choose to be born from a concubine?
Li Zhenting could no longer suppress the resentment in his heart. He turned on his mother and shouted angrily, “Enough! What’s the use of saying all that? Third Brother hasn’t even married yet, and we don’t even know whether the First Madam will agree.
“Instead of sitting here indulging in useless fantasies, why don’t you think carefully about how to get the First Madam to approve of this marriage?”
The Second Concubine was startled by her son’s sudden outburst. She stared blankly at her furious son, feeling a little uneasy.
Sometimes, even she couldn’t understand why this child’s temper was so unpredictable. One moment he would be perfectly cheerful, and the next, he would suddenly lose his temper for no apparent reason.
“All right, your mother understands. You don’t need to worry about this. Leave it to me!”