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After Rong Jiahui went back, she thought of the topic of surname Liu and Yu Yixiang. She thought about it for many days, and her thoughts were ever-changing, so much so that she thought wickedly; why not just throw everything on her cousin? Isn't she just being persistent in being in the wrong, after all? She felt that that life was suffering beyond words, but maybe that stupid fool girl is a glutton for punishment?

But Yu Yixiang isn't a bad person. She lacks some wiring in her brain, and she somewhat believes herself the ultimate authority, and apart from bickering and scuffling with her she doesn't do much, and she's filial to her parents and caring towards her little sisters… she might not be a good person, but she absolutely can't do something like this.

That Liu had never liked her. Maybe he didn't like any n.o.blegirls and only liked those giggling hens from the red light district. Probably no one understands more thoroughly than she does on that point.

After all, all that time ago he didn't even feel like lifting her veil, leading her to stubbornly keep being covered by it, and spending the night sleeping with her head weighed down by her extremely heavy head ornaments. Ultimately, though, she was still the one to lift her own veil, and then she wept until her cries went silent along with her heart going cold.

Due to her stubbornness, her neck hurt for a long time. But they lived under the same roof, so they would still see each other at some point, and he startled when he saw her for the first time. She'd felt happy at the time, believing that he'd been awestruck at her appearance. The moment she thought about it, if he regrets his att.i.tude from before, then she'd best hang on to that and make him slowly coax her. She can't be entranced by his prettiness. He had given her a meaningful look and got closer to her, yet, he also had been startled…

The deadline until the time she got married in her last life is still more than a few years away. She genuinely wants to go nuts and call the wedding off, but knowing full well that that would just be pus.h.i.+ng someone else into a living h.e.l.l is just too immoral.

Yet it's possible that this it's only a living h.e.l.l for her. Maybe he just didn't find her pleasing to the eye and made her pretty much live the life of a widow whose husband died eight hundred years ago, but how could he not dislike her cousin? She still wants to find some other day to think of a way to meet the Liu guy and ask him what he ultimately thinks, it's just that that's the same problem again; how could she meet him? She doesn't people to say that she's impatient and keeps thinking about her fiancé, as word of that spreading around will indeed not be pleasant to the ear. Besides, the guy's been repulsed by her a long time ago, so he'd maybe not agree to even meet her. Thinking it over, she can only really appeal to Yu Yixiang.

For the sake of this undertaking, she stepped through Duke Jingguo's Residence's entryway, and after she saw Yu Yixiang, she drags her away and gets straight to the point. “I need to see him, and us three need to have a clear discussion!

Following Yu Yixiang staring blankly for half the day, she asks, “Say what?”

Rong Jiahui immediately doesn't want to talk to her. Is this person a real idiot or a fake fool?

“It's to anull the marriage, naturally. Are you hoping that I do that or not?”

Yu Yixiang nodded her head, then shook her head.

Seeing her head shake, Jiahui was puzzled. “Did you get enlightened? Is he not in your eyes anymore?”

Yu Yixiang shakes her head again.

Jiahui was helpless. “Then what are you trying to say?”

Yu Yixiang found it difficult to say, “For a wedding contract that's over a decade old to be broken so casually… will probably get people talking quite a lot.”

Is that all? Jiahui spoke somewhat impatiently, “What about it? Do you not think that guy adores you? I don't like him, you like him, I'll break up with him, then he and you will have a chance. Is that not a great time for everybody?”

Listening to Rong Jiahui talk like that, Yu Yixiang seemed like she was about to be convinced, but after bowing her head and contemplating for aeons, she still shook her head. “That won't do. If you can't find a good family to marry into after calling off this marriage, then what will you have no choice but to accept? I guess that you'd rather cut off your hair and be a nun than be willing to have a husband that's worse than others'.”

Hearing that, Rong Jiahui was startled, all her impatience immediately turned into crows and flew away. She had thought that with how they bickered for so many years, that this person would be considerably pleased to mock the one she dislikes, not expecting that she would actually be worried about her problems at this time.

