Severance

Zhang Xiulan was so frightened that she jumped up. She pointed at Chen Baiyi and asked, "When did you wake up?"

Chen Baiyi propped herself up with her arms and used all her strength to sit up. When she fainted, her head accidentally knocked against the stone on the ground. Now, she was covered in blood. With her ghastly appearance, she looked very terrifying.

Chen Xinyue shuddered and couldn't help but ask, "You heard our conversation?"

Chen Baiyi coughed twice. She had a splitting headache, but she did not let the two people in front of her see her weakness. She only said, "I heard everything that I needed to hear. Mom, are you not planning to return the thousand yuan dowry?"

"What dowry? I don't know what you're talking about." Zhang Xiulan's expression was ugly. "Are you hallucinating?"

Chen Baiyi lowered her head and smiled. When she raised her head again, the expression on her face was cold. "You can't brush over the Li family just by saying that you don't know. If you can't afford it, this family…"

She looked around and sighed.

Zhang Xiulan perked up and confronted Chen Baiyi. "What are you trying to say?"

Chen Baiyi said, "It's fine if you don't want to return the dowry, but from today onwards, we'll sever all ties. I'd rather go out and live alone than live with a vicious stepmother like you."

Zhang Xiulan was afraid that it was a trap, so she looked at Chen Baiyi suspiciously. "You only want to sever ties?"

"I don't want anything in the family except my mother's belongings." Chen Baiyi's tone was firm. "After we sever ties, I will have nothing to do with you guys, and I have no obligation to support you in the future."

She and her daughter, Chen Xinyue, looked at each other and saw the eagerness in each other's eyes. They weighed the pros and cons, then agreed.

Chen Baiyi had already been engaged three times. It would be difficult to find another man for her. Now that she had agreed to sever ties, not only would she get a thousand yuan, but her grudge with the Li family would also disappear.

Chen Baiyi heaved a sigh of relief and immediately said, "Just the three of us being here won't do. Someone has to be a witness."

With that, she turned to Chen Xinyue and said, "Call the village chief over."

Chen Xinyue rushed out quickly. In less than 15 minutes, the village chief arrived at the Chen family's home.

The moment he entered, he looked at the tense atmosphere in front of him and stroked his beard. He frowned slightly and said disapprovingly, "I heard from Xinyue that you guys want to sever ties? In my opinion, forget it. You guys will reconcile soon."

Chen Baiyi put on a disheartened expression and said to the village chief with tears in her eyes, "I didn't want to do this either, but they said that I was destined to be a jinx. My grandparents died the moment I was born, and my father died early too. Now that three fiancées in a row have died, I wish I could go to the nunnery to avoid harming the people around me."

The village chief, thinking that it was better to believe in science than such superstition, wanted to comfort Chen Baiyi. However, when he thought of the series of things that had happened to her, he wondered—was it true?

He immediately lost the desire to dissuade her.

Chen Baiyi continued, "My mom had gone through great pains to raise me. If I don't leave home, if even my brother and sister were affected, I would really deserve to die. I might as well just leave like this and live alone!"

The village chief was moved to tears. He turned to Zhang Xiulan and asked, "Xiulan, what do you think?"

Zhang Xiulan did not expect Chen Baiyi to say such words. She froze for a moment and immediately pretended to wipe the non-existent tears from the corner of her eyes. She said, "I naturally can't bear to let her leave, but if Baiyi insists on doing so, I can only let her fulfill her wish."

"Alright." The village chief nodded and stroked his beard. He was relieved to see such a loving family.

Chen Baiyi struck while the iron was hot and struggled to get off the bed. She took out a piece of paper and a pen and said, "I'm afraid that God will think that I'm putting on an act by severing ties with them. I think it's better to write an agreement. This way, when others ask, there will be evidence written in black and white."

The village chief sighed. "You're so thoughtful. Child, even if you live alone in the future, don't be discouraged. You have to fight against fate. If you have any difficulties in the future, come to me for help."

Chen Baiyi nodded and agreed. After she wrote it down, two agreements were placed in front of everyone.