The clear, bright voice was like stones falling from a mountain stream, shattering the facade of the Lu family’s master and servants and completely tearing apart Lu Zhinian’s past gentlemanly demeanor.
"You, Lu family, truly deserve to be the foremost noble family, standing tall in the capital for many years. You may lack other abilities, but the way you raised this Young Master to play the victim and lie comes effortlessly. Your servants are as cunning as demons. This is how you’ve always colluded to fool me."
"Lu Zhinian, do you feel guilty?" As Song Tangning mocked the disgusting people before her, she felt even more foolish for having been deceived by Lu Zhinian’s noble appearance in the past.
No matter what he said, she believed it to be the truth; as long as he was happy, she would obediently listen. To avoid causing him trouble, she dared not act recklessly and pretended to be gentle and docile. To prevent him from losing face, she suppressed her true nature, always adhering to the expectations of a Lu family matron.
In order to marry into the Lu family, she endured the scorn and ridicule from the outside world, belittling herself to the dust.
In the end, after all that patience, she lost her life.
When Lu Zhinian met Song Tangning's mocking gaze, his anger faltered, and the hand that clutched his robe stiffened. "Tangning, let me explain..."
"Explain what? How you deceived me? How you didn’t care about me at all?"
"You think that as long as you show me a little kindness, I should overlook the past and come back to you? You think that no matter how much I suffer, as long as I can marry into the Lu family, it would be a great honor that makes all hardships worthwhile."
"Lu Zhinian, on what grounds?"
Song Tangning's eyes were calm, as deep and bottomless as a dark well, staring at the person opposite her with a chilling indifference.
"You think I should endure your coldness and wait for your occasional attention? You merely rely on my affection for you, but on what grounds do you think I cannot do without you?"
"Tangning…" Hearing her words, Lu Zhinian felt an inexplicable panic, as if he knew she would say something even more heartless. He quickly stepped forward and grasped her hand urgently, saying, "Don’t say that. I know I was wrong. I shouldn’t have lied to you, but I was just afraid you would be as distant and cold as you were at the Wang residence. I just didn’t want you to grow distant from me."
"You and I grew up together, were engaged for many years. I always knew you were going to marry me. I’ve long been accustomed to having you by my side; the future matron of the Lu family can only be you."
"Tangning, believe me, I have never had any other intentions. I…"
Slap—
Song Tangning suddenly raised her hand and struck Lu Zhinian across the face. Though he was taller than her, the crisp sound of the slap shattered his defense, leaving him stunned and shocked.
She… actually hit him?
"You hurt me," Song Tangning said coldly.
Lu Zhinian quickly looked down and saw that Song Tangning’s fingers, still not fully healed, were bleeding from where he had gripped them. His expression changed instantly, and in a panic, he released her. "I didn’t mean to…"
"You are too careless, so you never care whether I am good or bad." Song Tangning’s long lashes fluttered. "Lu Zhinian, you say we grew up together and were engaged for many years. I know all your likes and habits, but do you know what I like?"
"Do you know what I like to eat, drink, what colors I prefer, and what kind of clothes I love to wear?"
"Do you remember what I did for my birthday last year, what gift I gave you? Do you remember the wish I made at Lingyun Temple?" Lu Zhinian turned pale at her questions, his eyes filled with hesitation and guilt.
What she liked…
A myriad of things suddenly flashed in his mind, but when he opened his mouth to respond, he realized that none of them were what she liked.
The food, the drink, the items…
She always did everything according to his preferences, and those likes were all tailored to him. When they were together, he never made any compromises for her, and naturally thought it should be that way.
But now, meeting her gaze, he suddenly realized that he knew nothing about what she liked beyond those.
Seeing this, Song Tangning laughed mockingly. "Is this what you call growing up together? That I am the only one for you?"
"Lu Zhinian, let’s break off our engagement." She glanced at Hua Wu beside her, and Hua Wu stepped forward to hand her two scrolls.
Tangning took them and handed them to Lu Zhinian. "You never liked me all these years, always seeing me as a burden, never willing to get close to me in public. Since I am not in your eyes, let this marriage be dissolved."
"I have never used anything you and the Lu family gave me all these years. I had Hua Wu pack them up, and today I will return them to you, Young Master Lu. I also kindly ask you to return everything I gave you and the Lu family, so we can part ways cleanly." Her pitch-black eyes, like snow accumulated in a mountain stream, radiated a chilling coldness, with disgust and estrangement that made Lu Zhinian shiver.
Lu Zhinian had never expected that in his lifetime, he would hear Tangning speak such cold words. The little girl who once clung to him sweetly calling him "Brother Lu" was now saying they were parting ways.
Lu Zhinian’s lips trembled as he tried to say something, but Song Tangning directly shoved the two scrolls into his hands. He didn’t have time to grip them firmly, and the scrolls fell to the ground.
One thick and one thin scroll rolled forward simultaneously, unfurling on the ground.
One was just three or four feet long, with sparse writing that was clear at a glance.
The other scroll rolled out, revealing over ten feet of text densely written, and the end of the text bumped against the table leg, still leaving a large portion unopened.
"Does Young Master Lu need me to tell you which one is yours?" Tangning looked at him.
Lu Zhinian's face turned pale as he looked at the two pieces of paper, both shocked and embarrassed.
Back then, the honorable Grand Tutor Rong had an excellent background and assisted three generations of emperors. He had only two daughters, and when they married, he almost split the Rong family in half to give each of them their share.
Song Tangning was the only daughter of Madame Rong and held the entire family wealth of the second branch of the Song family. Plus, with her aunt, Princess Cheng, fearing she would suffer any grievances due to losing her father at a young age, they never forgot to provide her with money and treasures. Song Tangning’s wealth and extravagance surpassed that of all the young women in the capital, even Lu Zhinian, who came from a prestigious family.
Lu Zhinian only knew that Song Tangning had given him many things over the years. Whenever she visited the estate, she would bring gifts for the household.
From large porcelain ornaments and valuable paintings to small jade cups and clothing, more than half of the items in his study had been provided by Song Tangning. Even in his father’s and grandfather’s studies, there were numerous items gifted by her.
In addition, whether it was elders, juniors, or the female and male members of the household, countless items had been given to them from Song Tangning, accumulating to an astonishing long list written densely on the paper.
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You can read ahead to chapterr 182 here
T/N: Did you miss me?
If i had found this story back then and was waiting with baited breath for the next update, I would absolutely have said I missed you! 🤗 that said, since the translation isn't completed yet, I'll probably be in that boat once I get to the latest chapter 🤣 thank you for translator for your hard work! 🙏🏼
ReplyDeleteLol Thank you Anon
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