Rong Jiahui looked Yu Yixiang up and down, as if this was the first time she was getting to know her.

“That's all my business,” Jiahui said. “That surname Liu has good looks and a good family, but I just don't like him. If I get married off into his family I'll probably wash my face in tears all day. I'll get by fine, having self-esteem is much more important.”

Yu Yixiang purses up her lips, as if seeing the reason to that.

Seeing that she wasn't about to start talking, it appears that she's made sense. Jiahui followed up her victory with an attack, “Then, Yixiang, try to get in touch with him. Three days from now, the two of us will go to tour at a lake together. Have him also come to tour by ‘lucky coincidence' so we can have a ‘chance encounter' in the middle of the lake. By the way, make him remember to bring a few people that are trustworthy.”

This is indeed a bit daring. “Will there be any problems with this?” Yu Yixiang asks.

Jiahui winked, saying cheerfully, “Don't you worry, my cousin, there won't be a problem! If worst comes to worst, then you can push anything off onto me, I have no fear anyways.”

After a brief moment of hesitation from Yu Yixiang, she thought about the haggard appearance that Young Master Liu had the last time, and, gritting her teeth, nodded.

Having gotten the outcome she wanted, the perfectly contented Rong Jiahui turned her head and wanted to go home.

She had just taken three steps when Yu Yixiang called out from behind her, “Rong Jiahui, why do you dislike him so much? Has he offended you?”

She's been curious from the start regarding this. How could someone possibly not have a good opinion of Young Master Liu? His reputation and background are clearly very good, he's elegant, he's met his wife-to-be's family, and had been given the nickname Yulang [1], as he was indeed a good youth (lang) that looked like jade (yu).

After Jiahui twisted the hair at the sides of her head between her fingers, she turned her head and said shyly, “Actually, I have someone in my heart.”

Right, someone in her heart. Could there be a better justification than that? If there's someone else, then whether your surname Liu is a Yulang and a real Jinlang [2] or not has absolutely nothing to do with her.

Yu Yixiang stared, then gave a guess, “Is it Young Master Zhongli?”

Not expecting Yu Yixiang to call out that name made Rong Jiahui immediately feel stupid. “Why did he pop up in your head?”

Yu Yixiang also winked. “It's my gut feeling, but I really didn't expect…”

What she didn't expect, she didn't continue on to say, it's better for Rong Jiahui to be happy anyway. She's not clear on that Zhongli Luo's character and personality, but if Jiahui likes them, that shows they're not bad; it's just that one thing about him actually being born lower. She'd heard Zhongli Luo had run off to the barracks in the Northwest still hoping that he could strive for better future prospects, but it's been been too peaceful these years and the striving won't be so easy, if Jiahui could wait. Yet, the point about Rong Jiahui fancying the humbly-born Zhongli Luo made her thereupon look higher upon her younger cousin. She's previously… misread Jiahui a bit deeply.

Three days later, Yu Yixiang arrived as scheduled and went with Rong Jiahui, only bringing a few personal maids aboard their leisure s.h.i.+p. After all, the elders had interpreted this as two young sisters going out to have fun and talk in private together, what would a lot of people need to be there for?

There are very few people touring the lake in the winter, because who'd be willing to get out into the cold wind? And if you visit the lake to sight-see but just stay in the cabin the whole time, it's boring. For that reason, when it's almost impossible to see the borders of the lake's surface, there's only two or three boats around.

Yu Yixiang and Rong Jiahui clasped a , s.h.i.+vering from the chill as they searched for any sign of Liu Qianchen on the lake.

It's just that Yu Yixiang is cryophobic, and squeezed into the s.h.i.+p's hold after not too long of sitting outside. Jiahui was genuinely burning with impatience, having no choice but to continue looking for her.

She's wearing a cloak, her snow-white little face being the only thing exposed on her, her big, clear, black-and-white eyes looking around everywhere without a moment's rest.

