Zhu Xing had never even said these words to Qu Qingyu. Qu Qingyu was utterly stunned, staring blankly at Zhu Xing as he found himself completely at a loss for words for the very first time.
Just as his relationship with Zhu Xing had taken a massive leap forward today, he was suddenly hit with the news that they were getting engaged?
He was shoved from behind, and upon turning around, he saw his eldest brother, Qu Wenyu.
“Why aren’t you going up there? Are you just going to let him stand there by himself?”
Recovering his senses, Qu Qingyu hurried up the steps and took the microphone.
“Yes, I am going to engage Zhu Xing.” A blunt and direct sentence, which was completely out of character for Qu Qingyu.
Having consumed so much gossip in a single night, the various families sitting below had no idea what kind of expression to wear.
As soon as Qu Qingyu finished speaking, Zhu Xing took over the mic.
Although this was Elder Ying’s birthday banquet, the mission came first.
“Now that my business is settled, let us talk about Ying Chi.”
“At my birthday banquet, you openly declared your love for the person you like and ruined my party. Young Master Ying, shouldn’t you apologize?”
Zhu Xing’s voice echoed throughout the banquet hall, ringing clear in the ears of every single person present.
Elder Ying sat expressionless, making no move to have anyone stop Zhu Xing.
Lin Yu wanted to say something, but was held back by Ying Chi.
“Fine, I apologize to you.” Ying Chi stared at the glowing figures of Zhu Xing and Qu Qingyu up on the stage.
“I am sorry.” Ying Chi wore an expression of deep humiliation. Being forced to apologize publicly at his own grandfather’s birthday banquet was no different to him than being stripped naked in front of a crowd.
Lin Yu felt a deep ache in his heart and looked up at the two people on stage with pleading eyes.
Zhu Xing and Qu Qingyu looked precisely like two villains drunk on their own success, standing coldly on the stage to watch the pair.
“Young Master Ying, you must have graduated from elementary school, right? That sentence was completely headless and tailless. Are you apologizing to thin air? Who is sorry to whom, and for what reason?” Qu Qingyu’s ghostly voice rang out, causing Ying Chi’s face to flush red.
“I am sorry, I am sorry, it was all my fault, I apologize, okay?” Lin Yu’s pitiful voice rang out, causing those nearby to frown.
The person hadn’t even paid attention to you, yet you insisted on jumping out and shouting, “Yes, that’s right, it’s me, I made someone run away from your birthday banquet and ruined your party!” Wasn’t this practically courting death?
Not wanting to see Lin Yu looking distressed and aggrieved, Ying Chi snapped defensively, “I, Ying Chi, am sorry to Zhu Xing. I shouldn’t have disregarded the occasion and ruined Zhu Xing’s birthday banquet, causing him to lose face.”
“So you did know that I would lose face.” At Zhu Xing’s single remark of exclamation, Ying Chi lowered his head in silence.
“Alright, the apology is done, and this old man is tired as well. Everyone scatter.” Elder Ying leisurely departed the scene, completely ignoring Ying Chi inside the hall.
Watching the two figures clinging to each other, Zhu Xing sighed inwardly, as he truly was a master assistant at pushing relationships forward.
Having completed this crucial plot point, Zhu Xing simply left right alongside Qu Qingyu.
The protagonists of the birthday banquet had long since departed, the gossip had all been consumed, and everyone else left in succession.
Once the people inside the hall cleared out, only an oppressive silence and chill remained.
“Ah Chi, are you alright?” Lin Yu hugged Ying Chi tightly.
Yet Ying Chi remained unmoving, simply uttering word by word, “Why did you come today? And how did you get in?”
Lin Yu stiffened his body, his expression turning somewhat strained as his fingers clenched tightly together.
“I just missed you, and you didn’t answer my calls.” Ignoring his explanation, Ying Chi simply stood up and walked away.
Lin Yu’s heart sank lower and lower. This time, he had truly made the most catastrophic mistake possible, and he hurriedly stood up to follow.
Zhu Xing paid no more attention to whatever transpired between the two protagonists, because Qu Qingyu kept clinging to him, incessantly asking when the engagement would take place.
How was Zhu Xing supposed to know? Shouldn’t something like this take a year or half to arrange?
“An engagement is a major event, shouldn’t we wait to plan it slowly?”
“What kind do you want? I will start arranging it right now.” Qu Qingyu pressed forward step by step.
