"So you really are here."
Xia Lu turned her head and saw Fang Meiling standing in front of her, furious. She was about to speak when a slap landed on her face.
"Shameless! How could our family have married such a daughter-in-law!" Fang Meiling's strike was forceful and spared no mercy; "I was still doubting it, but to think it's actually you. Luo Fan is lying in the hospital unconscious, and here you are, shamelessly attending a wedding with someone else, you disgraceful woman!"
Xia Lu covered her cheek, stepping back, "Mom, I can explain."
"What's there to explain! The facts are right in front of us, do you think I'm blind? I wondered why you haven't been visiting the hospital recently, and why you always had an excuse not to come for family dinners; turns out you were too busy climbing the social ladder to have time."
She advanced step by step until Xia Lu found herself at the edge of the pool.
"Ma'am, please calm down." The hotel staff had already rushed over, reaching out to pull Fang Meiling away.
"Get lost!" Perhaps fueled by anger, Fang Meiling forcefully shook the staffer off.
The nearby guests had taken notice of the commotion and were curiously looking over.
"Mom, give me a moment, there are reasons for all of this."
"I don't care about your reasons; you've betrayed my son, and I'm going to sue you!" she said aggressively, making Xia Lu panic.
The last thing Xia Lu expected was for someone to confront her, especially not at an event like this, before she had found the right opportunity to explain.
Suddenly, her heel slipped into the pool's filter at the edge, causing her to lose her balance and fall backwards instantly.
"Splash!"
"Splash!"
The sound of falling into the water caused an uproar, and even Fang Meiling was stunned.
"Pfft... Help... Pfft... Ah gu... gu gu gu... Pfft..."
Xia Lu was not a good swimmer, and the emotional trauma from the honeymoon boating accident had left a profound impact on her. The moment she fell into the water, she inhaled some and began to flail, sinking deeper with every struggle.
She had already swallowed a few mouthfuls of water, facing the danger of drowning.
Suddenly, from the opposite bank, someone jumped in, quickly swam over to her, and reached out both arms to pull her out of the water.
Xia Lu clung onto the rescuer as if they were her lifeline.
"Cough cough cough!" After coughing up some water, her coughing became intense.
"Don't hold on to me so tight, or do you want us both to sink?" Ye Shaotang joked, then quickly place her on the edge of the pool and climbed up as well.
"Maintain some order here," he whispered to a waiter, before casually taking a towel from the side to cover Xia Lu, picking her up in his arms, and heading towards the rest area.
"Hey!" Fang Meiling called out from behind, apparently unsatisfied with the outcome.
But she was quickly stopped by the security that had arrived, "Ma'am, this is a private event that you were invited to, and your behavior is causing a significant disturbance."
"What's going on?"
Zhou Mingchen walked into the rest area late, noticed the two soaked individuals, and asked harshly.
"President Ye..." Qiu Cheng also rushed over, handing Ye Shaotang a towel, "Dry off quickly, don't catch a cold."
On the couch, Xia Lu was shivering all over, hugging her shoulders tightly and curling up into a ball.
"President Zhou, the troublemaker has been brought in," someone reported.
The once haughty Fang Meiling was now devoid of her earlier arrogance.
"Who are you?" Zhou Mingchen frowned and asked.
"Who am I? Ask her!"
Xia Lu looked up at Zhou Mingchen and said softly, "She is Luo Fan's mother."
"There's nothing for me here, I'm going to change," Ye Shaotang said as he pushed his wet hair back and walked toward Xia Lu, "and you should too."
"Thanks for just now."
"No big deal." Ye Shaotang strode away and casually closed the door behind him.
Zhou Mingchen approached Fang Meiling, "I don't recall your name being on the invitation list. Tell me, why are you causing trouble here?"
"I'm not targeting you," Fang Meiling looked past him at Xia Lu, "I'm here to settle scores with her."
Zhou Mingchen stepped in front of Xia Lu, "She's my wife, targeting her is targeting me."
"So it's you?" Fang Meiling finally realized with an epiphany. As the saying goes, it takes two to clap. She didn't seek out trouble herself, but the other hand had willingly offered itself. "Do you even know what kind of person she is? She's been married before! To my son!"
"Married before?" Zhou Mingchen narrowed his eyes, "When did they get married? Which marriage registration office? Show me some proof."
Fang Meiling had not anticipated this response.
In fact, Xia Lu and Luo Fan hadn't registered their marriage. They had their wedding and immediately went on their honeymoon, planning to have a proper wedding photo shoot and register their marriage when they got back, but they encountered an unexpected event on the way.
"At Heyue Hotel, all our relatives and friends were present, and I still have the wedding video," Fang Meiling said defiantly.
"Oh? A wedding video?" Zhou Mingchen's mouth twisted, displaying a smile that was anything but friendly, "I've only heard that a marriage certificate can prove a marriage, never heard of anyone using a wedding video for that. Following your logic, those actors who've played countless wedding scenes on TV would all be guilty of bigamy, wouldn't they?"
"You?!" Fang Meiling was at a loss for words, pointing at Xia Lu, "Don't believe me, ask her!"
Zhou Mingchen turned his back casually, his tone calm and unhurried, as he slowly approached her, "I don't need to ask her. She's my wife, whether she's been married before or not, starting from today she is my wife, Zhou Mingchen's and mine alone. If you insist on slandering her, I will reserve my right to take legal action. Take her away!"
Two security staff grabbed Fang Meiling by the arms and dragged her out, "Xia Lu! You woman, remember this, I won't let you off easily, sooner or later I will avenge my son!"
"Who was in charge of the guest registration at the door tonight? Such a small matter and they can't even handle it, fire them," Zhou Mingchen spoke displeased.
"Right, I'll take care of it immediately." Qiu Cheng nodded and then turned to leave.
Only Zhou Mingchen and Xia Lu were left in the room.
"What, you're still in those wet clothes? Do you expect me to personally help you take them off?"
"I... I'll change right away."
Xia Lu immediately stood up, ready to walk barefoot into the inner room.
"Wait." Zhou Mingchen reached out to block her path.
"I just solved a big problem for you, don't you have something to say to me?" He tilted his head, gazing intently at her pale face dampened from the water incident.
Xia Lu bit her lip, "Thank you," she said quietly.
"That's better." Zhou Mingchen withdrew his hand that was blocking her way, "Hurry up, there's a whole bunch of guests outside waiting for us to entertain, you've already caused me enough trouble for one day."
With that, he walked away.