Volume 1, Chapter 6: We Are Calling Off the Engagement, I Will Not Marry You

Everyone present fell silent, exchanging glances. Some could not hide the look of excitement in their eyes as they anticipated a spectacle.

Changle stopped looking at Wei Shuye and turned her gaze toward Hua Zhiyu, who was leaning weakly against Qi Feirou while wrapped in a cloak. "Your objective has been achieved."

Hua Zhiyu leaned into Qi Feirou, shaking her head with tears welling up in her eyes. "Sister, I don't know where I offended you. Tell me, can I change? I only ask that you stop acting like this; Father and Mother are both worried about you."

"Worried about me?"

"Look at the way they are staring at me right now—does it look like they are worried, or like they want to swallow me whole?"

"Hua Changle, stop this madness!" Qi Feirou scolded.

"Fine. Since you all believe I am mad, I shall show you exactly what madness looks like!"

Before anyone could react, Changle reached out, ripped Lin Xinyan from Wei Shuye’s embrace, dragged Hua Zhiyu along with her, and with a light leap, pulled them both up onto the roof.

Changle knew martial arts.

Lin Xinyan, having witnessed Changle’s insanity, struggled to break free, but Hua Zhiyu cast a faint glance at her, and Lin Xinyan gritted her teeth and stayed still.

"You wicked creature, what do you think you are doing?"

The people in the courtyard were stunned. The Marquis of Changan looked up and roared, his face turning livid. He cared deeply about his reputation; the scene Changle was making at the banquet today had all but destroyed their standing.

Changle paid no mind, her eyes filled with malice. "Hua Zhiyu, you play mind games with me. The rumors you’ve spread are nothing more than petty annoyances, but I have the power to take your life."

Hua Zhiyu remained gentle, her gaze toward Changle even tinged with pity. She whispered in a voice only the three of them could hear, "Changle, don't you realize how pathetic you look right now?"

"You act so extreme only because you crave everyone’s attention and pity."

Seeing people rushing toward them from the courtyard, Hua Zhiyu turned her eyes to Changle and smiled, lowering her voice even further. "Changle, shall we make a bet? Let’s both fall from here and see who gets saved."

"Very well, as you wish."

Changle knew this was a trap, but there was one final thing she needed to sever. She raised her hands and shoved both Lin Xinyan and Hua Zhiyu off the edge.

Hua Zhiyu smiled at Changle, grabbed her sleeve, and pulled her off the eaves as well. "If we are going to bet, let’s make it real. Let’s see who they choose to save."

The roof was four or five meters high. A fall from this height was unlikely to be fatal, but injury was inevitable.

As the three of them plummeted, a chorus of gasps erupted from the courtyard. Some shouted for Zhiyu, others for Xinyan, and it seemed Feng Linlang was shouting for her as well.

The wind of the descent made Changle’s ears ache. That pain surged into her very core, as if it had transformed into a silk-wrapped blade, shredding her insides into a bloody mess.

***

Changle, of course, would not truly fall for Hua Zhiyu’s scheme. She did not let herself simply tumble; in mid-air, she twisted her body, used the momentum, and landed steadily on the ground.

Meanwhile, her elder brother, Hua Changqing, and Wei Shuye, who had arrived at some unknown moment, had rushed forward to catch the falling Hua Zhiyu and Lin Xinyan.

"Zhiyu, are you alright?" Hua Changqing asked, filled with anxiety.

"Brother." Hua Zhiyu’s face was pale, and she threw herself into Hua Changqing’s arms, still trembling from the shock.

Wei Shuye held Lin Xinyan, and seeing her pale, fragile face, he pulled her into his arms, clutching her tightly with lingering fear as he whispered soft comforts. "It’s alright, it’s alright."

Hidden in Wei Shuye’s arms, Lin Xinyan wept like rain, as if she had just survived a catastrophe.

*Slap!*

Another strike. This time, it was Qi Feirou who hit Changle.

"You wretch, what exactly are you trying to do?! Do you want to kill your own sister?!" Qi Feirou screamed at Changle, her voice raspy.

Qi Feirou’s strength was not as great as the Marquis’, but this slap still left red finger marks on Changle’s fair cheek. She was trembling with rage, completely abandoning the elegance expected of a Marchioness. "Hua Changle, why have you become like this? Are you a lunatic? I truly wish I had never given birth to you!"

"Why weren't you the one who died back then!"

"My Lady!" The Marquis of Changan grabbed Qi Feirou, who was speaking without restraint.

Upon finishing her outburst, Qi Feirou realized what she had said. Her expression stiffened, and she turned her face away, hurrying over to comfort Hua Zhiyu.

Changle’s lowered eyelashes fluttered.

*Why wasn't it you who died.*

Indeed. When Qi Feirou was pregnant with twins, they were a boy and a girl. Complications had occurred during childbirth; the boy was born without breath, and only the girl survived.

That girl was Changle.

From the moment she was born, Qi Feirou had disliked her, blaming her for the death of the male infant. She had never cared for her, and even the name "Changle" had been given to her by her grandfather.

"Changle." Feng Linlang stepped forward and held Changle’s arm, looking at her with worry and sorrow.

The Marquis of Changan summoned the steward and gave a few instructions. The steward immediately began ushering the guests out. After such a scene, the guests left of their own accord.

Feng Linlang was worried and did not want to leave, but Changle signaled for her to be at ease, so she left, turning back with every step.

***

With the outsiders gone, Changle looked at the people involved. Her expression was calm and indifferent, more so than it had ever been.

"This is the last time."

Qi Feirou frowned instinctively. "What madness are you planning now?"

The Marquis and Hua Changqing also assumed Changle was looking to start more trouble. Only Wei Shuye frowned.

The Changle of the past, whether arrogant or overbearing, had always been vibrant, passionate, and brilliant. But at this moment, she was far too calm. He knew her well; the more she made a scene, the more it proved she cared. It was this quietness that was truly abnormal.

Wei Shuye stood up almost instinctively. Ignoring Lin Xinyan, he walked quickly toward Changle, attempting to grab her hand.

Changle raised her hand to dodge his touch, looking him straight in the eyes.

No crying, no tantrums, just cold indifference.

Wei Shuye frowned under her gaze, his eyes instinctively darting away. His heart gave a strange, sharp pang, followed by a surge of irritation.

"Stop this," Wei Shuye said, looking back at her. "Let today's events end here. Stop making a scene."

As he spoke, Wei Shuye took a red jade bracelet from his robe and held it out to her. "Didn't you always want this bracelet from the Fenghua Pavilion? I bought it for you as a coming-of-age gift."

He remembered that today was her fifteenth birthday.

"Wei Shuye, if you had given me this bracelet when you first walked in, I might have been moved. I might have continued to lie to myself, thinking that perhaps our relationship wasn't as broken as I feared, perhaps there was still room for redemption."

"It is fortunate that you didn't give it to me then. Otherwise, I would surely have had to slap myself twice later for being such a fool."

Changle picked up the red jade bracelet, held it before her eyes, and then let her fingers go. The jade struck the ground with a *clatter*, shattering into pieces.

Wei Shuye frowned, but Changle remained indifferent.

"I said just now, this is the last time."

"I, Hua Changle, have always kept my word."

"Wei Shuye, let us annul our engagement. I will not marry you."