27: Chapter 27 The Insignificant Character in a Pampered Novel 27

Liang Yiqing's case remained unsolved, with no sign of her, dead or alive. Accompanied by Xu Jiao, Li Yan had already been discharged and returned to the Li Family's old mansion rather than his small apartment. Mother Li truly couldn't rest easy letting her son go back there; she only felt at peace with him living in the ancestral home.

The Li Family did not welcome Xu Jiao. No matter how much Li Yan threw a fit, Li Shaoheng didn't even bat an eye. If Li Yan wanted to stay at the old mansion, he had to follow his rules. Even though Xu Jiao cried until her tears ran dry and her eyes were red and swollen, and even though she knelt before him, she was still heartlessly driven out. The scene of their life-and-death romantic parting even moved Old Master Li slightly. Unfortunately, he wasn't the one calling the shots in the family anymore.

Xu Jiao was sent back after Li Shaoheng notified the Xu Family to come and get her.

She slept fitfully for two days. When she woke up on the third day, she heard that the whole family would be attending Zhao Zhao's engagement banquet the following evening.

Her head buzzed as if it were about to explode. Xu Zhao and Gu Yunjing? How was that possible!

The image of that thin, weak figure who always kept her head down with bangs covering her eyes surfaced in her mind, alongside that elegant and refined young man. She couldn't find any way to link the two of them together.

Back then, it wasn't that she hadn't admired Gu Yunjing, but he threw away every gift the girls at school gave him. Liang Yiqing had also been relentlessly persistent, but he had simply given her a beating. Since then, no one in Yinghua dared to pursue him.

So what if Gu Yunjing was good-looking and had a prominent background? Compared to Li Yan, the Li Family was just as good in those two aspects. But Gu Yunjing was both a poor student and a hoodlum; how could he be worthy of her?

Xu Jiao bit her lower lip hard. Even if she didn't think much of him, he still wasn't someone Xu Zhao deserved.

"Dad, I want to go too!"

Father Xu looked at his eldest daughter with a worried expression. "You've been taking care of Li Yan these past few days. Look how thin your little face has become. Maybe you should just get some good rest."

"Dad, I'm fine. This is my younger sister's lifelong event. As her older sister, I have to keep an eye out for her no matter what. Gu Yunjing has a violent temper; back in high school, he even hit girls. I'm afraid Zhao Zhao... Sigh, Zhao Zhao's personality is so stubborn, the two of them..."

Xu Congxuan couldn't stand seeing his sister frown and said gruffly, "Why are you looking out for her? A person like her, with such a cold heart and no regard for family—someone who would even sue her own parents—doesn't deserve any sympathy. If Gu Yunjing likes hitting women, then let him hit her. She asked for it."

"Should we sever ties with her..." Mother Xu said with lingering fear.

As soon as she finished speaking, everyone's eyes gathered on her. She said hesitantly, "That girl's personality is so unlikable. Being abandoned is only a matter of time. We don't want to end up making enemies instead of relatives."

Father Xu considered this seriously; it really was a possibility! Instantly, his thoughts about how to ask the Gu Family for benefits faded significantly.

"Let's not rush to a conclusion. We'll go to the engagement banquet tomorrow night and see how things are first." Xu Congtao still didn't want to give up such a great opportunity. That was the Gu Family, after all. If Father Gu just gave a slight nod, the Xu Family could take a huge leap forward without having to struggle so hard to climb.

Afterward, Xu Jiao no longer cared what the Xu Family discussed. Her mind was filled with only one sentence: Xu Zhao was actually getting engaged to Gu Yunjing!

They didn't know the truth, but she did. It wasn't that Gu Yunjing liked hitting women; it was just that at the start of the school year, the person Liang Yiqing liked was Gu Yunjing. But Gu Yunjing was completely unreceptive, so she secretly drugged him. As a result, Gu Yunjing knocked her out directly and tied her to a big tree at the school gate, where she hung all night. From then on, she didn't dare to like Gu Yunjing anymore and turned her attention to Li Yan instead.

Why did she say those things? It was probably jealousy. Why could that ugly freak and jinx Xu Zhao stand by Gu Yunjing's side, while she couldn't even have Li Yan, who now lacked a left leg?

If Miao Jie were still here... She suddenly thought of the man who had said he would treat her well. In fact, Miao Jie had been quite good to her, but unfortunately...

