Chapter 56
Chapter 56
If the Zhou Family found out that this wretched girl Xia Sheng had hooked up with some rich man and led a messy private life, wouldn’t the plan to have Xia Sheng marry into the Zhou Family in place of her Zhiruo be ruined?
Yu He’s thoughts raced. She strode down the steps and stopped in front of Xia Sheng, lowering her voice as she snapped, “Xia Sheng, are you insane? Bringing your lover to an occasion like this-are you trying to disgrace the Xia Family?!”
Yu He had kept her voice very low, but Shen Ze was standing right beside Xia Sheng, so he still heard her. His expression darkened as he spoke.
“Ma’am, you can eat whatever nonsense you want, but you can’t say whatever nonsense you want. The Little Celestial Master and I are just ordinary friends. Spreading rumors like this can get people killed, you know?”
If Uncle Nine heard what Yu He had just said, wouldn’t he wipe out Shen Ze, this so-called “love rival,” on the spot?
When Yu He heard Shen Ze call her ma’am, a crack appeared in her well-maintained composure.
“Who are you calling ma’am?!”
Shen Ze flinched all over at her suddenly raised voice.
This woman sure had a loud set of pipes.
“Not ma’am? Then grandma?”
“You!” Yu He was so furious her face flushed red. “I’m only forty this year!”
“Oh, so that makes you a ma’am, doesn’t it?” Shen Ze rolled his eyes. “What, do you think you’re eighteen like the Little Celestial Master? You want me to call you little sister?”
After Shen Ze’s rapid-fire barrage, Yu He choked on her anger so hard she nearly couldn’t catch her breath.
The commotion on this side had grown a little too noticeable. Mrs. Zhou and her husband both looked over.
Mr. Zhou continued entertaining the other guests, while Mrs. Zhou walked over and glanced at them.
“Yu He, what happened here?”
Mrs. Zhou came from a scholarly family. Both of her parents were professors in the Chinese department of a certain university. She was educated and reasonable, and even the way she spoke was gentle and mild, forming a stark contrast with Yu He.
Yu He often compared herself to Mrs. Zhou in secret. The moment she heard her voice, she immediately reined herself in, unwilling to lose face in front of her.
“Nothing. We were just chatting.”
Mrs. Zhou’s gaze shifted to Xia Sheng’s face. “Yu He, who is this?”
Yu He hesitated for a moment, then said, “Xia Sheng.”
At that, Mrs. Zhou’s eyes lit up.
Ever since Xia Sheng had returned to Capital City, Mrs. Zhou had wanted to meet this future daughter-in-law of hers. Today, she had finally seen her.
The girl was every bit as lovely as she had imagined.
Mrs. Zhou wanted to leave a good impression on her future daughter-in-law, so she smoothed her hair and smiled warmly. “Your mother never mentioned you were coming today. If I’d known, I would have had someone go out to welcome you.”
Xia Sheng said flatly, “Yu He isn’t my mother. My mother didn’t come today.”
Yu He’s face instantly darkened.
How dare she say something like that right in front of her!
As expected of a wild girl from the countryside. She had no manners at all!
Mrs. Zhou was also taken aback. Seeing that Xia Sheng had no intention of acknowledging her relationship with the Xia Family, she decided not to bring up the subject again tonight.
“That was thoughtless of me.” Mrs. Zhou smiled apologetically, then glanced at Shen Ze beside Xia Sheng. A flicker of surprise crossed her eyes. “Are you the young master from Second Master Shen’s family?”
The old madam of the Shen Family had given birth to three sons. Shen Ze’s father was the eldest of her children and also Shen Yanchen’s biological older brother.
However, because the Shen Family had many collateral branches and descendants, Shen Ze’s father ranked second among his generation. Therefore, outsiders usually addressed him as Second Master Shen.
Shen Ze nodded and greeted her with a beaming smile. “Hello, big sister.”
Mrs. Zhou was over the moon at being called “big sister” by Shen Ze and smiled. “What a sweet-talking child.”
At the side, Yu He listened to their exchange, shocked that Xia Sheng had actually latched on to someone from the Shen Family, and at the same time, she was seething.
