Chapter 3: Marry Anyone but Him

Yu Zi stepped back quickly, her face flushed with anger. "Instead of practicing your swordsmanship, you practice being a scoundrel! You'll rot in hell for ruining someone's marriage!"

"You're just holding a grudge because I dumped you, aren't you? Trying to take revenge on me, you low-life man—"

"Mmph."

Xie Yuhuai wrapped one arm around her waist while using his other hand to cover her soft mouth.

Yu Zi felt as if she had been struck by lightning. Without a second thought, she swung her hand and slapped him.

*Smack.* The crisp sound made her palm tingle.

Breathing heavily in agitation, Yu Zi glared viciously at the man whose head had been forced to the side.

The man rubbed his lip with his thumb, looking back at her with a smirk that didn't quite reach his eyes. "It seems you're deeply infatuated with He Yu. Do you even know he's gay?"

"I know!" Yu Zi’s eyes were sharp. "But that has nothing to do with you. If you harass me again, I’ll make sure everyone knows about your moral depravity and force you to disappear from the medical field!"

The smile finally slipped from Xie Yuhuai’s face, his eyes rimmed with red. "I'll say this one more time: I didn't cheat. If you're so capable, show me the evidence!"

"..." Evidence?

She had already changed phones several times. She had long forgotten which device held the photos of his infidelity. But the affair was an indisputable fact.

Yu Zi’s anger remained unabated. "You betrayed me, not the other way around. You want me to provide evidence? You're a psychopath. Get lost!"

"…Keep cursing, Yu Zi."

Xie Yuhuai was a man with a temper of his own. After being humiliated repeatedly and struck, he would have stormed out long ago if it weren't for the fact that the person in front of him was Yu Zi.

Seeing the rage in his eyes, Yu Zi feared that if the situation escalated, she would never be rid of him. Without hesitation, she shoved him away and ran. "Stay away from me, you deadbeat jerk!"

Xie Yuhuai slammed his fist against the wall, making the framed artwork tremble.

The restaurant staff approached to investigate, but upon seeing his icy, dark expression, they froze in their tracks, not daring to provoke him. They could only whisper among themselves, "That guy looks familiar."

"Isn't that the eldest master of the Xie family? Who would dare provoke him to this extent?"

Xie Yuhuai shot them a sharp, lethal look, and the staff immediately fell silent.

He drove home, where a servant rushed to meet him with a phone. "Young Master, Chairman Xie is on the line. He says his assistant found two jade ornaments of exceptional quality and wants you to choose which one you prefer."

Xie Yuhuai didn't even lift his eyelids. "Smash them both and feed them to his own dear son."

"..." The servant looked distressed. "Young Master, please don't be like this. You are Chairman Xie's son, too. He cares about you the most. Saying things like that is too hurtful—"

"If you say another word, get out." Xie Yuhuai’s expression was frigid; he turned and headed upstairs without looking back.

The phone was on speaker, and his father’s sigh echoed through the empty hall.

Xie Yuhuai pushed open the study door and stood before the floor-to-ceiling window for a moment before dialing a number. "Leak the news that He Yu is gay to the Yu family."

***

As soon as he hung up, he regretted it.

There was no need for him to say that. Yu Zi didn't even want him!

Even if he told the Yu family that He Yu was gay, would that force Yu Zi to accept him under their pressure? Besides, the only thing he wanted was to see her helpless and begging for mercy in his bed.

Xie Yuhuai’s suppressed emotions eased slightly as he gave new instructions to the person on the line. "Wait a minute..."

"Yes?" the assistant replied.

The words were on the tip of his tongue, but Xie Yuhuai suddenly didn't want to say them. After a moment of silence, he said, "Never mind. Just get the job done."

*

Meanwhile.

As soon as Yu Zi entered the Yu family home, a mocking voice rang out in the living room.

"Sister, your husband is gay!"

"Hahaha..."

