Volume One, Chapter 19: If Worst Comes to Worst, I'll Marry Her

Zhou Huaiqing thought to himself, It was all for that troublesome little sister of yours.

Still, Wen Yang had been enjoying tea with him perfectly well, so why bring this up all of a sudden? It was rather odd.

He was not usually one to pry into gossip.

Holding his teacup, Zhou casually replied, “The young master of the Shen family took it upon himself to throw your sister a welcome banquet. Since you couldn’t conveniently get involved, I went along on behalf of the Wen family to join in the fun. Wasn’t that considerate of me?”

Wen Yang: “…”

Thank you. My heartfelt thanks to you and your entire family.

If one were to name the most talked-about family in Nancheng’s social circle this year, the Shen family would unquestionably take the crown.

Right at the start of the year, they had produced an extravaganza worthy of a fortune, sending the public’s appetite for gossip soaring.

First came the wedding between the Shen family’s younger son and Ling Dan. Not only did the livestream capture the groom cheating, it also brought Wen Li back into the public eye. Then the elder son hosted a welcome banquet that caused such a commotion everyone heard about it.

In an instant, everyone’s long-buried memories were awakened: the second daughter of the Wen family, who had once broken off her engagement to the Jiang family, had returned—and she was entangled in an ambiguous relationship with the eldest son of the Zhou family.

Although the matter was clarified afterward, half-heard stories were the ones people preferred.

Wen Yang said, “How did I hear that after you arrived, you went straight to Dianzhuang and caused a scene with a group of young people? That sounds like more than simply joining in the fun.”

Zhou Huaiqing understood at once. “Did someone from the Qi family come to complain to you in private?”

“Mm.” Wen Yang nodded, a trace of worry showing on his refined face.

The night after the welcome banquet ended, Old Master Qi had sought out Wen Yang. In both overt and subtle ways, he had blamed Wen Li for everything.

She had barely returned before causing trouble and disturbing everyone’s peace. The Wen family ought to send her away as soon as possible, he said, so things could quiet down. Otherwise, she might use her influence to bully others. Worse still, she might rekindle her old feelings for Jiang Chen and hurt his precious granddaughter.

It had long ceased to be a secret in their circle that Qi Min liked Jiang Chen. The Qi and Jiang families had been deliberately seeking a marriage alliance for years, and they had already been wary of Wen Li and that ridiculous engagement banquet.

Yet at precisely this juncture, Wen Li had said she no longer wished to return to Germany and had even suggested moving out.

Wen Yang now had more troubles than he could handle, caught in a dilemma and besieged from every side.

Zhou Huaiqing was utterly speechless. “His granddaughter teamed up with that little girl from the He family to deliberately embarrass someone. She has a loose tongue and brought it all on herself. I didn’t even really do anything to them, and he still has the nerve to accuse the victim first and come blaming someone else.”

What an audacious face.

Wen Yang sighed. “You know what Old Master Qi is like. He had his son late in life, and then both his son and daughter-in-law died in the line of duty, leaving behind only a grandson and a granddaughter. Of course he treasures them.”

Old Master Qi had spent his entire life in military service. His son had been a narcotics officer, while his daughter-in-law had been a doctor with Doctors Without Borders. Tragically, both had died young, leaving behind only their two children.

It was heartbreaking, yet at the same time, one could not help admiring the honor and purity of the entire family.

“Although you’re not often in Nancheng, you should still show him some consideration in the future. Don’t give anyone a chance to seize on your mistakes; it won’t do your future prospects any good.”

The Zhou family was not based in Nancheng. So even if Zhou Huaiqing had been the one to cause trouble, the Qi family would never truly do anything to him. At most, they would grumble about him in private, saying that he was too ostentatious and reckless, and that he had no sense of propriety.

Wen Yang was different. He would inevitably have to deal with them, and appearances had to be maintained. Unless absolutely necessary, there was no reason to let their relationship deteriorate too badly.

