Useless Coward
Sam Evans rushed to the Moonlight Pavilion and went straight to see Xenia, informing her of the situation with Cynthia Green.
Xenia frowned. "I didn’t expect Miss Cynthia Green to be so stubborn. But I think Third Master’s idea is workable. Jasper Cheng is a coward—just scare him a few times and he’ll fold. We’ll threaten him here, make him go tell Miss Cynthia Green himself that he doesn’t want her, and have her go home. Simple as that."
"Alright, I’ll leave it to you, Xenia." Sam Evans hurriedly followed Xenia to the place where Jasper Cheng was being held.
Jasper Cheng had already been beaten several times by the people at Moonlight Pavilion. Covered in bruises, he was now curled up in the prison cell, half-awake and half-dreaming. When he saw someone coming, he thought they were here to torture him again and immediately shrank into a ball, kneeling and kowtowing nonstop. "I’m a beast, I’m worse than a pig or dog, I’m an ant, I’m dung—please, madams and sirs, just treat me as nothing and let me go!"
Seeing Jasper Cheng’s spineless, pathetic state, Sam Evans was so angry he could hardly breathe. His daughter had been ruined by such a wretch, yet she was inexplicably devoted to him.
Xenia was a professional at interrogation. She called in two burly men and had them torture Jasper Cheng. He was so terrified he wet himself, his face turned pale, and he was in a terrible state.
Once he was sufficiently frightened, Xenia finally spoke: "Jasper Cheng, do you want to go home?"
Jasper Cheng nodded frantically. "Madam, I want to go home—please, let me go! I’ll do anything you say!"
"Tsk. If you do as we say, I’ll let you go home," Xenia said.
Jasper Cheng kowtowed desperately. "Please, Madam, just tell me what to do—I’ll do it right away!"
"Alright, my people will take you to see Cynthia Green. You must tell Cynthia Green that you don’t want her anymore, that she should go home, and that the two of you are finished—no more contact from now on. After you say these words, I’ll have someone send you home," Xenia said.
Jasper Cheng kneeled low, his head bowed. Upon hearing Xenia’s instructions, he immediately agreed, "Alright, alright, I promise, I promise!"
"Good. Take him away!" Xenia ordered, having Jasper Cheng bound, stuffed into a sack, and loaded onto a carriage. She sent escorts and went with Sam Evans back to Evans Manor.
As soon as Sam Evans stepped through the gates of Evans Manor, he heard Cynthia Green’s voice, hoarse from shouting—she hadn’t stopped since the ordeal began.
Sam Evans’s heart ached terribly. He quickly ordered the sack containing Jasper Cheng to be carried into the courtyard.
In the courtyard, Uncle George and his family were all present. Seeing the sack, they asked, "Sam, did you bring him?"
"Yes, I brought him," Sam Evans replied, opening the sack to reveal Jasper Cheng inside.
Jasper Cheng cowered like a dung beetle, immediately kowtowing and begging not to be beaten whenever anyone approached.
Linda Wang stared in disbelief. "This is the man Lana Evans refuses to leave, the one she insists on marrying? I don’t see what’s so good about him—he’s a complete loser, a spineless coward."
"Yes, yes, I’m a loser, a coward—Auntie, please don’t hit me!" Jasper Cheng cried, kowtowing to Linda Wang, startling her so much she stepped back. She turned to Sam Evans, "Let him talk to Lana quickly, get her to give up."
Sam Evans nodded, grabbed Jasper Cheng by the collar, and said, "Do you remember what we told you at Moonlight Pavilion?"
Jasper Cheng’s eyes darted around and he quickly said, "I remember, I remember! I remember everything. I’ll go in now and tell Cynthia Green I don’t want her anymore, and let her go home." His voice trembled with fear and uncertainty, determined to follow through as instructed.