Chapter 237: Truly Abandoning the Bride
SLAP! SLAP! In a furious rage, Sheng Yueyue rushed forward and slapped Jiang Ruyan hard on both cheeks.
It all happened in a flash. No one expected the bride to forget her decorum and hit someone, only reacting after the sharp sound of the slaps registered.
Jiang Ruyan had called Sheng Yueyue a pig feeder, and the fact that she had once done so was Sheng Yueyue’s deepest insecurity.
It was an undeniable fact. The things a person is most sensitive about are often the source of their deepest shame.
In her past life, hearing such words would have made her cower and hide, suffering in silence.
Even as the true daughter of the Sheng Family, she hadn’t dared to hold her head high, always sticking to the shadows.
This was why Sheng Yueyue constantly taunted the Gu Family, calling them pig feeders—because she herself was so deeply bothered by the label.
Sheng Yueyue moved to strike again but was pulled away by members of the wedding procession. She shrieked, her voice wild with rage.
"Zijin! Is it true? Did you really say you wouldn’t come for me if she didn’t wake up?"
Ever since she’d single-handedly beaten ten members of the Li family, Sheng Yueyue had given up on pretending to be weak and delicate.
Seeing her rival, Jiang Ruyan, put on such a frail, counterfeit act of weakness infuriated her.
"No, that’s not it," Song Zijin said, though he was starting to dislike both women. "Even if she hadn’t woken up, I would have watched the clock and come to get you."
He was particularly annoyed that Jiang Ruyan had ditched him earlier to ride on Sheng Shiwen’s bicycle.
Still, having two gorgeous women fighting over him was a huge boost to his ego.
Jiang Ruyan was stunned by the sudden slaps. ’This is a high-society lady from Qing City?’
’She hits me and then causes a huge scene. So it’s true? In this world, the loudest person is always in the right?’
But Jiang Ruyan was not one to accept defeat. She hadn’t planned on stealing the groom. For one, he wasn’t worth sacrificing her reputation over.
For another, she was holding out for a better man. But since this bride dared to strike her in public, she couldn’t be blamed for what she was about to do.
So, she cupped her cheek and said in a delicate, aggrieved voice, "Zijin, on the way here, you said that the two of us would go back and perform the wedding ceremony, that you weren’t going to pick up the bride."
Song Zijin touched his nose and remained silent. He had said that, but she hadn’t responded at the time.
"Song Zijin! You really said that?" Sheng Yueyue roared, seeing his silence as a confession.
"I never said that! She’s lying to frame me." Seeing Sheng Yueyue’s fury, Song Zijin chose to lie.
Before Sheng Yueyue could feel a flicker of relief, she heard Jiang Ruyan say provocatively, "Zijin, don’t say another word. Let’s go back to the Song Family home right now and hold our wedding ceremony."
"Do you mean it? You’re not just saying that because you’re angry?" Song Zijin was clearly tempted.
"I mean every word. When I heard you say that earlier, I was so overcome with emotion that I fainted."
’I can’t make a life for myself in the Imperial City anyway,’ Jiang Ruyan thought. ’Might as well just settle for Qing City.’
Song Zijin didn’t dare say anything rash. He just looked up at the sky, avoiding everyone’s gaze.
"Zijin, what are you waiting for? Let’s go! We have to get back for the ceremony before we miss the auspicious hour."
Jiang Ruyan proactively climbed onto the back of Song Zijin’s bicycle and urged him to get going.
The Jiang Family was more powerful than the Sheng Family, and her grandfather was a Divine Doctor. Plus, with Song Zijie now recovered, he posed a major threat to Zijin’s own standing.
And so, without a single thought for the consequences, Song Zijin started pedaling and rode off with Jiang Ruyan.
Sheng Yueyue was still being held back, with one of the Song family’s cousins on each arm. They had grabbed her when she first started hitting Jiang Ruyan.
When they saw Song Zijin actually ride off with Jiang Ruyan, the two cousins were so shocked they forgot to let go of her.
Sheng Yueyue struggled in a frenzy, her face flushing red and then draining of color as she kicked her legs wildly.
She shrieked at the top of her lungs, "Let go of me! Do you really want to see Zijin replace his bride?"
"Cousin, let her go!" Song Zijie yelled. "Hurry and take the bride back!"
Song Zijie was also dumbfounded by Song Zijin’s audacious move. He’d never dreamed his cousin could be so utterly ridiculous.
Sheng Yueyue climbed onto the back of the cousin’s bicycle, weeping and cursing loudly.
"That heartless bastard, Song Zijin! First, he gives up on Gu Jiaojiao to pursue me, and now he’s trying to dump me, too! I won’t let him get away with it!"
Song Zijie was surprised to hear that. He glanced back at her skeptically. "You’re saying Zijin gave up on Gu Jiaojiao to pursue you?"
"That’s right. So what?" Sheng Yueyue retorted stubbornly.
Song Zijie said no more, simply pedaling his own bicycle silently toward the Song Family home.
He had never been in a relationship himself, but he knew how incomparably stunning Gu Jiaojiao was. No matter how foolish Zijin could be, he would never have given her up voluntarily.
He didn’t believe love was a simple thing, nor was it something you could just cast aside on a whim.
To him, love was an illusion, a form of anticipation. If it didn’t align with his expectations, he wouldn’t go near it.
"Song Zijie, why did you go quiet? Don’t you believe me?" Sheng Yueyue couldn’t help asking.
Song Zijie shook his head and said placatingly, "I believe you. Because I don’t think you’re the type of woman to chase after fame and fortune."
"Hmph! I’m not materialistic at all! WAHHH... That heartless bastard... WAHHH..."
Sheng Yueyue bawled her eyes out, a truly miserable sight. She had never been this unlucky, not even in her past life.
Only she knew the truth: she had deliberately stolen Zijin for herself.
’Using my knowledge from my past life, I knew exactly what a naive young man like Zijin wanted, so I catered to his every whim. I also knew he didn’t necessarily like me all that much. It was all a calculated act on my part, and I’d even been willing to use my virtue as bait. Something you seize through trickery and force is as fragile as glass. The slightest external pressure will shatter it completely.’
Sheng Yueyue understood this, but that didn’t stop her from feeling resentful or from wanting to curse him out.
And she would still cry when she felt like it. After all, heartache isn’t something you can reason away.
’I’ve lived two lives and made countless calculations, but I never imagined someone even more shameless than me could exist. And worse, this person was the man I thought I could entrust my entire life to. When I was reborn, I truly did love Zijin. Love might not fade just from being unrequited, but it will certainly wither after repeated disappointments. That’s why when I met He Aijun, I did consider giving up on Zijin. But love isn’t something you can just call off after a few heartbreaks. I have to get him back from Jiang Ruyan. I stole him once by force, so what’s the harm in doing it again? It might not be dignified, but failing to win him back would be even more humiliating.’
"Second Brother, go get Mom and Dad! That bitch Jiang Ruyan actually dared to steal their son-in-law!"
"Okay, Yueyue, don’t cry. I’ll go get Mom and Dad right now."
Sheng Shiwen agreed and immediately turned to head back to the Sheng Family residence for reinforcements.
He had thought the two young women were just fooling around. Who knew Song Zijin could be so classless as to actually ditch his bride and run off?
The other members of the wedding procession stayed out of the conflict entirely. They were just there to watch the show.