Chapter 372: Scum
Qin Tuo looked up and saw a girl of about eighteen or nineteen. She was sweet and cute, with delicate features and a smile of pleasant surprise on her face.
It was his cousin, Jiang Wanyu.
Jiang Wanyu had heard Qin Tuo was back and came over to his house immediately. The cousins hadn’t seen each other in a long time, and seeing each other again now, they were both filled with emotion.
"Cousin, have you eaten yet? You should eat with us later!"
Qin Tuo said with a smile.
Jiang Wanyu nodded and asked,
"Cousin, I heard you brought your girlfriend back with you. Where is she?"
After they had exchanged a few words, the sound of their voices drew Chen Man Ni’s attention.
As soon as Chen Man Ni heard them, she came out.
The moment she saw Chen Man Ni, Jiang Wanyu’s eyes lit up.
Jiang Wanyu herself had the makings of a great beauty, but upon seeing Chen Man Ni, she instantly felt outshone.
"Hello, I’m Qin Tuo’s girlfriend. My name is Chen Man Ni."
Chen Man Ni guessed this must be Qin Tuo’s cousin, Jiang Wanyu, and immediately greeted her with a smile.
Jiang Wanyu nodded and said with a cheerful smile,
"Hello, sister-in-law! I’m Jiang Wanyu!"
Hearing herself called "sister-in-law" made Chen Man Ni ecstatic.
Qin Tuo, standing to the side, didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. ’This silly girl is still as innocent and lively as ever,’ he thought. ’She hasn’t changed a bit.’
The two girls quickly hit it off, leaving Qin Tuo forgotten on the sidelines as they chatted and laughed by themselves.
Chen Man Ni suddenly made a decision. On the spot, she took out her own pair of very expensive earrings.
"Cousin, please take these earrings as a gift for our first meeting!"
Chen Man Ni generously handed the earrings to Jiang Wanyu.
When Jiang Wanyu saw the earrings, she was completely astonished!
Although she didn’t know much about luxury goods, she could tell that these earrings were incredibly valuable.
So, she instinctively refused.
"No, sister-in-law, I can’t. How could I possibly accept something so precious from you?"
But Chen Man Ni just shook her head and said with a smile,
"Cousin, I’m giving them to you, so you should just take them!"
Qin Tuo, who was standing nearby, also nodded and said with a smile,
"Cousin, don’t be so formal with your sister-in-law. Besides, it’s a heartfelt gift from her. Just accept it!"
Hearing both Qin Tuo and Chen Man Ni say this, Jiang Wanyu shyly accepted the earrings.
After the gift of the earrings, the bond between Chen Man Ni and Jiang Wanyu grew even closer.
At this point, Qin Tuo couldn’t help but ask curiously,
"Cousin, what’s this about you getting married? Who are you supposed to marry?"
The joyful expression on Jiang Wanyu’s face instantly froze, and her mood plummeted.
Seeing her reaction, Qin Tuo immediately understood that Jiang Wanyu was actually very much against this marriage. She simply couldn’t defy her parents’ orders.
Jiang Wanyu sighed and said,
"Cousin, the person I’m supposed to marry is Chen Biao..."
Hearing the name Chen Biao, Qin Tuo shot up from his seat.
A face naturally surfaced in his mind!
This Chen Biao was from the same village as Qin Tuo. Ever since they were kids, he’d loved hanging out with the town’s hooligans; he was simply not a good person.
Qin Tuo never imagined that a sweet girl like Jiang Wanyu would be forced to marry a scumbag like Chen Biao.
From Qin Tuo’s reaction, Chen Man Ni could immediately tell that this Chen Biao was definitely bad news.
Qin Tuo couldn’t help but ask,
"Cousin, how could you marry someone like Chen Biao? With your qualities, you could marry into a much better family!"
Tears welled up in Jiang Wanyu’s eyes as she said hesitantly,
"I don’t want to, really! But my parents think Chen Biao’s family is well-off, and they’re forcing me to marry him. I... I don’t have a choice!"
Qin Tuo then learned that Chen Biao had actually done quite well for himself over the years and was now a well-known figure in Xiaolu Town.
He had gradually lifted his family out of poverty. Now, he had contracts for numerous business projects and was considered a local tycoon, known throughout the area.
Later, Chen Biao happened to set his sights on Jiang Wanyu and began to pursue her relentlessly.
However, despite his repeated advances, Jiang Wanyu rejected him every time.
Finally, Chen Biao resorted to a vicious tactic.
Jiang Wanyu had been doing well in her final year of high school, but Chen Biao actually brought people to her school to cause a huge scene.
The incident became so big that the frightened principal had no choice but to tactfully advise Jiang Wanyu to drop out of school.
After Jiang Wanyu dropped out, Chen Biao grew even more smug, bringing a bride price directly to her home to propose.
Jiang Wanyu was, of course, a million times unwilling, but her parents saw how well-off Chen Biao’s family was and agreed to the proposal.
In the countryside, once one’s parents had made a decision, there was no room for Jiang Wanyu to refuse.
After hearing the whole story, Qin Tuo was filled with rage.
He couldn’t help but say coldly,
"This Chen Biao is going too far! No, I have to go find him and settle this!"
Chen Man Ni, who had a strong sense of justice, was also red-faced with anger after hearing the story.
She cursed and said,
"That Chen Biao is a complete bastard! To use such despicable methods to force you to submit... he’s not a real man!"
As she spoke, Chen Man Ni prepared to go with Qin Tuo to confront Chen Biao.
Seeing this, Jiang Wanyu was terrified and quickly tried to stop them.
She said, her face filled with grievance,
"Cousin, Chen Biao knows a lot of people in the underworld. If you just go looking for him like this, there will be a fight. I’m afraid you’ll be the one to get hurt!"
Seeing how much Jiang Wanyu cared about him, Qin Tuo couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
’Sigh, what a silly girl!’
He placed his hands firmly on Jiang Wanyu’s shoulders, looked into her eyes, and said,
"Cousin, as your older cousin, how could I just stand by and watch you fall into a pit of fire?"
But Jiang Wanyu insisted stubbornly,
"You don’t understand, Cousin. Chen Biao isn’t the same person he used to be. You’re no match for him. Please don’t go looking for him."
Qin Tuo shook his head and smiled.
"Silly girl, don’t you worry about me!"
In Qin Tuo’s eyes, no matter how well Chen Biao had done for himself, he was still just a little ant, not even worth mentioning.
For the sake of Jiang Wanyu’s lifelong happiness, Qin Tuo absolutely could not stand by and do nothing.
Chen Man Ni, at his side, thought for a moment and couldn’t help but say,
"Qin Tuo, why don’t you go talk to your aunt first? Maybe you can persuade her to call off this marriage."
Qin Tuo thought about it seriously and agreed that it made sense.
If he could persuade his aunt, Luo Xianggui, to voluntarily call off the marriage, that would be the best possible outcome.