Chapter 59

Chapter 59

Although Cheng Zhi was a newcomer in the entertainment industry, her family's financial strength far exceeded that of ordinary young stars.

After learning that their daughter had entered the entertainment world, her parents bought her a spacious apartment in the neighborhood.

The night before going to Cheng Zhi's place, Yi Tiantian made sure to go to bed early.

"Tomorrow I'll be staying up late to watch the show, so I need to get plenty of rest tonight."

The next day, Yi Tiantian carried the prepared gift and followed the directions Cheng Zhi had sent, walking along the cobblestone path in the neighborhood until she reached Cheng Zhi's front door and rang the bell.

Soon, Cheng Zhi's cheerful voice came from inside, and the door opened.

"Tiantian, you're here!"

Cheng Zhi wore a red sweater, her eyes sparkling with joy.

Yi Tiantian handed over the red gift box and said happily, "This is a gift I specially prepared for everyone. I hope you like it."

At this moment, another person approached from inside—it was Tang Hu, wearing a sexy red dress with wavy long hair.

Tang Hu looked even more surprised upon seeing Yi Tiantian. She stepped forward and pulled Yi Tiantian inside, saying, "Tiantian, let's talk inside!"

Cheng Zhi nodded, "Yes, yes, let's go inside first and wait for Ruru."

To prepare for the gathering, Cheng Zhi had decorated her home with a festive atmosphere, including a large Christmas tree in the corner of the living room.

The three sat on the sofa in the living room and chatted for a while. Cheng Zhi then opened the gift Yi Tiantian brought, revealing three Christmas-themed scented candles.

"Tiantian, it's been a while! The variety show you've been doing with our Zhi has been such a hit. Even my dad, who doesn't usually watch variety shows, told me how good it is!"

Tang Hu played with the Christmas tree-shaped candle in her hand, excitedly adding.

Yi Tiantian smiled, about to speak when the doorbell rang.

"It might be Ruru."

Cheng Zhi got up from the sofa and walked toward the door.

Tang Hu's eyes lit up, and she eagerly looked toward the entrance as well.

A moment later, a slim girl wearing a red hoodie entered. Her hair was held back with a shark clip, and a few strands fell around her face, looking somewhat tired.

But upon seeing her friends inside, she mustered up her energy.

"Sisters, I'm here!"

Tang Hu immediately went to take Ren Ruru's gift, smiling and saying, "Ruru, this time it's not just us sisters; we also invited a mystery guest!"

"Yes! This mystery guest is someone you wouldn't expect at all!"

Cheng Zhi added mysteriously.

Ren Ruru curiously scanned the living room and saw Yi Tiantian standing up to greet her.

"You must be Yi Tiantian!"

Ren Ruru exclaimed upon seeing Yi Tiantian.

"Yes, I'm Yi Tiantian. I just moved into this neighborhood."

Yi Tiantian nodded slightly, giving a friendly smile.

Ren Ruru excitedly patted Cheng Zhi beside her, "Zhi, you did great! You actually managed to invite such a popular star!"

Then she turned to Yi Tiantian, "Teacher Yi, when I watched the show, I really wanted to be your student. When you were kidnapped, I was..."

"Alright, alright, let's have Teacher Yi sit down first before you start fangirling."

Cheng Zhi smiled, gesturing for everyone to sit in the living room.

For the Christmas night, Cheng Zhi had prepared ingredients for hotpot. They ate hotpot, drank beverages, and watched a Christmas movie together.

After everyone had eaten their fill, tiny snowflakes began to fall outside the window.

The four of them went out onto the balcony to watch the snow. Yi Tiantian watched the small snowflakes melt in his palm for a while.

Just as they were enjoying the peaceful moment, Ren Ruru's phone suddenly rang.

"Believe in me, believe in tomorrow..."

The energetic ringtone clashed with the serene atmosphere. Ren Ruru quickly smiled apologetically at everyone and ran back into the living room to answer the call.

Tang Hu and Cheng Zhi didn't mind and joked, "That ringtone really ruins the mood, Ren Ruru!"

