The Yan family did a double take and began spluttering in disbelief when they caught sight of me and Mu Rong Shu strolling toward the restaurant.
"What's going on?!" Yan Yue demanded, turning toward Yan Wan. "Didn't you say your cousin and her husband weren't coming to Jiang Nan?!"
"Y…yes…" Yan Wan stammered. I turned to give her a quizzical stare.
"When did we ever say we weren't coming to Jiang Nan? Your family literally just hosted us a few days ago."
Yan Yue's jaw dropped while Yan Wan and Ru Feng turned frightfully pale. Yan Yang shrank back, shaking his head. He already knew how this was going to end. As for Liu Zhang Feng, he was visibly distancing himself from Yan Wan.
"You lied to me?" Yan Yue stormed at Yan Wan. He had noticed the guilty expressions and he wasn't a fool.
"But…but…" Yan Wan spluttered. "Then why didn't they contact you?"
"It wasn't for a lack of trying," Mu Rong Shu replied, annoyed. "I wanted to ask you, granddad, why did you block my number? Why did everyone block my number? I've been trying to call you for days, but none of my calls got through."
"What are you talking about?" Yan Yue demanded. Mu Rong Shu sighed and showed him her smartphone. She dialed his number right in front of him, only for the call to fall through. She then tried the numbers of other people, with similar results.
"I'm talking about this."
Yan Yue frowned, scratching his head. "I don't remember ever blocking your number. And why would the whole family…?"
Then he stopped, as if remembering something. He turned to look at me curiously, then returned his gaze to Mu Rong Shu.
"Your husband said earlier that Yan Wan's family hosted you a few days ago?"
"That's right…but there was some…altercation, and then we decided to leave and stay in a hotel before things could get too awkward."
Mu Rong Shu nodded. Yan Yue's scowl deepened and he turned toward Yan Yang, his tone thunderous.
"Yan Yang, what's the meaning of this?"
Yan Yang cast a surreptitious glance at his wife and remained silent. Ru Feng didn't hesitate, however, and pointed an accusing finger at Mu Rong Shu.
"Now that she has done well in Cheng Shi City, she knows how to show off and embarrass others. This kind of person, how can we let her and her trash husband stay in our house? How can we allow them to participate in the family dinner?"
"Whether she has the right to participate in the family dinner at Dragon Boat Festival, since when do you have the authority to decide?" Yan Yue asked coldly. Ru Feng shrank back.
"But…!" Yan Wan protested hotly, unable to get over her grudge. "Cousin Shu was the one who embarrassed me first! She was the one who showed off and used her wealth and connections to humiliate us! How can you take her side?"
"I did not embarrass you," Mu Rong Shu snapped, her voice sharp. "Should I tell everyone the truth?"
"You…!"
"Say it." Yan Yue cut Yan Wan off before she could scream and throw a tantrum. At his voice, the whole Yan family fell silent. None of them dared to go against the words of the Yan family patriarch. Mu Rong Shu briefly told them what had happened over the last week, including the incident at the mall and Tong Le Seafood Restaurant. Then she included the fact that her number had been blocked.
When she finished, Yan Yue turned to the family in question.
"Is that true?"
"Yes," Yan Yang said heavily, but without any hesitation. Now that things had gotten to this point, there was no use lying. In fact, he was very afraid of retaliation from me. Both he and Liu Zhang Feng were glancing nervously in my direction and subtly maintaining their distance from Ru Feng and Yan Wan. His wife and daughter glared at him, but they didn't deny it.
"You…!" Yan Yue roared in fury. "How can you treat your niece like this?!"
"Sorry." Yan Yue lowered his head and apologized to Mu Rong Shu, who shook her head and quickly cut in.
"It's not Uncle Yang's fault. He's the only one who helped us."
"That's right. The whole thing started and ended with you two." Yan Yue turned furiously on Ru Feng and Yan Wan. "Both of you, apologize!"
"Want me to apologize, is she worth it?" Yan Wan sneered. She had never been so embarrassed in front of her relatives before, and she refused to lose even more face, being forced to apologize to her rival (except that it was a one-sided rivalry).
"Apologize!" Yan Yue ordered fiercely, and she shrank back. However, in the face of her grandfather's anger, she continued to stubbornly resist. She refused to lose any more face.
"How can you force me to apologize to Cousin Shu? You know that her status isn't very high, that I'm superior to her! She's married to a trash, while I'm the future wife of Liu Zhang Feng!"
"Trash?" Tang Li burst out laughing. "Did you just all Mr. Zhao trash? If he's trash, then what are you? Shit?"
The Jiang family turned pale, unable to retort. Every single one of them knew Tang Li's status and they were too afraid to offend him. They could only look away in fear, unable to meet his scornful gaze. A few of them even cast shocked glances at me.
But Yan Wan wasn't convinced. She turned to Liu Zhang Feng, looking to plead with him.
"Liu Zhang Feng, say something on my behalf! Don't let me apologize to that stuckup bitch!"
"Stuckup bitch? You're the stuckup bitch, not your cousin." Liu Zhang Feng gritted his teeth. He was already backing away when he saw that Tang Li and I were acquainted. He wanted nothing to do with this farce. He was aware that Tang Li could easily destroy his small business with just a single word.
"What did you say?!"
"Just apologize to your cousin. It's clear that you're the one in the wrong."
