The Master Descends the Mountain: My Destined CEO

"If Lin Chuyue isn't actually the Lady of our Xiao Family, then... then do we still need to be so respectful to her?"

"I don't think so. The engagement banquet was canceled, and look, after it was over, the Patriarch didn't come back at all. He just left her here by herself."

"It seems the Patriarch doesn't like her at all. He was just doing it to fulfill the marriage contract."

In the small building.

The servant who came to deliver the meal placed various dishes on the table.

Lin Chuyue came downstairs, feeling that something was strange.

First, there were fewer dishes on the table than usual. But there were only a few of them, and they didn't eat much, so having a little less wasn't a big deal.

But the look in the servant's eyes made her very uncomfortable.

Lin Chuyue frowned slightly. "Is something the matter?"

The servant hastily lowered her head. "Nothing."

"Then is there something on my face?"

"No." The servant took a step back. "Miss Lin, if there is nothing else, I'll be leaving now. I'll come back in an hour to clear the plates."

After speaking, she left directly, not giving Lin Chuyue any chance to say another word.

Compared to her previous deference, this was clearly quite rude.

Lin Chuyue found it odd, but she ate her meal first anyway.

After Lin Aoshan went into his room to rest, she stepped out of the small courtyard.

Although the weather was still very cold, the scenery in the courtyard was beautiful.

Before she knew it, she had wandered outside the courtyard.

The gardeners and servants busy at work saw her and immediately scattered like frightened animals, occasionally casting strange glances her way and whispering among themselves.

Lin Chuyue felt very uncomfortable and decided to stop one of the servants. "What are you talking about?"

"We weren't talking about anything, just making small talk. Miss Lin, we have to get back to work."

With that, the group hurried away.

Lin Chuyue walked a few more steps and encountered another group of people.

Their reaction was much the same, and the looks in their eyes and the sound of their whispers made her increasingly uneasy.

Lin Chuyue quickened her pace and returned to the small building. "Mu Xiang, I feel like everyone in the Xiao Family is acting strangely today..."

"I know what's going on." Mu Xiang took out her phone. "Your relationship with Xiao Ye has been exposed."

Lin Chuyue quickly took it, and as she read the contents, the color drained from her face until she collapsed onto the sofa.

'The fact that she was Xiao Ye's younger sister-in-law... now everyone knew!'

"How... how could this happen!"

Mu Xiang shrugged. She didn't like seeing Lin Chuyue in this state.

'All this business of love and romance was useless.'

'The wise stay out of love; only fools dive in headfirst.'

"It's the truth. It may be harsh to say, but people were going to find out sooner or later. After your sister comes back, she'll be the one to marry Xiao Ye."

"So, it being exposed early might not be a bad thing. Don't overthink it. As long as Xiao Ye hasn't given an order, no one in the Xiao Family will dare to do anything to you."

Lin Chuyue didn't speak. She silently put down the phone and returned to her room.

'Her feelings for Xiao Ye, ever since the day of the engagement banquet, could only be hidden deep within her heart.'

'Before this was exposed, she could still convince herself.'

'That after her sister returned, if Xiao Ye didn't like her, he would surely marry her instead.'

'But now it was exposed!'

'How could a great family like the Xiao Family possibly allow their Patriarch to be with his younger sister-in-law? It would be a terrible scandal.'

'As the Patriarch of the Xiao Family, Xiao Ye would definitely have to prioritize his family.'

'That meant she would never have a chance to be with Xiao Ye again!'

At this thought, Lin Chuyue threw herself onto the bed, unable to hold back her tears any longer.

'Her lover becoming her brother-in-law... there was probably nothing more heartbreaking than this!'

Outside.

Lin Aoshan had also learned of the matter. Extremely worried, he was about to go inside when Mu Xiang stopped him.

"Elder Lin, I'll be frank. It's better for Lin Chuyue to face reality now than later."

"The longer this is dragged out, the more heartbroken she will be. Accepting reality is a lesson every adult must learn."

Lin Aoshan grew angry. "You don't understand at all! Chuyue and Xiao Ye are meant to be together. I know how they feel about each other."

But Mu Xiang didn't think so. "Elder Lin, are you sure? Don't forget, the only reason Xiao Ye was with Lin Chuyue and helped your Lin Family was because of the Golden Saber."

"Without the Golden Saber, would he be with Lin Chuyue? If Lin Chuxing hadn't disappeared, then she and he would be the ones in love right now."

"You know my identity. Sometimes, you can't defy fate. It is destiny for those two to be together. Lin Chuyue will always be the outsider."

Lin Aoshan looked at Mu Xiang and, in the end, could only let out a long sigh.

'How could he not know?'

'Back then, Lingxiao Daoist had said that it had to be the first woman of the Lin Family who would fulfill the marriage contract.'

'It was only because Lin Chuxing disappeared later that Lin Chuyue became the de facto eldest miss of the Lin Family.'

Lin Aoshan turned away. "Forget it. Let Chuyue figure it out for herself."

'When Xiao Ye had canceled the engagement banquet before, there was a reason, but in Lin Aoshan's eyes, it still proved that the Golden Saber marriage contract took precedence over his feelings for Lin Chuyue.'

Mu Xiang stood guard at the door.

It wasn't until evening that Lin Chuyue came out.

Her eyes were red and swollen; one look was enough to tell she had been crying for a long time.

Mu Xiang looked at her. "Accept reality."

"I know. I've already accepted it."

Lin Chuyue paid her no mind, simply drank a glass of milk, and then returned to her room.

'She needed time to process this, as well as the new nature of her relationship with Xiao Ye.'

'It turned out that just because something wasn't spoken of, didn't mean it hadn't happened.'

'A fact was a fact, after all...'

「Meanwhile.」

Xiao Ye had also received the news. After all, with such a huge commotion in the Imperial City, there was no way his subordinates wouldn't know.

"Patriarch, what should we do now?"

Xiao Ye's expression was ice-cold. He could only imagine how much pain Lin Chuyue must be in at this very moment.

'He would absolutely not let the person who leaked the news get away with it!'

"Investigate! Find out who did this!"

"No matter who spread this news, I will make them pay!"

The woman who did this hadn't bothered to hide her tracks, or perhaps she simply didn't know how.

She thought using a burner account would be enough to stay anonymous, but in reality, her IP address and real-name authentication made it easy to trace everything back to her.

"Patriarch, we've confirmed it. It was someone from the Wen Family. Miss Lin attended a Wen Family banquet yesterday."

"She was targeted by them at the banquet. Although they apologized, it's clear they weren't sincere and decided to pull a stunt like this."

Xiao Ye let out a cold laugh. 'These days, anyone dared to walk all over him!'

'Lin Chuyue was his woman. To disrespect Lin Chuyue was to disrespect him, the Patriarch of the Xiao Family!'

"Contact the Wen Family. Tell them that if they don't want the Wen Family to disappear, they are to immediately bring a gift and go apologize to Lin Chuyue in person!"

"The Wen Family must find a way to resolve this matter. Otherwise, I will handle it myself!"

"Also, spread the word: Lin Chuyue will always be the woman I, Xiao Ye, love most!"