Xu Jiao didn't think she lost to Xu Zhao in any way. What did Xu Zhao know about ladylike etiquette? What did she know about high-society socializing, cosmetics, luxury goods, or fashion trends? She didn't have a single trace of the grace expected of a young lady from a wealthy family.

She brushed her long black hair. Tomorrow night—tomorrow night she would let everyone see who the real high-society socialite was.

...

On the day of Xu Zhao's engagement, the Xu Family arrived at the hotel according to the address on the invitation. It was a low-profile Government Guest House that was not open to the public.

Only after entering the banquet hall did they discover a whole different world inside. With small bridges over flowing water, and an ancient, elegant charm, the Xu Family—local big shots born and raised in A City—actually had no idea that such a hidden paradise existed in the middle of the bustling city.

The Xu Family arrived a bit late. By the time their group reached the venue, many people had already arrived in the banquet hall.

The Xu Family, who had originally intended to arrive late to give Xu Zhao a reality check, was shocked by the display before them. Although they had expected that many military and political officials would attend tonight given the Gu Family's status, they realized their own perspective had been too narrow. There were indeed many military and political officials, but business titans were also gathered there. The Li Family, the Zhou Family, the Liang Family... every prominent family in A City had come, and it was the current heads of the families who were present. In such a setting, as a branch of the Li Family, Li Yan's father was not qualified to attend. There were also many people of different skin tones, friends from unknown quarters.

In short, being able to enter a banquet of this caliber was likely the peak of the Xu Family's existence.

The Parents of the Xu Family were dazzled. Their search for Xu Zhao or members of the Gu Family yielded no results, but several business titans came over to strike up a conversation with them.

The Parents of the Xu Family and the Xu brothers all suppressed the excitement in their hearts. One must know that normally, these people didn't look at the Xu Corporation at all. But today, knowing they were the parents and brothers of the bride-to-be, they took the initiative to speak, giving the Xu Family immense psychological satisfaction.

Suddenly, the lights dimmed, and a beam of light focused on the top of the spiral staircase.

That girl, in a champagne-colored Xiangyun silk Qipao, outlined a graceful figure. The gorgeous brocade exuded an aura of nobility, with the floral buttons at the collar and the tassels at the sleeves appearing soft and gentle. Paired with her bright, vintage makeup, she perfectly showcased the classical beauty of an Oriental woman, her beauty stunning enough to transcend time.

Li Shaoheng looked up, his eyes darkening. He didn't dare to connect the little girl from the hospital room four years ago with the person before him. The girl seemed to possess a quiet yet determined temperament, her small body harboring resilience and confidence.

Gu Yunjing stood at the bottom of the stairs in his military uniform, standing tall and straight. Beneath his neat buzz cut were sharp brows and starry eyes, his pitch-black eyes revealing difficult-to-conceal joy. His gaze was focused intently on the person on the stairs. Their eyes met, and they shared a smile, as if they were the only ones in each other's eyes, the air itself filled with sweetness.

A talented man and a beautiful woman, a match made in heaven.

For a fleeting moment of daze, Li Shaoheng felt that marriage might not be so bad after all—if the bride were her.

Xu Zhao held Father Gu's arm on her left, while her right hand was held by Mother Gu. The three of them slowly walked down the stairs.

Everyone was startled. No wonder Father Gu and Mother Gu hadn't been seen until now.

The fact that the Gu Family cherished the bride-to-be so much was enough to show her status within their family.

But once they recovered, everyone felt something was off. Why was it the groom's family escorting the bride instead of her own? Looking back at the Xu Family, their gazes were no longer so flattering, now carrying a hint of scrutiny.

The Xu Family also felt a bit stifled at this moment. Although they had indeed arrived late on purpose, wanting Xu Zhao to soften her stance and beg Father Xu to escort her, they hadn't intended for the Gu Family to take over the role. Where did that leave the Xu Family's dignity?

Regardless, Father Gu and Mother Gu had already brought Xu Zhao before Gu Yunjing and placed that small hand into his. He said solemnly, "Treat Zhao Zhao well. If you ever dare to fail her, don't ever step through the Gu Family's door again. The Gu Family has no such descendants."

