Chapter 420: The Ignorant Will Think That You"re My Big Brother"s Second Wife

Ruan Danchen clasped her palms on Qi Chenglin"s face in the spur of the moment, which stunned Qi Chenglin as he had no idea what she was going to do next. Ruan Danchen was fighting her urge to laugh as she felt her man tends to become dorky and adorable sometimes.

Ruan Danchen could not resist the smile on her face and her big, round eyes s.h.i.+ned brightly—it was very gratifying. Her naughty att.i.tude made Qi Chenglin felt like she was only seventeen years old instead of twenty-seven years old. Then, her lips pressed against his, rubbing repeatedly on it until all the lipstick color s.h.i.+fted onto his lips before parting ways.

Qi Chenglin"s mind became muddled and his grip on her waist loosened, so Ruan Danchen seized the opportunity and slipped back onto the pa.s.senger seat quickly.

"…" Qi Chenglin stared quietly at Ruan Danchen"s complacency. Then, he lowered the sun visor grudgingly and sighed heavily upon noticing his bright red lips through the mirror in the visor.

He pushed the sun visor back to its original position and glared at Ruan Danchen. He immediately felt uncomfortable when Ruan Danchen remained insensible and stared back at him with a gleam in her eyes—as if he was some sort of beauty.

Qi Chenglin pressed forward and slammed his lips onto hers which nearly knocked all wind out from her lungs, only to part ways with her lips with great satisfaction after her lips swelled and all the lipsticks were gone. Her initial gleaming eyes looked blank and blurry now.

He returned to his seat and started driving, licking his lips from time to time until all the lipstick disappeared.

Ruan Danchen had nothing to do so she took her phone out and started admiring the picture she snapped just now.

Qi Chenglin noticed her stoked appearance and asked out of curiosity, "What are you looking at?"

Then, he stopped his car before the traffic light.

Ruan Danchen turned her phone"s screen toward him and said, "You look so good… and especially flirtatious."

"…" Qi Chenglin was left speechless.

He glared fiercely at Ruan Danchen and reached out to pinch her waist. Was that how she was supposed to comment on her husband?

Qi Chenglin immediately reached out to her phone in an attempt to take a closer look, but Ruan Danchen knew him too well. She withdrew her hand quickly so that he could not s.n.a.t.c.h her phone.

"I"ll hold it for you to take a look. Don"t even think about deleting the picture because you look really good in it," Ruan Danchen pouted slightly and plead coquettishly.

Qi Chenglin felt helpless as he could not s.n.a.t.c.h her phone. He took a final glance at the picture before s.h.i.+fting it back onto the road and started driving as the traffic light had coincidentally turned green.

Then, he turned his head suddenly and warned with a flat expression, "Don"t show it to others."

"Of course, I"m unwilling to share your private appearance with others too. You"re attractive enough already. It"ll be troublesome if any young lady witnessed your seductive look." Ruan Danchen protected her phone like it was a precious treasure and smiled as she glanced on the screen again.

"…" Qi Chenglin did not know how to respond to her now, feeling as though he was whipped and then fed with honey dates. However, he felt happy after being coaxed so he could not help but curl his lips up involuntarily.

Qi Chenglin glanced at the mirror again upon arriving at the old mansion. Once he ensured that all the lipstick had disappeared and was unnoticeable, he exited the car with Ruan Danchen.

Then, he informed Grandmother Qi regarding the events that took place during the wedding dress retrieval—everything from meeting Grandmother Chang to Ruan Danchen scolded by her—without hesitation.

"Cursing and swearing to my granddaughter-in-law? Who the h.e.l.l does she think she is?" Grandmother Qi became exasperated and slammed heavily onto the coffee table until all the teacups on it shook violently.

Grandfather Qi was reaching out to one of the teacups and he did not expect Grandmother Qi to slam the coffee table so suddenly. His hand trembled from the sudden shock and he nearly spilled the tea in the teacup he was holding.

