-015- We Did Get Married.
-015-
After Chen Yinrong's jibe, she remembered what Xuan Yao had mentioned when inviting her over.
She continued to sneer at Xuan Yang, "I heard you've been getting pretty close to A Dang lately?"
"Don't tell me you're trying to marry into our Zhou family?"
Now it was Chen Xingyue's turn to be surprised. He looked at Xuan Yang as if asking if she was crazy.
To actually set her sights on Zhou Dang!
Xuan Yang glanced at Chen Yinrong, unruffled.
Chen Yinrong continued, "A person needs to know their place. If you're eyeing what's in the pot while keeping an eye on what's in the pan, be careful you end up with nothing."
"In the end, you'll scrape empty."
Xuan Yang understood Chen Yinrong's meaning.
She was being advised to be content; marrying Chen Xingyue was her best option.
Don't even think about reaching above her station to the Zhou family.
Her adoptive mother, Chen Yinrou, felt the same and made it even clearer, afraid Xuan Yang wouldn't understand: "Your second aunt is right, Yangyang. What more could you want than marrying Xingyue?"
Her adoptive father, Xuan Yinnian, also said, "If you marry Xingyue, you can settle in Jingbei. If you miss home, you can come back anytime. What's wrong with that?"
Chen Xingyue's father added, "Yangyang, don't worry. Once you marry into our family, I'll make sure Xingyue treats you well."
...
For a moment, everyone at the table urged Xuan Yang to agree.
Only Chen Xingyue, afraid she might be persuaded, looked at her anxiously: "You'd better think carefully. I'm no good. If you really marry me, you'll definitely regret it."
Xuan Yang remained quiet throughout, her face expressionless.
Her ingrained manners allowed her to hear everyone out.
Some were sarcastic, some hypocritical, some blaming, some gloating.
It seemed everyone present was waiting for her to say something.
Once they had all spoken, Xuan Yang, sitting straight and tall, finally responded, her voice soft but firm: "I appreciate the good intentions of all the elders."
She glanced at her adoptive parents, then at Mr. and Mrs. Chen, and finally, amidst their expectant gazes, she confessed, "But I'm sorry, I cannot marry Chen Xingyue."
The moment Xuan Yang finished speaking, the large dining room fell silent for a few seconds.
Her adoptive mother, Chen Yinrou, suddenly slammed the table and stood up: "Xuan Yang! Don't go too far! Do you really think we're asking for your opinion?"
Xuan Yang looked at her, meeting her furious gaze. The heart she thought was bulletproof still felt pierced.
After a moment of silence, she gave a faint smile, "Yes, I thought you were asking for my opinion."
Chen Yinrou's angry expression froze, her emotions rising further: "How have you become like this!"
Her adoptive father, Xuan Yinnian, quickly tried to calm her, casting a deep glance at Xuan Yang: "Yangyang, don't make your mother angry."
Xuan Yao also chimed in, "Yeah, sis, Mom and Dad have worried so much about your marriage. You shouldn't break their hearts."
Seeing them united against her, a chill spread through Xuan Yang's heart. She felt too drained even to be sad.
Lowering her eyes, she steadied her emotions and slowly responded to Xuan Yao: "In that case, please tell Mom and Dad that from now on, they no longer need to worry about my marriage."
Xuan Yao froze, not expecting Xuan Yang to stare straight at her while saying this.
The relationship between them had never openly ruptured before.
Now it seemed she was deliberately provoking something.
Xuan Yao avoided Xuan Yang's gaze, muttering inwardly about how inexplicable it was.
She thought to herself that no one had really worried about Xuan Yang's marriage; the alliance with the Chen family was for the sake of the company.
If it weren't for the cousin-in-law's interest in Xuan Yang, she would never have agreed to let her marry into the Chen family and enjoy a comfortable life.
Just as Xuan Yao was thinking this, Xuan Yang's gaze shifted away from her.
She looked at her adoptive parents, her eyes dim and dark, and continued flatly, "I'm already married."
Those words hit everyone at the table like a hammer.
Even Chen Xingyue was dumbfounded, his face full of disbelief.
After a long moment, Mother Xuan came to her senses first: "What nonsense are you talking about?"
The others gradually reacted.
"Yeah, Yangyang, you can't just say things like that."
"You've only been back from abroad for a short time. Who could you have married?"
"Besides, marriage is about parental orders and matchmaker's words. How could you dare to get married without going through your mother and me?"
"If you ask me, she just looks down on Xingyue and is making up an excuse to stall us."