But Yi Tiantian couldn't help but feel uneasy.

"Ren Ruru's parents are calling again to pressure her into marriage!"

Tang Hu and Cheng Zhi, who were taking photos and admiring the snow, paused and looked at Yi Tiantian, who seemed thoughtful.

They knew Ren Ruru's parents were traditional and had been pushing her to go on blind dates since she graduated from university.

Perhaps this was another similar situation.

However, Yi Tiantian's inner voice told them that things were not so simple.

"The parents of the groom's family said tonight is the final deadline; Ren Ruru must get married tonight!"

"So Ren Ruru's parents decided to tie her up and force her into marriage. They are already on their way here with some people!"

Hearing this, Cheng Zhi and Tang Hu were both puzzled.

It was almost midnight, and the civil affairs office wouldn't be open to register marriages at this hour. What good would it do for them to come and kidnap Ren Ruru now?!

Moreover, these parents of the groom didn't seem like good people, forcing Ren Ruru into marriage!

Especially Tang Hu, who turned pale upon hearing the word "marriage."

At that moment, they no longer cared about playing in the snow. They quietly slipped back into the living room from the balcony, standing in the corner to eavesdrop on Ren Ruru's phone conversation.

"Mom and Dad, I've already told you I won't agree to this ridiculous arranged marriage!"

Ren Ruru, facing away from the balcony, was too agitated to keep her voice down as she spoke loudly into the phone.

"Ruru, your parents are doing this for your own good! You should know that Uncle Wang's family has been our masters for generations. How can a servant disobey their master?"

An elderly woman's voice pleaded from the other end of the line.

"Mom, it's the twenty-first century now! There are no more masters and servants! Don't impose your outdated values on me!"

Ren Ruru's chest heaved as she finished speaking, then she ended the call abruptly.

She wiped away her tears, took a few deep breaths to compose herself, and turned to head back to the balcony.

But when she turned around, she saw Cheng Zhi and Tang Hu, their faces full of concern.

In that moment, the three girls burst into tears and hugged each other tightly.

"We only knew you were being forced into marriage, but we had no idea you were going through so much horror..."

Cheng Zhi, an emotional person, couldn't stop her tears from falling as she saw her friend suffering.

Tang Hu, with red-rimmed eyes, gently patted the two girls and said, "Don't hide things from us anymore. We'll help share your burdens."

"The friendship between these three sisters is truly heartwarming! But the group forcing the marriage is already at the entrance of the neighborhood. We need to think of a plan quickly!"

Yi Tiantian thought anxiously.

Cheng Zhi and Tang Hu both tensed up.

Although the security in the neighborhood was strict, they didn't know how far Ren Ruru's parents might go!

So they needed to protect Ruru from being kidnapped by her deranged parents!

This was the first time Ren Ruru heard Yi Tiantian's thoughts, as she had been too agitated during the phone call to realize her parents were already on their way.

When she heard this, she looked at her two sisters in surprise and saw them giving her meaningful glances.

Years of friendship made Ren Ruru understand immediately that they could hear Yi Tiantian's thoughts too.

Ren Ruru began to panic, wondering what she would do if her parents really came to kidnap her as Yi Tiantian had said!

"I think it's getting late. Why don't we call it a night?"

Fortunately, Yi Tiantian came up with a plan in the nick of time.

"Since Ren Ruru's parents only know Cheng Zhi's address, I'll take her back to my place to avoid any trouble for now!"

"I hope they won't think I'm a creep!"

Tang Hu discreetly tugged at Ren Ruru's hand, signaling her to agree with Yi Tiantian's suggestion.

"I just bought a villa in this neighborhood, and it feels a bit lonely tonight. Would you stay with me for the night?"

Yi Tiantian indeed asked this question.

Ren Ruru looked gratefully at Yi Tiantian and nodded vigorously. "Sure, Tiantian. We'll be a bother to you tonight!"

Tang Hu also grabbed Ren Ruru's hand excitedly and said to Yi Tiantian, "It's getting late, let's go."

