Song Yu gave Qi Chengyue an appreciative glance, for she did not expect Qi Chengyue to come to her aid so willingly.
Many things that were inappropriate for Song Yu to say had been said by Qi Chengyue, who said them without a care and was evidently trying to help her.
Being on the receiving end of the glance, Qi Chengyue was embarrassed, too. She blushed, said nothing, then led Cheng Dongge away.
Song Yu smiled, then whispered to Qi Chengzhi, “I’m going to the bathroom.”
“I’ll come with you.” Qi Chengzhi did not raise or lower his volume intentionally. It was an odd spectacle because he spoke in a deadpan manner despite having a magnetic voice.
Song Yu knew that it would not end well if he tagged along, but then again, she did not want to leave him there to be bothered by Mu Sisi. She looked up and met the warm gaze emanating from his dark pupils. In a flash, her face began to heat up.
She clearly wanted him to follow her although she was hesitant and shy. It made Qi Chengzhi want to hug her really badly.
A blush took over her face, and she then nodded almost imperceptibly, uttering, “Mm.”
…
…
Unnerved by Song Yu’s gaze, Qi Chengyue departed the scene in haste. She did not even notice that she was still holding on to Cheng Dongge.
She came to the realization only after hearing some chattering.
“Isn’t she married? Why is she dragging along another man in public?”
“Didn’t you know? They’re getting a divorce!”
“Eh? Could this be the new toy? Was it because of this third party that they wanted to divorce?”
“He looks very much like Qi Chengzhi’s special assistant. What’s his name already? I can’t recall it now.”
“He’s using Qi Chengzhi to get a position?”
“I think it won’t be easy for her to find a well-matched partner even if she divorces. Which one of these families do you think will even accept a divorcee? She has no choice but to look for all these underlings.”
“He’s not using this as an opportunity to get a position, is he?”
Qi Chengyue let go of Cheng Dongge’s hand abruptly. She turned toward the direction of the voices and saw a group of women. They were all huddled together and were of the erroneous belief that they were speaking in a low volume.
“I’m sorry to put this burden on you,” Qi Chengyue remarked austerely. She seemed to be trying very hard to control herself from not barging over and giving those women a piece of her mind. “Let’s go our separate ways.”
After finishing her words, she walked toward the group of women without waiting for Cheng Dongge to answer. Her attitude suggested that she was going to tell those women off.
The group was still talking, but one of them finally realized that Qi Chengyue was coming to them. Their expressions turned stiff and their awkwardness made them flustered.
Barely two steps had been taken by Qi Chengyue when a warm palm grasped her arm.
She turned around to see Cheng Dongge, who said in a straight-face, “It’ll be some time before the banquet starts. Let’s go get something sweet to eat.”
Qi Chengyue pursed her lips stubbornly and told him, “I’m not hungry.”
“Let’s just go. I don’t mind everything. It’s not like you can hold a conversation with them anyway. Gossiping is like a pastime to them. If you joined them, it’ll only give me more things to gossip about. This is a perfect time for you to experience how it feels to keep a gigolo.” Cheng Dongge pulled her to the dessert section.
“I’ve already kept a gigolo before,” Qi Chengyue said abruptly.
Cheng Dongge was momentarily stunned, but he maintained his hand on her arm and continued dragging her away without saying anything more.
She wished she could just bite off her own tongue for saying that, but she continued, “What I meant was, don’t lower yourself down to his standards, you’re not…
“…like him.” She blushed.
“Hehe, I didn’t say anything,” Cheng Dongge looked askance at her and remarked.
“…” Qi Chengyue felt like there was some kind of hidden meaning behind those words.
“Did you spend too much time with my big brother?” Qi Chengyue could not help but ask.
“Why do you say that?” Cheng Dongge took a bite out of a piece of cake.
“You’re just like him, turning all mysterious so easily.”
Cheng Dongge, “…”
He quietly placed a slice of cake onto Qi Chengyue’s plate. It was just the right size for her to eat it in a mouthful, but just as she put it into her mouth, she felt someone tugging on her dress. She looked at Cheng Dongge but saw him holding a plate in one hand and a fork in the other, thoroughly enjoying his cake.
“What is it?” he asked, curious.
Qi Chengyue simply kept silent and turned around suspiciously, but she saw no one. A few subsequent tugs on her dress prompted her to look down, where she noticed Qi Youxuan gazing up at her while pulling her dress using his tubby hand.
