“Xin’er?” A familiar voice called out Lu Xinyi’s name.
Lu Xinyi turned her head to where the voice came from. A smile bloomed on her face when she saw Tang Shui and Tang Lilou walking towards them.
“Uncle Shui.” Lu Xinyi lowered her head in greeting. “I didn’t know you’ll be here.”
“Xin Jie!” Tang Lilou stepped forward and engulfed Lu Xinyi with a hug. “I miss you!”
Lu Xinyi chuckled and let her husband take the wine gla.s.s from her hand.
“Really? But we’ve seen each other last week, and our cla.s.s is about to resume soon.”
“A week is already too long, Xin Jie!” Tang Lilou insisted. Her attention then turned to the group of reporters who were gossiping about her Xin Jie earlier.
“How dare you call my Xin Jie an ugly duckling?! Are forgetting who you are and who she is?!” she scolded them.
It was awkward to see middle-aged men being scolded by a teenager like Tang Lilou, but who’d dare to stop her? After all, she was a Tang Princess, and Griffin Entertainment controlled half of the entertainment industry. Offend her and surely, these reporters would lose their careers and their future.
“I’m so sorry, Miss Lu. I was wrong… I was wrong…” The reporter begged for mercy. Tang Lilou’s words were a slap for him to remember the reality. Indeed, even if Lu Xinyi left the Sun family, she was still their third miss. Who was he to offend and talk back to Lu Xinyi?
However, Tang Shui’s face remained darkened. He was really mad that these people were talking bad about Lu Xinyi.
“You are from Emporium News?’ he asked the reporter.
The reporter broke into a cold sweat when he realized he was doomed.
“Y-yes, Director Tang,” he begrudgingly replied.
His colleagues were thanking all the deities that they didn’t badmouth Lu Xinyi. This was a good reminder for them that they couldn’t talk with a loose tongue about any members of the Big 5 families. They could only watch as their colleague faced the wrath from the Shen and the Tang families.
“Then, please inform your bosses at Emporium News that they aren’t welcome to attend any PR and media conferences related to Griffin Entertainment. Did you also forget that Lu Xinyi’s maternal grandmother is also a Tang? I’ll make you all remember that our family’s Xin’er wouldn’t be shamed in public without facing consequences!”
Tang Shui’s voice had finality on it. He didn’t care if he was overstepping his boundaries, but he was sure that his father and his aunt wouldn’t let anyone insult their first miss!
How could they forget that Lu Xinyi was Chairman Sun’s granddaughter? Why would they badmouth the host’s family member in public?
“What’s the meaning of this?” Chairman Sun’s hoa.r.s.e voice took everyone’s attention. Behind him stood Sun Feiyan and Sun Qiyan.
Lu Xinyi lifted her eyes, and it landed on her cousin, Sun Qiyan. Just by looking at her, Lu Xinyi was reminded again of Sun Qiushan’s pained expression and tears. How much did Qiushan suffer because of this woman?
Qiushan begged her sister to save her, but this wretched woman had chosen to abandon her. Lu Xinyi remembered what her mother-in-law told her over the phone. Really… just what kind of monsters did Chairman Sun raise all these years? So despicable that they wouldn’t mind plotting against their kin because of greed and jealousy.
Sun Qiyan felt a s.h.i.+ver ran down her spine with how Lu Xinyi looked at her. Lu Xinyi’s eyes weren’t full of mockery which she usually had whenever they meet. Now, it was like Lu Xinyi wanted her dead on the spot. If looks could kill, she was probably brutally murdered by Lu Xinyi by now.
Tang Shui scoffed at Chairman Sun’s inquiry. Wasn’t it too obvious that this man was trying to bully their Xin’er?
“I haven’t thought that I’ll witness this with my own eyes, Chairman Sun,” Tang Shui said with mockery.
“I knew my dear cousin, Mei’er, was bullied by her own sisters; but I didn’t know that our Xin’er will be facing the same fate once she stepped inside your estate. This is truly an eye-opener, Chairman Sun. Xin’er is also our precious young miss, and yet, in your territory, some people regarded her as an ugly duckling?”
After hearing what had occurred, Chairman Sun’s face burned in anger. He slammed the end of his cane on the floor with a loud thud and pointed a finger at the reporters.
“You! How dare you call our Xin’er an ugly duckling?! Who’s the ugly duckling? Who the h.e.l.l invited this sc.u.m? Someone! Take him away!” His blood pressure was starting to rise, and Sun Feiyan was forced to make a move to calm the old man.
“Please, respected guest. I think you’ve already caused enough trouble for our family. Please leave before we call the security,” she said.
The man lowered his head in shame and left the Sun estate immediately. He could feel Shen Yi’s eyes on his back as he left the event.
Meanwhile, Lu Xinyi was stunned into silence when she heard Tang Shui’s words. Her maternal grandmother was a Tang? Why didn’t she know about this? When her mother was still alive, she barely mentioned her grandmother at all. It was like it pained her to talk about her, and that was why Lu Xinyi avoided asking questions about her mother’s family.
Now, it made sense to her why Tang Lilou and the Tang family were acting weird and funny when she paid a visit to their mansion. Lu Xinyi inwardly facepalmed. The hints were so obvious; it was her that was slow-witted that she didn’t realize they were welcoming a family member.
While Lu Xinyi found out her relations.h.i.+p with the Tangs and the other guests grew busy murmuring to each other, they weren’t aware of the commotion that exploded online. The exclusive photos of Shen Yi and Lu Xinyi from the red carpet instantly went viral on social media.
The fans and netizens’ comments flooded everywhere.
“Goodness! Arriving together at Sun Corporation’s event? They aren’t trying to hide their relations.h.i.+p anymore!”
“OMG! President Shen is finally taken! Boohoo! My heart…”
“My ShenLu couple is sailing! *heart* *heart*
“Everyone! Let’s jump on the s.h.i.+p! It’s sailing smoothly!”
“Please release more photos!”
“Guys, sing with us!”
“To the commenter above… c-come on, partner, don’t make me say all that embarra.s.sing stuff out loud.”
“We know you want to!”
“Row, row, row your s.h.i.+p, gently through the sea! If you see your OTP, don’t forget to scream!”
“Ahhhh! I’m dead! So dead! My ShenLu couple shoving dog food down my throat, and I’m willing!”
“Ohhh… a special kind of dog food. So yummy!”stands for “One True Pairing.” It’s used in fandoms to describe any given partic.i.p.ant’s favorite couple.