After My Engagement Was Broken, I Married My Fiancé's Uncle - Chapter 2

Jiang Xingyuan was stunned. The words “business marriage” suddenly flashed through his mind.

It was finally happening. That melodramatic sense of destiny felt all too familiar.

Take two years ago, for instance, back when he was still a small time thug. Every day was a struggle just to survive, a constant hustle to make ends meet. Then one day, someone told him he was the long-lost second young master of the Jiang family. It felt like walking down the street and getting knocked senseless by a giant meat pie falling from the sky.

Except, the plot was an exact replica of the eight o’clock soap operas he watched every night.

He had been raised by an old man who collected scrap metal and had lost all his memories from before the age of five. When the old man died when Xingyuan was thirteen, he left behind a small shack for shelter. Xingyuan lived alone until two years later when the Jiang family came knocking.

He remembered the mix of excitement and anxiety when he first heard the news. He was excited to finally have family, to no longer be a rootless orphan but anxious about whether they would actually like him.

On the day the Jiang’s were supposed to take him back, he went out and bought a brand-new outfit. He chose clothes he wouldn’t normally glance at, but which fit the “aesthetic” of his elders. He dyed his freshly bleached hair back to a sensible black and removed a whole row of new ear piercings. He tried his best to curb his crude slang, attempting to look “civilized.” At the very least, he looked passably obedient.

What he didn’t know was that the Jiang family had already investigated his past thoroughly.

Clad in his “good boy” disguise, he stood before his biological father. Under the man’s long, scrutinizing gaze, Xingyuan’s toes curled involuntarily. An indescribable shame washed over him, he felt as though his carefully crafted disguise was being stripped away piece by piece, leaving him exposed to a cold, judgmental audit.

He didn’t see the joy of a family reunion in the man’s eyes, only urgency. An urgency to reclaim him, and nothing more. In that single moment, he knew his father didn’t value this reunion nearly as much as he did.

He calmed down instantly. However, no matter how much of a stranger the man was, they still shared blood. Since he had no childhood memories, Jiang Hongyuan’s indifference didn’t hurt quite as much as it could have.

Afterward, Jiang Hongyuan was neither close nor overtly cold, his attitude was lukewarm. It wasn’t long before Xingyuan discovered the real reason the Jiangs had found him.

It turned out his older brother, Jiang Xingchen the future heir of the family, suffered from a rare glandular genetic disease. This illness typically occurs in top-tier Alphas. Those afflicted become irritable and violent, easily losing their sanity. As they age, the episodes become more frequent until they eventually turn into mindless madmen and die in agony.

It used to be an incurable disease, but medical technology had since conquered it. To cure it, one needs an Alpha relative for a pheromone stem cell match, or an arduous “needle in a haystack” search for a compatible external Alpha.

Since Jiang Hongyuan wasn’t a match, the family began a massive search. They happened to obtain Xingyuan’s pheromone profile from a hospital, and it was a perfect match. During the subsequent investigation, they discovered he was the second son they thought had died long ago.

To the Jiang family, this was an unexpected windfall.

On his first day back, his “cheap dad” made two demands:

1. Save Jiang Xingchen.
2. Go to school.

“I, Jiang Hongyuan, will absolutely not have an illiterate son!”

Of course, the compensation was substantial. If he saved Jiang Xingchen, he would receive 10 million yuan, the status and treatment of the Jiang family’s second young master, and a monthly allowance that never ran out. However, the 10 million would only be transferred to his account once he reached adulthood.

Xingyuan wasn’t greedy. The money the Jiangs provided was enough for him to live a comfortable life without ever having to worry about food or drink again. For the sake of the money, he could sincerely call the man “Dad.” These days, whoever has the money is the father, it’s realistic and honest. Having struggled at the bottom for so long, Jiang Xingyuan had a firm grasp on reality.

Soon, he returned to the Jiang manor. Seeing everyone standing guard in such a formal formation, he felt a sudden pang of panic. Were they really going to force him into a business marriage?

What should he do? Should he run?

Xingyuan took a step back, only to bump into something. He turned around to meet the impassive eyes of the butler.

“The Master is waiting for you in the study.”

The butler pushed open the door. Inside, he saw Jiang Hongyuan standing tall, a man with sharp features that hinted at his handsome youth.

“Jiang Xingyuan, you skipped class to fool around again!”

