Chapter 53 Street

At that moment, Mrs. Huai'an's heart beat rapidly, and she felt the fear of her inner thoughts being seen through.

She quickly hid her good mood, a look of shock on her face: "How could such a rumor come about?"

"Rumors? Everyone on the street saw it, but it's still a rumor?" Huai Anbo stared at Madam Huai Anbo with scrutiny in his eyes. "Liu, how much do you know about this matter?"

Mrs. Huai'an took a step back, as if she had not expected her husband to ask such a question. Tears instantly fell from her eyes: "How could I know such a thing? Lord, you make me so sad!"

Huai Anbo's cold expression did not soften even though his wife's tears touched him. "You and Marquis Pingjia's wife are cousins, and you interact with each other frequently. Didn't you notice anything was wrong?"

Mrs. Huai'an looked aggrieved: "Master, think about it, would a mother tell anyone about the fact that her son likes a man? Not to mention cousins, she wouldn't even mention it to her own sisters."

Earl Huai An stared at Mrs. Huai An with a serious look.

"Master, don't you believe me?" Lady Huai'an cried even harder. "Over the years, I've never treated Yi'er unfairly. She has everything Xiu'er has, and she also has everything Xiu'er doesn't have. It's really hard to be a stepmother. I can't believe that Master is so suspicious of me."

Huai Anbo was not moved by this: "How old is Xiu'er? Yi'er has what Xiu'er doesn't have. Isn't this normal?"

Lady Huai'an paused.

A man who doesn't usually worry about things at home can be so difficult to deal with once he starts to get serious.

"So, my Lord, you believe that I deliberately pushed Yier into the fire pit?" Lady Huai'an asked in a trembling voice.

Huai Anbo frowned.

Just because he was furious with Liu didn't mean he was certain that Liu was deliberately harming his eldest daughter.

In fact, for a couple living under the same roof, whether it can be confirmed is not important. The eldest daughter's marriage was arranged by the second wife, and the man is also related to the second wife. Now that such a big problem has arisen, it is impossible for Huai Anbo not to be disgusted with the second wife.

Liu's face, which was still quite bright, suddenly lost most of its color in the eyes of Huai Anbo.

"No matter what, this marriage has to be cancelled." After losing his temper, it was impossible for Huai Anbo to hold on to something without evidence, but his mood was extremely bad.

He had a very close relationship with his first wife, and naturally loved his eldest daughter. However, as his daughter grew older, even if a father wanted to, he could not be as close as a mother and daughter. He had thought that he could rest assured that his daughter would find a good marriage, but then this happened.

Breaking off the engagement could help one escape from the hell of Marquis Pingjia's Mansion, but it would cause serious harm to the eldest daughter.

Lady Huai Anbo was stunned: "Cancel the engagement?"

"Why, do you have any objection?"

Lady Huai'an was a little confused: "Master, canceling the engagement is not a trivial matter. Do you want to think it over carefully?"

My cousin was worried that her son's affair would be discovered in the future, and that he might make a fuss if he met a strong-willed daughter-in-law from his mother's family. That's why she chose Chen Yi.

She was also happy that her stepdaughter had a marriage that seemed glamorous on the surface but was actually terrible. This allowed her, as a stepmother, to gain a good reputation without having to worry about Xiu'er's future marriage being compared to hers.

Solving her stepdaughter's marriage and consolidating her relationship with her cousin was like killing two birds with one stone. If she went to cancel the engagement, her cousin would definitely be dissatisfied with her.

"Do you think this matter needs to be considered?" Huai Anbo stared at Mrs. Huai Anbo with an unfathomable expression.

Lady Huai Anbo instinctively sensed danger and forced a smile, saying, "Breaking off an engagement would have a huge impact on a woman. I don't think we can act rashly."

"You don't have to think about these. Go to the Marquis Pingjia's mansion tomorrow to cancel the engagement." After saying this in a firm tone, Earl Huai'an turned away and left.

"Uncle, Uncle..." Mrs. Huai'an called several times but Uncle Huai'an didn't turn back. She fell into the chair with a depressed look.

Huai Anbo went directly to Chen Yi's boudoir.

"Father." Chen Yi wiped the corners of his eyes and smiled nervously.

"Don't worry, Yi'er. We'll go to Marquis Pingjia's mansion tomorrow morning to cancel the engagement."

"Father..." Chen Yi grabbed Huai Anbo's sleeve, tears falling down her face.

"Don't cry, Yi'er. Your father will find you a good marriage in the future."

After Huai Anbo comforted his daughter and left, Chen Yi sat quietly for a while, opened the box and took out a small bundle wrapped in ordinary cloth.

Inside were the gold and silver jewelry she had packed herself a few sleepless nights ago, preparations for when she was forced into a desperate situation.

Fortunately, she still has her father.

Fortunately, she doesn't need these.

Chen Yi cried silently for a long time while holding the small bundle with blue background and small flowers. She wiped away her tears silently, put the bundle back into the deep of the box, and covered it with clothes.

She didn't plan to put these valuables back to their original place. Having this burden would remind her that no matter how difficult the situation was in the future, she must have the courage to resist instead of compromising and accepting her fate.

Chen Yi sat in front of the dressing mirror to tidy herself up, then quietly left Huai'an Marquis's Mansion through the corner door and met Lin Hao who was waiting outside.

It was already dark, and the girl's eyes looked particularly bright to Lin Hao.

"I guess there's good news," Lin said with a smile.

Chen Yi was surprised: "How do you know?"

Lin Hao pointed at the corner of her lips: "The corner of your mouth is so raised, it can't be bad news."

"My father said he'll cancel the engagement tomorrow." Chen Yi wanted to laugh, but couldn't help crying. "Oh, my father said he'll cancel the engagement tomorrow."

"That's great." Lin Hao patted Chen Yi on the back. While he was happy for his friend, he also felt a little sad.

Most girls’ fathers are like Chen Yi’s father. They may not be close to their daughters in normal times, but they will become their daughters’ strongest support at critical moments.

She and her sister were not very lucky.

"Ahao, this result is all thanks to you." Chen Yi held Lin Hao's hand and kept thanking him.

"There's no need to say these things among friends."

Chen Yi nodded vigorously: "I will treat you to a drink another day. It's too late today, Ah Hao, you should go home early. I will ask the servants to take you home."

"Your house is busy, so I won't bother you. Baozhu is here to keep me company."

Chen Yi glanced at the sky: "But it's dark."

"That's nothing. There are lights on everywhere, and it's bustling with people." Lin Hao lowered his voice, "Baozhu and I have some martial arts experience, so we are not afraid of any scoundrels."

Chen Yi looked surprised.

Ah Hao knows how to swim and knows kung fu, so is there anything else he doesn’t know?

Urging Chen Yi to go back, Lin Hao took Baozhu and walked towards the general's mansion with ease.

The early summer breeze is warm, gently caressing the red lanterns hanging under the eaves of the shops along the street. The flickering orange light shines on the passers-by, outlining a warm and peaceful street scene.

Lin Hao couldn't help but think of that snowy night, the deserted streets and the lonely lights.

Fortunately, she is trying to stay away from such an ending.

"Second Miss!"

A figure rushed out, but before he could get close to Lin Hao, he was kicked away by Baozhu.

Lin Hao stopped and looked at the person who fell to the ground.

"Manager Wen?"

Wen Ping crawled over, tears streaming down her face: "Second Miss, please save me!"