After Running Away From Her Wedding, The Tsundere Young Lady Went Crazy - Chapter 1

“You wouldn’t actually take an interest in her, would you?”

The seven o’clock alarm chirped—the loudest slap the early morning had to offer.

Ji Songshu woke up on a small, seventy-centimeter bed in the maid’s quarters. Her high myopia of 1,000 degrees forced her to brace herself against the edge of the bed and grope along the wall just to find the bathroom.

She turned on the shower, letting the hot water flow over every inch of her skin, which was as fair and translucent as white jade.

Damp, sticky mist rose within the bathroom. The mirror became blurred with condensation, revealing a silhouette that was graceful and well-proportioned through the haze.

Ten minutes later, the sound of water ceased.

Ji Songshu emerged naked and pressed her face close to the mirror.

Through the mist, the mirror reflected a pair of extraordinary eyes—a blue as deep as the sea.

Eyes like these were not natural.

She wiped away the fog with her hand. Under the dim, yellow light, a face as refined as an oil painting revealed itself.

With dark, elegant brows, emerald-blue eyes, and cherry-red lips, her damp, jet-black hair fell over her shoulders. A few strands clung to her cheeks; Ji Songshu turned her head and tucked them behind her ear, her feather earrings swaying against her lobes.

Her hands fumbled across the vanity until she finally found her contact lens case. She put on a pair of black colored contacts.

These eyes, which she was forced to hide, were a “gift” from a car accident.

Eleven years ago, an out-of-control truck had crashed into them, killing both her parents and leaving her only younger sister hospitalized with a lifelong disability.

As the closest blood relatives, her aunt had adopted the sisters while simultaneously taking over all of the Ji family’s assets. Thanks to this, the aunt’s family skyrocketed into the ranks of famous wealthy merchants, moving into a villa and filling their garage with luxury cars.

The following year, due to a change in equity, the Ji Corporation took on the uncle’s surname and became the Pei Corporation.

A few years later, the aunt’s daughter failed her college entrance exams—yet somehow, she ended up enrolled in the best local university.

To make the commute easier, the aunt bought her daughter a school-district apartment just one street away from the campus.

Ji Songshu currently lived here as well because, after she got into the same university, her aunt had told her to “take care of” her fun-loving cousin.

In her cousin’s eyes, this “care” meant serving her like a maid—cleaning, cooking, doing laundry… handling every single chore.

Living under someone else’s roof, Ji Songshu had no choice. The reason she was up so early today was because her cousin had demanded it.

Today was the day her cousin was meeting her marriage alliance partner.

Finishing her brief grooming, Ji Songshu followed her habit of making a cup of honey water and drinking it down in one gulp.

She counted to three in her head. By the time she faced the mirror again, red spots had already begun to break out across her cheeks.

Satisfied, Ji Songshu pushed the door open and left the room.

Beyond the maid’s quarters was a living room so spacious it could fit a full Steinway piano and still have enough room for a game of badminton.

Ji Songshu looked around and painfully closed her eyes.

As far as the eye could see, it was a disaster! Underwear was jammed into the sofa cushions, tissues were discarded under the coffee table, and there were even empty and half-full wine bottles sitting on top of the piano lid…

A piano worth millions was not a storage shelf. Heartbroken for the instrument, Ji Songshu went to tidy it up.

“Who gave you permission to touch my piano?” a sharp scream rang out.

Ji Songshu jumped in fright, pulling her hand back as if she’d been electrocuted. She turned toward the source of the voice.

A woman in a silk nightgown stood leaning against the bedroom doorframe with her arms crossed, looking unpleasant. Her tattooed eyebrows arched sharply over her diamond-shaped eyes, her mouth twitching.

This was Ji Songshu’s cousin, Pei Jiyue.

“Good morning, sister,” Ji Songshu greeted her.

“Who’s your sister?” Pei Jiyue opened her mouth wide and yawned. “You and that short-lived sister of yours are nothing more than two parentless orphans leeching off my family. Don’t get ahead of yourself.”

Ji Songshu remained silent, her hand tightening around a wine bottle as she glared at her with burning eyes.

“Uh…” Pei Jiyue pursed her lips, seemingly aware she had gone too far. She tried to backtrack. “Don’t stare at me like that. It’s your fault for not waking me up; I have a bad morning temper… Hurry up and clean the living room, then go make breakfast. I’m hungry.”

Ji Songshu gave her a hollow look and began tidying the sofa.

Pei Jiyue watched her busy back, feeling frustrated again. She gave a mischievous smirk and asked, “Do you know what day it is today?”

“The day of your Calculus quiz,” Ji Songshu replied flatly.

Pei Jiyue rolled her eyes so hard they almost didn’t come back down. Infuriated, she raised her voice:

“I clearly told you yesterday! I’m going to meet my marriage alliance partner today! Do you even know who it is? It’s Shang Keyu!”