“What are you doing?” Qi Chengyue cocked a brow and asked indifferently. She was expressing her protest at how he completely forgot about her once he saw Wei Muran.
“Auntie, I wanna pee,” the red-faced boy exclaimed.
“Go tell your dad,” Qi Chengyue scoffed. “You didn’t think about me when you saw Muran just now, right? You only thought about me when you wanna pee, is that it?”
“He’s talking with a bunch of uncles,” Qi Youxuan answered meekly. He would be made fun of if he were to approach the group of uncles and tell his father he wanted to pee. With his auntie, at least, there was only one other person in Cheng Dongge, so even if he were made fun of, it was only one person instead of a group.
From her cocked brow, Qi Youxuan knew that Qi Chengyue was still bearing a grudge against him. He covered up his crotch area and said urgently, “Auntie, come on, I’m going to pee in my pants.”
Qi Chengyue, “…”
…
…
“Big Sis,” Guan Youbo came over and called out.
“Is something the matter?” Guan Liya said coldly.
“This…matter involving Jian Yi and Guan Xiaolin, we only knew about it. Xiaolin’s a kid who doesn’t understand things. Please don’t hold it against her,” Guan Youbo said softly.
“Do you think having an affair with a married man is something you can just brush off by saying she doesn’t understand things?” Guan Xiaolin looked at the married couple in front of her and got even angrier. “You’re the ones who can’t control your own child’s inappropriate behavior, so what do you intend to achieve by looking for me?”
“Big Sis, how can you say that kind of thing? I know that you’d be angry because of what Xiaolin did, but we want to make amends with you. Our familial ties aren’t going to change because of this, right? What Xiaolin did was indeed wrong, but she…” Guan Youbo leaned closer and lowered his volume even more. “She’s pregnant. I can’t do anything about it, and I can’t let her just abort the child.
“I know you’re angry, and we’re angry with her too,” Guan Youbo said.
Guan Xiaolin’s mother, Yao Huimin, interjected, “That’s right. When we knew, Youbo immediately pulled Xiaolin’s hair and was about to hit her. If I didn’t stop him, Xiaolin might need to be hospitalized.”
“Why did you stop him? She’s always calling me ‘Auntie’, but who knew she went behind our backs and slept with my daughter’s husband. Doesn’t she have any sense of shame?” Guan Xiaolin lowered her voice as well, for she was also afraid that others might hear the conversation.
“Yes, yes, we know. We really did punish her,” Guan Youbo asserted. “But with children, we can’t really control much when they grow up. Big Sis, I’m just hoping that this won’t affect our relationship as siblings.”
“About this, we haven’t told Dad yet. He’s still in the hospital, and if we told him, he might not be able to take it. If he knew, he won’t be able to forgive Xiaolin too,” Yao Huimin added.
“Are you using Dad to threaten me?” Guan Xiaolin raised an eyebrow. “I’d like to see the extent of his forgiveness if he knew. Is this how you show sincerity in your apology?”
“Just like you said, Big Sis, I know that this made you angry and I understand that. I feel ashamed to even face you now,” Guan Youbo lamented. “But everything has happened, and we can’t change that. How about this, I’ll definitely bring Xiaolin over to your home and let her kneel down to apologize to you, and to Chenyue!”
“And then we can all treat it as though nothing happened at all? So, all it takes is a few words for us to simply forget about all the hurt that Guan Xiaolin caused us?” Guan Liya snarked.
“Then what do you want us to do, Big Sis? Tell us, and we’ll do our best to get it done,” Guan Youbo pleaded.
“That’s easy. Just tell her to abort the baby, and even though Chengyue and Jian Yi divorced, Guan Xiaolin cannot get married to Jian Yi. If you can do this, then we can all treat it as though nothing happened,” Guan Liya replied coldly.
“This…” Guan Youbo’s expression changed in an instant. “Big Sis, it’s a bit too forceful of you. This is the life of a child we’re talking about. How can you just say that? No matter what, this thing between Jian Yi and Xiaolin has already escalated. What’s going to happen to our Xiaolin if they’re not allowed to get married?”
“To tell you the truth, Big Sis, we don’t support them being together at all. If we could stop it, we would’ve done so already. My husband once grabbed a stick, wanting to hit Xiaolin. He told her that she couldn’t be with Jian Yi. But we can’t control her anymore now that she’s done this kind of thing! She’s already pregnant now, and if she doesn’t get married, people will talk bad about her if word spreads out! Who’s going to take her as their wife after that?! Elder Sister, please consider my feelings as a mother!”
