In this whole wide world, there was only one person who called him a brother in law. That person was Bo Mingmei from the Shentu family.
Indeed, Bo Mingmei had appeared at the venue.
Her message for Xia Lei was clear and loud which effectively silenced everyone else.
The Tang and Xia family were busy matchmaking Xia Lei and Tang Yuyan together. The marriage was so close to becoming a reality. However, Bo Mingmeiâs sudden appearance along with her exclamation to Xia Lei as her brother in law threw them off. Was she here to sabotage the union?!
It was also due to the sudden intervention that Xia Leiâs response was interrupted. The man was perplexed as to why Bo Mingmei was here.
Tang Yuyanâs expression took an abrupt change, now filled with resentment and disdain.
Bo Mingmei strode across the hall to Xia Lei.
Zhang Yumei raised her brow. âWho is she?â
âSheâŠâ Xia Lei tensed. âSheâs Shentu Tianyinâs sister. Uh, adopted sister.â
Hearing that, Zhang Yumeiâs expression darkened.
Everyone seated at the table knew who Shentu Tianyin was.
The unwelcomed presence of Shentu Tianyinâs adopted sister at a crucial time like this was already unspeakable. The woman had committed a taboo by calling him a brother in law in public.
The atmosphere took a great shift from its prior liveliness to an awkward silence.
âBrother in law!â Bo Mingmei finally made it to Xia Leiâs side. She looked extremely anxious. âMy sister⊠My sisterâŠâ
âWhatâs happened to Tianyin?â Seeing her like this, Xia Lei couldnât help but feel nervous too.
A day as husband and wife meant endless devotion for life. Xia Lei and Shentu Tianyin were married for some time. He was once deeply in love with her. Xia Lei had always been concerned for her, so seeing Bo Mingmei nervous made him panic too.
âMy sister passed out suddenly at work! Weâve already admitted her to the hospital. You must visit her, I donât think she⊠SheâŠâ Bo Mingmei was on the verge of tears.
The display set off alarms blaring in Xia Lei. He quickly stood from his seat. âWhich hospital is she admitted to? Bring me there!â
âWait!â Tang Yuyan hurriedly pulled on Xia Leiâs arm. âI need to ask this Miss Bo something.â Without giving a chance for Xia Lei to reply, Tang Yuyan asked, âMiss Bo, how did you find out that we were here?â
âIâŠâ Bo Mingmei was at a loss for words.
âAnswer me, how did you find us?â Tang Yuyan pressed on.
Preoccupied with his anxiety, Xia Lei hadnât noticed that. Now that Tang Yuyan had mentioned it, the man started to find it weird too. How on earth did Bo Mingmei know that he was here?
âWhy should I answer you?â Bo Mingmei was irritated. She quickly looked at Xia Lei. âLet me make this clear. This might be the last time youâre ever going to see her again. Come with me if you wish.â
Xia Lei glared at Bo Mingmei. âThat was uncalled for. Iâm coming with you.â
Tang Yuyan was starting to get anxious. âWait, she hasnât answered me yet!â
Bo Mingmei turned around to leave.
Xia Lei quickly uttered, âPlease excuse me.â And with that, he was off.
Tang Yuyan had wanted to follow along but her legs felt as if they were chained to the floor. Her âfiancĂ©â was rushing over to check on his ex-wife and that was not a place for a âfiancĂ©eâ to be. The daughter of the Tang Family wouldnât spare her dignity for this!
âThat woman really doesnât know when toâŠâ Zhang Yumei wanted to cuss but ultimately decided against it. Instead, she huffed. âShe must have sent that woman over to come in between our Tang Yuyan and Xia Lei. She canât stand them being happy.â
Obviously, Zhang Yumei was referring to Shentu Tianyin.
Tang Tianlong looked at Tang Yuyan. âWhy are you not going with them?â
Tang Yuyan fumed. âNo! I refuse!â
Zhang Yumei supported her daughter. âWhy does she need to tag along? Our Yuyan is a girl with principles, she knows when to give men space.â As the mother spoke, she stepped on Tang Tianlongâs feet.
