“You speak fluent English, are familiar with Western dining etiquette, can do math, and know that Europeans have never used silk for bedding and nightgowns… This is not something your husband can teach you in a year or two.”
Seeing that Shen Qing remained silent, Cheng Zhiwen shouted, "You're not her! Who are you?"
The man's voice was deep and resonant. He had been speaking normally just a moment ago, but suddenly he raised his voice, making Shen Qing tremble uncontrollably.
With unsold inventory and no prospect of next month's interest payments, she was on the verge of a breakdown. His questioning now, coupled with a moment of impulsiveness, caused her to stand up, glare at him hatefully, and retort, "Who do you think I am? Who could I be?"
Her current predicament is inextricably linked to his annulment of the engagement years ago!
Although she only transmigrated into the original body, she still had to continue living the rest of the life in the original body's place!
The original owner's fate is her fate!
He ruined the original owner like this, who else is to blame but him?
"Who do you think you are? What right do you have to question me here?" She didn't even realize that the emotions churning inside her didn't belong to her; instead, they felt so natural, blending seamlessly with her own emotions.
She also came to hate the person the original owner hated. It seemed that the original owner still harbored deep resentment towards Cheng Zhiwen before her death, which caused her to inherit this emotion after transmigrating.
Although she understands that marriage is a voluntary decision for both parties, it is understandable if one party regrets the decision and does not wish to get married.
But times have changed. In ancient times, breaking off an engagement could be enough to overturn the fate of the other party.
Therefore, Cheng Zhiwen bears responsibility; he should at least apologize to the original owner of this body, and...
Explain why you insisted on breaking off the engagement in the first place!
This obsession doesn't belong to Shen Qing, but strangely enough, it's been lingering in Shen Qing's heart all this time.
After a little analysis, Shen Qing realized that this was the original owner of the body wanting an explanation.
Like most women, she was abandoned without reason and was bound to want to know where she went wrong, so she used her body to convey this obsession to Shen Qing.
Shen Qing didn't want to ask about the reasons for breaking off the engagement. As a modern woman, if the other party wanted to break up, she would let them go decisively.
But this was the original owner's obsession, and now that she was using her body, she wanted to fulfill some of her wishes.
Otherwise, she wouldn't feel at ease.
She suppressed her emotions and met Cheng Zhiwen's gaze: "Why did you break off the engagement back then?"
Cheng Zhiwen was slightly taken aback, seemingly not expecting her to ask this question.
Shen Qing waited for a while, and seeing that he had no intention of explaining, she continued to ask, "You originally thought that I was illiterate, unable to read or understand the law, and only knew how to have children and do needlework, and was not good enough for you who had studied abroad, so you disregarded everything and broke off the engagement?"
This was Shen Qing's guess based on the original owner's memories.
Cheng Zhiwen remained silent.
Shen Qing took it as his tacit agreement.
It's common for couples who have been engaged since childhood to break off their engagement as soon as the man returns from studying abroad—it's just how it is, isn't it? He's seen the world and no longer finds his fiancée back home appealing.
Isn't this just like Chen Shimei?
"You're free now, but have you ever thought about what kind of situation I was in back in my hometown after you broke off the engagement?"
Two conflicting emotions tugged at Shen Qing's mind.
On one hand, there was the hatred that the original owner of the body was conveying to her through her body; on the other hand, there was her anxiety that Cheng Zhiwen was about to expose her identity.
At this moment, she could only try to distract him by accusing Cheng Zhiwen of what he had done back then.
She suppressed her panic and various emotions and calmly said, "When a woman of marriageable age is suddenly jilted, everyone thinks there must be something wrong with her to be jilted so suddenly. No one dares to marry me, and my family feels ashamed. I am already neglected because I am born out of wedlock. With your jilting, the Shen family can't wait to sever ties with me to save face for the Shen family."
She searched her memory for the original owner's past experiences: "Under their arrangement, I hastily married into the Gao family in Jiangzhou, and within half a year, I was widowed. My husband left behind a mountain of debt, and I was bullied by the creditors, dragged to the court, and almost beheaded..."
Recalling everything that happened at the county government office, Shen Qing felt as if her heart was being squeezed tightly, throbbing and aching, as fear slowly tore open a wound.
Jail, cangue, creditors, monthly interest, debt, and those hands that constantly want to kill her and devour the Gao family's remaining descendants...
All of this made it impossible for Shen Qing to remain calm any longer. She shouted, "All of this is because of you! If it weren't for your annulment of the engagement back then, I wouldn't have had to go through all of this!"
Cheng Zhiwen's pupils contracted, clearly shocked. After a moment, she opened her mouth and said, "I didn't expect this..."
"Of course you didn't expect this! How could someone as selfish as you consider other people's situations? You only do things that benefit yourself!"
He didn't speak again, slowly walked to the window, and stared dejectedly out the window, lost in thought.
Shen Qing also breathed a sigh of relief at this moment.
After venting his frustrations, he not only felt calmer, but also stopped questioning his own identity.
She pressed her hand to her chest and said to the original owner of the body in her mind: I've given him a good scolding for you, so don't worry.
She stopped looking at Cheng Zhiwen, turned around, grabbed the jacket and shawl that were lying on the sofa, put them on, and left the room.
Huangpu Road is brightly lit after nightfall, with a constant stream of horse-drawn carriages, and men and women dressed in gorgeous and elegant attire.
So this is the legendary Bund.
Shen Qing pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulders and walked aimlessly forward.
Right now, she can't sell any silk, and she can't get the money to make rayon. Next month's interest payment is due soon, and if she can't come up with five hundred taels by then, she'll probably be arrested again...
Five hundred taels is equivalent to five hundred thousand in modern terms.
Where could she raise this money in less than a month?
The Gao family has nothing of value left, except for a warehouse full of unsold silk.
Shen Qing felt that her future was bleak, and that she could be captured and beheaded again at any time.
She was lucky the first time and escaped from danger, but what about next time?
She dared not think about it.
The pressure was so great that her chest felt blocked and her mind was a bit foggy.
She looked blankly at the rows of British-style buildings along the Bund, and for a moment she felt disoriented, as if she had returned to the modern era.
Until they saw a five-story, earthen-yellow, pointed building in front of them.
The brown stone plaque above the arched gate reads "HSBC Bank" in gold lettering.
bank?
Shen Qing paused for a few seconds, then suddenly lifted her jacket and ran forward, stomping up the stairs.
The bank was closed; it had already shut down.
After checking the opening hours, she turned around, went down the stairs, and walked back.
There are banks; she can apply for a loan and perhaps raise the funds.
Before she transmigrated here, the institution she dealt with most often was the bank!
When Shen Qing returned to the hotel, Cheng Zhiwen was no longer in the room.
She didn't care where he went or want to see him. She opened the suitcase, arranged the silk samples, and then took out a stack of Xuan paper from the inner layer.
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