“Then why didn’t you ever consider my feelings? Chengyue got married to Jian Yi, and within this circle, which family do you think will ever accept a divorcee like her?” Guan Liya gnashed her teeth and said.
“Elder Sister, you can’t put it like that because Chengyue and Xiaolin are different,” Yao Huimin protested. “Can you compare the Qi family with the Guan family? If it was Xiaolin, most families would not even look at her because there are plenty of other families on the same level as us. They might as well just look for another pure girl. Chengyue is different, she’s the Qi family’s princess and the sole granddaughter of the Qi family. Even if they really did mind that Chengyue married once before, they would still be able to accept her because she came from the Qi family.”
“Are you suggesting that Chengyue has nothing else to offer except for her family background? She’s already suffered once because of her background. Do you really think that we’d let her suffer again? To let another man see her just for her background, instead of truly loving her and treating her well?” Guan Liya narrowed her eyes and clenched her jaw.
“No, I didn’t mean it like that,” Yao Huimin corrected hastily. “But… But at least in this aspect, more people will have sympathy for Chengyue as the victim. With Xiaolin and Jian Yi, if they know what happened and they found out that Xiaolin didn’t get married to Jian Yi, no one else would want her anymore.
“Elder Sister, Xiaolin is your niece. Can’t you forgive her just this once?” Yao Huimin implored.
“I can,” came Guan Xiaolin’s reply.
Yao Huimin was in disbelief that Guan Liya would actually agree to it, but soon after the latter continued, “Like what I said earlier. Abort the child and don’t get married to Jian Yi. Then I’ll forgive her.”
“Isn’t this… Isn’t this just coming back to square one?” Yao Huimin was getting so anxious that she was practically on the edge.
“You have a daughter, and so do I. You’re not willing to see your daughter be treated badly, and I too, don’t want to see my daughter getting bullied. If you can’t do what I asked, then don’t look for me anymore. As for the Qi family’s ties with the Guan family, consider them severed in the future. Don’t come looking to us for help. I feel sick at heart, so I can’t help you with anything.” Guan Xiaolin left as soon as she completed her words, giving the couple no chance to try and reason with her again.
…
…
At the other side of the room, Qi Chengzhi left with Song Yu to the restroom. Yan Beicheng and Han Zhuoli then spotted Chu Zhaoyang and Gui Zhiqian arriving. The duo then said their goodbyes to Mu Huaisheng and his sister before going over to Chu Zhaoyang and Gui Zhiqian.
Leaving only Mu Huaisheng and Mu Sisi alone together, the elder brother sported a sullen look and chastised his younger sister, “Can you be mindful of the situation? Qi Chengzhi’s already married. Why the hell did you do all that in front of his wife and other people! No matter how much you like him, he’s already married! What are you trying to achieve by throwing yourself over him in front of Song Yu? Do you even have any dignity! What impression will people have of you after you did all those things in public?”
Mu Sisi clenched her hands into fists, then looked obstinately at her elder brother. “What did I do? You’re always keeping in touch with him. You couldn’t possibly have no idea he’s married! You’re the one who’s deliberately hiding it from me. Do you know how hurtful it is to only know about it today, when I finally see him?
“The only reason I was willing to continue studying and graduating in America was because you told me that Big Brother Chengzhi was always single and hasn’t married yet. That’s why I had peace of mind. He posted about his marriage certificate, but when I asked you if he’s already married, you didn’t confirm it because you wanted me to stay in America. Now that I’m finally able to come back, I was really excited because I’ll get to see Big Brother Chengzhi after so many years. I wanted to show him that I’m all grown up, that I’m a woman now instead of the little girl last time. I wanted to become his woman because he’s never had one all these years.”
“Enough! Stop talking nonsense here. If you insist on doing so, you’d better go back to your room! Don’t come out here and make a fool of yourself!” Mu Huaisheng interrupted brashly. His affectionate and handsome face turned much sterner, and his amicable gaze became as sharp as a knife. “I don’t give a damn what you thought before. Now that he’s married, you’d better stop thinking about it. He’s already someone else’s husband, regardless of what you think. Your concern will only make others regard you as someone with no sense of shame!”
