Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
As a result of Jian Yi marrying the lady of the Qi family, Zhou Mingyan had a sudden boost in confidence as their family received the glory that they had never experienced before, and all of their relatives were trying to get on their good side.
If Song Yu were to find someone else, she would not be opposed to it as she was rather worried that Song Yu might seduce Jian Yi and destroy his relationship. However, this was based on the premise that Song Yu got together with a commoner, who would be the total opposite of the Qi family.
Instead, Song Yu found Qi Chengzhi, the future successor of the Qi family. Zhou Mingyan just could not digest the fact that his status was above and beyond Jian Yi.
“Tone down your voice! It’s not good for our son either if someone heard you. When can you learn to speak according to the situation?” Jian Shifu tugged at Zhou Mingyan forcefully and warned softly.
“Humph!” Zhou Mingyan shoved his arm away reluctantly, “So what if someone heard me? She likes our son, not the other way round! Who knows what kind of tricks she had up her sleeves that were used to entice the eldest son of the Qi family. He must have been unaware of her true colors. It’s better if someone hears me, they’ll know the truth about her and spread it to the Qi family so that they won’t be fooled by her! That Yu Qianying said it herself that she had no relations with the Qi family, yet she still intends to let Song Yu marry into their family and live a good life? That’s why I said, she would never willingly suffer and live in poverty!”
“Just shut up!” For the first time, Jian Shifu could not help it but berate her in such a stern manner, “You just don’t feel comfortable if you can’t stir up trouble, huh? Can you keep your mouth in check and behave accordingly? It’s your son’s wedding! Can you just stop picking fights on your own son’s big day?”
“You…” Zhou Mingyan still refused to back down and wanted to continue arguing, but Qi Chengyue had already changed into a new set of dinner dress and reemerged together with Jian Yi for the toasting ceremony,
According to customs, even if the bride and groom’s family sat separately, they should start toasting from the groom’s parents table. Zhou Mingyan adjusted her outfit and waited for them to come over with a smile on her face. However, when she was about to stand up with her bottom in mid-air, Jian Yi and Qi Chengyue turned to the other direction and went to the table with the bride’s parents.
Zhou Mingyan’s smile froze on her face, her facial muscles twitched incessantly as she sat back into her seat stiffly. Then, she saw everyone on that table stood up, except for Grandfather and Grandmother Qi, and Qi Youxuan who was chomping on a chicken drumstick.
Grandfather and Grandmother Qi received the toast while seated and proceeded to sip from their glass respectively.
When it was Qi Chengzhi and Song Yu’s turn, Qi Chengzhi moved her lips indifferently with her right hand holding a glass of red wine, and Jian Yi on her left, “Song Yu, I didn’t expect you to come today.”
“Qi Chengzhi told me to come, that’s why I’m here,” Song Yu said calmly as she raised her wine glass, “Congratulations.”
She was sincere when she wished them.
She was not particularly fond of Jian Yi and Qi Chengyue, but she genuinely wanted them to be happy together. That way, Qi Chengyue would not pick on her that often as well.
She suffered enough because of this couple.
Qi Chengyue gave them a cold grin and brought her glass over and collided with Song Yu’s glass with a loud clink. Song Yu was not expecting Qi Chengyue to put so much strength in it.
Song Yu’s glass tipped over towards herself and startled her. It would be too late to avoid it, she could only watch the red wine spill out from her glass onto herself. All of a sudden, a wine glass appeared from beside and clashed with Qi Chengyue’s glass forcefully.
The elegant and fair hand that was pinching the stem of the wine glass was easily recognizable. Regardless of how fleeting the moment was, Song Yu could recognize that the well-structured hand belonged to Qi Chengzhi with only one look.
Qi Chengzhi flicked his wrist elegantly in a swift motion. Without using much force, he managed to tip Qi Chengyue’s glass over to the other side. Song Yu quickly steadied her glass, the wine-colored liquid swirled a few times in the glass before it gradually calmed down. Song Yu let out a sigh of relief when she did not spill any wine and make a mess of herself.
However, the bride was not so lucky after all. The wine glass that was supposed to tip over to Song Yu recoiled back towards Qi Chengyue’s direction. Furthermore, Qi Chengzhi’s movement was so sudden and unpredicted that it caught her by surprise. She was even more startled than Song Yu.
No one was able to shield Qi Chengyue from Qi Chengzhi’s unforeseen movement. Her wine glass tilted towards her and the wine splashed all over her dress.
