After Transmigrating, I Was Kidnapped By A Scheming Beauty Into The Bridal Chamber - Chapter 15

Although she had separated from Wu Daoyuan, he was still technically her stepfather. For the sake of appearances, Jiang Chenyu couldn’t afford to cut ties with him completely; if anything ever happened, she had to at least maintain a cordial facade.

The afternoon sun bathed the path back to Shen Hetang’s home in a golden glow, casting a faint, warm light over her slightly lazy figure. Her cinched waist, the leather cuffs, and the neatly placed mesh veil hat transformed her plain cyan official uniform into something truly eye-catching.

She had examined her reflection carefully. She had an oval face with superior bone structure, a smooth, full forehead, and beneath two slightly arched, thick eyebrows were long, beautiful, phoenix-like eyes. Her nose was high and straight, neither too delicate nor too rough, and her lips were a vivid red that stood out strikingly against her pale, cool skin.

This face was an enhanced version of her former self. From her observations, those sword-like eyebrows must have been shaped by the original owner herself, creating an imposing air when combined with her sharp, dark eyes. Now, however, her mundane, commoner demeanor was holding this face back.

Humming a little tune, she arrived at the entrance of the Jiang Manor. Just as she stepped inside, she saw Jiang Chenyu waiting for her in the courtyard.

“A-Tang, you’re back. I have something to tell you.” Jiang Chenyu leaned in slightly on tiptoe and whispered what had just happened into her ear.

“Do you want to go?” A-Tang wondered what kind of trouble Wu Daoyuan was cooking up this time.

“If it’s important, it’s better to go,” she replied. Only by knowing yourself and your enemy can you win every battle. Her tug-of-war with Wu Daoyuan was far from over.

“Alright, let’s go then. I’ll accompany you.” With that, she walked ahead, and Jiang Chenyu followed her obediently.

“I wonder what my father-in-law wishes to discuss with my wife?”

Since there were no outsiders around, Wu Daoyuan didn’t bother with pretenses. He glanced at Shen Hetang, who was dressed in her official Yamen uniform, thinking to himself that she was lucky, like a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse.

Because looking at her only irritated him, he turned directly to Jiang Chenyu. “Chenyu, I am thinking of taking a new wife. What do you think?”

Jiang Chenyu lowered her eyes, a flicker of emotion passing through them, before she asked, “Do you already have someone in mind, Father?” She hadn’t expected Wu Daoyuan to remarry so soon, and it truly took her by surprise.

Wu Daoyuan watched Jiang Chenyu’s reaction closely. Seeing her remain mostly indifferent, he felt a mix of disappointment and secret relief. He had just finished dividing up the Jiang family’s assets and officially replaced the plaque with his own “Wu Manor” sign, yet he still wanted to tell Jiang Chenyu, just to see how she would react.

He felt pathetic thinking about how these past few years had all been for someone else’s benefit. Had he known it would turn out this way, he should have just married her off to some high-ranking official to trade her for wealth and status. The more he thought about it, the more he felt he had suffered a huge loss.

“I’ve already picked someone. She is a widow who lost her husband. I felt pity for her, struggling to raise her daughter alone. She is warm-hearted and capable, so I thought, with you getting married and leaving, I really do need someone to help manage the household affairs.” Even though he was unsatisfied, he couldn’t do much at the moment, so he might as well find some amusement.

Hearing him say this, Shen Hetang, who had been looking listless, suddenly straightened up. What was this man implying? Why was he specifically looking for a widow? Was he up to something dirty again?

“Why a widow? Given your status now, Father, you could easily find a proper, respectable woman in her prime. Why choose someone like that?” Perhaps something he said struck a nerve, as Jiang Chenyu’s tone carried a sharp edge.

“As for Lady Lin, her husband passed away in an accident only three years into their marriage. She is just over thirty now, and her daughter is about your age, fifteen this year. The two of them have been making a living selling tofu, living a hard life. It is not easy for a woman to be out and about in public like that, so I thought it would be a perfect match to marry her, especially since I am getting on in years myself,” Wu Daoyuan explained in detail.

Jiang Chenyu listened to his flowery words, yet for some reason, they filled her with disgust. Her instincts told her that Wu Daoyuan did not have such good intentions to help the lonely mother and daughter.

“Does Lady Lin have the same intention?”

“Of course she does. I have already found a matchmaker, and the date is set for ten days from now. As my only family, I was hoping you could handle the arrangements for me. What do you think?” Wu Daoyuan asked, shameless as ever.

“But Father-in-law, a father getting married and asking his daughter to manage the wedding? Aren’t you afraid of losing face if word gets out?” Shen Hetang could not hold back any longer.

“She has experience, doesn’t she? Didn’t she manage her own wedding quite well just a short while ago? Otherwise, you wouldn’t even be in the picture!” Wu Daoyuan sneered, showing nothing but disdain for Shen Hetang.

“How about this? I will ask my cousin-aunt to come over and help. I’ll be there to assist as well.” She thought that getting him married quickly would be a good thing, as it would stop him from constantly trying to cause trouble for them.

“That could work as well. Then it’s settled. Even though we have divided the family, we are still father and daughter. I will leave everything for you to manage when the time comes.”

“Chenyu will help Cousin-Aunt take care of the arrangements, Father, so you can rest assured,” Jiang Chenyu said nonchalantly.

“It’s settled then. Ten days from now, I will welcome Aunt Lin into the family.” He had gone to a neighboring county to relax a few days ago and unexpectedly met a beautiful woman. At first, he only thought about spending some money to enjoy her company for a few days, but the woman had a young daughter at home who looked three or four parts similar to Jiang Chenyu. This instantly cleared away his gloom and sparked the idea of bringing them into his home.

Dark, unspeakable desires grew wildly in the shadows like vines.

On her way back, Jiang Chenyu was rather silent. Once Wu Daoyuan took a second wife, the Jiang family’s business would have absolutely nothing to do with her anymore. Everything had been built from scratch by her grandfather, step by step.

It was hard for her to swallow that things had come so easily for Wu Daoyuan. Besides, the shops had been on a downward trend ever since he took over, and she couldn’t just stand by and watch her grandfather’s hard-earned legacy go down the drain.

Soon, the day of Wu Daoyuan’s wedding arrived. Dressed in modest attire, Jiang Chenyu followed her aunt into the crowd to watch the festivities. She was surprised to find fresh lychees in the bridal chamber; he was certainly throwing money away. The thought that all of this was bought with her family’s wealth infuriated her. She grabbed a small bag, swapped the entire plate of lychees for red dates, and had Chuntao take them back to her room.

“They’re here! The bride is here! Get the food ready,” her aunt shouted excitedly.

Since it was a remarriage and both were in their thirties, they skipped the grand ceremonies and formal bowing. The bride was simply brought over by sedan chair, and they held a small banquet for close friends and family.

Jiang Chenyu stood by the door, pulling Shen Hetang along with her, eager to see what this new stepmother looked like—the woman who had finally convinced the notoriously elusive Wu Daoyuan to remarry.

A slightly plump woman wearing a red veil walked in, supported by a young girl. As soon as Jiang Chenyu locked eyes with the young girl, she was stunned. It felt as though she had just swallowed a fly; a wave of disgust washed over her.

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