Tang Tianlong seemed to have understood her hint and took the cue to shut up.
One reason was for the sake of the Tang familyâs respect. Another was Xia Leiâs personality. With a man like Xia Lei, if Tang Yuyan had attached herself tightly to him, would he be delighted? Of course not.
Tang Yunhai finally spoke, but his tone was disgruntled. âIâve heard about Shentu Tianyin. Xia Lei was her scapegoat yet she was extremely ungrateful and had even divorced him. Now that Xia Lei has made a name for himself, sheâs trying to leech off his favour. What the hell is she thinking? Did she seriously think that she could fool us?â At this moment, he turned to look at Xia Changhe. âIsnât that right, Changhe?â
Xia Changhe answered, âIâve never thought well of their marriage. Iâve even advised him against it but my son paid me no mind.â
âClearly, sheâs playing with fire.â Tang Tianlong sneered. âAll the things she had done are not easy to forgive.â
âThis woman is cunning but sheâs messing with the wrong family now.â Zhang Yumeiâs tone was even more vicious than Tang Tianlong.
If the Tang family could retain its pride after hundreds of years, surely their members were nothing to sneeze at.
âNever mind, letâs not talk about that woman anymore. It leaves such a bad taste in our mouth.â Shi Boren continued, âOld Xia, I think the adults should just proceed with the planning. Yuyan likes Xia Lei and I can tell that your son likes her too. However⊠Uh, how do I say thisâŠ? Xia Lei is just too excellent of a man, heâs great with women and likes a lot of peopleâŠâ
Tang Yunhai cleared his throat.
Shi Boren was stunned and quickly changed his words. âWell, we should quickly decide on the particulars and have Xia Lei settle down. Itâd be great for him to settle down in the family department to ease his heart. That way heâll be able to focus on work and contribute to the country. Since both parties are here, letâs just all agree on the union and pick a date to book for the banquet? What do you think?â
âSounds good, I agree.â Tang Tianlongâs answer was direct.
âFather!â Tang Yuyan rolled her eyes violently at Tang Tianlong but there was a hint of a smile at the edge of her lips.
âOh, youâŠâ Zhang Yumei teased, âIâm sure youâre eager to pack your things and follow Uncle Xia home now.â
This was a prominent hint directed to Xia Changhe. The Tang family was not here to look for a potential husband. They were serious in marrying her off.
âMom!â Tang Yuyan whined and glared at Zhang Yumei like a spoiled child, but her glee was now plastered on her face.
All members of the Tang family placed their attention on Xia Changhe.
Shi Boren stared intently at Xia Changhe. âOld Xia, what do you think?â
âMm.â Xia Changhe pondered before he answered. âAlright, thatâs a deal. Letâs set the date to be on⊠UhâŠâ
Tang Yunhai chuckled. âOh, Changhe, Iâll take care of the dates. Iâll go consult a master to pick out a good date to join our families together. One auspicious day will bring years of happiness.â
âFather, what are you saying?â Zhang Yumei beamed. âYou should say that one auspicious day will bring a life of happiness.â
âYeah, youâre right. One good day, one good life! Hahaha!â Tang Yunhai was very happy.
Xia Changhe was smiling but his heart was sighing. âSon, please donât blame me for this. Your time has come. I know that youâre not too keen on this but marrying Tang Yuyan is the best choice nowâŠâ
On another table.
Long Bing stopped staring at Tang Yuyan. Then, she tapped on Liang Siyaoâs thigh discreetly. âSay, were you the one who phoned Shentu Tianyin?â
âWhat are you saying?â Liang Siyao lowered her voice further. âDonât accuse me without evidence. Iâm not keen on getting involved with a bunch of hornets like the Tangs.â
âI saw you phoning someone earlier outside. Surely, it wonât be difficult for me to go through your phone, right? Would you like me to display the evidence now?â Long Bing calmly threatened.
