"What marriage contract? Ah, Miss An, that was nothing more than a joke. How could you take it seriously?"
Lin Shiping, head of the Lin Family, regarded the young woman before him with an enigmatic smile. "Judging by your attire, life must not be easy for you, right? How about this: you leave the token, and I'll give you ten thousand yuan. Consider it thanks for your affection for our Lin Shang all these years."
An Yan frowned, a hint of coldness flashing in her clear eyes. With a flick of her wrist, she revealed the engagement token.
It was a grotesque Stone Carving, palm-sized, its face bearing a striking resemblance to Lin Shang.
"Let Lin Shang come out and speak to me!"
Lin Shang was her fiancé. A few days ago, he had sent her an invitation, stating that today was their engagement. She had taken a two-day train journey to get here, only for this old man at the door to refuse her entry.
"What do you want him to say? Young lady, don't be so shameless. Ten thousand yuan is a considerable sum. Take it and leave quickly!"
Lin Shiping's face hardened.
An Yan stepped back, avoiding the money he tried to thrust at her, and insisted stubbornly, "Call Lin Shang out!"
Lin Shiping scoffed, and just as he was about to lose his temper, he heard Lin Shang's voice.
"An Yan, I have never liked you!"
Lin Shang, dressed in a luxurious designer suit, hurriedly strode over. His handsome face was icy and grim, his eyes full of impatience.
An Yan studied his expression, searching for any sign of reluctance.
But Lin Shang met her gaze unflinchingly, his eyes firmly conveying his current stance.
Today is his auspicious engagement day with Bai Zhi. The hall is full of distinguished guests. Even Young Master Mu, from Luocheng's most prominent family, has come with friends to show support. How could the Lin Family possibly have such standing? It's all because of the marriage alliance with the Bai Family that these previously inaccessible nobles have deigned to attend his engagement banquet. And as the future head of the Lin Family, his task today is to satisfy Bai Zhi and the Bai Family. Only then can the Lin Family rise to the next level.
Lin Shang said emphatically, his tone hardening, "An Yan, the person I, Lin Shang, love is Bai Zhi! Please, don't contact me anymore!"
An Yan stared at him, her voice cool and clear. "You could have said this over the phone or sent a message. Yet you insisted on sending an invitation to tell me in person. Why?"
"I..." Lin Shang stiffened. It was Bai Zhi's idea to have An Yan come.
"By having you here, you can see the difference between yourself and Sister Bai Zhi!"
Lin Shang's sister, Lin Yueru, sneered, gesturing for An Yan to look at the woman at the center of attention in the crowd, as elegant as a swan in her white gown.
"Sister Bai Zhi is the eldest daughter of the Bai Family, noble and graceful, from a distinguished lineage! And you? You're just the granddaughter of some charlatan. What makes you think you can compare to Sister Bai Zhi?"
The Lin family members with her chimed in.
"Miss Bai's bracelet alone is worth over ten thousand! Look at you—is anything you're wearing worth more than a hundred? How pathetic!"
"Our Lin Shang wouldn't choose you even if he were blind. If you have any sense, get lost!"
An Yan took a breath, and a faint smile suddenly bloomed on her usually stoic and cool face.
The Lin family members were all stunned.
This country bumpkin... she's actually beautiful!
Lin Shang's expression changed drastically. He knew An Yan was beautiful, but he certainly didn't want her flaunting her looks in front of Bai Zhi.
His eyes filled with disgust as he repeated, his voice harsher, "Please leave immediately!"
An Yan raised her hand, holding the Stone Carving up for all the Lin family members to see.
"In that case, take this stone back!"
Lin Shang felt a wave of relief and reached out for it.
But he saw An Yan's fingers suddenly clench.
The hard stone was effortlessly crushed into powder in her grip, which she then flung into Lin Shang's face.
"An Yan, you... you..."
A sharp pain shot through Lin Shang's chest; he was both shocked and furious. Though it was broad daylight, he clearly felt an icy chill seeping into his body from all directions.
