Sold immediately after wearing it? I took my family and fled the famine.

When Xu Yun returned home, it was already completely dark.

Xu's father and mother were still awake; two oil lamps were lit in the main room, clearly waiting for him to return so they could have dinner together.

Xu Yun pushed open the door and came in. His shoes were covered in mud and water, his hair was messy, and his face was completely bloodless.

When Xu's mother saw him like this, she was startled and quickly put down her teacup and stood up: "What happened? Didn't you say you were going to the literary gathering? How did you come back like this? Did you fall? Or did you get into an argument with someone?"

Xu Yun didn't say anything. He poured himself a cup of hot tea and drank it down before sitting down at the table.

After a long silence, he finally recounted the events of the day in a hoarse voice.

Xu's mother was already pounding her chest, saying, "My son, it's a good thing you saved someone, but to be carrying that girl in public... that's just too much..." She then turned to Chen Sumei, "And Chen Sumei, how could she, as the older sister, let you bring her home? After something like this happened, instead of thinking about getting her inside, she's arguing with you? Isn't this just family members hurting each other?"

Xu's father remained silent until Xu's mother had finished her complaints, then he looked at Xu Yun and asked in a measured tone, "You just said that Chen Sumei wants you to marry Chen Xiaoxiao?"

Xu Yun nodded.

Mr. Xu then asked, "Then why do you think she insisted on saying that?"

Xu Yun frowned, a look of confusion on his face. His father glanced at him and continued, "Even if the two Chen sisters have a very good relationship, after something like this, how could the older sister not blame you and instead force you to marry the younger sister?"

"If she truly cared about your and Xiaoxiao's reputations, she should have suppressed the matter and discussed it with both families. She keeps talking about annulling the engagement and finding someone else. Do you think she cares about Xiaoxiao, or something else entirely?"

Xu Yun was stunned. He recalled how Chen Sumei had stopped Su Yan outside the teahouse earlier, her eagerness. Why was she so concerned about Su Yan?

She said it was because of Xiaoxiao. But at the meeting, Xiaoxiao hardly looked at Su Yan, while Chen Sumei's gaze seemed fixed on Su Yan.

He slowly said, "Thinking back, she really cared about Su Yan. On the street, she said it was because Xiao Xiao liked Su Yan, so she was asking around for her sister. But at the literary gathering today, Xiao Xiao didn't recognize Su Yan at all. When Su Yan recited his poem, Xiao Xiao didn't react at all, but Chen Sumei..." He stopped there, his expression changing.

Confused, Xu's mother asked, "What Su Yan? What does this have to do with Su Yan?"

Xu Yun didn't answer immediately; his mind was a jumble, as if something was slowly surfacing.

Although Chen Sumei's engagement to him was arranged by a matchmaker, she herself had given her consent. These past few days, he had been constantly trying to please her, indulging her every whim—buying her clothes, jewelry, and taking her shopping. He had always believed she genuinely wanted to marry him.

But now that I think about it carefully, Chen Sumei never once said "I want to marry" to him. Su Yan was the one she truly cared about.

Seeing her son's increasingly grim expression, Xu's mother forgot her complaints and asked softly, "Son, what have you finally figured out? Is it that the girl from the Chen family doesn't want to marry you at all?"

Xu Yun gave a bitter smile: "She doesn't want to marry me at all. She has someone else in her heart. Today's incident was probably a setup she orchestrated. She pushed Xiaoxiao into the water and then called me to save her. She knew I would jump in, and she also knew that the color of her clothes was similar to the one I gave her, so I would mistake her for someone else."

"Once I bring Xiaoxiao up, she'll take the opportunity to push the marriage onto Xiaoxiao. Then she can go find that person cleanly and without any problems." After saying this, he felt a chill run down his spine.

Upon hearing this, Xu's mother was both shocked and furious. She slammed her hand on the table and stood up, exclaiming, "That Chen family! They've schemed against my son to this extent! If that's the case, what's the point of keeping this marriage? Tomorrow, I'll go find the matchmaker and return the betrothal gifts! My Xu family has an honest and upright reputation; we won't let anyone make fools of us!"

Mr. Xu raised his hand, gesturing for her to sit down. He looked at Xu Yun and asked, "What are you thinking? Should we call off the engagement or not?"

Xu Yun fell silent. He looked down at his still damp hands and slowly clenched them.

Chen Sumei didn't want to marry him, and it would be a real joke if he continued to pursue her. But now the wedding invitations had already been sent out, and relatives and friends all knew about it. Although the Xu family wasn't a wealthy family, they still cared about their reputation.

If the engagement is broken off at this point, outsiders will only say that the Xu family was rejected by the Chen family, and that they were rejected by a woman.

He couldn't let people see the Xu family like that. He raised his head and looked at Xu's father and mother, saying each word clearly, "I will not break off the marriage with Chen Sumei."

Xu's mother panicked: "You're not going to back out? My foolish son, she's treated you like this, and you still want to marry her?"

Xu Yun shook his head: "I won't marry her. If she doesn't want to be a member of the Xu family, then she won't. But my engagement cannot be called off." He paused, a cold and deep light flashing in his eyes: "I will marry Chen Xiaoxiao."

The main room fell silent. Xu's mother opened her mouth wide, speechless for a long time.

"Xiaoxiao is a good girl, but you and her... you haven't even gotten to know her temperament or personality, how can you just marry her like that? It's not like you're changing clothes!"

Mr. Xu didn't react much, only asking, "Have you thought this through? Will the Chen family agree?"

Xu Yun said, "Today, Chen Sumei said in person that she either wanted me to marry Xiaoxiao or wanted me to break off our engagement. Fine, I'll grant her wish. I'll marry Xiaoxiao. That way, the Xu family's wedding invitation won't be invalid, and outsiders won't know that the Chen sisters have been replaced."

"The Xu family saved face, and Chen Sumei dumped me. As for Xiaoxiao..." He paused, the image of Chen Xiaoxiao appearing before his eyes. He said, "Xiaoxiao is more honest than her sister. I don't want to wrong her. I want her to know that I'm not the kind of person who can be easily manipulated. If she's willing, I'll marry her. If she's not willing, I won't force her."

Hearing this, Xu's mother's eyes reddened: "What kind of talk is this! Marriage is a serious matter, how can you treat it so lightly! If you marry Xiaoxiao, how will we live in the future? What will outsiders think of our family?"

Xu's father pondered for a moment and said, "This is indeed a good idea. The Chen sisters are from the same clan and family. If the replacement is made, outsiders might not be able to tell. However, this replacement requires the approval of the Chen family elders. If the Chen family does not agree, forcing a replacement will only make both families lose face."

Xu Yun nodded: "So I'll go to the Chen family again tomorrow. I want to make this clear in front of the Chen family elders. As for Xiaoxiao..." As he said this, the coldness in his eyes faded a little: "I will treat her well. If she's willing, I, Xu Yun, will never let her down in this life."

Xu's mother sighed, wanting to persuade him further, but Xu's father waved her off.

Mr. Xu said, "You're all grown up now, so you can make your own decisions about some things. Just one thing: don't drag yourself into it. The Xu family cares about its reputation, and you also need to live your own life. Don't let a fit of pique make you waste your life."

"I'm not acting out of spite," Xu Yun said.