Transmigrated as an Unwanted Ugly Girl

Juhua was dumbfounded. ’That muddle-headed mother of Gou Dan’s,’ she fumed internally. ’How could she just rush over to propose marriage without even asking what Meizi wants? This is just going to hurt my brother!’

’If Meizi didn’t have feelings for Li Changming, this marriage would be absolutely perfect. But since she does, it’ll be hard for Qingmu to win her over. And besides, he never had any special feelings for Meizi in the first place, so why would he even fight for her?’

She swallowed the food in her mouth and said to her father, mother, and brother, "I’m not just making things up. I’d be happy if Meizi became my sister-in-law, of course. It’s just... how do I put this? If I’m not mistaken, Meizi likes Changming."

Yang Family, Qingmu, and even Zheng Changhe were stunned by Juhua’s words.

Yang Family asked in a low voice, "Are you sure you saw that right? You’re just a child, what would you know? Meizi is a very straightforward person; how could she possibly hide such feelings?"

Qingmu also put down his bowl and chopsticks, no longer eating. He felt extremely uncomfortable.

’Before, when he hadn’t really thought about Meizi, he felt nothing one way or another. But now that an engagement was on the table, he’d started to warm up to the idea. To suddenly hear that she liked someone else was naturally galling. Was he not even as good as Li Changming?’

Juhua frowned. "Yesterday, we went to gather water bamboo shoots. We were all talking and laughing, but on the way back, we ran into Changming, and Meizi started acting strange..."

She was afraid of the potential fallout, so she tried her best to explain Meizi’s odd behavior. She added that Meizi was artless and didn’t know how to hide her feelings—so much so that even Liu Xiaomei had seen it plain as day.

She said to her mother and brother, "I’m not saying this for any other reason. If she marries into our family while her heart belongs to someone else, what will we do? Isn’t that just setting my brother up for misery? For now, just watch. If Meizi is brave enough to tell her mother her true feelings, Gou Dan’s mother might come to call off the engagement. If she doesn’t say anything... that’s even worse."

Yang Family said with a headache, "What kind of mess is this? What a coincidence. This afternoon, when I discussed this with your brother, you just had to be out of the house. If you had been here, we wouldn’t have decided so quickly."

Qingmu said nothing.

’He had finally, with great difficulty, agreed to a marriage, only for this bizarre thing to happen. Wasn’t Heaven itself conspiring against him? When he hadn’t wanted to marry, matchmakers were always at the door with proposals.’

Just then, Zheng Changhe asked, "Juhua, are you sure you’re not mistaken? Couldn’t it be that she likes your brother, told her mother, and that’s why her mother sent Grandma Huang to propose? That Changming kid is alright, but he’s still a notch below your brother. Why would Meizi like him instead?"

Juhua looked at her narcissistic father, completely speechless.

She said to her parents, "That’s exactly what I’m saying. When I first figured it out, I was indignant on my brother’s behalf, wondering why she didn’t like him. But as for why Meizi likes Changming, she probably couldn’t even explain it herself. Brother, what do you say? If you like Meizi, we can still try to win her over. But if you were indifferent to begin with, and she likes someone else, then what’s the point?"

Although Qingmu felt deeply resentful, he knew his sister was right. He didn’t want to marry a woman whose heart was already given to another man.

He nodded. "It’s better if we get this straightened out. Juhua, you should go and ask her directly. Since she’s supposed to be engaged to me, it’s only right that we clarify this. I was reluctant to agree to this marriage in the first place. I only consented to marrying her two years from now because I thought she was a decent person. If she really likes Changming, then there’s no need for me to fight him for her."

Juhua nodded and said to Qingmu, "Besides, plenty of girls want to marry you, Brother. It’s not that Meizi thinks you’re not good enough. From what I saw, she never used to pay Changming any mind; it seems like she only started developing feelings for him recently. If that’s the case, then it’s just an unexpected turn of fate. No one can do anything about that."

Yang Family also sighed. "Sometimes, you just can’t predict matters of the heart."

********

While the Zheng Family fretted over the engagement, things at Qin’s home were also a complete mess.

After Grandma Huang delivered the Zheng Family’s message to Gou Dan’s mother, the latter was so relieved she felt a surge of energy!

Yang Family had actually guessed correctly. Gou Dan’s mother had wanted to keep Meizi at home for another two years but was also afraid of holding her back, so she was in full support of the Zheng Family’s decision to get engaged now and marry later.

She was just about to tell Meizi and let her celebrate the good news when Meizi came to find her.

It turned out Meizi simply couldn’t get Li Changming out of her mind, and her heart ached. The poor girl had always lived a carefree life; she had never suffered such torment before.

Her poor head couldn’t take it anymore, and she thought, ’I should just tell Mom. She has no idea I like Changming. If she knew, maybe she would let me be with him. And even if she doesn’t agree, she can help me figure out what’s wrong with me. If she just talks to me, maybe I’ll feel better.’