She was wearing a designer piece that was specially tailored for her. It was a light yellow leather dress with a cute, puffy skirt. The back of the dress was attached to a light yellow veil-like material that extended to her ankles.
Since the dress was made of soft leather, it was quite water absorbent. The spilled wine immediately created a huge stain on the dress. The wine stain was all over her dress, making it look like menstrual blood.
Adding to that, the leather material was very smooth as it did not have much friction as the usual textile. The red wine streamed down from her chest till the hem of her skirt and splattered on the floor.
“Aargh!” Qi Chengyue screamed instinctively without caring about her public image. This was her favorite dress among the other outfits for the wedding. She could also wear this dress when she attends a normal banquet in the future. The uniqueness of the dress was also one of the reasons why she fell in love with the dress, as it would portray an entirely different style if the piece of cloth behind was removed.
However, it was totally ruined today!
The red wine stains on the leather could not be removed. This outfit would no longer be wearable!
Even so, this was still secondary. The most important thing was that it ruined her mood today.
Her luck had gone downhill since the moment she met with Song Yu, not a single thing had worked out in her favor.
Song Yu came here purposely to make a scene!
How dare Song Yu disrupt her perfect wedding!
From her perspective, Song Yu attended on purpose to spite her!
Or else, why would she destroy her dress with a single toast!
Qi Chengyue’s expression became fiercer and was on the verge of bursting out. Guan Liya ran over in a hurry with a tissue in her hands. She comforted her tantrum while she wiped the red wine stains off her clothes, “How is it? Are you okay?”
Qi Chengyue remained silent and glared at Song Yu viciously.
Guan Liya was extremely nervous as she was afraid that Qi Chengyue would throw tantrums and make a scene. At this moment, she could hear the murmurs and whispers among the guests started to rise again.
“Bring her back inside to change her clothes,” Qi Chengzhi said to Jian Yi in an unconcerned manner.
Jian Yi pursed his lips tightly and glanced at Qi Chengzhi. He put some pressure on the hand that clasped her shoulder and said, “Let’s go back in to change your clothes.”
“Go and change your dress,” Guan Liya advised her while she turned Qi Chengyue around carefully and pushed her gently.
While Qi Chengyue was being driven away by Guan Liya, she turned her head around with reddened eyes and said to Song Yu with a restrained voice, “Are you satisfied? You had to come and ruin my wedding, don’t you? Song Yu, you’re pushing it way too far!”
Song Yu took a breath in frustration. Qi Chengyue was the one who intended to splash her with wine but instead pointed the finger at her.
“We’ve attended your wedding, but we have to leave now as we got other plans,” Qi Chengzhi stood by the table with an expressionless face. He acted so impassionately as if this was not his own sister’s wedding and was somebody else’s.
The glum look of Qi Zhongliang froze on his face. If he knew that it would turn out this way, he should have let them leave much earlier on!
No one spoke a word after, so Qi Chengzhi took Song Yu’s hand. His palm was bony but firm, it felt especially sturdy against hers.
Throughout the whole situation, Song Yu never once voiced out her opinion. She just obeyed every one of Qi Chengzhi’s decisions without any resistance.
When both of them walked to the entrance of Dynasty, Qi Chengji alighted from an army green jeep and was stunned for a moment when he saw them. He knew that his older brother was not afraid of anything, but he did not expect him to bring Song Yu along to an event like this. His actions were purely made to provoke them.
Before the Qi family could hide the affair between Song Yu and Qi Chengzhi, he brought her out without giving notice and made everyone aware of their relationship. He did not allow his family a chance to say ‘No’!
Qi Chengji’s gaze naturally focused on their tightly interlocked hands. He met Song Yu when they were very little, and she was younger than him. In his eyes, she was like a sister to the Qi brothers, and the relationship he shared with her was much closer in comparison to Qi Chengyue.
Furthermore, Song Yu was only in the third of primary school, learning to write Chinese characters when Qi Chengzhi attended college. Qi Chengji could not help but feel weirded out by them getting together as a couple.
“Why are you guys out here?” Qi Chengji asked.
“It’s a bit rowdy in there,” Qi Chengzhi said indifferently while he tugged the corner of his mouth with sarcasm.
…
…
After Jian Yi brought Qi Chengyue back to the lounge, he let go of her and took out a cigarette and lighter from his pocket. He lit it and smoked while he leaned against the wall.
He forced himself to learn how to smoke since he choked on his first drag that night outside of Song Yu’s doorstep.
