Back at the Liu residence…
Everyone stood frozen, half dazzled by Wu Qingyi's ethereal beauty, half jolted awake by Wang Hao's sharp, commanding voice as it sliced through the hall: "Who is this girl?" he demanded, his tone cold enough to chill bones, "and why is she wearing the bridal attire prepared for the young master's wife?" His words crashed over the Liu family like a bucket of ice water, snapping them out of their daze and dragging their greedy eyes away from the radiant girl on the staircase.
The old lady's lips trembled before she finally forced out the truth, each word sounding as though it scraped her throat raw. "She… she is the original bride of the Wang family's young master." Her voice wavered with fear and reluctance, as if every syllable cost her a year of her life. The moment the confession left her mouth, the hall fell into a suffocating silence, one so heavy that even the maids forgot to breathe.
Wang Hao narrowed his eyes, his expression giving nothing away. He lifted his chin slightly, playing his role to perfection as though he were completely clueless about the girl's background. He examined Wu Qingyi with a calm, unreadable gaze, then turned back to the old lady with a look of polite confusion, acting as if this was the first time he had ever heard the name. It was a flawless performance, one that made the entire Liu family gulp nervously, unsure of what the Wang family truly knew and what consequences their lies might bring.
Then Wang Hao's gaze sharpened, a faint glint of suspicion flickering in his eyes as he folded his hands behind his back. His voice was steady, yet carried a razor-thin edge that made the entire hall tense. "As per the agreement," he said slowly, letting the words sink deep into their guilty hearts, "isn't the bride Liu Wuxin?" The question hung in the air like a blade poised to fall, and several members of the Liu family instinctively stiffened and caught between fear, greed, and the lies they had spun for years.
The Liu family stiffened under the weight of Wang Hao's gaze, their hearts thudding with the unspoken reminder of how terrifying the Wang family's power truly was. Even so, the old lady with whitening knuckles, would rather provoke that power than sacrifice her precious granddaughter Liu Wuxin. Forcing a steady tone, she began weaving the story she had prepared: "A few years ago," she said gravely, "there was an accident. My son Liu Moran's first wife and their daughter were believed to have died. Because of this tragedy, the marriage agreement was shifted to Wuxin." She paused, glancing at Wu Qingyi as if her existence were an inconvenience the heavens had dropped back into her lap. "But now," she continued, voice trembling between guilt and calculation, "we have discovered that my eldest granddaughter, Wu Qingyi, is still alive. Therefore, according to the original agreement, she will be the bride of Young Master Wang." Her explanation settled over the hall like a thin veneer of justification - fragile, strained, and hiding decades of deception beneath it.
Had Wang Hao not already uncovered the rot festering beneath the Liu family's polished façade then he might have actually been fooled. From the old lady's trembling voice to the carefully crafted sorrow on their faces, they looked every bit like a family remorseful for past mistakes, finally restoring to Wu Qingyi the happiness that had long been stolen from her. If he didn't know the truth, he might have believed they were acting out of guilt, instead of desperation, greed, and fear.
Wang Hao requested that the old lady present the original marriage alliance agreement. Forced into a corner, she nodded stiffly and hurried to her room, her steps shaky with anxiety. Moments later she returned, clutching the yellowed document as though it weighed a thousand kilograms of guilt. The instant she handed it over, something unexpected happened.
Wu Qingyi, who had been standing quietly like a delicate shadow in the corner had suddenly darted forward. In one swift motion, she snatched the agreement from Wang Hao's hands. The old lady's heart nearly leapt out of her chest thinking, 'This stupid girl, don't tell me she's going to tear it apart?' But the fear evaporated the very next second as Wu Qingyi's eyes sparkled like stars, her smile blooming bright and innocent. Holding the document as if it were a prized treasure, she looked up joyfully at Wang Hao.
