Jiang Jingming didn't mind Song Jiajia's attitude towards him.
Actually, he found it a bit strange; the last time they met, she didn't seem to be like this towards him.
Chen Jinlan glared at Song Jiajia upon seeing this.
Song Jiajia pretended not to see it.
Song Zhenhua looked at Jiang Jingming with a kindly smile, "Jingming, please sit down."
Jiang Jingming nodded slightly, his face showing some detachment.
In fact, Song Zhenhua was still a bit afraid of Jiang Jingming; possibly because of his military background, he carried an undeniable air of intimidation.
Song Zhenhua rubbed his fingers together and said, "Jingming, about your marriage with Jiajia, we have something to discuss with you."
Song Jiajia was quite displeased seeing Song Zhenhua being so cautious.
After all, he won't live much longer, why fear him so much?
"Dad, stop beating around the bush, just say it."
Song Jiajia looked at Jiang Jingming with defiance, "Jiang Jingming, your fiancée has changed; I'm not marrying you anymore."
Jiang Jingming frowned, his expression stern, his thin lips pressed into a straight line.
Song Zhenhua, seeing this, sternly reprimanded, "Jiajia, shut up!"
"Jingming, it's our fault," Song Zhenhua felt a bit apprehensive.
Jiang Jingming said coldly, "If that's the case, then there's no need for a replacement fiancée; let's just end the engagement here."
Inwardly, the man felt a sense of relief; the girl he had met on the street before had touched his heart,
If he were to marry Song Jiajia, it wouldn't be very fair to her either.
Now it's simpler this way.
He just didn't know which family that girl belonged to.
Or whether she already had someone.
When Song Zhenhua heard this, he thought it wouldn't work; if it's over, the bride price would surely have to be returned.
Not to mention more than eight hundred, even if it's just a dollar, once it entered Song Zhenhua's pocket, there was no way it was going back out.
Song Zhenhua hurriedly said, "Jingming, it's our fault, the neighbors already know our two families were to be engaged; if it suddenly gets canceled, it won't be good for your reputation either."
There was no warmth in Jiang Jingming's eyes, and his tone was flat, "I don't care about that."
"Jingming, I know you're a good kid, but…" Song Zhenhua hesitated, looking at Jiang Jingming.
Jiang Jingming looked displeased; he hated it when people couldn't speak straight, if this were in the army, this person would have been made to carry a ten-kilometer load.
"You can just say what you have to say." Jiang Jingming's voice was cold and unyielding.
"Jingming, actually, my niece wants to swap marriage partners with Jiajia. You know I have a niece living with us, she lost her parents young, and we've always indulged her.
A few days ago, she somehow heard that Jiajia's marriage partner was a squad leader in the police bureau, so she wanted to swap marriage partners with Jiajia.
We love our niece dearly, plus she has no parents, so we had no choice.
So we agreed, and now Jiajia has no choice but to marry her original marriage partner."
Song Zhenhua said helplessly, seeming helpless about the niece's actions but having no choice.
Upon hearing this, he pursed his lips, his eyes like a freezing winter sky, frightful.
Seeing this, Song Zhenhua continued, "Besides, yesterday my niece made a fuss, making our neighbors aware of this, so…"
After speaking, Song Zhenhua gave Song Jiajia a look.
Understanding the cue, Song Jiajia's tears came immediately, looking pitifully at Jiang Jingming, "Brother Jiang, I didn't mean to treat you like this, it's just my cousin…,"
"Where is she?"
If possible, Jiang Jingming still wanted to clarify things because marriage is no trivial matter.
Song Zhenhua and the others exchanged looks; finally, Song Zhenhua said, "Xiao Yu went out to buy things as soon as she knew Jiajia agreed to swap today; you know she has no parents, we can only indulge her."
Jiang Jingming's brows furrowed tightly, his expression unhappy.
"Jingming, it's my fault, but Uncle really can't bear to hurt Xiao Yu." Song Zhenhua said with regret and annoyance.
Jiang Jingming didn't have much goodwill towards Xiao Yu, who so cavalierly wanted to swap marriages.
But he had already spoken, if he backed out now, the woman's reputation would be ruined.
"I understand, Uncle. I still have things to attend to, so I'll take my leave now."
Jiang Jingming turned to leave, but Song Zhenhua, uneasy, called out, "Jingming, about the marriage."
"Just proceed as planned."
Jiang Jingming's voice was emotionless, even carrying a hint of anger.
After Jiang Jingming left, Song Zhenhua and the others breathed a sigh of relief.
If Jiang Jingming had insisted on refusing, it would have been terrible.
But Song Zhenhua had accurately gauged Jiang Jingming's character; he was a former soldier and now a policeman.
He surely wouldn't stand by and watch Sang Yu be scorned.
However, Sang Yu probably left a poor impression on Jiang Jingming now.
But it didn't matter; it wasn't important to Song Zhenhua.
"Dad, did Jiang Jingming agree?" Song Jiajia asked uncertainly.
Song Zhenhua glared at Song Jiajia, "Of course."
Just now, Song Jiajia's attitude almost gave them away.
Chen Jinlan still looked unhappy; after all, Jiang Jingming was a policeman, and mentioning it would be such a social status boost.
She couldn't understand what Song Jiajia and Song Zhenhua were thinking.
"Why hasn't that girl come back yet?" Chen Jinlan muttered discontentedly.
Today, they deliberately sent Sang Yu away, fearing she would mess up their plan if present.
At the same time, Sang Yu, who had been sent away, was quite happy.
She didn't care what plans Song Zhenhua and the others had.
She had just submitted her finished sketches to the newspaper and bought new paper with the money Chen Jinlan had given her.
She also bought a few buns from a state-run restaurant.
What do Chen Jinlan and the others eat?
What does it matter to her?
It wasn't until Sang Yu felt enough time had passed that she slowly started heading home.
Walking and happily humming a tune.
At the same time, Jiang Jingming was also preparing to return to the police station; although he had a house, he preferred to stay in the police station's dormitory.
This way, he could respond to emergencies faster.
On the way, he encountered the girl who had touched his heart before.
But Sang Yu didn't notice Jiang Jingming.
She was constantly thinking about her sketches, if they got accepted, she'd get paid, and she'd have money.
Moreover, Song Zhenhua's three thousand dollars will soon be returned to its rightful owner.
Thinking about this, Sang Yu felt the air was sweet.
When they brushed past each other, Jiang Jingming heard Sang Yu singing.
It was soft yet pleasant, like a nightingale, or a whisper in his ear.
Once again, Jiang Jingming's heart couldn't help but beat faster.
He turned to see Sang Yu's departing figure.
He was about to follow but restrained himself when he thought about his impending marriage.