"Why are you still acting so immaturely at such an old age?" Grandfather Qi peeked at Grandmother Qi and complained before taking a sip from the teacup.

"That"s it. We can"t let that old lady live happily," Grandmother Qi hissed through gritted teeth.

Qi Chenglin nodded. "Grandma, leave this to us. Once I have your word, I"ll make plans without holding back."

"Do what you want and let me know if you need anything. Danchen is my granddaughter-in-law, and yet Grandmother Chang scolded her. She has no respect for the Qi family!" Grandmother Qi said without much concern.

Thus, Qi Chenglin dragged Qi Chengzhi away without hesitation.

The duo went into the study room to discuss the Qi family"s sweet revenge on Grandmother Chang.

Song Yu took Little Youjin, who had his diapers changed after pa.s.sing motion, out to the living room. Little Youjin had learned to roll over at his current age—a little more than three months old—and according to Grandmother Qi, he would giggle when he was staring at people too.

The adults could not a.s.sume that babies were ignorant just because of their age. They could actually understand what the adults were talking about and could remember those who were always by their side.

A wide grin broke across Little Youjin"s face when he saw Ruan Danchen in the house. His round and fair face with chubby and pinkish cheeks made him look exactly like a pink dango, and the grin on his face made him appear incredibly adorable and elegant.

Song Yu carried Little Youjin and sat beside Ruan Danchen when she noticed both Qi Chengzhi and Qi Chenglin were nowhere to be seen. Then, Little Youjin reached out to Ruan Danchen and cooed as he was unable to talk just yet. His voice was so soft and tender that it instantly melted Ruan Danchen"s heart.

Ruan Danchen immediately grabbed Little Youjin"s fair and chubby arms lightly, which appeared especially cute when they were sectioned like lotus rhizomes.

Come to think of it, Guan Liya was not lying to Qi Youxuan when she said all the children in the Qi family were chubby at a young age.

Fairly speaking, Little Youjin was not considered fat. He looked more like a pink dango.

"Youjin, auntie is here. Call me auntie… Auntie…." Ruan Danchen teased Little Youjin playfully with a smile on her face.

Even though Ruan Danchen and Qi Chenglin had not registered for their marriage at the time when Little Youjin was born, the Qi family had already treated her as Qi Chenglin"s wife-to-be.

Grandmother Qi carried Little Youjin and introduced everyone in the Qi family to him while Song Yu was in confinement, disregarding whether the newborn could understand or remember every statement or face.

When it was Ruan Danchen"s turn, Grandmother Qi introduced her directly. "Jinjin, this is your aunt."

"…" Ruan Danchen"s face went as red as a beetroot right on the spot. She was not officially married to Qi Chenglin yet and felt it was inappropriate for Little Youjin to address her that way.

Even so, Ruan Danchen was used to it now after she was addressed as Little Youjin"s aunt repeatedly. It was for the best not to be pretentious since the Qi family had accepted her and she only wanted to marry Qi Chenglin for the rest of her life.

However, Ruan Danchen disliked the term "Aunt" at that time as the t.i.tle would make her feel old. Thus, she suggested Little Youjin to address her as little mother.

Then, Qi Chenglin glared at her in disagreement. "The ignorant will think that you"re my big brother"s second wife if Youjin continues calling you his little mother."

"…" Ruan Danchen and the rest of the Qi family were dumbfounded.

Thus, Ruan Danchen had no choice but to accept the t.i.tle "Aunt".

Ruan Danchen was just trying to tease Little Youjin as he could not greet her just yet. She squeezed Little Youjin"s soft and chubby arms gently which made him giggle in response.

"Oh? Is he teething?" Ruan Danchen noticed a white spot at the bottom of his gum where the central incisors were supposed to grow. It was difficult to spot without careful observation.

"Yes, it appears that his tooth is emerging soon." Song Yu smiled and poked playfully at her son"s nose with her index finger.

