At the same time, he recalled the argument he’d had with his parents before leaving the house that morning.
As the saying goes, no one knows a son better than his own parents.
Lu Qiming thought he’d hidden his feelings well, but his little tricks were completely transparent to Li Qing’e and Lu Lin.
To put an end to their son’s improper thoughts once and for all, the two decided to lay their cards on the table and tell him everything.
“The old master of the Song family saved your father’s life. We owe them, and we must repay that debt.”
“The Meng family has walked with honor for all these years – we will never let our actions bring shame upon them.”
“Whether you like it or not, marrying Song Qinghuan is your best – and only – choice!”
Lu Qiming said nothing, only knelt stubbornly on the ground.
He intended to use silence as his form of resistance.
He had risked his life and fought hard in the army, earning so many merits and honors.
He did not fight so hard only to have no say in something as personal as his own marriage.
Li Qing’e pointed a finger right at his nose, so angry she could not speak for a long moment.
She knew her son had a stubborn streak – and few men who served in the army did not.
But when it came to choosing his wife, this was not something he could be allowed to do as he pleased.
Li Qing’e stood her ground against him, her face hard as she pressed her point again and again.
“Do you think refusing this marriage makes you noble or honorable? Let me tell you – it is nothing but foolishness!”
“I am your mother. Do not think I do not know what is in your heart. Even if you were the one who fell for Wang Siyu first, it does not matter. You were too slow – your brother won her heart and made her his wife first.”
At those words, Lu Qiming’s face drained of all color in an instant.
Seeing this, Li Qing’e’s heart ached for him.
But for the sake of what was right, she hardened her resolve and continued.
“Once you have called Wang Siyu your sister-in-law, she is your sister-in-law for life – and she must remain a widow.”
“It does not matter how much you dislike this truth. If you force yourselves to be together, you will be defying all morality and decency. People will point fingers at you and curse you to your faces!”
“No matter what you feel in your heart, I will never allow you to tarnish the reputation of a martyr’s family – or the name of a martyr himself!”
As a soldier, Lu Qiming knew full well how sacred the title of martyr was.
His mother was right. If he truly cast aside all decency and forced himself to be with Wang Siyu…
Never mind what others would think or say about them – when his time came, he would never be able to face his older brother again.
Seeing Lu Qiming let out a long sigh, his resolve clearly wavering, Li Qing’e pressed her advantage. She spoke endlessly in Song Qinghuan’s praise, painting her in the most glowing terms possible.
She told him what a good, obedient girl she was, and how convenient it would be to have her as his wife.
In the end, she even hinted: “If you truly do not care for Song Qinghuan at all, then take her as your wife and treat her as nothing more than a decoration.”
“That fool girl’s whole heart is set on you. Once you are married, you can string her along however you please. You can do whatever you want, and see whoever you want – she will never be the wiser.”
Between coaxing and misleading, they finally managed to get Lu Qiming to agree to discuss the marriage.
Lu Qiming had given his word to marry Song Qinghuan.
But the thought that he would never be able to take Wang Siyu as his wife filled him with an ache he could not suppress.
For a moment, silence fell over the entire Lu family.
Song Qinghuan stood to the side, watching every shift in Lu Qiming’s expression with perfect clarity.
In her past life, she had not understood. She had believed the way Lu Qiming and Wang Siyu looked at one another was nothing more than gratitude.
But now that she knew the truth, how could she not see what was right before her eyes?
These two shameless people were exchanging looks and sending secret signals right in front of her – his own fiancée!
They were so brazen, so utterly unconcerned with treating her like a human being.
Song Qinghuan curled her lip, and let out a sharp, bitter laugh.
Her gaze drifted slowly from Lu Qiming’s face down to the place over his heart.
If only she had a gun in her hand right now – she would kill these two wretches all over again, and send them straight to hell together!
As she imagined them suffering a thousand deaths over and over in her mind, Song Qinghuan suddenly frowned and glanced down.
For no reason she could explain, the tiny peach-blossom birthmark on her wrist began to burn faintly.
This strange, impossible occurrence caught her attention at once.
She lifted her hand to examine it more closely, wondering what could possibly be wrong –
– and the next second, a flat, mechanical voice rang out in her mind.
[Slap-Slapping Space System successfully activated.]
Song Qinghuan: “???”
She must be so furious with these two that she was starting to hear things.
She thought no more of it, only smiled coldly to herself, and watched the Lu family’s absurd behavior unfold as if she were an outsider looking in.
Today was supposed to be a happy occasion – setting the date for the wedding. This heavy silence would not do.
Lu Lin and Li Qing’e were clearly too proud to be the first to break it.
Eager to win their favor, Zhao Yufang forced a smile, racking her brains for something to say to please them.
“It has been some time – Siyu, you have grown even more beautiful.”
She had no sense of humor, and the only way she knew how to make a joke was to put someone else down.
Everyone here was of higher standing than she was – she could not afford to offend any of them.
So she turned her aim toward the lowest person in the room, and once again singled out Song Qinghuan to mock.
“Qinghuan, why must you be so dull and slow-witted? You stand there like a block of wood. Anyone who did not know you would think you have no mind at all!”
“Come over here at once and learn something! Look at Siyu – she is beautiful, and she knows how to dress herself. Unlike you – you never make an effort, you never wear any makeup. You do not look like a young lady at all!”
Zhao Yufang went on criticizing Song Qinghuan from head to toe.
“It is because you always look so plain and unkempt that I am embarrassed to take you anywhere. When people ask about you, I am ashamed to claim you as my own.”
“It was bad enough when you were at home. But once you are married, you cannot behave this way – you will bring shame on your husband’s family, and everyone will think you were raised with no manners at all.”
Any ordinary young girl with a sensitive heart would have been so humiliated by those words that she would have wanted to vanish into the floor.
But Song Qinghuan had seen the worst of life – she had even taken revenge for her own death with her own hands. She would not tolerate Zhao Yufang’s cruel belittling.
She slipped one hand behind her back, and a moment later pulled out a small mirror, holding it right up to Zhao Yufang’s face.
“We are not so poor that we cannot afford a mirror. If you have so much time to find fault with others, why not take a good long look at yourself?”
“Even if I wear no makeup, I was born with good looks. Unlike you – with your flat nose and squinty little eyes – anyone would mistake you for some sort of ugly rat spirit.”
“From now on, whenever children misbehave, you can just show your face to scare them. Tell them an ugly grey rat spirit has come – and they will be good as gold instantly.”
“You – !”
Zhao Yufang’s eyes went wide, completely stunned that Song Qinghuan would dare speak to her in such a tone.
She opened her mouth to fly into a rage – but Song Qinghuan cut her off, her voice sharp and biting.
“If you do not believe me, go drink some rat poison and see! If you live, you are a rat. If you die – then you truly are a rat spirit!”