Lin Shiping, not noticing anything amiss with him, gestured, and soon, the Lin Family's bodyguards began gathering around them.
The atmosphere instantly grew tense.
An Yan nonchalantly brushed the remaining stone dust from her hands. "I've returned the token to you now."
As the Stone Carving shattered, she felt something loosen in her mind, followed by an indescribable sense of liberation.
"However," she continued, "an engagement can be broken, but debts must be settled!"
An Yan took out her phone, displayed an image, and projected it onto the large screen. It listed several types of precious medicinal ingredients, each with a price.
Total:
7.48 million!
"These are the medicinal herbs my grandfather used to treat Lin Shang eighteen years ago. Honestly, I was hesitant to ask for repayment, considering our engagement."
"But now that your Lin Family refuses to honor the engagement, this money should naturally be repaid, don't you think?"
Initially, few people had been paying attention to them, but when the image on the large screen changed, everyone took notice. Countless eyes turned their way.
Guests began to whisper among themselves.
Lin Shang's handsome face turned crimson. "So you're just after money! Fine, I'll pay."
An Yan's lips curled into a cold smirk. "That's not all. Although his illness was cured back then, his constitution remained weak. For the past eighteen years, my grandfather and I have expended considerable effort to manage his condition. Combined..."
The screen changed to another list.
Total: 17.48 million!
Roars of laughter filled the air.
Bai Zhi's parents' faces turned as black as ink. For their daughter's engagement ceremony to become such a farce was a disgrace not only to the Lin Family but to the Bai Family as well.
"And there's more—"
Before An Yan could finish, Lin Shang cut her off. "Say no more! One hundred million. That should be enough, right?"
He quickly wrote a check. "An Yan, from this moment on, we have absolutely no relationship!"
A satisfied smile appeared on the faces of Bai Zhi's parents. Although the Lin Family's standing is ordinary, Lin Shang himself has some backbone.
An Yan hadn't yet said if she would accept it when Lin Shang suddenly let go of the check.
It fluttered to the ground.
An Yan watched it fall, her expression unreadable.
Bai Zhi, who had been observing coldly from the sidelines, let a satisfied smirk play on her lips. "Don't you want the money? Pick it up!"
An Yan's gaze swept coldly towards Bai Zhi.
If I remember correctly, this girl is my stepmother Bai Xiaoyun's niece, isn't she? Could Bai Xiaoyun have orchestrated their union?
An Yan turned to leave, only to find the Lin family members weren't done yet.
"Not taking it? Hey, don't go! That's a hundred million! Are you sure you don't want it? Don't come crying later that the Lin Family didn't pay up!"
"So desperate to get married, are you? Just pick it up! Take this hundred million back to your village; those village men would be lining up to marry you!"
Lin Yueru burst out laughing. "Accept your fate! You'll never find a man as outstanding as my brother in your entire life! One must know one's place, little country bumpkin!"
An Yan's expression darkened, and she turned back.
Lin Yueru, who had been laughing uproariously, instinctively fell silent.
Ever the protective boyfriend, Lin Shang pulled Bai Zhi behind him.
The bodyguards tensed, on high alert.
Yet no one dared be the first to rush forward and confront someone who could crush stone with her bare hands.
An Yan ignored these clowns. Her gaze shifted past them, settling on someone standing apart from the crowd.
There stood a man of striking appearance. He was tall and slender, with impeccably straight posture. His features were picturesque, his amber eyes holding a cool, solitary light. He seemed to exist in only two colors: the black of his clothes and the white of his skin.
In terms of appearance, he was undoubtedly the most striking person there.
Oddly, everyone kept their distance from him.
Yet, in her eyes, he clearly possessed the most auspicious destiny! Imminent fortune, an aura of nobility crowning him.
Li Tianyao idly toyed with the Buddha Beads on his wrist, his gaze meeting the young woman's across the crowd.
Her skin was porcelain-white, her features delicate and distinct. Her hair, styled into a soft bun atop her head, was haloed by the sunlight.
She approached him with light steps, her clear, doe-like eyes fixed on him.
"Would you marry me?"