Chapter 3: Breaking off the Engagement
It was half an hour later when I arrived at "Can't Sleep Tonight".
As soon as I reached the door of box 301, I heard laughter and teasing coming from the half-open box. Yan Shi was sitting in the main seat, and Feng Nuan was next to him.
Ji Yi teased, "Yan Shi, do you still remember how carefree you were when you were with Feng Nuan? You skipped school, fought, jumped off buildings, eloped, lived together... You almost broke up with your parents. It feels like a lifetime ago now."
"That's what youth is! So full of vigor and vitality!!"
Jiang Nuanzhu stood at the door. When he heard these words, his mind went blank for a moment, and he even felt a little nauseous.
She walked to the side, took out her phone and quietly dialed Yan Shi's number.
I called three times and was hung up every time.
Jiang Nuanzhu continued to dial for the fourth time with an expressionless face, and Yan Shi finally answered.
Yan Shi's cold voice revealed a hint of impatience, "What's the matter?"
Jiang Nuanzhu lowered her voice, her voice as light as the breeze, "Yan Shi, where are you now? Auntie called us back to eat."
Yan Shi: "I have something else to do, you go by yourself."
Jiang Nuanzhu's voice became softer: "What's the matter? It's so late, do you have to work overtime?"
Yan Shi was very sensitive and asked in a cold voice: "Jiang Nuanzhu, don't tell me you still don't change your ways. You want to check my position? Don't forget that we are not married yet!"
"I know..." Jiang Nuanzhu took a deep breath and suddenly asked, "Why didn't you tell me at the hospital today that Feng Nuan was your ex-girlfriend?"
Yan Shi's voice was cold to the bone, "Jiang Nuanzhu, are you investigating me?"
"Jiang Nuanyu told me, and I don't have any connections to investigate you."
If she had investigated Yan Shi earlier, perhaps she would not have been in a passive situation.
Yan Shi seemed to believe Jiang Nuanzhu's words, his tone still cold, "Is my ex-girlfriend important? Are you satisfied if I have to spread the news everywhere?"
Jiang Nuanzhu was choked and even a little bit unbelievable.
Isn’t it important?
What kind of man takes his ex-girlfriend for a pregnancy checkup six years after they broke up?
Yan Shi didn't even think there was any problem, instead he disliked Jiang Nuanzhu for being unreasonable.
Jiang Nuanzhu couldn't help but wonder, was she really making a big deal out of nothing?
For the first time ever, Yan Shi explained a few more words, "She just came back from abroad, a weak woman, helpless, and unexpectedly pregnant, and the father of the child ran away... Whether it's an ex-boyfriend or a friend, I can't just ignore it."
"After taking care of her, do you still have to take care of her child?"
"nature."
Hearing Yan Shi's affirmative words, Jiang Nuanzhu felt incredible.
Does Yan Shi have a hobby of raising children for others?
Yan Shi said in a deep voice: "Don't worry, Feng Nuan will not affect our wedding, the wedding will be held as usual."
After saying this, Yan Shi hung up the phone.
The hustle and bustle in the box suddenly stopped. Yan Shi pushed the door open and walked out with a brisk pace, not noticing Jiang Nuanzhu in the corner.
Less than two seconds later, Feng Nuan suddenly chased after Yan Shi's back and left.
Jiang Nuanzhu followed silently behind. When she reached the corner, she could see the man and woman projected in the bathroom mirror.
Feng Nuan's eyes were blurred with tears. She held Yan Shi's hands with both hands and asked in a sobbing voice: "Yan Shi, do you still remember the promise you made to me?"
Yan Shi lowered his eyebrows, his face expressionless and no emotion could be seen.
Feng Nuan refused to give in, tears falling from her eyes, "You said that I'm the only one you'll ever love, and all that remains is responsibility."
Yan Shi sighed softly, "I remember. Don't worry, I won't ignore you..."
Feng Nuan excitedly threw herself into Yan Shi's arms.
Jiang Nuanzhu silently took a picture of the scene in the mirror, turned around and left Tonight.
She felt that there was no need for her to show up.
On the way, Jiang Nuanzhu sent another message to Jiang Nuanyu.
[Yan Shi once skipped classes, fought, jumped off a building, lived with Feng Nuan, and even broke up with his parents. You should all know this, right?]
The Yan and Jiang families are old friends. If Yan Shi had caused so much trouble for Feng Nuan, the Jiang family would not be unaware of it.
I'm afraid the entire circle knows everything about Yan Shi and Feng Nuan.
Everyone knew about Yan Shi and Feng Nuan's past, but she was the only one who was kept in the dark like a fool.
Jiang Nuanyu was probably waiting to see what was going on, so she replied quickly.
[I know. After breaking up with Feng Nuan, Yan Shi changed a lot. People say a prodigal son who returns is worth more than gold, and no one cares about what he did in the past anymore.]
