Rebirth: After Becoming the Villainess-Chapter 84: There Are Plenty of Fish in the Sea
"I refuse."
Song Lianhe declared abruptly.
Her answer, though expected, still enraged Song Xingfeng.
"I am not asking for your opinion. Prince Ling and I have already decided. The wedding is set for the sixth of next month—you will marry him at the same time as your sister!"
Song Lianhe sneered. "Fine by me. I’ll back out. Let her marry him by herself."
Song Xilan glanced at her sidelong and said slowly, "Sister, don’t say such things in a fit of anger. Everyone knows how deeply you love Prince Ling, don’t they?"
"Everyone knows? Clearly, you don’t, Sister. Otherwise, how could you two have become so infatuated with each other?"
"Sister, you’ve misunderstood. I..."
Song Lianhe turned, looking her sister directly in the eye for the first time since she’d entered the room. "Don’t panic, Sister. I have no intention of settling scores with you. There are plenty of men in the world. If you like him, by all means, take him."
"Lianhe..." Song Xilan froze, her eyes fixed on her sister, searching for the slightest change in her expression.
"Insolence!" Song Xingfeng’s face flushed with anger. He pointed a finger at Song Lianhe. "Your marriage was decreed by the Holy Emperor himself! Do you think you can just call it off on a whim?"
"Hah. So what if it’s an imperial decree? Zhou Junlin is still marrying whomever he pleases without once asking my opinion." She turned her head to look Song Xingfeng directly in the eye and said, word by word, "Father, let me make myself perfectly clear today. I will not marry Zhou Junlin. If the Holy Emperor wishes to pass judgment, then let him. I will bear the consequences alone. I will not allow this to affect your career."
Song Xilan bit her lip, desperately trying to suppress the elation welling up inside her.
’I knew it,’ she thought. ’With Song Lianhe’s pride, she would never agree to be a co-wife! Especially not with someone she has always envied and despised!’
’That’s why I hinted that Father should go discuss the matter with Prince Ling. At first, Zhou Junlin didn’t want to wrong me and was firmly against it, which was a small comfort. But after I persuaded him again and again, he finally, reluctantly, agreed.’
’It seems I made the right move!’
"You whelp! You insolent whelp!"
With a single slap, Song Xingfeng broke a small table. Song Xilan jumped in fright. "Father, Sister is just not thinking clearly right now. You can try to talk to her slowly..."
"Not thinking clearly?! Does she have any idea what she’s really like? She’s a bully who preys on the weak, utterly unambitious, arrogant, and unruly! If your sister hadn’t put her own happiness on the line, Prince Ling would have gone before the Holy Emperor to beg for the engagement to be annulled long ago! The fact that he is still willing to marry you is a blessing from our ancestors! What more could you possibly want?!"
Song Lianhe lowered her gaze, a faint smile playing on her lips. "If I am so contemptible in your eyes, Father, then I am all the more unworthy of marrying Prince Ling."
Without another word, she turned to leave.
"You get back here!"
As Song Xingfeng moved to go after her, Song Xilan suddenly blocked his path, kneeling on the floor. "Father, please don’t make things difficult for Sister! It’s all my fault. If you must punish someone, Father, please punish me!"
"Lan’er! This has nothing to do with you. Get up!"
"No! The fault is mine. It was I who foolishly yearned to marry Prince Ling..."
Seeing his daughter acting so humbly, Song Xingfeng’s heart softened with pity. He let out a heavy sigh and stepped forward to help her up. "Lan’er, how could this be your fault? Your father knows you’ve been wronged all these years..." 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚
"Father..."
Song Xilan covered her face and wept.
*
Fuming, Song Lianhe returned to the Xubai Small Building.
Seeing her foul mood, Shuang Ye asked cautiously, "Why did the General send for you, my lady?"
"It’s nothing."
Song Lianhe didn’t want to let irrelevant people ruin her mood any further.
WHOOSH—
A figure landed outside. A moment later, Xuan Mei pushed the door open and came in. "If you don’t want to marry him, you could ask Prince Qing for help."
Ah Yu looked up at Song Lianhe and asked abruptly, "Did the General try to force you?"
Xuan Mei sat down and poured herself a cup of tea. "It’s worse than that."
She then briefly explained that Zhou Junlin intended to marry both sisters.
"How could he do that! My lady, your marriage was an imperial decree! Even if Prince Ling prefers the elder miss, he can only take her as a Concubine! To make her a co-wife... isn’t that a public slap in the face to you, my lady? If you accept this, you’ll become the laughingstock of all Ling’an City!"
Shuang Ye’s cheeks were puffed out in anger, and Ah Yu’s lips were pressed into a thin line, his handsome young face simmering with fury.
In contrast to their righteous indignation, Song Lianhe had actually calmed down.
"That’s why I’m calling off the engagement."
Xuan Mei looked at her. "You’ve tried to do that so many times before, and Prince Ling never agreed. What makes you think he’ll agree this time?"
Ah Yu lowered his gaze, his voice soft as he said slowly, "Why would he ever be willing to let you go?"
The reason for that went without saying.
Song Lianhe looked over at Ah Yu. ’This boy is growing up too fast,’ she thought.
