Bride Swap Backfire: My Cousin's Rebirth Made Us a Power Couple-Chapter 41 - 37: Breaking Off the Engagement (Part 1)
Chen Dachang had once had several brothers and cousins, but on the road as refugees, many had died or been injured. By the time the court stepped in with disaster relief and the family settled in the Zhao Village, few of his close relatives remained.
The Qu Family’s situation was slightly better than the Chen family’s, but even if you added all the people from the Chen and Qu families together, they wouldn’t amount to even a fraction of the Zhao family’s numbers.
Because of this, the Zhao family was still in charge of the Zhao Village. However, for the sake of harmony, whenever there was an important village matter, they would invite the respected elders from the Chen and Qu families to participate. As a result, the three families lived together in harmony.
Chen Wanyue glanced at the elders standing under the eaves and chatting idly. Her heart heavy, she pulled her head back, found a small stool in the kitchen, and sat down.
The firelight in the kitchen flickered, and suddenly the firewood let out a sharp CRACKLE. Chen Wanyue seemed startled, her body shuddering again and again.
Seeing her panicked expression and her empty, lost gaze, Chen Wanqing actually felt a bit of pity for her.
’I don’t know why she decided to call off the engagement with Zhao Jing,’ she thought. ’Maybe she’s fallen for Li Cun, or maybe she thinks Zhao Jing’s family is too much of a burden for her to handle. Either way, when I compare Li Cun and Zhao Jing, I still think Zhao Jing is the better choice. I’ve known him since we were children, and he’s always been more responsible. He’d also be more tolerant of Wanyue’s many shortcomings.’
"Wanyue, are you really not going to reconsider this engagement?"
Chen Wanyue snapped out of her daze, her gaze turning dark as she watched her cousin feed firewood into the hearth.
The glow from the firewood illuminated her cousin’s face, highlighting her bright eyes, white teeth, snow-white skin, and jet-black hair. Truly, she was stunning from any angle.
Resentment flared in Chen Wanyue again.
’Why don’t I have looks like that?!’
’Why did the heavens give my cousin loving, ambitious parents and kind, harmonious brothers, on top of favoring her so much with her looks!’
’If only I had just one of those things!’
’Why was I given nothing, forced to live this pathetic life in the shadow of my cousin’s glory!’
Chen Wanyue was furious and blurted out, "An engagement like this? To me, it’s completely worthless! What is there to reconsider? I can’t wait to call it off. I’m going crazy just thinking about getting out of it!"
Chen Wanqing froze.
She looked at her cousin and saw a mix of relief and urgency on Wanyue’s face.
’She really, truly wants to end this engagement.’
’Does she want to marry Li Cun that badly?’
"Wanyue, is Li Cun really that wonderful? Is he so wonderful that you’re willing to break your engagement and become a dishonorable, promise-breaking person, just to marry him?"
"Break it? When the engagement to Zhao Jing was settled, no one even asked for my opinion! From start to finish, this whole thing has just been the elders stubbornly doing what they wanted. I was young back then and didn’t know any better. I just did whatever they told me to do. But now I’m older, and I have my own mind. I don’t think Zhao Jing is the right man for me, so I’m cutting my losses and choosing Li Cun. What’s so wrong with that?"
Chen Wanqing’s expression grew cold. "But you know perfectly well that long before this, the Li family sent a matchmaker to my family to propose..."
Before Chen Wanqing could even say the word "marriage," Chen Wanyue shot up from her stool, flushed with shame and anger, looking as if she wanted to leap right through the roof.
She pointed a trembling finger at Chen Wanqing, sputtering with rage. "You said it yourself! It was just a proposal! But you didn’t accept, so the marriage was never official. And if there was no engagement, Li Cun was still single, so why couldn’t I go after him? It’s not like he has the words ’Property of Chen Wanqing’ carved into his skin! As long as nothing was decided, why couldn’t he be mine?"
Chen Wanqing had only mentioned it casually, never imagining that such an offhand remark would strike with the force of an axe.
It was as if a wall of blades had sprung up before Chen Wanyue. She counterattacked forcefully, resolutely refusing to admit that she had poached her cousin’s potential marriage.
But then she saw Chen Wanqing’s lips tighten, her face growing ice-cold. ’She’s angry, isn’t she?’
Chen Wanyue was suddenly afraid.
’I can’t let that happen!’
’Even though I’m engaged to Li Cun now, things can change before the wedding. If she really were to accept the Li family’s proposal, what chance would I have?’
’If Li Cun had the chance to marry my cousin, he would definitely never choose me. I’m not delusional about that.’
Chen Wanyue quickly softened her tone. "Cousin, I’ve never asked you for anything my whole life. Please, since I’m your cousin, just let me have this one thing. I don’t have a father who works in the government office, or a mother who earns money making incense. My parents might make a little money from their flatbread stall, but all of it is being saved for Li’an and Shou’an. They don’t want to spend a single cent on me."
