“Jian Ning, let’s get married.” Dung Shaoyan looked seriously at Jian Ning. His voice was soft, yet there wasn’t a trace of warmth in his cold eyes.
Late spring in May, the weather in Jia City gradually grew hot. The colorful flowers began to wither and bear new fruit.
It seemed to suggest that something lost would be accompanied by a new beginning.
In the Jian family’s garden, a man and a woman stood facing each other.
“What?” The smile on Jian Ning’s face froze. She had been overjoyed by the man’s appearance, but now she felt a chill spread through her entire body. She stared blankly into the man’s eyes, trying her best to find a trace of affection there, but ultimately failed.
The man’s eyes were very beautiful, with curved phoenix eyes, his gaze seeming to tease others. Every time, Jian Ning fell into this illusion.
But upon closer inspection, there was no warmth in those eyes.
Just like him, ordinarily, he was gentle and considerate to others, but in reality, no one could be colder or more heartless than him. Oh no, perhaps that heartlessness was reserved only for her. He didn’t treat others that way.
Dung Shaoyan smiled faintly and slowly said, “Grandpa is seriously ill. He wants to see us married. Sooner or later, we’ll get married anyway. It wouldn’t hurt to fulfill his wish now. What do you think?”
His tone didn’t sound like he was talking about their marriage, but rather a business deal, neither big nor small.
A bitter look flashed in Jian Ning’s eyes. She furrowed her brows tightly to stop her tears from falling. She looked at the man’s pale face and forced a trembling smile, saying, “Shaoyan, you… you can’t stand for long. Please go inside first.”
When Dung Shaoyan’s mother was pregnant with him, his father’s mistress came to cause trouble, and she also ate something she shouldn’t have. As a result, he was born with chronic illnesses, his entire body extremely weak, and his heart condition was serious. When his condition was severe, he could only use a wheelchair. It was said that a doctor had previously concluded he wouldn’t live past twenty.
Dung Shaoyan’s eyes flickered. He looked at her and continued with a smile, “After we get married, we won’t announce it publicly for now. You can do whatever you want; I won’t interfere. Perhaps we won’t bother each other.”
After saying that, he continued, “As for me, don’t worry, I won’t die anytime soon.”
After speaking, he raised a hand to cover his mouth and coughed. His already pale complexion grew even paler, and his lips seemed to have reddened.
He looked like a sickly beauty.
Jian Ning paused slightly at his words. A moment later, a bitter curve appeared on her lips. Was this an open marriage? How incredibly liberal.
Her eyes gradually reddened. She still hadn’t given up. She looked at him and asked, “Dung Shaoyan, you want to marry me without liking me at all?”
They were engaged to each other. She had never expressed a desire to marry because she wanted to date him like normal couples, and let their deep feelings naturally lead to marriage.
Jian Ning was born exceptionally beautiful, a fierce, dazzling beauty like a vibrant red rose.
At this moment, the way she asked him was a little pathetic, completely devoid of her usual ostentatious nature. But Dung Shaoyán only chuckled, approaching her and reaching out to caress her face. He lowered his head, looked into her eyes, and softly said, "Jiǎn Níng, born into a family like ours, you should know that I have no feelings, only interests." His hand moved down to her chin, then lightly traced her lower lip. He looked at her with an unreadable gaze. "And when have you ever had feelings? Can't we be honest with each other?" His tone was still as gentle as before, though perhaps it wasn't true gentleness, but rather his frailty causing his words to unconsciously slow, creating the illusion of tenderness. Jiǎn Níng looked at him bitterly. At this moment, she felt nothing but profound grievance and disappointment.
He could be indifferent to her, he could be heartless towards her, but how could he deny her feelings for him? She had liked this man for so long, liked him to the extent that the entire wealthy circle in Jia City knew she would stop at nothing to get him. For all these years, any woman who approached him would meet a terrible end. She liked him so much that she had lost her original self, becoming completely unlike herself. By now, she seemed to have come to her senses. She couldn't fill this man's heart. He might like anyone, but he certainly didn't like her.