It sounded rather ironic for someone to learn how to smoke at the age of twenty-eight.
“Everyone get out!” The disheveled state of Qi Chengyue when she entered the lounge startled the makeup artist. The shock on their face irked Qi Chengyue so much that she screamed and chased everybody out.
When all of them left, Qi Chengyue shrieked loudly, “What was Song Yu trying to do! She just can’t stand that we’re together and had to come and cause trouble, huh? She purposely came today to make a scene! She must have feelings for you, that’s why she’s jealous of me and came after me for revenge!”
Jian Yi took a deep drag of his cigarette out of annoyance, but it still could not quench his anger. He was irritated by Qi Chengyue’s complaint but he was unable to show it on his face.
“This is my favorite dress! She purely wants to make a fool of me on my wedding! How did my brother fall for a woman that has such an evil heart! He’s blinded by the sanctimonious mien of hers! She was very good at it since young!”
Jian Yi remained silent while Qi Chengyue kept on going.
Finally, Jian Yi could not bear the frustration and puffed a cloud of thick, white smoke after a drag before saying, “If you didn’t initiate in the first place to tip her wine glass intentionally, Qi Chengzhi wouldn’t have stepped in to protect her by knocking onto your glass and spilling it.”
“What did you mean that I did that intentionally! I had no idea! I just touched her glass gently. She just acted as if I bullied her and tried to frame me! I didn’t even exert any force. She tipped it towards herself!” Qi Chengyue glared at Jian Yi instantly.
She was so furious that her exposed shoulders that were not concealed by her leather bandeau dress kept shaking, “Are you standing on Song Yu’s side instead of mine?”
“I’m merely stating facts, at least from what I saw with my own eyes,” Jian Yi exhaled a cloud of smoke, “If you didn’t start it, Qi Chengzhi wouldn’t need to interfere to protect her, and your dress wouldn’t be dirtied. We would still be inside toasting without all those guests gossiping behind our backs.”
“After all, you still choose to be on her side. I’m already your wife from today onwards, why should you trust her instead of me? Don’t you know that Song Yu is very manipulative? Did you think that she’s a good person? If she was that nice, how could she manage to seduce my big brother? She had to be at the top of her game to entice my big brother to the point where he was willing to go against his family to be with her.”
Qi Chengyue squinted her eyes and strode towards Jian Yi’s direction in her heels. She raised her hand and plucked the cigarette off his lips and threw it onto the ground, “When did you learn to smoke!”
Jian Yi pursed his lips tightly and breathed out a puff of white smoke heavily. He said with a deep voice, “I’m too stressed, that’s why I started to smoke.”
Qi Chengyue tightened her chin and thought, ‘What was the source of his stress?’
“I told you that there’s nothing between Song Yu and me, but you don’t believe me. Even after she got together with Qi Chengzhi, you still didn’t want to believe it. Chengyue, think about it, weren’t you the one who provoked her every single time? If you didn’t do it, why do you always ended up feeling dejected? You said that you didn’t tip her wine glass on purpose, but you knew clearly if that was the case. If you had behaved appropriately, there wouldn’t be any mishaps at this wedding. You could’ve been much happier. In other words, you inflicted all this anger yourself.”
Jian Yi took a deep breath, the harsh sounds of his breathing were much more noticeable in the quiet room.
“You should calm down now. I’ll ask them to come in and help you change. We have to continue the toasting ceremony out there. If we keep on staying here, I don’t know how the people out there would judge us.”
“To be frank, you’re just siding her!” Qi Chengyue bit her lip as if she was wronged by him. Her tears started filling her eyes, “You’re my husband, shouldn’t you help me like how my big brother helped Song Yu? You should stand on my side no matter what happens. My big brother did that and spilled wine on me, why didn’t you help me out!”
‘You should at least splash some wine on Song Yu and let her leave a mess!’ she thought.
“Today’s our wedding, do you really want to embarrass yourself by making a huge deal out of it?” Jian Yi raised the corner of his lips cynically. He snickered, “You wanted to make our wedding into a drama and let others joke about it?”
Qi Chengyue was speechless. Obviously, she wanted her wedding to be that one of a lifetime moment where it would be perfect and envied by others. However, Song Yu had to appear and ruin it for her!
She felt so miserable that her eyes could not hold her tears in any longer, warm tears started rolling down her cheeks.
