The moment they heard the names Yu Changde and Tao Shuqin, the warm and lively atmosphere in the living room suddenly turned cold.
Xie Jingmo immediately looked at Yu Zhiwan.
The girl’s delicate, fair face showed nothing but coldness and disgust. The mention of Yu Changde and Tao Shuqin didn’t stir the slightest ripple in her emotions.
She no longer yearned for parental affection.
She no longer felt sad because of them.
And she would never again give them a chance to hurt her.
She had completely given up on the Yu family.
And she genuinely no longer cared about them.
Suddenly, Yu Zhiwan felt warmth on her shoulder.
She looked up and saw Xie Jingmo’s arm around her shoulders.
His posture seemed to silently declare that he would unconditionally protect and support her.
Yu Zhiwan couldn’t help but space out for a moment.
Wasn’t he a little too much like the perfect husband who was devoted to his wife?
Xie Yunzhou, after hearing the servant’s report, couldn’t help scoffing.
“They’re here specifically to pay a visit? How shameless can Yu Changde and Tao Shuqin be?”
It was like having a perfectly good banquet interrupted by a few cockroaches and rats. Who wouldn’t find that disgusting?
Xie Yuntang also rolled her eyes the moment she heard the Yu couple’s names.
Old Master and Madam Xie were clearly concerned about Yu Zhiwan.
“Zhiwan, do you want to see them?”
The way Madam Xie asked made it obvious that she cared about Yu Zhiwan’s feelings and put them first.
Yu Zhiwan shook her head.
She didn’t want to see those irritating people even once.
Seeing this, Madam Xie immediately gave the order.
“Then don’t see them!”
There was absolutely no room for negotiation.
She directly treated Yu Changde and Tao Shuqin like unwanted trash and had them turned away.
The servant was stunned for a moment.
The position of their young madam in Old Master and Madam Xie’s hearts was truly extraordinary!
From that moment on, the servant looked at Yu Zhiwan with even greater respect.
Meanwhile, outside the Xie residence.
Yu Changde and Tao Shuqin stood there nervously and excitedly, carrying expensive gifts as they waited for a servant to lead them inside.
“Changde,” Tao Shuqin suddenly said worriedly, “don’t you think it’s a little too forward for us to come here ourselves to discuss the marriage?”
“How could it be?” Yu Changde puffed out his chest.
“This was a marriage agreement arranged by our fathers and the Xie family’s Old Master back then. How could it possibly be fake? We’re simply here to fulfill the engagement!”
At this, Tao Shuqin frowned.
“But back then, your father intended for that dead girl, Yu Zhiwan, to fulfill the engagement with the Xie family.”
When Yu Zhiwan returned to the Yu family at sixteen, Old Master Yu had still been alive.
He had doted on Yu Zhiwan and happily suggested that she fulfill the engagement with Xie Jingmo.
But behind the scenes, Yu Changde and Tao Shuqin had secretly manipulated Yu Zhiwan.
They had persuaded her to reject her grandfather’s suggestion and personally say that she didn’t like Xie Jingmo and wanted her younger sister, Xiangxiang, to marry him instead.
“You’re overthinking it,” Yu Changde said impatiently.
“The position of Xie family’s young madam belongs to Xiangxiang!”
He sighed.
“I don’t know what happened. Ever since my father passed away, the Xie family has become increasingly distant from us and less willing to associate with the Yu family.”
“Now, the only way we can climb up to the Xie family is through this engagement.”
“Xiangxiang is so filial and sensible. Once she becomes the Xie family’s young madam, how could she not help her maternal family?”
“At that point, our Yu family will soar to greater heights!”
Yu Changde was thinking about the family’s interests.
Tao Shuqin, on the other hand, was thinking about her daughter’s happiness.
“Jingmo is not only handsome and talented, he’s also the most outstanding heir the Xie family has ever had. If Xiangxiang marries a man like that, she’ll enjoy a lifetime of happiness. Everyone else can only envy her.”
“Exactly,” Yu Changde said.
“So today, we absolutely have to settle Xiangxiang’s marriage!”
Just as they were talking, the servant who had gone inside to report their arrival came back out.
Yu Changde immediately perked up.
“Quick, lead us inside. Don’t keep Old Master and Madam Xie waiting.”
He had already started walking toward the entrance.
But the servant remained where he was.
His attitude was cold.
