My Alleged Husband

Chapter 1171 - 1027: A Life of Regret (Part 4)

Xia Jing originally just wanted to put on an act to leave a better impression on Zhang Zhentian, and she never truly intended to follow Old Master Zhang’s words, so why would she take his words seriously?

Zhang Zhentian was stunned upon hearing his father’s request. He turned to look at Xia Jing; he initially thought Xia Jing would give up her career to be with him, but unexpectedly...

After speaking, Xia Jing left without looking back.

Zhang Zhentian was about to chase after Xia Jing, but Old Master Zhang shouted, "Stop! Can’t you see? If she genuinely wanted to be with you, why wouldn’t she be willing to give up her identity for you? Don’t you understand this woman yet?"

At that moment, Zhang Zhentian fell silent. Indeed, if she truly wanted to be with me, why wouldn’t she give up her mercenary identity? Could it be, like my father said, that she is merely using me for profit?

After pondering for a moment, Zhang Zhentian decided to find Xia Jing, "Dad, I still want to talk to Xia Jing. I want to ask her why she’s unwilling to give up her identity to be with me."

Zhang Zhentian turned and left.

"In that instant, as a mother, I too harbored resentment against your grandfather. But after thinking about it, no matter what happens, he will eventually be my father, and one must respect one’s father, no matter the time or place. I truly thought that kneeling to him was a concession, humph! To think they could expect me to bow my head, impossible! How dare they make demands of me—see how I’ll deal with you once I’m married to your son." Xia Jing soliloquized by the lakeside, "Hmm, why has Zhentian not caught up yet? Could he have been forced to stay home by his father?"

Little did Xia Jing know that after she rejected Old Master Zhang’s request, Zhang Zhentian’s feelings for her had already become uncertain! As she noticed that Zhang Zhentian hadn’t caught up, she assumed he wasn’t coming to find her, so she boarded a black car and left.

Having ignored Old Master Zhang’s advice, Zhang Zhentian searched everywhere for any trace of Xia Jing but found nothing. After searching fruitlessly, he walked alone along the lakeside where he and Xia Jing had once walked, recalling the moment his father made the proposal to Xia Jing and her reaction. He could never grasp whether Xia Jing, as his father had suggested, was in it for his family’s wealth or fulfilling a mercenary mission, leaving Zhang Zhentian anxious and uneasy. He feared his father’s claims might be true, and if they were, what would he do?

"Xia Jing, Xia Jing, where are you? Come out!" Zhang Zhentian yelled at the lakeside, hoping Xia Jing would emerge. But the only response was echo upon echo. Zhang Zhentian was helpless; he squatted alone by the lakeside, contemplating where to find her, when he suddenly looked up and saw a black car passing by—a car Xia Jing was riding in. Zhang Zhentian saw this and started chasing the car.

"Xia Jing, get down, come down!" Zhang Zhentian shouted, chasing after the car and calling Xia Jing’s name, but she seemed to not hear him; no one responded, and passersby looked at him as if he were a fool.

Zhang Zhentian, exhausted from running, stopped, thinking Xia Jing might come down to see him. But all he witnessed was the car speeding away.

Back home.

"You rebellious child, you still remember to come back? So, did you find the person?" Old Master Zhang barked angrily.

"Couldn’t find her," Zhang Zhentian replied, "I searched by the lake and everywhere we went together, but I only saw her leaving by car in the end."

Old Master Zhang was secretly joyous, thinking Xia Jing had abandoned his son, and that his son would give up on Xia Jing, forget her, and find another woman. Yet he couldn’t anticipate that in the end, his son would inevitably become involved with Xia Jing, leading to a situation beyond control—but that’s a story for another time.

As Old Master Zhang was feeling pleased, Zhang Zhentian said, "Dad, if there’s nothing else, I’ll go upstairs to rest. Don’t call me for dinner." With that, Zhang Zhentian turned and walked away.

Once back in the bedroom, Zhang Zhentian pondered whether he and Xia Jing were truly over and if they would be together again. But Old Master Zhang had concluded that Xia Jing wouldn’t be with Zhang Zhentian, and began searching for suitable matches for his son, insisting on equal social standing.

Manager Sun said, "Old Master, the Li Family’s darling daughter, Li Jiayuan, seems quite good. I heard she just returned from studying in the United States recently."

Old Master Zhang was delighted upon hearing this. He had always favored Jiayuan for his daughter-in-law; nothing could be better. He told Manager Sun, "Find a time to invite Jiayuan out. I’ll bring Zhentian to meet her. Who knows, Zhentian might like this child and won’t bother with that ill-intentioned woman anymore!"

"Old Master, I’ve checked; it can be arranged in three days. I’ve already invited Li Jiayuan on your behalf."

Three days later...

Old Master Zhang took Zhang Zhentian to the company and then found an excuse to take him to dinner, secretly arranging a matchmaking!

"Dad, why did you bring me here? I have things to do; I’m leaving!"

"Stop—I’m inviting you to dinner and to meet someone. Fix your attitude, understood?"

"To meet who?"

"You’ll know soon enough."

"Hello, Uncle, I’m Li Jiayuan. Happy to meet you!" The heiress from Li Corporation—Li Jiayuan—had arrived at the hotel where Old Master Zhang had invited her for a meeting.

Old Master Zhang felt internally sure upon seeing Li Jiayuan’s manners, believing she was his future daughter-in-law.

Zhang Zhentian understood the primary purpose of their dinner the moment he saw Li Jiayuan enter. He thought to himself, Old Master Zhang certainly worries a lot about his marriage!

Old Master Zhang eagerly stood up after Li Jiayuan’s greeting, "Miss Li, you’ve arrived. Please, have a seat."

"Uncle, no need to be formal. Just call me Jiayuan." Li Jiayuan couldn’t resist asking upon seeing Zhang Zhentian beside Old Master Zhang, "And this is...?"

Old Master Zhang promptly answered upon Li Jiayuan’s inquiry about his son, "This is my son, Zhang Zhentian." Seeing Zhang Zhentian sitting still and not greeting, Old Master Zhang nudged him with his elbow, leading Zhang Zhentian to feel embarrassed, rising at a leisurely pace.

"Hello, Miss Li, I’m Zhang Zhentian, his son," Zhang Zhentian said, pointing at Old Master Zhang.

"Who would have thought back then that Grandpa arranged a matchmaking for your dad, and the person turned out to be your Aunt! Many things are unexpected; the developments and eventual outcomes are beyond imagination. Never could one fathom facing such a scenario one day. When that moment arrived by my side, I felt astonishment—I didn’t understand what led to those unforeseen conclusions. Nor do I believe in destiny’s preordained paths, yet gradually, I realize everything was indeed fated!"

"Although you may not believe in destiny now, I’ve come to accept that what’s destined to happen will inevitably occur, regardless of how far you wish to escape."