Cheng Zhi had already put on her coat, grabbed her keys, and was ready to lock the door and leave.

The four of them walked along the pebbled path covered in fresh snow. A cold wind blew, making everyone shiver and quicken their pace.

Perhaps it was just their imagination, but they all heard a distant commotion carried by the wind.

Ren Ruru stumbled slightly, feeling nervous. Tang Hu noticed and held her hand reassuringly.

Ren Ruru gave Tang Hu a forced smile, and they continued walking.

Soon, they arrived at Yi Tiantian's house. As soon as they entered, Yi Tiantian closed the door.

Inside the villa, Yi Tiantian instructed the girls to feel free to move around and then opened her gossip system again.

"Because it's Christmas Eve, the guards at the neighborhood gate were given two bottles of wine and are now quite tipsy. Ren Ruru's parents sprayed a suspicious substance on them, and the guards obediently opened the gate for them!"

"Now Ren Ruru's parents, along with a group of people, are on their way to Cheng Zhi's house!"

Yi Tiantian's thoughts were heard by the three girls present, and they all became anxious.

Especially Ren Ruru, whose body trembled uncontrollably. Cheng Zhi and Tang Hu held her hands, trying to comfort her.

Just then, a clock chimed in Yi Tiantian's living room.

"Tick-tock..."

The clock struck ten times, signaling that it was now ten o'clock in the evening.

Yi Tiantian glanced at her newly bought cuckoo clock and continued searching for related gossip in the system.

She thought they had already changed locations, and Ruru's terrifyingly ignorant parents should not be able to find Ruru anymore.

But what Yi Tiantian didn't expect was to see even more suffocating content.

"Ruru's parents arrived at Cheng Zhi's house and found it locked with no one inside, so they..."

"Tracked Ruru's phone location to find her here!"

"Ruru was taken by her parents and forcibly brought into the groom's family hall to get married!"

Hearing this, the three girls instantly felt their hair stand on end. They had already hidden here, yet they still couldn't prevent Ruru from being caught?

Ruru hurriedly took out her phone from her pocket and deleted the location-sharing app she had always kept active.

"Ruru was born into a poor traditional family. She has always been a good girl in her parents' eyes, but only she knows how much she craves adventure."

"So Ruru entered the entertainment industry despite her parents' objections, but to reassure them, she also enabled real-time location sharing."

Yi Tiantian found Ruru's gossip and read it carefully.

At this moment, Ruru behind her spoke up.

"Tiantian, my parents have been forcing me to get married recently, but I don't want to marry. I don't want to go to a stranger's home and be their maid. Can you give me some advice?"

She said these words to get more information from Yi Tiantian.

Sure enough, Yi Tiantian immediately thought of many juicy details after hearing this.

"Child, when you marry into this family, you won't be treated as a maid! Because your husband is dead!"

The three girls did not expect Yi Tiantian to say something like this.

Dead? Does Yi Tiantian mean Ruru's husband will be absent?

But it turned out their thoughts were wrong.

The "dead" person Yi Tiantian referred to was truly dead!

"Because of their ignorant beliefs, they actually made their daughter enter a ghost marriage!"

"Ruru's parents are truly harmful!"

Yi Tiantian thought to herself.

What?!

Ghost marriage?!

The three girls were stunned, especially Ruru herself.

She was shocked beyond belief, and her phone slipped from her hand and fell to the ground.

Hearing the sound of the phone dropping, Yi Tiantian quickly snapped out of her gossip-reading trance and answered Ruru's question.

"I think marriage needs an emotional foundation. If you marry just for the sake of it, you might never be happy."

Yi Tiantian's answer was sincere, but Ruru was no longer listening.

She was trembling with anger. Ruru had thought her parents were just traditional, but she never expected them to do something so insane!

Sending their own daughter to marry a dead man—how could parents do such a thing!

"Oh no, they are coming this way!"

"Tonight at midnight is a great Yin night, so the groom's parents insist on the wedding taking place precisely at midnight!"

Yi Tiantian kept thinking about where to escape, but the gossip system seemed unable to provide good suggestions.

