The atmosphere around the breakfast table beca strangely quiet after Xi Ronghua’s suggestion was firmly rejected.
For the first ti since breakfast had begun, nobody seed eager to offer another solution. The lively discussion from earlier had completely disappeared, replaced by an awkward silence that hung heavily over everyone present.
Even Xi Ronghua herself had fallen silent.
After all, every suggestion that sounded perfectly reasonable at first sohow ended with Su Yueqing casually exposing a future disaster attached to it. What was supposed to be a simple discussion about finding a suitable guest for the banquet had sohow turned into a series of shocking revelations that left everyone questioning their own judgnt.
At this point, the entire Xi family was beginning to develop a strange fear whenever a new idea appeared.
Because experience had already taught them sothing important.
The mont Su Yueqing started thinking, sobody’s future would inevitably suffer.
anwhile, the person responsible for everyone’s growing anxiety sat quietly in her seat, completely unaware of the chaos she continued causing.
Su Yueqing calmly picked up another dumpling and placed it into her mouth. As she chewed, her gaze slowly swept across the breakfast table.
The more she looked at the mbers of the Xi family gathered around her, the more speechless she beca.
A long sigh escaped inside her mind.
[Honestly...]
[How did this family survive for so many years?]
[One person wants to invite enemies to the sa banquet.]
[Another keeps trusting suspicious people.]
[And sohow the rest aren’t much better.]
Several people imdiately stiffened.
Xi Ronghua quietly lowered her head.
Gu Zhen suddenly found the tea in his cup far more interesting than anything happening around him.
Old Madam Xi calmly reached for another pastry, acting as though she had not heard a single word.
Lin iyun resisted the urge to rub her aching temples.
anwhile, Su Yueqing continued eating without noticing anyone’s reactions.
[No wonder everything falls apart later.]
[They’re practically running toward disaster while holding the door open for it.]
Nobody dared to say anything.
Because by now, everyone had learned a painful lesson.
Whenever Su Yueqing started criticizing soone in her thoughts, a shocking revelation usually followed shortly afterward.
Sure enough, her gaze slowly shifted toward Xi Lanyin.
The mont she saw the gentle young woman sitting quietly beside Lin iyun, another sigh echoed through her mind.
[Look at this one.]
[Beautiful.]
[Gentle.]
[Filial.]
[Well-mannered.]
[Kind-hearted.]
[Patient.]
[Honestly, she’s probably the most normal person in this family.]
Xi Lanyin blinked in surprise.
A faint blush imdiately spread across her cheeks.
She had not expected such praise.
Especially not from Su Yueqing.
For a brief mont, she actually felt happy.
Then the next thought arrived.
[Unfortunately, she’s also unbelievably stupid.]
The smile instantly froze on Xi Lanyin’s face.
The entire table fell silent.
Xi Ronghua nearly burst out laughing.
Old Madam Xi slowly turned to look at her granddaughter.
Lin iyun’s expression beca complicated.
As for Xi Lanyin herself, she looked completely wronged.
What had she done?
anwhile, Su Yueqing continued eating peacefully.
[Seriously.]
[If sobody sold her tomorrow, she’d probably help them count the silver before realizing she’d been tricked.]
Xi Lanyin almost dropped the spoon in her hand.
"Mother..." she whispered pitifully.
Lin iyun imdiately reached over and squeezed her daughter’s hand in comfort.
Unfortunately, she could not even defend her.
Because every warning Su Yueqing had ever accidentally revealed had eventually proven true.
Just then, Su Yueqing reached for her tea.
Unfortunately, she swallowed too quickly.
"Cough! Cough!"
She imdiately began coughing.
Before anyone else could react, Xi Lanyin quickly stood up from her seat.
Without hesitation, she grabbed a clean handkerchief, poured a fresh cup of warm water, and hurried over.
"Sister-in-law, drink slowly," she said gently.
Su Yueqing accepted both items without thinking.
After taking several sips of water and calming her breathing, she finally recovered.
Then she looked up at Xi Lanyin.
A complicated sigh echoed inside her mind once again.
[See?]
[This is exactly what I an.]
[She’s so kind.]
[Far too kind.]
[The type of person who always sees the best in everyone.]
[The type of person who believes everyone has good intentions.]
[Which is exactly why she’s so easy to deceive.]
[If I’m rembering correctly...]
[Recently, that Baron’s son has been trying very hard to win her over.]
The entire table froze.
Xi Lanyin’s face imdiately lost all color.
