Chapter 5: The Crown Prince of Tingheng
The person involved was nowhere to be found, and this ceremony that was originally meant to announce the wedding date had to be put on hold reluctantly. Although there was a smile on Old Master Chen's face, a trace of disappointment still flashed in his eyes. He waved his hand and casually said a few polite words to temporarily gloss over the matter.
Taking Su Yue's feelings into consideration, the old master thoughtfully asked Huo Jintang to take her to meet some of the family's relatives and friends, thinking that if she married Chen Yuxuan in the future, she could smoothly take over the various affairs of the Chen family.
In fact, Su Yue felt somewhat relieved in her heart, but her body was becoming more and more uncomfortable. An indescribable heat was surging within her. She forced herself to hold on and, like fulfilling a task, followed Huo Jintang to meet several tables of relatives. When she could no longer bear the discomfort, she made an excuse of not feeling well and headed towards the restroom.
"Sister-in-law, what's going on with my brother? He just called out 'Xiaoyan'. Who is this Xiaoyan? Could it be really what I'm thinking?" Chen Yuxin asked with curiosity all over her face as she trotted up.
Su Yue felt dizzy and raised her hand to gently rub her forehead. She smiled bitterly and said, "Be bold. It's exactly what you're thinking."
Chen Yuxin's cute little face instantly wrinkled up, and she couldn't help but swear, "Damn it! Is Chen Yuxuan crazy? Sister-in-law, you're so excellent and wonderful, yet he actually found a woman outside. He's trying to piss you off!"
Su Yue took out her lipstick from her bag, carefully touched up her makeup in front of the mirror, gently pursed her lips, and then showed a bright and charming smile. She said confidently, "Don't worry. With just your brother's little tricks, he can't drive me to death."
"But... sister-in-law." Chen Yuxin's eyes were red with anxiety.
Su Yue said earnestly, "Yuxin, don't call me sister-in-law anymore. You can call me Su Yue or sister. I have no fate with your brother, and I'm willing to give up the position of Mrs. Chen to someone else."
As she spoke, she subconsciously stroked her chest, trying to suppress that heat. She mumbled softly, "Strange, the aftereffect of that wine of yours seems to be quite strong. I'm feeling really hot all over."
Chen Yuxin's expression suddenly became a bit unnatural, and the corners of her mouth twitched a few times. She thought to herself with bitterness, "Sis... Sister Su Yue, I'll send you back later." She didn't dare to tell Su Yue that the wine was actually an aphrodisiac wine for couples. At this moment, Chen Yuxin deeply regretted her actions. If she had known her brother was like this, she would never have let Sister Su Yue drink this wine. Fortunately, the ingredients added to the wine were harmless to the body, and she should be fine after enduring it for one night... right?
The birthday banquet was still going on lively. The opera troupe on the stage was singing melodiously, and the guests below were engrossed in it. No one left in advance. Chen Yuxin also couldn't take Su Yue and leave in the middle of the banquet.
Su Yue endured the heat in her body and returned to her seat. Huo Jintang thoughtfully asked the servant to bring bird's nest. The future mother-in-law and the future daughter-in-law sat together, and on the surface, the atmosphere seemed harmonious.
"Su Yue, you've been wronged. Three days after the birthday banquet, your uncle and I will try our best to calm down the old master and dissolve the engagement." Huo Jintang gently patted Su Yue's hand, and there was a look of apology in her eyes. She had witnessed with her own eyes her son unhesitatingly abandoning his fiancée for a woman outside. As a woman herself, although she had never been very satisfied with Su Yue, at this moment, she was extremely disappointed and full of resentment towards Chen Yuxuan.
Su Yue smiled but didn't say anything.
Just then, there was a sudden commotion outside the banquet hall. Chen Yuxuan walked in swaggeringly, holding Lin Xiaoyan's hand. It seemed that he didn't care at all about the pointing and whispering of the people around. He directly led Lin Xiaoyan to Old Master Chen's birthday banquet venue.
When Su Yue saw this scene, she couldn't help but raise her eyebrows and thought, "Is Chen Yuxuan really crazy about love?"
Huo Jintang's heart skipped a beat, and she secretly thought something was wrong. She quickly picked up the microphone and, using the excuse of important family matters, temporarily asked the guests to leave the banquet hall. In the blink of an eye, there were only a few of them left in the hall.
Old Master Chen sat in the main seat with a terribly gloomy face. His eyes were as sharp as torches as he stared at his grandson and the woman beside him who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.
"Xiaoyan, don't be afraid. Grandpa will stand up for you!" Chen Yuxuan said viciously with a furious expression on his face.
