Chapter 10 The Unfilial Son's Reckoning

Xie Dongyang's escape from his own wedding was premeditated. At first, he thought nothing about rejecting Hua Sheng, as his family was more powerful than hers. However, he never expected that Jiang Liu would get caught up in the affair. To Xie Dongyang, this was an unexpected bonus. It made him feel as though Jiang Liu was getting something that he did not want; it made him feel really pleased. Xie Dongze understood what his younger brother was getting at and did not continue speaking much. Instead, he followed their father's instructions and brought Xie Dongyang back home. That night, Xie Dongyang endured a whipping with a leather whip. Old Master Xie, who was really angry, was the one who administered the merciless beating. He only relented when his wife became soft-hearted and pleaded for leniency on their son's behalf. "I should have flogged this unfilial boy to death," Old Master Xie remarked as he panted with the whip in hand. Xie Dongyang remained completely silent throughout the entire ordeal with gritted teeth, evidently extremely indignant. "Do it. I'll stop pissing you off," Xie Dongyang said in a faux-Beijing accent. He had stayed with his paternal aunt in Dragon City for a while when he was younger, so he spoke in Beijing slang occasionally. Under the current circumstances, however, it managed to infuriate his father even more. "Don't you know when to shut up? Are you planning to drive your father to his grave?" Madam Xie exclaimed, punching her son on his shoulder. She was getting irritated by him as well. It was not a heavy blow, however. He was her favorite child, and she could never bring herself to hit him hard. "You can't blame me for what happened, Mom. You people set me up with an engagement and wedding without even seeking my consent. Even now, I don't even know what the Fifth Young Mistress of the Huas looks like. Are we still living in the old times where all important decisions have to be made by one's parents? Dad is always acting as if he belongs in the Qing dynasty! You two are always deciding things on my behalf! To you, I'm just like a big baby who's incapable of making decisions and starting a relationship with a girl. Why did you have to choose a bride for me? Are you people getting married or me?" Xie Dongyang never held his tongue back, no matter what situation he was in. He kept going, berating his parents for what he perceived as their wrongdoing. This caused Xie Yun to become even angrier. He wanted to continue whipping him but began to feel dizzy after a while. He fell backward onto the sofa behind him... "Dad," Xie Dongze called out to him in concern as he hurried over to support his father. "How are you, dear?" Madam Xie asked, also hurrying over. "See, your blood pressure is spiking because you aren't allowing me to speak... This is totally a violation of my rights." Xie Dongyang continued to provoke his father. "You'd better shut up right now, Dongyang. Dad is not feeling well. You could have told us that you strongly object to the marriage... Why did you have to act up like this? Now that the whole issue has been blown up, both our family and the Huas have been openly humiliated. You were obviously wrong, so you should apologize to Dad. What are you bitching about?" Xie Dongze berated his younger brother. Xie Dongyang lowered his head, finally keeping quiet. His father had already punished him, and there was no way the wedding could go on. At the very same moment, in the Jiang residence... Jiang Liu was seated in the luxurious hall with his parents, and there was complete silence. All three of them raised their heads to look at Hua Sheng when she descended from her room, having changed out of her clothes. . She was wearing a long, refined, and faintly-red cheongsam. It was a perfect combination of modern beauty and classic understatement. She was also wearing a pair of simple pearl ear studs that looked perfectly aged. Her hair was bunned together in a simple manner, somewhat in contrast with her youthful-looking face. Hua Sheng was only 22, a rather young age to get married in modern-day society. She walked down the stairs in an extremely elegant fashion. All eyes were on her. "Mr. Jiang, Mrs. Jiang," she said after walking up to Jiang Liu's parents and bowing slightly. "No, no... You shouldn't address them so formally now, right?" Jiang Liu reminded her, a glint of mischief in his eyes. Hua Sheng lowered her head in response, her cheeks turning slightly red...