Chapter 369: Probing
But Lin Chuyue understood Xiao Ye. If he didn't like someone, he would never touch them.
But now, Xiao Ye's hand was resting on another woman's waist.
Lin Chuyue slowly placed a hand on her chest. She felt like she could barely breathe.
She forced herself to turn away, not daring to look for another second.
Lin Chuyue wanted to leave, but someone just had to bump into her.
"Well, if it isn't Miss Lin Chuyue? My apologies, that wasn't intentional."
With that, the person turned to Xiao Ye. "Mr. Xiao, why did you and Miss Lin Chuyue break up?"
"I recall you very publicly escorting her to all sorts of events. You even bought a pink diamond worth hundreds of millions at an auction, all just to win the fair lady's smile."
Xiao Ye glanced at the speaker. As expected, it was one of the younger generation from the Ouyang Family.
He also noticed Lin Chuyue. Her face was deathly pale, a clear sign of her profound sorrow.
'This is another one of their tests.'
'They just want to determine how much Lin Chuyue means to me.'
Lin Chuyue couldn't stop her gaze from drifting toward Xiao Ye.
She, too, wanted to know how Xiao Ye would answer.
And yet, she didn't want to hear it. Because no matter the reason, it was bound to be something she didn't want to hear...
Filled with this conflicting mix of emotions, she stood frozen in place, as if her feet had taken root, unable to move a single step.
After enduring so much, Xiao Ye certainly wasn't going to reveal his true feelings now.
His face was impassive, his gaze not lingering on Lin Chuyue for even a moment. His tone was icy, as if he were discussing something utterly irrelevant to him.
"My engagement to Lin Chuyue was fake."
"If not for that engagement, I never would have been with Lin Chuyue."
CLANG!
Those words were like a sledgehammer, crashing down violently on Lin Chuyue's heart.
'Without the engagement... they wouldn't have been together? Is that it?'
'So everything in the past... it was all fake.'
The hardships they had overcome together, the joys they had shared—in Xiao Ye's eyes, all of it was built solely on the foundation of their engagement.
Without the engagement, none of it would have ever existed!
And because that engagement was fake, he could cast aside everything they once had like a pair of worn-out shoes!
Lin Chuyue felt the world go silent around her, as if everything was receding into the distance!
"Miss Lin, are you all right?" Zhu Chen's voice broke through.
Only then did Lin Chuyue snap back to reality.
"I'm... I'm fine!" she said, taking a deep breath to calm her racing heart.
Thankfully, she had spent the last while mentally preparing herself for this, trying her best to forget her past with Xiao Ye and put it all behind her.
Otherwise, hearing those words so suddenly would have been more than she could bear.
"Miss Lin, you must look forward. And I believe that your wishes will come true."
Lin Chuyue gave a bitter smile. 'Her wish was to be with Xiao Ye, but that would never come true now...'
Her eyes filled with gratitude. "Thank you."
Leaning against Xiao Ye, Jin Mingzhu put on a reluctant expression. She clutched his collar tightly and lifted her dazzling face.
"Xiao Ye, I don't want to hear about you and your ex-girlfriend."
Xiao Ye's eyes darkened, and his voice grew a little hoarse. "All right. I won't say any more."
"That's more like it." Jin Mingzhu grabbed Xiao Ye's hand. Though she said nothing more, her gesture was deeply possessive. "I'm a little hungry."
"Come on, I'll take you to get something to eat."
Seeing the two acting so intimately, Lin Chuxing could no longer hold back. She rushed right in front of them and shouted, "Let go of him!"
"Jin Mingzhu, you bitch! How can you be so shameless, seducing my man over and over again!"
Jin Mingzhu's face immediately clouded with distress. "I..."
'Lin Chuxing is undoubtedly the perfect audience for this act,' Xiao Ye thought, understanding immediately as he pulled Jin Mingzhu behind him.
"Lin Chuxing, if you cause any more trouble, get the hell back to the Xiao Family!"
"You... You're telling me to get lost?" Lin Chuxing had never been so humiliated in her life.
She raised her hand to lunge at Jin Mingzhu. "You bitch, I'm going to teach you a lesson today!"
"Seducing another woman's man, you're shameless!"
"You're so desperate for a man, why don't you go be a whore!"
Xiao Ye shoved Lin Chuxing aside without a shred of courtesy. "That's enough!"
Lin Chuxing was like a madwoman now. "It's not enough! Xiao Ye, you humiliated me in front of all these people for another woman!"
"Have you even thought about what's going to happen to me?"
"You... You're heartless!"
Xiao Ye had no desire to listen to her spout any more nonsense. "Guards! Take her away! Don't let her disturb Mr. Linton's banquet!"
"Stop!" Lin Chuyue said, resolutely stepping in front of Lin Chuxing.
Lin Chuxing froze, stunned that her sister would stand up for her.
Still, she needed someone to help her stay right now.
'If I just leave, who knows how that bitch Jin Mingzhu will try to seduce Xiao Ye!'
'If they end up in bed together after the banquet, it'll be too late!'
'She knew all too well what a temptation a body like Jin Mingzhu's was for any man!'
At that thought, Lin Chuxing simply hid behind Lin Chuyue.
Lin Chuyue looked at Xiao Ye, her eyes filled with utter disappointment. "You said you valued the engagement, so what are you doing right now?"
"The Lin Family may not be as powerful as the Xiao Family, but we are not to be trifled with!"
"You're humiliating my sister in front of everyone, and with some strange woman, no less... ganging up on her. Do you think the Lin Family has no one to stand up for her?"
Xiao Ye looked at her calmly. "This is my business."
"This is the Lin Family's business too! If you intend to honor the engagement, then you should be with my sister properly, not chasing after every new woman you see!"
Xiao Ye glanced at Lin Chuxing behind her and said flatly, "I am the Patriarch of the Xiao Family."
"At my level, a woman is not a necessity. The fact that I am willing to give Lin Chuxing the title of Lady of the House is the absolute most I can offer."
"Don't expect anything more. I can't give it."
"Besides, sometimes, whether for appearances or for... companionship, one woman isn't enough."
The implication was clear: he could marry Lin Chuxing, but that was it. There would be nothing else.
There would be no affection between them, no love.
The so-called marriage would be nothing more than a show for outsiders.
As for what happened behind closed doors, he offered no guarantees.
Besides, for a man of his status, having several wives and concubines was perfectly normal.
After all, he had money and power. Countless women would throw themselves at him.
Lin Chuyue couldn't believe Xiao Ye would say such a thing. Her eyes filled with disappointment. "You... You've changed!"
"Xiao Ye, you told me before that you were a man, a *real* man!"
"That you would be responsible for the person you marry, responsible for your family! But look at what you're doing now!"