"This kid is teething much earlier than the rest," Grandmother Qi felt a great sense of satisfaction at her great-grandson and said happily.

Even though Ruan Danchen gave birth to Qi Youxuan too, she had no idea when was the appropriate age for teething since he was taken away by the Shen family before she could even take a look at her newborn child.

Song Yu replied with a smile, "I asked in a mother"s forum before. They said teething process starts as early as four months old but they can come in as late as one year old too."

"Ahh, then our Youjin"s teething process started much younger than average," Ruan Danchen was surprised. She could not help but feel a little disappointed as she was clueless when Qi Youxuan started his teething process.

"Of course, that"s my son you"re talking about," Qi Chengzhi said suddenly.

Qi Chengzhi and Qi Chenglin were done conspiring and heard Ruan Danchen"s surprising statement upon exiting the study room. Qi Chengzhi then stood up tall and proud as he walked toward them and carried Little Youjin in his arms.

Little Youjin was not sleepy now due to adequate rest. When he noticed both Qi Chenglin and Ruan Danchen there, he blinked with his big, round eyes repeatedly and his pink dango-ish head rotated persistently as if searching for something.

He did not find what he was searching for after a while, so he s.h.i.+fted his gaze back with disappointment while waving his arms frantically in the air. His fingers contracted and extended helplessly as he could not control them well enough.

"What"s he looking for?" Xia Wenna noticed her grandson"s reaction and asked. Even though his actions appeared dorky and adorable, his inability to articulate at his current age caused confusion to the rest of the family.

"I think he"s looking for Youxuan?" Song Yu replied with a smile.

The Qi family would hold a gathering every weekend and this habit had been going on for quite some time. Thus, Little Youjin would remember each member of the Qi family, and even though he could not speak yet, he would babble whenever he saw anyone of them, which was very gratifying.

"He remembered that Youxuan will always follow whenever Chenglin and Danchen come over. Maybe he felt disappointed when he couldn"t find Youxuan anywhere," Song Yu helped her son explain happily.

The crowd looked at Little Youjin again and there he was, staring curiously at Qi Chenglin and Ruan Danchen at the moment.

Ruan Danchen did not expect Little Youjin to be so smart. She held his hand lovingly and said, "Big brother went to partic.i.p.ate in social activities so he couldn"t come this week, but he"ll be here next week to check on you."

She was unsure if Little Youjin understood her as his big, round eyes remained on Qi Chenglin and Ruan Danchen. However, a grin broke across his face, revealing the white spot in his gums.

Ruan Danchen had no clue what sort of conspiracy Qi Chenglin and Qi Chengzhi had planned for the Chang family, but she would find out soon enough.

It was Sunday when they finally woke up at approximately ten o"clock in the morning after having a lie-in. Since there was nothing for them to do, Ruan Danchen purposely made an especially rich brunch.

Qi Chenglin was munching through the food and said suddenly as if he recalled something important, "Dress up nicely later. I"ll bring you to a place this evening."

"Where are we going?" Ruan Danchen asked simply.

"Dynasty," Qi Chenglin answered without any attempts to explain further.

However, Ruan Danchen would not give up easily and asked again, "What are we going to do at Dynasty? Is there a gathering?"

Qi Chenglin gulped down a crystal shrimp dumpling and answered, "Something like that."

Ruan Danchen noticed a striking beam flash past his eyes. They appeared sinister and hence raised her curiosity. Why was he taking her to Dynasty for?

However, he had an "I would not explain any further" look on his face, so Ruan Danchen did not bother questioning him anymore since he would not put her in harm"s way anyway.

At around three o"clock in the afternoon, Qi Chenglin went to answer a phone call. Even though he answered the call openly in her presence, he acted mysteriously and all Ruan Danchen could hear was, "Alright. Everything"s prepared? Understood", along with some unclear statements. She could not make out anything from that phone call.

Qi Chenglin hung up the phone call before urging Ruan Danchen to get dressed and reminded again, "Remember to dress up and make yourself more beautiful than usual."