Lin Xiaoyan followed behind him, crying pitifully. Her white dress was stained with a lot of dirt, making her look extremely pitiful. Seeing this, Chen Yuxuan immediately took off his suit and tied it around her waist. Then he strode up to Su Yue and angrily questioned, "Su Yue, I know you hate Xiaoyan, but what exactly did she do wrong? How could you actually send someone to hit her?!"
Su Yue frowned slightly and responded with an innocent look, "I didn't send anyone to hit her. She was just playing a self-directed farce there. How can you blame me for that?"
"How dare you still quibble! I have a copy of the perpetrator's confession in my hand. There are text messages you sent to him on his phone, as well as photos of Xiaoyan. You sent someone to follow Xiaoyan and wanted to run her over until she was half-dead!" Chen Yuxuan was so angry that his whole body was shaking, and his eyes seemed to be ablaze.
Lin Xiaoyan was crying so hard that she could barely catch her breath. She still hypocritically grabbed Chen Yuxuan and said, "Yuxuan, it was my fault for not looking carefully when crossing the road. Don't blame Su Yue. Maybe... it's just a misunderstanding?"
Overwhelmed by anger, Chen Yuxuan raised his hand and was about to slap Su Yue. Huo Jintang and Uncle Chen were quick to react and hurriedly stepped forward to stop him.
Su Yue coldly raised her eyes. Her bright and beautiful peach blossom eyes, although they had a smile in them at the moment, had no warmth at all. They were like a cold and aloof moon hanging high in the night sky. She disdainfully glanced at Chen Yuxuan's trembling palm, the corners of her mouth lifted slightly, and she said in a calm tone that was piercing to the heart, "Go ahead and hit me, Chen Yuxuan. Flying into a rage for a beauty, what a 'brave' man you are!"
Chen Yuxin couldn't stand it any longer and couldn't help but speak up for Su Yue, "Yeah, brother. Hitting someone is against the law. If Sister Su Yue really hired someone to hit this stupid woman, how could she have left communication records? Are you as stupid as her?" When the younger sister scolded her elder brother, she was really merciless.
Chen Yuxuan had originally hoped that Su Yue would soften her attitude. As long as she admitted her mistake, he could let the matter go. But Su Yue refused. She straightened her back, and there was a stubborn look in her eyes.
Since that was the case... Chen Yuxuan steeled his heart, turned to look at Old Master Chen, and said loudly, "Grandpa, I want to dissolve the engagement with Su Yue, and I want to marry Lin Xiaoyan!"
Huo Jintang wanted to cover his mouth, but it was already too late.
Lin Xiaoyan lowered her head and pretended to sob. But when she heard Chen Yuxuan's words, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up into a triumphant arc. She knew that she had won the bet. Taking the risk of being hated by the Chen family members and making a scene like this today, her goal was to make Chen Yuxuan completely give up on Su Yue. Unexpectedly, he actually proposed to marry her in public.
When Su Yue heard this, she couldn't help but let out a cold laugh, and her eyes instantly turned ice-cold. It turned out that Chen Yuxuan had set a trap for her here. He was still the same as before, stubbornly refusing to admit defeat. Clearly knowing that the dissolution of the engagement was a foregone conclusion, he still didn't want Su Yue to have the upper hand. He was willing to make a fool of himself in public and take the initiative to propose the dissolution of the engagement. In his opinion, if he proposed the dissolution of the engagement, it had a completely different meaning in the eyes of outsiders compared to Su Yue proposing it.
Old Master Chen, who had been holding back his anger, finally exploded. He was so angry that his whole body was shaking. He grabbed his walking stick and started hitting Chen Yuxuan, "You unfilial son! How dare you treat Su Yue like this!"
Seeing this, Lin Xiaoyan quickly hugged Chen Yuxuan to block the blow for him. The stick landed on her arm, and it instantly turned red and swollen.
Chen Yuxuan protectively held Lin Xiaoyan with a pained expression. He turned his head and stared fiercely at Su Yue, who was watching coldly from the side, and said viciously, "Su Yue, I want to see which man would still dare to marry a woman who has been dumped by our Chen family!"
Old Master Chen was so angry that he covered his chest and almost fainted. He plopped down on the chair. The originally wonderful birthday banquet had been completely disrupted and turned into a chaotic mess. The parrot in the cage was still shouting ignorantly, "May your happiness be as boundless as the Eastern Sea! May you live as long as the Southern Mountain!" This formed a sharp contrast with the chaotic scene and made it seem even more ironic.
"Chen Yuxuan, you unfilial son! Shut up and quickly take this woman out of here!" Huo Jintang looked haggard, angry, and anxious. She pushed Chen Yuxuan away forcefully and then quickly bent down to pat her father-in-law's chest to soothe his breathing.
Just then, there was another noisy commotion outside the banquet hall.
"Is that the Sixth Master? The crown prince of Tingheng appointed by Mr. Huo. Why is he here...?"