“Brother, how can you say that about me when I’m your little sister! Can’t you try to understand me? I was so happy to see him, but in the end, I was told that he’s married! What am I going to do now? I couldn’t do anything last time because I was still young, but I’m grown up now. How else could another woman enter into empty life if not for all those years that I wasted? If none of you stopped me all those years, and if you allowed me to come back home, I could’ve been beside him and showed him how good I am! If that happened, then I’d be his wife now! That woman is nothing but a third party who took the opportunity to enter into his life when he’s feeling empty! If she knows the meaning of shame, she should rightfully return Big Brother Chengzhi to me!” Mu Sisi’s hands were still in tight fists as she stretched out her neck and argued with her brother.
Mu Huaisheng clenched his jaw and dragged Mu Sisi to a corner, saying, “Qi Chengzhi was never yours to begin with. You mean to say that we’ve wasted your time, am I right? You’re implying that if you came back into the country earlier and was always beside him, you’d now become his wife, yes?”
Mu Sisi huffed angrily in silent admission.
Mu Huaisheng sneered and let go of her wrist, explaining, “I never told you this, but back when we’re still studying, many girls went after him. Once, I asked him if there was anyone that he ever fancied, even a little bit.”
With eyes wide open, Mu Sisi never knew that Mu Huaisheng had asked that question before. She was curious about the answer even though Qi Chengzhi was already married.
What she got was a taunting gaze from her brother, who explained, “He said that someone was waiting for him back at home. I thought it’s his girlfriend so I asked him if she was, but he answered me by saying that he’s going to take her as his wife. That wasn’t a direct answer to my question though. It was only until now that I realized Song Yu was the exact same girl that he spoke of long ago.”
“How can you be so sure?!” Mu Sisi was angry. A sudden thought then popped up in her mind, to which she asked, “Are you basing that just on the fact that the company name was Feather?”
“That, and also because her surname is Song. I didn’t truly know that she existed, but at the same time, I sort of knew. You don’t need to know about the details,” Mu Huaisheng said. Back when Qi Chengzhi began to slowly take over the Song family’s company, he had done a background check on that family. The emphasis, however, was on Song Donglin, and as for Song Yu, all Mu Huaisheng knew was that Song Donglin had a daughter, whose name Mu Huaisheng did not pay attention to.
He connected all the dots after meeting her.
In essence, he kind of knew of Song Yu’s existence, albeit not categorically.
“When I saw her today, I’m very sure that she’s who Qi Chengzhi spoke of last time. She looks twenty-six this year, older than you by two years. At the time I asked Chengzhi, she’s probably already in high school.” Mu Huaisheng stared solemnly at Mu Sisi. “Which means that at the very least, he’s waited for her since she was in high school. It’s not that he never looked at any other woman—it’s just that he never looks at anyone other than Song Yu. You thought you could come back earlier and stay by his side so he can look at you longer, but in fact, he wouldn’t look at anyone else—you included—because he already had Song Yu. If he had his heart set on her, he wouldn’t waver at all, so the only possibility is that he was talking about Song Yu at the time.”
“Impossible… That’s impossible!” Mu Sisi could not accept that reasoning at all. “You’re just guessing! This is all just speculation! What you say isn’t necessarily true.”
Mu Huaisheng’s face remained impassive, and his steely expression made Mu Sisi grit her teeth in spite.
“I can tell you this. He’s willing to do anything for Song Yu, even the most unspeakable of things. So, don’t you be stubborn by trying to interfere with them,” Mu Huaisheng cautioned in a low voice.
Mu Sisi felt aggrieved and her face turned red. “Are you still my brother? Don’t you want me to be happy? Why aren’t you supporting your little sister?!”
Mu Huaisheng narrowed his eyes and lowered his warm voice, making it appear much colder. “I’m only letting you see the truth. Don’t do something that’ll make others hate you, or else you might not even get the luxury of being friends with Chengzhi.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t embarrass you!” Mu Sisi then continued dejectedly, “If the only way I can be beside him is to be his friend, then I’ll do that. You don’t need to repeat yourself!”
Mu Sisi exclaimed and turned away, with her eyes already beginning to turn red. Mu Huaisheng however, frowned when he saw the direction at which she was heading to.
…
…
“You wanted to go to the restroom, didn’t you?” Qi Chengzhi asked half-smilingly. He held Song Yu by the waist as they reached the restroom, but Song Yu did not go in.
“…” Song Yu shot Qi Chengzhi an angry stare. He knew she had no intention to actually go into the bathroom in the first place and simply wanted to avoid Mu Sisi, yet he still asked the question on purpose.
