Chapter 258 The two brothers come to break off the engagement 2

Xu Wenhua took a deep breath, then strode forward and raised his hand to knock loudly on the slightly old door.

A moment later, a slightly puzzled voice came from inside the house: "Who is it? Why are you knocking on the door so late?" Judging from the voice, it was Qian Ahua.

"It's me, Xu Wenhua," Xu Wenhua replied, lowering his voice slightly.

With a slight thud, the door slowly opened. Qian Ahua's round face appeared in the doorway, and when she saw that the people standing outside were Xu Wenhua and his older brother behind him, a look of surprise flashed across her face.

He couldn't help but sarcastically remark, "Oh my, isn't this our high-ranking officer? When did you get back from the army? Why did you choose such a late hour to come over? Couldn't you have waited until dawn to come?"

Faced with Qian Ahua's barrage of questions, Xu Wenhua could only manage a forced smile and said softly, "Auntie, I'm really sorry to disturb your rest. But I do have something important I want to discuss with you and Uncle."

As he spoke, he looked at Qian Ahua with expectant eyes.

Seeing this, Qian Ahua frowned slightly, seemingly somewhat unwilling, but in the end she stepped aside to make way and said calmly, "In that case, let's go inside."

Shen Junqi is tidying up the kitchen.

Shen Zicheng sat leisurely at the table, gently picking up a steaming cup of tea and bringing it to his lips.

Just then, a soft footstep sound came from behind. He slowly raised his head and looked at the few people who had just walked in.

The leader was a young man with a resolute face, who strode in with firm and powerful steps.

A hint of joy flashed in Shen Zicheng's eyes. He quickly put down his teacup, stood up, and greeted the other person.

"Wenhua, when did you get back from the army?" Shen Zicheng asked with a broad smile, his voice filled with undisguised joy.

Xu Wenhua honestly replied, "Uncle, I just got back today. By the way, isn't Brother Shen home?"

Shen Zicheng smiled and nodded, saying, "It's good that you're back! The couple took the children to visit their in-laws for the New Year, and they probably won't be back for a few more days!"

As he spoke, he warmly invited Xu Wenhua and the others to sit down and personally poured each of them a cup of hot tea.

However, Qian Ahua, who was standing to the side, had no interest in the conversation between the two.

She frowned and shouted impatiently, "Junqi, stop busying yourself in there and come out to see who's here!"

Hearing her mother's call, Shen Junqi couldn't help but feel a surge of curiosity.

She stopped what she was organizing and quickly walked out of the room.

When her gaze fell upon Xu Wenhua at the door, a look of surprise flashed across her face.

"Wenhua, when did you get back?" Shen Junqi couldn't hide her joy and quickly stepped forward to ask happily.

Faced with Shen Junqi's enthusiasm, Xu Wenhua suddenly became a little nervous.

He lowered his head slightly, avoiding Shen Junqi's bright and intense gaze, and stammered, "Comrade Shen, I...I have something I want to tell you."

Shen Junqi's heart tightened, and she had a vague sense of foreboding. She quickly interrupted, "Wenhua, we're already engaged. Isn't it too formal for you to call me Comrade Shen anymore?"

Xu Wenhua took a deep breath, not daring to look at Shen Junqi's expression, and slowly said, "Comrade Shen, let's... let's break off the engagement."

The room fell silent instantly, as if even the air had frozen.

"What did you say?" Shen Junqi stared in astonishment, her eyes wide with disbelief, her voice trembling uncontrollably.

Upon hearing this, Qian Ahua froze on the spot as if struck by lightning, remaining stunned for several seconds before she came to her senses.

With her eyebrows raised and eyes wide with anger, she slammed her hand on the table in front of her, nearly knocking over the teacup.

She angrily questioned, "Xu Wenhua, what exactly do you mean by this? Break off the engagement? Humph! What do you take our Shen family for? Do you think this engagement is something you can just decide to break off whenever you want?"

Xu Wenhua slowly raised his head, his eyes flickering, not daring to meet the gazes of the people in the room, and spoke with deep apology in his tone.

"Uncle, Aunt, and Comrade Shen, I know very well that this matter is really hard for you to accept."

"But... but I really can't marry her. If I force her into marriage, it will not only be unfair to her, but it will also be a great torment for myself."

Before she could finish speaking, Shen Junqi's tears flowed like a burst dam, instantly blurring her vision.

She sobbed uncontrollably, sobs escaping her throat, and choked out, "Wen...Hua, how...how could you be so heartless? All these years of our relationship, are you just going to give it up like this? How...how could you just back out like that?"

Xu Wenhua silently lowered his head, his heart filled with a mixture of emotions, a blend of sweet, sour, bitter, spicy, and salty flavors.

He bit his lip, trying to suppress the pain and guilt in his heart, and murmured to himself, "Comrade Shen, I'm really sorry."

"It's all my fault. I should never have agreed to this marriage so easily. But now that things have come to this, I really can't continue making the same mistake."

Qian Ahua's face was full of anger, and her body was trembling with rage. She pointed her finger at Xu Wenhua's nose and began to curse loudly.

"Xu Wenhua, you are such a heartless ingrate! Our Junqi is devoted to you, her heart and eyes are only for you, and you treat her like this!"

"If you dare to bring up the matter of breaking off the engagement today, I will absolutely not let it go and will definitely make trouble for you to the very end!"

Seeing this, the eldest brother of the Xu family felt a sense of foreboding and quickly stepped forward, trying to ease the tense atmosphere. He said with a smile, "Auntie, please calm down and don't get angry."

"Can't we sit down and discuss everything calmly and rationally?"

However, Qian Ahua was unmoved. She snorted coldly and replied in an icy tone, "Discuss it properly? Humph! Is this how your Xu family bullies others?"

"Do you really think we're easy to bully? Let me tell you clearly, this matter will not end easily today!"

At this moment, Xu Wenhua, who had been silent all along, finally made a move.

He slowly took out a wad of crumpled banknotes from the cloth bag he carried with him and gently placed it on the table.