Beg Me to Remarry
Chapter 657 - 658: Overestimating One’s Abilities

Step by step, He Xing walked towards Ji Liangchuan, the surrounding air temperature dropping with every step he took. By the time he stood in front of Ji Liangchuan, the temperature around them was indistinguishable from that of a snowy wasteland.

His words were equally cold, "Ji Liangchuan, I thought at least you’d keep your word even though you overestimate yourself, but it seems I overestimated you!"

He was referring to the time when Ji Liangchuan and He Xing had a drinking contest, agreeing that if Ji Liangchuan lost, he would no longer pester Fu Han.

Yet, Ji Liangchuan didn’t keep his promise. Over the brief Spring Festival holiday, he proposed with fireworks, decorated his bar with paintings of Fu Han, and sent trucks of roses to Lanwan Mountain every day. It was said that he even spent all day at the foot of Lanwan Mountain, all to catch a glimpse of Fu Han.

Fu Han and He Xing stayed in the villa area of Lanwan Mountain during the Spring Festival, partly because Fu Han’s injuries had not fully healed and partly because Ji Liangchuan was loitering at the mountain base like a lovestruck fool, ensuring that if Fu Han were to descend, she would inevitably be entangled by him. So she simply chose not to come out, adopting an out of sight, out of mind approach.

Even with Fu Han’s forthright refusal, rumors about Ji Liangchuan and Fu Han were bubbling over the internet. Everyone was saying that Ji Liangchuan was a lovestruck boy who had long harboured a crush on Fu Han, only for He Xing to snatch her away.

Originally, anyone with a brain knew these rumors were false, and discussions about their clique on the internet were abundant. Many were aware that Fu Han and He Xing had grown up together as childhood sweethearts.

But the problem still emerged when Ji Liangchuan started posting old, intimate photos with "Fu Han" every day.

The photos were obviously old, dating back several years, a time when there weren’t public photos of Fu Han and He Xing together.

Therefore, when these photos surfaced, many genuinely believed that He Xing had stolen someone else’s love, and that Fu Han had flaked on her past relationship.

After all, there were articles on the internet paid for by Ji Liangchuan, claiming that he and He Xing were long-time friends, hence his early acquaintance with Fu Han. He claimed to have fallen for Fu Han first, pursued her first, and that Fu Han had even agreed to be his girlfriend.

But then He Xing shamelessly sought his grandfather’s help to arrange their engagement on the day Fu Han came of age. Fu Han was strongly opposed to the engagement, but her objections were futile, and eventually she and Ji Liangchuan eloped abroad together.

Of course, such a full-of-holes story was easily debunked. For instance, Fu Han didn’t go abroad immediately after getting engaged to He Xing; rather, it was several years later.

For example, before Fu Han went abroad, even before her engagement to He Xing, Ji Liangchuan had already left the country. He completed his high school education abroad; there was no such thing as an elopement for love.

But the gossipy masses don’t care whether the story has holes or not; what they’re after is whether the gossip is juicy, fresh, and dramatic enough.

Most importantly, Ji Liangchuan used intimate photos with his ex-girlfriend, who bore an uncanny resemblance to Fu Han, to the point of being nearly indistinguishable.

Taking Fu Han as an example, she had heard rumors about her resemblance to Ji Liangchuan’s ex-girlfriend, but she didn’t realize the resemblance was so striking: If Fu Han didn’t know about the look-alike issue, she herself might worry whether the person in the photos was her when she saw them.

And precisely because the person in the photos resembled Fu Han too closely, even amidst numerous logical inconsistencies, the photos were taken as incontrovertible evidence by many.

Ji Liangchuan seemed to have hired a professional team that had a clear grasp on public sentiment. Every move he made was calculated to hit the hot buttons of the public – attracting attention, creating melodrama, and defying logic.

Even though his concocted lies were full of loopholes, they still garnered a lot of attention, and some even participated in anonymous online polls. Although He Xing eventually won, the margin between them was not as significant as one might have expected.

In fact, He Xing had once instructed the Public Relations Department of He Group to handle the online public opinion. They had issued public statements twice, but to no avail.

He Xing had considered revealing the truth about Ji Liangchuan and his ex-girlfriend, but the elder Mr. He advised against discussing a deceased person during the auspicious month, as it would be inauspicious and indecent. Fu Han also felt that Ji Liangchuan’s ex-girlfriend had suffered enough. Exhuming her story to attack Ji Liangchuan would make them no different from him.

So when these two met now, what was it if not the deep loathing of mortal enemies?

Despite being so pointedly insulted, Ji Liangchuan remained unusually calm, even wearing a smile, "He Xing, save me your righteous lectures. Fate has brought Fu Han to me, and I will never give up!"

"So you stalk Fu Han like an obsessed stalker every day?" He Xing’s face was particularly grim, as cold as eternal ice, "Ji Liangchuan, don’t you think your actions are insane? You’re a madman."

"If it means getting Fu Han, what does it matter if I’m a little mad?" Ji Liangchuan seemed unhindered by the notion of being complimented; instead, his smile grew even more radiant, "And He Xing, stop acting so saintly in front of me. You accuse me of stalking Fu Han, but aren’t you doing the same thing?"

At this, Ji Liangchuan’s smile broadened with evident glee, "You and Fu Han had another argument, didn’t you? Look at you; you’re bound to fight whenever you’re together."

"That’s between me and Fu Han, and it has nothing to do with you," He Xing said without anger, calmly looking towards where Fu Han was.

She had put on her coat after coming off the skating rink; now she was having lunch with Su Cheng.

Mr. He had raised Fu Han to be a lady of high society, and dining etiquette was an essential part of that upbringing. To this end, Mr. He had specifically hired a teacher to come home to instruct both him and Fu Han. The cost of tuition was a buy-one-get-one deal, with the purchase being Fu Han, and the giveaway being He Xing.

Eating was not to be accompanied by talking or drinking, and it had to be quiet without smacking one’s lips. The rice bowl was not to be set on the table... these were all the requirements imposed by the He Family on He Xing from a young age.

There were many rules, and He Xing had a clear understanding of his own position. He participated in the training solely because Mr. He didn’t want Fu Han to feel lonely and isolated.

He Xing remembered that when he first learned about dining etiquette, he had complained that his business administration courses were obviously more important. Why should he study this unproductive dining etiquette training?