After all his attempts to persuade him, the only thing Wen Yang could do was urge Zhou Huaiqing to rein himself in.

Zhou Huaiqing gave an unconcerned little scoff. “I only let them off because of you. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have bothered letting it go. But I’ll remember this grudge.”

Originally, it had merely been a childish quarrel. After the argument, everyone should have apologized on the spot and taken the offered way out. That should have been the end of it.

Who went running to their parents afterward? What a complete lack of manners.

He would certainly settle this account with the Qi family someday.

Wen Yang: “…”

Zhou Huaiqing leaned back in his chair and said lazily, “Where’s your sister? I haven’t seen her in several days. I rather miss her.”

“Spare me. You have some nerve criticizing anyone else. In my opinion, you’re the one whose mouth is the least guarded.”

Wen Yang had noticed that Zhou Huaiqing never behaved seriously. They would barely have exchanged a few words before he began steering the conversation toward Wen Li.

So he said solemnly, “A-Li isn’t a child anymore. You should stop making such frivolous jokes in front of her, or people may get the wrong idea.”

The rumors about Zhou Huaiqing and Wen Li had caused quite a stir, and Wen Yang had heard about them. Although he had not taken them seriously, men and women were different, and such rumors could still harm her reputation.

In the past or the present, a girl’s reputation was always of the utmost importance.

Zhou Huaiqing lightly tapped his fingers against the teacup, utterly unconcerned.

He did not make jokes with people.

Wen Yang said with complete seriousness, “She’s grown up now, and she has a mind of her own. A few days ago, she even argued with us that she wanted to move out.”

He treated Zhou Huaiqing entirely as one of the family, mentioning matters concerning Wen Li before him without the slightest reserve.

At that, Zhou Huaiqing sat upright. “Where would she move? She isn’t going back to Germany?”

Wen Yang shook his head. “No. She’s even learned to act first and report afterward. She says she plans to work at the research institute recently established in Nancheng. Everything has already been arranged.”

The matter had been troubling him for several days.

Zhou Huaiqing breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good, then.”

He leaned back again and began complaining to Wen Yang about his experiences in Germany.

“Not to criticize it, but foreign countries are practically uninhabitable. The food is awful. It’s either grass tossed in salad dressing or steak seared while still raw. I lost several pounds in a row. And she’s just a young girl—of course she’d want to come back after getting sick of it.”

Wen Yang naturally understood. How could he truly have wanted to see Wen Li all alone in a foreign country, far from everything familiar and with no one to look after her?

But…

After taking a small sip of tea, he said, “Our parents won’t agree to her staying in Nancheng, and neither will Grandfather.”

Zhou Huaiqing frowned but said nothing.

As an outsider, he should not meddle casually in the Wen family’s affairs. Even so, he could not resist offering one more remark.

“Wen Yang, sometimes I think you’re terribly dull.”

Wen Yang’s face plainly asked, What do you mean? He gestured for Zhou Huaiqing to speak his mind. He could listen to another person’s advice before making a decision.

Zhou Huaiqing spoke at length in an unhurried manner. “Everyone goes through a rebellious phase. You can’t control it out of them, especially not someone like your sister, who is gentle on the outside but strong-willed underneath. Her sense of self awakened late. The more you forbid her from doing something, the more determined she’ll be to do it. She simply enjoys going against you. You might as well let her be.”

Wen Yang listened earnestly. The logic was sound, but…

“It’s not that I insist on controlling her. I’m mainly worried about her and Jiang Chen. I’m afraid they won’t know where to draw the line. What if they end up doing something that can never be undone…”

Wen Yang did not finish.

The Jiang family would never agree to the two of them being together.

Zhou Huaiqing said half-jokingly, “What’s there to fear? At worst, I’ll marry her. That’ll save my grandfather from pestering me about marriage every day.”

It would solve everything in one stroke, and everyone would live happily ever after.