Meeting those sharp eyes, Xingyuan’s heart skipped a beat. He defended himself guiltily, “What do you mean ‘again’? I don’t skip every day… just this once.”

“Did you not skip at Qiming, Dongchen, or Huacheng? This is your fourth school, and your last chance. If you get kicked out again, let’s see who dares to take you!”

“It wasn’t my fault.”

“You still want to argue! Now you’re drinking, and you’ve learned to perm your hair into this ridiculous state. Am I slandering you?”

Hearing the thunderous roars, Xingyuan immediately shut his mouth.

“I spent so much effort and donated so much money just to get Shengying to barely accept you. You promised me you’d behave and finish these two years of school.”

“You were good for a few days, and now you’ve reverted to your old ways!”

Acting like a frightened quail, Xingyuan lowered his head and murmured submissively, “It was just one library. You’re rich anyway, aren’t you?”

Hearing this, Jiang Hongyuan’s anger surged, and his usual composure vanished. “Do you think my money is blown in by the wind?”

“Look at how much trouble you’ve caused me these past two years! Skipping class, puppy love, street fighting… you’ve completely humiliated me!”

“Wait,” Xingyuan interjected, “I didn’t have any ‘puppy love’!”

Jiang Hongyuan glared at the unrepentant boy. “Am I wrong? Who pulled down Director Chen’s son’s pants in public? Who broke the head of Board Member Zhang’s son? And who stole someone’s childhood fiancé, ruining a wedding and making the other party announce they wouldn’t marry anyone but you?”

Xingyuan’s eyes darted around. Was the person he was supposed to marry Gu Mengmeng? But he had already cut off that “rotten peach blossom”!

Seeing his father’s fury, he explained, “But they called me a bastard! Isn’t that like slapping your face in public? They can insult me, but they can’t insult you! I was defending your honor.”

Jiang Hongyuan took a deep breath.

“And what do you mean I ‘stole’ a fiancé? I disagree! It’s his fault for thinking I’m handsome and falling for me. That has nothing to do with me. I’m the victim here! I rejected him sternly. I couldn’t exactly throw him in the river in a sack, could I? I’m the second master of the Jiang family, not a street thug, right?”

“You…”

Jiang Hongyuan realized Xingyuan was talking back and became so livid his fingers shook. He looked like he was about to faint. “Someone, bring the family cane!”

Seeing his father call for punishment, Xingyuan cried “Oh no!” and immediately dropped to his knees. He grabbed his father’s shaking hand and leaned in shamelessly.

He blinked his unnaturally beautiful eyes, pinched his thigh hard to force out some tears, and softened his voice: “My dear Father, please don’t be angry. I was wrong.”

“If hitting me makes you feel better, then do it.”

The silver-haired youth tilted his slender neck, pressing his porcelain-white cheek against his father’s hand. His eyes brimmed with tears, a mixture of defiance and vulnerability. He looked pitifully heartbroken.

Jiang Hongyuan froze. The fire of his rage was suddenly doused.

“I know I’m an embarrassment to you, but what can I do? You know the environment I grew up in. Just surviving was hard enough. Being recognized by you is the greatest luck of my life…”

The sudden display of “filial piety” left Jiang Hongyuan stunned and unsure of how to react. Xingyuan blinked and decided to push a little harder.

“Father, you don’t know how much I suffered as a kid… I dreamed every day of you coming to get me… Other kids had dads, but I didn’t… they all bullied me. Now that I’m finally back and have you to stand up for me… I finally know that my dad is the best dad in the world!”

One second the kid was stubborn and unrepentant; the next, hot tears were splashing onto his palm. He looked so pathetic it was hard to stay angry.

After a long silence, Jiang Hongyuan snapped out of it. Hearing the room filled with sobbing, his face darkened. What had he done to deserve this?

Teaching Jiang Xingchen had never been this stressful, and even Jiang Xingran was always obedient. Neither had ever caused him this much grief. Since Xingyuan returned, he felt like he had aged ten years.

“Shut up! Why are you crying as an Alpha? Have you no shame?”

Xingyuan wiped his eyes and immediately pushed his luck. “I’m crying with my own father, there’s no shame in that.”

“Besides, you’re ‘sending me away’! How can I not cry? I don’t want to go anywhere; I want to stay by your side and take care of you when you’re old!”

Xingyuan spoke so convincingly he almost believed himself. “But really, Gu Mengmeng is out of the question…”

Jiang Hongyuan interrupted, “Say one more word and I’ll make you copy your textbook a thousand times.”