Seeing her eyes filled with grievance and disappointment, Dung Shaoyán frowned, trying to hide the despondency in his own eyes. Yet, he felt no satisfaction from his successful revenge. He withdrew his hand and softly said, "You can think about it. I'll be going now." After he finished speaking, he turned and left without hesitation. Even after he had gone far, Jiǎn Níng could still hear his coughs.
It was unknown how long it took for Jiǎn Níng to return to the villa. She met her older brother, Jiǎn Yì, who stopped her and asked, "Níng Níng, how did your talk with Shaoyán go?" When he asked this, Jiǎn Níng finally couldn't hold back her tears in front of her brother. Seeing her cry, Jiǎn Yì was both worried and confused. He hastily asked, "What's wrong? Did he bully you?" This young miss had always been so headstrong; when had he ever seen her cry? Jiǎn Níng glared at him, still fuming, and kicked him again, defiantly shouting, "It's all your fault! You said he liked me! He doesn't like me at all, not one bit! Don't even mention liking me, he's annoyed with me and hates me!"
"Ah!" Jiǎn Yì cried out in pain. This girl had learned Taekwondo since childhood; that kick was truly brutal. He acknowledged her complaints, but he distinctly remembered feeling that Shaoyán liked his sister back in college. After that, he didn't know why things had become like this. He glanced at Jiǎn Níng, then sighed after a moment, pulling his sister into his arms and gently patting her head to comfort her. "Dad said if you don't want to, you don't have to marry him." Their father was a man who cared deeply about appearances; he had always wanted them to marry and constantly urged them because the Dung family was the best partner.
This time, Dung Shao Nian wanted to get married, but Jian Ning's father didn't want to marry off his daughter like that. No matter how much they valued benefits, this precious daughter was cherished by the Jian family as if she were a delicate egg. He could see that Dung Shao Nian didn't like his daughter, and now he was using marriage as an excuse, so naturally, he didn't want it. It was just that he had previously been very much in favor of this marriage. Now, however, he felt he couldn't back down, which was why he let his son speak.
Hearing him speak, Jian Ning immediately pushed him away, then began to act defiantly, lifting her chin with a sneer: "Marry? Why not?" If he was so amazing, then even if he was bored of her and hated her, she still wanted to marry him, so she would marry into that family.
She'd marry him, then cuckold him thoroughly, provoke him to death, and inherit his assets.
Jian Yi knew immediately upon hearing her that she was angry and speaking nonsense. He patiently advised: "Ning Ning, don't be so impulsive."
Jian Ning took a deep breath, calming herself: "Don't try to dissuade me. I'm not being impulsive at all." It was just that before, she had dreamed of marrying him. She had originally thought they would date, fall in love, and then naturally discuss marriage. She never expected to marry him for *this* reason.
Jian Yi clicked his tongue. Why wouldn't this damned girl turn back unless she hit her head against a wall? Why was she so fixated on that one tree? What was there to like about a sickly, ailing person? He and Dung Shao Nian were college classmates, but Jian Ning was his younger sister, so naturally, he had to cover for her shortcomings. Now he thought that even at this point, his sister still wouldn't give up, determined to marry that man. It was also his fault. If he had known this would happen, he wouldn't have said that Shao Nian liked his sister, so that it wouldn't come to this, where Shao Nian was so cold and indifferent to her, yet she still firmly believed he liked her. At this moment, besides feeling heartbroken, Jian Yi also felt guilty.
***
Jian Ning agreed, and their wedding was held shortly after. Because the old man was seriously ill, everything was done very simply.
As Dung Shaoyan had said, their marriage wouldn't be publicized; only a few wealthy families in their circle knew about it. Even so, after a hectic day, Jian Ning was utterly exhausted. Upon returning to the bridal chamber, she collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep.