[When you two were dating, Yan Shi and Feng Nuan had broken up three years ago. In terms of personal qualities, no one of your age group was better than Yan Shi, and... didn't you fall in love with him at first sight?]
Jiang Nuanzhu raised his eyes in a daze, looked around at the dark night, and his confused thoughts gradually became clear.
After she injured her leg at the age of nineteen, she went abroad to study for a master's degree for three years and came back. Her parents arranged a blind date with Yan Shi.
At that time, she thought it was outrageous, so she met him perfunctorily and fell in love with Yan Shi at first sight.
After being together for about a month, Yan Shi behaved like a gentleman, and the two naturally got engaged.
Jiang Nuanzhu is quiet and steady, and Yan Shi is rational and calm. When they stand together, they are a perfect match, and everyone who sees them will say that they are a perfect match.
Probably because Jiang Nuanzhu was the first to pay attention, Jiang Nuanzhu usually gave in to Yan Shi when they were together.
In the three years they were together, Jiang Nuanzhu hardly ever said no to Yan Shi.
Jiang Nuanyu even laughed at her for this, saying that she was lovesick and became Yan Shi's bootlicker after meeting him once.
There were so many unpleasant words, but Jiang Nuanzhu never took them to heart.
Now that she thought about it, Jiang Nuanyu had seen the young Yan Shi's rebellious behavior towards Feng Nuan, so she couldn't help but laugh at Jiang Nuanzhu's aggressive look.
Not long after, Jiang Nuanyu sent another message.
[There's something you probably don't know. Yan Shi broke up with his family for Feng Nuan, and the two moved out and lived together for four years. In the end, for some unknown reason, Yan Shi took the initiative to return to the Yan family.]
[Did you say Feng Nuan ever get pregnant during the four years they lived together?]
Jiang Nuanyu typed these two sentences purely to disgust Jiang Nuanzhu.
Jiang Nuanzhu seemed to be hit on the head with a club and suddenly woke up.
You're right. I won't be a scapegoat.
【I want to cancel the engagement! 】
After Jiang Nuanzhu sent the message, he ignored Jiang Nuanyu's reply and called Yan Shi again.
This time, Yan Shi answered quickly, his tone full of impatience, "Jiang Nuanzhu, what's the matter?"
"Yan Shi, let's cancel the engagement."
It took Yan Shi a few seconds to react, "Jiang Nuanzhu, what are you doing?"
Make trouble?
Yan Shi probably still thinks that Jiang Nuanzhu is being unreasonable.
Jiang Nuanzhu looked up at the busy road and straightened her windbreaker. "Yanshi, I just came back from a sleepless night. I don't think we're suitable..."
Yan Shi's first reaction was to question, "You're following me again?!"
Jiang Nuanzhu sighed deeply, "I told you we're not suitable. After all, we've known each other for three years, and we don't even have the basic trust between us."
"You should actually be happy. You're rich, powerful, and young now. You can do whatever you want now, even if you couldn't when you were younger. I wish you and Feng Nuan the best. I'll give you a gift when the baby is one month old. Just don't invite me to your wedding. Goodbye."
Jiang Nuanzhu didn't want to hear Yan Shi's voice anymore, so she hung up the phone.
She then took a long screenshot of the chat history with Jiang Nuanyu and forwarded it to the chat groups of the Yan family and the Jiang family, including the photos she took when she was sleepless tonight.
Just two words for the message.
【Break off the engagement.】
Jiang Nuanyu, who was still preparing to watch the show, saw the screenshots in the chat group and her eyes widened immediately, "Jiang Nuanzhu, you tricked me!"
What followed was a barrage of questioning, concern and persuasion from parents on both sides.
When she said the word "broken engagement", Jiang Nuanzhu didn't feel as sad as she had imagined. Instead, she felt an indescribable sense of relief.
Especially since I finally don’t have to choose between getting married and dancing.
Since she was planning to call off the engagement, Jiang Nuanzhu felt that it would be best for her and Yan Shi to break up completely.
I simply quit the family group, deleted Yan Shi and his parents, relatives and friends, took off the engagement ring on my hand, and asked Meituan to run errands to have it delivered to the 301 box of Tonight's Sleepless Night.
She also asked the Jiang family's nanny, Zhang Ma, to pack up the gifts that Yan Shi had given her during the holidays over the years and send them back to the Yan family.
It took less than ten minutes in total to expel Yan Shi from his life.
Jiang Nuanzhu suddenly realized that although they had been engaged for three years, her relationship with Yan Shi was so shallow.
It only takes ten minutes to cut it cleanly.
After finishing everything, Jiang Nuanzhu stopped a car on the road and headed straight to the Jiang family's old house.
The Jiang family's old house is in the suburbs of Beijing, and now only Old Man Jiang lives there.
Jiang Nuanzhu grew up with his grandfather. He returned to the Jiang family when he was sixteen to go to college, but he participated in competitions and training all year round, and the total time he spent in the Jiang family was less than one month.