Just then, a touring boat slowly rowed over until the two s.h.i.+ps' bows were only three chi apart, whereupon it stopped.

After that, a tall and straight-backed youth came from within the s.h.i.+p's hold, donning a white fur jacket with looks not dissimilar to Pan An's. When he saw Rong Jiahui, he was no less than happily surprised.

He takes a few big strides towards the edge of the boat, but his smile falters before he gets a word out. This girl before him… looks somewhat like Yu Yixiang, but she isn't Yu Yixiang.

“You are not Miss Yu…”

Rong Jiahui's heart feels stuffed up. This person's like this again; so long as he gets a glimpse of her, his smile fades away. Seems she's the same kind of lacking to him as she was in her past life!

Feeling a few strands of retaliation in her mind, she says deliberately, “Mhm, I'm your fiancee, Rong Jiahui.”

Liu Qianchen still seems kind of immature at current, so much so that his facial features are slightly softer than they would be later; a look that a.s.suredly doesn't give off ill will.

Hearing Rong Jiahui's words, his expression immediately turned to one of complete vexation. “You are, Miss… Miss Rong? Then… Miss Yu? She said that she had something extremely important she needed to say, yet why would she keep away and not meet me at this time, and have you come meet me instead?”

At this moment, from hearing the voice coming outside the cabin, Yu Yixiang parted the curtain and walked out. “Jiahui, what's going on?”

After asking, she turned her head to suddenly see the person she'd thought of day and night. She somewhat shyly lowered her head, saying softly, “Young Master Liu.”

Upon seeing her, the smile was once again put on Liu Qianchen's face. “Miss Yu.”

Watching them act as if there was no one else around, Jiahui's heart went a bit sour. She tugged at Yu Yixiang's hand to make her return to her senses.

Watching them act as if there was no one else around, Jiahui's heart went a bit sour. She tugged at Yu Yixiang's hand to make her return to her senses.

“Yu Yixiang, don't stare at him like an idiot, we have something serious to talk about!”

The blissed-out Yu Yixiang snaps out of it, and says to Liu Qianchen, “Youn Master Liu, my cousin has something to tell you.”

“Ah?” The seventeen-year-old Liu Qianchen's mouth was open, giving a skeptical appearance that was actually a bit cute.

Rong Jiahui asked him, “Do you want to annul your engagement with me?”

He nodded honestly, with not even a shred of hesitation to be seen. Jiahui immediately felt stabbed. Even if she'd never liked Liu Qianchen, she had still had kind of looked forward to their marriage at the beginning. It could be said that she had no good opinion of him following that turn of the head splas.h.i.+ng her own with cold water, but now directly saying that he doesn't like her still makes her extremely displeased.

She panted with rage. “Then why won't your dad let you annul it?!”

He spoke sadly, “My parents are decided on it. They think you do not have any faults, of n.o.ble birth and good temperament and looks. If it were to be rashly annulled, they would turn around and demand I marry a woman of even higher status and position…”

Saying this, he looks towards Yu Yixiang.

“Whether other people promise not to say anything for now or not, word of this getting out will certainly not be good to hear. Everyone will come to see hm as a sn.o.bbish lowlife, and he won't have the face to see anyone again.”

Rong Jiahui stared blankly. This is the reason her happiness had to be sacrificed? Furthermore, Liu Qianchen can really talk eight ways of nonsense, she thinks without lacking gloom. Her family background isn't necessarily worse than Yu Yixiang's!

Tightening her lips, she asked Liu Qianchen, “Then what are your intentions towards my cousin?”

