Licheng Shen Family.
"Weilan, I have discussed with your dad, and you will take Shen Lu's place to marry Hechen's 'tablet'!"
Shen Weilan didn't expect to hear this sentence from her mother as soon as she walked in.
She was in a good mood, returning from the Embroidery Workshop at nine o'clock, planning to spend some quality time with her mother, but who could have anticipated...
A look of shock appeared on Weilan's fair face, and her eyes widened in astonishment.
She had never thought that her mother would propose such a condition.
Seeing Weilan silently standing there, Mrs. Shen's complexion wasn't very good. She paused before saying, "Weilan, now the Shen and Lu families are in peril. The secret of Hechen's unexpected death is on the verge of being exposed, and we urgently need a wedding to stabilize the plummeting stocks of both families! Only then will the Shen and Lu families remain stable!"
Weilan: "....."
The night was very dark.
The heart was even colder.
It sank into a frigid pool, completely encased in ice.
A crushing disappointment surged like a tide.
The brightly lit Shen family hall lacked any trace of warmth.
"Weilan!" Mrs. Shen, seeing that Shen Weilan didn't respond, couldn't help but call out.
Shen Weilan finally came back to her senses, her pale face devoid of anger, only numbness. She shook her head at her mother, "Shen Lu is Lu Hechen's fiancée!"
Meaning, she rejected this absurd proposition.
"Weilan, I'm not asking for your opinion!" said her mother, her tone growing more firm.
Shen Weilan tugged at the corners of her lips gently, lifting her head, her hair like silk cascading behind her, making her pale face stand out even more, isolated and fragile!
But her spine was straight, she wouldn't submit, "I don't agree!"
"If Shen Lu could marry, I wouldn't be asking you!"
"Mom, Lu Hechen is dead, and you are arranging a wedding ceremony that will never have a groom, it's just a temporary solution!"
Mrs. Shen was well aware of it, facing Weilan's clear eyes that seemed to see through everything, she felt guilty. She looked away, irritatedly saying, "Shen Lu is pregnant with another man's child. She has found happiness, we shouldn't hold her back!"
"So, you don't want to hold her back, but you want to hold me back?"
"A few years later, once things are stable, you can quietly leave and find someone else to marry!"
"Shen Lu already has a child, isn't that an even better prop? She can also find the child's father and get married after a few years!"
"Shen Weilan, you are the older sister, can't you be a little more aware of your duties as one?"
"Mom, nineteen years ago, you abandoned me; nineteen years later, you scheme against me; is this how you treat me, is it fair?"
Mrs. Shen became furious with embarrassment, "I'll tell you the truth, the marriage certificate has already been issued, you are already Lu Hechen's wife!"
Having said that, Mrs. Shen threw out a red marriage certificate—
The red booklet caused Weilan's heart to tighten, and her breath caught in her throat.
In disbelief, she took the red booklet and opened it.
A photo of her and Lu Hechen appeared!
In the photo, the man's sharp eyes were staring intently at her, those eyes, darker than the night, were like a deep well, mysterious and unfathomable, with no end in sight.
Weilan quickly averted her gaze, and Lu Hechen's face inadvertently flashed through her mind!
Lu Hechen, Licheng's renowned young master of the Lu Family, the executive CEO of the Lu Group, possessing vast wealth, thirty-five percent of the Lu Family's shares—by any standard, he was an excellent match!
But now, he was dead. Marrying his tablet, and at her own mother's request, was utterly preposterous!
"I will not marry!" Weilan shook her head.
"Weilan, just accept your fate!" Suddenly, a deep male voice came from the stairs.
Weilan looked up; it was her father Shen Tianming, who had already walked down the stairs.
Ha!
Such clear differentiation in affection!
Even if born of the same mother, it is still so.
Weilan has always been too naive, always holding out hope for her parents, only to be slapped in the face by reality now!
At this moment, she finally understood what it meant for the heart to turn to ashes!