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Song Yu gave Qi Chengyue an appreciative glance, for she did not expect Qi Chengyue to come to her aid so willingly.
Many things that were inappropriate for Song Yu to say had been said by Qi Chengyue, who said them without a care and was evidently trying to help her.
Being on the receiving end of the glance, Qi Chengyue was embarrassed, too. She blushed, said nothing, then led Cheng Dongge away.
Song Yu smiled, then whispered to Qi Chengzhi, “I’m going to the bathroom.”
“I’ll come with you.” Qi Chengzhi did not raise or lower his volume intentionally. It was an odd spectacle because he spoke in a deadpan manner despite having a magnetic voice.
Song Yu knew that it would not end well if he tagged along, but then again, she did not want to leave him there to be bothered by Mu Sisi. She looked up and met the warm gaze emanating from his dark pupils. In a flash, her face began to heat up.
She clearly wanted him to follow her although she was hesitant and shy. It made Qi Chengzhi want to hug her really badly.
A blush took over her face, and she then nodded almost imperceptibly, uttering, “Mm.”
…
…
Unnerved by Song Yu’s gaze, Qi Chengyue departed the scene in haste. She did not even notice that she was still holding on to Cheng Dongge.
She came to the realization only after hearing some chattering.
“Isn’t she married? Why is she dragging along another man in public?”
“Didn’t you know? They’re getting a divorce!”
“Eh? Could this be the new toy? Was it because of this third party that they wanted to divorce?”
“He looks very much like Qi Chengzhi’s special assistant. What’s his name already? I can’t recall it now.”
“He’s using Qi Chengzhi to get a position?”
“I think it won’t be easy for her to find a well-matched partner even if she divorces. Which one of these families do you think will even accept a divorcee? She has no choice but to look for all these underlings.”
“He’s not using this as an opportunity to get a position, is he?”
Qi Chengyue let go of Cheng Dongge’s hand abruptly. She turned toward the direction of the voices and saw a group of women. They were all huddled together and were of the erroneous belief that they were speaking in a low volume.
“I’m sorry to put this burden on you,” Qi Chengyue remarked austerely. She seemed to be trying very hard to control herself from not barging over and giving those women a piece of her mind. “Let’s go our separate ways.”
After finishing her words, she walked toward the group of women without waiting for Cheng Dongge to answer. Her attitude suggested that she was going to tell those women off.
The group was still talking, but one of them finally realized that Qi Chengyue was coming to them. Their expressions turned stiff and their awkwardness made them flustered.
Barely two steps had been taken by Qi Chengyue when a warm palm grasped her arm.
She turned around to see Cheng Dongge, who said in a straight-face, “It’ll be some time before the banquet starts. Let’s go get something sweet to eat.”
Qi Chengyue pursed her lips stubbornly and told him, “I’m not hungry.”
“Let’s just go. I don’t mind everything. It’s not like you can hold a conversation with them anyway. Gossiping is like a pastime to them. If you joined them, it’ll only give me more things to gossip about. This is a perfect time for you to experience how it feels to keep a gigolo.” Cheng Dongge pulled her to the dessert section.
“I’ve already kept a gigolo before,” Qi Chengyue said abruptly.
Cheng Dongge was momentarily stunned, but he maintained his hand on her arm and continued dragging her away without saying anything more.
She wished she could just bite off her own tongue for saying that, but she continued, “What I meant was, don’t lower yourself down to his standards, you’re not…
“…like him.” She blushed.
“Hehe, I didn’t say anything,” Cheng Dongge looked askance at her and remarked.
“…” Qi Chengyue felt like there was some kind of hidden meaning behind those words.
“Did you spend too much time with my big brother?” Qi Chengyue could not help but ask.
“Why do you say that?” Cheng Dongge took a bite out of a piece of cake.
“You’re just like him, turning all mysterious so easily.”
Cheng Dongge, “…”
He quietly placed a slice of cake onto Qi Chengyue’s plate. It was just the right size for her to eat it in a mouthful, but just as she put it into her mouth, she felt someone tugging on her dress. She looked at Cheng Dongge but saw him holding a plate in one hand and a fork in the other, thoroughly enjoying his cake.
“What is it?” he asked, curious.
Qi Chengyue simply kept silent and turned around suspiciously, but she saw no one. A few subsequent tugs on her dress prompted her to look down, where she noticed Qi Youxuan gazing up at her while pulling her dress using his tubby hand.