Xingyuan shut up instantly. “Fine, I’m quiet. Don’t say another word.”

The study fell silent. With Xingyuan’s antics, the anger had dissipated. Jiang Hongyuan looked at his “cheap son” with a complex expression.

“Come here!”

Xingyuan walked over obediently and was handed a file. On the first page was a photo of a refined, noble looking youth.

Name: Xie Huai

Gender: Male Omega

Age: 18

Identity: Third son of Xie Yuan, third branch of the Xie family…

Xingyuan felt a headache coming on just glancing at it. The family tree was a mess of complicated relationships. “Are you training me to be a spy?”

That thought was immediately crushed by a swat from Jiang Hongyuan. “What are you rambling about?”

“You must memorize this entire file tonight. No sleeping until you’ve finished, and you’re not allowed to leave this study.”

Xingyuan’s eyes widened. That was brutal!

“The butler will watch you.”

“…Why do I have to memorize this?” A possibility occurred to him. “Is this Xie Huai my fiancé?”

Seeing Xingyuan’s horrified expression, Jiang Hongyuan actually laughed. He patted his son’s head. “As expected of my son, you’re sharp. You guessed it instantly.”

Xingyuan wasn’t sure if that was a compliment or an insult. But the point was… Xie Huai was his fiancé. He had skimmed enough to know the Xie family was an ancient clan, wealthy enough to rival nations. But the family was massive, the network was complex, and the factions were numerous, it was basically a “palace drama” level of difficulty. If he married into that family, it would be worse than Gu Mengmeng. He’d be eaten alive and lose all his freedom!

“Heh, you’re dreaming!” Jiang Hongyuan’s cold sneer made Xingyuan look up in confusion. Had he been wrong?

“Xie Huai isn’t someone you can just marry. He might not even look at you.”

Xingyuan recalled the file. Xie Huai was indeed exceptional; he wasn’t a match for someone like himself. Well, if he didn’t have to marry him, that was fine.

Then, Jiang Hongyuan’s voice drifted over ominously: “Of course, you don’t have to marry him. You can be the one married in.”

Xingyuan’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. He almost swore out loud. Damn it! That means he wants me to be a “live-in” husband!

Jiang Hongyuan sighed and spoke earnestly, “Xingyuan, I’ll tell you the truth. The Jiang family is at a life or death crossroads. If the Jiang family goes under, no one will have a good life.”

“What does that mean?”

Before he could process it, another file was shoved into his hands, the Jiang family’s latest quarterly financial report. He flipped through it and saw nothing but losses.

How? He began to panic.

Jiang Hongyuan patted his shoulder reassuringly. “If the Jiang family is gone, your carefree life is gone. And that 10 million yuan? Gone too.”

Xingyuan stood there, slowly digesting the news.

“But fortunately, there’s a way out. You were betrothed to this young master of the Xie family when you were a child. Xingyuan, as my good son, shouldn’t you help your father out? Especially after I spent so much money cultivating you.”

Xingyuan was dazed. Was this the price for prematurely enjoying the gifts of fate? The price was ridiculously high. He almost preferred his old life of struggle… though, it’s easier to go from poverty to luxury than back again. He didn’t actually want to be poor.

This day was more of a roller coaster than he could handle. Ever since he returned to the Jiangs, one bucket of “dog blood” drama after another had been dumped on him.

“But… you said it yourself. He might not like me,” he said, snapping back to reality.

Jiang Hongyuan paused and looked at Xingyuan’s strikingly handsome, almost otherworldly face. Such looks were rare for an Alpha. He patted Xingyuan’s shoulder again and gave an enigmatic laugh.

“You’re my son. Think of something yourself. I believe you can do it. And don’t even think about running. Even if the Jiang family falls, we still have enough power to crush you.”

The calmer his father’s tone became, the more Xingyuan’s spine chilled.

“If you marry Xie Huai, you’ll have endless wealth and honor for the rest of your life. In one week, I will send you to the Xie family. Remember, your only goal is to secure this marriage. Whether you ‘take’ a wife or ‘become’ one depends on your own ability.”

With that, Jiang Hongyuan turned and left the study.

Xingyuan frowned deeply as he watched him go. That old man was ruthless. Even a tiger doesn’t eat its cubs, yet he was throwing his own son into a fire pit.

If the Xie family were such a great catch, why didn’t he send Jiang Xingchen instead?