The Villain Wants to Break Our Engagement, But I Handed HimChapter Archive

The Cost of Being Considerate

That afternoon

When Gu Shiyan brings Song Rouyi to end their engagement, Mingzheng rejects the expected plea for graciousness and lays out the Gu household’s 30,000-tael debt, five Pei shops, and unpaid silk robe. Gu signs a release and acknowledges the claims, then leaves the robe behind; his family must answer within three days and return the shops within ten, leaving Mingzheng to see whether the written deadline will hold.

The First Key

The morning after the engagement ends

Mingzheng takes possession of the first Pei shop and secures a written record that the Gu household collected the tenant’s advance rent; she honors the tenant’s paid term rather than charging him twice. Gu Shiyan delivers the family’s response: they will return all five shops on time, but deny that the 30,000 taels was a loan, forcing Mingzheng to prove the debt.

The Word on the Receipt

The day after the Gu household’s written response

Mingzheng finds the Pei household’s matching records and a receipt signed by Gu Shiyan explicitly identifying the final advance as a loan. In front of Song Rouyi and Pei Shuying, Gu signs an acknowledgment that the full 30,000 taels remain unpaid and promises a repayment schedule tomorrow; the debt is proved, but no money has changed hands.

The First Installment

The next morning

Gu Shiyan brought a five-year schedule that delayed the first payment, but Mingzheng forced the Gu household to pay 3,000 taels immediately and secured a signed schedule for the remaining 27,000. Pei Shuying witnessed the terms; tomorrow’s shop handover is complicated by Gu’s advance collection of rent from the second shop’s tenant.

Eighty-Four Taels

The following morning

Mingzheng confirms the second shop’s tenant paid 84 taels in advance through the eighth month, honors that term, and makes Gu return the full 84 taels before taking the keys. Pei Shuying witnesses and signs the clear accounting; at the third shop, a tenant presents a year-long lease signed by Gu, complicating the promised return of the remaining properties.

A Key With a Year Attached

The next morning

Mingzheng takes back the third shop while honoring Qiao De’s full year-long lease, ensuring he owes no duplicate rent and making Gu return the current month’s twenty taels. Gu signs the transfer and hands over the key; two Pei shops and the 27,000-tael debt remain outstanding, with the fourth-shop handover set for tomorrow.