“What are you doing?” Qi Chengyue cocked a brow and asked indifferently. She was expressing her protest at how he completely forgot about her once he saw Wei Muran.
“Auntie, I wanna pee,” the red-faced boy exclaimed.
“Go tell your dad,” Qi Chengyue scoffed. “You didn’t think about me when you saw Muran just now, right? You only thought about me when you wanna pee, is that it?”
“He’s talking with a bunch of uncles,” Qi Youxuan answered meekly. He would be made fun of if he were to approach the group of uncles and tell his father he wanted to pee. With his auntie, at least, there was only one other person in Cheng Dongge, so even if he were made fun of, it was only one person instead of a group.
From her cocked brow, Qi Youxuan knew that Qi Chengyue was still bearing a grudge against him. He covered up his crotch area and said urgently, “Auntie, come on, I’m going to pee in my pants.”
Qi Chengyue, “…”
…
…
“Big Sis,” Guan Youbo came over and called out.
“Is something the matter?” Guan Liya said coldly.
“This…matter involving Jian Yi and Guan Xiaolin, we only knew about it. Xiaolin’s a kid who doesn’t understand things. Please don’t hold it against her,” Guan Youbo said softly.
“Do you think having an affair with a married man is something you can just brush off by saying she doesn’t understand things?” Guan Xiaolin looked at the married couple in front of her and got even angrier. “You’re the ones who can’t control your own child’s inappropriate behavior, so what do you intend to achieve by looking for me?”
“Big Sis, how can you say that kind of thing? I know that you’d be angry because of what Xiaolin did, but we want to make amends with you. Our familial ties aren’t going to change because of this, right? What Xiaolin did was indeed wrong, but she…” Guan Youbo leaned closer and lowered his volume even more. “She’s pregnant. I can’t do anything about it, and I can’t let her just abort the child.
“I know you’re angry, and we’re angry with her too,” Guan Youbo said.
Guan Xiaolin’s mother, Yao Huimin, interjected, “That’s right. When we knew, Youbo immediately pulled Xiaolin’s hair and was about to hit her. If I didn’t stop him, Xiaolin might need to be hospitalized.”
“Why did you stop him? She’s always calling me ‘Auntie’, but who knew she went behind our backs and slept with my daughter’s husband. Doesn’t she have any sense of shame?” Guan Xiaolin lowered her voice as well, for she was also afraid that others might hear the conversation.
“Yes, yes, we know. We really did punish her,” Guan Youbo asserted. “But with children, we can’t really control much when they grow up. Big Sis, I’m just hoping that this won’t affect our relationship as siblings.”
“About this, we haven’t told Dad yet. He’s still in the hospital, and if we told him, he might not be able to take it. If he knew, he won’t be able to forgive Xiaolin too,” Yao Huimin added.
“Are you using Dad to threaten me?” Guan Xiaolin raised an eyebrow. “I’d like to see the extent of his forgiveness if he knew. Is this how you show sincerity in your apology?”
“Just like you said, Big Sis, I know that this made you angry and I understand that. I feel ashamed to even face you now,” Guan Youbo lamented. “But everything has happened, and we can’t change that. How about this, I’ll definitely bring Xiaolin over to your home and let her kneel down to apologize to you, and to Chenyue!”
“And then we can all treat it as though nothing happened at all? So, all it takes is a few words for us to simply forget about all the hurt that Guan Xiaolin caused us?” Guan Liya snarked.
“Then what do you want us to do, Big Sis? Tell us, and we’ll do our best to get it done,” Guan Youbo pleaded.
“That’s easy. Just tell her to abort the baby, and even though Chengyue and Jian Yi divorced, Guan Xiaolin cannot get married to Jian Yi. If you can do this, then we can all treat it as though nothing happened,” Guan Liya replied coldly.
“This…” Guan Youbo’s expression changed in an instant. “Big Sis, it’s a bit too forceful of you. This is the life of a child we’re talking about. How can you just say that? No matter what, this thing between Jian Yi and Xiaolin has already escalated. What’s going to happen to our Xiaolin if they’re not allowed to get married?”
“To tell you the truth, Big Sis, we don’t support them being together at all. If we could stop it, we would’ve done so already. My husband once grabbed a stick, wanting to hit Xiaolin. He told her that she couldn’t be with Jian Yi. But we can’t control her anymore now that she’s done this kind of thing! She’s already pregnant now, and if she doesn’t get married, people will talk bad about her if word spreads out! Who’s going to take her as their wife after that?! Elder Sister, please consider my feelings as a mother!”
