“Some warned me it was a new, open era, that arranging marriages like this was outdated feudal nonsense, but I stuck to it. I’ve always believed that some good things, some good opportunities, need parents to step in and secure for their kids.”
At that, An Chengqi let out a soft sigh, “Back then, Bruce and I had already crossed paths with the Qing Breaking Society, uncovering many of their secrets. My biggest fear wasn’t that they’d come after us one day, but that they’d plant scholars around Charlie in the future.”
At the mention of scholars, Sister Sun’s expression tightened.
She knew how dangerous they were.
These scholars, groomed by the Qing Breaking Society from childhood, existed solely to captivate a target’s attention.
The society spared no expense on them, crafting all sorts of exceptional types to lurk around their mark. The target might meet a string of perfect romantic prospects, unaware that most were tailor-made for them.
Who could resist someone moulded from birth to be their ideal match?
So An Chengqi harboured the same worry for Charlie wade.
If the Qing Breaking Society kept planting scholars around him, even if she could spot some, she couldn’t unmask every single one.
If her son ended up marrying one, it’d be a catastrophe for him and the entire Wade family.
In that case, she had to ensure Charlie wade married someone she knew inside and out, eliminating the scholar threat entirely.
And few fit that bill better than Lord Orrin and Angie’s daughter.
As long as Charlie wade wed Stephanie, no matter how many scholars the society slipped in, they’d never succeed.
Plus, ever since Stephanie’s birth, An Chengqi had adored her, seeing her beauty, intelligence, and kindness even as a child.
She was the perfect wife for Charlie wade.
But the Gu(Sun) family never knew about this scholar layer of her reasoning.
Back then, An Chengqi’s plan was to keep Charlie wade close, guide and nurture him, while fostering his bond with Stephanie. Once they came of age, she’d see them married.
No one could’ve foreseen that their feud with the Qing Breaking Society would escalate so fast over the Nine Mysterious Heavenly Scripture.
Wu Fiona was hellbent on wiping out Bruce wade’s family of three. In the end, with no choice, Bruce wade sacrificed himself to save his son, orchestrating a golden cicada escape for An Chengqi to slip away.
For years after, An Chengqi didn’t dare show herself or reunite with Charlie wade.
Recalling the past, she gave a bitter smile, “Fate’s a funny thing. I feared Charlie would fall to a scholar, but after everything went down, Bruce’s plan stripped him of the Wade family heir aura, and by some fluke, it also spared him the scholar threat entirely.”
Thinking of her two siblings ruined by scholars, An Chengqi’s voice turned icy, “Zhaonan and Youyou thought they were the luckiest people alive, finding soulmates who understood them, loved them, fit them perfectly. They never suspected it was all Wu Fiona’s scholars. That venomous woman will pay for her sins sooner or later!”