Becoming a god by following the natural order and seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune.

Chapter 33 Gao Qiheng's Fiancée? (Please continue reading)

The carriage came to a stop in front of the Lin residence.

Chen Sheng straightened his robes and stepped down.

After the gatekeeper announced the arrival, a series of footsteps could be heard from inside the mansion shortly afterward.

The county magistrate, Lin Shou, with a full beard and a plump figure, stepped forward first, accompanied by a fair-skinned, voluptuous woman in brocade robes.

Without needing an introduction, Chen Sheng had already guessed the identity of this beautiful woman—the wife of the county magistrate, and also the eldest daughter of the Yang family.

He quickly stepped forward, bowed, and greeted the guests with a respectful yet dignified manner.
"Your humble servant Chen Sheng greets the magistrate and his wife."

"Commander Chen, there's no need for such formalities."

Lin Shou looked at Chen Sheng with a smile, his gaze scrutinizing, but without any anger from the previous conflict. Instead, he exuded a strange amiability, as if he quite admired this young commander.

"Thank you, sir." Chen Sheng straightened up, his expression calm.

Lin Shou turned to his wife beside him, but his tone was somewhat indifferent:
“Madam, I still have some official business to attend to in my office. Please bring Commander Chen into the mansion and let him meet the young ladies of the Yang family. Commander Chen is a talented young man, so we must not neglect him.”

"Don't worry, sir, I understand."

Madam Yang gave a slight bow, maintaining a polite but somewhat formulaic smile on her face.

Chen Sheng keenly noticed the subtle distance between the couple, but he immediately suppressed these irrelevant thoughts. What did the grudges within a wealthy family have to do with him?

Lin Shou nodded, said no more, and boarded another carriage surrounded by guards, then drove away.

"Commander Chen, please come with me into the manor."

Madam Yang turned around, her smile returning to its vibrant state. Her gaze lingered on Chen Sheng's tall figure and handsome face, filled with undisguised admiration.

"Please go first, Madam."

Chen Sheng turned slightly to the side, striking a very good pose.

He would naturally not act inappropriately at the magistrate's residence.

Madam Yang covered her mouth and chuckled, no longer showing any deference, and turned to walk away gracefully.

She had a voluptuous figure, and as her waist swayed, her rounded curves exuded a unique charm of a mature woman, like a ripe peach, radiating an aura that beckoned people to explore.

Chen Sheng glanced at it subconsciously, then quickly regained his composure, focusing his attention on his nose and mind.

The magistrate's wife... that's not someone he can get involved with.

At least, not now.

"Commander Chen is a standout in the army, young and promising. My wife and the Yang family would never try to fool you with some ordinary women."

As Madam Yang led the way, she said softly, "The young ladies from the Yang family we have invited this time are all of the best in terms of appearance, character, and talent. There is sure to be one who will satisfy the commander."

"Madam, you flatter me. I am but a rough and uncultured man, how could I possibly be so picky?"

Chen Sheng spoke calmly, with a hint of self-deprecation, then changed the subject slightly, saying with sincerity, "To be honest, if I could find someone with even a fraction of your charm, I would be completely satisfied."

His words were not entirely unfounded; the marriage was merely a matter of expediency, and appearance was not the primary consideration.

Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Madam Yang paused almost imperceptibly, glanced at him sideways, a strange light flashing in her eyes, before gently shaking her head, her tone tinged with self-pity:
"Commander Chen is joking. I am old and my beauty has faded. I have no charm left to speak of."

Chen Sheng smiled but did not continue the conversation.

My words just now were already somewhat excessive; going any further would inevitably lead to speculation and cause unnecessary trouble.

Seeing his reaction, a barely perceptible hint of disappointment flashed across Madam Yang's eyes, so she changed the subject and began to describe the scenery of the mansion.

As we walked to the edge of a garden full of blooming flowers, we could faintly hear the clear, cheerful laughter of women.

Madam Yang stopped and pointed to several graceful figures in the garden, smiling as she said:
"Commander Chen, look, they are all over there. I wonder which one you prefer?"

Chen Sheng stepped forward as instructed, his gaze sweeping over several young women in the garden.

To be fair, these women from the Yang family were all pretty and charming, but they were mostly ordinary young ladies and didn't have a particularly stunning appearance.

The absurd thought of "whether we could replace them with a different batch" even crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed it with self-deprecation.

Just as he was about to randomly point to someone to complete this perfunctory task, a woman in white who had been facing away from him turned around.

Her eyebrows were like distant mountains, her eyes like autumn water, her skin as white as snow, and her temperament was both aloof and graceful. She was indeed the most outstanding among everyone present.