Ruan Danchen walked up the stairs curiously. Then, she stopped halfway, turned around, and asked, "How beautiful should I get?"

"Astonis.h.i.+ngly beautiful! The kind of beauty that drives others crazy!" Qi Chenglin answered firmly.

"…" Ruan Danchen was left speechless.

How was she going to do her makeup when she was not born with the kind of beauty that could drive people crazy?

However, she tried her very best to put on her makeup beautifully.

It was March and the weather was not as cold as before, so Ruan Danchen wore a deep blue colored cape coat with a pair of black leather pants and a pair of stiletto ankle boots. Since her outfit was dark, she decided to put on bright makeup.

Her final appearance gave Qi Chenglin quite a shock when she exited the bedroom.

He initially thought that Ruan Danchen radiated the aura of a queen because of the wedding dress yesterday, but he did not expect her to maintain the temperament of a queen with this outfit and bright makeup. Well, obviously her personality was not like that.

Ruan Danchen looked like a young lady who was ignorant of worldly affairs when she put on light makeup, but she radiated an invisible aura when she put on bright or heavier makeup. Qi Chenglin could not help but catch his breath at this sort of extreme contrasting features which were especially enchanting as he did not expect his wife to have such ability.

"…" Ruan Danchen noticed his stunned expression and asked with uncertainty, "How do I look? Beautiful enough?"

"Stunningly gorgeous. Very suitable for tonight"s occasion," Qi Chenglin wrapped his arms around her and planted a kiss on the corner of her lips to avoid destroying her lipstick. However, he could not contain his urge and licked her lips silently anyway.

"I didn"t expect you to look so stunning in this makeup. You"ll bring calamity to a country with such beauty." Ruan Danchen glared at Qi Chenglin who smiled faintly at her, but the glare she gave was so attractive that he planted another kiss on the corner of her eye again.

"What are you talking about?" Ruan Danchen blushed. She was well aware of her own appearance and it was definitely not as exaggerated as Qi Chenglin claimed to be.

Ruan Danchen"s gaze made his heart throb uncontrollably. He did not want to damage her lipstick but he could not fight the urge to kiss her and ended up licking all the lipstick that was on her lips.

Ruan Danchen glared at him before taking the lipstick out of her bag. Just as she stared at the mirror and wanted to reapply the lipstick, Qi Chenglin took her lipstick away and suggested seriously, "I"ll help you with it."

Ruan Danchen"s gaze on Qi Chenglin was full of distrust. "Do you know how to do it?"

"It"s just applying color to your lips, right?" Qi Chenglin had the "This was an easy task" look on his face while answering confidently. He insisted that Ruan Danchen sit on the sofa so that he could start applying the lipstick on her lips.

The only feeling Ruan Danchen experienced then was anxiety. Even though this man had the delicate hands of an artist—as though he was born to perform delicate work—he was still a man. He would still be too careless for such a delicate task.

She would contract her lips tightly when she started to feel nervous.

"Relax, or else don"t blame me if anything goes wrong," Qi Chenglin said.

Ruan Danchen glared at him before slowly relaxing, but he took almost twenty minutes to complete the job.

Then, he returned the lipstick to Ruan Danchen and said proudly, "Go and have a look. I think I did a great job for a first-timer."

Ruan Danchen was shocked after listening to Qi Chenglin. It was obvious that Qi Chenglin realized that his work was not as good as intended despite the previous confidence and thus mentioned this statement as a cover-up to protect his dignity.

Ruan Danchen hurried to the washroom on the first floor, and when she looked at her reflection in the mirror, she felt speechless.

Then, she took out a piece of tissue paper silently to wipe the lipstick away before applying some foundation around her lips and reapplying lipstick again. After all that was done, she exited the washroom.

She raised her eyebrows and peeked at Qi Chenglin, who cleared his throat and stood proudly as if nothing had happened. Then, he held her hands and left the house together.