“Oh,” Ji Songshu replied without turning around.

“By the way, you wouldn’t happen to not know who Shang Keyu is, would you?”

Ji Songshu shook her head. Anyone who could take an interest in Pei Jiyue, or anyone destined to be her sister-in-law, held zero interest for her.

“I knew you were ignorant,” Pei Jiyue sneered. “She is the ‘Eldest Princess’ of the richest family in our Fengyuan City, the heir to the Shen Group. Nearly one-third of the industries in Fengyuan City are in her hands… Those new teaching buildings at the university? She donated them.”

“Oh.”

Seeing Ji Songshu’s indifference, Pei Jiyue grew heated and added:

“And that’s just her father’s side. Her mother’s family is even more incredible—the Mercury family, an Italian noble house. Have you heard of those brands? Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada… they are all under their family umbrella.”

“I heard she grew up in Italy and only returned to the country six months ago to inherit the Shen Group…”

As Pei Jiyue rattled on, Ji Songshu listened with one ear and out the other. She figured this Shang Keyu, with such a tyrannical background, was likely just another arrogant socialite like Pei Jiyue.

However, one thing did pique Ji Songshu’s curiosity.

“Her mother’s name is Mercury, and her father’s surname is Shen. Why is her surname Shang?”

Pei Jiyue didn’t answer—partly because everything she had just said was memorized from Baidu Baike, and she didn’t know anything beyond that.

She walked to the dining table and sat down, glancing sideways at Ji Songshu.

“Hah! Curious about her now? Pity. A person of your level will never get to meet her. After all, the one marrying her isn’t you—it’s me.”

She finished with a self-satisfied chuckle.

“Congratulations then, sister,” Ji Songshu smiled back. “You won’t have to drink yourself into a stupor over breaking up with your eighth girlfriend anymore.”

“You!” Pei Jiyue slammed her hands on the table and stood up.

“Me?” Ji Songshu pointed to herself, looking perfectly innocent.

“You… if you don’t speak, no one will think you’re a mute!”

Ji Songshu blinked. “Sister, are you hungry? I’ll go prepare breakfast.”

Without waiting for a reply, she turned and entered the kitchen, leaving the cursing behind her.

Today’s breakfast was bacon-wrapped egg sandwiches. Ji Songshu took out a few slices of toast. As she sliced, Pei Jiyue’s words echoed in her mind.

Shang Keyu… donating buildings to the school… maybe she’s a decent person?

But she almost wished Shang Keyu were a terrible person. Otherwise, marrying someone like her cousin would be a tragic waste.

Lost in thought, her hand slipped, and the bread knife nicked her finger. Beads of blood quickly welled up from the cut.

Ji Songshu quickly put her finger in her mouth to suck the wound. Her blood was important; it couldn’t be wasted like this.

Once the bleeding stopped, she finished preparing breakfast for two.

The toast went into the pan, coated in egg wash and fried until golden and fragrant, topped with bacon and a squeeze of salad dressing. The fresh egg sandwiches were ready.

Ji Songshu caught the aroma and felt very satisfied.

As usual, she sprinkled a pinch of salt into Pei Jiyue’s portion and quietly added an extra slice of cheese and luncheon meat to her own.

“Is your portion a bit thicker than mine?” Pei Jiyue stared suspiciously at the sandwich Ji Songshu brought out.

Ji Songshu didn’t say a word. She simply sat three chairs away from Pei Jiyue and wolfed down her sandwich in two bites.

Pei Jiyue clicked her tongue impatiently, chewed a few times, then pushed it aside with a critique: “Your cooking is still as bad as ever. I don’t know how you can stomach it…”

Ji Songshu remained noncommittal.

Pei Jiyue stared at the red spots on Ji Songshu’s cheeks for a moment. Suddenly, a grin spread across her face, and she stood up to go to her room.

Before Ji Songshu could react, a paper bag was tossed in her face.

Inside was a sheer, white gauze dress.

She looked up in surprise to find Pei Jiyue leaning down, watching her with sudden, feigned warmth. Her tone was uncharacteristically kind:

“You are my sister, after all. You’re coming with me today to meet your future sister-in-law.”

“I have things to do this afternoon,” Ji Songshu refused flatly.

The Pei family didn’t give her an allowance; she had to work part-time during her spare hours.

As if she hadn’t heard, Pei Jiyue repeated: “Today at eleven, Sinus Amoris Restaurant. Wear the dress I gave you. Don’t be late.”

“I said I don’t have ti—”

Halfway through her sentence, Ji Songshu remembered something. Her sister had mentioned that the soufflé at that restaurant was incredibly delicious. She could take this chance to pack some for her sister.

“Fine. I’ll be there on time.”