The first twenty years of her life were all about dancing, which was completely different from the circle of the second generation like Yan Shi.
That's why I know nothing about what happened to Yan Shi back then, and that's why it has been kept secret until now.
Arriving at the Jiang family's old house, I pushed open the familiar door. The moon was bright in the sky, and the flowers from the old pear tree in the courtyard were falling, as white as snow.
In the hall, Mr. Jiang was sitting on a chair with a cane.
Jiang Nuanzhu walked slowly closer and looked at his grandfather's slightly old face. It seemed that he finally had a place to vent all the grievances in his heart.
Jiang Nuanzhu held back her tears and said, "Grandpa, I'm breaking off my engagement with Yan Shi."
"I've quit, and Xiao Li read the message in the group to me."
Old Master Jiang's eyes were filled with heartache, and he waved his hand nonchalantly.
Old Master Jiang said angrily, "I didn't like that kid from the Yan family in the first place. It was your parents who took the initiative to introduce you to him. If I had known he was such a scoundrel, I would never have agreed to your engagement."
Jiang Nuanzhu had heard this from Old Man Jiang countless times, so now he just thought it was a cliché.
Unexpectedly, Mr. Jiang changed the subject and sighed, "Actually, your grandmother and I arranged a marriage for you years ago. But your parents interfered and introduced you to a blind date, ruining the good marriage. In the end, they found you a wretch like Yan Shi."
When Jiang Nuanzhu was engaged, the relationship between Jiang's father, Jiang's mother and old man Jiang was at its worst, so Jiang's father and mother were not aware of the existence of this engagement.
A series of coincidences have led to the current situation.
"What?" Jiang Nuanzhu's tears stopped and she stared blankly at Old Man Jiang. "Grandpa, when did this happen? Why didn't you mention it before?"
"It's all because of your irresponsible parents!" Old Mr. Jiang was very dissatisfied with his son and daughter-in-law.
"They said they wanted to manage the company, so they left you, a newborn, to me and your grandmother. We left you there for over a decade, and then we had our second child." Old Master Jiang snorted coldly, "Your grandmother said you hadn't been with your parents since you were little, and you were afraid they wouldn't like you when you grew up, so they wanted to find you a reliable husband and in-laws in advance. Even if you don't have your parents' love, you can still have your husband and in-laws to pamper you."
Grandma Jiang is gentle and kind, but she always does things neatly and efficiently. She is also the person who loves Jiang Nuanzhu the most.
Jiang Nuanzhu didn't expect that her grandparents had thought so much about her when she didn't know, and she couldn't help but tear up.
Thinking of his deceased wife, Mr. Jiang's eyes became moist. "When you ran away from home at the age of nine, your grandmother and I went to the capital. By chance, we arranged a marriage with the Xu family. I had planned to tell you after you graduated from college, but who knew..."
Who knew that Jiang Nuanzhu injured his leg and went abroad to study early, and as soon as he came back he fell into Yan Shi's trap.
Jiang Nuanzhu opened her mouth, inexplicably surprised: "The Xu family in Beijing?"
"Yes." Old Master Jiang's face was filled with regret. "Your grandmother and I have personally examined the Xu family's boy. He has excellent character and ability. It's a pity that you and him are not destined to be together."
Jiang Nuanzhu's mind fell into chaos again. The deep and three-dimensional face of Xu Heyi inadvertently emerged in his mind. He whispered, "Grandpa, the last name is Xu... Could it be Xu Heyi?"
"Why, have you seen it before?" There was a hint of curiosity in Mr. Jiang's eyes.
Jiang Nuanzhu's throat moved slightly, and he subconsciously denied it, "No. I just heard of his name, but I didn't expect it to be related to me."
She seemed to suddenly think of something, "Grandpa, does Xu Heyi know about this?"
Old Master Jiang said calmly, "I know. He was the one who agreed to this marriage."
Jiang Nuanzhu was really shocked this time.
When she was nine years old, Xu Heyi was not young either, so he should remember this incident.
Thinking of the cup of sobering tea in the afternoon, Jiang Nuanzhu suddenly felt embarrassed, as if his toes were dipping on the ground.
Stunned for a moment, Jiang Nuanzhu suddenly remembered Xu Heyi's curiosity about her necklace and asked Old Man Jiang: "Grandpa, since you are engaged to the Xu family, don't you have any token of love?"
"Of course." Old Master Jiang glanced at Jiang Nuanzhu, "Isn't it the necklace on your neck?"
Jiang Nuanzhu was stunned. "But wasn't this something my grandma asked for from the temple?"
"It's just in your grandmother's name."
Old Master Jiang tried to recall, "Because you were young at the time and couldn't accept valuables, he personally made a necklace for you as an engagement gift. The necklace isn't expensive, but the small-leaf red sandalwood bead on it is related to Xu Heyi's grandmother and holds special significance."
Jiang Nuanzhu stroked the beads on her neck and suddenly felt that they were extremely heavy.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
