The wedding night was devoid of any joy. Qiao Zhiyi only felt an invisible pair of hands pulling her into a bottomless abyss.
Was her life ruined just like that?
The man's ugly face wore a sneer; he was mocking her stupidity and ignorance.
His slow approach also reminded her that it was a done deal, with no way out.
As that face came directly before her eyes, she reflexively pushed him away.
Her hand pressed against his chest, her heart racing as she swallowed hard, struggling to look him in the eye.
"Are you rejecting me?" Shi Jingzhou narrowed his eyes.
Qiao Zhiyi couldn't possibly have relations with him as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
She admitted, she was superficial, hypocritical.
And she was foolish, for believing her aunt's words.
"Mr. Shi..." she wanted him to spare her.
"Just now you called me 'husband' when asking for favors, and now 'Mr. Shi'?" Shi Jingzhou chuffed, "Are you trying to draw a line between us, or wanting to end the marriage?"
He had hit the nail on the head for Qiao Zhiyi.
Yes, she didn't want to accept this marriage.
She couldn't live with him, nor could she imagine sharing a bed and raising children with him.
"The person you were supposed to marry is Qiao Zhihuan, not me. She's sick, very sick, and couldn't come over tonight. Mr. Shi, please wait longer, you can marry her once she recovers."
Qiao Zhiyi, trembling, finished speaking, hoping he would consider Qiao Zhihuan and let everything return to normal.
Shi Jingzhou stared at her, suddenly pinching her chin and tilting it slightly, "Does the Qiao family look down on me that much? Not only do you send someone to fool me, but you also want a divorce? Let me tell you, once you've entered this door, unless I die, you'll always be my wife, Shi Jingzhou's wife!"
He threw her off, stood up, straightened his clothes, looking down at her from above, "Or, bear me a child, then I'll let you go." With that, he slammed the door and left.
Qiao Zhiyi's entire body stiffened, as if plunged into a world frozen solid. If it weren't for the concern about her mother and brother, she would rather be dead.
She couldn't even face his face, devoid of any emotion. How could she bear a child for him?
Qiao Zhiyi slowly sat up, curling her legs and hugging her knees tightly, clenching her fists as tears streamed down.
That night, Qiao Zhiyi sat until dawn.
The next day, Shi Jingzhou appeared in the dining room.
Uncle Xiang set the table, "Young master, the young lady ran out as soon as it was light. As per your instructions, I didn't stop her."
Shi Jingzhou sat down, "She should go back."
"Do you need me to have someone look after the young lady?"
"Send a car to pick her up, lest she cries outside and embarrasses me."
"Yes."
Shi Jingzhou picked up his chopsticks, eating gracefully. That woman returning now would only disgrace herself.
...
Qiao Zhiyi walked into her uncle's house, and upon seeing Qiao Zhihuan, who was supposed to be in the hospital, sitting on the couch looking radiant and chatting happily with her uncle and aunt, all her confusions were instantly resolved.
No wonder Shi Jingzhou called her a fool.
"Zhiyi!" Jiang Wenying, seeing Qiao Zhiyi at the doorway, was momentarily flustered.
She immediately walked over, hugged her, and said with a sob, "Zhiyi, I'm sorry. Your aunt is so sorry."
Qiao Zhiyi, with red eyes, pushed her away and, looking at the guilt in her eyes, felt it was utterly hypocritical.
She slowly turned to look at Qiao Zhihuan, suppressing her emotions, she asked, "Is this the illness where you said she couldn't get out of bed and didn't know if she could recover?"
"Zhiyi, to tell you the truth, Huanhuan does have a boyfriend. They are very much in love and planning to get engaged," Qiao Shengli explained. "The Shi Family helped me in the past, and I should repay their kindness. But since Huanhuan has someone she loves, we can't split up true lovers and make her marry such a man."
"So, you cruelly pushed me into the pit of fire?" Qiao Zhiyi asked loudly and emotionally, "That was the favor you owed others, the gratitude you had to express. Why would you harm me?"
Qiao Shengli frowned. "Qiao Zhiyi, don't forget, you owe me favors too, and you should also repay kindness! Was the money I spent on your family of three blown in by the wind? If you had any sense, you wouldn't be acting like this towards me now!"
Qiao Zhiyi's eyes reddened, unable to believe that these words were from the uncle who loved and cared for her.
Jiang Wenying quickly tried to soothe her, "Zhiyi, we aren't harming you, we're doing this for your own good. Marrying into the Shi Family means becoming the Young Madam; many people pray for such fortune. Look, once you marry into their family, the money for Xiaoyun to study abroad is secured, and with the Shi Family's status, your mother can find a better doctor."
"The young master of the Shi Family used to be handsome, then, I heard, he got his face burnt while saving someone. But we shouldn't be so superficial, caring too much about appearances, right? Zhiyi, it doesn't matter how a man looks, what's important is his character."
Qiao Zhiyi scoffed, her eyes filled with scorn, "Are you saying that Qiao Zhihuan didn't pretend to be sick and refuse to marry because she knew Shi Jingzhou's face was disfigured?"
Jiang Wenying was rendered speechless.
This girl, normally appearing so simple and naive, could sometimes think quite quickly.
Qiao Zhihuan, no longer pretending, with her legs crossed, playing with her beautiful nails, said, "Zhiyi, just be content. After all, you're marrying into a wealthy family as the Young Madam. You might even thank us later. Besides, we didn't force you; you agreed to it yourself. If you had married a charming and handsome man, would you still be questioning us like this?"
When she had first learned that her father was building ties with the Shi Family, Qiao Zhihuan was thrilled beyond measure. It meant that she had an opportunity to get close to the young master of the Shi Family, the very man she wanted to marry.
He was more handsome and stylish than any movie star, a rare combination of good looks and wealth, perfect in every way. She had finally gotten her chance.
Half a year ago, the Shi Family suddenly sent someone to propose marriage, asking her to marry Shi Jingzhou.
She had been ecstatic all night, finally seeing her dreams come true.
The next day, she wanted to secretly meet Shi Jingzhou, only to see that face that made her seriously ill.
She inquired through others and found out that Shi Jingzhou's face was already ruined. Many doctors had seen him, but that face was beyond saving.
Facing such a hideous and terrifying face, his family's status meant nothing.
With her qualifications, she could definitely find someone better.
That pit in the Shi Family was left for Qiao Zhiyi to fill.
Qiao Zhiyi looked at all these familiar faces, her family ties that she once took pride in were now so despicable and laughable.
She cared about Shi Jingzhou's face, but what she cared about more was being deceived by trusted relatives.
"Huh." Qiao Zhiyi wiped the tears from the corner of her eye, "So, from now on, do we no longer owe anything to each other?"
Qiao Shengli's face darkened. He had arranged for Qiao Zhiyi to marry Shi Jingzhou, not for her to sever ties with them.
"Silly child, we are family, why talk about owing or not owing. No matter what, you are a good girl of the Qiao Family, our beloved niece," he said.
Jiang Wenying, ever shrewd, embraced Qiao Zhiyi and spoke with feeling, "We didn't think this through properly, but this isn't entirely bad for you."
"Shi Jingzhou knows you are not Zhihuan, but he didn't get angry and accepted you. If we go now and ask to switch you back, wouldn't he think we are making a fool of him? If he gets angry, neither you nor we could bear it."
"Zhiyi, you can hate us, disregard whether we live or die, but think more about your mom, your brother," she urged.
Qiao Zhiyi looked at her aunt, the one who loved her most, and finally understood what a gentle knife meant.