Liu Qianchen looked at Yu Yixiang, lips pursed. Just when Rong Jiahui felt that he wouldn't say anything, he finally started to, “I cannot say. I only know that I am happy with her. When I first met her, I felt that while this young lady looked like a high-born girl from a big family of n.o.ble status, she was a little troublemaker on the inside, having duped that young monk. After that, she had found out that I had heard what she said, she turned her head wanting to glare at me but her face ended up getting red first, and it was desperately cute. I like how she looks when she bows her head in thought, and I like how she looks when her face gets red in embarra.s.sment, and however else she looks, I like it all…”

Seeing how he looked, Jiahui felt that he was sincere. Yu Yixiang isn't necessarily better than her, and she's not necessarily worse than Yu Yixiang. If he wasn't sincere, then why would he…

She'd never been able to understand this matter in all of her past life, but now she suddenly does. Liu Qianchen was happy with her cousin, yet was forced to marry her by his own parents, so he took his anger out on her, but… it wasn't her fault, so why place his anger on her…?

In truth, he hadn't even done that. Apart from not paying her much attention, she didn't have any sort of restrictions, nor did he treat her harshly, merely letting her stay at home… she's pitiful. This person had ignored her for eight years out of her life, indicating that he'd always been thinking of her cousin, and she dares to feel that those eight years of hards.h.i.+p were a gift bestowed to her from Yu Yixiang! But she can't blame Yixiang… that'd really be wrong.

Thinking it over, she suggested, “You both tell me, if I go and say so to my parents, will it be annulled? I'll say that I went out boating today with Yu Yixiang, incidentally met you, exchanged h.e.l.los, and then you both took a liking to each other.”

Yu Yixiang hesitated. “Ah? Aunt and Uncle might actually approve of it?”

Liu Qianchen clearly felt that that wasn't too probable, only looking at Yu Yixiang anxiously.

“I hadn't called it off because there just wasn't a good reason,” Rong Jiahui said, “but now one's come. My parents love me a lot, so how could they be willing to do me the slightest bit of wrong? Surname… Young Master Liu, if you could confirm it in front of my dad, it'd be even better. Our fathers love getting reputation, but my papa loves me more. He'll take the initiative to annul it, and your dad won't consider you a self-interested sn.o.b. My dad won't state the reason for the annulment, as Yu Yixiang is my mother's niece.”

Seeing Rong Jiahui be so principled, Liu Qianchen can't help but profoundly revere her. “Miss Rong, the fault of this is all mine in the end. Please accept my reverence.”

Rong Jiahui hurriedly waved her hand. “No need for that formality. I don't want to marry to at all, so calling off the engagement is better for you and I.”

Liu Qianchen smiled, then said somewhat worriedly, “Miss Rong, will this not hinder your marriage in the future?”

This is the first time Liu Qianchen has been concerned about her, startling Jiahui a tad. After her startle, she put on a smile. “It won't, of course, but I don't know if my cousin's family won't have some opinions about you as my grandmother, aunts, and uncles all love me dearly, but you have my cousin as an inside agent anyways.”

Hearing that, the Yu-Liu couple can't help but look at each other and beam.

Noticing that she seems to really have aided a pair of lovers, Rong Jiahui felt sad for a time, then happy. Her sadness was for having once fed eight years of her youth to the dogs, and her happiness was for helping the Yu-Liu pair find a way to come together. She will finally not need to follow the same disaster in this life.

As for her past life's wedding, not even a few days after would Liu Qianchen start to return home a rare several times a year, then all day long he'd be at the red-light district and all night long he'd be playing music and whatever stuff. It doesn't matter for the time being, and she naturally doesn't know if he's going to still be like that in the future, but at the very least, with their current mutual affection, Yu Yixiang is absolutely not going to be like she was.

The author says: Sometimes I really don't know what the h.e.l.l I was writing in the outline (lololololol). Setting myself free from the get-go, I converted the sc.u.m Liu into Cousin's true love, and now the plotline with the general discreetly protecting the beauty from the abusive sc.u.m will have to switch people.

[1] 玉郎 = lit. “jade-like youth”, typically used as a pet name for a lady to her man. A general equivalent would be ‘handsome', as in ‘hey there handsome'.

[2] 金郎 = lit. “gold youth”. Same pet name except now he's rich instead of handsome.