Ruru's usually rosy lips had turned slightly pale; she knew she had nowhere to run.

Cheng Zhi was anxiously crying beside her, and Tang Hu was restless, trying to comfort Ruru.

"These people are definitely coming here, but we can't call the police now."

"If we call the police now, these ignorant people won't be punished; instead, they'll become even worse, leaving Ruru with no chance of escape!"

As soon as Yi Tiantian finished thinking this, she heard a commotion outside her villa, with many people loudly calling Ruru's name.

Ruru's face turned deathly pale, and her hands trembled uncontrollably.

Everyone's tension reached its peak, and the situation seemed to be at a deadlock.

"It seems there are bad people outside calling Ruru's name. I'll fight them today!"

At this moment, Tang Hu stood up excitedly, ready to find a weapon.

But just as she stood up, Ruru grabbed her hand.

Ruru's pale face wore a gentle smile, and she shook her head lightly.

"Let me handle it. After all, they are my parents. If I talk to them nicely, they will respect my wishes."

As soon as Ruru finished speaking, a loud crash echoed in everyone's ears.

"It must be those people outside using shovels to break down the door!"

Yi Tiantian immediately reacted.

The group outside was smashing the door and shouting Ren Ruru's name, sounding like vengeful spirits!

Ren Ruru immediately stood up and walked toward the door.

Tang Hu and Cheng Zhi wanted to stop her but couldn't think of a better solution, so they could only watch helplessly as she approached the door.

After opening the Yi family’s door, Ren Ruru stepped out with determined strides.

Those behind her, including Yi Tiantian, quickly followed.

What met their eyes were people dressed as farmers, some carrying hoes, others holding shovels, all with menacing expressions on their faces.

Upon seeing their daughter appear, Ren Ruru's parents grabbed her hand greedily, as if she were a precious treasure, saying, "Ruru, we knew you were here! Come with us to get married right away!"

Ren Ruru tried desperately to shake off her parents' hands, but they held her too tightly, pulling her relentlessly.

"Mom, Dad, can’t you consider my feelings? I have my own life! Please don’t ruin it for me!"

As she spoke, tears rolled down her cheeks like beads on a broken string.

She spoke sincerely, and the three people behind her were moved by her genuine attitude.

But her parents, who seemed possessed, ignored her words and kept pulling her arm, insisting, "No, this is the master's order; there’s no room for negotiation in our family!"

Seeing this, Tang Hu could no longer hold back. Ignoring Cheng Zhi's attempts to stop her, she rushed to Ren Ruru's parents and shouted, "How dare you call yourselves parents?! Ruru is an independent person, not a sacrifice to your feudal ignorance!"

Tang Hu's words seemed to enrage Ren Ruru's parents and the villagers behind them.

They waved their hoes and shovels, cursing loudly.

"How dare such a dirty woman insult our master!"

"This kind of woman deserves nothing but to be his foot washer!"

"Don’t waste her! Take the girl in the red dress back for the master to play with!"

Hearing the last remark, Ren Ruru suddenly burst with potential and angrily shook off her parents' grip.

"You old fools, say one more word!"

Her angry words further enraged the crowd, and someone swung a shovel at Ren Ruru!

In that split second, Tang Hu lunged forward, tackling Ren Ruru to the ground.

The shovel struck the cement floor with a dull thud!

Yi Tiantian and Cheng Zhi hurried over to help the two girls who had fallen.

"These people are very aggressive. If we don’t comply, everyone here will be beaten to death!"

Yi Tiantian’s thoughts conveyed a sense of despair to everyone present.

Even Ren Ruru, who had just gotten up from the ground, thought she had no choice but to accept her fate.

Without a word, Ren Ruru's parents tried to pull her away, tugging at her arms.

Ren Ruru hung her head in despair, tears falling to the ground.

She had set that phone ringtone with the intention of living her life on her own terms, but now it seemed impossible.

"I’ll go with you, but please let my friends go."

Finally giving up her struggle, Ren Ruru looked up. Under the dim light, Yi Tiantian saw the tear streaks on her face.

