Wang Siyu kept her face taut, putting on a perfectly serious expression.
“Of course, Mom. When have I ever lied to you?”
“Your singing is better than anyone I’ve ever heard. It’s just such a shame you missed your chance back then—if you’d gotten into the Art Troupe, you’d definitely be a national-level artist by now!”
Wang Siyu said this without the faintest flicker of guilt.
She didn’t even think of it as lying—after all, how many singers had she actually heard in her whole life?
With no one else to compare against, of course she’d be number one.
Li Qing’e had no idea what Wang Siyu was really thinking, and took every word at face value. She was absolutely delighted by the praise.
She even forgot to ask Song Qinghuan for her opinion, and just decided on the matter right then and there.
Lu Lin and Lu Qiming didn’t care about such trivial things, so they said nothing to stop her.
The Lu family had already agreed on it, so Song Shouyang and Zhao Yufang had no choice but to stay silent and accept it.
This was supposed to be Song Qinghuan’s wedding, yet she was shut out—given no right to speak her mind.
Clearly none of them had ever truly respected her.
Song Qinghuan smiled, but didn’t object to Li Qing’e’s suggestion.
Far from it—she nodded along and even added her own “ideas”.
“I think Auntie’s suggestion is wonderful. Just singing might feel a little plain, though—you should put on a whole performance while you’re at it.”
“Sing and dance—wouldn’t that be so lively and fun?”
Li Qing’e was overjoyed, surprised that Song Qinghuan would be so supportive.
“Qinghuan… do you really mean that?”
“Of course I do.” Song Qinghuan nodded earnestly.
“You’re Lu Qiming’s own mother. On such an important day for your son, you should be happy and having fun too.”
“Still, singing and dancing alone might not be enough. I think you should wear a beautiful red dress, and do your hair up extra nicely.”
“Maybe add more acts too—just singing and dancing split into two parts still feels too short. We should have more performances.”
Song Qinghuan’s attitude was unbelievably agreeable.
Everyone present nearly dropped their jaws. Li Qing’e stared at her, stunned—she’d never imagined her future daughter-in-law would be so obedient, so easy to control.
Just as she was about to celebrate, Song Qinghuan grinned and added:
“After all, everyone will probably think you’re the one marrying Lu Qiming. So you might as well go all out.”
Li Qing’e: “???”
Was that even human speech?!
She was Lu Qiming’s mother! If people started gossiping and thinking there was something improper between her and her own son, how would she ever show her face again?!
Li Qing’e was so furious she nearly choked on her own breath, ready to collapse right there.
Lu Lin’s face turned livid, blazing with rage.
“Song Qinghuan! We may be your elders, and we might overlook your outbursts given your youth—but that was uncalled for! It’s incredibly rude and ill-bred!”
“You’re acting so arrogant before you’ve even married into this family! You have absolutely no respect for me as your future father-in-law!”
Li Qing’e slammed her hand on the table, glaring at Song Qinghuan.
“How can you speak so viciously?! Insulting me like that—do you even still want to marry Qiming?!”
Her tone reeked of condescension.
Anyone listening would’ve thought marrying Lu Qiming was some kind of great honor.
Song Qinghuan laughed out loud. She didn’t flinch at their accusations—instead, she slammed the table back so hard it shook, and hit right back:
“You think you’re the only one who can slam tables? Who are you trying to scare here? Is your son made of gold or silver? What makes you so sure he’s such a prize to everyone else?”
“You had the nerve to suggest jumping around and stealing the spotlight at your own son’s wedding—so why are you panicking now that someone’s called you out? Are you just a sore loser? Or were you just dying to play the ‘terrifying mother-in-law’ and throw your weight around the second your new daughter-in-law stepped through the door?”
“Everyone else stayed quiet and you thought they were pushovers? Thought I’d just roll over and do whatever you said? Don’t you dare try to tie me down with this marriage! I’m not blind—I can see perfectly well that Lu Qiming’s heart already belongs to someone else!”
Song Qinghuan pretended not to notice how terrible the Lu family’s expressions had become. She glanced pointedly at Wang Siyu, who’d gone pale and was biting her lip nervously. Only then did she finish, smiling sweetly:
“A real man wouldn’t be so bold to ignore decency and so cowardly to own up to it.”
“If you’re so fond of each other, why not just be together openly? I think he’s disgusting—and I’ve already decided I don’t want him. Let’s just call off this engagement, return the betrothal gifts, and let this pair of cheats be happy together!”
Her voice rang out clear and sharp, echoing through the whole room.
Everyone froze—none of them had expected Song Qinghuan to know the truth, let alone expose them so openly and without mercy.
Lu Qiming slowly clenched his hands on his knees, a strange, intense feeling swelling in his chest.
Song Qinghuan really was different now—nothing like before.
But any guilt or confusion was quickly drowned out by a surge of excitement.
He glanced at Wang Siyu, and a reckless impulse took hold of him.
Maybe this was the perfect chance to make their relationship real.
He was brave enough to face the shame and gossip—but Wang Siyu wasn’t.
Being with Lu Qiming in secret gave her far more advantages than being with him openly ever could.
She bit her lip so hard it nearly bled, staring down at the table as if she wanted to crawl underneath it. She didn’t dare meet his eyes.
Inside, she was screaming at Song Qinghuan—this woman was going to ruin everything!
Li Qing’e saw the way they looked at each other, and knew exactly what was going on. She was livid.
She couldn’t bring herself to be angry at her own son—so she shot a sharp, furious glare at Wang Siyu instead.
Wang Siyu flinched, terrified. She’d sat there perfectly quiet this whole time, barely daring to breathe.
All those words came from Song Qinghuan—why were they turning on her?!
Li Qing’e and Lu Lin both knew the real problem was Song Qinghuan.
If they didn’t put her in her place right now, there was no way this would end well.
They exchanged a look, completely bewildered—how could she throw away the marriage like this over something so trivial? What would people say when word got out?