“Then why didn’t you ever consider my feelings? Chengyue got married to Jian Yi, and within this circle, which family do you think will ever accept a divorcee like her?” Guan Liya gnashed her teeth and said.
“Elder Sister, you can’t put it like that because Chengyue and Xiaolin are different,” Yao Huimin protested. “Can you compare the Qi family with the Guan family? If it was Xiaolin, most families would not even look at her because there are plenty of other families on the same level as us. They might as well just look for another pure girl. Chengyue is different, she’s the Qi family’s princess and the sole granddaughter of the Qi family. Even if they really did mind that Chengyue married once before, they would still be able to accept her because she came from the Qi family.”
“Are you suggesting that Chengyue has nothing else to offer except for her family background? She’s already suffered once because of her background. Do you really think that we’d let her suffer again? To let another man see her just for her background, instead of truly loving her and treating her well?” Guan Liya narrowed her eyes and clenched her jaw.
“No, I didn’t mean it like that,” Yao Huimin corrected hastily. “But… But at least in this aspect, more people will have sympathy for Chengyue as the victim. With Xiaolin and Jian Yi, if they know what happened and they found out that Xiaolin didn’t get married to Jian Yi, no one else would want her anymore.
“Elder Sister, Xiaolin is your niece. Can’t you forgive her just this once?” Yao Huimin implored.
“I can,” came Guan Xiaolin’s reply.
Yao Huimin was in disbelief that Guan Liya would actually agree to it, but soon after the latter continued, “Like what I said earlier. Abort the child and don’t get married to Jian Yi. Then I’ll forgive her.”
“Isn’t this… Isn’t this just coming back to square one?” Yao Huimin was getting so anxious that she was practically on the edge.
“You have a daughter, and so do I. You’re not willing to see your daughter be treated badly, and I too, don’t want to see my daughter getting bullied. If you can’t do what I asked, then don’t look for me anymore. As for the Qi family’s ties with the Guan family, consider them severed in the future. Don’t come looking to us for help. I feel sick at heart, so I can’t help you with anything.” Guan Xiaolin left as soon as she completed her words, giving the couple no chance to try and reason with her again.
…
…
At the other side of the room, Qi Chengzhi left with Song Yu to the restroom. Yan Beicheng and Han Zhuoli then spotted Chu Zhaoyang and Gui Zhiqian arriving. The duo then said their goodbyes to Mu Huaisheng and his sister before going over to Chu Zhaoyang and Gui Zhiqian.
Leaving only Mu Huaisheng and Mu Sisi alone together, the elder brother sported a sullen look and chastised his younger sister, “Can you be mindful of the situation? Qi Chengzhi’s already married. Why the hell did you do all that in front of his wife and other people! No matter how much you like him, he’s already married! What are you trying to achieve by throwing yourself over him in front of Song Yu? Do you even have any dignity! What impression will people have of you after you did all those things in public?”
Mu Sisi clenched her hands into fists, then looked obstinately at her elder brother. “What did I do? You’re always keeping in touch with him. You couldn’t possibly have no idea he’s married! You’re the one who’s deliberately hiding it from me. Do you know how hurtful it is to only know about it today, when I finally see him?
“The only reason I was willing to continue studying and graduating in America was because you told me that Big Brother Chengzhi was always single and hasn’t married yet. That’s why I had peace of mind. He posted about his marriage certificate, but when I asked you if he’s already married, you didn’t confirm it because you wanted me to stay in America. Now that I’m finally able to come back, I was really excited because I’ll get to see Big Brother Chengzhi after so many years. I wanted to show him that I’m all grown up, that I’m a woman now instead of the little girl last time. I wanted to become his woman because he’s never had one all these years.”
“Enough! Stop talking nonsense here. If you insist on doing so, you’d better go back to your room! Don’t come out here and make a fool of yourself!” Mu Huaisheng interrupted brashly. His affectionate and handsome face turned much sterner, and his amicable gaze became as sharp as a knife. “I don’t give a damn what you thought before. Now that he’s married, you’d better stop thinking about it. He’s already someone else’s husband, regardless of what you think. Your concern will only make others regard you as someone with no sense of shame!”