"…" Ruan Danchen peeked at the man who feigned composure, thinking that he really cared about his own dignity.

It was half past five o"clock in the evening when Qi Chenglin and Ruan Danchen arrived at Dynasty.

Qi Chenglin helped her out of the car and she took a glance at the parking lot. Some of the cars appeared familiar and Yan Beicheng"s Grand Cherokee was the most obvious car among all.

Qi Chenglin brought her into Dynasty before she could ask anything and nodded politely at the manager before entering his private dining room directly.

Yan Beicheng, Chu Zhaoyang, Han Zhuoli, Gui Zhiqian, and Wei Ziqi were munching through the light refreshments and drinking tea around the table when they opened the door.

Yan Beicheng gargled with tea after taking a few bites of the

suncake

which he broke into pieces.

Qi Chenglin entered the room and asked directly without any attempt in greeting them, "What"s the situation now?"

"Don"t worry, no one dared to attend after Qi Chengzhi and you called them personally," Yan Beicheng threw the suncake away and poured some tea for Qi Chenglin and Ruan Danchen personally.

"What"s going on actually?" Ruan Danchen was dying to know what these men were doing.

Yan Beicheng smiled and remained silent. Qi Chenglin was the representative of the Qi family and thus Qi Chengzhi was absent today, and they would not dare to smoke cigarettes whenever Qi Chengzhi was present.

Yan Beicheng took out a cigarette unconsciously since Qi Chengzhi was not here, but before he could put it into his mouth, Qi Chenglin said, "Best not to smoke when a lady is present."

Yan Beicheng almost choked and started gritting his teeth. These two brothers of the Qi family were absolute fanatics of their wives!

Even so, he kept the cigarette away through gritted teeth but he felt slightly at ease upon noticing Ruan Danchen"s embarra.s.sment.

"Today"s Chang Jingqiu"s birthday and the Chang family had set up a small banquet here," Qi Chenglin turned to Ruan Danchen and explained. His initial furrowed brows when he was facing Yan Beicheng relaxed immediately upon looking at Ruan Danchen.

Yan Beicheng rolled his eyes and grumbled regarding Qi Chenglin"s obvious differential treatments between him and Ruan Danchen.

Ruan Danchen raised her eyebrows and asked, "You"re here to wreak havoc?"

"Little Sister Ruan understands Qi Chenglin really well. Chang Jingqiu"s birthday isn"t usually important, but her reputation was damaged after what had happened at Grandmother Chang"s birthday banquet last time. Thus, Grandmother Chang wanted to use this opportunity to make her birthday celebration grander and introduce her to talented young men within the social circle," Han Zhuoli said while cracking and munching through the spiced sunflower seeds.

"The guests tonight won"t be of any importance since it"s just a junior"s birthday banquet. The Great Eight Families had already rejected their invitation whereas those who accepted were ordinary families, and the guests consist mainly of families with unmarried children whose parents might come along too as a token of respect. However—" Han Zhuoli took a sip of tea and admired its fragrance with the tip of his tongue before continuing, "I"m afraid Miss Chang will be greatly disappointed today."

"Why is that?" Ruan Danchen asked out of curiosity.

Ruan Danchen did not mind taking revenge on Grandmother Chang, whose behavior was considered psychotic, for the sake of her future. She did not want to get scolded or criticized by Grandmother Chang again if they met in the future. She could pretend that Grandmother Chang was a rabid dog who barked unreasonably, but her mood would get affected to some extent if that really happened.

Ruan Danchen did not bother about how Qi Chenglin was getting his revenge on the Chang family and to what extent. She knew that he had a sense of propriety.

There was no need for her to reject her man"s loving consideration since he was just trying to protect the woman of his life. It was not worth it for her to make her man unhappy for a person she disliked.

Her man"s happiness was far more important than any unjust treatment others received, no matter the severity.

"Wait a while more and I"ll bring you along for a show. Are you hungry?" Qi Chenglin stroked her hair gently.

