["Oh my goodness, sister! You should be ruining the face of that troublemaker, not your own!"]
Ji Fei exclaimed passionately. The Qin family couldn't help but think that the one who should be hurt was the person who caused harm, not Chu Xinyue herself.
However, they also couldn't allow Chu Xinyue to actually harm someone. Such a pure and kind person had just cleared her name; she shouldn't be forced into creating such a blemish on her record.
Mr. and Mrs. Chu stared at Chu Xinyue in a daze, their expressions bewildered, barely able to stand. It seemed their hearts could hardly bear the numerous twists and turns of the day.
Chu Xueqi, on the other hand, was glaring at Chu Xinyue and Qin Zhao standing together, her eyes bloodshot.
Chu Xinyue was still in a standoff with Qin Zhao. She had no other options left. No matter how she changed her appearance, Chu Xueqi always found a way to make herself look the same. She truly had run out of ideas.
Qin Zhao, seeing Chu Xinyue's nearly broken expression, felt a sharp pain in his chest.
"You've already firmly decided to leave everything behind, so why are you hurting yourself for people who don't matter?" Qin Zhao said. "Didn't you want to leave them so you could take good care of yourself? What are you doing now?"
["Wow, the third brother is finally talking sense. Has he snapped out of his naive phase and regained his intelligence?"]
Ignoring Ji Fei's sarcastic comment, Qin Zhao looked towards his family members for help. He knew that whatever he said now, Chu Xinyue wouldn't listen, especially since he had just been standing against her.
Ji Fei stepped forward, patting Chu Xinyue's shoulder. "You've already done so well. Don't punish yourself for someone else's mistakes."
"That's right, young lady. It's not worth it," Qin's Mother quickly came forward to persuade her. Qin Yan also came to help hold Chu Xinyue back. "Little Xi just told me how beautiful you are. That beauty belongs to you."
"I believe everyone here can now tell you apart. We won't have situations like before happening again," Qin's Father said in a deep voice.
Seeing the Qin family surrounding her, Chu Xinyue could feel genuine warmth, and her eyes immediately reddened.
Others finally couldn't bear to watch anymore and started to persuade her as well.
"We can tell you apart now. It's very clear. Even if there are any more incidents about real or fake identities in the future, we'll all be careful to distinguish between you two. We were ignorant before, but we're not fools anymore."
Qin Zhao took the opportunity to snatch away the scissors and throw them aside.
Chu Xinyue took a deep breath and said, "Thank you. I was being impulsive."
In truth, Chu Xinyue was just a bit depressed, and only lost control under extreme stress. Once she calmed down, she wouldn't do such foolish things again.
Chu Xinyue looked at the three people and said, "Everything that needed to be said has been said. It's over."
"Daughter, you..." Mrs. Chu called out anxiously.
Chu Xinyue coldly replied, "I told you, I'm not your daughter anymore."
"Alright, that's enough," Mr. Chu frowned.
Seeing them still acting as if she was just being a 'disobedient daughter' made Chu Xinyue feel nauseated. No matter what she said to them, they never seemed to understand.
They thought severing ties was just angry talk, but they didn't understand that Chu Xinyue's feelings for them had been worn away by years of favoritism. It wasn't just a momentary outburst.
"Don't contact me anymore. I don't want to see you. If you insist on forcing me to be your daughter, then go ahead and sue me. I'll pay whatever alimony the court decides, but nothing more than that."
Speaking in such detail showed that she had thought this through very carefully.
Mr. and Mrs. Chu looked at Chu Xinyue in disbelief, finally realizing that she truly intended to do this. At this moment, they panicked, no longer able to be complacent, feeling as if all strength had left their bodies.
Hadn't Chu Xinyue always been able to endure any dissatisfaction and bear any grievance before?
Today, they had only asked her to save her sister and endure a little more hardship. How had it escalated to her cutting all ties with them just because she refused?
But Chu Xinyue wasn't giving them any more chances to remain confused. She bowed to the Qin family and said, "I'm sorry for ruining your banquet. I apologize."
"The banquet was about to end anyway. You didn't ruin anything," Qin Zhao quickly said.
Chu Xinyue glanced at Qin Zhao and only said, "I'll take my leave."
"I'll see you off!" Qin Zhao blurted out almost instinctively.
