One hour earlier, at Young Master Wang Lingxuan's residence…
In the dim, airless room, a man sat motionless behind heavy curtains, the faint outline of a wheelchair barely visible in the shadows. Once, he had stood among the most formidable rulers of the capital - wealthy, powerful, and feared by all. But now the darkness clinging to him was more than mere absence of light, it was the echo of his solitude. He hid behind the curtains not only to mask the agony twisting within him but also to shield himself from the judgmental gazes he had once dismissed with a single command. In his prime, people trembled before his influence. Today, they trembled for another reason, that is they are terrified not of his strength, but of the madness, the ruthlessness, the unpredictable fury that had replaced it.
Wang Hao, the ever-loyal secretary, stepped quietly into the shadowed room, his footsteps barely disturbing the heavy silence. Bowing slightly, he spoke in a cautious tone, "Master… the young miss of the Liu family has begun spreading word among her circle. She declares she is unwilling to marry you."
Wang Lingxuan let out a low scoff, the sound laced with bitter amusement. Yet beneath it lay a quiet, self-mocking laugh. Of course, who in their right mind would willingly marry a man who was not only a cripple, but one whose ruined face people could barely look at without flinching?
Wang Hao hesitated, torn between duty and disbelief. The words sat heavy on his tongue as he wondered whether he should speak of the Liu family's scheme at all. Even he had struggled to digest the information his informers had brought.
Wang Lingxuan fixed Hao with a sharp, penetrating gaze. "What is it?" he demanded, voice low and edged with impatience. "Why have you suddenly gone mute? Don't tell me the Liu family refuses to offer compensation… or" a cold, humourless smile tugged at his lips, "have they finally decided to kill me instead?"
Wang Hao jolted at his master's dark assumption and hurriedly shook his head. "No, Master, there is nothing of that sort," he answered quickly. "The Liu family hasn't planned to kill you. And even if such a foolish thought ever crossed their minds, we would erase their entire lineage before they could even begin plotting."
Wang Lingxuan's fingers tapped impatiently against the armrest of his wheelchair, the shadows sharpening the cold edge in his voice. "Then what?" he pressed, eyes narrowing. "What trick is the Liu family planning now to sever this marriage alliance?"
Wang Hao finally swallowed his hesitation and spoke, his voice low and cautious. "Master… they are not planning to break the marriage alliance," he said, each word carefully measured. "On the contrary, the Liu family intends to proceed with the marriage."
Wang Lingxuan's brows shot up in disbelief before a cold, derisive laugh slipped past his lips. "Continue the marriage?" he scoffed, his voice laced with mockery. "Oh? And how exactly do they plan to do that without a bride?"
Wang Hao hesitated, glancing at his master before speaking, his voice careful and measured. "They… they have found the Liu family's elder daughter, Wu Qingyi from Liu Moran's sham marriage orchestrated by the old lady," he began, pausing briefly to let the weight of his words settle. "The Liu family had long ago spread word that Wu Qingyi had died in an accident. In truth, they sent her to the mountains, ensuring that Liu Wuxin would remain the sole heir. But now…" His voice tightened, "they have brought her back, claiming to society that she has miraculously returned, and they intend to present Wu Qingyi as your bride."
Wang Lingxuan leaned back, a flicker of amusement dancing across his sharp features. A slow, approving smile curved his lips. "Impressive," he murmured, voice tinged with disbelief. "So now? They plan to switch the brides? How dare they attempt to deceive the Wang family? Hah… they must be tired of living to think such a scheme could ever succeed."
Wang Hao inclined his head slightly, his tone calm but precise. "Master, the switch of brides isn't new… it happened long ago. What they are doing now is merely restoring the title of bride to the original party of the marriage agreement."
Wang Lingxuan's brow furrowed, his voice sharp with confusion. "What do you mean by they switched the bride long ago?"
Wang Hao drew in a steadying breath before speaking, his tone low and weighted with years of buried secrets. "Master, the truth is far more twisted than we imagined."
He continued, "Before the old master of the Liu family passed away, he personally arranged your marriage alliance with Wu Qingyi. She was the legitimate daughter of Wu Yating, the woman Liu Moran had pretended to marry in that fake union years ago." Wang Hao's eyes flickered with anger as he revealed the rest. "But after the accident, the one that took Madam Wu Yating's life. The old Madam Liu secretly sent the child, Wu Qingyi, to the mountains and announced to the world that she had died. Then she contacted the Wang family and insisted that Liu Wuxin should become your bride instead, calling it repayment for the favour they owed you. The wang family also agreed to it as they thought Wu Qingyi had already passed away by then." He lifted his gaze to meet Wang Lingxuan's burning stare. "So, Master, the bride promised to you has always been Wu Qingyi. She is your rightful betrothed. Liu Wuxin was never meant to take that place."
A dark, humourless laugh slipped past Wang Lingxuan's lips as the truth settled in. He thought thank goodness that his bride was not that insufferable Liu Wuxin. Even before the accident, he could barely stand her sickeningly infatuated gaze and that obsessive, cloying eyes that followed him everywhere like a shadow he never wanted. The only reason he had ever tolerated her was because of his grandfather's promise to his saviour. He had rejected her more times than he could count. But after the accident, after he became a cripple, after his face was ruined and his world plunged into darkness, he had grown too weary to care. Vulnerable enough that he resigned himself to accepting her as his bride. Yet now, unexpectedly, a weight he hadn't even realized he was carrying lifted from his chest. A subtle, unfamiliar sense of relief washed through him. But then another thought struck him, the one that made his brows crease slightly, his original bride.
Wang Lingxuan's fingers tapped the armrest of his wheelchair, his voice low and unreadable as he asked, "Did Wu Qingyi agree to marry me?", his voice calm but edged with curiosity.
Wang Hao replied truthfully, "We are not certain yet, Master. However, the Liu old madam contacted us yesterday, requesting that we come to collect your bride. Wu Qingyi was brought back to the Liu residence late last night."
Wang Lingxuan let out a low, humourless chuckle. "Wu Qingyi knows nothing about what I've become. She must be agreeing for the sake of money. But once she sees the crippled me or once she sees this ruined face, she'll certainly run away."
Before Wang Hao could turn to leave, Wang Lingxuan's cold voice cut through the dim room. "After you bring the bride out, call me on video during the drive," he ordered. "The moment she sees me on this wheelchair and this ruined face then she'll certainly reject the marriage herself. Once she does, give her some money, report the annulment to Grandfather and then make sure the Liu family is crushed to bankruptcy."
What Wang Lingxuan did not know, however, was that Wu Qingyi had long been aware of his condition as her master had told her everything before she descended from the mountains. He never once imagined that the girl he dismissed as a mercenary bride would be the very one who loved him, guarded him, and stood by him without asking for a single thing in return.
Wang Hao and his informers knew only a single truth about Wu Qingyi, that she had grown up in the mountains. What they did not know was that she was still a child in heart and mind, untouched by the schemes of the world. And when the truth surfaced, they would not be shocked by her innocence but by the completely wrong impression she carried of Wang Lingxuan.