Only then was Pei Jiyue satisfied. Without another glance at Ji Songshu, she headed straight out the door.

Downstairs, the driver had been waiting for a long time.

“Xiao Li, is the appointment at the beauty salon set?” Pei Jiyue slammed the car door.

“Miss, the appointments for the hydration injection and the ‘small bubble’ facial treatment are ready. We can start as soon as you arrive.”

“Good. My mother worked hard to get this meeting with Shang Keyu. She reminded me several times that I have to win her over.”

“Miss, if that’s the case, why are you bringing that foster daughter along?”

“This is a blind date,” Pei Jiyue sneered, using the toe of her high heels to kick the back of the front seat. “Of course I need someone to make me look better by comparison. That ‘freckle-face’ is the perfect foil. Don’t ask so many questions—just drive.”

A deep blue Maybach stopped in front of the office building. The driver, Xiao Tang, stood nervously by the car door, not daring to lose focus for a second.

She had only recently taken over as the driver for the eldest daughter of the Shen family—the current Chairman and CEO of the Shen Group, Shang Keyu. Every day was nerve-wracking.

There were many rumors about this young lady. They said Shang Keyu was decisive in her killings and could strategize from thousands of miles away. Not long after taking office, she had swallowed several companies and aggressively expanded the business empire.

The previous driver had looked mysterious during the handover, saying: “The reason for my resignation isn’t convenient to disclose, but I don’t think you’ll last long either.”

Knowing the lady had grown up in Naples, Italy, Xiao Tang wondered… would she demand her subordinates kneel and kiss her shoes?!

Terrified, she had ironed her black suit over and over and tied her hair into a professional “hitman” bun to look as capable and professional as possible.

The glass doors of the building opened. A woman emerged, surrounded by a crowd.

With wavy black hair and deep, striking mixed-race features, she wore a wine-red trench coat over a model-like physique. Just by standing there, she dominantly captured everyone’s attention.

“Pleasure doing business,” Shang Keyu said, extending her hand to the person beside her.

Though they were partners, the aura of that hand felt like a condescending favor.

Xiao Tang recognized the old man beside her as the Chairman of Bailide Bio. He was currently thanking her repeatedly, gingerly shaking her hand. After she left, he couldn’t stop wiping the sweat from his bald head.

As the lady approached, Xiao Tang quickly opened the car door.

“Miss, your next scheduled stop is Sinus Amoris to meet with Miss Pei.”

“Mhm. Let’s go. I don’t like being late.”

Shortly after they started, a phone rang in the quiet car.

Xiao Tang’s nerves spiked, and she started sweating, only to realize it was the lady’s phone.

As soon as the call connected, a noisy voice exploded through the car:

“No way, no way, no way! Shang Keyu, I’m ashamed to be your childhood friend! I’ve totally misjudged you!”

“I just finished a meeting and don’t have time for small talk,” Shang Keyu’s voice was flat. “I’ll give you five seconds.”

“Fine, fine. You’re a busy person whose time is worth millions—no, tens of millions per second.”

“The five seconds are up.” Shang Keyu moved the phone away, gesturing to hang up.

“Wait, wait, don’t hang up! I just wanted to ask, did you really agree to the marriage alliance with the Pei family?”

“I only agreed to meet her once.”

“Rumors are spreading everywhere that your two families are joining forces.”

“I authorized those rumors,” Shang Keyu said calmly. “A balloon needs to be inflated before it can be popped.”

“I don’t get it,” the other end admitted honestly.

“The Pei family holds a project I want.”

“Ah, I see, I see. I was wondering why you suddenly changed your nature.” Her friend’s voice grew animated. “Besides, I know this Pei Jiyue. She’s a piece of trash. You don’t even need to consider her. We went to the same high school and college. Back in high school, her reputation was already notorious…”

“Stop,” Shang Keyu interrupted. “If you’re going to start from high school, I don’t have time to listen right now.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll stop.” The person on the other end seemed uneasy and confirmed one more time: “You wouldn’t actually take an interest in her, would you?”

“The odds are one in a billion. If she and I were the last two people on Earth, maybe I’d consider it.”

The voice on the other end marveled at the statement.

“By the way, after all those years in Italy, your ‘ideal type’ hasn’t changed since we were kids, has it? Long black hair, sea-blue eyes, and wearing a beautiful white dress.”

Shang Keyu didn’t answer. Her thick lashes lowered as she seemed to drift into a memory, revealing a rare, fleeting sense of loneliness.

“There aren’t even beauties like that in Italy. Such a person probably only exists in your dreams. Poor Miss Shang, looks like you’re destined to grow old alone,” her friend sighed.

“I never had plans to fall in love anyway. In any case, it is impossible for me to marry into the Pei family.”

Shang Keyu forcefully brought the topic back. She had returned to her impenetrable, hardened self.