After Teasing the Heroine and Running Away, I Was Forced into Love - Chapter 35

“Oh, Roushuang, you’re finally here!” Jiang Hui chirped, seizing the opportunity to speak before He Wenzhi could. Her voice dripped with false warmth, completely masking the tense animosity between them.

Even at her most foolish and malicious, Jiang Hui wouldn’t dare openly confront He Roushuang in front of He Wenzhi.

From childhood, Jiang Hui had provided virtually no guidance to He Roushuang, indulging her every whim. This upbringing had fostered an increasingly spoiled and willful nature in the girl. It wasn’t until He Wenzhi began to sense something amiss that he hired a etiquette tutor and started keeping a wary eye on Jiang Hui.

During that period, the couple had their first real argument.

Previously, Jiang Hui had always been utterly subservient to He Wenzhi, their relationship resembling more that of a nanny and her master than a marriage. Moreover, due to Jiang Hui’s humble origins, He Wenzhi had always been reluctant to bring her to high-end social gatherings, preferring to escort his eldest daughter, He Roushuang.

“Thank you, Aunt Jiang, for taking care of my father these past few days,” He Roushuang said politely, maintaining her distance. She had never truly considered Jiang Hui family, a sentiment the Original Owner had taken to even greater extremes.

Whenever He Roushuang saw Jiang Hui, she would wear a perpetually bitter expression, as if the truth behind her mother’s death lay at Jiang Hui’s feet.

“Oh, it’s no trouble at all,” Jiang Hui replied smoothly. “We’re husband and wife, after all. It’s no trouble at all.”

Jiang Hui, a ruthless woman herself, seized the opportunity and responded with a measured, logical tone.

Her gaze swept over the two women.

Jiang Hui had long known of Shi Qing’s existence, having deliberately targeted her through intermediaries. Yet now she feigned surprise.

“Oh my, who’s this?”

“I don’t think I’ve seen you before. You’re quite pretty, but you look so young.”

Jiang Hui’s exaggerated reaction drew all eyes to Shi Qing, even though the young woman had mentally prepared herself for such scrutiny.

Still, being stared at by so many pairs of eyes, most of them probing, made Shi Qing feel somewhat uneasy.

But she had held many jobs, enduring harassment from bosses and customers alike. These experiences had forged a new version of herself.

So, facing this barrage of gazes, Shi Qing felt no real fear.

Instead, a faint smile played on her lips.

When the two women arrived, the bodyguard had brought gifts. He Roushuang couldn’t visit her father empty-handed.

The bodyguard had been carrying the gifts behind them. Shi Qing took a bouquet of fresh flowers from his hand, a task she had performed countless times before: replacing the flowers on her mother’s bedside table.

It was simply a different person visiting now, but the task remained the same: discarding the wilting flowers into the trash bin.

“Auntie, I’m not young anymore. I’ve been working for quite a while now.”

“I came with Roushuang this time because I heard Uncle was injured.”

Shi Qing was adept at social maneuvering, yet her tone carried a hint of detachment, which explained why she had always struggled to integrate into this corrupt society, constantly hitting walls.

“You two are so close—even closer than a married couple,” Jiang Hui remarked thoughtfully, ignoring her husband’s soft cough.

“No wonder Roushuang rejected all those wealthy bachelors I introduced her to. So she prefers your type, huh? But, young lady…”

“Our family isn’t ordinary. Don’t get any wild ideas.”

The room fell silent. Even the bodyguard and the man who had escorted Shi Qing in were stunned, realizing they were witnessing another glimpse into the drama of the wealthy elite.

“Jiang Hui!”

He Wenzhi’s expression turned stern. He clearly didn’t want his wife meddling in this matter.

“Husband, I’m going to say this whether you like it or not. Our Roushuang is so exceptional—she could easily marry a wealthy heir. There are plenty of eligible men out there for her to choose from. What’s the meaning of being bewitched by this vixen?”

Jiang Hui glared openly at Shi Qing.

Though her features bore a five or six-point resemblance to He Roushuang’s, her words were enough to give anyone a stroke.

This was precisely why He Wenzhi had never been able to truly love the woman before him, despite their many years of marriage.

She was simply too vulgar.

Faced with Jiang Hui’s relentless aggression, He Roushuang was about to unleash the eighty counts of her prepared indictment against her stepmother.

But before she could open her mouth, someone else spoke first, even faster than she could.

“Auntie, who Roushuang chooses to be with is her own right. This isn’t the old days anymore, where marriages were arranged by matchmakers and dictated by parents.”

Shi Qing spoke with perfect composure, without raising his voice. The bodyguards nodded in agreement, clearly impressed by his words.

Even He Wenzhi could sense the boundless potential in this young man. No wonder his daughter was so fond of him—his taste in women was no worse than his own.

He had initially intended to silence his wife, but seeing Shi Qing’s sharp wit and unwavering resolve, he suppressed the urge.

He wanted to see how Shi Qing would resolve this predicament.

He knew all too well how fiery his wife could be, though she rarely dared to unleash her full fury when he was home.

“That’s just something poor people say. We, the elite, should marry equals. Otherwise, we’d just be supporting your kind—it’s no different from charity.”

“The He Family can’t tolerate leeches.”

“Especially someone like you, who used to work in bars. Who knows what you’ve been up to?”

Shi Qing was momentarily overwhelmed by Jiang Hui’s relentless barrage of words, barely pausing for breath.

Though she was well-versed in logic and reason, these tools were useless against someone who refused to engage rationally.

Seeing Shi Qing’s stunned silence, He Roushuang tugged at her sleeve, leaning close in a deliberately intimate pose.

In truth, Roushuang had relaxed the moment she saw He Wenzhi was unharmed.

“Don’t waste your breath on her. I’ll handle this.”

With that, she stood on tiptoe and, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, kissed Shi Qing’s delicate chin.

Fortunately, her open-minded father wouldn’t support Jiang Hui’s absurd scheme. If it were anyone else, they might have backed Jiang Hui’s ridiculous plan.

“Aunt Jiang, how could you say such a thing? I remember when my father married you, he valued your virtuous nature, your sweet words, and your understanding, not your family background.”

“Otherwise, by your own standards, you wouldn’t have been able to marry into our family in the first place!”

He Roushuang’s words dripped with sarcasm, causing Jiang Hui’s face to flush crimson with anger.

“Roushuang, I was just offering a friendly reminder. Why are you taking it so personally?”

“A friendly reminder about what?”

“Shi Qing treats me so well and is so obedient.”

“That’s something no one else can match, Aunt Jiang. So you don’t need to say any more.”

“Unless you divorce my father right now, I’ll never believe that the He Family, as a top-tier elite family, can’t marry ordinary people.”

Each sentence was a perfectly crafted barb, leaving Jiang Hui speechless.

“Oh, and Aunt Jiang… how do you know so much about Shi Qing’s past at the bar? Could it be that you think my father is too old and secretly order male models behind his back?”

This final blow sent shockwaves through the room.

Everyone’s expressions shifted, even He Wenzhi’s face turned slightly green.