Chapter 42: Over My Dead Body

“I…” Tang Qiu’s mind was a blank slate. She grappled for words and found none. It was impossible to deny that it had been her in the video. Distantly, she registered that the hand in hers had gone slack, and that the ice radiating from Jiang Shaocheng had settled into a dense, cold weight.

Her father-in-law–Jiang Hanchen–who had been silent all this while, turned to Jiang Shaocheng. “What are you keeping a woman like her around for? Get a divorce as soon as possible. I’ll find another bride for you. The Jiang family will not stand for such humiliation.”

“No!” Tang Qiu burst out. “I don’t… I don’t want a divorce. Someone was slandering me. My senior was trying to help me, so he–”

“Offered to be your boyfriend?” Jiang Ming interjected. “That’s one I’ve never heard before. Do you take us for children, Tang Qiu?”

“I’m not lying!” she shouted. Her tears were perilously close to falling.

“That’s right. You’re not. Because you two aren’t in an official relationship. You’re lovers. That’s why he came to your rescue,” Jiang Ming asserted triumphantly. It was all too obvious. Why would Ning Mufan, a young master from a wealthy family, go out of his way to help Tang Qiu? Not to mention, at one point, even he had taken a fancy to Tang Qiu’s looks…

Tang Qiu’s head was spinning. Every defense she tried to mount just kept playing into Jiang Ming’s web of lies; ensnaring her further, dragging her into a pit where the label ‘adulteress’ bled in bright red.

Jiang Ming cast a pitying look at Jiang Shaocheng. “It seems you’ve found yourself a fickle wife, brother. She got lonely, so she went to find comfort in another man’s arms. Why bother yourself with her? Sending her back to the Fengs will only further tarnish your reputation.”

Tang Qiu stared up at her husband with wide, pleading eyes.

“Reputation?” Jiang Shaocheng cut himself off with several coughs. “What reputation? If I had one, I lost it long ago. Tang Qiu is my wife. I trust her. There must be some misunderstanding. I’ll get He Lei to investigate.”

Ever since the accident, he had been named a cripple; sickly, horrific, hideous, with only a fraction of his days left to him. But not her. She kissed his scarred face, helped him wear his pants over his useless legs–all without a hint of fear or loathing. And she said she liked me. If she had meant what she said, he would get rid of that man, to ensure he was the only one left in her heart. He had never been kind; if he was being despicable, he didn’t feel it.

Why was he being so… tolerant? “Even so, brother,” Jiang Ming pressed, “you can’t just think of yourself. Our family’s reputation is at stake too. What if news of Tang Qiu’s affair gets out? Everyone will know in no time. What will happen then? Right, Dad?” He looked expectantly at the old man; his father prized the Jiang family name above all else.

Their father grunted and ordered, “Divorce her!”

“Over my dead body.” Jiang Shaocheng’s tone was hard with finality. His gaze locked with his father’s, and the air turned searing cold.

“You…” Jiang Hanchen felt his son’s mockery, as acutely as if it had been driven into him with a knife. “You wretch!” His hand crashed down on the table, sending the teacups flying and shattering into pieces. His son was taunting him with the memory of his mother–of Jiang Hanchen’s own marriage. “Your wife is having an affair, and you’re going to do nothing?”

“Of course not.” Jiang Shaocheng shook his head. “But you two chose her for my bride, remember? So is it my fault?”

Jiang Hanchen could have choked on his fury. He shot a glare at Jiang Ming. “We can’t let this woman be a stain on our family’s reputation,” he declared. “If you won’t divorce her, force her to drop out of school and stay at home, so she won’t go around spreading her legs!”

Anxiety creased Tang Qiu’s brow. No… she couldn’t drop out. She turned to her husband, silently begging him, Don’t say yes. Please. Please. A voice inside her whispered that from now on, her life would be inextricably tied to the Jiangs.

Jiang Ming–predictably–just couldn’t leave well enough alone. “Why go to so much trouble, brother? You’re crippled; your lower body is practically useless. You can’t satisfy her, you know that. Even if you lock her up at home, it doesn’t mean she can’t find ways to cozy up with men. Like your chauffeur. Your guards. Hell, that aide of yours who’s always lapping at your heels. I’m not saying they’d take her up on it. But isn’t the thought a disgusting one? She’ll make you a cuckold; it’s only a matter of time. Trust me. Get a divorce, and I’ll find you another wife–someone more docile whom you can keep on a leash.”

“Shut your mouth!” Tang Qiu’s knuckles had turned white in her rage.

“What’s wrong? Did I strike a nerve?”