Chapter 17: Countdown to the Engagement

The next day, Siyao called Old Master Xing.

"Xing Jue is going to be engaged to A Ni within a month."

"A Jue has told me," he replied.

Siyao couldn't wait. "Grandfather, I..."

"As long as he obeys, let everything else be done according to his wishes," the old man said.

Siyao hesitated for a long moment, then pressed her lips together and spoke again: "Does that mean I’ll go straight from being his fiancée to being their servant?"

She shouldn’t have asked, but asking was pointless. In the current Xing family, only Xing Jue and Old Master Xing had the final say. Xing Ke, who had switched from business to painting, had lost all influence in the household.

"Yes. You’re quite good; you’re suited for managing the house and raising children. A Jue was a handful when you raised him, but he’s turned out well." With that, the call ended.

Siyao’s shoulders slowly slumped.

…

They said Xing Jue would be engaged to A Ni, but he never bothered to comfort her. The courtyard and the Xing family quietly began preparing for the engagement banquet, yet Xing Jue remained silent and calm. If not for the red wedding supplies sent by Old Master Xing, Siyao would almost have believed that Xing Jue never intended to marry A Ni at all.

But what happened next shattered her illusions. It was as if they feared Siyao, the former fiancée who hadn’t officially broken off the engagement but had already parted ways, might sabotage the couple's marriage.

Siyao was relieved of her household duties—she no longer had to wash Xing Jue’s clothes or tidy his room. Instead, she was instructed to attend to him directly. She followed him to the company, sitting on the sofa outside all day, and later accompanied him to K1, standing outside for six or seven hours, then drove him home late at night.

Her period ended after five days. Xing Jue never touched her again, as if he was chastely saving himself for his future wife. Not only that—after a few days of shadowing him, she realized he didn’t touch any of the other women either. He would hold them, whisper sweet nothings, shower them with bags and money, but never slept with them.

Thoughts wandered through Siyao’s mind, only to be abandoned one by one, until her heart slowly grew cold. It seemed she was living out Xing Jue’s mocking words—full of schemes and tricks, but never crossing the line to truly harm anyone, possessing cunning but burdened by unnecessary softness.

In short, she was powerless—and, even more so, useless.

At the end of the second week, Siyao was waiting outside the private room, craving a cigarette, so she went out to smoke. Unexpectedly, she ran into Wen Sui, sneaking around in a nearby alley.

"What are you doing here?" With the wedding two weeks away, Siyao felt no energy for this and spoke gently.

Wen Sui clutched her purse and whispered, "Siyao, could you help me say something nice to A Jue?"

Wen Sui was the first woman to come to Siyao for help.

Siyao flicked her cigarette away and crushed it underfoot, distracted. "There’s no hope for you two."

"That’s not true," Wen Sui pleaded, stepping forward pitifully. "It really isn’t. It’s my fault. I made A Jue angry."

Siyao raised an eyebrow. "What did you do?"

"I didn’t know A Jue’s mother wasn’t his real mother. I boasted shamelessly that I would visit her grave every day in the future."

That truly crossed the line. If it were A Ni, she would probably be scolded, too—except A Ni never touched his sore spot.

Siyao patted Wen Sui’s shoulder with pity. The sharp retort on her lips hesitated for a few seconds because of Wen Sui’s tears, then softened. "I’ll do what I can."

Wen Sui cheered up instantly, thanking her repeatedly.

Siyao didn’t respond, just smiled and turned away, pulling out a wet wipe to clean her hands. After being touched by Xing Jue, for some reason, she always felt a bit dirty—even herself.

Back outside the private room, she discovered that A Ni had somehow come to K1. The two were having a heated argument inside. A Ni was shouting insults, while Xing Jue listened lazily. A Ni yelled, "I’ve put up with you, but why can’t you get over my past mistakes? Xing Jue! We’re about to get engaged—why won’t you beg me?"

"Too lazy to beg," Xing Jue replied, utterly nonchalant.

A crash sounded from inside the room. A Ni stormed out, slamming the door, her expression shifting from anger to a triumphant smile as she met Siyao at the entrance.

Siyao turned away, pretending not to notice.

After A Ni left, a woman’s scream suddenly echoed from inside. Siyao’s heart skipped a beat; she pushed the door open.

Xing Jue was pinning a woman by the neck, forcing her into the sofa. His forehead and the back of his hand were bulging with fierce veins.