Quick Wear: Cousin, Come to the Bowl Quickly

Chapter 640 Personal Side Story: Chi Xianqiu's Story (4)

Chi Xianqiu thought that she had thoroughly angered Xu Yucheng after exposing his disguise. With his family background, even if he was now down on his luck, he would still be more than capable of dealing with an ordinary person like her.

Therefore, in the quiet of the night, I would always feel a pang of regret, thinking that perhaps I should have spoken more tactfully and not been so harsh.

But once words are spoken, they cannot be taken back, so she could only privately remind her family to be careful when going in and out these days, and to be wary of strangers.

However, after spending more than half a month in fear, the expected trouble did not occur.

The Xu family seemed to vanish overnight from social interactions and casual conversations in Shanghai. She later learned from a classmate who was a distant relative of the Xu family that the Xu family had thoroughly angered the Lin family because of the annulment of the engagement, and their business was being hampered at every turn, making it impossible for them to continue operating.

Mr. Xu could no longer make a living in Shanghai, so half a month ago he sold his mansion and property at a low price and, with his family, slunk away on a ship back to his hometown in the north.

Xu Yucheng, due to the old grudge of the broken engagement, coupled with the scandal of being kicked out of the house after harassing her, was severely punished by the angry Master Xu with family law. His old wounds had not healed and new wounds were added. When he boarded the ship, he was carried directly onto the ship in a rattan chair.

With the departure of the Xu family, her life gradually returned to normal, as if nothing had ever happened.

But only Chi Xianqiu herself knew that although the Lin and Xu families seemed to disregard her as an insignificant person, her life had truly changed.

Whether at home or at school, gossip could always be heard, and those scrutinizing and probing gazes always followed her like a shadow, making her walk stiff involuntarily.

As time passed and people's attention was eventually drawn to newer things, her life finally settled down completely.

Life seemed to have returned to its former calm and uneventful state, like a monotonous and long autumn.

And all her vivid emotions—whether joyful, expectant, or painful—were buried in this autumn.

Now, she is like a puppet whose soul has been taken away. She still goes about her daily routine of going to school, but her life seems to be shrouded in a gray veil. She is in a daze all day long, unable to muster any enthusiasm for anything, and has no idea what she wants to do in the future.

The only thing that stirred a ripple in her stagnant life was the news that spread throughout Shanghai: Commander Lin's only daughter, Lin Xi, would be getting married soon.

The groom was none other than her childhood sweetheart and cousin, Shen Jingyuan, the young Chief of Staff of the Shanghai Military Region.

Compared to the previous mismatched marriage between Lin and Xu, which was outwardly acquiesced but inwardly disapproved of by Shanghai's high society, this current marriage is clearly more in line with everyone's wishes.

The reason is that Lin and Shen are a perfect match, a match made in heaven, in terms of family background, the depth of their friendship, and their age and appearance.

Therefore, when the news that the Lin family would be hosting a seven-day banquet at the most luxurious riverside hotel in Shanghai made the newspapers, it won praise from almost everyone in Shanghai, from high-ranking officials and celebrities to ordinary citizens.

The wedding day was a sunny autumn afternoon.

As if by some strange twist of fate, Chi Xianqiu followed the crowds heading to "share in the joy" and watch the excitement, and slowly walked to the vicinity of the River View Hotel.

The hotel entrance was already decorated with flowers, a red carpet was laid out, and a large number of dignitaries gathered. The sounds of car horns and the buzzing of the crowd mingled together, creating a festive and lively atmosphere.

She squeezed to the edge of the crowd, watching the black car adorned with flowers slowly come to a stop through the throng of heads.

The car door opened, and the first person to step out was a tall, handsome young military officer in a crisp uniform.

He bent down slightly and reached his hand into the car. Then, the bride took his hand and stepped out.

She wore a pure white Western-style wedding dress with a skirt that resembled stacked clouds. Her long veil trailed down, covering most of her face, but it couldn't hide her dazzling radiance.

She tilted her head slightly, smiled, and said something to the groom beside her. Even though there was a distance and a thin veil between them, Chi Xianqiu could clearly feel that there was no gloom in that smile, but rather an almost overflowing tenderness and joy.

The groom also bowed his head in response, his cold and stern eyes softening like spring water when he looked at her.

He carefully adjusted her draped veil, and then, hand in hand, amidst the flashes of countless cameras and the gasps of admiration from the crowd, they walked step by step down the red carpet into the hotel, leaving behind only a pair of perfectly matched silhouettes.

Chi Xianqiu stood there, watching the two figures disappear into the hallway. A complex emotion suddenly swept through her heart, a mixture of envy and melancholy.

She had personally witnessed Lin Xi crying her heart out for Xu Yucheng, her face streaked with tears. The grief and questioning in the garden that night had convinced her that Lin Xi was deeply in love with Xu Yucheng, and therefore she felt ashamed of herself for becoming the third party between the two.

But now, in just a few months, she has married someone else, and... Chi Xianqiu recalled that fleeting glimpse of Lin Xi looking at her groom, her eyes filled with complete trust and joy, without a trace of reluctance.

She was somewhat confused, and also somewhat self-deprecating.

