**"Boom—"**
A thunderclap split the indigo sky, striking like a bolt through Zhuo Xuan's skull. The diamond tiara perched unsteadily on her head clattered to the ground.
The rain, held back all morning, began to fall in a steady drizzle. The crowd dispersed, leaving Zhuo Xuan alone on the rooftop, frozen in place as she watched Yu Jinwen walk away without a backward glance.
The man who had once shielded her from every storm no longer held an umbrella for her.
Only now did she realize how wrong she'd been to break up with him years ago. And only now did she understand—the reckless life she'd led abroad had finally come to collect its debt.
...
The wedding, which had nearly devolved into a farce, ended under a downpour.
The guests might not have witnessed a perfect romance, but they'd gotten front-row seats to a spectacle—worth every penny of their red envelopes.
The Yu family wasn't embarrassed. If anything, they were *relieved* the wedding had collapsed. As long as Yu Jinwen didn't marry into the Zhuo family, it was cause for celebration. Gossip? Let people talk—no one would dare say it to their faces.
Besides, Nan Song was back. *That* was the real reason to rejoice.
The Zhuo family, however, was anything but calm.
The series of "incidents" at the wedding had turned Zhuo Xuan into a laughingstock—and dragged the entire Zhuo name through the mud.
"Disgraceful! *Absurd!*" Zhuo Xuan's father paced the room, his gold-rimmed glasses trembling with fury as he jabbed a finger at her. "Our family is *scholarly nobility*—how did we raise a daughter like *you*? Do you have any idea the humiliation you've brought upon us? How are your mother and I supposed to show our faces now?!"
Zhuo Xuan sat on the edge of the bed, still in her dirtied wedding dress, sobbing uncontrollably. The once-pristine fabric was now stained—much like her reputation in Yu Jinwen's eyes.
"Enough," her mother interjected. "This isn't entirely her fault!"
Her father scoffed. "Spare the rod, spoil the child—this is *your* doing! I never should've listened to you. 'Raise sons strictly, daughters lavishly'—we poured fortunes into her, and for what? She couldn't even secure a *marriage* into a wealthy family!"
Her mother bristled. "Oh, *now* it's my fault? Was it *me* who spoiled her? Or was it your precious sister, Zhuo Yue, drilling 'marry rich' into her head? *She's* the one who corrupted our daughter!"
"*Stop it!*" Zhuo Xuan screamed, clapping her hands over her ears. "I'm *miserable* enough—can you just *shut up*?!"
Her father opened his mouth to retort, but his phone rang—**Zhuo Yue** flashing on the screen.
"It's your aunt!"
After a brief exchange, he thrust the phone at Zhuo Xuan. Sniffling, she croaked out, "Auntie…"
A cool, languid voice answered. "Why the tears? A minor setback, and you're ready to surrender?"
"What else can I do?" Zhuo Xuan whispered hopelessly. "He thinks I'm a liar. That I'm… *dirty*. He doesn't want me anymore."
Zhuo Yue chuckled darkly. "No woman could ever be as filthy as a man. None of that matters. If you can *own* his heart, he'll never truly let you go."