Chapter 262 The Final Annulment of the Engagement

Xu Wenhua, who had been anxiously waiting nearby, answered the phone as soon as it rang.

Chen Mengmeng happily told him, "Brother Wenhua, you've got a job! Go to the textile factory in town and get your employment report from your uncle. You can report for duty anytime!"

Xu Wenhua was relieved after hearing this.

"Thank you!" Xu Wenhua said with a sigh of relief, the weight that had been hanging over her heart finally lifted.

He slowly hung up the phone, straightened his slightly disheveled collar, and then walked briskly toward the textile factory.

Before long, Xu Wenhua arrived at the gate of the textile factory.

At that moment, the old gatekeeper was leisurely sipping his tea in his chair. When he saw Xu Wenhua standing at the gate, looking around, he immediately walked up to him and asked in a stern tone, "Young man, who are you looking for? This isn't a place where just anyone can linger!"

Xu Wenhua quickly put on a gentle smile and politely replied, "Hello, uncle, I'm here to see your factory director, Mr. Chen."

Upon hearing this, the gatekeeper looked Xu Wenhua up and down, seemingly trying to confirm his identity.

After a moment, the gatekeeper nodded as if he had just realized something and said, "Oh, so you're that young man surnamed Xu! Our factory manager already told me that you can go straight in."

"Keep walking straight ahead from here. See that little red building? That's the factory manager's office building. Go inside and up to the second floor. The first room on your left is the factory manager's office." After saying that, the security guard pointed in the direction.

"Thank you so much!" Xu Wenhua thanked the gatekeeper and then quickly walked into the factory following the directions he had given.

Before long, he arrived at the bright red building and hurried to the office door.

After Xu Wenhua stood still, he took a few deep breaths to calm his wildly beating heart before raising his hand and gently knocking on the office door.

A crisp knock sounded, and soon a deep, magnetic, and powerful male voice, like a booming bell, came from inside: "Come in!"

After receiving permission, Xu Wenhua slowly pushed open the door and stepped into the room.

He didn't even have time to greet the other party—"Director Chen, hello!"—before he could finish the sentence, he swallowed it back down.

The factory director, Chen, sitting behind the desk, merely raised his head slightly, glanced at him quickly out of the corner of his eye, and then spoke expressionlessly.

“So you’re Xu Wenhua. Here are two letters of introduction. Take them and get going! I have other things to do,” said Director Chen, then ignored him and went back to his work.

Seeing this, Xu Wenhua knew that people looked down on him. He clenched his fist, walked forward, picked up the envelope containing the letter of introduction from the desk, and then silently turned around and walked towards the door.

As Xu Wenhua left the factory and looked back at the small red building, what was he thinking? Only he himself probably knows.

Xu Wenhua once again embarked on his journey to the Shen family.

When he arrived at the Shen family's gate, he happened to run into Qian Ahua coming out. Upon seeing Xu Wenhua, Qian Ahua's already unpleasant expression instantly turned even more gloomy.

She asked irritably, "Why are you here again? What do you want?"

Despite Qian Ahua's cold and hostile attitude, Xu Wenhua showed no sign of backing down.

Instead, he took a deep breath, trying to keep his tone calm, and slowly replied, "Auntie, I've come here to discuss breaking off the engagement."

Qian Ahua sneered: "Discuss? What's there to discuss? Can you meet the conditions my family proposed?"

Xu Wenhua took out two job opening certificates from her bag and placed them on the table: "Auntie, these are the two job openings I found."

I know this might not be enough, but it's really all I can do.

Qian Ahua glanced at the things on the table, feeling happy inside. Her expression softened slightly, but her tone remained firm: "That's all? You think two job openings are enough to get rid of us?"

Shen Junqi stood to the side, tears welling in her eyes: "Wenhua, are you really this heartless?"

Xu Wenhua lowered his head, his voice hoarse: "Junqi, I'm sorry. I know I owe you something I can never repay in this lifetime. But I really can't marry you; it wouldn't be good for either of us."

Qian Ahua was silent for a moment, then finally sighed: "Alright, since you've gone this far, we won't make things difficult for you."

"From now on, our two families are completely severed, and neither of us owes the other anything."

Xu Wenhua nodded slightly in agreement, then turned to leave.

However, at that moment, a figure suddenly appeared at the door—Shen Junyan was slowly walking in from outside.

"What are you doing here?" Shen Junyan's voice was cold and hostile. He knew perfectly well that Xu Wenhua's purpose in coming here was to break off the engagement with his younger sister.

Xu Wenhua raised his head, met Shen Junyan's angry gaze, and honestly replied, "I...I'm here to break off the engagement."

Although he sounded somewhat apologetic, he still firmly expressed his purpose.

Upon hearing this, Shen Junyan threw the hoe he was holding to the ground without saying a word, strode forward, and swung his fist down hard at Xu Wenhua.

The fist came flying like a storm, filled with resentment and dissatisfaction.

Xu Wenhua had no time to dodge and could only endure the sudden attack.

With a muffled thud, a sharp pain shot through his cheek, and he staggered back a few steps before managing to regain his footing.

Seeing this, Qian Ahua quickly stepped forward and pulled her son, who was still agitated and about to continue hitting her, and shouted, "That's enough! Stop hitting him! The engagement has already been broken off, just let him go!"

"From now on, let's pretend we don't know each other!" She said firmly, pulling Shen Junyan along while turning to look at Xu Wenhua.

Xu Wenhua covered his swollen and red face, glanced silently at everyone in the room, and then slowly turned and walked towards the door.

As the door behind him slammed shut, he took a deep breath, feeling as if a heavy stone had been lifted from his heart, and his mood instantly became incredibly light.

Meanwhile, Shen Xiaoxiao, who lived on the other side of the village, only learned of their broken engagement several days later.

She was picking herbs on the mountain when she overheard the women passing by whispering among themselves.