When she woke up, the spacious room was empty except for her. She sat up and rubbed her face. The bed was covered in red dates and longans, making it incredibly lumpy. She looked around, then went out and downstairs, asking the housekeeper, Aunt Zhang, "Where's Dung Shaoyan?"
Ever since their breakup that day, she hadn't been able to call him by the intimate "Shaoyan" anymore.
Hearing her, Aunt Zhang looked a little uncomfortable, then smiled faintly and said, "Something urgent came up at the company. Young Master has gone to the office."
Ever since the incident involving his mother, Old Master Dung had stripped Dung Shaoyan's father of all his power and declared he would only step down once Dung Shaoyan could stand on his own two feet. This could be seen as the Old Master's way of being fair to the mother and son. Thus, Dung Shaoyan was now the one in power in the Dung family.
Hearing this, Jian Ning froze, then after a moment, she let out a sarcastic laugh. "What kind of urgent business couldn't wait? And on our wedding night, no less?"
Aunt Zhang looked a bit awkward, then smiled respectfully and said, "Are you hungry, Young Madam? Would you like some supper?"
The surrounding servants didn't even dare to breathe loudly. They all knew that this pampered young lady had a rather difficult temper, except when it came to their Young Master.
Jian Ning coldly tossed her chin. "No! I'm full of anger!" She turned and went back to the room, looking at the all-red room, then at the pile of red dates and longans on the bed.
Her eyes were also red-rimmed. She strode over and swept the pile of fruits onto the floor.
The phone on the bedside table suddenly rang. Jian Ning picked it up. "Hello!"
Her best friend Chen Xiaona's surprised voice came through the phone. "Ningning, are you angry?"
Jian Ning took a deep breath, frowned, and said, "What do you want?"
Chen Xiaona cleared her throat, then hesitantly asked, "Have you seen what's happening online?"
After saying that, she indignantly spoke up for Jian Ning. "Your Dung Shaoyan is really too much! Isn't tonight your wedding night? How could he do something like this?"
Jian Ning was a little confused. "Online? What about it?"
"Huh?" Chen Xiaona was extremely surprised. "You don't know?"
Jian Ning thought of something, hung up the phone, and opened Weibo. On the hot search list were Dung Shaoyan's name and her sworn enemy, Su Lian.
When she clicked on it, she saw that Su Lian had posted on Weibo and even tagged Dung Shaoyan's Weibo account...
Su Lian: Thank you! [heart emoji] @DungShaoyan.
The hashtag #SuLianDungShaoyan had become a trending topic. The comments below were all speculations about her relationship with Dung Shaoyan, with gossip eventually turning into rumors of an ambiguous romantic relationship.
When Jian Ning saw this scandal, her hands trembled uncontrollably, and she almost smashed her phone.
Su Lian had been her rival since childhood. After the Su family went bankrupt, she entered the entertainment industry. Two days ago, she was involved in a scandal about "being kept by a wealthy businessman." At the time, Jian Ning had thought it impossible; Su Lian was so proud and arrogant, how could she possibly be interested in someone so unrefined? She was only interested in someone like Dung Shaoyan.
She suppressed her anger and looked up the old scandal. Sure enough, it had been completely scrubbed clean.
Now that Su Lian had posted on Weibo like this, netizens all assumed that Dung Shaoyan himself had helped her remove the trending topic.
They all knew Su Lian was a girl from a wealthy family whose fortunes had declined. They wondered if Dung Thieu Ngon and she had known each other previously, even imagining a story of childhood sweethearts. Finally, Gian Ninh couldn't bear it anymore. She trembled with rage. Childhood sweethearts? Then what was she? That bastard, he wasn't free on their wedding night, but he had time to delete hot searches for someone else? She recalled every past confrontation between her and Su Lian.
That woman always played the victim, and Dung Thieu Ngon would occasionally intervene to smooth things over. She suddenly felt as if she had fallen into an icy abyss. Was this why their marriage wasn't publicized?
Gian Ninh sat on the bed, burying her head in her knees. The last shred of hope vanished. The deep-seated affection had now transformed into bitter resentment.