Chu Xinyue coldly replied, "There's no need."
With that, she turned and left. Only Qin Zhao seemed frozen in place.
People automatically made way for her. It was her path to a new life.
Mr. and Mrs. Chu's calls began to ring out continuously, but whether their tones were angry or sorrowful, they didn't make Chu Xinyue look back. She just disappeared from everyone's sight.
When Mr. and Mrs. Chu turned around, they found that Chu Xueqi had fainted.
But it no longer aroused any sympathy from anyone.
Mr. and Mrs. Chu left in a sorry state, taking Chu Xueqi with them. Wu Tian still followed, pestering them.
Wu's uncle and aunt apologized to the Qin family. After all, this incident was indeed caused by Wu Tian, creating a misunderstanding that put everyone in an awkward position.
"Sigh, we're victims too. I really don't know how the Chu family could be so blind."
"Let's pretend we didn't hear that. Who knows, you might still become in-laws."
The two hostesses exchanged hypocritical pleasantries.
Wu's aunt said awkwardly, "We absolutely can't let that kind of woman into our family. I don't know if Wu Tian really likes her or if he's just unwilling to give up. Your children are much better... that... your fourth daughter."
Qin's Mother's face immediately darkened. She was about to retort when she heard Ji Fei muttering nearby.
["How can you not know why your Wu Tian won't let go? Isn't it because Wu Tian has difficulty getting women pregnant? At first, he indeed wanted to get back at her for rejecting him, and also wanted to make things difficult for Qin Zhao because of Chu Xinyue. But after the conflict, for him to have the guts to come back and make such a scene, it's because he discovered that Chu Xueqi had been pregnant with his child. Of course he's going to cling to the woman who gives him a chance to be a father."]
Qin's Mother's expression immediately became subtle, caught between wanting to mock them and maintaining her composure. It was quite difficult.
But behind her:
Qin Yan: "Ahem."
Qin Zhao: "Hmph!"
Qin Xian didn't react, but looked at Ji Fei with some exasperation. What kind of dirty gossip was she reading?
The Wu family: ?
"Congratulations in advance on your families' union," Qin's Father said coldly.
The Wu family couldn't stay any longer and had to leave with the other guests.
This banquet had been incredibly worthwhile for everyone who attended. After they left, various pieces of news exploded within their circle. Those who didn't have time to attend or didn't receive an invitation were extremely regretful.
They couldn't even imagine how thrilling it would have been to witness the drama in person!
That night, the entire upper-class circle was destined for a sleepless night.
After the house was cleared, the family sat together and had a quiet late-night snack. After all, it's hard to eat your fill at a banquet.
However, everyone's gaze kept sweeping towards Qin Zhao from time to time.
Unable to bear these glances any longer, Qin Zhao said, "If you have something to say, just say it."
"Sigh, are you still going to date Chu Xueqi?" Qin Yan asked curiously.
Qin Zhao's face darkened as he replied, "Am I crazy? Those were all false appearances. The one I liked was never Chu Xueqi to begin with."
"So you like Xinyue now?" Qin's Mother asked gossip-hungry.
Qin Zhao choked, unable to open his mouth.
["Of course he likes her. He's regretting it to death."]
Qin Zhao immediately looked towards Ji Fei, both embarrassed and anxious.
Ji Fei, sitting to the side, was busy enjoying her meal, completely oblivious to others' gazes.
"Ahem, even if you like her, it's useless. She doesn't want you anymore," Qin Xian said, cutting to the heart of the matter.
Qin Zhao's breath caught in his throat.
Finally, Qin's Father patted Qin Zhao's shoulder. His fatherly love was silent as he shook his head and went upstairs with his wife, who had finished eating, to rest.
Qin Yan hugged Qin Xi, who had finally finished eating, and went to sleep.
Seeing that Ji Fei had almost finished her fruit, Qin Xian spoke up, "Ji Fei, let's go upstairs. I have something to discuss with you."
"What is it?"
"About your studio."
["Money-making stuff!"]
In the end, only Qin Zhao was left in the once-lively dining room.
Qin Zhao leaned back on the sofa, lost in thought, when suddenly his phone rang.
He answered to replace it was his little sister.
