Chapter 6: Fiancé

"Xiao Meng? You mean Jiang Xiaomeng? Why did she change her name back?"

Xiao Meng was a child from the orphanage. Shortly after Jiang Zhe was adopted, she was adopted by a family surnamed Jiang, and her name was changed accordingly.

Director Kang sighed and told her the whole story.

It was said that in her adoptive home, Xiao Meng had seduced her adoptive father. Her adoptive mother caught them in the act and dragged her straight to the police station.

Later, it was only because Xiao Meng took the initiative to admit her mistake and signed a letter of guarantee that she wasn't held legally responsible.

However, she could no longer stay in that home, so both parties negotiated and signed an agreement to terminate the adoption.

Xiao Meng then reverted to her original name.

"She was afraid this would have a bad influence on everyone, so she kept telling me not to tell you. She usually lives at school and rarely comes back. But she came back once last time, and I saw that her mental state was terrible... She used to listen to you; please help me persuade her. She's in her third year of high school, and the pressure is already high enough."

Seduce? Admit a mistake? A letter of guarantee? Termination of adoption? A touch of mocking crimson curled up at the corners of Jiang Zhe's eyes.

"Alright, I understand."

"You know she's at No. 1 High School, right?" Director Kang asked.

Jiang Zhe walked to the street corner and took out her phone to make a call. "Can you get me a spot at No. 1 High School?"

"Sure, Ancestor. Who is it for?" A young man's voice came from the other end.

"Myself."

The person on the other end exploded, and it took a while before he asked uncertainly, "Ancestor, don't joke around like that."

Jiang Zhe chewed her gum nonchalantly. Another call came through on her phone. She glanced at it and saw it was from Jiang Xiruo, suddenly remembering what Jiang Xiruo had said last night.

"Forget it, I was joking." She hung up the phone.

The person on the other end breathed a sigh of relief. "That's what I thought. Why would you go to school? What small temple could possibly hold a Great Buddha like you?"

...

Hearing Jiang Zhe change her mind and say she wanted to go to Jincheng No. 1 High School, Jiang Xiruo immediately called her friend.

Before the sweetness of the newly unwrapped gum had even faded, she returned. "It's done. You can transfer tomorrow."

"Good."

"There's one more thing. You need to meet your fiancé tomorrow," Jiang Xiruo said.

Jiang Zhe stopped playing with her phone and looked at Jiang Xiruo.

Jiang Xiruo explained, "Back then, your grandfather saved a powerful and influential person, and that person promised to arrange a marriage with our family. Unfortunately, your father and I both already have people we love. So, they just extended that agreement to you."

"Auntie, this is modern society," Jiang Zhe said, returning to her phone, her slender fingers spinning the device.

"That's why I'm letting you go meet him. We'll just make things clear and call off the engagement." Jiang Xiruo was in full agreement with Jiang Zhe.

Jiang Yaowang added from the side, "The sooner you break it off, the better. The families aren't a match; it's not appropriate."

Jiang Zhe glanced at Jiang Yaowang nonchalantly. The tone and manner in which he spoke—why did it sound as if the other party wasn't good enough for her?

"Fine."

...

Luhu Villa.

Qin Jingchen held his phone, his eyes lifting slightly. "Engagement? Break it off!"

After the person on the other end said a few more things, his tone remained as calm and steady as water. "I will handle it."

Jincheng City Center.

Jinyuan.

A manor-style restaurant tucked away in the bustle.

The customers who frequented it were always either wealthy or noble.

The other party had set the meeting here.

Jiang Zhe walked in carrying her school bag. The waiter intended to stop her, but the moment she looked up, seeing her calm eyes and composed demeanor, he didn't ask any questions.

He was even slightly stunned by her fox-like, pure yet seductive gaze.

She walked forward casually.

The main door opened again, and Qin Jingchen and Feng Ye strolled in.

"Brother Chen, the engagement-breaking gifts you mentioned are all prepared. We definitely won't treat their family unfairly."

The prayer beads in Qin Jingchen's hand didn't stop, nor did his pace. "Double it."

"It's already enough... Fine, if you say double it, we'll double it. I don't know what kind of luck this family has to run into you, getting such a generous payout just for breaking off some inexplicable engagement."

Feng Ye shrugged. "Come to think of it, I had no idea you even had an engagement! You say they took the initiative to reach out this time—could they be trying to force you to fulfill the engagement? Can we really break this off?"

"A forced melon is never sweet." A tear mole at the corner of Qin Jingchen's eye looked bewitching, but his tone was peaceful.

Feng Ye caught sight of Jiang Zhe's back ahead and teased, "If the other party is that stunning little fox-beauty, surely this melon would be sweet, right?"

...

Jiang Zhe strolled to the second floor when a little boy suddenly rushed toward her.

He was about nine years old, and his momentum was startling.

Jiang Zhe didn't even sway, letting him hug her.

"Big sister! They said if you left, you wouldn't come back!" The boy's voice was choked with sobs. "Why? I don't believe it!"

Jiang Yunxuan, the son of Liang Jinlan and Jiang Zhang, was over nine years old.

He had been at school the day Jiang Zhe left and hadn't had a chance to say goodbye.

"I'll come to see you later." The girl's usually cold, upturned eyes softened and lowered slightly.

Jiang Zhe's words didn't soothe Jiang Yunxuan's emotions. He started acting out, "I don't want you to come see me, I want you to come back home to live! Why did you have to leave? I didn't agree to it!"

"Jiang Zhe, what are you doing! Who told you to touch my son!" Liang Jinlan ran over in a few steps and pulled Jiang Yunxuan toward her.

She was furious!

When she married into the Jiang family, she hadn't been able to conceive for several years, so she had no choice but to adopt Jiang Zhe and Jiang Fanyue.

A few years later, it was Jiang Fanyue who produced a prescription, supposedly an ancestral family recipe, that allowed her to conceive Jiang Yunxuan.

Who would have thought that Jiang Zhe, young as she was, would tell her not to keep the child to avoid harming her health.

Because of the prescription, Liang Jinlan had already developed a bias between the two sisters, and after that incident, she became even colder toward Jiang Zhe. During the time she was about to give birth to Jiang Yunxuan, she even had people watch Jiang Zhe to keep her away.

Giving birth to her son had been so difficult; she had suffered through immense hardship and a hemorrhage... With a son now, her dislike for Jiang Zhe grew day by day.

Who knew that Jiang Yunxuan would be so close to Jiang Zhe.

Seeing Jiang Zhe with her precious treasure of a son, Liang Jinlan was naturally enraged.

Jiang Yunxuan was completely beyond Liang Jinlan's control. "I want my big sister!"

"Be good, she is no longer your sister. Listen to me and come to Mommy." Liang Jinlan pulled Jiang Yunxuan to her side fiercely.

She looked up and glared at Jiang Zhe. "Jiang Zhe, who told you to come find Yunxuan? What are you trying to do to him?"

Jiang Zhe chewed her gum, having no intention of responding to her.

Her fox-like eyes were upturned, cold and glamorous, looking down on everything.

Liang Jinlan felt like she had thrown a heavy punch into cotton.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. The Gu family had invited the Jiang family to eat here today; what right did Jiang Zhe have to come here? What right did she have to look for Jiang Yunxuan!

(End of chapter)