Chen Sheng's gaze sharpened slightly, and he had already made up his mind. He said softly:
"Who is that girl in white?" Following his gaze, Madam Yang's expression became somewhat subtle. After a moment's hesitation, she whispered:

“Commander Chen, that’s Xueyao… She… she used to be Gao Qiheng’s fiancée. She’s here to relax and stay for a while. Commander, why don’t you… take a look at the other young ladies?”

She inwardly groaned. How could it be such a coincidence? He killed someone's fiancé, and then immediately took a liking to a widow? Commander Chen's taste was simply too...

"Oh? Gao Qiheng's fiancée?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Sheng not only did not back down, but his eyes instantly shone with an astonishing light:
"No, there's no need to change, it's her!"

If Chen Sheng chose Yang Xueyao solely because of her outstanding appearance, her value in his heart has changed drastically after learning her true identity.

He didn't have any particular quirks, but he instantly saw the huge potential for exploitation in it—imagine how the Gao family would react if they knew that their deceased direct descendant's body was barely cold while his fiancée was about to marry their enemy.

This is undoubtedly a soft knife plunged into the heart of the Gao family, and an excellent catalyst for sowing discord among the three major families!

"This...this might not be quite appropriate, is it?"

Madam Yang looked troubled, and as she gazed into Chen Sheng's increasingly bright eyes, her uneasy feeling grew stronger. An unspeakable thought uncontrollably surfaced within her:
Could it be that this Commander Chen has a taste for... married women? If that's the case, then what I just did...

She dared not think any further, her cheeks flushed, and she hurriedly tried to dispel these absurd thoughts.

"What's inappropriate about it?"

Chen Sheng said firmly, "A fiancée is not a real wife until she has entered the family. Now that Gao Qiheng is dead, the engagement is naturally null and void, and Miss Yang is a free woman."

If the Yang family is interested in a marriage alliance, Mr. Chen believes that Miss Yang is the most suitable candidate.

He deliberately pointed out the word "marriage alliance," thus throwing the choice back to the Yang family.

Madam Yang glanced at Chen Sheng with a complicated expression, remained silent for a long time, and finally sighed, whispering a few instructions to the maid beside her.

The maidservant strode into the garden, and soon led the woman in white—Yang Xueyao—over gracefully.

"Auntie, you were looking for me?"

Yang Xueyao's voice was soft, tinged with a hint of doubt. Her gaze swept over Chen Sheng, and seeing his extraordinary bearing and the fact that his aunt was personally accompanying him, she knew he was no ordinary person, so she nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

"Xueyao, come and greet Commander Chen Sheng."

Mrs. Yang explained, her tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible tension.

"This humble woman greets Commander Chen..."

Yang Xueyao bowed as instructed, but stopped abruptly halfway through her sentence.

Commander Chen? In Changshan County, there seems to be only one commander with the surname Chen... who is the murderer who killed her fiancé Gao Qiheng in the street!

At this thought, her delicate body trembled slightly. She suddenly looked up and stared at Chen Sheng in disbelief with her beautiful eyes. Her eyes were filled with a complex mix of emotions: shock, fear, resentment, and a hint of confusion.

"Greetings, Miss Yang."

Chen Sheng remained calm, smiling faintly, as if he hadn't noticed the other person's turbulent emotions at all.

"Xueyao," Madam Yang took a deep breath, knowing there was no way to avoid it, so she had to bite the bullet and say, "The reason I invited you here today is actually to discuss the marriage alliance between the Yang family and Commander Chen. Just now, Commander Chen... had a very good impression of you. I wonder what you think?"

These words were like a thunderclap.

Yang Xueyao stood there completely stunned, her pretty face instantly drained of color, turning as pale as paper.

She had known Gao Qiheng for many years. Although their relationship was not unforgettable, they had a certain affection for each other. Her fiancé had just died, and his body was not yet cold. In the blink of an eye, her family wanted to marry her off to the man who killed her husband.
How could she accept this?

"Aunt, I..." Her lips parted slightly, her voice trembling, her resistance obvious.

However, before she could finish speaking, Madam Yang interrupted her, her tone leaving no room for argument:
"Alright, let's leave it at that for now. You can go back now. Your uncle will have his own plans."

Yang Xueyao bit her lower lip tightly, glanced at Chen Sheng, whose face was calm but whose eyes were sharp, and then at her aunt with a firm attitude. All her grievances and resentment could only be expressed in a bitter whisper:

"Yes... Auntie."

She gave Chen Sheng a deep look, her gaze so complex it was chilling, then turned and walked away, her steps faltering.

Throughout, Chen Sheng maintained a faint smile, calmly observing everything.

Looking at Yang Xueyao's dejected figure, he felt no remorse whatsoever; on the contrary, he found the matter... to be getting more and more interesting.

(End of this chapter)