Chapter 52: Two Baskets of Red Envelopes

“People may change, but their nature doesn’t. After her coma, she became like a completely different person. Mr. Qin, haven’t you ever suspected that she might not be Xia Yuan?” Ouyang Jing’s words echoed through the room, casting suspicious glances toward Xia Yuan.

It was only then that Xia Yuan noticed there were three or four elderly people sitting quietly in the reception hall, all of them seated discreetly in the back, observing everything without making a sound.

For the first time, Xia Yuan truly felt the overwhelming presence of a family with a hundred-year legacy. Even though she had a system protecting her life, she couldn’t help but feel a wave of fear.

Qin Mohuai held onto her shoulders, giving her warmth. “Don’t be afraid, my dear.”

Hearing his comforting tone, Xia Yuan acted even more frightened. Her teeth gently bit her red lips, resembling an enchanting spirit, and Qin Mohuai found himself utterly captivated by her.

Old Master Qin furiously rebuked, “Enchantress! You’re nothing but a seductress!” He then turned to Qin Mohuai, issuing an unyielding command: “Tomorrow, you’re getting a divorce. The Qin family will never allow a demon like her to enter our home!”

Of course, there was no such thing as spirits or demons. Old Master Qin was only using Ouyang Jing’s words as an excuse to break apart Qin Mohuai and Xia Yuan.

He had already lowered his expectations—he didn’t care about her background anymore, as long as she could bear children for the family. But the critical issue was that Xia Yuan couldn’t have children.

To him, a woman like Xia Yuan, who could confuse Qin Mohuai to the point of cutting off his family’s lineage, had to be a demon.

Qin Mohuai’s voice deepened. “Grandfather, I will not divorce her. We came here today simply to inform you that we are married. From now on, Xia Yuan and I will attend business events together. As for the wedding, once everything is prepared, we will invite you all to attend. It’s already dinner time, and we have other plans for tonight. So, we’ll be leaving now.”

Ouyang Jing, panicking, blurted out, “Aren’t you afraid she’s getting close to you with some ulterior motive?”

Old Master Qin added, “If you dare walk out that door—”

But Qin Mohuai didn’t hesitate. He bent down, lifted the distressed Xia Yuan in his arms, stepped over the threshold, and left.

As Xia Yuan rested against Qin Mohuai’s broad shoulder, she glanced back at Old Master Qin’s enraged face and Ouyang Jing’s bitter expression.

If this were a real love story, she would never make Qin Mohuai abandon his family for her. But this was a life-and-death gamble. Even though it pained her to see Qin Mohuai standing on the verge of losing everything, she remained silent. She rested her small head lightly on his shoulder, looking utterly dependent on him.

The price of playing with love is that love will eventually play with you. Xia Yuan could only try her best to remain clear-headed.

Qin Mohuai was already lost in her charms, but wasn’t she equally ensnared in his spell?

Xia Yuan sighed, “Fate brought us together, only to deny us a happy ending. Is this what they call destiny’s cruel joke?”

Qin Mohuai glanced down at her. “Why the sudden melancholy talk? What, are you craving something sour tonight?”

When he teased her, Xia Yuan let out a little hum and quickly retorted, “Oh, so you’re hoping I crave sour food, huh? Sour for a boy, spicy for a girl… You want a son, don’t you?”

Qin Mohuai replied calmly, “As long as it’s our child, I’ll love a boy or a girl equally. That’s what Grandfather wants too. He’s just getting impatient and more stubborn. Don’t take his words to heartly, or you’ll only feel more troubled.”

Xia Yuan absentmindedly twisted the buttons on his shirt and said, “My grandmother’s even older than your grandfather, and she’s gotten more stubborn with age too. She used to tell me to be independent, and now all she does is rush me into marriage.”

Qin Mohuai remembered clearly that Xia Yuan’s grandmother was actually younger than his grandfather. He had glanced through her family’s basic information when he investigated her background.

“Now that you’ve married me, she won’t rush you anymore,” he said in a casual tone, though his eyes grew deeper and more thoughtful.

Xia Yuan suddenly realized she had said too much. She never liked talking about her family with Qin Mohuai, afraid she might slip up and reveal too much.

“I was just talking nonsense! Trying to distract you so you wouldn’t ask me about my depression!”

“Mm,” Qin Mohuai responded calmly, as if he already knew everything, keeping everything firmly in his control.

The more calm and composed he acted, the more it unsettled Xia Yuan. Besides his strange habits, the original author had also given Qin Mohuai an unnaturally high intelligence, making him seem like a young prodigy, full of wisdom and strategy. He had always been portrayed as someone with deep and hidden thoughts.

But tonight, Qin Mohuai wasn’t planning to discuss her depression. He still hadn’t figured it all out. In business negotiations, if you don’t prepare in advance, you’re bound to be led by the nose.

Most of the time, Qin Mohuai didn’t mind being led by Xia Yuan—he liked spoiling her, so letting her win sometimes didn’t bother him.

However, the matter of her depression was too important, with too many unknowns. He needed to gather useful information before talking to her about it.

By tomorrow night, Qin Wu would have the investigation complete. He’d find out why he hadn’t discovered her depression earlier, how Ouyang Jing knew about it, and what exactly happened when Xia Yuan had that coma. Tomorrow, all would be revealed.

As the Cullinan pulled into Shenghai Mansion, Xia Yuan saw countless blue roses lining the driveway, stretching all the way from the gate to the house.

In the dim night, the roses sparkled as if they had been sprinkled with something magical, glowing brightly without any need for lights.

It was a grand, dazzling display made of 52,000 blue roses, symbolizing the bright future Qin Mohuai and Xia Yuan would walk together after their marriage.

Qin Mohuai had only mentioned the number of roses to Butler Wang, leaving the execution of the design entirely up to him.

When they entered the house, Xia Yuan saw a giant blue rose formation, made up of countless smaller roses, serving as the backdrop for their candlelit dinner. The scene was breathtakingly romantic, far more extravagant than she had ever imagined.

It was overwhelming for her. Even though she had made a fortune as a top lyricist in the entertainment industry, with her savings in the eight-figure range, she had never been able to splurge on more than 99 blue roses at a time. Blue roses, unlike red ones, couldn’t be cultivated naturally; they had to be dyed, making them very expensive.

Butler Wang, along with the servants, spoke a stream of well-wishes, while Qin Qi and several of his brothers brought out two large baskets full of red envelopes. Every well-wish earned a red envelope, and the more you said, the more you received, as long as the wishes weren’t repeated.

The room grew lively and chaotic as everyone scrambled to come up with new blessings. With the help of their phones, they searched for an endless stream of auspicious phrases.

By the end of it, Qin Qi and the others were completely bewildered, losing track of which blessings had been repeated.

Xia Yuan watched the joyous scene unfold, tempted to record it all. However, with her phone, she had to rummage through Qin Mohuai’s pockets, eventually pulling out his phone to take pictures and videos, which she sent to her WeChat account.

Even Qin Mohuai had a hint of a smile in his eyes, but with the festivities dragging on, their food is getting cold.

“Uncle Wang, Qin Qi, take the remaining red envelopes to the flower hall and scatter them around for everyone.”

With cheers, the crowd rushed off to the flower hall, still chanting blessings as they went.

“Wishing you everlasting happiness, a daughter soon, a son soon, growing old together…” By the end of the night, these blessings would be worn out.