Chapter 21: The Tea Ceremony Incident

The moment his eyes met Lin Xiangyi’s, Xie Qingxiao’s entire world fell silent. All he could see was Lin Xiangyi, and only one thought filled his mind:

She was wearing a red dress, and she was marrying him.

Since returning from the city that day, Xie Qingxiao had imagined countless times what Lin Xiangyi would look like in this wedding dress. She would be beautiful.

But none of his imaginations could compare to what he was seeing.

Lin Xiangyi was breathtakingly beautiful. He held his breath, mesmerized by her. The smile in her eyes and the corners of her lips told him that she loved him too, that she was happy to marry him.

His heart pounded in his chest.

“Look at how Brother Xiao is looking at his wife, he’s going to stand up on three legs!” Zhang Pengfei, with an arm around another brother, Wang Xiaofeng, laughed mischievously.

“Of course! He’s been waiting for Lin Xiangyi for years. We’ve seen him turn into a lovesick puppy whenever he’s around her. Haven’t we?” Wang Xiaofeng chimed in, teasing him.

“Get out! I’ll deal with you two later!” Xie Qingxiao laughed, warning them not to talk nonsense before turning to walk towards Lin Xiangyi.

Lin Xiangyi watched Xie Qingxiao approach, her breath catching in her throat.

This was her first marriage too. Although she had memories of her past life, her thoughts were more open than many people of her time.

She didn’t believe that marrying a man meant entrusting her entire life to him. But since she was marrying Xie Qingxiao, she naturally hoped to spend her life with him.

Although she pretended to be relaxed, she was still nervous. She asked in a slightly silly way, “You’re here?”

Xie Qingxiao was also nervous. “Yeah.”

Shen Xiaolan watched them, a chuckle escaping her lips.

This was the first time she had seen the usually arrogant and reckless Xie Qingxiao so flustered. In her mind, Xie Qingxiao was a hot-tempered man who loved to bully Lin Xiangyi.

She was even worried that he would abuse Lin Xiangyi after marriage.

And Lin Xiangyi, who clearly liked Lu Dingyuan, why did she end up with Xie Qingxiao?

Shen Xiaolan suspected there was some hidden story and didn’t think this marriage between Lin Xiangyi and Xie Qingxiao would last.

But looking at the scene before her, she suddenly felt like maybe she was wrong?

Lu Dingyuan also caught sight of this scene, feeling a pang of irritation. Yet, he also thought that Lin Xiangyi was deliberately putting on a show for him. He turned his head away in disgust.

Did she think that by choosing to get married today, dressing up so beautifully, and stealing the limelight from Huihui, he would regret his decision?

No, he would only feel sorry for her.

Just then, Lin Huihui, surrounded by a group of people, walked down the stairs. Lu Dingyuan saw her and his expression softened. He quickly walked towards her, “Huihui.”

Lin Huihui witnessed the change in Lu Dingyuan’s emotions when he looked at her compared to when he looked at Lin Xiangyi. She felt a little better.

What good was it for Lin Xiangyi to dress up beautifully? She was the one marrying Lu Dingyuan!

“Dingyuan ge,” Lin Huihui called out softly.

Lu Dingyuan held her hand, his eyes filled with genuine affection.

Seeing Xie Qingxiao and Lin Xiangyi enter the main room to greet Lin Shan, they quickly followed.

Modern wedding procedures were simple, without any rowdy festivities. The bride and groom offering tea to the bride’s parents was considered the completion of the ceremony.

Lin Xiangyi was the elder sister, so naturally, she and Xie Qingxiao would offer tea to their elders first, according to their ages.

Two chairs were placed in the hall. Lin Shan had already sat down, and the seat next to him was for Chen Fengmei. However, Chen Fengmei wasn’t sitting but standing beside him.

It wasn’t that Lin Shan or Lin Xiangyi didn’t ask her to sit, but she refused. No one knew what she was thinking.

Of course, Lin Xiangyi wouldn’t ask her to sit down either. She knelt down with Xie Qingxiao.

Just as Xie Qingxiao and Lin Xiangyi took the tea offered by a neighbor’s wife to offer to Lin Shan, Lin Huihui suddenly spoke from the side, “Mom, why aren’t you sitting down? Go sit down!”

The guests naturally noticed that Chen Fengmei wasn’t sitting. Now that Lin Huihui said it so bluntly, their gazes became a little subtle.

Was there a conflict between Chen Fengmei and Lin Xiangyi, this stepmother and stepdaughter?

Everyone’s ears perked up, eager to watch the drama unfold.

Chen Fengmei seemed a little flustered, quickly glancing at Lin Xiangyi, “I, I’ll just stand.”

Lin Xiangyi sneered. Was Chen Fengmei trying to make people think that she, the stepdaughter, couldn’t tolerate her?

She wasn’t afraid of that!

The relationship between stepmothers and stepchildren has always been delicate. Even if she truly couldn’t stand Chen Fengmei, people would only say she was narrow-minded. It wasn’t like the rumors of “unworthiness” and “moral corruption” from her previous life.

She said expressionlessly, “She’s not my real mother, why would she sit down?”

As soon as those words left her mouth, Chen Fengmei and Lin Huihui’s faces turned green. They hadn’t expected Lin Xiangyi to disregard all pretense and expose their family’s dirty laundry in front of so many relatives and friends.

Lin Shan’s brows also furrowed. Although his relationship with Chen Fengmei had been strained lately, family secrets should never be revealed…

Lin Xiangyi looked at her father with a playful smile.

Lin Shan: “…” Rebellious daughter.

He ultimately remained silent.

Under the subtle gazes of everyone present, Xie Qingxiao offered tea to Lin Shan. Lin Shan was not foolish enough to make things difficult for Xie Qingxiao today. However, the look in his eyes towards Xie Qingxiao was still complex.

After drinking the tea, he placed a red envelope in Xie Qingxiao’s hand, saying with a mixture of helplessness and seriousness, “I’m entrusting my daughter to you. You must take good care of her.”

“Dad, I will!” Xie Qingxiao smiled.

“That’s good. Get up quickly,” Lin Shan said.

Xie Qingxiao and Lin Xiangyi stood up and retreated to the back.

It was Lu Dingyuan and Lin Huihui’s turn. The couple still held a grudge because of Lin Xiangyi’s earlier words.

Lin Huihui said sarcastically, “Mom, you should sit down. You’re my real mother, you have the right to drink our tea.”

“Okay, okay,” Chen Fengmei said repeatedly, carefully taking her seat.

Seeing this, the guests felt a pang of pity. They looked at Lin Xiangyi with less friendly eyes.

Xie Qingxiao held Lin Xiangyi’s hand.

Lin Shan, facing Lu Dingyuan, had a smile on his face, “Now that you’re married, you’re a couple. You need to live a good life together.”

“Yes, Dad,” Lu Dingyuan said coolly. He was angry that when Lin Xiangyi had belittled Chen Fengmei, Lin Shan hadn’t stood up for her.

He even resented the fact that when Lin Shan had faced Xie Qingxiao earlier, his expression had been so complex, clearly reluctant to let Lin Xiangyi go.

But now, he was smiling so happily at him. Was he eager to get rid of Huihui, the daughter who had no blood ties to him?

Lu Dingyuan felt sorry for Lin Huihui and naturally didn’t give Lin Shan a good face.

Lin Shan noticed this, his brows furrowed, and his expression turned cold.