Her reaction stunned He Chu, and his fingertips curled up unnaturally.
Shen Hua clearly had nothing left, so how could she still be so arrogant?
He said that he was willing to take her in as a concubine because of their old relationship. Why did Shen Hua not grab onto him as her life-saving straw and leave the Shen residence, that place of trouble?
Who would dare to marry someone like Shen Hua?
"What are you still trying to do? I once swore in front of your father and brother that I would do my best to take care of you. I will definitely live up to my promise."
Shen Hua was unmoved, but He Chu was immersed in his own emotions.
He felt troubled.
"Back then, you were the one who agreed to the marriage. You and I could have been considered to be in love with each other, but Yangyang, I have great ambitions. The Zhongju examination is just around the corner."
Shen Hua was speechless. She laughed in anger.
"Is Yangyang something you can call me?
"He Chu, why do you have to pretend to be a gentleman and reminisce about the past when things remain the same but people have changed?
"How important is the reputation of a mother? Has your He family ever shown me any kindness? Don't always use your mother and filial piety as an excuse. You're young. It's because you don't have a mind of your own. Isn't it because you haven't been weaned? Don't even use your self-proclaimed Great Dao of Kang Yang as an excuse. You're talentless and a dreamer!"
She spoke very slowly. It was as if he was being dismembered.
Shen Hua also found it ridiculous. Back then, why did she hang around to He Chu so obsessively?
When He Chu saved her, she hated him.
That year, the little girl's beautiful face was red and swollen from wasp stings. There were hard red spots on her face. He had seen her ugly appearance.
"Sob, sob, sob! It hurts! I'm so ugly. Shen Zhui, that little concubine's daughter is prettier than me!"
"Why aren't you getting lost? What are you looking at?"
"Zheng Qianyu definitely won't be able to sell rice. She's going to mock me! She was not human! Not human!"
She cried so hard that even Shen Zhi could not coax her.
Later on, whenever Shen Hua did something wrong, Shen Zhi would lecture her and Shen Wei would reprimand her. However, He Chu would never say that she was in the wrong.
He would even say something when Shen Hua complained about her brother and father.
'Your father and brother are indeed too serious about this matter.' Yangyang felt wronged.
In order to please Shen Hua, he would blindly approve of her regardless of whether she was right or wrong. He was no different from the servants who listened to her orders.
After so many times of him doing that, Shen Hua actually found him pleasing to the eye.
The engagement was settled just like that.
However, the more they interacted, the more disappointed Shen Hua became.
He Chu was simply incomparable to his brother.
Merchants valued profits, but the Shen family's First household valued promises. No matter how much Shen Wei doted on Shen Hua, he would not allow her to break off the engagement halfway.
'Yangyang, when you agreed to the engagement, did Daddy force you? You were the one who swore that He Chu was a good match. Father also sent someone to investigate his background. He is indeed not bad and cares about you. If you marry him, you'll be marrying him as a lowly wife. With your father and brother around, he won't dare to treat you badly.
'Your mother passed away early, but I taught you since you were young not to tease others. Have you forgotten?
'He Chu was just short of digging out his heart for you to see. In fact, he was even more concerned about your matters than Daddy. He did not forget you at all.'
Shen Wei's words made Shen Hua feel ashamed. After that, he did not dare to mention it again.
That was why Shen Hua became angrier.
She had already endured He Chu and was prepared to fulfill the engagement, but He Chu actually had the face to despise her?
How could the Shen family's Yangyang suffer such humiliation?
If Shen Wei knew about He Chu's behavior, he would be rolling in his grave.
Shen Hua's lips curled into a cold smile.
"Do you need me to tell you how many benefits you have gained from the Shen residence all these years?"
Without the support of the Shen residence, the Zhou family was not well-off. He Chu spent a lot of money on his studies. His mother was a scholar and was unwilling to do the menial work of washing. Shen Hua wanted to see where he would get the money to get married.
She looked at the man in front of her and said slowly, "Remember this! You won't be able to be magnanimous in front of me for the rest of your life!"
Shen Hua said and left.
Her happy mood dissapated. Even the candied haws lost their initial sweetness.
Shen Hua pursed her lips and returned to the manor.
Yi Cui's face was even uglier than Shen Hua's.
"How dare he say that? How shameless.
"If it wasn't for my lady, he wouldn't have been able to afford the top school that he studied in his early years. Without the Chen family, how could he have become a scholar?
"He's just a scholar. Those who don't know better would think that he won a top scholar."
Shen Hua's mind was not on what Yi Cui said.
As soon as she entered the residence, she felt the atmosphere around her turn cold. The closer they got to the courtyard, the stronger the feeling became.
As soon as he entered the Half Moon Archway, he saw servants kneeling on the ground. They looked at Shen Hua carefully, their faces full of worry.
"My lady, Second Young Master…" someone whispered.
Shen Hua stopped in her tracks, and her gaze slowly shifted to the half-open door.
"Come in!" The person in the room said coldly.
Shen Hua dilly-dallied, taking two steps at a time. Just as she moved to the threshold, she saw a blue and white porcelain teacup thrown in her direction.
It hit the door with a slight curve, and the broken porcelain pieces splashed everywhere. A sharp piece cut into Shen Hua's jade-like cheek, leaving a bloody mark.
"My lady!" Yi Cui exclaimed.
"Drag her out!" Shen Qu ordered coldly.
The butler was afraid of being implicated, so he covered Yi Cui's mouth and dragged her out. He did not forget to close the door.
Yi Cui was worried that Shen Hua was hurt. She struggled to break free and scratched the butler's hand, leaving several bloody marks.
The butler was in pain, but he did not dare to let go of her.
"My lady is hurt, so you can save your effort! She usually causes trouble, but you're so stupid and didn't stop her! We're all family, so why bother? If the Shen family is not doing well, she also won't have a peaceful life."
"Young Master is really angry this time."
The butler had watched Shen Hua grow up and cleaned up a lot of her messes. But this time, Shen Hua's actions were really…
"Do you think Young Master will let you off easily? After he takes care of my lady, it will be your turn next!"
Yi Cui laughed when she heard this.
Ever since Steward Wu chose Shen Qu, he had taken a different path.
She naturally put Shen Hua first. Whether Steward Wu was thinking about Shen Qu or himself was his business.
"They can't let my lady do as she pleases, so why does my lady need to lower herself to them?"
Steward Wu frowned. "If the embroidery workshop falls, then my lady will let down Master and Madam. How can she be the granddaughter of a big house?" If something happens to her stepmother, my lady will be punished for being unfilial."
Yi Cui's face turned cold. She no longer treated Steward Wu with the respect she had in the past.
"Steward Wu!
"Everyone in the world has their biases. It's fine as long as the ladies are happy. Let others talk!"
For all these years, Shen Hua had been scolded by those people for being unruly and unreasonable.
Why should she restrain himself and continue to be wronged for these people?
"The embroidery workshop was left behind by Master and Madam Shen, a stepmother suddenly appeared out of nowhere. If she truly cared for my lady, then on the night of Master's burial, she would have shown her some concern for her illness, but Second Madam didn't care. I begged Grandfather and Ancestor to get her to agree and find a doctor! A duty of hers become a kind favor she was doing."