They were famished since they woke up pretty late in the morning and naturally, they had brunch instead of lunch.

Qi Chenglin ordered some dishes and enjoyed the food with his gang without rus.h.i.+ng.

Chang Jingqiu appeared especially beautiful after dressing up today. The unhappy encounter in the shop yesterday did not conceal her satisfaction toward her dress. She felt exceptionally confident today as the dress accentuated her fair skin and toned body, which made her look like a glamorous princess.

Even though The Great Eight Families were absent, the rest of the families accepted the invitation as a token of respect because the Chang family had quite a reputation too. There were not as many guests compared to Grandmother Chang"s birthday banquet last time, but those families would send a few representatives too to show their respects.

Chang Jingqiu made up her mind to rebuild her reputation since the Qi family would be absent today.

As a protagonist of today"s event, Chang Jingqiu remained in her room and would go out after most of the guests had arrived.

However, it was half-past six o"clock in the evening and yet no one came to usher her out. Chang Jingqiu frowned and asked her cousin, Chang Jingwan, who was responsible for accompanying her, "None of the guests arrived? Why haven"t they inform me to go out yet?"

Someone was supposed to inform her to go out when more than half of the guests arrived.

Chang Jingwan frowned and said, "Wait here. I"ll check it out."

Chang Jingwan saw an exasperated Grandmother Chang and her parents, Chang Zhiyuan and Mo Yuxin, with worried frowns when she arrived at the banquet hall.

"Grandma, Dad, Mom, none of the guests arrived yet?" Chang Jingwan asked in surprise.

It was not as hectic as one would imagine for a birthday celebration. There was no one else other than the members of the Chang family and a few waiters in the banquet hall.

"What the h.e.l.l is going on? The invitation card clearly stated that the banquet starts at six twenty-eight, and it"s half-past six now. Where are the guests?" Grandmother Chang exclaimed.

Normally the guests were particular about punctuality. They would not arrive too early but would usually show up five to six minutes before the actual starting time. The Chang family had set the starting time at eighteen twenty-eight to indicate good luck in the invitation cards, and yet none of the guests arrived even though it was way past the designated starting time.

"You know the traffic conditions here. The traffic congestion is terrible at this time. Let me make some phone calls and ask around." Chang Zhiyuan had no choice but to placate Grandmother Chang.

It would usually be embarra.s.sing to call the guests and ask why they had not arrived yet, but Chang Zhiyuan had no choice because of Grandmother Chang"s anger. Plus, it felt like there was something fishy going on.

Some of the guests may be late due to unforeseen circ.u.mstances, but all of them?

"What phone calls? Do you think it"s not embarra.s.sing enough?" Grandmother Chang yelled angrily.

Mo Yuxin was fed up with Grandmother Chang venting to her anger by yelling at Chang Zhiyuan, but she fought the urge to retaliate.

Chang Zhiyuan asked, "Then wait for a while more?"

Grandmother Chang was not particularly pleased and hissed through gritted teeth, "Wait a little longer. You can make the phone calls if no guests show up yet."

Chang Zhiyuan could not disagree with Grandmother Chang"s instruction. Chang Jingwan then called Chang Jingqiu to tell her to stay put as the guests had not arrived yet due to unforeseen circ.u.mstances.

"None arrived?" Chang Jingqiu"s expression paled.

"…" Chang Jingwan was unsure how to respond to her.

"What sort of circ.u.mstances can all of them get caught in?" Chang Jingqiu stood up abruptly out of exasperation and glanced at her reflection in the mirror. She looked especially beautiful today and yet n.o.body showed up to witness her glamour.

"Sister, don"t worry. Just wait a little longer," Chang Jingwan said.

Chang Jingqiu hung up on Chang Jingwan and for some reason, she immediately recalled Qi Chenglin"s gaze on them before they left the shop yesterday.

None of the guests showed up after waiting for twenty minutes. Grandmother Chang could no longer contain her anger and yelled, "Zhiyuan, call them!"