Liang Siyao whispered, âFine. Yes, it was me who called Shentu Tianyin. I swear I only told her that Xia Lei was about to get engaged to Tang Yuyan and gave her the venue and time. I said nothing else. I have absolutely no idea that Shentu Tianyin would send someone over to disturb them.â
âShentu Tianyin is such a smart woman. She would know what to do to stop Xia Lei and Tang Yuyanâs marriage. UnfortunatelyâŠâ
âUnfortunately what?â
âUnfortunately, all her efforts are futile. No one can stop their engagement from happening.â
âWhat do you mean?â
âYou couldnât bear to observe their table but I did. Xia Changhe had agreed to it and Tang Yunhai will soon pick a date for the ceremony. Xia Lei would definitely not want to trouble his father and not to mention, disappoint him. Most importantly, Tang Yuyan is the most suitable match for Xia Lei.â
âDo you really think so?â Liang Siyao looked at Long Bing weirdly.
Long Bing flashed her a wry smile. âHereâs my advice, try not to get in their way. You were no match for Shentu Tianyin back then and youâre no match for Tang Yuyan now. Donât do the same thing twice. The Tang family is much more powerful than you can imagine. With your status, itâll be easy for them to get rid of you.â
Liang Siyao fell silent.
However, Long Bing suddenly blurted, âSay, how many green hats you think Tang Yuyan has now?â
[Note: Green hat is modern slang for affairs/cheating.]
ââŠâ
Meanwhile, in a raging Rolls-Royce Phantom, âMingmei, now that thereâs no one else here, tell me, how did you find out where I was?â Xia Lei broke the silence.
âIs that really important to you?â Bo Mingmei glared daggers at Xia Lei.
âNot really but I just wanted to understand the situation better.â Xia Lei smiled bitterly. âItâs alright if you donât want to tell me.â
âIâŠâ Bo Mingmei hesitated. âI called your secretary and she told me where you were.â
âI see.â Xia Lei didnât think much about it. âSay, is Tianyin really in a grave situation?â
âSheâs⊠still unconscious. They moved her to the ICU. I think youâll find out when you see her soon,â answered Bo Mingmei.
âThen you should speed up!â The reply fuelled Xia Leiâs anxiety.
âGot it!â Bo Mingmei slammed on the oil pedal harshly. Already travelling at one hundred miles, the Rolls-Royce Phantom accelerated to one hundred and fifty miles in a flurry.
At another locationâŠ
Qing Caiyue finally managed to locate the two security guards. They werenât picking up her calls at all.
The two security guards were loitering around Bailuâs entrance while Zhu Xuanyue was nowhere to be seen.
âWhat the hell is wrong with you?! I instructed you to escort her to get some toys but you both ignored all my phone calls and even lost her!â Qing Caiyue was furious. Before she was in their proximity, her yells had echoed around the streets.
Weirdly, the two guards were unresponsive to her voice. They continued to walk soullessly along the street, they looked as if they were sleepwalking.
âHello? Do you not hear me?â Qing Caiyue enraged.
But they both continued to ignore her.
Qing Caiyue stormed over to tug on one of their arms.
Abruptly, a womanâs voice rang from the sugarcane fields by the road. âGood boy, come here.â
Hearing that voice relieved Qing Caiyue. Thank goodness Zhu Xuanyue hadnât ventured far.
âYou two, go lie in the field,â instructed Zhu Xuanyue.
Heeding her order, the two security guards left the path and laid themselves well in the sugarcane field.
Qing Caiyue could feel her jaw drop as she watched the scene unfold. However, in a whole sudden, her mind went blank. She soon followed them into the field.
Among the sugarcanes stood a Zhu Xuanyue with a Kumamoto bear in one arm. In another arm, she carried a large bag of snacks. She smiled innocently. âIâm so hungry, can you please bring me somewhere to eat? Oh yeah, letâs go somewhere that Uncle Xia will not find out!â
Qing Caiyue nodded.
âDrive me there.â With a grin, Zhu Xuanyue also added, âRemember to turn off your phone.â
Qing Caiyue turned around blankly. She left the field and travelled towards the Thunder Horse Military Factory while she turned off her phone.
Zhu Xuanyue began to mumble to herself. âUncle Xia, I donât want to make you angry but Iâm so so so hungry! I want to eat somethingâŠâ
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