Chapter 1

Chapter 1: My Scumbag Ex Steals My Wedding at the Marriage Registration Office “Number 09, please proceed to Window 1…” As the announcement calling the numbers sounded once again through the Civil Affairs Bureau lobby, Yu Xia clutched the little slip of paper marked 9 and happily linked arms with the handsome man beside her as they walked toward Window 1. “Yiwen, it’s our turn!” She was about to enter a happy marriage with the boyfriend she had been in love with for three years. Her heart was overflowing with joy, and her radiant smile remained on her beautiful face. “No! You two can’t get married!” A fierce, overbearing voice suddenly pierced their ears. A broad-shouldered, dark-skinned middle-aged woman stormed up in front of them. “I don’t agree to this marriage!” A trace of confusion appeared on Jiang Yiwen’s handsome face. “Mom, didn’t you agree before? Why did you suddenly change your mind?” Zhou Xiufen lifted her chin haughtily and looked down her nose at Yu Xia. Then, without giving anyone a chance to object, she dragged Jiang Yiwen to one side. “This morning, I got confirmation that our neighborhood is going to be demolished and relocated at the end of the year. I told Xiaohui’s family the news right away, and they immediately agreed to let you and Xiaohui get married. Xiaohui is already on her way here. In a little while, you’ll go register your marriage with her…” Zhou Xiufen sprayed spittle as she rattled on like a machine gun. Her wrinkled face was full of smugness and petty calculation. Yu Xia was stunned. So the Jiang family intended to break off the engagement right here and now? The happiness that had originally filled her face vanished in an instant. “Number 9, please proceed to Window 1…” The announcement calling her number sounded again. Even the Civil Affairs Bureau staff were worried that the couple might miss their turn and reminded them repeatedly, “Is Number 9 here? Number 9?” “We’re not doing it! We’re not getting married! Skip our number!” Zhou Xiufen shouted loudly across the lobby. “Jiang Yiwen, is this what you want too?” Yu Xia ground her back teeth together. A cold light drifted through her eyes, and the corners of her mouth curled into a mocking smile. “I…” “Of course it is! Yiwen isn’t stupid. Why would he marry a poor country girl like you when he can marry a rich, beautiful woman like Xiaohui?” Zhou Xiufen said, glaring at Yu Xia with undisguised contempt. Then she slyly tried to sway Jiang Yiwen further. “Xiaohui is her parents’ only child. Once you marry her, won’t all their property become yours in the future? Go get another number in a moment and register your marriage with Xiaohui today, before anything unexpected happens. Then you two should immediately have a son or daughter. Our family will gain two more people, and we’ll be able to get a larger share of the resettlement space and demolition compensation! If Xiaohui is fertile enough to have twins…” “Then our Jiang family really will have struck it lucky!” As Zhou Xiufen spoke, Yu Xia stared unblinkingly at Jiang Yiwen. His peach-blossom eyes, which had once moved her more than anything, shimmered restlessly. Yu Xia knew at once that Zhou Xiufen had gotten through to him. “Jiang Yiwen, think carefully. If you refuse to marry me, then we can only go our separate ways.” “What’s there to think about? Who would be interested in your family’s little patch of poor rural land? Besides, you have a good-for-nothing younger brother who’ll be sucking you dry in the future. Yiwen can’t be that sucker!” Zhou Xiufen shouted, making her contempt for Yu Xia’s background perfectly clear. After hesitating for a long while, Jiang Yiwen seemed to have finally found an excuse in those words. He put on an air of superiority. “Yu Xia, I can’t spend my life supporting your younger brother along with you.” Yu Xia stared at him in disbelief, utterly dumbfounded. She couldn’t believe it had taken her three years to figure out whether this man was human or a dog! Just then, Zhu Yunhui entered the Civil Affairs Bureau lobby wearing a Chanel-style suit and carrying a designer handbag. Looking every inch the wealthy socialite, she glittered with jewelry. Zhou Xiufen’s eyes lit up. She discreetly jabbed Jiang Yiwen with her elbow. “Look at Xiaohui. I heard that the clothes she’s wearing and the bag she’s carrying each cost over ten thousand yuan. Thank goodness I made you keep her on the hook all this time and never cut off contact…” Yu Xia’s entire worldview shattered. So Jiang Yiwen had maintained an ambiguous relationship with Zhu Yunhui all these years, secretly carrying on behind her back? She had