Chapter 47: She Belongs to Me

Wei Rou instantly understood what had made Pei Linhai angry.

All these years had passed, yet Pei Linhai still didn’t like Pei Heng.

He had disliked him since childhood.

As Pei Heng grew up, Pei Linhai began to see him as a threat.

Everyone in the Wei family knew that Pei Linhai was highly dissatisfied with his only son.

Wei Changze understood this better than anyone.

And yet, in this situation, instead of coming to greet his parents first upon arriving at the banquet, Wei Changze had gone straight to see Pei Heng—the very person they despised.

At this moment, it wasn’t just Pei Linhai who was displeased; Wei Rou was equally unhappy.

Wei Mingsheng, on the other hand, didn’t take it seriously at all.

He thought Pei Linhai and his aunt were being too controlling.

For years, their family had relied on the Peis and endured Pei Linhai’s attitude.

Now that Pei Linhai was being snubbed, Wei Mingsheng felt a secret sense of satisfaction.

Still, for the sake of family relations, he spoke up to mediate on behalf of his son.

“Xiao Ze is a sensible child. If he arranged things this way, he must have his own reasons.”

The young actress beside him, Yan Leyao, hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“I think I might know something about this…”

The three of them immediately turned to look at her. Yan Leyao felt a thrill of excitement.

She was about to break into this circle.

This was her chance to prove herself.

After a slight pause, Yan Leyao cautiously said, “Have any of you noticed that woman?”

Following her gaze, all three turned to look.

The woman was wearing a light lavender slip dress that highlighted her slender, graceful figure.

Her tea-colored hair was curled into soft waves, lazily draped over her shoulders, making her look effortlessly elegant.

At the moment, she was tilting her head while speaking to Pei Heng, revealing only half of her face.

But even just that half was breathtakingly beautiful.

Her round, glossy eyes had a slight upward tilt at the corners, giving her a delicate and charming look—like a young fox spirit that had just transformed into human form.

Her lips glowed with a dewy red sheen, and her features—her dainty nose, almond-shaped eyes, and skin so fair it almost seemed to glow—made her stand out effortlessly.

Actually, there was no “almost” about it.

She truly shone.

Just standing there, she was already dazzling enough to capture the attention of everyone in the banquet hall.

Wei Mingsheng’s cloudy eyes brightened slightly as he absentmindedly stroked his chin, lost in thought.

Pei Linhai frowned deeply as he studied the girl, clearly contemplating something.

Only Wei Rou looked completely displeased.

“Who is she? Why haven’t I seen her before?”

“How interesting. She wasn’t even invited—how did she sneak in?”

Wei Rou’s expression darkened. “It seems that just any random stray can walk into high-society banquets these days!”

Hearing this, Yan Leyao’s smile stiffened slightly.

But she quickly recovered and resumed her pleasant expression.

“Sister, you might not know her. She’s an unknown nobody in our industry—her name is Jiang Yaoyao.”

She deliberately emphasized the words “unknown” and “nobody.”

Finding comfort in that thought, Yan Leyao’s confidence returned, as if she were still the once-famous actress who had dominated the scene.

“In the past, Jiang Yaoyao used to chase after Teacher Wei Changze like a crazed fan, practically stalking him everywhere.”

“She was desperate to attach herself to him, just like some obsessive groupie.”

“But with her status? Someone as outstanding as Teacher Wei—how could he ever be with someone like her?”

Yan Leyao continued flattering them as she spoke:

“Later on, no one knows how, but Jiang Yaoyao actually managed to get into Mr. Pei’s hotel and even knocked on his room door.”

“From then on, she latched onto Mr. Pei and became his most favored person.”

“To be honest, the female lead in the movie Teacher Wei accepted is Jiang Yaoyao. Who knows if Pei Heng had a hand in making that happen?”

“It’s a strong female lead role, clearly designed to boost Jiang Yaoyao’s career. Teacher Wei’s role in it isn’t even that outstanding—he’s probably just being used as a stepping stone…”

Yan Leyao sighed softly.

“To tell you the truth, the only reason I know all this is because Jiang Yaoyao used to be jealous of me. She even teamed up with others to kick me out of a production…”

Wei Rou had no interest in listening to her sob story, nor did she care about this minor celebrity.

“What does any of this have to do with Xiao Ze going over there?”

“Of course it’s related, sister.”

“Jiang Yaoyao is a vicious woman—she despises the poor and fawns over the rich. Even after clinging to Mr. Pei, she still pines for the one she couldn’t have—Teacher Wei Changze—so she frequently tries to seduce him.”

“One thing led to another, and since they’re working on the same film, they developed feelings for each other. Now, even Teacher Wei sees her as important.”

“Isn’t it obvious? Teacher Wei Changze has already been lured in by Jiang Yaoyao.”

Yan Leyao concluded decisively, “Both Teacher Wei and Mr. Pei are truly pitiful, getting ensnared by this scheming woman…”

She continued fanning the flames. “Everyone at this banquet is someone of status. Given Jiang Yaoyao’s nature, who knows how many more men she’ll try to seduce tonight…”

Yan Leyao trailed off deliberately, glancing at Pei Linhai standing beside Wei Rou.

Wei Rou’s expression darkened instantly.

When she looked at Jiang Yaoyao again, her gaze was filled with rejection and hatred.

By this time, most of the people surrounding Pei Heng had dispersed.

He and his group were now heading toward the banquet hall, which meant they had to pass by Wei Rou and the others.

Even if she despised him, Wei Rou had to put on a good stepmother act.

After all, with so many eyes watching, no matter what, she couldn’t afford to openly clash with Pei Heng.

Pei Linhai’s face was cold as well.

He had never been satisfied with Pei Heng.

Whether it was his appearance, his personality, or his methods—everything about his biological son disgusted and unsettled him.

“Brother Linhai, sister-in-law.”

Gu Jinling was the first to greet them.

The couple nodded and then turned their attention to Pei Heng.

In Wei Rou’s mind, she had already envisioned the scene of Pei Heng looking at her with a blank expression, completely ignoring her existence.

But for some reason, today Pei Heng seemed to be in an unusually good mood.

“Father.”

Pei Linhai merely let out a cold snort, putting on the airs of a father.

“Your uncle is right here too. Don’t you know how to greet him?”

The young man standing across from him was tall, his long, jet-black eyes devoid of emotion. His voice was calm but laced with mockery.

“My maternal grandparents never had a son. Where would I get an uncle from?”

Their expressions turned even uglier.

Since they couldn’t confront Pei Heng directly, they turned their attention to the person beside him.

“And who is this? I don’t recall seeing her before.”

Wei Rou maintained a fake smile. “Miss, this is a private banquet. Without an invitation, you are not allowed entry.”

Behind her, Yan Leyao looked at Jiang Yaoyao with a smug, taunting smile.

Hopefully, she’d be thrown out!

Jiang Yaoyao getting kicked out for crashing the banquet—that would be the perfect outcome!

However, Wei Rou’s hostility didn’t faze the delicate beauty standing beside Pei Heng.

Her voice was soft and clear as she calmly replied,

“I have one. My invitation was checked at the entrance—”

Before Jiang Yaoyao could finish speaking, Pei Heng’s cold voice suddenly cut in, interrupting her.

“She is mine.”