All of a sudden, the sound of a pin drop could be heard in the air!
Everyone was stunned by the scene before them, unable to process what had just happened.
Meng Yang, the peerless genius in their eyes, was the eldest legitimate son of the City Lord's Mansion. Yet, in front of this young man, whom he had spoken rudely to multiple times, his attitude was now so respectful?
What was going on?
"What the hell is happening?" someone asked in shock.
This turn of events was too unexpected. No one could have imagined such a scenario.
In their eyes, no matter what Xiao Chen's background was, he should have been the one bowing to Meng Yang in Yunhai City! But the reality was completely different from what they had assumed.
"Hiss! Is this still the proud Meng Yang? When did he become so humble?"
"Yeah, Meng Yang has never been polite! He has always been arrogant. Back then, when some noble young masters from the prefectural city quarreled with him, he didn't back down—he broke their legs instead!"
"That's right! I was there. Meng Yang was so overbearing that even those young masters, who came from extraordinary backgrounds, couldn't stop him."
"Just now, I saw Master Meng talking and laughing with Patriarch Li," someone whispered, glancing at the figure who was still calmly seated.
In front of Patriarch Li, Young Master Meng had remained composed and at ease.
But now?
Before Xiao Chen, he bent over in deference, not daring to rise without permission!
"Hiss! It seems we were wrong all along."
"This young man is extraordinary."
"No wonder he dared to sit there so calmly. It's not that he's ignorant—it's that he is qualified to do so!"
The guests at the banquet weren't fools. They quickly realized what this meant.
Gasps filled the hall.
They had thought Xiao Chen was just a clown trying to draw attention to himself. But now, they understood—it was they who had been blind to the real dragon in their midst!
"Tsk, tsk. Speaking of which, that girl is really unlucky."
Someone clicked their tongue in wonder and glanced at Yuan Mengyao, shaking their head.
This girl had thought she was too good for Xiao Chen and sought favor with Meng Yang instead.
Originally, when Yuan Mengyao publicly rejected Xiao Chen, everyone had thought Xiao Chen was just a pitiful fool, humiliated in front of the crowd.
But now, with Meng Yang's actions, their opinions had shifted dramatically!
Yuan Mengyao's face turned deathly pale. She stared at the scene before her in disbelief, biting her lip so hard that a faint trickle of blood oozed from the corner of her mouth. Yet, she didn't even notice.
She just kept staring at the figure who remained seated, calm and composed.
For the first time, she realized that no matter how they provoked and mocked him, that figure never wavered.
At first, she had thought Xiao Chen was merely putting on an act.
But now, she understood—it was pure disdain!
So what if they mocked him?
Why would a true dragon care about the opinions of ants?
A bitter smile crossed Yuan Mengyao's face. With Meng Yang's arrival, her rejection of Xiao Chen suddenly felt like the biggest joke of all.
Even though Xiao Chen had never uttered a single word about it.
"In his heart, I must be nothing more than a joke. Yuan Mengyao, you are truly pathetic."
"Did I really think he would take a liking to me and beg my grandfather for my hand? Ridiculous. How could someone like him ever covet my beauty?"
Yuan Mengyao muttered in regret.
"Xiao Chen, what is going on?!"
Yuan Ye couldn't believe what he was seeing. He never expected such an absurd situation.
Suddenly, he recalled Xiao Chen's words.
He had claimed to be the top genius of the Xiao family.
He had stated that Xiao Lei of the Spirit Incarnation Realm had been slain by his hands.
He had declared that Meng Yang would not dare to offend him.
And he had boldly proclaimed that, among all the people present, none of them mattered in his eyes.
At first, those words had sounded utterly arrogant and laughable. But now, Yuan Ye was beginning to believe them.
Perhaps... Xiao Chen had been telling the truth all along.
"Xiao Chen, what the hell is happening?! Why did Young Master Meng bow to you?!"
Yuan Ye demanded, his voice filled with urgency.
He was desperate for answers!
Xiao Chen sneered and ignored him, as though he hadn't heard the question at all.
Yuan Ye, filled with frustration, erupted in rage. He glared at Xiao Chen and roared, "I don't care why Meng Yang is acting this way, but are you really going to ignore me?! You're looking for death!"
"Yuan Ye, how dare you!"
Before Xiao Chen could even respond, Meng Yang was the first to react. His expression darkened as he coldly stared at Yuan Ye, his eyes flashing with killing intent.
"If you weren't Young Master Xiao's relative, I would have killed you already for daring to be so presumptuous toward him!"
"You... Master Meng, you...?!"
Yuan Ye's face turned ashen, and he stammered in disbelief.
"Shut your mouth! If you dare to disrespect Young Master Xiao again, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
Meng Yang interrupted without hesitation, his voice firm and unyielding.
With a thud, Yuan Ye collapsed to the ground, his eyes dull and lifeless, as if his mind had shattered from the shock.
"Xiao Chen, how dare you! Your cousin asked you a question, and this is how you respond? Do you have no sense of etiquette or morality?!"
Yuan Liuhe, no longer able to remain silent, took a step forward and glared at Xiao Chen, his voice filled with rebuke.
Xiao Chen looked at him calmly and shook his head slightly. Then, he spoke in an indifferent tone. "Etiquette? Morality? When Yuan Ye insulted me earlier, where was your morality? Why didn't you step in then? Or is it that, in your eyes, only you deserve respect, while I must remain humble before you? No matter what you say, I must obey?"
"That's right! I am your elder! He is your cousin! So what if he treats you poorly? You must accept it! Apologize to him now!"
"Hah."
Xiao Chen let out a soft laugh and said no more.
On the side, Meng Yang frowned and spoke coldly. "Master Yuan, you are being unreasonable! Young Master Xiao has done nothing wrong. Why should he apologize?"
Yuan Liuhe waved his hand dismissively. "Young Master Meng, Xiao Chen is a relative of my Yuan family. As an elder, I will discipline him as I see fit. As an outsider, how dare you interfere?"
Seeing his son humiliated, he no longer cared about Meng Yang's status and showed no fear.
"This..."
Meng Yang hesitated and looked at Xiao Chen. He wanted to help, but Yuan Liuhe's words were true. As an outsider, it would be inappropriate for him to interfere.
Just as the tension reached its peak, a voice echoed from outside the hall.
"City Lord's Mansion—City Lord has arrived!"