Qu Qingyu looked at Zhu Xing, waiting for him to name his preference. Whether the wedding style was traditional Chinese, Western, or a blend of both, as long as Zhu Xing could imagine it, Qu Qingyu could bring it to life.
“Shouldn’t we ask our family members about this? This isn’t something just the two of us can decide on our own.” Zhu Xing fished for an excuse, since he genuinely liked Qu Qingyu, but getting engaged right after confirming their relationship was far too fast.
“When other people grow tired of the old and love the new, they at least manage to stay in the new phase for a while. From the moment we confirmed our relationship to right now, it has barely been two hours. Are you trying to cast me aside after getting what you want?” Qu Qingyu’s words grew more and more dramatic.
Zhu Xing could only soothe him like an upset child. “I did not mean that at all.” Yet Qu Qingyu continued to look at him with the expression of a betrayed husband.
Zhu Xing had no idea how Qu Qingyu had suddenly transformed from a sharp-tongued, cold-and-lofty young master into a resentful boudoir wife.
Fine, fine, what else could he do with someone he chose himself?
“Alright, I promise you we will get engaged, okay? Once I go back and talk to my family about it, that will work, right?” Seeing that Zhu Xing genuinely had this intention, Qu Qingyu temporarily reined it in.
[250, is this method of completion acceptable?] Because the points had been adjusted to a unified final settlement, Zhu Xing had no way of knowing whether this approach would pass.
[It is acceptable, Host! Ying Chi and Lin Yu are currently…]
[What on earth?] Zhu Xing only caught a wave of muffled sound, hearing nothing clear at the end.
[The system repeated itself.]
[Host, they are communicating, they finally said it.] Zhu Xing was left somewhat speechless, though not particularly surprised. Their relationship was good, and a deep, affectionate communication was completely normal.
Meanwhile, inside Ying Chi’s villa:
“Ah Chi, please stop being angry, okay? I will listen to everything you say from now on.” Lin Yu felt rather distressed, but he didn’t dare give Ying Chi any more attitude at a time like this.
Ying Chi remained silent, solely absorbed in his own actions. Looking at the person beneath him, his heart grew progressively colder. Was the person he had gone to such lengths to obtain truly anything like what he had imagined? Ying Chi felt a sense of bewilderment.
Unlike the Ying family, the Zhu and Qu families were different. There was only one child in this generation of the Ying family, making him the highest-ranking member among his peers and the one who had to bear the responsibility. His parents always told him that a member of the Ying family should carry themselves with measured poise, act with composure, and unite with a family of comparable standing, just like the Zhu family.
His life over the past twenty years had proceeded strictly on schedule, repeating the exact same routines, studying golf, horseback riding, and various social etiquette solely so they would be useful when he inherited the conglomerate, interacting with peers from equivalent elite families to expand future business territories. Entering a political marriage with Zhu Xing was the greatest contribution he could make, yet no one cared about his own choices.
Perhaps if he had never encountered freedom, life in the present wouldn’t have felt so difficult to endure.
Lin Yu had told him, “Money cannot buy freedom, a person should live for themselves at least once.”
Ying Chi felt he was right, and his very first act of rebellion should be something conspicuous. He chose Zhu Xing’s birthday banquet, which was also scheduled to be their engagement banquet.
Only later did he realize that when he crossed the line, his parents and grandfather merely chagrined him and cut off his credit cards. However, his identity as the eldest young master of the Ying family could not be stripped away, which meant it had virtually no impact on him, with countless people still lining up just to ingratiate themselves and pay for whatever he wanted.
He grew even more uninhibited. Even though his grandfather repeatedly told him to apologize to Zhu Xing and avoid damaging a relationship spanning many years, he hadn’t cared.
Relationship or no relationship, those were matters of the previous generation, and he would do whatever he pleased.
Yet the person of his own choosing turned out to be completely different from what he had originally imagined.
He kept his bar part-time job hidden away, and he could accept that as the person being afraid he would worry or get angry.
But why on earth was he associating with Ming He and even leaking Zhu Xing’s whereabouts? With a casual investigation, he had uncovered what happened in that private room the other day.
What kind of person was Ming He? Notoriously infamous, with malicious intentions toward Zhu Xing.
Relying on his status, Lin Yu had subtly maintained a superior air among Ming He’s crowd, letting shady individuals deal with anyone who approached him.
He didn’t care about Zhu Xing’s safety, but Ying Chi would never allow anyone to use his name to pull off such stunts.
Perhaps tomorrow, Lin Yu would discover that the Ming family had already been driven completely out of City A.