Chapter 3: This is Clearly a Curse!

One played the good cop, the other played the bad cop.

Their acting was so convincing, they could’ve competed for an Oscar.

If this had been the old Jiang You, she would have felt guilty and probably told Li Tianming that she would give up on going to university.

But now?

Jiang You calmly watched their performance, thinking—

These two were born actors.

And at the same time, she pityingly looked back on the more than ten years of her life that she had been fooled by these very same tricks.

"They’ve pulled the same stunts so many times, and I actually fell for them every time."

She smirked and cut through their nonsense.

"Moving from the countryside to the city—that wasn’t your dream? Why are you acting like you got the short end of the stick?"

"Back then, I wasn’t short of relatives willing to take me in. Aunts, uncles, distant cousins—they all fought for the chance to be my guardian, hoping to move into the city. You two just happened to be the most shameless, so you won."

"So now, Auntie, you’re reaping the benefits but acting like a victim? You’re like a wh** trying to set up a memorial arch for yourself. And you still think I’m a three-year-old child?"*

Her casual words completely overturned the carefully built-up narrative that Li Tianming and Ge Chunhua had crafted for years.

Ge Chunhua’s expression stiffened.

She realized something—

Her once soft-hearted little niece had grown up.

Maybe she had heard something from someone recently.

The biggest weapon they had against Jiang You was that she was too soft.

She had been brainwashed since childhood to believe in their so-called kindness and repay their sacrifices.

But now—

Jiang You was no longer easy to control.

Ge Chunhua’s tone immediately softened.

"Xiao You, your uncle raised you. Can’t you help him out just this once?"

"Your useless cousin got into debt with loan sharks. We have no choice!"

"Boss Wang’s son is a little slow, but he can take care of himself. You wouldn’t even have to serve him—you’d be married into wealth!"

Ge Chunhua dramatically fell to her knees, pleading:

"Auntie is begging you! If you don’t help, the loan sharks will kill your cousin! If he dies, your uncle won’t survive either!"

"You don’t want to see your uncle suffer, do you?"

"I really didn’t want to drag you into this, but your cousin Yingyue is too stupid, and they didn’t want her!"

"But you—you got such high scores on the college entrance exam. That’s exactly the kind of smart wife they’re looking for!"

Li Tianming didn’t say a word—

He just sat there, red-eyed and teary, gazing at Jiang You with guilt and sadness.

Ge Chunhua, still kneeling, wept as if her life depended on it.

She made it seem like Jiang You was the villain—as if refusing would make her the most heartless, cruel person alive.

If this were the past, Jiang You wouldn’t have dared to let her kneel, would have been consumed with guilt, maybe even cried herself.

But now?

She laughed.

"Elders kneeling before their juniors is a curse for early death. Auntie, you must really hate me, huh? Can’t wait for me to drop dead?"

Ge Chunhua’s face changed instantly.

She waved her hands frantically.

"No, no, no! Xiao You, how could you say that? I—"

Jiang You cut her off, her voice as calm as ever.

"How much did Boss Wang offer you for me?"

A flash of panic crossed Ge Chunhua’s face.

Jiang You was curious.

In her past life, after she refused the arranged marriage, Li Tianming and Ge Chunhua had pretended to give up.

They had begged for a few more days, then acted disappointed but never mentioned it again.

She thought the matter was over.

Until two days later—

They drugged her dinner and let Boss Wang’s son into her room, hoping to force things into reality.

They had failed.

But the disgust of it all had stayed with her forever.

At the hospital, her uncle had knelt before her, crying:

"I’m so sorry! I had no idea that idiot Wang’s son could climb through a window!"

He pinned all the blame on Boss Wang’s foolish son.

Never once did he admit to drugging her himself.

And then?

To prove his so-called innocence, he had killed himself.

Jiang You, seeing the man who had raised her cry and beg, had believed him once more.

She wouldn’t be fooled again.

Ge Chunhua hesitated before answering,

"One million."

Jiang You raised an eyebrow.

"Swear it."

"Swear that if you’re lying—tomorrow, you and your husband will get hit by a car and die."

"Swear that Yingyue will marry a violent, perverted man and be beaten to death."

"Swear that Haochen will have his hands and feet chopped off by the loan sharks, and that his sons will be born without a—"

"Swear that Haoxuan will waste his life on gambling, drugs, and crime, then die from a bullet to the head."

"Swear that your entire family will meet tragic ends, and that your ancestors' graves will be dug up by stray dogs."

Ge Chunhua sucked in a sharp breath.

Her eyes widened in rage and shock.

"Y-You—!!"

"You little b***! This isn’t swearing—you’re cursing me!"*

Some people, when they commit too many sins, develop a guilty conscience—

And those people tend to believe in karma and superstition the most.

Ge Chunhua was one of those people.

She gritted her teeth and admitted through clenched jaws—

"Six million."