“Sir and Madam, our Old Master and Madam said they won’t be seeing you.”
“What?”
Yu Changde’s eyebrows furrowed so deeply they nearly met.
“They won’t see us? How is that possible? Did you deliver the wrong message?!”
The servant was speechless.
“This is our Madam’s personal order. She told us to turn you away.”
Turn them away?
Tao Shuqin immediately panicked.
“Changde, what’s going on?”
Ever since Old Master Yu’s death, the Xie family had indeed become increasingly distant from them.
But they had always believed that people wouldn’t turn away guests who came bearing gifts.
Yet Madam Xie had directly ordered them to leave.
She wasn’t even giving them the slightest bit of courtesy.
Could it be…
Had they offended the Xie family somehow?
The possibility made cold sweat break out across Yu Changde’s back.
He forced himself to remain calm and cautiously asked,
“Why did Madam Xie refuse to see us? Is it because she has something important to attend to? Or perhaps there’s another distinguished guest visiting?”
The servant hadn’t expected Yu Changde to guess correctly.
He simply answered honestly.
“That is indeed the case. There is a distinguished guest here.”
Yu Changde immediately relaxed.
As long as they hadn’t offended the Xie family, everything could still be resolved.
He quickly asked,
“Would you mind telling us who the distinguished guest is?”
“Of course.”
The servant looked at them.
“Our Xie family’s young madam.”
Boom!
It was as if a bolt of lightning had struck them.
The Xie family’s young madam?
Xie Jingmo is married?!
After saying that, the servant heard another servant calling him and didn’t bother paying attention to Yu Changde and Tao Shuqin’s expressions.
He turned around and hurried back inside.
Outside the Xie residence, Yu Changde and Tao Shuqin stood frozen in place as though they had been struck by lightning.
Tao Shuqin was the first to recover.
She grabbed Yu Changde’s arm in panic.
“The Xie family’s young madam? Xie Jingmo is married?”
Yu Changde looked as though his beautiful dream had suddenly been shattered.
The color drained from his face.
“When did this happen? How come we didn’t hear anything about it?!”
Tao Shuqin anxiously paced back and forth.
“Then what about our Xiangxiang? She’s supposed to be the Xie family’s young madam! Who did Xie Jingmo marry?”
Yu Changde was equally anxious.
If Xie Jingmo had married another woman, how could the Yu family climb up the social ladder through the Xie family?
Suddenly, Yu Changde noticed something.
His eyes lit up and he excitedly slapped his palm.
“Don’t panic! Don’t panic!”
“Shuqin, look! Whose sports car is that?”
Tao Shuqin followed his gaze.
After studying the car for a few seconds, she answered uncertainly,
“The one in the courtyard… Isn’t that a sports car Xie Yunzhou often drives?”
“Exactly!”
Yu Changde became excited.
“That’s Xie Yunzhou’s car! That means Xie Yunzhou is also at the Xie residence!”
“I knew it! Xie Jingmo has always been known for keeping his distance from women. How could he suddenly get married without us hearing a single rumor?”
“The servant must have been referring to Xie Yunzhou’s girlfriend when he said ‘young madam’!”
Tao Shuqin looked confused.
“Xie Yunzhou’s girlfriend? Is that really what he meant?”
The more Yu Changde thought about it, the more convinced he became.
“It must be!”
“Xie Jingmo doesn’t even have a girlfriend. How could he suddenly bring a woman back to the family home?”
“Xie Yunzhou is different. He’s been dating someone for several years. It would be perfectly normal for him to bring his girlfriend home to meet his grandparents.”
“So that’s why Madam Xie couldn’t see us and ordered us to leave!”
Meanwhile, back at the Yu residence.
Yu Shaoze was so anxious that he couldn’t sit still.
He kept pacing back and forth, desperately waiting for his parents to return from the Xie family residence.
Yu Xiuqi, as the eldest son, was more composed.
He sat on the sofa holding a document, but it was obvious that his mind wasn’t on the document at all.
Yu Xiangxiang had been blushing ever since the afternoon.
Her heart was racing wildly at the thought of becoming Xie Jingmo’s wife.
When Yu Changde and Tao Shuqin finally returned, Yu Shaoze was the first to rush over.
“Dad, Mom, how did it go? Did you settle the marriage?”
“When are Xiangxiang and Xie Jingmo getting married? Next month?”