Chapter 74

The space was cramped and the air was very thin. Wen Shu took a deep breath, as if it would give her more courage to refute. "Cousin, my marriage to Cheng Xuan was arranged by our parents and the matchmaker. It has long been officially documented."

She looked at the persistent man and sighed, "I don't know if my cousin and Chengxuan have some kind of grudge, but I'll be a member of the Qi family tomorrow. My cousin, you'd better watch yourself."

Just as Wen Shu was about to turn and leave, Pei Lingjun pressed down on her shoulders, the scalding heat from his palms making her shudder.

"After the official deed was signed? If I told you that Qi Chengxuan was already married, and that marrying you was just to make you a concubine." Pei Lingjun's dark eyes were fixed on her, catching the fleeting look of surprise on her face, and he suddenly chuckled, "He didn't tell you any of this, did he?"

Wen Shu hesitated before asking, "What equal wife?"

As if afraid she wouldn't believe him, the young man quickly pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket. "It's written clearly on it. Qi Chengxuan had already married someone in his early years, but the other person's status was not good enough for the Qi family. The Qi family didn't want to agree, so they kept putting it off. But Qi Chengxuan is a lovestruck man and insisted on marrying her. I don't know what methods he used to get their marriage certificate approved by the government."

Wen Shu took it; the marriage contract was stamped with an official seal, so it was undoubtedly genuine.

How could that be?

“Impossible,” Wen Shu retorted instinctively. “If Qi Chengxuan really had a wife, how could I not know?”

"This is nothing unusual. Not only do you not know, but even the master and mistress of the Qi family probably don't know either."

Seeing that she was no longer submissive, Pei Lingjun felt a jolt in his heart and slightly curled the corners of his lips. "It's clear that Qi Chengxuan married you just to cover things up. Maybe after the wedding, he'll bring the real person back. What will he do with you then?"

With a deafening boom, as if struck by lightning, my entire consciousness was nearly shattered.

"I see..."

Wen Shu gripped the marriage contract tightly, her nails turning bluish-white.

In her previous life, after she insisted on marrying Pei Lingjun, the Qi family turned to Zhuang Yan for marriage. However, less than half a year later, Qi Chengxuan took a pregnant concubine into the family, and soon after, Zhuang Yan died.

The fact that Qi's concubine allowed her to kill his wife caused a great uproar throughout the city.

However, it seems that this is not the case now.

Qi Chengxuan deceived Zhuang Yan first, and after the marriage, he brought his wife, whom he had settled elsewhere, back home. Not long after, Zhuang Yan was murdered.

All of this was premeditated.

It's a good thing she thought Qi Chengxuan was fickle and took a concubine into the house, then allowed the concubine to kill his wife. How desperate must Zhuang Yan have been when she learned the truth in her previous life?

All the resentment, regret, and sudden realization that Pei Lingjun saw through, undoubtedly made him feel that Wen Shu had seen through Qi Chengxuan's true colors and was determined to break off the engagement.

Unexpectedly, Wen Shu composed herself, tossed the marriage contract to him, and said calmly, "Thank you for informing me, cousin. It's getting late, please go back now."

"...You still want to marry him?"

"nature."

Wen Shu's expression was perfect. Even Pei Lingjun, who had spent three years in the Ministry of Justice, couldn't understand what she was thinking.

Are you really willing to accept this? Do you really like him that much? Are you really willing to do anything to marry him?!

The emotions that had been suppressed for so long surged up like a tidal wave, almost extinguishing his last shred of reason.

The hand pressing on her shoulder unconsciously tightened its grip. Pei Lingjun looked conflicted, but for some reason, there was a hint of pity in his eyes as he looked at her. His voice was so soft it was almost inaudible, "You like him that much?"

Wen Shu didn't want to get entangled with him, so she turned her head to leave, but he stopped her again. She felt a weight on her shoulder and was suddenly pressed down to sit down.