Mother Gu also looked down on her son's somewhat low IQ, but fortunately, her daughter-in-law made up for his shortcomings. Feeling deeply gratified, she said, "Now that you're getting married, you're an adult. You can't throw childish tantrums. If I ever hear that you've dared to bully Zhao Zhao, I'll twist your head off and send it to outer space."

Gu Yunjing rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Don't worry, Mom, you won't get that chance."

Originally, the various prominent families had found it unbelievable when they heard the bride-to-be came from the third-rate Xu Family in A City.

Having attended the engagement banquet today, their minds were completely changed.

In the crowd, Father Zhou beat his chest and stomped his feet. The way he looked at his son was like it was laced with poison; he wished he could pull him out from the group of beauties and lynch him. What did it mean for a person in a favored position to get the advantage? This kid had been so close before; didn't he know to make a move? He just let the Gu Family beat him to it.

Usually, this kid was full of tricks and had a very sweet tongue, succeeding every time he coaxed a girl. But even if he coaxed a hundred, it couldn't compare to Gu Yunjing coaxing this one!

Zhou Chi, the best man who was still flirting with beauties, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. It turned out that piercing gaze came from his own father. He didn't know what kind of fit he was throwing again, but his eyes looked like he wanted to kill him.

This was Brother Gu and the Study God's big day; there was no need for this, really!

The other best man, Cheng Yi, took a sip of wine nearby, the corners of his lips curling up. He hadn't expected that among the three of them, Brother Gu would be the first to get engaged. But thinking about it, it made sense. The Study God was too outstanding; if he had been even a bit slower and she was snatched away, where would Brother Gu go to cry?

The Little Academic God was great, but such a celestial being was truly someone he couldn't hope to reach; he felt compared to the dust. Brother Gu was indeed Brother Gu; his courage was commendable.

From the moment Zhao Zhao came downstairs, Gu Yunjing had been smiling. That look practically scared his brothers from the military camp silly; he had smiled more today than in all four years of college combined.

He took Zhao Zhao's small hand from his father, gave it a gentle squeeze, placed it in the crook of his arm, and then held it with his other hand.

Throughout the entire engagement banquet, the only ones who were unhappy were likely the Xu Family.

The Gu Family parents had snatched away everything the bride's own father and mother were supposed to do. They could only be cast aside in a corner of the banquet like mere spectators.

Fortunately, the business presidents who had been chatting with them earlier didn't mind. They just kept praising them for having such a good daughter and saying how outstanding Xu Zhao was.

But hearing this, Mother Xu felt extremely uncomfortable. She directly and rudely interrupted one of them, saying, "Zhao Zhao is actually very ordinary. If you're talking about being outstanding, our Jiao Jiao is even more so." After saying that, she affectionately pulled the flower-like Xu Jiao to her side.

"And this is?" The person looked her up and down. This girl was indeed good-looking, appearing as delicate as a swaying willow, but with that look in her eyes that seemed to have much to say yet hesitated, he felt she was tainted with a bit too much worldly air. There was too much desire in the depths of her eyes; she didn't have that clear and determined spirit of the bride.

"This is Zhao Zhao's twin sister—Jiao Jiao. Our Jiao Jiao, not only does she play the piano well, but she also dances well. She just returned from graduating from a university abroad. She is the real treasure of our Xu Family," Mother Xu said proudly. "Zhao Zhao is far inferior to Jiao Jiao."

Far inferior?!

She was a talent in the national key high-tech field!

It was simply unbelievable! Those people looked at Father Xu, but to their surprise, not only Father Xu, but even Xu Congtao and Xu Congxuan behind him, all looked as if they agreed with Mother Xu's words.

Those people's chests instantly felt tight. They opened their mouths, wanting to say something, but seeing this group of blind people immersed in their own world, they looked at each other awkwardly and stepped further away from the Xu Family. They thought to themselves, no wonder—no wonder the bride was escorted down by the Gu parents. With the Xu Family being so brainless, it was no surprise the Xu Corporation was on the verge of bankruptcy.

In fact, the Xu Family hadn't investigated Xu Zhao at all over the years. They only knew she had been admitted to Qing University. Now that four years had passed, she was nothing more than a fresh graduate who might not even have found a job yet. In their eyes, she wasn't particularly outstanding. Her greatest achievement was probably somehow hooking up with Gu Yunjing of the Gu Family; it was simply a stroke of incredible luck for their ancestors.