"See! See! See!" she chirped excitedly. "This paper has my name. So that means I'm the one who's the bride of the Wang family… You really came to pick me up and you even brought so many gifts!" Her happiness was so pure that the room fell completely silent and stunned by a girl who treated fate's chains as though they were made of gold.
Wu Qingyi hugged the agreement to her chest, her excitement bubbling over. Then, as if suddenly remembering something far more important, she turned toward the row of imposing gift boxes carried in by the Wang family guards. Her eyes widened with childlike wonder and as she walked closer, lifted her fingers, and began counting aloud with cheerful enthusiasm, "One… two… three…" Each number she uttered was filled with delight, as though she were counting treasures from a fairy tale rather than items meant to bind two powerful families.
The Liu family watched in stunned disbelief, while Wang Hao found himself momentarily speechless, "This… This was the bride?"
For a brief moment, Wang Hao simply stood there, frozen and unable to reconcile the radiant excitement on Wu Qingyi's face with everything he knew about arranged marriages, greed, and manipulation.
Her delight was too pure.
Too innocent.
Too… childlike….
As he continued to watch her clap softly and count the boxes like a little girl discovering festival sweets, the truth dawned on him with chilling clarity.
She wasn't normal.
His expression darkened instantly. The warmth drained from his face, replaced by a cold, dangerous sharpness. His eyes narrowed into slits as he turned, step by step, toward the Liu family. When he spoke, his voice thundered through the hall.
"What is the meaning of this?"
He pointed slightly toward the still-cheerful Wu Qingyi. "You expect our young master to marry an insane person?"
The air trembled with the weight of his fury. "How dare you attempt to deceive the Wang family?! Do you take us for fools?" The Liu family paled instantly, their knees almost giving way as the full force of Wang Hao's wrath descended upon them.
The Liu family trembled under Wang Hao's fury, their faces draining of colour as the threat of the Wang family's wrath loomed over them like a blade. But the old lady shrewd, seasoned, and cunning to her bones had straightened her back. She knew fear wouldn't save them now and only manipulation would. With a trembling sigh that looked perfectly rehearsed, she stepped forward and spoke in a tone laced with sorrow and righteousness.
"How could the Liu family ever dare deceive the Wang family?" she began, voice soft yet firm. "We are merely honouring the original marriage agreement, the one that the elders of both families approved long ago."
She clasped her hands together dramatically, as if recounting a tragedy. "We were devastated when circumstances forced us to shift the agreement to Wuxin. It went against the wishes of both the elders of the Liu and Wang households."
Then she exhaled deeply, as if carrying decades of grief and helplessness. "But Heaven has returned Qingyi to us. Fate played a cruel joke, yes, perhaps even punished both bride and groom. One cannot walk properly… and the other cannot think properly…."
Her words were gentle, sympathetic… Yet dripping with poison. "At the very least," she continued with feigned relief, "we are comforted that we are not forcing strong, perfect children into caring for weakened ones. If Wuxin were the bride, it would be unfair to the young master, burdening him with someone flawless."
Her lips curled ever so slightly. "But now that Qingyi is the bride…, we can only feel grateful. After all, the heavens must have intended them for each other."
Her false kindness hung in the room like a venomous mist.
Wang Hao was sharp enough to grasp the old matriarch's unspoken meaning. Her granddaughter, Liu Wuxin, was far too exceptional for their master, a jewel far above what he was worthy of.
Wang Hao was already seething with anger, but before he could spit out a retort against the old lady, Wu Qingyi's voice drifted out from behind him, cutting him off.
"Grandmother, are you truly this happy about the wedding?" Wu Qingyi asked, her voice brimming with eager anticipation.
The old lady couldn't help thinking how naïve this girl was, she is so thrilled to marry a weak man. Yet she smoothly masked her mocking thoughts behind a courteous smile. "Of course," she replied sweetly, "we are truly delighted."
But the very next words that slipped from Wu Qingyi's lips nearly knocked the ground out from beneath the old lady. "Then… where is the dowry your Liu family has prepared for the wedding?"