Chang Zhiyuan could not disobey her command and started making phone calls with a long face.

"Director Zhu, haha. It"s me, Lao Chang. Where are you now?" Chang Zhiyuan called one of his contacts and asked.

"Business trip? Oh, no wonder."

"Nothing, we just have no idea that Director Zhu couldn"t attend today."

"You went there at the last minute. I can understand since it"s an emergency."

Director Zhu said that he would apologize by treating him a meal before hanging up the call but Chang Zhiyuan knew he was just being polite.

"Director Cheng, it"s me, Zhiyuan. Oh, your wife is unwell? Alright, I understand."

"Director w.a.n.g, you can"t attend tonight? Your son had to entertain customers tonight? Alright."

The Chang family had invited a lot of guests tonight so it was impossible for Chang Zhiyuan to call every one of them. He had made more than ten phone calls and all of them gave almost similar excuses for not being able to attend the banquet, but Chang Zhiyuan knew better. No one was going to attend the birthday banquet tonight.

All of them seemed to have decided not to attend the banquet together. He just did not understand who had such power to let them take risks to offend the Chang family in such a way.

"Grandma, what"s going on? Did the guests show up?" Chang Jingqiu noticed Chang Jingwan did not return to the room or inform her of the situation, so she felt too impatient and left the room straight away.

Beautiful decorations adorned the tables with numerous delicate pastries on the dessert tables. Chocolate fondue, macaron, and various kinds of traditional desserts were placed in exquisite plates, but the irony was that there were no guests to enjoy such delectable desserts in the empty banquet hall.

Chang Zhiyuan was on the final phone call at the moment. He had decided not to make any more phone calls as the embarra.s.sment was too much for him to handle even though the other parties in each phone call were acting politely and apologetically.

This time, Chang Zhiyuan called a close friend of his, because by right, he would not bail on him no matter what happened.

"Lao Chang, I would give you my full support because we"re friends for so long, but… sigh… How many people went today?" Lao Ye said grudgingly.

Chang Zhiyuan realized that he must have known what happened so he answered truthfully, "None. Lao Ye, you know something, right? We"re friends for so long and I trust you. Something must"ve happened and your absence became inevitable. I don"t blame you but you must tell me the reason."

Lao Ye let out a heavy sigh. He figured those gentlemen would not mind him explaining the whole situation to Chang Zhiyuan. In fact, they might even want the Chang family to know the whole truth.

"This is what happened. Qi Chengzhi and Qi Chenglin called us personally yesterday and said whoever attended your birthday banquet today would be a sign of disrespect to the Qi family. Who dared to offend the Qi family? Immediately after they hung up, Yan Beicheng, Han Zhuoli, Gui Zhiqian, and Wei Ziqi"s phone calls followed and their instructions were similar. I don"t mind taking the risk and attend the banquet stealthily if it"s just the Qi family alone. I just need to be careful and not let them know about it. But I lost my courage after all of them called me. My family can"t handle the rage from The Great Eight Families," Lao Ye explained.

"If they called me personally, I think they called others too with the same instructions."

Chang Zhiyuan felt gloomy and helpless after hearing from Lao Ye. The Great Eight Families were not bullying Lao Ye. It was obvious that they were going against the Chang family now.

"Lao Chang, did you offend any of them? If not, why would they go up against you together?" Lao Ye asked. It was more than enough to offend one of The Great Eight Families, but all of them? The Chang family would be doomed.

Chang Zhiyuan frowned too. Qi Chenglin had promised not to take revenge on the Chang family for the event that took place at Grandmother Chang"s birthday banquet last time. He believed Qi Chenglin would not break his promises.

Otherwise, they did not offend anyone else from The Great Eight Families.

Lao Ye recalled what had happened during Grandmother Chang"s birthday banquet too. Anyone would feel frustrated at Grandmother Chang"s unreasonable act, not to mention the Qi family too.