"What?! I'm your woman! How can you not defend me?! How can you not help me save some face!? How am I wrong? It's her fault for marrying trash…"
"Would you shut up?" Liu Zhang Feng couldn't take it anymore. He looked at me in panic and fell to his knees, lowering his head. "Mr. Zhao, I'm sorry, I was blind. As you can see, I have nothing to do with the Jiang family anymore. I'm breaking up with Yan Wan. Please spare me and my business."
"What the…?" I buried my face in my palm. "Do you think I'm the kind of person who goes around bankrupting people and destroying their companies over a grudge?"
"You certainly have the power to do so," Tang Li remarked with a shrug. I rolled my eyes.
"But why the hell would I do that?"
"Mr. Zhao is kind and big hearted, of course he won't resort to such meaningless bullying." Liu Zhang Feng was bowing frantically. "Thank you for your mercy."
Dude…you were totally going overboard now. Why did people seem to believe that rich people went around destroying people's companies and livelihoods over something as trivial as insults? Like, there were better ways to spend one's money. Money didn't grow on trees, and billionaires didn't become rich by recklessly wasting their cash on stupid things like petty grudges. Like, seriously…
"You should just go now. You don't want to get involved with such people." Tang Li offered some advice. Liu Zhang Feng brightened up and nodded.
"Yes…yes, sir! Thank you!"
He then hurried off, but not before Yan Wan grabbed his arm and pulled him back.
"Liu Zhang Feng, where are you going!? Are you seriously breaking up with me?! How dare you!?"
"Of course I dare!" Liu Zhang Feng retorted. "Have you looked in the mirror? I've put up with your selfishness and indulged you, but you take it for granted and become so spoiled! Now you're almost dragging me to death! If you want to die, die by yourself!"
"What? Die? What are you talking about?"
"You don't even know who Mr. Zhao Huan Shi is, yet you keep on insulting him and calling him trash. You can die by yourself if you want, I don't want to play your stupid games with you. Thanks to you, my business was almost destroyed! I would have lost my company and all my wealth! You'll be the death of me!"
Yan Wan stammered incoherently, unable to believe what was going on. Liu Zhang Feng, who had always treated her so well, pampered her and listened to her, was now shouting at her in rage. Just because he didn't dare to offend me.
"And if I lose my company and money, you'll dump me anyway, wouldn't you? You're a gold digging woman."
"What…?!"
Yan Wan was unable to deny that, but the three words stung. Gold digging woman…it was true that she only cared about money and only desired rich boyfriends or husbands. Deep down, she also knew that she wouldn't hesitate to break off her relationship with Liu Zhang Feng the moment he lost his company and fortune.
But she saw nothing wrong with it. After all, who wouldn't want a better life? Who wouldn't want more money? Without money, one couldn't live comfortably and without worries.
"We are done. We'll never see each other again."
With those parting words, Liu Zhang Feng hurried off. Yan Wan gaped at his departing figure for a few moments, then turned to glare at me.
"You…you trash! Just what did you do to…to hypnotize my boyfriend and cause him to dump me?!"
"Hypnotize?" I rolled my eyes. Tang Li scowled.
"Why do you insist on calling Mr. Zhao trash? What is the matter with you?"
"Because he's trash! Just compare him to Liu Zhang Feng! He's a useless son-in-law who stays at home and does nothing but housework! He doesn't even earn a single cent! What is he, if not trash?"
"They think you don't work." Tang Li looked at me, amused. "And that you don't earn any money."
"Let them think what they want," I replied wearily. I was getting sick of listening to them. "Let's go in."
"What? But…" Yan Yue was thrown off. He clearly wanted to have the dinner here in Long Chuan Restaurant, but he couldn't. At least not now. He glared at Yan Wan. "Shut up! And apologize! Not just to your cousin, but also your cousin-in-law!"
"Why? I'm merely stating the truth!"
"You know, Mr. Zhao," Tang Li said, pointedly ignoring the Yan family's debacle. "You brought the item, right? Mind giving it to me now?"
"That's right." I took the silver container out and passed it to him. He flipped the latch open and lifted the cover, revealing the Solar Amulet in all its glory.
Even though they weren't cultivators, the Yan family instinctively understood that the Solar Amulet was no ordinary jewelry. They could see its radiance, feel its…aura somehow. Their jaws dropped and their eyes widened to the size of saucers. They almost drooled as they stared, their gazes transfixed upon the glowing Solar Amulet.
"That…that…"
"Why does that trash have something like that on him?"
"Thank you." Tang Li then gestured to one of his staff. "Wire thirty million yuan to Mr. Zhao's account immediately." He then beamed at me. "Always a pleasure doing a business with you, Mr. Zhao. Also, allow me to show my hospitality. I've already told the chef to prepare the Eight Treasures Course."
"T…thirty million yuan?!" Yan Ying blurted out, unable to believe his ears. Even Liu Zhang Feng had to work really hard for half a year just to earn thirty million yuan, yet I achieved such a fortune with a single transaction.
"How…how did you even get your hands on such an amazing piece of jewelry?!" Yan Wan shrieked, pointing her finger accusingly at me. "You stole it, didn't you?!"
"Oh, you didn't know, Cousin Wan?" Mu Rong Shu smirked. "My husband works as a relic realtor. He collects priceless artifacts and sells them. I ought to know, I run our antiques store together with him."
With that, she then stalked off, joining me and Tang Li in entering Long Chuan Restaurant and leaving the Yan family floundering outside the hotel lobby.