Chapter 6: Fiancé

"Xiao Meng? You mean Jian Xiaomeng? Why did she change her name back?"

Xiao Meng was an orphanage child. Not long after Jiang Zhe was adopted, Xiao Meng was adopted by a family named Jian, and her name was changed.

Director Kang sighed and told her the whole story.

It turned out Xiao Meng had seduced her adoptive father and was caught red-handed by her adoptive mother, who immediately took her to the police station.

Later, it was Xiao Meng who admitted her mistakes, signed a letter of assurance, and thus she was not held responsible.

However, she could no longer stay in that family, so both parties agreed to sign a contract terminating the adoption.

Xiao Meng then reverted to the name she had originally used.

"She was afraid this would negatively affect everyone and kept telling me not to mention it to you. She usually lives at school and seldom comes back. But she came back once recently, and I noticed she was in very poor spirits... She always listened to you, so could you talk to her for me? This is her senior year of high school, and she's already under a lot of pressure."

Seduce? Admit mistakes? Letter of assurance? Termination of adoption agreement? A touch of scornful crimson curved at the corner of Jiang Zhe's eye.

"Okay, I got it."

"You know she's at First High School, right?" Director Kang asked.

Jiang Zhe walked to the street corner, pulled out her cellphone, and made a call, "Can you secure a spot at First High School?"

"Sure, ancestor. For whom?" the young man's voice came from the other end.

"For myself."

The other side exploded, and after a while, asked uncertainly, "Ancestor, don't joke around."

Jiang Zhe casually chewed her gum, another call came in on her phone, and she glanced to see it was from Jiang Xiruo. She suddenly remembered what Jiang Xiruo had mentioned last night.

"Never mind, I was just joking," she hung up the call.

The person on the other end breathed a sigh of relief, "That's what I thought, going to school. Which small temple could accommodate a great Buddha?"

...

When Jiang Xiruo heard that Jiang Zhe wanted to transfer to Jincheng First High School, she immediately made a call to her friends.

Before Jiang Zhe could fully savor the sweetness of her freshly unwrapped gum, Jiang Xiruo was back, "It's settled, you can transfer tomorrow."

"Fine."

"There's another thing. You have to meet your fiancé tomorrow," Jiang Xiruo said.

Jiang Zhe stopped playing with her phone and looked at Jiang Xiruo.

Jiang Xiruo explained, "Years ago, your grandfather saved a very powerful and influential person who promised a marriage alliance with our family. Unfortunately, both your dad and I already had people we liked. So, they've extended that promise to you now."

"Auntie, we live in modern society," Jiang Zhe said as she started playing with her phone again, her slender fingers twirling the device.

"That's why you should meet him and make things clear, to call off this marriage," Jiang Xiruo strongly agreed with Jiang Zhe.

Jiang Yaowang commented from the side, "The sooner it's called off, the better. An imbalanced social status makes us unsuitable for each other."

Jiang Zhe casually glanced at Jiang Yaowang. The way he spoke, his tone, and demeanor, made it sound as if it was the other party who wasn't worthy of her.

"Alright then."

...

Luhu Villa.

Qin Jingchen pinched his phone, slightly raising his brows, "Marriage promise? Call it off!"

A few more words came from the other side, but his tone remained as calm and steady as water, "I will handle it well."

In the city center of Jincheng City.

Jinyuan.

A manor-like restaurant offering tranquility amidst noise.

The customers frequenting this establishment were invariably either rich or noble.

The other party had set the location here.

Jiang Zhe, carrying her school bag, walked in. The server was about to stop her but, in the instant she looked up, her calm eyes and composed demeanor dissuaded him from inquiring further.

Instead, he was struck by her fox-like gaze that was both pure and suggestive.

She casually strolled forward.

The entrance swung open again as Qin Jingchen and Fen Ye sauntered in.

"Brother Chen, you said the break-off gift is all prepared. They won't be shortchanged," Fen Ye commented.

Qin Jingchen's fingers never stopped moving over the Buddha Beads, nor did his stride falter, "Double it."

"It's already plenty... Fine, if you say double it, I will. This family doesn't know their luck, stumbling upon you and turning a baffling engagement breakup into such a grand gesture."

Fen Ye shrugged his shoulders, "Speaking of which, I had no idea you were even engaged! Now that their family has come to you on their own initiative, could it be they're trying to force you to honor the engagement? Can we really get out of this marriage?"

"A melon forced off its vine is not sweet," said Qin Jingchen, the tear mole near the corner of his eye enticing, yet his voice remained calm.

Catching sight of Jiang Zhe ahead, Fen Ye teased, "If the girl is that ravishing little vixen, surely even the melon would taste sweet, huh?"

...

Jiang Zhe strolled up to the second floor, where suddenly a young boy charged towards her.

About nine years old, the boy came at her with surprising force.

Jiang Zhe's stance did not falter, allowing him to embrace her.

"Sister! They said you left and wouldn't come back!" the boy's voice was slightly choked, "Why? I don't believe it!"

Jiang Yunxuan, the son of Liang Jinlan and Jiang Zhang, was just over nine years old.

On the day Jiang Zhe left, he was at school and hadn't had the chance to say goodbye.

"I will come back to see you," the usually aloof girl's eyes softened, her gaze drooping slightly.

Jiang Zhe's words did not soothe Jiang Yunxuan's emotions, as he began to act out, "I don't want you to just visit, I want you to come live at home! Why did you leave? I didn't agree to it!"

"Jiang Zhe, what are you doing! Who allowed you to touch my son!" Liang Jinlan rushed over in a few strides and pulled Jiang Yunxuan to her side.

She was clearly furious.

When she first married into the Jiang Family, she had been unable to conceive for several years and, out of desperation, had adopted Jiang Zhe and Jiang Fanyue.

A few years passed and it was Jiang Fanyue who gave her a family heirloom prescription which allowed her to conceive Jiang Yunxuan.

Who would have thought that Jiang Zhe, still young at the time, would tell her not to keep the child, to avoid hurting her health.

Liang Jinlan's attitude towards the two sisters had already been affected by the prescription affair, showing preference for one over the other. With this incident, she grew even colder towards Jiang Zhe, especially during the time when she was about to give birth to Jiang Yunxuan; she had instructed the staff to keep Jiang Zhe away from her.

The birth of her son was fraught with struggles and a life-threatening hemorrhage... With a son, her dislike for Jiang Zhe only increased.

Yet Jiang Yunxuan was particularly fond of Jiang Zhe.

Seeing Jiang Zhe with her precious son, Liang Jinlan was understandably livid.

Jiang Yunxuan paid no heed to Liang Jinlan's attempts to control him, "I want Sister!"

"Be good, she's not your sister anymore. Come to mommy," Liang Jinlan forcefully yanked Jiang Yunxuan to herself.

She glared up at Jiang Zhe, "What are you doing here looking for Yunxuan? What do you want to do with him?"

Jiang Zhe chewed on her gum, with no intention of responding.

Her fox-like eyes were raised in disdain, cold yet dazzling, a sideways glance that dismissed all others.

Liang Jinlan's punch hit nothing but cotton.

The more she thought, the angrier she got. Today, the Gu Family had invited the Jiang Family to dine here—what right had Jiang Zhe to come? What right did she have to seek out Jiang Yunxuan!