Chapter 10 — My Sister Stole My Fiancé

Every trace of the good temper I had carefully maintained until this very moment evaporated into thin air, leaving behind only a chilling resolve.

Song Chi Ye, not everyone is as filthy and foul-minded as the two of you.

Gu Xin Nian snatched the medical report right out of my hand and hurled it squarely into Song Chi Ye’s face.

Qi Xia is entirely right. Do not ever presume that everyone else shares the same depraved morality as you and your wife.

Let me teach you a trick. Aside from behaving like mindless beasts stripping off your clothes to satiate the effects of an aphrodisiac, one can actually visit a hospital to obtain proper medication.

The crisp white paper fluttered down and landed softly on the cold floor. Song Chi Ye lowered his head and froze in place, standing utterly motionless for a long, agonizing moment. Just before the heavy door closed shut, I delivered my final verdict in an icy tone:

I have already called the police. This time, I will not make concessions simply because she happens to be my older sister.

Following that chaotic incident, Song Chi Ye and I did not cross paths for a very long time. Word had it that my father was so enraged by the scandal that he had to be admitted to the hospital. Ruan Ming Ya managed to escape imprisonment solely due to her pregnancy. To contain the fallout, Song Chi Ye poured a staggering sum of money into damage control and locked her away in the old Ruan family estate. On the very day of my wedding to Gu Xin Nian, my mother made an appearance, though her sole purpose was to plead on behalf of Ruan Ming Ya. It was only then that I finally understood the truth: years ago, when my father forcefully demanded company shares on my sister’s behalf, it was because she was suffering from severe paranoia. She had stalked Song Chi Ye relentlessly and sabotaged several of his major business ventures. She had even taken photographs of various female clients, posting them online with fabricated accusations labeling them as mistresses. To salvage his reputation, Song Chi Ye was forced to pay exorbitant compensations and issue endless apologies, causing seventy percent of the company investments to collapse overnight. Yet, Ruan Ming Ya’s extravagant spending habits remained completely unchanged. When creditors finally battered down their doors, he had no choice but to sell their luxurious villa and retreat with her back to her maiden home. Unable to bear the thought of her precious eldest daughter suffering, my mother had tried to scheme against my bride-price. Unfortunately for them, this time they had collided with an unyielding iron wall. I merely gave a single instruction to the venue manager:

If she is here to offer genuine blessings, let her in. If not, this place does not welcome her.

She did enter in the end, taking a seat of honor, yet she refused to utter a single word to me throughout the entire ceremony. I could not care less, because the wedding was finally beginning. Originally, the script called for me to walk alone toward Gu Xin Nian. But just before the grand doors swung open, Song Chi Ye materialized before me, impeccably dressed in a tailored suit, raising his arm slightly with a bitter, self-deprecating smile.

How could a wedding possibly take place without someone to walk the bride down the aisle? I will stand in for your father and place you into his hands.

I slipped my hand into the crook of his arm. The heavy doors slowly parted. Streams of brilliant light gradually converged upon us. His pace was agonizingly slow.

Qi Xia, you look breathtaking in your wedding gown.

I remained silent, leaving him to talk to himself. Within these few short steps, it seemed as though he had a lifetime of words he desperately wanted to unburden.

I could tell from the very beginning that he harbored feelings for you. Every time we played basketball together, I used to curse him under my breath for daydreaming about the impossible.

My gaze paused momentarily.

Who would have thought that he would actually manage to snatch you away in the end.

I interrupted him coldly:

It was not a matter of him snatching me away. It was you who gave up first.

The fabric of the suit beneath my palm tightened imperceptibly.

If I had not chosen her in the beginning, the person standing right here beside you today would have been me.

In the previous lifetime, it truly would have been him. Except that...

If you had chosen me, wouldn't you have resented me for the rest of your life anyway?

The calm facade he had maintained for years finally cracked open, revealing a raw, jagged fissure. The corners of his mouth stiffened in an almost imperceptible tremor, and he parted his lips as if wanting to say something more, but the brief path had already reached its end. Gu Xin Nian stepped forward and extended his hand.

Brother-in-law, it is time to hand the bride over to me.