Be Good for Me - Chapter 11
Chapter 11
On the day of the engagement banquet, I wore the wedding dress I had tried on before.
White, cinched at the waist, with a long train.
My mother came in to adjust my veil.
“Zhiyi, don’t make a scene today.”
I looked at her through the mirror.
She was beautiful, too.
All these years, she had been Mrs. Xu.
A proper wife.
A gentle mother.
Someone who never embarrassed anyone.
I asked, “Mom, did you ever think about leaving?”
Her hands stilled.
After a long time, she said, “I did.”
It was the first time she had ever admitted it.
Her eyes reddened.
“But Zhiyi, not everyone has that kind of courage.”
I took her hand.
“I don’t either.”
“But today, I want to try.”
The banquet hall was packed.
The Xu Family, the Lu Family, business partners, friends from the media.
Everyone was waiting to witness this perfect engagement.
The ceremony began.
The host recited a string of beautiful phrases.
A match of equal standing.
A shared future.
Every line sounded so real.
When it was my turn to speak, my father’s gaze pressed down on me.
Like all those reminders I had heard countless times since I was a child.
Do not lose your composure.
Do not be willful.
Do not let others laugh at you.
I gripped the microphone.
My palm was slick with sweat.
Then I saw Jiang Zhaoye.
He was standing at the very back of the banquet hall.
He did not come closer.
He did not speak for me.
He only watched me from afar.
Just like that day at the auction stage, when he had left the choice to me.
This time, under the lights, there was only me.
I said, “Today’s engagement is canceled.”
The entire room went silent.
I continued, “I am not willing to marry Lu Siheng.”
“Not because anyone led me astray.”
“Not because this is some impulsive decision.”
“But because I never wanted this from the very beginning.”
My father stepped forward.
“Xu Zhiyi, get down from there.”
I took out the documents.
“Also, there are serious questions regarding the cash flow of the Xu Family’s medical project. I will hand the relevant documents over to a lawyer.”
“Before the matter is investigated, I do not consent to including the foundation under my name or my personal assets in any premarital asset consolidation.”
The Lu Family’s side descended into chaos as well.
Lu Siheng looked at me.
“Zhiyi, you don’t have to say this here.”
“I do.”
I looked at him.
“Because every time I say no in private, it gets dismissed as emotional instability.”
My father was on the verge of storming onto the stage.
Jiang Zhaoye moved.
I shook my head very slightly.
He stopped.
I did not need him to fight this battle for me.
I turned toward the audience below.
“Jiang Zhaoye is not some toy I bought.”
The crowd fell silent once more.
“It is true that I gave him money.”
“It is also true that I used him.”
“I wanted to use him to ruin the engagement. I wanted my family to give up on me first.”
“All of that is true.”
I looked at Jiang Zhaoye.
“But now, I no longer want anyone else to bear the weight of my choices for me.”
“I won’t marry him.”
“And I won’t hide.”
Low murmurs began to spread beneath the stage.
Some people craned their necks to look at the documents in my hand.
Some looked toward the Lu Family.
Others looked at Jiang Zhaoye.
They were probably all waiting for him to walk up.
Waiting for him to clean up my mess, or to turn this whole performance into an elopement.
But he didn’t.
He stayed where he was.
His gaze was dark and steady.
I almost wanted to laugh.
So this was what true respect looked like: he clearly could have rushed forward, but he was willing to hold himself back.
My father snatched the microphone away.
“Enough.”
“Not enough.”
I removed my veil.
When the veil fell to the floor, the entire banquet hall seemed to take the blow.
I lifted the hem of my dress and walked down from the stage.
I did not walk toward Jiang Zhaoye.
Nor did I walk toward Lu Siheng.
I walked toward the exit.
Jiang Zhaoye followed.
He did not take my hand.
He simply walked beside me.
After we stepped outside, the cold wind rushed at us.
He asked, “Can I take care of you now?”
My eyes burned.
“Yes.”