After connecting, his sister's surprised voice came through, "Third brother, what's going on? Are the rumors in our circle true? Did you break off your engagement with Sister Xinyue? And you got the wrong person, so Sister Xueqi is actually the bad one? No wonder I've always preferred Sister Xinyue."
Qin Zhao didn't want to rub salt in his wounds and was about to hang up, feeling irritated. But then he heard Qin Rong say, "It's such a pity. I always thought Sister Xinyue would be my third sister-in-law. After all, she's the woman you've known the longest and spent the most time with."
Qin Zhao was stunned. "Is... that so?" He couldn't seem to remember.
"That's right, you two grew up together as childhood sweethearts. You didn't like to play with me, only with Sister Xinyue. I remember when we played games as kids, you made me be your daughter and her be your wife. You even swore that when you grew up, you'd marry Sister Xinyue and give her a complete family. You even kissed her cheek then! Grandma and Grandma Chu saw it, which is when they thought of arranging your marriage."
Qin Zhao was stunned.
Then he smiled bitterly.
So, the marriage arrangement had started because of him. It was a promise unique to them. He had made such a promise to her - a complete family. Such an important promise, how could he have forgotten? He really was a jerk!
"Brother, are you crying?" Qin Rong's surprised voice came through.
Qin Zhao covered his face with one hand and said hoarsely, "You have such a good memory. Tell me more about our childhood."
"Huh? Actually, I don't remember much. We weren't in the same grade after all," Qin Rong murmured softly. "I just remember that after you started school, you didn't play with Sister Xinyue much anymore, or with me. You said boys should play with boys."
"There was one time you got angry because people in your class found out about your engagement and teased you. You said it made you feel very ashamed."
"After that... I don't think I saw Sister Xinyue come to our house to play much."
"Then, suddenly, it seemed like you only cared about Chu Xueqi."
Qin Zhao gritted his teeth. That was because of the life-saving debt.
He naturally remembered what happened as they grew up. Because of the engagement, his family would remind him to visit the Chu family.
But in reality, back then, it was just a verbal agreement between the elders, without even an engagement ceremony. So in Qin Zhao's mind, the bond between them as fiancés was very weak. They hadn't even dated. It was just a title.
So he always felt justified in admiring others, thinking he wasn't being unfaithful to Chu Xinyue. He mostly went there to visit the sickly Chu Xueqi.
But every time he interacted with them, Chu's parents would constantly praise Chu Xueqi and complain about Chu Xinyue, while Chu Xinyue would just quietly listen and watch from the side.
He had indeed wronged Chu Xinyue many times back then. But whenever he questioned Chu Xinyue for Chu Xueqi's sake, Chu Xinyue never really defended herself.
She must have failed to defend herself to her parents before he arrived, and then seeing him doting on Chu Xueqi, she lost any will to explain, only showing indifference.
Qin Zhao couldn't help but wonder, if only Chu Xinyue had tried to explain herself to him a few more times, would he have come to his senses and tried to verify things, to believe her just once? At least initially, he surely would have.
But without a single explanation, his misunderstandings of her kept accumulating, eventually turning into unconditional trust in Chu Xueqi.
Gradually, it was as if he had been brainwashed. He couldn't blame Chu Xinyue for her behavior in that living environment; it was he who failed to notice Chu Xinyue's situation.
Indeed, he had been foolish, losing such a treasure.
He was wrong, he had awakened, and he... didn't want to let go anymore. Did he still have a chance?
Qin Zhao couldn't wait. He urgently wanted to contact Chu Xinyue, even regretting not insisting on sending her home just now. He should have been thick-skinned to the end.
No one answered the phone.
So he sent a message.
"Do you have a place to stay?"
"Let me know if you need any help."
"I still owe you a life-saving debt that I haven't repaid. Can you let me know that you're safe now?"
There was no response. When he tried calling again, suddenly the call wouldn't go through. When he tried sending another message, he saw a red exclamation mark.
He... had been blocked.
...
Spoiler Warning
...
(Spoiler alert! Because too many readers misunderstood and left low ratings in the review section to warn new readers, I have no choice but to give a spoiler in this early chapter about the issue everyone is concerned about. No matter what the following plot is, [they don't end up together, they don't end up together, they don't end up together], important things are said three times. Writing a book is not easy, please don't jump to conclusions too quickly, X﹏X)
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