Chapter 25: Xie Yanli Stops Song Qiao from Marrying Chen Yang!

Xie Yanli called his assistant, Ye Han, and instructed him to prepare the car.

Two minutes later, he left through the CEO’s private elevator. By the time he reached the underground parking garage of the Xie Group, Ye Han was already waiting respectfully beside the Rolls-Royce he usually used for work.

Upon seeing Xie Yanli, Ye Han immediately sensed something was off. Without saying anything, he furrowed his brow slightly and opened the back door for him.

Once Xie Yanli got in the car, Ye Han swiftly returned to the driver’s seat and smoothly started the engine. As the car merged into traffic, he respectfully asked, “President Xie, where are we heading?”

Xie Yanli zoomed in on the video Jiang Xinhui had posted in the group chat showing Song Qiao and Chen Yang. He quickly recognized the location—Xiangya Restaurant, one of the top restaurants in the capital.

He frowned, reported the restaurant’s name, and then pressed the car’s partition button. He leaned back in the seat, legs crossed, quickly surrounded by darkness.

Whenever faced with difficult problems, he would rest quietly for a bit. No matter how tricky the issue, he could always find a solution after a short pause—but this time was different.

He rubbed his tired brow forcefully, unable to calm the turbulent emotions in his heart.

Although he was heartbroken over Song Qiao’s decision, there was a solution: he had to make her see Chen Yang’s true nature.

Ever since he had unexpectedly run into a drunken Song Qiao at a bar, leading to a night of passion, he had someone investigate Chen Yang the next day. The results revealed an improper relationship between Chen Yang and Lin Shiyu.

Later, when Song Qiao was recovering from a car accident, he went to visit her in the hospital, intending to give her the report. But he saw her being sweet and affectionate with Chen Yang—and she even told him she was going to marry him.

Then what did their night together mean? Was he just a tool to satisfy her desires? The thought made him furious, and in a fit of anger, he chose not to tell her the truth.

Despite his anger, he couldn’t bear to see her get hurt. Every time they met, he tried to warn her, but she refused to believe him and even thought he was slandering Chen Yang.

His thoughts quickly refocused. He took out a long-stored file from the glove compartment.

Whether or not Song Qiao could accept the truth, he had to give this to her. If she was too blinded by love, he wouldn’t hesitate to take forceful measures to stop the wedding.

His eyes narrowed slightly. Even if she hated him for it, he wouldn’t regret it.

---

At the same time, Song Qiao, sitting in a private room at Xiangya Restaurant, had no idea that Xie Yanli was on his way there.

Having just agreed to the wedding, Bai Shuyu, Song Zhiming, and Xu Qin were now enthusiastically discussing the weekend ceremony.

In the end, Bai Shuyu made the final decision: the wedding would be held at the Marriott Hotel under the Xie Group, and their side would cover the banquet expenses.

At first, Xu Qin and Chen Yang, representing the groom’s side, felt awkward about the bride’s family paying. But with persuasion from Bai Shuyu and Song Zhiming, they quickly let go of their concerns.

Song Qiao wasn’t really listening to their conversation. Her attention was entirely on her phone, where she was receiving congratulatory messages from the class group chat.

Everyone in the group had their names displayed. After carefully scanning through them, she noticed only Fu Yue hadn’t spoken, and there was one entirely black profile picture that stayed silent—she guessed that was Xie Yanli’s account.

Curious, she clicked on his profile but was disappointed—it contained nothing but a single dash. Still, that matched his usual cold personality.

She decided to reply to everyone’s well-wishes, sharing the wedding’s time and location in the group and inviting them to attend. She then followed up with a thank-you sticker.

Just as she waited for replies, the black profile picture suddenly spoke:

[I don’t agree to you marrying Chen Yang, Song Qiao. Give up this idea now.]

Song Qiao’s head nearly exploded reading that message. She rubbed her eyes and reread it word by word—there was no mistake.

Xie Yanli doesn’t allow her to marry Chen Yang? She scoffed. Who does he think he is?

Despite her anger, a strange emotion welled up inside her—a feeling she couldn’t quite describe, like a glimmer of light in a dark, stifling world.

Was she… secretly happy? That realization felt ridiculous and absurd. Why would she feel happy because of Xie Yanli’s reaction? Why should he have the power to affect her emotions?

She recalled what Jiang Xinhui had said earlier and assumed this must be some tantrum between Xie Yanli and Jiang Xinhui—he must be annoyed by her post.

A bitter, sour feeling filled her chest—like swallowing a lemon whole. She refused to be a pawn in someone else’s emotional games. After thinking it over, she quickly replied:

[Xie Yanli, what right do you have to object?]

Just before sending the message, she paused and added:

[Who do you think you are?]

On the other end, Xie Yanli stared at his phone screen. He quickly saw her reply:

[Xie Yanli, what right do you have to object? Who do you think you are?]

His gaze turned cold. Not caring about appearances anymore, he immediately replied:

[Song Qiao, you’ll know exactly who I am when I see you.]

Song Qiao pursed her lips when she saw the response and began typing again:

[Fine, I’ll be right here waiting. Whoever doesn’t show up is a coward.]

But just before pressing send, she stopped.

She knew Xie Yanli was the type to actually show up. Looking at her family still deep in discussion, she didn’t want to cause trouble. She hurriedly deleted the message, paused to think, and sent a different one:

[Xie Yanli, don’t come. Both families have already finished the meal and gone home.]

Xie Yanli glanced at the message and turned off his phone screen.

Five minutes ago, the restaurant manager had already called to inform him that Song Qiao and her family were dining in private room 506 on the third floor.

Back in the private room, Song Qiao anxiously waited but saw no reply from Xie Yanli. She grew more agitated. Her parents and Xu Qin were here—if Xie Yanli really showed up and caused a scene, what would that be?

She knew reasoning with Xie Yanli wouldn’t work. After a moment’s thought, she suddenly remembered Shen Huaichuan.

Her eyes lit up. She immediately added Shen Huaichuan on WeChat from the group.

She had been worried he wouldn’t accept the request so quickly, but to her surprise, he approved it almost instantly.

He must’ve seen the chat too.

So she didn’t waste time and sent him a message:

[Senior Shen, I need your help! Our families are having a meal to discuss the wedding, and Xie Yanli is suddenly showing up—what the heck! Please help stop him!]

Shen Huaichuan replied right away:

[Junior, I’d love to help, but I can’t take a punch. Please have mercy on me.]

[But here’s a suggestion: the one who tied the knot must untie it. Just message Yanli privately. As long as you soften your tone, everything will work out.]

Song Qiao was both angry and indignant. She didn’t provoke Xie Yanli—why should he get to interfere in her marriage? Why should she back down?

Still, despite her stubborn thoughts, she bit her lip and sent a friend request to that black profile.

He accepted almost immediately. Even though she cursed him a hundred times in her heart, her fingers typed a conciliatory message:

[Xie Yanli, both families are gathered—what are you doing here? If I’ve offended you in any way, I apologize. Please be the bigger person and let it go.]

Clutching her phone tightly, she soon received his response:

[Then do as I say. Cancel the wedding with Chen Yang. If you don’t, I’ll come in and tell everyone myself.]