The Stunningly Beautiful and Delicate Darling in the 1980s Military Compound - Chapter 15

As soon as those words left his mouth, everyone present was caught off guard.

Wang Yufen was the most shocked of all; she had never expected Chen Che to say such a thing. She had always assumed her daughter was the one infatuated with him, chasing him relentlessly until he agreed to marriage. Because of this, she had been constantly worried that he would mistreat Mingyue or subject her to emotional neglect after the wedding.

In this moment, Wang Yufen saw Chen Che in a completely different light.

At the center of the storm, Song Mingyue was thinking: Is this really necessary? We’re just putting on a show, but he’s taking it to a whole new level. His words were so convincing she almost believed they actually had a romantic history.

However, after a moment’s thought, she realized that in this era, a man forward-thinking enough to agree to a “contract marriage” was a rare find. She truly needed to cherish this partner. It seemed Chen Che’s acting skills were not a bit inferior to her own.

Zhou Fang knew that calling off the engagement now would be incredibly difficult. They had already visited the family home, and all their relatives and friends knew about the match. More importantly, her son’s stance was so firm that they had no power to sway him.

However, the joy she had felt earlier was gone. Zhou Fang had imagined a thousand possibilities for a daughter-in-law, but she never imagined a woman with such a messy romantic past joining her family.

Zhou Fang’s mother, Old Mrs. Zhou, was even more displeased. The older generation placed extreme importance on reputation. If that woman hadn’t blocked their path to tell them the truth, the Song family would have kept them in the dark forever. To her, this was blatant deception.

The old lady’s kind expression vanished. She asked Zhou Fang grumpily, “When is Daoyuan coming back? We need to get back to the provincial capital as soon as possible.”

“It might be a while. I know where he is. Chen Che, why don’t you drive us to find your father now?” Relying on her upbringing, Zhou Fang refrained from saying anything nasty in public. However, she ignored Chen Che’s promise and spoke directly to Song Aiguo and Wang Yufen: “We need to discuss this with Old Chen before we give you a final answer. Thinking about it now, the children have only met twice. Deciding on a marriage this quickly was perhaps a bit rash.”

Zhou Fang was subtly accusing Song Mingyue of hiding her attempted suicide over another man.

Song Aiguo knew they were in the wrong. Despite his discomfort, he had to maintain a polite smile. “Sister Zhou Fang, there really is a misunderstanding. My sister-in-law has always held a grudge against our branch of the family; she loves to stir up trouble.”

“Is the story about Mingyue jumping into the river a lie, then?” Zhou Fang countered.

Song Aiguo was silenced. His daughter did have that past, after all. Even if the other party was being cold, he had to take it with a smile.

Chen Che stepped in front of Song Mingyue, his expression grim. “Mom, I don’t want to hear that from you a second time. In this matter, she is the victim. You taught me from a young age never to tear open someone else’s scars; why can’t you follow your own advice now?”

He finally understood why Song Mingyue had fought so hard to save Yang Fangfang that day, giving her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation without hesitation. He understood why she told Yang Fangfang that a man like that wasn’t worth throwing her life away for.

Because she had walked through the rain herself, she wanted to hold an umbrella for someone else.

For the first time in his life, Chen Che felt a strange, flickering emotion—a sensation he had never experienced before.

Zhou Fang was nearly driven mad with anger by her son’s words. If she hadn’t been acting in his best interest, would she have ever come to a place like this to endure such insults? Old Mrs. Zhou couldn’t stand it either and scolded him, “How dare you speak to your mother like that!”

Chen Che said nothing. His sharp features remained indifferent, and his deep eyes were as calm as still water. He walked to the car and started the engine. “Get in. I’ll take you back.”

Maintaining basic adult etiquette, Zhou Fang offered a brief goodbye to Wang Yufen, but she didn’t take a single one of the gifts Wang Yufen had prepared.

Once Zhou Fang was gone, Wang Yufen let out a long sigh. “I never thought it would turn out like this. I was so full of hope this morning.”

Song Mingyue felt her mother’s dejection and took her hand. “Mom, maybe it’s for the best. If I really married Chen Che and moved to the city, I’d hardly ever see you. Could you really bear that? I don’t want to go on any more blind dates. I’ll just stay home and study for the college entrance exams like my brother.”

“Nonsense! Your brother is a boy, and he already has a girlfriend. You’re a young woman; you’re at the right age. How can you not get married?” Although Wang Yufen was loath to see her daughter move away, she had once hoped Mingyue would marry Liu Jiabao and live nearby. Fate, however, loved to play tricks. She muttered, “Chen Che is a good man. At least today showed he is reliable. If you can marry him, I believe he will cherish and protect you.”

Still, Wang Yufen didn’t hold much hope. The seed of doubt planted in the Chens’ minds would be hard to remove.

When they turned around, they saw Song Aiguo walking out the door fuming, clutching an axe. Usually, he was a mild-tempered man of few words, but today he looked more furious than anyone had ever seen him. Wang Yufen and Mingyue rushed to grab him. “Where are you going?”