Lin iyun nearly stood up from her seat.
Old Madam Xi’s eyes widened.
Xi Ronghua stared at her niece in disbelief.
A Baron’s son?
What Baron’s son?
Then Su Yueqing finally rembered his na.
[Ah.]
[Zhao Mingyuan.]
At that mont, Xi Lanyin felt her heart stop beating.
Nobody knew.
Absolutely nobody.
Not her parents.
Not her grandmother.
Not her cousins.
Not even her closest friends.
Yet Su Yueqing had casually exposed the secret she had spent months hiding from everyone.
[Sending poems.]
[Sending gifts.]
[Creating chance encounters.]
[Finding excuses to speak with her.]
[Pretending to understand her.]
[Pretending to care about her interests.]
[Pretending to admire her thoughts.]
[Pretending to love her.]
Lin iyun slowly turned toward her daughter.
Her voice was calm.
"Lanyin."
Xi Lanyin imdiately lowered her head.
That single reaction was enough to confirm everything.
Old Madam Xi nearly laughed from anger.
So there really was a man.
And her granddaughter had hidden him from the family this entire ti.
anwhile, Su Yueqing remained blissfully unaware of the storm she had unleashed.
[The funniest part is that it actually works.]
[She falls for everything.]
[Every single thing.]
Xi Lanyin’s fingers began trembling.
A terrible feeling slowly ford inside her chest.
Then ca another revelation.
[anwhile, her family keeps trying to connect her with the Pri Minister’s son.]
[Not knowing that the Pri Minister’s son already likes her.]
The courtyard beca completely silent.
Xi Lanyin’s head snapped upward.
Shock filled her eyes.
Impossible.
That had to be impossible.
The Pri Minister’s son had always seed distant and indifferent whenever she t him. Every conversation between them had been short and awkward.
She had spent years believing that he disliked her.
How could soone like that possibly have feelings for her?
Then Su Yueqing continued.
[Poor girl.]
[She never notices.]
[She thinks he dislikes her.]
[When really he’s just terrible at expressing himself.]
[If awkwardness were a disease, he’d be terminal.]
Even Old Madam Xi looked surprised.
Because the more she thought about it, the more believable it sounded.
Unfortunately, Su Yueqing was not finished.
A trace of pity appeared in her eyes.
The mont everyone noticed that pity, their hearts sank.
Because pity from Su Yueqing never led anywhere good.
[Unfortunately...]
[None of that matters.]
Xi Lanyin’s heart dropped.
Lin iyun’s expression turned pale.
Old Madam Xi tightened her grip on her cane.
Then ca the devastating truth.
[Because she eventually runs away with Zhao Mingyuan.]
The breakfast courtyard beca deathly silent.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
[She fights with her family.]
[Refuses to listen.]
[Believes she’s pursuing true love.]
[Believes everyone is trying to separate her from the man she loves.]
Xi Lanyin’s face turned completely white.
Fear slowly filled her eyes.
[Then she marries him.]
[And finally discovers who he really is.]
A cold chill swept through everyone present.
[The gentle scholar disappears.]
[The loving man disappears.]
[The patient gentleman disappears.]
[And all that’s left is a selfish man who only wanted her family’s influence, wealth, and connections.]
Lin iyun’s hand began shaking.
Xi Ronghua looked ready to storm into the Baron’s residence imdiately.
Old Madam Xi’s expression darkened completely.
anwhile, Xi Lanyin felt as though the ground beneath her feet was collapsing.
[He controls her.]
[Uses her.]
[Humiliates her.]
[Treats her like a possession instead of a wife.]
[Turns the proud daughter of the Xi family into a miserable shadow of herself.]
Tears slowly gathered in Xi Lanyin’s eyes.
None of it had happened yet.
Yet sohow the fear felt painfully real.
It felt real enough to make her chest tighten.
Real enough to make her hands tremble.
Real enough to make her question every letter, every poem, every smile Zhao Mingyuan had ever given her.
Then ca the final blow.
[And by the ti she realizes her mistake...]
[The Xi family is already gone.]
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Nobody moved.
The entire courtyard felt frozen.
anwhile, Su Yueqing simply lowered her head and continued eating her breakfast as though nothing unusual had happened.
She remained completely unaware that she had just shattered Xi Lanyin’s understanding of her future.
Across the table, Lin iyun slowly reached for her daughter’s trembling hand and held it tightly.
This ti, Xi Lanyin did not pull away.
For the first ti in her life, she truly felt afraid.
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