Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Things had happened all too suddenly.

It was completely beyond anything I had anticipated.

Father was an overly emotional merchant, the sort who teared up easily. “How can a daughter of the Shen family marry a beggar?!”

Mother was beautiful, but strong. She slammed her palm down on the table, and the tea set rattled in unison.

“At this point, the Shen family can’t go back on its word. That Chen Jing is a man who betrays trust and honor! Had we known this would happen, my daughter should never have tried to catch a husband beneath the exam results. If he didn’t want to marry her himself, he still had no right to casually hand the embroidered ball to someone else!”

My little brother pouted. “I said it long ago. A man stuffed full of books isn’t necessarily a good person!”

My hands and feet went cold. Belatedly, I began to realize something-

Chen Jing might have been reborn, too.

But in our previous life, he and I had clearly been a loving couple. Why would he suddenly change his mind?

If I said I wasn’t hurt at all, that would be a lie.

But I was not a woman given to sentimental grieving.

Since the matter had already happened, complaints and tears would solve nothing.

Just as the whole family was sunk in gloom, a deep, magnetic voice sounded. It was as if he had not spoken in a very long time; his voice was somewhat hoarse, yet pleasant to the ear.

“I… am not a beggar. My family lives in the east of the city. My surname is Ji, and my given name is Ningsheng. These past few days, I happened to be doing labor in the capital and couldn’t make it home to change and wash my clothes. That is why I look… a little down-and-out.”

“Please rest assured, Miss. I will not impose on you. Once the people outside disperse, I will leave on my own. This marriage need not count.”

Hearing that familiar name, my heart gave a jolt.

Ji Ningsheng…

In my previous life, he had been the rough-born general with outstanding military achievements. He lost his parents early and raised his younger brother and sister alone. At twenty, he was forcibly conscripted and sent to the battlefield.

Later, he earned military merit with his own two fists, only to die on the battlefield at the age of thirty.

For a time, I had sighed over how young he was when he died.

At this moment, the tall man stood perfectly straight, not showing the slightest hint of fear or weakness because of his poverty.

Ji Ningsheng had a pair of beautiful peach blossom eyes. I had once seen him riding a warhorse in triumph back to the capital, a sight entirely different from the soot-blackened man before me now.

Seeing that Ji Ningsheng did not covet wealth or status, Father was overjoyed. “That is truly wonderful! If you are willing to give up this marriage, the Shen family will not treat you unfairly. Someone! Bring silver here!”

Ji Ningsheng raised a hand to stop him. “Master Shen, there is no need. The young lady’s embroidered ball was not thrown at me, nor did I seize it myself. This was purely an accident. I will not accept the silver.”

Father and Mother looked at each other.

“But… if outsiders learn that the Shen family went back on its word and refused to acknowledge the marriage, we will surely be despised.”

The Shen family’s business was large, and over the years, it had made plenty of enemies.

Merchants valued profit, but credibility was what mattered most.

Lose credibility, and one lost the people’s hearts as well.

Besides, the matter of tossing the embroidered ball was already known throughout the city.

Ji Ningsheng frowned. He did not seem to be a foolish brute; he quickly understood the whole situation and suggested, “How about this: I will clarify to the public that I was the one who gave up the marriage, and that I was the one who refused it. In that way, the reputation of the Shen family and the young lady can be preserved.”

Since Ji Ningsheng had gone so far, I could not help but feel respect for him.

Father and Mother also breathed a sigh of relief.

Father still insisted on giving him silver.

But I made a decision. “I acknowledge this marriage. It will not be annulled. Ji Ningsheng… I will ask you only one thing. Are you willing to marry me?”

If Chen Jing wanted to trade wives, I could hardly go clinging to him.

A person must always look forward.