never noticed at all! “Yiwen, Auntie, I’m sorry to have kept you waiting. Have you cleaned up the mess?” Zhu Yunhui walked over with a fake smile and spoke in an arrogant tone. Zhou Xiufen beamed ingratiatingly. “It’s taken care of. It’s all taken care of.” Then she shot Yu Xia a sidelong glance. “Why are you still standing here? Even if you throw yourself at our Yiwen, he still won’t marry you. Besides, you’re penniless and powerless. There’s nothing you can even offer him.” Yu Xia was aghast. So Zhu Yunhui’s “mess” was referring to her? “Yiwen, hurry up and go get another number with Xiaohui,” Zhou Xiufen said, sending her son a secret look. Seeing Jiang Yiwen obey Zhou Xiufen’s every word and scurry away with Zhu Yunhui, Yu Xia finally drew a line under their relationship. “I’m warning you: don’t even think about pestering Yiwen again. If you cause trouble between him and his wife, I won’t let you off, you little vixen!” Zhou Xiufen viciously warned her. In her eyes, Yu Xia was nothing but a little seductress. Aside from being somewhat pretty, she was useless and only knew how to lure men. Yu Xia expressionlessly studied the wrinkled, sallow-skinned woman before her and gave a cold laugh. “Don’t worry. As far as I’m concerned, your son has already been placed in a coffin, cremated, and had his ashes scattered into the sea.” “You! You little slut, how dare you curse my son to die?” Zhou Xiufen’s eyes bulged with fury. She raised her arm and swung it toward Yu Xia’s delicate face. Although Yu Xia looked slender and delicate, she was no pushover. Her taekwondo black belt was not for show. She seized Zhou Xiufen’s wrist and flung it away with force. Zhou Xiufen staggered and nearly fell. “Mom, are you all right?” Jiang Yiwen and Zhu Yunhui had just returned after getting another number. They reacted quickly and caught her. “That little slut hit me! Thank goodness you came to your senses in time, son. Otherwise, if you had married her, the Jiang family would have been doomed!” Zhou Xiufen twisted the facts and accused Yu Xia instead. “Yu Xia, if you’re angry, take it out on me!” Jiang Yiwen shielded Zhou Xiufen behind him and confronted Yu Xia angrily. “I hope we can part on good terms. No matter how much of a scene you make, the result won’t change.” “Don’t you know what kind of person your mother is? She was the one who struck first! And there’s no such thing as parting on good terms between us. From now on, we’ll never have anything to do with each other again!” Yu Xia’s luminous eyes now held nothing but icy coldness. “Then I hope you’ll do as you say. I don’t want to see you pestering Yiwen again in the future,” Zhu Yunhui added with a smile that did not reach her eyes, her hostility unmistakable. Yu Xia returned the gesture with an equally insincere smile. “Who would’ve thought I’d spend three years growing such a rotten, shitty tree? Since you want to recycle trash, you can have him for free.” Zhu Yunhui’s smile stiffened. Jiang Yiwen flushed with anger and humiliation. “You! Who are you insulting?” Yu Xia lifted her thin eyelids and glanced at him. “Wasn’t I obvious enough?” In the next instant, she raised her hand and slapped him across the face. The sharp crack rang out clearly, leaving everyone present dumbfounded. “Is it clear enough now? You toyed with me for three years, and I’m returning one slap. We’re even!” Reader's Notes: 1. Civil Affairs Bureau: In China, couples register their marriages through the civil affairs authorities. Marriage registration is the legal process that establishes their marriage, rather than simply a wedding ceremony. 2. Demolition and relocation compensation: When a neighborhood is cleared for redevelopment, affected households may receive financial compensation, replacement housing, or other resettlement benefits. The amount and eligibility rules depend on the particular project and local regulations. Zhou Xiufen hopes that adding members to the household will increase the family's share; that is her expectation, not a universal rule. 3. Peach-blossom eyes: A Chinese literary description of attractive, expressive eyes, often associated with a gentle or alluring gaze. It refers to their appearance, not a supernatural ability. 4. Supporting your younger brother: a derogatory internet expression for someone perceived as sacrificing their own money or prospects to support a younger brother. Jiang Yiwen is accusing Yu Xia; the accusation is not established as fact. 5. Auntie: In Chinese, a younger person may respectfully call an older woman "Auntie" even when they are not relatives. Zhu Yunhui uses this form of address for Jiang Yiwen's mother.