Yue Yin could no longer contain her anger.
"He's ill! And you still have the heart to insult him like that?" she snapped, her voice trembling with fury. Yue Yin was used to Mei Li's spiteful nature—had been for years—but it infuriated her that, no matter how much time passed, that girl never changed.
She turned toward her father, desperation in her eyes.
"Father… please, stop this. You can't possibly expect me to marry into that family, can you? Mei Li was the one who wanted to marry him from the start! So let her! Don't involve me in this! I don't want to marry anyone! You can't force me—and none of you have the right to!"
But instead of reasoning with her, Chang Ge did something unthinkable.
He struck her.
The slap landed in the very same spot where Mei Li's handprint still burned red on her cheek. Yue Yin froze—her body trembled, her breath caught. It took her a moment to even process what had happened.
"F–Father… you hit me?" she asked, eyes wide in disbelief.
Chang Ge didn't flinch. Not a hint of remorse showed in his eyes.
"Yes! Of course I did! How dare you order me around and beg like some pathetic mutt?! Do you really think I've ever cared about what you wanted?!" he roared.
He had always been quick to anger whenever Yue Yin disobeyed. His temper only fueled Mei Li's satisfaction; a cruel, triumphant smile curved on her lips as she watched her father's rage strike exactly where she wanted it to.
"Remember this!" Chang Ge barked. "The decision to marry you off wasn't mine alone! If it were up to me, I would never agree to such a thing. I have no interest in planning your future or your marriage!"
Yue Yin's chest tightened. Her heart stung, but she tried to stay calm, pleading once more.
"Then talk to them again, Father. Tell them I don't want this marriage. Please—just speak with them! Don't put the blame on me!"
Chang Ge's hand twitched, ready to strike again.
"You—!"
But Yue Yin stepped back before he could move. A bitter laugh escaped her lips, heavy with heartbreak.
"Why is it so easy for you to hit me, Father? Whether I'm right or wrong, you always find a reason to raise your hand against me."
That insolent tone made him furious. His finger jabbed toward her, trembling with rage.
"You ungrateful child! You should be thankful anyone would even consider marrying you! This proposal is far more than you deserve. Heaven knows what reason they had for choosing you—but don't think for a moment I'm pleased about it!"
His voice thundered through the room, trembling with frustration. None of this had gone according to his plans. Chang Ge still couldn't understand where things had gone wrong.
"His life will be short," he hissed. "He won't live for more than a year. That's why so many young women were eager to marry him! And you—you dare to refuse? Do you think the Quans will take that lightly?"
Mei Li let out a sharp cry of frustration.
"Father!!! Quan Li Jian is mine! I already bragged about our engagement to all my friends! Do you want your favorite daughter to become a laughingstock?!"
Chang Ge froze, torn. He turned toward Mei Li, his expression softening.
"That's not what I want, my dear. But the problem is—they chose Yue Yue, not you."
Mei Li stomped her foot, her voice shrill with fury.
"I don't care! I will marry that sickly man! I'll become a rich widow once he dies, and no one will stand in my way!"
Yue Yin's eyes widened in disbelief. Her stomach turned at the venom in Mei Li's words. She had always known her father and stepsister were greedy—but to hear them speak so coldly, so inhumanly, was beyond what she could ever imagine.
---
Yue Yin sat alone for a long while afterward, lost in thought. Her heart felt heavy and chaotic. She knew her father would never listen to her pleas. He would rather sacrifice the daughter he didn't love to protect his pride and ambitions.
The arrangement between the Wen and Quan families was everything he had ever wanted—a union to raise their family's standing. Even if the groom's identity changed, the result would be the same: the Wen name would be elevated.
Her father's anger, she realized, wasn't because of her. It was because his carefully built plans had slightly gone astray.
But Yue Yin couldn't bear the weight of it all alone. She sought out her oldest and dearest friend, Fang Yi, the only person who had ever truly listened to her troubles. She told him everything—the madness, the greed, the unwanted marriage that loomed over her.
As she expected, Fang Yi was utterly stunned when he finally pieced the story together.
"You're getting married? And your father and stepsister planned it?" His voice rose with disbelief. "He's actually thinking about your future now?"
Yue Yin let out a humorless laugh.
"No, that's not it. They never cared about my future. Mei Li was supposed to marry into the Quan family, but when she was rejected, they handed the entire arrangement over to me—as if I were some spare pawn on a chessboard."
Fang Yi shook his head and clapped sarcastically.
"Incredible. Where did they learn to twist fate to their advantage so cleverly?"
Despite herself, Yue Yin let out a small chuckle. Fang Yi's dry humor always managed to ease her pain, if only for a moment.
"That's why I'm so frustrated, Fang Fang," she murmured softly. "Isn't it unfair? Don't you think so too?"
Only with him could she let her vulnerability show—her sadness, her fear, her exhaustion.
Fang Yi leaned back, trying to piece things together.
"But… how did this even happen? Why would the Quan family choose you to marry their youngest son? Have you met him before? Maybe there's a hidden story—a spark between you two?" he teased, eyes gleaming with curiosity.
Yue Yin's face twisted in disbelief. For a moment, she had felt comforted by his concern, but then he had to ruin it with that ridiculous question.
"How could I have met him? The Quan family is so private—they've banned all media coverage of their affairs! I can't even find a single piece of information about him. I don't even know what he looks like… or how old he is!"
Fang Yi tilted his head, thinking.
"I think," he said slowly, "I've heard something about him before…"
***