Her relationship with Xu Yucheng, from their first meeting at the Jinling Wharf to their complete breakup, lasted only a few months, yet it left her emotionally and physically exhausted. To this day, she seems to still be struggling to recover from that farce, living a muddled and directionless life.

But what about Lin Xi? She pursued Xu Yucheng for so many years, full of affection, only to have her engagement broken off in public at her coming-of-age banquet, enduring so much pain and humiliation.

But in a short time, she had been completely transformed, her beauty surpassing even her former charm, and she had even found a seemingly perfect match, a man who cherished her so much…

How could she be so free of gloom and move forward with her head held high? Chi Xianqiu felt full of doubts and couldn't figure it out no matter how hard she tried.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a few hushed whispers nearby.

"The commander's daughter and Staff Officer Shen are truly a perfect match, a match made in heaven," someone exclaimed in admiration.

"Yes, look at their appearance and demeanor, they're just like people who stepped out of a magazine."

“Indeed,” a young woman in a brand-new blue cheongsam replied, her cheeks slightly flushed and her eyes shining. “They’re a handsome couple, and I heard they grew up together. They’re a match made in heaven, so romantic.”

“However…” A young man standing diagonally in front of Chi Xianqiu, exhaling a smoke ring with a hint of excitement as he shared a secret, leaned closer to a businessman-looking friend beside him, “It’s said that this Miss Lin previously had feelings for someone else, and pursued him for many years without success…”

"Oh!" The businessman friend was clearly intrigued, his eyes widening slightly as he lowered his voice. "To be able to make the Commander's daughter love him but not get him? Which young master has such a grand style?"

"That's the son of the former president of the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce, surnamed Xu."

"The one surnamed Xu?" The businessman friend frowned, as if he remembered something, and his expression became somewhat strange. "Could it be... that young master Xu who caused such a stir in the city by pursuing a female student?"

"That's him!" The man with the cigarette threw the butt on the ground and crushed it with his foot, his tone mocking. "It's said that Miss Lin pursued him for many years, and the two were finally about to get engaged, but guess what? Young Master Xu actually broke off the engagement in public at the engagement banquet, all for a female student!"

"Oh!" A somewhat sleazy-looking man next to him clicked his tongue with a sly smile and said meaningfully, "Giving up a celestial beauty like Miss Lin to chase after a female student? That...that female student must be incredibly beautiful."

“I don’t know,” the young man shrugged and spread his hands. “But I heard that the female student comes from an ordinary family. Her father is just a regular office worker and has several children. I don’t know how that young master Xu got bewitched.”

He paused, as if keeping everyone in suspense, and seeing that everyone was waiting expectantly, he lowered his voice again, with a hint of schadenfreude, "And guess what?"

"What?" The people surrounding him asked almost in unison, silently taking a step closer to him.

"That female student," the young man said, emphasizing each word as if announcing something extraordinary, "actually didn't take a liking to that young master Xu! She even gave him a thorough dressing-down and kicked him out of his house!"

"Whoa—!" A series of suppressed gasps rippled through the crowd.

"If you ask me, they deserve it!" the young man concluded, his voice returning to normal volume with a hint of satisfaction.

"This young master Xu, he tried to steal a chicken but lost the rice instead, losing both his wife and his army! He offended the commander's family, ruining the once-prosperous Xu family, which is why Staff Officer Shen... 'picked up the bargain' and won the beauty's heart!"

His businessman friend nodded in agreement, "In my opinion, this young master Xu is a fool. Wasn't his family just an ordinary merchant family before? It was only by climbing up to the Lin family that he was able to make his fortune smoothly."

"As time went on, he became complacent and arrogant, unaware of his own limitations, and thought that Miss Lin was indispensable to him."

The young man sneered, his gaze sweeping over the magnificent hotel entrance. "He doesn't know that with Miss Lin's family background, looks, and status, whoever she chooses will be the most important person in Shanghai. Without the Lin family, the Xu family is nothing."

"Whoever she chooses will be the number one person in Shanghai..."

Chi Xianqiu murmured and repeated it, feeling as if the words were a spark thrown into the dark night, burning a hole in the vague and indistinct melancholy in her heart.

Yes, Lin Xi has always been the one making the choices.

She could choose to turn her attention to Xu Yucheng, or she could turn away decisively and choose someone else after he betrayed her.

Her world was so vast, her foundation so deep, that the end of a relationship seemed to her as nothing more than brushing off an old garment and turning around to put on a new one that fit better.

And what about yourself?

Even if she doesn't have Lin Xi's family background and looks, nor the confidence to keep trying and making mistakes, does that mean that just because she was tripped up by Xu Yucheng's absurd pursuit and ended up in a mess, her long life should be forever trapped in this mud, passively enduring the days getting darker and darker?

She didn't want it to be like this.

This thought appeared in her mind so clearly for the first time.

She was only eighteen years old, with so much life ahead of her. The world outside was changing rapidly, and she didn't want her future to be like it was now, so bleak and predictable.

The magnificent sunset painted half the sky a beautiful orange-red, reflecting the gradually dispersing crowd in front of the hotel and the sparse lights that lit up the long street.

Chi Xianqiu took one last look at the still bustling and dazzling hotel entrance, then straightened her back, turned slowly against the crowd of people who were still excitedly discussing and watching the spectacle, and walked step by step towards the red sunset, towards home.