“Brother, how can you say that about me when I’m your little sister! Can’t you try to understand me? I was so happy to see him, but in the end, I was told that he’s married! What am I going to do now? I couldn’t do anything last time because I was still young, but I’m grown up now. How else could another woman enter into empty life if not for all those years that I wasted? If none of you stopped me all those years, and if you allowed me to come back home, I could’ve been beside him and showed him how good I am! If that happened, then I’d be his wife now! That woman is nothing but a third party who took the opportunity to enter into his life when he’s feeling empty! If she knows the meaning of shame, she should rightfully return Big Brother Chengzhi to me!” Mu Sisi’s hands were still in tight fists as she stretched out her neck and argued with her brother.
Mu Huaisheng clenched his jaw and dragged Mu Sisi to a corner, saying, “Qi Chengzhi was never yours to begin with. You mean to say that we’ve wasted your time, am I right? You’re implying that if you came back into the country earlier and was always beside him, you’d now become his wife, yes?”
Mu Sisi huffed angrily in silent admission.
Mu Huaisheng sneered and let go of her wrist, explaining, “I never told you this, but back when we’re still studying, many girls went after him. Once, I asked him if there was anyone that he ever fancied, even a little bit.”
With eyes wide open, Mu Sisi never knew that Mu Huaisheng had asked that question before. She was curious about the answer even though Qi Chengzhi was already married.
What she got was a taunting gaze from her brother, who explained, “He said that someone was waiting for him back at home. I thought it’s his girlfriend so I asked him if she was, but he answered me by saying that he’s going to take her as his wife. That wasn’t a direct answer to my question though. It was only until now that I realized Song Yu was the exact same girl that he spoke of long ago.”
“How can you be so sure?!” Mu Sisi was angry. A sudden thought then popped up in her mind, to which she asked, “Are you basing that just on the fact that the company name was Feather?”
“That, and also because her surname is Song. I didn’t truly know that she existed, but at the same time, I sort of knew. You don’t need to know about the details,” Mu Huaisheng said. Back when Qi Chengzhi began to slowly take over the Song family’s company, he had done a background check on that family. The emphasis, however, was on Song Donglin, and as for Song Yu, all Mu Huaisheng knew was that Song Donglin had a daughter, whose name Mu Huaisheng did not pay attention to.
He connected all the dots after meeting her.
In essence, he kind of knew of Song Yu’s existence, albeit not categorically.
“When I saw her today, I’m very sure that she’s who Qi Chengzhi spoke of last time. She looks twenty-six this year, older than you by two years. At the time I asked Chengzhi, she’s probably already in high school.” Mu Huaisheng stared solemnly at Mu Sisi. “Which means that at the very least, he’s waited for her since she was in high school. It’s not that he never looked at any other woman—it’s just that he never looks at anyone other than Song Yu. You thought you could come back earlier and stay by his side so he can look at you longer, but in fact, he wouldn’t look at anyone else—you included—because he already had Song Yu. If he had his heart set on her, he wouldn’t waver at all, so the only possibility is that he was talking about Song Yu at the time.”
“Impossible… That’s impossible!” Mu Sisi could not accept that reasoning at all. “You’re just guessing! This is all just speculation! What you say isn’t necessarily true.”
Mu Huaisheng’s face remained impassive, and his steely expression made Mu Sisi grit her teeth in spite.
“I can tell you this. He’s willing to do anything for Song Yu, even the most unspeakable of things. So, don’t you be stubborn by trying to interfere with them,” Mu Huaisheng cautioned in a low voice.
Mu Sisi felt aggrieved and her face turned red. “Are you still my brother? Don’t you want me to be happy? Why aren’t you supporting your little sister?!”
Mu Huaisheng narrowed his eyes and lowered his warm voice, making it appear much colder. “I’m only letting you see the truth. Don’t do something that’ll make others hate you, or else you might not even get the luxury of being friends with Chengzhi.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t embarrass you!” Mu Sisi then continued dejectedly, “If the only way I can be beside him is to be his friend, then I’ll do that. You don’t need to repeat yourself!”
Mu Sisi exclaimed and turned away, with her eyes already beginning to turn red. Mu Huaisheng however, frowned when he saw the direction at which she was heading to.
…
…
“You wanted to go to the restroom, didn’t you?” Qi Chengzhi asked half-smilingly. He held Song Yu by the waist as they reached the restroom, but Song Yu did not go in.
“…” Song Yu shot Qi Chengzhi an angry stare. He knew she had no intention to actually go into the bathroom in the first place and simply wanted to avoid Mu Sisi, yet he still asked the question on purpose.
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