“All I want was just a beautiful and memorable wedding. Am I wrong to want everything to be perfect? Why… why must Song Yu treat me this way!”
Jian Yi ignored her as he felt that it would just be a waste of effort to talk to her.
The only thing that he did not expect was that Qi Chengzhi did not bother to think about Qi Chengyue’s position when he protected Song Yu. He came to her rescue without hesitation.
He opened the door and told the makeup artist who was waiting outside, “Help her to freshen up as quickly as possible.”
…
…
Zhou Mingyan’s expression was so bitter that she barely ate anything even though the table was filled with luxurious dishes including sea cucumber, abalone, fish maw, and bird’s nest.
She had just gotten over the fact that Qi Chengyue and Jian Yi started the toasting ceremony at the Qi family’s table. Before they could come over, that incident happened and both of them had not reappeared since they went back in. She had no chance to receive the toast from her daughter-in-law. Song Yu must have done it on purpose!
Zhou Mingyan figured Song Yu probably got offended when they went to the Song family to boast that day, that was why she caused so much trouble today.
The relatives sitting at the same table were gobbling down the food, but they did not forget to add fuel to the fire and said, “This is one of the problems marrying a rich wife that you can’t handle. There is no comparison between them in terms of status and demeanor since they were not from the same level. That’s why we can’t do much if they don’t respect us. Looking at today’s situation, Jian Yi most likely got married into the Qi family.”
Zhou Mingyan’s face dropped and slapped the chopsticks on the table with a loud ‘bang’ as she looked at her older brother-in-law coldly.
“Ha ha, Mingyan, don’t take it personally. This guy doesn’t really know how to use his words. However, although what he just said might be hurtful, it’s not completely unreasonable. Judging from what Jian Yi did today, he let his wife lead him around by the nose. You should speak to him when he returns and put Chengyue in her place. Even though we are a normal family, but she should pay you the respect as her mother-in-law. She can’t just mistreat you because of our family background. Once she marries into the Jian family, you are the mother of her husband. She must prioritize the Jian family before everything as she no longer is the lady from the Qi family.”
“For instance, other than you guys were seated separately from the Qi family, they even started the toasting ceremony at their table. I think that the order shouldn’t depend on our status. This just shows that the Qi family never respected us and Qi Chengyue couldn’t be bothered about you guys. When you go home, you should give them a proper lecture. Or else, if this goes on in the long run, you would lose respect from not only Chengyue, but also Jian Yi himself. In the end, the son that you guys have raised after going through all the blood, sweat, and tears married into a wealthy family. Everyone around us knows about Jian Yi marrying a lady from a notable family. They’ll just rub salt into your wounds!” Zhou Mingyan’s oldest sister-in-law said.
Zhou Mingyan’s expression was getting worse as she took in her sister-in-law’s words. She felt that what she said was not entirely senseless.
“Stop talking nonsense! Do you think it’s not chaotic enough? Grandfather and grandmother Qi are sitting on that table. It’s perfectly fine if they started toasting at their table if we were to talk about seniority in the family.” Jian Shifu felt that he should not allow his older brother and his wife to sit at this table. They are just a bunch of trouble makers!
“Younger brother-in-law, that’s not necessarily the case,” his sister-in-law wanted to continue, but Zhou Mingyan interjected coldly, “I feel that sister-in-law has a point.”
…
…
Qi Chengzhi brought Song Yu to dinner after leaving Dynasty since both of them had not eaten anything from the banquet.
Being together with Qi Chengzhi also meant that their dining place would be quite refined and of good taste. The most frequented places included Dynasty and Red Roof. Even Shengyue was rarely visited by Qi Chengzhi. Only a handful of places could satisfy him.
Since Dynasty was booked by the Qi family for the wedding banquet, they would not be dining there. In addition, Red Roof was quite a distance from here. That was why Song Yu suddenly thought of the roadside eatery when Qi Chengzhi asked her what she wanted to eat.
The street located opposite of Dynasty across the square was rather famous. Majority of their customers were tourists, the locals seldom go there as the food was priced to scam foreign tourists. Although it was on the pricey end, the food was not bad.
Qi Chengzhi brought Song Yu to that street as it was the nearest option.
They found a parking space and alighted. Once they get out of the car, Song Yu instinctively placed her hand into his palm.
Since the weather had turned warmer, they would not be needing those bulky down jackets despite still needing to wear a rather thick jacket. Qi Chengzhi was not wearing any gloves, so both of them snuggled closely with their hands and arms interlocked with each other.
