Chapter 667 - 447: 3-Person Trial Marriage

The instigator of this whole incident—Jiangg Yao—had been watching from the sidelines the entire time.

Seeing Chen Yuan constantly blocking Jiangg Ning and not letting her leave, Jiangg Yao was so anxious that she wished she could help push Chen Yuan away herself.

But she knew that jumping in now would only make things even messier.

In fact, the situation as it had developed was extremely advantageous for Jiangg Yao. She had successfully put herself in an invincible position.

If Jiangg Ning were to withdraw voluntarily, Yaoyao would likely become the biggest winner in this three-person love affair, getting everything she wanted and fulfilling her original wish of not having to share her boyfriend with her sister.

If Jiangg Ning refused to withdraw, the stalemate would still be broken. Giving in just once was, in effect, shifting a previously unshakeable bottom line, and once it happened, it would happen again. Although she wouldn’t like that outcome, because Chen Yuan had given so much, Jiangg Yao felt that this would also clear her debt to him.

It would just mean she’d have to suffer a bit.

The key was that she had to force Jiangg Ning to make a choice as soon as possible.

The longer it dragged on, the worse the outcome would be for Yaoyao.

This was precisely the reason why Yaoyao had orchestrated this whole scene today.

...

Seeing Jiangg Ning crying so miserably, looking so pitiful, Chen Yuan felt as if his heart was being squeezed, hard, again and again.

That was no exaggeration.

He felt like he was suffocating.

Right now, he didn’t have the mental space to blame Jiangg Yao.

Chen Yuan slowly crouched down, moving closer to Jiangg Ning. He looked at her bloodshot eyes and the large teardrops rolling down her cheeks... The front of her pajamas was quickly getting soaked, first in little spots, then gradually merging into a large patch.

He fell silent.

From the first time he’d seen Jiangg Ning cry until now, he’d lost count of how many times it had happened.

From the very beginning, Chen Yuan had always thought of Ningning as a strong girl—independent and self-reliant, rarely showing her disheveled or vulnerable side to others.

But in the blink of an eye, the seasons had passed.

As they grew closer, their feelings for each other deepened.

He had seen every side of Jiangg Ning.

Chen Yuan couldn’t help but wonder if his arrival had disrupted Jiangg Ning’s originally peaceful life, causing her to cry and bringing on this flood of negative emotions.

If it weren’t for him.

Jiangg Ning’s life would have been great—positive and full of sunshine... She wouldn’t have quit her job as a university teacher, and maybe she would still be at Lanjing University.

In the prime of her life, bright and lovely, making every student who passed by stop and admire her.

"Don’t cry... It’s my fault..."

"No... I just lost control for a moment," Jiangg Ning sobbed. "Just let me... let me calm down for a second and I’ll be fine."

"Whatever happens, let’s not fight today. That’s not what I meant in the first place..."

Chen Yuan coaxed in a low voice.

It had to be said, his gentle attitude and tone were very effective. Not only Jiangg Ning, but even Jiangg Yao couldn’t help but feel a slight flutter in her heart upon hearing it, and the expression on her face gradually began to change.

He had a nice voice to begin with.

But Yaoyao had worked so hard to set this trap, acting her part from beginning to end and expending so much emotional energy. How could she let all that effort go to waste and allow Chen Yuan to bring back the stalemate?

"No, if we’re going to talk, we settle it today!" She scrambled out from under the covers, playing the spoiler. "This has been dragging on for so long. Everyone’s exhausted. It’s better to just accept reality."

"Shut up," Chen Yuan said, turning his face away with a frown.

"What’s wrong? Is Ningning’s life the only one that matters? What about Yaoyao’s? Is that how you talk to your prospective fiancée?"

As soon as those two words, "prospective fiancée," were spoken, Chen Yuan’s vision momentarily went dark.

He hadn’t even managed to calm Jiangg Ning down, and now this damn Yaoyao just had to pour oil on the fire.

He had no idea what she was planning.

"I admit I was being emotional just now, but not everything I said was out of anger," Jiangg Ning said in a low voice, glancing at him. "Since you made a promise to Yaoyao, you need to keep it. Don’t disappoint anyone again... Withdrawing is my own choice. I don’t blame either of you."

"I won’t disappoint her, but I don’t want to disappoint you either..."

"Isn’t this how things just get more and more complicated? Chen Yuan, I actually thought a lot about this when I came upstairs drunk tonight. Sometimes, you don’t necessarily need a perfect ending. Just having had this wonderful relationship is already an unforgettable blessing in life... If we think of it that way, won’t everyone feel a little better?"

It was undeniable.

Jiangg Ning truly possessed immense courage.

She could feel that her love for Chen Yuan was on a completely different level than before. Especially after this incident, her feelings had undergone a qualitative change.

To endure the pain of separating now...

It would take at least a few years to recover.

To put it more seriously, a love this twisted and fraught with struggle could be buried deep in her heart for a lifetime.

Even so, she was still unwilling to change her initial decision, instead turning back to comfort herself with the thought that just having had it was enough.

But it’s precisely because you’ve had something that you fear losing it...

"I still think... I wasn’t planning on saying this," Chen Yuan said, taking a deep breath. "Ningning, if you really can’t accept my idea, then we don’t have to fight. We can just try it and see if it works. If a three-person relationship truly doesn’t suit us, I’ll respect your decision. If you want to leave then, I won’t stop you."

Chen Yuan steeled himself.

He had agonized over this idea for a long time, afraid that once he said it, there would be no turning back.

"How would we try?" Jiangg Ning asked, looking at him with a lack of understanding.

"You said we’d have to face all sorts of judgment from society, so let’s try facing it. You’re afraid you won’t be able to explain it to a child, so let’s just tell the child the truth. You said you can’t imagine a life with three people... so let’s try living it. As real girlfriends. I’ll explain it to everyone around us. We won’t have to avoid people’s questions... The moment you feel uncomfortable, we’ll end it."

He continued, "Making decisions about everything based on one’s own arbitrary assumptions isn’t what a rational person would do."

In the bedroom, the two sisters listened patiently to his proposal.

The last sentence, in particular, sent Jiangg Ning into a brief moment of thought; it had struck her weak spot.

"Uncomfortable? That’s too vague," Jiangg Yao was the first to object. "I’m not going to play this game with you two."

"Then it will last until the day of our engagement," Chen Yuan said faintly.

"You’ve already decided on our engagement date?"

"Mhm, early May of this year. I was originally planning to discuss it with my parents."

"A month and a half?" Jiangg Ning’s voice was filled with hesitation.

In truth, Jiangg Ning also felt that her hasty decision tonight to withdraw and no longer be a part of this relationship was a bit childish.

It was mainly that Jiangg Yao’s move was so bizarre, and the topic of marriage was just too impactful.

Anyone in her shoes would have found it unbearable.

"It’s like I said. When the time comes, if you want to back out, I won’t stop you. I’ll respect whatever you decide... Ningning, just consider this my last request. Can we all just take half a step back?"