Tang Hu immediately grabbed Ren Ruru's hand, urging, "Ruru, don’t do anything foolish! This is your life; don’t ruin your future!"

Cheng Zhi also bravely stood in front of Ren Ruru, shouting, "Ruru, we’ll protect you; don’t give in!"

But at that moment, Yi Tiantian expressed a completely opposite opinion.

"Yes! Agree to their demands! It’s the best solution!"

Cheng Zhi and Tang Hu looked at Yi Tiantian in disbelief, feeling somewhat angry.

How could Yi Tiantian betray them at such a critical moment?!

After hearing Yi Tiantian’s thoughts, Ren Ruru chuckled softly and wiped away her tears, saying, "Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing."

Just as Ren Ruru was about to leave with her parents, Yi Tiantian spoke up.

"Wait, change into the clothes here first so you can get married right away when you arrive."

At this point, Yi Tiantian didn’t care about revealing the existence of her system and directly addressed Ren Ruru’s parents.

Ren Ruru's mother slapped her forehead, "Oh, how could I forget? You need to wear this traditional wedding attire before the ceremony."

She then took out a set of red traditional wedding clothes and a red veil from the red cloth bag she had been carrying.

"What are you waiting for? Go put them on!"

Ren Ruru’s father glanced at his watch, realizing it was already eleven o'clock at night, leaving only an hour until the ceremony began!

Ren Ruru took the red wedding attire from her father, saying softly, "I’ll go change and come out."

Ren Ruru's parents nodded, and her father gruffly said, "Hurry up!"

Tang Hu and Cheng Zhi’s faces instantly showed a hint of surprise. They realized they could use this time gap to their advantage.

So the two of them followed Ren Ruru back to the villa.

But at that moment, Ren Ruru's father, who was behind them, held a long shovel horizontally in front of Tang Hu and Cheng Zhi.

"You two, stay here as hostages."

Tang Hu and Cheng Zhi turned around reluctantly and saw Ren Ruru's father with a menacing grin on his face.

Their plan had failed before it even began!

Just as they were falling into despair, Yi Tiantian spoke up: "Then I'll go in with her, alright?"

Tang Hu and Cheng Zhi shot Yi Tiantian a look of disgust.

They both believed that Yi Tiantian was going back with Ren Ruru just to avoid the current situation!

She hadn't taken any action from the start, and had even thought that it would be best for Ren Ruru to leave with her parents!

It seemed this person couldn't be relied upon! Their perception of Yi Tiantian shattered, and they vowed to expose her cowardice online after this incident!

Now Tang Hu and Cheng Zhi were utterly disappointed in Yi Tiantian. They watched her and Ren Ruru walk away, tears streaming down their faces.

Soon, a figure wearing a red veil and a traditional red wedding dress emerged and stood obediently beside Ren Ruru's parents.

Seeing his daughter come out, Ren Ruru's father finally moved the shovel away from in front of Tang Hu and Cheng Zhi.

"Let's go! Back for the wedding!"

A group of people dressed as farmers, carrying hoes and shovels, left Yi Tiantian's villa, whistling at Tang Hu and Cheng Zhi as they went.

Tang Hu was furious and wanted to rush forward, but Cheng Zhi held her back tightly.

Because she knew Tang Hu was no match for these people right now.

Tang Hu knew it too; she clenched her fists tightly and stormed into the villa.

She was going to beat Yi Tiantian up and then report her to the police!

"Yi Tiantian, come out! You coward!"

After rushing through the villa, Tang Hu couldn't find Yi Tiantian anywhere.

Just as she was about to take out her phone to call the police, she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"Tang Hu! Don't call the police yet!"

Tang Hu turned around and was surprised to see Ren Ruru standing at the door, unharmed.

"Ruru? How are you here?!"

She quickly approached and touched Ren Ruru's hand, hardly believing her eyes.

At that moment, Cheng Zhi, who had just entered, also exclaimed in shock, "Ruru, you're here. Then who was the one who left with them...?"

Cheng Zhi and Tang Hu looked at each other and said in unison, "Yi Tiantian?!"