Chapter 297: How Exciting
The woman couldn't believe it.
'The Lin Chuyue before her was actually the future Lady of the Xiao Family?'
Her status was immeasurably more distinguished than her own!
'No wonder she was so confident. No wonder she could wear a dress worth over three million!'
The woman's face burned with shame. Recalling her own words, she felt utterly mortified.
'After being so humiliated today, how could she ever show her face in the Imperial City again!'
The older woman quickly grabbed her daughter. "What are you standing there for? Apologize, quickly!"
"I... I'm sorry! I didn't know who you were. Please forgive me!"
Lin Chuyue remained firm. If she let the other woman off the hook so easily today, everyone would think she was a pushover in the future.
That even after humiliating her, a simple apology would make everything all right.
"So you can just insult and spread rumors about someone if you don't know their status? So this is the upbringing of the top-tier Wen Family!"
The older woman could see that Lin Chuyue was truly furious and quickly added, "Miss Lin, you see... this disobedient child of mine just got back from abroad."
"She brought back some of those bad foreign habits with her. We promise to teach her a good lesson. And how about five million in compensation?"
"Not good enough. I need to see a sincere apology from her, not one you've forced out of her!"
"Apologize, now!"
Though the woman was unwilling, she had no choice but to bow her head. "I'm sorry, Miss Lin. It was all my fault, from beginning to end."
"I hope that a person of your stature can overlook the transgressions of a lesser person and not stoop to my level."
Only then did Lin Chuyue let her off. "I hope the Wen Family's upbringing will be a little better in the future."
With that, she turned and left.
Her perfectly good mood had been ruined just like that.
The younger member of the Xiao Family hurried after her, but not before tossing out a threat. "You of the Wen Family just wait! We'll settle this score when our Patriarch gets back!"
As soon as Lin Chuyue left, the banquet came to an abrupt end.
The woman was locked in her room.
"You can come out when you've finally learned your lesson!"
"And to think your father and I had such high hopes for you! You've just returned, and you've already caused such a huge mess!"
"You'd better pray the Xiao Family isn't angry. Otherwise, not even I can protect you."
「In the room.」
The woman furiously smashed everything around her.
"Damn it! This is a total and utter humiliation!"
Once word of today's events got out, she would surely become a laughingstock.
She had returned with a master's degree from Evergreen Ivy University, intending to make a stunning debut.
And while she had certainly made a scene, it was not at all the effect she had been hoping for.
"Lin Chuyue, it's all your fault! If it weren't for you, how could my banquet have been ruined!"
The woman angrily smashed a nearby crystal vase to pieces. But this was the only way she could vent; she didn't dare let anyone outside know.
Just then, her phone vibrated.
She answered it. The voice on the other end belonged to a good friend. "Still angry? Let me tell you, that Lin Chuyue isn't all that."
"She's from the Lin Family of a place called Jiangcheng, which is basically the countryside."
"If she didn't have a connection to the Xiao Family's Patriarch, she wouldn't have been able to get anywhere near the great families of the Imperial City in her entire life."
The woman had assumed that for Lin Chuyue to become the future Lady of the House for the Xiao Family, she must at least be the daughter of a wealthy family.
'To think she's just a country bumpkin!'
"So what? Even if she is just a country girl, now that she's connected to the Xiao Family, there's nothing I can do to her!"
The woman wasn't stupid. She knew Lin Chuyue was not someone she could afford to provoke.
The person on the other end of the line chuckled. "You think I called you just for something so simple?"
"I got some news a few days ago. Lin Chuyue and the Patriarch of the Xiao Family aren't actually engaged. She won't be the future Lady of the Xiao Family!"
The woman's interest was instantly piqued. "What's going on?"
'If she's not the Lady of the Xiao Family, then I have nothing to be afraid of!'
'The Wen Family didn't become a top-tier family through the flattery of outsiders, but through its own strength!'
The person on the phone explained, "Lin Chuyue was a substitute bride. Patriarch Xiao's real fiancée is her older sister!"
"This was exposed at the engagement banquet, which is why it was canceled!"
"The fact that Patriarch Xiao canceled the wedding proves he doesn't like Lin Chuyue at all. I heard it was a childhood engagement, that they were bound by a marriage contract!"
It dawned on the woman. "So, in other words, that woman today is actually Patriarch Xiao's sister-in-law!"
"Yes, you could say that. But what good is a sister-in-law? As long as she isn't favored by Patriarch Xiao, she's just a pawn that can be discarded at any time."
Hearing this, the woman's mind started turning.
If the wedding hadn't been canceled, she naturally wouldn't have dared to cause trouble for Lin Chuyue.
But its cancellation meant that there was no love between Lin Chuyue and Xiao Ye, only a marriage contract.
'And as a substitute bride... Lin Chuyue's sister must hate her guts!'
'Once her sister becomes the Lady of the Xiao Family, how could she possibly let a woman who coveted her man off the hook, even if it's her own sister!'
As a member of a great family, the woman had seen more than her fair share of love, hate, and intrigue.
Never mind sisters; even fathers and sons could stab each other in the back!
The voice on the phone was full of temptation. "Right now, the Xiao Family is keeping this news under tight wraps. If I didn't know someone in Jiangcheng, I would never have found out."
"You just need to spread the news. As the center of the scandal, Lin Chuyue will inevitably fall out of favor with the Xiao Family!"
"When that time comes, even if you go after her, no one will stand up for her."
"Don't worry, my information is absolutely accurate. As for whether you act on it, that's up to you. All right, I have to go, I'm hanging up now."
Listening to the dial tone, a smile spread across the woman's face.
"Lin Chuyue? Lady of the Xiao Family? I spit on that! She's just a bitch trying to climb into a man's bed!"
"You humiliated me so badly today, I'm going to make you pay it all back!"
Once the truth about Lin Chuyue came out, what happened at the banquet would be nothing in comparison.
Thinking of this, the woman immediately contacted a few people. "I need you to do something for me..."
「The next day.」
A piece of news spread rapidly through the Imperial City.
Not only did it spread through high society, but even ordinary people heard about it.
Countless clickbait accounts began posting about it.
They didn't dare use the Xiao Family's name explicitly, but their various hints were enough for people to understand.
"Patriarch Xiao's commoner fiancée is actually his sister-in-law! The real fiancée is supposed to be her older sister!"
"For real? A younger sister stealing her older sister's man? That's some juicy drama."
"Of course it's real. The truth was exposed on the spot, so the engagement banquet was canceled halfway through."
The news spread wider and wider.
Not only did all the great families find out, but so did the Xiao Family itself.
The many younger members of the Xiao Family gathered together, eagerly discussing the matter.