“I’m going to smash that woman’s house! All these years, I’ve helped my brother’s family as much as I could because of our blood relation. I was the one who pulled strings to get him that job at the meat processing plant! And this is how they repay me? By ruining my daughter’s life? Let go! I’m going to settle this once and for all!”

“Dad, don’t be impulsive! Smashing their house won’t change what happened.”

“Mingyue, don’t worry. Your father will get justice for you. From this day on, our family is finished with theirs!”

Wang Yufen finally managed to pry the axe away. “Stop making things worse! If you go there with an axe and get reported to the security office, you’ll lose your job. Look at the state of this family! You don’t need to handle this. I’ll go argue with her myself.”

“Mom, Dad,” Song Mingyue said calmly, “I caused this, so I should be the one to solve it. Don’t worry about me. Children have their own paths. Just focus on your own lives. Trust me, I’ve grown up. I can handle this on my own.”

Playing the victim wasn’t a skill exclusive to Song Jiajia. Song Mingyue was not going to let this slide easily.

On the other side, things were much simpler at the Chen household.

Throughout the drive, Zhou Fang and Chen Che were locked in a cold war. When they arrived, Chen Che didn’t even get out of the car.

Chen Daoyuan saw Zhou Fang storming toward him and asked what had happened. Zhou Fang, venting her anger, summarized the afternoon’s events. “I can’t believe the Song family lied to us! That girl was ready to die for another man just a month ago, and now they want Chen Che to take her off their hands? They certainly planned this well. Now I see why they were so hospitable.”

Seeing him remain silent, she demanded, “Say something! Give us a plan! I can’t control your son anymore.”

True to his nature as a leader, Chen Daoyuan asked steadily, “What does Chen Che think?”

“He’s been blinded by that girl! He told everyone he’d marry no one but her. He has no shame!”

Chen Daoyuan remained expressionless and simply asked Zhou Fang to call Chen Che over. Zhou Fang refused, so eventually, Chen Che’s aunt, Qin Xiaomei, went to the car to get him.

Chen Che anticipated what his father would say. He walked over with a stoic face, knowing that his mother had already conveyed his stance.

Chen Daoyuan put his hands behind his back and asked seriously, “Chen Che, have you thought this through? Marriage is a major life decision. Once you make it, there is no turning back.”

“Yes, I’ve thought it through,” he said quietly.

In truth, this would have been the perfect time to let the engagement dissolve, as Chen Che hadn’t been invested in the marriage anyway. But he couldn’t do it. Song Mingyue had been brave enough to save Yang Fangfang; she had saved a girl’s broken life. How could he let her fall into a similarly desperate situation?

If Chen Che had entertained thoughts of backing out before, he was now absolutely certain: he was going to marry Song Mingyue. To back out now would leave her in a dead end, crushed by the weight of public gossip.

Since she held an umbrella for others, he would hold one for her. As for the future, they would do as she suggested—he never intended to actually bind her to him.

Chen Daoyuan nodded. “Then we proceed as planned. The wedding date remains the same.”

Zhou Fang was incredulous. “Chen Daoyuan, what are you saying? Our son is being foolish, and you’re going to encourage him?”

“This is Chen Che’s life. No one can make his decisions for him. Since he has decided, our role as parents is to support him.” This was Chen Daoyuan’s consistent philosophy. Both father and son had their own ambitions and neither could convince the other; at most, he could offer guidance when his son was lost. Besides, he knew that after all these years, Chen Che had never listened to them anyway.

In this house, Chen Daoyuan’s word carried great weight. Since he had spoken, Zhou Fang said no more.

As the workday ended, the entrance of the Pingcheng Iron and Steel Plant grew crowded.

Liu Jiabao was walking through the crowd when his friend, Wang Er, caught up on a bicycle. “Jiabao, why are you alone today? Where’s Jiajia? And why aren’t you on your motorcycle?”

Usually, Liu Jiabao riding his motorcycle with Song Jiajia on the back was the most conspicuous sight at the plant. But today, Liu Jiabao was clearly in a bad mood and didn’t answer. Although he was the factory director’s son, he was usually friendly and approachable; it was rare to see him so silent and somber.

Wang Er jumped off his bike. “What’s wrong? Talk to me.”

“Wang Er, Jiajia and I had a fight.”

“Is that all? Just go coax her. Jiajia has a good personality; she’ll forgive you as soon as you say something sweet.”

Liu Jiabao sighed, not wanting to talk. He couldn’t help but curse himself for being a scoundrel.

Wang Er suddenly stopped and nudged Liu Jiabao. “Look! Song Mingyue is here to see you again.”

Liu Jiabao looked up and saw Song Mingyue standing by the stone gate. Her long hair flowed in the breeze, and she was wearing a red dress. She looked like a vivid rose—pure yet striking. His heart skipped a beat.

Seeing them, Song Mingyue waved.

Despite the short distance, Liu Jiabao felt hesitant to move. He walked toward her cautiously, one step at a time.

Song Mingyue spoke first. “Do you have a moment? I’d like to talk.”