However, the Qi family did not take revenge after so long and everyone praised them for their high virtue. Why did they retaliate now?

Was it possible that the Qi family chose the moment the Chang family planned a grand occasion to take their sweet revenge on purpose?

"We"ve been extremely careful after what happened during my mother"s birthday banquet last time and certainly didn"t offend the Qi family afterward. Is it possible that the Qi family bear grudges until now? Now I understand what happened. When I called the others just now, they simply gave me some perfunctory excuse instead of telling me the truth, so thank you for being honest with me." Chang Zhiyuan sighed, feeling clueless.

"Hey, just don"t blame me for my absence. I"ll visit and apologize to Grandmother Chang personally next time," Lao Ye said honestly.

"It"s not your fault. I understand your concern," Chang Zhiyuan replied.

The duo chatted for a while more before hanging up the call.

"Mom, there"s no need to wait anymore. Qi Chenglin, Qi Chengzhi, Yan Beicheng, Han Zhuoli, Gui Zhiqian, and Wei Ziqi threatened the guests we invited so none of them dared to show up. We"ll be alone today," Chang Zhiyuan said with disappointment.

"Why? Who do they think they are? It"s my granddaughter"s birthday today and she purposely dressed up gorgeously so that I can introduce her tonight! Who do they think they are to destroy Jingqiu"s birthday celebration? My granddaughter"s birthday is none of their business, so why do they have to destroy it on purpose?" Grandmother Chang was exasperated and her cloudy eyes were flushed red due to indignance.

Chang Jingqiu was traumatized, her face white as chalk. The energy was drained from her limbs as she stumbled backward. She looked forward to this day so that those young, talented men would be able to witness her glory. She wanted to immerse herself in the sea of admiration even though she may not be interested in any one of them.

She desperately wanted to restore her reputation which was stained by Guan Liya at Grandmother Chang"s birthday banquet last time.

"Mom, I apologized to Qi Chenglin and his parents personally about what happened on your birthday banquet last time. They promised not to hold us accountable—"

Grandmother Chang interrupted before he could finish his sentence. "What? Why did you apologize to them when we weren"t in the wrong? Why did you embarra.s.s yourself?"

Grandmother Chang"s voice was so high-pitched that it pierced the eardrums, causing pain.

"The Chang family has always been dignified but look at you, apologizing to them in a servile manner. You"re an absolute embarra.s.sment to the Chang family! You"re a man, why do you want to be submissive to a young man? How am I supposed to let you take over the Chang family if you"re acting in a servile manner as the head of the family? Chang Zhiyuan, we were not in the wrong, so tell me, why did you represent the Chang family and apologize to them? Don"t drag the Chang family in this if you want to be the Qi family"s dog!" Grandmother Chang pointed her finger at Chang Zhiyuan and exclaimed.

"Mom!" Chang Zhiyuan did not expect Grandmother Chang"s words to be so harsh toward him. He gave Grandmother Chang love and respect at normal times, tolerating her whenever possible, but it did not mean that he would tolerate Grandmother Chang"s harsh reprimand in this sort of occasion where the waiters from Dynasty were present.

The waiters in Dynasty knew their presence was inappropriate in this situation so they left the banquet hall to give some privacy to the Chang family.

"You were wrong last time! The adults have to tighten the reins on their kids. It doesn"t matter who"s in the wrong when the kids fight, but you certainly don"t scold the other party in front of the crowd. Besides, it"s Nannan"s fault. He"s becoming unruly because of your excessive pampering. Spare the rod and spoil the child!" Chang Zhiyuan scolded angrily. He was loving and respectful toward his own mother and tolerated her as much as possible, but his rage had reached the end of his forbearance at Grandmother Chang"s unreasonable thoughts. Thus, he made himself clear that day.

Suncake or 太阳饼: Is a type of pastry that has a flaky exterior and is filled with sweet maltose filling. It is usually enjoyed with Chinese tea.