That little brat-he had called her ma’am earlier, but now he was calling Mrs. Zhou big sister!
Did she look that old?!
After her initial surprise, Mrs. Zhou asked, “Sheng’er, are you and Young Master Shen friends?”
Shen Ze was the same age as Xia Sheng, and with the two of them showing up here together today, it was hard not to let one’s imagination run wild.
Shen Ze said, “Little Celestial Master is my idol. I’m her little fanboy, so I guess you could say we’re friends.”
Mrs. Zhou didn’t quite understand why he would see Xia Sheng as an idol, but as long as they weren’t boyfriend and girlfriend, she could rest easy.
She was quite satisfied with this young girl, Xia Sheng.
The only question was whether Xia Sheng would take a liking to that little brat of hers.
At the thought of her son, Mrs. Zhou felt a headache coming on again.
She and her husband had worked diligently their entire lives, yet somehow they had ended up with such a disappointing son.
She only hoped the young girl wouldn’t look down on him.
Gathering her thoughts, Mrs. Zhou said to Xia Sheng, “Yichuan is upstairs on the second floor with his friends. I’ll have him come down to get you.”
Xia Sheng said, “No need to trouble yourself. You go ahead and take care of things. I can go up on my own.”
Seeing how polite the young girl was, Mrs. Zhou found her even more pleasing, and the smile on her face deepened. “All right, then. Go on over by yourself.
“Yichuan is on the open-air terrace on the second floor. You can just go straight to him.”
Xia Sheng nodded. “Okay.”
With that, she left together with Shen Ze.
From beginning to end, she never spared Yu He a single glance.
Yu He felt utterly humiliated. She hurried after her and warned in a low voice, “You’d better keep whatever is going on between you and Shen Ze hidden from everyone else too. If people find out you and Shen Ze are together, I absolutely won’t let you off!”
She was still waiting to have Xia Sheng marry into the Zhou Family. She absolutely could not let others know that Xia Sheng’s private life was improper.
Xia Sheng didn’t even look at her and simply continued walking forward.
Yu He gritted her teeth.
That arrogant little wretch. Tonight, she would make her pay!
…
After entering the hotel, the two of them went straight upstairs.
On the hotel’s second floor was a curved open-air terrace. The space was large, with several sets of European-style vintage tables and chairs arranged around it.
A few young masters and young ladies were gambling with cards, the atmosphere lively.
From a distance, Xia Sheng could already hear voices coming from that direction.
A man asked, “Zhiruo, you said Yichuan’s fiancée would be coming tonight too? Why don’t I see her?”
Xia Zhiruo said, “She should be here in a little while.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Zhou Yichuan’s displeased voice rang out. He was clearly speaking to the man who had asked the question. “What fiancée? I have nothing to do with that country bumpkin Xia Sheng!
“The person I’m engaged to is Zhiruo, and the person I love is Zhiruo too. If any of you mention that country bumpkin again, don’t blame me for losing my temper!”
After hearing him, the others all fell silent. Only Xia Zhiruo spoke in a soft, delicate voice. “Brother Yichuan, it’s not like my sister chose to grow up in the countryside. You shouldn’t call her a country bumpkin. It’s hurtful.”
Xia Zhiruo was smiling on the surface, but inwardly, she was already sick to death of this idiot.
Did this fool really think she wanted to marry into the Zhou Family?
If not for the fact that it would be unwise to fall out with him outright, she wouldn’t even want to say another word to this idiot!
Zhou Yichuan said indifferently, “Doesn’t the nickname suit her perfectly? Even if she was forced to grow up in the countryside, she’s still a country bumpkin, isn’t she?
“And she thinks she can marry me? In her dreams.
“Zhiruo, don’t worry. You’re the only one in my heart. Even if your parents want her to marry me, I will never agree to it!”
No sooner had he finished speaking than he felt a fierce, furious gaze land on him.
He followed the feeling and looked over, only to see an extraordinarily handsome young man glaring at him, the rage in his eyes so intense it was as if he wanted to devour him alive.