Chapter 7: Still Moved Upon Meeting Again

Jiang Jingming paid no mind to Song Jiajia’s attitude.

In fact, he found it a bit strange—last time they met, she hadn’t been like this.

Chen Jinlan shot a sharp glance at Song Jiajia.

Song Jiajia pretended not to notice.

Song Zhenhua looked at Jiang Jingming with a gentle smile. “Jingming, please have a seat.”

Jiang Jingming nodded slightly, his face marked by a certain aloofness.

Song Zhenhua still felt somewhat intimidated by Jiang Jingming. Perhaps it was because of his military background, which gave him an undeniable aura of authority.

Rubbing his fingers nervously, Song Zhenhua began, “Jingming, there’s something we need to discuss about your engagement to Jiajia.”

Song Jiajia was irritated by Song Zhenhua’s cautious demeanor.

After all, her father didn’t have much time left—there was no need to be so fearful.

“Dad, stop beating around the bush and just say it.”

She turned to Jiang Jingming, her expression defiant. “Jiang Jingming, your fiancée has been changed. I’m not marrying you anymore.”

Jiang Jingming’s brows furrowed deeply, his expression cold and stern, his thin lips pressed into a straight line.

Song Zhenhua scolded sharply, “Jiajia, shut your mouth!”

“Jingming, this is our fault,” Song Zhenhua admitted with some hesitation.

Jiang Jingming’s voice was cold. “If that’s the case, there’s no need to change fiancées. Our engagement ends here.”

The man actually felt a sense of relief. The girl he had met on the street earlier had stirred his heart. Marrying Song Jiajia now would hardly be fair to either of them.

It made things simpler.

He just didn’t know which family that girl came from, or whether she already had someone.

Hearing this, Song Zhenhua felt uneasy. If they called off the engagement, the bride price would have to be returned. Even if it was just one yuan, once it had entered Song Zhenhua’s pocket, there was no way he would willingly give it back.

He hurriedly said, “Jingming, we did wrong by you. Everyone in the neighborhood already knows our families were engaged. If we suddenly cancel, it would harm your reputation.”

Jiang Jingming’s eyes were devoid of warmth, his tone flat. “I don’t care about that.”

“Jingming, I know you’re a good kid, but…” Song Zhenhua looked at him, hesitant.

Jiang Jingming’s displeasure was evident. He despised people who couldn’t speak plainly. If he were still in the military, such a person would have been assigned a ten-kilometer weighted march long ago.

“Say what you mean,” Jiang Jingming said coldly, leaving no room for argument.

---

“Jingming, actually, my niece wants to switch fiancées with Jiajia. You know we have a niece living with us who lost her parents when she was young. We’ve always been lenient with her because we pity her.”

Song Zhenhua sighed helplessly. “A few days ago, she heard somewhere that Jiajia’s fiancé was the captain of the Public Security Bureau, so she wanted to swap.”

“She wants Jiajia to give you up. We all feel sorry for her since she has no parents, and we had no choice but to agree. Now Jiajia can only marry her original fiancé.”

Song Zhenhua looked resigned, as if powerless to change the niece’s behavior.

Jiang Jingming pursed his lips, his gaze cold as the winter night sky.

Song Zhenhua continued, “Also, yesterday my niece caused such a fuss that the neighbors found out about this matter, so…”

He gave Song Jiajia a meaningful look.

Song Jiajia understood immediately. Tears welled up, and she looked pitifully at Jiang Jingming. “Brother Jiang, I didn’t mean to treat you this way. It’s just that my cousin…”

“Where is she?”

If possible, Jiang Jingming still wanted to clarify things—after all, marriage was not a trivial matter.

The others exchanged uneasy glances before Song Zhenhua said, “After learning that Jiajia agreed to the swap, Xiaoyu went out today to buy things. You know she has no parents, so we can only let her be.”

Jiang Jingming’s brows knitted tighter, his expression displeased.

“Jingming, it’s uncle’s fault, but I truly can’t bear to hurt Xiaoyu,” Song Zhenhua said, full of regret.

Jiang Jingming had no fondness for Xiaoyu, who so casually wanted to change the engagement.

But the words had been spoken. If he broke off the engagement now, the girl’s reputation would be ruined.

“I understand, uncle. I have things to attend to. I’ll take my leave.”

Jiang Jingming turned to leave, but Song Zhenhua called after him anxiously, “Jingming, about the engagement…”

“Proceed as planned.”

Jiang Jingming’s voice was devoid of emotion, tinged even with anger.

After Jiang Jingming left, the three of them sighed in relief.

If he had refused, it would have been disastrous.

But Song Zhenhua had sized up Jiang Jingming’s character well. He was formerly in the military and now a policeman.

He wouldn’t stand idly by while Xiaoyu was scorned.

Still, Xiaoyu probably left a poor impression in Jiang Jingming’s heart.

But that didn’t matter much to Song Zhenhua.

“Dad, does this mean Jiang Jingming agreed?” Song Jiajia asked uncertainly.

Song Zhenhua glared at her. “Of course.”

Jiajia’s earlier attitude nearly blew their cover.

Chen Jinlan remained displeased. After all, Jiang Jingming was a policeman—imagine how impressive that would be if word got out. She didn’t understand what Song Jiajia and Song Zhenhua were thinking.

“That brat, why hasn’t she come back yet?” Chen Jinlan muttered unhappily.

Today, they had deliberately sent Xiaoyu out, worried that her presence would disrupt their plans.

But Xiaoyu was actually quite happy to be sent away.

She didn’t care about Song Zhenhua’s schemes.

She had just submitted her finished manuscript to the newspaper, then used the money Chen Jinlan gave her to buy new paper.

She also bought several steamed buns from the state-run restaurant.

As for what Chen Jinlan and the others would eat?

That was none of her concern.

When Xiaoyu felt the time was right, she slowly made her way home, humming cheerfully.

At the same time, Jiang Jingming was preparing to return to the police station. Though he had his own home, he preferred staying in the dormitory at the station for quicker response times.

On the way, he encountered the girl who had captured his heart earlier.

But Xiaoyu didn’t notice Jiang Jingming.

Her mind was occupied with the thought that if her manuscript got accepted, she would receive payment. That meant she would have money.

Moreover, the three thousand yuan from Song Zhenhua was about to be returned.

Thinking of this, Xiaoyu felt the very air was sweet.

As they passed each other, Jiang Jingming heard Xiaoyu’s singing.

It was soft but beautiful, like the song of a nightingale or a gentle whisper in his ear.

His heart raced uncontrollably once more.

He turned to watch Xiaoyu’s retreating figure.

He was about to follow her but restrained himself, remembering his impending marriage.