Chapter 10: Exactly As He Wished

She woke from the pain, only to faint again.

Her mouth was gagged, preventing her from screaming or begging for mercy. Ye Aihua thought she would surely die like this, but after finally waking up from the agony once more, those two hours that made her wish for death finally came to an end.

As usual, there were no visible injuries on her body; only faint red marks and a lingering, bone-deep soreness that left her without the strength to even move served as reminders of what she had endured that afternoon.

For once, Jiang Huairen showed a rare moment of kindness by sending her back to the alley entrance in the rain. Dragging her trembling, aching body past the Su family home, she suddenly realized she hadn't yet achieved her purpose in meeting him.

But she was in no hurry.

Jiang Huairen had tasted the forbidden fruit and was usually reasonable enough. She would rest the night and go find him again tomorrow; it would not be too late.

Ye Aihua stood there under her umbrella, staring blankly at the Su family home, her gaze fixed on the light seeping through the door cracks.

"Su Weian, everything I, Ye Aihua, am suffering today is because of you."

She would never let her off easy. She would make her taste every bit of the suffering she had endured. She believed Su Weian would love the gift she had prepared for her.

"Su Weian, this is the price for coveting Hongfei!"

"Su Weian, aren't you proud and confident? I can't wait to see you crying and begging for mercy like a stray dog!"

"Su Weian, I will slowly make you lose everything you care about. I will drag you down into the dust, and I will make sure you can never be so high and mighty again!"

...

When Su Yuping and her husband returned, Weian went into the kitchen to start cooking. Su Yuping followed her in shortly after.

"I saw Aihua downstairs just now. She was standing at our door, soaked to the bone. Her face was deathly pale, and I thought about asking her to come in and change, but she ran off as if she were being chased by a dog."

Weian tilted her head to look at her. "She went out in this rain?"

Thinking of the poor complexion Su Yuping described, Weian immediately had a guess. It was likely that Ye Aihua had been put through the wringer by that man again.

Weian sneered coldly. "Don't worry about her. She brought it on herself."

Su Yuping was taken aback. They used to be as close as could be; why did Weian’s tone sound so off?

However, Su Yuping was happy to see that Weian was no longer as close to Ye Aihua as before; she had never liked Ye Aihua, who always seemed to have a thousand ulterior motives.

She paused, unable to stop herself from saying a bit more. "I just feel her eyes are too restless. Besides, I heard people saying she seems to be seeing someone, and more than once, she’s stayed in a room with him for hours in the middle of the day."

Su Yuping had indeed heard rumors about Ye Aihua, and since she found them too inappropriate to discuss directly with Weian, this was the only way she could offer a warning. There was nothing wrong with a young woman dating, but if it wasn't a proper relationship, that was a bad sign.

"I heard the man is quite a bit older. What could she possibly be after?"

Weian was stunned. "Sister, who did you hear that from? Some rumors shouldn't be believed."

She knew the rumors were true, but she hadn't expected them to be circulating outside. It was no surprise, though. If you don't want people to know, don't do it. That man named Jiang didn't treat Ye Aihua like a human being at all; every time he took her to a hotel or his place, he did it in broad daylight, making no effort to hide it.

"I heard it by chance. I don't know if it's true, but Weian, there is no smoke without fire. If Ye Aihua were upright and honorable, how could such rumors spread about her?" Seeing Weian trying to defend her, Su Yuping spoke with earnest gravity.

Weian couldn't help but chuckle. "Sister, I'm not stupid. Don't I know that if you don't want people to know, you shouldn't do it? Let's not talk about her; it ruins the mood."

She pointed to the scallions on the side, asking Su Yuping to wash them while she started the stove to heat the oil for cooking. She had already cleaned the crucian carp and salted it to be eaten in a day or two. With only five people in the house, a large basin of pickled fish was more than enough for dinner.

Su Yuping smiled, then tentatively brought up Weian’s fiancé. "Has Kuang Yunxiao written to you lately?"

Weian’s hands paused. "No."

Since they had met for an arranged date at the end of last year, Kuang Yunxiao had only written her one letter. She hadn't replied, and she hadn't received another one since. Weian guessed that Kuang Yunxiao wasn't very satisfied with her, but because his mother was close with her aunt and liked her very much, he couldn't bring himself to reject her outright.

Her lack of a reply had likely played right into his hands.

"Actually, Kuang Yunxiao is a very good marriage prospect. He's only twenty-six and already a battalion-level officer. With your aunt vouching for him, you can tell his character and ability are truly outstanding."

Seeming worried that Weian might not want to hear her nagging, Su Yuping lowered her voice. "Weian, don't think I'm being a nag. When looking at a man, you must not look at his looks or family background first. You must look at his character and his abilities, then his family upbringing."

"A man's appearance and family status are the least important things. Marriage is about two people living behind closed doors; good looks and a good background are just the icing on the cake."

"If a man lacks ability and character, even the largest family fortune will be squandered by him, and even the most handsome face will become repulsive."

Weian nodded repeatedly, fully agreeing with Su Yuping. "Sister, you’ve said so much lately, and I’ve been listening and thinking it over. You're right—Kuang Yunxiao is indeed someone who can live a steady life."

Men were not important to Weian. But she knew that in this day and age, as an ordinary girl, if she truly decided to never marry, she would become an outcast. The reputations of the other women in the Su family would also be tarnished because of her.

So, if there was someone she could get along with, she would treat him as a diversion. If not, or if his character was lacking, then it wouldn't be impossible for her to have a child and raise it on her own later.

Su Yuping was immensely relieved. Holding her stomach, she began to pass on the secrets of a successful marriage. "Husband and wife are the closest, yet they can become the most distant. You can like him, but you must never give up your job or your hobbies just because you like him. And you must not try to take control of every single little thing in the house."

At this point, she glanced outside the kitchen before continuing. "Take washing clothes or cooking, for example—who says that has to be a woman's job? If he's too concerned about his pride to do it, you must remember to coax him into doing it when no one is looking. Once he gets used to it, he won't care if others see."

Weian was astonished; she never expected Su Yuping to have such tricks up her sleeve. She nodded continuously. "What else? What if he hits or scolds me? Look at me—I'm so small. If he really raised a hand, could I possibly win against a giant like Kuang Yunxiao?"