Chapter Thirty-Seven: When Enemies Meet

It was past eleven o’clock on the morning of February 17th, and we were at my brother’s and parents’ home.

We had bought some gifts to congratulate my brother and, at the same time, to visit my parents. Ever since I left home at sixteen to join the Supernatural Bureau, I had never returned, nor had I kept in touch with my family; it was essentially a clean break. This return was, in a sense, a triumphant homecoming.

After buying the gifts, we arrived at their house, stepped inside, and saw my parents and my brother. To my surprise, I also saw Jiang Ruyu there!

Seeing me, my mother said excitedly, “Shucheng, it really is you! Back when you disappeared, if not for that master, I would have thought you were gone. I never expected what your brother said to be true! By the way, who is this…”

I looked at Jiang Ruyu and said coldly, “Why is she here?”

My mother replied, “Oh, Ruyu? She had some trouble—someone filed a lawsuit against her. Fortunately, the lawyer our family hired was brilliant; he cleared her name, and she even received a significant settlement. I told her to go to that… what was it called? That famous place, to ask the master there to perform a ritual to ward off bad luck, but when she returned, she said it had long been turned into a small convenience store.”

An Mingshan chimed in, “It’s Suiyiju.”

I said, “Keep your mouth shut!”

My mother said, “Right, that’s it, Suiyiju. Say, young lady, how did you know that?”

An Mingshan whispered, “It’s not just that I know it; I couldn’t be more familiar with it.”

My father said, “Don’t just stand there, come, come, sit down! Look at you, coming all this way and still buying gifts? By the way, young lady, what is your name? How old are you, and are you married yet?”

An Mingshan suddenly said with a sweet smile, “Hello, Uncle and Aunt. My name is An Mingshan, but you can call me An’an. I am twenty-seven, and as for being married… I don’t have any plans for that yet.” After saying this, she lowered her head shyly, stealing a glance at me. I had never seen her act so ingratiatingly toward others, especially not toward my parents! I began to wonder if she truly wanted to marry me. But I already had someone in my heart, and due to certain events, I had become disillusioned with the world and no longer had any desire to start a family. Therefore, there was no way I could accept her.

My mother said, “Look at how polite this young lady is. What kind of questions are you asking?”

My father said, “An’an, that’s good. It seems our family is destined for a double celebration today.”

I asked, “A double celebration?”

My father replied, “Yes. In fact, I saw it from the start—she’s interested in you; you should cherish her.”

An Mingshan looked up and said, “Uncle, it’s not what you think between us. Actually, we are…”

My father interrupted, “I know, you’re a girl, it’s only natural to be shy. Back in the day, when I was courting your aunt, she was just like you—even shyer. But in the end, didn’t she marry me willingly?”

I whispered, “Times have changed. How the hell can you compare the two? And besides, when did I ever say I wanted to marry her?”

An Mingshan said, “Uncle, we are truly innocent. If you don’t believe me, ask him!” She pointed at me.

I said, “That’s right, there is absolutely nothing between us, so don’t overthink it.”

My father said, “If there’s nothing between you, then why bring a girl home? Do you think anyone will believe that?”

My mother said, “Enough, both of you stop arguing! Shuhua’s wedding is what matters.”

I said, “Wait, Mom, when did my brother find a partner? How come I didn’t know?”

My mother said, “For that, you’ll have to ask your older brother yourself.”

My brother said, “Three years ago, on my way to the company, I was being harassed, and it was Linlin who stepped in, allowing me to escape. Later, we gradually fell in love, and so…” As he spoke, Song Linlin arrived!

She and I pointed at each other simultaneously, both looking stunned as we exclaimed, “It’s you!”

I muttered under my breath, “Talk about enemies crossing paths.”

Her eyes were filled with fury as she said, “Indeed. If it weren't for someone, I wouldn't have ended up in this state today.”

My brother said, “Alright, Linlin, let’s not talk about that, okay? Just don’t think about anything else, and focus on preparing for our wedding.”

At that moment, An Mingshan whispered to me, “I’ve heard about that incident. You really were ruthless.”

I replied in the same tone, “It wasn’t my doing, so why should she blame me?”

My mother said, “What are you two whispering about? Let me tell you, I do not approve of this wedding!”

My brother asked, “What? Mom, why have you suddenly changed your mind?”

My mother said, “I’m not talking about you two; I’m talking about Shucheng.”

I asked, “Me? I haven’t even said I wanted to get married. What about me?”

My mother said, “You should know that you and Ruyu were betrothed since birth. This is a debt you can’t just shrug off.” I suddenly caught a whiff of intense jealousy—it was coming from An Mingshan.

Knowing a major battle was about to erupt, I quickly said, “Is that true? How come I never heard of it?”

My mother said, “This was decided before you were even born. Ruyu is your Uncle Jiang’s only daughter. She fell for you at first sight, and that’s why she was promised to you, you rascal. Just be content! I really don’t know what she sees in you.”

I said, “Then what about the child? They were saying it was mine!”

My mother asked, “Child? What child? Ruyu, what is this about?”

Jiang Ruyu replied, “What child? You must have seen wrong.”

An Mingshan finally found a way to strike, saying, “You clearly held a child that time and claimed it was Shucheng’s. How can you say there isn’t one now?”

Jiang Ruyu said, “What nonsense are you spouting? When did I ever hold a child? Which eye did you see that with?”

An Mingshan said triumphantly, “That’s not right. Last time you clearly had a child with you. Why are you denying it? Let me tell you, our shop has 360-degree surveillance with no blind spots; the entire incident was recorded. You can’t deny it even if you want to.” After An Mingshan finished, I saw Jiang Ruyu looking nervous and guilty.

I whispered to her, “You sound very intimate.”

An Mingshan replied in the same tone, “I want to make her give up; there’s no other meaning. Do you want to watch the television?” I didn’t understand at first, but when she walked directly into the room and turned on the TV, we were all stunned.

Reader’s Corner:

Question: Mr. Author, have you ever kept pets?

Answer: I have. When I was a child, I kept rabbits and goldfish, but I never succeeded—they were either lost or died. I don’t keep pets now because I’m usually too busy with my studies and don’t have the spare time.