Chapter 225: Must Not Let Them Marry
The ancestor worship ritual wasn't complicated. It mainly consisted of presenting offerings, burning paper money, and finally, speaking to the graves.
After finishing his bows, Lin Aoshan looked to Xiao Ye and Lin Chuyue. "Your turn. Just hold hands and bow."
"You can say whatever you like."
With that, he stepped to the side.
Xiao Ye took Lin Chuyue's hand, and they shared a smile.
He spoke first. "To the revered ancestors of the Lin Family, I am Xiao Ye."
"I swear here today that I will marry Lin Chuyue and treat her well for the rest of my life!"
Lin Chuyue's cheeks flushed slightly. "To the revered ancestors of the Lin Family, I am a junior of the family, Lin Chuyue."
"I also swear here today that I will marry Xiao Ye and stay with him for the rest of my life."
Listening to their vows, Lin Aoshan's eyes grew moist.
'With this ancestor worship ritual, I truly have nothing to fear anymore!'
'If Xiao Ye ever dares to wrong Lin Chuyue, the Lin Family ancestors themselves won't let him get away with it!'
The ancestor worship ritual concluded, and the group made their way down the mountain.
Back in his room, Xiao Ye immediately got busy.
Numerous matters for the Xiao Family required his decisions, and a video conference call quickly took up an hour.
Lin Chuyue wasn't idle either. Even though she was going to marry Xiao Ye, that didn't mean she would abandon the Lin Family's businesses.
The moment she returned to her office, the first thing she did was inquire about what had happened at the company recently.
Fortunately, most of the problematic Lin Family members had been dealt with, so nothing had happened during her absence.
The Lin Family also transitioned from refusing all visitors to opening its gates wide to welcome guests.
However, the very next day, having caught wind of the news, the many powerful figures of Jiangcheng flocked to the estate to deliver gifts.
The Lin Family estate was bustling from morning till night.
Lin Aoshan only personally received the most important figures. As for the rest, he left them to the younger generation of the Lin Family to handle.
'The Lin Family is destined to soar to new heights with the Xiao Family, so these young ones must learn to stand on their own two feet!'
As for the gifts, Lin Aoshan refused every single one.
Accepting gifts puts you in their debt.
He wouldn't give anyone leverage over the Lin Family.
It wasn't until nightfall that the Lin Family estate finally quieted down.
Holding something the butler had brought him, Lin Aoshan knocked on the study door. "Xiaoye, are you busy?"
"Come on in, sir."
「In the study.」
Xiao Ye closed his laptop and rubbed his tired eyes.
He was finally starting to understand why all those family patriarchs aged so quickly.
There was never enough energy to handle so many matters each day.
Xiao Ye decided he would have to cultivate his own trusted subordinates and have them handle things for him.
'Then I'll finally be free to travel the world with Lin Chuyue.'
Lin Aoshan placed the item he was holding on the desk. "Take a look. This is a sample of the invitation I had designed."
"I will be writing them personally when the time comes."
The engagement party was now less than half a month away.
A host of preparations had to begin.
Venue, catering, guest list—not a single detail could be overlooked.
Before, Lin Aoshan would have been diligent, but he never would have spent so much to custom-order invitations with gold foil stamping.
Every floral detail was rendered in real gold dust, not by machine, but meticulously hand-painted.
Xiao Ye took it and examined it carefully. "Thank you for the effort, sir. It's excellent. But for things like this in the future, just ask Chuyue."
"As long as she's happy, I'm happy."
"That won't work. That girl, Chuyue, is used to being frugal. If I were to prepare something this extravagant, she would surely object."
"I knew I had to come to you!"
Xiao Ye chuckled, knowing Lin Aoshan was testing his attitude.
After all, word of the engagement party had already spread; it was no longer just a local Jiangcheng affair.
If it were handled poorly, the Lin Family would surely become a laughingstock.
"Sir, use the best of everything you see fit. Don't worry about saving money for my sake. The Xiao Family's fortune is inexhaustible."
"You got it!"
「The next few days.」
The three of them were so busy they were practically invisible.
It wasn't until evening that they had time to sit down for a meal together.
After dinner, Lin Chuyue brought a plate of washed fruit to the study.
"Xiao Ye, have some fruit. You've been working so hard lately."
"You have some too."
Seeing that Xiao Ye's demeanor hadn't changed, Lin Chuyue breathed a small sigh of relief. "The Lin Family's company has been very busy, and a lot of things have piled up waiting for my attention."
"You're not mad at me, are you?"
'As his soon-to-be wife, for me to be so busy I'm gone all day... it's a bit much.'
Xiao Ye looked up, a little perplexed. "Why would you think that?"
"Because... I'm a woman. Isn't that what everyone thinks? That as a woman, I should be at home, supporting my husband and raising children."
"Even if I go out to work, I should still have to look after the home and not neglect it."
"But look at me, I've been so busy lately, not getting back until eight or nine at night..."
Xiao Ye took her hand and comforted her in a gentle voice, "Don't worry, I would never be angry with you over something like this."
"As long as you're busy with legitimate work, I wouldn't say a word even if you didn't come home all night. But you have to promise to let me know you're safe."
Lin Chuyue let out a laugh. "Okay, I'll be sure to text you regularly. I promise I won't make you worry."
They shared a tender moment before soon retiring to their respective rooms to rest.
「Night in Dragon Country.」
But it was daytime in Country A.
Ali had already returned to the royal palace.
Facing the grim-faced Sovereign, she lowered her head slightly. "Father, I'm sorry. I promise I'll never sneak out again."
'When I got back, I heard Father was busy, which made me so happy.'
'I can't believe that after all these days, he's still hung up on this.'
The Sovereign rose to his feet, his gaze cold. "This is the first and last time!"
"Do not go bothering Xiao Ye. Do you understand?"
"Even if he were to agree, I would never permit you to marry him—to say nothing of the fact that he is utterly unwilling!"
"Father!"
Ali felt utterly humiliated. The sting of rejection, and even of being physically pushed away, was unbearable.
'In my entire life, I've never been so humiliated!'
"You will remain in your palace, and you will not take a single step outside without my permission!"
"If you dare to sneak out again, you can forget about leaving the palace until your wedding day!"
With that, the Sovereign stormed out, flicking his sleeves in a clear display of his immense anger.
Ali bit her lip, trembling with rage.
She went on another rampage, smashing things around her. Only after venting her fury did she plop down onto an ornate sofa, still seething.
'Damn it! None of this is Ye's fault. He's just been deceived by that wretched woman!'
'No, I can't let them get married! Ye will never be happy otherwise!'
Out of fear of Xiao Ye, Ali subconsciously couldn't bring herself to hate him, let alone question her years of affection for him.
Instead, she channeled all her hatred toward Lin Chuyue.
'She was convinced that if it weren't for Lin Chuyue, none of this would have ever happened to her!'
'It's all her fault!'