Li Tianming shot her a sharp look, but quickly turned back to Jiang You with a trembling voice.

"Xiao You… it’s all my fault… I failed you…"

Ge Chunhua’s eyes lit up with excitement.

Since Jiang You was asking about the price, she must be considering it!

"Ha! In the end, she’s still just a naive little girl. Easy to manipulate!"

Ge Chunhua immediately pressed forward.

"If you agree to marry Boss Wang’s son, everything is negotiable! I swear, it’s really just six million—I wouldn’t lie to you!"

"As long as you help your cousin, Auntie will owe you forever! I’ll treat you like my real daughter!"

Jiang You nodded, as if considering it seriously.

Then she chuckled.

"Huh. I guess I’m worth quite a lot—six million, huh?"

Jiang You smiled faintly.

"I can marry—but I have conditions."

"First, you return all of my father’s belongings to me. Especially the jade bracelet. It’s worthless, but it was my parents’ keepsake, and it has special meaning."

"Second, you and your family must move out of my house by sundown tomorrow."

"Third, I want four million yuan from the bride price. The remaining two million can go toward paying off your son’s debt."

"Agree to these terms, and I’ll marry him in a month."

At the mention of her father’s belongings, Jiang You’s gaze darkened.

Ge Chunhua sneered.

"Four million? You’re just a little girl, but your appetite sure is big!"

She curled her lips in disdain.

"What does a girl like you need all that money for? Aren’t you afraid of getting robbed?"

"Why not give it to your uncle for safekeeping? You know how much he loves you—he’d never harm you!"

She shot Li Tianming a meaningful glance.

Jiang You snorted internally.

At this point, her eldest cousin, Li Haochen, had probably already been caught by the loan sharks.

That was why Li Tianming and Ge Chunhua were so desperate.

They had even tried marrying off Li Yingyue, but Boss Wang had rejected her.

His conditions were clear—

He wanted a smart girl, but not too pretty—because pretty girls were disobedient.

Li Yingyue was decent-looking, but her grades were terrible, and she had paid her way into a third-rate university.

After an investigation, Boss Wang had dismissed her.

As for Boss Wang’s son?

The man was a brainless brute who had already beaten two wives to death.

That’s why the bride price was so high—this was blatantly blood money.

Even in a patriarchal society, no sane parent would willingly send their daughter into a death trap.

And on top of that—

Boss Wang was hoping to use a smart woman to improve his grandson’s genetics, praying the next generation wouldn’t be another idiot.

He also insisted on a virgin.

To him, good grades equaled intelligence.

Jiang You, however, knew she had never been truly smart.

If she had, she wouldn’t have spent over a decade failing to see the wolves in her own home—

Treating them as family instead.

She leaned back lazily, eyes half-lidded.

"Then I won’t marry."

"It’s not like you can physically force me, right? This is a modern society."

"But if you do manage to force me into marrying that brute, I’ll just spend every day torturing him."

"After all, as his wife, I’d have plenty of opportunities."

Jiang You glanced at Li Tianming, her tone mocking.

"Uncle, are you trying to marry me off or start a blood feud?"

"Take a guess—if Boss Wang’s son mysteriously dies in my hands, do you think he’ll let you off?"

Li Tianming opened his mouth, ready to act like the “good guy” and say they wouldn’t force her anymore.

But before he could utter a word, Jiang You narrowed her eyes and added coldly—

"If you dare say ‘fine, don’t marry,’ then I’ll really never marry. So don’t even try pretending."

Li Tianming froze, then lowered his head in an act of guilty silence.

Ge Chunhua panicked.

"You dare?!" she screeched.

If they lost this money, what would happen to her son?!

The loan sharks had already said that if they couldn’t repay the debt, they’d sell Li Haochen’s organs!

Jiang You stared at her.

"Try me."

The sharp, unyielding look in her pitch-black eyes sent a chill through Li Tianming’s heart.

Something about this Jiang You felt… different.

The old Jiang You had always been quiet and obedient, never talking back, only hiding away to cry in secret.

But now?

She was like a porcupine, bristling with spikes in every direction.

Li Tianming’s expression darkened.

Then, suddenly—

"SLAP!"

He struck Ge Chunhua across the face.

Her head snapped to the side, a red handprint blooming on her cheek.

"Enough!" Li Tianming roared.

"Xiao You agreeing to help us is already more than we deserve! What more do you want from her?!"

"That six million yuan is hers to begin with! I’m already ashamed that I can’t even provide her with a proper dowry—yet we’re still using part of her bride price to pay off our son’s debt! Isn’t that shameful enough?!"

"If you keep pushing her, I’ll divorce you!!"

His face flushed red as he shouted.

If Jiang You hadn’t been reborn, she might’ve actually believed that her uncle was truly powerless and remorseful.

What a performance.

Such brilliant acting.

Too bad…

The audience was already awake.

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