Ji Xinhe laughed coldly, saying, "If the marriage contract is torn up, will that solve all future problems?"
Ji Dong, somewhat puzzled, replied, "Once the marriage contract is gone, they have no grounds to claim anything. If we don’t accept this relation, they won’t be able to insist on anything!"
"If this marriage contract disappears, they can make another one." Ji Xinhe sneered.
"What do you mean?!"
"Big brother, you don’t really believe their lies, do you? That Ding Hui and I have been engaged since we were kids?"
Ji Dong was taken aback, "But dad said..."
"Dad?! He’s just a puppet in Lady Ding’s hands. Can you still trust his words, even now? We have never heard about this marriage contract since we were kids. Lady Ding always despised us—why would she let us get engaged to a member of her own family? When did the Ding family ever hold us in high regard? This is simply a fabricated contract now that they see we have money, taking advantage of the fact that dad is our biological father, based on the words of the parents and the matchmaker’s opinion!"
Ji Dong bulged his eyes in anger, saying resentfully, "Dad actually..."
"I haven’t held expectations of him for a long time. Brother, you should wake up too. Dad clearly knew what kind of family the Dings are. He knows what Ding Hui has done to you, but he still insisted on pushing me into this abyss. After you finally steal and rip up that marriage contract, they will just create another one. After all, my father still has the final say in this matte." Ji Xinhe sneered, her eyes were filled with disdain.
Ji Dong’s heart gradually turned cold. He fisted the bed with rage, "They’ve gone too far!"
Ji Xinhe was calm, though angry—indicating that she still cares. Ji Dong, as a straightforward and kind person, still had a trace of lingering trust in their biological father—Ji Dashan—after all, they are blood-related. This episode serves as a good opportunity for Ji Dong to completely dispel any remnants of familial affection for Ji Dashan.
After his outrage, Ji Dong felt entirely powerless. He sighed, "What should we do if this is true? Even tearing up the marriage contract won’t solve the problem. If dad insists on marrying you off, we can’t really defy him, can we?"
A father’s command is paramount. This is a marriage arranged by a father, stamped by the official—no matter what, Xin He is still a woman.
"I am to blame for being useless," Ji Dong punched the table, grinding his teeth with rage.
"Why should you blame yourself, big brother? How is this related to you?"
Ji Dong promised solemnly, "Xin He, don’t worry. I would risk my life to prevent you from marrying into that family and suffering for the rest of your life. Moreover, you and Mu Chu fancied each other, how could I bear to see you wronged?"
Ji Xinhe forced a smile, laughed dryly.
"But what can we do?" Ji Dong’s headache was growing.
Ji Xinhe said ominously, "To deal with these villains, it’s no use staying on the straight and narrow. I originally didn’t intend to bother with them but since they dare to provoke me, they can’t blame me for not being kind."
Ji Dong, looking at Xin He’s expression, inexplicably felt a chill, "Xin He..."
"Rest assured, big brother, there’s nothing in this world that people can force me to do against my will!" Ji Xinhe coldly stated, her eyes as sharp as a knife.
Ji Dong looked at his sister, somewhat dumbfounded. Xin He had grown and grown stronger.
"You should rest earlier." Ji Dong said. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎
"You too, big brother."
——
The shop in town was all set and ready to open for business today.
Ji Xinhe got up early and even changed into a new cotton-padded jacket. This jacket was originally intended to be worn during Chinese New Year, but thinking about the opening of the shop—an auspicious occasion—it was more celebratory to wear new clothes.
"Sister, your cotton jacket is so beautiful!"
Ji Xinhe smiled and pinched Xiao Bei’s face, "You sweet talker! Why aren’t you wearing your new clothes?"
"I couldn’t bear to wear it. I’m waiting for Chinese New Year!"
Ji Xinhe couldn’t help laughing; kids are always like this, eagerly hoping for something when they don’t have it, and then cherishing it when they get it.
"Let’s go! Today is the first day our shop is open. We can’t be late." Ji Xinhe led Xiao Bei out.
The moment they stepped out of the house, they saw Lady Ding and Jin Shi already standing in the courtyard, looking somewhat pale. They wondered if she had yet to recover from yesterday’s shock.
On seeing them, Ji Xinhe pretended to be surprised, "Oh, waiting for me in the courtyard? Why are you standing outside? It’s so cold in winter, come inside."
Lady Ding and Jin Shi’s faces turned even paler. They glanced nervously at the house behind Ji Xinhe. Thinking of yesterday’s events, they shuddered in fear.
If they hadn’t been scared out of their wits, they would never have obediently stood outside waiting.
This darned girl, Ji Xinhe, she obviously did it on purpose. She was truly abominable!
"Was it you who pulled the prank yesterday?" Lady Ding said angrily, "Otherwise, why did only we suffer from the ghost wind, while nothing happened to you?!"
This was the most mystifying part. Because of this, Lady Ding hadn’t been able to sleep the whole night and had developed dark circles under her eyes.
Ji Xinhe curled her lips imperceptibly, sighed, and said, "You’re really blaming the wrong person. I don’t have the ability to summon the ghost wind. Since it’s a ghost wind, naturally, only ghosts can command it. I also found it strange yesterday. After careful consideration, hey! It seems that my mom’s sacrificial day is coming soon! Could it be my mom..."
Upon hearing this, Lady Ding and Jin Shi simultaneously drew a cold breath. Their legs began to shake—if what she said was true, it made sense. Otherwise, why was the ghost wind only affecting them, while Ji Xinhe and her siblings were unharmed?
Ji Xinhe sneered, took Xiao Bei’s hand, and turned to go.
Lady Ding gritted her teeth, unwilling to give in, she said forcefully, "Don’t be so smug, Ji Xinhe! I came to tell you today that you can’t choose to back out of this arranged marriage, we have the marriage contract. Your engagement to Ding Hui has been set!"
Ji Xinhe blinked, "This marriage matter is, after all, decided by a command from the parents and advice from the matchmaker. Since my dad has made a commitment to the Ding family early on, I naturally have no reason to back out. When did I say I was unhappy?"
Upon hearing this, Lady Ding was taken aback, she just froze there. Was Ji Xinhe implying that she would acquiesce and comply?!
Ji Xinhe laughed coldly, "Since it’s settled, let it be. After all, it’s just a matter of marital arrangements. How big of a deal can it be?"
As long as you don’t regret your actions today.
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