“Hurry up and call off the engagement.”
“You’re not seriously going to sacrifice the entire Liu family just to marry off your daughter, are you?”
“No one in the world would be that foolish.”
But Liu Ruyan’s mind was sharp, and she immediately recalled the strange behavior of Luo Xinghe, Song Yuwei, and the others that morning.
Everything Luo Xinghe was saying now seemed like nonsense—clearly, he was trying to make the Liu family think poorly of him and voluntarily cancel the engagement.
But come on, you’re just a food delivery guy now. If you want to return to the good life you used to have, marrying me is your only chance.
Shouldn’t you be trying harder to impress me?
How is it that you’re out here talking like some gold-digging… no, husband-digging guy?
Is this really the classic case of a poor man hurting a rich family’s “percentage”?
The problem is… everything you’re saying? Those are my lines—the kind a woman would say!
As the sharpest business mind of the Liu family’s second generation, Liu Ruyan didn’t know everything, but she understood one fundamental truth:
If everyone’s fighting over something, it must be worth fighting for.
Why did she come back this morning after deciding to cancel the engagement? Because she saw the Song and Qiu families weren’t backing out. They even seemed a bit disdainful of her.
Didn’t that indirectly suggest Luo Xinghe was highly sought after?
Maybe this guy had some hidden talents she didn’t know about.
And now here he was, deliberately saying all kinds of ridiculous things to lower his value in their eyes.
Liu Ruyan was certain now:
This guy’s up to something!
He’s trying so hard to get out of the engagement? Well, now I definitely won’t let it happen. I want to see exactly what trick the Luo family is playing.
Liu Ruyan gave a soft laugh and gently brushed her long hair aside.
“I understand everything you’re saying.”
“I’ll give you the sense of security you need.”
“But it’s still a little early for all this—these things should be discussed when we’re formally engaged.”
“So, the engagement will proceed as scheduled. At that point, both of our families can negotiate.”
Luo Xinghe: “But… didn’t you just say you were calling off the engagement… then…”
“What?”
Luo Xinghe was stunned.
Had the Liu family gone mad? Had Liu Ruyan gone mad?
Didn’t she already decide to cancel the engagement this morning?
Now he’d come over and done everything he could to lower her opinion of him—shouldn’t she be calling it off immediately?
Why was the engagement still going forward as planned?
Was Liu Ruyan an idiot?
Liu Zhengfu gave Liu Ruyan a strange look and said:
“This is up to you young people.”
“After all, Ruyan is the only daughter of the Liu family. Everything in the future will be hers—she calls the shots.”
“As long as you two work it out, that’s all that matters.”
Liu Ruyan gave a reserved smile, exuding the elegance of a true heiress.
She pulled a black card from her small purse and said:
“It was my oversight—not giving you enough sense of security.”
“After all, the Luo family is now in ruins. You’re out there delivering food to support your family, while I’m up here living in luxury. Of course, you’d feel insecure.”
“Here’s this card—use it however you like. If you spend it all, just ask me for more.”
“How can a man of mine be out there delivering takeout? How can you possibly be short on money?”
Luo Xinghe stared blankly at the black card on the table.
Liu Ruyan’s dainty hand even gave the card a playful flick.
Luo Xinghe looked completely devastated.
He stood up, dazed and disoriented, muttering to himself:
“Everyone in this world has gone mad.”
“The Liu family is mad.”
“Liu Ruyan is mad.”
“Song Yuwei is mad too.”
“No wonder this place is called Fengcheng in the original story—it really is full of lunatics…”
Luo Xinghe stumbled his way out of the Liu household.
Inside, the Liu family was eerily quiet.
After a long pause, Madam Liu finally came back to her senses.
“Has Luo Xinghe lost his mind since the Luo family collapsed?”
“What he’s asking for… isn’t that basically demanding that the whole Liu family be handed over to him?”
Liu Zhengfu turned to look at Liu Ruyan, who appeared perfectly calm.
“Daughter, what do you think?”
Liu Ruyan gave a soft chuckle and said:
“Everyone knows the Luo family has fallen. The once-glorious Young Master Luo now delivers food to support himself.”
“Logically, all previous marriage agreements with him should be void—after all, among aristocratic families, marriages are about alliances, and no one would accept someone like Luo Xinghe now.”
“But this morning, the Song, Wan, and Qiu families all clearly stated they would not cancel the engagement.”
“Are we really going to say that all the other noble families are fools, and only I’m the smart one?”
“You taught me, Father: if everyone’s fighting over something, then that thing is valuable—it’s worth seizing.”
“This situation is no different.”
“Luo Xinghe must have something hidden up his sleeve.”
“And just now, he deliberately said all that nonsense to provoke us—to make us cancel the engagement.”
“If that hadn’t happened, I might still be unsure. But because of what just happened, I’m now completely certain—”
“The Luo family has a trump card.”
Liu Zhengfu nodded in satisfaction and asked:
“So you went out this morning intending to cancel the engagement?”
Liu Ruyan, still feeling smug for having seen through Luo Xinghe’s scheme, began to respond:
“Well… if I’d told you, you definitely would’ve—”
Then her expression suddenly changed, and she quickly said:
“Father, I’m going upstairs to rest. I’m very tired.”
Liu Zhengfu watched his daughter sneak away and cursed out loud:
“I knew putting you in charge of the whole Liu family was a mistake. Who told you to go cancel the engagement behind my back…?!”
Liu Ruyan shut the door to her bedroom and lay on the bed, deep in thought.
But what kind of trump card could Luo Xinghe possibly have left?
He’s trying so hard to call off the engagement—that must mean there’s some kind of unexpected benefit in marrying him.
But what does the Luo family have left now?
And what exactly do the other noble families see in him?
This is so strange.
Maybe… it was just a personal decision from the Song and Qiu families?
Anyway, there’s no rush. I’ll keep observing…
Meanwhile, Luo Xinghe had returned home, still unable to figure out why Liu Ruyan had changed her mind so suddenly—why she had decided not to call off the engagement.
But if the engagement stands, and Liu Ruyan is the female lead, she’ll definitely end up with Zhou Shuai.
Which means, eventually, it’ll bring ruin to the Luo family.
Back then, the engagement caused an uproar throughout Fengcheng. Zhou Shuai wouldn’t even need to investigate—it’d be common knowledge that Liu Ruyan and Luo Xinghe were engaged.
What should I do?
Zhou Shuai is about to make his entrance. He’ll arrive in Fengcheng any moment now.
When that happens, he’ll use his dominant protagonist aura to win over all his fiancées and powerful families—and crush me, the “villain.”
Isn’t there any way to change that?
No… it can be changed.
In the original story, the Luo family was the number one family in Fengcheng. But now? Not only are they not number one—they don’t even exist anymore.
That already changes the story.
Maybe… just maybe… Liu Ruyan and the others won’t end up with Zhou Shuai after all?
No, no… I can’t afford to count on wishful thinking when it comes to the Luo family’s extermination.
I still have to act in ways that make them hate me enough to call off the engagement on their own.
Since the tactic of demanding a higher dowry didn’t work, it’s time to try something else.
Looks like I’ll have to focus on them personally.
In the original story, Luo Xinghe, while rich and charming in his youth, still had a decent reputation.
Well then…
Hehehe…
I’ve got it…
I’ll ruin my own reputation!
That way, even for the sake of appearances, these noble families won’t dare maintain a marriage alliance with me. After all, they have to care about public opinion too!
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Thanks for the chapter!