Yu Zi realized that the He family must have spoken to her parents. Her face went cold, and she walked straight toward the stairs, ignoring the people on the sofa.

The person behind her didn't intend to let her off.

"Sister, we share the same father, after all. Why be so cold to me?"

Yu Zi turned around, her expression icy. "I'm sorry, but I have no interest in speaking to someone who doesn't know their place."

"You're the one who doesn't know your place!" Yu Yanyan’s face flushed with anger. "Getting married, and picking a gay man—aren't you ashamed?"

"What's all this shouting about?" Her stepmother, Jiang Shuqi, walked down the stairs.

Yu Yanyan ran over, looking miserable. "Mom, I was just trying to show concern for Sister, and she called me the daughter of a mistress and said I didn't know my place."

Jiang Shuqi’s expression darkened for a fleeting second, but when her eyes landed on Yu Zi, they became as gentle as water. "Yu Zi, Yanyan is just clumsy with her words; please be more tolerant."

"I heard from Young Master Xie about what happened with your boyfriend... It really is a grievance for you."

"How about this? Let me help you find a partner, alright?"

Yu Zi coldly refused. "Auntie, there's no need to act so humble in front of me."

"I've seen your tactics before. You managed to drive a wedge between my parents' childhood bond—I wouldn't dare let you help me."

"Nonsense! Your father couldn't keep his pants on, and you blame—" Yu Yanyan rolled up her sleeves to snap back.

Jiang Shuqi finally let her expression drop and silenced Yu Yanyan. "Yu Zi, it's best to leave a bridge unburnt. You treat me like this today—have you thought about the consequences?"

"I want you to get married soon for your own good. After you're married, you'll be entitled to more of the family inheritance, and your relatives won't be able to say you're taking too much."

"Yu Zi, as your elder, I advise you: only by being obedient can you get what you want."

Yu Zi gritted her teeth.

Ever since her mother passed away, her father had secretly transferred her mother's assets into Jiang Shuqi’s name.

Thinking of this, she suppressed her rage and forced a fake smile. "I wonder who the candidate is that you've prepared for me?"

Jiang Shuqi nodded, satisfied with her feigned submission. "The eldest master of the Xie family, Xie Yuhuai."

"..."

Yu Zi was stunned, wondering if she had misheard. "Xie Yuhuai? Is there such a person in Jiangcheng?"

Jiang Shuqi adjusted her shawl, walked up to her, and handed her a photo. "It's him."

"Mom! You're biased! Why didn't you introduce such a handsome man to me?" Yu Yanyan snatched the photo away.

Yu Zi still managed to see the person in the picture...

She couldn't have been wrong.

It was the man she had seen earlier that day—her ex-boyfriend, Xie Yuhuai.

Yu Zi’s breathing became ragged. She couldn't imagine that Xie Yuhuai had turned out to be the heir to the Xie family.

She had heard of the Xie family while living abroad a few years ago, but she only knew of Xie Xu as their son. She had never heard of another brother.

And he was the jerk who had cheated on her.

Not only did he cheat on her, but he had even lied about his identity.

What a liar.

"No." Yu Zi enunciated clearly. "Anyone but him."

Jiang Shuqi was surprised. "You don't like him? Yu Zi, there is no better man in Jiangcheng than him."

"If your sister weren't only eighteen, this opportunity wouldn't have fallen to you."

"Besides, you keep rejecting everyone's goodwill and acting out. Your father is very worried. I don't know if I should hand over what I'm holding for you."

"..."

At the mention of her mother's inheritance, Yu Zi tried to suppress her resentment and forced herself to appear calm. "Pick someone else. I don't want Xie Yuhuai. I want Xie Xu."

Jiang Shuqi looked as if she had heard something preposterous. "Are you crazy? Passing up Xie Yuhuai to want the mistress's son?"

Yu Zi raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that exactly what my father did?"

"...Yu Zi!"