Lu Xinyue was dragged away by Lin Wanhui.
Her heart was pounding as if it would leap out of her chest.
Back then, she was young and didn't understand the consequences. She thought that if she made a fuss, Yan Jingci wouldn't adopt that foolish child, and she wouldn't have to be a stepmother.
She never expected that it would end with the engagement being called off.
It even caused a rift between the Yan and Shen families.
The Shen family, already on a downward spiral, declined even further under the Yan family's pressure.
Lu Xinyue regretted causing trouble at the Yan family's home back then, losing such a rich fiancé.
Lin Wanhui walked up to Old Master Yan and fawned, "Happy 83rd birthday, Old Master Yan. It's truly an honor to attend your birthday banquet today. This is my daughter, Lu Xinyue. She excels in all the arts—music, chess, calligraphy, and painting—and has already received recommended admission to Jing University this year!"
Lu Xinyue greeted him, "Hello, Grandpa Yan."
Lu Xinyue held onto a sliver of hope, thinking that after three years, Grandpa Yan would have forgotten about what happened back then.
But she didn't know that Old Master Yan held grudges for a lifetime.
Upon seeing Lu Xinyue, Old Master Yan chuckled, "Miss Lu, is it? Fine, I remember."
Hearing that the old master specifically remembered the Lu family, Lin Wanhui's face lit up with a smile.
"Thank you, Old Master Yan. My Xinyue has always admired Young Master Yan greatly. I truly hope she'll have the opportunity to get to know him."
...
Shen Ningxi and Shen Xubai were wandering around the Yan family's mansion.
Old Master Yan was too fond of collecting antiques.
The entire courtyard was filled with them.
There were even jars buried in the soil.
Shen Ningxi called someone over to dig up the soil in that area.
Others couldn't see it, but she could clearly see thick black energy spreading out in waves.
Suddenly remembering something, Shen Ningxi immediately asked for a bag.
She collected that pile of soil.
She playfully smeared some on Shen Xubai's face, "Third Brother, there's no need to find soil from grave mounds next time. This soil is even more ominous than grave mound soil!"
...
Shen Ningxi was happily wiping her face.
Little did she know, Lu Xinyue's face was itching terribly.
She maintained a stiff expression, following behind Lin Wanhui as she made small talk with Old Master Yan.
Her hands, however, couldn't stop scratching her leg.
Lu Xinyue endured it again and again, but the itching was unbearable.
She couldn't control herself and scratched her face with her fingers. Her slender fingernails scraped against her skin, finally relieving a sliver of the itch.
Just then, she suddenly heard someone exclaim.
"Ah, Miss Lu's face is oozing pus! Ugh, how disgusting!"
Everyone's gaze turned towards them.
Then, they all looked away, their faces contorted in disgust.
Seeing this, Lin Wanhui couldn't bother with pleasantries with Old Master Yan anymore.
She quickly turned back to look at Lu Xinyue.
This glance was alarming; she almost threw up.
Lu Xinyue's face was like it was covered in feces, with yellowish-brown pus flowing down.
"What are you doing!" Lin Wanhui snapped, then quickly grabbed a towel and covered Lu Xinyue's face.
As if struck by an idea, she suddenly shouted, "It's that bitch Shen Ningxi! She smeared something on my daughter's face, and now my daughter has become like this! She's a charlatan; she must have used dark magic!"
Lin Wanhui was so enraged she wanted to tear Shen Ningxi apart!
But at that moment, she heard Old Master Yan's voice from behind.
"Shen Ningxi is my future granddaughter-in-law. What are you saying about her! What kind of ugly monster dares to find fault with my future granddaughter-in-law!"
"!!!"
This statement shocked everyone present.
Didn't Shen Ningxi get carried away earlier?
Wasn't she sneaking into the banquet to find a rich husband?
How did she become the Yan family's future granddaughter-in-law? That was the Yan family, the Yan family that gilded anyone who got close to them!
Lin Wanhui looked at Old Master Yan in disbelief.
He gave a look.
Then, four bodyguards came over and dragged the mother and daughter directly out of the banquet hall.
Lu Xinyue couldn't stop crying. Tears flowed into her scratched wounds, causing her to cry even harder from the pain.
"Mom, it must be that bitch Shen Ningxi playing tricks, it must be! She's the one who smeared my face, that's why I became like this. Mom, will I be disfigured!"
Lin Wanhui gritted her teeth tightly.
Her fingertips dug into her flesh.
That bitch Shen Ningxi! She would never let her off the hook!
...
Shen Ningxi returned after pasting the talisman paper.
She found that the gazes of the people in the banquet hall had changed, becoming so polite and humble.
At this moment, Old Master Yan approached.
"Future granddaughter-in-law, when will you and Jingci have your engagement ceremony? Grandpa will definitely throw you the biggest engagement ceremony in the world."
...
"Future granddaughter-in-law, tell me what conditions Jingci offered you. If it's not enough, Grandpa will beat him up."
...
"Future granddaughter-in-law, this house is a bit scary. Grandpa doesn't dare to live here. Can you take me back to the Shen family tonight to stay with your maternal grandfather?"
...
Yan Jingci stopped the old master.
He provocatively raised an eyebrow, "Grandpa Shen only agreed to let Ningxi be my fiancée to make you happy because he heard you were dying. Now that you're not dying, forget it."
Upon hearing this, Old Master Yan swung his fist at Yan Jingci, "You brat, if you dare to break off Ningxi's engagement, I'll beat you to death!"
"Grandpa—"
"Calling me Ancestor won't help!"
...
Shen Ningxi's energy for the day was completely depleted.
After leaving the Yan family, she was directly sent to the hospital by Shen Xubai.
The next day.
Shen Ningxi slept soundly and woke up.
To her surprise, she found she had only slept for one night and one-third of a day, and it wasn't even noon the next day.
Shen Ningxi took out the ancestral tablet from her bag and bowed, "So this is what they mean by 'when the family prospers, I prosper'!"
Yesterday, she helped Third Brother secure a major drama.
She had pasted over three hundred talisman papers and only fainted for one night.
Excellent, mobilizing spiritual power is just around the corner!
...
Shen Xubai had work to do in the afternoon.
He left home after lunch.
For the past two days, there had been renovation workers in the courtyard, making a racket. Her maternal grandparents had also taken Shen Jiao out for some sun.
Only Shen Ningxi was left at home.
She intended to meditate and cultivate for a while, but as soon as she sat down cross-legged, she heard a megaphone sound from outside the courtyard.
She thought something exciting was happening.
She got up in a flash.
Holding Meng Quan Zai, she ran out of the courtyard.
But as soon as she stepped out, she realized the drama was about her...
✦✦✦