Volume One, Chapter Seven: Returning in Triumph

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“I’m Tang Xinyi, Fang Tao’s wife,” Tang Xinyi answered calmly.

“Well, Fang Tao, I really underestimated you. Just after breaking up with Xiaorong, you’re already involved with someone new. You might lack ability, but you sure have a knack for chasing women,” Li Cuiping shouted angrily. She couldn’t accept the scene before her eyes. To her, Fang Tao was a worthless man; just kicked out by the Wang family, yet he came back flaunting a new lover!

Tang Xinyi’s expression darkened, her tone icy. “Please show some respect. If it weren’t for the fact that you used to be my husband’s mother-in-law, I’d really teach you a lesson.”

“You want to start a fight? Seductress, you’ve had your eye on my son-in-law for a long time, haven’t you?” Li Cuiping refused to back down, pressing her advantage.

“Want to try? I won’t go easy on you.” Before she finished speaking, Tang Xinyi moved swiftly.

“Smack!” The sharp slap echoed, freezing the air.

Li Cuiping touched her burning cheek, eyes wide as she stared at Tang Xinyi.

“You... how dare you hit me?” After a brief silence, Li Cuiping roared.

“Wang Jianan, she just hit your mother, and you’re standing there like a statue?” Li Cuiping turned to Wang Jianan, fuming.

When had she ever endured such humiliation? But Wang Jianan’s face was unusually grim; he stammered, “Mom... mom... she’s Tang Xinyi!”

“I don’t care who she is. If she dares to lay a hand on me, you better teach her a lesson and show her how many eyes ‘Lord Ma Wang’ has,” Li Cuiping bellowed.

“Mom, she’s the third young lady of the Tang family...” Wang Jianan anxiously added.

Seeing his mother still unresponsive, he hurried to explain further. Li Cuiping’s words caught in her throat; her eyes widened as they locked on Tang Xinyi.

“Which Tang family? The one in the southern district?” Tang Xinyi said indifferently.

Li Cuiping’s body swayed; her face drained of color. The Tang family was one of the five major clans in Shen City—far beyond the Wang family’s standing.

“The third young lady of the Tang family? How could she associate with such a worthless man?” Li Cuiping asked in disbelief.

Before she finished, another crisp slap landed on the other side of her face.

“You can insult me, but calling my husband worthless is absolutely unacceptable,” Tang Xinyi said with righteous indignation.

Li Cuiping stood stunned, the pain on her face far less than the shock in her heart. She couldn’t understand why the third young lady of the Tang family defended Fang Tao so fiercely.

“Miss Tang, perhaps there’s been a misunderstanding...” Wang Jianan said cautiously.

“To you, he’s worthless. But to me, he is priceless,” Tang Xinyi replied coldly.

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Wang Jianan was speechless, his expression full of disbelief.

“But what about the one million he took from my mother? That money has to be returned, right?” Li Cuiping, though afraid, was unwilling to give up on the money.

“My husband said he didn’t take it. If he didn’t, then he didn’t,” Tang Xinyi said proudly, lifting her chin. “Besides, would my husband, Tang Xinyi’s husband, ever be short of money?”

Mother and son exchanged confused glances.

Just then, Li Cuiping’s phone rang. She hurriedly answered but accidentally switched to speaker.

“Mom, if Fang Tao took something, don’t blame him. He didn’t take three million...” Hearing this, Li Cuiping and Wang Jianan’s faces changed.

“Now do you understand?” After the call ended, Fang Tao smiled slightly and bent down to retrieve an old, worn wooden box that Wang Jianan had stepped on.

Wang Jianan quickly stepped back.

“Remember, he is my husband now. Don’t disturb him again,” Tang Xinyi said firmly, leaving no room for argument. The mother and son involuntarily lowered their heads.

Watching Tang Xinyi affectionately link arms with Fang Tao as they walked toward a dazzling Ferrari, Wang Jianan’s face was etched with pain. Nearby, Wang Zhenyuan sighed heavily, his gaze complex.

Once inside the car, Tang Xinyi noticed the old wooden box in Fang Tao’s hands and curiously asked, “What treasures are hidden in that box that you had to bring it back?”

The box was shabby, with a rusty old brass lock hanging conspicuously.

“Just some childhood stuff,” Fang Tao replied casually.

“Do you take me for a three-year-old?” Tang Xinyi rolled her eyes skeptically.

The car left Sunshine Neighborhood and slowly headed toward the Tang Group headquarters.

After getting out, Tang Xinyi entered a flower shop and bought a bouquet of red roses. Linking arms with Fang Tao, they walked side by side into the building.

Her fragrance unsettled Fang Tao’s thoughts.

Inside the lobby, employees greeted Tang Xinyi, their eyes full of surprise. They speculated about the handsome man beside her.

“Our CEO has such a gentle side!”

“Who is this man? He looks no ordinary.”

“President Tang never mentioned a boyfriend before. How come there’s suddenly one?”

As the elevator doors closed, the murmurs in the lobby gradually quieted. Yet the employees still stared at the elevator, puzzled as if witnessing a dramatic scene.

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“Oh my!” Suddenly, a shout broke the silence.

All eyes turned to the person who shouted.

“Isn’t tomorrow the engagement day between President Tang and Young Master Ye? Now... things are about to take a huge turn!”

Fang Tao followed Tang Xinyi to the CEO’s office on the seventeenth floor. A woman in her thirties, dressed in a black professional suit, awaited them, her gaze serious and authoritative.

“Welcome back, President Tang.”

The moment Tang Xinyi stepped into the office, her aura shifted instantly. She instructed Secretary Li, “Li, please close the door.”

Secretary Li responded promptly. Tang Xinyi then released Fang Tao’s arm and handed the roses to her.

Curious, Fang Tao looked around. This was the office of one of Shen City’s five great families, evidently no ordinary place:

A spacious 300-square-meter room lavishly decorated, sunlight flooding through enormous floor-to-ceiling windows, and the grand desk and genuine leather chair all exuded high status and elegance.

“How’s the situation?” Tang Xinyi sat in the boss’s chair, radiating queenly poise.

“Everything’s going smoothly. The photos of you and that gentleman traveling together have gone viral online. They say he’s an unemployed man kicked out by the Wang family, and that he scammed an elderly woman’s money...” Secretary Li reported respectfully.

Tang Xinyi glanced at a puzzled Fang Tao, signaling him not to mind it, then said, “This is Fang Tao. Give him the agreement.”

“Understood, President Tang.”

Secretary Li quickly handed a document to Fang Tao. From the moment he entered, Fang Tao had been bewildered; now he was utterly lost—what exactly was the third young lady of the Tang family up to?

His eyes widened instantly upon reading:

“A marriage agreement? What’s going on?”

Fang Tao was utterly stunned.

“Mr. Fang, you don’t really think the marriage with President Tang is genuine, do you?” Secretary Li’s tone was cold and laced with clear sarcasm.

“Of course I know it’s fake. If that’s the case, why complicate things? Just cancel the marriage certificate. That’s a small matter for me,” Fang Tao said, tossing the document onto the desk and turning to leave.